Fluctuating energy costs can make it difficult for homeowners to budget their heating bills during the cold winter months.  That is why many are looking into alternative sources of energy for water heating.  One source that is gaining popularity is solar thermal energy, a system that uses energy from the sun to heat a water “tank” that then distributes the warmed water throughout the home. A solar thermal energy system can save money over the long run, and there are government programs that can help reduce installation costs in the short run.

“Solar thermal utilizes the sun’s energy to create heat, so the operating price remains steady over time compared to conventional heat sources,” said Nigel Cotton, Solar Water Heating Global Leader of the International Copper Association (ICA) and founder of Solarthermalworld.org, a web portal for solar thermal professionals.

Cotton went on to explain that most solar thermal hot water heating systems in the home reduce dependence on conventional energy sources over the long-run, but there is an upfront installation cost which needs to be recognized.  That is why it pays to learn about the variety of governmental programs that homebuyers can take advantage of to reduce the cost of installation.

The Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) currently offers those installing a solar thermal system a 30% tax credit on the cost of their system. Locally, one common incentive is the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, which allows municipalities to finance installations through property taxes.  To find out more click here.

“Installing a solar thermal system is attractive to many people because it utilizes a renewable natural resource—the sun— to provide warmth,” concluded Bärbel Epp, Solarthermalworld.org newsletter editor. “Assuming that energy prices continue to rise, solar heating systems create a lasting financial benefit for families.”

About SolarThermalWorld.org:

Solarthermalworld.org is a global knowledge-based web portal for solar thermal professionals. It offers the latest news and information on the development of the international solar thermal sector. This website forms a worldwide forum for experts on solar thermal technology and those interested in the development of the market. It is hosted by the Global Solar Thermal Energy Council (GSTEC).

Source: Solar Energy Directory

In the effort to convert sunlight into electricity, photovoltaic solar cells that use conductive organic polymers for light absorption and conversion have shown great potential. Organic polymers can be produced in high volumes at low cost, resulting in photovoltaic devices that are cheap, lightweight and flexible.

In the last few years, much work has been done to improve the efficiency with which these devices convert sunlight into power, including the development of new materials, device structures and processing techniques.

In a new study, available online this week in the journal Nature Photonics, researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and UCLA’s California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI) report that they have significantly enhanced polymer solar cells’ performance by building a device with a new “tandem” structure that combines multiple cells with different absorption bands. The device had a certified power-conversion efficiency of 8.62 percent and set a world record in July 2011.

Further, after the researchers incorporated a new infrared-absorbing polymer material provided by Sumitomo Chemical of Japan into the device, the device’s architecture proved to be widely applicable and the power-conversion efficiency jumped to 10.6 percent — a new record — as certified by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

By using cells with different absorption bands, tandem solar cells provide an effective way to harvest a broader spectrum of solar radiation. However, the efficiency doesn’t automatically increase by simply combining two cells. The materials for the tandem cells have to be compatible with each other for efficient light harvesting, the researchers said.

Until now, the performance of tandem devices lagged behind single-layer solar cells, mainly due to this lack of suitable polymer materials. UCLA Engineering researchers have demonstrated highly efficient single-layer and tandem polymer solar cells featuring a low-band-gap–conjugated polymer specially designed for the tandem structure. The band gap determines the portion of the solar spectrum a polymer absorbs.

“Envision a double-decker bus,” said Yang Yang, a professor of materials science and engineering at UCLA Engineering and principal investigator on the research. “The bus can carry a certain number of passengers on one deck, but if you were to add a second deck, you could hold many more people for the same amount of space. That’s what we’ve done here with the tandem polymer solar cell.”

To use solar radiation more effectively, Yang’s team stacked, in series, multiple photoactive layers with complementary absorption spectra to construct a tandem polymer solar cell. Their tandem structure consists of a front cell with a larger (or high) band gap material and a rear cell with a smaller (or low) band gap polymer, connected by a designed interlayer.

When compared to a single-layer device, the tandem device is more efficient in utilizing solar energy, particularly by minimizing other energy losses. By using more than one absorption material, each capturing a different part of the solar spectrum, the tandem cell is able to maintain the current and increase the output voltage. These factors enable the increase in efficiency, the researchers said.

“The solar spectra is very broad and covers the visible as well as the invisible, the infrared and the UV,” said Shuji Doi, research group manager for Sumitomo Chemical. “We are very excited that Sumitomo’s low–band gap polymer has contributed to the new record efficiency.”

