2011 Renewable Energy World Conference & Expo Report

We reached out to companies from across the industry for a peak at some of the new products that will be showcased this year. Below is a compilation of some great new products that should be an interest to you.

Single vs. Dual Axis Solar Tracking

Generally Dual-axis trackers are more accurate in pointing directly at the sun which is usually the brightest spot in the sky, however, Dual axis comes at the price of higher complexity and lower reliability ( more down time and more maintenance) than single axis.

Sanyo Smart Energy System

The "Smart Energy System" is a SANYO energy management system that includes clean, renewable energy generation, energy storage using lithium-ion batteries, smart & energy efficient appliances, cooling systems, and an energy management system that uses the energy generated and stored efficiently.

Ecotech Institute Applauds Colorado for its Leadership in the Cleantech Industry

Recent Energy Report by Denver Metro Economic Development Corporation Highlights Significant Achievements for Colorado

Doing Business with China & Creating American Jobs

The role of fossil fuels and renewables will begin to meld into an acceptable state of necessary coexistence and development simply because the economics and math dictate such an outcome. But the inability to excise coal from the equation will drive the innovation cycle to make it better.

At PolyPlus, batteries made of lithium and seawater

Batteries made of lithium metal are preferred over lithium ion technology, but because lithium metal reacts with water. But it hasn't really made any sense to try to use it until now. One California-based company called PolyPlus created a lithium-water battery that is making quite a splash. The underlying technology is a bit counter-intuitive, considering lithium reacts violently with water. To get around this though, PolyPlus found a way to protect the lithium metal with a membrane, so the ions could slip through and maintain a charge. ARPA-E director Arun Mjumdar describes the new water battery technology as.. a fish in a glass tank. For demonstration purposes at the ARPA-E conference, PolyPlus put the membrane-covered lithium pack into a glass of water and showed that it could produce enough energy to make an LED light glow. The technology works like this: The battery reacts with the oxygen that is dissolved in water. And you know what? The water battery can produce 1,300 watt-hours per kilogram of electricity, according to Scientific American.

Better Place opened its first European retail station in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Better Place, which offers battery service for electric vehicles, opened today its first European retail station in Copenhagen, Denmark. Better Place stations offer battery swaps for electric vehicles as an alternative to waiting to recharge the batteries. Commercial stations are already running in Israel and Japan. Until now, though, Better Place had only been testing pilot stations in the U.S. and Europe. Most of the stations offer fast-charging plug-in spots for EVs, as well as battery swaps for subscribing members. The battery swap is a convenience for drivers because it takes only a minute to make the switch, according to Better Place. The swapped batteries are then recharged and used in other cars. It takes 15 to 30 minutes to recharge an EV battery pack to 80 percent capacity from a rapid-charging station depending on the vehicle.

OCEAN POWER TECHNOLOGIES COMPLETES FIRST OF NEW GENERATION UTILITY-SCALE WAVE POWER DEVICE

Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. a leading wave energy technology company,announced the completion of the first of its new generation utility-scale PowerBuoy® device, the PB150. The PB150 PowerBuoy is the largest and most powerful wave power device designed by OPT to date, and builds on the Company's 15 years' innovation and in-ocean development experience of producing such systems. With a peak-rated power output of 150 kilowatts - equivalent to the energy consumption of approximately 150 homes - the PB150 is designed for use in arrays for grid-connected power generation projects worldwide. The development of the device, built and assembled at Invergordon, Scotland, has utilized the skills of local firms and represents a multi-million pound sterling investment in the region. It is currently being prepared for ocean trials at a site approximately 33 nautical miles from Invergordon, off Scotland's northeast coast. The sea trials are expected to commence as soon as weather conditions permit. The Company is seeking additional financing for the commercial utilization of the buoy after the trial phase is completed including its possible deployment at various potential sites. A second PB150 is already under construction in the US for a proposed utility-scale project in Oregon, and the Company is involved in other planned projects in Australia, Japan and Europe that may utilize the PB150.

Growing Contribution of Wind Energy Fuels Economic Growth in Canada

The growth of Canada's wind energy industry is contributing to the increase in high quality jobs for Ontarians and injecting millions of dollars into communities hosting wind energy developments, Canadian Wind Energy Association president Robert Hornung said in a speech to the Toronto Board of Trade. Mr. Hornung outlined the environmental, economic, industrial development, and employment benefits wind energy developments bring to Ontario - and urged all levels of government and political parties to learn the facts about the opportunity that wind energy represents. "Wind energy is well established in many European countries and has a long history in the United States, but it's still a relatively new contributor to Canada's electricity supply," said Mr. Hornung. "Wind energy's contribution in Canada is steadily increasing - and with this growth we see the evolution of a new and vibrant industry that is delivering manufacturing jobs, revitalizing rural economies, and generating emissions-free power." Ontario is the largest market for wind energy in Canada, with 1,598 MW of installed capacity today and more than 1,500 additional MW already contracted to be built in the next few years. Last year alone, 9 new wind farms came on line in Ontario, representing about 300 MW of new installed capacity. The Ontario government announced February 24 contracts for four new wind farm projects, totaling 615 MW of coming on line around 2014.

Solar Power International 2010

News announcements and releases from the show

ASES National Solar Conference 2010

News Announcements from the Show

Solar Power collector doubles as greenhouse shade

Solyndra has found a second use for its solar collector as a shade for greenhouses. The company on Monday said that that its solar collectors, which are an array of solar cell-covered glass tubes, are being tested at agriculture research centers in Italy and the University of California, Davis. A conventional flat solar panel would block essentially all light, but Solyndra's collectors allow for light to pass through the glass tubes, which are coated with thin-film solar cells. That provides a diffused light conducive to greenhouse plant growth and allows growers to use their available space for power production, the company said. "We are pioneering this new agricultural solar solution in Italy, where extensive shaded agriculture operations combined with strong insolation and a favorable feed-in tariff are driving strong interest and demand," Clemens Jargon, the president of Solyndra in Europe, Middle East, and Africa, said in a statement.

Global Small Hydro Projects in Development

The advantages of generating electricity from small hydropower coupled with a rising interest in the sector has led to increased government support policies which will derive installations in many countries in the years to come. Cumulative installed capacity of small hydropower is expected to reach 140 GW in 2015 and 201 GW in 2020.

2010 Solar Deal Volume Comparison

The transaction landscape of 2010 highlights the increasing consolidation trend within the solar energy industry. Primarily, this consolidation occurred later in the value chain with acquisitions of EPC integrators/ developers and producers of solar energy. This trend is expected to continue as companies and investors look to increase their portfolios of completed solar projects and pipeline opportunities.

A Catch-22 in the PV Connector Industry?

PV connectors are part of a system, and how well they connect and disconnect along with the ease of assembly & installation is important to installers. Electrical standards for PV connectors have been established through the National Electric Code (NEC) and UL. However no design and/or contact standards exist. The ‘defacto' standard has not been uniformly accepted by manufacturers. The need for compatibility and interchangeability is clear.

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Solar Power - Featured Product

Early Fire Detection System for Battery Storage & Charging

Early Fire Detection System for Battery Storage & Charging

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