|
|
on December 15th, 2011% ![]()
The problem with blowers and fans are that they require more electrical energy. I’d like to design a system that is “Passive” and heats radiantly. It’s the most efficient use of energy. with blowers and ducts inside a container not only do you use more energy, but you would take up valuable interior real estate in an already confined space (shipping container), or you’d have to modify the outside of the unit which might be an aesthetic negative. Traditional heating and cooling units “pump” the heat away and pump in cool air to cool, or the opposite it heats up and pumps in the heat. The costs massive amounts of energy, and if placed in a system that doesn’t have a lot of energy to spare.
The idea isn’t just to use the solar collector to heat the water, but to pump it through the pipes, tubing, or hoses that are in all the surrounding surfaces, the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. The idea is to trap enough heat inside the walls, floor and ceiling during the day, to heat the home at night. I complained above about a traditional water heater trapping the heat, but what I forgot to elaborate on was that it doesn’t make sense to trap it in such a small, confined space, and not use it for something else.
I envision the tubing running through a mat or large flat “board” much like a sheet of plywood. this would be made of ( or have a core) consisting of a heat conductive material that would trap the heat within. it only needs to hold the heat for a short 8-12 hours until the sun comes back up. (That’s not to say I won’t have a gas or wood burning heater for use on the really cold nights as a backup heating system.)
Sure, the water might be hotter coming out of one faucet at one end of the home than the other, however a simple fix might be to have two solar collectors, one on either end of the system with the pump between the two collector panels. this seems like it might solve the problem, but it might cause more due to increased heat. there would have to be a controller or some way to regulate the temperature so as not to scald anyone with hot steaming water, and in the desert it gets HOT, there would have to be a way to shut down the system or “turn it down” so you don’t blow the tubing and turn the container home into a steam bath. Pressure release valves and maybe an electronic temperature controller might work.
It’s just an idea like I said… Thinking out loud.
on December 14th, 2011% ![]()
GEORGETOWNDec. 13, 2011
The Sussex Conservation District has begun installation of a 39.48 KW solar power system to help provide power to their Shortly Road facility in Georgetown. the system will occupy about a half-acre of ground and will include 168 solar panels divided into three 66-foot rows and one 33-foot row. the panels are guaranteed to produce 58,057 KWH annually and should significantly reduce, if not eliminate, the electric bill for the District’s office building and equipment yard.
Because of the size of the system needed and required orientation, the District chose a ground-mount system as opposed to a roof top system. the micro-inverter type system will generate DC power that will be converted to AC power right at the panel. the system will be fenced to meet electrical code requirements.
The idea for the solar panel project came about as District staff members were looking for ways to reduce operating expenses. Another positive aspect of the project is that it will benefit the environment. the installation of the 168-panel system is equivalent to planting 1,400 mature Ponderosa Pine trees, and it will have the potential for annual reductions of 68,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide emissions, 900 lbs. of sulfur dioxide emissions, and 2,350 lbs. of nitrogen oxide emissions.
“For decades, Delaware’s Conservation Districts have pioneered environmentally-sustainable practices,” said DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara. “With the construction of this 39-kilowatt solar system, the Sussex Conservation District will continue this tradition of leadership while creating construction jobs and saving money for years to come.”
“Choosing to install the solar panel field makes economic and environmental sense,” said Jim Elliott, assistant stormwater program manager with Sussex Conservation District and coordinator of the solar panel project. “The project is another example of the District’s commitment to enhancing, maintaining, protecting and improving our environment and natural resources.”
The solar system, including fence, will cost $187,000. the District obtained $40,866 in federal grant funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). the ARRA State Energy Program is administered through the DNREC Division of Energy and Climate’s Delaware Green Energy Fund. the Sussex Conservation District hopes to recoup their portion of the costs in about 11 years.
For more information on the Sussex Conservation District and their programs, please visit sussexconservation.org or call 302-856-3990, ext. 3.
on December 13th, 2011% ![]() File image.
