Solar Best and Worst of 2011

2011 has proven itself as one of the most eventful years in the solar industry. Between the massive drop in panel pricing and the very public downfall of Solyndra, the market continues to adapt and grow.
Solyndra, the panel designer/manufacturer publically backed by the government became one of 2011’s top headlines when they sank half a million tax payer dollars. The solar industry took a hit from the exaggeration of the story and the attitude most of the general public adopted after Solyndra went under. The $535 million dollar loan guarantee the government provided left a bad taste in tax payer’s mouths when the company filed for bankruptcy in September. The incident has become politically polarizing with Republicans blaming the Obama administration for awarding loan security based on monetary contribution to the Democratic party instead of merit. The investigation is ongoing, meanwhile, responsibility for the massive loss in tax payer’s dollars has yet to be claimed. Fortunately, the industry showed resilience in growth, surpassing 2010’s 887 installed mW by totaling more than 1,000 mW by the end of the third quarter.
Brightsource Energy is a utility scale installer in Southern California. They have made the top 10 list of Greentech Startups several times since they started in 2004. Investors have ranged from Google to BP and most recently, the U.S. Department of Energy through a $1.6 billion loan guarantee. 2012 promises more growth with over 16,000mW in secured projects.
The third is a literal figure. The price of panels took a 30% drop in the last year. Though this sounds like a good figure (and it is) it has presented its fair share of problems. Many installers and distributors are finding themselves with excess inventory they purchased above market pricing. The forecast for the next couple of years looks better still for consumers: “NRG expects the cost to fall in half again in the next two years, which would make solar power less expensive than retail electricity in roughly 20 states.” (Greentechsolar.com) Bottom line, the price of going solar continues to plummet making it a more accessible and economical option for consumers.

2011 has proven itself as one of the most eventful years in the solar industry. Between the massive drop in panel pricing and the very public downfall of Solyndra, the market continues to adapt and grow.
Solyndra, the panel designer/manufacturer publically backed by the government became one of 2011’s top headlines when they sank half a million tax payer dollars. The solar industry took a hit from the exaggeration of the story and the attitude most of the general public adopted after Solyndra went under. The $535 million dollar loan guarantee the government provided left a bad taste in tax payer’s mouths when the company filed for bankruptcy in September. The incident has become politically polarizing with Republicans blaming the Obama administration for awarding loan security based on monetary contribution to the Democratic party instead of merit. The investigation is ongoing, meanwhile, responsibility for the massive loss in tax payer’s dollars has yet to be claimed. Fortunately, the industry showed resilience in growth, surpassing 2010’s 887 installed mW by totaling more than 1,000 mW by the end of the third quarter.
Brightsource Energy is a utility scale installer in Southern California. They have made the top 10 list of Greentech Startups several times since they started in 2004. Investors have ranged from Google to BP and most recently, the U.S. Department of Energy through a $1.6 billion loan guarantee. 2012 promises more growth with over 16,000mW in secured projects.
The third is a literal figure. The price of panels took a 30% drop in the last year. Though this sounds like a good figure (and it is) it has presented its fair share of problems. Many installers and distributors are finding themselves with excess inventory they purchased above market pricing. The forecast for the next couple of years looks better still for consumers: “NRG expects the cost to fall in half again in the next two years, which would make solar power less expensive than retail electricity in roughly 20 states.” (Greentechsolar.com) Bottom line, the price of going solar continues to plummet making it a more accessible and economical option for consumers.

2012
01/11
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Making solar panels

