Author

Nicholas Brown

Nicholas Brown writes on CleanTechnica, Gas2, Kleef&Co, and Green Building Elements. He has a keen interest in electricity generation, , energy efficiency, HVAC-R, energy storage, and science overall. His website is: Kompulsa.com.

New Low Solar Price (Globally) Found In Nevada

by Nicholas Brown July 10, 2015

written by Nicholas Brown

Originally published on Kompulsa (some edits).

NV Energy, a Berkshire Hathaway-owned utility company, has signed a PPA to purchase electricity from the 100 MW Playa Solar 2 power plant at a stunningly low price of $0.0387/kWh!

CleanTechnica just reported on “the world’s cheapest solar” landing in Austin, Texas, with bids under 4 cents/kWh (and the assumed unsubsidized price of solar thus being below 5.71 cents/kWh), and that was incredible news, but it looks like that staggering news wasn’t even the highlight of the month!

Note that 3.87 cents/kWh is approximately 68% cheaper than the national average electricity price. I’s also well below the low levelized cost of electricity of coal, natural gas, or nuclear, according to Lazard. The only electricity generation option that can compete with that is wind energy. Furthermore, it’s much lower than the low of 6 cents/kWh that Lazard was predicting for solar in 2017, even if you add in the expected federal subsidy boost (which brings the price up to 5.53 cents/kWh).

“That’s probably the cheapest PPA I’ve ever seen in the US,” Bloomberg Intelligence utility analyst Kit Konolige said. “It helps a lot that they’re in the Southwest where there’s good sun.”

Certainly. More sunlight translates to more power per solar panel, resulting in a lower cost per kWh.

The growth of the solar industry contributes to the price decline we’ve been seeing over the years. The declining cost of solar PV technology certainly helps too. If solar panels get extremely cheap (and at this rate, that might happen), that makes the idea of purchasing extra solar panels to compensate for cloudy weather (as opposed to energy storage or gas backup) more attractive.

July 10, 2015 0 comment

CO2 Emissions Investment PV Solar $Solar Research

Trackside Solar Panels Could Save Network Rail £150m

by Nicholas Brown February 22, 2015

written by Nicholas Brown

Trackside solar panels have the potential to save Network Rail £150 million in energy costs, according to a WSP report. This is particularly beneficial to Network Rail because it could be implemented without using farmland. Installing solar panels on land which you already own is, of course, particularly beneficial because you can avoid the cost of purchasing land for them.

“The study focuses on how the land and assets owned by the rail industry – Network Rail owns around 122 hectares in England alone – can worker harder to provide value, by installing trackside solar panels and improving smaller, tier two stations,” a lead-in to the report states.

“Our team has estimated that installing solar panels alongside UK railway track to power electric trains could potentially save Network Rail £30 million and 895,000 tonnes of carbon a year – that’s a £150 million saving over their next five-year control period.”

Julie Carrier, the UK head of rail at the WSP, said that they are under a tremendous amount of pressure to make the rail network more financially efficient due to declining public investment and increasing demand. As she said, the solar project could make Network Rail’s land work harder for them.

We have seen large solar investments connected to rail lines in India, and on a rail line between Amsterdam and Paris, so why not the UK?

WSP is not looking to finance the solar projects themselves due to the large upfront costs, but is aiming to attract investors who would do so, passing on some of the huge financial benefits to WSP while taking some for themselves. We’ll have to wait to see if anyone bites.

You can read the full report here.

Images via the report.

February 22, 2015 4 comments

Market Research PV Solar $Solar Modules Solar PV Manufacturing Solar Research

New Tariffs Imposed On Chinese Solar Panels

by Nicholas Brown July 7, 2014

written by Nicholas Brown

The US Department Of Commerce has introduced new tariffs via a June 2 ruling on solar panels imported from China. GTM Research’s research paper states that it will increase the cost of modules exported to the US by 14%. Chinese suppliers have historically lowered solar panel prices in the US by as much as 25%, helping the solar industry to grow. However, there is more to this than meets the eye.

Estimated delivered Chinese module prices under various strategies. Image Credit: GTM Research.

The research paper is titled The 2014 U.S. China Solar Trade Dispute: Status, Strategies and Market Impacts, and it states that this ruling may cause suppliers to not only increase the cost of delivery to the US, but seek alternative value chain strategies.

