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Derek Markham

Solar Projects

2017 Solar Spring Break Gives Student Hands-On Training While Installing In Low-Income Communities

by Derek Markham March 6, 2017

written by Derek Markham

Originally published on CleanTechnica.

Spring break is coming! Spring break is coming! But instead of going to the beach, or the mountains, or wherever it is college students go these days to let off steam during spring break, about 200 of them are going to get some hands-on solar training while helping to install solar projects in low-income and under-served communities.

The program, called Solar Spring Break, is lead by GRID Alternatives, which is the largest nonprofit solar installer in the US, and this year, participants will get another perk, aside from on-the-job solar training. For the 2017 Solar Spring Break, the Solar Energy Industries Association, in partnership with GRID Alternatives, will give the participants access to educational resources, mentorship opportunities, and solar industry job openings, which could help these students to make career connections for continuing their paths in renewable energy.

“Solar Spring Break gives students who are passionate about renewable energy the chance to see solar technology in action building more resilient communities. We’re helping shape the climate leadership of tomorrow.” – Erica Mackie, GRID Alternatives CEO and co-founder

Instead of spending their vacation week kicking back, the Solar Spring Break participants, nearly 200 of them coming from 15 schools across the US, will work to install no-cost solar arrays for low-income families at projects in California, Colorado, and Washington, D.C.. The program has grown from six teams (from six schools) in 2014, to 10 schools and 11 teams in 2016 (with a little more than 100 students participating), to its current size thanks in part to sponsorship from the Wells Fargo Foundation.

“Solar Spring Break was deeply eye opening, mind opening, and heart-opening. I felt so much more connected, not only to the solar and sustainability industry, but also to a whole new community and network.” – Jasmine Tan, an undergraduate at Duke University who participated in 2016

The Solar Spring Break 2017 program, which runs from February 27th through April 1st, has participants from Arizona State University, Beloit College, California State University – East Bay (two teams), Duke University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, Mills College, North Carolina State University, North Carolina Central University (two teams), Santa Clara University, University of California – Berkeley, University of Massachusetts, University of Michigan, University of Nevada – Reno, and University of North Carolina.

Image: GRID Alternatives

Reprinted with permission.

March 6, 2017 0 comment

SolPad Releases Pricing & Pre-Order Info For Mobile Solar + Storage Product

by Derek Markham February 9, 2017

written by Derek Markham

Originally published on CleanTechnica
by Derek Markham

The Silicon Valley startup SolPad has just announced the specs, pricing, and pre-order date for its all-in-one solar plus storage mobile solution, which could help usher in a new era of entry-level solar.

We first covered the SolPad product back in October of last year, with writer Matthew Klippenstein calling it “a glimpse of the future.” That article raised a lot of questions in the comments section about the details and reliability of such a device. Some of those comments called it vaporware, while others questioned the wisdom of integrating batteries into the body of a solar panel and the legality of simply plugging such a system into the grid without an adequate grid-tie arrangement, and still others asked why it was even needed with the current state of solar technology. Most of which were decent skeptical questions, and all of which are expected on a piece about a forthcoming “breakthrough” solar product. However, it looks like the SolPad Mobile is getting ready to enter the market, as the company has released additional details about how much it will cost and when it will be available, so we’ll soon get an opportunity to see how the product will be received once it is released into the wild, so to speak.

The SolPad, which lays claim to being “the world’s first and only truly integrated solar panel,” debuted to the public at CES 2017, where the company said it “marks a quantum leap in personal power.” The first version of the SolPad to hit the market will be the SolPad Mobile, a 72-watt solar panel with an integrated 600 Watt-hour battery and a host of other features (LED light, Wi-Fi, a ‘talking’ user interface, and more), which will be available for pre-order beginning May 3rd, 2017 at an introductory price of $1395.

The Mobile version is intended primarily as a portable power solution, not a home solar array, as its 25-pound weight and relatively small size (28″ long by 21″ wide by 1.8″ thick) could be carted along on off-grid adventures easily enough (assuming you’re not backpacking). The device is designed to be used as a standalone electricity source or to be chained together into a solar micro-grid, with the onboard inverter supplying AC power to other devices and a Wi-Fi connection enabling the creation of a mesh network. Two AC outlets can output 2000 watts (peak) and 1000 watts (continuous), and a pair of fast-charging USB ports will supply DC current.

