[amor de cosmos]

Israel Debuts the World's First Self-Cleaning Solar Farm
by Kristine Lofgren, 03/28/14

One of the challenges with solar power is keeping the panels clean, since dust and dirt drastically reduce the efficiency of photovoltaics. That’s particularly challenging for large solar parks, and especially ones that are located in the desert, where there is little water. Israeli company Eccopia has addressed that challenge with a clever robot that cleans the solar panels every day, increasing efficiency by up to 35 percent. This week the Kibbutz Ketura solar park installed Eccopia’s robots, making it the world’s first self-cleaning photovoltaic array.

http://inhabitat.com/israel-debuts-t...ng-solar-park/

The Case For A Solar Race
Originally published in Let the Sunshine In: A Solar Power Blog.



Knowing well the above history, this writer is amazed by the behavior of the US government and public in its response – or rather, non-response – to the swift ascendancy of so many rival countries in the area of solar power, in comparison with America’s relatively lackluster progress. Given the life-and-death importance of energy resources in the coming decades, and the vastly greater imperative (compared to that of putting a man on the moon) to develop viable sustainable sources of energy, America ought to see itself in the midst of a “Solar Crisis” far surpassing the Space Crisis of the mid-1950s. Yet, when news comes out about, say, cloudy Germany leading the world in solar, or South Africa investing over 5 billion dollars in renewable energy (mostly solar) development to end its dependence on coal, the reaction, if any, in America’s capital as well as on Main Street, is a shrug of indifference.

Where is the old competitive spirit of the Cold War years? Competition in the context of militaristic political conflicts – particularly war – seems to me invariably regrettable. But competition between nations for a technological goal may ultimately yield a positive result, if the goal itself is good. Few environmentally-aware persons would argue that a permanent transition to renewables, particularly solar, would not be a good goal for America. That’s why I’d like to call for a new Solar Race for the US, analogous to the Space Race of the ‘Fifties and ‘Sixties.

What would such a race be like? Obviously, it would mean lots and lots of federal and state funds – equaling and hopefully surpassing the superfluous subsidies currently thrown at the fossil fuel industry – to be invested both in technological development and incentives to consumers to go solar. But it would involve much more than that. A public awareness campaign would be created that would portray solar power in a worldwide context, and our national honor as dependent upon our ability to compete successfully with other nations in this arena. Making solar hip, therefore, would become a major national priority. Celebrities would be recruited to extol its virtues. Some of the excitement of the new that characterized the birth of the motorcar and of aviation in the early 20th Century (see my post on the flight of the Solar Impulse) could be experienced again, but with the knowledge that this time the result would not be traffic jams or jet fuel-polluted skies, but a much more livable planet. And the old American pioneer spirit, last seen in this country with the rise of hero astronauts like John Glenn and Neil Armstrong in the 1960s, would be revived for this campaign, including perhaps in an area (which I have previously discussed in another post) whose ultimate possibilities are as yet unknown: space-based solar power.

http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/29/case-solar-race/

Is Solar the Answer to Brazil’s Energy Crisis?
Leading module maker Yingli Green Energy talks about its fastest-growing market.
Herman K. Trabish
March 28, 2014

The newest project from world-leading solar module maker Yingli Green Energy is a 1-megawatt installation at Brazil's Arena Pernambuco soccer stadium, the site of five upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup matches.

Built by Brazilian solar pioneer Grupo Neoenergia, the net-metered system is in the solar-supportive state of Pernambuco’s capital, Recife. The 3,650 monocrystalline panels will generate more than 1,500 megawatt-hours of electricity annually. Power not consumed by the stadium will go to the local community.

Brazil’s solar market is “just taking off,” according to Adam James, GTM Research Solar Analyst for Global Demand. James is readying the 2Q 2014 update of GTM Research’s Latin America PV Playbook, which projects that Brazil’s 2013 installed capacity of 38.6 megawatts will nearly double to 72.6 megawatts this year.

“But unlike many of the other leading Latin American solar markets such as Mexico and Chile,” James said, “there appears to be no ceiling on Brazil’s potential growth over the long term. Companies like Yingli can think not just in terms of what they can do over the next five years, but what they can do over the next ten, twenty, or 30 years.”

The Latin American solar market does not represent a large percentage of Yingli’s global market share, said International Sales VP Jeff Barnett, “but it is the fastest-growing segment.”

