Related Posts for solar
January 23, 2012
By Mark Brown of Wired UK: We’ve all seen concentrated solar power (CSP) plants — those rows and rows of shiny mirror heliostats all crowded around a 100-metre-high pillar, like worshippers peering up at a towering god.
The orchestra of mirrors track the sun throughout the day, bouncing rays up at the central tower where the heat is concentrated, converted into electricity and piped into the national grid. Only a small handful of these plants — like PS10, in the Spanish desert region of Andalucia — exist around the world.
Their growth is restricted thanks to their sizable footprints. “Concentrated solar thermal energy needs huge areas,” said Alexander Mitsos, the Rockwell International assistant professor of mechanical engineering, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in a press release.
“If we’re talking about going to 100 percent or even 10 percent renewables, we will need huge areas, so we better use them efficiently,” he said in the release.
Mitsos and colleagues have come up with a new design for CSPs that reduces the required amount of land while boosting the amount of sunlight the heliostat mirrors collect. In perhaps the most beautiful example of biomimicry yet, it’s inspired by sunflowers.
The researchers at MIT, in collaboration with RWTH Aachen University in Germany, looked at the layout of current CSP plants. They put spaces between the mirrors and staggered them like seats in a movie theater. This pattern results in shadows being cast on some mirrors, reducing the reflection of light.
Mitsos’ lab developed a computational model to evaluate the efficiency of heliostat layouts — the system divides each mirror into discrete sections and accurately calculates the amount of light each section reflects at any given moment.
Mitsos and colleague Corey Noone used numerical optimization to fiddle with the placement of the heliostats. They brought the fanned-out layout closer together, building a spiral-like pattern that reduces land by ten percent without affecting efficiency. Read more
January 3, 2012
By MATTHEW L. WALD of the New York Times: If solar energy is eventually going to matter— that is, generate a significant portion of the nation’s electricity — the industry must overcome a major stumbling block, experts say: finding a way to store it for use when the sun isn’t shining.
That challenge seems to be creating an opening for a different form of power, solar thermal, which makes electricity by using the sun’s heat to boil water. The water can be used to heat salt that stores the energy until later, when the sun dips and households power up their appliances and air-conditioning at peak demand hours in the summer.
Two California companies are planning to deploy the storage technology: SolarReserve, which is building a plant in the Nevada desert scheduled to start up next year, and BrightSource, which plans three plants in California that would begin operating in 2016 and 2017. Together, the four projects will be capable of powering tens of thousand of households throughout a summer evening.
Whether the technology will be widely adopted remains to be seen, but companies like Google, Chevron and Good Energies are investing in it, and the utilities NV Energy and Southern California Edison have signed long-term contracts to buy power from these radically different new power plants.
One crucial role of the plants will be complementing solar panels, which produce electricity directly from sunlight. When the panels ramp down at dusk or on cloudy days, the plants will crank up, drawing on the stored thermal energy.
That job will become more important if photovoltaic panels, which have plunged in price lately, become even cheaper and sprout on millions of rooftops. As the grid starts depending more heavily on solar panels or wind turbines, it will need other energy sources that can step in quickly to balance the system — preferably ones classified as renewable.
Most utilities are trying to generate as many kilowatt-hours of renewable energy as they can to meet stiffer state requirements on incorporating more alternative energy, said Kevin B. Smith, the chief executive of SolarReserve. Read more
November 30, 2011
David Nogueras from OPB news: The Oregon Military Department is making a big investment on green energy. The agency is building a million dollar solar instillation east of Christmas Valley. The array is part of the agency’s plan to produce as much energy as it uses.
The Backscatter Radar Site used to consume massive quantities of electricity when the Air Force used it to scan the horizon for incoming targets.
Now the Oregon Military Department wants to use that same infrastructure to send power back to the grid.
The agency helps equip and train the Oregon National Guard.
Stan Hutchison chief of planning and programming for the National Guard. He says the agency is committed to meeting what it calls “net zero for energy” by the year 2020.
Read more:
October 10, 2011
What a neat project! A friend at Nature Conservancy told me about this project. In far flung places in the Sudan, they have trouble with access to power for medical facilities. That means they might not be able to run equipment needed for surgery or might not have lights to operate at night, or might be in the middle of surgery and lose power. These solar suitcases give them enough power to run equipment and keep lights on so they can treat patients
ANCHORAGE (Oct. 11) — Members of the East High Solar Club on Wednesday, Oct. 12, will donate the first of two solar suitcases to the Alaska Sudan Medical Project. The portable equipment, built by students, can be used as stand-alone systems to power lights, communications equipment, computers, or to charge batteries.
This is an innovative project that gives Alaska students an opportunity to learn about physics while providing hands-on lessons about the globally important issues of alternative energy and humanitarian aid.
You are invited to attend the presentation of the suitcases to Bret Burroughs of the Alaska Sudan Medical Project at 3 p.m. in Room NW1 at East High School. Students from the East High Solar Club will be present to explain how they build the suitcases and demonstrate how they work.
More information is available from Solar Club advisor Russell Hood at (907) 382-4049, or for hood_russell@asdk12.org.
June 22, 2011
From RenewableEnergyWorld.com: When Google throws its considerable influence into a new arena, people tend to notice. When that influence comes with $280 million, well, people may start to act.
That’s what the iconic Internet giant hopes is the result of its new partnership with SolarCity. Google has now entered the residential solar industry with its largest investment into the renewable energy industry. And they did so by partnering with another Silicon Valley company that is changing the way we do business.
