Solar Solutions In Effect at LA’s Walter J Towers

Posted on August 28, 2011 by quest

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) General Manager Ronald O. Nichols and other city officials today celebrated the completion of one of the largest infill solar panel projects in central Los Angeles. Located at the Walter J Towers at 1930 Wilshire Boulevard, the project is managed by LA Building Management and was designed and built by LA-based ReGreen Corporation, with design input from both LADWP and the LA Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). Dr. Walter Jayasinghe (j’eye-ya-SING-ha), a Los Angeles physician who emigrated from Sri Lanka as a young man, owns the Walter J Towers.

Dr. Walter Jayasinghe is an enthusiastic supporter of employing technology to reduce energy consumption, as well as costs. “I’ve dedicated my life to helping people restore and maintain their health,“ said Dr. Jayasinghe. “In a sense, these solar panels and other steps we’ve taken to reduce energy consumption at Walter J Towers are small but tangible actions toward helping maintain the health of this neighborhood and the planet.” The Walter J Towers solar panel project uses 1,185 photovoltaic panels, elevated above the building’s surface parking lot, which will reduce the building’s annual energy costs by 30%. “Going solar was the right thing to do for our business, our tenants and this community,” stated Dilan Jayasinha, President of LA Building Management. “Putting such a large project in such a relatively small space that’s outfitted with older infrastructure required substantial planning and expertise. ReGreen delivered and everybody wins.

“Dr. Walter Jayasinghe‘s story highlights how investing in solar isn’t just good for the environment, it is good for a business’s bottom line,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “We are working with our business community for more innovative and forward-thinking companies to reap the environmental and economic benefits of DWP’s Solar Incentive Program.” “This is a great example of using local renewable energy to reduce energy costs. The collaboration between LADWP, ReGreen Corporation and Mr. Jayasinghe on this solar project will reduce energy costs for the Walter J. Towers and support the LADWP’s efforts to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels,” said LADWP General Manager Ronald O. Nichols. “With the September 1 re-launch of our popular solar incentive rebate program, we look forward to working with many other City businesses and residents interested in achieving similar benefits through solar power.”

Solar power in California

Student Increases Solar Energy The Way Trees Do

Posted on August 23, 2011 by quest

By Leah Bush – Northport Middle School student Aidan Dwyer applied a mathematical principle found in trees to improve the performance of solar panels. Dwyer has accomplished more in his life than most people three times his age. He sails, he golfs– and he is a patented innovator of solar panel arrangements. Dwyer applied the Fibonacci sequence, a mathematical principle widely occurrent in nature, to solar panel arrays in a months-long backyard experiment. He found that small solar panels arranged according to the Fibonacci sequence found in tree branches produced 20 percent more energy than flat panel arrays, and prolonged the collection window by up to two and a half hours. Most remarkably, the elegant tree design out-performed the flat panel array during winter exposure, when the sun is at its lowest point, by up to 50 percent.

Dwyer received a proclamation from the Town of Huntington on Tuesday for his accomplishments in the field of natural science. His most recent innovation was also honored by the Museum of Natural History in New York, which dubbed him a “2011 Young Naturalist” in July, alongside only 12 other students nationwide in grades 7 through 12. Dwyer has been awarded a provisional patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for his innovation, which he says has garnered a lot of interest. When asked just how many entities expressed interest, he simply stated, “alot.”

Outside of precocious pursuits, 13-year-old Dwyer is a regular kid. He loves to sail around Northport Bay in his Optimist and play golf with his family. He is also a kind soul and said he will remain dedicated to scientific discovery in the interest of the greater good when he grows up. “I’m interested in science because it helps the world,” he said. Source: By Leah Bush - NorthPortPatch

Governor Brown Commits to Tahoe Environment

Ohio SolarVision Taking Solar Mainstream

Posted on August 15, 2011 by quest

Just two years after SolarVision solar arrays began harnessing the sun’s power in Ohio, the company finds itself at the cusp of revolutionizing the way Ohioans—and Americans view and use renewable energy on a daily basis. What began with a couple hundred solar panels on the roof of an elementary school is quickly becoming a collection of tens of thousands of solar panels totaling more than 20 megawatts of power. With $70 million in projects under contract and an additional $15 million pending, SolarVision has experienced astounding growth since its inception. “We’re on the verge of taking this energy model to scale, where electricity made from the sun will be considered mainstream,” Kuss said. “And with the rate SolarVision is progressing now, we plan to be a big part of making than happen.”

“We have been amazed at the amount of demand for solar power we have encountered in the last two years,” said SolarVision president Greg Kuss. “Government and business leaders are realizing that not only is solar power infinitely cleaner and better for the environment than traditional power generation processes, but with today’s technology it can also be more cost-effective.”This summer SolarVision broke ground on its biggest project yet—the first phase of what will become a 5 megawatt solar array in Celina, OH, encompassing more than 12,000 solar panels on city-owned land. According to Celina planning and community development director Kent Bryan, PE, partnering with SolarVision “is an economic and environmental win-win” for cities seeking to make a positive impact in their communities.
“What attracts municipalities and private industry to SolarVision is the fact that they can enjoy all the benefits of solar-generated electricity—clean power at competitive prices—without having to own or maintain the solar equipment,” added Mike Dickman, SolarVision vice president over construction operations and sales. SolarVision™ has partnered with municipalities and other institutions to build solar power systems in Washington Court House, Worthington, Newcomerstown, Athens, OH, with projects in the works in several other locations.

