My intent in creating green & renewable energy diaries is to help with raising the awareness of alternative energy sources and to explore some of the possibilities that await us. All that is needed is the will, which translates into ideas, which can be converted into action. I feel the rising tide of concern for our planet as we struggle against huge entrenched moneyed interests that opt to dismiss concern, breakthroughs, new products, and the health of our planet, all for business as usual. Last go around, I explored alternatives related to Biomass, you can read it here.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
SOLAR POWER
Solar power. Just the sound of it carries weight, hints at intriguing, yet unused possibilities. The sun, a star, the universes' common denominator. The clean burning engine literally sustaining life on our planet, and a myriad of potential worlds, still realized only in our imaginations. Life evolved on this planet by figuring out how to utilize the energy from the sun. Even fossil fuels would be non-existent, had the many ancient plants not completed their growth cycles and died, sustained by their use of photosynthesis. We as a civilization need to collectively put the limitless power of the sun to use in sustaining the energy needs of our civilization.
Solar power is not a new idea, in fact, it is as ancient as the sun itself, but as humanity has evolved and created technological breakthroughs, our ability to harness its immense energy has also transformed.
A brief description of solar power from:
http://www.repp.org/...
Power from the sun comes to the Earth as heat and light. This heat and light are the effect of the Sun's constant nuclear fusion of hydrogen nuclei. The process of fusion produces helium nuclei along with large amounts of energy. This energy is expressed as electromagnetic radiation (light is a specific frequency range of this radiation) as well as radiated temperatures of more than 6,100 degrees C. This is actually fairly cool compared with the corona and core of the sun that burn at several million degrees C. A small fraction of these extreme levels of energy that are released by the Sun come into contact with the Earth. The average amount of energy that contacts the Earth's surface in a day is 200 W/m2. [3] This means that the average home has more than enough roof space to produce enough electricity to supply all of its power needs.* In fact, each day, more energy reaches the Earth from the sun than would be consumed by the global population in 27 years.
Emphasis mine
There are a variety of types of technologies associated with solar power. These technologies can be divided into two groups. The first group are those that use the sun to generate heat, called *solar thermal technologies. Solar thermal technologies include solar concentrator power systems, flat plate solar collectors, and passive solar heating. [6] The other group of solar power technologies directly convert solar radiation into electricity through the photoelectric effect by using*photovoltaics (also known as PV).
*Solar Thermal technologies use solar collectors like mirrors and lenses to concentrate the sunlight into a receiver which absorbs & converts it into heat. The heat is transported via fluid to a steam generator, and then it's converted again to electricity.
The next big category is Photovoltaics
http://www.pvpower.com/
Photovoltaics is a semiconductor technology that silently converts light energy into direct-current (dc) electricity, with no moving parts, burning no fuel, and creating no pollution.
Photovoltaics, developed in its modern form in 1953-1954, has been used to power satellites in space since 1958; remote telecommunications, cathodic protection, and signaling systems since the mid-1960s; remote residential and commercial systems since the 1970s; and utility-intertied residential and commercial systems since the 1980s. Today, with the price of the technology coming down and the price (financial and environmental) of conventional fuels rising, PV is entering a new era of international growth.
A more specific description is as follows from the repp.org sit referenced above.
The photoelectric effect occurs when a beam of UV light, composed of photons (quantized packets of energy), strike one part of a pair of negatively charged metal plates. This causes electrons to be "liberated" from the negatively charged plate. These free electrons are then attracted to the other plate by electrostatic forces. This flowing of electrons is an electrical current. This electron flow can be gathered in the form of direct current (DC). This DC can then be inverted into alternating current (AC), which is the electrical power that is most commonly used in buildings. [16] [17]
Why aren't there more solar panels or big solar plants being used today?
There are actually more solar panels and big solar plants being used today than ever before. [18] The PV industry is experiencing annual growth rates of around 25% with higher growth rates in countries such as Japan, where it is currently growing at 63%. [19] However, solar power has clearly not met its full potential. There are a few reasons for this under-exploitation of solar panels and big solar plants.
The main reasons being economic, but that is slowly changing.