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...-energy-crisis

Peter Miller’s Blog
Celebrating a Solar Milestone with Big Clean Energy Implications
Peter Miller
Posted March 28, 2014 in Curbing Pollution, Living Sustainably, Solving Global Warming

California can feel good about the fact that it has more than half of all the solar rooftops in America, but now there’s even more to celebrate – the 100,000th such installation and the commitment it signifies.

This milestone demonstrates the substantial opportunity we have to make use of this ample and clean energy source – the sun – and the importance of this effort for all stakeholders to achieve California’s clean energy goals, which are among the most ambitious in the world.

Yesterday, I joined with Steve Malnight, vice president for customer energy solutions at PG&E, in writing an op-ed in the San Jose Mercury News laying out the enormous progress that’s occurring in solar in California and the way we see the future.

The high points:

• NRDC and PG&E agree that solar is a key part of California’s energy future.
• Government, utilities, researchers, advocates and individuals can work together and avoid divisiveness to exploit this ample and clean energy source.
• An infrastructure is needed to support a surge in clean energy innovations.
• The electric transmission grid needs to be modernized.
• Policies and planning are needed to maximize the value of the grid.
• Clear regulations and stable policies at the state level help create an investment climate for a thriving green economy.

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/pm...milestone.html

California, Roy L Hales, Solar, Rooftop, Utilities
The Politics of Batteries for Solar Power Storage in California
March 28, 2014
By Roy L Hales

SolarCity spokesperson Will Craven said that about 500 of their California customers have agreed to install batteries for power storage, but the state’s three biggest utilities have only connected 12 since 2011. He decided to go to the press after Southern California Edison (SCE) said they were going to charge $2,900 to install a meter, whereas SolarCity has found that an adequate meter can be purchased for between $75-150. The situation has greatly improved since Craven was interviewed by Bloomberg and PV Tech.

Craven says that SCE now says they will charge between $600 and $400 for that meter - which is still high, but better – and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) has dropped their price (for that same meter) from $600 to $495.

He said all three utility companies have been charging an $800 connection fee that is illegal under California net metering statutes. The California energy commission ruled that when battery storage when paired with solar is an ‘addition and/or an enhancement to solar’ and therefore falls under all prevailing net metering statutes and one of those statutes is that there may be no application fee charged.”

Hanan Eisenman, from San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), insisted the interconnection fee is assessed in compliance with California Utilities Commission rules. In addition, they need to install a new meter (the one Craven was talking about), which costs approximately $400, to accommodate this technology.

He added, “SDG&E’s position is that each customer should pay for the services they receive and not the ones they don’t. SDG&E incurs costs to be ready to provide standby service to energy storage customers to ensure that their peak demand can be met when their equipment fails to operate. SDG&E believes that energy storage customers should pay these costs rather than other customers who do not benefit from these investments.”

http://www.theecoreport.com/green-bl...in-california/

France awards 380 MW of large solar PV projects, including CPV

The French Ministry of Energy, Ecology and Sustainable Development has awarded 121 solar photovoltaic (PV) projects totaling 380 MW in a a second solicitation for systems larger than 250 kW. The nation had opened the call for up to 400 MW of projects.

Projects awarded include 22 MW based on concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) technology and 81 MW of projects which feature at least 50% CPV. Also awarded were 103 MW of PV plants using tracking technology, 60 MW of parking canopy PV plants, and 114 MW of building-mounted projects.

CAP Solar came away with the most projects at 17 of the 121. URBA was also awarded 11 projects.

Priority given to plants on degraded sites

Several tranches allowed for PV plants up to 12 MW, and six projects of this size were awarded. This bidding process gave priority to PV projects on degraded sites and took into account the carbon balance of the projects.

The ministry states that the reason to favor PV projects on degraded sites is to avoid use conflicts with farmland. The solicitation also favors innovative projects, high-efficiency PV and PV plants with high added value.

France expects to launch a third solicitation for PV plants above 250 kW “soon”. A consultation on the terms of the associated costs for the third solicitation will be open through March 31st, 2014.

http://www.solarserver.com/solar-mag...uding-cpv.html

Nature | News
Images of the Month: March 2014
Pictures from the world of science, selected by Nature’s art team.
Daniel Cressey
28 March 2014

http://www.nature.com/news/images-of...h-2014-1.14920