Why This Liquid That Stores Solar Energy for Years Matters

Space Powered Cooling May Be the Future of Energy

New Study Shows White Roofs are Three Times More Effective than Green Roofs at Fighting Climate Change

Green roofs offer a lot of environmental benefits – they provide additional insulation, reduce rainwater runoff, and can lower your electricity bill. However a new study suggests that roofs painted white might actually be more effective at fighting climate change. A study published in the Energy and Buildings Journal compared three types of roofs – green, black and white – and came to the conclusion that white roofs have great economic benefits, and they are also three times more effective than the other two at fighting climate change.

Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory conducted an economic analysis of the costs and benefits of white, black and green roofs and found that white roofs are far superior in fighting climate change than the other two. While roofs painted black absorb heat and contribute to the urban heat island effect, white roofs reflect the sunlight back into the atmosphere and help cool down its lower parts. The study advises those concerned with global climate change to choose white roofs, adding to a host of other studies in the past decade that have allowed the “white roof movement” to gain momentum across the United States. However, things are not as simple as they seem.
A series of climate simulations carried out by Mark Z. Jacobson and Ten Hoeve of Stanford University showed some unexpected results. Despite their beneficial effects on the lower parts of the atmosphere, white roofs decrease the temperature difference half a mile above ground-a difference which drives cloud formation and less clouds means more sunlight reaching the Earth’s surface. This, among other issues like the impact on fossil fuel consumption and summer cooling vs. winter heating gains, is still subject of scientific debates. Meanwhile, it should also be noted that vegetated roofs offer built-in storm water management mechanisms in addition to some cooling benefits.
Although we are excited to find out how different roofing strategies may affect climate change, one should be aware of the fact that these investigations involve a wide spectrum of factors and potential consequences far too complex for a hotheaded (pun intended) thumbs-up verdict.
+ Energy and Buildings Journal
+ GATOR-GCMOM Environmental Model
Via Fast Co.Design, Huffington Post

Read more: New Study Shows White Roofs are Three Times More Effective than Green Roofs at Fighting Climate Change | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building 

See also: Bill Clinton Says 'Paint Your Roofs White'

Eliminating Fossil Fuel Use by 2030 | Alex Lightman | TEDxHighPoint

http://youtu.be/FqfLk-Vjr_8

This talk was given at a TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. On July 4, 2030 Alex Lightman Would like to declare a different kind of Independence, one from fossil fuels. Going step by step , Lightman reveals the impact on the health system by doing this, and then shows step by step how this monumental task could be achieved by 2030.

Alex Lightman is an entrepreneur, author, and futurist, currently appearing on Science Channel programs including Futurescape with James Woods and Alien Encounters Season 3. He is author of the first book on 4G, Brave New Unwired World: The Digital Big Bang and The Infinite Internet, and, fall 2014, The Future Engine: How Science Fiction Catalyses Technology and Transforms Society. He is currently chairman of the Global Innovation Network for Entrepreneurship and Technology (GINET) based on the University of New Mexico and chairman of Everblaze, a solar energy company. His current project including working with governments in the Americans and Asia on how to remove the use of fossil fuels from the production of fertilizer and food through new renewable energy technologies. In 2010 he became the first recipient of The Economist magazine’s Reader’s Award for “The innovation most likely to radically change the world over the next decade, 2011 to 2020

Solar thermal magazine

http://solarthermalmagazine.com/

First complete theory of how plasmons produce "hot carriers"

The first complete theory of how plasmons produce "hot carriers" has been developed by researchers in the US.
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2014/jul/10/plasmons-excite-hot-carriers

This research could help enhance solar energy conversion in photo voltaic devices.

WSJ: For Storing Electricity, Utilities Push New Technologies

A 4-kilowatt lithium-ion battery, at right, is part of a project by Southern California Edison to reduce demand on the electrical grid during peak hours.

SAN FRANCISCO—From backyard tinkerers to big corporations, inventors have been struggling to find a way to store solar, wind and other renewable energy so it can furnish electricity when the sun doesn't shine or the wind doesn't blow.

Now California is offering businesses a big incentive for success—contracts that the utility industry estimates could total as much as $3 billion for successful, large-scale electricity-storage systems.

