Solar & Renewable Energy News
Solar Engineering and Photovoltaic News
Solar Power International Conference 2015
Solar Power International, a highly respected solar power trade show in North America, will be having its yearly conference at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California. This year’s conference is scheduled September 14-17, 2015. Over 600 exhibitors and 15,000 attendees are expected to participate in the coming event. The conference consists of two major elements. Exhibition hall filled with booths for renewable energies and solar companies to promote their product or services. More than a hundred educational sessions where panels of solar industry titans gather, share ideas, educate the audience, and share experiences of success. What makes this year’s conference noteworthy is the participation of Vice President Joe Biden as a speaker. Mr. Biden will become the first sitting VP to deliver remarks at a prestigious solar conference in the country. His one-hour speech is scheduled for September 16th. In addition to Joe Biden’s talk, several other presentations are scheduled. Monday, September 14: PMSHC Symposium: ITC: What’s Being Done to Extend It and What You Can Do About It Solar Heating and Cooling Symposium: Pathways to Making SHC Mainstream Opening General Session Tuesday, September 15: Value Engineering and Efficiency Optimization Designing Systems to Optimize Performance and Costs How Concentrating Solar Power’s Flexibility Supports Grid Reliability The Future of Community Solar: Looking Beyond Program Models and Emphasizing Customer Value Wednesday, September 16: What It Takes to Be Successful as a Residential Installer Beyond the Fence: The Impact of the Clean Power Plan on Emerging Solar Markets An Empirical Analysis of Utility-Scale Solar Project Cost, Performance, and Pricing Trends in the United States Thursday, September 17: Asset Management & Performance Walking... read more
Google’s Project Sunroof is Mapping the Planet’s Solar Potential
Project Sunroof is Google’s solar initiative program that aims to help homeowners better understand the viability of installing solar power systems. Initiated by Google engineer, Carl Elkin, Project Sunroof’s primary purpose is to map Earth’s solar “hot spots” for solar potential. This information will provide homeowners valuable information regarding their area’s usable sunlight and maximum energy collection to help the world minimize its dependency on fossil fuels. Chase Daily, DBM Solar’s CEO and founding partner, comments on Project Sunroof. “Google has done some amazing things over the last two decades, but Project Sunroof has the potential to be among their most innovative features yet.” Mr. Daily continues, “This is something that society should be thankful for. Not just solar companies, but homeowners and businesses. There are so many that can benefit from more adoption of solar technologies. I’m excited for Project Sunroof, and I hope it comes to Utah, soon.” By entering the homeowner’s address into Project Sunroof’s website, homeowners can made aware whether significant amount of sunlight is reaching their roofs. If sunlight data is available, homeowners will learn which part of their house is getting more sunlight, the capacity of their roofs in holding solar panels, and how much money they can save yearly by utilizing solar power. Project Sunroof’s data comes from existing Google Earth and Google Maps data. The solar data is acquired from the calculation of the shadows from structures and trees, historical weather, and temperature patterns. Also, homeowners will be provided a list of local solar power companies capable of installing panels in their area – a great advantage for both the solar... read more
Autumn: The Impact of Shorter Days & Energy Consumption
Fall brings beautiful changes in color. Green leaves and shrubs change into a rainbow of red, yellow, orange, or pink. The colder temperatures also bring shorter days. Days full of less light mean new strategies on how to save energy. The Impact of Shorter Days on Energy Consumption The impact of having shorter days varies between individuals, families, and even cities and states. With fewer hours of sunlight during fall, most of us increase our energy consumption as we need artificial light earlier on in the evening as fall sunset occurs earlier. Here are some tips to save on energy consumption when it is in demand the most. Switch off lights when not used This is the easiest option to save on energy. Many of us are guilty at failing to do so. Use motion sensors or timers Let’s face it. Life moves fast. If you can’t trust yourself always to remember to turn off the lights, embrace motion sensors and timers. This will allow you to have light when you need it and to shut them off when you don’t, without having to remember to turn them off yourself. Upgrade your light bulbs Avoid traditional light bulbs. Instead, switch into CFL or LED light bulbs. They are more durable than traditional incandescent bulbs and are proven to provide sufficient light output at lower energy consumption. That means greater savings on energy... read more
Most Solar Efficient Nation? Germany
Germany is a country known for its cold weather with ice and snow covered streets. And it’s deeply rooted in coal mining industry. Surprisingly, did you know that approximately twenty-two percent of Germany’s energy is generated by solar? In fact, the country’s state of Bavaria, which has a population of 12.5 million, has three highly efficient photovoltaic panels per resident. What’s more surprising is that those installed solar power units can provide more energy than the capacity of our entire country. Love it or hate it, Germany is now the most energy efficient country on the planet – a fact that created buzz among the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). How did Germany Become so Solar Efficient? Two decades ago, German legislators passed a renewable energy law in what would become the beginning of Germany’s solar power reign. There was a realization that the cheapest energy had to be the energy that doesn’t need production in the first place. It was solar. In return, the country invested billions towards renewable energy research, with solar being in the forefront. Paperwork for solar power was streamlined, and innovations began sprouting across the land. The government also provided subsidies to ensure that solar panels were readily available and embraced by the masses. The country didn’t stop there. They ensured that their studies would bring answers on how to make solar usable in large scales. And finally, they learned the most efficient methods of storing solar power so it could be used for days without sunlight. That was the ultimate breakthrough. In no time, Germany was reaping the benefits of its... read more![History of Solar Power [Infographic]](https://dbmsolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/history-of-solar-power-400x250.jpeg)
