October is Energy Awareness Month and the United States Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program. Look for ways to save energy which saves you money. Other benefits include a cleaner environment, more resources for future use, and less dependence on foreign resources.
The United States Department of Energy is seeking bids for a 5-15 kilowatt photovoltaic system for the White House. It is hoped the system will produce about 20 megawatts a year to supply power to the facility. "This project reflects President Obama's strong commitment to U.S. leadership in solar energy and the jobs it will create here at home," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. "Deploying solar-energy technologies across the country will help America lead the global economy for years to come."
During George W. Bush's term solar panels were installed to power the White House pool heater and a maintenance building. In the late 1970s, Jimmy Carter had a solar water heating system installed that the next president Ronald Reagan had removed.
President Obama discusses clean energy in the United States. An energy policy that lessens America's dependence on foreign energy sources. The president talks about a company called BrightSource building the largest solar thermal power production plant of its kind in the Mojave Desert of California (near Ivanpah Dry Lake in San Bernardino County). The project will employee around 1,000 people and provide power to 140,000 homes. The plant is slated to produce 370 megawatts. BrightSource currently has about 200 employees mostly in Israel. It has received 1.37 billion dollars in conditional loan guarantee from the United States Department of Energy.
This plant is one of four large plants approved by the California Energy Commission with five more pending approval. If all are brought on-line, 4.3 gigawatts will be generated.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has posted an audio file of the sound of the sun. The SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft detected changing light waves emitted by the sun using a dopplergraph. The spacecraft was created jointly by ESA and NASA. The sound file was created by the SOHO/MDI (Michelson Doppler Imager) Consortium.
After listening to it with the Windows Media Player with the visualization set for scope, it sounds like a tone from a tone generator. The waveforms look very clean.
A good turnout for the Louisville Solar Tour on Saturday. Thanks to all who visited our local solar-powered homes to learn how photovoltaic (PV) panels and solar hot water systems can help cut electricity bills and reduce reliance on carbon-based sources of energy. It has been estimated that, within the next 5 to 6 years, 11 million homes across the United States will be solar-powered.
Thanks to everyone who helped put on the Louisville solar events as well those who attended the festivities.
Congratulations to the Green Club of Seneca High School of Louisville, Kentucky for winning the Louisville Solar Week 2010 Solar Oven Challenge. They obtained a temperature of 175 degrees F (79 C). This accomplishment they earned $100. They also won the kiloWatt Challenge of producing the most power from a dynamo driven by a bicycle. Again they won another $100.
The environmental club team from DuPont Manual High School were runners-up in both events.
This link provides the instructions on building a solar marshmallow roaster. Read the whole page and look at the picture of what a large fresnel lens can do to pennies in 3-4 seconds.
Inside of Solar Roaster Built September 2010 - Louisville, KY
This can be accomplished with the following materials: fresnel lens magnifier (like this one at amazon.com), cardboard box, coat hanger, aluminum foil, glue and tape.
On a partly cloudy day, this roaster got a marshmallow to 160 degrees F. In future tests hopefully it will get hotter.
Update: BE CAREFUL WITH SOLAR COOKERS!This one was left unattended and when checked on it a hole had burnt into the cardboard on the side leaving the aluminum foil exposed.
Story about a man in Kenya who employees people to take scrap metal and form it into pieces to create solar powered lanterns. The white LEDs, solar panel and rechargeable batteries are imported from China. Not quite sure how the lamps save lives or what price they are sold for. A guess would be they replace candles or oil lamps that could start fires. Another question is how long do the batteries last? Is there a plan to replace the batteries? If they could put more people to work manufacturing batteries that would be impressive.
Doing a Google search on "louisville solar power" a web site called solar power rocks.com was on the first page of results. Nice colorful graphics with some humor thrown in. The September 1, 2010 entry shows a report card entitled "2010 Solar Incentive Summary Grades By State". Kentucky was given an F and Indiana a D.
I dispute the grade for Indiana and think it should be at least a C. The grades listed for Indiana are D, A, C, and A. So that would 1.0 + 4.0 + 2.0 + 4.0 = 11.0 /4 = 2.75 GPA. This value could be argued to be a C+.
Looking at The Courier-Journal's sales circular in Sunday's paper (09/13/2010), they had a page from Harbor Freight Tools. One item listed in particular seemed like a good deal, a 45 Watt Solar Panel Kit (12 volt battery & power inverter not included) for $149.99. It lists the manufacturer as Chicago Electric Power Systems. An earlier post on this blog about a video on YouTube spotlighting this system can be found here.
