Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
Solar's future is so bright, you'll have to wear shades
1 view
Skip to first unread message
and/or www.mantra.com/jai
May 19, 2013, 8:08:05 PM5/19/13
to
Solar's future is so bright, you'll have to wear shades
By Roland Winston
The Modesto Bee
May 18, 2013
Solar is our most abundant and reliable form of renewable
energy, and, when used effectively, has the potential to
meet most, if not all, of our energy needs.
Each day we increase our fundamental ability to convert
sunlight into electricity and thermal energy, while
lowering the cost of doing so.
Has it taken significant effort and investment to get to
this point? Yes.
MCT - Gentry Mullen/ The Kansas City Star
Is there still progress to be made in the areas of solar
energy conversion and storage? Yes.
Is the day upon us when solar energy systems are as
ubiquitous as cell phones and automobiles? Not yet, but
that day can be seen on the horizon.
I first became interested in solar energy conversion as a
physics professor at the University of Chicago in the
1970s. Solving the problem of concentrating the sun's
rays for more efficient energy conversion was one of the
key accomplishments of a field I pioneered called non-
imaging optics.
With early financial support from Crawford Greenewalt and
the Department of Energy, I began seriously experimenting
with concentrating photovoltaic and thermal systems.
Although initially people were quite interested, the
United States cooled to solar energy in the 1980s.
However, other countries, including China, Israel and
Germany, embraced the technology.
Today, 250 million Chinese rely on solar energy for their
domestic hot water; 90 percent of Israeli homes are
equipped with solar hot water heaters; and Germany has
more than 26 gigawatts of installed photovoltaic
capacity.
By comparison, current industry figures place U.S.
installed photovoltaic capacity near 7.2 gigawatts.
Then, beginning in the mid- to late 1990s a very
important thing happened � the United States began to
reawaken to the potential of solar energy.
This reawakening can be traced to number of factors
including technological breakthroughs, the widespread
availability of silicon solar cells, the rising cost of
gasoline and other fossil fuels and the adverse
environmental impact of conventional power plants.
Solar was "hot" again and, thanks to an abundance of
sunshine and entrepreneurs, much of this reawakening took
place in California.
In 2003 I moved to California and accepted a faculty
position at the newest campus in the University of
California system, UC Merced. It was an opportunity to
establish a dedicated solar lab at a start-up campus in a
state that was rapidly embracing solar energy, and I
couldn't pass it up.
Almost immediately, I began collaborating with a group of
Silicon Valley entrepreneurs to develop concentrating
photovoltaic and thermal systems, and my solar lab was up
and running.
Shortly thereafter, we received very generous
contributions from Sarah Kurtz and an anonymous donor.
These funds enabled us to further push these technologies
toward commercialization.
I knew I was in the right place, and the numbers support
that perception.
According to a recent report by the Solar Energy
Industries Association, in 2012 California became the
first state to install more than 1 gigawatts of solar
capacity in a single year, continuing a trend that has
seen the total amount of installed capacity in the state
virtually double each year since 2009.
California is leading the way, but other states are not
far behind.
Arizona, for example, installed 710 megawatts in 2012,
and New Jersey took third place with 415 megawatts
installed.
This rapid growth in the U.S. solar market is driven by a
combination of lower prices for solar systems, the desire
to reduce carbon emissions, an overall acceptance of the
technology by the finance sector and the desire for
energy independence.
But the more we embrace solar energy as a nation, the
more we come to realize there are still opportunities for
innovation and the more we understand just where those
opportunities lie.
System costs must continue their downward trajectory, the
environmental impact of the manufacturing and disposal
processes must be minimized, the effects of intermittency
must be reduced, the impact of large solar resources on
the energy grid must be better understood and the
economic and societal benefits must be fully calculated.
While there are significant research opportunities
inherent in an emerging global market characterized by
rapidly evolving technologies and fluid market forces,
there are also challenges.
But we are beginning to experience a future where these
challenges are being overcome, and the full potential of
solar energy is being realized � to everyone's benefit.
Winston, a professor of engineering and natural sciences
at the University of California, Merced, is the director
of the UC Solar Institute (UCSolar.org), which is made up
of faculty and students from the University of
California's Merced, Berkeley, Santa Barbara, Davis, San
Diego, Riverside, Santa Cruz and Irvine campuses.
