Recently in Solar Energy Category
Sandia manages new DOE renewable energy program
DOE to invest up to $24 million for breakthrough solar energy products
Sandia National Laboratories has been chosen as project manager of a new Department of Energy renewable energy program called Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS). The project will involve 12 industry teams from around the country. DOE will invest up to $24 million in FY08 and beyond on the project, depending on the availability of funds.
The program will provide critical research and development funding to develop less expensive, higher performing products to enhance the value of solar photovoltaics (PV) systems to homeowners, business owners, and the nation's electric utilities. These projects are part of President Bush's Solar America Initiative, which aims to make solar energy cost-competitive with conventional forms of electricity by 2015.
"We are pleased to have the opportunity to lead this large effort that promises to be an important component of our country's energy strategy for years to come," says Margie Tatro, director of Sandia's Fuel and Water Systems Center. "Increasing the use of alternative and clean energy technologies such as solar is critical to diversifying the nation's energy sources and reducing our dependence on foreign oil."
DOE and Sandia selected 12 industry teams to participate in the first slate of cost-shared collaborative contracts focusing on conceptual design of hardware components and market analysis: Apollo Solar, EMTEC, Enphase, General Electric, Nextek Power Systems, Petra Solar, Princeton Power, Premium Power, PV Powered, Smart Spark, Florida Solar Energy Center of the University of Central Florida, and VPT Energy Inc.
Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin company, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. With main facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif., Sandia has major R&D responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.
California committed to getting a third of its electricity from
renewable sources by 2020 in a Monday executive order by Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger. This expands on the earlier commitment to produce 20%
of its power from renewables such as wind and solar by 2010 as part of
its plan to cut emissions of carbon that contribute to global warming.
Read more at California Green Solutions
Sustainable Brands International, December 9-11, 2008 in Miami Beach, FL.Join Andrew Winston, co-author of the critically acclaimed "Green to Gold," for a summit of leading innovators who are leveraging sustainability to drive new operating efficiencies, reduce risks and costs, and build stronger ties to shareholders, employees and the communities in which they work.
Welcome to Sustainable Brands International!
Over 100 sustainable brand leaders are already registered and 300 are
expected to convene at Sustainable Brands International, December 9-11
in Miami Beach, FL.
What is Sustainable Brands International (SBi)?
At SBi you'll find the antidote to negative world news. A place where change makers gather to share their latest learning and ideas about how to create new business value in today's rapidly changing landscape.
SBi convenes a dynamic mix of big global brands and innovative start ups. Of product designers, sustainability thought leaders and brand communications experts. This mash up people from different market sectors, geographic regions, company sizes and business responsibilities creates one high energy, thought provoking, personally challenging experience that past participants say goes down as among their best conference experiences ever. Its no wonder that past speakers become the first to return as registrants to the next event.www.sustainablebrandsinternational.com
David Roland-Holst, a professor of agriculture and resource economics at UC Berkeley. "We cannot afford to miss this market opportunity."
California's per-capita electricity use is about 40% less than the national average, Roland-Holst said, largely because of government-mandated energy efficiency standards for utilities, buildings and appliances put into effect over the last four decades.
Roland-Holst found that the lower use has enabled Californians to save $56 billion on energy since 1972. That money was spent in the local economy, he said, instead of on imported oil, out-of-state electricity or building new power plants. The result: 1.5 million additional California jobs with a total payroll exceeding $45 billion.
Programs like AB 32 will have a multiplier effect
California's Environmental Innovation Advantage
Some of California's leading companies agree with Roland-Holst's assessment that environmental innovation could become a pillar of the California economy.Read more about the report: Energy Efficiency, Innovation, and Job Creation in California (by David Roland-Holst, UC Berkeley, Oct. 2008)
Energy
consumption is one of six factors incorporated into the tally of Forbes magazines's "Greenest States", closely
linked to other "green" standards, including air quality and carbon
dioxide emissions.
Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy, summarized the situation in a recent presentation to Oak Ridge National Laboratory employees: "The South is the Gobi Desert of energy efficiency."
Energy Efficiency Potential Provides Greatest Savings
While bioenergy, nuclear and other expanding energy options are important, "the potential of energy efficiency is probably greater than any other resource." She views the confluence of record prices for oil and increasing anxiety over carbon emissions as a "perfect storm" that makes the attitude of both the market and the public ripe for fundamental change.
Recognizing these trends, Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers are
developing an array of energy-efficient appliances, testing
energy-saving building materials and refining a zero-energy home that
literally will produce more energy than it consumes.
As world energy
demand collides with the growing public desire for a carbon-constrained
environment, ORNL increasingly is recognized as a source of expertise
for cities, states and utilities looking to trim bulging energy
waistlines. The Tennessee Valley Authority has joined state and local
government as well as non-profit energy efficiency advocate groups in
asking the Laboratory to provide input for policy, incentives and
technologies to transform the desert of consumption into an oasis of
energy efficiency.
Demonstrating a renewed commitment to energy efficiency, the TVA board recently named Joe Hoagland, former senior advisor to TVA President Tom Kilgore, to a newly created post of vice president for energy efficiency and demand response. Hoagland's first task is to determine how much energy savings TVA needs to achieve in order to meet growing energy demands over the next 20 years.
Times have clearly changed. "In order to meet the goals of low cost and
reliability, energy efficiency and demand response are now tools as
much as our assets that generate electricity," Hoagland says, adding
that TVA's strategy also incorporates environmental concerns. "A
megawatt not produced is a green megawatt.
"A megawatt not produced is a green megawatt." |
When Hoagland came to his new post last fall, he was asked to determine what was needed to generate 1,200 megawatts of energy savings, or the equivalent of one large nuclear or coal-fired power plant, by 2013. "As we begin to understand the situation better, I'm not sure that is going to be enough. I expect that we will need to cut back more, much more," he says.
Meeting the challenge will require TVA to adopt a combination of tactics, including new technologies, rate restructuring, education and customer incentives to achieve the required savings. The agency has signed a memorandum of understanding with ORNL as a first step in what Hoagland envisions as a growing, and necessary, partnership with the Laboratory.
"ORNL has a broad expertise in energy efficient technologies to help us
do things better," he says. Oak Ridge researchers have unique
experience in
- designing zero-energy homes,
- creative construction
techniques,
- new insulation technologies and
- a sophisticated set of
energy efficiency standards.
If these
initiatives prove successful, the potential impact is enormous. ORNL
researchers believe that fully one-half of the South's anticipated
increase in energy demand can be met through energy efficiency.
Read more about ORNL's Southern Energy Efficiency Initiatives
On the roof of the largest research building along the courtyard of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's new east campus, perches a 700-watt solar system. The combination of concentrating solar modules and a turntable tracker makes the photovoltaic system more efficient and less costly than conventional systems. In each module 24 reflectors focus sunlight onto 72 single-crystal silicon solar cells. The four 175-watt modules concentrate sunlight up to three times its normal strength, reducing by two-thirds the number of expensive silicon cells required to produce the same amount of electricity.
Solar Tracker
An inexpensive solar tracker keeps the modules facing the sun
throughout the day, theoretically increasing the energy output as much
as 35% in some regions. ORNL purchased and installed the system in
September 2007.
Hybrid Solar Lighting
The rooms at the top of a nearby four-story research building are illuminated by hybrid solar lighting. In this technology pioneered by ORNL, sunlight is piped into rooms through optical fibers, and intelligent sensors adjust artificial light levels needed by occupants during cloudy days.
Sunlight Direct of Oak Ridge is commercializing this technology, which has entered the demonstration phase with installed systems at locations owned by Wal-Mart, Staples, Battelle and San Diego State University.
