Florida sunshine to power the state!

We recently posted about the largest solar installation in the United States, which is currently in Florida.  While the sunshine state enjoys these bragging rights – for now – it is actually trying to catch up with solar leaders, including California and New Jersey.

But, there are some important solar advancements occurring in Florida!

Greentech Media hosted a webinar to showcase solar research of the Florida Energy Systems Consortium, which has brought researchers from 11 universities to collaborate on renewable energy technology.  Among other issues to be tackled include cloud cover and hurricanes – more prevalent in Florida than in the western United States.

Still, there are some important advancements underway.  Consider these highlights of the projects on which the FESC is working:

Sunlight to Hydrogen Fuel: Similar to concentrated solar power, mirrors are used to concentrate and direct sunlight to a tower.  There, zinc oxide is superheated and reduced to metal.  The result is combined with water, in which it oxidizes to create hydrogen.  When its combined with organic material, transportation fuel is created.  Researchers are also working to develop a fluidized bed reactor that can more efficiently convert metal oxide to hydrogen.

Solar-Powered Desalination: Would you believe me if I said that solar power can create potable water from seawater?  Its true!  Solar energy collectors are used to superheat saltwater to the boiling point.  Vapor includes no salt, so it is collected and condensed through a heat exchanger.  Concentrated salt and brine is pumped back into the ocean.

Solar power research to provide a cleaner, greener life

Clean Water from Clean Power: Not only can solar energy help remove salt from ocean water, but we can also use it to remove dangerous microbes.  Using materials like titanium dioxide, sunlight can be absorbed to create free radicals which then seek out and destroy polluting materials.

Solar Thermal Power: In order to be competitive with fossil-fuel based electricity, the cost of solar thermal power must be dramatically cut.  The best way to do this is to reduce equipment cost by about 50%.  The Florida Energy Systems Consortium is helping advance research that will rely on ammonia to generate solar thermal power at a significantly lower temperature.

Solar Cell/LED/Battery Module: When solar electricity is generated, it generally needs to be converted from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) for use.  But consider these facts:  solar cells, LEDs (light emitting diodes) and batteries all use direct current.  What if we could eliminate the need for solar inverters?  That idea is propelling new research to build a solar cell with transparent organic material on top of an organic LED.  As described:

The LED emits light downward and sits on top of a transparent platform that’s embedded with lithium-ion batteries. The solar cell charges the battery during the day, and the batteries can power the LED light at night.

As a result, efficiency will be increased without the need for an inverter.  Plus, savings can be had in material costs, as well.

Solar research in the Florida sunshine seems to be the perfect place to advance renewable energy!  Stay tuned for more news about solar advancements from this key location, and from the Florida Energy Systems Consortium.

A Solar Inverter Unit

Who doesn’t like the 80′s rock band, AC/DC?  I have often thought of some of their best songs like “You Shook Me All Night Long,” when writing about solar power.  This is because AC is short for alternating current, and DC stands for direct current.  With solar technology, you need to convert DC energy from the sun into AC in order to provide electrical energy for your home or business.  In order to do this, you need a solar inverter, along with your solar panels.

Sorry, I have to take a quick break for an AC/DC video:

So, back to solar power.  Not surprisingly, some energy is lost in the conversion from DC to AC.  So, is there a way to recapture it?  Yes, apparently there is.

EOS Renewable Energy Technologies has developed a cutting-edge “photovoltaic extraction method,” called XPX technology that will revolutionize how solar power systems work. The company claims that, with XPX technology, a solar panel can be manufactured with an integrated printed circuit board (PCB) device.  The PCB can both harvest unstable energy and also output the generated electricity in alternating current (AC) form.  In short, solar inverters would no longer be required.

What does this mean?  For starters, you can connect your solar panels directly to the grid.  Even better, XPX technology may result in more efficient solar systems, producing an additional 10-20% kWh over “traditional” solar energy systems.  Just to show you what is involved with an inverter (which will no longer be needed using XPX technology), see the following video:

If we can directly connect solar panels to the electrical grid, the loss of energy in the DC to AC conversion could be regained.  In addition, the overall cost of a solar panel system could be reduced due to the savings of not having to install and maintain a solar inverter.

XPX Technology sounds like an answer to several of the most vexing problems with solar panel systems:  efficiency and cost!  I’m looking forward to implementation of the new technology – soon!

Barack Obama meets with PV Powered's CEO Gregg Patterson

Living in the state of Oregon is pretty much a “green” experience.  Even my Central Oregon hometown, Bend, is in the news frequently with respect to solar power and other renewable energy sources.  Among several leading companies in this sector is PV Powered, a photovoltaics engineering company which designs and manufactures solar inverters.  Based on Bend, Oregon, PV Powered focuses its production on both residential and commercial solar inverters.  Since we have 300 days of sunshine a year here, it seems appropriate that a solar energy company would be based in Central Oregon!

What is a solar inverter, you ask?  Well, it is the key component to of a solar power system.  Solar panels can gather the energy from the sun, but to convert it to useable electricity, you need a solar inverter.  PV Powered is a leader in the solar inverter market.  Its slogan is:

“Simply More Reliable Solar”

The following video describes the basic process by which DC (direct current) is converted into AC (alternating current) through a solar inverter:

As pictured above, PV Powered welcomed presidential candidate Barack Obama back in May 2008.  Obama used his tour of PV Powered as the basis of a press conference at which he discussed the future of solar energy and other renewable energy resources.  As a result, many more people became aware of PV Powered’s work on solar inverters.

Residential solar inverter

In September 2008, PV Powered was awarded $5 million under the Solar Grid Integration System program administered by the U.S. Department of Energy.  The goal of the program is to “develop advanced inverters” and other components that will reduce the overall cost of solar electricity, enable grid penetration and increase PV system reliability.  This ties into the Solar America Initiative under which solar electric technologies shall be cost-competitive with other forms of electricity by 2015.

PV Powered’s CEO, Gregg Patterson, had this to say about the award:

“PV Powered is honored to be selected by Sandia and the US DOE for this highly competitive program.  The SEGIS program is a perfect complement to the industry-leading inverter reliability work we pioneered with Boeing as part of an earlier SAI program.”

Obviously, even the federal government agrees that PV Powered is a leader in solar inverters.

Quick facts about PV Powered:

• Founded in 2003
• Based in Bend, Oregon
• Largest US-based manufacturer of solar power inverter technology
• PV Powered products are UL listed and designed for highest reliability
• PV Powered’s inverters have the highest efficiency ratings in the solar market
• Thousands of PV Powered’s products are in use across the nation

Since I am fortunate enough to live in the same city in which PV Powered is based, I have the ability to stay up to date on news related to the company, solar inverters, and even rub shoulders with some of the PV Powered employees at local events!  If only I could have scored a ticket to see Barack Obama’s tour of the plant…..

Well, better luck for me in 2012!