The solar industry is in constant flux, with new technologies, manufacturing processes and applications constantly improving.

Even solar enthusiasts may find it challenging to keep up with the latest advances. It stands to reason that those against solar power often base their arguments on outdated or incorrect data.

Here are five common complaints and concerns about residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems that don’t hold up under a careful examination of the facts.

I should note that the best way to determine if solar is right for you is to get a solar home assessment. Only a solar contractor can accurately provide that information.

For pricing or more info about going solar, click here.

1. Residential solar power will never be cheaper than conventional electricity.

In the sunniest states like California and Arizona, and in states where the cost of coal-based electricity is higher, such as New York, solar power is expected to be cheaper than conventional power within the next five years. In Hawaii, it already is.

Installed costs for home solar is typically calculated per watt, while standard electricity is measured per kilowatt-hour. To avoid comparing apples to oranges, we must factor in the life of the solar panel system for an accurate comparison.

2. Solar power requires large tracts of land for solar farms.

Some people mistakenly assume that it takes large, centralized systems located in remote deserts for solar power to make a difference in the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels. As with almost every cultural revolution, real change comes from a bottom/up model.

In California alone, 52 percent of the state’s energy needs could be met by residential solar systems, according to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory report. Homeowners who install home solar systems are the real heroes of the green revolution.

3. Residential solar power installations are too expensive.

The upfront costs of a residential solar system has always been the biggest barrier to installing rooftop arrays, but a variety of financing options, solar rebates, and lower component prices have made home PV systems more affordable than ever.

Homeowners who still find the initial costs too high can often lease systems for little or no money down and immediately enjoy lower monthly utility bills.

4. The government is spending too much money on subsidies for solar power.

The federal incentive program for home solar systems can cover as much as 30 percent of your installation costs. Some people disapprove of such government programs, but it’s important to realize that every energy industry receives subsidies from the government.

In fact, no energy industry has ever thrived in the United States without subsidies. Fossil fuel subsidies are actually an astounding 13 times higher than renewable energy’s. A 2011 International Energy Agency report states that “Subsidies to renewables and low-carbon energy technologies can bring long-term economic and environmental benefits.”

5. Solar panels lower a home’s resale value.

The exact opposite is true. In a recent analysis conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research, researchers found that a home solar system adds between 3 percent and 4 percent to the value of a home during the first 10 years of the system’s life.

A study conducted early last year by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory also noted an increased resale value. In California, a home solar system fetched an average premium of $17,000 for a two-year-old 3.1-kilowatt system.

Related posts:

• TransData Doubles Smart Meter Suits as Patent Enforcement Heads East
• Making the Most of Your Solar Power System
• Home Solar Financing 101
• The Solar Decathlon
• Pre-installed Solar Panels Boost Solar Power Adoption

Last September we ran a blog post about Nokia’s adventure with solar power for cell phones. The Finnish giant sent some testers out into the big wide world to see how solar power would fare when it came to charging mobile phones with sunlight. The conclusion: it depends on lifestyle, baby.

The testers went to the Baltic Sea, camping in a Swedish forest and were in Kenya in Africa to test the technology in wildly different setting. The technology was named Lokki, especially developed small solar charging panels that were integrated to Nokia C1-02 devices.

Later on Nokia wrote a blog post saying that performance really depends on lifestyle. For instance, the security guard in Kenya collected more solar energy than anybody else because of the stationary nature of his work. He placed his phone on a pillar next to the gate where he was working and the Kenyan sun did the rest.

Elsewhere, Aino, a scout in Sweden, gained 15 percent battery life during the ten-day camp. Because she was on the move all the time, exposing the device to the sun was more complicated.

The Baltic sea tester, Pettery, had little time to use his phone and so he could fully power it from the sun during his expedition. He could even top up his battery. Also the phone was always facing the sun from the deck of the boat.

Nokia’s conclusion: “Our test users proved beyond doubt that a low power mobile phone can stay functioning for long periods of time on solar energy. However, they also proved that your lifestyle and how you use a solar powered phone is as important as the environment, the weather and the time of year.”

