Sun Is The Future

Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers,

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Hello! Although I’ve worked in engineering, medicine, and education, I’ve enjoyed teaching math the most, at various universities and colleges in Illinois and Florida and sharing knowledge and experience for over twenty years (8 out of 20 years involved in online math courses). When I am not teaching (on site and/or online), you’d find me practicing yoga or qigong, reading, painting/sketching, listening to music, traveling, learning about natural medicine, and finding ways to help speeding up the process of our planet earth’s conversion to solar/renewable/clean energy.

I welcome your comments and questions: sunisthefuture@gmail.com.

Let’s help one another to increase our understanding of conversion to solar/renewable/clean energy.

For those of you who were curious about my training/professional experience, please feel free to click: Susan Sun Nunamaker’s Vitae (July, 2014)

Susan Sun Nunamaker started Sun Is The Future early in Jan., 2011 and is the Founder/Owner/Editor/Producer of Sun Is The Future.

Susan Sun Nunamaker’s responsibilities: research, write, edit, post, photograph, produce, interview, market & promotion.

Michael Nunamaker helped with filming of World Solar Challenge in Oct., 2011, then officially joined Sun Is The Future as the Chief Technology Officer in 2012.

Michael Nunamaker’s responsibilities: research, video-record, rendering video, IT.

~have a bright and sunny day~

Posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com

Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net

 

~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered, written, edited, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker

 

Any comments and suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com

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Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers,

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Some wonderful solar news closer to home, in Florida: the Swedish company and the world’s largest furniture retailer, IKEA, had completed the installation of South Florida’s largest solar array in June of this year. This solar array will be atop the future Miami-Dade IKEA store opening this summer in Sweetwater, FL. Combined with rooftop arrays in Orlando, Tampa, and Sunrise, this fourth solar project will keep IKEA as Florida’s largest non-utility solar owner.  The 416,000 square-feet future IKEA Miami, with 1,500 parking spaces, is being built on 14.6 acres adjacent to the Dolphin Mall, at the intersection of the Dolphin Expressway (SR 836) and Florida’s turnpike, in the city of Sweetwater, FL.

The 178,000 square foot solar array at Sweetwater consists of a 1,178 kW system, built with 4,620 panels, and will produce about 1,738,876 kWh of electricity annually for the store,  equivalent to reducing 1,227 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2)-equal to the emissions of 256 cars or providing electricity for 169 homes annually (calculation for clean energy equivalents).  IKEA contracted with REC Solar (a national leader in solar electric system design with installations of more than 350 systems across U.S.). Let’s take a look at the video about IKEA’s Clean Energy/Solar Installations, below:

This installation will represent the 40th solar project for IKEA in the U.S., contributing to the IKEA solar presence atop nearly 92% (35 out of 38) of its locations in U.S. and a total generation of 38 MW (translating to powering 90,000 homes). IKEA owns and operates these solar PV systems, rather than through solar lease or PPA (power purchase agreement), and has allocated $1.8 billion to invest in renewable energy through 2015 globally.  This investment demonstrates IKEA’s long term commitment to sustainability and confidence in PV technology and industry.  Due to IKEA’s goal of becoming completely energy independent by 2020 (“We want to get to 70% by 2015, and by 2020, we actually want to produce more energy from renewable sources than we/IKEA consume in the total operation“, commented the President of IKEA USA, Mike Ward), IKEA has installed more than 550,000 solar panels on buildings across the world and owns/operated about 157 wind turbines in Europe and Canada, with 49 more being build in the U.S.

IKEA evaluates locations regularly for conservation opportunities, integrates innovative materials into product design, works to maintain sustainable resources, and flat-packs goods for efficient distribution. Specific U.S. sustainable efforts include: recycling waste material;incorporating energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems, recycled construction materials, skylights in warehouse areas, and water-conserving restrooms.  IKEA has also eliminated plastic bags from the check-out process, phased out the sale of incandescent bulbs, facilitates recycling of customers’ compact fluorescent bulbs, and by 2016 will sell only LED.  IKEA has also installed EV charging stations at 13 stores, with plans for more locations in the future.

