Solar ... In the news

penrhyn

Is their nothing that pop music can't do, Brittany scares off pirates.

Fruit_and_Nut_Case

The_Green_Hornet wrote: »

Playing loud pop and rock music improves the performance of solar cells...

One more way to annoy the neighbours.

Filey

Martyn1981 wrote: »

Not PV, I admit, but has anyone been watching wind generation the last 24hrs. It was predicted to beat records around 4pm yesterday, and according to Gridwatch it looks like it 'went off the dial'.


Just that pesky storage issue to solve now!

Mart.

_________________________________________________
Way way back in the early 1970s I lived on a farm near a windy coast. In the house we had those 1st generation cumbersome electric storage heaters. In those days all this 'green' living was just getting going and I was full of enthusiasm. I read about generating your own wind power. Even looked at designs for making your own windmill with a vertical axis using an oil drum cut in half. My plan was to store the electricity as heat in the aforementioned storage heaters.

However my brilliant ideas came to nought as my knowledge was exceeded by my ignorance. My husband was only interested in ploughing the fields and scattering. But I still like the thought of all that wind energy being used to heat my house, and if it got too warm one could always open a few windows. Oh well...

penrhyn

http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

Wind just under 4% at the time on posting.

Martyn1981

Not exactly PV, but nice to see gas generation down today, with a bit of sun, and a shed load of wind. In fact total wind generation has been matching nuclear all day:

http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

Mart.

Cardew

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/10464415/David-Cameron-reportedly-tells-aides-to-get-rid-of-the-green-cp.html

spgsc531

Looks like the Government are going to announce a saving of £50 a year on bills, still negotiating but looks like ECO and warm deal schemes will be removed from energy bills.

Supposedly to be announced prior to the Autumn statement next week.

spgsc531 wrote: »

Strong rumours that the green levy will be moved from energy bills to the taxpayer. Heard it here first

Am I allowed to be a little smug?

Martyn1981

New index to look at both the renewable roll out and energy efficiency progress of countries:

Sweden tops new energy transformation rankings

http://www.pv-tech.org/news/sweden_tops_new_energy_transformation_rankings

Sweden has come top of the new Energy Transformation Index (ETI) developed by the Fraunhofer Institute ISE and the International Solar Energy Society (ISES).

The index, which will be published regularly from now on, measures a country's progress in reaching 100% renewable energy while also boosting the energy efficiency of its economy.

Sweden came top with a score of 40 while Brazil finished just behind on 39 and Italy on 34. Japan, Britain and Germany all scored 30.

The index also looked at how well countries had done since 1990 with Germany and the UK winning out.

Mart.

Martyn1981

mac2008 wrote: »

But I agree it's terribly interesting technology. Clearly aimed at commercial buildings at present, but there must be a fair few south facing conservatories which might benefit from stuff like this.

Not quite the same thing, but similar (solar panels that let the light through .... well some of it), Sainsbury's trialing a solar petrol station canopy, that just happens to be orange:

Sainsbury’s trials UK-developed solar canopy

http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/sainsburys_drives_down_emissions_with_solar_canopy_fuelled_petrol_station_2

Sainsbury’s new petrol station at its environmentally friendly store in Leicester is powered by a unique solar PV canopy.

The installation utilises Cambridge-based solar manufacturer Polysolar’s translucent solar glass. Finished in Sainsbury’s trademark orange colour, the solar glass canopy is expected to provide around a quarter of the service station’s total energy requirements. The canopy will also allow more natural light to hit the forecourt, substantially reducing demand for lighting.

According to Polysolar, the solar glass lends itself perfectly to flat surfaces because it is capable of absorbing light from both sides. This means that the technology works with low levels of ambient light and the manufacturer also claims that the technology is less sensitive to shading and high temperatures.


In the US there are a growing number of carpark canopy PV systems which also help to keep cars cool, but these use regular panels. Might be one to watch over here, since there are a huge number of large supermarket carparks, so 'free' land (no additional rent) and will already have security/monitoring. Plus of course, the supermarkets themselves use vast amounts of leccy 24/7 (around 5% of national demand), so high consumption and correspondingly high savings/earnings. :cool:

Mart.

Martyn1981

US solar industry enjoying ‘record-shattering year’ with 5GW installed

According to GTM and SEIA, this year the US could install more capacity than Germany, which would be the first time in over a decade this has occurred.

Rhone Resch, SEIA president and chief executive, called 2013 a “record-shattering year” for the US industry and said: “We’ve now joined Germany, China and Japan as worldwide leaders when it comes to the installation of new solar capacity. This unprecedented growth is helping to create thousands of American jobs, save money for US consumers, and reduce pollution nationwide. When it comes to preparing for America’s future, clean, dependable and affordable solar energy has become the ‘Little Engine That Could’, defying expectations and powering economic growth – and, frankly, we’re just scratching the surface of our industry’s enormous potential.”


Enough of the small stuff, on to the big questions in life, for example, can I now feel less guilty when I eat a steakbake?

Solar programme to help Greggs slash its carbon footprint by a quarter by 2015

Asked whether Greggs would recommend solar PV to others, Weldon replied: “Solar PV is one of the most reliable renewable energies on the market, with proven technologies operating across the globe. Installation makes a visible and public statement of an organisation’s sustainable credentials, and provides a very reliable payback in terms of energy savings as well as the guaranteed and index-linked FIT scheme.”

Mart.