In South Africa the move towards universal access has improved since 1994, but the census showed that 5.2% of households still do not have access. And a deeper reading into the statistics shows that a further 21% do not have access to an acceptable level of toilets.
The Water Services Act states that, "everyone has a right of access to basic water supply and basic sanitation". After several court cases and departmental pronouncements, this basic sanitation has been defined as to either be in the form of a flush toilet or a ventilated toilet.
In its headline pronouncements about sanitation, government says that 13% of people do not have any access to any kind of toilet. And a further 2.1% are using the bucket system. This makes sanitation the one millenium development goal that the country is having a hard time meeting.
Last year we saw the municipal election turn into the saga of open toilets. As a result the department of human settlements, which runs sanitation, asked a task team to tour the country and find out more about the situation. When he presented this report, Tokyo Sexwale, its minister, was adamant that sanitation would take centre stage in future infrastructure rollouts.
"It's a critical basic need, the first line of dignity of any human being that we take for granted as we open taps in our houses and as you flush toilets," he said. The report found that the backlog sits at 2.5-million toilets.
Census 2011 showed that progress has been made to giving universal sanitation. About 57% of households have access to a flush toilet that is connected to the sewage system; 3% to a toilet with a septic tank; 2.5% to a chemical toilet; and 8.8% to a pit toilet with ventilation.
This is nearly 69% of the population, and the number stood at 58.6% when the last census was done in 2001.
But 19% have access to a pit toilet without ventilation. In the statistics this is seen as having been served. But these toilets are a huge problem. The ventilation pipe at the back allows for air to circulate, this helps break down the sludge inside the toilet, stops flies from picking up and spreading disease, and importantly removes the smell. Without this, most nongovernmental organisations say that people do not use the toilets.
A further 2.1% have to use the notorious bucket system, which government had promised to eradicate over a decade ago.
When sanitation was still under water affairs, one of the taglines for the service was, "It should never be forgotten that 'Sanitation is Dignity' and dignity is a basic human right."
The problem with these toilets, and flush toilets that block and also do not provide proper access, is evident throughout the country. And the statistics are constantly questioned. In the case of Khayelitsha, Cape Town, the number of people who have "access" to a toilet is relatively high. But access just means that people have a toilet that has been provided in their area. It does not take into account that the toilets can break or fill up or that one toilet can serve up to 50 people.
Gavin Silber, coordinator of the Khayelitsha-based Social Justice Coalition, said in a recent visit that what is deemed to be access and the reality are very different. "On paper they say they have reached their targets and given an acceptable level of service. But you come here and you can see that many of these toilets just don't work and you have dozens of people using one toilet. There is a big discrepancy," he said.
Jack Sim, founder of the World Toilet Organisation, which will be hosting the World Toilet Summit in Durban next month has said initiatives to tackle people's lack of access to proper sanitation were not enough.
"The reasons for such neglect are numerous. Part of it has to do with the fact that sanitation is considered a taboo subject; other reasons rest on demographic and population shifts; and others still rest on the fact that little investment has reached those who need it most due to mismanagement," he said.
A report published earlier this year for the Human Rights Commission, done after the open toilet saga by the department of performance monitoring and evaluation, found that service delivery was not fast enough. While 300 000 toilets were being delivered per annum, this rate would not achieve the target of universal access by 2014, it said.
The report laid heavy blame on the fragmentation of sanitation services – it now formally resides in human settlements, but there are parts in water affairs and other parts in education and local government. "The challenge of institutional fragmentation needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency," it said. And it recommended a single unit be established to oversee policy formulation, oversight and regulation. This should be based in water affairs, it said.
2012年4月15日星期日
Rift with China affecting Phl bid to use solar energy
President Aquino has thumbed down proposals to avail of the expensive but long-term benefits of solar energy following the Philippines’ recent conflict with China – which now produces cheaper solar panels – to address the power crisis in Mindanao.
“If we go solar, they (China) are the cheapest producer. They will have another entry into controlling our economy. I think, it is not the wisest decision at this point,” he told Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, who is advocating the renewable energy source.
“You already know that we are in disagreement with China on one particular issue which actually hasn’t been resolved as of today. There have been other instances that they have not been very friendly,” Aquino pointed out, citing the West Philippine Sea issue.
