March 9,2010 –
Researchers at Caltech have devised a flexible solar cell that incorporates silicon wire arrays each acting as a high-efficiency solar cell, which also greatly reduces the amount of silicon material required.
….
Photovoltaic Systems and Home Solar Power News
March 9,2010 –
Researchers at Caltech have devised a flexible solar cell that incorporates silicon wire arrays each acting as a high-efficiency solar cell, which also greatly reduces the amount of silicon material required.
….
The other day, Martin Holladay of Musings of an Energy Nerd, a nested blog of Green Building Advisor, mentioned this energy-efficiency pyramid, which I found to be quite interesting. He said The Pyramid of Conservation originated from Bob McLean, CEO at Hunt Utilities Group, and was created for Minnesota Power. Minnesota Power uses the interactive graphic to help customers determine where to start when taking on energy efficiency projects.
The conservation pyramid has 10 levels that, as you climb from the bottom, become increasingly more expensive and complex.
As a point of interest, two of the most popular areas to get government money show up at the top, while the bottom level is just now being targeted by the proposed HOMESTAR program. I’m not saying that this is good or bad, but I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts.
Also, this pyramid was designed for the residential context. When you break down energy use, lighting accounts for a large portion of energy use in commercial buildings, while heating accounts for a large portion of energy in the residential context.
Certainly, every home is different and may require a tailored energy-efficiency approach, but as Holladay explains: “The rules displayed in the energy conservation pyramid are not set in stone; every house is different, and different climates dictate different strategies. But it’s hard to quibble with the pyramid’s basic hierarchy.“
Now, this graphic seems straight forward, but some folks get this all messed up. They go for the green gizmos from the start, and blow the wad without making needed efficiency changes. Some might say this is akin to powering a Mustang with solar panels while riding down the freeway with the windows down.
Whatever the comparison, if you’re thinking about energy efficiency — or net-zero energy — it’d be wise to keep The Pyramid of Conservation in mind. This is how you get there.
Media credit: Minnesota Power.
TEMPE, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) today announced a power purchase agreement to supply Pacific Gas and Electric Company with renewable electricity from a 300 megawatt (AC) utility-scale photovoltaic solar power facility that First Solar is developing in Southern California.
The Desert Sunlight project, to be located near Desert Center in eastern Riverside County, Calif., will have a total capacity of 550 megawatts, enough to power approximately 160,000 area homes – or about 480,000 residents. The other 250 MW portion of the project is already under contract to Southern California Edison. First Solar’s power purchase agreements with PG&E and SCE are subject to the approval of the California Public Utilities Commission.
First Solar will build the Desert Sunlight project using its industry leading thin-film photovoltaic solar modules and providing its project development, engineering, procurement and construction capabilities. With construction expected to start by the end of 2010 and completion as early as 2013, the project will displace 300,000 metric tons of CO2 per year, the equivalent of taking 60,000 cars off the road. It will also create approximately 430 construction jobs. The project’s permit application has been fast tracked by the Bureau of Land Management.
“First Solar is one of the few companies that has all the capabilities required to realize very large, utility-scale solar projects like Desert Sunlight, which are important in helping our customers and California reach the state’s renewable energy goals,” said Rob Gillette, First Solar chief executive officer.
First Solar has 1,700 megawatts of utility-scale power projects with power purchase agreements in North America.
BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Satcon Technology Corporation (NASDAQ CM: SATC), a leading provider of utility scale power solutions for the renewable energy market, today announced that it will deliver 78 of its industry leading PowerGate® Plus solar PV inverters to OZZ Solar Inc. The power conversion solutions will be deployed on commercial rooftop projects across the province of Ontario, and will be fully compliant under the Ontario Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program launched in 2009.
The 40 rooftop projects under development by the OZZ Solar Inc. program will utilize Satcon’s PowerGate Plus 250kW and 100kW solar PV inverters, customized for 600 VAC, which became generally available in January of 2010. As the world’s leader in grid connected commercial and utility scale solar PV solutions, Satcon’s technology provides the industry leading Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), critical to attaining the most profitable power production under the recent FIT program.
“These installations mark the beginning of major growth for large scale, grid-tied rooftop solar power plants in Canada and are a significant step in the implementation of Ontario’s Feed-In Tariff program,” said Jonathan Goldman, Executive Vice President of OZZ Solar Inc. “These projects required the most advanced, highest performing, and most reliable systems that could deliver reliable performance in the harsh Ontario climate. Satcon’s best-in-class solutions and their commitment to partner with us to drive value from the design stages over the entire lifespan of the project were the key factors in our decision to partner with them.”
