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Home-brewed electricity with 'personalised solar energy'

2009-11-05T21:49:00.000+05:30

A rooftop solar panel converts sunlight to electricity. In a new study, an expert describes progress toward an efficient and inexpensive method for storing and distributing solar energy in the home. Photo: WikimediaNew scientific discoveries are moving society toward the era of "personalised solar energy," in which the focus of electricity production shifts from huge central generating stations to individuals in their own homes and communities. That's the topic of a report by an international expert on solar energy scheduled for the November 2 issue of ACS' Inorganic Chemistry, a bi-weekly journal. It describes a long-awaited, inexpensive method for solar energy storage that could help power homes and plug-in cars in the future while helping keep the environment clean.

Daniel Nocera explains that the global energy need will double by mid-century and triple by 2100 due to rising standards of living world population growth. Personalised solar energy - the capture and storage of solar energy at the individual or home level - could meet that demand in a sustainable way, especially in poorer areas of the world.

The report describes development of a practical, inexpensive storage system for achieving personalised solar energy. At its heart is an innovative catalyst that splits water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen that become fuel for producing electricity in a fuel cell. The new oxygen-evolving catalyst works like photosynthesis, the method plants use to make energy, producing clean energy from sunlight and water. "Because energy use scales with wealth, point-of-use solar energy will put individuals, in the smallest village in the nonlegacy world and in the largest city of the legacy world, on a more level playing field," the report states.

The progress and challenges of solar energy

2009-11-05T19:09:00.000+05:30

Scientists are making progress toward development of an "artificial leaf" that mimics a real leaf's chemical magic with photosynthesis – but instead converts sunlight and water into a liquid fuel such as methanol for cars and trucks. That is among the conclusions in a newly-available report from top authorities on solar energy who met at the 1st Annual Chemical Sciences and Society Symposium. The gathering launched a new effort to initiate international cooperation and innovative thinking on the global energy challenge.

The three-day symposium, which took place in Germany this past summer, included 30 chemists from China, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was organised through a joint effort of the science and technology funding agencies and chemical societies of each country, including the U. S. National Science Foundation and the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society. The symposium series was initiated though the ACS Committee on International Activities in order to offer a unique forum whereby global challenges could be tackled in an open, discussion-based setting, fostering innovative solutions to some of the world's most daunting challenges.

"The sun provides more energy to the Earth in an hour than the world consumes in a year," the report states. "Compare that single hour to the one million years required for the Earth to accumulate the same amount of energy in the form of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are not a sustainable resource, and we must break our dependence on them. Solar power is among the most promising alternatives."

The focus of the symposium

•Mimicking photosynthesis using synthetic materials such as the "artificial leaf"

•Production and use of biofuels as a form of stored solar energy

•Developing innovative, more efficient solar cells

•Storage and distribution of solar energy

The scientists pointed out during the meeting that plants use solar energy when they capture and convert sunlight into chemical fuel through photosynthesis. The process involves the conversion of water and carbon dioxide into sugars as well as oxygen and hydrogen. Scientists have been successful in mimicking this fuel-making process, termed artificial photosynthesis, but now must finds ways of doing so in ways that can be used commercially. Participants described progress toward this goal and the scientific challenges that must be met before solar can be a viable alternative to fossil fuels.

Highlights of the symposium include a talk by Kazunari Domen, Ph.D., of the University of Tokyo in Japan. Domen described current research on developing more efficient and affordable catalysts for producing hydrogen using a new water-splitting technology called "photocatalytic overall water splitting." The technology uses light-activated nanoparticles, each 1/50,000 the width of a human hair, to convert water to hydrogen. This technique is more efficient and less expensive than current technologies, he said.

Domen noted that the ultimate goal of artificial photosynthesis is to produce a liquid fuel, such as methanol, or "wood alcohol." Achieving this goal would fulfil the vision of creating an "artificial leaf" that not only splits water but uses the reaction products to create a more usable fuel, similar to what leaves do.

Take home messages

•There's no single best solution to the energy problem. Scientists must seek more affordable, sustainable solutions to the global energy challenge by considering all the options.

•Investing in chemistry is investing in the future. Strong basic research is fundamental to realising the potential of solar energy and making it affordable for large-scale use.

•Society needs a new generation of "energy scientists" to explore new ways to capture, convert, and store solar energy.

"The meeting was an experiment worth trying," said Teruto Ohta, executive director of the Chemical Society of Japan.

Conference organisers expressed hope that the symposium will be the first of several to tackle "the global challenges of the 21st century and the indispensible role that the chemical sciences play in addressing these issues," said Klaus Mullen, president of the German Chemistry Association.

"Building on the success of this first symposium, we're now gearing up for the future, convening top chemical scientists to address other, equally pressing global challenges," said Julie Callahan of the ACS Office of International Activities and principal investigator on the project. "It is an exciting time to be a chemist!"

Solar winds triggered by magnetic fields

2009-11-02T22:55:00.001+05:30

Image:NASASolar wind generated by the sun is probably driven by a process involving powerful magnetic fields, according to a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers based on the latest observations from the Hinode satellite.

Scientists have long speculated on the source of solar winds. The Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS), on board the Japanese-UK-US Hinode satellite, is now generating unprecedented observations enabling scientists to provide a new perspective on the 50-year old question of how solar wind is driven.The collaborative study, published in this month's issue of Astrophysical Journal, suggests that a process called slipping reconnection may drive these winds.

Deb Baker, lead author from UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory, says: "Solar wind is an outflow of million-degree gas and magnetic field that engulfs the Earth and other planets. It fills the entire solar system and links with the magnetic fields of the Earth and other planets. Changes in the Sun's million-mile-per-hour wind can induce disturbances within near-Earth space and our upper atmosphere and yet we still don't know what drives these outflows.

"However, our latest study suggests that it is the release of energy stored in solar magnetic fields which provides the additional driver for the solar wind. This magnetic energy release is most efficient in the brightest regions of activity on the Sun's surface, called active regions or sunspot groups, which are strong concentrations of magnetic field. We believe that this fundamental process happens everywhere on the Sun on virtually all scales."

Images taken in February 2007 from the EIS instrument showed that hot plasma outflows are due to a process called slipping reconnection. At the edges of active regions where this process can occur, a slow, continuous restructuring of the magnetic field leads to the release of energy and acceleration of particles in the Sun's hot outer atmosphere, known as the corona. Slipping reconnection is the first theory to explain how observed outflows from the Sun can be located over areas of a single magnetic sign, something previously considered improbable.

Computer models of the Sun's magnetic field were used to identify regions where slipping reconnection could occur. The locations proposed by the computer model were compared with measurements of the speed of the gas coming from the solar corona. The comparison showed the gas was moving outward at up to 100,000 mph, 1,000 times the wind speed in a hurricane, over the possible slipping reconnection regions.

Alarm system to prevent green thieves

2009-10-28T00:07:00.001+05:30

Renewable energy company EarthSure has introduced an anti-theft system called S.AS (Solar alarm System) designed to stop green thieves in their tracks. The company claims the system will stop green crime which is on the rise in the US. It uses magnetic switching devices embedded within the side walls of the solar panels that trip an alarm system whenever a solar panel gets moved or lifted.

Users of solar power, especially in California, have been hit with a rash of stolen solar panels and the monetary damage these thefts produce is thousands of dollars in each case. These stolen solar panels have showed up on eBay and Craigslist and the thefts have become so prevalent that there is even a black market for these panels.

The S.AS system can be installed on any existing solar panel configuration and will be manufactured within new solar panels. Similar to alarms coming standard in most cars nowadays, EarthSure predicts solar panels will also come equipped with alarm systems right from the initial installation.

