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Finally!
October 6th, 2008Not-quite-lost among the hubbub of the passage of the $700B bailout/rescue package last week was the inclusion in the bill of an 8-year extension of the federal tax credits for renewable energy projects. If you haven’t been following this saga all year, you may not know that this was the 9th time (!) that these incentives had been included in a bill this year. The current set of incentives was set to expire at the end of the year, and their extension was seen as vital to the continued health and growth of the renewable energy industry (especially solar) in this country. As a political hot potato, the incentives were defeated on their own as part of the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008 and the Energy Independence and Tax Relief Act of 2008 and also when included as part of other bills like the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 (in a situation where John McCain could have helped get the bill to a vote on the Senate floor, but opted not to vote at all - the legislation was then passed with the energy tax breaks stripped out of it) and an Iraq War funding bill (when Republicans wanted to include the funding without a corresponding offset in revenue that Democrats demanded). Indeed, you could be forgiven for throwing up your hands after the 9th or 10th e-mail pleading with you to write or call your congressional representatives about the crucial piece of legislation that would finally put this madness behind us, or even for thinking that the incentives were destined to die on the vine.
The financial rescue package, however, offered one last chance to get the extension passed before the end of the year. Regardless of your sentiments on the “pork” attached to the final bill, the inclusion of these incentives is a lot more palatable than some of the other special favors that found their way in. The total package includes somewhere in vicinity of $17-$18 billion in tax credits for power generated by solar, wind and other renewable sources through 2016. It looks like the coal industry managed to get a piece of the action as well, but in the spirit of compromise, we’ll overlook that little tidbit for now. What’s important is that the incentives make renewables more readily able to compete on cost with traditional (i.e. dirty) sources of energy. One important change to note was the removal of the cap of $2,000 of incentives for residential projects. This means that the cost of residential solar projects just got reduced even further. When you combine these federal incentives with the already existing incentives at the state and local levels, the economics of solar really start to make sense for more and more customers. ASES has a more complete rundown on the provisions - which also include elements covering energy efficient buildings and plug-in hybrids - on their website.
For more information on solar check out our PV resource page. And the Power Naturally site can answer many of your questions about the process of buying and installing solar panels.
Posted in Energy, Legislation, Photovoltaics, Politics | Permalink | posted by Jamie
The Kids are Here!
October 2nd, 2008
Solar One’s Education program kicked off last week with a visit from The Geneva School’s second grade class! Learning about the sun, solar energy and Stuyvesant Cove Park - students left with their own sun dial watches and knowledge about energy conservation and renewable technology!
Posted in Solar One | Permalink | posted by Kennedy
Sanyo Announces New PV Manufacturing Plant in US
September 30th, 2008
SANYO North America Corporation, a subsidiary of the Tokyo-based SANYO Electric Co., announced plans on Monday to construct a new solar component plant in Salem, Oregon. The facility, set to open in October 2009, will produce silicon ingots and wafers, the major component in conventional solar cells, and will create over 200 new green jobs. Slated to cost $80 million in development and construction, the plant will more than triple the company’s overall US photovoltaic production from 30 MW to 100 MW once fully operational by April 2010; for comparison, the cumulative US output for PV production in 2007 was 201 MW, 31% greater than in 2006. As high demand for solar panels is currently outstripping supply, this greater production capacity should help to lower retail costs across the global market.
The announcement is yet more evidence that Oregon’s incentive programs for renewable business seem to be working. Thanks to the state’s Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC), which provides tax breaks of up to 50% on capital investments of up to $20 million for renewable energy projects, solar manufacturers are moving there in relative droves. SANYO joins three other companies that shifted their operations to Oregon last year alone - German-based SolarWorld, and Solaicx and Peak Sun Silicon, both of California. All in all, a study released this past spring by ECONorthwest projects that the two energy tax credit programs combined (the Residential Energy Tax Credit program being the other) would “create nearly 2,100 new jobs, boost economic output by $178 million and cut energy costs by $60 million” over the next fifteen years.
The factory will join SANYO’s Carson, CA manufacturing plant and expansion at other production facilities in Japan, Hungary and Mexico to boost the company’s expected PV output to 340 MW globally by the end of 2008 and 600 MW by 2010. Among its other solar ventures, in 1997 SANYO introduced its highly efficient HIT (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin layer) solar cells, which combine single crystalline cells with amorphous silicon to achieve an impressive 20% conversion efficiency rating. Also check out SANYO’s Solar Ark in Japan, the world’s largest solar-generating structure and a state-of-the-art science center.
