Solar Power: November 2010

Friday, 26 November 2010

Solar Energy Expansion in South West England | The Energy Collective

Since the introduction of the UK feed in tariff, solar power has started to become a serious contender in the UK renewable energy market.

The first solar power project of any scale was consented in Cornwall in October of this year. The £4m, 1.3 Megawatt purpose built solar farm is expected to generate enough electricity for the annual needs of 287 homes.

With the UK government offering a whopping 29.3 pence per kWh, solar energy technology has seen a huge increase in popularity, particularly in the sunnier parts of the UK such as the South West. Even Michael Eavis has installed 450 kW worth of solar panels on farm buildings at the famous Glastonbury festival site this month. £500,000 was invested in the project and investors Eavis and Triodos bank expect it to return around £45,000 per year.

Planning magazine reported this summer that Cornwall County Council had already met 30 companies to discuss the parks since the introduction of the FIT in spring and that the Council “anticipates receiving 50 to 100 planning applications“.

A UK Power Systems spokesperson said yesterday the number of grid connection enquiries for solar energy projects had increased dramatically in the east and south east of England.

Whilst supportive of the feed in tariff, the long term vision of the coalition government on ‘ground based’ solar energy is not yet clearly known. Future reviews of feed in tariffs could see the rates changed for different technologies. Germany and the US have seen recent cuts in support rates and grants for solar energy technologies.

Only this week Reuters reported that the US Treasury’s Renewable Energy Grant Program, part of the the $787 billion anti- recession stimulus of 2009 is set to finish at the year end. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the grants supported over 1000 solar energy systems by assisting with capital costs.

via theenergycollective.com

http://solarpoweruk.blogspot.com/

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Thursday, 25 November 2010

New Nanotechnology Raises the Efficiency of Solar Thermal Power by 10% « Solar Thermal Magazine

New Nanotechnology Raises the Efficiency of Solar Thermal Power by 10%

Nanofluid applications have the potential to increase solar thermal efficiency by approximately 10% with no redesign needed. New manufacturing techniques for 30 nm graphite spheres make this technology economically feasible for Kalahari’s products.

Using Nanofluids as a direct absorption solar collector has been demonstrated to offer unique advantages over conventional collectors.

Kalahari representatives are in exploratory discussion with research organizations for research and licensing of next generation Nanofluid formulations that have even greater efficiency benefits. A selection of materials will be conducted based on successfully concluded research results.

via solarthermalmagazine.com

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Billions for green energy: Is it worth it?

Here are the costs of going green:

Ontario’s long-term energy plan calls for $4 billion in spending on energy generated from bio-mass – i.e. composted organics, or methane from garbage dumps.

What will the province get for the $4 billion investment? It will boost the share of power generated by bio-mass 0.3 per cent, from 1 per cent of the province’s supply today, to 1.3 per cent by 2030.

Solar spending will total $9 billion, and boost solar power’s share to 1.5 per cent, from near-zero.

Wind investment will be $14 billion, boosting wind energy’s share to 10 per cent of the province’s share from 2 per cent.

All in all, those three green power technologies will soak up more than 30 per cent of the Liberals’ planned investment of $87 billion, while generating 13 per cent of over-all power by 2030.

Much of the money will come from the private sector, but the return they earn will be built into the electricity prices paid by Ontario residents and businesses.

Is it worth it?

Energy minister Brad Duguid pitches the investment in moral terms, arguing it will clean the air and make children healthier.

“There’s a cost to that,” he said Tuesday. “Together we’re building cleaner air, together we’re building an economy with thousand of clean energy jobs, and together we’re building a healthier future for our kids and grandkids. That’s something worth fighting for.”

Keith Stewart of Greenpeace says the costs of renewable power are visible, while full social costs of burning fossil and nuclear fuels are not.

“If factored into today’s bills, the cost of smog and climate change, and the cost of dealing with radioactive waste, your bill today would be a lot higher than it is, because we’re not paying those costs,” he said in an interview.

Stewart also predicted there will be “huge drops” in the cost of developing solar power as the industry matures, and Ontario can be at the forefront of technological developments in solar if it nurtures the sector at home.

Ian Howcroft, vice president of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME), said developing a made-in-Ontario renewable energy sector will benefit the province.

But his group is uneasy about the plan’s cost estimates of speedy renewable development.

“We have to do it in a businesslike fashion,” he said. “We have to look at the return on investment, and we have to look at what the ultimate costs are.

“We’re supportive of the direction, but we do have concerns about how much we how much we should pay to develop wind, to develop solar, given what the ultimate cost is going to be.”

The CME will participate when the plan is subjected to scrutiny by the Ontario Energy Board, he said.

Jack Gibbons, chair of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, says that bio-mass and wind power are still likely to be less expensive than rebuilding nuclear facilities, although conservation and efficiency are the best ways to solve energy issues.

But he said in an interview that Quebec produces huge amounts of renewable power from its hydro-electric plants:

“In terms of new renewable, water power imports from Quebec are lower cost than any of the made in Ontario options.”

That would have to be negotiated with Quebec, but Gibbons says Ontario should take the initiative.

“It’s low-cost, it’s very reliable, it’s a base load supply of power, it’s not intermittent,” he said.

via thestar.com

http://solarpoweruk.blogspot.com/

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Opel Solar Granted US Patent for Latest PV Installation Technology | The Energy Collective

Opel Solar, Inc. (Opel), recently announced that the US Patent Office has approved a patent for its latest high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) module. The new technology promises to increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of solar PV installations. This most recent patent is the international company’s thirty-third, with seventeen others pending. Opel’s technology has penetrated the Ontario market and is central to renewable energy training in programs at universities in Ontario and Quebec.

via theenergycollective.com

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Monday, 22 November 2010

PV can play a huge part in power generation

A SOLAR technology expert based in the North East will use an upcoming conference to push for more political and financial backing for photovoltaic technology in the UK.

At the Solar Flair conference at County Durham’s Lumley Castle next month, Northumbria University’s Dr Ian Forbes will warn that the nation must dig deeper to avoid falling behind countries such as Germany, Japan and the USA.

Dr Forbes – a member of international research body PV-21 Supergen – believes the next decade will be crucial in determining whether Britain will be a major supplier or a buyer of solar power.

He said: “A lot of people don’t believe it is reasonable to use PV in the UK but that’s not the case. Germany is the biggest market with around 40% of the world’s total and the UK has only about 15% less sunlight on average than Germany. The market is going to be there and we are either going to be able to benefit from it or not.

“If we say it won’t happen here, by the time we realise it can happen here we will have missed the boat.

“The decision-makers need to be aware of what’s happening elsewhere and not think that it’s not possible here. If they do rule it out they are effectively putting a constraint on our economy. It’s the biggest resource available and outstrips nuclear, wind and other energy sources.”

via nebusiness.co.uk

http://solarpoweruk.blogspot.com/