The question is: when will we see commercial mobile phones that are powered with solar energy, if ever? Well, for now it seems solar power is only feasible for basic mobile phones whose power consumption is low and after an extended period of exposure to the sun – so power-hungry smartphone users will have to wait longer. You’ll need a good harvesting day to get an hour of talk (which is not bad, really). On cloudy days, the phone may need to be shut down in order to maintain some charge. Therefore, solar mobile phones may be better suited for regions in the world where sunshine is constant and where the grid is not available. It may not provide a 24-hour connection but it could provide a communication solution for those living in remote regions.

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

photo: Nokia Solar Charging Blog

Related posts:

• Advances in Solar Design to Provide Power for Cell Phones
• Nokia Tests Solar Power For Cell Phones
• New Hydrogen Cartridges Can Power Small Devices and Lights
• New Fuel Cell Chargers on the Way
• iPhone’s Green Track Record Will Make You See Red

First, the bad news.

Although Africa has vast fossil and renewable energy sources, only twenty percent of its population has direct access to electricity and in some rural areas, four out of five people are completely without power. According to the UN, over 600 million Africans currently do not have access to electric power. A depressing 70 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population is living without access to clean and safe energy for their basic needs such as cooking, lighting and heating, making energy poverty among the most urgent issues facing Africa. Worldwide, more than 1.4 billion people worldwide have no access to electricity, and 1 billion more only have intermittent access.

Over 2.5 billion people, almost half of humanity, rely on traditional biomass – wood, coal, charcoal, or animal waste to cook their meals and heat their homes, exposing themselves and their families to smoke and fumes that damage their health and kill nearly two million people a year. More than 95 percent of these people are either in sub-Saharan Africa or developing Asia.

The good news?

According to the Managing Director of Nigeria’s Bank of Industry (BOI), Evelyn Oputu, total investments in renewable energy in Africa rose from $750 million in 2004 to $3.6 billion in 2011. To put this in a global context, worldwide investment in renewable energy has risen from $33 billion in 2004 to $211 billion in 2011.

And the future?

According to a report issued in August 2011 by Frost & Sullivan entitled “Mega Trends in Africa: A bright vision for the growing continent,” investment in renewable power in Africa is set to grow from the 2011 total of $3.6-billion in 2010 to $57-billion by 2020, a staggering 1,583 percent increase in nine short years. According to the document, “The key growth sectors will be wind power, solar power, geothermal power and foreign direct investment (FDI) into energy and power infrastructure.”

The reason for the spectacular projections? Africa’s combination of a massive unmet demand, including remote communities, allied to an abundance of renewable power potential in the form of solar, wind and geothermal potential. To give but one example, Only seven percent of Africa’s hydropower capacity has been developed up to now.

Africa is not yet locked into the inefficient, oft-polluting infrastructure of many Western countries. Accordingly, Africa with modern efficient technologies could build a renewable energy infrastructure that could bypass the inefficient, fossil fuel-centered energy infrastructure systems of the developed world.

Modest starts in renewable energy have already begun across the continent. Wind power projects in Africa are planned or under way in Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Tanzania – including Kenya’s 0.3 gigawatt Lake Turkana project and 0.7 gigawatt of capacity under construction in Morocco, while Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda all have existing biomass power capacity or plans for future development.

Solar? South Africa has its planned solar park in Upington, intended to contribute 5,000 megawatts to the national electrical grid, while North Africa’s Desertec is the largest solar power project ever conceived, designed at a potential cost of $500 billion to provide a significant portion of the electricity needs of participating countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and up to 15 per cent of Europe’s electricity needs by 2050.

