Sun shining on school’s solar panels

SOLAR panels have been installed at a school in Seaton Delaval.

The 39 panels were fitted to the roof of Astley High School as part of a project by Northumberland County Council.

The local authority is aiming to install panels at 130 public buildings and 520 homes.

The panels will cut the school’s CO2 emissions by four tons a year as well as save £590 in electricity.

Headteacher John Barnes said: “At Astley we are committed to doing the best that we can do to source alternative sources of energy and support other green initiatives.

“This is something the young people of the school care passionately about because they know they are the future guardians of not only the local area but also the wider community.”

Source:http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/sun-shining-on-school-s-solar-panels-1-4499388#

Folding light: Wrinkles and twists boost power from solar panels

On a flat surface, the light either is absorbed or it bounces back," said Loo, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at Princeton. "By adding these curves, we create a kind of wave guide. And that leads to a greater chance of the light's being absorbed."
The research team's work involves photovoltaic systems made of relatively cheap plastic. Current solar panels are typically made of silicon, which is both more brittle and more expensive than plastics. So far, plastic panels have not been practical for widespread use because their energy production has been too low. But researchers have been working to increase that efficiency with the goal of creating a cheap, tough and flexible source of solar power.
If researchers can increase the plastic panels' efficiency, the material could produce power from an array of surfaces from inserts in window panels to overlays on exterior walls or backpacks.
"It is flexible, bendable, light weight and low cost," Loo said.
In most cases, researchers have focused on increasing the efficiency of the plastic photovoltaic material itself. Recent developments have been promising: a team from UCLA recently announced a system with a 10.6 percent efficiency. That approaches the 10 to 15 percent level seen as the target for commercial development.
Loo said the folding method promises to increase those numbers. Because the technique works with most types of plastic photovoltaic materials, it should provide a boost to efficiency across the board.
"This is a very simple process that you can use with any material," she said. "We have tested it with other polymers and it works as well."
Jong Bok Kim, a postdoctoral researcher in chemical and biological engineering and the paper's lead author, explained in the Nature Photonics paper that the folds on the surface of the panels channel light waves through the material in much the same way that canals guide water through farmland. By curving the light through the material, the researchers essentially trap the light inside the photovoltaic material for a longer time, which leads to greater absorption of light and generation of energy.
"I expected that it would increase the photocurrent because the folded surface is quite similar to the morphology of leaves, a natural system with high light harvesting efficiency," said Kim, a postdoctoral researcher in chemical and biological engineering. "However, when I actually constructed solar cells on top of the folded surface, its effect was better than my expectations."
Although the technique results in an overall increase in efficiency, the results were particularly significant at the red side of the light spectrum, which has the longest wavelengths of visible light. The efficiency of conventional solar panels drops off radically as light's wavelength increases, and almost no light is absorbed as the spectrum approaches the infrared. But the folding technique increased absorption at this end of the spectrum by roughly 600 percent, the researchers found.
"If you look at the solar spectrum, there is a lot of sunlight out there that we are wasting," Loo said. "This is a way to increase efficiency."
The research team created the folded surface in Howard Stone's laboratory in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department by carefully curing a layer of liquid photographic adhesive with ultraviolet light. By controlling how fast different sections of the adhesive cured, the team was able to introduce stresses in the material and generate ripples in the surface. The shallower ripples were classified as wrinkles and the deeper ones are called folds. The team found that a surface containing a combination of wrinkles and folds produced the best results.
Although the math underlying the process is complex, the actual production is straightforward. Loo said it would be quite practical for industrial purposes.
"Everything hinges on the fact that you can reproduce the wrinkles and folds," Loo said. "By controlling the stresses, we can introduce more or fewer wrinkles and folds."
Another benefit of the process is that it increases the durability of the solar panels by relieving mechanical stresses from bending. The researchers found the panels with folded surfaces were able to retain their effectiveness after bending. A standard plastic panel's energy production would be diminished by 70 percent after undergoing bending.
Loo said the researchers drew their inspiration from leaves. Seemingly a simple object, the leaf is a miracle of natural engineering. Its green surface is perfectly constructed to bend and control light to ensure that a maximum amount of solar energy is absorbed to create energy and nutrients for the tree. Recent work by Pilnam Kim, a postdoctoral researcher in Stone's lab, provided insight into how these microscopic structures could be applied to synthetic devices.
"If you look at leaves very closely, they are not smooth, they have these sorts of structures," said Loo, who is deputy director of Princeton's Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. "We'd like to mimic this geometric effect in synthetic, man-made light-harvesting systems."

