Veterans Memorial Park and Solar LED Street Lights

TOWN OF NIAGARA – The roadways in Veterans Memorial Park, 7000 Lockport Road, are brighter this holiday season, after the installation this month of 25 solar-powered LED streetlights by the New York Power Authority and the Town of Niagara.

The new lights are powered by energy generated by the sun during the day and then transmitted as much-needed light during the night at the previously unlighted park.

Town Supervisor Steven C. Richards said the lighting was paid for with money from the Power Authority’s Renewable Energy Plan, established in 2008 to help create a pathway to commercialization of renewable energy technology as it emerges.

LED streetlights use light-emitting diodes, which have helped to revolutionize many lighting applications and made it possible to build dramatically thinner television sets. LEDs now provide light for remote controls, light-up clocks and watches, tell when appliances are turned on, and are ideal for miniature lighting of holiday displays.

They often come in tiny packages, but they produce a large amount of light.

Their useful lifetime is thousands of hours longer than that of standard incandescent bulbs.

Source: http://www.buffalonews.com

Code changed to ease permitting of PV Systems

Mayor Billy Kenoi has signed a bill easing restrictions for residential installations of photovoltaic systems.

The change means that an architect or structural engineer’s seal is no longer needed on building plans for systems on homes. The seal is still required for commercial installations.

The change was made with the passing of Ordinance 12-149, which Kenoi signed on Nov. 8. The ordinance amends Chapter 9 of the Hawaii County Code.

“With this change in the electrical code, homeowners and installers can get photovoltaic systems on homes more quickly,” Kenoi said in a statement issued by his office. “Residential photovoltaic systems are an important part of reducing our island’s dependence on imported fuels and easing the burden of high electricity prices on our Hawai‘i Island families.”

Building and electrical permits are still required for both residential and non-residential photovoltaic installations, as is an electrical engineer’s stamp for electrical design drawings.

Warren Lee, director of the Department of Public Works, said the plans will still need to be reviewed by county staff. He said that process will be shortened if they incorporate any of a number of mounting systems the county has pre-approved.

Electrical and building applications may be completed and tracked online through the Papa Aukahi web portal at papaaukahi.hawaiicounty.gov. Public computers are also available within the Hilo and Kona Building Division offices to create and track online permit applications.

According to the mayor’s office, front-desk support for permit applications is available from 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with the exception of Wednesday in Hilo and Thursday in Kona, when the desks close at noon.  All other public works divisions remain available weekdays until 4:30 p.m. for code questions, consultation, and to drop off or pick up plans and permits.

Parking underneath solar panel's roof

Renault is inaugurating a large installation of solar panels at six of its French plants, in a move designed to reduce energy costs and lower the factories’ CO2 emissions.

The French automaker, which first announced the project in early 2011, said the solar-power plan for its factories is the biggest of its kind in the world. The 400,000 square meters of panels are being installed at plants in Douai, Maubeuge, Flins, Batilly, Sandouville and Cleon in both delivery and shipping sites and employee parking areas.

Because the panels are designed to resist impact, including hail, they also help protect vehicles before delivery to the sales network, Renault said.

The carmaker developed the system with Gestamp Solar, a Spanish developer and operator of utility-scale photovoltaic plants, and French solar panel specialist Coruscant. Both companies serve as operational project managers for the solar panels.

Renault plans to equip international plants with similar panels. It has already set up nearly 100,000 square meters of solar panels at factories in Valladolid and Palencia, Spain, and is conducting feasibility studies in Slovenia, Morocco, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Romania. Construction for 300,000 square meters of panels at a plant in Busan, South Korea, is scheduled for completion by year-end.

Solar Tower

Southern California is about to receive a source of clean, green power at a cost considered competitive with fossil fuels–without creating a giant water “footprint” in the desert, either. That’s the news from the Southern California Public Power Authority, which recently announced that it has signed a power purchase agreement with EnviroMission of Australia, who plans to build a giant solar farm in Arizona.

