Yahoo Groups
14 Mar 08 | GeneralSeveral months ago, I was messing around on Yahoo! and found that there were several groups relating to solar energy, wind energy and so on. These groups post messages and exchange e-mails on ideas, questions, projects and the like. For someone who is just getting interested in solar energy, or someone looking to “Do it themselves” they are an excellent way to learn from people who are doing though open information sharing.
The Yahoo! groups that I belong to are:
- awea-wind-home. American Wind Energy Association, a great place to learn about wind power from the pros
- axialflux. This group is dedicated to making small axial flux wind turbines and using them. Good if you want to learn how to make your own well designed wind mill
- Biodiesel. Self explanatory
- microhydro. For those interested in small hydro electric generation projects
- homeenergysolutions. A good resource for renewable energy around the house, plus great ways to save energy by making conventional systems more efficient.
- SolarHeat. Solar thermal people talk about their heating projects.
There where also numerous PV groups, but I didn’t join any because it seemed like they were discussing old news.
One caveat, not everything that is published there is correct or the best was to do things. I have found that there are a few people that are attempting to sell snake oil. There are also a few well meaning people who don’t know what they are talking about. Generally speaking, however, the majority of contributors do know what they are talking about and are a valuable resource for somebody who want to do it themselves.
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Photovoltaic manufacturing starts in Kingston, NY
26 Feb 08 | GeneralMore good news on the local renewable energy manufacturing front. From Mid Hudson News Network:
A projected 400 jobs could be coming to Ulster County within five years with the signing of Prism Solar Technologies to the Solar Energy Consortium.
For everyone who believes that the way forward is to build better renewable energy systems, this is a very good thing. From their web site:
Prism Solar manufactures a new type of photovoltaic module that uses transparent holographic optical elements in its design. This innovative, patented holographic technology, collects and spectrally selects useful wavelengths from the sun and focuses them onto the cell to create electricity.
They look like this:
Damn, now you have to admit, that is cool. I’d put a big array of those on a couple of tracking mounts in my front yard and call it “Performance Art.” The basic explanation of how they work and why they are better than plain old ordinary PV panels is:
(By) increasing the optical efficiency increases the structures ability to trap more of the light by better controlling the angles that the light is diffracted within the laminate. Through this process, Prism Solar can tap the sunlight at its most advantageous point in the spectrum.
This allows for several innovations:
- Lower cost - uses fewer cells per watt of power.
- Reduces the amount of silicon required up to 85%.
- Transparent properties, can be used as skin on large skyscrapers without completely blocking light into building.
- Intelligent Passive Solar Concentrator (IPSC), uses both sides of PV cell.
More information is available on Prism Solar Technology Page.
When will this start happening? Soon. Soon…
They will start production soon at their current location at the Center for Innovation on Grant Avenue in the Town of Ulster. Plans are to eventually move to Tech City. Prism Solar CEO Rick Lewandoski said production will begin as soon as machinery is installed, and that could be within just a few weeks.
Lewandowski said positions from secretaries to engineers and scientists are already in the application process, and that employment figures in the county have already been affected by the joint venture.
Courtesy of Mid Hudson News Network.
Yes, I’ll take more technology, please.
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Tags: kingston ny, manufacturing, photovoltaics, pv panels, Technology
Solar Thermal Systems
21 Feb 08 | GeneralWhen you say solar, most people assume that you are talking about photovoltaics. Solar thermal systems have been around for longer than photovoltaics and have a proven track record of working well and paying back there costs many times over.
I install both types, and lately I have been receiving quit a few calls regarding solar thermal (i.e. solar hot water, or radiant floor heating) systems. I think this will continue as the price of energy goes up.
A solar thermal system move fluid through solar collectors, which collect heat. The fluid is then stored or used in the building. In reality, a solar thermal system is about plumbing. A Solar Domestic Hot Water (SDHW) system has three unique parts that other hot water systems or heating systems don’t have. The first is the solar collectors, the second is some type of heat exchanger and the third is some type of controller. As regarding the solar collectors, I believe that SDHW systems work best with flat plate collectors.