Besides helping to improve our environment, these conservation efforts and  solar investments have enabled IKEA to spend less on energy. This would also mean lower cost and lower prices that will be passed down to consumers. IKEA’s Swedish heritage and respect of nature is not only good for the environment, but also great for business. Bravo! IKEA! We hope more businesses will try to emulate what IKEA has done.

~have a bright and sunny day~

Gathered and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker

Any of your questions/comments/suggestions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com

Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:

www.sunisthefuture.net

www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture

www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture

www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture

www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture

www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture

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Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers,

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Please allow me to share with you the reaction from American companies (and American Consumers, yours truly included!) toward the new anti-dumping tariffs, below, recently released from CASE (Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy).

New Anti-Dumping Tariffs Will Slow the Growth of U.S. Solar Industry
American companies demand negotiated solution to trade litigation to avoid further damage

Washington, DC – The U.S. Department of Commerce today imposed new anti-dumping tariffs as high as 165.04% on imports of solar products from China and 44.18% on imports from Taiwan. In response to the announcement, Jigar Shah, president of the Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy (CASE) released the following statement:

“Today’s determination is another unnecessary obstacle for the U.S. solar industry that will hinder the deployment of clean energy by raising the prices of solar products. Due to these tariffs, previously viable projects will go unbuilt, American workers will go unhired and consumers that could have saved money through solar energy may not be able to benefit.

“CASE members are particularly disappointed that SolarWorld’s request to expand the scope of products affected by the solar dispute remains under consideration by the Department of Commerce. Accepting a broader scope would disregard decades of legal precedent that define scope using the ‘single country of origin’ and ‘substantial transformation’ trade rules. The proposed new scope is also fundamentally inconsistent with the Department’s own previous determination in the 2012 solar cell dispute.

“We urge SolarWorld AG to work with the U.S. solar industry and choose to end their continued litigation in favor of a win-win solution like the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) settlement proposal. CASE members, which represent the industry majority, demand a solution that ends uncertainty in the marketplace by preventing further trade litigation and that allows solar power to compete cost-effectively with traditional energy sources, thus enabling the market’s further growth. To aid in this process, we ask President Obama to make resolving the solar trade dispute a priority on his clean energy agenda and convene the parties for negotiations.”

Reactions from the U.S. Solar Industry

Thanks to lower product costs spurred by thriving global trade and technology innovations, the U.S. solar industry grew at a record 20 percent clip in 2013 and added over 23,000 new jobs, according to the 2013 National Solar Jobs Census. Across the country, the solar industry now employs over 142,000 Americans, seventy percent of which are employed downstream in the system installation, sales, distribution and project development sectors. Solar product manufacturing remains robust, employing over 29,000 Americans, but the narrow solar cell manufacturing industry that would benefit from these tariffs represents less than 2 percent of overall U.S. solar employment.

Ron Corio, President of Array Technologies, based in Albuquerque, NM and representing over 100 jobs said, “As a U.S. solar manufacturing company, we’re very disappointed in today’s anti-dumping determination. By increasing the price of solar power through tariffs, SolarWorld is shrinking the market for our products here in the United States and punishing successful U.S. solar businesses. Our company is proof that American solar manufacturing jobs will decrease under these special trade protections.”

John Morrison, COO of Strata Solar, based in Chapel Hill, NC and representing over 1,000 jobs said, “Due to their scale, the utility and large commercial solar sectors are particularly sensitive to the uncertainty and price increases caused by these tariffs. Until this dispute is resolved, our industry will build fewer projects and install less solar. It’s time to end the litigation, negotiate a solution and put more Americans back to work.”

Ocean Yuan, Founder and CEO of Grape Solar, based in Eugene, OR said, “My company assembles and sells complete solar energy kits directly to customers and in major retail stores across the country. The number one reason customers cite when switching to solar energy is cost savings, but these misguided tariffs are inflating prices. A negotiated solution to this dispute will ensure the continued growth of our industry and small businesses like mine.”

