Clean technology top US venture investment: group

"Governments are having an effect -- emboldening private capital to get back in the game," said Dallas Kachan, managing director of Cleantech Group, a research and advisory firm which issued its third quarter report on Wednesday.

Solar was the leading category in $1.59 billion invested worldwide in 134 companies that make items such as electric cars, advanced batteries, green buildings, energy efficient building materials and renewable fuels and chemicals.

In the United States, clean tech won 27 percent of venture capital investment in the third quarter, ahead of biotechnology (24 percent), software (18 percent) and medical devices (17 percent).

Kachan and Scott Smith, clean tech leader for Deloitte & Touche which jointly issues the report, cited the public offering of stock in battery maker A123 Systems Inc last week as heralding others from clean tech companies.

The Cleantech Index of 78 public clean tech companies worldwide has risen 36 percent this year, beating the 19 percent increase in the S&P 500.

In the third quarter, two-thirds of the clean tech venture investment was in North America, followed by Europe and Israel with 29 percent, and Asia and India with 4 percent.

Kachan said Chinese clean tech investments tend to be for large infrastructure wind and solar projects rather than more targeted support that tends to draw in venture capital.

In the United States, the single largest venture investment of $198 million went to Solyndra to expand its capacity to maker solar panels for businesses. The money was required as a condition of a U.S. Energy Department loan guarantee for $535 million offered earlier in the year.

Solyndra put solar over the top as the largest category with $451 million, followed by transportation at $383 million.

Transport was led by electric car maker Tesla, which got help from the government in the form of $465 million in low-interest loans from the Energy Department.

Green buildings were the third category, led by Serious Materials with $60 million. Serious Materials, which makes high insulation windows and other materials, estimates it will get $50 million from federal stimulus spending.

The other big deal was Solfocus, which is partnering with the city of Mesa, Arizona, to build a concentrated solar power array. It will make use of a 30 percent manufacturing investment tax credit.

Similar findings were reported earlier in the week by the Greentech Media group.

(Reporting by David Lawsky; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

Solar Energy on Public Lands Faces More Opposition

Solar Energy on Public Lands Faces More Opposition A while back, the U.S. Department of the Interior designated 670,000 acres of federal (public) lands in Nevada, Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico as prime targets for large solar energy arrays due to their high solar insolation levels.The proposed solar fields would be utility-scale installations, and the impacts on regional ecospheres are causing concern among environmentalists and some state legislators. The most notable case so far is that of Dianne Feinstein (D-Cal.), whose opposition to solar in the Mojave Desert (by solar firm BrightSource) scrapped plans for that company’s proposed 5,130-acre concentrating solar power (CSP) project.The Interior Department, in its original study, identified 24 sites within the states mentioned above to develop said solar; sites which would require huge amounts of land, and water, to generate renewable solar electricity, and would further restrict any other type of development or use, including any recreational component.The key issue in the dispute seems to be public lands, i.e., those owned by the government, or those withdrawn from development and designated as parks, as well as those which contain critical habitat. Private lands don’t face the same onus; or, if they do, the hue and cry is less evident, except at a local level, and the permitting process infinitely easier.In Nevada, where the government owns 85 percent of the land, and solar insolation values range between 4.0 and 6.0 (in the southern portion of the state, on a scale of 2.0 to 9.0), the argument goes like this: “Why put solar hundreds of miles from the source of greatest use (i.e., the big cities of the north and Midwest)?”Destroying habitat and endangered species to save the planet from fossil-fuel emissions seems, to Terry Weiner of the Desert Protective Council, counterintuitive.Fortunately, the Wilderness Society has a more sensible point of view. As member Alex Daue notes, not siting solar on these lands will lead to more mountaintop-removal coal mining, oil drilling and gas exploration in these same states, with even more negative environmental effects. In Wyoming, highly desirable, sulfur-free coal accounts for about 40 percent of America’s annual coal supply).Duae and his group have had some success in convincing the Interior Department to select Western lands already degraded by former industrial, mining or farming activity, rather than areas of critical habitat. The group has also encouraged Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, a Colorado native, to choose land near existing high-voltage transmission lines, so no land has to be withdrawn for constructing them.Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association, argues in a similar vein, noting that America’s centralized electricity infrastructure can’t be rebuilt without industrial-scale solar installations, and the only place to put these is in the open spaces in the West.Rooftop solar is not enough, Resch notes reasonably, contrasting the 670,000 acres for solar with the oil and gas industry’s 44.5 million acres of leased public lands, a 2-percent fraction of the total which will never, even in worst-case scenarios, degrade the land as thoroughly or completely as coal, oil and gas extraction.One writer notes that environmentalists’ concerns may be based on continuing claims, by solar, for more and more land to erect solar farms, but the concern is unwarranted. A German research group has already established that 0.3 percent of the land in the Sahara Desert could supply 15 percent of the power needed in Europe. Extrapolated, this means that 20 percent of the Sahara Desert could provide power to all of Europe. Since the Sahara is 9 million square kilometers, or about 3.5 million square miles (or 2.2 billion acres), and the population of Europe 831 million, this means about 2.75 acres for each person. With a United States’ population of 305 million, this translates to about 839 million acres, a figure that could be greatly reduced by developing concentrating solar power, or CSP, with molted salt energy storage, which has an efficiency rating of 31.25 percent, or almost twice as much as the most efficient solar photovoltaic panels.In effect, withdrawing unused portions of Nevada (70 million acres), New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Colorado and Utah could supply half of America’s generation mix via clean, renewable solar energy.

Ausra Selected as Technology Provider for 100 MW Concentrated ...

Ausra Selected as Technology Provider for 100 MW Concentrated Solar Thermal Power Project in Jordan   Ausra expands global market reach

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Ausra, Inc. has been selected as the solar steam boiler supplier for the proposed 100-megawatt JOAN1 concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) project currently under development in Ma'an, Jordan. The selection of Ausra is an important milestone in the development of JOAN1, which will also include a back-up fossil-fuel boiler to guarantee 24-hour dispatchable electric power. The project is expected to enter operation in 2013 and will be the largest CSP project in the world using direct solar steam generation.

Ausra's selection as the solar boiler provider was announced in Berlin during SolarPACES, the CSP industry's largest conference. Ausra was selected as the solar steam system provider after a competitive tender offer.

Samer Zureikat, Managing Director of Germany-based MENA Cleantech AG, announced the selection of Ausra at SolarPACES.

"Ausra's robust and cost-effective solar boiler technology, its team of experienced power industry veterans, as well as its OEM business model make it the most suitable solar steam boiler company to provide equipment for this landmark project," stated Zureikat.

Regarding the choice of Ma'an as the site for the world's first large-scale direct steam CSP plant, Zureikat noted that, "Jordan's modern investment laws and progressive regulatory climate coupled with its unparalleled solar resource make Ma'an one of the best locations in the world to build a Concentrating Solar Power plant."

JOAN1 will rely on Ausra's Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector technology to power the plant's solar steam cycle and generate up to 100 MW of electricity. JOAN1 will use dry cooling to conserve water. Ausra plans to install an advanced manufacturing facility in Jordan in order to supply JOAN1 with its solar steam boilers. The project is scheduled for financial close in the fourth quarter of 2010, with construction beginning in early 2011.

About Ausra's Technology and Solar Steam Systems

Ausra's Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) solar steam systems are designed for existing fossil-fired plants, new standalone solar and solar/fossil hybrid plants, and a diverse range of industrial customers. Ausra is the first solar steam boiler manufacturer to be awarded the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) 'S' Stamp, the industry hallmark of acceptance and certification.

CLFR is the most land-efficient solar technology in operation, generating 1.5-to-3 times more peak power per acre of land than competing solar technologies. This high energy density translates into lower costs, a smaller environmental footprint and greater access to existing power plant and industrial sites. Additional information on Ausra's CLFR technology is available at http://www.ausra.com/technology.

About Ausra, Inc.

Ausra is a leader in concentrated solar thermal energy design, development, and manufacturing and is committed to serving the global power generation and industrial steam needs of its customers in a dependable, market-competitive and environmentally responsible manner. Ausra is a privately held company, with headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. and operations in the United States and Australia. To learn more about Ausra and solar thermal energy, visit http://www.ausra.com .

SOURCE Ausra, Inc.