The flat plat collector design has been around for many years. Newer solar selective coatings have been created that increase the system efficiency. In addition to that, better insulation and better high transmisity glass have all improved on the flat plate collector design. Evacuated tubes run at higher temperatures and have problems with the seals between the glass tube and the copper pipe on the inputs and outputs of each tube.
The next unique thing in a solar system is the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger takes the hot fluid from the solar collector and cools it with the fluid from the solar hot water tank. This can be implemented in a number of ways. Some heat exchangers are part of the solar storage tank, some are a part of a drainback tank, and some are external. All heat exchangers are made of metal (stainless steel or copper) and use counter-flow properties to move the heat from one fluid reservoir to another.
Finally, the system controller, which measures the temperature of the collector outputs and the solar storage tank. If there is enough energy in the collectors to transfer to the storage tank, the controller turns the system on, which begins collecting energy.
Beyond that, a solar system is copper piping, valves, drains, hot water tanks, pumps, and other miscellaneous hardware which is all available at the local plumbing supply house.
Solar thermal systems that are designed for space heating are very similar to SDHW, only they are usually quit a bit larger with more storage.
In most cases, all solar thermal systems should have some way of operating in backup mode in case there is a long period of inclement weather. These back up systems entail some type of conventional heating system installed in parallel with the solar system. For example a SDHW system may have an electric tank or electric element in the solar tank designed to turn on if the water temperature gets too cool. A radiant floor heating system may have a small oil or gas fired backup furnace in standby duty.
A well designed solar system should be designed to produce about 80 to 85 percent of the energy needs. More than that and the system design will be too large, causing it to over produce and over heat under normal operating conditions. Less than that and you are leaving a good deal of money on the table, to be taken by the gas/oil companies.
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Tags: radiant floor heat, SDHW, Solar Hot Water, solar thermal
Renewable energy as an investment
31 Jan 08 | General, Solar Hot WaterWith interest rates dropping like a lead balloon as the Fed tries to shore up the economy, it may be enlightening to do a little research into the investment aspects of a renewable energy systems. Assuming that one owns their own home (or if a business, their own commercial building) and were planning to stay at that location for the next 5-10 years, what would the payback for a solar system be? How much of that would be in increased property values realized during a re-sale?
Dave, at the Solar Power Rocks blog, pointed out that for every $1.00 saved in annual energy costs, the value of a property increased by $20.73. This is from the Appraisal Journal, Evidence of Rational Market Values for Home Energy Efficiency.
Two years ago, I added insulation to the house and replaced four old single pane windows with energy star replacement windows. Our heating oil use went from 630 gallons per year to 450 gallons, for a savings of 180 gallons, or at today’s prices $650.00 per year. The total cost of the project was around $2,000.00 dollars, but the increased value to the house is $13,474.50. That is a nice payback, and readers should note that increasing efficiency and reducing use is the first step in considering any renewable energy system.
Last year, I installed a Solar Hot Water system on my house. The total cost for that project was around $5,000.00. With federal and state tax rebates the final cost will be about $2,200.00 Since we have not operated the system over an entire year, it is hard to calculate exactly what the savings are for this system. I have, however, been able to project the savings based on the performance so far.
Before the solar system, our hot water was heated by electricity. Our electricity cost per kWh is creeping up, now somewhere around $0.14 or so. If the estimated reduced electrical use hold true, we should save around $560.00 per year, which translates to an increased property value of $11,608.80. It seems fantastic, but by my math, that is an 870% return.