“We have been doing research in tandem solar cells for a much shorter length of time than in the single-junction devices,” said Gang Li, a member of the research faculty at UCLA Engineering and a co-author of the Nature Photonics paper. “For us to achieve such success in improving the efficiency in this short time period truly demonstrates the great potential of tandem solar cell technology.”

“Everything is done by a very low-cost wet-coating process,” Yang said. “As this process is compatible with current manufacturing, I anticipate this technology will become commercially viable in the near future.”

This study opens up a new direction for polymer chemists to pursue designs of new materials for tandem polymer solar cells. Furthermore, it indicates an important step towards the commercialization of polymer solar cells. Yang said his team hopes to reach 15 percent efficiency in the next few years.

Yang, who holds UCLA’s Carol and Lawrence E. Tannas Jr. Endowed Chair in Engineering, is also faculty director of the Nano Renewable Energy Center at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA.

The study was supported by the National Science Foundation, the U.S Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the U.S. Office of Naval Research and the U.S. Department of Energy, together with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Sumitomo Chemical is one of Japan’s leading chemical companies, offering a diverse range of products globally in the fields of basic chemicals, petro-chemicals, IT-related chemicals and materials, agricultural chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. The company’s consolidated net sales for fiscal year 2010 were $ 23.8 billion.

The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, established in 1945, offers 28 academic and professional degree programs and has an enrollment of more than 5,000 students. The school’s distinguished faculty are leading research to address many of the critical challenges of the 21st century, including renewable energy, clean water, health care, wireless sensing and networking, and cybersecurity. Ranked among the top 10 engineering schools at public universities nationwide, the school is home to nine multimillion-dollar interdisciplinary research centers in wireless sensor systems, nanoelectronics, nanomedicine, renewable energy, customized computing, and the smart grid, all funded by federal and private agencies.
(www.engineer.ucla.edu | www.twitter.com/uclaengineering)

Source: Solar Energy Directory

Source: Solar Energy Directory

The Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit working to eliminate energy poverty through the use of solar power, today announced that it is launching “Energy is a Human Right,” a campaign to provide a voice to the nearly 1.5 billion people around the world living without access to electricity and other forms of modern energy. It is also calling upon the international development community and general public to join the campaign by visiting www.EnergyIsAHumanRight.com to show their support for those living in energy poverty, and to learn how they can help provide energy access to assist in their economic, education, health and agricultural development.

“For the last 15 years, SELF has always believed and said that energy is essential for life,” says Bob Freling, Executive Director, SELF. “Access to energy is foundational to achieving a broad range of basic human rights and all of the Millennium Development Goals. Without it, life is very, very difficult as I’m sure 1.5 billion people can attest to.”

Through its Whole Village development model, SELF works hand-in-hand with communities to create and implement innovative solar energy solutions to improve people’s health and education, ensure food and water security, and spur economic development. Recently, it made a commitment to the United Nation’s Sustainable Energy for All Initiative to continue scaling up this model in Benin, West Africa by installing solar systems to power water systems, schools, health clinics, community centers, and street and household lighting systems. Mr. Freling is also co-chairing the initiative’s Working Group on Energy and Health, which will be examining ways to provide access to renewable energy sources for hospitals and health care clinics to support medical services.

“We proudly support the U.N. initiative and look forward to closely working with them to provide universal access to energy to those in need,” says Freling. “Our hope in launching this human rights campaign is to call attention to the critical role energy can play in helping people lift themselves out of poverty and create a better life.”

About SELF
The Solar Electric Light Fund is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit whose mission is to implement solar energy solutions in developing countries to assist rural communities with economic, education, health and agricultural development.  Its “Whole Village” development model takes an innovative approach in using integrated solar systems to improve the lives of the 1.5 billion people living in energy poverty throughout the world. Since 1990, SELF has completed projects in more than 20 countries, pioneering unique applications of solar power for drip irrigation in Benin, health care in Haiti, telemedicine in the Amazon rainforest, online learning in South Africa, and microenterprise development in Nigeria. Connect with SELF on the web at www.SELF.org; on Twitter @solarfund; and at www.Facebook.com/solarelectriclightfund.

Source: Solar Energy Directory

SunRidge Farms, a California-based company best known for its large offering of natural and organic foods, snacks, confections, and trail mixes, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with the completion of its new solar panel expansion. 2,500 U.S.A.-made solar panels now line the roofs on top of its candy-making facility and warehouses.