For more information about CASE or to join the majority of the U.S. industry in opposition to these tariffs, please visit us at www.affordablesolarusa.org.

###

Contact:

Steven Kirsch
skirsch@podesta.com
202.879.9320

About the Coalition for Affordable Energy (CASE):

CASE is a 501(c)4 organization whose purpose is to educate the Administration, Congress, the American solar industry and the public about the impact of protectionism on the affordability of solar energy and the American workforce.  Its primary focus is to show decision, policy, and opinion-makers that the majority of pro-solar Americans opposes the SolarWorld petition, as it will result in the denial of affordable solar energy to a nation whose demand for clean and renewable energy is higher than ever before.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Heavy Anti-Dumping Tariffs violate the Unites States’ commitments to WTO (World Trade Organization) rules, hurt American solar workers, and slows the deployment of clean energy.

Please Let The SunShine In For the American Solar Workers & American Consumers! Please Help To Rid of Anti-Dumping Tariffs! Please talk/write to your Senators, Representatives, Congress-person(s), Any/Every One! Don’t Let Them Take Our Sunshine Away!

The sentiment is best expressed by this nostalgic tune, video below:

______________________________________________________________________________________

~have a bright and sunny day~

Gathered, editorialized, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker

Any of your questions/comments/suggestions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com

Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:

www.sunisthefuture.net

www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture

www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture

www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture

www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture

www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture

www.sunisthefuture.com

Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net

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Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers,

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Enhancing the Investor Appeal of Renewable Energy [with FITs in the USA]—A review

by Paul Gipe

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In one surprisingly bold critique, Felix Mormann has incisively slaughtered two sacred cows of US renewable energy policy in the journal Environmental Law: Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) and tax credits.

Make no mistake, the innocuous sounding title of this academic paper harbors an intellectual assault on public policy created by long-held beliefs in neoliberal ideology. Mormann certainly will not endear himself to AWEA, SEIA, SEPA and the alphabet soup of K Street lobbyists with his unambiguous call to end tax credits: “In light of the conceptual superiority of a feed-in tariff over the current tax credit regime, tax incentive support for US renewables should be phased out as the feed-in tariff goes online.”

Mormann, an associate professor of Law at the University of Miami and fellow at the Center for Energy Policy and Finance at Stanford University, isn’t content to antagonize only industry lobbyists, he takes aim at the principle policies favored by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF-US), two En-NGOs influential in US energy policy.

Using IEA deployment data, Mormann explains the superior performance of feed-in tariffs in mitigating market and investment risk relative to RPS and tax credit policies in the US. Feed-in tariffs are the clear winner. They are the superior market instrument.

Though Mormann is not the first to explore the inequality of using tax credits to subsidize renewable energy in the US, his analysis is one of the few in a law journal. He notes for example, that tax credits have created the reasonable perception that they are a “rich man’s” policies by enabling the wealthy—those with a tax liability–to enrich themselves at the taxpayer’s expense.

Mormann skewers both tendering and RPS programs that are sold to Americans—and their politicians–as more “market-oriented” than feed-in tariffs.  Under closer scrutiny, however, RPS and tendering programs–because they rely on trading of renewable energy certificates—entail “considerable transaction costs,” earning them the reputation of policies designed by and for big corporations. These policies, charges Mormann, provide little opportunity for local investors to profit from renewable energy. The lack of transparency in tendering awards and in trading of renewable energy certificates further fuels suspicion that renewable energy in the US was never intended to benefit common citizens.

FITs in contrast, because of their transparency, can improve public perception of renewable energy by enabling greater participation than tendering, RPS policies, or tax credits. Mormann cites Danish and German success with feed-in tariffs at eliciting investment from community groups and local citizens to make his point. Both countries have a much higher percentage of their electricity generated by new renewables than the US.

