British Company Romag Tests Solar-Powered Electric Car Parking Bay
March 4, 2009 by editor
Filed under Electric Cars, World News
Glass and plastics specialist Romag Holdings has developed a new solar-powered canopy that could offer a recharging bay for electric cars in open-air car parks.
PowerPark system is now in development by Romag Holidings in the United Kingdom.
The PowerPark system consists of a panel of Romag’s PowerGlaz photovoltaic modules standing over and above a car parking bay.
The PV panels generate electricity to charge electric vehicles parking underneath, or to feed into the national grid or a building’s power supply when it is not being used to charge up an electric vehicle.
Romag Holidings has already secured a contract with regional development agency One NorthEast to build two prototypes at its own site in County Durham and at Tegrel Engineering in Blaydon on Tyne, where the steel structure used in the product is made.
The company will be targeting owners of car parks including airports, stations, supermarkets, shopping centres, offices and public buildings to take up the product, pointing to government ambitions to encourage the use of electric vehicles nationwide.
Romag, which already produces PowerGlaz panels and building-integrated PV systems at its 30MW capacity production facility in Consett, says the new PowerPark canopy systems will be “very competitive” in price when launched.
Acme Group Invests $30mn in California eSolar to Build India Solar Thermal Plants
March 4, 2009 by editor
Filed under Technology, World News
Acme Group will have exclusive rights to eSolar’s design to set up thermal solar power plants in India.
Gurgaon-based telecom power solutions firm Acme Group has made an investment of $30 million for a 5% stake in California-based eSolar. The US-based company is involved in developing, constructing and deploying modular, scalable solar thermal power plants. Acme has also entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with the company. The deal involves Acme Group having exclusive rights to eSolar’s design to set up thermal solar power plants in India.
California's eSolar teams up with Acme Group to build solar thermal power plants in India.
Acme can also work with other companies to build solar thermal power plants in India using eSolar technology. ACME is targeting 1,000 MW of solar power within India over the next 10 years. The company has already signed power purchase MOUs for 250 MW.
Though this is eSolar’s first international licensing agreement, it had entered into a similar agreement with US-based NRG Energy.
It raised $130 million in funding from Google.org (Google’s philanthropic arm), Idealab and Oak Investment Partners in April 2008.
eSolar was founded in 2007 by Idealab Inc founder Bill Gross and Asif Ansari. Idealab is an incubator based in Pasadena, California and its companies include Picasa, which was acquired by Google.
Act Solar Receives 8MW Order for PowerString From Pacific Power Management
February 11, 2009 by editor
Filed under News, Technology
Act Solar’s Optimization Solution Boosts Power Output and Extends Life of PV Systems
Act Solar, Inc., a power management company that provides optimization solutions for solar power plants, has received an 8MW order for PowerString from Pacific Power Management, a full service commercial solar provider. Act Solar’s flagship product, PowerString, improves array performance by 6-11% using its patent-pending Injection BoostTM technology. Extensive field tests and historical modeling have shown that PowerString will cumulatively deliver 40-80% more power over 20-40 years of operations.
Act Solar PowerString
“We have a great deal of experience as a solar systems provider and that experience is one of our key competitive advantages,” said Mark Frederick, Managing General Partner of Pac Power. “We are deploying Act Solar’s technology because it enables us to instantly improve system performance, increase the ‘power density’ of our arrays and deliver lower cost solar power, thus strengthening our competitive position. PowerString further protects our investments by assuring optimal performance in the real-world environment of commercial installations.”
“The solar industry is now focused on ensuring maximum performance of PV arrays,” said Act Solar CEO Andrew Foss. “PowerString ushers in the next phase of efficiency and cost reduction by further lowering generation costs and assuring maximum power output over the life of the array. Solar system integrators, operators and financiers will substantially lower their generation costs-per-kWh by deploying PowerString.”
Act Solar products and services dramatically lower the cost of solar generated electricity over the life of a system by allowing each module in an array to perform at its maximum potential, regardless of asymmetric electrical conditions caused by shading, soiling, ground faults, etc. Wireless management features further lower costs by eliminating design constraints and providing full system monitoring, analysis and unmatched diagnostic reporting.
Advanced PV: Design Criteria and NEC Compliance Course (ONLINE)
December 31, 2008 by editor
Filed under Solar Workshops, Training
Advanced PV: Design Criteria and NEC Compliance (Online)
Dates: January 19 - March 1, 2009; March 23 - May 3, 2009; April 27 - June 7, 2009; June 8 - July 19, 2009; July 20 - August 30, 2009; August 24 - October 4, 2009; and September 21 - November 1, 2009
This course provides 60 cumulative hours of training, that may be used towards NABCEP certification purposes
Learn more about designing and installing an NEC code compliant solar electric (photovoltaic) power system without leaving your home. A six-week, Internet-based, online course of instruction with text, online reference materials and Internet resource links. The course is self-paced and there is no set time to be online. Individuals have six weeks to complete all course requirements and can work on the course material whenever they have time. Assignments can be submitted day or night and during the weekends, etc…
This course is designed to follow the PV Design & Installation workshop or the PV Design Online course with the next level of design criteria and maintenance issues. Participants must have completed SEI’s Online PV Design course or the hands-on PV Design & Installation workshop or have permission of the instructor. Read more
Women’s Only Hands-On Photovoltaic Design & Installation Workshop
December 31, 2008 by editor
Filed under Solar Workshops, Training
Women’s Only Photovoltaic Design & Installation
June 1 - 12, 2009 ~ Paonia, Colorado (2 weeks)
Why Women Only?