Source:http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=25056.php

Lebanon’s Largest Solar Project Lights up a Green Highway

Like Egypt, Israel, and Jordan, Lebanon has been beset with energy shortages recently – a crisis that will escalate as demand grows alongside an ever-expanding population. Sidestepping these constraints and taking advantage of almost year-round sunshine, the Transportation Ministry has installed 766 solar-powered street lights on a 10km stretch of relatively unpolluted highway in Hermel. Some residents are grateful and excited about the $1,072,000 project, but others are skeptical.

Green Highway

Ahmad Shahin, an engineer from the Union of Hermel District Municipalities told The Daily Star that they have been asking the transportation ministry for street lights for a long time in order to improve safety not only at night, but also during foggy weather. Eventually the ministry came back with a proposal to install the solar-powered lights designed to reduce gas emissions and costs.

The Union accepted this proposal and the ministry oversaw construction of the lights. It is uncertain which company supplied the bulbs, solar panels and other equipment, but they are required to guarantee the products for one year under the terms reached between them and the transportation ministry.

A solar panel crowning each light collects and stores solar energy produced during sunny days. When the sun goes down or when fog settles in, a lightbulb automatically switches on. They each run for up to 12 hours a day.

Cutting corners

Installed on the Baalbek-Homs highway from the old Bekaa train station to Hermel, and on the 5 kilometer stretch between Bekaa and Al-Qaa, the new lights improve visibility without undue environmental destruction.

Although Nizar Dandash, the head of the League of University Professors for the Protection of Environment, believes this project – the largest solar installation commissioned by the Lebanese government – is a step in the right direction, past experience has generated criticism that the equipment used is substandard and will require costly maintenance that the municipality can scarcely afford.

Nonetheless, the union’s head, Mustafa Taha, told the paper that they will take responsibility for any maintenance costs going forward.

Recently a Lebanese goat farmer subverted municipal energy shortages by setting up his own solar panel that has allowed him and his family to connect with the rest of the world. It seems that finally, finally Lebanon is catching on to the reality that solar isn’t just a passing phase. It makes good business sense, as long as no corners are cut.

Source:http://www.greenprophet.com/2012/04/lebanons-largest-solar-project/

Students eye solar panels

It was a drab day, the sky overcast and the temperature hovering at a chilly 3 C.
None of which had dampened Jennifer Manna’s enthusiasm for an emerging plan to soak up the sun.
The local Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School student belongs to a committee raising funds for the purchase of a 10-kilowatt microFIT solar panel system.
Mounted on the school’s roof, the panels will convert the sun’s rays into electricity.
“We intend to sell it back to (the provincial power grid),” Manna said, adding revenues generated by the system would help offset capital costs and eventually fund other green initiatives.
The proposal is still in the development phase, and the committee continues to meet with board officials as it seeks the necessary approvals.
Committee member Sam Little described the response to date as “positive,” while noting that similar projects have been undertaken elsewhere.
“What is unique is we are the first one driven by the students,” he added.
For now, the group, known as the ‘PF refresh’ committee, is raising funds toward the effort.
(The group encourages student inclusiveness with a focus on environmental causes.)
Were the solar-panel initiative to prove unworkable, the students would pursue other avenues for energy production, including wind power.
“No matter what happens, the money will go toward some sort of environmental initiatives, making our school more green,” Manna added.
Proceeds from an April 27 ‘Earth Gala’ at Hawk Ridge Golf and Country Club will go toward the system’s $50,000 to $60,000 cost.
The upcoming event features a silent auction, formal dinner, cash bar, and live music.
Manna said the committee intends to hold other fund-raising events, as well as seeking out government grants.
“If we raise the whole $50,000, we will actually start making a profit (immediately),” she said, adding that the system would generate about $6,600 in revenue annually. “It’s a long process, but we are taking the first steps.”
Tickets to the April 27 gala are $30.