World-Record Solar Panel Efficiencies

World-Record Solar Panel Efficiencies Heartening news for the solar PV sector came through on Friday, Sept. 25, with a number of companies reporting solar efficiencies undreamed of a decade ago. A solar cell's energy conversion efficiency is the amount – written as a percentage – of solar insolation, or sunlight, converted from light to electrical energy.In the multi-crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) category, Suntech is announcing a conversion efficiency of 16.53 percent, a result verified (for aperture area only) by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), Europe’s largest solar energy research institute.Suntech's module is powered by Pluto PV cells, Suntech’s proprietary, patent-pending approach to silicon cell manufacture. The process uses solar-grade silicon to achieve potential efficiencies of more than 17 percent. In March, the Pluto PV 34-megawatt manufacturing line achieved reported efficiencies on monocrystalline silicon cells of 18.8 percent, also confirmed by Fraunhofer ISE. These results put Suntech at the top of the conversion-efficiency pyramid.Another manufacturer of crystalline PV cells, German-based Q-Cells SE, has achieved an efficiency rating of 15.9 percent for its 249-watt polycrystalline solar module – a rating that represents a paradigm for industry-standard mass-produced solar cells. Again, the certification is from Fraunhofer ISE, with the breakthrough coming out of research at the company’s $73.6-million Tehnikum module test center built last year.Q-Cells high-performance polycrystalline cells, which have potential efficiencies up to 17 percent, are expected to hit market in 2010 at the conclusion of the development portion of R&D, at which time efficiency ratings may prove even higher.IMEC, a solar cell manufacturing partnership between Total and GDF Suez and their manufacturing arm, Photovoltech, have developed a multijunction Gallium Arsenide/Germanium (GaAs/Ge) stacked cell with a potential 40 percent efficiency between its GaAs top cell (23.4 percent) and Ge bottom cell (3.5 percent).Again, the goal is to have a working model early in 2010, with conversion efficiencies up to 2 percent higher than what is currently being delivered, using concentrated illumination. The “enhanced spectral robustness” (IMEC’s description) is the result of stacked cells made from the different materials, each of which captures a particular band, or wave length, of light.Fraunhofer ISE itself has developed a (thin film) prototype n-type (semiconductor layer) silicon solar cell with efficiencies in excess of 23.4 percent. The n-type, or “doped” silicon cell, eliminates the problem with impurities generally faced by crystalline solar cells, via the addition of boron or aluminum, the latter element eliminating the front passivation associated with silicon dioxide or silicon nitride in the p-type base of the cell. The process also includes screen printing the aluminum layer, and further advances in manufacturing technology could boost overall efficiencies closer to 20 percent by the time the product reaches the market.Thin-film maker Oerlikon Solar has also reportedly set a world record for amorphous silicon (a-Si) single junction PV cells, as tested by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, or NREL, of more than 10 percent. Oerlikon’s Neuchatel, Switzerland-based R&D department has been able to consistently reproduce cells with this exact efficiency, and its repeated success will allow it to achieve reliable and persistent production.Sunovia Energy Technologies, Inc. also announced on Sept. 25 that it had fabricated single-junction and two-junction cadmium telluride-based (CdTe) solar cells that surpass the world record for open circuit voltage (Voc) thin films by more than 45 percent.Voc performance metrics have traditionally been the most difficult to optimize in CdTe cells, so the achieved open-circuit voltage efficiency (in the 1.34 V value), of more than 95 percent of the theoretical upper limit, tops Voc values of 76 percent of theoretical maximum previously achieved. Sunovia and its partner, EPIR Technologies, Inc., view this achievement as pushing solar energy ever closer to grid parity.Sunovia, however, did not provide information on independent confirmation of their results.

PUC approves tariffs for 'green' energy

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission has approved a new rate system that will set price guarantees for electricity generated from solar, wind and hydroelectric sources, a move intended to encourage project developers and investors.

The new rate mechanism, known as feed-in tariffs, requires Hawaiian Electric Co. to pay above-market prices for renewable energy fed into the electric grid at locked-in rates set by the PUC.

Project developers have said that the move would help them plan large-scale renewable energy projects because they’ll know exactly what price they charge for the electricity they sell to the utility over a 20-year contract.

Currently, HECO negotiates individual purchase power agreements that set varying rates for buying renewable power.

In its 128-page decision filed on Sept. 25, the PUC noted that the new structure would “reduce the state’s fossil fuel dependence and accelerate the acquisition of renewable energy.”

Feed-in tariffs value renewable energy at a higher cost than what utilities pay for power from traditional sources for two reasons: It’s renewable and it provides power at peak times when utilities need it.

The PUC’s decision lays the framework for the new policy but doesn’t set specific rates.

The PUC will set actual rates within the next few months for photovoltaic, concentrated solar power, on-shore wind, and in-line hydropower projects producing up to five megawatts of power (enough to power 1,500 homes), depending on technology and location. HECO will be required to commit to 20-year contracts for the renewable power.

Rates will be based on the project cost and reasonable profit of a typical project, according to the PUC, and rates will be differentiated by technology or resource, size and interconnection costs.

The PUC noted that HECO customers may see an increase in utility rates in the “short-run” once the program is started.

“In the long run, over the 20-year term of a [feed-in tariff] contract, the ratepayer will benefit from the utility’s ability to procure power at a known cost derived from the cost of money in the base year and not derived from or linked to the unstable price of oil,” the decision states.

However, PUC Commissioner Les Kondo submitted a dissenting, saying he was concerned about the potential cost to HECO customers.

“I do not believe that the majority adequately considered the potential ratepayer impact of the [feed-in tariff], which cannot reasonably be determined until the specific rates are approved by the commission,” Kondo wrote. “In my opinion, the amount that ratepayers are asked to bear to support more renewable energy cannot be without limits and should be one of the most important considerations in designing a [feed-in tariff] program that is reasonable, prudent and in the public interest.”

Once started, the program will be reviewed by the PUC after two years, and every three years after that.

Similar tariffs have helped boost renewable-energy development, mostly solar, in Germany and Spain, and are credited with making those nations the world’s two largest solar markets.

In the United States, lawmakers in California, Minnesota, Florida and Michigan are studying similar feed-in tariff models.

In a clean-energy agreement signed in October 2008 by the state and HECO, the utility committed to adopting feed-in tariffs.

Research and Markets: Implementation Status of Concentrated PV and ...

September 29, 2009 11:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time  Research and Markets: Implementation Status of Concentrated PV and Concentrated Solar Power Technologies

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/162402/implementation_sta) has announced the addition of Frost & Sullivan's new report "Implementation Status of Concentrated PV and Concentrated Solar Power Technologies" to their offering.

This Frost & Sullivan research service titled Implementation Status of Concentrated PV and Concentrated Solar Power Technologies provides a technology overview of concentrated photovoltaics (CPV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies, their implementation status, trends, and prospects. It also lists key global research and developments and patents to give an insight into notable activities. CPV can be categorized into three groups: high-concentrating photovoltaic (HCPV), medium-concentrating photovoltaic (MCPV), and low-concentrating photovoltaic (LCPV), while CSP includes parabolic trough, solar tower, dish concentrator, and linear Fresnel systems.

Technology Overview

Improvements in Technology Heat up Market for CPV and CSP

CPV's and CSP's potential to enable utility-scale power generation opens up great opportunities for both technologies in solar energy. While CPV technology relies on concentrating light onto silicon cells or high-efficiency, multi-junction cells, CSP directs light onto receivers to generate thermal energy. "CSP technologies, particularly parabolic troughs, are ahead of the curve in utility-scale power generation, with high growth expected in the next few years particularly in the Southwest United States and Spain," says the analyst of this research. "Solar tower technology is also expected to play a major role in the power generation industry." Being a relatively new technology, CPV's efficiencies will improve to allow it to graduate from small-scale plants to medium-scale plants within the next few years and to large-scale plants in the long term. The rising efficiencies of multi-junction cells and optics for CPV will also catapult both technologies into the large-scale energy generation league.

Despite their technology advancements, CPV and CSP need to prove their commercial viability for them to be successful. The lack of regulatory and policy signals to support renewable energy has hampered the installation of these technologies. Inadequate transmission capacities and the need for large capital investment are expected to restrain CSP technology's uptake, while demonstrating reliability and achieving manufacturing economies of scale are likely to be CPV's main adoption barriers. Technology developers can look to overcome these issues by increasing manufacturing capacities and volumes. The movement toward larger installations could accelerate the growth of CSP and CPV technologies and bring costs down. They can leverage the high-throughput, low-cost, and efficient manufacturing techniques used in other industries to enable large-volume production of the systems. "The automotive headlights, electronics, solid-state lighting, and disk drives industries can enable large-volume production of CPV systems," notes the analyst. "Meanwhile, CSP technologies can be mass produced using the spare capacity of automotive plants, which may be considerable in the near future for the troubled industry."

The influx of participants in the CPV segment has introduced a plethora of technologies and designs to the industry but has also intensified competition to an extent where several companies have had to drop out or consolidate. To stay ahead of the competition in such a scenario, technology developers need to differentiate themselves by achieving reliability, increasing system efficiencies, and lowering costs. "Decreasing levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of CPV technologies over the next three to five years can be expected as system efficiencies could reach up to 30 percent due to efficiency increments in tracking systems, optics, and multi-junction cells," observes the analyst. "For CSP, new opportunities and markets exist for equipment manufacturing such as mirrors, receivers, and steam turbines and chemical producers for heat transfer fluids."

