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Old Posted May 8, 2013, 6:47 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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Quote:
Schneider Electric and Grid Alternatives Provide Solar to Low-Income Housing
07 MAY 2013

Schneider Electric, a specialist in energy management, and Grid Alternatives, a non-profit solar installer, are partnering to provide and install solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for low-income homeowners while preparing workers for jobs in the solar industry.

Through this partnership, Schneider Electric will provide in-kind donations of the company’s residential Conext TX grid-tie solar inverters to support Grid Alternatives’ Solar Affordable Housing Program, a program that engages volunteers and job trainees in installing solar in underserved communities

In addition to donating solar inverters, Schneider Electric employees have been participating in several of Grid Alternatives’ community installation events across the country. The next build Schneider Electric employees will participate in is Grid Alternatives’ San Diego Solarthon on 18 May in San Diego, California. The Solarthon events bring together hundreds of people – individual fundraisers, corporate sponsors, job trainees, community leaders and homeowners – to install multiple systems in one neighborhood in one day.
http://www.solarnovus.com/index.php?...rticle&id=6524

Quote:
Dyesol Acheives Breakthrough in Solid-State Dye Solar Cells
08 MAY 2013

Dyesol, a leader in the commercialisation of Dye Solar Cell (DSC) technology, has achieved what it is calling a "game changing" technical breakthrough by achieving a solid-state DSC efficiency of 11.3% at full sun.

The breakthrough comes as the technology transitions from liquid-based to solid-state systems to meet the demands of product life and mass manufacture. The variation in technology, known as mesoscopic solar cells, meets the technical challenges of mass manufacturing Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) products and will allow Dyesol and its multi-national commercialisation partners to confidently address the multi-billion dollar global market.

In 2010, solid-state DSC performance was at a mere 5%, significantly lagging the performance of liquid based systems. However, the subsequent technical advancement has been nothing short of revolutionary. Dyesol, through the work of its scientist Dr Peng Qin, based at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, has achieved solid-state DSC laboratory efficiency of 11.3%. Dyesol is also confident of achieving industrial efficiencies greater than 10% because of the added simplicity of working with solid-state systems. At this level of module performance the technology will be grid competitive - the "holy grail" for renewable energy technologies.
http://www.solarnovus.com/index.php?...rticle&id=6533

Quote:
7 Cool Solar Energy Applications
May 7, 2013 Kathleen Zipp : 0 Comments

The soaring interest in solar power is not only evident on roofs, but also through innovative ideas to power up almost every part of our lives. Here are 7 solar applications I think are especially cool. Some are a bit of a novelty, but perhaps this won’t be so in the near future.

1. Just a few years ago I wasn’t charging anything on my bedside table. But now I find myself running out of outlets as I power-up my tablet, MP3 player, cell phone, e-reader, laptop and other portable devices. Not only is the growing popularity of portable personal devices a strain on electric bills, but it also puts pressure on the power grid. Luckily, innovative companies are developing other options for charging your personal devices for free using the sun’s energy.

2. I’m seeing more and more cities with solar-powered trash and recycling compactors. Not only are they cool, but they’re saving cities millions by reducing litter and cutting down collections (they hold about five times more than the average trash bin).

3. Technological developments in solar-powered vehicles are soaring.

4. Solar power is bringing electricity, light and much more to places that otherwise may not have access to the grid. Solar-powered lanterns are lighting up rural parts of India, but I think the coolest invention I’ve seen is a solar-powered shipping container that can host medical facilities in Haiti and other areas in need of such services.

5. When it comes to using solar power, the U.S. military is a leader to take note of. The military’s initiatives to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels has pushed it to put solar on its housing.

6. Hurricane Sandy caused huge power outages along the East Coast last year. Even in Cleveland, I went without power for 5 days. This is nothing compared to the devastation in New York, New Jersey and other areas along the East Coast. But it was still embarrassing how helpless and depressed it made me feel. I couldn’t believe in an age where we’ve landed a space craft on Mars we can’t have reliable back-up power. The truth is, with solar we can have back-up power.

