Green Fuel Online | Future of Clean Energy Solar Power Next-generation photovoltaics Researchers are developing next-generation materials as well as new methods for producing PVs to increase conversion efficiency and lower production costs. Many of these technologies, for example organic solar cells, are not dependent on rare earth minerals; thin film PV modules, on the other hand, are commonly made from rare earths such as tellurium, gallium, and indium.[9] Concentrating PV, not be confused with Concentrating Solar Power (CSP)–using lenses or mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto special PV materials—may prove to be a lower-cost solar power option. Nano-scale materials, such as carbon nanotubes, could also yield breakthrough applications for PV materials.[10] Others believe they can achieve low-cost solar electricity via the use of organic materials, bioengineering, and streamlined manufacturing processes.[11] Concentrating solar power (CSP) / Solar Thermal Environmental Benefit / Emission Reduction Potential Cost Cost Intermittency Transmission
Sybac Solar How Fast Are The Costs Of Solar Really Coming Down? The case for solar energy as a near term alternative to fossil energy hangs largely upon the view that the costs of solar energy have come down rapidly in recent years and will continue to do so in the coming years. But a close examination of where and why solar costs appear to be declining casts doubt on those claims. Solar module prices have dropped substantially in recent years. But much of the decline in recent years has been due to Chinese overproduction and dumping. Installed costs of solar systems have come down dramatically in Germany. While low module costs may remain in place for some time due to the current glut of panels on the market, sustaining the pace of cost reductions in module prices that have been observed in recent years appears unlikely while the Chinese solar industry consolidates. The Case For An Impending Solar Clean Break Leading solar analysts project rapid growth of solar globally based upon extrapolations from the growth of solar over recent years.
How to build a Solar Panel - Home How Net Metering Works" You've seen the dire warnings on the news about shrinking energy resources and increasing environmental problems. In your effort to become a better global citizen, you've installed solar panels on your roof. You're also being careful to turn off your lights and appliances when you leave for work each morning. While you're away, your house is generating energy but you're not using it. Meanwhile at night, when you have the lights and TV blaring, your solar system is sitting idle. You could buy an expensive battery to store the extra energy you generate during the day, but there's another option that allows you to send your extra power to the grid in exchange for banked energy credit that you can use when you need it. When your home is equipped with a renewable energy source (such as wind or solar power), it sends the excess energy that's generated back into the grid to power other homes. Net metering can be measured over the month or year.
How to Make Inexpensive DIY Home-Built Solar Panels with Damaged Solar Cells from Ebay Mike Davis is an astronomer. To practice his hobby away from the light pollution of cities, he bought some land in a remote part of Arizona. But there was a problem: No electricity. But he's a resourceful fellow. He built some solar panels using inexpensive blemished and damaged solar cells from eBay! Read on for more photos and some technical details to give you an idea of how he did it. I bought a couple of bricks of 3 by 6 mono-crystalline solar cells. A solar panel is really just a shallow box. Next I cut two pieces of masonite pegboard to fit inside the wells. I laid out the cells on that grid pattern upside-down so I could solder them together. I used a low-wattage soldering iron and fine rosen-core solder. Here's what the solar panel looks like from the front. Here I am testing first half panel outside in the sun. I drilled a hole in the back of the panel near the top for the wires to exit. [...] Here is the finished product, producing 18.8 volts and 3.05 amps in the sun.
Solar group to use balance sheet to unlock diesel-replacement opportunities at African mines By: Terence Creamer Thin-film solar company First Solar is aggressively pursuing build operate and own (BOO) fuel-replacement projects in the global resources sector and is offering miners the prospect of displacing diesel through the use of increasingly cost-competitive solar energy. The Nasdaq-listed group recently appointed an executive with the specific mandate of promoting these hybrid solutions and also confirmed that its $1-billion-strong balance sheet could be leveraged in support of the strategy. Fuel replacement solutions director John Eccles, who is based in Australia and who will be marketing the concept at the Mining Indaba, in Cape Town, reported that advanced discussions were already under way with multinational mining groups, with particularly strong interest being shown in Australia and Africa, including mining-heavy, but power-light South Africa. *Creamer attended the World Future Energy Summit as a guest of First Solar Edited by: Creamer Media Reporter
Welcome to The Sietch - Projects Build Your Own Solar Battery Charger First we need an old window, I got mine from a construction site. Its your basic old nasty basement window. Make sure you wash both sides of the glass well with soap and water and window cleaner, more dust means less light gets through to your solar cells. Next take your multi-meter and sit in a sunny spot (or under a flood lamp) and check all your cells to make sure they get about .5 volts per cell. You do this by gently (cells are REALLY fragile) putting the red on the front (make sure its on the little metal lines) and black on the back (any place) of each cell while it is in the sun. It should say about .5 volts. For this project I used 12 cells but you really only need 6. As you can see they all fit with a lot of room left over, if I wanted to I could have used this window for a larger project but I only need a battery charger for right now. Next we get down to the fun part, soldering. There are two ways to wire power supplies (like batteries or solar cells) together.
Has APS invented a rooftop solar business model for utilities? Arizona Public Service’s ground breaking rooftop solar program could become the 21st century business model utilities have been looking for — if it gets past state regulators. APS, Arizona’s dominant electric utility, wants to fund, install, own, and maintain 3,000 rooftop solar systems. The utility proposes to reimburse each customer who hosts part of the cumulative 20 megawatts of solar with a monthly $30 bill credit for the entire 20 year program. The bill credit is a lease payment for rooftop real estate, explained APS Renewables Manager Marc Romito. The roofs will be pre-screened by APS but, as with the third party ownership (TPO) lease contracts offered by private sector companies like SolarCity, Clean Power Finance, and SunPower, the hosts will pay no upfront fees and have no ownership responsibilities. APS determined $30 to be the value of the roof space through a study of other U.S. utility programs and consultations with local solar installers. Rate-basing rooftop solar
Solar Thermal Technology for solar hot water, solar building hea Solar thermal is a technology designed to harness sunlight for its thermal energy (heat). This heat is often used for heating water used in homes, businesses, swimming pools, and for heating the insides of buildings (space heating). In order to heat water using sunlight, a solar thermal collector heats a fluid that is pumped through it. As the fluid is pumped through the collector, the fluid becomes heated. The now heated fluid then is pumped out of the collector and through a heat exchanger. Heat exchangers are usually comprised of copper, and are normally found inside a solar storage tank. The storage tank is an essential element of any solar thermal system, as it allows all the heat being generated by the solar thermal collector to be stored for use whenever it is needed. Solar thermal collectors are classified by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) as high, medium, or low temperature collectors. High Temperature Collectors System Designs Dish Designs Medium Temperature Collectors
How should utilities value solar? Solar is a revenue opportunity utilities can no longer ignore. In the next few years, electricity providers will have to face the question of how solar will fit into their businesses. The answer will likely come from among the five ways to value solar described in Utility Solar Trends from the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA). “It is something of a menu,” explained co-author Mike Taylor. The traditional ways to value solar The traditional way to value solar is through the retail electricity rate. The next two ways of valuing solar are variations on the retail electricity rate that have evolved out of the many debates over NEM. “These are different constructs of the same thing,” Mahrer said. New ways to value solar The last two ways of valuing solar, Mahrer said, are forward-looking. This value of solar concept was first introduced by Austin Energy in 2012. “Today you buy electricity as a bundled product but it is being unbundled,” Taylor added. Mass customization
Alternative Energy - Alternative Fuels; Natural Gas, LPG, NGV