He related that there is an ongoing debate between the US and China over the use of solar energy.
“As you know there is an ongoing fight between America and China with regard to subsidies allegedly being given by the Chinese government that make the production of solar panels, and the costs that much cheaper,” Aquino explained further.
He made the pronouncements during the April 13 Energy Summit held at the Waterfront Hotel in Davao City, that was attended by key government officials like Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras and Mindanao Development Authority chairperson Lualhati Antonino.
Malacanang hinted earlier that shifting to renewable energy sources is already part of the Aquino government’s long-term plan to address the energy problem in the country, particularly in Mindanao.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that while the government looks at adopting renewable sources of power, it may come at a premium and may have an impact on consumers’ electricity bills.
Some of the government critics have been calling on the government to carry out short-term and immediate solutions to the Mindanao power crisis by resorting to renewable energy.
“That is part of the long-term plan: to include more and more projects that involve renewable energy. Remember the Department of Energy (DOE) is also advocating alternative and renewable sources of energy. So that is already part of the plan,” Valte said over state-run dzRB.
Valte also said the government is already accelerating the rehabilitation of hydropower plants in Mindanao, particularly the Agus and Pulangi plants.
Those plants were designed to work for 30 years but have been operating for about 59 years, way beyond their original life span, Valte said. The rehabilitation of Agus plant will take about 30 months, while the Pulangi plant will take one month, she said.
“If we go solar, they (China) are the cheapest producer. They will have another entry into controlling our economy. I think, it is not the wisest decision at this point,” he told Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, who is advocating the renewable energy source.
“You already know that we are in disagreement with China on one particular issue which actually hasn’t been resolved as of today. There have been other instances that they have not been very friendly,” Aquino pointed out, citing the West Philippine Sea issue.
He related that there is an ongoing debate between the US and China over the use of solar energy.
“As you know there is an ongoing fight between America and China with regard to subsidies allegedly being given by the Chinese government that make the production of solar panels, and the costs that much cheaper,” Aquino explained further.
He made the pronouncements during the April 13 Energy Summit held at the Waterfront Hotel in Davao City, that was attended by key government officials like Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras and Mindanao Development Authority chairperson Lualhati Antonino.
Malacanang hinted earlier that shifting to renewable energy sources is already part of the Aquino government’s long-term plan to address the energy problem in the country, particularly in Mindanao.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that while the government looks at adopting renewable sources of power, it may come at a premium and may have an impact on consumers’ electricity bills.
Some of the government critics have been calling on the government to carry out short-term and immediate solutions to the Mindanao power crisis by resorting to renewable energy.
“That is part of the long-term plan: to include more and more projects that involve renewable energy. Remember the Department of Energy (DOE) is also advocating alternative and renewable sources of energy. So that is already part of the plan,” Valte said over state-run dzRB.
Valte also said the government is already accelerating the rehabilitation of hydropower plants in Mindanao, particularly the Agus and Pulangi plants.
Those plants were designed to work for 30 years but have been operating for about 59 years, way beyond their original life span, Valte said. The rehabilitation of Agus plant will take about 30 months, while the Pulangi plant will take one month, she said.
2012年4月12日星期四
Why solar power can still eclipse natural gas
The cheapest natural gas price for a decade is a boon for North American homeowners. At less than $2 per million British thermal units, though, it looks toxic for its already troubled rival, the solar energy sector. But gas isn’t close to choking the life out of it just yet.
There’s certainly enough bad news to go round. Energy bigwigs at a conference this week identified the rock-bottom gas price as the biggest short-term obstacle to developing greener fuel sources. As if to underline the point, the benchmark gas price dipped to its lowest level since January, 2002, as they were talking. Meanwhile, solar plant developer BrightSource Energy pulled its initial public offering on Wednesday, citing poor market conditions. On top of last year’s controversial bankruptcy of Solyndra and the 85-per-cent drop in industry leader First Solar’s share price over the past 12 months, the sector looks far from healthy.
Still, greens shouldn’t lose heart. The price of generating electricity from the sun’s rays has been falling almost in tandem with gas prices. The wholesale price of panels halved last year, as have solar generation prices: a typical long-term contract in California, a sweet spot for the industry, has plummeted from about 17 cents per kilowatt hour in 2010 to as low as 8 cents, according to Green Tech Media. That brings some solar capacity within striking distance of natural gas at around 6 cents.