7. At a recent conference, one panel discussed how solar hot water isn’t covered in the news as much as solar PV because it’s not as “sexy.” My colleagues know I hate when people use this adjective for anything other than the obvious (quite frankly, I just think it’s awkward), but the panel had a point. The truth is, solar heating and cooling is the most popular form of solar globally, we just need to give it a little more recognition and a lot more support.
http://www.solarpowerworldonline.com...-applications/

Quote:
South West Water embraces solar after generating over 1GWh in 2012
By Peter Bennett | 07 May 2013, 14:14 Updated: 07 May 2013, 15:17

South West Water has installed more solar panels across its operational sites after the company’s existing solar assets generated more than one million kilowatt-hours in 2012.

In December 2011 the company invested £3 million in solar arrays at 23 water and sewage treatment works in Devon and Cornwall.

As a result of the sites’ performance, the water company has installed solar at another seven of its operational sites in Devon, bringing the total to 30 solar arrays.

The seven new sites have a combined capacity of 400kW which will help South West Water generate 410,000kWh of additional energy. The sites range from 24kW at Willand Water Pumping Station, near Tiverton, to 150kW - the company's biggest installation to date - at Yelland Sewage Treatment Works, near Barnstaple.
http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/ne...r_1gwh_in_2012

Quote:
6 Rooftops In LA Could Generate $1,000,000+ Annually From Solar Power
by Zach
on May 3, 2013
under Going Solar, Rooftop Solar, Solar $

The path to having solar panels installed on your roof can seem daunting at first. How do you know how much sun your roof gets, whether it’s at the right angle, or blocked by trees? How much will it cost, what incentives are available, should you lease or buy, and which installer should you work with?
Sun Number has launched a free online service that makes it possible for property owners in Los Angeles and Orange County to instantly find out the solar energy potential of a home or commercial property.

A quick search of the Sun Number Scores for some landmark buildings in L.A. yielded some interesting results. In fact, just these six buildings listed below have the potential to generate over $1 Million in electricity every year if solar panels were installed on their rooftops. Imagine what solar could do for your electricity bill!

Disneyland
• Sun Number Score of 96.
• The rooftop has the potential to generate over $750,000 in electricity every year.

Balboa Pavilion
• Sun Number Score of 87.
• The rooftop has the potential to generate about $10,000 in electricity every year.

Warner Brothers Studios
• Sun Number Score of 93.
• The rooftop has the potential to generate nearly $50,000 in electricity every year.

Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
• Sun Number Score of 87.
• The rooftop has the potential to generate over $350,000 in electricity every year.

Hollywood Sound Studios
• The buildings in this complex have an average Sun Number Score of about 90.
• The rooftops have the potential to generate almost $100,000 in electricity every year.

The Biltmore Hotel
• Sun Number Score of 87.
• The rooftop has the potential to generate $67,000 in electricity every year.
http://solarlove.org/6-rooftops-in-l...m-solar-power/
http://www.sunnumber.com/blog/index....city-annually/

Quote:
INDIA MAY DEFER FINES ON $1 BILLION SOLAR THERMAL PLANTS
8 May 2013

May 8 (Bloomberg) — India plans to defer fines for solar- thermal power developers that failed to complete $1 billion of plants in time as it seeks to spur investment in the industry.

Reliance Power Ltd., Godawari Power and Ispat Ltd. and Lanco Infratech Ltd. are among companies that failed to finish seven projects totaling 470 megawatts by May because of a lack of water and equipment and financing problems, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Joint Secretary Tarun Kapoor said by phone.

Under contracts awarded in December 2010, the plants would pay about 2.3 billion rupees ($42.5 million) in late penalties.

“There’s obviously a problem since all are delayed,” Kapoor said in New Delhi. “This is the first time solar-thermal projects are being built in India and we want them to succeed.” A ministry panel is recommending a 10-month extension, he said.

Solar-thermal technology, which focuses sunlight on liquids to produce steam and is valued for its ability to store energy, has struggled to compete with cheap photovoltaic equipment that converts light directly into electricity. Areva SA scrapped an A$1 billion ($1 billion) complex in Australia in November after failing to raise funds. Photovoltaic panel prices have slumped.
http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/indi...hermal-plants/

Quote:
Massachusetts ups PV target to 1.6GW
By Julia Chan - 07 May 2013, 10:49In News, Power Generation

Deval Patrick, governor of Massachusetts, has raised the US state’s PV target to 1.6GW by 2020 after he revealed it had hit the 250MW milestone four years early.

