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Why we need Solar Power Lee Burneson Middle School – Westlake, OH 10/06/11. Jeff Burns NE Ohio Regional Manager. Dovetail Solar and Wind. Founded in 1995 - one of Ohio’s oldest & largest renewable energy design and installation firms
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Why we need Solar Power Lee Burneson Middle School – Westlake, OH 10/06/11 Jeff BurnsNE Ohio Regional Manager
Dovetail Solar and Wind Founded in 1995 - one of Ohio’s oldest & largest renewable energy design and installation firms Implement Solar Electric (PV), Solar Thermal (Hot Water) and Wind power systems throughout Ohio and surrounding states Offices in Athens, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo and Detroit, Michigan Over 220 renewable energy systems installed As of 2011 we now employ close to 40 Ohio Residents
Sample Installations Twenty First Century Energy Corp. Apple Hill Orchards Cincinnati Zoo Schott Education Ctr. Kilpatrick Farm Melink Corp.
Sample Installations 4.3 KW in the Toledo area 2.9 KW Pole Mount 4.8 KW in the Cleveland area 3.2 KW in Marietta, OH 4.2 KW in Marietta, OH 8.3 KW in the Akron area Raymond Ku Home Sean Jones Home
125 KW – City of Akron CITY OF AKRON, OHIO DIVISION OF PURCHASING ROOM 501 MUNICIPAL BUILDING 166 S. HIGH STREET AKRON, OH 44308 Invitation to Bid FOR FURNISHING: 2011 SOLAR PANEL ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM
Humanity’s top ten problems for the next 50 years • Energy • Water • Food • Environment • Poverty • Terrorism & War • Disease • Education • Democracy • Population Slide by Larry Flowers, NREL
Why renewable energy? • Renewable energy systems are an investment in our quality of life, our national security, and our environment • Solar systems provide energy independence and insulation from utility cost increases • Payback is improving as modules become more efficient and lower cost, and as traditional energy sources continue to become more expensive • Federal & State incentives greatly reduce payback time
James Watt(1736 - 1819) The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units (SI), named after the 18th-century Scottish engineeer James Watt. Its unit symbol is W. The unit measures the rate of energy conversion. 1 kW (Kilowatt) = 1,000 Watts 1 MW (Megawatt) = 1,000,000 Watts 1 GW (Gigawatt) = 1,000,000,000 Watts
Solar Power The U.S. Department of Energy indicates the amount of solar energy that hits the surface of the earth every +/- hour is greater than the total amount of energy that the entire human population requires in a year.
Another perspective is that roughly 100 miles square of solar panels placed in the southwestern U.S. could power the country.
Does Solar Work in Ohio? Germany Even with less solar energy resource, Germany has 1,000 of times more solar energy production than Ohio. Ohio Insolation: A measure of the amount of sun falling on a specific location Cleveland, OH = Average 3.9 Sun Hrs/Day
Solar vs. Wind • Solar has no moving parts – Wind turbines have many thus requiring annual maintenance versus a simple cleaning of PV panels annually • Solar can be installed without much redtape – Wind Turbines require P&Z zoning approval and often bird studies, noise studies and more • Solar can work virtually anywhere there is exposure to the southern sky with no shadows - Wind turbines only work in well identified wind areas (see maps) • Solar has an expected life time of 30+ years – Wind turbines generally last 20 years due to the wear and tear of constant wind and moving parts
True of False ? Photons from sunlight strike a solar panel causing electrons to be released and thus creating electricity.
Answer: TRUE ! Solar PV (photovoltaic) • Capturing energy from sunlight • Photons from sunlight strike silicon wafers • Causes electrons to be released • Moving electrons = electricity
A closer look at how a solar panel works … • A solar panel captures energy from sunlight • Photons from sunlight strike silicon wafers in the solar panel • This causes millions of electrons to be released • Moving electrons = Electricity
One of the most important aspects of locating a solar power system … South-facing Exposure
What can a 2 KW (2000 Watt) Solar PV System Power ? = 133 - 15W Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
Photovoltaic Panels Variety of mounting options • Roof Mount • Pole Mounts • Ground Mount • Building Integrated (Shingles etc.)
Thin-Film Solar Wall Source:www.nrel.gov/pv/thin_film/docs/cis_wales_2.jpg
PV System Types • Battery-based (off-grid) • Grid-tied w/ battery backup (net meter) • Grid-tied only (net meter)
PV Inverters A solar inverter or PV inverter is a critical component in a solar energy system. It performs the conversion of the variable DC output of the Photovoltaic (PV) modules into a utility frequency AC current that can be fed into the commercial electrical grid or used by a local, off-grid electrical network.
