Missouri: A New Day Dawning in Solar Energy Advancements
By Christopher Chung
When you think of solar energy in the U.S., Missouri may not be the first place that comes to mind. But a new study by Professor Matt Croucher of Arizona State University has put Missouri among the top states for solar power generation.
It’s a matter of resources – and resourcefulness. Missouri is in a great place for solar, with more than 200 sunny days on average per year and solar resources ranging from 4.5 to 5.0 kilowatt-hours per square meter per day. That number puts Missouri higher than Germany, the country that leads the world in solar energy production.
Missouri also has the sixth lowest cost-per-watt for solar installation and better than average opportunities for job creation in the industry. But the thing that really tips the scales in the state’s favor is the fact that demand for solar power is high.
Solar initiatives are more than just environmental obligations for the state of Missouri. They are also engines for economic growth. In the past few years Missouri has aggressively implemented programs requiring utility companies to increase their renewable energy portfolios. In 2008, the state’s citizens overwhelmingly approved a measure calling for 15 percent of Missouri’s electricity to originate from clean energy sources by 2021. The measure included a two percent solar carve-out (or 190,000 megawatt hours.) Missouri was one of only 16 states to adopt such a provision.
In 2009, the state formed the Missouri Solar Energy Industry Association (MOSEIA) with the goal of increasing market growth for solar in the state. MOSEIA works to protect the regulatory language for enhancing Missouri’s solar initiatives and for passing subsequent legislation.
Missouri also offers numerous government loans and incentives for solar energy. The state’s Linked Deposit Loan Program – along with Property Assessed Clean Energy loans for commercial developments – helps promote the creation and retention of solar energy jobs. Solar rebates and federal investment tax credits strengthen Missouri’s foothold as a solar energy state.
Aside from legislation, Missouri also has one of the best business climates in the nation, making it an ideal location for solar start-ups. The state ranks third for low business costs and has the fifth best corporate income tax index in the U.S. A central location helps support Missouri’s thriving manufacturing industry, with 52 percent of all manufacturing establishments located within a single day’s drive. The state’s top ten transportation network is a terrific asset for industries – like solar – which depend on low-cost shipping to stay profitable.
But workforce is continually cited as the state’s most important asset. And, with a work force of over 3 million, Missouri has the numbers to support solar production on a large scale. A recent report from the Brookings Institution ranked Missouri 6th for solar photovoltaic jobs in 2010 and 8th for degree of solar photovoltaic job specialization. The state also placed 8th for growth in solar thermal jobs from 2003-2010, a fact that is drawing attention from companies in the industry:
• Milbank Manufacturing recently announced plans for new production lines in Kansas City, Mo. where renewable energy products – including solar components – will be made. The $2.7 million expansion is expected to create 57 new jobs.
• Solutia, a world-leading provider of critical components for use in the solar energy market is headquartered in St. Louis. Solutia produces encapsulants for solar modules, heat transfer fluids for concentrated solar power plants and PV film coatings.
• Dow Chemical is currently developing a solar park in conjunction with the city of Columbia. It will be the largest solar production site in the state of Missouri.
The Columbia project will join a number of solar arrays across the state. Emerson Electric, headquartered in St. Louis, recently built a new data center powered by more than 550 solar panels. At peak output, the array meets about 16 percent of the center’s energy requirements.
Kansas City Power & Light has announced plans to install rooftop solar technology at selected commercial buildings, government facilities and residences as part of its SmartGrid demonstration, made possible by a $24 million grant from the Department of Energy.
Recently, the St. Louis Housing Authority, along with Sunwheel Energy Partners, began the final phase of a $10.4 million solar installation. Using more than 2,000 solar panels, the project will create enough electricity to power more than 70 homes for a year. The expected reduction in carbon dioxide emissions will be equivalent to removing 170 cars from the road.
None of these projects would be possible, were it not for new energy research coming out of Missouri’s colleges and universities. At the University of Missouri – Columbia (MU), Professor Patrick Pinhero, Ph.D., recently developed a flexible solar sheet that captures 95 percent of available light – that’s nearly five times the efficiency of traditional panels. Pinhero is looking to commercialize his technology within the next five years.