Sources: press release (us.sanyo.com); Oregon Department of Energy; “Oregon Welcomes Yet Another Solar Maker, Sanyo”, earth2Tech;“Economic Impacts of Oregon Energy Tax Credit Programs in 2006″, ECONorthwest; “SB 819 Passes Out of House Committee by unanimous vote”, Pacific Northwest Energy and Sustainability Venture blog;“Sanyo to Build Solar Cell Plant in Oregon”, GoodCleanTech; “Sanyo chooses Oregon site for new solar PV ingot, wafer factory”, Photovoltaics International; “Solar Manufacturing Takes Flight in the United States”, US Department of Energy, EERE News; “Big Photovoltaic Price Drop Due to Large Silicon Supplies?”, FuturePundit; “PV Status Report 2007″, EU Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability; “Japan’s Sanyo to Build New US Plant”, AFP wire report.
Posted in Energy, Energy Efficiency, Green Building, Green Collar Jobs, Photovoltaics, Renewables, Sustainability | Permalink | posted by Bill
Your Second “Skin”?
September 29th, 2008
Maybe you can take it with you, after all.
One day soon you may be able to wear solar like a patch of solidarity on your sleeve. It sounds like the setting of some utopian novel, an almost too-obvious sci-fi fantasy - flexible solar “skin” efficient enough to power everything from ubiquitous personal devices such as cell phones, laptops and mp3 players to larger hallmarks of technology such as hybrid cars and generators. A research team led by physicist Steven Novack at the Idaho National Laboratory has recently developed a technique that could allow for the practical application of small, flexible solar “stamps” comprised of infrared-converting nanoantennae no more than a few billionths of a meter in diameter.
What makes this technology so unique is that it utilizes a wavelength of light that up until recently had been considered too weak for solar technology. Most solar cells harness shorter wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation such as visible and ultraviolet light because these wavelengths are powerful enough to knock individual electrons loose from atoms, thereby generating direct electrical current. Too weak for this process, infrared light is, however, strong enough to induce electrons to vibrate. If these electrons are arranged in flexible arrays such as in crystalline lattices built from highly conductive metals, these vibrations would be powerful enough to create an alternating current (though a high-frequency rectifier - not yet developed - would be required for conversion to direct current). More significantly, by utilizing clever design principles, such nanoantennae have been shown to convert over 90% of available infrared, more than double the conversion efficiency of typical solar cells.
Referring to this breakthrough as a “solar” technology might be misleading, however, since it relies on collecting heat that rebounds off the earth’s surface rather than sunlight itself. Since the earth continually emits this radiation, this distinction gives the process yet another advantage over conventional solar in that it would be able to generate energy under conditions averse to conventional solar panels such as nightfall or cloud cover, even potentially recycling the waste heat from engine exhaust and other sources. This potential raises a possible secondary benefit of this technology: it could be used to keep computers and other electronic devices from overheating.
The tiny structures are comprised of miniature gold spirals embedded in polyethylene plastic, which can then be “stamped by the billion” onto plastic sheets and applied to virtually any surface. Novack even envisions the development of double-sided sheets tuned to convert radiation of differing wavelengths, simultaneously tapping multiple regions of the sun’s energy spectrum.
Sources: “Feeling the Heat”, The Economist; “Nanoantennas envisioned as possible replacement for solar cells”, TG Daily; “Flexible nanoantenna arrays capture abundant solar energy”, eScience news; “Solar Skin: A Sheet of Tiny Antennas”, Solar Feeds; “Sheets of Tiny Antennae Harvest Sunlight and Heat”, Discovery News;“Solar Nantenna Electromagnetic Collectors”, Novack, et al. (technical paper presented at 2nd International Conference on Energy Sustainability).
Posted in Energy, Photovoltaics, Renewables, Technology | Permalink | posted by Bill
Urban Farmer Wins “Genius” Award
September 26th, 2008
For an accomplished and lucky few, Christmas comes in September.