A personal anecdote: Way back in 1990 I purchased some landscape lights fresh on the market. They were solar powered. I was excited to try something new that could save energy and be so convenient. They barely produced any useable light for my walkway, and I eventually took them out. I have always been intrigued by solar power because it seemed to me it was our ticket to a virtually limitless supply of energy. After all, plants had been using it successfully for millennia. Well, 16 years later I have again purchased solar landscape lights in the hope that I could avoid the hassle of wires and wasted electricity. I have high hopes. They are currently charging the required three days before use. Why have I decided to try again, I recently found out an acquaintance of mine has used solar landscape lights successfully for about three years now. Intrigued, I decided to try again. Mine are different in that they use the super bright LED (light emitting diode) that has recently made its own breakthroughs. I have no bulb to light! A nice feature of this is the ability to flick a switch and have the light change from white to amber.
As the technology evolves, it will get easier and easier to put solar power to everyday use. The potential here is enormous. The following are some of the breakthroughs occurring in this rapidly evolving renewable energy field.
A plastic solar cell much more efficient than previous versions has been developed.
This excerpt is from a January 2005 National Geographic article.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/...
The plastic material uses nanotechnology and contains the first solar cells able to harness the sun's invisible, infrared rays. The breakthrough has led theorists to predict that plastic solar cells could one day become five times more efficient than current solar cell technology.
Like paint, the composite can be sprayed onto other materials and used as portable electricity. A sweater coated in the material could power a cell phone or other wireless devices. A hydrogen-powered car painted with the film could potentially convert enough energy into electricity to continually recharge the car's battery.
The researchers envision that one day "solar farms" consisting of the plastic material could be rolled across deserts to generate enough clean energy to supply the entire planet's power needs.
This next little tidbit I unearthed for my first energy diary, here is the relevant portion:
http://www.int.iol.co.za/....
In a scientific breakthrough that has stunned the world, a team of South African scientists has developed a revolutionary new, highly efficient solar power technology that will enable homes to obtain all their electricity from the sun.
International experts have stated that "nothing else comes close to the effectiveness of the SA invention" A special converter can feed the energy through existing wiring. They have combined this with powerful new units that can store the energy for use in winter.
This invention is now patented around the world. It is estimated this new technology will be available there in about 1 year. The kicker is, a German solar company is negotiating for rights to this. Why aren't we ?
The South African solar panels consist of a thin layer of a unique metal alloy that converts light into energy. The photo-responsive alloy can operate on virtually all flexible surfaces, which means it could in future find a host of other applications.
Alberts said the new panels are approximately five microns thick (a human hair is 20 microns thick) while the older silicon panels are 350 microns thick. the cost of the South African technology is a fraction of the less effective silicone solar panels.
The article is well worth the read. They have invented a substantially more effective solar panel for a fraction of the cost.
It sounds like solar is really starting to become an economical choice due to rising fuel prices and technological breakthroughs. I found this article dated June 21, 2006. Looks like we are starting to get in on these new developments. An interesting side note, the founders of Google are investors in this plant!
http://www.mercurynews.com/...
A Palo Alto company has decided to build the world's largest factory for making solar power cells in the Bay Area -- a move that would nearly triple the nation's solar manufacturing capacity and give a significant boost to a growing source of clean energy.
Snip
Roscheisen said he will open the new factory, which will employ several hundred people, by the end of 2006, and expects to begin producing a type of paper-thin, flexible solar cell in 2007. Two weeks ago, he met with San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales to discuss possible locations.
Snip
The cells, each several inches across, will be assembled in Germany into panels for use on rooftops and as stand-alone power plants. Eventually, the cells will be molded to fit archways, columns and other parts of buildings.
Snip
But Nanosolar and other companies, such as Miasole, a privately held San Jose firm, have discarded silicon as their semiconductor material. Instead, they are printing photovoltaic cells onto flexible plastic and foil, using a copper alloy that absorbs light and creates electricity.
The article goes on to say that the new cells are as efficient as silicon cells but 1/5 the cost to manufacture, that the thin technology will be available soon, and the new industry is more like printing newspaper than traditional silicon chips. When I first read about the breakthrough in South Africa, I wondered how long it would take for this to migrate to America. It sounds like they are going to manufacture solar cells using this breakthrough technology. How exciting!
There is so much out there to sink your teeth into, like the California solar home project.
http://www.newenergyreport.org/...
They are proposing to bring solar power to 1 million homes over the next ten years.
I'll end on this high note because it really represents a bright spot going forward. It sets a great example for other states to follow. We will really start to put a dent in our conversion to renewables, should all our states rise to the challenge. Green energy is our future, and our ticket to solving the problems of global warming, and also out of dependence on foreign oil. Go green.