Technologies

The following technologies are covered in this research:

CPV:

CSP:

Key Topics Covered:

1 Executive Summary

2 Technology Overview

3 Value Chain Analysis

4 Technology Management Strategies

5 Commercialization Status And Prospects

6 Patents And Database Of Key Participants

7 Decision Support Database

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/162402/implementation_sta

BrightSource Energy And Coyote Springs Land Company Expand Land

BrightSource Energy And Coyote Springs Land Company Expand Land Agreement

September 29, 2009

BrightSource Energy, Inc., developer of large-scale solar thermal power plants, announced recently that it has reached a preliminary agreement with Nevada's Coyote Springs Land Company to provide the sites for up to 960 megawatts of clean and reliable solar thermal energy to the California and Nevada markets. The agreement expands upon the previously-announced private land agreement that BrightSource Energy executed with Coyote Springs Land Company in March 2009 to provide sites for up to 600 megawatts of solar thermal power.

The Coyote Springs project is part of BrightSource Energy's diverse site development strategy in California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico, including its first project located in Ivanpah, California. The Ivanpah project is in the final permitting stages with the California Energy Commission and the Bureau of Land Management, and is expected to begin construction in early 2010.

"The Coyote Springs Lands are a great addition to our growing and diverse portfolio of sites suitable for solar thermal projects," said John Woolard, President and CEO for BrightSource Energy. "We're thrilled by the opportunity to grow our relationship with the Coyote Springs Land Company as we work to build an environmentally-friendly solar power project that will bring more clean energy and economic benefits to Nevada."

"This new agreement creates a unique opportunity for our company to continue to participate in creating a solar thermal facility that is second to none," said Harvey Whittemore, founder of Coyote Springs and chairman of Coyote Springs Land Company. "We are pleased that BrightSource Energy has increased the size of its land commitment and supporting our national and state priorities for expansion of renewable energy. Our national and state leaders are to be commended for having created an environment where this can take place in our state."

The size of the site has now expanded to include a twelve-square-mile area within the larger Coyote Springs development in Lincoln County. The site is located on private property near transmission lines and, as part of the broader development site, has already received environmental permits from the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and various other federal, state and county agencies. The power generated from the Coyote Springs site could meet demand generated in the Coyote Springs development, southern Nevada, as well as deliver power to California.

Located northeast of Las Vegas, the Coyote Springs development will also include several residential and commercial components. Whittemore has already opened PGA Golf Club Coyote Springs' first golf course, The Chase, an award-winning PGA golf course.

BrightSource Energy's Technology BrightSource Energy is setting the bar in building environmentally-friendly solar thermal power plants. The company now has more than 2.6 gigawatts of power under contract, including a 1,300 megawatt series of agreements with Southern California Edison and a 1,310 megawatt series of agreements with PG&E.

The company's Solar Energy Development Center (SEDC) in Israel has consistently produced the world's highest temperature turbine-quality steam as evaluated by an independent engineering firm.

These results reflect the engineering advantages of the company's Luz Power Tower (LPT) 550 system over competing solar thermal technologies. The system uses thousands of small mirrors called heliostats to reflect sunlight onto a boiler atop a tower to produce high temperature steam. The steam is then piped to a conventional turbine which generates electricity. By tracking the sun on two-axes and concentrating its energy in a single place at the boiler, the system is able to produce steam at temperatures that take advantage of the world's most efficient steam turbine generators.

The LPT 550 solar system is also designed to minimize the solar plant's environmental impact, reducing the need for extensive land grading and concrete pads. In order to conserve precious desert water, LPT 550 uses air-cooling to convert the steam back into water, resulting in a 90 percent reduction in water usage compared to conventional wet-cooling. The water is then returned to the boiler in an environmentally-friendly closed process.

For its technological leadership, BrightSource Energy was selected as a 2009 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum. The only solar company to win this year's prestigious award, BrightSource Energy was recognized for helping global utility and industrial customers reduce their dependence on fossil fuels by providing clean, low-cost and reliable solar energy.

About BrightSource Energy, Inc. BrightSource Energy, Inc. provides clean, reliable and low cost solar energy for utility and industrial companies worldwide. The BrightSource Energy team combines nearly three decades of experience designing, building and operating the world's largest solar energy plants with world-class project development capabilities. The company now has contracted to sell more than 2.6 gigawatts of power to be generated using its proprietary solar thermal technology. BrightSource Energy's solar plants are designed to minimize their impact on the environment and help customers reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. Headquartered in Oakland, Calif., BrightSource Energy is a privately held company with operations in the United States and Israel. For more information, visit www.brightsourceenergy.com.

About Coyote Springs Located 50 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip off US Highway 93, Coyote Springs is a 43,000-acre master-planned community under development by Coyote Springs Land Company, an affiliate of Wingfield Nevada Group Holding Company LLC (WNG). Surrounded by breathtaking mountains within commuting distance of Las Vegas, the town will offer vacation golf living, commercial and retail centers, multifamily housing, custom home sites and unique residences from national builders supervised by master plan developer Pardee Homes of Nevada. A cornerstone of the community will be the first Western region PGA Village featuring world-class golf facilities. The Chase is the community's first golf course and is an award winning Jack Nicklaus design. To learn more about Coyote Springs, visit www.coyotesprings.com.

SOURCE: BrightSource Energy, Inc.

Nitride With Silicon: Think Solar Cells With 30% Efficiency

Solar Ucilia Wang September 28, 2009 Nitride With Silicon: Think Solar Cells With 30% Efficiency

RoseStreet Energy Labs said it has created a prototype cell that combines gallium-nitride with silicon, a technology that it could license to silicon cell makers and produce on its own.

A Phoenix company said it has created a solar cell that combines gallium-nitride with silicon, an unusual approach that achieves an efficiency of 25 percent to 30 percent.

RoseStreet Labs Energy announced the prototype cell Monday, and it expects to start commercial production in the fourth quarter of 2010, said Bob Forcier, CEO of RoseStreet. When those cells come off the first production line, they should be able to convert 25 percent to 30 percent of the sunlight that falls on them into electricity, he added.

That kind of efficiency would be a lot higher than what silicon cells on the market can achieve today. Currently, the most efficient silicon cells for sale come from San Jose, Calif.-based SunPower, whose cells have 22.5 percent efficiency.

There are other types of cells that use alternative materials and perform much better than SunPower's, but they also are much more expensive and are developed mostly for solar panels on satellites. The majority of the solar cells on the market today are made with silicon, and their efficiencies are typically in the mid-teens.

RoseStreet is seeking a way to boost silicon cells' efficiency by adding a layer of gallium-nitride which, unlike silicon and other more common semiconductors used for solar cells today, can be tuned to make use of photons from a broader range of spectrum, Forcier said.

Gallium-nitride is a common material for making light-emitting diodes (LED), so sourcing it wouldn't pose a challenge, he added.

"With gallium-nitride you can tune it for whatever [par of the spectrum] you want. It's like a piano versus the ukulele – you get more notes with the piano," Forcier said. "This technology allows silicon to be supercharged, like adding a big booster without a big cost penalty."

The company's core technology came from Cornell University and the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. When the company announced its licensing agreement in 2005, it said the technology could lead to solar cells with more 48 percent efficiency.

The company is working on other products that would reach that 48-plus efficiencies, Forcier said.

The technology doesn't require RoseStreet to use silicon, and the company is working on coupling gallium-nitride with other materials, such as amorphous silicon, or deposit it on glass, Forcier said.

But there is value to use silicon other than because it's cheap and abundant. RoseStreet could license its technology to other silicon makers that seek ways to significantly boost their products' performance, Forcier said.

RoseStreet does plan to make and sell solar cells, but it would outsource manufacturing, he added. This approach is common in the semiconductor industry, and it's becoming popular with solar energy companies as well (see Contract Manufacturers Expanding From PCs and Phones to Solar Panels).

Forcier declined to disclose any manufacturing costs as well as the pricing for its first commercial product. The company's plan is to reach a manufacturing cost of less than $1.50 per watt by 2014.

That goal might not help the company market its solar cells at a time when conventional silicon solar cell makers are already close to reaching that production cost if they haven't already, thanks to a rapid decline of silicon prices in the past year.

Customers might prefer much cheaper silicon cells over more expensive ones, even though RoseStreet's products could produce more power.

Forcier said the company would focus on markets where space for installing solar is limited and buyers are willing to pay more for high-efficiency products. He envisions seeing his company's cells in installations on top of high-rise buildings, embedded on cars' roofs or in laptop computers. The cells also could be used for concentrating solar energy systems, which use lenses to concentrate the sunlight onto cells to increase energy production. Many concentrating solar technology developers are willing to pay more for high-performing cells because they could make use of smaller cells to get the same amount of power. 

