Joe Camel to go to the "green" side?
Step aside Joe Camel! There’s a better use for tobacco plants these days.
In fact, researchers at University of California Berkeley have developed a new solar technology that can be used to create biodegradable spray-on solar cells from the ubiquitous crop.
Smokin’ hot solar cells are actually based on a virus that attacks tobacco crops. Starting with the mosaic virus, the scientists have created microscopic chromophores which can convert light into high-powered electrons. The process is summarized as follows:
A tobacco plant is sprayed with the mosaic virus, which results in the formation of chromophores. The chromophores then form tightly coiled formations – nanowires that are ideally formed for the creation of electrons. When the infected tobacco crops are harvested, scientists extract the chromophores, which are then deposited into a liquid that can be sprayed onto a substrate to create solar cells.
The synthetic solar cells are just a start. For now, they are not as efficient as traditional silicon solar cells. Their virtue lies primarily in the fact that the solar cells from tobacco are inexpensive and biodegradable. That they can be sprayed onto a substrate to create thin, flexible solar cells is an added bonus. More applications for a lower price is certainly good news on the solar front.
Perhaps most impressive is the fact that tobacco crops can finally be used for something to actually help health and the environment. Joe Camel may just have to create a new green logo one of these days!
Tags: chromophores, nanowires, silicon solar cells, solar cells tobacco, solar technology, spray on solar cells, synthetic solar cells, UC Berkeley
Solar installers put panels on a rooftop
Do you wonder what it takes to put solar panels on your home? What about the people that help you with a home solar install?
Let’s walk through a solar installation, step by step. In some instances, it can be done in a single day! And, for those of you that are considering becoming a solar installers, you may just be inspired to go after one of these great green jobs.
Typically, a team of 3-4 workers can complete a solar installation within several days, depending on weather conditions, the size of the solar array, and whether the roof is flat or sloped. Flat roofs will need a mount rail system to set up the solar panels at an angle.
Sure, you could try to do-it-yourself… and there are plenty of videos and websites set up to inspire the “Tim the Toolman Taylor” in you or your handyman friend. Yet, you do get what you pay for. This is arguably one of the home improvement projects for which you’ll want to call in professionals.
So let’s get started!
1. Brackets on sloped roofs or a mount rail system on flat roofs often are the first items to be installed.
2. A solar inverter is usually required and can be installed in a garage or outbuilding. The inverter takes direct current (DC) and converts it into usable alternating current (AC).
3. Solar panels – of course! They need to be hoisted to the roof, laid out one by one, and then screwed into the brackets or rail system.
4. Wiring is one of the most complicated aspects of a solar installation. Three different wires are required: negative, positive and ground wire. I find that its usually best to leave this up to the experts – the electricians!
Once the panels have been aligned in place, wiring needs to be connected underneath, with care to ensure that wire doesn’t touch the actual roof. Then the wiring from the panels needs to be connected to the power meter and inverter.
As you can see, it can be relatively easy to install solar panels on your home. The payoff is immediate – many see their power bills go from several hundred dollars down to practically nothing!
With spring around the corner, you’ll want to schedule a solar panel installation soon. Beat the rush now and be the first home on your block that doesn’t have to worry about the high cost of air conditioning when temps start rising.
Tags: green jobs, home solar install, install solar panels, mount rail system, solar array, solar installation, solar installer, solar panel installation, solar panels home
Government incentives could encourage more nationwide installation of solar panels
Renewable energy is on everyone’s mind… including the government. To encourage people to switch to solar power or other non-fossil-fuel based power sources, the U.S. federal government will allow you up to 30% of the cost of solar installation in the form of tax credits. But, the deal could get even sweeter! Two Senators have proposed a new bill that would provide for the U.S. Government to pay 50% of solar panel costs.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Steve Cohn (D-TN) put forth potential new legislation that is modeled after California’s Million Solar Roofs initiative. The “10 Million Solar Roofs and 10 Million Gallons of Solar Water-Heating Act”would help encourage the addition of 10 million new solar arrays and 200,000 new solar water heating systems to the national energy mix.
The goal: to reach 30,000 megawatts (MW) or more of photovoltaic panel installations. To put it into perspective, it would double similar solar initiatives from China and India. In the mix are thousands of green jobs in the manufacturing and system installation industries.
The plan: Solar power systems would receive incentives starting at $1.75 per watt, and rebates under the proposed bill would be in addition to existing federal rebates, up to 50% of the solar panel cost. However, federal rebates are just part of the puzzle. State incentives are added on top, which can lead to rebates for home solar power systems of 80% or more, depending on where you live.
The bottom line is that the question that is forefront on many peoples’ minds: how can you reduce the cost of solar panels, may be answered very soon. Already generous government rebates could be increased even more!
