SOLAR PHILIPPINES TO BUILD THE LARGEST SOLAR FARM IN LUZON

SHARED FROM (The Philippine Star) | Updated March 18, 2015 - 12:00am

Read more: http://www.philstar.com/business/2015/03/18/1434716/solar-philippines-build-largest-solar-farm-luzon#ixzz3UlEYagcV 

Calatagan Mayor Sophia Palacio and Solar Philippines president Leandro Leviste.  

MANILA, Philippines - After pioneering the nation’s first large-scale solar rooftop projects, Solar Philippines claims a new frontier with the launch of the largest solar farm in Luzon.

At the ceremonial groundbreaking of the 50-MW project in Calatagan, Batangas, attended by officials from the local and national government, Solar Philippines president Leandro Leviste marked the event as a turning point for renewable energy in Batangas, which is home to both the nation’s largest number of fossil fuel plants and various eco-tourism destinations.

The ground-mounted system will comprise over 150,000 solar panels, covering over 75 hectares of land owned by the company. Once completed this year, it is expected to  generate enough energy to power the majority of the entire province of Batangas. Over three decades of operation, it is expected to offset over one-million tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to planting over five million trees.

Solar Philippines will develop, co-finance, design, and construct the project, the first time that any local company has taken an integrated approach to solar farm development - allowing Solar Philippines to complete this project in record time.

The company plans to complete no less than 200 MW in 2015, and has secured over a dozen renewable energy service contracts to develop projects near major cities across the country.Leviste took the occasion to issue a call to action to other landowners: “This is the year to convert unproductive lands into solar farms. What we have done to the rooftops of malls and factories, we shall do for solar farms, and we welcome all willing partners to join us in finally turning this vision into a reality.” 

“This is the first of many solar farms that we shall launch this year, and are in discussions with landowners across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao,” said Leviste. “Taking the same approach as for our rooftop projects, we’ve integrated development, financing, and construction all-in-one, allowing us to move faster in meeting the Department of Energy’s solar targets for 2015.”

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SOLAR PANELS FROM TOXIC TRASH

SOURCE

Scientists Discover How to Turn Toxic Trash Into Solar Panels

Lead from old car batteries can be recycled to create renewable energy.

(Photo: Armend Nimani/Getty Images)

August 19, 2014 By David Kirby

David Kirby has been a professional journalist for 25 years. His third book, Death at Seaworld, was published in 2012.

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Researchers at MIT have announced a novel technology to recycle lead from discarded car batteries and fashion it into long-lasting solar panels.

That means that after your old car battery dies, it may one day find new life, creating enough clean, renewable energy to power 30 households while also helping to reduce lead pollution. Exposure to lead has been shown to cause cognitive and behavioral problems in children.

Professors and graduate students at the university published their findings in the journalEnergy and Environmental Science. They described how recent advances in solar technology allow for the use of a lead-based substance called perovskite to make solar cells.

“Amazingly, because the perovskite photovoltaic material takes the form of a thin film just half a micrometer thick, the team’s analysis shows that the lead from a single car battery could produce enough solar panels to provide power for 30 households,” MIT said in a statement about the discovery.

The lead-based cells are nearly as efficient as silicon-based cells used commercially today, the authors said, and recycled lead is just as effective as newly smelted lead.

“Cells made from perovskite have an efficiency of 19 to 20 percent,” said Po-Yen Chen, a graduate student of chemical engineering, who coauthored the paper.

Standard silicon-based cells have an efficiency ranging from 20 to 25 percent, Chen said.

Using car batteries as a source of lead for the panels benefits the environment in at least three ways: It recycles the neurotoxic heavy metal and keeps it out of landfills, it reduces the need for mining and smelting, and it creates sustainable, nonpolluting energy.

Environmental contamination from car-battery lead is a “global pollutant” that is especially acute in the developing world,” according to the Blacksmith Institute, a nonprofit group that works to clean up highly polluted sites where children are most at risk.