BrightSource Electricity is furnishing its proprietary LPT solar thermal technological know-how for use in the world’s greatest enhanced oil recovery (EOR) job. the photo voltaic facility, built for Chevron Technology Ventures, a division of Chevron U.S.A., commenced functions in Coalinga, California, and serves to display BrightSource’s solar thermal technology’s ability to cleanly and price tag-properly help enhanced oil recovery efforts.
the 29 megawatt-thermal “Solar-to-Steam” facility, driven by BrightSource’s proprietary LPT photo voltaic thermal technological know-how, will use the sun to build significant-temperature and stress steam for EOR. the a hundred-acre facility consists of three,822 heliostats, each individual consisting of two 10×7-foot mirrors mounted to a 6-foot metal pole. the mirrors are centered on a boiler atop a 327-foot tall solar tower.
“Chevron’s range of our LPT photo voltaic thermal technologies underscores the multipurpose approaches that our devices can create cleanse and price-efficient energy,” said John Woolard, President and CEO of BrightSource Electrical power.
“Utilities have regarded BrightSource as a leader in trusted and charge-successful energy generation. we are now showcasing how our engineering can assistance world-wide vitality and industrial companies create electricity with reduced emissions and hedge towards unstable normal gasoline charges.” BrightSource’s LPT photo voltaic thermal power procedure uses fields of monitoring mirrors, regarded as heliostats, managed by proprietary computer software to concentrate daylight onto a solar boiler atop a tower. this boiler provides large-temperature, substantial-stress steam.
In the circumstance of thermal EOR, the steam is pumped deep into the sub-surface oil reservoir in buy to warmth the location, growing the strain of the reservoir and cutting down the viscosity of the oil, earning it much easier to provide to the surface area. To conserve water use, the steam is then cooled and recirculated in a closed loop procedure.
1 of America’s oldest oil fields, Chevron’s Coalinga niche commenced operations in the 1890s. Because the significant crude generated at the industry does not circulation easily, steam is injected into weighty-oil reservoirs to warmth the crude, doing it a lot easier to convey to the surface area. the steam at the Coalinga industry has customarily been produced by burning organic gasoline.
Extracting significant-oil reserves, like the types discovered at Coalinga, is a worldwide challenge. In accordance to a new report by SBI, traditional oil recovery methods are only capable to extract about 10% – 30% of the probable oil from any given reservoir, leaving nearly 70% – ninety% of the reservoir’s oil in the ground.
“the energy intensity linked with extracting large-oil is highly great. this presents a substantial problem to containing emissions and to the offer of gas – this kind of as pure gasoline – for this process,” said Paul Markwell, Senior Director, Upstream Research with IHS CERA.
“quite a few of the recognized large-oil reserves about the entire world have minimal access to price-successful gas resources and are situated in parts with substantial solar assets. this delivers an best surroundings for the use of solar thermal technologies for enhanced oil recovery.”
according to BCC Exploration, the world wide marketplace for EOR systems was $four.7 billion in 2009 and is anticipated to grow at a 5-12 months compound yearly development amount of 28%, reaching $sixteen.3 billion in 2014.[ii]
Chevron Technology Ventures chosen BrightSource’s LPT know-how for the solar-to-steam venture via a aggressive course of action and construction commenced in 2009. BrightSource offered the technologies, engineering, and production and construction expert services and Chevron Technological innovation Ventures will control functions of the project.
on December 8th, 2011% ![]()
City staff recommends the proposal from Thurston Solar Management LLC, one of two pitches the city received after asking for proposals in October. The council will have the final say and is scheduled to vote tonight.
Rich Phillips, managing member of Thurston Solar Management, said the company aims to install the panels before next summer to take maximum advantage of the solar season.
“We’re going to help the city generate clean, renewable energy,” he said.
The city estimates that the solar panels will provide 10 to 15 percent of each facility’s energy needs, saving an average of $7,000 to $9,000 per year per installation.
Assistant City Manager Jay Burney said the city favored the Tumwater company’s proposal over one from Global Green Energy Corp. of Olympia because it had more favorable terms.
Thurston Solar Management proposes charging the city 4.5 cents per kilowatt hour of solar-generated electricity compared to 8.5 cents per kilowatt hour in Global Green Energy’s proposal.