The company received its initial, undisclosed funding from Japan-based Sumitomo Chemicals. RoseStreet plans to raise a Series A in the first quarter of 2010 to fund its commercial production. Forcier declined to talk about the fundraising goals. 

'Kingdom perfect location for concentrated solar thermal power'

- With abundant sunlight and limited natural resources, the Kingdom is a perfect location for concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) technology, experts said on Monday.

The technology, which has yet to be applied in Jordan, will best utilise the country�s immense amount of sunlight and address the increasing electricity demand, according to participants at a seminar organised by the German-Jordanian University and Germany�s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE).

The method uses lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam to produce up to 14.000oC of heat, creating steam to power a turbine for generating electricity.

CSP has several advantages over traditional photovoltaic (PV) units, which are often used in the Kingdom for water heaters and small-scale solar power initiatives, according to Werner Platzet, head of the research department at ISE, one of the largest solar energy research organisations in Europe.

Utilised in Europe, CSP has even greater potential in sun-rich countries having abundant direct radiation, such as the Kingdom, which is estimated at 5.5 kilowatt hours per square metre per day.

Unlike other renewable energies, CSP has the potential to store energy from 4-12 hours, with some plants able provide uninterrupted electricity for up to 24 hours a day, he added.

Engineers are also able to expand CSP plants as needed, whereas wind energy and traditional PV plants are often difficult to upgrade, according to experts.

The technology, which is to be used in the planned 100MW solar power plant in Maan, will create a new employment sector for the country, Ahmad Muhaidat, head of the GJU energy engineering department, told The Jordan Times.

There is even greater potential for developing solar energy in Jordan than in Germany, whose renewable energy sector supplies a significant portion of its energy and thousands of jobs, as the Kingdom has three times as much sunlight, Platzet said.

�PV has created thousands of jobs in Germany, and CSP can do the same in Jordan,� he stressed.

Jordan can serve as a gateway to neighbouring countries, utilising its educated workforce in the technology�s application across the region, according to Muhaidat.

Further investment in Jordan and across the region is needed, however, to spur research and development to enhance the technology and lower the costs of its application.

One of the obstacles to the technology�s application is its initial high cost for investment.

�We have the tools and the personnel to become leaders in CSP technology; all they need is education,� Muhaidat added.

�The initial investment is high, but it is essentially free electricity for decades,� Platzet said, noting that a 100 megawatt (MW) CSP plant at current prices could range from JD150-JD300 million.

The plant, however, has a long life-cycle, as it is able to produce electricity for 50 years, with a service and upkeep cost of 1-2 per cent of the initial investment.

�We don�t know where the prices of oil will be in 25 years, but we know that the sun will always be free,� he stressed.

Although current existing CSP plants, such as those in Spain, rely on large amounts of water for cooling, some CSP technology can use dry cooling methods, such as wind, in water-conscious countries like Jordan.

On the first day of the seminar yesterday, ISE and GJU experts familiarised decision makers and business leaders with the technology. In the next two days, the seminar will focus on engineers and technicians, explaining the technical aspects and practical application of the technology.

Under the country�s national energy strategy, the Kingdom is looking to produce 600MW of wind and 300-600MW of solar energy by 2020.

Jordan imports around 96 per cent of its energy costing the country some 20 per cent of its gross domestic product .

However, some $1.4- 2.1 billion (2007 prices) in investments is required to meet the energy strategy�s goals, according to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.

29 September 2009

Ask Pablo: Is Nuclear Power Really "Carbon Neutral?"

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Dear Pablo: Too often I hear politicians, lobbyists, and others advocating for nuclear power, but doesn't the processing of the fuel take a huge amount of energy? So how can they call it carbon neutral?

The short answer is that nuclear energy is not "carbon neutral." Wind and solar can also not be said to be entirely without greenhouse gas emissions. But with truly renewable energy sources such as solar and wind we are talking about a one-time "investment" of greenhouse gas emissions when the solar panels or windmills are built. The energy payback period for solar panels is less than two years according to some sources, and even less for wind.

Nuclear energy cannot be considered truly renewable because it relies on a fuel. One that is not only highly processed and refined, but also one that is not replenished by incoming solar energy or biological processes, like wind, solar, tidal, and biomass are.

Where Do Greenhouse Gas Emissions Come From In the Nuclear Power Lifecycle? Construction
Greenhouse gas emissions in the nuclear power lifecycle begin with the construction of the nuclear power plant. Containment domes and redundant systems make the environmental impact of building a nuclear power plant much bigger than a conventional power plant. But because nuclear power plants have a significantly higher electricity output, the impact per kWh is lessened, but still significant at 2.22 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per gigawatt-hour (GWh), compared to 0.95 tons per GWh for combined-cycle natural gas.

Milling, Mining, and Enrichment
Nuclear fuel, Uranium 235 or Plutonium 239, begin as ore in a giant pit mine (75%) or an underground mine (25%). The ore has a uranium concentration around 1.5%, which needs to be further refined. Processing that includes crushing, leaching, and acid baths produces a more concentrated U3O8 called yellowcake. The U3O8 is processed into UO3, and then into UO2, which is manufactured into fuel rods for nuclear power plants. From mine to power plant, the greenhouse gas emissions can add up to another 0.683 tons of greenhouse gas emissions for every GWh.

Heavy Water Production
An important component of many types of nuclear power plants is heavy water, which is a water with a higher than normal concentration of Deuterium Monoxide D2O, which is just like water in which the Hydrogen atom has been replaced by a Deuterium atom. I was surprised to learn that the production of this heavy water is actually on of the biggest contributors to the greenhouse gas emissions in the nuclear energy lifecycle. In fact it can result in up to 9.64 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per GWh.

So, What is the "Carbon Footprint" of nuclear power?
According to my sources the entire lifecycle emissions of nuclear power are as high as 15.42 tons per GWh. But how does that compare to other electricity sources? A typical nuclear power plant is around 1 GW. Assuming 100% uptime (nuclear power plants do go offline for maintenence), a 1 GW power plant, running 8760 hours per year, will produce 8760 gigawatt-hours, or 8.76 billion kilowatt-hours per year. The average US household uses 11,232 kWh per year, so the average nuclear power plant services 780,000 households. Now, 15.42 tons per GWh translates into 15.42 kg per megawatt-hour (MWh). For comparison, California's mixture of electricity sources, including nuclear, creates 328.4 kg of CO2 per MWh and Kansas tops out the nation at 889.5 kg per MWh. The lifecycle emissions of wind power are around 10 kg per MWh.

Sure, nuclear power has lower greenhouse gas emissions than any combustion-based fuel source but it still has many other problems. We all know about the dangers of nuclear accidents and the issues around nuclear waste. If politicians were technology agnostic, removed subsidies for the coal and nuclear industry, and set a price on carbon with a national cap and trade system, there would be no debate. The free market would choose the path to the most cost effective and cleanest sources of energy which would include wind, solar, small-scale hydro, geothermal, energy efficiency, tidal, and certainly not nuclear or "clean coal."

Additional Resources on Nuclear Power:
The Next Nuclear Renaissance is Already Underway
Green Nuclear Waste?
Life Cycle Analysis of Nuclear Power

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Saudi Arabia has potential to harness solar energy

