Hawaii Going Solar With SunPower Solar Farm

Posted on October 13, 2011 by quest

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission has approved a contract for SunPower to sell energy to Hawaiian Electric Company from a 5-megawatt solar photovoltaic farm planned for Kalaeloa in West Oahu. SunPower Corp. will design, build and operate the facility. Subject to receipt of applicable permits, SunPower plans to begin construction this year and complete the solar farm within five months. It will be located on land leased from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands at Roosevelt Avenue and Boxer Road. “We welcome this approval of our continuing effort to add as much renewable energy as possible to our island grid,” said Robbie Alm, Hawaiian Electric executive vice president. “Hawaii is a national leader in adding solar watts per person to our grids and this project will help reduce our use of imported oil and increase our solar leadership.”

The SunPower agreement represents the first utility-scale solar project on Oahu approved by the PUC. The contract is the outcome of Hawaiian Electric’s request for proposals for renewable energy projects for Oahu issued under the PUC’s competitive bidding framework in 2008. “With SunPower’s high-efficiency technology, Hawaiian Electric will benefit from reliable, cost-effective, guaranteed performance,” said Jim Pape, president of SunPower’s residential and commercial business group. “The solar farm will contribute clean, renewable solar power to Oahu while generating revenue for the important work of the Hawaiian Homelands department on behalf of native Hawaiians.”

SunPower will install high-efficiency SunPower solar panels on a SunPower T0 Tracker system which moves the solar panels to follow the sun during the day. According to SunPower this increases sunlight capture by up to 25 percent over fixed-tilt systems, while significantly reducing land requirements. Based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates, the solar farm will produce enough renewable power to avoid almost 11,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, equivalent to removing 37,600 cars from Hawaii’s roads over the 20-year term of the power purchase agreement.

Bill McKibben - Keystone Pipeline & Occupy Wall Street

Solar Energy Has Massive Potential In The Himalayas

Posted on October 12, 2011 by quest

Mention prime geography for generation of solar energy, and people tend to think of hot deserts. But a new study concludes that some of the world’s coldest landscapes — including the Himalaya Mountains, the Andes, and even Antarctica – could become Saudi Arabias of solar. The research appears in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Kotaro Kawajiri and colleagues explain that the potential for generating electricity with renewable solar energy depends heavily on geographic location. Arid and semi-arid areas with plenty of sunshine long have been recognized as good solar sites. However, the scientists point out that, as a result of the limited data available for critical weather-related conditions on a global scale, gaps still exist in knowledge about the best geographical locations for producing solar energy. To expand that knowledge, they used one established technique to estimate global solar energy potential using the data that are available. The technique takes into account the effects of temperature on the output of solar cells. Future work will consider other variables, such as transmission losses and snow fall.

The Himalaya

As expected, they found that many hot regions such as the U.S. desert southwest are ideal locations for solar arrays. However, they also found that many cold regions at high elevations receive a lot of sunlight — so much so that their potential for producing power from the sun is even higher than in some desert areas. Kawajiri and colleagues found, for instance, that the Himalayas, which include Mt. Everest, could be an ideal locale for solar fields that generate electricity for the fast-expanding economy of the People’s Republic of China.

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UN Secretary Calls For ‘Clean Energy Revolution’

Posted on October 11, 2011 by quest

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for a “clean energy revolution” to help the estimated three billion people that lack modern power and urged countries to recognize the impact that energy security has on all aspects of development. “Three billion people rely on charcoal or wood for cooking and heating. They are energy-poor. And energy poverty translates into grinding, dehumanizing poverty,” he told participants at an energy conference in Oslo, Norway. “We need energy not only to be universal, [we] need it to be clean – to be sustainable as well. We cannot continue to burn our way to prosperity. The only way to minimize the risks of dangerous climate change is by ensuring that energy is sustainable.” The Secretary-General stressed that sustainable energy is critical for all aspects of human progress and said a departure from existing practices is needed to achieve the goal of universal energy access by 2030.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), financing universal access to modern energy services would cost only about three per cent of total global investments in energy.“Energy poverty is a threat to the achievement all of the MDGs. It holds back economic growth and job creation. We require a radical departure from current practices and existing realities.

That is why we are calling for practical and large-scale action,” he said. To achieve the universal energy access goal, Mr. Ban launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative last month, which has three global targets: providing universal access to modern energy services, doubling energy efficiency, and doubling the share of renewable energy in the world’s energy supply. The initiative will have input from the private, government and civil society sectors to develop its agenda for the next two decades. Participants at the “Energy for all – financing access for the poor” conference explored innovative financing mechanisms that can help countries and regions implement their energy plans. In addition to organizing the conference, Norway launched its Energy+ Initiative, which aims to help mobilize private capital and public resources in support of Sustainable Energy for All.