Africa’s ambitions have the support of the United Nations, where in 2010 the General Assembly unanimously endorsed a resolution designating 2012 as “The International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has set three inter-linked objectives to support the goal of achieving “Sustainable Energy for All” by 2030, which are ensuring universal access to modern energy services, doubling the rate of improvement in energy efficiency and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

The UN Sustainable Energy for All incorporates a number of initiatives focusing on Africa, including World Bank Group’s Lighting Africa, the Paris-Nairobi Climate Initiative, the Africa-European Union Energy Partnership, and the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, as well as the EU’s decision to make access to sustainable energy a development priority through its “Agenda for Change.” A number of countries, including South Africa, are also leading the way with national initiatives.

But these initiatives are relatively recent and need financial support to prosper. It was only in September 2010 that African and European leaders launched the Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Program (RECP) at the First High-Level Meeting of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership (AEEP) in Vienna.

AEEP’s agenda is nothing if not ambitious, as its targets on renewable energy to be reached by 2020 include 10,000 megawatts of hydropower facilities, 5,000 megawatts of wind power capacity, 500 megawatts of solar energy capacity and tripling the capacity of other renewables, such as geothermal, and modern biomass.

The downside to this picture? Three things – the need for massive amounts of investment capital, a problem attendant to massive amounts of cash – corruption, and the continent’s changing political landscape, which is already impacting the Desertec North African solar initiative as the Arab Spring roils the south coast of the Mediterranean.

But both the need and potential are there – all that are currently lacking to make the future predictions a reality are cash and political will.

Article by John C.K. Daly, appearing courtesy Oilprice.com

Related posts:

• Chinese Power Companies Target African Solar Market
• France Announces Massive Investment in Cleantech
• Africa Discusses Transition to Renewable Energy
• Clean Tech Bursts Ahead, Exceeding Growth Expectations
• Funding Limits on Coal Plants Proposed in New World Bank Policy

It’s impossible not to be impressed with the efforts to be green made by Hanna Fathy, a 28-year-old Cairo-based garbage collector.

Despite living in a city blighted with grinding poverty and surrounded by trash, he is firm on his intent to live a sustainable life. And this includes producing alternative energy to avoid pollution by fossil fuels.

He built his own biodigester, which turns food scraps to produce biogas. With the copper collected from old toy motors he has built a solar panel, which he installed on the roof of his building.

He learned his solar power skills from an American organization called Solar Cities, whose mission is to “connect community catalyst and integrate technologies for industrial ecology systems”

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

Related posts:

• Mexico City Closes Dump in Push to Boost Recycling and Reuse
• Power to the People: Can Egypt Create Sustainable Wealth?
• Pacific Garbage Patch Gets Its Own Music Video
• Garbage In, Garbage Out
• Hybrid Solar Power Collector Offers Two Solutions in One Device

BioSolar works to make solar power energy cleaner and cheaper by using bio-based materials from renewable plant sources. The company last week announced that it finally received the Relative Thermal Index (RTI) recognition from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for its BioBacksheet. RTI is the temperature below which a material will not be compromised by long-term, thermally induced chemical degradation.

Biosolar said its BioBacksheet is the world’s first and only UL approved bio-based backsheet for use in solar panels, and it is a direct replacement for conventional backsheets currently used in over 70 per cent of solar panels in the world. A backsheet is the necessary bottom layer of a fully assembled solar panel.

UL certification is required for all electronic products and components, such as solar panels, prior to their sale in the general marketplace. BioSolar received UL materials certification for BioBacksheet in February 2011. Since then, UL has been performing long term thermal stability testing on BioBacksheet. The official provisional RTI designation from UL allows solar panel manufacturers to proceed with confidence in integrating BioBacksheet into their panels for full UL certification, which the company expects to be merely a procedural matter.

BioSolar says its product costs less, performs better than conventional backsheets, increases power output and is greener than the competition.

“This is a defining moment for BioSolar. By receiving the official provisional RTI designation from UL, we have completed the final product development milestone for BioBacksheet. I am pleased to report that we are finally ready to accept commercial orders”, said Dr. David Lee, BioSolar’s CEO.