Used car batteries are shipped to cities in the developing world. “Recycling and smelting operations are usually conducted in the open air, in densely populated urban areas, and often with few (if any) pollution controls [that] release lead contaminated compounds into the local environment in critical quantities,” the Blacksmith Institute stated on its website.

In the United States, car batteries are the primary source of lead pollution, according to a study conducted in 2003 by the Michigan-based Ecology Center and the Environmental Defense Fund. The report found that the North American automobile industry contributes to the release or transfer of more than 300 million pounds of lead annually due to mining, smelting, manufacturing, recycling, and disposal, as well as normal vehicle use.

More than 200 million lead-acid batteries could be retired in the near future as automakers switch to new technologies, Chen said.

Forget Fracking—Wind Energy Prices Hit a Record Low in the U.S.

“When the perovskite cells came out three years ago, we saw they were made of lead, and we got the idea to use car batteries,” said Chen. “We were thinking of how to make the cells without harvesting more lead from the environment.”

A video of the team building a prototype solar panel from a car battery can be viewed here.

“From a general perspective, the concept is very appealing,” said Bob Gibson, a spokesperson for the Solar Electric Power Association. “A big question will be in what it will take to bring this to commercial production and at a price point where it can compete with silicon” solar panels. 

Two companies are trying to commercially develop the battery-to-solar-cell technology, according to Chen. “The process is much simpler compared to silicon cells, and you don’t need an expansive facility,” he noted. “The process is expected to be cheaper, so the product would be too.”

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FROM THE DAILY KOS, SOLAR ENERGY

SUN JUN 01, 2014 AT 07:53 PM PDT

Solar energy represents 74% of all new U.S. electricity generation in 1st quarter of 2014

Kiley Kroh of Think Progress writes U.S. Residential Solar Just Beat Commercial Installations For The First Time, with solar energy accounting for 74% of all new electricity generation in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2014.

The first quarter of 2014 was another big one for the U.S. solar industry, with 74 percent of all new electricity generation across the country coming from solar power. The 1,330 megawatts of solar photovoltaics (PV) installed last quarter bring the total in the U.S. up to 14.8 gigawatts of installed capacity — enough to power three million homes, according to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

In addition to being the largest quarter ever for concentrating solar power, a method of large-scale solar generation that uses a unique ‘salt battery’ to allow the solar plant to keep producing power even when the sun goes down, it was also the first time in the history of SEIA’s reports that residential solar installations surpassed commercial in the same time period. 232 MW of residential PV were installed in the first quarter, compared to 225 MW of commercial solar.

Another encouraging surprise we learn in this article is that the Center for American Progress found "it’s middle class families that are driving the rooftop solar revolution with “more than 60 percent of solar installations are occurring in zip codes with median incomes ranging from $40,000 to $90,000.”

This revolution is a threat to utilities’ current business model, since more customers going solar means they’re buying less electricity from the utility. The result in several states has been a push by utilities to scale back incentives or even charge solar customers an additional fee. In Arizona, for instance, Arizona Public Service (APS) has aggressively sought to undercut residential solar and last fall, the state’s energy regulator voted to add what amounts to a $5 per month surcharge on solar customers. The decision was widely viewed as a compromise, particularly considering the considerable amount of money spent by APS and outside groups, several of which were funded by petrochemical billionaires Charles and David Koch.

Kiley Kroh also recounts how a number of utilities in Arizona, Oklahoma, and San Antonia are trying to slow solar energy's penetration into electric market by trying to add surcharges for customers using the "net-back" laws allowing them to sell surplus electricity back to the utility. Also, Arizona's solar power advocates allege the Arizona Power System is behind a move to force customers who lease solar panels to pay property taxes of them.

Kroh presents a number of compelling arguments to counter utilities should be allowed to charge solar customer higher fees countering that solar customer are delivering power back to the grid at peak load hours, reducing the need for expensive peak-load production. They also reduce the amount of electricity coming from coal fired plants, and reduce wear and tear on transmission lines by reducing the amount of electricity through them.  

