Wind power has been growing at a pace that rivals that of the solar industry. The worldwide generating capacity of wind turbines has grown more than 25% every year for the past decade, reaching nearly 60,000 MW in early 2006. In Europe, the growth has been phenomenal. In 1994, the total installed wind generated power capacity of the European Union nations was 1700 MW. In 2005, wind generators produce more than 40,000 MW. Germany alone has more than 18,000 MW of wind power capacity, thanks to a politically aggressive system of construction. The northern state of Germany, Schleswig-Holstein, currently provides one quarter of its electrical demand with more than 2400 wind turbines, and in some months wind power provides more than half of the state’s electricity.

Spain has 10,000 MW of wind capacity. Denmark has 3000 MW. Great Britain, the Netherlands, Italy and Portugal each have more than 1000 MW.

In the U.S., the wind power industry has also accelerated dramatically. Power generation capacity due to wind has increased 36% recently. Even though wind turbines produce only 0.5% of the nations electricity, the potential for expansion is really quite large, especially when the Great Plains states are considered. North Dakota, for example, has greater wind power resources than Germany, but only 98 MW of generating capacity is installed there. If the U.S. constructed enough wind farms to fully tap those resources, the turbines could generate as much as 11 trillion kWh of electricity, or nearly 3 times the total amount produced from all energy sources in the nation last year.

The reservations about wind power come partly from utility companies that are reluctant to use the new technology. Although opinions vary on how wind turbines will affect landscape use, everyone agrees that they must be balanced against the social cost of the alternatives. Because our energy needs are growing very quickly, rejecting wind farms will often result in the construction or expansion of fossil fuel burning power plants that have a much more damaging environmental effect.

It seems that high prices for gasoline and heating oil used in homes are here to stay. Sure, they go up and down, but overall they still remain pretty high and consume more of our pocketbooks than they ever have in the past. We are constantly struggling with the Middle East, at least in part to protect our interest in their oil. And as other nations, including China and India, increase their demand for fossil fuels, it seems that conflicts regarding energy are looming large on the horizon. In the meantime, power plants that burn fossil fuels, as well as all of our vehicles everywhere, continue to pour millions of tons of pollutants into the atmosphere annually, threatening our health and well-being.

There are a number of well-meaning scientists, engineers and politicians who have presented various methods that could slightly reduce our use of fossil fuel. However, these steps are not enough. The US needs a plan to work itself away from our dependence on fossil fuels. It appears that only answer is a transition to solar power.

The potential of solar energy is overwhelming. For example, the energy in the sunlight striking the earth for only 40 minutes is equivalent to our human global energy consumption for one year. The U.S. is lucky in the sense that we have at least 250,000 mi. of land in the Southwest alone that is suitable for building solar power plants. That land receives more than 4500 quadrillion British thermal units (BTUs) of solar radiation every year. If we were to convert only 2.5% of that radiation into electricity, we would match the nation’s total energy consumption of 2006.

However, to convert this solar power, large tracts of land would have to be covered with photovoltaic cells and perhaps solar heating troughs.

The good news is that the technology is nearly ready. Let’s look at photovoltaic farms.

In the last few years, the cost to produce photovoltaic cells and modules have really dropped pretty radically, opening the way for large-scale implementation. A number of cell types exist, but the best modules today are made of very thin films of cadmium telluride. To work up the numbers, if we were to provide electricity at $.06 per kilowatt-hour by the year 2020, cadmium telluride modules must be able to convert electricity with at least 14% efficiency and complete systems would have to be installed at about a $1.20 per watt capacity. Current modules have only 10% efficiency and an installed system costs about $4 per watt. We are making progress, and the technology is advancing rapidly; commercial efficiencies have risen to upwards of 10% in the last year. As these commercial efficiencies rise, rooftop photovoltaic for the home will become even more cost competitive, further reducing daytime electricity demand on the utilities.

