New solar energy product could revolutionize industry

From CoolerPlanet.com

A newly announced development from Dow Chemical may change the solar energy industry for homeowners in the coming years.

Dow’s new Powerhouse solar shingle is said to incorporate photovoltaic technology into a roof shingle, potentially allowing people to use their entire rooftop to generate electricity at a reasonable cost. According to the company, the new shingles will be on the market in limited quantities next year, becoming more widely available in 2011.

“These types of innovative products not only showcase our deep scientific and technical expertise but also demonstrate how our commitment to R&D is fueling Dow’s future growth agenda around the world,” said company chairman Andrew Liveris.

The news was also hailed by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm because of the green manufacturing jobs the new product is expected to bring to the state, which has it headquarters in the city of Midland.

The technology is said to involve thin film technologies that have been growing more common throughout the industry. In the coming years, thin film technology may provide advanced new applications for solar energy technology, such as wrapping or printing solar generating material onto a variety of surfaces.

Smart grid project features solar energy

From coolerplanet.com

A smart grid project getting underway in New York City will provide more information about how solar energy technology can be incorporated into existing power grids.

This week, Con Edison announced an 18-month smart grid pilot program that will take place in Queens. Residents will receive smart meters that will help them monitor home energy usage to better maximize efficiency and to help control costs.

However, the plan also features a 100-kilowatt solar roof array at a local community college that will be used to improve the integration of solar energy into the power grid of a densely populated area. The distributed solar energy project involves a partnership between Con Edison and the City University of New York.

“With this ’smart grid’ agreement, CUNY is partnering with Con Edison to create a roadmap for New York and an example for the nation as we move toward energy independence. The University’s faculty and researchers will continue to work closely with Con Edison to identify new solar and renewable energy opportunities,” said university chancellor Matthew Goldstein.

While solar energy has been growing steadily in popularity, the electrical grid system is not always prepared to handle new sources of power. This is particularly the case for large utility-scale projects that tend to be located far from population centers.

Roofing Giant Johns Manville Enters Solar Market

From Greentechmedia.com

A heavyweight is entering the solar roofing business.

Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company with 151 years of history, has inked a multi-year deal with Energy Conversion Devices (NDSQ: ENER) to buy flexible thin films made by ECD’s subsidiary, United Solar Ovonic, that it will then incorporate into roofing materials.

The Denver-based company also created a new company called JM E3 Co. to market eco-friendly products for the commercial rooftop market. This could mean competition for people like Serious Materials and Aspen Aerogels, who have teamed up on energy efficient insulation, or Photosolar, which make integrated window films that repel solar heat. Manville already produces a myriad of insulation products for markets including aerospace, automotive and wind energy.

“Until now solar has not a great return on investments,” said Sarah Tholen, a marketing and communications manager at Johns Manville.  “With the economic stimulus package there are a number of drivers that make solar an attractive value proposition.”

In the past, a return on investment for installing solar on rooftops could take 17 years, Tholen said. That window has shrunk to about six to seven years, she added.

Johns Manville’s foray into solar roofing products reflects the growing interest in building-integrated solar products, which remain a tiny market with low-efficiency products.

Unlike many rooftop solar energy systems today that use solar panels with mounting systems, installing flexible solar thin films such as those made by Uni-Solar would require no roofing penetration or racks. That could shave installation costs and reduce the likelihood of leaky roofs and other problems. Integrated solar roofs also could be more aesthetically pleasing.

Makers of copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) thin-film are going after the commercial rooftop market, though many of them are in pre-commercialization stages.

Solyndra, in Fremont, Calif., seems to have made more progress in tackling the roofing market. Last November, CIGS thin film developer said it had signed a $320 million deal with roofing system maker Carlisle Construction Materials, which is based in Carlisle, Penn.

The deal with ECD marks the first commercial product launch for Johns Manville, which has considered adding solar energy generation systems to its lineup for several years.

Under the agreement, Uni-Solar would ship its thin films to Johns Manville’s factory in Scottsboro, Ala., where they would be assembled into Johns Manville’s thermalplastic polyolefin (TPO) roofing membranes, Tholen said.

Johns Manville also will offer another product that combines the thin films with its bitumen roofing offering, said Brad Burdic, group manager for owner services at Johns Manville. This product requires customization, so it’s not an off-the-shelf solution like the one with TPO.

Bitumen systems are the oldest products for the roofing industry, Burdic said. But the newer TPO membranes account for the fastest growing segment, and they cost less, he added. TPO membranes also meet California’s cool roof requirements.

California and New Jersey are two states that promise to be strong markets for the solar roofing products, thanks to strong state incentives for solar, Tholen said.

JM E3 plans to sell its new roofing products for the low-slope commercial roofing market, Tholen said. The company expects to see the first installations during the first half of 2010, she added. She declined to disclose the value of the company’s contract with ECD.

Johns Manville opted for Uni-Solar’s thin films because they are ready to be integrated into conventional roofing materials, even though those thin films aren’t as efficient at converting sunlight into electricity as other thin films under development, Tholen said.

Uni-Solar uses amorphous silicon as the key ingredient for its thin films, which have about 6 percent to 7 percent efficiency.

“We are looking at more efficient products, including monocrystalline and multicrystalline silicon,” Tholen said. “Generally, our interest would be in systems with very limited roof penetration.”

Silicon solar panels are more expensive for integrating into roofing systems, she added. Most of them also are glass panels that require racks to support them.

There are companies such as Redwood Renewables that are putting crystalline silicon cells in roofing tiles, however (see Getting Solar Energy Cheap and Easy).

New options emerge for tapping into solar energy

By LESLIE BERKMAN, The Press-Enterprise

Although sunshine is free, a rooftop a solar system can cost $30,000 to $50,000 — enough to discourage even ardent environmentalists when financing is hard to find and households are holding tight to their cash to weather a recession.

But more affordable options are being touted by the solar industry. In recent months new financing programs have been introduced for homeowners who prefer to lease a solar system or to buy the power produced by a solar system on their home that is owned and maintained by someone else.

Mike Corral, 39, said in an effort to hedge against rising electricity rates, he considered buying a solar system for his family’s 4,300-square-foot home in Eastvale. But he said he wanted to avoid the $50,000 cost of such a system, which would cut a chunk out of his family’s rainy day savings and take many years to recoup in lower utility bills.

So late last month, Corral paid nothing to have a 5.6 kilowatt solar system with 28 photovoltaic panels installed on the roof of his two-story house.

The system is owned and maintained by SolarCity, a Foster City firm that began leasing solar systems in April and so far has signed leases to place systems on nearly 1,600 houses in California and Arizona.

“I have been saving money from day one,” said Corral, who on a bright Monday morning was enjoying watching his meter run backward, as it fed power into the utility grid and earned him credits to lower his utility bill.

He also said he liked the worry free aspect of letting SolarCity take responsibility for repairs.

“We knew the biggest barrier to adopting solar power was the upfront costs,” said SolarCity chief executive Lyndon Rive. So Rive said Solar City designed the financing program, then recruited Morgan Stanley to fund it.

Corral pays $151 a month to lease the system on his roof that is designed to meet about 79 percent of his family’s needs, based on their history of electricity consumption.

In the first year of his solar lease, Corral is expected to pocket a monthly average savings of $12, which will grow over time, said SolarCity salesman Mike Schmel. He estimated that over the 15-year term of the lease Coral could save between $11,000 and $14,000.

Click here for complete article.