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced the winners of its annual “genius grants” this week. The selection is notable for its stimulating eclecticism; this year’s roster includes a plant evolutionary geneticist, an architectural preservationist, a Mesoamerican anthropologist, a traditional basketweaver, a medical historian and a stage lighting designer, in addition to the regular litany of artists, musicians and writers. Also new to this club of the talented, passionate and committed is Wisconsin urban farmer Will Allen.
Since 1993, Allen has been simultaneously developing groundbreaking, sustainable agricultural techniques while providing invaluable community service in the form of educational programs and affordable food for low-income urban populations in Milwaukee, Chicago and other locations in the upper midwestern United States. Co-founder of the Milwaukee-based non-profit Growing Power, Allen eschews the “back to the land” philosophy prevalent in the sustainable agriculture movement for the cultivation of small but efficient urban plots and a vertical business model that includes grassroots distribution networks. His approach also addresses issues of health awareness and diet with a focus on the prevention of obesity and diabetes, conditions known to afflict low-income communities in particular. (For an entirely unrelated but equally current story on the effects of obesity and fast-food diet on children’s health, click here.) Allen’s innovative farming techniques include “use of raised beds, aquaculture, vermiculture and heating greenhouses through composting”, all of which attempt to maximize yield in limited space - generally the only space available in urban locations - while keeping energy use and other costs at a mimimum.
The fellowships - awarded by the Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation since 1981 - are accompanied by a $500,000 stipend with “no strings attached”. Nominees are selected by an independent panel and are unaware of their consideration until notified. One of this year’s grantees, John Ochsendorf of MIT’s architecture department, exclaimed, “I had to sit down… It changes everything. This is validation.” Notes MacArthur Foundation President Jonathan Fanton, “Generally there’s a pause and expressions of disbelief. I’ve had people drop the phone or say they need a minute because they feel weak.”
So when that phone rings next September, it may be best to answer sitting down. The holidays just might arrive a few months early…
Sources: “MacArthur Foundation awards 2008 ‘genius grants’”, Associated Press; “Urban Farmer’s Work Honored”, Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal; “Fast Food Hits Mediterranean; a Diet Succumbs”, New York Times; John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation website (www.macfound.org); Growing Power website (www.growingpower.org); African American Environmentalist Association website (aaenvironment.blogspot.com)
Posted in Food, Green Collar Jobs, Technology | Permalink | posted by Bill
Solar One to Host Eyebeam Project
September 22nd, 2008
Solar One is hosting part of artist Germaine Koh’s piece Fair Weather Forces for Eyebeam’s Untethered show - a sculpture garden of everyday objects deprogrammed of their original function, embedded with new intelligence, and transformed into surrealist and surprising readymades, including a photocopier that reads the night sky; a PDA turned guitar; and a piano that plays the Internet.
Koh’s project, Fair-weather forces is a series of architectonic interventions which suggest a reciprocal relationship between human behaviour and natural phenomena. Using the tidal fluctuations of the East River at the Solar One site, Koh has electronically linked the motion to a series of velvet ropes that respond to the depth of the water at the Eyebeam gallery space.
Untethered: A sculpture garden of readymades
Date: September 25 – October 25
Opening: Thurs., Sept. 25, 6PM
Location: Eyebeam, 540 W. 21st St., NYC
Cost: Free
Posted in Art, East River, Education, Solar One | Permalink | posted by Kennedy
Check out the new I Heart PV Street Team video - shot, produced and edited entirely by high school students
September 15th, 2008
Throughout the spring and summer of 2008, Solar One’s I Heart PV campaign was supported on the ground by the incredible efforts and energy of 15 student interns from nearby Manhattan Comprehensive Night and Day High School. Forming the campaign’s street team, the students traveled to different areas of the five boroughs to educate New Yorkers about the potential of solar in their city; demonstrate photovoltaics in action with custom designed solar charging units (built by the students themselves); grow the campaign’s mailing list; and encourage voters to contact their state officials in support of pro-solar policies. All together, the street team visited nearly 20 locations in 3 boroughs and also participated in legislative outreach in Albany in June. Their hard work contributed directly to the campaign’s success in pushing forward two new pieces of pro-solar legislation.
Each week the team documented their activities on film. Three of the students, Alimu Barrie, Bademba Barrie and Amadu Barrie - seniors at Manhattan Comprehensive - drew from the material to create this short video, which offers an account of their experience and accomplishments.
The entire video was shot, planned and edited by the students.