Starting this year, big utilities that do business here must begin adding enough battery systems or other technology so that by 2024 they can store 1,325-megawatts worth of electricity—nearly 70 times the amount that the handful of mostly experimental systems in the state store now. Regulators are also requiring municipal utilities to buy or lease energy-storage equipment.

The storage systems California wants don't exist on such a scale, so the new rules amount to a big bet—paid for by utility customers—that creating demand will produce workable new technology. If so, other states are likely to follow suit, experts say.

Like most states, California has an electric system that was built around big power plants that cranked out electricity around the clock. But utilities here are on track to get a third of the electricity they sell from intermittent resources like solar panels and wind turbines by 2020."We're not talking about lab experiments anymore," said Nancy Pfund, managing partner of Silicon Valley venture-capital firm DBL Investors. "We're talking about a real solution to a growing issue as renewables become a bigger percentage of everyone's grid. The whole world is watching this."

Nationally, renewables accounted for 37% of the new generating capacity added last year, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Utilities now use small natural-gas plants to fill gaps when power generation and demand aren't in balance, but the state thinks storage systems would be more efficient and produce less pollution.

At least in the first few years, many of the storage contracts are likely to go to projects that use rechargeable batteries, like the ones in electric cars and buses, industry officials say. Batteries have been tested for durability and safety by the automotive industry, and they are in widespread use.

"Battery technology is probably going to be the immediate, short-run leader," said Jeff Gates, managing director of commercial transmission at Duke Energy Corp.DUK -1.15% in Charlotte, N.C. Duke built a large battery-storage facility near one of its Texas wind farms, and the company plans to build similar projects in California and other states, he said.

While utilities have installed a handful of battery-storage systems in California and other places, many of them were designed to store less than an hour's worth of electricity to provide extra power to transmission lines. Under the new program, California utilities are likely to want systems that can store at least two or three hours of power to fill in gaps left by solar panels after sunset, Mr. Gates said.

Different types of batteries are already being made by manufacturers including General Electric Co. GE +0.94% , of Fairfield, Conn., and LG Chem Ltd. 051910.SE +0.35% of South Korea.

Some people hope that California's bet on energy storage will create opportunities for technologies that currently exist only in the lab or in one-off projects, including storage based on compressed air or giant flywheels. Gravity Power LLC, a startup in Goleta, Calif., uses deep underground bore holes, filled with water, to create energy when huge pistons are dropped down central shafts.

Among the questions the California experiment may answer is where storage devices should be installed. Some experts think they should be built next to wind farms, for example, as Duke did. Others suggest they should be located along transmission lines or installed next to businesses and homes with solar panels.

"I don't think we understand the function of storage on the grid [enough] yet to know where it would have the highest value," said Mark Nelson, a power-planning manager at Southern California Edison, based in Rosemead, Calif.

SolarCity Corp. SCTY -1.07% , of San Mateo, Calif., in December began offering commercial customers rechargeable batteries—the same ones that are used in Tesla Motors Inc. TSLA -0.08% electric cars—along with solar panels. Tesla, of Palo Alto, Calif., said Wednesday that it plans to build a U.S. battery factory to supply its Fremont, Calif., car factory and SolarCity's energy-storage business. "Storage is important because the sun only shines part of the day, but we use electricity all of the day," Elon Musk, who is chairman and chief executive of Tesla and chairman of SolarCity, said Thursday during an appearance in San Francisco.

Southern California Edison recently installed stacks of lithium-ion batteries at an Irvine, Calif., parking garage that has solar panels on the roof and a row of electric-car chargers on a lower floor. The panels generate electricity for the car chargers and the batteries, which help power the chargers after sunset.

Some utilities and consumer advocates worry that the technologies are expensive and aren't ready for prime time.

Mike Niggli, president of San Diego Gas & Electric Co., a unit of Sempra Energy, said that although there are many storage technologies, "few of them are cost-effective at this time."

The financial strength of some companies likely to offer their products is also a concern, following a series of bankruptcies by battery makers, including Xtreme Power, which filed for Chapter 11 last month, and A123 Systems Inc. and Ener1 Inc., which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2012.

California is one of 37 states that have renewable-energy mandates or goals, but the only one to require utilities to buy lots of storage.