Stay tuned to get more news and the most up to date information on how to save money with your solar installations!
Tags: cost of solar installation, cost solar panels, home solar power systems, million solar roofs, new solar arrays, photovoltaic panels, save money solar installation, solar panel cost, solar water heating, thousands green jobs
Review
“Martin A. Green of the University of New South Wales, Sydney, is arguably the most renowned scientist in the field of photovoltaics … The book is well written, covers all the important concepts, and gives the right references. Green manages to keep the reader’s attention in spite of some arduous derivations … Third Generation Photovoltaics will be invaluable as a reference for anyone involved in long-term photovoltaics research and useful as textbook for courses on (more…)
Tags: Photonics, Photovoltaics, photovoltaics research, Solar, solar energy conversion, solar power book, solar research, solar textbook
Tiny Solar-Powered Sensor System (Photo by: Daeyeon Kim)
The next big thing in energy could be tiny!
Researchers at the University of Michigan recently unveiled a 9-cubic millimeter solar powered sensor system that can harvest energy from surroundings and operate virtually perpetually.
Nearly 1000 times smaller than existing commercial counterparts on the market, the tiny solar powered sensor system is dwarfed by a U.S. penny (shown above). The entire system – solar cells, processor and battery- are held in a frame that measures only 2.5 x 3.5 x 1 millimeters.
The UM solar system offers great promise in the field of nanotechnology. Often, we think about the need for great amounts of solar energy coming from vast fields of panels. Yet, the demand for solar micro applications should not be ignored.
The tiny solar-powered sensor system could be used for a variety of monitoring needs. Potential medical applications could enable doctors to monitor pressure changes in the eyes and brain with a less-invasive method. Within the body, the sensor could even draw on kinetic or thermal energy, rather than light!
Exposure to any source of light, whether natural sunlight or indoor bulbs, will charge the tiny solar cells. And, the system uses the lowest powered commercial-class microcontroller, which requires about 2,000 times less power when in sleep mode than existing alternatives. The transition from sleep to active mode is almost instantaneous because so little energy is required for operation at any level. In fact, the sensor system primarily remains in sleep mode, “awaking” every few minutes to take measurements of conditions.
The total average power consumption is less than one nanowatt. Want to talk tiny? A nanowatt is one-billionth of a watt.
Wondering about the future of this tiny powerhouse? According to the University of Michigan’s press release:
The inventors are working to commercialize the technology through a company led by Scott Hanson, a research fellow in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
The paper is entitled “Millimeter-Scale Nearly Perpetual Sensor System with Stacked Battery and Solar Cells.”
This research is funded by the National Science Foundation, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Focus Center Research Program and ARM.
Tags: nanotechnology, solar cells, solar powered sensor system, solar system, solar technology, tiny solar cells, university michigan solar
NREL's Open PV Project helps you pinpoint US solar installations (credit: NREL)
Did you ever wish you could know exactly where in the United States people have been putting up solar panels? Certainly, the Internet and tools like Google Maps demonstrate how easy it is to find information on a wide variety of people and places.
So in many ways it should come as no surprise that you can now pinpoint PV installations across the U.S. with a new mapping tool from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
The OpenPV Project is described as:
“a community driven database of Photovoltaic (PV) installations. The goal of this project is to collect, organize and distribute knowledge of the location, size, cost and date of every PV installation in United States.”
There are several primary features of the OpenPV Project of which you need to be aware. First, the data it collects and displays comes from registered users. Accordingly, values will change as more people enter information. Second, the mapping tool presents statistics and rankings based on estimates; they do not necessarily represent actual current market status.
Gov. Schwarzenegger tours California solar panel installations (credit: NREL)
So, what can you find out using the OpenPV Project? For any given location:
- Average cost-per-watt
- Average size of solar installations (in kilowatts).
- General locations of solar panel installs, with zip code information only (no specific addresses unless the information is of public record).
- General information to determine the solar market in your region.
- Data to analyze and draw conclusions regarding the impact of renewable energy incentive programs and tax credits.
Focusing in on solar installations just got easier with NREL's Open PV Project
Here’s the quick tutorial on how to use the OpenPV site. Click here, and then hit the “Explore” button – you cannot miss it!
From there, you can review maps, charts and graphs that help you pinpoint PV installations, statistics and trends across the nation. Take a broad, national view, or zoom into your state. You can even drill down all the way to your city or neighborhood.
NREL’s unique solar mapping tool provides something different for each user. According to Brendan Heberton of NREL in an interview with CalFinder:
“Until now, all analysis and market trends for solar PV in the U.S. have been based off aggregate numbers and estimates provided by various users. The OpenPV Project is unique in that all of our data comes from specific installs.”