Ray Saluccio, CEO of EarthSure, says “If you would put an alarm on a USD20,000 car, why wouldn’t you put an alarm on a solar panel investment of USD40,000? It’s sad that these ‘green thieves’ are taking equipment that is helping the environment. It’s just not right and we at EarthSure plan on stopping them.”

EarthSure reps have also been speaking with some insurance companies about giving a discount to those individuals with a S.AS, similar to the discount they give auto insurers if their car has an alarm.

Between the safeguarding of the panels and the potential discounts from insurers, S.AS will entice more people to install solar panels, hence increasing the amount of renewable energy made and decreasing the need for non-renewable energy - which is what EarthSure is all about.

UNDP helps Benin villages enjoy solar power

2009-10-22T16:30:00.004+05:30

Today, solar energy supplies 308 households in Hon and Koussoukpa. Photos: UNDPUntil recently, the villages of Hon and Koussoukpa, like many others, (100 kilometers from Cotonou, Benin’s economic capital) got their light from oil lamps and candles, suffering all the damage to health and the environment. The darkness also emphasised the sense of danger and rural isolation.

Today, solar energy supplies 308 households in Hon and Koussoukpa in this western coast of Africa. It is easy for residents to light their homes, charge their mobile telephones and even access educational community television.

The project is the result of a partnership between UNDP, the Association béninoise pour l’éveil et le développement, the Global Environment Facility’s microfinance programme and Barefoot College, an NGO. UNDP plans to expand the initiative to a number of villages in Benin, creating rural electrification centers using solar energy or renewable energy sources.

In Hon two locals, Julienne Loko and Azouassi Togbé, have been trained to install and maintain the solar network.In a few days Koussoukpa will enjoy full solar electricity coverage when another 500 hundred households get solar energy. To ensure that the initiative is continued and equipment maintained, training will be provided to students and local tradespeople.

There are also plans to create a research and development centre for solar electricity technology in partnership with the University of Abomey Calavi in Cotonou.

In Koussoukpa, each subscriber pays a monthly fee of 1,500 CFA francs (USD3.50). The subscription is managed by a committee responsible for operating the network and for maintaining and replacing equipment (solar panels, batteries, etc.)

In Hon, two residents, Julienne Loko and Azouassi Togbé, have been trained to install and maintain the solar network. After a six-month stint in India, they now know how to install and maintain solar panels. They work on an almost full-time basis in the electronic workshops built for the villages.

In Hon subscriptions are managed by a committee responsible for operating the network and maintaining and replacing equipmentIn Benin, despite the enormous potential for development of solar energy, rural electricity coverage still stands at just 3 percent. Given the high cost of linking up to the conventional electricity, photovoltaic solar energy is one of the most realistic technological alternatives available to isolated areas.

Furthermore, global electrical energy coverage has increased from 25.7 per cent in 2006 to 27.9 per cent in 2008 and should reach 40.09 per cent in 2011, according to government projections.

Carbon nanotubes may cheaply harvest sunlight

2009-10-22T14:09:00.000+05:30

A new alternative energy technology relies on the element most associated with climate change: carbon

University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers are studying how to create inexpensive, efficient solar cells from carbon nanotubes, which are sheets of carbon rolled into seamless cylinders one nanometer in diameter. Many researchers are studying how to use nanotubes for mechanical and electronics applications, but materials science and engineering assistant professor Michael Arnold is one of the first to apply them to solar energy.

"We are developing new materials and methods to create scalable, inexpensive, stable and efficient photovoltaic solar cell technologies," Arnold says. "Semiconducting carbon nanotubes have remarkable electronic and optical properties that are ideally suited for photovoltaics, so they are an interesting starting point."

Carbon is a promising choice for solar cells because it is an abundant, inexpensive element, and carbon nanotubes have excellent electrical conductivity and strong optical absorptivity. Most current solar cells use silicon, which converts 10 to 30 per cent of sunlight absorbed into electricity. This is a good rate, but silicon cells are expensive.

"The cost is upfront for silicon cells, and the cost per kilowatt-hour is five times more than you'd pay for coal over 20 years - that's not very motivating for people," says Arnold. With carbon nanotubes, he hopes to achieve efficiency comparable to silicon solar cells for less cost.

Arnold says solar is a valuable energy source since the sun outputs approximately 1,000 watts per square yard. A solar cell that is only 20 per cent efficient would generate about 200 watts per square yard on a sunny day, so coating the roof of an average 40-square yard house with solar cells would make a significant dent in the average energy needs of the household. To have an effect on the national electric grid, Arnold envisions expansive fields of solar cells built in desert regions.

"Solar is a viable technology for producing energy," Arnold says. "It's just too expensive right now."

To create the new carbon nanotube solar cells, Arnold and his students grow nanotube structures and then separate the useful semi-conducting nanotubes from undesirable metallic ones. They also separate the tubes according to diameter, which determines a particular nanotube's bandgap, or wavelength of light the tube can absorb. Certain bandgaps are more suitable than others for absorbing sunlight.

After sorting out the useful nanotubes, the team wraps them in a semi-conducting polymer to make the tubes soluble. They turn the combined nanotubes and polymer into a solution, which can be sprayed in a thin film onto transparent indium-tin-oxide coated glass substrates. The researchers then deposit an electron-accepting semiconductor and a negative electrode on top of the nanotubes to complete the entire cell.

In creating the new solar cells, Arnold, who is funded by the National Science Foundation, is attempting to answer a variety of fundamental science and research questions. He is studying how charge is generated in the nanotubes in response to light and how different electron-accepting materials affect the efficiency and speed of the separation of that charge.

"The driving question is, can we understand how to both process the tubes to get the morphology we want, and can we also learn how light creates charges in our carbon nanotube materials and how these charges separate?" he says.

Solar parking lot at Dell HQ to help avoid CO2 emissions

2009-10-22T12:55:00.001+05:30

Dell has completed construction of a new 516-panel solar structure on its Round Rock, Texas headquarters campus. The solar array is designed to generate 130,000 kilowatt hours of solar power annually, helping to avoid around 145,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year.

The structure, located in an employee parking lot, will shade 50 parking spaces and provide two charging stations for plug-in electric vehicles.

“Dell now sources more than 25 percent of our global electricity needs from renewable sources, and we’re committed to doing more,” said Dane Parker, Dell’s director of Americas Facilities and Global Environment, Health and Safety. “We’re launching solar pilot projects like this one in every region where we do business. We recently completed, for example, a solar project at our manufacturing site in Brazil that uses solar power to heat water for the building’s kitchen and cafeteria areas.”

Dell partnered with McBride Electric Inc., Envision Solar and BP Solar to design and build the structure. Dell is also participating in Oncor’s “Take a Load Off, Texas” solar photovoltaic programme, which helps customers meet a portion of their electric energy needs with solar photovoltaic systems.

It's simple; going green is not a herculean task

2009-10-22T09:35:00.002+05:30

Alum's 'state-of-the-shelf' energy-efficient house is among a bevy of new ideas for curbing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions presented at MIT's annual Energy Night

At last Friday's Energy Night at the MIT Museum, Dr. Keith Collins described his approach to fighting global warming with all the gusto of a really good insurance salesman. But Collins, who graduated from MIT in 1970 with a degree in political science, wasn't actually selling anything. He was just proclaiming to anyone who would listen just how easy it is to go green.

