[amor de cosmos]

Trees Used to Create Recyclable, Efficient Solar Cell
Posted March 25, 2013 Atlanta, GA

Solar cells are just like leaves, capturing the sunlight and turning it into energy. It’s fitting that they can now be made partially from trees.

Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University researchers have developed efficient solar cells using natural substrates derived from plants such as trees. Just as importantly, by fabricating them on cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) substrates, the solar cells can be quickly recycled in water at the end of their lifecycle.

The technology is published in the journal Scientific Reports, the latest open-access journal from the Nature Publishing Group.

The researchers report that the organic solar cells reach a power conversion efficiency of 2.7 percent, an unprecedented figure for cells on substrates derived from renewable raw materials. The CNC substrates on which the solar cells are fabricated are optically transparent, enabling light to pass through them before being absorbed by a very thin layer of an organic semiconductor. During the recycling process, the solar cells are simply immersed in water at room temperature. Within only minutes, the CNC substrate dissolves and the solar cell can be separated easily into its major components.

Georgia Tech College of Engineering Professor Bernard Kippelen led the study and says his team’s project opens the door for a truly recyclable, sustainable and renewable solar cell technology.

“The development and performance of organic substrates in solar technology continues to improve, providing engineers with a good indication of future applications,” said Kippelen, who is also the director of Georgia Tech’s Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics (COPE). “But organic solar cells must be recyclable. Otherwise we are simply solving one problem, less dependence on fossil fuels, while creating another, a technology that produces energy from renewable sources but is not disposable at the end of its lifecycle.”

http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?nid=201941

125-MW Solar Project Planned For Arizona
March 26, 2013 Kathleen Zipp : 0 Comments

A 125-MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project is planned for Arizona’s Arlington Valley. AVSE II will be developed by a member of the LS Power Group and sited in Maricopa County.

The project consists of five Array Blocks utilizing PV panels made of crystalline silicon cells on a single axis sun tracking system, a SCADA system to monitor and control the various plant systems, including trackers, solar inverters, substations, the well water supply and treatment system, and the interface with the plant meteorological station. Relevant plant information will be made available to a remote site and to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO).

“We look forward to working with Fluor in developing this first-of-a-kind 125 MW solar PV project,” said Mark Taft, senior vice president and general manager, ABB Power Generation. “ABB brings a unique level of competence and expertise to this project, as our capabilities have been proven in some of the most demanding projects around the globe. We are excited to deliver our integrated SCADA solutions, including system engineering, integration of system components, telecommunications, and total project management and execution.”

http://www.solarpowerworldonline.com...d-for-arizona/

Solar Power Is On Georgia’s Mind
March 25, 2013 Frank Andorka : 0 Comments

At 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time this very morning, Georgia State Representative E. Culver “Rusty” Kidd held a press conference with his cosponsors of the Rural Georgia Economic Recovery and Solar Resource Act of 2014 (aka House Bill 657 that Kidd introduced on Friday) at a press conference in the media room of the Georgia House of Representatives.

I would have loved to attend, but I’m in snowy Cleveland (spring, my left foot — 4 inches on top of my car this morning) instead of frigid Atlanta (no snow, but the high was predicted at 48 degrees).

(I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the co-sponsors of the bill: Reps. Tom Kirby, Terry Rodgers, Buzz Brockway, Gloria Frazier and Carol Fullerton are also supporting the solar industry in (usually) sunny Georgia by cosponsoring the bill.)

It’s a great bill for the solar industry (and the residents of Georgia to boot). You should read the entire bill yourself, but here are the highlights. The bill:

• Lowers electric bills for customers across the state;
• Opens the market for competition in the solar industry, under the supervision of the Georgia Public Service Commission;
• Leverages private-sector investment to finance solar projects (the sponsors emphasize that these are not state subsidies; and
• Provides a 100% voluntary solar program that would allow ratepayers to opt-in on their monthly bill.

The bipartisan support (Culver is an Independent, Kirby, Rodgers and Brockway are Republicans, and Frazier and Fullerton are Democrats) is further evidence of how much in the mainstream our industry is. The state of Georgia, which has shown some resistance in the past to the industry, is coming around.

http://www.solarpowerworldonline.com...georgias-mind/