Thin-Film Solar Cells
ORNL materials researchers using the plasma arc lamp hope to demonstrate elimination of defects from multicrystalline and amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells, which are less efficient than single-crystal solar cells but less expensive to make. Measurements of these processed materials will be made at the new Center for Advanced Thin-film Solar Cells. (See Research Horizons: A Renewed Interest)
The Department of Energy, is a major driver behind ORNL's expanded research in solar energy. Craig Cornelius, acting program manager of Solar Energy Technologies in DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, has indicated that greater funding for research to make solar materials more efficient and less expensive will be available to national laboratories.
ORNL, which boasts one of the world's leading materials research capabilities, proposes innovative basic technology research to help meet DOE solar materials challenges.
The Department of Energy has mandated that by 2013 7.5%
of all energy used at national laboratories
must be produced from renewable energy.
ORNL plans to install more photovoltaic panels, perhaps as solar walkways and solar roofs over parking lots, and possibly biomassfired boilers, to help achieve that goal.
Cornelius, who leads the Solar America Initiative as part of the
President's Advanced Energy Initiative, has stated that DOE's goal is
to make solar energy cost-competitive with conventional forms of
electricity by 2015. DOE predicts that by 2015, solar energy will
produce 15 gigawatts, enough to power 11.2 million American homes.
Read more about Solar Energy Research
Pacific Gas and Electric out here in California announced that it reached an agreement with BrightSource Energy to build three new solar-powered electric generating stations in the Mojave Desert. The three could eventually generate up to 900 megawatts of electricity, or the same amount as a major coal-fired power plant, only at lower cost and without producing any greenhouse gases. The first plant, producing 100 megawatts, and planned for Ivanpah, California could be online as early as 2011. According to the labor agreement signed by the building trades unions and utilities in 1997, the jobs to build and maintain the plants will be high-paying, clean energy union jobs.
“Solar thermal energy is an especially attractive renewable power source because it is available
when needed most in California – during the peak mid-day summer period,” said Fong Wan, vice
president of energy procurement at PG&E. “Through these agreements with BrightSource, we continue
to broaden our renewable energy portfolio and provide our customers with some of the cleanest energy
in the nation.”
BrightSource’s goal is to substantially lower the cost and increase the use of solar energy
throughout the Western United States. “PG&E is making this goal possible by committing to power
purchase agreements that will bring the benefit of carbon-free power to their customers,” noted John
Woolard, president and CEO of BrightSource in making this announcement. “PG&E is demonstrating
true leadership in bringing large scale solar power to California.”
The first of these solar power plants, sized at 100 MW in Ivanpah, California, could be
operating as early as 2011 and is expected to produce 246,000 megawatt hours of renewable electricity
per year. BrightSource will build and place in commercial operation each of its plants as quickly as
permitting and infrastructure allow.
The contracts filed today with the California Public Utilities Commission are part of PG&E’s
broader renewable energy portfolio. Since 2002, PG&E has entered into contracts for more than 2,000
MW of renewable power. California law requires each investor-owned utility to increase the share of
eligible renewable generating resources in its electric power portfolio to 20 percent by 2010. PG&E has
made contractual commitments to have over 20 percent of its future deliveries from renewables. For
2008, PG&E expects to have 14 percent of its energy delivered from renewable sources.
About BrightSource Energy, Inc.
BrightSource Energy designs and builds large-scale power plants capable of delivering solar energy to
industrial and utility customers at prices competitive with fossil fuels. BrightSource enables industrial
and utility customers to lessen their dependency on fossil fuels by providing a clean source of power.
Luz II, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of BrightSource Energy, is located in Israel and is responsible
for solar technology development and the supply of solar fields to BrightSource plants.
Privately held, BrightSource Energy is headquartered in Oakland, California. Further information for
BrightSource and Luz II may be found at www.brightsourceenergy.com.
About Pacific Gas and Electric Co
.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation, is one of the largest combined
natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees,
the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to 15 million people in northern and central
California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/about/.
The three most common thin-film technologies are amorphous silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS).