(MENAFN - Arab News) The summer solstice occurred on June 21 at 05.45 UCT. During that 24-hour period, when the sun reached its farthest northerly arc, 970 trillion kilowatt hours of free energy beamed to earth. That, according to the US Energy Administration, is about 247 years supply of energy for America � in one day. The best part is that sunshine is free. Any profit lies in the rights to place solar energy gatherers in national territories, the conversion of heat to electricity and the sale of energy. The fossil-fuel industry operates on much the same basis. However, there are a couple of significant differences. The sun is not going to run out for several billion years, however much energy we can extract from it and we can utilize its energy with far, far less pollution. The biggest hindrance to solar adoption has been the perception of high economic cost compared to conventional oil-fired power plants.Dr. Gerhard Knies is a member of the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC), which developed a concept for energy, water and climate security in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. As he pointed out in a recent interview with the BBC, the basic question is no longer "does the science work" but, "whether heat from the sun is more competitive than heat from fossil fuels." So who wins?Solar energy is definitely expensive but fossil fuels are also getting more and more expensive to extract and distribute. Currently it costs $50 to $60 to obtain solar energy equivalent to what one would get from burning a barrel of oil. With the economy of scale that comes with mass production of solar-gathering equipment, the capital price and the break-even point will continue to decrease as demand increases. The break-even point also depends on the techniques used for obtaining solar energy. Currently, there are two options, each of which has strengths and weaknesses. Photovoltaic (PV) cells absorb light, which is then converted into electrical energy and fed into low-loss transmission lines. The disadvantage of PV is that at night when the sun sets, so does the power generation. At that point, electricity stored in batteries or as heat for reconversion, must take over. The advantage is that PV cells convert solar rays into electrical energy at relatively high efficiency rate.The other technique, Concentrated Solar Power is far simpler. It involves focusing the sun's heat by using a parabolic reflective surface onto a pipe located at the reflector's focal point and heating a fluid inside to high temperature. Passing the superheated pipes through water generates steam that drives turbines and generates electricity. Slightly more sophisticated is the Power Tower design. A field of mirrors surrounds a central tower that houses the pipes containing the fluid to be heated and delivers concentrated heat. As the sun moves, optical sensors and computers control the angle of the mirrors to maintain the focus of heat onto the tower. The system has several advantages over the trough design; it can be built on uneven land or hillsides; it generates higher temperatures resulting in more efficient storage; and the plumbing can be concentrated in the tower. Currently, it is cheaper and more efficient to store heat than electricity. With the CSP technique, the pipes of fluid and huge heat sinks can store heat during the hours of darkness and maintain power generation 24 hours a day. As an added bonus, CSP requires much less initial capital to get a project started. The downside is that the efficiency rate of CSP technology is significantly lower than with PV panels.Serious consideration of solar power to supply Europe is under way in the form of the Desertec Project. The idea already has the backing of senior political figures and a consortium of major industrial companies and finance groups.CEO of Siemens Peter Loescher told Arab News in a report published on Aug. 29 (Easy solar energy: Is the writing on the wall for fossil fuel?) that the Desertec initiative was designed to provide a sustainable supply of electricity to North Africa, the Middle East and Europe on the basis of renewable energies. "The participating countries will profit from the production of energy. And the export of green power will not only be an outstanding image factor; it will also strengthen local expertise and employment in the area considerably," Loescher said in the interview.The question for the KSA is, can it capitalize on this free and abundant resource? The simple answer is "yes". On June 3 in Riyadh, the government even held a workshop dedicated to "The Development of National Renewable Energy Policy for Saudi Arabia." At the conference, Dr. Ahmad Al-Khowaiter, gave a presentation entitled "Solar Energy: an opportunity for Saudi Arabia" in which he pointed to three solar-related competitive advantages that the Kingdom has: cheap land, solar potential that rivals the Sahara desert, and abundant sand (silica) which is used in the production of PV cells. He also showed that as the KSA's electricity demand continues to rise, internal oil consumption will double to an estimated 4 million barrels per day by 2020. If this pace is kept, solar energy will actually become economically viable in the KSA between 2010 and 2015. By the end of the workshop it was clear that the government could use the sun's energy to diversify the Kingdom's economy, increase foreign investment, create jobs and fuel another round of economic growth.Solar would not even take up much real estate. According to Arnulf Jaeger-Waldau, of the European Commission's Institute for Energy; in order to meet the power consumption for the whole of Europe, just 0.3 percent of the light falling on the Sahara and Middle East deserts would need to be captured. Not to mention, there is a delightful irony in the idea of harnessing the very energy that threatens to stifle us and then using it to prevent us from being stifled. It could well be the stars or the one closest to us that we call the sun, which could provide 'a' or even 'the' contribution that equips us to counter global warming effectively.There is no need to postpone this necessary transition to a more sustainable future, because, as a wise man once said: "The Stone Age did not end for lack of stone, and the Oil Age will end long before the world runs out of oil."Now is the time for the Kingdom to listen to the growing community of solar advocates. They're chorusing: "Bring me sunshine!" By Roger Harrison & Pathik Root

State 'committed to green energy targets'

SA COULD expect to see greater progress towards reaching renewable energy targets meant to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil energy, a top government official said last week .

David Mahuma, the acting chief director of clean energy in the Department of Minerals and Energy, told delegates at a workshop on concentrated solar power hosted by the Development Bank of Southern Africa that the department was committed to renewable energy projects.

The government has set a target of 10000GW to be generated from renewable energy by 2013, according to the 2003 white paper on renewable energy, but little has been realised.

Mahuma said there had been concern about slow progress , but “once we start riding the wave, we will see the uptake” . There had been much progress in drawing up regulations to support renewable energy.

“With electricity prices going up, I can guarantee renewable energy is the way to go,” he said.

Concentrated solar power has the potential to create jobs and skills, particularly in rural areas, and is seen by many to provide a viable alternative to coal-fired power stations.

SA should build large, concentrated solar power plants in the sunniest areas of the country, and certain components should be locally manufactured.

This would enhance local skills in manufacturing, installation, operation, maintenance and refurbishment, and local intellectual property could be used where it was cost-effective, Mahuma said.

The manufacture of components could be integrated with other industries for economies of scale and scope. These plants would be able to earn premium carbon credit s.

Mahuma said solar power for SA was what hydro power was to the Democratic Republic of Congo: a power source with enormous potential, but that as yet remained untapped.

SA had an abundance of sunshine, particularly in poorer provinces, on unproductive land that was close to major mining regions, he said.

In addition, there was expertise in energy technology, high- voltage transmission, dry cooling and maximising power station availability.

Transmission infrastructure and a mature manufacturing industry were also in place, Mahuma said.

“Let’s move beyond the demo models,” he said, and SA could partner with other countries that already had expertise in this area.

newmarchj@bdfm.co.za

How does solar energy work

There are many methods of solar energy production, with them being either direct or indirect, with active and passive components. In mainstream solar production, there are two methods which are currently used for solar energy conversion. Both of these involve the use of a solar panel, but their energy production means are a bit different. These two methods are known as solar thermal and photovoltaic energy cell production.

The solar thermal method uses the sun’s energy to directly generate heat. This process works by using solar panels to collect the heat from the sun. This heat is captured and then transferred to water tanks for heating and distribution through the rest of the house. This means that production maximizes absorption of the heat generated by sun throughout the day, so energy is available for night time use as well. The tubes which absorb this energy are called thermal collectors. The in-direct alternative to this production method is using anti-freeze instead of water. Once the sun has warmed this liquid, the heat gained from this process is transferred to water held in a tank. Currently, this is the most popular form of solar panel available on the market today, with may building designs harnessing this technology.

The Solar Thermal Method

The photovoltaic method directly transfers the sun’s power into electricity. This process uses solar cells, or photovoltaic cells to trap the sun’s heat. They are often silicon-based with wide surface area for maximum heat absorption from the sun’s rays. This method traps electricity directly, instead of using the warmth created from the sun in the thermal method. The number of these cells which is contained in one panel differs depending on the size of the panel, but these cells can be interlinked and combined for a greater production power.
The downside of this production method is that it is DC, or direct current electricity, which is unusable in most households. Therefore, an inverter is needed to transform the direct current power into AC, or alternating current power. This transformation causes a minor loss of energy, but it means the electricity is ready to use in household appliances at night time and during times of diminished sunlight. With this method, if a home is connected to the power grid, it is possible to feed any excess energy which your batteries cannot contain, back into the grid. With this method, you become your own energy producer.

The Photovoltaic Method

While these are the two different methods of solar production, they vary in two other different means. Direct and indirect solar energy are also applicable to production, depending on the method used to harvest the sun’s rays. Using direct solar power only involves one step in transforming it into usable energy. This method is known as electromagnetic radiation. Examples of direct solar production include sunlight striking solar cells, sunlight warming a dark surface for thermal collectors, and sunlight which is absorbed by a fiber optic cable. These are the most common forms of solar energy use, as they are what is installed in many homeowner homes which are looking to reduce their reliance on the main power grid.

Indirect solar energy involves more than one process in order to obtain usable solar energy. One example of this is biofuel, as it is made from plants which use photosynthesis to harvest the sun and convert it into chemical energy. Hydroelectric dams and wind turbines also function through indirect solar means, as water and wind can be sun powered. All ocean thermal energy is an indirect result of solar power, as the sun warms the ocean and causes different wave movements with the help of the wind.

In addition to these types of solar energy, there are also active and passive systems. Passive systems only require direct sunlight without the aid of additional energy. A good example of this is sunlight warming the home through a window. Passive solar water heaters exist for pumping water through the home to collect sunlight which warms panels on the roof.

Active systems work by using the sun’s rays, but they also contain electronic tracking devices which are used to maximize the amount of sunlight which can be collected from the sun. There are many different examples of this, such as the use of electric pumps and air blowers in the home for distribution of the energy collected from the sun. Most of these services are computer controlled, which makes them active instead of passive.

In addition to active and passive types of solar energy, there are also different focus types. These focus types of energy are called point focus, line focus, and non-focus.