But charging the city anything at all for solar power is a departure from an earlier solar-panel project from the same company, a solar array on the new Hands on Children’s Museum that the council approved in September. That project came at no cost to the city.
“We were hoping to get zero (cost) on the rest of our buildings,” Burney said. “We were getting some feedback that we might get charged for power.”
Phillips said the company proposes charging per kilowatt hour, because a federal program that rebated 30 percent of the cost of solar arrays is expiring at the end of the year. He said the solar panels couldn’t be purchased by the end of the year.
“We can’t raise all the funds for all of them at once,” he said.
The rest of the deal would be similar to the arrangement at the children’s museum. The city would lease the four facilities to Thurston Solar Management for nine years for $1 per year. The solar company would be responsible for purchasing, installing and maintaining the solar equipment. at the end of the lease, the city could either renew it, require the installation to be removed at the company’s expense or buy the system at its depreciated value.
A cottage industry of solar installations has sprung up in Washington over the past couple of years as a result of recent state legislation that gives companies big incentives. The state solar law, enabled by legislation passed in 2005 and amended in 2009 and 2010, allows the formation of private investment groups to put solar installations on public property. it allows the state to pay up to $1.08 per kilowatt hour of solar energy generated.
Local investors have also put solar panels on the Olympia Farmer’s Market under the Community Solar Law.
Phillips said that Thurston Solar Management aims to put together an investment group of Thurston County residents. The project would be jointly managed by Phillips and Stanley Florek, CEO of Tangerine Power of Seattle, which was founded in 2009 with the express purpose of developing community solar projects, according to the proposal.
Matt Batcheldor: 360-704-6869
on December 7th, 2011% ![]()
by Andrew Oxlade
Last updated at 6:20 PM on 5th December 2011
Supporters of Britain’s hugely generous solar panel subsidy scheme were thrown a lifeline today after the High Court agreed to hear an application for permission to challenge a decision that would see it scaled back.
Friends of the Earth and two solar companies – Solarcentury and HomeSun – will argue their case at a hearing on Thursday 15 December.
An earlier High Court ruling, on 25 November, rejected permission for a legal challenge.
Rich pickings: a home in Chelsea with solar panels packed on the roof
But FoE will argue again that the Government’s decision to dramatically reduce the amount paid by ‘feed-in tariffs’ – on 12 December – is unlawful because the Government is currently running a consultation into the system that will not end until 23 December.
FoE claims the decision has already led to unfinished or planned projects being abandoned.
It will also ask the court to cap itspotential legal costs for the case because, it says, international rules specify that costs should be limited in public interest cases on the environment.
Andy Atkins, FoE director, said: ‘We strongly believe Government plans to abruptly slash solar subsidies are illegal, we hope the High Court agrees to allow our case to be heard as soon as possible.
‘In a time of economic gloom, the solar industry has been one of the UK’s brightest success stories, enabling homes and communities across the country to free themselves from expensive fossil fuels.’
More than than 14,000 households registered for the scheme in October, the last time full figures were published, taking the total to 90,000. It compares with just 2,000 home registering in October 2010.
But November’s full-month figures are expected to show another 40,000 households have taken advantage of the scheme, taking the total to 130,000.
Changes to the scheme were announced on 31 October, sparking a rush to beat the 12 December deadline.
New generation: The amount of power that can now potentially be derived from solar panels in the UK | Source: DECC
The scheme, which by some estimates will return more than 10 per cent a year tax-free on the initial outlay and sees payments linked to inflation, has sharply divided opinion.
Critics argue that solar can only ever make a paltry contribution to power generation in northern Europe and that it is deeply unfair that the FiT scheme rewards those able to make the typical?10,000 outlay for panels, subsidised by increasing bills for all – including Britain’s poorest households.
Panel beaters: Fitters works on photovoltaic solar cells on a roof in Totnes in Devon
However, claims made by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) about the cost of the subsidy have been challenged. Its initial impact assessment in October said there would be a ?26 increase on annual electricity bills by 2020 if no action was taken to cut feed-in tariff incentives. that estimate was subsequently increased to ?55 a year and two weeks ago the figure was put at ?80.