Of these, CIGS currently has demonstrated the highest laboratory efficiency at 19.5% (NREL, measured in earth conditions) with CdTe close behind. CIGS thin-film technologies can be placed on a wide variety of substrate materials making it possible to manufacture very lightweight, flexible solar cells on metals and plastics. To put it into perspective, the thickness of a flexible CIGS device is approximately the same as the thickness of a human hair, making it very flexible and lightweight
Read more about Thin-film PV technology at Ascent Solar
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (AST) is the most recent company created by ITN Energy Systems who established AST in 2005 to manufacturer state of the art, thin-film monolithically-integrated CIGS flexible photovoltaic modules.
Through close interaction with ‘early adopters‘ and established prime contractors in the space, near space and commercial and residential building markets, Ascent Solar plans to develop a solution that provides a system-level advantage over traditional technologies and other thin-film vendors. By combining its new manufacturing facility with over a decade’s worth of R&D in this area, the company moves closer to its long term vision: to lead the emergence and acceptance of thin-film photovoltaics in the space and near-space industries and provide affordable solutions for clean energy that makes Building Integrated PV products as pervasive on rooftops and siding as materials like plywood are today.
Under terms of the agreement, AES, one of the world's largest global power companies, and Riverstone, a New York-based energy and power-focused private equity firm, will each provide up to $500 million of capital over five years to invest in PV solar projects around the world.
The jointly owned entity, to be called AES Solar, will seek to
become a leading global developer, owner and operator of utility-scale
solar installations that will be connected to the power grids that
supply homes and businesses.
These installations, ranging from fewer than two to more than 50 megawatts in size, will consist of land-based solar PV panels that capture sunlight and convert it into electricity, feeding the power grid directly.
The business will follow the traditional independent power producer and wind business growth models by initially focusing on developments and projects in those countries offering the most attractive tariffs. As the costs of both PV panels and installation come down, AES Solar will look to expand into other countries with appropriate market incentives, with the goal of "grid parity" - being competitive with conventional fuels.
AES Renewable Energy Portfolio
"Renewable energy is an increasingly significant part of AES's overall portfolio and currently accounts for 20 percent of our global generation capacity," said Paul Hanrahan, AES President and Chief Executive Officer. "Solar is a natural extension of our business, much as wind generation has been, and we see tremendous opportunity for growth in this market. We look forward to partnering with Riverstone in this joint venture, to make solar power a viable energy source worldwide."
Ralph Alexander, a Managing Director of Riverstone Holdings, said, "Because of its scale, this joint venture has the potential to change the fundamental economics of solar power. We are excited about partnering with AES, which we recognize as a world-class partner. The timing is right for this project given the spread of renewable power standards around the world, high energy prices and the continued progress of the solar photovoltaics industry to improve performance and reduce costs. Together, these trends present a substantial opportunity to create value and meet the world's growing demand for clean energy."
The joint venture will be managed by a seven-member board of directors. Three directors each will be appointed by AES and Riverstone. Robert Hemphill will serve as President and CEO and the seventh member of the board. Mr. Hemphill joined AES in 1981 and has held a series of senior leadership positions, including serving as AES's Executive Vice President of Global Development. He also served as a member of the AES Board of Directors for seven years.
About AES
AES is one of the world's largest global power companies, with
2007 revenues of $13.6 billion. With operations in 28 countries on
five continents, AES's generation and distribution facilities have the
capacity to serve 100 million people worldwide. The company's 13
regulated utilities amass annual sales of over 78,000 GWh and our 121
generation facilities have the capacity to generate approximately
43,000 megawatts. AES has a global workforce of 28,000 people.
To learn more about AES, please visit www.aes.com
About Riverstone Holdings LLC
Riverstone Holdings LLC is a New York-based energy and power focused private equity firm founded in 2000. Riverstone conducts buyout and growth capital investments in the midstream, upstream, power, oilfield services, and renewable sectors of the energy industry. To date, the firm has committed more than $8 billion to 47 investments across these five sectors, representing companies with nearly $70 billion of assets. For more information, visit www.riverstonellc.com.
