Solar and Clean Energy In the Midst of a Transformation

Posted on June 7, 2011 by quest

As the clean energy industry emerges from a challenging period caused by the global economic downturn, it is entering a stage of rapid change in which business models are being transformed against a backdrop of regulatory uncertainty. In several key sectors, the market is shifting back toward business structures and technologies that were once abandoned, but are now being revived. A new white paper from Pike Research identifies 10 key trends that are part of this transformation. The paper, which includes commentary and predictions about the state of the clean energy industry in 2011 and beyond, is available for free download on Pike Research’s website.

“Clean Energy: Ten Trends to Watch in 2011 and Beyond”
“As the clean energy industry matures and as it simultaneously comes to grips with economic challenges, market leaders are experimenting with new business models, both at a large scale and on a distributed basis,” says senior analyst Peter Asmus. “At the same time, key industry players are utilizing an increasingly wider diversity of technology options, especially in the solar and wind sectors.”
Key clean energy trends that Pike Research is watching in 2011 and beyond include the following:

Japan to use coffee grounds as biomass fuel

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

THE SOLAR TRAIN STATION

Seeing Green: The Value of Urban Farms

Urban Farming Seeing Green

Posted on June 4, 2011 by quest

Seeing Green: The Value of Urban Agriculture is a year-long research project that will measure the stormwater management potential of two urban farms; Brooklyn Grange (a rooftop farm) & Added Value (raised beds) in NYC. Our aim is to create a model for future research that can be replicated anywhere, to help validate and support urban farms. We think policies should be based on scientific study and we want our work to encourage the adoption of supportive incentives and non-restrictive regulations for urban farming.

This is important because farms give us a lot more than just produce- they increase food security, decrease food miles traveled, offer healthy and nutritious produce, create green jobs, improve air and water quality, combat Urban Heat Island effect, create habitat for critters, beautify neighborhoods and many more (feel free to message us we LOVE to talk about this). This is where you come in- we need your support to do this research- we need to raise $12,000 for the rest of our equipment.

The thing is, we know farms are good but we don’t know exactly how good. There are a lot of skeptics out there that need some convincing. And there is nothing better for combating a nay-sayer than hard data- all decisions in cities are based on numbers. But how can our research effect

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

Verizon’s Sustainability Initiatives Help Protect California’s Environment

SolarWorld Installs Solar Panels At Pearl Harbor

Posted on June 4, 2011 by quest

A combined 2.4 megawatts in arrays of high-performance SolarWorld solar panels cover the roof of five important buildings at the historic U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, now known as Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The $15 million project, funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, comprises an important stride in the U.S. military’s intensive base improvements to increase its energy independence using a renewable energy technology that requires no fuel, parts, maintenance, emissions or noise. The largest U.S. solar technology manufacturer for more than 35 years, SolarWorld supplied the solar panels from its factories in Hillsboro, Ore., and Camarillo, Calif., the latter of which has produced crystalline silicon photovoltaic technology since the late 1970s.

The solar systems, engineered, procured and installed by California-based DRI Energy under a contract with Hawaii-based Niking Corp., crown five buildings: Combined, the arrays are expected to produce 3.4 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to power about 440 homes. Installation of the solar panels is complete, but final configuration of associated electrical systems as well as the systems’ commissioning are not expected until this coming fall.

Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas, said the projects are a source of pride for the more than 1,300 U.S. manufacturing, sales and other employees of SolarWorld.“It’s gratifying for them to know that the high-quality products they have labored so long to perfect and produce now help power one of the best-known U.S. historical and military sites,” Kilkelly said. “In that light, these projects may be the best signs yet of the nation’s embrace of domestic solar technology.”

DRIVE ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Solar To Power UC Davis Eco Friendly Energy Campus

Posted on June 2, 2011 by quest

The largest planned Zero Net Energy development in the U.S. is readying for its debut this fall. Under construction on the University of California, Davis campus, UC Davis West Village is combining advanced energy efficient design features with a 4-megawatt (MW), high efficiency SunPower solar power system to achieve the largest planned Zero Net Energy development in the nation. UC Davis West Village is the product of an innovative public-private partnership between UC Davis and West Village Community Partnership, LLC, a joint venture led by San Francisco-based Carmel Partners with their partner Urban Villages of Denver.

