Author: Profound Turtel

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California Solar Initiative

“California Solar Initiative (CSI) – Go Solar California.” California Solar

         Initiative (CSI) – Go Solar California. State of California, n.d. Web.

1 Mar. 2015.

http://www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/csi/index.php

 

The state of California is offering money to families that want to start using solar power in their homes. To qualify you need to get an energy audit and replace old and wasteful appliances and systems with newer more energy efficient systems. Your roof also needs to have a minimum level of sunlight daily hitting it in order to qualify for this offer. However the cost of the changes you have to make is almost always paid back many times over by energy cost reductions and the government money.

 

This is of huge importance to many for whom the up front payment is far too large to be conceivably payable. Many people know that in the long run their solar panels will pay for themselves in time but a twenty year turnover is too daunting for many people. Now with the slowly falling prices of solar panels and this and other similar programs that problem is slowly being resolved. With ever decreasing prices it may soon become easier to solely rely on solar energy than any other source.

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Apple Solar Deal

Farr, Christina, and Nichola Groom. “Apple Investing $850 Million in

California Solar farm.” Fortune Apple Investing 850 Million in

         California Solarfarm Comments. Fortune, 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 20

Feb. 2015.

http://fortune.com/2015/02/10/apple-investing-850-million-in-california-solar-farm/

 

Apple stocks toped out over 700 billion for the first time ever; this momentous moment came with an impressive green energy statement as well. With the announcement that Apple would be receiving power for its new Head Quarters and for its other operations in California. This is an impressive benchmark, both for the sustainability of Apple’s system and for their company. The solar power station with be using solar panels built primarily in Arizona. The plant will also supply about 60,000 homes with solar power. This project will cost Apple 850,000,000 to complete and will cover approximately 2900 acres.

 

Thai is a huge step for Apple and California, Apple still no doubt uses highly polluting methods in their factories in China however and their actions could be seen as a smoke screen to try to divert attention from this fact. Whatever their reason this will hopefully encourage other large corporations to fund other projects similar to this one. Because even if they do not change the system by themselves they are, for all intents and purposes funding further development of solar technology. This is hugely important considering the need for funding that solar technology companies always have. If this investment spurs others to invest similarly then it is far and away one of the best things that could happen to the industry.

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Worlds Largest Solar Plant

Roth, Sammy. “World’s Largest Solar Plant Opens in California Desert.”

USA Today. Gannett, 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.

 

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/02/10/worlds-largest-solar-plant-california-riverside-county/23159235/

 

 

the worlds larges solar plant has officially opened now in California. This not only marks the hopeful beginning to a new burst in growth in the solar industry but also a clear signal that the state loans program is both profitable for the state and hugely beneficial for the solar industry. This program, long derided by the conservative section of society as a loss of taxpayer money on risky endeavors. The completion of this project marks the fifth such plant that has been supported by the loans program, and the returns for the loans have so far kept to every single condition that they were given. This will hopefully mean that in the future more people can get these loans to build more such plants.

 

There is very little more important than finding ways to make funding Solar palatable to the conservative side of politics. As long as there is a clear green bottom line this goes a long way towards making it so. If funding solar becomes profitable there will soon be more and more companies that want to get in on the new business. This project is just one part of a larger series of such plants that are hopefully the budding start to a surge in solar energy production. Many green energy sources are growing exponentially, wind for example has been doubling globally each year. If this trend holds true for solar energy as it has for wind we could expect to see a sizable portion of our power generated by solar and that is not even considering the other energy sources.

 

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Solar Map

“Welcome to the San FranciscoSolar Map!” San Francisco Solar Map.

City of San Francisco, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

 

http://sfenergymap.org (check it out!)

 

The city of San Francisco has created a Google maps page that outlines all the solar energy collection in the city. This “solar census” allows anyone to see the spread of solar energy collection in the city. It provides both a concentration map of the solar collection as well as an installation-by-installation map of the entire city. This allows anyone to see what businesses and city structures are producing clean energy. This knowledge can let people know what organizations are being environmentally conscious, and what organizations are being reckless in their energy consumption.

