Dell's Solar Grove

Parking lots are vast, often hot and ugly. Envision Solar has a new vision for the parking lot and the latest one they have transformed is at Dell's headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. Dell has installed an Envision "Solar Grove". The Solar Grove provides shade for 56 parking spaces while providing renewable energy.

The installation will generate 130,000 kWh annually.

The project includes more than just solar technology though. It also includes electric vehicle charging stations from Coulomb Technologies. When plug-in cars like the Nissan Leaf or the Chevy Volt park here, they'll be drivin' on sunshine.

Via EcoGeek

Solar Oregon's Meeting

Help us celebrate 30 years of supporting the solar community!

What: Solar Oregon's Annual Meeting

When: November 7, 2009 1:00 to 3:00 pm
Where: Lucky Labrador Brew Pub - 915 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214

You are cordially invited to join us for the 2009 Solar Oregon Annual Business Meeting, future vision review and 30 year celebration. The program includes;

• Updates on Feed-In Tariff Rules - Presenter Kacia Brockman, Energy Trust of Oregon
  
• Lessons Learned in Commercial Solarl Hot Water - Presenter Mitch Dec, Glumac
  
• 30 year celebration cake!
  
• Volunteer Recognition
  
• Solar Oregon Vision
  
• Current Solar Oregon business

Grid Overhaul

The Smart Grid has communications and computing technologies to distribute energy more efficiently. The below video describes the smart grid and how it will increase energy efficiency and better integrate renewable energy sources.

The video includes interviews recorded at the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) Plug-In Vehicle Innovation Conference and the IEEE Energy 2030 Conference.

Solar Chipotle

Chipotle Mexican Grill Plans Major Solar Power Initiative.

Chipotle has announced that it is partnering with Houston-based Standard Renewable Energy (SRE) to install solar panels on approximately 75 Chipotle restaurants over the next year. In total, Chipotle's distributed systems will produce 500 kilowatt hours, making Chipotle the largest solar energy producer in the restaurant industry.

“Our effort to change the way people think about and eat fast food began with our commitment to serving food made with ingredients from more sustainable sources, and that same kind of thinking now influences all areas of our business,” said Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle. “Today, we’re following a similar path in the way we design and build restaurants, looking for more environmentally friendly building materials and systems that make our restaurants more efficient.”

Solar panel installations are already underway in Denver, Austin, Dallas and San Antonio. Markets and restaurants where solar may be used is based on a formula that includes a restaurant’s electricity consumption, local utility solar rebates, and access to sunlight.

The intent of Chipotle’s solar initiative is to reduce the restaurants’ traditional energy consumption during peak hours for energy use, when pressure on the energy grid is greatest. The amount of power produced through the solar program will eliminate more than 41 million pounds of CO2 emissions.

In addition to this new solar panel initiative, Chipotle was the first restaurant ever to receive Platinum level LEED (R) certification – the highest level – by the U.S. Green Building Council for its Gurnee, Ill., restaurant that features an on-site wind turbine and an underground cistern to harvest rainwater for irrigation. Chipotle also has a LEED certified restaurant in Long Island, N.Y., and a third restaurant that is pending certification in Minneapolis. All of Chipotle’s new restaurants include some environmentally friendly materials or systems, including low VOC paints and sealants, recycled drywall and stainless steel, photocell light controls that regulate electric lighting based on availability of natural lighting, or low-E window glass that helps reduce heating and cooling needs.

Chipotle opened its first restaurant in 1993 and currently operates nearly 900 restaurants. Founded in 2006, Standard Renewable Energy (SRE) is the nation’s largest Distributed Energy Services Company (DESCO) and leading provider of energy efficiency and on-site renewable energy solutions for homes, businesses and government entities.

Links:
Chipotle
http://www.chipotle.com

Standard Renewable Energy (SRE)
http://www.sre3.com

Via:
Green Energy News
http://www.green-energy-news.com

Electric Vehicle, How Does It Work? Video

Cap & Dividend OR Cap & Trade?

