“Solar panels are unsightly, have low efficiency, cost tons of subsidy money and have a high carbon footprint. “Edwin Koot writes about the 10 major myths about solar energy.

1. Generating Solar Energy Is Only Possible In Countries With A Lot Of Sunshine
The fact is, the energy of the sun is the most evenly spread source of energy in the world. In any part of the world where there is light, solar panels will work. The world’s biggest market for solar energy is … Germany, a country not particularly blessed with long days full of sunshine, but a country with a smart government nonetheless. In the summer, more than 10% of the household electricity in the south of Germany is generated by solar panels.

Of course, when you’re living in the Sahara region, your ROI will be higher, but there are many other factors playing a role, such as the presence of a grid, the local consumer price for electricity, your energy usage pattern, the political stability in a your country, your need for independency from external sources of energy, and many more. As an example, in Northern Alaska it is smarter to invest in solar energy than to pull a cable from a far away power plant or grid connection point.

2. Solar Panels Are Only Attractive In Niche Markets
Solar energy is an attractive product in any place where people need electricity, which nowadays is anywhere in the civilized world – globally. That is a much larger market than just large-scale solar plants in desert areas, which are very competitive markets, because they need creation of new grids, are competing with wholesale prices for electricity and are crowded with many other power-generating enterprises

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UPDATED EVENTS

Representatives from 25 cities around the nation recently gathered in Philadelphia for the 4th annual Solar America Cities meeting to share findings on emerging trends in urban energy use and to discuss solutions to local solar barriers, such as zoning, financing and unwieldy permitting processes.
At the conference, Department of Energy Acting Under Secretary of Energy Dr. Arun Majumdar announced a Request for Information  (RFI) for a solar challenge specifically designed to address permitting issues in cities. The RFI will foster solutions to help eliminate barriers to solar market development, save customers time and money and accelerate the adoption of solar energy in communities nationwide.
 
The RFI focuses on four areas crucial to solar market growth: standardizing permitting processes, improving interconnection and net metering standards, increasing access to financing, and minimizing siting restrictions.

The challenge builds on the success of the Solar America Cities program in lowering solar energy costs, and supports the Department of Energy’s recently announced SunShot initiative to reduce the cost of solar energy by 75 percent by the end of the decade. In 2007 and 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) designated 25 major U.S. cities as Solar America Cities and provided financial and technical assistance to help the cities develop comprehensive approaches to increasing solar energy use. Sixteen of these designees received additional Recovery Act funding in 2009 for special projects that tackle specific barriers to urban solar energy use. The unique federal-local partnerships have enabled DOE to identify barriers to solar energy use in diverse locations and at various stages of market development, and to collaboratively develop solutions to those barriers. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and the Solar America Cities program celebrated a local partnership success, flipping the switch on a new 250 kilowatt solar PV system.  Source: Submitted by Susan Carollo

From The 2011 Seoul Motor Show: Hyundai Blue2 Concept

ST. LOUIS: Honda’s ASIMO, the world’s most advanced humanoid robot, made its debut at the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Championship today in St. Louis, Mo. ASIMO, which stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, is a culmination of more than two decades of research and development by Honda engineers.Designed to someday assist people in their homes, ASIMO is being used today to encourage and inspire young students, like those involved in the FIRST robotics programs, to consider studies in math and science. The demonstrations highlight ASIMO’s unique capabilities including walking forward and backward, running nearly 4 mph, climbing stairs and more.

“Honda and FIRST share many of the same values, including inspiring students to pursue opportunities in science, technology and engineering,” said Erik Wedin, ASIMO North American project leader. “We think a student robotics competition is the perfect setting to share and showcase ASIMO’s capabilities.” Honda is one of the sponsors of the FIRST Championship, where over 11,000 students from 29 countries will participate in three simultaneous robotics competitions. As part of the activities, Honda was conducting ASIMO demonstrations today at the Second Level Atrium of the America’s Center Convention Complex in downtown St. Louis.