According to SolPad, the Mobile’s battery can be fully charged via the solar panel in about 10 hours, or via grid power in about 5 hours. The company’s SolControl software is said to allow users “to send solar power to specific items, appliances and rooms, and experience total control of your power with an iPhone,” and to “choose the best time to use solar or grid power for maximum utility bill savings.”

“SolControl is the only hardware and software solution that integrates solar generation and energy storage with automated energy management. SolControl’s engaging and interactive user interface (UI) makes homeowners aware of when and how they are consuming energy. It puts cost-saving control into a gamified and easy-to-use smartphone application. SolControl also helps conserve electricity by autonomously learning usage habits and intuitively providing suggestions to further optimize power consumption.” – SolPad

Here’s an overview of SolPad:

Still to be announced are the pricing and pre-order date for the company’s larger offering, the SolPad Home, which is a 330 W solar panel with integrated 500 Wh battery that is intended to be installed as a rooftop array and which is said to be “like having a smart-energy computer on your roof.” Learn more at SolPad.

[Edit: The original version of this article referred to the company as SunCulture Solar, but the startup has actually changed its name recently to SolPad, so the article has been updated to reflect that change.]

February 9, 2017 0 comment

New Technology PV

New Technology Uses Solar Cells As Power Source & Li-Fi Data Node

by Derek Markham November 10, 2015

written by Derek Markham

An innovative new wireless communications device that uses solar cells to not only power itself, but to also act as the receiver of data transmitted by light, could herald a revolution in the quest to bring access to the internet to remote regions.
li-fi-ERI

“Light is used to transmit data, whilst the solar panel receives high speed data, which, effectively, gives the solar panel the means to provide energy for Li-Fi technology AND act as a broadband receiver for Li-Fi!”

The new solar ‘Li-Fi‘ solution, which was developed by a research team led by Professor Harald Haas at the University of Edinburgh’s Li-Fi R&D Centre, was introduced at a recent TED Global 2015 event, where Haas “demonstrated how Li-Fi can be used with solar cells to receive data.”

“What if we could use existing technologies to provide Internet access to the more than 4 billion people living in places where the infrastructure can’t support it? Using off-the-shelf LEDs and solar cells, Harald Haas and his team have pioneered a new technology that transmits data using light, and it may just be the key to bridging the digital divide.”

This prototype setup, with the solar cells providing both the electricity and acting as broadband receivers, could be a huge boon to people in those areas where building the necessary infrastructure, both energy- and communications-wise, to support internet and data communications access isn’t going to happen anytime in the near future. According to Edinburgh Research and Innovation (ERI), these self-powered communication nodes “will remove a major barrier to data communication growth.”

“This University of Edinburgh technology combines light based data communications, or ‘Li-Fi’, with energy harvesting, to create an exciting set of applications not previously anticipated including in rural broadband access, smart city networks, and the internet of things. The wider opportunity is to transform global communications by speeding up the process of bringing internet and other data communication functionality to remote and poorer regions in a way not previously thought achievable due to lack of infrastructure and investment.” – Tom Higgison, ERI’s IP Projects Manager

For more information about this solar-powered Li-Fi system, see ERI’s website.

November 10, 2015 0 comment

Today’s Affordable Solar PV Boom Was Predicted By Exxon In The ’80s

by Derek Markham November 9, 2015

written by Derek Markham

Although the recent increase in the adoption of solar PV may come as some surprise to those who aren’t ‘in the loop’ when it comes to advances in renewable energy technology and materials, the solar insiders have been foretelling the coming solar revolution for years. And while we’ve still got a ways to go to see a significant portion of electricity markets dominated by solar, the economics of going solar are already profitable in a lot of places in the world, whether it’s installing a residential solar array or developing a major solar plant, so it’s not a ‘fringe’ or marginal technology by any means.

solar panel solar cells Solar advocates have been saying for years that it’s only a matter of time before PV becomes a highly cost-effective energy source, and now it turns out that at least one of the ‘Big Energy’ companies has known that as well, but chose to steer clear of investing in it anyways, according to a recent article at Bloomberg.