SourcE:http://www.simcoe.com/news/article/1343459--students-eye-solar-panels

Solar panels could be added to Windsor’s aquatic centre

Windsor’s downtown family aquatic complex could have rooftop solar panels.

“We found out we were going to have a savings and we said, ‘Now is the time to do it,’” said city councillor Drew Dilkins on Wednesday.

According to Dilkens, who chairs the aquatic centre committee, the $77-million facility could have $255,000 worth of structural work done to ensure the roof is capable of supporting solar panels.

The concept became possible when the digging revealed some sewer connection work wasn’t needed and there were $280,000 in savings, Dilkens said.

The committee overseeing the construction will take the idea to city council for approval Monday or the following week, he said.

The city could acquire the solar panels or rent the rooftop, Dilkens said.

Dilkens noted that during the public consultation phase of the project, people were asked what kind of green initiatives should be added to the building.

Dilkens added that the project is currently on time and on budget.

The 50-metre pool must be open by August 2013 to accommodate the International Children’s Games. The entire complex should be open to the public by December 2013.

Source:http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2012/04/25/solar-panels-could-be-added-to-windsors-aquatic-centre/

Solar panels cause clashes with homeowner groups

The government wants you to install solar panels at your house, and will even give you a tax break to do it. But your neighbors? Maybe not.

It's a lesson Angel and David Dobs discovered when their homeowners association north of Atlanta denied their request to install solar panels on their roof. Neighborhood officials said the panels would look out of place and might lower home values in a community that regulates details as fine as the coloring of roof tiles, the planting of trees and the storage of trash cans.

"It's like living under communism — someone gets to dictate every possible thing you do," David Dobs said.

Homeowners associations around the country have banned or severely restricted the installation of solar panels, and the solar industry has pushed back to halt the practice. A recent attempt in Georgia to expand the right to go solar had support from environmentalists and some Republican lawmakers concerned about private property rights but it succumbed to opposition from developers and real estate agents.

Roughly two dozen states now forbid or limit homeowners associations or local governments from banning solar panels, according to a database run by North Carolina State University. Similar disputes have prompted lawsuits in Nebraska and California.

Angel and David Dobs supported the Georgia legislation after their run-in with the homeowners association. David Dobs had viewed the project as his personal contribution to prevent global warming.

Leaders of the Vickery Lake Homeowners Association in Cumming say the dispute is about architecture and aesthetics, not the merits of solar power. Homeowners automatically accept the community rules when they purchase a home there.

"We're not going to debate whether it's a good idea to have green energy or not," said Jim Pearson, the association's president.

These debates are likely to keep flaring as more people install solar energy systems because the equipment is getting cheaper and governments subsidize the cost. Taxpayers can now deduct 30 percent of the cost of installing solar panels from their federal tax bill. Other states and local governments offer additional incentives.

The fight is not new. Some solar rights laws date back to the 1970s, while other states have added similar measures more recently.

California's law, first enacted in 1978, prevents homeowners associations from forcing residents to make aesthetic changes to photovoltaic panels that raise the cost by more than $2,000 or decrease a system's efficiency more than 20 percent.

Most disputes in California are worked out privately, but a few have reached the court system. Last year, a California appellate court upheld a decision forcing a couple to remove solar panels that were installed in their yard without the approval of their homeowners association. They were allowed to keep other panels on their roof.

"They don't like the way they look," said attorney Michael McQueen, who represented the couple and others in similar disputes. "And (homeowners associations) are all about looks. Is your lawn green? Are your hedges trimmed?"