Climate change minister Greg Barker has repeatedly warned it would be ‘catastrophic’ to delay deep cuts to feed-in tariffs until April 2012, admitting his department massively underestimated the costs of the scheme.
It has been widely expected that the benefits of the scheme would be reduced but most observers thought the reduction would be made in April, giving the industry to time to plan and adjust.
How the solar panels feed-in tariffs work
Britain’s green targets mean it needs to get 15 per cent of energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020 – compared to 3 per cent when the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive was signed up to.
Thetax-free ‘feed-in tariffs’ scheme means that homeowners who generate electricity from solar power get paid for energy they produce and use themselves. if they produce more than they need, they get a little extra for what they export back to the national grid.
It also means their energy bills will be lower than they would otherwise be.
there is also a less generous scheme for wind turbines and even domestic hydroelectric systems.
From solar panel, a typical return of ?1,190 a year is the guideline figure from the Energy Saving Trust.The total return is split like this for a typical 2.9kWp solar panel household installation:
– ?1,060 a year from the Generation Tariff (power you make and use) – ?40 a year from the Export Tariff (power you make and sell) – ?90 a year reduction of current electricity bills
The ‘generation tariff currently’ pays 43.3p per kilowatt hour of energy produced. this is linked to rises in the Retail Prices Index inflation over 25 years.
The ‘export tariff’ delivers an extra 3.1p per kWh – 46.4p – for energy exported to the grid.
A household needs to have a scheme installed AND registered by 12 December to achieve these rates. after that, the standard rate will fall to 21p.
on December 6th, 2011% ![]()
As the need for renewable energy and energy efficiency grows in the U.S., businesses providing technology and equipment for new projects are in the best position to gauge the future of the biomass industry. With their finger on the pulse of biomass, these companies are optimistic about prospective opportunities in 2012.
Companies, such as Metso Corp., Eisenmann, and ProcessBarron, provide essential technologies, products and services to biomass project developers. These companies are in the trenches, and witness first-hand the flow of interest from potential investors.
Representatives from these companies report that biomass business and interest was solid in 2011 and ample opportunity exists for 2012 if the right pieces of the puzzle fall into place. These opportunities stem from a combination of aggressive developers who understand the need for less reliance on fossil fuels and to reduce emissions, the benefits of using biomass to produce energy and the impending shift toward using alternative fuels. Also, governments at the state level, through renewable portfolio standards are embracing renewable energy development as a job creation tool.Trends are evident, including increased interest in cogeneration and anaerobic digestion. although woody biomass is still the most common feedstock, some developers are turning to grasses and municipal solid waste.
The optimism is not without a bit of caution, however, as these grassroots leaders await pending decisions from the U.S. EPA regarding emission regulation and possible future mandates from government at all levels. The pending EPA reconsideration of the boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology regulations looms large in the eyes of potential investors looking into biomass projects. In addition, the question of whether the federal government will step in with specific mandates, similar to those set in Europe places uncertainty on the industry.
Despite the guarded optimism, the economic trends are pointing in the right direction and the biomass industry’s future looks promising.
Mounting Megawatts
Showing how well business has been for Metso Corp., which provides renewable energy technology and products, the company will soon be the first in the U.S. with 250 megawatts (MW) of biomass boiler technology under construction at any one time, according to Robert Deneault, general manager of capital sales for Metso Power in North America. Metso has three large projects utilizing its fluidized-bed technology including the Gainesville Renewable Energy Center in Gainesville, Fla., developed by American Renewables, the Nacogdoches Power LLC biomass project in Sacul, Texas, owned by Southern Power, a subsidiary of Southern Co., both using bubbling fluid bed technology (BFB), and the We Energies/Domtar Biomass Energy Project in Rothschild, Wis., owned by We Energies and using circulating fluid bed technology (CFB).
“Metso had a fantastic year in 2011,” says Deneault, who is in charge of sales in North America. through new equipment sales, Deneault is in the perfect position to evaluate Metso’s business performance. “The company was very fortunate to work with good projects that included strong developers who fully embraced Metso’s proven fluid bed technologies as vital to the success of their projects,” he adds.
