SunSpots

Monday, February 16, 2015

Rooftop solar is cheaper then grid Electricity

I think its really interesting that rooftop solar across the country has such a different price range depending on the power company an local incentives. Its great that the price has come down so much that the average household can now have a PV system and reduce there energy cost and footprint. Also i was sup pride to see the different ranks for solar cites across the US. I didn't think some of those cities would've been ranked so high but i guess that is due to the local incentives.
- Devon Larsen

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Rooftop solar is now cheaper than the utility grid?

A few days ago my friend sent me this surprising article that I thought this blog might like. It claims that in 42 major US cities home solar energy has become less expensive than their utility grid. There is some interesting economic data on solar energy as an investment. Of course, these studies take into consideration tax credits, financing and incentives that are available currently (but are subject to change).

I also found it interesting that Colorado Springs has exceptionally low prices for solar PV. Here is the link for the article:

http://www.utilitydive.com/news/rooftop-solar-is-now-cheaper-than-the-grid-in-42-american-cities/352799/#.VMXDO4cILY0.mailto

My uncle also sent me a picture of a newspaper article citing a similar study (found below).

By Kevin Lanphere

Thursday, January 22, 2015

PV panels made from copper oxide

Credit: Larry Morris
this could be awsome
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/134305-so-long-silicon-researchers-create-solar-panels-from-cheap-copper-oxide
Rusted solar cells

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Researchers from the University of California and Berkeley Lab have discovered a way of making photovoltaic cells out of any semiconducting material, not just beautiful, expensive crystals of silicon. In principle, this could open the doors to much cheaper solar power.

Almost every solar panel on the market is made by cutting off two thin (200 micron, 0.2mm) slices from a large crystal of silicon, and then doping them with impurities to enhance the photovoltaic effect — phosphorous to make n-type silicon, and boron to make p-type silicon. These slices are layered together, electrodes are added to the top and bottom, the whole thing is framed in protective glass — and voila, a standard photovoltaic cell.

Now, in theory, you can dope any semiconductor — but cheaper, more-readily-available semiconductors, such as copper oxide, don’t retain dopants very well, eventually leading to the breakdown of the p-n junctions. Silicon holds dopants very well, but it isn’t cheap.

To get around this problem, the Californian researchers have developed a new type of solar cell called screening-engineered field-effect photovoltaics, or SFPV for short. Instead of physical doping, SFPVs use a minute electric field to achieve the same doping effect. While this electric field is present, the p-n junction remains and the photovoltaic cell continues to produce a lot of electricity. The energy required to produce this electric field is apparently a lot less than the energy produced by the photovoltaic effect.

SFPV -- how to make the top contact thin/transparent enough

The electric field effect isn’t new (you may have heard of field-effect transistors?), but its application in photovoltaic cells is novel. The main problem that the UoC and Berkeley Lab researchers came across is that you need a contact above the semiconductor to deliver the electric field — but of course that obscures the semiconductor from sunlight. The solution devised by the researchers is simple: You either use a very thin contact, like graphene(which is transparent), or you use a series of narrow, fin-like contacts (pictured above).

What’s next? “This research opens up scores of new semiconductors (many metal oxides, sulfides, and phosphides) for practical photovoltaic applications, so we are currently identifying the ones with the greatest potential for low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells,” says Will Regan the lead author, to Ars Technica.

Once the best material has been found, it still won’t be an easy ride: there’s a huge industry (mainly in China) dedicated to producing standard photovoltaic cells, and they lack the equipment or expertise to produce SFPVs. It isn’t quite as bad as the computer chip industry, where trillions of dollars are invested in silicon, but it will still take considerable effort to shift the industry towards SFPVs. The cost savings are there for the taking, though — and I dare say, the first company to produce solar power that’s significantly cheaper than fossil fuels is onto a winner.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

CREDIT: Rawlemon

André Broessel’s latest invention looks like something out of a superhero movie. The bifrost device depicted in Thor, perhaps, or Eric Selvig’s wormhole machine in The Avengers.
In reality, though, it’s a stand-alone solar energy generator. And if nothing else, it’s much more interesting to look at than your standard photovoltaic solar panel.
But Broessel’s invention may be more than just aesthetically pleasing. According to a recent report in Fast Company, the German architect touts his orb-like system as being 35 percent more efficient than a standard panel, doing even better when combined with a tool for tracking the sun.
“For the last 40 years we have tried to capture this energy with PV panels,” Broessel says in the promotional video on his Indiegogo campaign for his company, Rawlemon. “But the earth is moving around the sun, and the fixed panel is losing its efficiency.”
The rotating glass orb, he says, brings in energy from the sun and concentrates it onto a small surface of tiny solar panels. The ball lens is able to concentrate and diffuse light on one small focal point, making it more sustainable (less material used to create solar cells, most of which are made from crystalline silicon) and more efficient. Additionally, Broessel says poor weather would not impact the device, because of a built-in weather tracking system.

Rawlemon-Spherical-Glass-Solar-energy-generator-5

CREDIT: Rawlemon

“We can squeeze more juice out of the sun,” Broessel says.
In terms of whether the device will actually bring meaningful improvements to the renewable energy sector to reduce the effects of man-made climate change, the outlook seems promising on its face. The amount of energy solar panels can derive from the sun is low compared to the energy that the sun can actually produce — some only convert about 20 percent of their available energy into electrical power — so a device that can better concentrate the sun’s energy would be surely welcome. And, as Stanford University’s associate director on energy and sustainable development Mark Thurber told the Wall Street Journal back in April, “the most intriguing renewable energy technologies are those that have the most room to improve.” In terms of solar, he said at the time, “perhaps concentrating solar power can make significant strides as we learn from the first large installations.”
Broessel’s device is not yet available in the market. He is trying to raise $120,000 on his Indiegogo campaign for further testing, and for patent applications he’s filed in five jurisdictions. You can watch his promotional video below.
Rawlemon Spherical Solar Energy Generator from Rawlemon on Vimeo.

Yet another awesome inovation, and using the simple elements, I love it!!!
Posted by Benjamin Strauss!!!