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Fuel Production by Sunlight – Will this be the New Way of the World?

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Solar panel on a red roof

Solar panel on a red roof reflecting the sun and the cloudless blue sky

A lab in Berkeley, California has released information about a new solar power center that has the goal of producing fuel from sunlight. Chu Hall, named after the former Energy Department Secretary and Lab Director Steven Chu, this 40,000 square-foot building have the goal of creating more efficient renewable energy to replace the use of fossil fuels. This solar energy research center costs almost $60 million to create and get going.

Chu’s Motivation:

Chu believes that this is one of the most prominent issues in today’s society. He believes that by solving this major problem, the world will be saved. Science is thought to be the problem solver in this situation. Chu truly wants to increase the amount we utilize solar energy as well as make it cost-efficient.

Solar Energy:

At this time, scientists are only able to use the solar energy while the sun is shining; but they are hoping to change this. Since it is a natural resource, solar energy can easily be used without almost any repercussions. It’s simple: solar energy is free, clean, reliable, and renewable.

On a slightly smaller scale, solar energy is starting to become a main source of energy in homes today. It has been proven to actually improve a house’s value because of its modern aspect it. Solar panels are typically durable because they have no mobile parts, so once it’s situated in its place, it’s all set!

Solar Solutions Solar Application Specialists offer expertise in solar energy and heating solutions. This company has served many large hotels in Las Vegas, the Atlanta Summer Olympics, the Athens Olympic Games, Fort Bliss Military Base, and more. Based on their success stories from not only these large-scale projects, but on their small-scale projects as well, Solar Solutions seems to have solar solutions for everyone!

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_28192804/berkeley-lab-unveils-new-solar-energy-center-aimed

 

Solar Power Is Gaining Traction Around the Globe

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Solar energy has been a growing market within the U.S. for some time now. In fact, according to SEIA’s U.S. Solar Market Insight for Q1 2015 (released in June), residential installations grew 76% compared to Q1 2014. Additionally, non-residential and utility solar PV installations continue to grow.  Recognizing the need for alternative energies, the United States is well on its way to becoming more energy efficient and the trend is a growing global trend.

China, for example, is now considered to not only be the manufacturing hub for solar photo voltaic panels, but also the fastest growing market for energy over the next five years, according to a Nasdaq article.

As the world’s largest consumer of coal, China is also the world’s largest emitter of carbon. This concentrated effort to become more energy efficient and to consciously reduce of the amount of greenhouse gas emitted as a country is huge. And the amount of investment into renewable energies is also huge. China’s renewable energy market is valued at $89.5 billion, making it the largest in the world.

In their effort to reduce their carbon emissions, China will soon begin construction on — yep you guessed it — the world’s largest solar power plant. Spread across 10 square miles in the Gobi desert, the solar plant will have the capacity to power nearly one million households.

When the solar power plant is commissioned, it will help decreases coal consumption by about 4.26 million tons per year. It will also reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide emissions by 896,000 tons and 8,080 tons, respectively.

If you’d like to read the full article, you can do so here.

Could Airplanes One Day Run on Solar Power?

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Solar power has continued to make serious strides in adoption and implementation, not only in residential and commercial building applications, but also through full-scale solar farms and even as alternative fuels in other markets. One such market is aviation, where a solar-powered aircraft is currently showing off what is possible with the latest solar technologies.

Currently, the Solar Impulse 2, a solar-powered aircraft designed by a Swiss engineering team, is amid its round-the-world flight, piloted by Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg. The solar plane set out on the first leg of the trip March 9, taking off from Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, and landed 13 hours later in Muscat, Oman. The flight plan will take them around the globe in 12 planned flights, showcasing the potential of solar flight.

The team did not set out to revolutionize air travel, as the current design has significant limitations on speed and payload that make it unviable as a replacement to current aircraft. However, the concepts and basic demonstrations seek to showcase the possibility of solar air travel, and inspire and mobilize public enthusiasm and advance solar power technologies even further.

A recent International Business Times article discusses some of the more revolutionary concepts included in the plane’s design, including improved solar cell technology that has nearly twice the efficiency as conventional solar panels. In addition, the plane is essentially capable of nonstop, continuous flight, thanks to innovative new battery storage methods that allow the Solar Impulse 2 to store energy in reserve for use when the sun is down. This is one of the current stalling points in terrestrial widespread solar energy adoption, and the efforts of pioneers like Piccard and Borschberg are helping to drive further advancement in the field. Please contact Solar Solutions for a free solar energy savings estimate.

While true widespread adoption of solar power in air travel may still be many years off, the Solar Impulse team and other innovators in the industry are clearing the way for solar to take off. Through their work, hopes are high that the technology with further improve and lead to expanded applications for solar energy here on solid ground.

Common Solar Energy Myths

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Although using solar energy to generate power has been around for quite some time, there are still many myths associated with it. These myths often dissuade people and businesses from investigating whether solar power is a viable and worthwhile investment.

Today, we’re going to dispel three common solar energy myths. Hopefully, this will help educate people about the true advantages of installing solar power panels in their homes and business.
Let’s get to it.

Myth #1: Solar energy is super expensive

Dating back to the nineties, many people believe that the price to install solar panels is astronomical. In reality, the price of solar modules has dropped about 95% since 1977, according to an article in the Huffington Post. For a system installed in 1995, one person paid $40,000. If the same system was installed today, the cost would be about $9,000. And that’s just one example!