A point focus type is a small disk-shaped dish which can be used to diffuse sunlight collected into a concentrated area, so that more solar radiation can be collected than normal. This is the type of focus which is used in solar cells and thermal energy receivers, as they directly convert this radiation into electricity.

Line focus is not so different from point focus, as it uses the same method, but instead of using a disk-shaped dish, it uses a trough shaped dish which collects the sun’s rays and converts them into electricity.

Non-focus systems are the most common of the focus systems and are generally what the public thinks of when they think of solar collectors. The main solar thermal panels and solar cell panels which are installed in homes across the country use the non-focus system. The advantage of using the non-focus system is that it can diffuse the sunlight without needing any further adaptation. The sunlight does not need to be concentrated, but because this system is more technologically complex, they tend to be a bit more expensive than point and line focus systems.

This is just a basic outline of how solar energy works, as it gives you some idea what the different types of solar panels which can be installed in a home can do for you. Deciding on the type of system installed in a home is often decided on how much sun the home gets, and how much wattage the homeowner wants to generate using this type of electricity.

Plugging Into the Sun

National Geographic's cover story this month (for readers outside the US) is on solar energy (particularly solar thermal power and thin film solar), noting "Sunlight bathes us in far more energy than we could ever need—if we could just catch enough" - Plugging Into the Sun. A related article is - Can Solar Save Us ? - with a photo gallery at - Solar Rays.When Nevada Solar One came on line in 2007, it was the first large solar plant to be built in the United States in more than 17 years. During that time, solar technology blossomed elsewhere. Nevada Solar One belongs to Acciona, a Spanish company that generates electricity here and sells it to NV Energy, the regional utility. The mirrors were made in Germany.Putting on hard hats and dark glasses, Cable and I get into his pickup and drive slowly past row after row of mirrors. Men with a water truck are hosing down some. "Any kind of dust affects them," Cable says. At the far edge of the mirror field, we stop and step out of the truck for a closer look. To show how sturdy the glass is, Cable bangs it like a drum. Above his head, at the focal point of the parabola, the pipe carrying the oil is coated with black ceramic to soak up the light, and it's encased in an airless glass cylinder for insulation. On a clear summer day with the sun directly overhead, Nevada Solar One can convert about 21 percent of the sun's rays into electricity. Gas plants are more efficient, but this fuel is free. And it doesn't emit planet-warming carbon dioxide. ...With a new administration in Washington promising to take on global warming and loosen the grip of foreign oil, solar energy finally may be coming of age. Last year oil prices spiked to more than $140 a barrel before plunging along with the economy—a reminder of the dangers of tying the future to something as unpredictable as oil. Washington, confronting the worst recession since the 1930s, is underwriting massive projects to overhaul the country's infrastructure, including its energy supply. In his inaugural address President Barack Obama promised to "harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories." His 2010 budget called for doubling the country's renewable energy capacity in three years. Wind turbines and biofuels will be important contributors. But no form of energy is more abundant than the sun. The Age has an article commenting on the NGM piece - World wakes to new dawn for solar power.WHEN Lindsay Tanner says greenies are ''obsessed'' with solar energy, he's right. And it's obvious why.Clean coal is a myth. Nuclear has radioactive waste and security issues and (read Helen Caldicott) it's not as efficient as they say. It would also be impossible to commission a nuclear reactor in Australia within a decade - especially near anyone's backyard - and we haven't got a decade to lose. ...Solar technology has been around for decades, the resource is abundant and the costs are coming down.How abundant? This month's National Geographic cover story on solar power estimated that the amount of electricity that could be generated by solar photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar thermal (CSP) each year was roughly 40 times the world's present electricity use. (In round figures, 745,000 terawatt hours a year of solar power is available, and the world generated 19,000 terawatt hours in 2006, mostly from fossil fuels).But the promise of solar has been around so long people don't believe it any more. NG's reporter quoted from a magazine article published in America in 1953, titled Why Don't We Have … Sun Power? That old piece included this: ''Every hour the sun floods the earth with a deluge of thermal energy equal to 21 billion tons of coal.''Adelaide-based scientist Monica Oliphant is president of the International Solar Energy Society. She has been a staunch advocate for solar power since the Arab conflict and oil shock in the early 1970s, when she heard Nobel-prize winning Australian virologist Sir Macfarlane Burnet on the radio.''I remember the day - I was in the kitchen, [he] was saying: 'If we had solar energy we wouldn't have to fight over oil.' ''

Plans for solar power from outer space move forward

A California technology startup is rapidly pushing forward with plans to build the first space-based solar power station to beam 200 megawatts of electricity back to Earth via microwaves to a receiving station near Fresno. The firm, Solaren Space, has been pushing for space-based power since 2001 and it secured a Power Producing Agreement with PG&E Corp.in April 2009. PG&E (PCG) hasn't put any money into the project but its willingness to sign shows that Solaren must be doing something interesting.

The concept is not novel. Satellites floating outside the atmosphere can capture solar energy round the clock and without power-reducing cloud cover or atmospheric interference. The satellites use photovoltaic panels, much like what goes on rooftops, to capture energy and convert it to microwaves. A large antenna on Earth recaptures the energy of the microwaves and converts them back into electricity. In fact, space-based power appears to be quickly moving towards reality. The Japanese government announced earlier in September a massive project to build a space based power-plant producing two gigawatts of electricity.

I interviewed Solaren's Director of Energy Services Cal Boerman about the project.

Daily Finance: What has changed over to make space-based power technically feasible today? Have there been any breakthroughs that have made this possible?
Boerman: Actually, not really. The technology is fairly well developed. if you look at today's communications satellites, they have solar cells that generate the electricity they need. These satellites convert the electricity into radio waves, then signal to your home to your television. That's what DirecTV does. Except unlike them, we don't throw away the center part of the beam where all the energy is located. They only want to signal around the edges. So there is no novel technology development required. It's an engineering problem. Our challenge is to make the surface areas a little bigger and lighter but not to develop a key technology that makes or breaks the project. What we have done differently is keep the weight of our satellites down. Unlike other projects, we won't have to build them in space. That's a big difference.

How many launches will it take to the get the whole system up and orbiting?
We can do it with a small number of launches, only four. To get that, we had to come up with a design that was lightweight and innovative. We're still using a big rocket. Each launch will have a satellite or a piece of our system that will go up. Once we are up there, we will rely on concentrating the suns energy with mirrors to improve efficiency. We'll have a large footprint but it's not acres of solar cells like NASA has depicted. We have to use space-qualified photovoltaic solar cells that have a proven track record. We'll use mylar or some other lightweight reflective material to construct mirrors to concentrate the sun's energy.

How much will this project cost?
A few billion dollars to get it done. We are looking for private investment. We're not seeking any government funding or utility funding.

It seems a little risky. Aren't investors nervous?
There are some large investor trusts who are willing to try this for humanitarian uses. These institutions are looking to make significant improvements in the world's way of life and so I think they might be willing to take a bit more risk. But yes, everyone is worried about that. We'll buy launch insurance and cover ourselves. But its a new technology and people are apprehensive.

Won't the signals hurt birds or knock down planes?
Not at all. The effects of RF signals on the human beings and birds and airplanes are well understood. We know what the safety standards are. We've been transmitting things this way for a long time. We need to make sure that our signal is controlled. The effect of RF energy on the human body is a heating effect. The energy levels we'll be working with are a lot less than you might feel if you were sitting out in the midday because the beam will be spread out over a very wide areas. The receiving antenna on the ground will be a couple of square miles. It's a big area but that means the beams are at lower concentration. As for airplanes, they would feel more heat coming out from under clouds than they would entering our beam. Remember, the satellites are 22,000 miles up, far above where planes or birds fly. We're so high up that even space junk is not an issue.

The antennae sound huge.
We actually try to keep a fairly controlled beam. But it will go from one kilometer in diameter in space to a circular mile on the ground. So the beam does spread a little bit. These antennaes have been built and tested in the lab and we know they can receive microwaves and convert them back into electricity. Nothing as big as what we need has been tested but scientists know the efficiency and the behavior of these antennae.

Why is this better than terrestrial solar farms?
There are a number of reasons. The first question we are addressing is how much solar energy there is at 22,000 miles off the Earth. If you took a one kilometer strip surrounding the planet, it captures enough solar power to create a generation capacity of one trillion watts. If you filled that area with satellites, you'd generate a really significant portion of the Earth's electricity. What we're offering is clean renewable energy 24 hours day, seven days a week. Most renewables cannot be used for so-called baseload power because their generation capability is variable. Space-based solar power is clean renewable energy that is capable of meeting baseload power needs. For utilities, 80 percent of their electricity needs to be baseload power that is always on. We believe we can address and maybe replace baseload coal plants. Our technology can be looked at as true replacement for that over time.