“We founded our company on a commitment to respect the sanctity of the earth and to contribute to a healthy lifestyle.  Our investment in solar energy is an important part of that commitment” said Morty Cohen, President and CEO of SunRidge Farms. “We are excited because this expansion will allow us to continue delivering the high quality foods that our consumers love and deserve, at a reduced environmental cost.”

The addition of 1,960 new solar panels brings the company’s solar panel system from 99,000 Kilowatt hours to 785,000 Kilowatt hours of annual production. This enables the system to supply 35-40 percent of the company’s energy needs. In addition, the system will keep an estimated 1.3-million pounds of CO2 from entering the earth’s atmosphere each year. That’s the equivalent of planting 1,800 acres of trees.

The expanded solar panel system is just the latest living green effort implemented by SunRidge Farms. In fact, this year the company celebrates 30 years of green practices, including the following:

~ Offering a bike-to-work program that pays employees $ 5 a day to bike to and from work.

~ Using biodiesel delivery trucks and hybrid cars for its sales team.

~ Providing staff with a 24 hour work and recreation center with state of the art equipment,
onsite yoga classes, recycling education classes, and more.

~ Installing full spectrum lighting in office workspaces, low voltage/low energy lighting in the warehouses, and optimal, clean, filtered air system for its staff.

~ Installing low-flow water-saving devices and making use of recycling programs throughout its facilities.

“We are delighted to be operating on clean energy,” said Mark Devencenzi, national sales director and company spokesman for SunRidge Farms. “We are always looking for opportunities to expand and improve our vision.  Our new solar panels are a huge help
towards that end.”

SunRidge Farms has worked diligently over the past several years and is now certified as a Green Business by the Monterey County Green Business Program. The initial installation of solar panels in 2007 was a key component in achieving its green business certificate in
September of 2010.

ABOUT SUNRIDGE FARMS
Based in Pajaro, California, SunRidge Farms is a family-owned and operated manufacturer and distributor of the finest certified organic and natural foods, both bulk and packaged. Founded in 1982 with a mission of promoting healthy living through the quality, integrity, and environmental sensibility of the products they create, SunRidge Farms offers a diverse array of more than 1,000 organic and natural trail and snack mixes, confections, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, granolas and cereals, grains, beans, teas, coffees, and spices. All products are made sustainably in a manufacturing plant powered with solar energy. They are available throughout the U.S.A., Canada, parts of Asia, and online at www.sunridgefarms.com.

Source: Solar Energy Directory

By Rob Hayes, KABC7 Eyewitness News

A ribbon-cutting was held Tuesday for a unique solar-powered house designed and built by students from two local schools.

Anyone who takes a look at the home’s roof, siding, doors and windows won’t see a hint of green. But the people who designed and built it will point out it is one of the greenest houses to be found – with a monthly power bill of zero.

“And if you are in a municipality where they take energy back, it would be positive. They would actually pay you for the energy,” said Reed Finley, project manager for the Southern California Institute of Architecture and the California Institute of Technology solar decathlon team, which built the home.

It’s called a CHIP solar house. CHIP stands for compact, hyper-insulated prototype.

Click link above for complete article

Source: Solar Energy Directory

BYD and the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) have finished construction on what may be the world’s largest battery energy storage station. This large utility-scale project, located in Zhangbei, Hebei Province, combines 140 Mega-Watts of renewable energy generation (both wind & solar), 36 Mega-Watt-Hours (MWh) of energy storage and a smart power transmission system. While there are renewable generation systems of this scale in service today, there are no battery systems of this size. The State Grid system is demonstrating a stable solution for transferring vast amounts of renewable electricity safely to the grid on an unprecedented scale. Although BYD manufactures 1GW of solar panels annually, their role in this project was primarily providing energy storage batteries in arrays larger than a football field.

“This State Grid project demonstrates a solution and will be the model of development for China’s new energy resources.”

SGCC chose BYD’s Iron-Phosphate battery technology because of its superior service life (over 20 years) and also used BYD’s “peak shaving & load leveling” charge and discharge methodologies. BYD’s announcement September 30th, 2011, “China’s Largest and First Environmentally-friendly Battery Storage Station,” was the first of many MegaWatt-level cooperative projects with China’s Southern Power Grid (CSG). This new project with the State Grid has outpaced other grid projects in China and, though independently designed by SGCC, is part of the national “Golden Sun” program. The first phase investment with 100MW of Wind, 40MW of Solar and 36MWh of Battery is worth over $ 500M USD (~3.3 Billion RMB).