The 200 megawatt Solar Tower power station development  is expected to annually offset more than one million tons of the greenhouse gases typically produced by fossil fuel generators of the same scale.  What’s more, it will do so without using water to cool its mechanical systems–a key concern for utilizing the solar resources of the desert without impacting its scarce groundwater resources. (Both fossil fuel and renewable energy generators consume billions of gallons of potable water annually in generating electricity.)

Southern California Public Power Authority consists of eleven municipal utilities and one irrigation district, with members delivering electricity to approximately two million metered accounts over 7,000 square miles, serving a population of nearly five million. EnviroMission has gained coverage in its native Australia for its giant solar thermal designs, destined for both the Land Down Under and the U.S.

Effect of climate changes and solar industry

Climate change leads to more intense, longer storms, drought and heat, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. And severe weather is costly to human lives and the economy, as Hurricane Sandy has recently reminded us when it hit the east coast of the United States. Unlike nuclear power plants that were shut down, and natural gas explosions in New York and New Jersey as a result of the superstorm, shutting off gas and electricity to millions, solar power is a relatively safe form of energy.

But this doesn’t mean the industry is exempt from climate-change-related risks.

Real Goods Solar issued a statement, “Surviving a Hurricane – Hurricane Sandy, Solar Panels and You,” to its solar customers as the storm descended on the northeastern US, assuring that its PV systems are “designed, engineered and installed to all applicable building codes and engineering standards for their location and environment.”

“You do not need to take any extra measures to secure your solar panels during severe weather,” it said. But, it added, grid-tied solar arrays won’t provide electricity if there’s a blackout.

And extreme weather can pose a risk to solar systems. In addition to the obvious dangers, like floods or tornados carrying away rooftops and their attached solar installations, hailstorms can break glass plates that cover PV modules, and extreme heat and cold can affect panel degradation.

Some installations fared quite well, which is testament to rigorous testing and certification. For example, two commercial solar systems installed in Pennsylvania were unscathed during Hurricane Sandy. Tecta Solar inspected the ET Solar PV systems and reported that both systems were producing at 100%.

“Climate change may drive the solar industry to test more to these new ratings,” says Dr. Paul Robusto, photovoltaic business development manager at Intertek. “Certain areas may see higher temperatures, more rain, rapidly changing temperatures, increased wind and snow levels, and larger hail sizes. The ratings being developed become more important in light of these changing weather patterns.”

He’s talking about new tests and standards being developed by the International PV Module Quality Assurance Task Force, an NREL program that is working to develop a rating system that meets the needs of all countries and customers so that PV manufacturers will need to complete only a single test.  The task force includes nine task groups, responsible for testing for humidity, temperature, and voltage, wind loading, UV and other conditions. Robusto sits on some of the task groups.

Intertek Regional Vice President for Renewable Energy Sunny Rai said, “We are working to establish a quality assurance rating program looking at the impact of modules being installed in an area where they are exposed to very high temperatures, or hot but dry like a desert or hot but very humid like Florida and places in southeast Asia, Malaysia, India,” Rai explains. “Standards are being developed to address different weather conditions or climate conditions as we see on a normal basis.”

Bubble tracking in PV systems

Concentrating solar photovoltaic (PV) systems cut system costs by reducing the area of PV cells for a specified electrical output, but the precise mechanical tracking systems needed to keep a concentrator aimed at the sun can raise the system cost, to little advantage. As a result, researchers are looking at nonmechanical ways to finely track the sun (coarse tracking could still be left to a lower-cost mechanical tracker).

A group at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Lausanne, Switzerland) has developed an optofluidic waveguide coupling mechanism in which focused light heats liquid in a waveguide to form a bubble of vapor that scatters the incoming sunlight into the waveguide, which carries the light to a concentrating PV cell. The experimental efficiency of a system coupling laser light through an off-the-shelf axicon lens pair into a methanol-containing waveguide was greater than 40%. Two lasers were used: one emitting at 460 nm to represent the visible part of the solar spectrum, and an infrared (IR) laser diode to simulate the IR spectral portion. When focused on the IR-absorbing glass that helps form the waveguide, the light produces a bubble that varies between 160 and 300 μm in diameter for IR power between 40 and 100 mW. The bubble-tracking technique could reach at least 90% efficiency with better optics, say the researchers.