ASIMO visited 17 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces on a North American tour from 2003 through 2005, but this is the first time the humanoid robot has been demonstrated in Missouri. Honda’s innovative research and development efforts during the past decade have yielded such diverse outcomes as humanoid robotics, walking assist devices, HondaJet, fuel cell electric vehicle technology, thin film solar cells, increased rice crop yields and functional nano-materials – in addition to the design and development of automobiles, motorcycles and power equipment products.

Habitat for Humanity’s First Eco-Tourism Village

SunPower and Total today announced that the two companies have entered into a broad strategic relationship to shape the future of the solar industry. Total Group will launch a friendly tender offer through a wholly owned subsidiary for up to 60 percent of SunPower’s outstanding Class A Common shares and 60 percent of SunPower’s outstanding Class B Common shares at a price of $23.25/share for each class. The offer price represents a 46 percent premium over the April 27, 2011 closing price of SunPower’s Class A common stock and a 49 percent premium over the April 27, 2011 closing price of SunPower’s Class B common stock, and values SunPower’s equity at $2.3 billion. In addition, Total will provide SunPower with up to $1 billion of credit support over the next five years. Following closing of the transaction, which has been approved by the boards of both companies, SunPower will continue to operate with its current management team.

“Total’s commitment and global presence will help accelerate our growth and solidify our position in the increasingly competitive solar sector,” said Tom Werner , SunPower’s CEO. “With Total’s $1 billion credit support agreement, solar research and development investments and the other resources available through its global network, we have taken the next step in positioning our business for continued growth and long-term success. Our relationship with Total will improve our capital structure enabling SunPower to accelerate our power plant and commercial development businesses, and expand our manufacturing capacity with lower cash requirements.”
“The world future energy balance will be the result of a long-term transition in which renewable energies will take their place alongside conventional resources,” said Philippe Boisseau , President, Total Gas and Power Division. “Over the past years, Total has built up sizeable renewable energy activities. Today, Total is executing on its strategy to become a major integrated player in solar energy. We evaluated multiple solar investments for more than two years and concluded that SunPower is the right partner based on its people, world-leading technology and cost roadmap, vertical integration strategy and downstream footprint.” “Solar is becoming a material addition to the new generation portfolio around the world, with more than 40,000 MW of solar photovoltaic power installed globally,” continued Werner. “Total and SunPower will collaborate to ensure that solar becomes a platform for an efficient, competitive and sustainable energy future. Already, SunPower’s high-efficiency, high-reliability solar photovoltaic power plant costs are competitive with other new resources.”

Chicago Skyscraper to Generate Solar Electricity

Solar3D, the developer of a breakthrough 3-dimensional solar cell technology to maximize the conversion of sunlight into electricity, has been featured in articles published by CNBC.com and The Christian Science Monitor. Inspired by light management techniques used in fiber optic devices, the company’s innovative solar cell technology utilizes a 3-dimensional design to trap sunlight inside micro-photovoltaic structures where photons bounce around until they are converted into electrons. Solar3D’s management believes that this breakthrough solar cell design will dramatically change the economics of solar energy.

“It is exciting to see our progress recognized on a national level,” commented Jim Nelson, President and CEO of Solar3D. “The milestones reported in the articles are giant steps toward completion of our prototype, which could in turn greatly affect the economics of solar energy.”Solar3D’s new solar cell will have two principal sections: the Light Collector section and the Micro Photovoltaic section. The articles reported the completion of the Light Collector design, from which structure of the rest solar cell will flow. The company’s research and development team believes that they can soon calculate the increase in efficiency that the overall 3-dimensional solar cell can achieve relative to current technology.

CNBC.com and The Christian Science Monitor (which picked up the story from CNBC) also cited Bill Mazotti, of National Semiconductor, who finds Solar3D’s technology intriguing, especially with the tremendous pressure put on the solar industry to reduce the cost of generated electricity.“We are pleased that people recognize what we are trying to do,” continued Nelson. “We have taken up the gauntlet thrown down by (US Energy Secretary) Steven Chu to reduce the cost of solar power to $1 per kilowatt hour. The increased efficiency of the 3-dimensional solar cell, coupled with decreased costs of production we are designing in, will reduce the cost considerably.”

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