Solar Power World

Solar Power World Today

Construction & Installation 101

Companies in this category specialize in installing arrays of solar panels. They perform the traditional construction tasks of pouring concrete pads for ground support, as well as electrical tasks that install large solar inverters and transformers for grid support. Examining a couple installations shows a bit more of what these companies do. Blythe Solar Project For instance, an installation of 1800 panels on an NREL building generates 240 W from each. Installing 1.6 MW of PV... Read More

Solar Thermal Systems 101

Flat panels in this category (non-concentrating) are used to heat a fluid, usually water, for residential applications. For simple swimming pool heat, a thermocouple signals a pump to run when temperatures are warm enough to provide usable heat. One panel version uses a sputtered, blue-copper absorber surface. The extruded aluminum frame is welded on each corner with an electrostatic powdercoat finish. Polyurethane hard-foam insulation minimizes heat loss. Such panels are often... Read More

System Protects Against Arc Flash

ABB’s Low Voltage Products division has released TVOC-2, a new generation of its Arc Guard System, which has been used to protect electrical equipment from dangerous arc flashes for the past 35 years. TVOC-2 features upgrades and new functions to detect faults in low and medium-voltage switchgear and disconnect power to the arc within 30 to 50 milliseconds. This prevent serious injury to personnel and damage to expensive equipment. Without the Arc Guard System an arc flash... Read More

Kathie’s Question: Do You Know Who Uses the Most Green Power?

In the EPA’s recent Green Power Report lists the top 50 greatest users of green power in the nation. Who tops the list? Intel. Here are the top ten for an interesting comparison. 1. Intel Corporation: meets 88% of their demand with 2,502,052,000 kWh of biomass, geothermal, small-hydro, solar, wind 2. Kohl’s Department Stores: meets 100% of their demand with 1,524,656,000 kWh of solar and wind 3. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (California & Texas facilities): meets 28%... Read More

Concentrated Solar Power 101

This type of solar panel comes in two variations: photovoltaics and thermal. Concentrated photovoltaics or CPV use parabolic concentrators, reflectors or lenses to focus more light onto a photocell. An influx of more photons lets properly designed cells generate more power. Reflective or mirrored surfaces can be expensive, so design efforts have been to find inexpensive reflective surfaces that can withstand normal environmental conditions such as rain. A diagram of a parabolic... Read More

Photovoltaics 101

Often called PV panels, these convert the energy of light (photons) into electrical energy as DC current. Panels come in variety of sizes but it is common to find them with 60 cells each with a power output of about 240 W. At this time, other variations include concentrated PV and thin-film solar. For PV panels, efficiency reaches to about 14%. Typical Structure of crystalline Silicon solar cells Generally, monocrystalline cells have higher efficiencies than polycrystalline cells,... Read More

Spain Sees 2.2 MW On Greenhouse

A 2.2-MW installation on a greenhouse installation in Spain has reached completion. SOLTEC Renewable Energies has completed a new photovoltaic system on a greenhouse in Spain. The plant is located in the Region of Murcia and occupies just under ten acres. The greenhouse includes a system of integrated monitoring that remotely controls the photovoltaic plant, as well as the microclimatic parameters necessary for the citrus grown it houses. Such parameters include relative humidity,... Read More

Utah Sees Largest Rooftop Installation

A 1.65-MW photovoltaic system now tops the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. The installation is Utah’s largest, as well as the largest rooftop solar installation on any convention center in North America. EPC Bella Energy chose Solectria Renewables‘ SMARTGRID 500 and 300 commercial and utility-scale inverters to power the project, which will produce about 2.4 MWh annually.  This is expected to eliminate more than 4.3 million pounds of CO2 per year. “This... Read More

Solar Policy: Name Calling Is Not An Argument

I debated long and hard about writing this post, but I think it bears mentioning, if only to dispel some misconceptions about one of the things I wrote from my daily posts from the Solar Power Generation conference last week. In the second of my dispatches, I wrote the following: An interesting question came up in the same session: Why aren’t more projects being developed in the Southeast? Yes, the irradiation isn’t as high as it is in California, but it’s not as low as... Read More