This Fall, the U.S. Senate began debating their climate change bill. The American Clean Energy and Security Act, narrowly passed by the House of Representatives in June. At the heart of the Senate bill is a cap-and-trade provision. But is cap-and-trade the best method? Many consider cap-and-trade just a hidden tax. If it is a tax, why not just set a carbon tax and avoid the shell game? Below is another alternative.



Whichever version passes the Senate, one thing is sure, it will cost more to emit CO2. This will encourage businesses to find cleaner ways to do things and could be a boon to the renewable energy industry.

Solar Thermal Comes to the Rooftop

Solar concentrated thermal energy is a great technology to generate electricity. To understand the technology see this. However, it generally needs a large area to be effective. This has meant that it was only an option for electrical utilities. If you wanted solar electricity for your home or business, your only option was photovoltaic.

A small but growing Hawaiian company has just changed that!

The name of the company is Sopogy. Just like the company, their name is a mash-up of Solar Power & Technology.

Sopogy's rooftop solution, like many breakthroughs, seems to have been a happy accident. They had planned to supply the massive industrial solar thermal market, just like every other solar thermal electric tech company. As part of their development, they had made test troughs and put them on the roof of their headquarters. This allows them to test things like different tracking angles or mirror materials and quickly gather data. It also was a spot they could take potential investors, clients, or media to display the product.

You can see the company founder in the bottom video explain to one reporter that they are not intending these for rooftop use. After explaining many times that these rooftop systems were not the intended use, they looked at the data and said 'why not?'. Their troughs were small enough for many business rooftops and were cheaper per kilowatt-hour than photovoltaic. Recent advances allowed generators to be used with lower temperatures. The company has now created a new niche.

Electricity is just one option for these rooftop systems; you can even use them to power a cooling system.

More about the Sopogy company and technology in this second video below:

Gorgeous Solar PV System

We have posted stories about solar tiles here before.

Solar has two big obstacles to overcome: cost and aesthetics. Integrated solar shingles helps overcome both of these. Building the solar into the building in the first place, rather than retro-fitting it, saves money and it can be financed with the house. Solar shingles also use thin-film PV, this is cheaper than silicon wafer PV. Thin-film is less efficient so you'll need to cover more of your roof.

As for the aesthetics, that is a very subjective topic. I find everything from roof mounted systems to solar troughs to be an elegant and beautiful technology. But many home-owners associations do not agree with me; however, solar shingles are allowed in many areas where roof mounted systems are not.

SRS Energy has developed roofing tiles that mimic Tuscan terracotta roofing tiles but contain amorphous silicon solar cells produced by Uni-Solar.

Via CNet

Links:

SRS Energy

Solar Waffle Works

A new solar-powered food cart in northeast Portland serves up more than waffles.

Located at N.E. Alberta St. and 23rd Ave. and set to open later this month, the small blue trailer housing "Solar Waffle Works" is a nonprofit project that helps high school graduates gain independent living skills and vocational training.

The young adults involved are part of the PPS Community Transition Program, which helps recent graduates transition to life after high school.

Corinne Thomas-Kersting, CTP administrator, says Solar Waffle Works benefits students by making them active partners in the creation and management of a socially responsible start-up.

"This project gets them out of the classroom and into the real world," says Thomas-Kersting. "That hands-on experience is incredibly valuable."

Students designed the cart from start-to-finish: they helped create the business plan, the logo, the marketing concepts and the menu, assisted with preparing the cart for service and will work in Solar Waffle Works preparing and serving food as well assisting with accounting and advertising.

The cart is the result of a partnership between PPS and SolTrekker, a Northeast-based nonprofit dedicated to renewable energy education. A solar panel array on the cart's roof supplies much of its power.

"It's about a lot more than CTP students learning how to flip waffles," says Allison Hintzmann, a CTP transition specialist who envisioned and co-created Solar Waffle Works with students and SolTrekker. "This fosters entrepreneurship while also teaching skills that will make them more employable."

In addition to job training, Solar Waffle Works emphasizes the importance of conserving resources and reducing environmental impact.