Through the past few years, Deneault recognized a trend toward developers embracing cogeneration projects. Combined heat and power helps facilities, such as paper and pulp mills, to create renewable power and thermal from the same amount of fuel, thereby receiving a better return on investment. another trend noticed by various company representatives, some developers are waiting on projects due to the uncertainty created by emission regulations and mandates, Deneault says. many are waiting to see what will happen with the pending boiler MACT rules, which are boiler standards set by the U.S. EPA that, although currently stayed, are under a period of reconsideration with proposed finalization by April 2012.
Despite the hesitation, Deneault believes that there will be a second wave of biomass projects once emissions standards and regulations are determined. “We need stability in the regulations,” he says. “We will see a more robust commitment from plants to utilize biomass when there is a commitment from governments who enact renewable portfolio standards that direct the use of biomass.”
Metso provides numerous services and Scandinavian-derived technology that include material handling equipment, plant automation systems and air pollution control systems, but the company is best-known for its BFB boiler technology. many developers are interested in the BFB technology because of its beneficial emissions, efficiency and fuel flexibility.
Metso is proud of the Gainesville Renewable Energy Center developed by American Renewables, which includes a 100-MW Metso BFB boiler. it will be the largest BFB boiler in the world with the lowest emissions, Deneault says. “This is an industry watershed kind of boiler,” he says, adding that the construction groundbreaking occurred in October.
In Texas, Metso is supplying a 100-MW BFB boiler to the Nacogdoches Power biomass project, with commercial operation planned for the spring of 2012. Rounding out the 250 total megawatts under construction, the company will supply a 50-MW, CFB boiler for the We Energies/ Domtar Biomass Energy Project. Commercial operation of this Wisconsin plant is scheduled for 2013.
Metso is also breaking into gasification technology, through a small commercial plant in Scandinavia, which the company plans to bring to the U.S. once it is comfortable with the technology’s performance.
Mandate Momentum
Eisenmann President mark West says his company noticed an uptick in the biomass industry in 2011 due to renewable portfolio standards enacted by state governments nationwide. “a lot of states are not waiting for the federal government to act,” he says. “At the state level, the states can’t afford to wait. they see biomass as a way of creating jobs that they must take advantage of now.”
Over the past year, business has been strong for Chicago-based Eisenmann, a supplier of environmental products and services, with the company involved in various projects. West specifically notes two projects as good examples of Eisenmann proprietary technology including the W2E Organic Power anaerobic digestion facility in South Carolina and the Wild Turkey Distillery wet electrostatic precipitator project in Kentucky.
West saw a common interest in renewable energy and energy efficiency across the industry in 2011. Energy has been relatively inexpensive in the U.S. of late, and West believes the cost will eventually increase due to overseas demand. when it does, the biomass industry will benefit on a private level, he says.
The biggest obstacle for developers was obtaining financing to proceed with projects. While developers were able to obtain power purchase and waste agreements, most were not sufficient in duration or stability to satisfy investors. Developers are not waiting for a mandate, however, some financiers are waiting for the government uncertainty to clear.
Thinking prospectively, West believes his company will see a number of projects receive funding in 2012. “Things will start to shake loose with the economy, and when they do, there are good opportunities and investments available for biomass projects,” he says. Once the ball starts rolling, the biomass industry will receive the momentum it needs to take business to the next level.
Eisenmann has experienced increased interest in anaerobic digestion (AD), installing more than 80 systems worldwide that also incorporate material handling and feedstock preprocessing equipment. The company is providing AD technology for the 3.4-MW W2E facility, which is expected to be operational in 2012 and will process 48,000 metric tons of waste per year. “As the first of its kind in the United States, the Columbia facility marks a new way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while providing an alternative source of energy to the electrical grid,” according to Eisenmann.
The company’s wet electrostatic precipitator technology enables clients to meet current emissions and regulatory requirements. The precipitator is a pollution control system that removes multiple pollutants from system exhaust.