Mormann doesn’t waffle or go soft in the knees as he reaches his conclusion with an unusually strong recommendation for an academic paper on public policy.

“It is time, indeed, that the United States make the same commitment and adopt the very policy that has propelled its competitors to become leaders in the Race to Renewables. It is time to adopt a feed-in tariff that has the ability to cost-effectively enhance the investor appeal of renewable energy in the United States.”

Now only if President Obama would call Mormann for advice on renewable energy policy–or better yet–a conference call from President Obama and Speaker of the House John Boehner maybe something concrete would come of Mormann’s research. . .

Enhancing the Investor Appeal of Renewable Energy [with FITs in the USA by Felix Mormann, Environmental Law, August 8, 2012.

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This feed-in tariff news update is made in cooperation with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. The views expressed are those of Paul Gipe and are not necessarily those of ILSR.

---

Paul Gipe
661 325 9590, 661 472 1657 mobile
pgipe@igc.org, www.wind-works.org

~have a bright and sunny day~

Gathered and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker

Any of your questions/comments/suggestions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com

Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:

www.sunisthefuture.net

www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture

www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture

www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture

www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture

www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture

www.sunisthefuture.com

Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net

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Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers,

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With the ever-expanding solar industry, one finds more and more internationally operated photovoltaic company such as Gehrlicher Solar, a company from Germany, with subsidiaries and joint ventures on four continents (including France, India, Spain, South Africa, and Romania). Gehrlicher Solar, one of the most experienced photovoltaic companies in Europe,  is founded in 1994, that develops, plans, builds, finances, and operates solar power plants for ground mounting and for roofs, from private houses to multi-megawatt systems. Gehrlicher Solar also plans, sets up, and manages profit-oriented photovoltaic funds and private placements for private and institutional investors. As the solar industry evolves from solely-Save Our Planet Solution into multi-billion dollar with long-term profitability industry, services provided by Gehrlicher Solar becomes more and more relevant every day.

Gehrlicher Solar was acquired by the M + W Group last year and has leveraged the parent company’s financial strength and global reach and built on its already solid reputation as one of the foremost engineering, procurement, construction, operations, and maintenance (EPC O&M) firms in the commercial and utility scale solar market. In 2013, Gehrlicher/M+W more than doubled its annual project installation rate to 82 MW and continued  with a robust growth trajectory in the U.S. and Latin America. Gehrlicher/M+W is expanding its capabilities, leading in the integration of energy storage, hybrid power generation, and grid stabilization solutions. Below is an interview with the Sr. Director of Marketing David Hague of Gehrlicher Solar during InterSolar North America 2014, on July 9, 2014, overlooking Yerba Buena Gardens:

 

Director Hague discusses various emerging market opportunities within the solar industry: from  PV + storage technology, control technology stabilizing the grid, to the fact that solar is now cost competitive with the coal (cheapest fossil fuels technology), and the fact that solar is a much easier generating-asset to permit and build than any other generating asset. Solar is very reliable and secure asset.

For further inquiry regarding planning a photovoltaic system or searching for potential partnership with Gehrlicher Solar, please contact:

Gehrlicher Solar Services GmbH
Feldkirchener Str. 2
85540 Haar
Germany

T +49 89 420792-100
F +49 89 420792-110
contact@gehrlicher.com

~have a bright and sunny day~

related link/video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-cPiwG-Dfg

Gathered, written,  and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker

Any of your questions/comments/suggestions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com

Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:

www.sunisthefuture.net

www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture

www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture

www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture

www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture

www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture

www.sunisthefuture.com

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Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers,

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I wish I had asked a lot more questions during this particular interview with the president and founder of Nuance Energy Group, Brian C. Boguess. On July 9, 2014, above the Yerba Buena Gardens, during InterSolar North America 2014, Mr. Brian Boguess had much to share about various mechanisms in securing  rapid solar deployment in California and beyond.

