Solar Energy becoming more viable...

[Tecumseh]

The article title is misleading in my opinion.

http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/31736
From: ENN
Published February 25, 2008 09:40 AM
New solar technology greatly improves performance

A new coating for solar panels could lead to more efficient solar collection.

The energy from sunlight falling on only 9 percent of Californias Mojave Desert could power all of the United States electricity needs if the energy could be efficiently harvested, according to some estimates. Unfortunately, current-generation solar cell technologies are too expensive and inefficient for wide-scale commercial applications.

A team of Northwestern University researchers has developed a new anode coating strategy that significantly enhances the efficiency of solar energy power conversion. A paper about the work, which focuses on engineering? organic material-electrode interfaces in bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells, is published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

This breakthrough in solar energy conversion promises to bring researchers and developers worldwide closer to the goal of producing cheaper, more manufacturable and more easily implemented solar cells. Such technology would greatly reduce our dependence on burning fossil fuels for electricity production as well as reduce the combustion product: carbon dioxide, a global warming greenhouse gas.

Tobin J. Marks, the Vladimir N. Ipatieff Research Professor in Chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and professor of materials science and engineering, and Robert Chang, professor of materials science and engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, led the research team. Other Northwestern team members were researcher Bruce Buchholz and graduate students Michael D. Irwin and Alexander W. Hains.

Of the new solar energy conversion technologies on the horizon, solar cells fabricated from plastic-like organic materials are attractive because they could be printed cheaply and quickly by a process similar to printing a newspaper (roll-to-roll processing).

To date, the most successful type of plastic photovoltaic cell is called a bulk-heterojunction cell.? This cell utilizes a layer consisting of a mixture of a semiconducting polymer (an electron donor) and a fullerene (an electron acceptor) sandwiched between two electrodes -- one a transparent electrically conducting electrode (the anode, which is usually a tin-doped indium oxide) and a metal (the cathode), such as aluminum.

When light enters through the transparent conducting electrode and strikes the light-absorbing polymer layer, electricity flows due to formation of pairs of electrons and holes that separate and move to the cathode and anode, respectively. These moving charges are the electrical current (photocurrent) generated by the cell and are collected by the two electrodes, assuming that each type of charge can readily traverse the interface between the polymer-fullerene active layer and the correct electrode to carry away the charge -- a significant challenge.

The Northwestern researchers employed a laser deposition technique that coats the anode with a very thin (5 to 10 nanometers thick) and smooth layer of nickel oxide. This material is an excellent conductor for extracting holes from the irradiated cell but, equally important, is an efficient blocker? which prevents misdirected electrons from straying to the wrong? electrode (the anode), which would compromise the cell energy conversion efficiency.

In contrast to earlier approaches for anode coating, the Northwestern nickel oxide coating is cheap, electrically homogeneous and non-corrosive. In the case of model bulk-heterojunction cells, the Northwestern team has increased the cell voltage by approximately 40 percent and the power conversion efficiency from approximately 3 to 4 percent to 5.2 to 5.6 percent.

The researchers currently are working on further tuning the anode coating technique for increased hole extraction and electron blocking efficiency and moving to production-scaling experiments on flexible substrates.

via Northwestern University

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[Tecumseh]

And...

http://www.enn.com/energy/article/31815

A solar powered world?

Arizona Public Service (APS) has announced plans to build a 280-megawatt concentrating solar power plant in the desert 70 miles southwest of Phoenix. The Solana Generating Station, if it were operating today, would be the single largest solar power plant on the planet. Solana, with its thermal energy storage, will be able to operate 24/7 providing power for 70,000 homes.

As big and impressive as it sounds its only a tiny fraction of whats possible: According to the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC), the energy potential from sunlight striking the worlds deserts is 700 times that of the worlds primary energy demand today. Further, solar power generated in the worlds deserts could reach 90 percent of the worlds population. Australia, Asia, Africa, North and South America all have expansive deserts. By satellite measurement there are 13,500,000 square miles (35 million square kilometers) of hot, dry, sunlit desert on the planet.

Like the APS project, solar thermal power generation is the best option for the worlds deserts. Not only is it a time-tested technology that can provide low cost power, cooling water from the plants can be used for desalinization of sea water. (Energy from clean sources is a major global need right now. So is fresh water.)

Further, made of glass and steel there are no supply constraints to solar thermal power generation equipment as with purified silicon needed for photovoltaics.

The TREC concept, known as DESERTEC, is to build solar power plants in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and build power lines - a Euro-Supergrid - connecting the plants to Europe.