Making solar panels is a delicate process, and it is for this reason that major solar advances did not come into play until the lattermost quarter of the last century, when advances in semiconductors and photovoltaic design allowed increasingly efficient and affordable solar cells to be developed.
The creation of solar panels typically involves cutting crystalline silicon into tiny disks less than a centimeter thick. These thin, wafer-like disks are then carefully polished and treated to repair and gloss any damage from the slicing process. After polishing, dopants (materials added to alter an electrical charge in a semiconductor or photovoltaic solar cell) and metal conductors are spread across each disk. The conductors are aligned in a thin, grid-like matrix on the top of the solar panel, and are spread in a flat, thin sheet on the side facing the earth.
To protect the solar panels after processing, a thin layer of cover glass is then bonded to the top of the photovoltaic cell. After the bonding of protective glass, the nearly-finished panel is attached to a subtrate by an expensive, thermally conductive cement. The thermally conductive property of the cement keep the solar panel from becoming overheated; any leftover energy that the solar panel is unable to convert to electricity would otherwise overheat the unit and reduce the efficiency of the solar cells.
Despite these protective measures against the tendancy of solar panels to overheat, it is vital that when installing a solar panel, additional steps should be taken to ensure the solar panel is kept cool. Elevating the solar panel above ground (see solar panel mounts) to let the airflow underneath cool the device.
Amorphous silicon solar panels are a powerful, emerging line of photovoltaics, that differ in output, structure, and manufacture than traditional photovoltaics which use crystalline silicon. Amorphous silicon solar cells, or A-si cells, are developed in a continuous roll-to-roll process by vapor-depositing silicon alloys in multiple layers, with each extremely thin layer specializing in the absorption of different parts of the solar spectrum. The result is record-breaking efficiency and reduced materials cost (A-si solar cells are typically thinner than their crystalline counterparts).
Some Amorphous Solar Panels also come with shade-resistant technology or multiple circuits within the cells, so that if an entire row of cells is subject to complete shading, the circuit won’t be completely broken and some output can still be gained. This is especially useful when installing solar panels on a boat.
The development process of Amorphous Silicon solar panels also renders them much less susceptible to breakage during transport or installation. This can help reduce the risk of damaging your significant investment in a photovoltaic system.
2011
11/25
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Energy from the Sun

Solar panels have the ability to meet all of our energy needs, but at present we only use a tiny fraction of the energy that the sun has to offer. How much energy does the sun produce? How is it produced? And how much of the sun’s energy can be theoretically harvested via solar cells?
Energy from the sun is caused from thermonuclear expolosions deep within the sun. These explosions fuse atoms of hydrogen into atoms of helium. A tremendous amount of energy is released during the thermonuclear reaction and the sun releases that energy as radiation. This radiation travels through space at the speed of light, and solar panels can make practical use of it. Our sun generates an enourmous amount of energy, and potentially, had we the technology to harvest that sunlight with solar arrays across the solar system, we could harvest huge amounts of energy.
According to our friends at Astronomy Cafe, we calculate the amount of energy given off the sun every hour as:
«3.8 x 10^33 ergs/sec or 3.8 x 10^26 watts of power, an amount of energy each second equal to 3.8 x 10^26 joules. In one hour, or 3600 seconds, [the Sun] produces 1.4 x 10^31 Joules of energy or 3.8 x 10^23 kilowatt-hours.»
The sun produces more energy every hour than the entire energy needs of human civilization from the beginning of time. Solar panels will help us harvest increasing amounts of this abundance of energy to meet our energy needs in the future.
2011
11/25
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Do you know what a solar panel is?

Solar panels are typically constructed with cystalline silicon, which is used in other industries (such as the microprocessor industry), and the more expensive gallium arsenide, which is produced exclusively for use in photovoltaic (solar) cells.
Other, more efficient solar panels are assembled by depositing amorphous silicon alloy in a continuous roll-to-roll process. The solar cells created from this process are called Amorphous Silicon Solar Cells, or A-si. Solar Panels constructed using amorphous silicon technology are more durable, efficient, and thinner than their crystalline counterparts.
For very important solar projects, such as space probes that have to rely on solar energy, very-high efficiency solar cells are constructed from gallium arsenide by a process called molecular beam epitaxy. Solar cells constructed by this process have several p-n junction diodes, each designed to be maximally efficient at absorbing a given part of the solar spectrum. This solar panels are much more efficient than conventional types, but the process and materials involved make them far too expensive for everyday applications.
The newest solar panels function on the molecular or quantum level, and represent an exciting new technology coming into play. These solar panels are created by implanting carbon nanotubes or quantum dots into a treated plastic. Unlike silicon-based solar panels, these solar panels do not have to be constructed in a clean room, and therefore production costs are somewhat dimished.
The practical applications of solar panels constructed from plastics are staggering – they could be overlayed onto a laptop screen to provide continous power, or provide supplemental power to any number of outdoor appliances. The primary hurdle for this new technology is efficiency, and these ‘plastic’ solar panels have an operational efficiency of about .11% of their silicon-based counterparts. The only short-term solution to this energy problem is for these plastic solar panels to generate electricity from light outside the visible spectrum of light. Some highly-experimental plastic solar panels have been made to absorb infrared energy, and if a solar panel is made that can absorb both infrared energy and light from the visible spectrum, the operational efficiency could increase up to thirty percent.
2011
11/25
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Basic information on wind energy and wind power technology, resources, and issues of concern.