Mr. Boguess started the talk by introducing SunPods Power Platform systems, (manufactured by Nuance Energy Group), which are ballasted ground-based solar racking systems for on grid and off grid solar applications. These units are made of a heavy gauge, cold rolled steel frame with a galvanized standard G-90 finish, with proprietary racking containing solar panels and inverters and power adjustable legs accommodating uneven terrain (engineered to 23 degree slope). Nuance Energy assembles these solar units off site, set units in specified site location and level each solar array, whereas certified partners finish installation of BOS (balance of system) component, wiring and connect to the grid. The wonderful thing about SunPods Power Platform units is that these units deploy and install in minutes and help to avoid prevailing wage cost (Davis Bacon Act) on municipal, government and military projects!  These self-ballasted engineering systems eliminate ground penetration and is the solar application recently proven and released (2013) by a 2-year California Energy Commission (CEC) PIER (Public Interest Energy Research) Program report on solar PV development for California closed landfills. These SunPods PowerPlatform units are modular in design, and connect to scale for large solar projects. Some of its key markets are: agriculture, remote mining operations, international export, emergency disaster preparedness, shared community solar farms and rural residential projects. Video below:

The exciting part of the conversation is in finding out from Mr. Boguess that there are 225 closed landfills in California occupying 35,000 acres of land (presently not economically viable for traditional development) with potential of becoming utility scale solar farms! Currently there are 74 landfill sites within CA producing electricity from the landfill generated methane gas in micro-turbines. There are also 1,262 contaminated sites occupying over 2 million acres in CA. Just think of all of these Solar Potential waiting to be tapped! We will be looking forward to seeing/hearing more Sun Power being tapped from these underutilized brownfields/landfills via SunPods Power Platform systems!

~have a bright and sunny day~

Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker

Any of your questions/comments/suggestions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com

Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:

www.sunisthefuture.net

www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture

www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture

www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture

www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture

www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture

www.sunisthefuture.com

Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net

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Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers,

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Before our interview with Dr. Christopher Case, I confess I’ve only come across one article mentioning perovskite. I had no idea that it is a calcium titanium oxide mineral species

originally discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia in 1839, nor did I know that this perovskite structure has oxygen in its face centers.

But during my research for the interview, it’s become apparent that this solid state hybrid solar cells based on organometal trihalide perovskite absorbers will likely advance solar technology to the very highest efficiencies while retaining the very lowest cost.  In the next few years, the perovskite-based technology may emerge as a contender for the ultimately low-cost solar power. This may explain why the response from Dr. Henry Snaith, (researcher and developer of perovskite solar technology), to the question “Could we have entirely clean energy in five years?” is a resounding:”I absolutely believe we could.”

Let’s take a look at the reason why Dr. Snaith has such a strong belief in the future of solar/clean energy technology, video below:

In the next few years, we anticipate that Dr. Henry Snaith and his team of scientists will continue to tackle challenges in trap densities, doping densities, mobility, mechanisms for free carrier generations, etc., to further improve device performance. Many are expecting to see efficiency level of above 20% and use of perovskite as top cells in multijunction devices based on currently commercially available technology. It will be exciting to see the full potential of this emerging solar technology unveiling before our eyes. I hope you are also as hopeful and optimistic as Dr. Henry Snaith.

 

~have a bright and sunny day~

Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker

Any of your questions/comments/suggestions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com

Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:

www.sunisthefuture.net

www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture

www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture

www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture

www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture

www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture

www.sunisthefuture.com

Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net

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Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers,

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At InterSolar North America 2014 in San Francisco, CA, I came across a potentially game-changing technology that holds much promise for low cost solar power in the future.  This technology, the perovskite thin-film solar cells, is currently being developed by Oxford PV (a spin-out from the University of Oxford in 2009-2010 to commercialize this technology, which has exclusively licensed the intellectual property developed by Professor Henry Snaith and his team of 20 scientists). The perovskite thin-film solar cells can be directly printed/sprayed onto glass to produce a semi-transparent colored coating. Below is an interview with the Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Christopher Case, of Oxford PV:

