SunEdison to Build 50MW of PV Solar for Xcel in New Mexico
SunEdison, a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials (NYSE: WFR), and Xcel Energy’s (NYSE: XEL) regional operating company, Southwestern Public Service Company, announced a deal for five photovoltaic solar installations in New Mexico that will total 50 megawatts (MW) in generation capacity.
The five 10MW sites, to be located in Lea and Eddy counties in southeastern New Mexico, will comprise a utility-scale, ground-mount system that will be fully operational by the end of 2011. In total, the installations will generate enough power for more than 10,000 homes in its first full year of operation.
This total project will enable Xcel Energy to continue meeting New Mexico’s renewable portfolio standard, which requires that regulated electric utilities meet 15% of their electricity needs by 2015, and 20% by 2020, through renewable energy sources.
The five installations will be built, financed and maintained by SunEdison, under a 20-year solar power services agreement (SPSA) with Xcel Energy, which will buy the solar power generated by the plant.
This project eclipses the 8.22MW (DC) solar power system SunEdison activated for Xcel Energy in Alamosa, Colorado in December 2007.
SunEdison finances, installs and operates distributed power plants using proven photovoltaic technologies, delivering fully managed, predictably priced solar energy services for its commercial, government and utility customers.
Solar wafer maker MEMC acquired SunEdison in October 2009.
New York plugs in first electric car solar charging station
Off grid charging station to allow New York firm to recharge electric car using solar power
By Tom Young, BusinessGreen.com
Sustainable energy company Beautiful Earth Group has this week unveiled New York’s first solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging station, which will allow the firm to recharge its electric MINI E using zero carbon energy making it one of the few cars in the world to run exclusively on solar power.
The off-grid station features solar photovoltaic panels and has been built using recycled, decommissioned steel shipping containers.
“It never ceases to amaze me, when I get behind the wheel of this 95 mph sports car, that it doesn’t use a single drop of gasoline, and that all of its power comes from the solar energy we collect right here on the Brooklyn waterfront,” said Beautiful Earth’s president and chief executive Lex Heslin.
The company said that the charging station has a capacity of about six kilowatts and will also produce enough energy to power a small home. It added that an integrated battery bank will stores electricity and ensure that the system can provide power 24 hours a day.
The move comes in the same week as London Mayor Boris Johnson announced plans to install 25,000 electric car recharging points across the UK capital, including 22,500 charging points at workplaces.
Germany nabs second Solar Decathlon win
By Paul Courson, CNN.com
A university team from Germany has won the U.S. Energy Department’s Solar Decathlon for the second competition in a row, officials declared Friday. In second place was Team Illinois, and third place went to Team California.
Team Germany’s submission is covered in panels that produce more than enough energy for the house.
Twenty universities began constructing solar-powered homes October 1 on the National Mall, between the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument. The competition was judged in 10 categories.
The judges said Team Germany’s strongest advantage was the amount of energy their house put back into the power grid.
The structure, a large, dark rectangular cube with wood trim, is nearly entirely covered in solar panels.
“OK, I’ll be totally honest; I did not prepare a speech. It’s supposed to be my job, but I didn’t, because we did not expect to win again,” Sardika Meyer said in accepting the award along with her teammates from Germany’s Technische Universitat Darmstadt.
The school won the previous competition in 2007.
Meyer later told CNN that her colleagues were concerned they might lose this time because their engineering design did not seem as strong as that of other schools, and she was worried the dark cube lacked what is popularly called “curb appeal.”
Officials judged the 20 schools not only on aesthetics and solar power generation but on consumption of energy and ability to maintain a “comfort zone” between hot and cold for the home’s inhabitants.
Team California’s design ranked among the highest for curb appeal. But the home’s ability to be energy self-sufficient was not as strong as Germany’s, and its overall ranking fell behind that of Team Illinois.
Nonetheless, the California team declared the results a great reason to start a party at the house, and as judges and spectators had one last look at the homes before they are dismantled, the sounds of California-themed music played loudly from the house’s entertainment electronics.
The system appeared to have adequate power from the home’s solar panels, despite the overcast, drizzly weather on the National Mall.
Up the promenade, the University of Illinois team quietly enjoyed their success in a home of modest, understated cosmetic design.