 

An educated populace is the first step toward green energy, if people don’t know about an issue they can’t get involved and make things happen. Knowledge is power, if this is indeed true then this Google Map, no doubt the product of a few tens of hours of work can provide a sweeping understanding of the clean energy situation in the city. If people become aware of which companies use solar energy and react to this by using their purchasing power accordingly it will suddenly become economically sensible to transition to solar power and more businesses will begin to switch over to solar.

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Solar Fun in the Sun

“Northern California Solar Regatta.” SMUD Community Solar. SMUD,

n.d.Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

 

https://www.smud.org/en/about-smud/environment/renewable-energy/solar-regatta.htm

 

This is a boat racing event where teams from different high schools and colleges compete to build the fastest boat. There is a twist however, these boats are powered by solar energy that they collect as they race, meaning that the efficiency of energy collection is what is really being tested. This competition is open to all schools north of Fresno and is held in the Rancho Seco Recreational Area. SMUD loans out the solar panels to schools, due to the large price tag that is still associated with these products.

 

This is an incredible thing for the future of solar power. It is undeniable that very often seeing is believing. Having a program where young people can work with solar panels and build a machine that they can use to compete with other schools allows them to see solar energy at work directly. This in turn cements the concept to them as not only feasible but as an immediate solution to the energy problems of the future. These young people will go on carrying these ideas into their adulthood, spreading the idea and in all likelihood being more likely to install solar panels of their own.

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New Solar Development

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/18/tech/innovation/solar-cells-of-the-future/index.html?iref=allsearch#index

To those that say solar is unfeasible as a replacement for current systems, well your wrong. Recently four exiting developments in solar technology have  made a lot of people very exited. First is a new more efficient coating that is rapidly catching up with traditional solar panels called Perovskite. Second is the clear solar panels that have recently been developed, there is still work that needs to be done to make them more efficient but their use will be incredibly versatile once improved. Researchers at Stanford have developed an additional layer of silica spikes that cover the surface of the panel and deflect thermal energy keeping the panels cool efficient and extending their life. MIT students are using the lead in old car batteries as a replacement for newly mined lead in traditional solar panels.

 

All this further serves to emphasize the point that solar energy is going to be on of the most useful and prevalent sources of energy in the coming century. A skylight that reduces the need for lights to be used during the day and generates energy to be used during the night is one small example of the potential. There is a definite need to decentralize our energy supply. If homes and businesses provide most or all of their own energy then suddenly there will be no more fear of sweeping power outages, and our system will be more stable as the centralized power system becomes less important.

Senthilingam, Meera. “A Brighter Future: Five Ideas That Will Change Solar Energy.” CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/18/tech/innovation/solar-cells-of-the-future/index.html?iref=allsearch#index>.

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China solar Vs. USA solar

http://energyblog.nationalgeographic.com/2014/07/29/u-s-china-solar-fight-lurches-forward/

Global economics has begun causing problems again for the solar industry. In June the trade law increasing prices on solar panels imported from china were put in place. The situation was caused by Solarworld when they made allegations against multiple solar panel producers in china. The issue was first brought up in 2011 and now that it is in law Solar World is in a position to claim solar energy dominance. Many of the solar panel instillation companies that depend on Chinese solar panels might go out of business now with the market lacking cheep supply.

 

I think that this is little more than a ply to control the solar market by solar world. If the overseas supply is cut off then there is going to be a huge surge in profits for solar world as they become one of the main US suppliers. There is a fear however that China will respond with crushing subsidies to obliterate solar companies in other countries. This would force the world into a subsidy battle just to maintain an even footing in the industry. However this is unlikely to happen as most countries are simply unwilling to dedicate that much money to the issue.

Danko, Pete. “U.S.-China Solar Fight Lurches Forward.” The Great Energy Challenge Blog. National Geographic, 29 July 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://energyblog.nationalgeographic.com/2014/07/29/u-s-china-solar-fight-lurches-forward/>.