The Enphase Energy Microinverter System • S MA R T • S A F E • P R ODUC T I V E • R E L I A B L E • - Maximum energy production • - Resilient to dust, debris and shading • - Performance monitoring per module • - System availability greater than 99.8% • - No single point of system failure • - Quick & simple design, installation and management • - 24/7 monitoring and analysis • - Low voltage DC • - Reduced fire risk
Enphase Data Monitoring Equipment Enlighten automatically monitors the performance of every module in the system. No additional monitoring hardware or software is needed. Unlike third party monitoring systems, which only monitor the inverter, Enlighten provides unprecedented visibility into the performance of every individual module. The Enphase Envoy (EMU) is a communications gateway that collects performance information for each solar module in a user's system and transmits this data to the Enlighten™ website.
Smart Energy EcoSystem (aka: Smart Grid) There are major transformations underway in the U.S. electric grid, driven by an aging infrastructure and growing demand. What Is Smart Energy and Why Does It Matter? Smart energy applies information technology innovations to the way we generate, distribute and use energy in order to make the system more efficient. For consumers, that may mean energy savings and lower bills. For utilities, it means meeting future electricity demand with fewer, more efficient power plants.
1950’s – The Interstate Highway System 1990’s – The World Wide Web (Internet) 2009 – The Smart Energy Grid
Utility Scale Solar 1 MW Powers Approximately 300 Homes
America’s Solar Energy Boom • Solar in America: Strong and Getting Stronger • More than 100,000 Americans work in the solar industry, double the number since 2009. They work at more than 5,000 companies, the vast majority being small businesses, in every state. • In the last year, solar grew by 69 percent, making it one of the fastest growing sectors in the economy. Since the start of 2010, the price of solar panels dropped by 30 percent. • The U.S. was a net exporter of solar products in 2010 by $2 billion, even to China. • Solar power in the U.S. now exceeds 3,100 megawatts, enough to power more than 630,000 American homes.
What the Future Holds • The U.S. is projected to become the world’s largest solar market by 2014. • Solar is already the fastest growing energy sector in the U.S. and by 2014 it will likely be the largest source of new electric capacity in America. • In 2010 and 2011 alone, 27 new U.S. solar manufacturing facilities have begun or will begin operations across America, including in Arizona, Ohio, Michigan, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
Solar Energy Facts: Q2 2011 Solar Energy Is One of the Fastest Growing Sectors of the Economy • In 2010, the U.S. solar energy industry grew 67 percent (compared to overall GDP growth of just 3 percent) with installations valued at $6 billion compared to $3.6 billion in 2009. That trend continues in 2011 with new photovoltaic (PV) installations in the second quarter up 69 percent compared to the second quarter of 2010 and up 17 percent compared to the first quarter of 2011. • In the first half of 2011, 582 MW of PV was installed in the U.S. That’s more than the 435 MW than was installed in all of 2009. • Cumulative solar electric capacity now stands at 3,183 MW, enough to power 630,000 average American homes. • Over 1,100 MW of additional PV capacity (enough to power over 200,000 homes) is expected to come online in the second half of 2011.
The cost of solar energy continues to fall, making solar energy more affordable every day. • The average cost of a completed solar system has dropped 20 percent since the first quarter of 2010. • The average cost of solar panels alone has dropped 30 percent since the beginning of 2010.
Solar Energy Is an Economic Engine As the solar industry grows, so does its impact on the economy. As of August 2011 there are over 100,0002 solar workers in the U.S., more than double the estimated employment in 2009. Most of these Americans work at small businesses but some work for major corporations. In total there are now 5,000 U.S. businesses engaged in solar energy in every state.
Solar Paint • The Swansea Solar Paint project @ Swansea University in the UK • Technology developed while researching ways to make steel last longer • The solar paint consists of a layer of dye and a layer of electrolytes. It is applied to the steel as a liquid paste in four layers. • Expected release date: 2012
China will control our Energy Future • China became the world's number one energy consumer in 2010, a position the U.S. had held for over a century. This change means China will set the pace in shaping our energy future.
Is Cheap Natural Gas the Answer ? • Hydraulic fracturing is a drilling process that blasts millions of gallons of fresh water and “unknown” chemicals deep into the earth to fracture dense shale and allow natural gas to escape. • Researchers don't know if the discharges are dangerous to humans or wildlife; several studies on possible environmental effects are under way. • Drilling companies are exempt from disclosing their chemical formulas.
Is Nuclear Power our Future ? • In the United States alone, there are 103 nuclear power plants which provide about 20% of the nation’s electricity. • A new nuclear power plant has not been ordered in the U.S. since 1973 • A typical reactor will generate 20 to 30 tons of high-level nuclear waste annually. There is no known way to safely dispose of this waste, which remains dangerously radioactive until it naturally decays over thousands or even millions of years.