And solar power has a distinct advantage: Its costs can be locked in 25 years in advance. Gas offers no such guarantee. For an electric utility this is equivalent to a cautious homeowner opting for a safer fixed rate mortgage over a risky floating rate loan.
Moreover, the current bargain U.S. gas price can’t be relied on to last forever, even with hydraulic fracturing uncovering vast troves of the resource. America is also likely to start exporting gas in the next few years, which could tug the nation’s gas price back toward the global average – currently roughly five times higher.
This will be cold comfort for many solar panel makers who won’t survive the industry shakeout that slumping prices are causing. But the rationalized sector that emerges should be well placed to take on all newcomers.
There’s certainly enough bad news to go round. Energy bigwigs at a conference this week identified the rock-bottom gas price as the biggest short-term obstacle to developing greener fuel sources. As if to underline the point, the benchmark gas price dipped to its lowest level since January, 2002, as they were talking. Meanwhile, solar plant developer BrightSource Energy pulled its initial public offering on Wednesday, citing poor market conditions. On top of last year’s controversial bankruptcy of Solyndra and the 85-per-cent drop in industry leader First Solar’s share price over the past 12 months, the sector looks far from healthy.
Still, greens shouldn’t lose heart. The price of generating electricity from the sun’s rays has been falling almost in tandem with gas prices. The wholesale price of panels halved last year, as have solar generation prices: a typical long-term contract in California, a sweet spot for the industry, has plummeted from about 17 cents per kilowatt hour in 2010 to as low as 8 cents, according to Green Tech Media. That brings some solar capacity within striking distance of natural gas at around 6 cents.
And solar power has a distinct advantage: Its costs can be locked in 25 years in advance. Gas offers no such guarantee. For an electric utility this is equivalent to a cautious homeowner opting for a safer fixed rate mortgage over a risky floating rate loan.
Moreover, the current bargain U.S. gas price can’t be relied on to last forever, even with hydraulic fracturing uncovering vast troves of the resource. America is also likely to start exporting gas in the next few years, which could tug the nation’s gas price back toward the global average – currently roughly five times higher.
This will be cold comfort for many solar panel makers who won’t survive the industry shakeout that slumping prices are causing. But the rationalized sector that emerges should be well placed to take on all newcomers.
2012年4月11日星期三
New Solar Panels Triple City's Current Production
The completion of ten new solar panel projects across the five boroughs has effectively tripled the amount of solar power that the city creates, now up to 648 kilowatts, which is enough to power 143 households.
The ten new solar project sites have a total solar photovoltaic capacity of 428 kilowatts. In Brooklyn, the project sites include New Horizon Middle School (M.S. 442), in Carroll Gardens (which built a green roof in 2010), as well as a Department of Sanitation garage. Five other sites are in Queens, with one site in each of Manhattan, Bronx and Staten Island.
“In clean tech, New York City is leading by example and the solar projects we’ve completed will generate clean, affordable energy while cutting our carbon emissions and energy costs – goals that are central to our administration’s sustainability agenda, PlaNYC,” said Mayor Bloomberg, in a statement.
David Bragdon, Director of the Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, called the installation of the new solar panels “one example of this administration’s progress toward our PlaNYC goals to reduce our carbon footprint and encourage the development of renewable energy.”
In addition to the solar installations, federal grants helped fund other green measures, like the installation of high efficiency lighting on 12 sites throughout the city (cutting more than 917 metric tons of carbon emissions), as well as the adoption of clean vehicles, which the city says will save more than $163,000 annually.
The push for a greener future is also being felt in Windsor Terrace and Kensington, where residents recently voted to have 100 new trees planted across Dist. 39 as part of Councilman Brad Lander's participatory budgeting initiative.
The ten new solar project sites have a total solar photovoltaic capacity of 428 kilowatts. In Brooklyn, the project sites include New Horizon Middle School (M.S. 442), in Carroll Gardens (which built a green roof in 2010), as well as a Department of Sanitation garage. Five other sites are in Queens, with one site in each of Manhattan, Bronx and Staten Island.