As one of the dozens of presenters at the annual event, which showcases the best in energy research, education and entrepreneurship from around MIT, Collins described a 700-square-foot house he built last year in Rockport, Maine, without any kind of a furnace, or even a fireplace. That might seem like madness or masochism in a place like New England, but Collins has data that show otherwise: Last year, the house not only used no additional energy beyond the sunlight that fell on its roof, but Collins actually was able to sell 5,094 kilowatt-hours, about what a typical house that size would consume over six months — back to the Central Maine Power company.

"I want to let people know that solar energy is practical and affordable today, with normal construction," he told one of the many Energy Night guests who stopped to chat with him.

The key to the house's energy efficiency is super-insulation. With walls built to R-40 insulation standards, the heat given off by the people inside the house is enough to keep it warm on all but the coldest days, and then it's supplemented by a fan blowing over coils of water heated by the solar panels on the roof, which provide all the house's hot water year round. Photovoltaic panels provide all of its electricity. The extra costs of these measures, Collins explained, will be paid back through energy savings over the next 30 years. And none of it is rocket science, he explained: the idea was to use "state of the shelf" technology, that is, almost everything used in its construction is readily available on the shelves of any large building-supply store.

In one way or another, nearly every one of the several dozen posters, models and machines on display at Energy Night was, like Collins', also calling attention to some concept, small or large, of what's possible to aid the world's efforts to meet or curb its voracious appetite for energy, or to reduce or eliminate its environmental impact. Some were as modest as a replacement for a hearing-aid battery, others as large as an offshore drilling platform devoted to energy storage.

To help disseminate his message, every detail of the house's construction, and even a real-time display of its actual energy use and production, is available online. "This is my hobby and my passion," explained Collins, who, though graduated nearly four decades ago, is an active member of the MIT Energy Club.

Why is he so eager to share the details of his house? "My goal," he said, "is that my grandchildren grow up in the same climate that I did."

Major advance in organic solar cells

2009-10-19T11:06:00.000+05:30

Gains in speed, quality and current over conventional production techniques hold promise for both research and commercial production

Professor Guillermo Bazan and a team of postgraduate researchers at UC Santa Barbara's Center for Polymers and Organic Solids (CPOS) has announced a major advance in the synthesis of organic polymers for plastic solar cells. Bazan's teamreduced reaction time by 99 per cent, from 48 hours to 30 minutes, and increased average molecular weight of the polymers by a factor of more than 3.

The reduced reaction time effectively cuts production time for the organic polymers by nearly 50 per cent, since reaction time and purification time are approximately equal in the production process, in both laboratory and commercial environments.

The higher molecular weight of the polymers, reflecting the creation of longer chains of the polymers, has a major benefit in increasing current density in plastic solar cells by as much as a factor of more than four. Over polymer batches with varying average molecular weights, produced using varying combinations of the elements of the new methodology, the increase in current density was found to be approximately proportional to the increase in average molecular weight.

The methodology, detailed in a Nature Chemistry paper published online today and slated for later inclusion in the print publication, "will greatly accelerate research in this area," stated Bazan, "by making possible the rapid production of different batches of polymers for evaluation." He further noted, "We plan to take advantage of this approach both to generate new materials that will increase solar cell efficiencies and operational lifetimes, and to reevaluate previously-considered polymer structures that should exhibit much higher performance than they showed initially."

To make these gains, the team:
1. Replaced conventional thermal heating with microwave heating,
2. modified reactant concentrations, and
3. varied the ratio of reactants by only 5 per cent from the nominal 1:1 stoichiometric ratio normally employed in polymerisation reactions.

Mike McGehee, Director of Stanford's Center for Advanced Molecular Photovoltaics, hailed Bazan's work, commenting, "Many synthetic chemists around the world are making copolymers with alternating donor and acceptors to attain low bandgaps. Most of them are having trouble attaining adequate molecular weight, so this new synthetic method that creates longer polymer chains is a real breakthrough. The reduction in synthesis time should also make it easier to optimise the chemical structure as the research moves forward and will ultimately reduce the manufacturing cost."

SAS plans additional 1.2 megawatt solar farm

2009-10-19T10:43:00.000+05:30

Business analytics software and services company SAS, working with groSolar and FLS Energy, will develop a second solar farm on the company’s Cary, NC, headquarters campus. Scheduled for completion by late March 2010, the 1.2 megawatt capacity addition will generate an estimated 1.9 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually, enough to power more than 200 homes.

SAS Solar Farm 2 will comprise some 5,200 photovoltaic panels, covering about seven acres near the existing system off Trenton Road. The design of the system will take advantage of the natural topography using a sun-tracking system to optimise sun exposure and power generation. Progress Energy will purchase the generated electricity for the public energy grid.

Operational in December 2008, SAS Solar Farm 1 covers five acres and generates an estimated 1.7 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) yearly. Sustainably sourced energy from the combined systems will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 3,500 tons annually from conventionally produced electricity – the equivalent to the emissions from burning more than 367,000 gallons of gasoline.

SAS’ environmental sustainability programme on its Cary campus also includes solar thermal hot water systems, regenerative drive elevators, two buildings currently under construction designed to achieve LEED-certification, water and waste conservation projects and active employee engagement efforts.

SAS for Sustainability Management, launched in April 2008, helps organisations accurately measure and manage their environmental impact.

“This project is more proof that solar power is an economically viable energy source for America,” said groSolar CEO Jeff Wolfe. “We applaud SAS for recognising that environmental preservation can be coupled with economic gain through solar energy implementation.”

“FLS Energy is honored to help install this landmark solar project,” said FLS Energy President Michael Shore. “The SAS solar farm enables FLS Energy to create more than 10 new North Carolina jobs. The new solar farm is good for the environment and the local economy.”

Siemens to strengthen its position in the growth market solar thermal power

2009-10-15T12:58:00.000+05:30

Solar field of a parabolic trough power plant in the Mojave desert. Photo: Siemens Siemens AG is to acquire the solar thermal power company Solel Solar Systems Ltd. To date, the majority stake has been held by Ecofin Ltd., a London-based investment firm, and another major shareholder. "After the rapid and highly successful expansion of our wind power business, we now want to continue this success story in the solar sector. With the acquisition of Solel, Siemens can now strengthen its market position in the promising business of solar thermal power plants. We can thus further expand our extensive Environmental Portfolio – and, as already announced, we will become even greener," said Siemens President and CEO Peter Löscher.

Solel Solar Systems has a workforce of over 500 and is one of the world´s two leading suppliers of solar receivers, which are key components of so-called parabolic trough power plants. The high-growth company, which posted revenue totaling almost $90 million in the first six months of its current fiscal year (January 1 to June 30, 2009), is also a leader in the planning and construction of solar fields.

The purchase price is about $418 million (currently equivalent to around €284 million *). The transaction is subject to approval by the responsible authorities. It is anticipated that the closing will take place before the end of this calendar year.

Solel is a successful company in the future-oriented solar power sector, with decades of experience in the development and manufacture of solar field equipment and the planning and construction of solar fields. Since 2006, Solel has also been present on the Spanish market, supplying key components for 15 solar thermal power plants with a combined capacity of 750 megawatts. In addition, the company is also active on the important U.S. market.

"Siemens and Solel are a perfect match," said René Umlauft, CEO of Siemens’ Renewable Energy Division. "We are the market leader in steam turbines for solar thermal power plants and, with the power block, we can offer a key part for solar power plants – the part that is responsible for power generation. Solel boasts high-efficiency receiver technology and comprehensive expertise in the engineering and construction of solar fields. In the future, we’ll be able to offer the key components for the construction of parabolic trough power plants from a single source and to further enhance the efficiency of these plants."