In 2007 the governor announced a state target to install 250MW of solar capacity by 2017. However, in 2012, the state installed 100MW of new PV capacity helping the state to reach the 250MW milestone four years early. It also became the sixth largest solar market in the US.

Building on this momentum, the governor has increased its PV target to reach 1.6GW by 2020.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/massachu...stone_four_yea

Quote:
CIT Arranges $26 Million for Massachusetts Solar Farms
By Justin Doom - May 6, 2013 8:53 AM PT

CIT Group Inc. (CIT), the financial services company led by John Thain, arranged a $26 million credit facility for Citizens Energy Corp. to build five solar farms in Massachusetts.

The ground-mounted projects will be in Devens, Holyoke, Whately and Agawam, according to a statement today from New York-based CIT. Citizens Energy, a non-profit that provides low- cost energy to the poor and elderly, was founded in 1979 by Joseph Kennedy II, a former congressman and the son of Robert F. Kennedy.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-0...lar-farms.html

Quote:
DOE Smart Grid Funds Created $6.8 Billion Economic Boost, 47,000 Jobs
May 3, 2013
Silvio Marcacci

As American government seek out the best industries to invest shrinking public funds for the biggest return on investment, one economic sector offers the most bullish outlook around – the smart grid.

An analysis from the US Department of Energy (DOE), “Economic Impact of Recovery Act Investment in the Smart Grid,” reports smart grid projects funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) created nearly $7 billion total economic output, nearly 50,000 jobs, and over $1 billion in government tax revenue.

DOE’s analysis covers $1.48 billion in ARRA investments from the Smart Grid Investment Grants (SGIG) and Smart Grid Demonstration Program (SGDP) programs, as well as $1.48 billion in associated matching investments made by grant recipients in the private sector between August 2009 and March 2012.

Smart Grid Funds Created Over 2-to-1 ROI

During a period of stagnant economic growth, the impact of ARRA’s smart grid investments shines like a beacon. According to the report, nearly $3 billion in combined smart grid project funding generated at least $6.83 billion in total economic output.

In addition to total economic output, DOE estimates ARRA smart grid investments boosted overall gross domestic product (GDP) by $4.18 billion. The smart grid GDP multiplier is higher than many other forms of government investment – for every $1 million of direct spending, GDP increased by $2.5-$2.6 million.


http://cleantechnica.com/2013/05/03/...st-47000-jobs/

Quote:
SOLAR = DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY (GRAPH)

by Zach
on May 4, 2013
under Science, Solar $, Solar PV Manufacturing, Solar Research

I recently ran across this interesting graph on reddit:



The title of the article in which the graph was housed (similar to mine above) was: “Solar Energy: This Is What A Disruptive Technology Looks Like.”
I think the graph is pretty clear — while the price of retail electricity, residential natural gas, and crude oil have all remained fairly constant in the past few decades (in inflation-adjusted terms), the price of solar has rolled down a long, big hill. And, the good news is, it’s still rolling.
http://solarlove.org/solar-disruptive-technology-graph/
http://cleantechnica.com/2013/05/06/...hnology-graph/

Quote:
News Release NR-2413
NREL Quantifies Significant Value in Concentrating Solar Power
CSP with thermal energy storage boosts California electric grid

April 24, 2013

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have quantified the significant value that concentrating solar power (CSP) plants can add to an electric grid.

The NREL researchers evaluated the operational impacts of CSP systems with thermal energy storage within the California electric grid managed by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). NREL used a commercial production cost model called PLEXOS to help plan system expansion, to evaluate aspects of system reliability, and to estimate fuel cost, emissions, and other operational factors within the CAISO system. The analysis is detailed in a recent publication, Analysis of Concentrating Solar Power with Thermal Energy Storage in a California 33% Renewable Scenario, by Paul Denholm, Yih-Huei Wan, Marissa Hummon, and Mark Mehos.