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

Related posts:

• Iowa Plant Receives U.S. Backing To Convert Corn Waste into Motor Fuel
• World’s First Hybrid Solar Plant Opens in Florida
• Massive Solar PV Farm Opens in Germany
• Energy Storing Solar Plant Gets Official Green Light
• Empire State Building Becomes Tallest LEED Structure in U.S.

Some of the coldest places on Earth, including the high altitudes of the southern Andes and the Himalaya, could also have the best potential for solar power using photovoltaic technology, a new study finds.

In a global assessment of photovoltaic potential, researchers found that high-altitude regions could generate high levels of solar power not just because they are sunny — and thus are exposed to high levels of solar irradiation — but also because the low temperatures actually improve the performance of some solar panel technologies.

For example, developing solar plants within just 4 percent of the Himalaya’s high-potential region — or about 12,000 square kilometers — could provide enough power for all of China, according to the study.

While the high cost of installing solar plants in these remote regions would currently make large-scale projects impractical, the results could provide an incentive for small-scale projects in remote, rural areas, said Kotaro Kawajiri of Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and lead author of the study published in Environmental Science & Technology.

photo: 桔子Jean

Related posts:

• The Solar Balance
• Expansion of Cropland is Stretching Earth’s Ability to Store Carbon
• U.S. Geothermal Potential Mapped in New Interactive Database
• Effects of CO2 May Be Underestimated In Climate Models
• Premium U.S. Wine Regions Face Climate Risk Within 30 Years

A roof is more than a way of keeping the rain off. Nowadays many people think of a roof as a place to put solar panels to collect all of that free sunshine. The problem is that not all roofs are created equal. Scientists from the University of Gothenburg have launched a tool that uses the actual conditions to determine the maximum possible magnitude of solar incidence (and implied the maximum amount of time in shadow) – in a whole town, a neighborhood, or a particular roof. The scientists have surveyed Gothenburg in a pilot project.

If you have the free area at ground level this will do as well, but many houses do not have this area available and the roof is sometimes the only area that can be used. It must cost more to put it on the roof, and maintenance is going to be more difficult, against that the panels are faced with glass and this might get damaged more if it is accessible at ground level. It’s a matter for each householder to decide.

Solar power does not work if there is no sun which is why the effect of shadows must be understood. The roof must be clear of obstacles such as overhanging trees and the shadows of other buildings for the ideal effect.

On top of that the best sites need the sun rays to be presented at the optimal angle for maximal power generation.

The new tool is based on computer-based geographical information systems (GIS) that collect, store, analyse and present geographical data. This means that the tool describes real roofs in the correct surroundings. The sun in the model illuminates the three-dimensional built environment and simulates how surrounding buildings, terrain and vegetation throw shadows.

The shadow effect can be calculated for each month or for a complete year, and this means that certain parts of a roof may turn out to be unsuitable for collecting solar energy, even though the roof has both optimal direction and gradient. In this way, it is possible to calculate the total solar radiation on each part of a roof structure within a given area, calculated as kilowatt hours per square meter.

Thus, SEES can provide a map over the suitability, based on the user’s requirements for good, less good and poor annual solar incidence. Climate data (either measured or calculated values) with a resolution as high as 1 hour is used for the location at which SEES is being used, in order to obtain as accurate an estimate of solar incidence as possible.

“We have used Gothenburg as pilot town in the project, but the method can be used in all municipalities where the necessary data is made available. The users can judge the suitability of a roof for solar voltaic panels or solar thermal panels across a wide range, based on this”, says Fredrik Lindberg.

The solar energy project has been carried out by the University of Gothenburg in collaboration with WSP Analys & Strategi, and it has just presented its final report. The project has been financed by the SolEl programme, the Research Foundation of Göteborg Energi, the City Planning Administration of Gothenburg and the Region Västra Götaland County Council.

Article by Andy Soos, appearing courtesy ENN.

photo: PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE

Related posts:

• Dow Unveils Solar Roof Shingles
• A CleanTechies roof deck Happy Hour this Wednesday….
• How to Install Solar Power on Your Roof (or Backyard)
• Solar Power For the House and For the Eyes, Too
• Behold the Greenerator

Besides hydrogen double-decker buses, London will get another alternative energy feature on one of its icons.