MU also collaborated with Missouri Science and Technology University (Missouri S&T) in Rolla to build a solar house which placed 11th in the recent Solar Decatholon in Washington D.C. The house joins three previous entries to make up S&T’s “Solar Village,” a community of solar-powered homes available for rent by students and faculty. The school recently won a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for research in solar energy and energy management, which will allow students to use hybrid solar thermal electric panels (STEPS) in their house design.
These advances in research and production breed a certain optimism for Missouri’s solar industry, and companies are beginning to take notice. Solar is no longer a “someday” concept. It’s happening right now in Missouri.
Christopher Chung is Chief Executive Officer of Missouri Partnership, a public private non-profit corporation working closely with the Missouri Department of Economic Development and regional and local economic development organizations around the state.
For more information visit: www.missouripartnership.com
Removing the Rare Element Shackles from Solar Energy
By Daryl J. Ehrmantraut
Our future energy requirements depend on reaching the ‘holy grail’ of electricity generation – Finding a cheaper alternative to coal and other fossil fuels. The availability of an alternative energy source would also contribute significantly to energy self-sufficiency in North America.
Every hour more energy from the sun hits the earth than the world’s entire population consumes in a single year. Given this abundance, solar energy is our world’s most obvious energy choice. Why then, is less than 1% of our global electricity supply powered by solar energy? Because the industry has been unable to harness the three critical success factors for global solar deployment – high efficiency, low cost and high materials availability for deployment on a global scale.
Current solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies generate electrical power by converting solar radiation into an electric current using semiconductor material. The process involved is called the photovoltaic effect (PV). Today, solar PV cannot be realized on a worldwide scale because neither of the two main technologies presented today; crystalline silicon PV and thin-film PV, completely address the three critical success factors. Crystalline silicon PV possesses high efficiency using abundant materials but they are very expensive to manufacture. It wins on two of the 3 critical success factors. Thin-film PV on the other hand is cheap to manufacture but has low efficiency and relies on rare and toxic elements in its manufacture. It wins on one critical success factor. Furthermore most thin-film technologies use dangerous, toxic materials including cadmium telluride and indium among others.
Despite the challenges, the global market for solar PV technology is growing very rapidly. Some analysts predicting solar PV could contribute as much as 10-15% of our global electricity by 2050.
As we seek to move solar energy into the mainstream, we need to retain the industry’s green integrity and bypass the pitfalls of electronic waste. Creating safe, affordable solar energy solutions requires research and development that eliminates the sector’s reliance the scarce and dangerous elements that are in limited supply, toxic, difficult to mine, or found only in select, sometimes geopolitically unfriendly regions of the world.
At Quantum Solar Power Corp., we are developing NGD™ a solar PV device which we believe will address all 3 critical success factors –high efficiency, low cost and high scalability through the use of abundant non-toxic materials. We believe Quantum will win on all three critical success factors. Quantum’s revolutionary approach to solar PV design will revolutionize the solar power market. We invite other solar technology companies and manufacturers to join our quest to create safe, affordable solar technology solutions that will literally light up the lives of people across the world.
There is no doubt that our predicted energy needs have a “sunny” future. According to the American Solar Energy Society, U.S. manufacturing of PV components — wafers, cells, and modules — has increased substantially year-over-year, with growth rates demonstrated at 97%, 81%, and 62% respectively. In 2009, the U.S. solar industry grew 36% to nearly $4 billion and supported the addition of 17,000 new jobs.
It is important for our geopolitical future that we create a clean energy economy along with a strong energy policy. A sunny future for our children demands that we continue to create green sector jobs that replace our dependency on fossil fuels with renewable energy through wind turbines, hydro-electric power and solar photovoltaic technologies that make solar energy a globally deployable, environmentally smart energy source.