More at:
http://www.modbee.com/2013/05/18/2721760/solars-future-is-so-bright-youll.html
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.jai-maharaj
o o o
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used
for the educational purposes of research and open
discussion. The contents of this post may not have been
authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion
of the poster. The contents are protected by copyright
law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely
not be read, considered or answered if it does not
contain your full legal name, current e-mail and postal
addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views
expressed by others are not necessarily those of the
poster who may or may not have read the article.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted
material the use of which may or may not have been
specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This
material is being made available in efforts to advance
the understanding of environmental, political, human
rights, economic, democratic, scientific, social, and
cultural, etc., issues. It is believed that this
constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the
material on this site is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving
the included information for research, comment,
discussion and educational purposes by subscribing to
USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more
information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article
for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you
must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Since newsgroup posts are being removed by forgery by one
or more net terrorists, this post may be reposted several
times.
By Roland Winston
The Modesto Bee
May 18, 2013
Solar is our most abundant and reliable form of renewable
energy, and, when used effectively, has the potential to
meet most, if not all, of our energy needs.
Each day we increase our fundamental ability to convert
sunlight into electricity and thermal energy, while
lowering the cost of doing so.
Has it taken significant effort and investment to get to
this point? Yes.
MCT - Gentry Mullen/ The Kansas City Star
Is there still progress to be made in the areas of solar
energy conversion and storage? Yes.
Is the day upon us when solar energy systems are as
ubiquitous as cell phones and automobiles? Not yet, but
that day can be seen on the horizon.
I first became interested in solar energy conversion as a
physics professor at the University of Chicago in the
1970s. Solving the problem of concentrating the sun's
rays for more efficient energy conversion was one of the
key accomplishments of a field I pioneered called non-
imaging optics.
With early financial support from Crawford Greenewalt and
the Department of Energy, I began seriously experimenting
with concentrating photovoltaic and thermal systems.
Although initially people were quite interested, the
United States cooled to solar energy in the 1980s.
However, other countries, including China, Israel and
Germany, embraced the technology.
Today, 250 million Chinese rely on solar energy for their
domestic hot water; 90 percent of Israeli homes are
equipped with solar hot water heaters; and Germany has
more than 26 gigawatts of installed photovoltaic
capacity.
By comparison, current industry figures place U.S.
installed photovoltaic capacity near 7.2 gigawatts.
Then, beginning in the mid- to late 1990s a very
important thing happened � the United States began to
reawaken to the potential of solar energy.
This reawakening can be traced to number of factors
including technological breakthroughs, the widespread
availability of silicon solar cells, the rising cost of
gasoline and other fossil fuels and the adverse
environmental impact of conventional power plants.
Solar was "hot" again and, thanks to an abundance of
sunshine and entrepreneurs, much of this reawakening took
place in California.
In 2003 I moved to California and accepted a faculty
position at the newest campus in the University of
California system, UC Merced. It was an opportunity to
establish a dedicated solar lab at a start-up campus in a
state that was rapidly embracing solar energy, and I
couldn't pass it up.
Almost immediately, I began collaborating with a group of
Silicon Valley entrepreneurs to develop concentrating
photovoltaic and thermal systems, and my solar lab was up
and running.
Shortly thereafter, we received very generous
contributions from Sarah Kurtz and an anonymous donor.
These funds enabled us to further push these technologies
toward commercialization.
I knew I was in the right place, and the numbers support
that perception.
According to a recent report by the Solar Energy
Industries Association, in 2012 California became the
first state to install more than 1 gigawatts of solar
capacity in a single year, continuing a trend that has
seen the total amount of installed capacity in the state
virtually double each year since 2009.
California is leading the way, but other states are not
far behind.
Arizona, for example, installed 710 megawatts in 2012,
and New Jersey took third place with 415 megawatts
installed.
This rapid growth in the U.S. solar market is driven by a
combination of lower prices for solar systems, the desire
to reduce carbon emissions, an overall acceptance of the
technology by the finance sector and the desire for
energy independence.
But the more we embrace solar energy as a nation, the
more we come to realize there are still opportunities for
innovation and the more we understand just where those
opportunities lie.