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Solar Roadways not a Dream

http://www.emagazine.com/blog/solar-roadways-just-a-dream

 

I am sure that we have all heard of the novel concept of solar roadways but the realities of the cost and scope of this project have made it a distant dream. That said with improvements in technology and more and more funding flowing in there is now a real opportunity for a surge in publicity. The basic idea has always been sound but the implementation of the program has always been a huge hurdle baring the way. However now there is government support of the system, abet more than a little hesitant but still real, and an IndieGoGo campaign has raised 2 million dollars for the project. The only real thing stopping this project from continuing is the mass production of the panels. So far they are being made by hand and have had little chance to be tested because of it. The theory claims that America could meet 75% of its energy needs by using Solar Roads.

 

Personally I think Solar Roads are just about the coolest thing in the world. Not only do they produce electricity but they also collect water, melt the snow off roads and  provide lighting on poorly lit sections of road. In bad weather conditions they can be programed to sense weight on them and warn people of obstacles and other vehicles that may be in the way. Not mention they have LEDs in them so you can have ultra visible reprogrammable roads. All that pails in comparison to the fact that the panels would provide the bulk of our energy needs as a country, which is something that would help wean us off foreign oil dependency. This is even cooler when you realize that this tech combined with other sustainability innovations may very well provide us with a way to totally decentralize our power grid.

Cools, Ellen. “Solar Roadways: Just a Dream? | EMagazine.com.” E Magazine Print Issue. E Magazine, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.emagazine.com/blog/solar-roadways-just-a-dream>.

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Cleaning up the Harbor

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/tech/2014/11/25/orig-dh-baltimore-solar-powered-water-wheel-removes-trash.cnn&iref=allsearch&video_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fsearch%2F%3Fquery%3Dsolar%2520power%2520in%2520the%2520usa%26sortBy%3Drelevance

 

The best part about solar power is its long term effects, all of which are positive. Baltimore has a problem, their harbor is one of the most polluted in the world. Now however that is changing, some bright people in Baltimore have placed a trash collector in their harbor that filters out solid waist from the water. This solar powered device looks a bit like a small Sydney opera house sitting on the water. At first glance it would seem that such a small thing would be unable to make an impact on the large harbor. The statistics say otherwise though, often collecting 40,000 pounds of trash a day, the collector has, in the last four months, collected 100 tones of trash.

 

The best part about this project is that it is completely self powered. The city only needs to man it and it will continue to clean the harbor forever. And therein lies the greatest power of solar with no cost the panels will continue to gather electricity forever. This means that it is a high value long term reward that pays for itself eventually. And if the service that is provided, such as cleaning the river could have been done more cheaply using dirty energy sources, then there is still only the difference in the expense that needs to be made up for by the solar panels. This is a simple logical business decision that I foresee many people making in the near future.

“CNN Video on Facebook – CNN.com Video.” CNN. Cable News Network, 25 Nov. 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/tech/2014/11/25/orig-dh-baltimore-solar-powered-water-wheel-removes-trash.cnn&iref=allsearch&video_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fsearch%2F%3Fquery%3Dsolar%2520power%2520in%2520the%2520usa%26sortBy%3Drelevance>.

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Solar Powered Earthships

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/26/living/earthships-new-mexico/index.html?iref=allsearch

The future is here, Earthships are highly sustainable structures that collect most of their own water, power and a portion of their food in a sustainable way. These incredible structures are a combination of sound ecological construction and clean energy. With a low energy usage these structures have very few needs and what they do need is easily provided by their intelligently designed soar system. Using efficient photovoltaic panels the entire system is regulated and fueled by the sun. This used of green technology is applied intelligently, instead of trying to bulk up the quantity of energy produced by the panels or add more they have set up a system that reduces energy consumption to meet a more reasonable standard.

 

The implications of the Earthship is actually astounding, providing fresh produce, super low energy living, with most if not all of the services that we expect for little or no energy deficit. This has serious implications, it means that if we can amend our construction codes to include a few of these energy saving improvements then we can cut back on our national energy consumption. If it is possible to set every home to be energy self sufficient then our dependence or coal electricity will diminish. However there would still be a large number of plants producing energy, this surplus would cause there to be a drop in energy prices and hopefully our government could stop subsidizing our energy.

Senthilingam, Meera. “Earthships, New Mexico: The Sustainable, Cozy Homes Made with Old Junk.” CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/26/living/earthships-new-mexico/index.html?iref=allsearch>.