According to Greentech Media:

If the eventual margins, including both the countervailing duty and antidumping components, exceed the preliminary countervailing duty margins of 27 percent on average, suppliers are unlikely to preserve their previous shipment strategies. GTM Research expects that some suppliers will elect to ship all-China products into the U.S. and pay the under-order import tariffs imposed in the 2012 solar trade case, while others will sell via internal or OEM manufacturing in locations such as India, South Korea, Poland or Mexico.

Chinese companies supplied 31 percent of the modules installed in the U.S. in 2013, and more than 50 percent in the distributed solar market. The report finds that non-Chinese suppliers are likely to gain share as a result of the erosion of Chinese price advantage in the U.S. market. Likely beneficiaries include REC, SolarWorld, Suniva and LG Solar in the distributed solar market, and First Solar in the utility market.

While a 7 percent to 20 percent increase in module prices from Chinese suppliers will have reverberating effects throughout the U.S. solar market, it will be most disruptive in the highly cost-sensitive utility solar market. GTM Research expects some projects to seek alternate module suppliers, while others may fail entirely.

Was The Government Right To Impose These Tariffs On Chinese Solar Panels?

Foreign policy is a very complicated, sensitive, and controversial matter, so i’ll leave you with my thoughts and you’ll decide.

I do think that the tariff will increase the cost of Chinese solar modules, it might negatively affect America’s relationship with China, and it will make solar panels more expensive to purchase overall. However, another side of me wants to invest in the US economy more and stimulate it.

How can these two views coincide?

First, the money spent on Chinese solar panels goes to China’s economy, not the US economy, so despite the fact that Chinese solar panels are cheaper, they would not provide the same job creation benefits for Americans as locally manufactured solar modules would.

When faced with decisions like these (buying American vs Chinese-built solar panels), it is imperative that we understand the flow of money. If you purchase solar panels from an American company that has their panels manufactured in China (this is the most common scenario at the moment), then the American company and their employees will benefit from that. However, some of that revenue has to go to the Chinese factories that built them.

If you purchase from an American company that manufactures in the US, the American company will enjoy all of the above benefits mentioned, and to top it off, it would stimulate manufacturing job creation in the US.

There’s one other very important point as well: if these tariffs drive up costs much (which it seems they are doing), that will result in lower demand and fewer jobs in the solar installation and other downstream solar markets. Many have argued that the job losses in these markets are great than the job gains in the manufacturing market.

Apart from that, the potential of these new tariffs to negatively affect US-China relations should be taken into consideration. The tough question is: Is this tariff worth it?

If you have anything to add to this debate, sound off in the comment section. I would love to hear your thoughts!

Follow me on Twitter: @Kompulsa.

July 7, 2014 0 comment

New Technology PV Solar Modules Solar PV Manufacturing

Yingli Solar Increases Solar Panel Efficiency Via A Simple Method

by Nicholas Brown June 3, 2014

written by Nicholas Brown

Yingli Green Energy Holding (otherwise known as ‘Yingli Solar‘) has improved solar panel efficiency using a simple, innovative method. It achieved this by reducing the amount of metal applied to the solar cells so that more of their surface area is exposed to sunlight.

This new solar concept is called N-type Metal-Wrap-Through technology (N-MWT), and Yingli Green Energy has commenced trial production of it using technology developed by Formula E (or Formula E s.r.l.) which also reduces power loss during module encapsulation.

The equipment has been installed in one of Yingli’s module workshops.

‘The Formula E team worked tirelessly to put in place a pilot production line that enables the automated manufacturing of different module architectures, delivering unprecedented reliability, accuracy and precision in the manufacturing of MWT modules. Our collaboration with Yingli Solar is definitely strategic for our growth. We believe a new age for PV industry is now open and promises very appealing results for end users,’ commented Davide Spotti, the president of Formula E.

‘We believe that cost reduction and technology improvement are critical to achieving our mission, which is to provide affordable green energy for all,” said Cindy Hu, Vice President & Technical Director of Yingli Green Energy. “These innovations in MWT technology are the result of our team’s strong partnership with Formula E. We look forward to further optimizing our manufacturing processes through joint efforts with leading PV equipment manufacturers, including Formula E.’