About the author:
Daryl J. Ehrmantraut is Chief Executive Officer, President & Director of Quantum Solar Power Corporation, www.quantumsp.com, which is developing a “Next Generation Device” (NGD™) photovoltaic technology. Mr. Ehrmantraut lives and works in Vancouver, Canada. He can be reached at info@quantumsp.com
Principal Solar, Inc. (PSWW) Launches World’s First Solar Energy Library
Principal Solar, Inc (PSI; OTC Pink: PSWW), a publicly traded renewable energy holding company which concentrates its resources on rapidly advancing the inevitable, worldwide utilization of solar power through a unique roll-up strategy, today launched the Definitive Solar Library, the world’s first online reference center dedicated exclusively to solar energy.
“Efforts to capture the power of the sun at a reasonable cost continue to evolve, positioning solar energy as one of the hottest topics around the world and creating the need for straightforward information and perspectives that improve upon the renewable energy exchange of ideas,” says Michael Gorton, CEO and president of Principal Solar, Inc. “By defining the issues, collecting and distributing information, the Definitive Solar Library will serve as a valuable educational outpost for leaders of government, business and academia. It will also be accessible to consumers who want to join the dialogue.”
In conjunction with launch of the Library, Principal Solar today released two white papers:
• “Under the Sun: Putting Environmental and Regulatory Issues to Work,” co-authored by Gorton and Scott D. Deatherage, partner, Patton Boggs, guides investors through the technical, legal and environmental issues required for making solar projects work successfully.
• “Interfacing with the Electrical Grid,” co-authored by Ken Allen, chief operating officer, Principal Solar, and Ron Seidel, PE, board of directors, Principal Solar, outlines the interconnection of power sources with renewable generation and the roles of federal, regional and state regulatory agencies in the processes.
“Because more entities have become aware of solar energy and its many attributes, timing for this launch is ideal,” said Gorton. “We expect the Library to improve upon existing practices and deliver additional solutions that advance significant social and economic value to communities, governments and individuals worldwide.”
About Principal Solar
Principal Solar, Inc (PSI; OTC Pink: PSWW), is a publicly traded renewable energy holding company which concentrates its resources on the acquisition, finance, development and management of solar power companies to rapidly advance the inevitable utilization of solar power. The company is building the world’s first online library dedicated exclusively to the field of solar energy – a 24-hour gateway to current information, perspectives and thought-leadership: www.definitivesolarlibrary.com. Visit www.PrincipalSolar.com.
EchoFirst Solar Energy Technology: How It Works
EchoFirst® Inc. (formerly PVT Solar) is the creator of Echo®, a revolutionary new solar energy system that delivers twice the energy of a basic solar electric (PV) system.
Unlike a basic solar system that only captures about 15% of the sun’s energy, Echo® captures over 50% of the sun’s energy, making it a more efficient system. This video helps explain the technology behind Echo’s revolutionary technology that produces electricity plus home heating, home cooling, water heating and fresh air ventilation.
For more information visit their website, EchoFirst.com
New Solar Product Captures Up to 95 Percent of Light Energy
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Efficiency is a problem with today’s solar panels; they only collect about 20 percent of available light. Now, a University of Missouri engineer has developed a flexible solar sheet that captures more than 90 percent of available light, and he plans to make prototypes available to consumers within the next five years.
Patrick Pinhero, an associate professor in the MU Chemical Engineering Department, is developing a flexible solar sheet that captures more than 90 percent of available light. Today’s solar panels only collect 20 percent of available light.
Patrick Pinhero, an associate professor in the MU Chemical Engineering Department, says energy generated using traditional photovoltaic (PV) methods of solar collection is inefficient and neglects much of the available solar electromagnetic (sunlight) spectrum. The device his team has developed – essentially a thin, moldable sheet of small antennas called nantenna – can harvest the heat from industrial processes and convert it into usable electricity. Their ambition is to extend this concept to a direct solar facing nantenna device capable of collecting solar irradiation in the near infrared and optical regions of the solar spectrum.
Working with his former team at the Idaho National Laboratory and Garrett Moddel, an electrical engineering professor at the University of Colorado, Pinhero and his team have now developed a way to extract electricity from the collected heat and sunlight using special high-speed electrical circuitry. This team also partners with Dennis Slafer of MicroContinuum, Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., to immediately port laboratory bench-scale technologies into manufacturable devices that can be inexpensively mass-produced.
