Coachella Valley…you have undoubtedly seen the news that Solyndra, a domestic solar panel manufacturer that received a Department of Energy (DOE) loan guarantee, recently filed for bankruptcy.
This is not indicative of what’s happening with solar, and it is disturbing that some politicians and pundits are using this unfortunate situation as an excuse to heap unwarranted criticism on solar.
In the past few days, you have probably heard wild inaccuracies and blatant misstatements about solar energy’s promise and the state of the solar industry.
Here are the facts about solar:
• The solar industry employs more than 100,000 Americans, more than twice as many as in 2009. They work at more than 5,000 companies, the vast majority being small businesses, in all 50 states.
• The U.S. solar industry grew by 69% in the past year, making it one of the fastest growing sectors in the U.S. economy.
• Since the beginning of 2010, the price of solar panels has dropped by 30%, and costs continue to fall making solar an even more viable choice for residential and business customers.
• The U.S. was a net exporter of solar products in 2010 by $2 billion. We were even a net exporter to China.
• Solar power in the U.S. now exceeds 3,100 megawatts (MW), enough to power more than 630,000 homes.
• Continued industry growth enhances our energy security and diversifies our domestic energy portfolio.
The solar industry is growing and for good reason. It was my wish to deliver the facts to you.
Solar Impulse is on standby for its first international flight this week. Brussels has been chosen as the destination for the first venture outside Swiss borders, which follows the solar powered aircraft’s maiden flight and first overnight flight last year and will mark another important step towards the goal of flying around the world in 2012.
“Now, here we are in the definitive phase: it’s no longer a question of tests, but the real thing,” said Solar Impulse Chairman and round-the-world balloonist Bertrand Piccard. “And the next flights will not be made in the “familiar cocoon” of Payerne aerodrome, but in the whole of Europe…”
The Solar-Impulse prototype aircraft (designated HB-SIA) will be piloted from Payerne to Europe’s 14th busiest airport in Brussels by CEO André Borschberg, who co-founded the project along with Piccard in order to show just how far renewable energies can take us.
“Flying an aircraft like Solar Impulse through European airspace to land at an international airport is an incredible challenge for all of us, and success depends on the support we receive from all the authorities concerned,” said André Borschberg.
Developed by a team of 70 people and 80 partners over seven years, HB-SIA is a very impressive feat of engineering and, as you might expect from a plane that flies on the power of the sun, quite a lesson on just how much you can achieve with only a small amount of energy.
Keeping weight to a minimum is obviously critical and despite the aircraft’s huge 63 meter (208 feet) wingspan, its carbon fiber frame and specially designed components weigh in at just 1600kg – which is a little like stretching your family car to be the width of an Airbus A340.
The wings carry almost all of the 11,628 solar cells on board, but even with more than 2000 square feet of photovoltaics, there’s not a great deal of energy available to drive the four electric motors.
The Solar Impulse website breaks down the equation like this:
“At midday, each square metre of land surface, in the form of light energy, receives the equivalent of 1000 watts, or 1.3 horsepower of light power. Over 24 hours, this averages out at just 250W/m². With 200m² of photovoltaic cells and a 12 % total efficiency of the propulsion chain, the plane’s motors achieve an average power of no more than 8 HP or 6kW – roughly the amount of power the Wright brothers had a available to them in 1903 when they made their first powered flight.”
Eight horsepower. My lawnmower has more grunt, but then again it doesn’t fly to heights of over 27 900 feet!
A second plane with better performance and a larger cockpit is under construction for the around the world trip.
After a stint in Brussels from 23 to 29 May, the aircraft will make its way to Paris for the 49th International Paris Air Show (20 to 26 June 2011) where it will be displayed both on the ground and in the air – flying demonstrations are planned each morning if the weather is favorable.
Solar Impulse at a glance:
Wingspan: 63,40 m
Length: 21,85 m
Height: 6,40 m
Weight: 1,600 Kg
Motor power: 4 x 10 HP electric engines
Solar cells: 11,628 (10 748 on the wing, 880 on the horizontal stabilizer)
Average flying speed: 70 km/h
Take-off speed: 35 km/h
Maximum altitude: 8 500 m (27 900 ft)
The first international flight can be followed online at the Solar Impulse site.
Google has chipped in a US$168 million investment in what will be the world’s largest solar power tower plant. To be located on 3,600 acres of land in the Mojave Desert in southeastern California, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System (ISEGS) will boast 173,000 heliostats that will concentrate the sun’s rays onto a solar tower standing approximately 450 feet (137 m) tall. The plant commenced construction in October 2010 and is expected to generate 392 MW of solar energy following its projected completion in 2013.
Although solar power tower development is currently less advanced than the more common trough systems, they offer higher efficiency and better energy storage capabilities. Parabolic trough systems consist of parabolic mirrors that concentrate sunlight onto a Dewar tube running the length of the mirror through which a heat transfer fluid runs that is then used to heat steam in a standard turbine.