Six Common Mistakes PV Installers Make!

Mistake #1 

I learned that solar PV panels lose their efficiency as they get hotter, but I also know that solar thermal collectors use water heated by the sun for use in the home. I could just use the water to cool the PV panels and then it would be heated for hot water use. I’m a genius! 

The Truth:

I don’t blame anyone for thinking this. I know I did at first, as I’m sure 90 percent of people learning about solar energy have. The truth is that the math doesn’t work out. In order for your hot water to be sufficient for uses such a showering and washing dishes, it should be in the tank at 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which means it would have to be 130 degrees on the roof and the solar panels would have to be 140 -150 degrees. This is a far cry from the optimal temperature of most solar PV brands at 77 degrees. So, either you’ll be showering in cold water or you’ll be waiting an awfully long time to get a return on those inefficient solar panels (which you’ll need to combat the 140 degree temperature outside). 

Mistake #2 

I’m just going to install a small stand alone system to power one or two things, like the air conditioning and refrigerator. 

The Truth:

AC and refrigeration are the two biggest energy users in a home. A small system not tied to the grid would have a lot of trouble running the AC and refrigerator consistently. If you’re going to install a small standalone system, connect it to smaller end uses, such as the computer, TV, or lighting fixtures. There is nothing wrong with a small system, but having it grid-tied can help tackle those big energy users while keeping the consistency you want. 

Mistake #3 

It seems like the competition is over-charging for installations. I just checked the prices of solar panels and they’re dropping like stones. 

The Truth:

The truth is that while the costs of panels themselves have dropped tremendously in recent years, the installation costs have only dropped slightly. There are plenty of other materials that go into a solar installation that you will need (and be expected to supply). The racking, DC disconnects, heavy gauge wiring and other BOS (balance of system) hardware can add up to more than the panels themselves – making the real installation costs close to where you notice the competition (and don’t forget about your labor). These are simply expenses that you cannot overlook, solar PV systems are dangerous and the safety for yourself and the homeowners could be compromised if you buy cheap or faulty auxiliary components. 

Mistake #4 

Wait, what!? How is a 3 kw system supposed to make a dent in a house that uses 600 kw each month? 

The Truth:

Kilowatts are a measure of instantaneous electricity generation (e.g. right now your system is producing 3 kw), while kilowatt-hours are a measure of cumulative electricity usage/generation over time (e.g. your system produced 8 kwh of solar power today, and your home used 16 kwh of power to run its appliances). When referring to solar PV system capacity, the term kilowatt is usually used – this indicates the ‘peak’ capacity of the panels or system. Real life production will likely be lower, depending on conditions. 

Mistake #5 

Getting grid tie approval sounds impossible. I’m just going to add more batteries to my system and switch back to the grid only when these get low. 

The Truth:

The approval process for grid tied systems can be quite difficult (although the DOE is making it a lower priority), but the opportunity cost of purchasing batteries will be clear once you realize the upfront cost and lack of longevity. Most batteries only last a year and a half if they are routinely discharged to 50% or below. On the other hand, batteries that are connected to a hybrid inverter that keeps them float charged all the time while feeding excess power back to the grid can last upwards of 20 years. 

Mistake #6 

It’s sunny from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. here, so my I can expect the panels to run at full power for about 10 hours a day. 

The Truth:

Most systems really see full power for only a few hours a day. The rest of the time the sun is at an angle, preventing the panels from getting the full power. Thus 10 hours of daylight might give you only 4 hours of equivalent direct sun – and direct sun is what you have to base your total energy output on. 

Hopefully this will help future installers avoid the mistakes and misconceptions of many before them. Of course, with the proper solar training these mistakes can be remedied before you leave the classroom. In any case, it is a good idea to go out with an experienced installer for the first several installations to really cement your knowledge and skills.