“In clean tech, New York City is leading by example and the solar projects we’ve completed will generate clean, affordable energy while cutting our carbon emissions and energy costs – goals that are central to our administration’s sustainability agenda, PlaNYC,” said Mayor Bloomberg, in a statement.
David Bragdon, Director of the Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, called the installation of the new solar panels “one example of this administration’s progress toward our PlaNYC goals to reduce our carbon footprint and encourage the development of renewable energy.”
In addition to the solar installations, federal grants helped fund other green measures, like the installation of high efficiency lighting on 12 sites throughout the city (cutting more than 917 metric tons of carbon emissions), as well as the adoption of clean vehicles, which the city says will save more than $163,000 annually.
The push for a greener future is also being felt in Windsor Terrace and Kensington, where residents recently voted to have 100 new trees planted across Dist. 39 as part of Councilman Brad Lander's participatory budgeting initiative.
2012年4月10日星期二
Soltas Energy unveils 1,500 panel solar power system on roof
Concrete Block Insulating Systems had a $60,000-a-year electricity bill.
But it also had a 55,000-square-feet of roof space at its factory on Freight House Road that faces south and a partner, Soltas Energy, willing to help it turn that roof into a resource.
“It was a no-brainer,” Jeffrey S. Nickerson, president of the family-owned manufacturer, said Tuesday prior to the ceremonial ribbon cutting for the solar power plant that’s now installed on his roof. “We can reduce those costs and make ourselves more green at the same time.”
Soltas Energy, which is headquartered in New York City, installed 1,500 solar panels on the roof of Nickerson’s factory this winter. In total those panels are capable of generating 373 kilowatts of power, enough to supply 80 percent of the factory’s needs. That’s enough power for about 200 average suburban homes, said Richard A. Chase, a project manager for Soltas based at the company’s Lawrence offices.
Soltas owns and installed the panels and other equipment and sells the power back to Concrete Block Insulating Systems at a discount. Nickerson said Concrete Block Insulating Systems will save about $20,000 a year on its power bill between the discount and not having to pay power-company distribution charges on the power generated on its own roof. Concrete Block Insulating sells excess power to National Grid or buys power from National Grid when its needs exceed the rooftop panels' ability to supply.
Founded in 1972 by Nickerson’s uncle, David L. Nickerson, Concrete Block Insulating Systems grew by selling foam insulation for the inside of concrete-block walls after the 1970s energy crisis brought on insulation requirements. The company still makes those insulating blocks, Jeffrey Nickerson said, along with a host of other building products and insulated packaging for the biotechnology and seafood industries. Concrete Block Insulating Systems ships foam coolers to the scallop fishing fleet in New Bedford as one example.
The solar project cost $1.6 million, said D. Kirt Mayland, Soltas’ in-house counsel. Soltas received a 30-percent cash rebate from the federal government, a program that has since changed into a less-attractive tax credit. Soltas is also selling clean-energy credits from the project to utilities through a state program meant to encourage clean-energy development.
Soltas is a year-old company owned by international clean technology investment fund Barron Partners, Mayland said. Barron also owns a stake in solar-panel maker CNPV Solar Power, which is best known in Europe and Asia. The panels used in the project were made in China, Mayland said.
But the inverter, a device that takes the direct current from the panels and makes it into the alternating current used in the factory and in homes, was built by Selectra Renewables in Lawrence, where it has 130 employees. The brackets that hold the panels to the roof were also made by a Massachusetts company called PanelClaw in North Andover, Mayland said.
Soltas has several other projects around the state, including a much larger 2 megawatt ground-level installation in Orange and Athol. That project needs local approval. The company also has projects in Lawrence and Methuen, Mayland said.
“I think you will see a lot of solar projects in Massachusetts in the next few months,” he said.
Developers are worried that government incentives might go away. Also, the price of solar panels is falling. It was $3 or $4 per watt of generating capacity a few years ago. Now the panels cost $1 a watt.
“We are approaching grid parity,” Mayland said. “That’s the point where solar power costs the same as power generated from other sources.”
State Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, said projects like the solar panels at Concrete Block Insulating Systems help make the country more energy independent.