There are about 50 comments from customers who bought the system so make sure to read them to get an idea about the limitations of the panels and value.
Interestingly, item #11 talked about in the report is Aluminum foil (heavy duty). The material specifically reviewed is Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil. On page 7 of the report, this foils connection to Louisville, Kentucky is described. U.S. Foil Company was found in Louisville in 1919. The company would be the parent to Reynolds Metals Company. Rolled aluminum foil used as packaging was developed in 1926. The foil used today is of 8111 alloy aluminum (98.5% content) with silicon and iron added for strength.
Aluminum foil is the most popular material used for solar cookers due to its low cost and availability. It does have issues in being fragile being so thin and can develop a aluminum oxide film when exposed to moisture. Holes can form in the foil as well when exposed to acidic or salted foods.
Learn more about solar cookers and their research at this web site.
This video on YouTube has a homeowner describing how he installed a Harbor Freight Solar System. In the video he says the system has been used for more than a year to power two lights in the house. Looking at the Harbor Freight web site they have a solar panel kit for $200 that looks similar to what he is using. A person still needs to get a battery and power inverter.
If I got one of these I think I would try using a DC-DC (direct current) converter to power the computer router/Internet/battery chargers from the DC battery since all these devices use DC instead of AC (alternating current). Also try to find LED lights that use DC instead of converting AC.
Article on the Courier Journal website entitled "Solar panels go up at Ky. elementary school" tells of howRichardsville Elementary School of Bowling Green, Kentucky is becoming a "net-zero" building. They have begun installing 2,700 photovoltaic panels as part of a $2.4 million project. These panels will provide electricity to the school and if there is a surplus back to the power grid to be used for needs in the surrounding area. Other energy saving measures are heavy insulation used in the building and a geothermal cooling/heating system.
The project is being done by Morton Solar and Wind and Advanced Electrical Systems. It is estimated on a sunny day the panels can produce 2.5 megawatts of electricity an hour or enough to power 50 homes. If that quote is right the average home uses 50 kilowatt (I am guessing a day)?
This YouTube video documents a person making a solar cell using copper sheets, a oven, and some salt water. It produces very little electricity and as the author points out the power used to create the cell would take 48,000,000 hours for the cell to regenerate! Learn more at the author's web site: rimstar.org
Here is another video made by a group of students at the University of Notre Dame doing something very similar.
Check out a video by University of Louisville's Justin Mog describing a program to help people get more exercise, free up parking spaces, and probably save money by cycling or using public transportation.
Justin's solar home is will be site #4 on this year's Louisville Solar Tour 2010.
Looking at an insert in this month's LG&E bill, customers are offered an opportunity to buy renewable energy for the Kentucky grid. Going to the web site http://eon-us.com/green one can find out more about this program. It appears the energy is obtained from wind power generated in Indiana and low-impact hydro in Kentucky. Green power is defined on the site as being generated by low impact hydro power, landfill gas, wind, biomass, and solar power.
The flier goes on to state that the program is certified by a non-profit (www.green-e.org). One should study this site and its parent organization CRS (center for resource solutions).
The cheapest way to help the environment and your pocketbook is finding ways to cut energy usage waste and trying to use less in ones daily living.
An interesting blog to read about finances is called Boston Gal's Open Wallet. Daily this anonymous blogger reveals things she and others do to improve their net worth or finances. One big item she embarked on was having solar panels installed on her house 2 years ago. She recently posted her analysis of how the project has fared. It is a nice posting with spreadsheet data comparing electricity consumption and billing the last 4 years. She also graphs it so you can see the big savings in the summer and not so much in the winter.
With the rebates her system costs about $7,000 with an anticipated payoff in 14 years.
I like this report which appears to be pretty realistic. Remember though her heating appliances are gas which are not really helped by the solar system. Of course, she is also supplying electricity to a renter so conservation measures are probably negated somewhat by that fact. Plus her geological location is not the most ideal for solar energy.
The Kentucky Derby is almost upon us and a side benefit is attracting world class researchers to visit. One will be giving a presentation on May 3rd, 2010 about using solar energy to break down water into hydrogen (solar electrolysis). Once you have hydrogen, I assume it can be used in a fuel cell or burned to create heat.
Read more in this April 26, 2010 press release from the University of Louisville.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A chemist whose renewable energy research landed him in Time magazine’s Time 100 list last year will discuss “The Global Energy Challenge” May 3 at the University of Louisville.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology chemist and energy researcher Daniel Nocera will give the free, public talk at 1:30 p.m. in Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium.