Myth #2: Solar energy doesn’t work in the cold

While many of our customers in Texas and New Mexico don’t have to worry too much about the weather being extremely cold, the myth that solar energy doesn’t work in the cold is widespread.

The truth here is that solar systems might actually work better in the cold! According to the article, solar PV systems loose some efficiency when the temperature hits above 70 because of how hot the modules get.

Myth #3: Solar energy isn’t very efficient

Many people believe that solar modules are only capable of converting 15 to 20 percent of the sun’s energy into electricity. While this is true, the supply of solar energy (the sun) is a nearly unlimited resource. This means we don’t have to worry about of resource wasted, like we do with natural gas or coal.

While we would like to see solar modules become more efficient, they have increased efficiency over the years. Thirty years ago the efficiency of a solar system was about 10 percent; today it’s closer to 20 percent.

So there you have it, three common solar energy myths discredited. For more myths debunked, check out the Huffington Post article here. If you’d like to learn more about solar power installations, please contact us today at solarsolutions.texas@gmail.com, or give us a call at 915-581-0461.

An ITC Extension Would Stimulate Major Growth in the U.S. Solar Market

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If you’ve seen more and more solar panels atop people’s roofs, you’ve noticed that solar power has become trendy. And now the U.S. government is helping the solar energy industry continue to grow having just passed a $1.8 trillion spending bill that includes provisions to extend federal tax credits for both wind and solar power generation. In other words, the government is promoting solar panels to make electricity by making them more affordable to all.

The government is essentially investing in solar power to the tune of $40 billion between 2016 and 2020. Look for residential installations to see a 35% boost during this timeframe, while commercial solar should increase by 51%. Hey, if the government is willing to shoulder some of the cost, why not take advantage of the generous offer and have solar panels installed on your roof?

By extending the federal 30% Investment Tax Credit (ITC), the U.S. government is offering quite the incentive for people and businesses to convert to some or all solar energy to power their homes and offices. Solar will be beating new natural gas generation on price, meaning you’ll most likely be seeing even more buildings with solar panels on them in the next couple years.

Having the government invest in the renewable energy business by extending tax credits is crucial to securing financing for big solar installations. Industrial clients are ready to take on new projects now that they know Congress has given them their vote of confidence. Old coal plants are out; new solar parks are in. The United States is becoming a more environmentally-friendly, “green” place to live, work and play as solar energy gets a much needed boost.

In Texas and New Mexico, where the sun shines often, Solar Solutions Inc. can meet all of your residential or commercial solar needs. Email solarsolutions.texas@gmail.com for more information.

Solar Power Is Gaining Traction Around the Globe

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Solar energy has been a growing market within the U.S. for some time now. In fact, according to SEIA’s U.S. Solar Market Insight for Q1 2015 (released in June), residential installations grew 76% compared to Q1 2014. Additionally, non-residential and utility solar PV installations continue to grow.  Recognizing the need for alternative energies, the United States is well on its way to becoming more energy efficient and the trend is a growing global trend.

China, for example, is now considered to not only be the manufacturing hub for solar photo voltaic panels, but also the fastest growing market for energy over the next five years, according to a Nasdaq article.

As the world’s largest consumer of coal, China is also the world’s largest emitter of carbon. This concentrated effort to become more energy efficient and to consciously reduce of the amount of greenhouse gas emitted as a country is huge. And the amount of investment into renewable energies is also huge. China’s renewable energy market is valued at $89.5 billion, making it the largest in the world.

In their effort to reduce their carbon emissions, China will soon begin construction on — yep you guessed it — the world’s largest solar power plant. Spread across 10 square miles in the Gobi desert, the solar plant will have the capacity to power nearly one million households.

When the solar power plant is commissioned, it will help decreases coal consumption by about 4.26 million tons per year. It will also reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide emissions by 896,000 tons and 8,080 tons, respectively.

If you’d like to read the full article, you can do so here.

A Breakthrough in Clean Energy

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Solar powered energy is the wave of the future, thanks in large part because it is healthy for the environment. Recently, there has been a breakthrough regarding solar energy in Switzerland.

On Wednesday, Swiss scientists announced a new clean energy breakthrough. They developed a cheaper solar technology that can split water molecules to create a clean burning hydrogen fuel.

The design of this solar panel will be a cheaper way to produce hydrogen. However, a simple version of this will not be available to the general public for another ten years.

However this type of energy would mean that cars would have clean power. The suns energy would be easily stored from the hydrogen that is produced. Once this became available, it would be much better for the environment.

Previously one of the biggest issues that solar hydrogen technologies was that they were too expensive to commercialize and make available to everyone. By using technologies that are less expensive to produce, more people will be able to access them and reduce the size of their carbon footprint.

This model would look like the previous solar panels mounted on rooftops. The main difference would be that there would be a thin layer on the outside with water inside. Tungsten diselenide, also inside the device, acts as a photo-catalyst and utilizes the suns energy in order to split water into oxygen and hydrogen.

Interesting stuff.

At Solar Solutions we can install them for your residential and commercial needs. Contact us today!

Source Used: http://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/discovery-brightens-solars-future-energy-costs-be-cut-n385841