“Our overall goal is to collect and utilize as much solar energy as is theoretically possible and bring it to the commercial market in an inexpensive package that is accessible to everyone,” Pinhero said. “If successful, this product will put us orders of magnitudes ahead of the current solar energy technologies we have available to us today.”
As part of a rollout plan, the team is securing funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and private investors. The second phase features an energy-harvesting device for existing industrial infrastructure, including heat-process factories and solar farms.
Within five years, the research team believes they will have a product that complements conventional PV solar panels. Because it’s a flexible film, Pinhero believes it could be incorporated into roof shingle products, or be custom-made to power vehicles.
Once the funding is secure, Pinhero envisions several commercial product spin-offs, including infrared (IR) detection. These include improved contraband-identifying products for airports and the military, optical computing, and infrared line-of-sight telecommunications.
A study on the design and manufacturing process was published in the Journal of Solar Energy Engineering.
Emerson To Provide Power Technology For One Of The Largest Solar Energy Projects In The U.S.
Emerson (NYSE: EMR) has been awarded a contract to supply power technology for one of the largest solar energy projects in the United States. Under an agreement with Wind Turbine & Energy Cables Corp. (WTEC), a leader in the innovation of solar and wind engineered systems, Emerson will provide utility-scale power inverters for a 30-megawatt solar power plant in Webberville, Texas.
Emerson’s power inverters convert DC power from solar arrays into AC power, which is placed directly on the electric grid and is used by homes and businesses. Emerson’s power inverters are controlled through a state-of-the-art inverter management system.
“Emerson’s innovative inverter technology and its leadership in the solar energy market made the company an obvious choice for us as a partner,” said Brian Singh, CEO, WTEC. “Emerson’s strong financial stability and dependable, long-term warranty service capabilities also were attractive to us. It is a tribute to the progress in solar design and technology that enables WTEC, together with Emerson, to be involved at the forefront of successful alternative energy programs.”
Located just outside Austin, the Webberville project is expected to be operational by the end of the year and will generate clean electricity to power 5,000 homes. The project is financed, developed and owned by Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, a global independent power producer that develops, owns, and operates solar power plants worldwide. WTEC is an electrical subcontractor for Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES Americas), which develops, constructs, owns and operates renewable energy projects throughout North America. RES Americas is the engineering, procurement and construction contractor, and will provide operations and maintenance of the facility for five years.
“Emerson has provided over 400 megawatts of utility-scale inverters for solar energy projects worldwide, and we are pleased to supply critical technology to one of the largest and most innovative solar projects in the nation,” said Mark Bulanda, who serves as global leader for Emerson’s solar and wind energy initiatives. “This project demonstrates trust in the Emerson brand, and it reflects as well our commitment to renewable energy.”
The facility will provide electricity for Austin Energy for 25 years under a long-term power purchase agreement. Austin Energy is the ninth-largest public power utility in the United States.
About Emerson
Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions to customers in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets through its network power, process management, industrial automation, climate technologies, and tools and storage businesses. Sales in fiscal 2010 were $21 billion. For more information, visit www.Emerson.com.
GE Launches New Digital Magazine – First Issue all Solar
Photo Credit: General Electric
General Electric (GE) has just launched a new weekly digital magazine called Txchnologist. The first issue, devoted entirely to solar energy, is entitled Solar Power, A Look at the ‘Sun Motor’ from Past to Future.
Articles include:
1) Polar Solar
2) Data Points: Solar’s Declining Cost Per Watt
3) Unexpected Solar Cities
4) Comment: Solar’s New Era of Optimism
5) Space Race: Will Space-Based Solar Take Off?
6) Hawaii’s Solar Paradox
7) The Take: A Quirky History of Solar Power
8) How it Works: CdTe vs cSI
Future issues promise to offer “an optimistic, but not utopian, take on the future and humanity’s ability to tackle the great challenges of our era through industry, technology and ingenuity.”
Looking forward to it GE!