System costs must continue their downward trajectory, the
environmental impact of the manufacturing and disposal
processes must be minimized, the effects of intermittency
must be reduced, the impact of large solar resources on
the energy grid must be better understood and the
economic and societal benefits must be fully calculated.
While there are significant research opportunities
inherent in an emerging global market characterized by
rapidly evolving technologies and fluid market forces,
there are also challenges.
But we are beginning to experience a future where these
challenges are being overcome, and the full potential of
solar energy is being realized � to everyone's benefit.
Winston, a professor of engineering and natural sciences
at the University of California, Merced, is the director
of the UC Solar Institute (UCSolar.org), which is made up
of faculty and students from the University of
California's Merced, Berkeley, Santa Barbara, Davis, San
Diego, Riverside, Santa Cruz and Irvine campuses.
More at:
http://www.modbee.com/2013/05/18/2721760/solars-future-is-so-bright-youll.html
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.jai-maharaj
o o o
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used
for the educational purposes of research and open
discussion. The contents of this post may not have been
authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion
of the poster. The contents are protected by copyright
law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely
not be read, considered or answered if it does not
contain your full legal name, current e-mail and postal
addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views
expressed by others are not necessarily those of the
poster who may or may not have read the article.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted
material the use of which may or may not have been
specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This
material is being made available in efforts to advance
the understanding of environmental, political, human
rights, economic, democratic, scientific, social, and
cultural, etc., issues. It is believed that this
constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the
material on this site is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving
the included information for research, comment,
discussion and educational purposes by subscribing to
USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more
information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article
for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you
must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Since newsgroup posts are being removed by forgery by one
or more net terrorists, this post may be reposted several
times.
7
May 20, 2013, 4:15:12 PM5/20/13
to
wrote:
> Solar's future is so bright, you'll have to wear shades
>
> By Roland Winston
> The Modesto Bee
> May 18, 2013
>
> Solar is our most abundant and reliable form of renewable
> energy, and, when used effectively, has the potential to
> meet most, if not all, of our energy needs.
Unfortunately EU and US regulators are shooting themselves in the
foot by taxing solar panels with 68% duty on dumping charges
against China.
Somebody forgot to tell the EU regulators they are being
trolled by power companies in both US and EU to put
this tax on, particularly as EU companies don't make the
17% efficient panels in any volume to warrant a 68% hike
in prices.
Also prices are set to drop by several hundred percentage
points because of new manufacturing technologies coming on
stream.
The EU politician and the FAT FCKTARTS of electic power
companies are trying to cheat the public out of their
solar electric panels by taxing them out.
A long time ago, solar fencing was due to be introduced
as a matter of law. That also got fcked like a pig
by the electric generation companies until it is no more.
Greenpeace, WWF and Friends of the Earth are nowhere to
be seen - all paid off to keep stum.
So why donate money to them?
Or support them?
They don't support your interests!!
> Solar's future is so bright, you'll have to wear shades
>
> By Roland Winston
> The Modesto Bee
> May 18, 2013
>
> Solar is our most abundant and reliable form of renewable
> energy, and, when used effectively, has the potential to
> meet most, if not all, of our energy needs.
foot by taxing solar panels with 68% duty on dumping charges
against China.
Somebody forgot to tell the EU regulators they are being
trolled by power companies in both US and EU to put
this tax on, particularly as EU companies don't make the
17% efficient panels in any volume to warrant a 68% hike
in prices.
Also prices are set to drop by several hundred percentage
points because of new manufacturing technologies coming on
stream.
The EU politician and the FAT FCKTARTS of electic power
companies are trying to cheat the public out of their
solar electric panels by taxing them out.
A long time ago, solar fencing was due to be introduced
as a matter of law. That also got fcked like a pig
by the electric generation companies until it is no more.
Greenpeace, WWF and Friends of the Earth are nowhere to
be seen - all paid off to keep stum.
So why donate money to them?
Or support them?
They don't support your interests!!
hab...@anony.net
May 21, 2013, 7:22:06 PM5/21/13
to
Even a one kw solar panel delivering 2kwh a day could transform life
in villages in India by providing light , mobile phone charging etc
and it would cost maybe $3000 per household
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/indore/These-houses-wake-up-to-solar-energy-advantage/articleshow/20166034.cms
INDORE: Realizing benefits of power generation from solar energy,
three houses in Indore have gone for solar plant.