The apparent enthusiasm of Dr. Case is seen in his discussion of the perovskite cell technology. One can understand the source of Dr. Case’s enthusiasm. According to Dr. Case, “the perovskite in solar application is the fastest increasing photovoltaic efficiency of any solar photovoltaic thin film material ever! In just a few years, it went from a lab efficiency of about 6% to well over 17%…the material is a very good solar absorber….bringing the material to 25% efficiency in a monolithic layer and 30%+ in a perovskite tandem layer….potentially the future replacement for silicon.” This perovskite solar cell technology is optimized to drive a paradigm shift in the aesthetics, performance, and cost of BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaic) systems, potentially bringing low cost electricity to the solar market much sooner than predicted. It is no wonder the highly respected international journal, Nature, has named Dr. Henry Snaith of University of Oxford as one of the ten people who have made the most difference in science during 2013 in recognition of his work on this next generation solar power technology. Let’s also take a look at the comparison between Convetional PV vs. Oxford PV, below (provided by www.oxfordpv.com):

 

Conventional PV                                                                         Oxford PV_________________

Opaque                                                                                      Range of transparency options

Blue or Black                                                                              Palette of colors and tints

Contains scarce elements and rare earths                                  Sustainable, abundant, organic ingredients

Complex, high temperature and high vacuum manufacturing    Simple screen printing manufacturing processes

High capital cost of manufacturing                                            Low capital cost of manufacturing

Heavy panels physically attached to building                          Aesthetically attractive glazing panels integrated into the building envelope

__________________________________________________________________________________

Without using the titanium dioxide as a semiconductor, this technology results in higher levels of efficiency, much lower processing temperature, and improved cell stability. Oxford PV plans on continuing to optimize this technology’s cell efficiency and accelerate the transfer of the technology into production. Furthermore, it aims to develop the range of substrates to which the cells can be applied.

Oxford PV has a strong supporting team (such as Kevin Arthur,  Dr. David Fyfe, Paul Vickery, etc.) With its promising future, we, the solar enthusiasts and investors alike, should keep our eyes on Oxford PV in the coming years.

~have a bright and sunny day~

Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker

Any of your questions/comments/suggestions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com

Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:

www.sunisthefuture.net

www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture

www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture

www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture

www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture

www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture

www.sunisthefuture.com

Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net

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Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers,

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Do you remember one of our posts during 2012 about a tracking system designed by a new company called QBotix?  To refresh your/our memory, please refer to the paragraph from our previous 2012 post, below:

The recently unveiled RTS by QBotix, a new company (from Menlo Park, CA) that is bringing the power of robotics to solar energy. The Robotic Tracking System (RTS) is a comprehensive dual-axis tracking system (at a single-axis system’s cost but generates up to 15% more energy) that employs rugged, intelligent and mobile robots to dynamically operate solar power plants and maximize energy output.  By having the robot (some call it solbot) running on a track, as a monorail,  servicing up to 200 solar panels, at 40-minute intervals throughout the day, this tracking system can help the solar panels to receive a performance boost of as much as 40% over existing fixed mount systems and lowers the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) by up to 20%.  Furthermore, RTS offers fast installation and has low operation and maintenance costs, and is compatible with all solar panels and mounting foundations.  When connecting with each panel, RTS adjusts the angle of the panel and collects data about the panel.  I can see the potential of a self-cleaning RTS/solbot that may be programmed to conserve/minimize the water use in cleaning all solar panels.  Wouldn’t that be great?!  Apparently, RTS also has a certified IP-65, meaning it is impervious to dust and water.