With an eye on emissions regulation, the Wild Turkey Distillery has utilized an Eisenmann wet electrostatic precipitator dual field system to provide air pollution control that produces near-zero opacity on emissions. The whiskey distillery in Lawrenceburg, Ky., requires the application of appropriate amounts of heat in the form of steam from multiple sources of energy. “whatever the biomass fuel combination selected by the facility, the plant has multiple fuel options available while always maintaining environmental compliance,” according to the company.
Although wind and solar projects are popular and sometimes are more appealing to environmentalists, biomass waste and waste streams will gain increased momentum, West adds. Waste is constant. it is a matter of providing education on biomass and getting people to understand and embrace its benefits.
Massive Material Management
“We are committed to the biomass world as technology and interest is as high as it has ever been,” says Cliff Moss, vice president, director of materials handling for ProcessBarron. Specializing in design and installation of material handling systems, the company provides services and products from the ground to the boiler to the ash handling at the end of the process.
Business in 2011 was good for ProcessBarron, a company with 30 years of experience in boiler-related products and services. “We specialize in providing equipment around the boiler that will keep the boiler running reliably,” Moss says. The company has recently designed and supplied material handling systems for Eastern Illinois University, the University of Missouri and Frito-Lay. The company specializes in fuel, ash and air handling solutions for the biomass industry.
The project at Eastern Illinois, in Charleston, was a showcase system installation for ProcessBarron, according to John Saucier, the company’s system design and project manager. The biomass gasification facility will annually consume about 27,000 tons of woods chips to provide power and thermal to the university. ProcessBarron was provided a small plot of land on campus, and from there, it designed and installed the entire material handling system including a travelling screw reclaimer. The facility itself was designed to aesthetically mimic the surrounding buildings on campus.
Five years ago numerous feasibility studies were done to pursue biomass projects, but similar studies have fallen off lately. Being highly driven by mandates, Moss notes that developers may be waiting to see what the government is going to do with the boiler MACT regulations, which is a similar trend noted by other companies.
Similar to Metso, ProcessBarron is seeing certain trends in the industry, including cogeneration projects that contain the necessary infrastructure oftentimes for feedstock transportation purposes. In addition, the company is seeing a trend toward developers looking into advanced technologies such as gasification. Regarding feedstocks, wood is king, but the company also sees some developers leaning toward municipal solid waste and other feedstocks to create bioenergy.
An overwhelming theme that resulted from the discussions with all the industry leaders was that biomass is booming, and developers are persevering through uncertainty to make their projects happen. Author: Matt SobergAssociate Editor, Biomass Power & Thermal(701)
on December 6th, 2011% ![]()
If you have done any research into having solar panels installed in your home you will more than likely have discovered that it can be quite an expensive process, with most installations running into the thousands of dollars. But what if I told you, you can build your own solar panels at a fraction of the cost of a retail system? Read on to learn to more.
Cheap solar panels are now a reality, but there is a catch, you need to build them yourself now I’m sure the first thing that popped into your head after reading that opening line is that’s too difficult, well I am here to tell you nothing could be further from the truth, building your own solar panels is an extremely easy and straight forward process.
The trick to successfully building your own solar panels or cells is to ensure you get a great blue print to work from. You can readily find a blue print in the form of a DIY solar power guide, these guides usually come in eBook format and can be downloaded from online retailers. they usually retail from around $40 to $50USD and contain easy to follow instructions which will walk you through the entire process, from what materials you need to gather to putting your cells together and installing your newly made panel on your roof.
The cost of building your homemade solar panels is around $200USD (this doesn’t include the cost associated with purchasing any tools you may not already own). the materials you need to put your panels together are surprisingly readily available at any home hardware outlet.
If you follow the instruction guide closely (I recommend you get a guide that comes with video instructions as well as written) you can’t go wrong, the whole process will only take you a day or two. You don’t need to have a PhD in physics or be an expert carpenter, basic handyman skills such as cutting, gluing, hammering and drilling are all you will need.
Once built you get to reap the financial benefits of harvesting your now free energy from the sun, safe in the knowledge you are doing your bit in helping the environment by reducing your carbon footprint.