One of the linchpins of affordable solar has been the cost of crystalline silicon, which is one of the major inputs of solar cell manufacturing, and which was somewhere north of $400 per kilogram in 2008. In order to build a viable product for the end customer, the cost per watt has to be worth the investment, which with high-cost silicon was harder to do. However, a radical drop in the price of silicon began that year, and lasted through 2011, with the price dropping some 94%, and continuing to slowly fall, with a current price of about $15 per kilogram, according to author Eric Roston.

In the article, Peter Eisenberger, a former senior Exxon R&D director and now an environmental science professor, is said to have co-authored an internal report about the cost of solar power back in the mid-80s, after oil prices fell drastically. The conclusion of the now 25-year old report was that the authors foretold that solar would be a worthwhile investment for the company starting sometime around 2012, which happens to be right around the time when solar PV technology did actually start to become truly affordable.

So why did Exxon not pursue solar, knowing it would eventually be a major player in the future of energy?

According to Bloomberg, the answer, at least in part, was the report’s prediction that the future of solar was solar thermal, not PV:

“The report predicted that utilities would embrace solar-thermal power plants, huge mirror arrays that concentrate and store heat. The economics of that technology have turned to be less favorable than those of solar panels installed on homes and businesses—or even, it turns out, in utility-scale facilities.”

Interestingly enough, even in light of advances in solar and a shift in consumer attitudes toward energy, the big oil company still isn’t making major inroads into renewables, other than at a research level, according to the article:

“The oil giant continues to support research into photovoltaics, as well as biofuels and CO2 capture technologies. But as Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson told investors in May, the company isn’t investing in renewable businesses. “We choose not to lose money on purpose,” he said.”

Source: Exxon Predicted Today’s Cheap Solar Boom Back in the 1980s

November 9, 2015 0 comment

Rooftop Solar Solar $

New York’s Affordable Solar Program Doubles Solar Incentives For Low-Income Homes

by Derek Markham November 6, 2015

written by Derek Markham

Low- to mid-income New York residents will find it a bit easier, financially-speaking, to get a home solar power system, thanks to the launch of a new program from NY-Sun called, aptly enough Affordable Solar. This program will effectively double the incentives for solar installations on homes owned by low- to moderate-income New Yorkers in a bid to expand renewable energy in residential settings in support of Governor Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) goals.

new-york-solar NY-Sun, the Empire State’s solar initiative, is administering the program, which was announced by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) yesterday, and which is expected to initially support up to 4,500 new residential solar projects. These low- to moderate-income homeowners, earning less than 80% of the area or State median income, are typically shut out of the solar revolution due to lack of access to adequate capital to buy a system, even as these same residents would greatly benefit from the lower electricity bills that a home solar array could deliver.

“Affordable Solar expands solar energy to households most in need of the electricity cost reductions that solar provides and enables them to participate in Governor Cuomo’s REV strategy. We expect to see strong interest in this program from solar installers and residents.” – John B. Rhodes, President and CEO, NYSERDA

According to NYSERDA, the current residential solar incentives range from 20 cents per watt to 60 cents per watt, depending on the location, and these incentives will increase to 40 cents per watt and $1.20 per watt, respectively, under the new Affordable Solar program.

Participants in the New York Affordable Solar program will go through a standard household income verification process, as well as an energy efficiency assessment of the home’s electricity use, which may identify a need for a more efficient water heater or lighting system to reduce electricity consumption, and those upgrades will be done to the homes before a solar array is installed.

The Affordable Solar program will be able to spend up to $13 million toward the goal of greater solar electric participation by low- to moderate income residents, of which half will be used to cover the doubled incentives, and the other half will be retained to be used for shared solar projects in the future, which will benefit renters and other potential solar users.

Image: Democracy Chronicles

November 6, 2015 0 comment

MIT-Engineered Solar Water Station Produces 1000 Liters/Day for Remote Village

by Derek Markham November 4, 2015

written by Derek Markham

In some places, solar is a great green option, but not really a necessity, but in other places, solar power can make a huge difference, and not always just by charging mobile phones and providing clean lighting (which is a huge need in the developing world).

A village resident drinks purified water from the system’s clean water tank.

