Brown Praises Job Creation At World’s Largest Solar Project

Posted on June 17, 2011 by quest

California Governor Jerry Brown, Jr. today joined Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and other federal, state and local officials at a groundbreaking ceremony for the Blythe Solar Power Project, a plan to build the largest solar energy facility in the world. The project will bring thousands of construction jobs to Riverside County and help California obtain 33 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. “It makes sense to power California with renewable wind and solar energy that protects clean air and water and promotes energy independence,” Governor Brown said. “Renewable energy projects also stimulate business investment in California and create thousands of new jobs.”

Brown also visited six other solar and wind energy projects—just 5% of the state’s 270 total renewable energy projects—including: First Solar’s Desert Sunlight, Solar Millenium’s Palen Solar Power Project, NextEra’s Genesis facility, Solar Reserve’s Rice Airfield Project, Abengoa’s Mojave Solar Project, and Terragen’s Alta-Oak Creek wind power project. The projects Brown visited today are estimated to create 5,390 new construction jobs and 400 permanent jobs in California. Upon completion, these power plants will generate 3,470 megawatts of energy, or 6 percent of California’s peak energy requirement, which is enough energy to power more than 1.4 million single-family homes.

In 2010, the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies surveyed 12 solar, wind, and geothermal projects and found an average of 4,258 jobs would be created per month during construction. Skilled and non-skilled trades needed to work on these projects include steel and ironworkers, teamsters, plumbers and pipefitters, cement masons, electricians, operating engineers, and managers and general laborers. These projects would also bring nearly 1,000 long-term operations and maintenance jobs to California. Source: Imperial Valley News

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US To Become The World’s Largest Solar Market

Posted on June 17, 2011 by quest

The U.S. solar energy industry continued to be one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy in Q1 2011 according to the U.S. Solar Market InsightTM: Q1 2011 released today by the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research. In total, cumulative grid-connected solar electric installations have reached more than 2.85 gigawatts (GW), enough to power nearly 600,000 U.S. homes. In the first quarter of 2011, the United States installed 252 megawatts (MW) of grid-connected photovoltaics (PV) or 66 percent year-over-year growth over Q1 2010 installations. Two major factors drove this growth: falling solar energy equipment costs and a rush to take advantage of the Section 1603 Treasury program that was expected to expire in 2010 (the program was eventually extended through the end of 2011). All three PV market sectors (residential, commercial and utility) continued to grow, with commercial installations showing the strongest gains.

“On the whole, the U.S. is currently the PV industry’s most attractive and stable growth market,” said Shayle Kann, Managing Director of Solar at GTM Research. “This is reflected in our report’s quarterly market data and in the comments from global suppliers, distributors, and developers, all of whom see the U.S. positioned to nearly double its global market share in 2011 and support a greater diversity of installation types than has been previously seen in any leading demand center.” Geographically, the market was concentrated in a few key states. In Q1 2010, the top seven states comprised 82 percent of total installations, but that figure grew to 88 percent in Q1 2011, implying that established, leading markets gained an even larger share. The pace of installations grew more than 50 percent in 11 of the 21 states analyzed in the report.

Price declines were also an important factor in the Q1 2011 solar expansion, as technology costs fell and the industry matured further, capitalizing on greater economies of scale and streamlined project development and installation. Domestic PV module production in Q1 2011 amounted to 348 MW, a 31 percent increase over Q1 2010. “With analysts predicting the U.S. to become the world’s largest solar market within the next few years, manufacturers are increasingly looking to the U.S. to site their facilities,” said Tom Kimbis, SEIA Vice-President of Strategy and External Affairs. “They are finding significant value in manufacturing close to their expected source of demand. This strong demand continues to make solar one of the fastest growing industries in the United States and a source of thousands of good jobs from manufacturing and installation to engineering and sales.”

GO ORGANIC

A New Day For Solar City And Google

Posted on June 14, 2011 by quest

SolarCity and Google , today announced the creation of a new $280 million fund to finance residential solar projects. The Google-backed fund is the first collaboration between the Internet giant and the nation’s leading solar power and energy efficiency service provider, and represents Google’s largest investment to date in the clean energy sector. The fund is SolarCity’s largest project financing fund and the largest residential solar fund created in the U.S. SolarCity has now created 15 project funds with seven different partners to finance $1.28 billion in solar projects. Google has now invested more than $680 million in a wide range of clean energy technologies. This marks Google’s first investment in residential solar.

The SolarCity/Google fund will extend solar lease (SolarLease) and power purchase agreement (SolarPPA) options to customers who desire to have solar panels installed on their homes, but do not wish to make the larger upfront investment to purchase the systems. SolarCity serves Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas, and has more than 15,000 solar projects completed or underway. More than 12,000 of those customers have chosen SolarCity’s financing options, while 3,000 have purchased their systems.

“Google has made a series of investments in renewable energy because they make business sense and help deploy a range of solutions that can help move us toward a clean energy future,” said Rick Needham, Director of Green Business Operations at Google. “Now, through this partnership with SolarCity, we’re excited to be making our first investment in distributed residential solar, making it easier and more affordable for consumers across the country, including our own employees, to use renewable energy at their own homes.”