Energy efficient solar home

When Neil Thompson constructed his energy-efficient home in Fishers, he knew he was making an earth-friendly decision. What he didn't know, however, was how much "green" he would add to his wallet. "I'm saving roughly $1,100 a year," said Thompson, who works in power maintenance and whose hobby is installing solar units. Thompson's residence in Forest Ridge Estates will be open for free public tours this  weekend as part of the American Solar Energy Society's National Solar Tour. 

The custom home, which was built in 1985, has a passive solar design and uses a solar photovoltaic system to provide it with electricity. Thompson will be on hand to explain how the solar PV system works and talk about the costs and incentives involved with a solar installation. Homeowners like Thompson receive  additional incentives for solar installations -- including a 30 percent federal tax credit.

"A payback on a solar home is way beyond anyone's expectations," said Thompson, who said he added solar roof panels and a two-story sun room to his home."I'm amazed about the sun's influence on the home in the middle of winter. It really brightens the house." The Thompson home is not the only metro-area stop on the National Solar Tour. From 1 to 4 p.m. today, the nature center at Cool Creek Park in Carmel will hold a program to show how solar thermal, geothermal and solar photovoltaic systems work.

Advanced single-junction, tandem-junction and triple-junction PV cells

Altatech, a subsidiary of Soitec, announced today that it has introduced a multi-chamber chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system that enables photovoltaic (PV) cell manufacturers to develop and optimize their solar cell designs using advanced thin-film deposition of amorphous silicon and other materials. By performing all deposition processes within a single system, the new AltaCVD Solarlab™ tool reduces cycle times and materials consumption in fabricating advanced single-junction, tandem-junction and triple-junction PV cells.

Using the AltaCVD Solarlab, customers can deposit transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films that deliver the superior optical characteristics, high doping mobility and smooth, defect-free surfaces needed to optimize efficiency of their solar cells. 

"Extending our core CVD technology for use in solar cell development presents an additional market opportunity for us," said Jean-Luc Delcarri, general manager of Soitec's Altatech subsidiary. "Reducing the amount of material used in cells and improving photovoltaic conversion performance will be the keys to growth in the next few years. We look forward to continuing to apply our deposition expertise in both Research and Development and commercial applications for the renewable-energy industry."

In creating its newest CVD system, Soitec's Altatech subsidiary leveraged its patented chamber architecture and deposition technology, which enables the use of new precursor gases to achieve extremely high film uniformity and tightly controlled stoichiometry. These capabilities have been production-proven on the company's AltaCVD platform, which has been used in both engineering and volume manufacturing of advanced semiconductor devices since 2008.

The AltaCVD Solarlab system has the versatility to perform standard thermal CVD processing as well as plasma-enhanced CVD and atomic-layer deposition. These processes can be run over a wide spectrum of temperatures, from 100° C to 800° C, to create photosensitive films that can maximize the efficiency of PV cells in converting sunlight to electricity. In addition, the system can handle a variety of substrates, including transparent glass and both round or square silicon wafers with thicknesses ranging from 150 microns to several centimeters.

Soitec plans to begin shipping AltaCVD Solarlab systems to customers by the end of this year.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/01/4870913/altatech-launches-new-cvd-system.html#storylink=cpy

Arctic sea ice shrinks to lowest ever level

As global warming intensifies, sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk to its smallest surface area since record-keeping began, US scientists have warned. The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) on Wednesday said satellite images showed the ice cap has melted to 3.4 million square kilometres as of September 16, the predicted lowest point for the year. That is the smallest Arctic ice cover since record-keeping began in 1979.

"We are now in uncharted territory," NSIDC director Mark Serreze said in a statement. "While we've long known that as the planet warms up, changes would be seen first and be most pronounced in the Arctic, few of us were prepared for how rapidly the changes would actually occur."

Arctic Sea ice expands and contracts seasonally, with the lowest extent usually occurring in September. This year's minimum followed a season already full of records for shrinking ice, with the lowest ever extents recorded on August 26 and again on September 4.