In some cases, solar energy actually helps to provide another basic necessity, which is clean drinking water, and for the last two years, villagers in the remote Mexican town of La Mancalona, on the Yucatan peninsula, have been getting their potable water from a solar-powered water purification system engineered by researchers at MIT.

La Mancalona, which is home to some 450 villagers, was the recipient of a prototype water station capable of producing 1000 liters per day of clean potable water, thanks in part to the financial support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The system, known as a PVRO, or photovoltaic powered reverse osmosis, unit, was designed and installed by MIT students and research staff, and the village was chosen because it both receives “ample amounts of sunshine” and it lacks a dependable source of clean water.

Because of the PVRO water station, the villagers, who are mostly subsistence farmers and beekeepers, now have reliable and affordable source of drinking water, and the water produced by the station can be sold at a profit by the village, serving two beneficial roles in the community. The water, which is sold for 5 pesos per 20-liter bottle, is 1/10th of the cost of bottled water that comes from a facility about an hour away from the village, and yet it has turned a profit of about 49,000 pesos ($3,600) per year, so it’s a viable business for the community.

The system uses solar panels to charge batteries, which then power the pumps that push both brackish well water and collected rainwater through the filtration membranes, as well as supplying the UV sterilization bulbs with electricity. According to MIT News, some of the residents of the village have been operating and maintaining the PVRO system for almost two years, taking care of filters and batteries and UV bulbs and water testing, and express that it improves their lives. In fact, the positive effects of the water station might also be secondary, as noted in this anecdote from one of the MIT researchers, Huda Elasaad:

“Before, they couldn’t afford clean water, but they could afford soda, which was actually cheaper than bottled water in that village. Now we see a shift: These children are drinking more water and becoming more healthy and hydrated.”

Another side effect of the development of economically feasible solar water stations like this one is that they could also be appropriately developed to fit so many other specific applications, not just for a village or community:

“This technology would enable hotels, schools, hospitals, governments, et cetera, to produce water at a greatly reduced price. The technology MIT has developed is capable of producing economic value in these countries. – Steven Dubowsky, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering at MIT

The team produced a case study of their solar powered water system, which is available at Science Direct, and which found that their data “suggests that PVRO clean water is a viable approach for rural communities.”

Photo: Leah Kelley

November 4, 2015 0 comment

Rooftop Solar

90% Of EnergySage Solar Shoppers Choose To Own, Not Lease

by Derek Markham October 27, 2015

written by Derek Markham

According to EnergySage’s recently released Solar Marketplace Intel report, the first in what is said to be a regular series for the solar price comparison service, some 90% of those who ask for quotes and then get solar installed are opting to buy their systems, not lease them.

The report, which details the trends on residential and small-scale solar for the period of July 2014 through June 2015, looked at data on more than 10,000 quotes in the top 10 residential solar states. The company found that instead of solar leasing, which was once hailed as a renewable energy gamechanger (and which can still be an appropriate choice for some), customers are now either paying for their solar installations outright or taking out a loan for the costs.

“Online solar shoppers are buying their systems outright – instead of leasing. Ninety percent of EnergySage’s solar shoppers elected to own their system, either by paying in cash or financing with a solar loan, rather than sign up for a third-party lease or PPA. This statistic is significantly higher than the 40% of solar shoppers nationwide that choose to own their system.” – EnergySage

Although the data from EnergySage includes quite a few transactions, none of them include quotes or installations from SolarCity, the leading residential solar installer, which doesn’t participate in the program, so the trends noted on the report may differ a bit from a ‘real world’ perspective.

Also noted on the report is the fact that the cost of solar continues to come down, with an average price of $3.79 per watt and a payback period of about 7.5 years. The solar costs ranged from $3.21 per watt for standard installations to $4.37 per watt for “high efficiency equipment packages.”

“The economics of solar are rapidly changing for solar shoppers, installers, and financiers alike. As demonstrated by the data within our Solar Marketplace Intel Report, it’s becoming more affordable for U.S. households to adopt solar.” – Vikram Aggarwal, EnergySage CEO

Another highlight of the state of the current solar market in the report was the indication that small-scale solar isn’t just a token effort (albeit a very visible one) toward home energy production, as the data showed that solar “is helping homeowners generate almost 85% of their electricity needs in 2015,” and that the average home 7.9 kW solar array “generates about $2,000 worth of electricity each year.”

