California Focusing On 2020 Solar Vision

Posted on December 22, 2011 by quest

Governor Jerry Brown who just recently led the Climate Change Conference At The California Academy Of Science in San Francisco was also on hand for the dedication of Soitec’s new North American solar headquarters and manufacturing plant in San Diego at a ceremony held on Friday, December 16. The governor noted, “The expansion of clean energy businesses is a direct result of legislation mandating that one-third of California’s electricity come from renewable sources by 2020. That’s a goal and we’re going to meet it. In fact, we are going to do better.”The factory is located in San Diego to supply more than 300 megawatts (MW) in solar projects to provide electricity to SDG&E.

Also participating in the factory dedication were San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, Jessie J. Knight, chairman and CEO of San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) and California Public Utilities Commissioner (CPUC), Timothy Simon. They were joined by governmental officials and over 300 community and business leaders that attended the dedication event. “SDG&E has signed more contracts using CPV technology than any other utility in the world – a distinction we’re proud of,” said Jessie J. Knight, Jr., chairman and CEO of SDG&E. “At the time we began our talks with Soitec, we realized we had a unique opportunity to negotiate not only a good contract for solar energy at prices that competed head-to-head with other technologies, but also to solidify an agreement that would bear fruit for years to come in new local jobs and overall economic benefits. From a reliability and grid stability perspective, this technology is far superior to other typical ground-mounted arrays.”

“Soitec‘s new facility will create hundreds of well-paying jobs and build on San Diego’s growing reputation as one of the world’s leading clean-technology clusters,” commented San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. “We are so honored and proud to welcome Soitec to the San Diego community, and I know that San Diego’s collaborative business community will continue to work with Soitec to ensure the company’s success and prosperity.”

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Patrick Dempsey Trina Solar Light Me Up Supporter

Posted on December 20, 2011 by quest

Trina Solar Limited a leading integrated manufacturer of solar photovoltaic (PV) products from the production of ingots, wafers and cells to the assembly of PV modules was joined by actor and race car driver Patrick Dempsey to announce the launch of “Plug me in, Light me up” video. The video discusses solar power and the difference solar panels can make to communities off the traditional energy grid and the human significance of the solar industry’s technological advances.

The actor discusses the real power of solar energy to help people and the solar industry’s ability to provide products to meet their needs. While Dempsey is not a company spokesman his participation was motivated by a personal interest in solar power as an energy solution; an interest which he plans to action by installing solar panels at his home in Southern California.

Solar photovoltaics present an affordable, reliable and clean way to generate much-needed electricity for communities off the traditional energy grid and to supplement existing, more expensive electricity generation for those on the grid. As the industry continues to make great progress in improving product efficiencies and lowering the cost of solar energy, we hope that the solar industry will play a leading role in bringing energy independence to empower individuals and their communities. The video introduces viewers to Trina Solar’s philanthropic efforts in bringing energy independence to a Mexican home for orphaned children, an African hospital, and an American camp for children with special medical needs.

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Beyond Solar Lighting Up The Developing World

Posted on December 19, 2011 by quest

The United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the Global Economic Symposium and others have all issued reports supporting – A rural family in Africa burns around 60 liters of kerosene a year to light their home. The average kerosene lamp in Africa spews a ton of CO2 in less than 10 years. Solar lighting can replace kerosene and wood, and improve the health of the people and the environment. Last year QuestPoint interviewed Jeff Olshesky, a cofounder of Beyond Solar a US based organization whose mission is to improve the educational, medical, and economic well being of individuals and communities in the developing world by providing solar powered electricity. He and co founder Trevor Knauf had just completed a project with D. Light Design, a solar lantern manufacturer in New Delhi with distribution capabilities throughout India, and South Orissa Voluntary Action, a registered non-government organization in the Indian state of Orissa.

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I recently spoke with Jeff Olshesky of Beyond Solar who completed its third project providing solar power in the eastern province of Zambia. Beyond Solar partnered with Dwankhozi Hope, to provide solar powered lighting in three separate rooms in a primary school. Their earlier projects involved the distribution of pre-assembled solar powered lanterns to hundreds of families in multiple villages, while utilizing a hybrid micro-finance model that required the beneficiaries to pay for a portion the products they received. In Zambia, they installed solar panels on the roof of a school building to power lights and three laptop computers. Financing was provided in a joint effort by Beyond Solar and Dwankhozi Hope. While the planning of this project began months in advance, the actual time required to complete the project, after arriving in Zambia, was five days. Jeff said while the benefits to the school is fairly apparent…the real reward is to me and the deep feeling I get from making a real difference in the world. They are in the midst of planning the next project in Zambia One potential project would be to install a small, roof-mounted solar lighting system in each of the neighboring villages. This would provide a “study room” for the students whose distant proximity from the central school prevents them from returning to the school in the evening. Another potential project that would bring income to the area would be a solar-powered water pump that could irrigate a cash crop such as cotton. These and many other potential projects would greatly improve the quality of life for the members of the Dwankhozi School District. The challenges to execute them will be difficult but equally rewarding as well.

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Meanwhile, Empowered by Light a west coast non profit partnered with Lemnis who has supplied more than a thousand Pharox Solar Kits to schools in rural villages also in Zambia. Through its Solar: Zambia project, Empowered by Light hopes to donate a total of 5,000 solar-powered lights to communities in the rural parts of the country. Providing inexpensive electric lighting encourages nighttime activities such as studying and reading and can displace open-flame kerosene lamps and candles, saving money and eliminating the hazards of fire, burn and respiratory disease. “Our hope is that the educational benefits of our project will ultimately gain the attention of elected officials and encourage them to provide the same service to their own people,” said Marco Krapels, Co-Founder of Empowered by Light.

