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Factors to be considered before setting up a solar farm

Harry — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:10:16 +0000

In the process of doing the feasibility study for a land for setting up a solar plant there are some general but important considerations.decided upon first of all-whether CSP or Solar PV,Average sunny days per year,The number of sunshine hours per day which are necessary for capacity sizing of the solar farm.The plant capacity sizing would also have financial implications.Isolation of the plant is necessary since farms surrounded by hills, tall buildings or other structures may be casted upon by shadow from these structures.Leveling of the land to make sure there is no peculiar local gradations.Isolation considerations for transportation of construction materials to the site and costs involved.Availability of workforce to run the plant.Availability of stand-by power to run the plant during down-time.

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Factors to be considered before setting up a solar farm

Biosolar breakthrough promises cheap, easy green electricity

Harry — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:10:20 +0000

The biochemist and a team of researchers have developed a system that taps into photosynthetic processes to produce efficient and inexpensive energy.The biosolar breakthrough has the potential to make “green” electricity dramatically cheaper and easier.the scientists harnessed the power of a key component of photosynthesis known as photosystem-I (PSI) from blue-green algae.This complex was then bioengineered to specifically interact with a semi-conductor so that, when illuminated, the process of photosynthesis produced electricity.Bruce’s ability to extract the photosynthetic complexes from algae was key to the new biosolar process.Lee Riedinger said This is a real scientific breakthrough that could become a significant part of our renewable energy strategy in the future

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Biosolar breakthrough promises cheap, easy green electricity

Energy Efficiency vs. Renewable Energies : Strategic Decision Making [Part 1]

Harry — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:10:18 +0000

The priority of policy making does not include energy efficiency.People think energy efficiency as desirable but no urgent action to it.Various disproportions exists within the realm of energy efficiency like it’s cost and these energy efficient devices can be implemented only with the implementation of Smart Grid first.Energy efficient devices are going to play a critical role with increase in energy prices.

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Energy Efficiency vs. Renewable Energies : Strategic Decision Making [Part 1]

Solar CSP, Solar Thermal and Solar Cell Technology – Three New Sections at EAI

Harry — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:10:27 +0000

EAI team members have begin three new sections namely Solar CSP (Concentrated Solar Power),Solar Thermal and Applications,Solar Cell Technologies.The team members are working on collecting basic informations about renewable energy,especially insights on specific technologies in renewable energy.The members plan to add more content to these sections.They need your kind input.

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Solar CSP, Solar Thermal and Solar Cell Technology – Three New Sections at EAI

Engineer wants to ‘sculpt’ more powerful electric motors and generators

Harry — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:10:29 +0000

Now apply the idea of a sculptor precisely chipping away at stone to the electric motors that run our machines and generate our electricity. Aliprantis is working to develop computer modelling technology that will show engineers how to chip away at the surfaces of electric motors to create new designs and shapes that can increase power generation.

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Engineer wants to ‘sculpt’ more powerful electric motors and generators

India Specific Issues with Roof-top Solar Installation

Harry — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:10:35 +0000

The Delhi government has formulated a roof-top solar policy- under which consumer would set up solar panels on their roof-tops and feed extra power generated into the grid.Some of the physical issues are summarized below grid-tied roof-top solar is producing/sourcing power through cheaper means (through diesel gensets/biogas/re-routing grid power back to the grid etc) and feeding it to the grid at higher rates,This is particularly important since the price differential between power produced from Solar and the grid is enormous at this point in time,Power distribution lines and home wiring were designed for electricity to flow from power stations to appliances, but households with solar panels do the reverse of this. This can lead to voltage levels which can rise and can damage appliances connected to this grid,Areas with a lot of solar panels can push the voltage up to the maximum allowable level, triggering shutdowns in the individual systems and taking the load off the grid,Size of conductors and cables in the streets would have to be upgraded so it can handle lots of solar generated power, versus times when there’s lots of load and no solar,Typical solar panels will last for 30 years or more while the roofs should be maintenance free for that period. So roof augmentation prior to solar installation might be necessary which can lead to additional costs.

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India Specific Issues with Roof-top Solar Installation

New battery could lead to cheaper, more efficient solar energy

Harry — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 14:10:38 +0000

A joint research project between the University of Southampton and lithium battery technology company REAPsystems has found that a new type of battery has the potential to improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of solar power.Data was collected by connecting a lithium iron phosphate battery to a photovoltaic system attached to one of the University’s buildings, using a specifically designed battery management system supplied by REAPsystems.

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New battery could lead to cheaper, more efficient solar energy

Engineers create tandem polymer solar cells that set record for energy-conversion

Harry — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:10:42 +0000

In the effort to convert sunlight into electricity, photovoltaic solar cells that use conductive organic polymers for light absorption and conversion have shown great potential. Organic polymers can be produced in high volumes at low cost, resulting in photovoltaic devices that are cheap, lightweight and flexible.Reasearcher said By using cells with different absorption bands, tandem solar cells provide an effective way to harvest a broader spectrum of solar radiation. However, the efficiency doesn’t automatically increase by simply combining two cells. The materials for the tandem cells have to be compatible with each other for efficient light harvesting.

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Engineers create tandem polymer solar cells that set record for energy-conversion

Low-carbon technologies ‘no quick-fix’: May not lessen global warming until late this century

Harry — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 14:10:45 +0000

The study, published February 16, in IOP Publishing’s journal Environmental Research Letters, claims that the rapid deployment of low-greenhouse-gas-emitting technologies (LGEs) will initially increase emissions as they will require a large amount of energy to construct and install.Achieving substantial reductions in temperatures relative to the coal-based system will take the better part of a century, and will depend on rapid and massive deployment of some mix of conservation, wind, solar, and nuclear, and possibly carbon capture and storage.

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Low-carbon technologies ‘no quick-fix’: May not lessen global warming until late this century

Only the lowest carbon dioxide emitting technologies can avoid a hot end-of-century

Harry — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:10:49 +0000

replacing coal-fired electricity plants with generators fueled by natural gas bring global warming to a halt in this century? What about rapid construction of massive numbers of solar or wind farms, hydroelectric dams, or nuclear reactors — or the invention of new technology for capturing the carbon dioxide produced by fossil-fueled power plants and storing it permanently underground? Nathan Myhrvold of Intellectual Ventures teamed up with Carnegie Institution’s Ken Caldeira to calculate the expected climate effects of replacing the world’s supply of electricity from coal plants with any of eight cleaner options.

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Only the lowest carbon dioxide emitting technologies can avoid a hot end-of-century