Get the rest of the solar insights in the downloadable report at EnergySage.

October 27, 2015 0 comment

Energy Storage PV

Off-Grid Solar Plus Storage Power Station Showcases Taiwanese Cleantech

by Derek Markham October 15, 2015

written by Derek Markham

A self-contained solar plus storage power station built into a shipping container is serving as the showcase for some of the latest in Taiwanese cleantech innovations, and this off-grid Eco-Power Station (EPS) will serve as an electric bike station at a state park in New Jersey in the spring of 2016.

The Green Trade Project Office, described as “Taiwan’s leader in promoting and integrating green products and services,” designed the EPS, which features 5 kW of GEAC’s thin film solar modules, a 5 kW lithium-ion battery, and a hydrogen fuel cell backup system, all built into a standard 40 foot by 8 foot shipping container. The rooftop solar modules feed the smart grid built into the EPS, as well as charge the battery bank, and a remote monitoring and energy management system adds a layer of optimization and control to the entire unit.

In the event that solar energy production at the EPS is disrupted, and the energy storage system is discharged, a hydrogen fuel cell system from M-Field can provide complete backup power for more than 8 hours at maximum output, allowing for uninterrupted operation.

A number of other innovations were also built into the EPS, including an insulated coating from Heatax, which is said to be able to reflect up to 88% of the sun’s heat and to be long-lasting and “very affordable,” and a spray-on coating for building surfaces from Nustone that gives surfaces “the look and feel of stone.”

“From the rooftop solar panels, lithium-ion battery pack to the rubber floor, we gathered 10 Taiwanese companies to build this off-grid eco-friendly power station.” – Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Yang Wei-fu

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The inside of the EPS container is covered with rubber flooring tile from Jia-Qian Rubber Tech, made from 100% recycled tires, and sitting outside the unit is a “solar pillar” from SunValue, which is essentially a piece of functional artwork that uses “solar-power” bricks to charge cell phones and other mobile devices. According to the Green Trade Project Office, these solar bricks can be integrated into existing buildings, and are especially suited for vertical installation.

The Eco-Power Station, which cost about $100,000 to build, will be shipped to Liberty State Park, New Jersey, in March of 2016, and will be used as an electric bicycle charging station and rental center for Bike and Roll, which will pay for its use “based on how much electricity it is able to conserve thanks to the Eco-Power Station.”

October 15, 2015 0 comment

Rooftop Solar

Lennar Launches Austin Community With Solar As Standard Feature

by Derek Markham October 7, 2015

written by Derek Markham

In what’s being referred to as the first “community-wide, ground-up residential solar program in Texas,” Lennar is collaborating with SunStreet Energy Group on a community in Austin, Texas, which includes rooftop solar as a standard feature.

3322-D-elev The Colorado Crossing development, located in southeast Austin, will eventually encompass more than 500 homes, each with a home solar array meant to provide at least half of the homes’ electrical demand, and Lennar stated that the solar systems will not add to the homes’ prices. The new homes in the first phase of the Colorado Crossing community, which range from 1200 square feet to 2600 square feet in size, will be priced from just below $200,000 to about $260,000, and according to Austin Business Journal, about 30% of the initial 120 homes have already been sold.

The solar arrays for these Colorado Crossing homes, which are all low-profile rooftop arrays, will be owned and maintained by SunStreet Energy Group, which will receive a flat monthly fee of about $50 from homeowners for the next 20 years. The excess electricity produced by the rooftop arrays will be credited to the homeowner’s utility bills, with the homeowner only responsible for paying the difference between the electricity generated by the system and the electricity used in the home. A Lennar spokesman said that the company will guarantee that “a buyer will never pay more for solar overall than they would if they bought the power from the utility.”

According to Lennar’s FAQ about the Austin solar homes, purchasers can also opt to buy their system from SunStreet after the initial five-year period is up, or in the event that the home gets sold, in which case the homeowner can purchase the solar array outright and add its cost to the home price for the new buyer.

Image via Lennar

October 7, 2015 0 comment