The PowerGate Plus 250kW and 100kW 600 VAC output inverters meet all requirements mandated under FIT regulations, and are specially designed to operate at full performance at temperatures as low as negative 40 degrees Celsius/negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, the PowerGate Plus solutions will be manufactured in Burlington, Ontario, making them the only large scale inverter solutions that are 100% compliant with the Ontario FIT local content requirements.
“With these first set of projects, OZZ Solar is stepping to the forefront of commercial solar development in Ontario,” said Pete DeGraff, Satcon’s Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing. “With a long history of manufacturing world-class products in Ontario, Satcon is a proud partner in OZZ Solar’s commercial solar projects, and a highly committed local developer to the Ontario government’s commitment to clean energy production.”
ZWANENBURG, the Netherlands–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Regulatory News:
AEG Power Solutions, a global player in industrial power electronics, strengthens its position as a solutions provider for megawatt utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) power plants with the purchase of a majority stake in skytron energy. Founded in 1996, Berlin-based skytron provides leading-edge metering, monitoring and supervision solutions to companies in engineering, procurement and construction (EPCs), as well as to independent power producers (IPPs). The technological leader in its field, skytron has been the recipient of a number of prestigious awards, including the highly coveted Intersolar Award. The amount of the transaction, which was paid in cash, is not being disclosed.
Commenting on the acquisition, Bruce Brock, Chief Executive Officer of AEG Power Solutions, said: “Combining skytron’s monitoring and supervision products with our power electronics and experienced global services network will allow us to offer PV power plant operators highly reliable technology and expertise for the integration, implementation, and operation of rugged solutions for greater system availability and higher energy yields.”
“This is the partnership we were looking for,” commented Martin Sauter, Chief Executive Officer of skytron energy. “We needed a strong industrial partner to support our growth and give us access to the global market. The alliance will enhance our access to funds to improve our leading-edge technology while allowing us to provide our customers with strong service in all the emerging PV markets.”
Skytron will be a strategic business area within AEG Power Solutions, and continue to act as an independent monitoring solutions provider. AEG PS will invest in skytron’s technology to deliver leading-edge solutions for current markets and customers, as well as address AEG PS’s many industrial vertical markets and the powering of the Smart Grid.
Date: 2010-03-08, 8:36PM PST
Reply to: job-hkkp3-1635330476@craigslist.org
If you want to capitalize on the wonderful incentives and rebates, this is the year to do so. Can you close deals? Do you know the Palm Springs area? Then you might be able to make lots of deals and lots of money in the next couple of months. The economy is bad,,but solar is great! Call me at 951-224-1493 now!
Location: Palm Springs/Desert
Consider this T-shirt: It can monitor your heart rate and breathing, analyze your sweat and even cool you off on a hot summer’s day. Or a solar-powered dress that can charge your MP3 player? This is not science fiction — this is cotton in 2010.
We
are giving away one (1) copy of this book to a random commenter, so
make sure to comment before the end of Friday, March 12, 2010.*
Solar power is exploding these days, what with generous financial incentives and the price of products going down. All sort of people are looking at the technology to provide green power, but they need good information. One place to find that is in a new book called Solar Basics by Neil Kaminar. Kaminar, a solar engineer with nearly 40 years of industry experience, explains most of what you need to know about solar modules and how to make a solar system work.
In Solar Basics, Kaminar details the ins and outs of solar energy at all stages of the life cycle, including financing, installation, testing, maintenance, repair, and recycling. More specifically, here’s the general flow of the book:
Each chapter is full of considerable detail, so this table of contents may not seem that helpful. Within the text, Kaminar also includes over 100 illustrations — mostly in color — to drive home key points.
If you’re a solar professional or serious DIYer, you may want to check out Solar Design, which is by the same author. This book goes into further detail about how to design a solar system and includes a CD with software to help with the design. It’s a little more expensive, too.
I’ve been given a review copy and educated by the insight Kaminar provides in Solar Basics. This is highly recommended reading for anyone thinking about buying a solar array or system. Click on over to Kaminar’s Solar Design website to learn more or grab a copy of the book at Amazon:
[+] Solar Basics by Neil Kaminar at Amazon.
*If you’re interested in winning a copy of this book, drop a
comment by midnight MST on Friday, March 12, 2010. Say where you’re from if you don’t know
what
to say. By leaving a comment, you agree to the terms and conditions relating to giveaways on Jetson Green.
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