Until 2020, the market for solar thermal power plants will show annual double-digit growth rates and attain a volume of over €20 billion. In the future, the primary focal growth regions will be the U.S., South Africa, Australia, Spain, India, North Africa and the Middle East.

"Together, we will utilize our know-how in these core competencies to further optimize the water/steam cycle and to further boost the efficiency of solar thermal power plants. Thus we can accelerate the use of this clean technology," said Avi Brenmiller, CEO of Solel Solar Systems. "Combined with Siemens’ financial strength and its global sales and marketing activities, this will open up promising prospects for our business and hence also for all of Solel’s employees."
Parabolic trough power plants are the solar-based power generation technology with the best track record of all utility-scale solar technologies. They are particularly suitable for regions with high levels of direct insolation. The principle is simple: curved sun-tracking mirrors capture the sunlight and concentrate it on the solar receiver.

A heat transfer medium, which is heated by the concentrated solar radiation, flows through the solar receiver. In a heat exchanger, steam is then generated for a steam turbine, which drives a generator, which in turn generates electricity. Together with the electrical and instrumentation and control equipment and the cooling systems, these components form the power block of a solar power plant.

Products and solutions for solar thermal power plants are part of the Siemens Environmental Portfolio, with which the company posted revenue of nearly €19 billion in fiscal 2008 – about a quarter of Siemens’ total sales – making Siemens the world’s leading provider of ecofriendly technologies.

eSolar expands to South Africa

2009-10-13T16:06:00.001+05:30

Photo: Roto Frank AGSolar thermal power company eSolar has partnered with Johannesburg-based Clean Energy Solutions (CES) to open eSolarSA to expand sales operations across Sub-Saharan Africa. Through the agreement, CES is granted the exclusive right to represent and distribute eSolar's concentrating solar power technology throughout a seven-country region, including the Republic of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.

"With local partners on three continents and a commercially proven technology, eSolar is ready to expand its global footprint and further its goal of making solar energy competitive with fossil fuels," said Bill Gross, CEO of eSolar. "Africa boasts one of the highest solar resource on the planet, and eSolar's modular, scalable technology is well-positioned to establish the continent as a leader in the development of low-cost, no-carbon energy solutions."

The region has made aggressive moves to boost renewable energy capacity, with the South African government notably setting the goal to provide 10,000 GW of electricity from renewable resources by 2013.

"Sub-Saharan Africa's tremendous solar resource has gone relatively untapped, but now, with eSolar's technology, we can establish Southern Africa as a new hotspot for solar development," said Fredman. "eSolar's CSP technology is the perfect fit for South Africa in its quest to generate affordable, clean energy and develop local jobs, particularly in rural areas."

In February, eSolar signed a development and licensing agreement with the ACME Group for the development of 1,000 MW of solar power plants in India over the next 10 years with construction starting this year. In the US, eSolar partnered with NRG Energy, Inc., to deploy up to 465 megawatts of solar electricity. By building its plants in small 46 MW units sited on 80 hectares (200 acres) and leveraging locally sourced, prefabricated components, eSolar's plants overcome the key obstacles facing solar deployment – namely, price, speed of deployment and grid impact.

Recently, eSolar unveiled its Sierra SunTower power plant in Southern California, the only commercially operating solar power tower plant in North America. The 5 MW plant provides enough power for 4,000 area homes at peak production and created 250 jobs at the height of construction.

The right climate for green energy in Mozambique

2009-10-09T21:02:00.001+05:30

Photo for representation purpose onlyLight or water? That’s a choice Southern Africa could face in a few years if current plans to build more large dams on the Zambezi proceed.

A new report reveals that Mozambique's plans to build the USD2 billion Mphanda Nkuwa Dam on the Zambezi River will mostly serve South Africa’s needs, while exporting social and environmental impacts in Mozambique, and ignoring climate-change warnings that show major hydrological problems ahead for Southern Africa. The Zambezi, Africa's fourth largest river, is expected to be especially vulnerable to climate change. Millions of people depend upon it for their livelihoods.

In a new report being released in Johannesburg on October 11 and in Maputo on October 19, author Mark Hankins, a Nairobi-based renewable energy expert, describes how Mozambique could develop a domestic electricity supply system based on market-ready, clean-energy options that are low-cost, rapidly implementable, and well-suited to the geographical distribution of local demand.

The plan focuses on distributed renewable energy and energy efficiency that would meet the energy needs of the far-flung parts of the country that do not now have access to electricity. Most of the technologies described in the report are also well-suited to meeting the growing need of urban areas already tied to the grid. Currently, 80 per cent of Mozamibue's population does not have access to electricity.

“It’s time we begin to address our own energy needs, and in ways that will protect our important natural treasures like the Zambezi River,” said Anabela Lemos, the director of the Maputo-based NGO Justica Ambiental (JA!). “Clean, decentralized energy for all should be the top priority, not damming the Zambezi to support energy-hogging industry and cities in South Africa.” JA! is the sponsor of the report.

Mark Hankins said, “As long as the Mozambique’s power planners focus on the huge consumer next door, they will never adequately meet the needs of their own country, which remains largely off-grid and unconnected. It doesn’t have to be this way.”

Hankins says that in Mozambique, “The average electricity per capita is 450kW hours per year per capita, but when you remove the energy consumed by the aluminum smelter at Mozal, it goes down to 50KW per capita – among the lowest use in the world. South African consumption is about 50 times higher.”

Hankins says there is also huge potential for cost-effective energy efficiency measures in South Africa that could greatly reduce the need or new big dams on the Southern African grid. “Right now, Mozambique is supporting wasteful electricity use south of its border. In fact, South Africa has the potential to quickly save 3 to 5 times Mozambique’s entire consumption with energy efficiency measures. Demand-side management, primarily in South Africa, must be considered as an alternative to endless investment in megadams and coal fired power plants.”

He says another benefit is long-lasting employment for locals. "Green power creates more jobs than coal and hydro, and safer jobs."

The report notes there is significant potential for green biomass with five large sugar farms that could contribute considerable bagasse from sugar cane waste to biomass fired electricity. Converting sugar waste into biofuel could put another 60MW on the grid that could extend electrification to rural areas.

The report details the nation’s potential for solar, wind, small-scale hydro, and biomass. It describes key energy efficiency measures that could help Mozambique reduce its energy load going forward. And it describes steps needed to help its energy sector develop these kinds of decentralised energy systems.

Hankins notes: “Eskom is the fifth largest power company in the world and South Africa has been very successful in giving people access to electricity. Green energies tend to be more expensive, but they create jobs and don’t damage the environment. In Kenya electricity costs three times what it does in South Africa. Getting South Africans off cheap electricity is like getting Americans off cheap gasoline.”

“Cheap electricity is usually dirty electricity, but at some point you still have to pay for the costs of ruined river basins and polluted air and water,” says JA's Lemos.

Supporting clean energy technology

2009-10-09T11:57:00.001+05:30

DOE announces USD87 million in funding to support solar energy technologies

At the opening of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Solar Decathlon on the National Mall, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced up to USD87 million will be made available to support the development of new solar energy technologies and the rapid deployment of available carbon-free solar energy systems. Of this funding, USD50 million comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The 47 projects with universities, electric power utilities, DOE's national laboratories, and local governments have been selected to support use of solar technologies in U.S. cities, help address technical challenges, ensure reliable connectivity with the electrical grid, and train a new generation of solar workers to install and maintain solar energy systems. These projects will help speed adoption of solar energy nationwide, while supporting development of a skilled workforce, and continuing to pursue new scientific breakthroughs to increase the efficiency and lower the cost of solar technologies.