Solar power tower systems such as the ISEGS on the other hand focus a large area of sunlight into a single solar receiver on top of a tower to produce steam at high pressure and temperatures of up to 550 ° C (over 1,000° F) to drive a standard turbine and generator. The ISEGS also uses a dry-cooling technology that reduces water consumption by 90 percent and uses 95 percent less water than competing solar thermal technologies. Water is also recirculated during energy before being reused to clean the plant’s mirrors.
Overshadowing the 20 MW PS20 solar power tower plant in Spain, the scale of ISEGS can’t be overstated. It will be the first large-scale solar power tower plant built in the U.S. in nearly two decades and will single-handedly almost double the amount of commercial solar thermal electricity produced in the U.S. today and nearly equal the amount of total solar installed in the U.S. in 2009 alone.
The entire complex will consist of three separate plants developed by BrightSource Energy that will be built in phases between 2010 and 2013. The energy generated from all three plants will be enough to supply more than 140,000 homes in California during peak usage hours, with the project contracted to provide 1,300 MW to Southern California Edison and 1,310 MW to Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
Google says it has now invested over $250 million in the clean energy sector but its $168 million investment in the ISEGS is the company’s largest investment to date. The size of the investment reflects Google’s faith in the technology and it hopes that other companies will follow its example and make similar investments in renewable energy.
In looking back over the past four (4) years in the developing solar industry there have been many players and Sooth Sayers that have come and gone. I read a good collection of thought the other day from Mr. Bob Hargreaves of BB&K…great words. That we are really establishing a “Middle East of Renewable Energy in our backyard…” well put Bob and it helps bring things into a realistic perspective. What I sincerely hope it does not bring is the turmoil that the similarity might create. A map of “first” approved solar / utility scale projects is below:
this map shows territorial potential though if we develop this way I guarantee turmoil. I guarantee that all of the positive musings connected to a “Renewable Middle East” will be dashed by continued Utility monopolistic energy dominance, transmission faults and true bureaucratic trait. Building large builds large problems. Centralizing the solar potential centralizes our region as a target for concentrated rate increases by those dominant Utilities to offset infrastructure rehabilitation and help them grow a bureaucracy. There is no community in bureaucracy. There is less of everything and more cost to get there.
Solar photovoltaic potential was, is and will always be a “decentralized” answer. Distributed generation is the actualization of solar generation potential over a territory and the natural, intelligent way to convert and supply current to a increasingly demanding community. The map above is a nice example of the folly of a few…the map below:
is the visual that allows us to see the nature of the solar potential available freely to all that live in the region…and what is available to be generated by and give direct benefit to, the majority who occupy that space. The more solar radiation captured and used by the majority is naturally the status quo….it is the state in which the majority is naturally determined to live.
In keeping with its mission to serve as a resource for the Coachella Valley for all things related to solar energy, Renova Energy, a leading Solar Developer, has unveiled a solar system tracking program that allows users to interactively follow the development of solar photovoltaic installations throughout the region.
Designed in-house and released to the public through its free RenovaMobile App, the Renova Solar Map was built to track the installation of every solar system installed in Southern California Edison’s Valley territory.
”We have been asked by multiple individuals and organizations if there was a way to determine how far along the Coachella Valley is in terms of the total amount of solar which has been installed,” said Vincent Battaglia, CEO of Renova Energy Corp. “Being able to easily determine the answer to this will be of benefit to cities, organizations and individuals,” he added.
The tracking program was developed using proprietary software and funded entirely by Renova for open distribution through its RenovaMobile App. “Our desire was to take the available solar installation information and provide a free easy-to-navigate portal in which to get a summary. By integrating data from the GoSolarCalifornia website onto Google maps through a MYSQL database, we have succeeded in creating a web-based pilot program database that will be expanded to the other utility territories over the next year,” Battaglia added.
Once the RenovaMobile App is downloaded and opened, users can interact within a Valley map showing installations by City. Users can also perform a search within the Renova Solar Map program table by type of module or installer, and a complete list of all relevant installations will emerge. Press on one of the search results, and additional related installation information will be given.
The free RenovaMobile App can be downloaded from www.renovaenergy.org/mobile.php directly into user’s smartphones. This will allow users to leverage solar information specific to the Coachella Valley through the Renova Solar Estimator, as well as peruse the Renova video library.
Renova Energy Corp. is the largest locally owned and operated commercial and residential Solar Developer in the Coachella Valley, offering design, financing and maintenance of solar installation. Located in GreenZone in Palm Desert, Renova also operates the Renova Energy Academy, training area residents with classes in primary and advanced solar installation techniques and related subjects. More information can be found at www.RenovaSolar.com.
The Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC), an award-winning, non-profit housing development corporation dedicated to assisting low-and very low-income families, has partnered with Renova Energy Corp. to install a solar photovoltaic project at its Wolff Waters Place low income apartment complex – the largest carport mounted system in the Valley and the largest installed to date by a non-profit organization in the region.
The 174-kW solar project at their Dune Palms Road, multifamily housing community in La Quinta is the first system for CVHC, but the group has plans for more.