"Energy storage is a highly specialized market now," said Haresh Kamath, a researcher at the Electric Power Research Institute, a utility-funded group in Palo Alto, Calif. "But I expect it to become an important part of the grid's architecture in coming years."

SOURCE: WSJ

World's first solar-powered farmbot unveiled in Australia

A new solar-powered robot has been designed for farms to collect data on pests and plant disease, pick weeds, and someday even harvest crops. 

Named the Ladybird, this new robot is laser-guided and self-driving. It uses sensors and hyper-spectral cameras to collect data about pests and crop conditions as it moves around, which it automatically interprets and delivers to the farmer.

It has just completed a successful three-day test on an Australian farm that grows spinach, onions and beetroot. 

"Ladybird focusses on broad acre agriculture and is solar-electric powered. It has an array of sensors for detecting vegetable growth and pest species, either plant or animal,” said chief designer Salah Sukkarieh, professor of robotics and intelligent systems at the University of Sydney, in a statement. "She also has a robotic arm for the purposes of removing weeds as well as the potential for autonomous harvesting.” 

If there is a concern that the robot will replace jobs, Sukkarieh says that it will increase a farm’s efficiency and yield, freeing staff up from manual work to spend more time figuring out how to adjust and improve their methods using the information it collects. If the Ladybird picks up on the early stages of a crop disease or infestation, the staff will have the time to address these threats much quicker than if they were left to identify on the signs on their own.

According to Brian Merchant at Motherboard, the industry has welcomed the technology:

"Sukkarieh was awarded the 'Researcher of the Year' accolade by the Australian Vegetable Industry, which is apparently more excited at the prospect of getting some automated help than it is afraid the bot will take its jobs. In the dystopian-looking days ahead, when climate change has raised temperatures and brought less rainfall to arid-leaning regions, farmers will need all the help they can get to squeeze as much produce as possible out of increasingly less productive land."

Ed Fagan, the owner of the farm where Ladybird carried out its trial run, told the ABC, "A lot of the time in horticulture, if you're short of an element in the plant, by the time you see a symptom it's too late. [The Ladybird] will be able to pick up a nutrient deficiency before we see any symptoms. Secondly, you can use it at night at 2 o'clock in the morning and go out and do an insect survey, so things like cutworm popping out at night time, slugs, worms, things like that.”

It sounds pretty promising, but as Merchant at Motherboard points out, the technology will need to be affordable for a farm to buy and maintain, and it must be durable enough to justify. And just how much more efficient it can make a farm must offset the cost of the Ladybird to make the investment worthwhile.

Source: http://sciencealert.com.au/news/20140107-25792.html

Citigroup: How solar module prices could fall to 25c/watt

http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/citigroup-how-solar-module-prices-could-fall-to-25cwatt-41384


Energy analysts at global investment bank Citigroup suggest that the cost of solar PV modules could fall beyond most expectations in coming years – and reach a cost of just 25c a watt by 2020.

"Solar" jet fuel created from water and carbon dioxide

http://news360.com/article/237001964

In a move that could help address our insatiable thirst for fuel while at the same time help cut CO2 emissions, scientists with the SOLAR-JET (Solar chemical reactor demonstration and Optimization for Long-term Availability of Renewable Jet fuel) project have recently shown that through a multi-step process, concentrated sunlight can be used to convert carbon dioxide into kerosene, which can then be used as jet fuel.

• 
• 
• 

"Increasing environmental and supply security issues are leading the aviation sector to seek alternative fuels which can be used interchangeably with today’s jet fuel, so-called drop-in solutions," says Dr. Andreas Sizmann, the project coordinator at Bauhaus Luftfahrt. "With this first-ever proof-of-concept for 'solar' kerosene, the SOLAR-JET project has made a major step towards truly sustainable fuels with virtually unlimited feedstocks in the future."

HARRY REID'S SON REPRESENTING CHINESE SOLAR PANEL PLANT IN $5 BILLION NEVADA DEAL

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/09/04/Harry-Reid-s-Son-Representing-Chinese-Solar-Panel-Plant-In-5-Billion-Nevada-Deal

HARRY REID'S SON REPRESENTING CHINESE SOLAR PANEL PLANT IN $5 BILLION NEVADA DEAL

The son of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Rory Reid, is the primary representative for ENN Energy Group, a Chinese energy company seeking to build a $5 billion solar panel plant on a 9,000-acre Clark County desert plot in Laughlin, Nevada.