"Today's awards are among the many investments made to create new jobs and a clean energy future with solar power. The projects will help accelerate the use of solar energy by residents, businesses and communities, and promote the long-term viability of solar energy by investing in the technologies of the future" said Secretary Chu. "I applaud each of these award winners who are vital to moving our country towards a sustainable solar infrastructure."

The selected projects will help accelerate the commercialisation of solar technologies in an effort to achieve cost-competitive solar electricity by 2015, in addition to developing advanced solar technologies for the future. Projects focus on both technology improvements and the elimination of market barriers to help make solar electricity accessible to a wide variety of consumers.

Enbridge to acquire Ontario solar project from First Solar

2009-10-05T15:18:00.000+05:30

Enbridge Inc will acquire a 20 megawatt (MW) solar energy project from First Solar, which is being developed near Sarnia, Ontario.

"As society and governments increasingly accept green energy, we believe that solar energy represents meaningful opportunities for long-term growth," said Patrick D. Daniel, President and CEO, Enbridge, Inc. "The Sarnia Solar Project is right in the sweet spot of Enbridge's renewable energy strategy. It has risk and return characteristics which are fully consistent with Enbridge's low-risk business model, and similar to our crude oil pipeline business. At the same time it represents a further step towards our corporate goal of a neutral environmental footprint.

Daniel continued. "In 2009, Enbridge's investment in solar energy will be approximately CAD100 million. We plan to continue to invest in further renewable energy investments which have similar risk and return characteristics, including potential additional investments in Ontario."

The Sarnia Solar Project is expected to be completed by the end of 2009 and be the largest photovoltaic solar energy facility in operation in Canada and one of the largest in North America.

At 20 MW, Enbridge expects the project will generate enough power to meet the needs of about 3,200 homes and help to save the equivalent of approximately 6,600 tonnes of CO2 per year.

"Enbridge's investment underscores the fact that large-scale solar photovoltaic power generation is becoming a reality," said Bruce Sohn, President of First Solar. "This agreement is the first that realises the value of the OptiSolar project development pipeline that we acquired in April. First Solar's project development and engineering, procurement and construction capabilities have enabled us to complete over 65 per cent of the 20 MW project in less than three months."

Under the terms of the agreement, First Solar is constructing the solar project under a fixed price engineering, procurement and construction contract, utilising its thin film photovoltaic technology. First Solar's advanced thin film technology has been deployed in over 1,000 MW of installations in the US and Europe.

First Solar will also provide operations and maintenance services under a long-term contract. The power output of the facility will be sold to the Ontario Power Authority pursuant to a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement under the terms of the Ontario Government's Renewable Energy Standard Offer Programme. Subject to certain conditions, Enbridge may participate with First Solar in future solar energy projects at the Sarnia site.

The Sarnia project will complement Enbridge's four existing wind energy projects which have a combined capacity of 260 megawatts. Enbridge's share of the power generated by the wind facilities provides enough green energy to meet the equivalent of 35 per cent of the power requirements of the Company's Canadian crude oil mainline. Enbridge also has interests in emissions-free hybrid fuel cell technology and waste heat recovery facilities.

Intersolar expands to India, to take place in Hyderabad

2009-10-05T14:20:00.001+05:30

Intersolar, the world’s largest trade show for solar technology, is expanding into India. Intersolar India will take place for the first time in 2009 in association with SOLARCON India, in Hyderabad from November 9-11. Alongside the Intersolar events in Munich and San Francisco, the trade show will now have a third international location.

Together with SOLARCON India, Intersolar India is the leading conference for the photovoltaics industry in India. The three-day programme will be complemented by an inaugural accompanying exhibition which is due to be greatly expanded for 2010 and onward.

The collaboration in India sees Intersolar further increase its partnership with SEMI PV Group, the global industry association for the semiconductor and photovoltaics industry and organiser of SOLARCON.
This year’s conference will focus on the development of the Indian PV market. The event will be inaugurated on November 9 by key officials from the Indian government, Andhra Pradesh and industry leaders.

Good market for solar technology

India has long been considered a potentially attractive market for solar technology by the industry. With the new “National Action Plan on Climate Change” that was adopted by the Indian government in 2008, that hope is now being realised.

According to plans drawn up by the “National Solar Mission” at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, solar installations with a total capacity of 20 gigawatts (GW) are to be installed in India by 2020. To achieve this objective, photovoltaic installations, including rooftop, ground-based arrays and off-grid applications, as well as solar thermal power plants, will be key.

With only a few projects being implemented to date, most of the planned 20GW will have to be realised within the next eleven years. This amounts to annual installation of approximately 1.8GW.

Japan hits record in solar cell shipment

2009-09-14T16:50:00.001+05:30

A recent survey conducted by the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association (JPEA) (Tokyo, Japan) reveals that solar cells with a combined capacity of about 83.26 megawatts (MW) were shipped to the domestic market during April to June this year.

This record shipment, which represents an 82.5 per cent increase on a year-on-year basis, has been triggered by a growing demand from the household sector. About 90 per cent of the shipment was for household usage and powered approximately 20,000 homes.

The Japanese government hopes to generate more than 4,800 MW of solar energy through 2010. As early as 2005, households opting for solar power were granted subsidies of 5 per cent, after which one in every 100 homes switched to the alternative energy source.

Japan aims to increase this number to one in 25 homes by 2010, and then to one in four homes by the end of 2020. However, the solar energy subsidy was withdrawn in 2006, after which demand for individual use declined, since many people decided to wait for the costs to drop.

Japan revived the subsidy scheme in January this year, under which each household photovoltaic installation is eligible for a grant of USD700 per kilowatt (kW) of solar panel. The subsidy will cover roughly 10 per cent of the infrastructure costs of a standard 3.5-kW solar power unit.

To promote use of solar energy in households, Japan is also looking to create a framework for power companies to purchase surplus power from the household sector.

The global photovoltaic industry saw significant activity in 2008, recording a 79 per cent rate of growth to account for 5,500 MW of power generated during the year. However, overselling in 2008 resulted in 2009 starting with opening inventory levels of 2,000 MW on the supply side.

Most of the trade was directed to Spain, which accounted for 42 per cent of the total global photovoltaic sales in 2008, with volumes up to 2,300 MW flowing into the country. This has rendered the Spanish market inaccessible for the next couple of years, and Germany as the only market capable of handling these trade volumes.

Escalating raw material costs during 2008 also paved the way for development of thin-film technologies, which are likely to cut the cost of silicon-based products in the long run.

Market trends also indicate that the sector can achieve continuous growth only when both costs and demand are controlled. Costs are directly linked to product pricing, skilled manpower, and the nature of incentives offered in the sector, which drive the demand for photovoltaic products.

In addition, grid connectivity of standalone photovoltaic installations is also expected to govern growth in the sector.

Although the photovoltaic industry has seen considerable progress in the last five years, it is unlikely that the growth rate will be sustained in 2010. High inventory levels and the global economic downturn, combined with a saturated Spanish photovoltaic market and a tight lending market, will play a major role in the future growth of this sector.

Japan presently accounts for 40 per cent of global solar-cell production, with the main players being Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO) (Kyoto-Shi, Japan), Sanyo Electric Company Limited (OTC:SANYY) (Moriguchi, Japan), Sharp Corporation (OTC:SHCAY) (Abeno-Ku, Japan), and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TYO:6503) (Chiyoda-Ku, Japan).