His more scientifically oriented talk, “The Chemistry Behind Personalized Energy for 1 (x 6 Billion),” will begin at 1:30 p.m. May 4 in Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium.
UofL’s Chemistry Graduate Student Association sponsors the annual distinguished lecturer series.
Nocera is the Henry Dreyfus professor of energy and professor of chemistry at MIT, where his research group works on renewable energy at the molecular level. Adapting plant photosynthesis as a model, he is using sunlight to split water molecules in an effort to make hydrogen fuel and is trying to create from inexpensive materials a catalyst that works under common conditions.
The scientist has received the American Institute of Chemists Award and the Eni-Italgas Prize for Energy and the Environment for his work and has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Besides the Time magazine 2009 salute as a scientist among “the people who most affect our world,” Nocera and his research on energy conversion have been featured on nationally broadcast programs such as ABC’s “Nightline” and PBS’ “NOVA.”
For more information, contact Ricky Woofter at 502-852-3578 or ricky.woofter@louisville.edu
Upcoming Trainings on Solar Energy & Home Energy Efficiency
Scholarships available to Eastern Kentucky residents!
Residential Energy Assessments For Contractors, Remodelers, & Homeowners May 13—14, 2010 Mount Vernon, KY 8:30 am—5:00 pm each day
Fee: $225
Learn the essentials of home energy use and conservation; how to perform a detailed home energy assessment; how to identify major energy consumers in the home; strategies and best practices for reducing energy use & emissions; how to estimate energy savings; preparing detailed assessment reports. This workshop will address energy use for heating & cooling, water heating, lighting, appliances, and electronics.
Introduction to Solar Water Heating Systems June 2—3, 2010 Mount Vernon, KY 8:30 am—5:00 pm each day
Fee: $225
This workshop provides a comprehensive introduction to solar water heating systems, focusing on the two freeze-protected system types suitable for year-round use in Kentucky, pressurized glycol and drainback systems.
Instructor: Bill Guiney, Johnson Controls, Inc.
To learn more and to register, visit: http://kysolar.org/news?news_uid=13&group_id=0
Creating a Successful Solar or Energy Conservation Business June 4, 2010 Mount Vernon, KY 9:00 am—5:00 pm
Fee: $115
This workshop is directed towards small businesses working in the expanding “clean energy” sector – solar and other renewable energies, energy efficiency, conservation, and green building. The workshop will present successful business management and marketing strategies that can help small businesses establish a strong foundation for long-term success.
Bill Guiney of Johnson Controls, Inc. will speak from 30 years of experience in the solar industry about the fundamentals of managing a solar energy business, successful marketing strategies, and lessons he’s learned over the years. Bill Schutters of MACED will present “Guerilla Marketing Tactics for the Entrepreneur” and “Elements of Entrepreneurship,” discussing characteristics of small businesses that are outside traditional business management.
These workshops are presented by Appalachia – Science in the Public Interest and the Kentucky Solar Partnership as part of our Sustainable Energy Training Series. Visit www.kysolar.org to learn more about this series and our other work.
Sponsors: MACED – Mountain Association for Community Economic Development Johnson Controls, Inc. Franklin County Cooperative Extension Service Christian Appalachian Project Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research at U of L Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence
The Louisville Zoo had their annual Earth Day event on April 25, 2010 from 10 AM till 2 PM. I believe it was sponsored by E.on. It was a somewhat sunny and windy day that luckily was clear of rain till after 2 PM.
Two solar exhibitors were present that do installations locally. The larger set up belonged to SunWind Power Systems, Inc. They were kind enough to let me take pictures of their solar panels. They list a range of services in their brochure from solar electric system installations, solar thermal water and spacing heating installations, solar swimming pool heating, tubular skylights, solar attic fans, wind turbine generators, and solar thermal ice melt systems. Very nice people and had some interesting solar demonstrations. Contact them at 502-876-5174 or SunWindPowerinc.com They were sponsors and also installed the system at Kentucky Interfaith Power and Light which was on the Louisville Solar Tour 2009.
Also visited with another solar installer, Avery and Sun - Solar Installations. The company is run by Sam Avery of Louisville, Kentucky. He installed the Dr. Donald Feeney's home site in August 2008 that was on the 2009 Louisville Solar Tour. He can be reached at AveryandSun@gmail.com or www.AveryandSun.com
Louisville has an interesting partnership between Louisville Metro Government, University of Louisville, and Jefferson County Public Schools that formed in August 2004. Through a coordinated effort, the organizations would help make Louisville a greener place thus improving health and well-being of its citizens.