Posted in Solar One | Permalink | posted by Neidl
Just Add Sun…
September 14th, 2008
PV with a punch? Solar on steroids? The Red Bull of renewables?
Whatever you call it, IBM’s new research is raising eyebrows throughout the clean energy industry. CPV, also known as concentrator photovoltaics, utilizes a schoolyard science principle familiar to anyone who’s ever indulged a pyromaniacal fantasy with a magnifying glass. By effectively increasing energy yield through the use of CPV systems while simultaneously shrinking the amount of space and equipment needed, a team of researchers from IBM may have developed yet another way that energy could be cleanly and cheaply generated on a distributable scale.
While CPV technology has been around for more than 30 years, it had presented too many hurdles to be considered a viable source of energy production, particularly with regard to heat damage caused by the intensity of the focused rays on solar cells.
Until now.
Utilizing a technique developed to cool their computer chips (made of silicon, the same material used in most photovoltaics), IBM’s team was able to lower the temperature of the cells during use from 1600 degrees Celsius to 85 degrees. The technique involves the more efficient transfer of heat from the cell to a copper cooling plate through a liquid metal interface composed of a thin layer of a gallium-indium compound. Thus cooled, their CPV system was able to generate an apparent record 230 watts onto a solar cell the size of a square centimeter in the laboratory. This translates into 70 watts of power, or “five times the electrical power density” of conventional CPV cells. This means that the new improved system would be able to use significantly fewer cells to convert a greater amount of sunlight, cutting the number of system components (and the associated costs) ten-fold.
Now IBM just has to figure out how to shift these results from the controlled conditions of the lab to a practical setting. If achieved, CPV might vie with solar thermal for the leading role in the distributed energy saga.
The results were presented at the 33rd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists conference back in May. Click here to check out the abstract.
Sources: “IBM Research Could Lead to Reduced Costs in Solar Farm Technology”, www.renewableenergyworld.com; “Understanding Solar Concentrators”, technical paper by George M. Kaplan; “Extending Photovoltaic Operation Beyond 2000 Suns Using a Liquid Metal Thermal Interface with Passive Cooling” (abstract), Theodore G. van Kessel, et al.
Posted in Energy, Energy Efficiency, Green Building, Photovoltaics, Renewables, Sustainability, Technology | Permalink | posted by Bill
Sun To Stars Festival Called on Account of Rain
September 13th, 2008Thanks to everyone who came out for our Third Annual sun To Stars South Asian Festival! Unfortunately the rain has made it impossible for us to continue with the concert. If you were planning to come, please don’t- we’ll see you next year! If you came out and stayed through some of the downpour, thanks again!
Posted in Solar One | Permalink | posted by Dina
PV Panels Getting Even Greener
September 10th, 2008
By now everyone knows the argument: install solar panels on your home or business, and help save the planet from the noxious fossil-fueled miasma that lurks in the not-too-distant wings.
But what about the fabrication of photovoltaics themselves? Though their utilization effectively minimizes dependence on petroleum-based energy, the backsheet that houses and protects most solar panels is usually made of ubiquitous petroleum products such plastic or fiberglass, as most bio-based materials have not proven durable enough.
BioSolar, Inc., a California-based company, has recently announced a breakthrough development that should eliminate the need for these petro-products and at the same time reduce costs. The backsheets, composed of recycled cotton rags and nylon made from castor beans, would reduce manufacturing costs by 25%, according to CEO David Lee, with an ultimate goal of 50%. Conventional backsheets currently cost between $.70 and $1.00 per square foot. This is welcome news, especially at a time when high oil prices are counteracting the cost reductions in other phases of solar panel manufacture.
Will these new panels be able to withstand the harsh elements and changing seasons? BioSolar claims their greener backsheets will have a lifespan of 20-25 years, and so far they’ve apparently passed all tests. Next, the company plans to tackle thin-film solar. According to Lee, “BioBacksheet should cover 95% of the present PV market in its current form. Most non-silicon based thin-film applications require extremely high moisture barrier and high temperature resistance, and we will address that market in the future.”
BioSolar expects the market for solar panel backsheets to triple from its current value of $300 million to $1 billion by 2010 as the demand for panels grows. Even greater reason then to limit the carbon footprint of the panels themselves.