“I applaud the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition for undertaking this project to help provide a greener future with clean energy, while at the same time, taking advantage of the incentives and opportunities that exist while saving precious energy dollars,” added Vincent Battaglia, CEO of Renova. “They are setting an example for the many other non profits which will inevitably follow.”
Renova executives estimate that the use of solar energy at the Wolff Waters Place installation will save the organization more than $32,000 annually in electricity costs. The project was funded internally by the non-profit to reduce the property’s direct electric utility expense.
Renova Energy Corporation is the largest locally owned and operated commercial and residential Solar Developer in the Coachella Valley, offering design, financing and maintenance of solar installation. Located in GreenZone in Palm Desert, Renova also operates the Renova Energy Academy, training area residents with classes in primary and advanced solar installation techniques and related subjects. More information can be found at www.BigSolar.org.
Renova Energy Corp. has been awarded the contract to install a 409 kilowatt system for the Coachella Valley Water District at its headquarters in Palm Desert. When complete, this system will be the largest integrated carport solar system in the entire Valley.
“By keeping our overhead costs lower through the utilization of solar, we can help keep our rates reasonable for our customers,” explained CVWD General Manager-Chief Engineer Steve Robbins. “It’s also the right thing to do for the environment – we believe in the good stewardship of all our natural resources.”
The system should be completed by the third quarter of 2011 and is being financed through a Power Purchase Agreement in a joint venture between Renova Energy and Pristine Sun. The Power Purchase Agreement will enable the Water District to begin taking advantage of energy savings right away by financing the system over twenty years with no initial down payment.
“The Coachella Valley needs to serve as an example to the nation by taking advantage of our endless supply of sunshine,” added Renova CEO Vincent Battaglia, “and it is those companies and organizations like CVWD who are leading the way with strong commitments to protecting the environment while mitigating their ever increasing cost to operate. We’re proud to be partnering with them to provide this clean energy alternative utilizing such a smart financing tool.”
Renova Energy Corp. is the largest locally owned and operated commercial and residential Solar Developer in the Coachella Valley, offering design, financing and maintenance of solar installation. Located in GreenZone in Palm Desert, Renova also operates the Renova Energy Academy, training area residents with classes in primary and advanced solar installation techniques and related subjects. More information can be found at www.RenovaSolar.com or www.BigSolar.org.
The TÛRANOR PlanetSolar, the world’s largest solar-powered boat, has just completed the first stage of its journey around the world – a trans-Atlantic journey from Monaco to Miami. The Swiss-designed solar-powered catamaran left Monaco on the 27th of September and docked in Miami just a few days ago, on the 28th of November.
At 101.7ft (31 meters) long and 49.2ft (15 meters) wide, the TÛRANOR PlanetSolar is the world’s largest solar-powered boat. The vessel is completely fuelled by renewable energy, with its solar cells having a 22% efficiency rate. These are the highest rated cells available for purchase on the market, and the cells cover over 500 square meters of the ship. The solar cells are able to power two electric motors which are found in the hull, giving the ship at a top speed of 14 knots. Most notably, the large surface area of solar cells means that the catamaran can travel for up to three full days, even without direct sunlight – any excess energy is stored in a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery.
After this layover in Miami, the TÛRANOR PlanetSolar will head to Cancún, Mexico for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, where it will participate in activities organized by the Swiss government. The vessel is then expected to fully circumnavigate the world in the coming months, visiting San Francisco, Sydney, Singapore and Abu Dhabi, before returning home to Monaco.
When Toyota and Tesla announced a partnership earlier this year one of the stated aims was to collaborate on an electric version of the RAV4 – here it is. Unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the RAV4 EV Demonstration Vehicle is based on the current combustion engine model with modifications to the suspension and steering plus minor styling changes like a new front bumper, grille and head lamps and of course – the inclusion of an electric powertrain and Tesla supplied battery pack. Toyota points out that there are many decisions yet to be made before the final specs of the RAV4 EV – which is slated to go into production in 2012 – are finalized.
A demonstration fleet of 35 vehicles is planned with a target range of 100 miles in “actual road driving patterns” along with “driveability characteristics as close to the conventional RAV4 as possible.”
The vehicle currently being tested has a mid-30 kwh range lithium metal oxide battery and Toyota says that despite the extra 220 pounds that the battery adds over the conventional V6 model, the RAV4 EV demonstrator will accelerate from zero to sixty almost as fast.
Aside from the revised bumper, grille and lights, the demonstrator has been given EV badging and a custom paint color plus interior styling changes including multimedia dash displays, push-button shifter and dashboard meters to monitor the battery and electrical system. Components have also been rearranged to cater for the electric drive, but this has not resulted in any loss of cargo space.
There’s no firm commitment on production volume, price, business model or final specs at this stage of the process, but Toyota hoes to have the EV to market in 2012.
Tesla will build the battery and related parts at its new Californian factory, but no final decision has been made on where final assembly will take place.
This is actually the second-generation Toyota RAV4 EV. The company released 1,484 first-generation RAV4 EVs between 1998 and 2003, 746 of which are still on the road.