Starting April 22, 2010, Kentucky residents on a first come first serve basis could be eligible to receive a rebate for replacing an existing appliance with a qualifying ENERGY STAR appliance. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides $4,096,000 for this program in Kentucky. The rebate amount varies depending on the appliance (e.g. heat pumps, washers, furnaces, refrigerators, air conditioners, and water heaters). Residents installing an ENERGY STAR solar water heater that back ups an electric or gas one qualify for a $400 rebate.
A Courier-Journal article entitled "Ecologically friendly building teaches about saving energy" by Charlie White in the March 31, 2010 paper describes green power used at Ramsey Middle School. The school is housed in a 2 story, 130,000 square foot building located on Gelhaus Lane off Billtown Road. Its windmill is hard to miss if you are getting on or off the Gene Synder Freeway at Billtown.
The school has 12 solar panels on the roof that heat at least 5 water tanks (shown in picture with article) and a wind turbine mounted 40 feet up. One class has window tubes called "Solatubes" that stream sunlight into the room to cut down on electric lighting use.
On Solarbuzz.com (March 24, 2010), there is a story entitled, Auburn’s Wastewater Treatment Plant to be 100% Solar Powered.
It reports the following:
Auburn, California will use solar power to provide 100% of the electricity for its wastewater treatment plant. Auburn’s Pacific Power Management (PPM) will install the 680 kilowatt system, consisting of over 3,300 solar panels.
The city of Auburn will face no upfront cost for the solar installation and will instead pay PPM for the power it uses, in accordance with a 20-year contract. Director of Public Works Jack Warren stated, “The project will be one of the largest solar facilities in the area and should save the city money.”
The city council’s decision to approve the contract with PPM was unanimous. Councilman Kevin Hanley said, “I think it’s a triple win for the city, the tax payer, the environment and the local contractor.”
The Montrose Daily Press (March 26, 2010) has an article entitled New design to spawn cheaper solar energy, 300 Montrose jobs by Kati O’Hare.
It reports the following:
A Colorado company called Aquasoladyne has developed a promising new concentrating photovoltaics (CPV) system. Its newly patented design requires less material to manufacture and operates more efficiently than current systems.
Aquasoladyne President Douglas Kiesewetter stated, “We think in two years, we can make solar cheaper than utility power without government subsidies.”
In addition, the company plans to create 300 local jobs. Kiesewetter said, “We want to manufacture as much here as we can.” He added, “My goal also has been to create high-quality jobs because I think a lot of people are underemployed.” To read the article, go to http://www.montrosepress.com/articles/2010/03/27/news/doc4bac2470879d6748228948.txt
On foxbusiness.com (March 25, 2010), there is a Dow Jones Newswires article entitled, Sempra Generation Unit Eyes 800 MW Of Solar In Ariz, Calif by Cassandra Sweet.
It reports the following:
Sempra Energy is considering a major solar energy project with the potential to generate 600 megawatts (MW) of electricity in Arizona and 200 MW in an area near Los Angeles.
Specifically, the company’s merchant generation unit is looking at tapping solar energy in California’s Tehachapi Valley and near Phoenix, Arizona.
Western states, such as California and Arizona, have renewable energy requirements for utilities. Jeff Martin, president of Sempra Generation, mentioned the possibility of surpassing those minimum requirements under the right circumstances.
In Sunday's Courier-Journal (March 28, 2010) there was an article entitled "Chevron puts solar technology to the test" by Tiffany Hsu of the Los Angeles Times. The article talks about how the oil company Chevron will convert an old refinery into a solar energy testbed. The eight acre site will become home to over 7,000 solar panels from a variety of different manufacturers.
Since 1992, Chevron has been using hydrogen fuel cells and photovoltaic energy sources to cut its dependence on traditional power generation by one-third. The company estimates it has saved about 3 billion dollars. Of the money saved, Chevron is planning on spending $2 billion on renewable power over the next several years.
Currently, Chevron has launched Project Brightfield to test the usability and efficiency of solar panels from these companies: Sharp, Abound Solar, Schuco, Solar Frontier Limited, Solibro, MiaSole, and Innovalight. The electricity from the panels estimated to amount to 740 kW will power Kern River oil field facility. The project is to last three years helping Chevron evaluate the different panels.
According to a Reuters article entitled "BP Solar Closes Its Maryland Manufacturing Plant" by Dana Ford, a solar cell plant has been shut down in the United States. The Frederick, Maryland plant was closed on Friday, March 26, 2010. About 320 jobs were eliminated leaving R&D, sales, marketing, and project positions. BP Solar estimates they have approximate one gigawatt of installed solar systems.