We are not selling our house anytime soon, so the increased property value is dismissed for now, as completely irrelevant. A calculation of simple payback shows the following:
| Year | Expenses (US$) | Savings (US$)* (includes inflation) | Total savings minus expense (US$) | Return (percent) |
| 1 | 2,200.00** | 560.00 | (-1,640.00) | 0 |
| 2 | 0 | 572.80 | (-1,067.20) | 0 |
| 3 | 0 | 586.00 | (-481.20) | 0 |
| 4 | 0 | 599.50 | 118.30 | 5 |
| 5 | 0 | 613.29 | 731.59 | 33 |
| 6 | 0 | 627.39 | 1,358.98 | 61 |
| 7 | 0 | 641.82 | 2,000.80 | 91 |
| 8 | 0 | 656.58 | 2,657.38 | 121 |
| 9 | 0 | 671.68 | 3,328.50 | 151 |
| 10 | 600*** | 687.12 | 3,416.18 | 122 |
| 11 | 0 | 702.92 | 4,119.10 | 147 |
| 12 | 0 | 719.08 | 4,838.18 | 172 |
| 13 | 1,000**** | 735.61 | 4,573.79 | 120 |
| 14 | 0 | 752.52 | 5,326.31 | 140 |
| 15 | 0 | 769.82 | 6,096.13 | 160 |
| 16 | 0 | 787.52 | 6,883.65 | 181 |
| 17 | 0 | 805.63 | 7,689.28 | 202 |
| 18 | 0 | 824.15 | 8,513.43 | 224 |
| 19 | 0 | 843.10 | 9,356.53 | 246 |
| 20 | 1,000*** | 862.50 | 9,219.03 | 192 |
| 21 | 0 | 882.33 | 10,101.36 | 211 |
| 22 | 0 | 902.62 | 11,003.98 | 229 |
| 23 | 0 | 923.38 | 11,927.36 | 249 |
| 24 | 0 | 944.62 | 12,871.98 | 268 |
| Totals | 4,800 | 15,470.62 | 12,871.98 | 268 |
*Utility inflation calculated at 2.3 percent per year
**Initial system cost, less refunds and rebates
***Replacement of circulator pumps, expected life 10 years
****Replacement of storage tanks, expected life 12 years
Over the twenty four year life of the solar thermal collectors, a $12,871.98 savings will be realized, which leads to a net return of 268% on the initial investment. Oh, and by the way, the IRS has not figured out a way to tax people for saving money, so that is tax free, at least for now.
Also note; solar thermal collectors manufactured today could well last 35-50 years depending on the climate.
For the sake of argument, lets say in year 8 we sell our house and realize the property value increase stated above. Our return in investment would then be 991% (property value increase plus savings, or 870% plus 121%). Okay, that seems very unrealistic, so lets say we realize half of the property value increase noted above, or 556%. Geez, that is still too high so we only see a quarter of the property value increase, or 338%.
My 401K was (before the current stock market troubles) earning 16%. My CD’s are around 7%. Savings, 4.1%.
Ummm, 338% vs 7%? I am not an accountant or anything, but it seems to be like installing the solar system last year was a pretty good idea.
I am going to work an a “Solar as an Investment” page with a savings/property value increase calculator that can spit this out for anyone who wants to see what their return would be.
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Tags: return on investment, Solar Hot Water
TechCity Solar
30 Oct 07 | GeneralI live near Kingston, NY. Just north of Kingston is a huge office complex called “TechCity” which is a former IBM computer manufacturing plant. The plant closed about 15 years ago during a consolidation. This left something like 2 million square feet of prime hardened office space vacant in northern Ulster County.
About 10 years ago, the plant and property was purchased by, Alan Ginsburg, a New York City real estate developer. Since then about 800,000 square feet of office space has been rented and there are several big clients in the office complex. All of this is good for the economy of Ulster County and the nearby City of Kingston.
When it was announced that they were opening The Solar Energy Consortium in TechCity, I found this very interesting. The SEC is described by US congressional representative Maurice Hinchey (D-New Paltz) the venture as a “not-for-profit solar consortium driven by industry - in collaboration with public, private, academic, environmental, labor and economic development partners - with the goal of creating fully integrated solar-powered systems that will revolutionize the way in which New Yorkers and all Americans receive their energy.” It is expected that venture will employ 300-500 people.
I am not sure how that will effect the ordinary solar installer, but it is good to know that something like that is coming to the area.