It’s not sci-fi, it’s not fantasy, it’s not a story out of The Lorax….it’s really happening!
Just a quick report interrupting our series on solar vehicles: according to this week’s Sydney Morning Herald, a Chinese philanthropist/multi-millionaire (worth more than $740 million already) Chen Guangbiao has begun selling “fresh air in soft drink cans” for about 5 Chinese Yuan ($0.80) a pop. Below is a video clip about this “fresh canned air”:
Fresh Air cans sold by Chinese multimillionaire Chen Guangbiao
These canned air comes in a variety of flavors, including “pristine Tibet” and “post-industrial Taiwan”. According to a Huffington Post translation of an earlier report in the Chinese language Beijing Youth Daily, Chen has been selling his canned air since September, 2012, with more than $800 worth of canned air being sold in Beijing on the very first day. Even though Chen is very serious about the potential profitability of his canned air products, he has stressed that this air venture is also to call attention to a critical issue facing China. This week the Guardian reported that Beijing’s air pollution is “again at danger levels” and residents have been advised to stay indoors as much as they can. Chen has pulled other publicity stunts in the past to highlight the dire state of China’s air quality, such as using a hammer to smash up a number of electric scooters (with lead acid batteries) in protest of lead contamination and bring awareness to pollution.
I’d like to remind Philanthropist Chen, that the way to solve China’s pollution problem is through renewable energy such as Solar Energy! We encourage all Chinese to direct their attention to renewable/solar energy, away from fossil fuel or Diaoyu Island.
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your suggestions/comments/questions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
(Please click on red links below for more information).
If you’ve been following Sun Is The Future since 2011, you may remember the two posts on Solar Impulse that I wrote about on July 14, 2011: Solar Impulse HB-SIA-Solar Plane (1) and Solar Impulse-SIA-Solar Plane (2). For those of you visiting Sun Is The Future for the first time, here are some information provided by wikipedia, below:
This aircraft first flew an entirediurnal solar cycle, including nearly nine hours of night flying, in a 26-hour flight on July 7-8, 2010. In 2012, Piccard and Borschberg conducted successful solar flights from Switzerland toSpainandMorocco. In 2013, plans call for a flight fromCaliforniatoVirginia. Building on the experience of this prototype, a slightly larger follow-on design (HB-SIB) is planned to make a circumnavigation of the globe in 20–25 days. This flight was initially planned for 2014, but following a structural failure of the aircraft’s main spar during static testing, a more likely date is 2015.
Piccard initiated the Solar Impulse project in 2003. By 2009, he had assembled a multi-disciplinary team of 50 specialists from six countries, assisted by about 100 outside advisers. The project is financed by a number of private companies. The four main partners areDeutsche Bank, Omega SA, Solvay, andSchindler. Other partners includeBayer MaterialScience,AltranandSwisscom. Other supporters includeClarins, Semper, Toyota, BKW and STG. TheEPFL, theEuropean Space Agency(ESA) andDassaulthave provided additional technical expertise, whileSunPowerprovided the aircraft’s photovoltaic cells.
With a non-pressurized cockpit and a limited flight ceiling, the HB-SIA is primarily a demonstrator design. The plane has a similar wingspan to the Airbus A340 airliner. Under the wing are fournacelles, each with a set oflithium polymer batteries, a 10 hp (7.5 kW) motor and a twin-bladed propeller. To keep the wing as light as possible, a customisedcarbon fibrehoneycomb sandwich structure is used. 11,628photovoltaic cellson the upper wing surface and the horizontal stabilizer generate electricity during the day. These both propel the plane and charge its batteries to allow flight at night, theoretically enabling the single-seat plane to stay in the air indefinitely. The first manned flight overnight lasted about 26 hours in July of 2010.
The aircraft’s major design constraint is the capacity of the lithium polymer batteries. Over an ideal 24-hour cycle, the motors will deliver a combined average of about 8 hp (6 kW), roughly the power used by the Wright brothers‘ pioneering Flyer in 1903. As well as the charge stored in its batteries, the aircraft uses the potential energy of height gained during the day to power its night flights.
On June 26, 2009, theSolar Impulsewas first presented to the public inDübendorf, Switzerland. Following taxi testing, a short-hop test flight was made on December 3, 2009, piloted byMarkus Scherdel.