SolTrekker provided the trailer and added plumbing and solar components. The nonprofit contributed labor, funds and materials and received partial funding from PPS and the Spirit Mountain Community Fund.

Ty Adams, founder and board chair at SolTrekker, says his organization didn't need any convincing to participate.

"This is a project that's not just unique to Portland, but one that is unique nationwide," says Adam. "It's definitely the tastiest project we've ever been a part of."

Visiting Solar Waffle Works

For its grand opening, Solar Waffle Works will feature live music and free samples on Saturday, Oct. 24, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its location on N.E. Alberta St. and 23rd Ave. Hours of business will be 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Weekday revenue supports the Community Transition Program.

via Portland Public School News

Solar Oregon Photo Contest

Each year Solar Oregon holds a photo contest. Below are the three runners up and the winning photo.

Christopher Morgan

Sam Doak

Gregory Flick

photo by Michele Renee, Contest Winner

Link: Solar Oregon

Solar for Free

If you could get solar energy, rather than the standard grid mix, at exactly the same price, would you do it? Seems like a simple choice.

For most people, the biggest hurdle for getting solar panels on their home is the cost. If you are in Oregon and own a home, and would like to have solar panels on your roof to generate electricity, the deal you have been waiting for is here. Solar electricity at the same price you are already paying.

SolarCity is now offering residential "Solar Leases" in Oregon. A solar lease is an agreement to purchase the power that the solar panels produce; the solar panels are put on your home and you agree to buy the electricity they generate for a fixed period of time.

You don't own the panels, but you don't have to pay for them. And if something goes wrong (like an inverter going out), you don't have to pay for that either. SolarCity owns and maintains all the equipment.

SolarCity was founded in California and is (not surprisingly) the state's biggest solar installer. They expanded into Oregon over a year ago but had only been servicing commercial customers until now. During this time they have installed systems on Walmart, Whole Foods, & Intel to name a few.

With this track record and clientèle, they appear legitimate.

If you sell your home, you can transfer the agreement to the new owners, or prepaid it and make it a selling point for the house. SolarCity is flexible. At the end of the lease, you can have them take it all away, or (optionally) buy the equipment. Or, here is one of the cool parts, even have them replace it with the latest and greatest in PV technology.

There are, of course, considerations, such as trees, that must be looked at to determine if solar is right for your home. You can contact them for a free sight assessment.

If you are concerned about signing a lease, think about it this way: in our modern world, going without electricity is not a practical option, so you are, in a manner, already in a lifetime lease agreement with your utility company. Why not lease solar instead?

SolarCity Residential

Solar Decathlon Photos

If you weren't able to attend the Solar Decathlon in DC, check out the slideshow and video. Treehugger

Clean Tech Open

Do you have an idea for an eco-friendly product, service, or company?

If you want to know how to go from idea to business plan to funding, here is one route.

Clean Tech Open from Paul Chang on Vimeo.

http://www.cleantechopen.com/

Skystream Over Portland

Southwest Windpower designed the Skystream line to be residential wind turbine. However, they are discovering that these little turbines can find uses in far many more places than just the neighborhood backyard.

The latest use is in downtown Portland Oregon. Four wind turbines, rise 45-feet above a 22-story building. The turbines do not generate much of the building's energy needs (about as much as it takes to run the elevator) but the turbines are just the icings on the cake for this building that is designed so efficiently, it is expected to receive not one, but two Platinum LEED certifications — for new construction and commercial interiors.

Listen to the Story on NPR's All Things Considered

Solar Power At Night!

One of the, often sited, drawbacks of solar energy is that it does not produce power at night. A new solar plant in the Arizona desert is about to change that.

It is named "Starwood Solar One" and it will be located 75 miles west of Phoenix in the Harquahala Valley.

When complete in 2013, the 290 MW solar thermal power plant will cover 1900 acres of desert and be the largest dispatchable solar power plant in the world. A "dispatchable" plant is one that can be tapped for electricity whenever needed, such as peak demand periods day or night.

