Not many bloggers are able to witness the technologies we research and write about. It’s one thing to be able to buy afford a cool “green” gadget (usually not very green), but another to see the many forms of solar, wind, geothermal, etc., which are always changing and developing around the world. So when my employer decided to go solar, you might imagine my excitement.

At the moment I work for Magco Inc., a Tecta America company. Tecta is a national commercial roofing corporation that can install green roofs, solar lighting, and solar panels alongside a variety of traditional roofing systems. This solar project is pretty straight forward: our building has a big, flat roof on top of a hill without any shade. You’d have trouble finding a sunnier spot for solar panels.

I was double delighted when I heard that they ordered thin-film solar! Naturally inquiring minds wanted to know: why and what kind?

Magco bought their solar from Uni-Solar, which produces triple-junction laminate panels. That means they laminate the photovoltaic chemicals onto a thin sheet of metal in three layers; each layer reacts to a different range of light. They also laminate a sealant on the panel to protect it from the elements. The benefit of this system is that it reacts better to low or indirect light. Think cloudy days and the hours around dusk and dawn, a. Uni-Solar’s panels operate around 12% efficiency, but they claim to out-perform other forms of PV solar in indirect light, which means they could produce more electricity in certain real-world conditions (cloudy days). The laminate production method also decreases cost because expensive silicon and mounting racks are not required.

In fact, these thin-film solar panels are glued straight onto the roof. (See picture.)

Magco chose these panels for another important reason: no roof penetrations. If you mount racks on your roof, you have to fasten them down. That means punching holes in the roof, which can void your warranty and even damage your roof if it’s not done right. Some solar systems, even silicon panels, have found ways to avoid these problems, and anyone looking into solar should ask about the integrity of their existing roof. Another bonus for Magco and thin-film solar was weight: these solar panels roll out like carpet and don’t weigh as much as silicon. That means Magco wouldn’t need to add any structural support. It does snow here, so weight is an important factor!

What about the electrical aspect? Special runners help connect and protect wires between panels and represent the only mounted equipment in the system.  The wires eventually find their way to a big inverter inside the building, which feeds the electricity to us. A 2-way power meter can then feed any excess electricity back into the grid. Simple, right? Well, for a project this big and complicated you’d definitely want to hire some professionals. If you mix up which-wires-go-where, you could make some very expensive mistakes or just rob yourself of some of your solar power.

What if you and your neighbors want to go solar but can’t afford it? Bulk your order and get it done at the same time. Combining your orders will reduce costs in man-hours and equipment (think crane rentals). Naturally you can also get a better deal on the panels themselves if you buy in larger quantity.

Images Courtesy of Patrick Bollinger.

Europe is pushing to help solar power spread and Italy is reacting by going forward quickly. The country’s demand is rising even if a large part of Italians are quite doubtful about the advantages of installing solar panels on their homes. The lack of a national strategy, together with an insufficient information, is impeding the use of alternative energy and producing confusion about prices, productivity and maintenance costs.

Despite that, is very surprising what can be done locally. I recently learned about an ecological cemetery in a small town near Milan, in the north of Italy.

The Mayor has decided to put money in a photovoltaic plant composed of 18 solar panels, providing the cemetery with free lighting and saving 20% on the billing cost. This example let me think about the urgent necessity to divert our energy charge from fossil fuels to renewable sources.

An important decision in this sense arrives now from Enel SpA, Italy’s largest utility, and Sharp Corp., a leader in solar power technologies. The companies will set up joint solar power generation plants in Italy, which are expected to have an output capacity of more than 160 megawatts by the end of 2011 and supply 81.500 Italian families with energy.

“We haven’t decided the locations and cost of those facilities, and the two companies will discuss such details from now,” said Miyuki Nakayama, a Sharp spokeswoman.

They will also consider building a factory in Italy to make photovoltaic panels using Sharp’s triple-junction thin-film technology, a technology that reduces costs and improves cell conversion efficiency. This would be one of the world’s largest solar power operations and could generate an energy business in Europe, which seems to have a large market potential. Photovoltaic fields are also supposed to be installed in other countries of the Mediterranean area, where Enel already has a major presence.

“It’s an alliance we consider unique at international level. Two companies setting a common strategy, with Sharp entering with us in the market of electric energy and Enel getting in the production of photovoltaic panels” said Francesco Starace, Director of Enel’s Market Division.

The goal is to have a distribution network of solar energy along the whole Italian territory. The factory for the production of panels would be set in a coastal site in order to facilitate a connection with other European countries.

About Sharp

Sharp, a Japanese company listed on the Tokyo stock exchange, is a world leader in consumer electronics and in the manufacture of advanced photovoltaic panels.

