New Orleans Solar Power

August 31, 2009

As Small-scale Solar Expands, Utilities and Critics Clash

Residential and small-scale business solar generation is growing by leaps and bounds, but critics allege that utilities are unfairly guarding their turf when it comes to smaller players hooking into the grid.

In 2008, consumers added 522 megawatts in solar generation, while utilities added a meager 96 megawatts, reports Newsweek.

In all, 2008 saw 33,500 rooftop solar systems added in the United States, up 63 percent over 2007. In California, the increase was more pronounced at 95 percent.

BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP) — Buckley Air Force Base is the first site in the Air Force Space Command to go solar in a big way.

The base in Aurora already has installed two small solar-power arrays and has improved energy efficiency. Now Buckley Air Force Air Base/460th Space Wing plans the addition of solar panels that will cover six acres and generate up to 1.2 megawatts of electricity.

"We’re specifying Enphase microinverters in our residential designs more and more often," said Ryan Hunter, of the Texas installer Meridian Solar, in an e-mail message. The Enphase systems allow for greater flexibility, he said, and are "more shade tolerant in limited spaces."

Enphase microinverters fit on a single panel enabling greater flexibility in installation and fault tolerance once installed.

“We can remain the world’s leading importer of foreign oil or we can become the world’s leading exporter of renewable energy,” Obama said in the spring. “We can hand over the jobs of the 21st century to our competitors, or we can create those jobs right here in America.”

Leav – A solar-powered shelter for avid campers

EcoFriend

 

click to see full-size image

 

Mostly all campsites are far from cities and require fuel-eating generators to bring illumination after dark. Industrial designer Benjamin Charles is out there to help the camping and the hotel industry with semi-nomad structures that are almost self-sufficient.

What could make solar hot again?

PC’s Solar Photovoltaics Blog

click to see full-size image

Many Questions about Build-It-Yourself Solar Panels

click to see full-size image

At Buildings & Energy LLC, most of our work centers on commercial sites.  But recently, we’ve been deluged with offers for “kits”, videos, and books on how to build solar panels in your garage and save on your energy bill. At the very least, it sounds like a fun project – perhaps even a science project for a local school.  After all, some solar panel manufacturers in China assemble their panels by hand.  What could go wrong?