As the costs of renewable energy generation, including residential generation, continues to fall dramatically, at the same time the costs of conventional fossil fuel burning generation continues to rise the traditional business model for utilities is getting scrunched. If the new standards for reducing carbon emission that we expect the EPA to announce tomorrow are passed, the cost of coal generation will increase more coming closer to represent it true cost to society.  

Sadly, we see much evidence that utilities, and those with large financial interests the fossil fuel industry are looking for ways to reduce the appeal of solar and wind generation.  

8:37 PM PT: Thanks to Shockwave for bringing us this link documenting California's wind generation.

State Wind Energy Statistics: California"

California led the world in wind energy development through much of the 1980s and 1990s. Today, California remains a national leader in the wind industry, ranking second in the U.S. for wind power installations and second for wind industry jobs, all while boasting over 20 wind-related manufacturing facilities.

Wind Projects in California2013 CA 80m onshore

Installed Wind Capacity: 5,812 megawatts (MW). State Rank: California ranks 2nd for total MW installed.

Number of Wind Turbines: 12,158 turbines. State Rank: California ranks 1st for number of utility-scale wind turbines.

Wind Projects Online: 144 wind projects

Wind Capacity Added in 2013: 269 MW

Wind Capacity Added in 2012: 1656.2 MW. State Rank: California added the 2nd most new wind capacity additions in 2012, and surpassed Iowa to become the state with the 2nd most wind capacity.

Wind Capacity Added in 2011: 923.3 MW

Wind Capacity in Queue: 4,253 MW

Percentage of California's electricity provided by wind in 2013: 6.6 percent. Note: This includes only in-state generation. California imports wind energy from across the Northwest and Mountain West and has a higher total when these imports are factored in.

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO SCITECH ON SUN JUN 01, 2014 AT 07:53 PM PDT.

ALSO REPUBLISHED BY GOOD NEWS AND KOSOWATT.

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Solar Streets: New Roadways May Ditch Asphalt for Energy-Generating Sunshine Collectors

May 18, 2014 By Kristina Bravo Kristina Bravo is a Los Angeles–based writer. She is a fellow at TakePart. full biofollow me  Shared from: An electrical engineer from Ohio wants to give our streets a solar upgrade. As a kid in the 1960s, before most people had even heard of solar power, Scott Brusaw imagined “electric roads.” Almost five decades and two government-funded prototypes later, the electrical engineer from Ohio is on his way to raising $1 million to start producing solar panels for our streets and highways. Not to power the light, mind you—to function as streets and highways. Soon you may be driving on solar panels that power the buildings you’re passing by. “We can use [photovoltaic panels] to create roads, parking lots, tarmacs—anything under the sun,” Brusaw says. “All of the current asphalt and concrete currently soaking up the sun can be covered with our technology to turn that sunlight into clean, renewable electricity.” The biggest challenge Brusaw faced was engineering a case to protect the fragile solar cells. He began by researching the technology used in black boxes for airplanes and ended up using thick hardened glass. It sounds fragile, but after impact resistance and traction testing, it has proved able to handle trucks weighing several times the legal limit. A prototype solar parking lot in Sandpoint, Idaho, has been successful as well. If Brusaw’s crowdfunding campaign reaches its goal, production of the roadway panels could begin within a few months.  It may take some time to see them on highways, though. Neil Fromer, executive director of the Resnick Sustainability Institute at the California Institute of Technology, says installing solar power on large structures will take a lot of testing and paperwork. “The regulatory challenges of putting solar panels on rooftops were significant over the last 20 or 30 years,” Fromer says. “It’s only an avalanche [of effort] that managed to get it really working, so doing the roads would be a big challenge.” Electric safety concerns would also need to be addressed, he says, considering that the road is not controlled. But the end product might be well worth it. “The tremendous amount of solar energy that hits the earth’s surface in an hour is enough to power the planet for a year,” Fromer explains. “So when you think about renewable energy in the long term, solar is a huge part of that.” Considering that pavement covers as much as half of many U.S. cities, a lot of electricity could be generated by covering it all with solar panels. Brusaw’s project could have a huge impact—if it overcomes the many challenges to getting it out into the real world. “I think this is pretty cool, and I don’t want to sound too pessimistic about it,” Fromer says. “It’s really just a question of integrating [solar energy] into our existing electrical system. Roads are great surfaces to try it.... Technology innovation always helps.”