'How is that possible?', you might ask.

Mirrored troughs concentrate the sun to heat liquids, that are piped into giant insulated tanks of molten salt. The tanks are heated to over 700 degrees Fahrenheit. With an insulated thermal mass this large, the tanks can maintain their temperature for weeks with very little degradation. This means that they can be used to generate steam and drive turbines whenever needed, day or night and even during cloudy weather.

Simple temperature monitors can be used to estimate production capacity currently stored in the tanks. This makes the plant output highly predictable and dependable; something photovoltaic and wind cannot do currently. It would take weeks of "solar drought" in Arizona before the plant would not be able to produce at full capacity.

It will produce enough power for ~73,000 customers. The construction will also create 7700 jobs and have a price tag of $2.7B. With no ongoing fuel costs, it will pay for itself and then some; all while not polluting and no miners need to die and no mountain tops need to be removed to feed it.

This type of solar thermal energy as well as geothermal energy are demand-response sources that can be used to supply the base load. This also allows them to adjust to the fluctuations that wind and photovoltaic can produce. Together these can make a complementary portfolio of renewable energy production.

UPDATE: Despite all the contracts signed in May, on October 1st, this project was, sadly, canceled. I hope Starwood can find someplace more dedicated to renewable energy to build.

Links:
Huffington Post
Green Energy News
EcoGeek

World Solar Challenge 2009

Plug-in America Bumper Sticker Contest

Bumper Sticker Contest a HIT!
We thank the creative Plug In America supporters who conjured up witticisms and illustrative offerings to help us produce our next bumper sticker series. Out of the 160 suggestions, we had so many good ones. So we whittled the list down to 40 and we need your help in choosing the top three out of these finalists! Send an email to info@pluginamerica.org listing your three favorites and we will announce winners in the next newsletter. Runner up phrases will be considered for future use on billboards and license plate holders.

Plug In Electric: Mightier than the Pump!
Fuel your Future - Electric Cars
Electric Cars - OPEC Free
Recycle, Reuse, Drive Electric
Think Global, Act Local, Drive Electric
Plug the Global Oil Leak - Drive Electric
End the Addiction - Drive Electric
PASS GAS stations AND LAUGH
Plug In to Electricity Made in the USA
Just charge it - Go Electric
Be gas free - drive an EV!
Today's Blue Sky - brought to you by electric cars
My other car is electric too
Plug in, turn on, and drive off
The ICE Age is over
Plug in for Clean Air!
Goodbye Gasoline, Hello Electric
Driving the Future…Today!
I'm Charged! My Car's Electric!
POWER w/o POLLUTION Drive Electric
Electric Cars - Back to the Future!
Fully Charged for Electric Cars!
Oil's Crude, Electric's Not!
Stop Global Warming - The Coolest Cars Plug In
My Electric Car Pollutes Less than Your Honor Student
Ecology is my Co-Pilot - Drive a Plug in Car
Plug Power (adorn with 70's flowers & peace sign)
Plug Pride
Plug-in, Power-up, Peel-out
Plug Power (with a peace sign)
Get a Charge out of it! - Drive Electric
Let's play find the tailpipe
Electrically Driven
I want a "Volts" wagon
Sexy-lectric
I go 40 miles on an empty tank! (plug-in hybrid)
Driving an electric is not exhausting!

If you have any questions please email info@pluginamerica.org.

September 2009 PV & EV Report

On Tuesday, September 22nd Autumn officially arrived at 2:18 p.m., Pacific time. Fall is here, the trees are getting decked out in glorious colors and birds are starting their migration. Halloween and cooler temperatures are just around the corner.

The days have become shorter, our PV system generates noticeably less energy than it did this summer. This month we generated 402 kWh, compared to the 618 of July.

Sept EV Driving
Distance 436 miles
Energy Use est. 305 kWh

Sept still had about 100kWh of surplus energy generation.

For the year we have generated 3353kWh and my EV driving has used 2332kWh. This leaves a surplus of 1256kWh for driving on sunshine through the winter months.