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Maui Welcomes The Power Of Solar

Posted on December 15, 2011 by quest

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center and SolarCity celebrated the installation of a large solar project to provide renewable power on-site at the Center. The 463-kilowatt system, with close to 2,000 panels, is one of the largest to date on Maui. Maui Arts & Cultural Center President and CEO Art Vento said, “We are proud to have this large scale solar installation at the MACC. As a non-profit it is essential to find ways to reduce overhead in order to maintain our ability to provide the maximum products and services delivered to the community. This installation will meaningfully reduce our energy costs, and contribute to a more sustainable environment by significantly reducing our carbon footprint,” said MACC President and CEO Art Vento.

SolarCity’s photovoltaic installation is a component of the MACC’s overall environmental plan. Initiated five years ago, the MACC’s plan targeted reduced energy consumption and upgrades to higher-efficiency equipment, as well as integration of biodegradable products and an integrated recycling plan.As part of the power purchase agreement, SolarCity installed the system at no cost to MACC, and MACC will pay for the solar power the panels produce at a rate lower than they currently pay for electricity. The project for MACC is one of the first major commercial projects completed by SolarCity in the state of Hawai’i. The construction of the project was completed in partnership with Honolulu Builders, LLC, and is being interconnected to the utility grid by Maui Electric Company Ltd.

“We’re honored to be able to provide an organization that serves Hawai’i like MACC with a green energy solution and look forward to additional opportunities to spread economical solar powered energy to other non-profits across the state,” said Pete Cooper, SolarCity’s regional director in Hawai’i.“A dedication ceremony on December 14, 2011 included a traditional Hawaiian blessing and remarks by Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie, Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa, and representatives from the project partners.

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U.S. Solar Industry Reaches New Heights

Posted on December 14, 2011 by quest

“The U.S. solar industry is on a roll, with unprecedented growth in 2011,” said Rhone Resch, President and CEO of SEIA. “Solar is now an economic force in dozens of states, creating jobs across America. But our industry needs stable policy on which to make business decisions, and unfortunately an underlying mechanism for financing solar projects is scheduled to expire on December 31. To keep the industry growing and creating jobs in the U.S. we need Congress to extend the 1603 program. The 1603 program has done more to expand the use of renewable energy than any other policy in U.S. history. Our country is not in a position to have Congress turn their back on American industries, and it is critical that Congress extend the 1603 program in the few days left before the end of the year.” More U.S. solar electric capacity came online in Q3 2011 than all of 2009 combined, and Q4 2011 is predicted to be even larger.

The residential PV market grew 21 percent over Q2 2011 to reach nearly 75 MW.California regained a substantial share of overall PV installation in Q3 2011 with 44 percent; the next six largest state markets combined comprised 45 percent of quarterly installations.While domestic solar markets are booming more than ever, the report also finds that U.S. solar is facing more uncertainty than at any point in recent history. On one hand, solar module prices are falling precipitously and system prices have never been lower; on the other hand, the market faces substantial risks in the form of legislative, financing, political, and market barriers.

“U.S. solar is entering 2012 with a sense of cautious optimism,” said Shayle Kann, Managing Director of the solar practice at GTM Research. “There are three questions on the mind of everyone in the market: one, what would be the impact of the 1603 Treasury Program’s expiration; two, can emerging commercial markets like Massachusetts, Colorado, Ohio, Tennessee, and Hawaii ramp up as major markets like California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania trend downward; and finally, how will the trade petition against Chinese solar imports impact market dynamics, both in the immediate term and if duties are ultimately levied?”

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Spray On Solar Windows Generating Energy

Posted on December 14, 2011 by quest

New Energy Technologies, recently announced that researchers developing SolarWindow, capable of generating electricity on see-through glass, have successfully fabricated its latest working window prototype using a faster, rapid scale-up process for applying solution-based coatings. The prospect of rapidly scaling up the size of SolarWindow while applying electricity-generating coatings onto glass at faster speeds, are important technical advancements in New Energy’s drive to aggressively advance the world’s first-of-its-kind technology towards commercial launch. Among other commercial considerations, researchers developing New Energy’s SolarWindow have been vigilant in their efforts to improve transparency and keep manufacturing costs low. For example, last year, scientists undertaking advanced SolarWindow research achieved the ability to ‘spray’ the Company’s electricity-generating coatings onto glass also, at room temperature and pressure.

John A. Conklin, President and CEO of New Energy Technologies, Inc said,“Today’s faster and improved scale-up application breakthrough marks a significant leap forward in our SolarWindow evolution from advanced research towards commercial product development.Importantly, this new and improved processing method still allows for the application of our novel electricity-generating coatings to be applied at room temperature and pressure. We’re not at the mercy of cumbersome and expensive temperature and pressure sensitive systems often utilized in the manufacture of conventional and thin-film solar photovoltaic products.”The new solution-coating method announced today provides an alternative to spray and allows for rapid scale-up to larger glass surface areas. This improved process also generally provides for more uniform application of SolarWindow electricity-generating coatings than conventional methods.

New Energy Technologies, Inc., together with its wholly owned subsidiaries, is a developer of next generation alternative and renewable energy technologies. Among the Company’s technologies under development are MotionPower roadway systems for generating electricity by capturing the kinetic energy produced by moving vehicles.

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