Renewables & Efficiency

Weekly Clean Energy Roundup: Nov. 13, 2002

Provided by EREN Network News*News and Events U.S. Navy Dedicates a 750-Kilowatt Solar Power System Company Proposes 12.5 Gigawatts of Wind at 17 Offshore Sites DOE Releases Its Strategic Plan for Efficiency, Renewables DOE Refocuses Truck Initiative and Unveils Hydrogen Roadmap Puget Sound Energy to Restructure Time-of-Use Pilot Ethanol Construction Boom Brings Michigan Its First Plant How About Solar Power on the Moon?*Site NewsPractical Ocean Energy Management Systems (POEMS)*Energy Facts and TipsEIA Updates Energy Analyses for Iraq and Afghanistan———————————————————————-NEWS AND EVENTS———————————————————————-U.S. Navy Dedicates a 750-Kilowatt Solar Power SystemThe U.S. Navy announced last week that it has installed the largest federal solar power system to date at Naval Base Coronado, located in San Diego, California. The 750-kilowatt system generates enough electricity during the day to power 935 homes. The photovoltaic panels also form a half-mile-long covered parking structure in the naval base’s parking lot, providing shading for more than 400 vehicles. The solar panels actually have a peak capacity of 924 kilowatts, but the system that connects the panels to the electrical grid will produce only 750 kilowatts. That system converts the direct current output from the panels into three-phase, 12-kilovolt power that is fed into the Navy’s electrical distribution system.The […]

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SolarSummary: November 5-11, 2002

by Kirsten Elder Companies in the news Ebara Solar Inc: www.ebarasolar.com Powerlight Corp: www.powerlight.com Shell Solar (Philippines): www.shell.com/solar Spire Corp: www.spirecorp.com Applications The US Navy Region Southwest announced it has deployed the largest federal solar photovoltaic system in the nation. The system is a unique solar electric carport at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, which makes innovative use of existing parking space. The installation is comprised of two contiguous solar arrays, covering a half-mile long parking structure that serves US Navy personnel. In addition to providing shade for parked cars, the system generates the equivalent energy during the day to power over 935 homes. This 750 kW solar electric system will reduce the demand on California’s power grid and was designed, manufactured and installed by PowerLight Corporation of California. The City of San Diego has taken the first step towards its goal of energy independence by commissioning its first solar-powered municipal building. The newly installed PV array consists of 468 panels and the entire structure will produce approximately 91,950 kWp per year to power the administration building, which currently uses 87,000 kWp of energy per year. The Citys Mayor believes that although the payback period may be as long […]

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SolarSummary: October 28 November 4, 2002

by Kirsten Elder Companies in the news AstroPower: www.astropower.com Baoding Yingli BP Solar: www.bpsolar.com Evergreen Solar: www.evergreensolar.com Grundfos: www.grundfos.com GT Solar Technologies: www.gtsolar.com ICP Global Technologies: www.icpglobal.com Konarka Technologies: www.konarkatech.com PowerLight Corp: www.powerlight.com SunPower Corp: www.sunpower.com SunTechnics: www.suntechnics.de New Products Solar product manufacturer ICP Global Technologies, has introduced the iSun BattPak solar battery charger. The iSun BattPak can charge up to 10 AA and AAA batteries in the home, car or with the power of the sun with ICP Global’s iSun Portable Solar Charger. The iSun BattPak can quick-charge up to 10 AA or AAA NiMH and Ni-Cd rechargeable batteries in as little as 4 hours. (SolarAccess, 04/11/02)Applications The construction of the largest photovoltaic project worldwide has just started in Hemau, near Regensburg, Bavaria. SunTechnics Solartechnik GmbH located in Hamburg has been assigned to build a solar power plant with a total output of 4 MW. Four different types of BP Solar modules will be mounted on a former ammunition depot and connected to the public grid. All the modules have been purchased and are on their way to the construction site. Last year, SunTechnics finished the construction of the largest solar power plant in Germany at that time (1.6 […]

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Weekly Clean Energy Roundup: Oct. 30, 2002

Provided by EREN Network News*News and Events DOE and EPA Release Fuel Economy Guide for Model Year 2003 Automotive Electronics Companies Advance Hybrid Technologies Automotive Companies Pave Way for LEDs and “Smart” Windows Five Agencies Save $100 Million and Earn Presidential Awards New Superconductor Wire Beats High Current-Carrying Goal Three California Wind Facilities Caught Up in Enron Scandal*Site NewsCold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC)*Energy Facts and TipsReport: U.S. Energy Use Dropped 2.4 Percent in 2001———————————————————————-NEWS AND EVENTS———————————————————————-DOE and EPA Release Fuel Economy Guide for Model Year 2003DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released yesterday the estimated fuel efficiencies for all U.S. passenger vehicles for Model Year 2003. The “Fuel Economy Guide 2003” ranks the vehicles by fuel efficiency within each class, and the online version allows users to make side-by-side comparisons of vehicles. For 2003, hybrid electric vehicles continue to lead the list of fuel-efficient vehicles, with the manual and automatic versions of the Honda Insight, Honda Civic Hybrid, and Toyota Prius topping the list. Interestingly enough, diesel-fueled Volkswagens follow close behind the hybrids, and among conventional gasoline-fueled vehicles, only the Toyota Echo lands on the top-ten list. But if you own a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley, or Maserati, […]