Be sure to also take a look at our interview this year (2014), with Matt Lugar, VP of Sales and Marketing of QBotix, during InterSolar North America 2014, at Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA, below:

Much has happened to QBotix since we last interviewed  its founder and CEO Wasiq Bokhari and Director of Engineering Lalo Ruiz in 2012. Recently QBotix has announced that it has raised $12 million in Round B  financing through its venture capital partners, E.On Climate and Renewables and Iberdrola Renewables. This is in addition to having already successfully completed a $1 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot Initiative award project, and received the  recognition by Fast Company as one of the world’s top 10 most innovative companies in robotics. When we met QBotix in 2012, it was a design with zero installations, but now it’s gone global, with 80 MW  installations and contracts or partnerships in U.S., Europe, Latin America, Australia, Japan, and further development in Chile and South Africa. QBotix has the revolutionary, highly efficient technology that will contribute significantly to reduce the balance of system costs in solar projects. We will look forward to its continued expansion and spreading throughout our planet.

 

Other pertinent links and videos:

1. http://www.sunisthefuture.net/2012/09/12
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPjfbyWoEIE

~have a bright and sunny day~

Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker

Any of your questions/comments/suggestions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com

Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:

www.sunisthefuture.net

www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture

www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture

www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture

www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture

www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture

www.sunisthefuture.com

Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net

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Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers,

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This is an interview with the team (Sr. Vice President/General Manager Dr. Venkatesan Murali, Sr. Director of Marketing Jeff Nestel-Patt, and Vice President of Sales Andrew Barta) from GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) at San Francisco, CA, during InterSolar North America 2014, on July 9, 2014,overlooking the Yerba Buena Gardens on top of Moscone North. Video below:

As the global demand for solar energy continues to grow while the industry is facing downward pricing pressure, reduced subsidies, and solar trade tensions, it becomes increasingly important for PV manufacturers to achieve further cost reductions and improved cell efficiency. GTAT accomplishes this by introducing the innovative metallization & cell interconnect technology (Merlin Advanced Metallization Technology) that transforms the solar module into a less expensive, more efficient panel that is easier to install.

The Merlin Advanced Metallization Technology enables greater performance than the traditional modules by:

1. Eliminating up to 80% of the expensive silver paste used in the traditional cells and modules, leading to cost reduction.
2. The same screen printing equipment installed in cell line can be used to print the segmented fingers onto the cell
3. Flexible grid that eliminates silver bus bars: a plated copper grid is attached to the segmented fingers on the top of the solar cell. The combination of segmented fingers and flexible grid makes it easier to move current off the cell. The flexible grid provides 20 paths/highways for the current to travel along rather than the three bus bars found on the traditional solar cells.
4. Reducing shading by bus bars and increasing electrical connections on the surface of the cell  lead to increased cell efficiency and increased power output (by 3-5% compared to standard module).
5. Improving the interconnection between cells by eliminating the need for stringing and tabbing of the old technology, providing highly flexible and durable way to connect cells while eliminating the bus bar tabs of traditional cells. Cells can therefore be connected closer together, allowing a smaller and more flexible module than the conventional module.
6. The flexible tabs at the end of each grid solve the problem generally associated with breakage of modules during transport resulting from metal fatigue when ribbons break due to dynamic loading conditions during shipping.
7. GTAT is almost 50% lighter than the conventional modules.
8. Easier installation results in lower balance of system costs

(Please also refer to this video for visual demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf2E_Uq3Lzw)

GTAT is already working with select customers to implement Merlin, involving custom-made copper meshes soldered on to PV cells instead of bus bars. GTAT will produce and sell customized copper meshes to customers, and expects to reach a production capacity of 100 MW annually by the end of 2014. In early 2015, it will begin to offer a wire attachment tool to customers, which will replace the tabbing stringer. Orders may be taken in last quarter of 2014, so in 2015, solar PV module makers will be able to work with this new technology to replace silver bus bars with a customizable copper mesh, reducing silver usage, increasing power output, and allowing lighter modules to be transported and installed.

GT Advanced Technologies Inc. is a global provider of polysilicon production technology and sapphire and silicon crystalline growth systems and materials for the global solar, LED, and other electronics industries and specialty markets. The company’s products and services accelerate the adoption of new advanced materials that improve performance and lower the cost of manufacturing. For additional information about GT Advanced Technologies, please visit www.gtat.com.

~have a bright and sunny day~

Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker

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