Infineon Raceway Goes Solar Cuts Energy Usage

Posted on June 26, 2011 by quest

Infineon Raceway, in partnership with Panasonic, has completed a major milestone in energy conservation with the successful installation of 1,652 solar panels at the famed Northern California raceway. The project, part of Infineon Raceway’s long-standing sustainability initiative, was unveiled to the racing world. The event offered members of the media the opportunity to examine the installation, meet key Infineon Raceway and Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company executives, and learn more about Panasonic’s plan to become the number one green innovation leader in the electronics industry by 2018 and Infineon’s goal of becoming one of the most energy-efficient raceways in the world.

The high-efficiency solar panels, manufactured by Panasonic’s Sanyo division, will cover 41-percent of the raceway’s energy usage. In a further move designed to reduce energy consumption, Panasonic has also provided the raceway with a low-energy LED video board, replacing the current installation on Highway 37. To emphasize the importance of energy conservation, Infineon Raceway had the solar panels installed so that they would be visible to the majority of fans attending events at the facility. Panels have been placed above the Turn 10 Sound Wall, the Main Grandstand, the administration office and the Raceway Cafe, as well as the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School building. Race fans will have an opportunity to see them during this weekend’s Toyota/Save Mart 350.

Separate from the energy savings achieved by the solar panel arrays, Panasonic’s new full-color, dual-sided LED video board will use less energy than the previous sign, which was powered by 7,000 traditional light bulbs. Easily visible from Highway 37, the new board measures 5.77’ high by 17.32’ wide, and uses 57,600 LEDs to create messages brighter than the older technology. Yet, it consumes just 50% of the energy of the board it replaces. As part of its commitment to achieving a sustainable future, Infineon Raceway has already introduced low/no carbon racing, boasts a comprehensive recycling program and even uses 3,000 sheep to trim the grass around the track and grounds. The photovoltaic cells in Panasonic’s solar panels are manufactured in the United States in Salem, Ore. The aggregate impact of the installed panels is generation of 353 kilowatts of power. It is estimated that the installation will save 34,000 barrels of oil over 30 years.

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Calls for Solar Farms After Nuclear Disaster in Japan

Posted on June 9, 2011 by quest

Business and government leaders across Japan are calling for creating “solar farms” on damaged or abandoned land to help wean the nation off nuclear energy and provide economic opportunities for future generations. Katsunobu Sakurai, mayor of Minami-soma, told reporters on Thursday he wants to invite experts from around the world to rebuild his devastated city as a center for what Japanese call “natural energy.” His city of 70,000 residents is about 15 miles from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, where three reactors underwent meltdown after being swamped by the March 11 tsunami. “The land is ruined land but we can see this as a chance to fill them with a huge amount of solar panels in one fell swoop,” said Mr. Sakurai, referring to a 25-square-mile area ruined by muddy, salty seawater from the tsunami and radiation from the plant.

“But such a venture cannot succeed unless the government makes a clear policy, and sets regulations where power companies are required to buy electricity at a specified price.” In April, Mr. Sakurai called for Minami-soma to become a global center for “the brave people of the world” to create industries to transcend the nuclear power generation. “We are in need of a new mindset that is totally different from the one that merely envisions creating a new city on higher ground,” he said. Several corporations and state organizations, meanwhile, are making their own moves to create new energy technologies.

Masayoshi Son, president of mobile phone giant Softbank and one of Japan’s wealthiest men, has promised that his company will shoulder most of the $1 billion cost of building 10 massive solar power plants in Japan. Mr. Son says 19 provinces have pledged to join his project to build solar plants to wean Japan off nuclear energy. The provinces include Hokkaido in the north, Nagasaki in the far south, the Tokyo suburb of Saitama, and four central provinces that lost power when the government ordered a cold shutdown of Hamaoka nuclear plant. Mr. Son says the provinces will build solar power farms on abandoned farmland in declining rural areas across Japan. The provinces plan to set up a council to coincide with a meeting of Japan’s National Governors’ Association in July.

“The Hamaoka nuclear power plant had covered more than 80 percent of the electricity needs of our prefecture,” Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu told reporters in May. “We cannot help but switch to solar power to compensate for it. This is a big turning point.” About two-thirds of Japan’s aging nuclear reactors are switched off, and most of the active reactors will shut down for scheduled maintenance in coming months. Opposition from local residents and a growing anti-nuclear protest movement will likely make it difficult for private regional monopolies to restart reactors. By Christopher Johnson – Special to The Washington Times

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Solar Powered Train Stations No Fantasy

Posted on June 6, 2011 by quest

A two-mile-long Belgian rail tunnel, built to shelter trains from falling trees, will from Monday provide a double environmental benefit by hosting a unique solar power project. The high-speed line running from Paris to Amsterdam passes Antwerp and a nearby ancient forest. To avoid the need to fell protected trees, a long tunnel was built over the line which has now been topped with 16,000 solar panels. The electricity produced is equivalent to that needed to power all the trains in Belgium for one day per year, and will also help power Antwerp station.

“For train operators, it is the perfect way to cut their carbon footprints because you can use spaces that have no other economic value and the projects can be delivered within a year because they don’t attract the protests that wind power does,” said Bart Van Renterghem, UK head of Belgian renewable energy company Enfinity, which installed the panels. “We had a couple of projects lined up around London with train operators and water utilities, but they have been put on hold.”

Van Renterghem said this was due to the UK government’s controversial review of subsidies for large-scale solar power projects, which will lower the returns available. The UK government argues that solar technology is too expensive, but Van Renterghem said he had seen the cost of cells halve in the last two to three years thanks to economies of scale in Germany, France and Belgium. The new Blackfriars station in London, which will span the River Thames, will host the largest single collection of solar panels in the UK when it opens in spring 2012. The roof of the new station will have 4,400 panels and a capacity of 1MW, enough to provide 50% of the station’s electricity. However, the development is not dependent on the level of government subsidy for solar power as the £7.3m bill was paid by the transport department’s environment fund. Source: Business Green