Solar Train Stations on the way all abroad

Posted on October 24, 2010 by quest

High speed rail is on the agenda in California. Plans call for the service to run from Anaheim and end up at a new Transbay Station in San Francisco. Trains will travel between LA and San Francisco in under 2 hours and 40 minutes, at speeds of up to 220 mph. I wonder if there will be a solar power stations used like the one in Beijing. The South Railway Station began operations in 2008. It has become the largest and the most technologically sophisticated train station in Asia. Beijing South Railway Station is huge, it has 13 platforms, 24 rails and has over 3200 solar panels installed on its’ circular roof. It can accommodate up to 15 thousand passengers. It is also one of the most environmentally friendly railway stations in the world. Its solar panels will produce as much as 100 hundred kilowatt-hours of power every day.

Just announced renewable energy company Enfinity has partnered with rail operator Infrabel to start work on a solar power project on the roof of the high-speed rail tunnel along the E19 highway in Belgium. The solar energy will be used by the trains and station servicing both conventional and high-speed trains, representing a unique application of solar power in Europe. More than 16,000 solar panels will be installed on the roof of the high-speed rail tunnel stretching just over 2 miles long. The tunnel is primarily used by the high-speed train connecting Amsterdam and Paris via Brussels. Commenting on the intricacies of the project, Patrick Decuyper, CEO of Enfinity Europe said that a large technical team will install more than 16,000 monocrystalline solar panels (245 Wp per panel) on the roof with a special ballast tile structure, with no rooftop perforations required.

CALIFORNIA HIGH SPEED RAIL PLANS

The roof’s total surface area is roughly equivalent to 8 football fields and is estimated to produce 3.3 mega watts of electricity per year.The project completion is scheduled for December 2010. The total investment budget is $20.1 million. There you have it solar powered train stations powering the station and the trains….California all abroad!

START RECYCLING

Caltech activates and researches solar energy

Posted on October 22, 2010 by quest

National power financier Perpetual Energy Systems and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) today announced the activation of a 1.1 mega watt (MW) solar energy system. The system is part of Caltech’s goal of 1.3MW of solar power installed by 2010. The project is expected to generate an estimated 1,646,668 kilowatt hours of clean energy in its first full year of operation. The new solar power system will eliminate approximately 1,150 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) in its first year of operations, which is equivalent to removing 222 cars from the nation’s roads or planting 252 acres of trees.

John Onderdonk, Caltech’s Sustainability Manager said,“This recent installation, which brings Caltech’s total installed solar capacity to 1,300 kW represents two percent of the Institute’s energy consumption and contributes significantly to our plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020; Our agreement with Perpetual allows the Institute all the advantages of solar, but without the financial outlay for the installation and maintenance. This is a win-win situation for us and we look forward to working with them again on future solar installations.” Caltech entered into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Perpetual to host the solar installations, enabling Caltech to host solar with no capital outlay. Under the agreement Caltech will purchase clean solar energy produced by each installation at a predetermined, fixed rate. The system is owned and operated by Perpetual.

More than 4,500 solar panels comprise the system, which will generate electricity from the rooftops of seven structures on the Caltech Campus.The Cahill Center is one of the selected buildings and is Caltech’s first building to achieve USGBC LEED gold-level certification. Back in July U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman awarded Caltech $122 million to research solar energy over five years with a multidisciplinary team of top scientists to establish an Energy Innovation Hub; aimed at developing revolutionary methods to generate fuels directly from sunlight. The hub will include Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and will be directed by Nathan S. Lewis, George L. Argyros Professor and professor of chemistry at Caltech.

ROBERT F KENNEDY JR ON RENEWABLE ENERGY

GREEN: WEBINARS

EPA gives San Francisco Green Leadership Award

Posted on October 22, 2010 by quest

Green city by the bay San Francisco has just received the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) 2010 Green Power Leadership Award. Mayor Gavin Newsom in announcing the award said, “San Francisco’s commitment to clean energy is producing green jobs and real benefits for our City today. The economic advantages of a green economy are very tangible and we can feel the effects of clean energy in the air we breath; with each solar panel, day-by-day, we’re fueling San Francisco’s transformation into a green economy powered by increasingly clean, renewable energy.” In the past the EPA has given San Francisco other awards , including an award for its Moscone Convention Center Solar Array.

The EPA Green Power Leadership Awards recognizes winners in several categories such as; Green Power Partner of the Year; On-site Generation; Green Power Purchase, and Green Power Community of the Year. The City of San Francisco was one of only two organizations nationwide to receive a Leadership Award for the on-site generation of green power. By using more than 25 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually from its biogas facilities and nine municipal solar installations the City has become a nationwide leader. These solar installations are located on nine facilities and rooftops throughout the City, including the City’s largest reservoir and the San Francisco International Airport. San Francisco is soon set to begin generating up to 5 megawatts (MW) of solar energy at the Sunset Reservoir Solar Array just completed by Recurrent Technologies at what will be California’s newest and largest municipal solar project (nearly 24,000 solar panels).

Speaking for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) General Manager Ed Harrington said, “We’re honored to accept this Green Power Leadership Award. Our solar and low-impact hydroelectric projects, as well as our ongoing wind and wave power studies are making San Francisco a focal point for emerging technologies that are greening our economy and power.” The SFPUC is responsible for the installation and operation of the City’s renewable energy generating network. San Francisco is also currently studying the feasibility of offshore wave power generation.

WAVE ENERGY

NEW WATER

Hawaii to be 40 percent solar by 2030

Posted on October 16, 2010 by quest

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission has issued an order approving feed-in tariffs (FIT) for the Hawaiian Electric Companies (Hawaiian Electric Company, Hawaii Electric Light Company, and Maui Electric Company) for renewable energy generators of up to 500 kW in size, to facilitate the acquisition and development of renewable energy in Hawaii. Because Hawaii is the most fossil fuel dependent state, this ruling helps move the state toward its goal of receiving 40 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030.

Now homeowners and commercial property owners who install solar panels in Hawaii will get paid for any excess electricity they generate. Those who sign up and participate in the program will get paid 21.8 cents for each kilowatt hour (kWh) that is fed back into the electric grid. Since the going rate for residential electricity is higher on many parts of the islands, the feed-in tariff will really be best suited to homeowners — and businesses — that have solar energy systems that produce more electricity than they use on an annual basis. “We are pleased to launch the FIT program for the Hawaiian Electric Companies,” said Commission Chairman Carlito P. Caliboso. “The predictability and certainty that FITs provide to renewable energy developers should incent future renewable projects and ultimately advance the State’s efforts to wean itself off of imported fossil fuel.”

Hawaii’s new solar incentive plan is also expected to streamline solar project development and financing. The plan sets pricing, terms and conditions, all of which, it’s expected, will help make it easier to propose, close and complete solar installations.

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Scotland to be World HydroPower leader

Posted on September 12, 2010 by quest

The state-owned utility Scottish Water is to be given new powers to build windfarms, hydro schemes and “green” power stations in partnership and competition with established energy companies.
The company, one of the country’s last remaining state-owned firms, could generate £300m or more in extra revenues by using its 80,000 acres of land and vast pipe network for renewable energy projects.
The proposal was unveiled by Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first minister and leader of the Scottish National Party, in his government’s last legislative programme before next May’s Scottish elections. He claimed it would turn Scotland into “the world’s first hydro-economy – wisely exploiting our water to help drive our economy”.
Salmond is resisting pressure to convert Scottish Water into a mutualised company under public ownership, similar to Welsh Water, to generate much-needed revenue and offset cuts of up to £3.7bn expected in next month’s spending review. Read on