Blackfriars Bridge, which runs parallel to London Bridge, is undergoing a massive reconstruction. When the new bridge and accompanying train station are delivered to the public, solar panels will be part of the new structure.

The UK Guardian reported that work on the ‘world’s largest solar bridge’ begins today. 4,400 solar panels are being installed above the new station platform. When the work is finished in 2012, the bridge that was built back in 1886 will become home to 6,000 square meters of photovoltaic panels, London’s largest array.

The installation is being carried out by Solarcentury, who said the panels are expected to generated around 900,000 kWh, or half of the station’s energy needs. This will reduce CO2 emissions by roughly 511 tonnes per year.

Since the bridge is smack bang in the middle of the city, solar power technology will become a prominent feature of the ever-so-lively English capital. The panels will produce electricity and great PR for the solar industry as well.

Besides the solar panels, the rebuilding of Blackfriars Bridge/Station includes rain harvesting systems and sun pipes for natural lighting. The hope is to make of the project a template for green stations everywhere.

Article by APASOLINI, appearing courtesy energyrefuge.com.

photo: Computer-generated image of Blackfriars Bridge solar panels array. Via Guardian.

Related posts:

• London Bridge Will Soon Be All Lit Up With LEDs!
• New Bridge in Wales Made from Recycled Plastic Waste
• Pre-installed Solar Panels Boost Solar Power Adoption
• London’s New Black Cabs Must Be Electric by 2020, Mayor Says
• Solar Panels Get a Touch of Color

This morning, Chairman Cliff Stearns, who leads the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, told NPR that “We can’t compete with China to make solar panels and wind turbines.”

This comment reflects exactly the sort of counterproductive defeatism that Energy Secretary Steven Chu warned against this weekend when he spoke to a group of America’s most promising young solar innovators:

“The United States faces a choice today: Will we sit on the sidelines and fall behind or will we play to win the clean energy race? Some say this is a race America can’t win.  They’re ready to wave the white flag and declare defeat… Others say this is a race America shouldn’t even be in. They say we can’t afford to invest in clean energy.  I say we can’t afford not to.

“It’s not enough for our country to invent clean energy technologies – we have to make them and use them too. Invented in America, made in America, and sold around the world – that’s how we’ll create good jobs and lead in the 21st century.”

The race for clean energy jobs and industries is on – and it is a race well worth winning. The International Energy Agency projects that in the coming decades, solar power could grow to more than 20 percent of the world’s electricity. Conservatively, this means that there is an economic opportunity worth trillions of dollars for whichever countries claim the lead. The global market for wind turbines is also growing exponentially.

But it’s not just the vast potential of jobs tomorrow – these industries employ a growing number of Americans today. In fact, business groups estimate that America’s solar industry accounts for about 100,000 jobs and the wind industry employs 75,000. Should we simply tell those workers that we’ve given up on them?

A study released last month showed that, in spite of the intense global competition, the U.S. remains a net global exporter of solar technology – with $5.6 billion in exports and an overall positive trade balance of $1.8 billion.

It is certainly true that China is playing to win. Last year alone, China offered its solar manufacturers $30 billion in government financing, vastly exceeding the U.S. investment.  And China has overtaken the United States market share in solar power – a technology we invented.

Chairman Stearns and other members of his party in Congress believe that America cannot, or should not, try to compete for jobs in a cutting edge and rapidly growing industry.  We simply disagree:  the answer to this challenge is not to wave the white flag and give up on American workers. America has never declared defeat after a single setback – and we shouldn’t start now.

America’s entrepreneurs and innovators are still the very best in the world. Our workers are second to none – and we have never been afraid of a challenge. It’s time to do what we’ve always done in the face of a tough competitor: roll up our sleeves and recapture the lead.

photo: portobesono

Related posts:

• Latest Renewable Energy Jobs in Solar and Wind Energy
• Weekly Address: A Solar Recovery
• Where to Find Jobs in Energy Efficiency
• The Energy of Entrepreneurs
• New Website Asks For Support For Wind Power Jobs

The Washington Post’s assertions today about the Department of Energy’s loan programs today are both incomplete and inaccurate.