On April 7, 2010, the HB-SIA conducted an extended 87-minute test flight, piloted by Markus Scherdel. This flight reached an altitude of 1,200 m (3,937 ft).
On May 28, 2012, the aircraft made its first flight powered entirely by solar energy, charging its batteries in flight. On July 8, 2010. the HB-SIA achieved the world’s first manned 26-hour solar powered flight. The airplane was flown by Andre Borschberg, and took off at 6:51 a.m.Central European Summer Time (UTC+2) on July 7 from an airfield inPayerne,Switzerland. It returned for a landing the following morning at 9:00 a.m. local time. During the flight, the plane reached a maximum altitude of 8,700 m (28,500 ft). At the time, the flight was the longest and highest ever flown by a manned solar-powered aircraft; these records were officially recognized by theFederation Aeronoautique Internationale (FAI) in October, 2010. On May 13, 2011, at approximately 21:30 local time, HB-SIA landed at Brussels Airport,
Solar Impulse aircraft at Brussels Airport in May of 2011
after completing a 13-hour flight from its home base in Switzerland. It was the first international flight by the Solar Impulse, which flew at an average altitude of 6,000 ft (1,829 m) for a distance of 630 km (391 mi), with an average speed of 50 km/h (31 mph). The aircraft’s slow cruising speed required operating at a mid-altitude, allowing much faster air traffic to be routed around it. The aircraft was piloted by Andre Borschberg. The project’s other co-founder, Bertrand Piccard, said in an interview after the landing: “Our goal is to create a revolution in the minds of people…to promote solar energies — not necessarily a revolution in aviation.“ A second international flight to the Paris Air Show was attempted on June 12, 2011, but the plane turned back half-way and landed back in Brussels, where it had taken off, due to adverse weather conditions. In a second attempt on June 14, André Borschberg successfully landed the aircraft at Paris’ Le Bourget Airport at 9:15 pm after a 16-hour flight.
On June 5, 2012, the Solar Impulse successfully completed its first intercontinental flight, flying a 19-hour trip from Madrid, Spain, to Rabat, Morocco. During the first leg of the flight from Payerne, Switzerland, to Madrid, the aircraft broke several further records for solar flight, including the longest solar-powered flight between pre-declared waypoints (1,099.3 km (683 mi)) and along a course (1,116 km (693 mi)). Below is a video clip of CBS News 60 Minutes on Solar Impulse in December of 2012:
Construction of the second Solar Impulse aircraft, carrying the Swiss registration HB-SIB, started in 2011. It will feature a larger, pressurized cockpit and advancedavionics to allow for transcontinental and trans-oceanic flights. Supplemental oxygen and various other environmental support systems will allow the pilot to cruise at an altitude of 12,000 meters (39,000 ft). The wingspan of HB-SIB will be 80.0 m (262.5 ft), slightly wider than an Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger airliner,but unlike the 500-ton A380, the carbon-fibre Solar Impulse will weigh little more than an average automobile. Completion was planned for 2013, with a circumnavigation of the globe in 20–25 days in 2014. However, following a structural failure of the main spar during static tests, a more likely date for the circumnavigation is 2015. The flight would circle the world in the northern hemisphere, near the equator. Five stops are planned to allow changes of pilots. Each leg of the flight will last three to four days, limited by the physiology of each pilot. Once improved battery efficiency makes it possible to reduce the aircraft’s weight, a two-seater is envisaged to make a non-stop circumnavigation.
Gathered and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your comments/suggestions/questions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
As I’ve promised in the previous post, today’s post is about the successful completion of a mission by Nanosail-D2, a mini-satellite with a solar sail that orbited the Earth for 240 days before performing a controlled reentry and burnout. NanoSail-D2
NanoSail-D2 in orbit (artist depiction), creative commons
is a small satellite built by NASA‘s Marshall Space Flight Center and Ames Research Center to study the deployment of a solar sail in space. It is a three-unit CubeSat measuring 30 by 10 by 10 centimeters (12 × 3.9 × 3.9 inches), with a mass of 4 kilograms (8.8 lb). Its solar sail has an area of 10 square meters (110 sq ft), and was deployed in around five seconds. It was planned to be deployed from the FASTSAT satellite around December 3, 2010, two weeks after launch. The satellite did not eject at that time, but on January 17, 2011, it ejected on its own and deployed its sail three days later on the 20th. The beacon signal began transmitting after ejection and was first received on the afternoon of January 19, 2011.