NREL’s analysis was considered within the context of California’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS), which requires 33% of power be supplied by renewables by 2020. The specific focus was on the “Environmentally Constrained” 33% RPS scenario, which includes a high contribution of generation from photovoltaic solar energy systems. By also considering how the state could take advantage of CSP with thermal storage, NREL used the PLEXOS model to quantify the value of CSP in reducing the need for conventional power generation from fossil fuels, and compared this value to other sources of generation, including photovoltaics, which supply variable energy depending on the amount of sunlight available.
http://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2013/2180.html

Quote:
Myanmar: 210 MW solar plant in the planning
08. MAY 2013 | APPLICATIONS & INSTALLATIONS, GLOBAL PV MARKETS | BY: WENJING FENG/HABIB ALI

According to various media, US$275 million is expected to be invested in the development of a solar power plant in Minbu, Myanmar. If construction is completed, it will be the third-largest plant of its kind in the world, with an installed capacity of 210 MW.

Bloomberg and the Bangkok Post have reported that Green Earth Power, a Thailand-based renewable developer, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the 210 MW solar project with Myanmar’s electric power ministry earlier this month. The company is now said to be looking for partners to join the development, and plans to complete the project within two years.

Supasit Skontanarak, Green Earth’s managing director, told the Bangkok Post that the project’s power purchase agreement (PPA) is expected to be signed within three months. Bloomberg further revealed today that all electricity generated by the solar plant will be sold to the Myanmar government for a period of 30 years.

No further details were available and the company could not be reached for comment.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ing_100011227/

Quote:
A Giant Leap to Commercialization of Polymer Solar Cell (PSC)
Eunhee Song
2013/05/06

Researchers from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) demonstrated high-performance polymer solar cells (PSCs) with power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.92% which is the highest values reported to date for plasmonic PSCs using metal nanoparticles (NPs).

A polymer solar cell is a type of thin film solar cells made with polymers that produce electricity from sunlight by the photovoltaic effect. Most current commercial solar cells are made from a highly purified silicon crystal. The high cost of these silicon solar cells and their complex production process has generated interest in developing alternative photovoltaic technologies.

Compared to silicon-based devices, PSCs are lightweight (which is important for small autonomous sensors), solution processability (potentially disposable), inexpensive to fabricate (sometimes using printed electronics), flexible, and customizable on the molecular level, and they have lower potential for negative environmental impact. Polymer solar cells have attracted a lot of interest due to these many advantages.

Although these many advantages, PSCs currently suffer from a lack of enough efficiency for large scale applications and stability problems but their promise of extremely cheap production and eventually high efficiency values has led them to be one of the most popular fields in solar cell research.

To maximize PCE, light absorption in the active layer has to be increased using thick bulk heterojunction (BHJ) films. However, the thickness of the active layer is limited by the low carrier mobilities of BHJ materials. Therefore, it is necessary to find the ways to minimize the thickness of BHJ films while maximizing the light absorption capability in the active layer.
http://www.unist.ac.kr/board/view.sk...By=register_dt

Quote:
Microwave Cooks up Solar Cell Material
NANOCRYSTAL SEMICONDUCTOR FOR PHOTOVOLTAICS, SENSORS, HEAT REUSE


May 6, 2013 – University of Utah metallurgists used an old microwave oven to produce a nanocrystal semiconductor rapidly using cheap, abundant and less toxic metals than other semiconductors. They hope it will be used for more efficient photovoltaic solar cells and LED lights, biological sensors and systems to convert waste heat to electricity.

Using microwaves “is a fast way to make these particles that have a broad range of applications,” says Michael Free, a professor of metallurgical engineering. “We hope in the next five years there will be some commercial products from this, and we are continuing to pursue applications and improvements. It’s a good market, but we don’t know exactly where the market will go.”

Free and the study’s lead author, Prashant Sarswat, a research associate in metallurgical engineering, are publishing their study of the microwaved photovoltaic semiconductor – known as CZTS for copper, zinc, tin and sulfur – in the June 1 issue of the Journal of Crystal Growth.

In the study, they determined the optimum time required to produce the most uniform crystals of the CZTS semiconductor – 18 minutes in the microwave oven – and confirmed the material indeed was CZTS by using a variety of tests, such as X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and ultraviolet spectroscopy. They also built a small photovoltaic solar cell to confirm that the material works and demonstrate that smaller nanocrystals display “quantum confinement,” a property that makes them versatile for different uses.

“It’s not an easy material to make,” Sarswat says. “There are a lot of unwanted compounds that can form if it is not made properly.”
http://unews.utah.edu/news_releases/...cell-material/
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