This workshop is intended to provide women with a supportive learning atmosphere. Many women have little hands-on electrical experience and may be wary of attending a coed course with men who have grown up using power tools. Even women with hands-on experience already working in technical fields find it helpful and rewarding to network with other women who are interested in and/or working in renewable energy.
A PV Design and Installation workshop geared specifically towards women and taught by women. Learn how to use photovoltaic technology to produce electricity from the sun through practical design and installation of PV systems. This two week workshop teaches the technical skills necessary to design and safely install all 3 types solar-electric systems: batteryless grid-tie, grid-tie with battery back-up, and stand-alone systems. This course includes all the same material as the other two week PV Design and Installation workshops (5 days in the classroom and 5 days of hands-on installation in the PV Lab yard). Other presentations include PV in developing countries and discussions on issues such as being a woman in a traditionally male field. Participants have included licensed electricians, engineers, teachers, students and homemakers.
The photovoltaic market world-wide has experienced an enormous 35% growth rate over the last five years. This course was developed for those seeking employment in the booming solar industry or for homeowners looking to install their own systems or hire a contractor. This workshop starts out with the very basics of electricity, and incrementally accelerates students to safely design a code compliant solar-electric system. PV Design and Installation provides a strong foundation in grid-tied, grid-tied with battery backup, and stand-alone systems.
This workshop is certified by the Institute of Sustainable Power (ISP) and fulfills the educational requirements for Category ‘B’ of NABCEP’s Solar PV Installer Certification. This course also qualifies you to take the NABCEP PV Entry Level “Certificate of Knowledge” Exam. The test, which consists of 60 multiple choice questions, takes approximately 2 hours to complete. Test will be administered from 6-8pm on the last day of each PV Design and Installation workshop. The cost of the test is $100. Students must register in advance with the SEI main office (call 970.963.8855). For more information on the NABCEP Entry Level Certification, please see their website at www.nabcep.org.
If you are serious about getting into the solar industry, you should also plan to take Advanced PV: Design Criteria and NEC Compliance. This workshop is intended to follow our first tier of workshops with the next level of design criteria, wire sizing calculations, maintenance issues, troubleshooting skill, and more information on batteries, charge controllers and hybrid system. (Note: You must complete PV Design and Installation BEFORE taking Advanced PV.) Read more
Hands-On Grid-Tied PV Design Workshop in California
December 31, 2008 by editor
Filed under Jobs, Solar Workshops
Grid-Tied PV Design
February 23 - 27, 2009 ~ Fontana, California
The U.S. grid-tied market is the fastest growing sector of the PV market, due in part to net metering laws and state and federal incentives. Many businesses focus solely on batteryless grid-tied installations. Companies are looking to hire people with the educational background for installation, sales, and design positions. This course uses curriculum from the PV Design and Installation workshop but offers a stronger focus on the batteryless grid-tied market and will not cover battery-based systems. If you know that you will be working in an urban area with a focus on batteryless grid-tied installations, the Grid-tied PV class is for you.
Then, if you are serious about getting into the solar industry, you should also plan to take Advanced PV: Design Criteria and NEC Compliance (face-to-face or online). The Advanced PVworkshop is intended to follow our first tier of workshops with the next level of design criteria, wire sizing calculations, maintenance issues, troubleshooting skill, and more information on batteries, charge controllers and hybrid system. (Please note that students from the Grid-Tied PV workshop will need to complete supplementary reading on stand-alone systems before continuing on to PV Lab Week or Advanced PV: Design Criteria and NEC Compliance.)
Yolo Federal Credit Union Offers Solar Partnerships
Yolo County, California
Yolo Federal Credit Union is making it easier for homeowners to add green technology to their homes by earmarking money for rebates to its environmentally conscious members.
Yolo Federal Credit Union is partnering with Talbott Corp and groSolar to offer “Solar Banking” financing options in order to make photovoltaic systems affordable for members.
The program includes rebates of up to $1,500 on purchases of PV systems by Yolo FCU members, new or existing. The solar banking rebate is in addition to the California Solar Initiative rebate and the recently enacted Investment Tax Credit for residential solar projects.
Together these incentives can bring the cost of a $30,000 PV system down to $16,000. This is the first of its kind rebate program offered by a financial institution to its members.
The rebate is part of comprehensive package offered to members of Yolo FCU to encourage the use of solar-generated energy.
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