To generate publicity and to encourage observations while the sail is still in orbit, NASA and Spaceweather.com have announced a photography competition with a grand prize of $500 to capture images of the solar sail in orbit. On September 17, 2011, the solar sail re-entered the atmosphere, though this was only announced on November 29, 2011
(Please click on red links for more information, below)
Today’s post will be on a solar propelled vehicle of a different kind….one that is not of the land nor sea, but of the space. As Carl Sagan had once said, “We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean, we are ready at last, to set sails for the stars.” With the help of solar sail, a Russian nuclear submarine fired an ICBM, converted from a weapon of mass destruction into a launch vehicle for peaceful scientific exploration, into Earth orbit. It was the first test of a revolutionary method of travel that could some day take us to the stars. Cosmos-1 was the world’s first solar sail spacecraft, using the pressure from sunlight to propel spacecraft between planets without fuel, launched into space at 15:46:09 EDT (19:46:09 UTC) on June 21, 2005. The Planetary Society (a global membership organization and Earth’s largest space interest group) and Cosmos Studio (a venture in science-based entertainment that seeks to inspire and uplift, have cooperatively created this privately funded space mission. The goal was to capture the world’s imagination and spur its governments to work together, to initiate a new golden age of exploration. The Babakin Space Center and Space Research Institute in Russia developed the spacecraft under the direction of a team of American scientists and engineers led by The Planetary Society.
Had the mission been successful, it would have been the first ever orbital use of a solar sail to speed up a spacecraft.
An artist’s rendering of Cosmos 1 orbiting the Earth, creative commons
This privately funded spacecraft, aimed to demonstrate solar sailing for the first time, appeared to have been lost in space and the ground controllers have failed to make contact with the craft the day after its launch. But it was possible that it might have reached orbit and for some reason remained silent.
Cosmos-1, launched from the Barents Sea on a Volna rocket. The huge, reflective sail should have deployed in an 800 km orbit. The project budget was US $4 million. The Planetary Society planned to raise another $4 million for Cosmos 2, a reimplementation of the experiment provisionally to be launched on a Soyuz resupply mission to the International Space Station. The Discovery Channel was an early investor. However, advances in technology and the greater availability of lower mass piggyback slots on more launch vehicles led to a redesign similar to NanoSail-D, called LightSail-1, announced in November 2009.
Let’s take a look at the COSMOS-1, The World’s First Solar Sail Spacecraft, below:
NanoSail-D and Cosmos 2 could profoundly affect the future of science and exploration missions. Solar sailing is the only means known to achieve practical interstellar flight, so let’s hope that each future effort would be the stepping stone that will lead us closer to sailing among the stars. More on solar sailing will be coming in future posts.
Once again, I’d like to point out the proclivity of solar projects to take us from time of destruction to time of peace and expansion, as Cosmos-1 had done for us.
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered, writtened, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your comments/suggestions/questions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Before continuing on the next part of our series on solar vehicles, I just want to quickly share an article/paper, responding to a question asked by a professor at the UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, Professor Roland Geyer‘s,
“The energy source for biofuels is the sun, through photosynthesis. The energy source for solar power is also the sun. Which is better?”
Environ Sci Technol. 2013 Jan 15;47(2):1170-6. doi: 10.1021/es302959h. Epub 2013 Jan 3.
Spatially-Explicit Life Cycle Assessment of Sun-to-Wheels Transportation Pathways in the U.S.
Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California , Santa Barbara, California 93106-5131, United States.