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Nepal Schools Say Namaste To Solar Energy

Posted on June 13, 2011 by quest

by Jasmine Greene EarthTechling: Tilak Pun and co-worker Clif Swigget of Knowledge Mosaic have created a plan called the “Solar Energy for Shikha Schools.” This plan seeks to bring technology to a remote part of the world by providing consistent energy via renewable means.

Pun himself graduated from the Shikha higher secondary school and knows first-hand the energy issues over 350 schools are having. Power outages in these schools are a frequent occurrence and often last for days, severely limiting options and opportunities to study. Shikha’s solar panels will help at least power the numerous donated computers in these schools to allow access to the Internet and communication. Pun tested a small prototype of the panels out in Seattle and was able to successfully grill shrimp on a small Nepalese grill to ensure compatibility with the Nepalese current.

Pun, along with Swigget and his two sons, plan to travel to Nepal in August and install the solar panels. The installation of these panels will lead the four along the Annapuna circuit, reaching elevations of 17,000 feet and taking around two days while the men carry ten solar panels and ten batteries, altogether weighing 1,400 pounds. Besides getting support from Knowledge Mosaic, the project is receiving help from the Nepal’s Secretary of Ministry of Education and the Namaste Children’s Fund. Knowledge Mosaic will track its employees’ progress in Nepal via their blog. Pun’s efforts are not only to provide clean and reliable energy, but, as he stated, are also to “giv[e] these children access to the wealth of knowledge and educational resources available on the internet [that] will enable them to dream big and realize new possibilities.”

SOLAR DICTIONARY

Solar Satellites Key To Green Energy

Posted on June 13, 2011 by quest

With gas prices on the rise, the race is on for cheap alternative fuel sources, including solar power, but amid a wash of criticism, the solar industry may not even be in the running. The major criticisms against solarpower facilities, such as wind farms, are unreliability and inefficiency. Solar power depends on environmental factors beyond human control and that makes investors anxious. These facilities also require areas with high amounts of sunlight, usually hundreds if not thousands of acres of valuable farmland and all for relatively little power production.

This is why, in the 1960s, scientists proposed solar-powered satellites (SPSs). SPSs have about the most favourable conditions imaginable for solar energy production, short of a platform on the sun. Earth’s orbit sees 144 per cent of the maximum solar energy found on the planet’s surface and takes up next to no space in comparison to land-based facilities. Satellites would be able to gather energy 24 hours a day, rather than the tenuous 12-hour maximum that land-based plants have, and direct the transmitted energy to different locations, depending on where power was needed most.

So, with so many points in its favour, why hasn’t anyone built one yet? Obviously, putting anything into outer space takes a lot of money. Many governments claim there simply isn’t any money in the budget for launching satellites into space, but in 2010, amid an economic crisis, the United States managed to find $426 million for nuclear fusion research and $18.7 billion for NASA, a five-per-cent increase from 2009. The most recent projections, made in the 1980s, put the cost of launching an SPS at $5 billion, or around 8-10 cents/ kWh. Nuclear power plants cost a minimum of $3 billion to $6 billion, not including cost overruns, which can make a plant cost as much as

LADY GAGA GOING GREEN ?

LADY GAGA

Lady Gaga steals the limelight at the Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards in New York, in a bright green wig and huge platform boots. The pop star was there to accept the prize for style icon of the year.

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US Marines Building Solar Airfield Lighting Systems

Posted on June 11, 2011 by quest

The United States Marine Corps announced that ADB Airfield Solutions and Carmanah Technologies have been awarded a contract to supply a rapidly deployable solar hybrid airfield lighting system. The solar hybrid lighting system will be shipped to Afghanistan and installed by the Marine Wing Support Squadron in support of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The total value of the award is over $1 million. The solar hybrid lighting system of Medium-Intensity Runway Lights (MIRL) have photometrics compliant to FAA AC 150/5345-46D, and can be operated wirelessly using a handheld controller or a ruggedized tablet PC. Powered using either the light’s integral photovoltaic panels, or cables connected to an on-base power network, the solar airfield LED lights reduce or eliminate energy consumption and dependence on fossil fuels. This hybrid lighting approach provides security in the event of grid failure and supports the US Marine Corps’ Expeditionary Energy Strategy objectives.

According to Ted Lattimore, Carmanah’s CEO, “Our hybrid lighting system offers a unique portable lighting solution that will ensure safe, efficient and reliable aviation operations.” Lattimore also commented on the ADB/Carmanah partnership which has produced a series of aviation lighting contracts and energy efficient products. “This installation is an ideal project for the Carmanah/ADB partnership – each company will contribute unique skill sets and experiences to provide Marine Corps Aviation with a practical, robust, energy efficient solution,” said Lattimore.

Steve Rauch, ADB’s CEO, said, “We are excited to provide the Marines with a tough and resilient aviation lighting solution that will support them in their ‘Bases-to-Battlefield’ expeditionary energy strategy for decades to come. The project is consistent with ADB’s commitment to continued innovation in the development of products that save energy, reduce maintenance costs, minimize waste and offer renewable solutions.” ADB Airfield Solutions and Carmanah Technologies Corporation entered into a partnership in 2009 to combine expertise in solar power systems and aviation lighting and to develop energy-efficient visual navigation aid technologies.