It would seem like you could move the beam to different locations that needed power, almost like a science fiction movie.
That's correct. If you have a satellite in orbit, we can move the beam from location A to location B if there was another antennae to receive the signal. From the location we plan for our satellites you can "see" one-third of the Earth. So you could move the beam, say, from New York to Chicago to Denver to San Francisco to match peak demand.

'Lean Green Fighting Machine' Ready To Fight For Planet Earth

ATLANTA -- During �Climate Week� at the United Nations, where 100 heads of state met to discuss four-time heavy weight boxing champion of the world, Evander Holyfield announced on Friday, Sept. 25, that he plans to take on one of his toughest opponents yet; Global Warming.

Holyfield, �The Lean Green Fighting Machine�, is fighting for Planet Earth.

The champ has been motivated to look for solutions for the environment and intends to build a 40 acre solar energy farm on his estate in Georgia. The solar farm will be built in collaboration with Global-NES-Georgia, Inc. an organization that teams up with Green Economy Diversity Initiative to create green business opportunities. GEDI Chairman Charles "Champ" Walker states we are pleased to introduce the Real Champ as the worlds Lean Green Fighting Machine as we create an Olive Economy- the color of the economy when people of color and the green economy meet. Evander will aid us in providing awareness, education to our most vulnerable communes.

In his inaugural address, U.S. President Barack Obama said that America �will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.� The continent�s energy industry is on the cusp of a major change. �I am proud to be a partner in the green movement to heal the earth�, said Evander Holyfield. �I am also dedicated to an approach which minimizes disruption to the local community and ecosystem. I look forward to working with key stakeholders in the green community as well as public local, state and federal officials to make this happen.�

�In addition to this milestone solar project, an additional acre of my land will be used to create a working organic garden to teach neighborhood youth the importance of going green. The organic garden will be installed in cooperation with local community groups and administered by the Evander Holyfield Foundation.�

�As a member of the boxing community and an elite group of champion boxers, I call on my friends in the boxing industry to take on this challenge too. The failing state of our planet may be the toughest competitor that I have ever taken on but I am disciplined, focused and ready for the fight�, said Mr. Holyfield.

The sponsors of this project report that they expect this solar project to achieve several milestones for solar power, including being one the largest solar thermal power farms in Fayette county. The total power produced with the new solar plant is expected to amount to produce approximately 645,000,000 (KWh) of solar power annually.

�Working with my associate, Kim Weekes, I approached Evander Holyfield and his associate Steven Hardy about using 25 acres of Evander�s property for a green project. Evander was very excited and said �Let�s do it�,� said Deborah Pointer, Peabody award winner, co-founder and Executive Producer of Russell Simmons Def Poetry. Deborah Pointer is spearheading the Evander Holyfield Solar Farm project.

�Evander called me back within a few minutes of our conversation and said, �I will give you 40 acres for the solar farm and another acre for the children�s garden�. The concentrated solar power which we create will offset green house gas emissions and will allow us to take action now to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel and to protect our environment. This is a big project and I am thankful to have an opportunity to make a difference in global warming� said Ms. Pointer.

�Utilizing the latest in solar thermal technology, this solar project is intended to advance solar power supply by producing clean energy. Our partner, Global NES-Georgia, Inc. will build the solar farm. The Evander Holyfield Solar Farm also intends to establish a purchasing power agreement with Georgia Power.�

Copyright 2009 by WSBTV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

GE: Solar business is our 'next wind'

Last year, GE's energy division took a majority stake in Golden, Colo.-based PrimeStar Solar, for its cadmium telluride cell technology. GE is now developing a product around that aimed at utility and commercial customers.

Solar at GE is a relatively small part of its sprawling energy portfolio, which covers everything from nuclear power plants to natural gas turbines. But GE expects that solar has the potential to grow rapidly, as its multibillion-dollar wind business has done over the past five years.

"Solar is definitely the next wind for us. It's not there yet, but it's moving very rapidly," Idelchik said. Solar is more expensive than wind right now, but he said that GE expects renewable energy mandates to help drive growth and bring costs down.

Thin-film solar cells offer lower production costs than the incumbent silicon because thin-film cells use far less material. Over the past five years, several solar companies have formed to make thin-film cells from a combination copper, indium, gallium, and selenide (CIGS), which are still not in the market in high volumes. GE's cells will be made from a compound of cadmium and tellurium.

Silicon cells are durable and more efficient at converting sunlight to electricity than thin-film solar cells. The most efficient commercial silicon cells can convert over 20 percent of sunlight to electricity. But GE Research projects that it can boost the efficiency of cadmium telluride to 12 percent efficiency and potentially higher, Idelchik said.

"We are excited about it because it can produce in diffuse light," he said. "The module (panel) life is 20 years--that's what the customer wants. It has the right production costs and right efficiency target."

Asked how its cadmium telluride products will differ from First Solar's, Idelchik answered only briefly that GE's device would be more "flexible for customers" in terms of installation and operation.

During his presentation, Idelchik said that GE is looking at ways of managing an entire solar array in a large installation built by a utility or commercial customer.

After his talk, he said that GE is developing technology to recycle solar cell material, as cadmium is a very toxic if it enters the environment.

Martin LaMonica is a senior writer for CNET's Green Tech blog. He started at CNET News in 2002, covering IT and Web development. Before that, he was executive editor at IT publication InfoWorld. E-mail Martin.

Solar Power: Finally, A Reason to Invest Says HSBC

You are so busy with your cute journalism you don’t even know the correct YGE co.

Observer is right, there are many mistakes in this story. I think you need to do it over. Also, it makes no sense to continue quoting industry averages. Sectors move ahead as a result of a powerful and consistent surge by a handful of low cost leaders that can execute with volume and finance over time. Press coverage of the evolution of the solar industry is still stuck in the Popular Science mentality and needs to grow up. Okay so it never grew up in the case of the auto industry, but it needs to in the power generation biz. Consider the recent solar pv facts: low cost volume leader at 87 cents per watt mfg cost not counting profit margins or install costs. That number is headed down to 80 cents this year and below 80 cents in 2010. Coal and nuclear costs are legacy artifacts given the effective moratorium and lack of new cases. Policy studies of nuclear need to specify “old” nuclear and “wishful” nuclear and also acknowledge that Yucca Mtn is closed. We’ve done an excellent job of ignoring the on site storage of spent nuclear rods at sites today. If you want to get a scoop on a story, cover the insane solar projects in remote locations serving cities and states 100s of miles away and wind promotion efforts with implied taxpayer subsidies of multi billion dollar transmission needs. You might also delve into the long regulatory review processes for alt energy projects that exceed the quick install characteristics of solar pv over any other type of power generation project coupled with the fact that ground PV projects can start producing before the entire project is finished. Consider that last point with the help of an engineering project finance expert. If you redo the story and consider the facts mention here, you readers might get to an understanding of how in the world Calif and NY and a few other states could have grid parity solar by as early as next year in the case of large-scale ground arrays.

Ted, at $4 installed, you will likely produce let’s say 1.25 KWh per watt installed (middle of your range), so 31.25KWh per watt in the lifetime of your system (25 years minimum) or $0.128 per KWh flat. You have taken 1KWh and called it 10cents, why? 1KWh for 25 years is 25KWh for $4 or $0.16 per KWh. 1.5KWh for 25 years is $0.10 per KWh. Conventional electricity may well cost you that now.

Also, consider that your $0.128/KWh does not rise whereas conventional electricity will. Likely, by 2034, at the end of the system, carbon produced electricity may cost double or more than now due to the inevitable rises in mining, workforce, carbon taxes etc.

Also, for any electricity that you produce that does not get used, you get paid for by FITs, Feed in Tariffs. Currently, those rates are set for decades ahead and are often much higher than conventional electricity, making you a tidy profit.

Due to their low capacity factors wind and solar only reduce CO2 by 25 and <15 percent respectively far short of the Waxman reqirement to reduce CO2 80%. This will result in maximum damage to the economy as noted by the US DOE (EIA)study of Waxman.

In contrast nuclear will reduce CO2 100%. With the power sector doing more than its share of the reduction, the economy will suffer much less according to the EIA (and common sense).

Wind and solar are so caustic to the power system and economy that the EIA study excludes them and focuses on biomass as renewables.

In the sunniest parts of the USA, we can expect 1 to 1.5 kilowatts to be produced for each 1 watt in a solar panel. This equates to 10 to 20 cents per year per watt of solar panel. That would take from 16 to 40 years to pay off if you buy panels at $4 a watt.

That simply does not make sense for end users, small businesses, etc. Bring in the repayment time to 7 years and it gets feasable.

Missing from these articles is any discussion of competing costs for Coal power per kilowatt. Coal is directly tied to the USA shipping/rail infrastructure and will not easily be replaced due to vested government and industry interests. Coal is 50% of the rail traffic for example.