Abstract
Growth in biofuel production, which is meant to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fossil energy demand, is increasingly seen as a threat to food supply and natural habitats. Using photovoltaics (PV) to directly convert solar radiation into electricity for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is an alternative to photosynthesis, which suffers from a very low energy conversion efficiency. Assessments need to be spatially explicit, since solar insolation and crop yields vary widely between locations. This paper therefore compares direct land use, life cycle GHG emissions and fossil fuel requirements of five different sun-to-wheels conversion pathways for every county in the contiguous U.S.: Ethanol from corn or switchgrass for internal combustion vehicles (ICVs), electricity from corn or switchgrass for BEVs, and PV electricity for BEVs. Even the most land-use efficient biomass-based pathway (i.e., switchgrass bioelectricity in U.S. counties with hypothetical crop yields of over 24 tonnes/ha) requires 29 times more land than the PV-based alternative in the same locations. PV BEV systems also have the lowest life cycle GHG emissions throughout the U.S. and the lowest fossil fuel inputs, except for locations with hypothetical switchgrass yields of 16 or more tonnes/ha. Including indirect land use effects further strengthens the case for PV.
The paper shows that PV cells are far more efficient than biofuels at powering a vehicle by energy from the sun.
“What it says to me is that by continuing to throw money into biofuels, we’re barking up the wrong tree. That’s because of a fundamental constraint, which is the relative inefficiency of photosynthesis. And we can’t say that right now biofuels aren’t so great but they’ll be better in five years. That fundamental problem for biofuels will not go away, while solar EVs will just continue to get more efficient and cheaper. If they’re already looking better than biofuels, in five years the gap will be even greater. A search for a silver bullet is under way through synthetic photosynthesis, but using genetic engineering to improve the efficiency of photosynthesis is a pipe dream. If there is a silver bullet in energy, I think it’s solar power.”
At this moment, please allow me to reshare the video below, the SolarWorld GT Team of Bochum (Germany) University of Applied Sciences, is the first solar-powered vehicle that has circumnavigated the world, started the trip in 2012 from Australia, after the World Solar Challenge:
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your comments/suggestions/questions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
In the upcoming posts, I will bring you a series of reports on solar propelled vehicles. Please allow me to start by showing you the Soliloquy, the super-green superyacht. This 190-foot (58 m) design, with 600 sq meters of solar surface coverage and a rigid wing rig of three solar sails (which can collect enough energy during 12 hours of sun to allow the Soliloquy to run fuel-free at nearly eight knots), developed by Alastair Callender, would be able to fully propel itself using a combination of solar, wind, and hybrid marine power technology from the Australian company Solar Sailor Holdings Ltd. and will produce virtually no carbon emissions. Some may even think it looks like a metamorphic alien mothership!
Be prepare to be mesmerized by this design that pushes the boundaries of both clean living and luxury yacht of the future:
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your comments/suggestions/questions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net
(Please click on red link below for more information)
Today, I’d like to back track a bit and take us through some historical background on the trials and tribulations of clean energy policy in USA. With sales growing 40% annually and costs falling rapidly, solar energy technology has emerged as a core technology in America’s transition into the clean energy economy. Solar energy brings opportunities in the form of new jobs, rapid technological development, and new challenges in land use, infrastructure, and the way we distribute and store energy.
Before I will show you a video clip provided by the U.S. House of Representatives, on the hearing entitled, “Solar Heats Up: Accelerating Widespread Deployment,” chaired by Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, with Witness List: Dr. Stephanie A. Burns, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dow Corning;Frank De Rosa, Chief Executive Officer, NextLight Renewable Power;Steve Kline, Vice President for Corporate Environmental and Federal Affairs, Pacific Gas and Electric;Ms. Nada Culver, Esq., Senior Counsel, The Wilderness Society;Dr. Gabriel Calzada, Economics Professor, King Juan Carlos University, I want you to be aware of an energy bill in the 111th United States Congress, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) (<–click for more details) that would have established a variant of an emissions trading plan similar to the European Union Emission Trading Scheme. This bill was approved by the House of Representatives on June 26, 2009 by a vote of 219-212, but was defeated in the Senate. This vote was the “first time either house of Congress had approved a bill meant to curb the heat-trapping gases scientists have linked to climate change.” It was also known as the Waxman-Markey Bill, after its authors, Representatives Henry A. Waxman of California and Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts;Waxman is the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Markey is the Chairman of that committee’s Energy and Power Subcommittee. Hearings on the draft of the legislation took place the week of April 20, 2009 and the bill was passed by the house on June 26, 2009. In July of 2010 it was reported that the Senate would not consider climate change legislation before the end of the legislative term. Without further ado, please allow me to present to you, “Solar Heats Up: Accelerating Widespread Deployment” below:
Fellow solar enthusiasts, there’s much work awaiting us !