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SolarSummary: October 22 28, 2002

by Kirsten Elder Companies in the newsKonarka Technologies PowerLight Corp Schott APC Shell Solar New Products The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) has released the second draft of t he requirements for the voluntary certification program of installers of PV systems. According to the NABCEP, the certification is not intended to prevent qualified individuals from installing PV systems or to replace state license requirements but rather, it is meant to provide a set of national practitioner standards by which PV installers with skills and experience can distinguish themselves. Certification will provide an educational tool for consumers and will encourage increased financing and reduced insurance rates for PV projects. It will be available voluntarily to those PV installers who feel they will benefit from it. NABCEP is asking for comments and feedback to these proposed requirements. (SolarAccess, 29/10/02)Applications One of the world’s largest photovoltaic roofs is getting bigger. In about a month, an additional megawatt of Shell Solar PV panels will be connected to the grid atop the Munich Trade Fair Centre in Germany. The planned commissioning of the PV System will be in November 2002. 7,560 solar modules with a peak output of 1.058 MW are currently […]

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Weekly Clean Energy Roundup: Oct. 23, 2002

Provided by EREN Network News*News and Events New Large Wind Plants Slated for New Mexico, California, Iowa, and ColoradoFacing Increasing Interest, BLM Announces New Wind Policy DOE National Laboratories Garner 24 “R&D 100” Awards DOE Secretary Abraham Hosts Renewable Forum in South Dakota Two Advanced Battery Technologies Show Commercial Promise Solar-Powered Aircraft Successfully Surveys Coffee Fields*Site NewsRenewable Energy Atlas of the West*Energy Facts and TipsArrest Proves Energy Trading Role in California Power Crisis———————————————————————-NEWS AND EVENTS———————————————————————-New Large Wind Plants Slated for New Mexico, California, Iowa, and ColoradoNew Mexico will gain its first large wind power plant late in 2003, announced Public Service of New Mexico (PNM) on Monday. The 204-megawatt New Mexico Wind Energy Center will be built, owned, and operated by FPL Energy, LLC, a leading wind plant developer. The project will feature 135 1.5-megawatt wind turbines and will span the borders of Quay and De Baca counties, about 50 miles west from the center of the state’s eastern border. PNM intends to sell some of the wind power to its customers through a green power program, selling any excess wind power on the wholesale power market. Construction will begin this year on the facility, which will generate enough electricity […]

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SolarSummary: October 15 21, 2002

by Kirsten Elder Companies in the news ASE Americas AstroPower Chicago Solar Partnership Dankoff Solar Products ENTECH, Inc IT Power RWE Schott Solar Shell Solar Terrasolar Ghana Ltd Applications The Western Isles of Scotland are set to be the site of a new pilot study examining whether solar-powered street lights could work effectively in the region. “These solar powered lights complement the renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives taking place in the Western Isles and our aspirations for the islands to be a centre of green energy said the regions renewables spokesman. Already the islands have been earmarked for Europes biggest windfarm, at Barvas Moor in Lewis, costing 600 million, and over 2 million is to be invested in experimental wave energy generators off the coast. (The Scotsman via Solarbuzz, 18/10/02) A solar energy technology team led by ENTECH, Inc has been awarded a $195,000 contract from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop solar concentrator arrays for use in space. The solar concentrator array concepts use flexible, ultra-light lenses to focus sunlight onto high-efficiency solar cells, achieving unprecedented performance. NASA has already tested a prototype ENTECH solar array with a record 27 percent efficiency converting space sunlight to electricity. […]

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SolarSummary: October 8 14, 2002

by Kirsten Elder Companies in the news Energy Conversion Devices ECD (Bekaert ECD/United Solar Systems) EnviroMission Evergreen Solar PowerLight Corp Solar Dynamics SolarWorld Applications EnBW, one of the largest German Utilities, today announced the inauguration a new 50 kW photovoltaic installation, which the company says is the largest Copper Indium Diselenide thin film (CIS) PV array in the world. This installation is viewed as the next step on the road to commercial production of the technology. The PV array is located at the technology park in Marbach, Germany. (Solarbuzz, 08/10/02) The Arizona utility, Arizona Public Service Co., has said it plans by early next year to have a solar power plant with a production capacity of 1.5 MW, increasing to 5.5 MW in three to five years. The site is a 50-acre field full of PV panels, mirrors and reflectors near Prescott airport. Under an Environmental Portfolio Standard, APS and other investor-owned utilities must this year derive 0.4 percent of their power from renewable resources. For APS, that amounts to about 25 MW. APS must make up the difference between the solar power it generates and the required amount by purchasing hydro and wind power from other producers. (Arizona Republic […]

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