Electric Drive Transportation Association

Governor Welcomes Solar Maker SunEdison To Cali

Posted on October 10, 2011 by quest

California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today visited the new headquarters of SunEdison in Belmont to mark the company’s decision to establish their world headquarters in California. The company, currently headquartered in Maryland, decided to make the move following actions by Governor Brown and the Legislature to create a friendlier business environment in California.

“SunEdison’s decision to relocate to California is proof that, working together, state government and business can find ways to cut red tape, tackle our environmental problems and create jobs,” said Governor Brown. “Locating the SunEdison headquarters in California, the largest energy market in North America with a longstanding commitment to renewable energy, positions us to support better our customers,” said Carlos Domenech, president of SunEdison. “Being in Silicon Valley gives us access to a wider talent and companies that are motivated to solve the supply and demand challenges that electric power faces. California has long been a trendsetter in technology, business innovation and caring for the environment. Being here will help us to make solar a viable and meaningful source of energy.”

Video Governor Brown in Belmont California

SunEdison globally it produces more than 260 MW of solar energy capacity, has 450 operational sites, and has delivered 730,529 MW onto the grid. In California, SunEdison currently has 278 solar project sites. As a result of the move, SunEdison will bring approximately 200 employees from Maryland, adding to the existing 100 employees they currently have in California. They plan to create approximately 300 new jobs over the next five years.

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JinkoSolar Greening Up Haining China Facility

Posted on October 8, 2011 by quest

JinkoSolar a San Francisco 49ers sponsor today announced the completion of its phase I environment safety upgrade at its facility in Haining City west of Shanghai in the Zhejiang Province of China. Zhejiang Jinko Co., Ltd. a wholly owned subsidiary of JinkoSolar, conducted a thorough investigation of its temporary waste storage unit adjacent to the manufacturing facility with an independent Chinese Environmental Agency as an immediate response to concerns after fluoride was discharged into a nearby waterway due to unforeseen extreme weather conditions. Fluoride is a highly water-soluble component and the small amount released from the Zhejiang site diluted within days. The Huffington Post reported in mid September,“Police detained at least 20 people after hundreds of villagers protested last week, some storming the factory compound and overturning vehicles. Authorities said the factory had failed to address earlier environmental complaints and that the protests followed mass fish deaths in late August due to runoff from heavy rains.“

“The company‘s management team has very high standards and remains strongly committed to corporate social responsibility,” said Arturo Herrero, Chief Marketing Officer of JinkoSolar. “JinkoSolar is dedicated to serving the local community through generous contributions to local primary schools in China and solar electrification projects in Sudan and Tanzania,” added Herrero.

JinkoSolar says it has taken necessary steps to establish appropriate protocols and prevention plans for extreme weather conditions and now imposes regulations that are stricter than the industry standard. Jinko is a member of the PV Cycle Association and a recipient of the Cleantech Driver Award from the Deutsche Cleantech Institut.

Electric Vehicle Entrepreneur EMW

Columbus Zoo & Aquarium Going Solar

Posted on October 7, 2011 by quest

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is preparing to take a huge step forward with renewable energy. Following a careful selection process to which a large number of regional and national companies responded with proposals, the Zoo has selected Third Sun Solar of Athens, Ohio to develop a solar energy system designed to meet the Zoo’s energy needs and serve their conservation-oriented mission. For more than a decade, the company has custom designed and installed over 300 solar energy systems for its commercial, institutional, government, and residential customers across the Midwest. In taking this step, the Zoo is launching their plan to host one of the largest non-profit solar energy systems in the nation—perhaps the largest solar zoo installation in the U.S.

“The Zoo is very excited about this solar array partnership and the multiple benefits its implementation will afford us over the upcoming years,” said Terri Kepes, Vice President of Planning and Design for the Columbus Zoo. “As a conservation organization with a Board-approved Environmental Sustainability policy, we recognize that this major alternate energy project will allow us to conserve natural resources, be fiscally responsible and educate our community.” The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is home to more than 9,000 animals representing 675 species and provides more than $1 million annually to support over 70 conservation projects worldwide. A recreational and education destination that includes the 22-acre Zoombezi Bay water park and 18-hole Safari Golf Club, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium hosts more than two million visitors annually and was named the #1 Zoo in America by USA Travel Guide. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Columbus Zoo has earned Charity Navigator’s prestigious 4-star rating.

While the design and planning process has already begun, construction won’t occur until 2012. This high profile project will not only be an on-site power plant, but will serve as an important educational feature and a very visible icon of sustainability for the Zoo and its partners.