“The large-scale implementation of clean and green energy, such as wind and solar power, can only be realized when the technical difficulties of this new energy application in the utility system are resolved,” said Xiu Binglin, Deputy Director of the National Energy Administration. “This State Grid project demonstrates a solution and will be the model of development for China’s new energy resources.”

BYD’s battery energy storage system provides a solution for the realization of energy storage in the smart grid that improves renewable energy efficiency by 5%-10%.

He Long, Vice President of BYD, said, “BYD is honored to cooperate with China and SGCC to build this large energy storage station and to make a contribution in the utilization of renewable energy resources.”

For more information, visit BYD at www.facebook.com/bydcompany and www.byd.com

Source: Solar Energy Directory

CentroSolar America and Scout Solar to Develop Solar Projects for
Arizona “Valley of the Sun” YMCAs

Scottsdale, AZ – December 20, 2011—Today, Centrosolar America, a national solar energy manufacturing and services company, headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ and Scout Solar, LLC, a Tempe, Arizona-based solar installer, announce plans to activate solar PV projects at four ‘Valley of the Sun YMCA’ branches. The solar arrays will be installed at YMCA branches in the Tempe, Chris-Town, Ahwatukee, and Scottsdale/Paradise Valley communities.

With more than 1,500 Centrosolar America solar panels mounted on rooftops and shade canopies, the combined solar power systems at the four locations will generate more than 612,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually – an amount equal to the energy required to power 48 Arizona homes for one year.

“The YMCA’s commitment to sustainability includes finding more ways to promote the use of alternative energy. Utilizing the available space on our shaded canopies and rooftops for the installation of solar panels was an easy decision for us”, said George Scobas, President and CEO of the Valley of the Sun YMCA.

The Tempe branch will offset 21% of its energy costs with a 96.6 kWh shade canopy solar system. The Chris-Town location will offset 24% of its costs with a 98.7 kWh rooftop system. The Ahwatukee branch will offset 19% of its energy costs with a 98.7 kWh shade canopy. And, the Scottsdale/Paradise Valley branch will offset 12.5% of its energy costs with a rooftop solar system. All four project installations are planned for completion by March 2012.

The systems are being installed and financed by Scout Solar, who will also own and operate the systems and hold the rebates that are generated through the Arizona state solar rebate program.

“There were no out-of-pocket costs for the Valley of the Sun YMCA for this installation, “said Scout Solar Project Administrator, Michael Norris. They will make a set monthly lease payment on the system, an amount far less than what their savings on electricity will be. And they are protected from future spikes in energy prices with this arrangement.”

Bringing together best-in-class project partners, Scout Solar teamed with Centrosolar to provide the solar equipment, Solar Energy Group for system design, Wang Electric on the electrical installation and Skyline Steel to construct the shade canopies and racking.

All the solar projects will be equipped with Centrosolar America E-Series modules.
“Our E-Series panels utilize polycrystalline high-efficiency silicon cells in an optimal configuration to generate higher power output per module. This PV module configuration also meets the highest industry standards for resisting intense heat as is typical in the Arizona climate,” said Centrosolar Director of Sales, Chris Wood. Centrosolar America, a wholly owned subsidiary of Centrosolar Group AG in Munich, Germany, is one of the leading solar distributors nationally as well as in the Arizona market.

# # #

About the Valley of the Sun YMCA
The Valley of the Sun YMCA is one of the largest human services non-profit organizations in Arizona. As the oldest non-profit in Arizona, the YMCA serves local communities in Maricopa County, Flagstaff and Yuma offering over 283 programs and 26 social services at 17 locations. Members are welcome regardless of gender, religion, ethnicity, age or ability to pay. The YMCA aims to provide each member with every opportunity to reach farther and improve their lives and the lives of those around them. Through Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility, the YMCA’s goal is to inspire positive and lasting social change. Visit www.valleyYMCA.org to learn more.