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your comments/suggestions/questions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
I’ve recently received show news about PV America East that will be held in Philadelphia, PA , on February 5-7. 2013, in Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Below, is a video clip of an over-view of what PV America East may provide for you:
THREE POWER SESSIONS TO ADDRESS BUSINESS STRATEGIES AT
PV AMERICA EAST 2013 IN PHILADELPHIA
Brian F. Keane of SmartPower, Scott Klososky of Future Point of View and Glenn Thayer
Will Motivate Solar Energy Industry to Explore New Ways to Expand Business Opportunities
Washington DC, January 22, 2013 –PV America East 2013 kicks off on Tuesday, February 5 in Philadelphia with three PVA Power Sessions featuring influential speakers who will share insights on achieving business success in the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry. PV America East runs through Thursday, February 7 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia and brings together solar industry professionals from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions to explore the latest in solar photovoltaic (PV) products, services and technology. The show is presented by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA).
Three simultaneous Power Sessions take place on Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. and are open to all PVA attendees:
• Business Growth and Development: Marketing Sustainability for Growth and Profit – Brian F. Keane, president, SmartPower and author ofGreen Is Good: Save Money, Make Money, and Help Your Community Profit from Clean Energy • Insights from Top Solar Power Leadership: An Audience-Driven Discussion – Glenn Thayer moderates a discussion with Julia Hamm, president and CEO, Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) and Rhone Resch, president and CEO, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
• Leveraging Disruptive Innovation for Business Success – Scott Klososky, CEO, Future Point of View
“We have tapped the expertise of three respected speakers who will motivate PV America East attendees to analyze their strategies and inspire them to implement new ways to expand and grow their businesses,” said Hamm. “Brian Keane and Scott Klososky have outstanding reputations for generating new ideas and helping businesses succeed. With the solar energy industry undergoing a transformation, the show provides practical ways to manage through the transition.”
As author and president of Smart Power, a non-profit marketing firm dedicated to promoting clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency, Keane has a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities that solar energy faces in the consumer marketplace. He will address questions such as: “Why is it that 80 percent of Americans say they want solar power yet less than 3 percent actually buy it?” and “What will it take to effectively bring solar power into mainstream America?”
Klososky will discuss how to use new technology to find, sell and build relationships with customers in the perpetually changing landscape of the solar energy industry. He leads Future Point of View (FPOV), a thought-leading consulting and speaking firm specializing in helping clients understand and leverage emerging online technology trends.
“Julia and I are looking forward to sharing the stage with Glenn Thayer, who is known throughout the meeting industry as moderator extraordinaire,” said Resch. “The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions continue to drive the growth of PV in the U.S. and this Power Session is a great opportunity for us to engage with the people who are responsible for the rapid adoption of solar in this part of the country. We anticipate a lively interaction with the audience about the impact current trends in solar energy will have on their businesses.”
In addition to the three Power Sessions, PV America East 2013 offers a comprehensive conference program with 28 concurrent sessions and fourSolar Idea Swaps covering topics within six tracks: finance, policy, markets, innovations, working with utilities and solar multi-track. For the first time at PV America, the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) and Solar Energy International (SEI) are providing free PV technical training and resources for installers, salespeople and other solar energy professionals. The training takes place in booth 1301 which serves as the center for information on grid-tied systems (residential, commercial and utility), grid-tied with battery back-up systems, and stand-alone systems. The sessions are taught by subject matter experts and topics range from software to safety practices, maintenance and sales.
Elite PV America East 2013 sponsors include: ReneSola, Canadian Solar and Suntech.
# # #
About PV America East 2013 PV America East is presented by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)® and Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA)®, whose combined efforts have created a world-class, regionally focused and vertically integrated event for installers, designers and suppliers of photovoltaic (PV) technology and services. Unlike other PV conferences, all proceeds support the expansion of the U.S. solar energy market through SEIA’s and SEPA’s year-round research and education activities, as well as SEIA’s® advocacy efforts.