Source: PR Newswire

June 3, 2014 0 comment

BIPV New Technology PV Science Solar Modules Solar Projects Solar Research

Solar Sidewalk — A World First

by Nicholas Brown October 17, 2013

written by Nicholas Brown

As part of the Solar Walk project, a photovoltaic solar sidewalk has been constructed at the Virginia Science Technology Campus of George Washington University (GWU/GW).

This BIPV project, according to GWU, is only 100 square feet, but it still qualifies as a step towards solar walkways. The concept still has to be tested thoroughly, of course — the designers of this walkway will be evaluating how walkway performs under various real-world conditions.

“The solar sidewalk is a great example of GW’s commitment to innovation in design and sustainability and will be a reference for others to follow,” said Onyx Solar Vice President of Business Development Diego Cuevas.

Solar Sidewalk.
Image Credit: GWU

October 17, 2013 0 comment

PV Science Solar PV Manufacturing Solar Records Solar Research

Multicrystalline Solar Cell Efficiency Record Set By JA Solar

by Nicholas Brown August 6, 2013

written by Nicholas Brown

JA Solar multicrystalline solar cell achieves record efficiency of 18.3%.

JA Solar has reported that it has achieved a record 18.3% efficiency for a standard 156×156 mm2 multicrystalline solar cell. This was verified by Yangzhou Opto-Electrical Products Testing Institute. This is twice as efficient as my solar panel.

Solar cell and solar panel efficiency isn’t as big an issue as some have made it out to be. However, efficiency improvements open new windows of opportunity, such as the ability to extend the battery life of portable electronics such as cellphones, tablet PCs, and laptops.

There is also the issue of cars and planes. Highly efficient solar panels could make solar-powered planes and solar-powered long-range electric cars much more feasible.

Solar-powered cars would charge in almost every parking lot during the day, and reduce the current required from the grid to charge as well, reducing the cost of charging and emissions, if the grid power in their area comes from fossil-fueled power plants.

In other words, the more efficient the solar panels that can be integrated into these devices, the more power they can generate.

August 6, 2013 0 comment

Activism PV Solar Policy Solar Projects

Georgia Solar Gets Tea Party Boost (525 MW Approved!)

by Nicholas Brown July 20, 2013

written by Nicholas Brown

The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) has approved a new program under which the local energy generator and distributor Georgia Power would be required to construct 525 MW of solar power plants by 2016.

This was proposed by Lauren McDonald and was passed with a vote of 3-2. Incidentally, a lot of support came from the local Tea Party.

Georgia solar panels.
Photo Credit: faul / CC BY

In early June, Climate Progress provided some background on this Tea Party push:

The fight to bring cheaper, clean energy to Georgia is uniting some unlikely allies. Renewable energy advocates and leaders of the Atlanta Tea Party are taking on utility giant Southern Co., and its subsidiary Georgia Power, over resisting the call to expand its development of solar energy.

As Debbie Dooley, co-founder of the Atlanta Tea Party explained in an interview with Climate Progress, the group’s interest in the debate is quite simple: “The free market has been one of the founding principles of the Tea Party since it began and a monopoly is not a free market.”

In Georgia — as in many states — utilities are granted a monopoly over the ability to sell power, which means that customers have no choice in where they get their electricity. A major provision of the monopoly is that Georgia Power act in the best interest of ratepayers, regulated by the Public Service Commission.

Dooley said the Tea Party believes consumers should be able to exercise choice when it comes to their energy source and the activists she works with don’t want to be dependent on one or two energy sources. And Dooley’s effort is not aimed at reducing carbon emissions — in fact, she doesn’t believe in global warming — but based on their view that solar is a commonsense alternative for Georgia ratepayers that could function without subsidies.

For more background, read the full Climate Progress article.

Forbes, following the 525 GW of solar approval, adds:

The ruling is the latest event in what has been a loud, two-year fight. But what makes Georgia’s solar fight different is that solar advocates aren’t just selling solar as a way to reduce emissions or reduce fossil fuels. Solar has been positioned as a property rights issue pitting private citizens against utilities, regulators and fixed rates of return.

