Solar Energy Growth In America Outpaces Global Market

Posted on September 20, 2011 by quest

The U.S. solar energy market continued its rapid growth during the second quarter of 2011, according to the latest release of GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association quarterly U.S. Solar Market Insight report. Solar photovoltaics (PV) led the way with 314 megawatts installed across the U.S. in the second quarter, 69 percent more than during the same period last year. “Even in this tough economy the U.S. solar industry continues to be one of the fastest growing in America,” said SEIA president and CEO Rhone Resch. “There are now more than 100,000 Americans working in the solar industry, twice as many as there were in 2009. They work at 5,000 companies – mostly small businesses – across all 50 states.”

The utility and commercial solar market segments grew 37 percent and 22 percent, respectively. The residential PV segment slowed, installing 60 megawatts, a 5.7 percent drop over last quarter. Still, the industry’s overall growth means it is powering the equivalent of 630,000 homes. The industry faces challenges in 2012 that could slow its torrid pace from the past year and a half. “The potential expiration of the 1603 Treasury program, along with current malaise in major markets, such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania, threaten to slow growth in 2012,” said Shayle Kann, Managing Director of Solar at GTM Research. “Still, with increasing market diversity and the continued emergence of the utility-scale solar market, we anticipate that the U.S. market share of global installations will triple over the next four years.”

“The dynamic second quarter growth is a result of increased competition in the solar market, competition that drove down the price of solar panels by 30 percent since the beginning of 2010,” added Resch. “This is good news for residential and business customers as solar becomes more affordable every day.”

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Solar Panels Go Hollywood Primetime at 63rd Emmys

Posted on September 14, 2011 by quest

A 50-kilowatt system goes prime time during the official live pre-show “Countdown To the Emmys,” airing Sunday, Sept. 18 (7:00-8) on FOX, where the hottest names in American television will strut beneath the solar awning outside the Nokia Theatre at the L.A. Live entertainment center in downtown Los Angeles. Jane Lynch will host the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. Reliably drawing 12-13 million viewers, the awards show acts as a celebration of popular culture. In that light, this year’s show will present solar power as an energy option available to regular homeowners around the country and even the world. A canopy composed of 225 high-performance solar panels from SolarWorld, the largest U.S. solar manufacturer for more than 35 years, will grace the red carpet at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, giving solar energy its first starring role in U.S. entertainment culture.

The Emmys 1965

FOX, presenter of this year’s Emmys, selected SolarWorld’s solar panels to help power the television industry showcase that increasingly has featured green elements in FOX’s campaign “Green it. Mean it.” The many sustainable enhancements of the awards event will include carpet manufactured from recycled materials, energy-efficient lighting, and locally sourced and organically grown food. FOX believes this year’s red carpet pre-show will be the most visible eco-friendly event of its kind.

After the show, the solar panels will go on to star in a sequel role: SolarWorld and Fox will donate them to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization dedicated to “eliminating substandard housing by making simple, sustainable and affordable housing a matter of conscience and action.” The panels will serve 10-20 households while enabling Habitat for Humanity to provide better energy efficiency to hard-working, low-income partner families and individuals throughout greater Los Angeles.”The Emmys spotlight the tastes, trends and technologies which viewers nationwide are tuning into in their lives,” said Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas. “This year’s show will mark the historical moment when solar power made its debut in American popular culture.”

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Solar Power To The Island People

Posted on September 12, 2011 by quest

Visitors landing on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands will notice a 1,600-foot-long array of ground-mounted solar panels paralleling a runway at Cyril E. King Airport. The 450-kilowatt system, to be unveiled on Sept. 14, is prominent among a recent series of high-performance SolarWorld solar panel installations to counter high power rates on U.S. island territories.These sun-washed islands, heavily reliant on burning imported oil products to generate power, are using SolarWorld technology to tap their own plentiful energy resource to produce clean electricity and avoid power prices ranging around 40 cents a kilowatt-hour, compared with the national average of 9.7 cents. Operations of SolarWorld, the largest U.S. solar panel producer for more than 35 years, began supplying U.S.-centric islands around 1980.

“Tropical islands may be the stuff of fantasy,” said Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas, “but the reality of island electricity rates is driving strong adoption of SolarWorld panels as an effective form of rate relief. Employees of installer OneWorld Sustainable of Lexington, Ga., worked to install the 1,806 panels at the Caribbean airfield side-by-side with students from the University of the Virgin Islands who were seeking hands-on training, said Tim Blackwell, president and CEO of OneWorld Sustainable.

Bali Hai

Seventeen buildings in American Samoa will soon generate electricity using solar panels, another step in cutting the island’s reliance on burning No. 2 diesel oil for power generation. SolarWorld will supply the 350 kilowatts of solar panels to be installed on 10 schools and seven government buildings on the U.S. territory in the South Pacific. The project, to be installed by Island Energy and Marine of Pago-Pago, Samoa, comes on the heels of a 680-kilowatt installation using SolarWorld panels on 24 buildings. Funded by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, the buildings included 10 commercial, 12 government and two non-profits buildings. On the U.S. western Pacific territory of Guam, records for solar system size seem to fall every few months. Scott Hagen of Pacific Solar and Photovoltaic completed a 24.84-kilowatt installation on a library at Guam Community College late last year, then commissioned a 29.4-kilowatt system on a college health education building in May. SolarWorld’s U.S. manufacturing is a key selling feature to his customers, Hagen said. “We get approached by Taiwan and Korea to buy their products because they’re just around the corner, but it’s very important to us to support the U.S. economy,” he said.