In one scenario, by 2050, photovoltaic technology could provide almost 3000 GW, or billions of Watts, of power. 30,000 square miles of photovoltaic arrays would need to be constructed. This may seem like a huge number, but current installations already in place show that the land required for each gigawatt hour of solar energy produced in the Southwest is less than the actual amount needed for a power plant when the area used for coal mining is taken into consideration. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado shows that more than enough land in the Southwest is available without disturbing any environmentally sensitive areas, cities or towns. In Arizona, the Department of Water Conservation has stated that more than 80% of the state’s land is not privately owned and that Arizona is very interested in developing its solar potential. Because of the nature of photovoltaic plants, and the lack of water required to operate these plants, the environmental impact should be minimal.

The main problem is still reaching that magic number of module efficiency of 14%. Although the efficiencies of commercial modules won’t reach those of solar cells in the laboratory, cadmium telluride cells at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are now up to 16.5% and rising. At least one manufacturer, First Solar in Perrysburg, Ohio, has increased the efficiency of their modules from 6% to 10% from 2005-2007. They plan on reaching 11.5% by 2010.

So, the trick is to keep an eye on the efficiencies of solar cells. After they reach 14% efficiency and the base cost per kilowatt hour becomes more acceptable, expect to see a number of companies and individuals making investments in this future.

In other words, it is feasible for Europe to generate three times as much power as it needs by the year 2020.

The study confirmed that wind energy, if so desired, can play a major role in achieving the European energy targets and that there are extensive wind energy resources in Europe. The report, called ”Europe’s Onshore And Offshore Wind Energy Potential”, shows that wind energy potential is massive, and really capable of creating almost 20 times the energy demand in 2020.

Potential inland wind energy locations are concentrated in agricultural and industrial areas in northwestern Europe. In addition, the largest offshore potential can be found in areas in the North Sea, the Baltic seas and the Atlantic Ocean, with even some opportunities in areas of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea’s.

Europeans could put wind generators further offshore, but due to the significantly greater costs it is unlikely that they will go too far offshore. The deep offshore potential is unlikely to contribute in any significant way to the energy mix within the time frame of the study.

Areas of high wind speeds that will best accommodate wind turbines will require major changes to the grid system to accommodate the distribution of all of this newly generated power. Congestion and overloading would otherwise be a problem.

The conclusions were welcomed by the European Wind Energy Association. They said, “The EEA clearly recognizes that wind power will be key to Europe’s energy future. Now that oil prices are again on the rise, the EEA report sends a reminder to Europe’s policy makers that wind power is a clean and proven energy technology and Europe is the world leader.”

Things look promising.

In San Francisco recently, the first ever-fully manufactured version of a pre-fabricated home designed by Michelle Kaufman was debuted. The home is called mkLotus®. As a dwelling, it is coyly understated, yet slick and offers the highest level of modern, sustainable living.

What separates this from the other homes of the future, though, is that it is available right now. After just a few months lead time, a load of technologies and materials will be assembled into one modular unit and delivered to your construction site.

The mkLotus® is a small unit, comprised of one bedroom, one bathroom and a living and dining area. It features water recirculation, a very high energy-efficient foam insulation, LED lighting, a “growing roof” that keeps rainwater from splashing into the gutter and a water storage basin that provides you irrigation for the landscape. It has a 1.5 kW solar panel system that produces enough electricity for most of your needs.

Solar Panels And Wind Turbines Aren’t The Only Way To Save Money

The house is built off-site which reduces construction waste upwards of 70%. Nearly all of the materials such as floors, walls, countertops, doors, and light fixtures in the home are made of recycled, energy-efficient and eco-friendly produced materials. The kitchen sink even has a low flow faucet.

The neat part of this whole thing is that really, not much of the technology is right on the cutting edge. Yes, it is modern, but not necessarily cutting edge. Kaufman says, “We need to look back before the Industrial Revolution, before we had the mechanical means of controlling indoor climate.”