About Enel

Enel, a world leader in the generation of electricity from renewable sources is expanding its efforts in this sector and in environmentally friendly technologies, with a programme of investments totaling 7.4 billion Euros by the end of 2012.

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Image courtesy of San Benedetto Oggi

To help children learn how the sun moves across the sky and how shadows are formed, the human sundial project takes a whole day.  First thing in the morning when the sun is up, go outside with your child and trace their shadow with some chalk.  Mark an X where your child is standing so they can return to the same spot.  Switch roles and have your child trace your shadow in a different spot. Then, return every hour and repeat tracing your shadows and recording the time on each shadow. By the end of the day, your child will see how their shadow moves in accordance with the sun’s path, as well as changes shape.

Learning to tell time is a mathematical content standard taught during the primary grade levels; however, most children are not taught the connection between and the passage of time and the Earth’s movements.  By becoming a human sundial, children learn these connections in a way that makes sense to them. Planet Earth is a unique place!

Happy Earth Day!

Image: Flikr chez_sugi 

An article in Canada’s National Post summarized weather around the northern hemisphere and concluded that arctic ice is back, heavier than ever in some areas, and China is reeling from its worst winter in a century.

Of course, it doesn’t mean global warming is a non-entity, nor does it mean we’re headed for a mini ice-age. The author, Lorne Gunter, took a swipe at environmentalists this way:

“Ok, so one winter does not a climate make. It would be premature to claim an Ice Age is looming just because we have had one of our most brutal winters in decades.

But if environmentalists and environment reporters can run around shrieking about the manmade destruction of the natural order every time a robin shows up on Geeorgian Bay two weeks early, then it is at least fair game to use this winter’s weather stories to wonder whether the alarmist are being a tad premature.”

The article goes on to claim that winds drive ocean currents northward from the tropics, and that has accounted for much of the recent polar ice melt.

To prove that point, Joellen Russell, assistant professor of biogeochemical dynamics at the University of Arizona here in Tucson, is quoted as saying that current theories about polar ice-melt cooling the oceans and stopping the circulation of warm water to northern latitudes is wrong. Wind patterns determine the flow of warm ocean currents northward. There will be no mini Ice Age as has been predicted.

Then there’s the theory that the sun is entering a period of sunspot inactivity. The last time the sun was inactive for a long period of time, a five-century-long Ice Age gripped the earth, ending in 1850.

A Russian scientist, Oleg Sorokhtin of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, is quoted as saying man made climate change is a “drop in the bucket” compared to what could happen if sunspot inactivity continues. He advised people to “stock up on fur coats.”

Pick your poison, as we used to say. Nature is doing its thing, we’re doing ours, and who’s to know what’s really happening to our planet?

For most of us, the winter solstice will be Dec. 22nd. There are so many ways to approach this pivotal moment in earth’s year: astronomically, historically, agriculturally, religiously/comparative religiously, anthropologically. For example, hundreds of years before Stonehenge, there was Newgrange – a massive structure in Ireland that captures the beam of the rising sun on the winter solstice. And this year, for the first time, you can view this event live via webcast!

Some children may find the astronomy interesting and can learn about cool, new concepts like the Analemma. (Haven’t you ever wondered what that long, figure eight on the globe was for?)

You can link the solstice to ancient cultures and talk about how the cold and dark make us feel and why people might want to celebrate the light returning. You can tie it to movies they may have seen like, Cast Away, Raiders of the Lost Ark, National Treasure and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

For the kid who just can’t hold their horses for Christmas, try enlisting their creativity to design their own sunrise solstice observance. What foods should we eat that day? What should we do to feel warm and cozy on the shortest day of the year? Are their certain stories we should read aloud? Perhaps we should dress in yellow to encourage the days to lengthen again! For the more mathmatically inclined, an engineering project to create their own Stonehenge could easily eat up an entire pre-Christmas afternoon!

Christmas and the winter solstice are forever linked and at this time of year when we so readily say, “Peace on earth, goodwill toward men,” it is comforting to know that there is something that connects humanity over time and distance. Regardless of your religious observances this time of year, you can demonstrate the earth’s unending cycles and our intimate connection to them.

Photo used by permission: Annaliese Moyer www.annaliesemoyer.com

Gary founded his company in 1976, and he tells the story of what happened to solar power, and how it’s coming to the forefront once again. Gary serves on the board of directors of several non-profit organizations including a non profit solar industry trade association, the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA). He is also a mamber of ADPSR (Architects, Designers, Planners for Social Responsibility).

The process for creating the cells is incredibly efficient. Implementing a technique by which the melted silicon is subjected to free fall, the cells are formed naturally by microgravity. This limits the amount of raw materials wasted by the final product.