Here are the facts:  over the past two years, the Department of Energy’s Loan Program has supported a robust, diverse portfolio of more than 40 projects that are investing in pioneering companies as we work to regain American leadership in the global race for clean energy jobs.  These projects include major advances for our renewable power industry including the world’s largest wind farm, several of the world’s largest solar generation facilities, and one of the country’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plants.  Collectively, the projects plan to employ more than 60,000 Americans, create tens of thousands more indirect jobs, provide clean electricity to power three million homes, and save more than 300 million gallons of gasoline a year, all while investing in American competitiveness. What matters to the men and women who have those jobs is that the investments that this Administration is making are helping to keep factories open and running. 

When the Washington Post claims that the program has created 3,500 jobs, here is what the reporters are excluding:

• 33,000 American auto jobs saved at Ford: The Post article does acknowledge that the program enabled Ford to modernize its factories to produce more fuel efficient vehicles, which a Ford spokeswoman credits for “helping retain the 33,000 jobs by ensuring our employees can build the fuel-efficient cars people want to drive.”
• More than 7,300 construction jobs: Many of the projects funded by the program are wind and solar power plants, which create significant numbers of construction jobs but once built can be operated inexpensively without a large workforce.  But the Washington Post chose to ignore all of those jobs.  If a community built a new highway or a bridge that employed 200 workers directly during construction – and many more in the supply chain — and that also strengthened the local economy by making it faster to transport goods, would anyone say that the project created zero jobs? 
• Supply chain jobs: While these jobs aren’t reflected in official government estimates because of the difficulty in obtaining a precisely accurate count, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.  When a company spends $100 million or $200 million building a wind farm or a solar power plant, most of that economic value actually goes into the supply chain – creating huge manufacturing opportunities for the United States. 

In fact, when you look at the Washington Post’s graphic, you can see that the program has already created or saved roughly 44,000 jobs.  Many of the projects it has funded are just getting going, and many of the loans won’t even go out the door until the next few weeks.  Others have not ramped fully up to scale.  But we are on pace to achieve more than 60,000 direct jobs – and many more in the supply chain.

Here’s a simple example:

Last year, the Department awarded a loan guarantee to build the Kahuku wind farm in Hawaii.  It employed 200 workers during construction.  Those wind turbines were built in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  The project also features a state of the art energy storage system supplied by a company in Texas.  The supply chain reached 104 U.S. businesses in 21 states.  But by the Washington Post’s count, none of those jobs – not even the 200 direct construction jobs – should count.  

What’s critically important and completely ignored by the Washington Post, is that the value of this program can’t be measured in operating jobs alone.  The investments are helping to build a new clean energy industry here in America.  We are now on pace to double renewable energy generation from wind and solar from the time the President took office.  Yet we are still in danger of falling behind China and other nations that are competing aggressively for leadership in these technologies.  This is a race we can and will win, but only if we make these investments today. These investments will pay dividends not just in today’s jobs but in entire industries and supply chains – and in cleaner air and water for our children and grandchildren. 

One of the goals of the program is to create projects that will encourage the private sector to take the financing risk on other, similar projects on its own.  If we can show, for example, that a commercial scale cellulosic biofuel plant in Iowa can succeed, the private sector will likely finance many more of them around the country.

America’s economic strength has been built on technological leadership.  The next great technological revolution is the clean energy revolution, and this Administration is committed to making sure that America will continue to lead the world.

Related posts:

• Story of Broke Nails the Truth About Oil and Clean Energy
• Solyndra: Illustrating a Recovery Act Supply Chain
• Why Clean Energy on Tribal Land isn’t Excess-it’s Essential
• Green Energy Act Surpasses Expectations
• “Corporate Personhood” and Energy Policy