Sources: “Making a Solar Cell Component Without Using Fossil Fuels”, Scientific American; “Solar Panels Ditching Petroleum For Cotton and Beans”, www.ecogeek.com; “BioSolar Makes PV Backsheets From Beans and Cotton”, www.optics.org; “Prototype of Bioplastic Solar Cell Backsheet Complete”, www.renewableenergyworld.com; “BioSolar Solar Panel Backsheets”, www.goodcleantech.com; “A Breakthrough Technology to Reduce the Cost of Solar Cells”, www.biosolar.com
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Green Building, Photovoltaics, Renewables, Solar One, Technology | Permalink | posted by Bill
Thank You, Everyone!
September 9th, 2008Thanks to everyone who helped make this year’s Solar-Powered Film Series so much fun- and such a success! Especially Carolyn, Michelle and Alex from Green Edge, Marc Brodeur, the Green Edge and Solar One volunteers, the directors and speakers, everyone who came out to watch the films and eat our delicious solar-powered popcorn, and the kayakers! Despite the rain on Saturday, we had a good crowd on Sunday, and we had our Cookie Competition. The votes were counted, and it was an extremely close race. Each entry was unique and delicious. There was even a tie vote! But in the end, by a vote and a half, we had a winner.
Here is a picture of the winning cookie, with the prize ribbon:
Posted in Solar One | Permalink | posted by Dina
Solar-Powered Film Series On For Tonight & Sunday- Not Saturday!
September 5th, 2008DUE TO THE TROPICAL STORM THAT SEEMS CERTAIN TO DRENCH THE NY-METRO AREA TOMORROW, WE WILL POSTPONE THE FINAL NIGHT OF THE SOLAR-POWERED FILM SERIES UNTIL SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 7 at 8PM. FOR AN UPDATE ON THE GREEN EDGE ECO-SCAVENGER HUNT, CLICK HERE. AND BRING YER COOKIES ON SUNDAY FOR THE COOKIE COMPETITION! FOR MORE INFO ON THE FILMS, CLICK HERE.
Posted in Film, Solar One | Permalink | posted by Dina
Back to School!
September 3rd, 2008
Welcome back teachers and students!
Now with the new school year underway, our education team is putting together our calendar for education programs with our many school partners all over the city.
We are now accepting applications for programs for Fall 2008 and Spring 2009! Please email application forms to education[at]solar1.org or call 212-253-1813 to schedule a class today! This season we are expanding our K-12 enrichment programs to include:
Upcoming Events and News
Outdoor Education Fair
Tuesday | September 23rd | 4:30pm
New York City Outdoors! An Environmental Education Exposition on Tuesday, September 23th, 2008 at Pier 66 Maritime in the Hudson River Park at West 26th Street in Manhattan. The Expo showcases the environmental education resources for New York City teachers and educators. Soil and Water
Solar Sprint
Thursday | Sept. 25 – 4-7pm
The Junior Solar Sprint will be hosted at MS 74 in Queens, NY.
Harlem River Festival
Saturday | Sept. 27th
Join us for Harlem River Festial, celebrating National Estuaries Day and takes place at our Swindler Cove Park in Washington Heights/Inwood. Organized by New York Restoration Project.
Butterfly Tagging Day
Saturday | Sept. 27th | 1-3pm
Join us for a fun-filled day of monarch butterfly tagging and learning about the animals and plants of Stuyvesant Cove Park!
Hudson River Snapshot Day
October 7th | 9am – 1pm
Solar One will be a host site for NYC’s annual Hudson River Snapshot Day. Contact Chris Kennedy (kennedy [at] solar1 [dot] org) to sign up your school to be apart of this event. Learn more about the program here.
Posted in East River, Education, Global Warming, New York City, Solar One | Permalink | posted by Kennedy
Solar Success on the Market
August 29th, 2008
The sun isn’t the only thing that’s hot these days.
First Solar Inc., one of the more high-profile manufacturers of solar technology, is raising eyebrows on Wall Street. The clean technology company recently reported a 57% increase in quarterly earnings, exceeding projected revenues by nearly 20%. Second quarter revenues equaled $267 million, more than triple last year’s 2Q earnings of $77.2 million. Over this time the company’s operating profit more than quadrupled to 33.2%, as compared with last year’s margin of 7.5% for the same quarter. “Despite expectations being so high, they completely outdelivered again,” gushed technology investment analyst Mark Bachman o