The Japanese government is aiming for a 40-fold increase in solar energy production by 2030, and is looking to get to the tenfold mark by 2020. It remains to be seen if these targets will be achieved, given the current market scenario.

Looking deeply into polymer solar cells

2009-09-14T12:23:00.001+05:30

This is a 3-D electron tomography image of a polymer-metal oxide solar cell. The 3-D nanoscopic morphology shows the interpenetrating metal oxide network in (yellow) below an aluminum contact (gray) inside a polymer matrix (black).Credit: Eindhoven University of Technology
Researchers from the Eindhoven University of Technology and the University of Ulm have made the first high-resolution 3D images of the inside of a polymer solar cell. This gives them important new insights in the nanoscale structure of polymer solar cells and its effect on the performance. The findings were published online in Nature Materials on Sunday 13 September.

The investigations shed new light on the operational principles of polymer solar cells.

Cost-effective, flexible and lightweight

These solar cells do not have the high efficiencies of their silicon counterparts yet. Polymer cells, however, can be printed in roll-to-roll processes, at very high speeds, which makes the technology potentially very cost-effective. Added to that, polymer cells are flexible and lightweight, and therefore suitable to be used on vehicles or clothing or to be incorporated in the design of objects.

Hybrid polymer solar cells

In these hybrid solar cells, a mixture of two different materials, a polymer and a metal oxide are used to create charges at their interface when the mixture is illuminated by the sun. The degree of mixing of the two materials is essential for its efficiency. Intimate mixing enhances the area of the interface where charges are formed but at the same time obstructs charge transport because it leads to long and winding roads for the charges to travel.

Larger domains do exactly the opposite. The vastly different chemical nature of polymers and metal oxides generally makes it very difficult to control the nanoscale structure. The Eindhoven researchers have been able to largely circumvent this problem by using a precursor compound that mixes with the polymer and is only converted into the metal oxide after it is incorporated in the photoactive layer.This allows better mixing and enables extracting up to 50 per cent of the absorbed photons as charges in an external circuit.

Nanoscale mixing

The importance of the degree of mixing was clearly demonstrated by visualisation of the structure of these blends in three dimensions. Traditionally such visualisation has been extremely challenging, but by using 3D electron tomography, the team has been able to resolve the mixing with unprecedented detail on a nanoscale.

From these images the researchers at the Institute of Stochastics in Ulm have been able to extract typical distances between the two components, relating to the efficiency of charge generation, and analyse the percolation pathways, that is, how much of each component is connected to the electrode. These quantitative analyses of the structure matched perfectly with the observed performance of the solar cells in sunlight.

Future

Even though these hybrid polymer solar cells are among the most efficient reported to date for this class, their power conversion efficiency of 2 per cent in sunlight must be enhanced to make them really useful. This will be realised by improving the control over the morphology of the photoactive blend, for example by creating polymers that can interact with the metal oxide and by developing polymers or molecules that absorb a larger part of the solar spectrum. At such point, the intrinsic advantages of hybrid polymer solar cells in terms of low cost and thermal stability of the nanoscale structure could be fully exploited.

Poorly sited solar project edges closer to approval

2009-09-10T12:47:00.003+05:30

The Ivanpah project site is home to several rare species including golden eagles. Photo: Mila ZinkovaMega-project in endangered species habitat sets bad precedent for renewable energy

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, a controversial industrial-scale solar energy facility planned for the California desert, moved one step closer to development. The project’s proponent, BrightSource Energy, announced an agreement with Bechtel to build the facility, which is opposed by many conservation groups and scientists due to its proposed location in endangered species habitat. The California Energy Commission and the federal Bureau of Land Management may release their environmental review documents for the project this month.

“Simply put, this project is proposed in the wrong place,” said Ileene Anderson, biologist, Center for Biological Diversity. “There are tens of thousands of acres of already-disturbed lands in the California desert that are much closer to cities and towns that would make far more sense for this kind of project. While rapidly transitioning to renewable energy is essential, we need not sacrifice public lands and rare species to do so.”

The relatively pristine Ivanpah Valley, just north of the Mojave National Preserve, is home to the threatened desert tortoise and numerous rare plants, while being far removed from any potential workers for building and operating the facility, or customers for the electricity ultimately generated by it. The facility, if built, would permanently destroy more than six square miles of fragile desert habitat in the center of the valley.

The Ivanpah project is one of the furthest along in the approval process of dozens of large-scale solar projects proposed for the California desert. More than 100 applications for solar projects scattered throughout the California desert have been submitted to the Bureau of Land Management. These projects collectively could convert upwards of a half-million acres of natural habitat into lifeless industrial zones.

To better address the issue of where to put solar energy projects on public lands in the western US, the Department of the Interior has begun a programmatic environmental review process with the aim of designating solar energy zones where solar facilities could be clustered and built with fewer environmental impacts. Interior’s initial proposal identifies more than 600,000 acres in six states where solar projects might be appropriate.

The Ivanpah Valley is not within any of Interior’s proposed solar zones.

“Global warming is going to be putting incredible stresses on wildlife and ecosystems, especially in the deserts,” said Anderson. “For species such as the desert tortoise to survive the coming decades, we need to preserve large blocks of intact habitat. Destroying places like Ivanpah Valley in the name of green energy makes no sense, particularly when better alternatives are so clearly available.”

In addition to the tortoise and 10 rare plant species, the Ivanpah project site is home to several rare bat species, the elusive and rare Gila monster, and seven rare bird species, including golden eagles. The proposed project would also impinge on the movement patterns of desert bighorn sheep, which utilise the surrounding mountain peaks.

US firm to build mega solar plant in China

2009-09-09T15:13:00.002+05:30

A solar power plantUS energy firm First Solar will build the world's biggest solar power plant in China. The company has signed a MoU with the Chinese government to build a 2 gigawatt solar power plant in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, China.

The project, which is expected to provide enough power for three million homes, will be built over a multi-year period in various phases. Phase 1 will be a 30 megawatt demonstration project that will begin construction by June 1, 2010.

“This major commitment to solar power is a direct result of the progressive energy policies being adopted in China to create a sustainable, long-term market for solar and a low carbon future for China,” First Solar CEO Mike Ahearn said at the signing ceremony. “The project represents an encouraging step forward toward the mass-scale deployment of solar power worldwide to help mitigate climate change concerns.”
The project will operate under a feed-in-tariff which will guarantee the pricing of electricity produced by the power plant over a long-term period.

“The Chinese feed-in tariff will be critical to this project,” Ahearn said. “This type of forward-looking government policy is necessary to create a strong solar market and facilitate the construction of a project of this size, which in turn continues to drive the cost of solar electricity closer to ‘grid parity’, where it is competitive with traditional energy sources.”

“We are very pleased to be partnering with one of the solar industry’s global technology leaders in a project of such significance to Ordos’s low carbon future,” said Cao Zhichen, vice mayor of Ordos Municipal Government. “Discussions with First Solar about building a factory in China demonstrate to investors in China that they can confidently invest in the most advanced technologies available.”

Solar panel maker bets big on more green jobs

2009-09-08T13:23:00.002+05:30

Thin-film solar maker Solyndra, Inc has commenced construction of its second solar panel manufacturing plant.

Located near its current manufacturing facility in Fremont, California, Fab 2 is designed to produce 500 megawatts per year. The new facility will enable Solyndra to fulfill its announced contractual backlog of over USD2 billion and create additional jobs. Solyndra's two Fabs will produce enough solar panels over their lifetime to cut over 350 million metric tons of CO2 emissions or 850 million barrels of oil.