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Solar Modules Fuel For Electric Bikes in Germany

Posted on September 12, 2011 by quest

Kyocera Corporation today announced that it has supplied its high-performance solar modules for a carport roofing installation in southern Germany which provides power for a charging station for electric cars and bikes. The system was designed and installed by BLU”e” Solar Group GmbH. Electric-powered automobiles and bicycles are becoming increasingly popular in Germany as they provide a convenient and eco-friendly method of transportation. As a result, there is a growing need for charging stations to meet increased use. Furthermore, this solar-powered charging station is not only environmentally friendly but also economical; currently, charging at this location is free of charge to the public. The energy used to ‘fill the tanks’ comes from 248 high-efficiency 215-watt Kyocera solar modules which produce an output of 53.32kW.

Kyocera modules provide excellent performance and high reliability which is demonstrated by the fact they are the first in the world to have passed the Long-Term Sequential Test performed by TUV Rheinland Japan Ltd. “We have selected Kyocera solar modules because we are impressed with the company’s product quality,” stated Werner Steinbrunner, managing director of the BLU”e” Solar Group GmbH.

This solar-powered charging station is just the latest in a long line of projects that Kyocera has been involved in that bring innovative alternative energy solutions to the market. For example, Kyocera solar modules also produce power while providing shade for cars at the Solar Grove in San Diego, California. In Japan, Kyocera introduced the Solar Cycle Station for charging electric bicycles; as well as the Eco-Shell co-developed with Sekisui Jushi Corporation — a multi-purpose solar-powered shelter for use in public places where shelters provide cover against the sun and rain such as bus & taxi stops, benches and walkway coverings.

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Solar Powered Robotics Survey The Worlds’ Seas

Posted on September 9, 2011 by quest

The Savannah Ocean Exchange proudly announces that Liquid Robotics of Sunnyvale, CA is the recipient of the 2011 Gulfstream Navigator Award. The Gulfstream Navigator Award 2011 recognizes the best solution to positively Shape the Future of Our Coasts. Liquid Robotics’ “Wave Glider-Autonomous Ocean Vehicle” was selected by participating delegates during the inaugural Solutions Exchange, held in Savannah GA September 7-8, 2011, and was presented with the 2011 Gulfstream Navigator Award by Mr. Joe Lombardo, EVP Aerospace Group, General Dynamics, the parent company of Gulfstream. The Wave Glider solution harvests energy from the environment and is able to travel long distances, hold station, and monitor vast areas of the ocean without the need for fuel or carbon emissions. A unique two-part architecture and wing system directly converts wave motion into thrust, and solar panels provide electricity for sensor payloads and satellite communications.

Wave Glider

The Navigator Award was given to the top solution submitted as part of the annual Call for Solutions issued by the Savannah Ocean Exchange Board of Governors in February 2011. An exclusive panel of experts from multiple disciplines, chaired by Dr. Nancy Knowlton of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History, vetted solutions submitted from countries spanning the globe. The top ten solutions were developed as point solutions for the construction, defense, homeland security, marine research, robotics, coastal reclamation, energy, and shipping industries. Each finalist presented their solution to over 100 delegates who selected the award recipient.

Savannah Ocean Exchange brings together thought leaders around the world from cross disciplines that represent industry, education, research, technology, government and conservation. Led by a multi-disciplinary, 29-member Board of Governors, the organization sources and accelerates the adoption of solutions that positively impact economies and the environment. “The breadth and scope of proven, economically sustainable solutions that were submitted to compete for the 2011 Gulfstream Navigator Award were outstanding,” says Cort Atkinson, Co-Founder and CEO of the Savannah Ocean Exchange.

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Solar Powered Farming Takes Root With Cali Growers

Posted on September 7, 2011 by quest

By Kate Campbell – With harvest in full swing, trucks laden with bell peppers, watermelon and onions unloaded at a rapid pace last week at Morada Produce near Linden. Crews washed and packed the produce into boxes before a chain of forklifts carried the market-bound food to coolers. Harvest activity is being played out across California right now, but there’s something different about Morada Produce: The company’s energy-intensive packing and cooling activities are costing a fraction of what electricity bills totaled in the past.

Skip Foppiano, owner of Morada Produce, pointed to a newly installed two-acre, 390 kilowatt solar energy system outside his office. The once-unpaved employee parking lot is now shaded by four canopies of solar photovoltaic panels that measure more than 40,000 square feet. The company spent nearly a year researching solar technology to determine the best system for its needs and carefully analyzed the investment decision to determine cost benefits and eventual payback. Foppiano said the new system supplies 60 percent to 70 percent of the energy needed for the farm’s packing and cooling activities.

Company owner Skip Foppiano said the system helps the company hedge against increased energy costs, is good for the environment and provides shaded parking for company employees. The solar energy is delivered from the onsite system when utility rates are at their highest, he explained. “Our family has been farming here since the Gold Rush,” Foppiano said. “We’ve always tried new technology to stay competitive. Solar helps us do that and it’s the right thing to do for the environment.” Foppiano said the farming operation worked very closely with Pacific Gas and Electric Co., county government and the equipment vendor to complete the project. An investment tax credit and historically low interest rates helped make the system “pencil out,” he said, adding that payback will take about nine years—or less—depending on future energy prices. An increasing