ENN scored big when Clark County commissioners unanimously voted to sell the Chinese company the public land for just $4.5 million, despite the fact that it was appraised at $38.6 million. Sen. Reid has been one of ENN’s biggest supporters, having recruited the company during a 2011 trip to China. According to Reuters, last month Sen. Reid tried to “pressure Nevada's largest power company, NV Energy, to sign up as ENN's first customer.”

Both Rory Reid and Harry Reid deny having ever discussed the $5 billion Chinese solar panel plant deal: "I have never discussed the project with my father or his staff," said Rory Reid. Kristen Orthman, a spokeswoman for the senator, said he had not discussed the project with his son. This isn’t the first time the Reids have come under fire for alleged cronyism. In 2003, allegations emerged that Nevada industries frequently lobbied Sen. Reid through his well-connected relatives.

Fwd: Solar energy quantum leap

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John Sokol

Dreadful article.  Nano-tubes are superconductors on a small scale.  In practice they have issues, This story is just distorted and misleading. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cell#Efficiency

They article doesn't say how much closer to 100% there is no higher, but  we are talking 44% efficiency is the record today. 

On Fri, Apr 4, 2014 at 10:36 PM, ST wrote:

If this works, solar energy becomes hyper cheap and hyper efficient.  It changes the world:
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/next-generation-solar-cells-be-100-million-times-more-efficient-1443251

Inside the world's largest solar plant

http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2014/02/18/t-ivanpah-solar-thermal-plant.cnnmoney/index.html

The world's largest solar thermal power plant is now online in California and can provide enough power for 140,000 homes.

SOLAR IMPULSE - AROUND THE WORLD IN A SOLAR AIRPLANE

http://www.solarimpulse.com/timeline/view/7121#!

ACROSS AMERICA - ST. LOUIS: SUSTAINABILTY REPORT

 16.06.2013

Kurzweil Predicts 100% Solar Power In 20 Years - PSFK

http://www.psfk.com/2011/02/kurzweil-predicts-100-solar-power-in-20-years.html

German solar power plants sets a world record

German solar power plants produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity per hour ~ equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity ~ through the midday hours last Friday & Saturday.

Germany Swaps Nuclear for Solar and Wind Power

http://truth-out.org/news/item/9932-germany-swaps-nuclear-for-solar-and-wind-power

Solar panels atop Narmada Canal ,Gujarat.

Solar panels atop Narmada Canal ,Gujarat.
The western Indian state of Gujarat is all set to become the first state in the country to generate solar power through panels mounted on a water body. Installation of panels on the canal will help in doing away with the need to acquire land. Evaporation of lakhs of litres of water will be prevented since the canal will be covered. And will generate clean energy. Generated solar power will be supplied to villages alongside the canal, which will lead to lower transmission losses and also helping to reduce the evaporation of water.
~This is Gujarat. This is Narendra Modi. This is Development.~


This also would help solve one more problem, as solar panels heat up they loose efficiency, being over water would actually keep them cooler. 

Germany Sets New Solar Power Record - Slashdot

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/05/26/2031203/germany-sets-new-solar-power-record?sdsrc=popbyskid

Fwd: NPD Solarbuzz Announces Inaugural China PV Conference in Shanghai, July 19-20

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "NPD Solarbuzz News" <news@displaysearch.com>
Date: May 10, 2012 5:07 AM
Subject: NPD Solarbuzz Announces Inaugural China PV Conference in Shanghai, July 19-20
To: <john.sokol@gmail.com>

Note to Editors: Solarbuzz's parent company, The NPD Group, recently modified the company references of its member companies. As you may notice in the press release below, Solarbuzz has been re-named "NPD Solarbuzz." We hope you can refer to the updated "NPD Solarbuzz" reference (instead of Solarbuzz) in any articles you are preparing.