"The economy needs clean tech alternatives to help it recover, but our planet requires clean tech solutions in order to survive," said Solyndra CEO and founder, Dr. Chris Gronet.

“Fab 2 will allow us to meet customer demand while making a positive impact on the world’s energy and environmental needs. We are grateful for the vision and support of Barack Obama, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Congress, and our investors.”

The first phase of Fab 2 is being financed by public and private sources. Solyndra is the first company to receive a loan guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Energy under Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The USD 535 million loan from the U.S. Treasury, combined with USD 198 million from an equity financing round led by Argonaut Private Equity, provide the capital required for the project. Goldman, Sachs & Co. acted as exclusive financial advisor to Solyndra in connection with the DOE loan guarantee.

Solyndra estimates that the construction of Fab 2 will employ over 3,000 people, the ongoing operation of the facility will create over 1,000 jobs, and that installation of Solyndra PV systems will generate hundreds of additional jobs.

Researchers develop thin films showing promise for solar applications

2009-09-08T11:15:00.001+05:30

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have developed thin films that exhibit carrier multiplication (CM). This development is of great interest for future solar cells.

The films were synthesised at BGU by Prof. Yuval Golan and PhD student Anna Osherov of the Department of Materials Engineering and the Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology. The letter was published this week in Nature Physics.

One of the important factors limiting solar-cell efficiency is that incident photons generate only one electron–hole pair, irrespective of the photon energy. Any excess photon energy is lost as heat.

Carrier Multiplication (CM) has been thought to be enhanced significantly in nanocrystalline materials such as quantum dots, owing to their discrete energy levels and enhanced Coulomb interactions.

The BGU team demonstrated that contrary to this expectation, for a given photon energy, carrier multiplication occurs more efficiently in bulk PbS and PbSe films than in nanocrystalline films of the same materials.

"Films developed at BGU show CM, in which each incoming photon (tiny quantity of sunlight) creates more than one electron-hole pair," Golan explains. "This can potentially be used for making more efficient solar cells. The new physics behind this work are that while CM has been mostly demonstrated in nanocrystalline materials ("quantum dots"), we now show that CM can be obtained also in single crystal ('bulk') films of lead sulfide and lead selenide."

Notably, the films were prepared using chemical solution deposition, an attractive, inexpensive deposition technique for which the Golan group at BGU has received considerable recognition. The research was carried out as part of an international collaboration with counterparts in France and the Netherlands.

Around the world in a solar-powered vessel

2009-09-03T15:24:00.003+05:30

Photo for representation use onlyA solar-powered ship is all set to navigate around the world. Being constructed at the Knierim Tachtbau shipyard in Kiel, Germany, the ship is hailed as the largest solar-powered vessel in the world.

PlanetSolar is expected to enter the water in April 2011. The multlihull vessel is topped by a large array of photovoltaic solar panels. The engineeres claim that the ship, currently at the design stage, will be a boat of impressive proportions, and will be both silent and clean. The goal is to navigate around the world at an average speed of 8 knots, no mean feat for a solar-powered craft.

The ideal shape and size of the boat for the chosen route will be determined by in-depth research. The PlanetSolar engineers have to factor in a host of parameters, propulsion, solar panel design, energy storage, materials, and the external environment.

A whole range of studies will need to be conducted in areas such as the boat's hydro and aerodynamics, the materials used, the management and storage of energy and, finally, the power plant and the optimal routing.

The multihull will be home to two sailors during the round-the-world attempt, and can accommodate up to 50 people during the promotional trips planned at each port of call.

Ports of call will include New York, Miami, San Francisco, Shanghai, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Carns.

India to develop Hamirpur and Shimla as solar cities

2009-09-03T00:48:00.001+05:30

In a recent development, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, India's Minister of New and Renewable Energy, has proposed the development Hamirpur and Shimla in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh as solar cities.

The plan also includes the development of solar parks at the Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry at Noni in the Solan district, and at National Institute of Technology at Hamirpur. The decision to develop solar power in the state was taken at a high-level meeting between Abdullah and Prem Kumar Dhumal, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.

In Hamirpur and Shimla, Abdullah has proposed financial assistance to convert the energy systems at the government secretariat Raj Bhavan and other public buildings to solar power. Himachal Pradesh has several places of religious interest, and the government plans to utilise solar power to address their energy needs.

The government also plans to launch the "Griha" scheme in the state, which will help develop high-quality solar power equipment and infrastructure for commercial and domestic use. Himachal Pradesh, which is endowed with natural resources, is also identifying projects to develop its 23,185-megawatt (MW) hydropower potential. At present, only 10 per cent of this potential is being tapped.

India also has identified 60 locations to roll out solar cities during the 11th five-year plan period, 2007-12. The cities of Chandigarh and Nagpur are expected to be model cities. Nagpur in Maharashtra, touted to be the first solar city, is expected to be "solar ready" by 2012. A solar city will implement energy-efficient technologies and fulfill at least 10 per cent of its energy demand from renewable energy sources.

The Ministry for New and Renewable Energy will bear 50 per cent of the expense to develop the solar city, while the remainder will be contributed by the municipal corporation and the state government. Financial assistance of USD102,798 per city from the ministry will be provided as follows:

•USD20,560 for preparation of a master plan.

•USD20,560 for making funding arrangements with financial institutions.

•USD41,118 toward creating awareness, promotions and capacity building.

•USD20,560 toward oversight expenses in implementation.

In a solar city, solar energy will be used to provide street and garden lighting, traffic signals, water heating, hoarding and other public lighting. While the concept of "green buildings" will be promoted aggressively, each solar city will target at least 50 MW of solar power generation.

India, which has about 300 days of sunshine in a year, is expected to announce the USD19 billion "National Solar Policy" in November. The policy is expected to provide impetus to the development of solar power in the country. Industry experts say that the policy is likely to extend huge benefits, rebates and incentives to producers and users of solar power. The three-pronged solar mission aims to generate 20,000 MW of solar power by the year 2020. The policy will focus on encouraging domestic production of solar equipment by reducing manufacturing costs. There are plans to make solar lighting compulsory in public buildings, hotels and hospitals.

Small towns and cities will be provided with micro-financing options to boost the implementation of solar power schemes. Support and incentives will be provided for research and development of new solar technologies. The government is also likely to unveil a payment system for buying surplus power from commercial and domestic users of solar power. The implementation of the mission is expected to help India reduce about 42 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Solar power from space: No more a science fiction

2009-09-01T16:50:00.004+05:30

For more than 40 years, scientists have dreamed of collecting the sun’s energy in space and beaming it back to Earth. Now, a host of technological advances, coupled with interest from the U.S. military, may be bringing that vision close to reality.

Despite the enormous promise of solar power, the drawbacks of the technology remain significant. People need electricity every day, around the clock, but there’s no part of the US that is cloud-free 365 days a year, and no solar radiation at night. You have to find some way to store the energy for those sunless periods, and there’s not yet a large-scale way to do that.

Moreover, the best locations for solar arrays, the deserts of the American Southwest, are far from the centers of population, so even under the best of circumstances you’d have to send electricity many hundreds of miles through transmission lines that don’t yet exist.

But there is a way to tap into the sun’s energy 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and send it anywhere on the globe: Launch solar panels into space and beam the power back to Earth.

The concept sounds far-fetched and wildly impractical, and when the Pentagon and space enthusiasts began talking about it back in the 1960s and 1970s, it was. Recently, however, the idea of space-based solar power, or SBSP, has begun to look less like science fiction and more like a technology whose time may be coming, with the Pentagon and private companies ramping up efforts to make space-based solar power a reality.