Mark Adams, a mechanical engineering student at the school, said it was a “nail-biting” close competition.
During remarks accepting the second-place trophy, he said his team proved that a “simple, cost-effective design does not have to compromise in aesthetics” and that “this is the future, and this is the way houses are going to be designed.”
Team California leading the Solar Decathelon
For three weeks in October 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy will host the Solar Decathlon—a competition in which 20 teams of college and university students compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. The Solar Decathlon is also an event to which the public is invited to observe the powerful combination of solar energy, energy efficiency, and the best in home design.
Exact dates of the 2009 event are:
* Oct. 8-16—Teams compete in 10 contests
* Oct. 9-13—Houses are open to the public
* Oct. 15-18—Houses are open to the public
* Oct. 19-21—Teams disassemble their houses.
The Solar Decathlon houses will be open for public tours 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday–Friday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Please note that all homes will be closed Wed., Oct. 14.
The Solar Decathlon consists of three major phases:
* Building: This is where most of the work—and the learning—happens. In addition to designing houses that use innovative, high-tech elements in ingenious ways, students have to raise funds, communicate team activities, collect supplies, and work with contractors. Although the Solar Decathlon competition receives the most attention, it’s the hard work that students put in during the building phase that makes or breaks a team.
* Moving to the Solar Village: When it’s time for the Solar Decathlon, the teams transport their houses to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and rebuild them on site.
* Competing: During the competition itself, the teams receive points for their performance in 10 contests and open their homes to the public.
Purpose
The Solar Decathlon brings attention to one of the biggest challenges we face—an ever-increasing need for energy. As an internationally recognized event, it offers powerful solutions—using energy more efficiently and using energy from renewable sources.
The Solar Decathlon has several goals:
1. To educate the student participants—the “Decathletes”—about the benefits of energy efficiency, renewable energy and green building technologies. As the next generation of engineers, architects, builders, and communicators, the Decathletes will be able to use this knowledge in their studies and their future careers.
2. To raise awareness among the general public about renewable energy and energy efficiency, and how solar energy technologies can reduce energy usage.
3. To help solar energy technologies enter the marketplace faster. This competition encourages the research and development of energy efficiency and energy production technologies.
4. To foster collaboration among students from different academic disciplines—including engineering and architecture students, who rarely work together until they enter the workplace.
5. To promote an integrated or “whole building design” approach to new construction. This approach differs from the traditional design/build process because the design team considers the interactions of all building components and systems to create a more comfortable building, save energy, and reduce environmental impact.
6. To demonstrate to the public the potential of Zero Energy Homes, which produce as much energy from renewable sources, such as the sun and wind, as they consume. Even though the home might be connected to a utility grid, it has net zero energy consumption from the utility provider.
World’s largest grassroots solar event is coming to town
14th annual National Solar Tour to ramp up on October 3, 2009
highlighting new ways to save money on energy bills
WHO: Coordinated nationally by the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society in collaboration with nearly two hundred local environmental and energy groups.
WHAT: More than 150,000 will attend the ASES National Solar Tour to learn how to slash monthly utility bills and go green. The general public is invited to attend open-house tours of solar powered and energy efficient homes in some 3,000 communities in 48 states across the U.S. This is the world’s largest grassroots solar event. Find a solar tour near you: www.NationalSolarTour.org
WHEN: Saturday, October 3, 2009 (in most locations, check listings)
WHERE: In 3,000 neighborhoods in 48 states across the U.S.
WHY: With solar costs 30-40% lower than just a year ago and incentives now covering 1/3 to 2/3 the costs, more families and businesses are going green to save money during tight economic times. The ASES National Solar Tour features property-owners who open their doors to neighbors to share how they are using the latest solar & energy efficient technologies to drastically reduce monthly energy bills, reduce harmful carbon emissions, and enjoy tax credits and cash incentives as they improve their property values.
WEBSITE: www.NationalSolarTour.org
According to survey results from last year’s National Solar Tour, 76% of participants said they are very likely to invest in solar or energy efficient technology after the Tour, compared to less than 50% before the Tour. A stunning 74% of participants indicated that they had never visited a solar or green-built home prior to this event. Last year’s National Solar Tour attracted close to 140,000 people.