All of this is made into a very livable, though small, space. The only sacrifice seems to be a limit of closets, but I’m sure they will work that out in future designs. This design is extremely sophisticated and makes 700 ft. seem very spacious.

Unfortunately, however, the cost is a bit high. With all the options, the single bedroom more home lists at $249,000. That is about $356 per square foot, and that does not include installation site preparation or the property itself. It is true that you will experience significant savings on your monthly utilities, but that savings comes at over double the building cost of your average home.

Still, though, this is one of the first and no doubt the most expensive. Keep an eye on it and learn from them; you may get some good ideas for your own.

For more information check out Michelle Kaufmann’s site at http://www.mkd-arc.com/.

Thanks for the effort, Michelle Kaufmann et al; you are doing good work.

Solar cells, also known as photovoltaics, use semiconductor materials to convert sunlight into direct electrical current. As of now, they provide just a small portion of the world’s electricity. Their global generating capacity is about 5000 MW, or only 0.15% of the total generating capacity from all sources. Still, sunlight could provide as much as 4500 times as much energy as the world currently consumes.

You must admit, that’s pretty impressive.

Due to technology improvements, the cost continues to decline. There are many government policies that are favorable to solar power in many states and nations, so the annual production of photovoltaics has increased by more than 25% a year over the past decade. Japan currently has solar cells that produce 833 MW. Germany produces 353 MW and the United States produces 153 MW.

Solar cells can be made from quite a range of materials, from those traditional crystalline silicone wafers that still dominate the market to a very thin-film silicon cell. There are even solar cells composed of plastic or organic semiconductors.

Thin-film photovoltaics are cheaper to produce than crystalline silicon cells but are not quite as efficient at turning solar power into electrical power. In some laboratory tests, crystalline solar cells have achieved efficiencies of 30%; current commercial cells of this type range from 15-20%. Both laboratory and commercial efficiencies for all kinds of solar cells have been rising steadily, indicating that by increasing research efforts, we could further improve the performance of solar cells.

Solar voltaics are easy to use because they can be installed in many places. They can be put on roofs or walls of homes and office buildings, in huge arrays in the desert, or even attached to clothing to power portable devices, such as an iPod.

California has joined Japan and Germany in leading a push for solar installations. A program called the Millions Solar Roof commitment is intended to create 3000 MW of new generating capacity in the state of California by the year 2018. Studies done by the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, informs us that annual production of solar voltaics in this country could grow to 10,000 MW in just 20 years if these current trends continue.

The biggest challenge will be lowering the price of the photovoltaics, which are now pretty expensive to build. Electricity produced by crystalline cells have a total cost of about $.23 per kilowatt hour, compared with $.04 to $.06 for coal-fired electricity and $.05 to $.07 per power produced by burning natural gas.

The cost of nuclear power is harder to determine, because people tend to disagree on how many expenses should be included as part of the total cost. However, though, the estimated range is between $.02 and $.12 per kilowatt hour.

Surprisingly enough, Kenya is the global leader in the number of solar power systems installed per capita, though not the total number of watts. More than 30,000 small solar panels, with each one producing about 20 watts, are sold in that country annually. For as little as $100, the system can be used to charge a car battery which can then provide enough power to run a small lamp or a small television for a few hours a day. More Kenyans adopt solar power every year than make connections to the country’s electric grid.

The plant will cost $18.3 million and cover up to 30 acres on the Academy grounds. It is the first part of a long-range plan to shift the school’s power demands to completely renewable resources.

However, the solar plant is going to be owned and operated like Colorado Springs Utilities and the electricity it generates will be shared with customers throughout the city.

The money comes from extra-base maintenance money that was added to the stimulus package. The Academy will transfer the cost of the utility, which will design and build the plant. In return, it gets an agreement that a portion of the base’s electricity comes from completely renewable energy sources, including solar power panels.