TREC estimates that power would cost 4-6 cents per kilowatt hour to generate. Transmission costs would add another 1- 2 cents per kilowatt hour. Though solar power plants might be far from populated areas, line losses would only be about 3 percent per 620 miles (1000 kilometers) using 500 volt high voltage direct current (HVDC) lines. Total line losses from the MENA deserts to Europe would be about 10-15 percent.

The solar plants would do more than provide clean energy and water, theyd also provide jobs during construction, jobs when built and be a continual source of revenues for operators, even those nations hosting the facilities. It seems feasible that Persian Gulf nations could continue to receive revenues from the sale of energy forever after the oil is gone.

The key of course is the high voltage direct current (HVDC) lines. Bringing them in first would attract solar developers.

Like the plants conceived by TREC, the APS - Solana Generating Station project will use one of a few variations of concentrating solar technologies now being marketed. At Solana, parabolic mirrors will track the sun and focus solar energy on a heat transfer fluid. Once heated, the liquid will convert water into steam, which turns the plants turbines to generate electricity.

Up to 1500 jobs will be created in the construction phase of Solana. Once built by 2011 the facility will have 85 skilled technicians. The company has also recently announced that it has joined a multi-state consortium of southwestern utilities that have an interest in contracting for a separate 250-MW solar power plant.

Abengoa Solar is the primary developer of the project. Abengoa Solar deploys CSP technologies across the world, including large-scale facilities under construction or development in the US, Spain, Algeria and Morocco.

The TREC initiative was founded in 2003 by The Club of Rome, the Hamburg Climate Protection Foundation and the National Energy Research Center of Jordan. The DESERTEC Concept was researched in cooperation with the German Aerospace Center (DLR). TREC is now working to make this concept a reality in cooperation with people in politics, industry and the world of finance.

If a DESERTEC for Africa, the Middle East and Europe, why not a similar project to connect the US desert southwest, perhaps Mexico too, with much of North America?

Abengoa Solar
http://www.abengoasolar.com

TREC
http://www.desertec.org

( A white paper with a full description of DESERTEC is available at the website.)

APS
http://www.aps.com

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[Tecumseh]

This one is a little older.  It will be the last one I promise...

  From: , Green Energy News, More from this Affiliate
Published December 23, 2007 07:24 PM
$1 Dollar a Watt Solar.

http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/28057

For Nanosolar of San Jose, California - and perhaps the rest of us - December 18, 2007 was an historic day. It was the day the company shipped the worlds lowest-cost solar panel.

The company believes it can be the first solar manufacturer capable of profitably selling solar panels at 99 cents per watt.

At that price solar energy becomes less expensive than coal, even when the cost of an entire system is considered. The US Department of Energy says a new coal plant costs about $2.10 per watt plus the cost of fuel and the cost of damaging emissions. There is no fuel cost with solar energy, nor any direct damage to the world.

The crew at Nanosolar must certainly be happy, but should the rest of us dance and cheer?

Be happy but the world is not yet powered by solar, nor will it be anytime soon. Those now pricey coal power plants operate 24/7. Solar power is still reliant on daylight.

Shucks.

Then again a lot of new coal-fired plants wont have to be built, and for sunny, but windless, regions photovoltaic solar now becomes a viable choice for low cost renewable energy. Further, for windy areas, but with strong local opposition to wind energy, solar would be an option if land, rooftops or parking lots are available. Nobody protests against solar power plants.

So far nanotechnologies have produced cutting-edge energy products much as predicted. Solar power is now much improved and battery makers have made significant advancements in recent years with nanotech. Extremely powerful, very cheap batteries, or some other low cost energy storage device is needed if solar power is to power the world. Nanotech may do it.

Nanosolar has perfected the much sought after method roll-to-roll printing of nanoparticle CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) semiconductor inks on a thin film foil substrate, which itself becomes one of the two electrodes to carry electric current.

The first megawatt of solar panels is already promised to a solar project in Germany. And the first full year of production is already sold out. But the company is planning up to 430 megawatts of annual production, so panels will eventually be available.

Of this historic first shipment the company will keep the first solar panel; the second is up for auction on eBay: the third will be donated to the Tech Museum in San Jose.

(As of 8:00 AM on December 19, 2007, bidding on the eBay panel was over $10,000)

Nanosolar
http://www.nanosolar.com

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[Stetson]

The TV show Invention Nation had a new company using hologram technology to concentrate sunlight right on the cells regarless of the position of it in the sky.