Two years ago, the Pentagon’s National Security Space Office (NSSO) issued a report recommending that the U.S. “begin a coordinated national programme to develop SBSP.” A year ago, engineers did a small but successful experiment using some of the technology that will be employed in SBSP, taking energy from solar cells, converting it to microwaves, and then beaming it 92 miles from Maui to the Big Island of Hawaii, where it was converted back into 20 watts worth of electricity.

And last spring, the California-based Solaren Corporation signed a contract with Pacific Gas & Electric (PE&G) to provide 200 megawatts of power, about half the output of an average coal-fired power plant, by 2016 by launching solar arrays into space. Several other companies have announced their intentions to put up solar satellites of their own.

Doubts abound that space-based solar power will come to pass anytime soon, and for good reason: The technology involves launching a series of large satellites into space, using robotic technology to assemble the solar arrays, transmitting the energy 22,000 miles to earth using microwave technology, and then converting that energy to electricity on the ground.

The fact is, however, that all of that is now feasible, if pricey, thanks to technological advances in recent years. These include cheaper and more reliable launch technology, lighter and stronger materials for solar stations, significant improvements in the robotic technology needed to assemble the solar arrays, far more efficient solar cells, more precise digital devices to direct that energy accurately to earth, and significantly smaller and more powerful microwave transmitters and receivers.

The big question is whether this engineering feat can be pulled off at a price competitive with terrestrial solar power. So far, the Pentagon’s estimate of what it will cost, USD10 billion to put a 10-megawatt experimental solar station in orbit by 2016, is five times higher than Solaren’s and would produce far less power.

A number of factors are driving the renewed interest in space-based solar power, including the push to cut greenhouse-gas emissions and growing interest from the military. But neither of these forces would mean much if the technology was outrageously expensive or too impractical.

It was a little bit of both when SBSP was first proposed in 1968 by an engineer named Peter Glaser, who worked for the consulting firm Arthur D. Little on a variety of space-related projects. The basic components, solar cells and microwave transmitters and receivers, already existed, and as the Apollo programme began to wind down, NASA was trying to figure out what to do next.

In particular, says John Mankins, who became the manager for advanced concepts for NASA during the 1990s, “They were trying to figure out what to do with the space shuttle.” One idea was to begin launching space habitats, to get large numbers of people living and working in space. “These people would need something to do,” says Mankins, “so one idea was that they’d build solar-power satellites.”

Studies showed that it was a feasible, but daunting, proposition. “This was in the days before PCs, microelectronics, robotics,” says Mankins. “The idea of something like the shuttle’s robotic arm was unimaginable. So you’d need these big crews to bolt the things together, and the satellites themselves would have had to be physically enormous. We’d need a new launch system that would dwarf the space shuttle.”

The bottom line, he says, was that it could be done, but it would have cost the equivalent of a trillion of today’s dollars to get the first kilowatt of power, and it would have taken 20 years. “The National Research Council and the Office of Technology Assessment looked at it,” recalled Mankins. “One of them said, ‘Let’s revisit this in ten years.’ The other said, ‘Let’s never consider this again.’”

In the mid-1990s, NASA did revisit the concept. Under Mankins’ direction, a team of engineers was assembled to see whether advances in technology made space-based solar power more feasible. “The basic answer,” he says, “was ‘yes.’”

In the past decade two other factors have emerged to boost the prospects of SBSP: climate change and interest from the military.

There is a growing recognition that non-carbon energy sources will be crucial if the world is going to avoid the worst effects of climate change. It’s almost inevitable that carbon emissions will end up being taxed one way or another, and when they are, renewables like SBSP will immediately become more competitive economically.

That’s what motivates Solaren and PE&G. Although it is cloaking its work in secrecy, Solaren has said it will cost roughly USD2 billion to launch a handful of satellites carrying the equipment that will be robotically assembled into a single, large solar station. One way the company plans to boost efficiency is to use parabolic reflectors to concentrate sunlight onto the solar cells.

“The biggest expense,” says Cal Boerman, Solaren’s director of energy services, “is the cost of getting into space, and we’re convinced we can get the weight down to the point where we can do this with a minimum number of launches.”

As with any SBSP system, the energy will be converted into microwaves and beamed down to a so-called rectenna, an antenna that “rectifies” the microwaves back into electricity. Solaren’s, to be located near Fresno, Calif., will consist of an array of smaller antennas that will cover about a square kilometer, far less real estate than you’d need if you were using ground-based solar cells to gather an equivalent amount of power.

Because Solaren’s satellite will be in geostationary orbit, the antennas won’t have to track it across the sky; like a satellite TV receiver, they’ll always aim at a fixed point in the sky. At 22,000 miles up, a geostationary satellite is in full sunlight virtually all the time.

As for safety, he says, the fact that the microwaves are spread out over a square kilometer means that they’d be relatively harmless to, say, a flock of birds that happened to fly through them. And if the beam should wander, the satellite will be programmed to scatter it.

Solaren isn’t the only company trying to commercialise SBSP: PowerSat, based in Everett, Wash., has recently filed patents for its own space-power system, which will use an array of hundreds of small satellites linked together rather than one large one. PowerSat says it can reduce some of the high costs of putting the technology in space by using solar energy to power electronic thrusters to maneuver the satellites into orbit. A Swiss company, Space Energy, is also working on SBSP. Solaren is the only one, though, with a contract with a utility. “As we talked to investors,” says Boerman, “they naturally asked, ‘Can you sell it?’”

If this first project works out, Solaren eventually wants to put in orbit satellites that can generate a gigawatt of electricity, enough to power roughly 1 million homes.

Such futuristic schemes have understandably generated a great deal of skepticism. Space experts have been debating the issue online, with some arguing that Solaren’s project will be far more expensive than the company estimates, in part because it could take more than a dozen launches, not just four, as the company stated, to get the solar station into space.

But the military’s interest in SBSP could give a major boost to the technology. According to Marine Corps Lt. Col. Paul Damphousse, Chief of Advanced Concepts for the National Security Space Office, the military is interested in SBSP for two main reasons.

The first, he said, is that “we’re obviously interested in energy security, and we’re also interested in weaning ourselves off fossil fuels because climate change could pose national security risks.” But there would also be a tactical advantage to space-based solar, Damphousse noted. When the military is operating in remote regions of countries like Iraq or Afghanistan, it uses diesel generators to supply forward bases with power.

“We have a significant footprint getting energy in,” says Damphousse, noting the need for frequent convoys of oil tankers, the soldiers to protect them, and air support, all of which is expensive and dangerous.

Being able to tap into power beamed directly down from space would clearly have a lot of appeal, says Damphousse, even if it were relatively costly. And it’s not just useful for the battlefield, he says, but also for areas affected by natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina.

For those reasons, Damphousse supports the idea of coordinated studies by the Pentagon and other agencies, such as NASA and the Department of Energy, that would have a stake in space-based power.

“We might, for example, do some experiments on the International Space Station, which is already up there and generating 110 kilowatts of power from its own solar cells,” he says, “rather than having to send up a dedicated test satellite.”

Such cooperation might appeal to NASA. “I suspect that NASA will start working on energy and on more advanced technology and less on, ‘Let’s get to the moon by 2018,’” says Mankins.

By undertaking some of the research and being an early customer for SBSP, the government could rapidly accelerate development of the technology. Historians of aviation agree that the government’s decision to back air mail played a major role in developing the aircraft industry, leading to technological innovations and economies of scale. The same phenomenon could take an emerging but outlandish-sounding technology and push it into the energy mainstream.

Author: Michael D Lemonick
Yale Environment 360