History of Solar Power [Infographic]
Solar power and photovoltaic technologies have had an amazing evolution. As early as 1839, a conductive solution was observed experiencing the photovoltaic effect. Melvin Severy received solar power’s first noteworthy patents back in the 1890’s. Albert Einstein even published a paper on the photoelectric effect in 1904. Hoffman Electronics created an efficient solar cell in 1959. About a decade later, Soyuz 1 became the first manned spacecraft powered by solar cells. Even the president, George Bush, became involved in solar in 1991 as he directed the establishment of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Various politicians have continued the trend of encouraging advancements in solar, including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposing a solar roof initiative in 2004 and President Barack Obama ordering the installation of solar panels at the White House in... read more
Solar-Powered Plane, Solar Impulse
Solar Impulse is a solar-powered, experimental, long-range aircraft that is a privately financed project out of Switzerland. Solar Impulse was designed to remain airborne up to 36 hours, with the long-term goal of completing a world circumnavigation using only solar power. It was unveiled in 2009, made its first historic flight in 2010, and flew across the US by 2013. The current version of Solar Impulse, dubbed Solar Impulse 2, was revealed in 2014. Solar Impulse 2 has a few improvements over the original version of the plane. It’s larger, has a more powerful motor, and more solar cells than its previous version. In March 2015, it kicked off a journey of around 24,855 miles with stops in 12 destinations. Solar Impulse Characteristics The Solar Impulse is a bit wider than a Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet and measures a wingspan of 236 feet. It weighs around 5,071 pounds and has room only for a single pilot. Solar Impulse Technology Solar Impulse Solar Cells Solar Impulse’s wings are covered with 17,248 solar cells. All are mono-crystalline silicon cells with a thickness of 135 microns each. They are mounted on the wings, horizontal tailplane, and the fuselage – designed to provide the perfect combination of flexibility, lightness, and efficiency. Solar Impulse Batteries The plane consists of lithium polymer batteries that are energized using the solar powered wings. They are fixed in the four engine nacelles (a housing that holds fuel, engines, and other equipment on an aircraft). Insulated with high-density foam, the batteries weigh around 1395 pounds, making up a quarter of the aircraft’s overall weight. Solar Impulse Motors The generation... read more
Tokelau Island Solar Power
Tokelau Island is the first island in the world powered by 100% solar energy. With a population of roughly 1,500 people, the island successfully made the switch from fuels to a clean, renewable energy system via solar power. How? With the help of PowerSmart, around 4,032 solar panels were scattered all over Tokelau Island, exceeding residents’ power demand up to 150 percent. The project itself started with proposals coming in 2011. By 2012, it was targeted that the island would enjoy100 percent solar power. Budget The cost of installing the PV system design amounted to roughly $7 million – several times the entire GDP of the small island. Tokelau Island was able to make such a large purchase by structuring it as a long-term investment, thereby allowing theTokelau government to save millions per year. Since Tokelau spends roughly $829,000 a year in importing fuel from the mainland, it would take approximately nine years for them to recover the seven million dollar investment. Plan B – Coconut Fuel Tokelau Island enjoys plentiful sunshine most of the year. No doubt that their photovoltaic systems will have a consistent source of power. The fact that it can generate 150% more than the current needs makes it possible for Tokelau Island to store excess energy in the event of overcast days. According to reports, Tokelau residents have still planned further with a backup plan in case the weather doesn’t rally in their favor. This backup plan is the island’s “coconut fuel.” It’s calculated that the island has already harnessed enough coconut fuel to tie them over long enough that any realistic solar shortage... read more
3 U.S. Innovations to Celebrate this Independence Day
Our nation, despite its relatively short existence as a country, has already made superb technological advances. It seems that our forefathers and today’s tech gurus have maintained their consistency in inventing scientific luxuries at a recurring frequency. This Independence Day, let’s celebrate U.S. ingenuity by recognizing three technological advancements that were born in America. The First Mobile Phone Marty Cooper is famed for developing the first ever handset unit, which acted as a precursor for today’s mobile phones. Known as the Motorola DynaTAC, it was a bulky, gray 2 lb. box. Users could only talk for 35 minutes per session. Back then, the only other option for making calls were landlines and telephone booths. As Cooper mentioned in an interview, the Motorola team had a daunting task of determining how phone technology could be packed into a self-contained mobile unit. There was no blueprint to reference and everything had to be done from scratch. Cooper and his co-workers shut down all ongoing engineering projects at Motorola so that everyone could focus on the infrastructure needed to make this device work. And soon, the first mobile phone was born. Good or bad, thanks to Cooper, we now do more calling than ever. The Computer Mouse Even though advances in technology have introduced touch screens and trackpads, the mouse, having been around for the last three decades, remains a functional entity for office computers. American engineer, Doug Engelbart invented the mouse peripheral. It was just a minor component of his even larger project. Engelbart’s presentation at the 1968 Fall Joint Computer Science Conference in San Francisco has been dubbed “the mother... read more