Envis Technology deputy CEO Uday Bhole, who has worked closely on some
domestic project says, "Though solar power plants are being used in
commercial set-ups, including industries and at few public places like
parks, college campus, a solar plant at home is always advantageous."
According to experts, for domestic use a minimum of 1500 watt panel is
required, which can extend up to even 3200 watt depending on
requirement. In Indore, these three plants are located at houses in
Gulmohar Colony, Shalimar Township and New Palasia.
Managing director of a private firm, Ambrish Kela, who has plant at
hisGulmohar Colony residence, asserts the idea is to use 'clean
energy'. "Use of thermal electricity and automobiles are two biggest
pollutants across the world. To use solar energy for domestic purpose
is a way to contribute to clean energy and it's a way of living a
green lifestyle," Kela says.
A businessman, Pranav Patel, has recently set up 10-panel solar power
plant at roof top of high rise residential building in Shalimar
Township. The panel has a capacity of 2250 watt electricity generation
and it generates 7-8 units per day. Patel says, "I was using solar
power panels at my factory, but the idea of having a plant at home
struck, which was innovative and advantageous. Around eight units of
power are used up each day."
At Patel's residence, out of 2,250 watt capacity 10-panel solar power
plant, each panel has a capacity of generating 225 watts of energy.
Another plant at New Palasia home is a 32-panel affair with a total
capacity of 3200 watt. On an average, a solar power plant setting up
costs Rs 3- 3.50 lakh.
Raj Patel, who has got the plant at his New Palasia house, says though
it is quite an expensive affair, it will be hugely beneficial in a
long run. "Using diesel for inverter was again not a clean source of
energy. With solar power plant, dependency on conventional source has
reduced. I have been looking for this kind of set up, but earlier, it
was quite expensive, but now with a view of a long run investment, I
find it affordable," Patel adds.
Sent from my iPad
in villages in India by providing light , mobile phone charging etc
and it would cost maybe $3000 per household
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/indore/These-houses-wake-up-to-solar-energy-advantage/articleshow/20166034.cms
INDORE: Realizing benefits of power generation from solar energy,
three houses in Indore have gone for solar plant.
Envis Technology deputy CEO Uday Bhole, who has worked closely on some
domestic project says, "Though solar power plants are being used in
commercial set-ups, including industries and at few public places like
parks, college campus, a solar plant at home is always advantageous."
According to experts, for domestic use a minimum of 1500 watt panel is
required, which can extend up to even 3200 watt depending on
requirement. In Indore, these three plants are located at houses in
Gulmohar Colony, Shalimar Township and New Palasia.
Managing director of a private firm, Ambrish Kela, who has plant at
hisGulmohar Colony residence, asserts the idea is to use 'clean
energy'. "Use of thermal electricity and automobiles are two biggest
pollutants across the world. To use solar energy for domestic purpose
is a way to contribute to clean energy and it's a way of living a
green lifestyle," Kela says.
A businessman, Pranav Patel, has recently set up 10-panel solar power
plant at roof top of high rise residential building in Shalimar
Township. The panel has a capacity of 2250 watt electricity generation
and it generates 7-8 units per day. Patel says, "I was using solar
power panels at my factory, but the idea of having a plant at home
struck, which was innovative and advantageous. Around eight units of
power are used up each day."
At Patel's residence, out of 2,250 watt capacity 10-panel solar power
plant, each panel has a capacity of generating 225 watts of energy.
Another plant at New Palasia home is a 32-panel affair with a total
capacity of 3200 watt. On an average, a solar power plant setting up
costs Rs 3- 3.50 lakh.
Raj Patel, who has got the plant at his New Palasia house, says though
it is quite an expensive affair, it will be hugely beneficial in a
long run. "Using diesel for inverter was again not a clean source of
energy. With solar power plant, dependency on conventional source has
reduced. I have been looking for this kind of set up, but earlier, it
was quite expensive, but now with a view of a long run investment, I
find it affordable," Patel adds.
Sent from my iPad
0 new messages