“I applaud UC Davis, SunPower Corporation, Carmel Partners, and the CEC for their collaboration, dedication, and leadership in developing the largest zero net energy project in the United States,” said Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom. “This is a demonstration of California’s excellence in sustainability, and should set an example for the rest of the nation.””West Village is a paradigm shift in creating both a great place to live and a model Zero Net Energy community,” said Nolan Zail, senior vice president for Carmel Partners. “Our guiding principles include environmental sustainability and quality of place. West Village will include housing, recreation and retail options, providing a convenient and eco-friendly lifestyle for students, faculty and staff.

“Using aggressive energy efficiency measures and on-site renewable energy generation to meet community energy demand, this holistic approach offers new solutions in the design and construction of large-scale sustainable communities,” Zail added. The first phase of the 130-acre project, to be completed this year, will include apartment housing for 2,000 students, an education center for Los Rios Community College, recreation and study facilities, a village square surrounded by neighborhood-serving retail, and 343 single family homes for sale to faculty and staff. Two initial student housing components of the community, The Ramble Apartments and Viridian, will welcome residents September 2011.

UC Davis West Village integrates sustainable design to enable those living in the community to reduce their reliance on automobiles, limit energy consumption and enjoy the benefits of the local climate. Building designs optimize solar orientation, utilize energy efficient appliances and incorporate materials from renewable sources. A 4-MW solar power system that is manufactured, designed and installed by SunPower Corp. will generate the equivalent of 100 percent of the community’s electricity demand. The system is comprised of both rooftop solar power installations as well as solar canopies installed in parking areas.

GREEN WEBINARS

New Vermont Law Cuts Red Tape For Solar Power

Posted on June 1, 2011 by quest

The state of Vermont signed a wide-ranging renewable energy bill into law Wednesday that will soon introduce what may be the nation’s most streamlined process for getting small-scale solar installations up and running. Among myriad other provisions, the law eliminates the sort of permitting and inspection snarls that have long delayed, complicated and, some argue, arbitrarily increased the cost of small-scale residential and commercial solar projects — a problem that the solar industry and clean energy supporters face in dozens of states and jurisdictions across the country. “There is a fiscal and environmental urgency for Vermont to move off fossil fuels and toward sustainable sources of power,” Gov. Peter Shumlin.

In a nutshell, the new provision essentially eliminates permitting altogether and reduces most administrative headaches to a 10-day process or less. For a small-scale solar customer — a homeowner, business, a non-profit, school, municipality or any other entity interested in a solar array system up to 5 kilowatts in size — the process will soon entail completing a registration form and a certificate of compliance with grid connection requirements. The local utility then has 10 days to raise any issues. After that, the path is clear. The new registration process will go into effect beginning January, 2012. “If adopted beyond Vermont, simple registration for small solar installations could help solar businesses grow,” said David Blittersdorf, the president and chief executive of Williston, Vt., based solar manufacturer and installer AllEarth Renewables, in an email Thursday morning. Blittersdorf’s company worked with industry groups in the state to help legislators develop the streamlined solar registration concept.

For years, the residential solar industry and homeowners alike have complained bitterly about local permitting bottlenecks.Within a single service area, a solar installer or service company might well encounter dozens of different local ordinances, building and electric codes, zoning laws and permitting costs and idiosyncrasies that make estimating the final price tag — or installation timeline — for a solar system a nearly impossible affair. A study released in January by SunRun, a solar leasing company based in California, estimated that local permitting and inspection costs add roughly 50 cents per-watt, or about $2,500 to the cost of an average residential installation. The U.S. Department of Energy has also been developing various initiatives in concert with industry partners to tackle these sorts of non-technical, bureaucratic and administrative barriers to solar power expansion.