Mongolian villages go solar

Posted on October 26, 2010 by quest

Talk about bringing solar power to the people. In cooperation with the World Bank’s Renewable Energy for Rural Access Project two Mongolian villages Gobi-Altai and Bayantooroi, which are both located in the western Gobi Desert region of have gone solar. The project was handled by Kyocera because of the company’s years of experience in the solar energy business in Mongolia, and the durability of its high-quality modules to harsh weather conditions. The systems were supplied and installed by the company’s subsidiary, KYOCERA (Tianjin) Sales & Trading Corporation. The installations are among the largest stand-alone solar power generating systems in the world. They are providing a total of 305.1kW of solar power. The systems were installed this summer and are now currently helping to provide electricity for the daily needs of the local residents. The World Bank project aims to increase electricity and improve reliability of electricity service through the use of solar energy to help improve the living conditions of the herder population and off-grid village communities.

Kyocera began its solar energy business in 1975 has a long history of proactively installing solar power generating systems in rural areas of Asia and Africa. In 1983, the company started by installing a system in the village of Kankoi, Pakistan; in 1985, another system for rural electrification in Gansu Province, China; and a solar-powered pump for an irrigation station in Thailand the following year.

Kyocera has been active in the solar energy business in Mongolia for many years, taking part in a project by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) to supply portable solar power generating systems for 200 nomadic herding families’ yurts between 1992 and 1996. Furthermore, in 2011, with the Japanese government’s Official Development Assistance (ODA), Kyocera modules will be used for a 453.18kW grid-tie system for the Genghis Khan International Airport in Ulan Bator City.

Western Gobi

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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

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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

October is solar energy month in California

Posted on October 21, 2010 by quest

Earlier this month California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared October “Solar Energy Month.” In his proclamation that “under the California Solar Initiative we are moving toward our goal of installing 1 million more roof systems by 2018.” This is in response to California’s Climate Change Initiative which set a goal that 2020 33% of California’s energy consumption will come from clean renewable energy sources.

Because California produces 6.2 percent of the total U.S., greenhouse gases the state has been working on and finding solutions to reduce on climate since 1988. In 2005 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signed an executive order on climate change that kicked into high gear to further advance clean renewable energy and other solutions to lower our state’s greenhouse gas emissions.
He also praised the job-creating value of increasing reliance upon solar power from commercial and residential projects springing up all the round the state. While the benefits of an ever expanding California solar market seem obvious, sponsors (Texas oil) of Proposition 23 want to smack the bill back into yesterday. What do Californians have to say about it?

CALIFORNIA ENERGY SMACK DOWN

CARL POPE SIERRA CLUB CHAIRMAN

Taking Initiative

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New solar solutions to offer lower costs and options

Posted on October 20, 2010 by quest

New advancements in solar technology continue to find their way to the market. From the recent Solar Power International show comes “stick on solar introduced by Lumenta a California roofing and solar developer. The stick on the roof solar mounting system called Power Ply “Peel and Stick Solar” means no more drilling holes in your roof to install solar panels. Lumenta also designs solar panels systems that integrate into tiled roofs.

From MIT researchers are creating a device that will help manufacturers design window systems that bring more daylight into buildings while controlling incoming solar radiation. The result should be significant energy savings and more contented occupants and the new solar blinds business. Solar blinds and spray on solar options are part of the next generation of solar solutions that offer some alternative energy creation.

More than a third of the energy used in the United States is consumed in buildings, and 25 to 40 percent of that third is used to run electric lights. In many cases, daylight could be used instead. “Depending on the building and how it’s used, a good daylighting strategy can reduce the need for energy-consuming electric lighting by 20 to 80 percent,” said Professor Marilyne Andersen of the MIT Department of Architecture.