Solar Boot Camp

Education and Training program Boots on the Roof has partnered with SolarBridge Technologies,  developer of module-integrated microinverters for the solar industry. Boots on the Roof will feature “Microinverters and Integrated AC Modules,” an educational program on how to install AC solar module systems powered by SolarBridge in their upcoming six day Solar PV Boot Camp. “We are excited to work with Boots on the Roof to introduce this powerful new solution to the solar... Read More

Solar Trade War: Imitation Is The Sincerest Form Of Flattery

Of course, Talking Points Memo doesn’t credit Solar Power World for writing about this aspect of the solar trade war with China first. Geez, guys, can’t you give credit where credit is due? (Note to all: I’m just kidding — but I am glad to see someone else picked up on this little subtlety of this  brouhaha other than me.)  Read More

Solar Market: Are Municipalities The New Solar Frontier?

I just returned from the Solar Power Generation conference, which was held last week in Las Vegas. A lot of interesting discussions about the future of utility-scale solar projects in the United States and abroad (focusing on the three major technologies currently available: PV, concentrated solar (solar thermal) and concentrated PV). Shayle Kann of GTM Research forecasts that the utility-scale solar market will grow at least 100% in 2012, but noted that a new market may be opening... Read More

Solar Panels: Alta Reaches New Efficiency Levels

Alta Devices’ most recent solar panels have been verified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at 23.5% efficiency. This is the highest solar panel efficiency yet achieved and demonstrates progress toward the objective of developing solar photovoltaic (PV) solutions that are competitive, without subsidies, with fossil fuels. Today’s announcement is Alta’s next step toward commercializing its technology. This new panel uses the same technology as the company... Read More

From The Field: Solar Power Generation, Day Two

Today at the Solar Power Generation show (see my report on the first day here), I found myself once again wishing I could split myself into three different people. Today was the day when the conference moved into a three-track system focusing on utility-scale technologies: concentrated solar power, concentrated PV and traditional PV. Since I couldn’t be be in all three places at once, I broke up my day so I could attend all three tracks. Here are some highlights from what... Read More

Manufacturer offers “Buy American” solar inverters

Solar inverter manufacturer SMA America offers certain Sunny Central models for commercial and utility-scale projects requiring compliance with the “Buy American” clause in the American Reconstruction and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Sunny Central 500-HE US solar inverter Currently, the full Sunny Central Compact Power (CP) line—which includes 500-800 kilowatt inverters—and the Sunny Central 500HE-US (assembled in Denver, Colorado) meet the guidelines of the the Buy... Read More

Solar Components

Photovoltaics 101

Often called PV panels, these convert the energy of light (photons) into electrical energy as DC current. Panels come in variety of sizes but it is common to find them with 60 cells each with a power output of about 240 W. At this time, other variations include concentrated PV and thin-film solar. For PV [...]

Inverters

Manufacturer offers “Buy American” solar inverters

Solar inverter manufacturer SMA America offers certain Sunny Central models for commercial and utility-scale projects requiring compliance with the “Buy American” clause in the American Reconstruction and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Currently, the full Sunny Central Compact Power (CP) line—which includes 500-800 kilowatt inverters—and the Sunny Central 500HE-US (assembled in Denver, Colorado) meet the [...]

Projects

System Protects Against Arc Flash

ABB’s Low Voltage Products division has released TVOC-2, a new generation of its Arc Guard System, which has been used to protect electrical equipment from dangerous arc flashes for the past 35 years. TVOC-2 features upgrades and new functions to detect faults in low and medium-voltage switchgear and disconnect power to the arc within 30 [...]

Racking and Mounting

Westinghouse Solar Publishes White Paper On Solar Power Mounting

Westinghouse Solar, a designer and manufacturer of solar power systems, published a White Paper entitled: “The Revolution in Solar Power Mounting Systems.” This White Paper details the financial, engineering and customer benefits of rooftop solar power systems that have integrated racking, wiring and grounding, including those from Westinghouse Solar and Zep Solar. The White Paper [...]