Ricardo Cestero, an attorney for the homeowners association, said neighborhood leaders were concerned the ground-level panels were not set back far enough from the street, were inadequately protected from damage and might cause erosion.

Texas adopted a law last year preventing homeowners associations from totally blocking solar panels. The law makes clear that residents can install them on roofs or in fenced-in yards or patios, subject to some limits.

In Georgia, the fight between the Dobses and their homeowners association started in 2010. David Dobs said the rules required that he and his wife seek permission to build solar panels.

He first proposed installing 30 panels on two areas parallel to the slope of his roof. People could have seen sections of the three-by-five-feet panels as they walked or drove along the street.

The homeowners association rejected that request and three others from Dobs.

Board member Jim Graham said that to win approval, the panels would probably need to be out of view, perhaps mounted in a backyard and obscured by a fence — though fences too are subject to association approval.

Graham said that if people don't like the rules, they are free to buy elsewhere.

"They chose to come into this community," he said.

Lawmakers in Georgia tried to resolve the problem with legislation giving homeowners associations the rest of the year to decide whether to ban solar panels. Any neighborhood that did not set a ban by next year would be unable to stop a homeowner from installing solar panels in the future.

There were limits. Homeowners associations could restrict the panels to roofs or fenced-in backyards and patios. They could require that panels be installed parallel to the slope of a roof and ban any backyard solar equipment that rose higher than the surrounding fence.

Even in states that give homeowners the right to install solar panels, homeowners associations still ban them.

Neighborhood leaders in a Salem, Ore., subdivision rejected Larry Lohrman's request to install solar panels on his roof because their rules banned the equipment, Lohrman said. He successfully argued that a 1979 solar rights law made that ban illegal, and he and a neighbor helped the association draft guidelines governing the installation of solar panels.

His panels were installed and started producing power in 2010, though Lohrman said he nearly abandoned the effort in frustration during the year it took to write the new guidelines for his homeowners association.

"They're just afraid that someone's going to put up this big, honking ugly thing that reflects light and just looks ugly," he said.

Source:http://www.wdbo.com/news/news/local/solar-panels-cause-clashes-homeowner-groups/nMhYd/

Solar Panel Conference Scheduled For Wednesday

It’s not unusual any more to see an array of solar panels on Livingston and West Orange roofs, and it raises the question for many homeowners, “Is solar energy cost-effective and appropriate for my home and situation?”

To answer that question, on April 25 at 8:00 pm in the Senior Community Center, the League of Women Voters of Livingston, Livingston Green Team and West Orange Energy Commission are collaborating to offer a program that will address homeowner’s questions about installing solar energy systems. Billed as a “practical, decision-making guide for homeowners,” the program will deal with both financial and installation questions that homeowners ask when weighing the possibility of a solar installation.

Speakers include Bureau of Public Utility Commissioner Joe Fiordaliso and Ronald Reisman, Renewable Energy Program Manager for New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program, who will discuss the status of solar energy in New Jersey today and what incentives and financial options the state offers for considering solar as an alternative energy source. Pamela Frank of Sun Farm Network will talk about the physical requirements of a solar installation, what kind of house is a good candidate for solar, and why most houses in NJ aren't good candidates.

The evening will also include a panel of local homeowners who will describe the decision-making process that they used, either to install a solar energy system or to decide against installing solar.

“Payback time, purchase vs. lease, site considerations and what to look for when choosing an installer---these are some of the topics the program will cover,” explains Arlene Johnson, co-chair of the Green Team and co-chair of the program. “The program’s intention is to give residents the information they need to evaluate the benefits of solar power as part of an overall energy-efficient home.”

As a follow-up to the April 25th informational program, there will be an Energy Eco-Fair on June 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the Senior Community Center at which a number of exhibitors will demonstrate their products and services. At the Eco-Fair, residents will be able to get information and ask questions about a number of energy- efficient approaches for the home, including solar and wind systems, insulation, energy audits, energy-efficient lighting, and energy-efficient design.