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PARABOLIC SOLAR COLLECTORS

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PARABOLIC SOLAR COLLECTORS

V. Ryan © 2005 - 2009

PDF FILE - CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE WORKSHEET
Solar power is energy from the sun. Although the sun is 150 million kilometres away it is still extremely powerful. The amount of energy it provides for the earth in one minute is large enough to meet the earth’s energy needs for one year. The problem is in the development of technology that can harness this ‘free’ energy source.
	Solar collectors are one way of  focussing the suns rays to heat up fluids. A typical array of olar collectors is seen opposite. They are basically unusually shaped mirrors (parabolic in shape) that focus the heat of the sun on a pipe carrying a special fluid. The temperature of the fluid in the pipe increases as it flows down the pipe, along the solar collectors. The pipe extends the entire length of the mirrors.
This type of set up works at its best in desert areas where there is no shortage of sunlight and very little cloud. The hot fluid in the pipe can be used, through a system of heat exchangers, to produce electricity or hot water.

	The special fluid inside the pipes can be replacedwith water. The concentrated heat from the parabolic collectors turns the water into steam. The jet of steam is used to turn turbines producing electricity. This system works well in desert regions due to the hot climate. Modern systems have synthetic oil heating in the pipes. The reflected sun heats up the oil, which in turn heats up water,creating steam. The steam drives turbines which produce electricity.

	The photographs show an arrangement of parabolic solar collectors. Notice the suns energy is focused on the water pipe at its centre.
ARRANGEMENT OF PARABOLIC SOLAR COLLECTORS - SPAIN

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FUTURISTIC VILLA

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These Futuristic Villas Would Produce More Energy Than They Consume

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It's sort of an environmentalist's dream. Forty-five gorgeous villas built on a wasteland that are so impossibly eco-friendly that they produce more energy than they consume in a given year. Ideal as it sounds, Vincent Callebaut has designed just that.

They call it Flavors Orchard. Planned for the city of Kunming in Southwest China—assuming it can ever find funding, which is a big assumption—this 95,000 square foot complex is meant to integrate tightly with the natural environment. Indeed, Kunming would be built on an old industrial wasteland, which is part of what would make this sustainable village so impressive. The architects hope to share the innovations mentioned in their designs with the rest of China—and the world.

So about those innovations. The 45 plus-energy villas would be built around a community orchard meant to produce organic food right in the middle of town. The buildings themselves would all come with massive triple-glazed windows that cut down on the need for light bulbs and air conditioners, while solar photovoltaic and solar thermal panels on the roofs store up energy to power electric cars that are stored underground to keep the pedestrian zones clear. All water would be recycled into lagoons for agricultural irrigation and even toilet flushing.

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The villas are envisioned with three distinct designs. The Mobius Villa (above) design features an endless ribbon with solar panels and vegetation on the roof that twists around two patios, one with plants and the other with water.

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The Mountain Villa (above) rendering looks a lot like it sounds. These hulking structures form a 180-degree arch that sort of resembles a Chinese fan and feature a double skin of wood and photovoltaic glass panels. These panels are also filled with algae that produces bio-hydrogen.

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The Shell Villa (above) design is essentially one giant windmill built on six stainless steel pillars and equipped with an axial wind turbine. The inside features panoramic views and three patios wrapped around wooden beams. They also sort of look like wine decanters.