About SEIA® Established in 1974, the Solar Energy Industries Association is the national trade association of the U.S. solar energy industry. Through advocacy and education, SEIA and its 1,000 member companies are building a strong solar industry to power America. As the voice of the industry, SEIA works to make solar a mainstream and significant energy source by expanding markets, removing market barriers, strengthening the industry and educating the public on the benefits of solar energy. www.seia.org
About SEPA The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) is an educational non-profit dedicated to helping utilities integrate solar power into their energy portfolios for the benefit of the utility, its customers and the public good. With more than 1,000 utility and solar industry members, SEPA provides unbiased utility solar market intelligence, up-to-date information about technologies and business models, and peer-to-peer interaction. From hosting national events to utility strategies, SEPA helps utilities make smart solar decisions. For more information, visit www.solarelectricpower.org.
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your comments/questions/suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Time for me to share with you a really cool and innovative design, a machine that would print out solar panels ! In today’s post, I’d like to show you a Solar Pocket Factory (or microbrewery of panel production) designed by Shawn Frayne and Alex Hornstein. These two independent inventors have been bank rolled by strangers, launching their project by kickstarter (a funding platform for creative projects). With over $70,000 of backing from a successful Kickstarter campaign, they are working on refining the prototype, hoping to revolutionize how micro-solar productions will be done. Let’s take a look how this mini-factory will work (starting by feeding sheets of silicon into the module) in the video clip below:
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Your questions/suggestions/comments are always welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Another piece of wonderful news regarding Greece was revealed by The Greek Deputy Minister of Development, Competitiveness, Infrastructure, Transport and Networks, Notis Mitarakis, about a week ago during a press conference: a list of five photovoltaic projects that have been granted by the state, the “fast track” status. Once completed, these projects will have a total capacity of 724.162 MW. The “Fast Track” Greek photovoltaic projects are as follows:
ILIAKO VELOS ENA: Development of a 200 MW photovoltaic park at the Western Macedonia Lignite Centre, Municipality of Kozani. 500 million euros budget.
SPES SOLARIS-SOLAR CONCEPT photovoltaic Parks: Development of 39 photovoltaic parks of a 131.2 MW total installed capacity in various municipalities. 301.5 million euros budget.
SILSIO Photovoltaic Parks: Development of various photovoltaics parks around Greece of a 126.82 MW total installed capacity. 248.2 million euros budget.
SPES SOLARIS-SOLAR CONCEPT photovoltaic Parks: Development of 12 photovoltaic parks of a 166.142 MW total installed capacity. 332.284 million euros budget.
BRITE HELLAS: Development of a 100 MW Photovoltaic park at the Municipality of Drama, Northern Greece. 204 million euros budget.
For a project to be granted the “Fast Track” status it needs to satisfy certain features such as having a large budget, the creation of numerous jobs, and that it promotes innovation and protects the environment. Primarily fast track projects concern large scale investments which aim to capitalize on the strategic advantages that Greece can offer on the global map. Any investor applying for the fast track status is also eligible to apply for any or all the benefits available for his investment in the Greek Investment Incentives Law, which may include capital subsidy, tax shield, interest subsidies, etc. In essence, fast track is not a financing tool, it doesn’t provide money or subsidies. Fast Track facilitates speed, transparency and legal contractual certainty to investors who have a solid and tangible investment plan. Hurray for the Greek government for recognizing the fact that solar PV projects are different from traditional conventional energy where incoming fuel lines and various environmental impacts had historically required far more time and attention than that of solar projects. Currently, the biggest concern is the liquidity problem, according to Kostis Hatzidakis,
Kostis Hatzidakis, Greek Minister of Development, Competitiveness, Infrastructure, Transport and Networks
Minister of Development, Competitiveness, Infrastructure, Transport and Networks, “There are no projects excluded from the liquidity problem. The key is to complete the recapitalization of banks.” He further indicated that the Ministry has been trying to increase the liquidity in the market and this is the reason “we are now planning the Greek Investment Fund, which will provide financial and technical support in key areas like energy. Its funds will come from both Greek and international institutions.” We wish our friends in Greece the best with their solar PV projects.
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any comments/suggestions/questions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