NPD Solarbuzz Announces Inaugural China PV Conference in Shanghai, July 19-20

Event to Provide Market Analysis and Industry Forecast of the Solar PV Market in China and Globally
Santa Clara, Calif. (May 10, 2012)—The solar PV industry is currently at its most critical juncture to date. End-market demand has recorded a blistering compound annual growth rate of 76% since 2007, reaching 27 GW during 2011. However, large corporate losses and high-profile insolvencies are being reported regularly, even from legacy market leaders.
The China PV industry is formulating plans for growth in both the upstream/supply and downstream/demand segments. Decisions made in China today will have a profound impact on every company serving the PV industry. From the amount of polysilicon and raw materials imported into China, to the geographic split of modules exported from the country, all PV stakeholders must understand the key issues driving PV supply and demand into and out of China.
Figure 1: Global Annual PV Industry Demand and Growth Rates

Source: NPD Solarbuzz 2012 Marketbuzz
Leveraging more than a decade of expertise in global PV supply and demand market research, NPD Solarbuzz today announced it will host its inaugural Solarbuzz China PV Conference in Shanghai, China. This two-day event will take place July 19-20, 2012 at the Renaissance Shanghai Yangtze Hotel, and will provide valuable insight and critical market data to help the PV supply chain effectively develop business strategies.
The NPD Solarbuzz China PV Conference is targeted specifically to PV manufacturers, equipment and materials suppliers, developers, industry experts and policy influencers. The conference themes and invited speakers have been chosen specifically to provide the most comprehensive coverage of key factors that have the strongest impact on PV supply, demand and company profitability. The latest market forecast will be covered by prominent NPD Solarbuzz market analysts, while senior executives from the industry's top manufacturers will outline different strategies being used by domestic and global pace-setters.
"Fully understanding the dynamics of global PV supply and demand has become an absolute necessity for any company wishing to navigate the corporate shakeout that is set to last into 2014. When assessing the strongest drivers behind PV supply and demand today, there is no region—or indeed country—that contributes to this analysis with more urgency and relevance than China," noted Finlay Colville, Vice President at NPD Solarbuzz. "We are excited to host our first PV Conference in this key region and share our latest marketing data and insights on the state of the PV market."
During the Solarbuzz China PV Conference, leading PV market analysts from NPD Solarbuzz and senior executives from top-tier manufacturers such as JA Solar, Jinko and Hareon will provide detailed market information and competitive strategies covering the entire PV supply chain. In particular, analysts will explore the most pressing issues affecting the PV industry today, including:

• Which emerging countries and regions will drive new PV demand out to 2016?
• Which technologies are the key candidates to drive cell efficiencies above 20%?
• What are the leading indicators affecting future ASPs through the PV value chain?

The 2012 Solarbuzz China PV Conference will provide an opportunity to network with global industry players and key Solarbuzz analysts. Attendees will obtain the latest market information across the whole supply chain, explore important trends in the PV industry and identify competitive strategies for corporate success.
The two-day conference will include over 20 presentations organized into the following six sessions:

• Keynote: Global PV and Supply & Demand
• PV Supply & Equipment: Polysilicon, Wafers and Inverters
• Global PV Markets: Europe, US, Asia Pacific and Emerging Markets
• Manufacturing Technology Innovation
• PV Polices and Project Pipelines
• Leading Country Updates: Germany, US, Japan and China

To view the full list of speakers, register or review a detailed agenda, please follow the link to the Solarbuzz China PV Conference.
About NPD Solarbuzz
NPD Solarbuzz, part of The NPD Group, is a globally recognized market research business focused on solar energy and photovoltaic industries. Since 2001, NPD Solarbuzz has grown its client-base to include many of the largest global PV manufacturers, major investment banks, equipment manufacturers, materials suppliers, hedge fund companies, and a vast range of other multi-nationals. NPD Solarbuzz offers a wide array of reports, including Marketbuzz, an annual global PV industry report, and Solarbuzz Quarterly, which details both historical and forecast data on the global PV supply chain. The company's research also provides annual downstream PV market reports by region for Europe, Asia Pacific and US markets. In addition, Solarbuzz.com is a recognized and respected online resource within the solar industry. For more information, visit www.solarbuzz.com or follow us on Twitter at @Solarbuzz.
About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,800 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless. For more information, contact us or visit www.npd.com and www.npdgroupblog.com. Follow us on Twitter at @npdtech and @npdgroup.
Solarbuzz and Marketbuzz are registered trademarks of The NPD Group.

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