About Centrosolar America, Inc.
CENTROSOLAR America Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CENTROSOLAR Group AG, one of the leading publicly traded solar companies in Europe, with revenues of EUR 403mn ($ 540mn) in 2010 and over 1000 employees in 21 locations. CENTROSOLAR has production facilities in Germany for its PV modules and components like solar glass. Centrosolar America, Inc. has a strong offering in the US market with complete CentroPack® PV kits – along with branded PV modules, PV rooftop racking solutions and other balance-of system components like switchgear and inverters. Centrosolar America has full-scale distribution facilities in Arizona, California and New Jersey and serves a national value-added integrator network for the residential and commercial channel. More information at www.centrosolaramerica.com

About Scout Solar, LLC
Scout Solar, LLC is a privately owned solar project integrator based in Tempe, Arizona, providing installation, project management and financing services. Having assisted both commercial and non-profit organizations in the Phoenix Metro area, the company has established a reputation for installing systems that rate well above market standards. Working closely with a range of equipment manufacturers and distributors, steel contractors and engineering consultants, as well as 3rd party financial institutions as needed, Scout Solar is able to provide quality systems under a financial model that works well for all parties involved. For more information, e-mail Scout Solar at info@scoutsolar.com

Source: Solar Energy Directory

By John Rennie

Catching a nasty virus certainly isn’t on anyone’s holiday wish list, but for solar power it might be just what the doctor ordered.

With the help of a genetically modified virus, materials researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found a way to boost the efficiency of one type of thin-film photovoltaic cell by 30 percent.

For years, engineers have experimented with a variety of unique collection material for solar cells, including single-walled carbon nanotubes: tiny hollow cylinders only a few billionths of a meter wide but with diamond-like strength. These carbon nanotubes, however, have been unproductive.

Part of the problem, scientists suspected, was that the processes for making nanotubes yield mixtures with different electronic properties—some carbon nanotubes are semiconductors, some are metallic.

A genetically engineered virus called M13 can be used to help rearrange molecules—for example, to make batteries more efficient.

But in the June 2011 issue of Nature Nanotechnology, Angela M. Belcher’s Biomolecular Materials Group at MIT announced an intriguing solution.

INNOVATION OUTBREAK
Over the past decade, Belcher’s laboratory has been exploring how viruses—embodiments of nature’s own nanotechnology—can solve problems in materials science and microelectronics.

Previously, the group has shown that a genetically engineered virus called M13 can be used to help rearrange molecules—for example, to make batteries more efficient.

Hoping to solve the nanotube challenge, members of Belcher’s lab altered M13 so that pieces of proteins, or peptides, on its surface could bind to carbon nanotubes.

By grabbing onto the nanotubes, the viruses stopped them from clumping, which allowed scientists to verify that the difference in electronic properties alone affected the nanotubes’ function. Semiconducting ones raised efficiency, whereas metallic ones degraded it.

PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR THE FUTURE
The MIT group discovered that using the viruses with semiconducting nanotubes improved the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells by almost a third, from eight percent to 10.6 percent. That improvement isn’t gigantic in absolute terms, but it helps to make this variety of thin-film cell significantly more practical.

Because the virus-nanotube complexes can be treated simply as an additive to the normal solar-cell fabrication process, incorporating them into manufacturing should be relatively easy.

The researchers believe that this viral technique could be adapted to work with other types of solar cells. Dang, a PhD candidate in the lab, says that since submitting the Nature Nanotechnology paper for publication he has started a project to adapt the virus-nanotube technique for use in quantum dot solar cells and his colleagues have done the same with organic dye cells.

Moreover, according to Dang, several companies have already contacted them about acquiring the virus-nanotube technology. Because the virus-nanotube complexes can be treated simply as an additive to the normal solar-cell fabrication process, incorporating them into manufacturing should be relatively easy, he says.

AUTHOR BIO:
John Rennie is a science writer, editor and lecturer based in New York City. Between 2004 and 2009, he served as editor in chief of Scientific American. His writing has appeared in publications including The Economist, The New York Times and IEEE Spectrum. Since 2009, he has been an adjunct instructor in the graduate Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University. Currently, Rennie writes “The Gleaming Retort” for the PLoS Blogs science blogging network. He has been a frequent guest on television and radio programs appearing on PBS, NPR, the History Channel and Discovery.

This story was orginally published on ecomagination .

Source: Solar Energy Directory

Innovative leasing programs are opening new markets for solar panels and new opportunities for generating clean electricity – and at a much lower cost to consumers.

Correspondent Patty Kim visits the Cincinnati Zoo to learn how a new financing model connects solar power investors and manufacturers with people who want to install solar arrays on their homes and businesses to lock in low prices for decades.

Source: Solar Energy Directory