Renewable energy boom will mean vastly cheaper electricity
By Lucas Mearian, ComputerWorld: Renewable energy, combined with prolific battery storage, will soon result in vastly cheaper electricity -- and solar power that's less expensive than what fossil fuel-based power plants can produce.
Additionally, solar power with lithium-ion and flow-battery storage systems will make the combination of renewable energy so inexpensive that it will surpass nuclear power and obviate the need for futuristic power sources such as fusion.
That was consensus view from a several keynote speeches delivered at the Intersolar Conference in San Francisco this week.
Eicke Weber, director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, said that in sun-rich countries, the cost of solar power is already below 5 cents per kilowatt and it will continue to plummet as battery storage systems become more prolific and less expensive. Cont'd...
Intersolar 2015 Tradeshow Report
AltEnergyMag.com has once again partnered with Intersolar to bring all the industry news and exciting new products to help our readers make sense of this key tradeshow. Here we have compiled a list of some product releases from this years show.
Intersolar 2015 - Special News Report
News and Product Announcements from InterSolar North America 2015
New at Intersolar - Single-axis Tracking System for Utility-Scale Solar
The use of a tracking system for a utility-scale project not only reduces LCOE, but also provides more usable power by broadening the power production curve to provide a smoother flow of energy from dawn to dusk.
South getting its first wind farm soon as bigger turbines make the region viable
By JASON DEAREN, Associated Press: On a vast tract of old North Carolina farmland, crews are getting ready to build something the South has never seen: a commercial-scale wind energy farm.
The $600 million project by Spanish developer Iberdrola Renewables LLC will put 102 turbines on 22,000 acres near the coastal community of Elizabeth City, with plans to add about 50 more. Once up and running, it could generate about 204 megawatts, or enough electricity to power about 60,000 homes.
It would be the first large onshore wind farm in a region with light, fluctuating winds that has long been a dead zone for wind power.
After a years-long regulatory process that once looked to have doomed the plan, Iberdrola spokesman Paul Copleman told The Associated Press that construction is to begin in about a month.
Right now, there's not a spark of electricity generated from wind in nine states across the Southeast from Arkansas to Florida, according to data from the American Wind Energy Association, an industry trade group.
But taller towers and bigger turbines are unlocking new potential in the South, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, and the industry is already looking to invest. Cont'd...
Is Home Energy Storage Coming to your House?
Home energy storage helps whichever energy source is the cheapest, and helps the grid stay stable and available to us all.
Obama Plan Would Give Poor Easier Access to Solar Energy
The Obama administration on Tuesday announced an initiative to help low- and middle-income Americans gain access to solar energy, part of a series of steps President Obama is taking to tackle climate change, according to administration officials.
The administration said it intends to triple the capacity of solar and other renewable energy systems it installs in federally subsidized housing by 2020, make it easier for homeowners to borrow money for solar improvements and start a nationwide program to help renters gain access to solar energy, the officials said.
The actions were announced in Baltimore by Brian Deese, Mr. Obama’s senior adviser for climate issues, and Representative Elijah E. Cummings, the Democrat who represents the city.
Mr. Deese, in a conference call with reporters, called the moves “part of a bigger-picture effort to try to drive innovation” toward cleaner, low-carbon energy solutions.
Also unveiled on Tuesday were commitments totaling more than $520 million from charities, investors, states and cities to pay for solar and energy-efficiency projects for lower-income communities. Cont'd...
ABB and Smart Grid Technology in North Carolina
North Carolina's Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS) has encouraged investments in renewables and the energy economy statewide.
5 Things You Should Know Before Installing Solar Panels
Pay too little and you risk a dodgy product and no after-sales service. Pay too much and you'll end up waiting 10 years just to recoup your cost!
Ports/Trains - Great Non-road EV Opportunities for Utilities
Unlike on-road electric vehicle programs which can be complicated and depend, in part, upon factors outside a utility's control, non-road programs are less risky and comparatively simple to design, operate, and control.
Case Study: Solar Tile Mount Provides Adequate Air Flow Between Solar Panels And Tile Roof
TRA Snow and Sun modifies Solar Tile Mount to adjust vertically for use on S-tile tile roofs to provide adequate air flow between solar panels and the tile roof.
Hawaii and Vermont set high renewable portfolio standard targets
Two states recently passed legislation that would require significant increases in renewable electricity generation.
Digital Inkjet Printing: An Opportunity for Further Reductions in Solar Energy Costs
With solar on the cusp of economic feasibility in many areas, incremental cost reductions such as those offered by digital inkjet printing technologies can make the difference between moving ahead with solar and sticking with electricity from the local utility
Start of test with solar energy generating noise barriers alongside highway
Alongside the A2 highway near Den Bosch, The Netherlands, two test noise barriers are installed that generate solar energy. The aim of this practical test, that was officially launched 18 June is to assess the economic and technical feasibility of this form of energy generating noise barriers. Playing a key role in the test are the LSC panels, developed by researcher Michael Debije at TU/e.
The translucent, colored panels are a new type of energy source, developed jointly by TU/e. These 'luminescent solar concentrators' (LSCs) receive sun light and guide it to the side of the panels. There, it lands in concentrated form on traditional solar cells. "Thanks to their many colors the LSC are visually very attractive, which makes them ideal for use in many different situations in the built environment", explains Debije of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, who has carried out years of research into these panels. "Further benefits are that the principle used is low cost, they can be produced in any desired, regular color, is robust, and the LSCs will even work when the sky is cloudy. That means it offers tremendous potential." Debije published his latest research findings on this subject last March in Nature.
On 18 June a one-year practical test started in 's-Hertogenbosch, led by the building company Heijmans. The researchers intend to assess the feasibility of generating electricity using solar cells integrated in noise barriers or SONOBs (Solar Noise Barriers). Cont'd...
Vanadium Flow Batteries for Global Academy of Technology (GAT) College
By implementing the IMERGY storage solution in the premises, GAT is able to store the energy produced by the PV panels during the day and use it during the non-solar time, thus eliminating the diesel generator run to provide clean power when needed.
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Other Energy Topics - Featured Product
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