RELATED

Architect Dreams Up Lilypad: Floating City Ark for Eco-Refugees

Remember I wrote about the floating home solution that Dutch builders are using to counteract rising sea levels? Architect Vincent Callebaut has… Read…

It all looks very, very cool. The challenge now is just to find somebody to build it; this eco-village looks very, very expensive. For now, we'll just file this one away with the rest of Vincent Callebaut's amazing eco-friendly ideas that may or may not ever get built. [Vincent Callebaut Architects via My Modern Met]

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mother nature network via STUMBLE UPON

MNN - MOTHER NATURE NETWORK

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014

Pete Seeger had a solar-powered electric truck named 'Truxie'

She was a 1988 Ford Ranger pickup, and it charged from a rooftop
solar installation in Beacon, New York, overlooking Seeger's beloved Hudson River.

Mon, Feb 03, 2014 at 5:04 PM

Pete with his Ford Ranger electric pickup. (Photo courtesy Ed Witkin)

It will take time to assess the legacy of Pete Seeger, who did an awful lot in his 94 years. He
popularized folk music through his membership in The Weavers, wrote a lot of classic songs
(recorded by The Byrds and others), and lead the way to an effective cleanup of the Hudson
River by founding the — still going strong — Clearwater organization.

Seeger saw the Hudson every morning from his perch on a mountainside in Beacon, New York.
He bought the place in 1949, and in 1961 he wrote, “Sailing up my dirty stream/Still I love it
and I’ll keep the dream/That some day, though maybe not this year/My Hudson River will once
again run clear.”

How many people get to realize their dreams? According to the nonprofit Riverkeeper, water
quality is mostly “acceptable” today from Albany, New York to Elizabeth, New Jersey. The Hudson
is running, well, not exactly clear but a whole lot clearer than it was in 1976, when the state
environmental agency warned people not to eat the fish they caught. (General Electric started
using PCBs at its capacitor plant on the Hudson River in 1947, two years before Seeger moved in.)

The Clearwater’s river sloop—and the annual folk/activist festival on the river’s banks — brought 
forward an outpouring of political, financial and moral support for restoring the Hudson. And I’m
happy to report that Pete Seeger didn’t just talk about the environment — he lived it, every day.

Pete Seeger on the roof with his solar panels. (Photo: Ed Witkin/Reprinted with permission of 
Home Powermagazine)

Yes, Seeger drove an electric car, and charged it from his own solar system. According to the
folksy Home Power magazine, in 1991 Seeger was intrigued by Ed Witkin’s battery powered
1969 VW Microbus, which was used to provide electricity for one of the Clearwater stages.
Pete wanted his own electric vehicle, and Witkin helped him find a 1988 Ford Ranger, with
both four-wheel drive to handle his mountain and a 26.4-kilowatt-hour bank of lead-acid
batteries connected to a nine-inch Advanced DC motor.

That truck, which got named “Truxie,” is old-tech today, and (especially because it had to
go up those hills) had a range of only 10 to 20 miles. It suited Seeger’s needs, though, and
he used it a lot to haul the firewood he burned in his woodstove. He also connected his electric
chainsaw to the truck.

Beacon is only a few miles from the Indian Point nuclear power station, and 10 miles from the
Central Hudson oil-fired plant. This irked Seeger, who didn’t want his electric car to get its
electrons from non-sustainable sources. That led to the rooftop solar system — 20 AstroPower
120-watt photovoltaic modules, 2,400 watts in total. The electricity not used by the Seegers,
or Truxie, went back to the grid and spun their meter backwards. Witkin estimated that the
solar system — not big by today’s standards — offset about 22 percent of the Seegers’ electricity consumption.

“Pete Seeger wasn’t technically all that savvy, but he totally defined himself as an environmentalist,
and he used that electric truck all the time,” Witkin, who lives in North Carolina, told me.
“Sometimes he’d use it to make maple syrup, or to power the PA at events with music. It’s still
up there at his house.” Witkin said Seeger was still using Truxie as late as last November.

Seeger lived his principles. When I was at E/The Environmental Magazine, he used to send us passionate letters to the editor with crushed flowers in them. Let’s hope Truxie finds a good home. And those solar panels go on putting renewable energy back into the grid.

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