You can expect reductions in your power bills of anywhere up to a maximum level of 80%, you will even find yourself in the enviable position of selling excess electricity, that you no longer use, back to the power grid.
on December 6th, 2011%
The rush for renewable power has impinged on the boiler commerce and it has started to adapt quite speedily to the contemporary day advances in house heating systems. Over the last 40 years the gas boiler central heating systems have come to be the major heating systems for the British housing market. they are flexible and adaptable to most of the common requirements of central heating and hot water supply. The introduction of renewable sources of power has posed a problem that for sometime has been only looked at intermittently by the market. this has been generally because it requires an whole of work and also expense. The present cost of fuel and the rush for renewable’s has given a new impetus to the market, and the market has had to adapt.
![]()
In the case of solar power the heating panels that have been able to be associated to the boiler system have been able to contribute some of the hot water, the problem has been that when the climatic characteristic of the hot water dropped then the gas boiler switched on automatically and supplied the indispensable energy. unfortunately in many cases that power could have been supplied in time by the solar panels and so the units were fairly inefficient in their use of the solar heating. this problem has been looked at by most of the major boiler manufacturers and some solutions are starting to find their way into the market.
One of the most innovative appears to be the introduction of a isolate system which uses a boiler to regain the hot water from the solar panels and the gas boiler works as a isolate system but in tandem only arrival in when the power supplied by the solar panels is insufficient to contribute the instant household demands. there is obviously an extra cost for having the two systems running in tandem, but the savings more than interpret the usage and the solar system can contribute most of the energy.
Solar Boiler Systems
 41-406 Hot Surface Igniter Replaces: Weil-Mclain, Norton 201Y & 271Y
- replaces weil-mclain & norton 201y&271y
Even on a dull day the solar panels can contribute sufficient heat to contribute all the hot water that a house needs, and with today’s fuel costs going up by a gargantuan whole over the past few months it has come to be a major requirement for many families to reduce their dependence on carbon based fuels. The volatile nature of the Middle East political scene has only made matters worse and the present governments drive to green power could see grant aid as well.
Solar Boiler Systems
on November 29th, 2011% ![]()
BERNIN, France, November 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ –
Soitec (Euronext), a world leader in generating and manufacturing revolutionary semiconductor materials for the electronics and energy industries, has built a concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) power plant next to Durban, South Africa, as the flagship project for the 17th annual Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), being held November 28 to December 9. The 500 kW solar-energy facility, which will power the COP17 global gathering, will be officially inaugurated by South African President Dr. Jacob. G. Zuma on December 4.
Soitec worked closely with the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs (DEA) of South Africa and the local eThekwini Municipality to build the CPV solar plant, which feeds into the area’s power-supply grid. The CPV plant was constructed in just one month using the combination of Soitec’s international expertise and the local work force. Group five, an integrated construction services, materials and infrastructure investment group operating in Africa, was the local construction partner for the project.
“CPV offers South Africa huge potential for its natural resource and climate protection,” said André-Jacques Auberton-Hervé, president and CEO of Soitec. “After proving our Concentrix™ technology’s performance in the region with last year’s installation of a 60 kW power plant at the Aquila Private Game Reserve in Touwsrivier, we are proud to continue supporting the country’s young but growing renewable-energy sector. Sustainable energy, as we all know, is a prerequisite for a sustainable future.”
At the entrance to COP17′s Climate Change Response Expo, located adjacent to the ICC, Soitec will display a full-size, 10-meter-high solar panel tracker to give visitors a close-up look at CPV technology. it will be used to charge electric vehicles. within the exposition, more information will be available at Soitec’s stand #101-B and guided tours of the fully functional solar plant will also be offered twice daily from December 5 through December 9 at the installation site in nearby Hazelmere, about 25 kilometers north of Durban.
With installations around the world, CPV technology has proven to be the most efficient and most environmentally friendly solar power technology. it demonstrates unique cost competitiveness compared to other solar technologies, largely due to its higher production yields at peak times and lower construction and maintenance costs. in addition, CPV technology’s abilities to operate without cooling water, to withstand hot ambient temperatures and to accommodate the dual use of land with minimal environmental impact make it perfectly suited for use throughout South Africa.