“The collaboration between public, private and government to create this database and the shared access to tens of thousands of data records is truly unique. Anyone can participate, we cannot stress this enough. By receiving data on the same install several times, we have a greater degree of confidence in its legitimacy.”
Now you can easily find out where solar panels are being installed
In summary, the OpenPV Project will depend in large part on your contribution and the continued collaboration between individual users, organizations, solar installers, solar incentive programs and more. The information provided is exceptionally open and accessible, which is certainly a breath of fresh air.
Do you have information on PV installations in the US? Just register with the project and then upload your information!
Stay tuned for more new features in the coming days and weeks in 2010! The OpenPV Project will continue to evolve this year, providing more information and analysis for a wide variety of PV installation interests.
Have you used the database? Comments, questions or suggestions? Share below…
Tags: map of solar installations, national renewable energy laboratory, NREL, open pv project, openpv project, pv installations, solar installations, solar mapping tool, solar panel installs
Solar panels in the Mojave Desert?
What is the price of renewable energy? Most of us agree that clean, green power to get us off of fossil-fuels is the way to go. But there is a growing discontent over solar power plants in the California desert regions. In fact, its a downright solar power clash in the Mojave Desert.
Utility scale solar plants could generate solar electricity to power millions of homes with reliable, emissions-free energy. However, not all environmentalists are excited about the prospect. Development of untouched lands in the Mojave Desert has some people seeing red instead of green!
Recently, the Mojave has become the poster child for the inevitable conflicts of green vs. green as we look to balance the need to develop renewable resources against the preservation of shrinking pristine areas. When drawing battle lines, its best to know the players:
- Sierra Club
- Environmental Defense Fund
- Natural Resources Defense Council
- Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
- FLP Group
These groups have been supportive of cap and trade and other climate initiatives to promote development of alternative energy, and investment groups/utilities have worked to file applications to build the solar power plants in regions across the desert Southwest.
Utility scale solar concerns
On the opposite side of the debate is, among other groups, the Wildlands Conservancy, a small powerful group that convinced Senator Dianne Feinstein to introduce legislation to ban solar power plants in the desert on more than a million acres of land in the Mojave Desert. The areas affected include the land on which PG&E and other utilities had planned utility scale solar plants – most of the areas are prime land from a development standpoint – close to transmission lines and Southern California utility customers.
When it comes to green vs. green, what are the issues?
To start, environmentalists that are concerned about solar panels in the desert cite potential impacts on water resources and the habitat of the desert tortoise, along with other animals and plants of the fragile arid ecosystem. Others consider the fact that the area is undeveloped and should remain that way.
According to David Myers, executive director of the Wildlands Conservancy, who supports Sen. Feinstein’s efforts to preserve the desert lands from renewable energy development:
“Al Gore called these lands out here some of the most pristine and scenic desert lands in the world. You have this incredible landscape of these bighorn sheep corridors back and forth across the valley. You couldn’t put a project in a worse area from a landscape connectivity point of view… It’s a philosophic non-sequitur that you can destroy hundreds of thousands of acres to save the Earth from global warming.”
Solar panels in California: the debate rages on
Myers is not 100% against utility scale solar plants in California, however. He prefers that solar development take place in other parts of the Mojave or on degraded farmland. To help assure these goals, new federal legislation would classify certain areas of the Mojave Dsert as a National Monument. That alone chased off investors and utilities that had been considering projects that could have resulted in the generation of many megawatts of solar electricity.
According to a recent article:
PG&E, FPL, and Iberdrola Renewables, the Spanish renewable energy giant, say they are either cautiously proceeding or re-evaluating their Mojave projects in light of the legislation. Most developers have staked multiple land claims elsewhere in the Southwest. (That, of course, doesn’t mean they’re happy about the situation. “Iberdrola Renewables believes the environmental community is taking away one of the few places in the U.S. suitable for utility-scale solar development,” Jan Johnson, a company spokeswoman, wrote in an e-mail.)
From my perspective, the battle is just heating up. Sure, there have been rumblings for the past few years, but after the Copenhagen Climate Summit and as people wonder about peak oil and are more and more worried about global climate change, pressure continues to mount for us to find viable renewable energy resources. The big question is: at what cost?
The desert southwest in the United States is a hugely untapped solar power market. Can we develop the resource carefully and in a sustainable manner? That there will be some difficult decisions to be made, after much more debate is certain.
Green vs. green could result in some groups seeing red.
Where do you stand on the Mojave Desert debate?