Intersolar Innovators Shaping Solar Industry

Play To See How Much Money Solar Panels Can Save

Posted on August 9, 2011 by quest

SANYO North America Corporation has launched a first-of-its kind promotion to help make homeowners and business owners become aware of the savings they can realize by installing solar panels. The promotion will run with SANYO HIT Solar Social media site Twitter @HIT_Solar. Fans go to: http://bit.ly/nq9OHB to follow @HIT_Solar on Twitter and receive instructions on how to win. The promotion offers fans the chance to win prizes by going to the SANYO Website ‘Energy Savings Calculator’ and inputting the information to calculate an average savings on their electric bill by installing solar panels. We then ask them to shout out their savings with a tweet that must include the words @HIT_Solar and #solar in the tweet. HIT stands for Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin-layer. HIT solar cells employ a proprietary technology developed by SANYO whereby hybrid solar cells composed of single crystalline silicon wafers are surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers. The unique structure minimizes defects within the p/n junction of the cell, producing highly efficient cells capable of achieving up to 17.4% module efficiency while producing more power even at higher temperatures.

The Grand Prize is an eneloop Mobile Booster. The Mobile Booster provides portable power to any gadget with USB. This includes cell phones, iPods, iPads, MP3 players and more. The Second Prize is an eneloop Starter Pack. The starter pack includes different size eneloop rechargeable batteries and spacers that convert the batteries into larger sizes. Ten runner-ups will receive a 4-pack of AA-size batteries and a charger. “It’s difficult for people to realize how much they can save by installing solar panels unless they do the calculation, which is why we want people to use our Solar Calculator,” noted Charles Hanasaki, President of the Solar & Smart Energy Division. “This graphic representation includes monthly and yearly savings as well as environmental benefits,” he added.

From now to August 17, followers who tweet their energy savings will be entered for the chance to win the prizes. For complete details, visit http://bit.ly/nq9OHB for the promotion, which includes a sample qualifying tweet. There is no purchase necessary to enter.

Solar Energy Myths

Elektra One A New Solar Powered Plane

Posted on July 25, 2011 by quest

SolarWorld, a large U.S. manufacturer of solar panels, will showcase the maiden U.S. appearance of a zero-emissions electric aircraft at EAA AirVentureOshkosh 2011 in Oshkosh, Wis., starting Monday. The single-seat Elektra One is designed for more than three hours of flight, a range of more than 250 miles, a cruising speed of more than 100 mph and zero emissions. With 1,400 propeller rotations a minute at cruising altitudes, Elektra One is nearly silent. The plane weighs 440 pounds, including battery, and can carry a payload of 220 pounds, including pilot.

Elektra One is emblematic of a future in mobility that relies on efficient and environmentally sound electric vehicles,” said Frank Asbeck, CEO of SolarWorld. “We need to stop depending on fossil fuels – and their dirty, noisy use of scarce resources – to get from one place to another. Solar power, abundant and pervasive, is the obvious choice for travel in the skies.” The Elektra One made its maiden flight in March in Augsburg, Germany, where Gologan’s vision of marrying the aircraft with a solar-charging hangar was conceptually demonstrated. PC Aero will begin taking orders for the aircraft in Europe and the U.S. in 2012. Gologan intends for a complete system – solar-equipped airplane combined with a hangar – to be priced around $145,000, or 100,000 euro.

SolarWorld and Germany’s PC Aero are working together to pioneer the world’s first comparatively affordable electric aircraft system complete with solar-equipped aircraft and solar-charging hangar. PC Aero’s Calin Gologan will make several speaking appearances at AirVenture, which is expected to attract more than 500,000 people. Gologan will outline his vision of electric flight, including a talk as part of the SolarWorld-sponsored World Electric Aircraft Symposium on Friday, July 29. Elektra One will be on display in AirVenture’s Innovation Hangar, except at midday Wednesday, July 27, when it is expected to fly. SolarWorld and PC Aero are developing a new aviation filling station and hangar fitted with the company’s high-performance solar panels to service small aircraft, including the Elektra One, which also will bear SolarWorld photovoltaic cells to extend its range up to 30 percent.

GO ORGANIC

SolarWorld In Global Growth Mode

Posted on July 4, 2011 by quest

This week’s profitable sale of SolarWorld’s shares in a joint-venture solar-panel factory in South Korea highlights the company’s increasing commitment to production within its major sales markets in the West, including the fast-growing U.S. market. SolarWorld is dramatically increasing production at its hub of factory sites in and near Freiberg, Germany. In the United States, where the company has been the largest solar technology producer for more than 35 years, SolarWorld has exceeded the 1,250-employee mark that it reached upon completing its expansion and modernization programs for its sites in Hillsboro, Ore., and Camarillo, Calif., in December. This month, combined employment has exceeded 1,300. By the end of the year, combined module production across SolarWorld’s U.S. and European sites will ramp up to a total annual production capacity of more than one gigawatt.

SolarWorld manufactures its premium solar panels in locations with the highest quality, environmental and labor standards. “We are consistently continuing our strategy of making our premium product at premium locations,” said Frank Asbeck, chairman and CEO of SolarWorld. “A solar power system is an investment for generations. We guarantee 25 years of reliable output. But the life of our solar power systems is far longer. That cannot be guaranteed if you rely on a low-cost location.”

SolarWorld expects its largest sales growth this year in the United States. “Our steadily rising production output, coupled with streamlined in-market logistics, is enabling us to keep pace with the long-promised rise of the U.S. solar market,” said Gordon Brinser, president of SolarWorld Industries America Inc. By this month, company sales in the U.S. market have matched total annual sales of 2010 – and they are on track to more than triple last year’s results. SolarWorld solar panels have been installed this year in a variety of U.S. landmark projects, including trailblazing installations at Pearl Harbor, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and commercial and residential sites. At the same time, the group is expecting growth in European markets in light of current legislation to fund renewable energy in Germany and other European countries.