Xcel Explores Potential of Concentrated Solar

SOLAR PANELS were installed at the Telluride Wilkinson Library earlier this summer. (File photo.) slideshow Unique Experiment Launched East of Grand Junction

DENVER – Any economic booster’s promotion kit for Colorado cheerily announces the state’s 300 days of sunshine per year.

In reality, old sol lounges at some places more than others, and a map posted on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory website shows the sunshine intensity for the West.

In comparison to the painful-looking road rash of California’s Mojave Desert, the San Luis Valley in Colorado looks like a bad bruise. Still, it’s the sunniest swath of Colorado. Pockets near Grand Junction, Fairplay and the Four Corners also look bruised, at best.

But seen in another light, those bruises look like gold. Some of the world’s best minds have concluded that solar energy remains the most promising of the renewable sources for a long-term energy foundation.

In this transformation, Colorado could become a major player. Nate Lewis, a professor of chemistry at the California Institute of Technology, has calculated that an area of southeastern Colorado and adjoining areas of New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas could by itself convert enough solar energy into electricity to meet the nation’s existing needs.

As this was the setting for the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, this suggests a rags-to-riches story as the nation pushes to decarbonize its economy.

Xcel Energy, Colorado’s largest electrical supplier, has already created an eight-megawatt farm of photovoltaic panels near Alamosa in the San Luis Valley.

Now, a less familiar type of technology called concentrated solar power is being deployed east of Grand Junction at the Cameo coal-fired power plant, where Abenoga Solar is partnering with Xcel Energy to erect parabolic mirrors on 6.4 acres.

The mirrors will redirect the sun’s rays to a central unit, where fluid will be heated to produce steam and hence generate electricity.

This is just a tiny step. Cameo, among the smallest of Xcel’s power plants in Colorado, generates 77 megawatts of electricity by burning coal. This new solar unit will add just 1 megawatt.

This is the first concentrated solar plant in Colorado, although it’s likely not the last. Xcel has proposed to state regulators adding 280 megawatts of concentrated solar and other cutting-edge technology, including geothermal, to its portfolio, along with 700 megawatts of energy from wind and photovoltaic sources. The company currently produces 54 percent of its electricity by burning coal.

The basic technology of concentrated solar has been around for decades. Installations in the Mojave Desert altogether can produce 350 megawatts of electricity. Huge up-front costs have held it back. But now, with coal and natural gas more expensive than 20 years ago, concentrated solar is starting to shine.

“It’s a proven technology,” says Chuck Kutscher, one of NREL’s leading researchers in concentrated solar at its campus in Golden. He points to a new 64-megawatt plant near Las Vegas, a 259-megawatt plant being built to supply Phoenix, and proposals –- backed up by cash down-payments -– that could theoretically yield 97,000 megawatts of solar power, most of it from installations in the Mojave Desert.

Kutscher points out that energy captured by concentrated solar can be retained for six hours through the medium of molten salt.. Batteries can store electricity produced by photovoltaic panels, but at much higher costs.

“It produces power in a way that utility folks are familiar with,” says Kutscher.

Costs remain higher than coal or even natural gas. The new plant in Arizona, for example, will produce electricity at an estimated cost of 14 to 15 cents per kilowatt-hour. That’s wholesale. In Colorado, the retail cost of electricity runs about 10 cents a kwh.

But while sunshine can be expected to cost the same for decades, natural gas has been subject to wild price swings. A year ago it was selling for more than $13 per million British thermal units; in early September the price was $2.35 at the Opal Hub in Wyoming.

Xcel plans to close Cameo, an old coal-fired plant, next year. Before it does, however, this provides an opportunity to kick the tires of this idea of integrating solar with coal for possible application elsewhere. It is the first such attempt in the world.

If successful, more electricity can be generated without expanding the carbon footprint, says Randy Larson, senior project manager for Xcel.

“Colorado is not the prime location for solar, but it has some very good locations,” says Larson. “Grand Junction is pretty good. Pueblo is good, although not as good as the Mojave.”

Leslie Glustrom, director of an activist group called Clean Energy Action, says Xcel has changed its mind about the value of concentrated solar since 2007. “All told, we have a lot to be grateful for,” says Glustrom, who sued Xcel in an effort to block the utility’s construction of a 750-megawatt coal-fired plant called Commanche III, which will go on line later this year at Pueblo.

Carol Tombari, author of Power of the People: America’s Electrical Choices, calls concentrated solar a sleeper. She notes significant venture capital has been invested in concentrated solar. “Yes, venture capital sometimes makes mistakes. But on the order of magnitude that has been invested in this, I’d say it’s going to succeed.”

How it succeeds still remains in doubt. In theory, solar from Colorado could be used to light Los Angeles. Already, LA gets power from the Pacific Northwest, 1,000 miles away.

But the cost of building this new transmission remains a major challenge, both financially and, to an extent, environmentally. The journey to this El Dorado of sunshine-based wealth still has plenty of shadows, says Kelly Murphy, who organizes conferences about energy topics. Even California, with an earlier timeline for increasing its renewable energy portfolio, has struggled to connect metropolitan markets with the energy available in the sun-soaked Mojave Desert, he says.

Many energy analysts see concentrated solar being part of a much bigger mix of renewables that together are stronger than the sum of their parts.

Hank Price, who manages the engineering for Abenoga Solar in Colorado, sees need for a diverse set of renewable resources. “If you were really thinking, you would throw in hydroelectric, wind and perhaps geothermal, and you could have a nice renewable mix,” he says.

The intermittency of wind and other renewables makes them difficult to integrate to create steady so-called base-load generation.

Abengoa's PS20 solar plant, the largest commercial solar tower ...

Abengoa's PS20 solar plant, the largest commercial solar tower plant in the world 24 de septiembre de 2009

Don Juan Carlos and Do�a Sof�a, today presided over the inauguration of Abengoa's PS20 solar plant, the largest commercial solar tower plant in the world, located at the Sol�car Platform in Sanl�car la Mayor, Seville.

The Chairman of Abengoa, Felipe Benjumea, explained the functioning and the advantages of tower technology, a mature solution that offers the most efficient performance compared to other similar technologies, by concentrating solar radiation onto a single spot.

During his speech, Abengoa's Chairman pointed out that the plant's operations "are based on generating electricity by obtaining heat from solar radiation. More than 1,000 mirrors, each one 120 square metres in size, placed at the base of the tower, track the sun just like sunflowers".

The 20 megawatts of power produces enough clean energy to supply 10,000 homes, preventing the emission of approximately 12,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere per annum. Felipe Benjumea added that "energy in the 21st century has to be clean with no greenhouse gas emissions; competitive, internalising all costs, including from the CO2; and storable. These three conditions have all been fulfilled here and we believe that this is the real future for today, a possible future".

The Solúcar Platform also houses a research centre that develops new photovoltaic and thermal technologies, which employs more than 70 scientists and engineers. Thanks to this centre, Spain and Europe are at the forefront of new technologies, which are revolutionising the possibilities for generating electricity from the sun.

Abengoa is a technology company that applies innovative solutions to sustainable development in the infrastructures, environment and energy sectors. It is public listed company and its five business groups of Solar Energy, Bioenergy, Environmental Services, Information Technology, and Industrial Engineering and Construction operate in more than 70 countries.

Concentrating Solar Power Power Tower

Power tower technology is considered to be at medium maturity within concentrated solar power technology. The first commercial power tower plant using power tower technology was installed by Abengoa Solar and it is successfully celebrating its 2 years in operation.
The second generation, Abengoa Solar-built, like the first, recently began operational start-up, and the third is based on the technology used in high-temperature demonstration plants.

Introduction to Technology

On tower systems, a heliostat field comprised of movable mirrors, is oriented according to the solar position in order to reflect the solar radiation concentrating it up to 600 times on a receptor located on the upper part of the tower. This heat is transferred to a fluid with the purpose of generating steam that expands on a turbine that is coupled to a generator to produce electricity.

Tower technology operation is based on three main features: heliostats, receptor, and tower.

* Heliostats have the function to capture solar radiation and direct it to the receiver. They are composed of a reflective surface, a supporting structure and mechanisms used to orientate them, following the sun’s movement (which involves the necessary systems for the heliostat movement as well as control systems). The most used reflective surfaces today are glass mirrors.

The receiver which transfers received heat to an operating fluid (which could be water, molten salts, etc.). This fluid is in charge of transmitting hear to other parts of the C.S.P. plant, generally to a water deposit, obtaining high temperature steam to produce electricity through the action of a turbine. Latest advances and research are centered to obtain high temperature towers, with heat transporting fluids, such as air, salts, etc.

The tower acts as support for the receiver which should be located at a certain height above the heliostats level to avoid, or at least reduce, shades and blockings.


www.abengoa.com/sites/abengoa/en/index2.html