The AP had a story on this was well by David Dishneau who mentions the manufacturing facility was created in the 1970s by the company Solarex. It was later owned by Amoco with a 50% stake controlled by Enron. BP Solar acquired both stakes to become sole owner of the plant.
So much for these "green" manufacturing jobs for the United States.
Here is an article about two participants in the 2009 Louisville Solar Tour, Dr. Don Feeney, Jr. and Tim Darst. Readers should check out this article and its coverage of a number of alternative energy sites around the Louisville, Kentucky and southern Indiana area.
The New York Times has an informative article about "green" jobs being moved or created in China by American companies. See "China Drawing High-Tech Research From U.S." by Keith Bradsher from March 17, 2010.
Of course how so the United States compete when companies can find engineers with master's degrees for about $700 a month. The company highlighted in the story is Applied Materials, maker of the equipment that produces computer displays, semiconductors and solar panels.
After reading some of the comments on the New York Times website, I was surprised by some the well thought out posts. The one post made an interesting observation about the focus of where American public, "it's technology that makes or breaks a nation not financial gimmicks..."
The University of Louisville documented on the Internet how they installed a solar hot water heating system at Burhans Hall on the Shelby Campus in 2009. It was partially funded with money from the Kentucky Instutite for the Environment and Sustainable Development (KIESD).
Read more and see pictures of the installation at this webpage.
Sign-up for the Kentucky Resource Center for Environmental Sustainability here.
Saturday, March 13, 2010 was the 46th Annual Louisville Regional Science Fairs allowing area middle and high school students to demonstrate their scientific prowess. Congratulations to all the students who entered and hopefully the experience will lead to rewarding careers.
Here is a video from the overall winner of the 2010 Intel Science Talent Search talking about improved methods for navigating the solar system.
Louisville Science Fairs list condensed from the one published on the Courier Journal website.
Of particular interest are the students who created solar related exhibits:
1st Place Senior Division Physical Sciences Megan Mercer 11 Ballard High School A New Solar Energy Material Search Strategy
3rd Place Junior Division Physical Sciences Teddy Kamer 7 St. Francis of Assisi School Generating Electricity from Temperature Differentials in Metals
Engineering: Electrical & Mechanical Senior 2nd Jaclyn Ochsner 10 Assumption High School Which type of liquid running through a solar collector will capture and transfer the most heat?
Engineering: Materials & Bioengineering Senior 1st Hannah Maddox 10 Ballard High School How Safe Are your Shades?
Energy & Transportation Senior 2nd Kevin Brand 10 Ballard High School Solar Absorption of Different Colored Light
Energy & Transportation Senior 3rd Daniel Chon 9 Ballard High School Making Wind Generators Exceedingly Efficient
Microbiology Junior 3rd Induja Nimma 8 Meyzeek Middle School Water Disinfection with Solar Energy
Energy & Transportation Junior 1st Arjun Agarwal 6 Meyzeek Middle School Renewable Solar Energy Question: Does a Magnifying Glass Improve Solar Panel Output?
Energy & Transportation Junior 2nd Sarah Asseff 8 Newburg Middle School Solar Water Heater Operation in Cold Weather: A Continuation
Image World Nature by Danilo Rizzuti www.freedigitalphotos.net
After reading the informative New York Times article, "Solar Industry Learns Lessons in Spanish Sun" by Elisabeth Rosenthal on March 8, 2010, it provides a story of how government incentives can run amok.
With well-meaning intent, the Spanish government subsidized solar generated electricity to 58 cents a kilowatt hour. This subsidy was the highest in the world in 2007 and caused a solar energy production boom. The coal producing area around Puertollano, Spain was a primary beneficiary with 20% unemployment dropping to below 10% with solar industry setting up shop there.
Energy production reached 400 megawatts by 2007 and 2500 megawatts in 2008. The energy output was great but for the fact that inefficient plants were being kept operating by Spanish government money. So now the government is adjusting the money paid to 39 cents per kilowatt for plant produced electricity and a different rate for rooftop panels.
This rate change caused solar panel manufacturing plants and production facilities to close. The article does not list what the 2009 solar electricity production values.
Lessons for the United States, be careful how subsidies are set and do allow the production/capacity to grow too fast.
This blog is intended to highlight solar energy production/uses and compliment the Louisville Solar Tour and Week.
The Louisville Solar Tour and Week are events that will educate and encourage the citizens around the Louisville, Kentucky area about alternative forms of energy generation. Since 2007, the Louisville Solar Tour has existed to help people see the variety of solar installations in the Louisville vicinity. This event is part of the world's largest grassroots solar event called the ASES National Solar Tour.