According to Renee Resky, co-chair of the Eco-Fair, “The April 25 program and the subsequent Eco-Fair in June will provide residents with lots of useful information, not only on the practicalities of residential solar energy but also on making their homes more energy-efficient.”

Source:http://livingston.patch.com/articles/solar-panel-conference-scheduled-for-wednesday

Solar power producers hesitate to embrace new DWP program

Storm clouds hovered over the San Fernando Valley, but businessman Jack Engel was smiling as he pointed to a row of solar inverters at one of two commercial warehouses he owns in Sun Valley. Power was being generated despite the weather, no problem.

His problem, he said, has been the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

"I like the idea of solar, but unfortunately my experience is that the DWP doesn't support it," said Engel, who has run a small manufacturing firm on Pendleton Street for four decades. "The conversation is one thing, the reality is another."

That's why he is saying thanks but no thanks to the DWP's long-awaited "feed-in-tariff" program. Approved by the City Council two weeks ago, the pilot program would allow solar producers like Engel to not only reduce power bills but also to sell back excess energy to the DWP.

Engel paid $300,000 to install his own system in 2010 and expects to eventually recoup much of that cost in lower power bills. But the DWP's administration of its earlier solar program, known as "net-metering," was frustrating. It was a year before he was given the green light to turn on his system, he said, and the DWP's billings were so complex that it took several calls to track down the one woman — now retiring — who could explain them.

That sour taste is shared by other solar customers and installers who have similar tales of missteps, delays and poor customer service in connection with the net-metering program.

"The basic problem is there is no will to make this happen," Engel said. "In fact the culture at the DWP is the exact opposite."

Losing businessmen like Engel is not what the DWP wants to see.

Los Angeles uses 10% of the state's energy, and harnessing solar energy makes the San Fernando Valley — abundant both in sunshine and warehouses with large, flat roofs — a key target. Other "solar hotspots" are in East Los Angeles and areas west and north of downtown, including Hollywood.

Ron Nichols, the DWP's general manager, doesn't deny there were long delays and poor customer service, but he says that's in the past.

"That's a myth. And it's outdated," Nichols said at a City Hall news conference that launched the feed-in-tariff program.

In the 15 months since he took over, a backlog of 800 solar projects waiting to go live has been substantially shortened, he said. Nichols also said it usually takes no longer than two months to get panels turned on. The utility did not respond to a request for the current backlog.

"As an organization, we've made a commitment to turn that around," he said.

DWP was the first major utility to meet a 20% reduction in carbon-based energy, largely by building power-generating wind plants, according to Nichols. And there is a plan to hit a 32% reduction, as called for by Gov. Jerry Brown, by 2020. Solar will help the utility meet that mandate, he said.

Environmentalists, business leaders and city officials, led by L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, have long pushed for a feed-in-tariff program and praised its launch. Backers say it will chip away at the utility's dependence on electricity from coal-fired plants and create thousands of local jobs in the developing, but still fragile, solar market.

Under the program, owners of commercial warehouses and multifamily buildings are invited to sign 20-year-contracts with the DWP to sell back excess energy to the utility. Officials cautioned, however, that residential solar systems probably aren't large enough for the 30-kilowatt minimum to qualify. This differs from the DWP's net-metering incentives, which continue to provide rebates on installation to both residential and commercial customers and reduce their own power bills.

Feed-in-tariff programs have been used extensively in Spain and Germany to successfully create a robust solar market, researchers from UCLA and USC said in a report prepared for the Los Angeles Business Council. The U.S. has been slower to adopt them, although programs are underway in Florida and several California cities, including Sacramento and San Diego.

UCLA economist J.R. DeShazo said the DWP, the nation's largest municipal utility, needs to prove it can be efficient and upfront for the program to succeed.

"It needs to be very careful about how it picks projects," he said. "It should be open bids. They should announce scoring criteria in advance. Everything should be very transparent."

Source:http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dwp-solar-20120423,0,7332999.story