Wind Energy and Wind Power

Wind is a form of solar energy. Winds are caused by the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the irregularities of the earth’s surface, and rotation of the earth. Wind flow patterns are modified by the earth’s terrain, bodies of water, and vegetative cover. This wind flow, or motion energy, when «harvested» by modernwind turbines, can be used to generate electricity.

How Wind Power Is Generated

The terms «wind energy» or «wind power» describe the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical power. This mechanical power can be used for specific tasks (such as grinding grain or pumping water) or a generator can convert this mechanical power into electricity to power homes, businesses, schools, and the like.

Wind Turbines

Wind turbines, like aircraft propeller blades, turn in the moving air and power anelectric generator that supplies an electric current. Simply stated, a wind turbine is the opposite of a fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind, like a fan, wind turbines use wind to make electricity. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft, which connects to a generator and makes electricity.

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2011
06/13
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Wind Power
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The History of Solar Panels and Solar Energy.

For the answer to that question we can rely on the wisdom of the ages:

A wise man once said that in order to know where we’re going we need to know where we’ve been.

So let’s follow that wise man’s advice and take a look at the history of solar power.

To keep this as simple as possible, we’ll break things down into three easily digestible portions based on the three main types of solar:

1. Passive solar

2. Solar Thermal

3. Solar Electric (Photovoltaics)

Passive Solar

The Greeks and Romans Get Active With Passive Solar

Passive solar power is pretty simple, it doesn’t require any fans, pumps, or panels.

It just means using part of your home to collect the sun’s energy. Not surprisingly, passive solar is the first stop in our journey into the history of solar power.

Archaeological evidence shows that the ancient Greeks were building their homes in grid patterns to utilize the heat and light of the sun in the fifth century BC.

Socrates sang the praises of passive solar power when he wrote that «In houses that look toward the south, the sun penetrates the portico in winter». Read more

2011
06/10
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A journey through the history of the most amazing wind turbines designs.

Looking for an environmentally friendly energy source while looking gracious, aesthetic and beautiful? The answer is blowing in the wind! Wind turbines float in the air, some rotate horizontally, others vertically. Some are lighter-than  air while others are majestically integrated into skyscraper buildings. The sheer assortment of wind turbine designs to be found around us in this world is simply breath taking. Wherever the wind is blowing, an amazing wind turbine design is not far away and standing proud for admiration while generating clean energy for us almost silently.

Below is a selection of pictures and descriptions of some of the most spectacular & truly ambitious wind turbine designs of this millennium…whose scope & promise could pave the way for much greater harnessing of wind energy. This collection of some of the world’s most amazing wind turbine designs together with high level descriptions (and accomplished with a beautiful wind poem) was compiled for the enjoyment of all you wind power enthusiasts in mind.

We are starting this picture series with a small selection of beautiful images of historical and traditional wind mill and wind turbine designs and will finish with the most spectacular high tech inventions of this century. An amazing journey through the evolution of the most spectacular wind turbine designs ever. Enjoy!

Wind Turbine 1888 by Charles Brush

Charles F. Brush’s 60 foot, 80,000 pound turbine that supplied 12kW of power to 350 incandescent lights, 2 arc lights, and a number of motors at his home for 20 years. It today is believed to be the first automatically operating wind turbine for electricity generation and was built in the winter of 1887 – 1888 in his back yard. Its rotor was 17 meters in diameter. The large rectangular shape to the left of the rotor is the vane, used to move the blades into the wind. The dynamo turned 50 times for every revolution of the blades and charged a dozen batteries each with 34 cells. For scale, note gardener pushing lawnmower underneath and to right of the turbine Read more

2011
06/06
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Wind Power
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