“Are New York bondholders more important than Georgia ratepayers?” Jason Rooks, a lobbyist for the Georgia Solar Energy Association, asks rhetorically. “This is about free market. This is about property rights. It is about technology and innovation.”

If the strategy continues to work, it could become a template for the advocates in rest of the country. Call it the “the enemy of my enemy is my utility” battle plan.

Following that, Forbes also has more context that is quite interesting and worth a read.

Solar Love founder and CleanTechnica director Zachary Shahan was also recently contacted (in mid-June) by an insider working with conservative politicians in Georgia who were pushing for this Georgia solar power boost. It was conveyed to him that it was hoped this effort would bring more Tea Party and Republican leaders over to the solar energy camp. Clearly, their voters support solar energy development, more than any other energy source, as poll after poll shows.

July 20, 2013 8 comments

Rooftop Solar Solar $Solar Policy

Is It Time To Change The Way We Pursue Solar?

by Nicholas Brown March 29, 2013

written by Nicholas Brown

Current techniques such as tax rebates do appear to have stimulated the solar industry. However, the urgency of climate change, as well as widespread carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide pollution, require the quickest solution possible.

There are various ways in which solar system development can be stimulated more quickly. One policy idea of mine is discussed below, followed by a simple consumer idea.

Former Maldives President Nasheed installing solar panels on his home. Photo Credit: 350.org/ Mohamed Ali (some rights reserved)

March 29, 2013 4 comments

New Technology Science Solar Research

Graphene: A Jaw-Dropping Material That Can Improve Solar Cells

by Nicholas Brown March 2, 2013

written by Nicholas Brown

Image Credit: University of Maryland Press Releases

When I heard about this, I was delighted because of my fascination with graphene, which is a terribly impressive material in many ways.

When I say that a material is “jaw-dropping,” I will not let you down, it will surprise you: it has demonstrated 10 times the strength of steel; it has tremendous malleability and exceptional rigidity; it has electrical and thermal conductivity comparable to that of copper; and it does not rust. It is six times lighter than steel, two times harder, and has exhibited 13 times the resistance to bending.

This versatility makes it what some would call a “wonder material.”

Researchers at the Institute of Photonic Science (ICFO) — in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA; Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Germany; and Graphenea S.L. Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain — have also found that, in graphene, a single photon light that it absorbs can be converted into several electrons (hence, causing it to generate a relatively large electric current).

This can also benefit light sensors, which uses solar cell technology.

The key word is “absorbs,” because no material can absorb all the light that hits it, some will always bounce off it. This signifies that graphene might facilitate the production of highly efficient solar cells. So, despite the large amount of electrons produced for every photon, it does need to absorb enough photons to be efficient.

More Outstanding Benefits of Graphene

Graphene can be a very useful semiconductor. It was used by IBM to build a ground-breaking 155 GHZ transistor. It can be a powerful ultracapacitor by spraying graphene ink onto paper. It was used to create a solar cell also by spraying it onto paper.
Graphene can make automobiles lighter and stronger, but without compromising the benefits of the conventional steel crumple-zone concept as carbon fiber does (since it cannot crumple like steel, but will shatter instead).
Graphene can make airplanes and wind turbine blades lighter, but without compromising their chassis’ and blades’ ability to act as lightning rods to divert lightning away from vulnerable areas.

Finally, I won’t disappoint you by saying that it is a newly discovered or rare material that may run out in the future. It can be produced by us humans from carbon, which is one of the most abundant elements in the world.

Source: Science Daily

March 2, 2013 0 comment

Science Solar Research

New High-Voltage Solar Cell Makes Solar-Powered Electronics More Feasible

by Nicholas Brown October 12, 2012

written by Nicholas Brown

A new, relatively high-voltage solar cell that can charge the li-ion batteries of portable electronics such as e-book readers and cellphones in partial shade has been created by the University of Warwick and Molecular Solar.

This type of solar cell is called an organic solar cell, plastic solar cell, or organic photovoltaic cell (OPV).

Professor Tim Jones of the University of Warwick

Professor Tim Jones, one of the lead researchers at University of Warwick, along with Dr Ross Hatton and Professor Mike Shipman, said: “We have taken a big step towards cheap-to-make solar chargers which can top up your devices whenever they are being used — both indoors and out.”

October 12, 2012 2 comments