Lt. Col. Jace Davey, commander of the academy’s 10th Civil Engineer Squadron, says that the solar panel array will most likely be built along the eastern edge of the Academy near State Route 25 because that is the area of the Academy that gets the most sunlight.

The current plans involve building a facility that will convert enough sunlight with the solar panels to power more than 1400 homes.

The utility company has already been working with the military throughout the region to reduce its power use while generating even more through solar power.

This year the utility started operating a brand-new 12 acre solar panel plant at Fort Carson that generates enough electricity for over 500 homes.

The final arrangements with the Academy have not yet been made, but officials on both sides are optimistic about the process and hope to start generating electricity with solar panels within the next two years.

“It certainly adds to our renewable portfolio,” Romero said.

The solar plan is part of the academy’s effort to cut down its power bills. The school spends nearly $10 million a year on its utilities area.

“If you can cut back 10 percent, that’s $1 million,” said Lt. Col. Michael Greiner, the academy’s director of financial management.

The Academy disclosed that the details of the planned solar plant are going to be worked out in the next few weeks after the Air Force transfers the stimulus package money.

At that point the engineers from school and the utility will start work on building it.

FAIRFIELD, Calif., April 16, 2009

Today, Anheuser-Busch has announced that more than six acres of photovoltaic solar arrays and solar panels, which are installed and operated by Sun Edison, are now generating the equivalent of 3% of the breweries electrical needs.

“Operating with care and concern for the environment has been a hallmark of Anheuser-Busch for more than a century,” said Kevin Finger, general manager, Anheuser-Busch Fairfield brewery. “Our increased use of alternative energy sources is the latest example of how we strive to be the best beer company in a better world.”

Last year after meetings with SunEdison, the brewery entered into an agreement to provide the property for a solar panel power plant. In addition, the brewer reconstructed a bioenergy recovery system which provides more than 15% of the breweries fuel. This is done by turning nutrients in the brewing wastewater into a renewable biogas that can then be burned, decreasing the brewery’s use of natural gas.

These two projects represent the latest in a series of improvements at the Fairfield brewery regarding conservation and efficiency. Recent efforts have included a project that will recover steam in the brewhouse and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Another involves the installation of a more efficient boiler burner and new, more energy-efficient air compressors. Also, brewery lighting is now controlled by timers. Because of all of these enhancements and improvements, the brewery has decreased fuel use by more than 37%, water use by by more than 30% and electricity use by more than 13%.

“Anheuser-Busch has been a good neighbor to Fairfield and the surrounding communities for more than 30 years,” said State Senator Lois Wolk, who represents the region. “They have earned their reputation as not only a top employer in the area, but as a business doing the right thing for the environment, even before it was popular.”

“Anheuser-Busch has taken a strong leadership role in protecting natural resources and using energy wisely and efficiently. By hosting a PV solar energy system, Anheuser-Busch is part of America’s new energy future. SunEdison is proud to support them today and for decades to come,” said Kirk Roller, vice president of SunEdison.

The ground mounted solar system, capable of producing 1.2 MW through its solar panels, is located on every property near California Highway 80 area as part of the agreement, SunEdison financed installs and is operating the photovoltaic solar panel energy system. The system also generates renewable energy certificates.

Baldo has coated the surfaces of 10 cm square pieces of glass with dyes that glow orange under an ultraviolet lamp. However, the uncoated edges of the glass are shining more brightly than the top.

The sheet of glass is called a solar concentrator. This is the device that gathers normal, natural diffuse light and focuses it onto a small solar cell. Solar cells are multilayered electronic devices made of highly refined silicon and are very expensive to manufacture. The bigger they are, the more they cost. Solar concentrators can lower the overall cost of solar power by making the cells much smaller. Usually, though, the concentrators are typically made of curved mirrors or lenses which are bulky and need elaborate mechanical systems to help them track the sun.