Soitec is an international manufacturing company, a world leader in generating and manufacturing revolutionary semiconductor materials at the frontier of the most exciting energy and electronic challenges. Soitec’s products include substrates for microelectronics (most notably SOI: Silicon-on-Insulator) and concentrator photovoltaic systems (CPV). The company’s core technologies are Smart Cut™, Smart Stacking™ and Concentrix™, as well as expertise in epitaxy. Applications include consumer and mobile electronics, microelectronics-driven IT, telecommunications, automotive electronics, lighting products and large scale solar power plants. Soitec has manufacturing plants and R&D centers in France, Singapore, Germany, and the United States. for more information, visit: soitec.com.
International Media ContactCamille Darnaud-Dufour+33(0)6-79-49-51-43 (any time zone) Media ContactMarie-Caroline SaroH&B Communication+33 (0)1-58-18-32-44mc. RelationsOlivier Brice+33(0)4-76-92-93-80olivier.brice@soitec.com back to top
on November 29th, 2011% ![]()
The connection was not of crisp video quality, but the chorus of schoolchildren from San José de Huamaní, near Ica in the south, could be heard loud and clear: “Good morning,” they chanted.
Hundreds of kilometres away, they were greeted with applause, through video link, by a brightly lit conference room full of Peruvian and European Union officials. They were meeting in Lima to announce the completion of an aid programme that is taking renewable energy and the internet to 130 rural communities in Peru.
With funding from the EU, the Euro-Solar programme is being rolled out across the eight poorest nations of Latin America, such as Peru, at a cost of €36m ($47.6m/£30.9m). The aim is to benefit more than 300,000 people whose communities are not connected to the electricity grid.
Via satellite linkup, the Lima audience heard live testimonies from four isolated villages about how they finally had electricity posts that powered a school and a convenience store, and they could now store vaccines, purify water, use computers and surf the web.
“There’s more interaction from the kids,” said Teresa Uribe, a teacher. She spoke from her classroom, surrounded by her pupils who were all hustling to get a view of the computer screen at their end. “They now want to learn more, thanks to this technology.” She was happy, too, about the improvements to her school environment.
Each community was given solar panels and, in some cases, a back-up wind generator to produce its own renewable and clean energy. with the free EU kit, it could now run five laptop computers, a printer-scanner, a multimedia projector, an antenna for satellite internet connection, a refrigerator, a water purifier and a battery charger. Simple things such as charging a mobile phone or emailing medical lab tests to a central hospital could now be done.
Around 600 of these villages across Latin America are beneficiaries of the aid programme because they are not connected to the electricity grid. it is expensive to build one, and money is often in short supply in countries that have historically been poor with weak governance and high levels of corruption. One in four Peruvians lives without electricity.
But where national governments are not stepping in, Hans Alldén, the EU representative to Peru, says solar panels are a cheap and environmentally friendly way to fill in the gap. “To have a broader coverage of electricity is a long-term development objective for Peru,” he says. “But in the meantime, they can have access to this, as a demonstration to the world that you can do it with a rather simple technology that works with a clean source of energy.”
Just before the Cancun climate change conference last year, the European commissioner for development, Andris Piebalgs, said renewable energy was helping the poorest people meet their most basic human needs, such as going to school and having access to drinking water.
If cities can use computers and medical equipment, rural areas without their own generators can stay forever poor and underdeveloped. “Energy is an engine of growth,” he said. “Education and healthcare are limited because there is no electricity. so that means that the only way to really provide for the future of these people is renewable energy.”
In a video shown at the launch, one teacher from the Alto Napati community in the Peruvian central highlands said that her schoolchildren finally had “nothing to envy from those in the cities”. most poor Peruvians live outside urban areas. “The children can now be connected with the whole world,” said a programme co-ordinator on Lake Titicaca in the Andes.
The Euro-Solar programme is trying to help in places such as Alto Napati, Sancayuni-Amantaní and San José de Huamaní. Similar projects exist in Africa, and they are now being implemented in Peru, Bolivia, Guatemala, El Salvador and four other Latin American countries. Like their counterparts in Europe and the US, the children in these communities can now search on Google and Skype with the rest of world. But most importantly, they can aspire to a better future.
|