Tags: clean green power, environmental defense fund, mojave desert debate, pacific gas and electric, sierra club, solar development, solar mojave desert, solar plants california, solar power california, solar power market, solar power plants desert, utility scale solar plants, wildlands conservancy
Amazon.com
Designed to protect against natural battery discharge and electronic drain in cars, light trucks, vans, ATVs, PWCs, small boats, snowmobiles, riding mowers, tractors and SUVs, the Coleman solar 1.5-watt 12-volt battery charger sends a constant maintenance level charge to the battery to insure against dead batteries. The solar charger provides an immediate charge when exposed to daylight, even on cloudy day. The charger is plug-in-play compatible for quick connections, (more…)
Tags: 1.5Watt, 15Volt, CL100, Coleman, coleman charger, Solar, solar battery trickle charger, solar charger, solar panel battery
Earn college credit and renewable energy certification from home!
Out of work and looking to build your resume for green jobs? Its the perfect time to sign up for Solar Energy International (SEI)’s online sustainability class. Learn about green building techniques, earn college credits and obtain a valuable certification in renewable energy. Without having to leave the comfort of your home – or the local coffee shop – you can take online college classes that will prepare you for some of the most sought after jobs in the green industry.
A certification in renewable energy is practically a requirement these days if you are an architect or contractor. Its also useful if you’ll be building your own home in the future.
There is an impressive list of topics to be covered in the Solar Energy International course, including:
- Building Orientation
- Solar Site Analysis
- Building Science
- Moisture and Air Leakage
- Super-Insulation Strategies
- New Window Technologies
- Passive Solar Designs
- Energy Efficient Technologies
- Indoor Air Quality
- Healthy/Green Building Materials
- Domestic Solar Hot Water
- Renewable Energy Options
- Sustainable Back-Up Home Heating Systems
- Practical Building Techniques
Learn about installing solar panels through the SEI online course
Is the Solar Energy International online sustainability class for you? Only you can decide how you want to invest your time and money. Yet, if you will be involved in building construction at all in the future, its likely a great investment.
Here’s all the details:
What: “Building for the Future: Sustainable Home Design”
When:
- Feb 1-Mar 14, 2010
- June 21-Aug 1, 2010
Where: Where ever you have a laptop and Internet connection! Plan on between 8-15 hours per week, depending on your prior experience with the subject.
Why: We already covered that above! Oh, and you’ll receive a Renewable Energy Certificates from Madison Area Technical College (MATC) when you complete the course.
How Much: $750
Both sessions are open for enrollment, so don’t delay if you want to jump into the February 1 session! Contact SEI for more information or call (970) 963-8855. To register for the class, visit the registration page here.
Tags: certification renewable energy, college credit renewable energy, green building techniques, green jobs, online college classes, sei, solar energy international
Solar Power Companies Provide Aid to Haiti (AP image/Gregory Bell)
Over the past two weeks since the devastating Haiti earthquake struck, cash and in-kind donations from all around the world have been pouring in to help Haiti. Individuals, organizations, and corporations have generously opened their hearts and wallets to provide Haiti earthquake relief in many different ways.
Solar power companies, like many other businesses, are finding ways to use their technology to provide aid to Haiti. It should come as no surprise that solar energy can make a significant difference to Haitians and relief workers, given the success of solar in developing countries around the world. Solar energy is used to help cook food, and provide drinkable water, lighting and communication – all of which are desperately needed in Haiti.
Struggle for survival after the Haiti Earthquake (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Hats off to the following solar power companies that are doing so much to provide aid to Haiti:
- SolarWorld, based in Germany, and which manufacturers solar panels in the U.S., has donated solar power equipment and modules to generate solar power for ten water pumping stations in Haiti.
- Solar lighting manufacturer, Sol, has provided a number of solar-powered streetlights which help rescue/recovery workers continue efforts after nightfall.
- Solar powered cell phones have been donated by Intivation, a Dutch-based green tech company. The 1,000 phones can help Haiti relief workers communicate with each other to coordinate efforts.
- Solar Ovens International is taking donations to provide solar ovens for Haitians. The company has partnered with Feed My Starving Children to deliver 270,000 meals to the country, along with a number of solar cookers so that affected people can prepare their own healthy meals without electricity.
If you want to help these solar power companies help the Haitians, please click on any of the links above where you can find more information on how to make a donation – which is probably tax deductible (check with your CPA or tax advisor).
Solar power-based assistance is critical in this situation. The fact that neither power lines nor telephone poles are needed to provide some of the most basic needs to Haiti means that solar energy can also give rise to another key necessity that so many desperately need: Hope.
Tags: aid solar power, aid to haiti, haiti earthquake relief, haiti relief, help haiti, solar ovens haiti, solar power companies, solar power for haiti, solar powered cell phones