These glass sheets are different as they act more as waveguides by channeling the light in the same way that fiber-optic cables transmit optical signals. The dyes in this experiment that coat the surfaces of the glass absorb sunlight. Different dyes are used to store different wavelengths of light. Then the dyes will re-insert the light into the glass and the glass channels it to the edges. Solar cell strips have been attached to the edges and accept the light and generate electricity. The larger the surface of the glass compared with the thickness of the edges, the more the light is concentrated and the less the power costs.

Baldo, an associate professor of electrical engineering, published his findings recently in Science. He believes that his solar concentrators can be made large enough for the electricity they generate to compete with electricity from traditional sources, such as fossil fuels. He believes that this could be the cheapest solar technology available.

The process for making these solar concentrators begins in another lab at MIT. Several bottles filled with colorful dye powders are measured carefully into small vials. Some of the dyes had been developed for use in car paint; others have been used in creating organic light emitting diodes. Both types of guys are very hardy and can last for years in the sun. This, of course, is essential for solar panel devices.

Once he has measured out the powders, a solvent is added to each to make a form of liquid ink.

Next, the ingredients are placed inside a sealed box and each solution is mixed. It is critical that the right combination of inks is used. If the glass sheet is coated with a dye that absorbs sunlight in those green range of the solar spectrum and emits light that is in the same wavelength, emitted light will in turn be reabsorbed by the dye and it will never reach the edge of the glass.

After the mixture is formed, a small amount is poured on the glass structure. Within a minute or two, the solvent has evaporated out of the dye in the process is finished. The solar panel concentrator with its new coating of orange dye is complete.

Currently, the high costs for the type of silicone that is used in photovoltaics have driven up the price of conventional solar panels. Soleria’s solar panel cells generate about 90% as much power as a conventional solar panel, while using just half as much silicon.

Usually, the silicon in a solar panel covers the entire surface, collecting light from as much area as is possible. But Solaria is able to slice the silicon into thin strips and places them so that they only cover about half of the panel’s area. A clear molded plastic cover collects light from the entire panel and channels it to the strips of silicon.

This method saves a lot of money because the total cost of the molded plastic and the additional manufacturing steps are still lower than the cost of the silicon that would normally be used in conventional solar panels. They also reduce costs by using existing manufacturing equipment that has already been developed for the semiconductor industry. These first products could be economical enough compete with panels provided by much larger companies. In successive generations, the cost could be as much as 30% less than their competitors.

Unfortunately, silicon prices are high now. But the element is abundant on this planet and there are already new facilities being built to produce more refined silicon. Soleri plans to implement even more cost-saving measures to remain competitive.

Such measures are clearly possible. For example in a conventional solar panel, the wires for collecting the electricity are placed on top of the cell, where they inherently block some of the incoming sunlight. Soleria could place wires in between the strips of silicon were no light is blocked. Because these wires wouldn’t have to be made then to avoid blocking the existing sunlight, they could be sized to collect the electricity in a more efficient manner.

Working together at ENN’s facility in Langfang, China, ENN and Applied achieved this milestone just five months after equipment installation. These ultra-large PV panels are nearly four times larger than conventional modules on the market and use Applied’s tandem junction technology to deliver higher conversion efficiencies, according to the companies.

“By combining the high efficiency of tandem junction technology with ultra-large 5.7m2 substrates, we’re able to deliver modules that dramatically reduce installed cost per watt,” said Dr. Rick Wan, General Manager of ENN Solar. “Our close association with Applied Materials has enabled ENN to build a winning platform, combining our next-generation solar technology with our world-class manufacturing capability.”

“We are committed to delivering the highest level of technology innovation and manufacturing excellence to our customers,” said Dr. Randhir Thakur, senior vice president and general manager of Applied Materials’ SunFab Thin Film Solar and Display Business Group. “ENN’s rapid ramp from equipment installation to producing tandem junction panels is an example of the unique capabilities that Applied delivers – unparalleled research and development, technology and manufacturing innovation, and global service and support for our customers.”