The can use a lasers to create the hologram on a thin film of some sort of silica and then place it over the cells.  Lenses and prisms can be placed in just the right spot for your location.

Seems plausible but I didnt understand it all.

[geronimotwo]

Be happy but the world is not yet powered by solar, nor will it be anytime soon. Those now pricey coal power plants operate 24/7. Solar power is still reliant on daylight.

fortunately, in the summer, a/c usage is the highest in the daytime.

[Gewehr98]

Nor do they factor in energy and resources expenditure for the manufacture and distribution of those "improved" solar panels.  That adds to the amortization time and hidden costs.

Just like the electric car concept, you're still relocating the energy to a smokestack somewhere. 

I've been buying solar panels every now and then to add to my off-grid experiment here.

I've noticed a higher wattage output from the panels when the snow's on the ground - it reflects more sunlight to the panels.  I'd like to go totally off-grid in the next few years, but it takes some doing, and a lot of money.

[K Frame]

Thin film technology shows a tremendous amount of promise, but it's still quite a few years away from being widely technologically viable.

[Paddy]

Thin film technology shows a tremendous amount of promise, but it's still quite a few years away from being widely technologically viable.

We wouldn't be 'years away' and we wouldn't still be dependent on foreign oil had Reagan continued with Carter's plan to develop a national energy policy (in response to the oil embargo of the '70's).

Instead, Reagan took the solar panels off the roof of the Whitehouse and gave all the multinational corporations -including the oil companies- big tax breaks.

So today, we've got $90 a barrel (and rising) oil, and $3+ a gallon (and rising) gas.

[K Frame]

In a nutshell, that can be termed

LOAD O' CRAP.


Most of the thin film R&D has been done in two areas that Reagan supported heavily -- Defense and Space. DARPA has been the main driver of thin film, with NASA also driving it.

It's incorrect to say that thin film, or even solar in general, would be any farther along today.

I think it's just hysterical to say that we'd now be free of foreign oil had Carter's national energy policy come to fruition. We'd STILL be heavily dependent on foreign oil, only the structures set up under Carter's plan would make $3 a gallon gasoline seem like a bargain.

[Manedwolf]

Solar energy will take off when one thing happens.

Someone develops a series-linkable solar cell that looks just like a roof shingle, is as durable as a roof shingle, and costs no more than a roof shingle.

Till then, pipe dream.

[Brad Johnson]

If they make 'em cheap and durable people will start using them.  Then all the solar arrays will block the sunlight from getting to the ground, which will cause all the little green plants to die, which will cause the oxygen level to drop and kill us all!  Noooooooo!!!!

Brad
(waiting for the first "power companies are intentionally supressing the technology" post...)

[Bogie]

eh... I could see a bit of extra cost as not being a big deal.

What I'd basically like to see would be a grid intertie, where I self-power/sell back during the day, and buy at night. Essentially, if it's large enough, the small providers could end up powering daytime business/industry, with the power plants running at idle, and at night, they buy...
 

[280plus]

If they could just get 10 amps worth down below $89,000 they might make a go of it. 

Besides, everybody knows the power companies are intentionally suppressing the technology. 

 

We may laugh but I know a certain nameless CL&P that might be suppressing some technology. Well, let's just say they cry not enough grid for the summer but won't offer $ incentives for technology that will help alleviate the situation and that's been for decades now. They call it "fuel switching" they'll offer you incentives to reduce your consumption but don't want to offer incentives that would cost them customers. And that's a fact Jack. Solar may fit in there somewhere. They may not be suppressing it but they sure ain't promotin' it.

[mtnbkr]

eh... I could see a bit of extra cost as not being a big deal.

What I'd basically like to see would be a grid intertie, where I self-power/sell back during the day, and buy at night. Essentially, if it's large enough, the small providers could end up powering daytime business/industry, with the power plants running at idle, and at night, they buy...
 

I believe you can do that now.

BTW, I heard on Rush yesterday while running a midday errand that if a neighbor's redwood blocks your solar array from the sun between 10am and 2pm in California you can force him to cut the tree down.  I have no clue if it's true or if he was exaggerating for the purposes of "entertainment", but it's sad if true.

Chris

[MillCreek]

I think the issue on the tree in California is true.  I read it in the Wall Street Journal a few weeks back.  http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/pardonourdust/2008/02/the-neighbors-t.html

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

PV technology is improving, no doubt about that.  It's still far from viable.  It won't become viable until fossil fuel electricity becomes expensive.