San Mateo-based SolarCity offers its customers the opportunity to purchase full residential solar rooftop installations. It’s the company’s other model, however, that led to the partnership with Google. SolarCity offers different leasing and power purchase options for customers who don’t want to take the financial plunge of buying the installation upfront. Instead, SolarCity owns the equipment, and the homeowner trades in a higher monthly energy bill for a lower bill and solar lease payments.
Benjamin Cook, vice president of project finance at SolarCity, said the deal will allow his company to “provide financing to thousands of homeowners at or below the cost they currently pay for electricity.”
The funding will open opportunities for homeowners in the 10 areas its serves — Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas.
“Google is setting an example that other leading American companies can follow,” said Lyndon Rive, CEO of SolarCity. “The largest 200 corporations in the U.S. have more than $1 trillion in cash on their balance sheets. Investments in solar energy generate returns for corporate investors, offer cost savings for homeowners, create new, local jobs for jobseekers, and protect the environment from polluting power sources. If more companies follow Google’s lead, we can dramatically reduce our nation’s dependence on polluting power.” Read more
June 6, 2011
We have long sunny summers but cold dark winters and because of those cold dark winters you would think solar panels wouldn’t be practical in Alaska.
By Brett Shepard of KTVA-TV: We’ve all heard weather myths such as you should open your windows if a tornado is coming, which of course is not true. Now, we may not have to worry about tornados in Alaska, but there are plenty more weather myths floating around.
Energy prices continue to soar worldwide which has many governments and corporations to seek out alternative energy sources. But the weather plays a big part into whether these growing alternative energy sources are practical. We have long sunny summers but cold dark winters and because of those cold dark winters you would think solar panels wouldn’t be practical in Alaska.
So do solar panels work in Alaska?
“Solar panels in Alaska are very practical for most people, especially as an alternative form of energy,” said Ralph Harrison, sales manager of Alaska Battery.
“Arguably during the winter they don’t do real well, but then during the summer we get upwards of ten sun hours a day. So we actually get more production than they do in Washington state or Oregon for about four and a half to five months out of the year.”
If you look around you’ll see more and more panels popping up around the state. Businesses such as The Alaska Railroad are using them and homeowners like Mark Absher in Girdwood are enjoying the benefits of solar power. Read more
June 1, 2011
By Megan Treacy from More from EcoGeek blog: The New York Times published a rundown recently of the top 10 states in installed solar power capacity. That California was number one was no surprise, but the other nine were interesting to see.
Here’s the full list:
1. California: 47 percent with 971 megawatts
2. New Jersey: 14 percent with 293 MW
3. Colorado: 5 percent with 108 MW
4. Arizona: 5 percent with 101 MW
5. Nevada: 5 percent with 97 MW
6. Florida: 4 percent with 73 MW
7. New York: 3 percent with 54 MW
8. Pennsylvania: 3 percent with 54 MW
9. New Mexico: 2 percent with 45 MW
10. North Carolina: 2 percent with 42 MW
New Jersey has made its way to second place with some major small-scale solar initiatives. Rooftops and utility poles across the state have gotten the solar treatment and all that distributed solar has added up to a nice chunk of MW.
Pennsylvania and North Carolina were interesting additions, as solar programs in other areas, like the Southwest, have gotten a bit more attention. But it is worth noting that there is over a 900 MW gap between California and North Carolina. California is really at the level I wish all states would strive for, and while 42 MW is nothing to sneeze at, that type of number making our top 10 shows we have a much longer way to go overall.
January 5, 2010
From Joseph B. Verrengia of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory: As the market for clean solar power rapidly expands, NREL researchers are investigating advanced concepts in concentrating solar power (CSP) with $5.4 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding awarded from the U.S. Department of Energy. The new work includes establishing two new facilities and extensive improvements to an existing third facility on the NREL’s research campus. It also will include field testing of new CSP technologies at the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC), a new 76-acre solar test site. CSP uses mirrors to reflect sunlight onto receivers. Unlike photovoltaic cells that directly convert sunlight into electricity, this method uses the sun’s heat to drive a generator to produce electricity. Read more
January 3, 2010
From the Honolulu Star-Bulletin: Gov. Linda Lingle approved a bill yesterday that makes Hawaii the first state to require solar water heaters in new single-family homes starting in 2010. Lingle said Hawaii should capitalize on using natural renewable energy sources to cut the state’s dependence on imported oil. Read more
Solar hot water heating systems are also used in Alaska homes and businesses. The Denali Education Center, located just outside Denali National Park, for example, recently installed a solar hot water heating system. Read more about it at http://alaskarenewableenergy.org/2009/08/denali-center-unveils-new-solar-water-heating-system/ KTUU-TV also carried this May 2009 report on a solar water heating system installed on an Anchorage triplex.
December 22, 2009
REAP Note: It’s not possible to keep up with all the technology development in solar, wind, tidal, biomass. Here’s a pretty cool one from Sandia National Laboratories.
Representative thin crystalline-silicon photovoltaic cells – these are from 14 to 20 micrometers thick and 0.25 to 1 millimeter across. (Image by Murat Okandan)
Sandia National Laboratories scientists have developed tiny glitter-sized photovoltaic cells that could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used. The tiny cells could turn a person into a walking solar battery charger if they were fastened to flexible substrates molded around unusual shapes, such as clothing.The solar particles, fabricated of crystalline silicon, hold the potential for a variety of new applications. They are expected eventually to be less expensive and have greater efficiencies than current photovoltaic collectors that are pieced together with 6-inch- square solar wafers. Read more
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