But it also had a 55,000-square-feet of roof space at its factory on Freight House Road that faces south and a partner, Soltas Energy, willing to help it turn that roof into a resource.
“It was a no-brainer,” Jeffrey S. Nickerson, president of the family-owned manufacturer, said Tuesday prior to the ceremonial ribbon cutting for the solar power plant that’s now installed on his roof. “We can reduce those costs and make ourselves more green at the same time.”
Soltas Energy, which is headquartered in New York City, installed 1,500 solar panels on the roof of Nickerson’s factory this winter. In total those panels are capable of generating 373 kilowatts of power, enough to supply 80 percent of the factory’s needs. That’s enough power for about 200 average suburban homes, said Richard A. Chase, a project manager for Soltas based at the company’s Lawrence offices.
Soltas owns and installed the panels and other equipment and sells the power back to Concrete Block Insulating Systems at a discount. Nickerson said Concrete Block Insulating Systems will save about $20,000 a year on its power bill between the discount and not having to pay power-company distribution charges on the power generated on its own roof. Concrete Block Insulating sells excess power to National Grid or buys power from National Grid when its needs exceed the rooftop panels' ability to supply.
Founded in 1972 by Nickerson’s uncle, David L. Nickerson, Concrete Block Insulating Systems grew by selling foam insulation for the inside of concrete-block walls after the 1970s energy crisis brought on insulation requirements. The company still makes those insulating blocks, Jeffrey Nickerson said, along with a host of other building products and insulated packaging for the biotechnology and seafood industries. Concrete Block Insulating Systems ships foam coolers to the scallop fishing fleet in New Bedford as one example.
The solar project cost $1.6 million, said D. Kirt Mayland, Soltas’ in-house counsel. Soltas received a 30-percent cash rebate from the federal government, a program that has since changed into a less-attractive tax credit. Soltas is also selling clean-energy credits from the project to utilities through a state program meant to encourage clean-energy development.
Soltas is a year-old company owned by international clean technology investment fund Barron Partners, Mayland said. Barron also owns a stake in solar-panel maker CNPV Solar Power, which is best known in Europe and Asia. The panels used in the project were made in China, Mayland said.
But the inverter, a device that takes the direct current from the panels and makes it into the alternating current used in the factory and in homes, was built by Selectra Renewables in Lawrence, where it has 130 employees. The brackets that hold the panels to the roof were also made by a Massachusetts company called PanelClaw in North Andover, Mayland said.
Soltas has several other projects around the state, including a much larger 2 megawatt ground-level installation in Orange and Athol. That project needs local approval. The company also has projects in Lawrence and Methuen, Mayland said.
“I think you will see a lot of solar projects in Massachusetts in the next few months,” he said.
Developers are worried that government incentives might go away. Also, the price of solar panels is falling. It was $3 or $4 per watt of generating capacity a few years ago. Now the panels cost $1 a watt.
“We are approaching grid parity,” Mayland said. “That’s the point where solar power costs the same as power generated from other sources.”
State Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, said projects like the solar panels at Concrete Block Insulating Systems help make the country more energy independent.
2012年4月8日星期日
Solar dishes with rare technology to be auctioned
People searching for 60 massive satellite-looking solar dishes and willing to move the entire facility and reassemble it without instructions are in luck.
An April 17 online auction thought to be one of the first of its kind will offer the bankrupt Maricopa Solar power plant in Peoria, which uses a rare solar-thermal technology.
Solar equipment frequently is auctioned from bankruptcies, but not this type, said auctioneer David Barkoff of Heritage Global Partners, which is handling the sale for the bankruptcy trustee.
"Power plants or power-generation equipment, yes, (we auction) lots of it," he said. "But I don't think a solar-thermal power plant has come online for sale ever."
The company that was running the power plant with a license to the technology from Stirling Energy, Maricopa Solar LLC, also declared bankruptcy and now is liquidating the power plant. But not the intellectual property to build and run it.
Stirling used a complex technology with mirrors focusing the sun's heat on an engine in the middle of each dish. The engines converted the heat energy into motion, and the motion was used to make electricity.
Stirling built six of its so-called SunCatchers in New Mexico at Sandia National Laboratories, and then the larger demonstration plant in Peoria. Stirling's plans to build tens of thousands of SunCatchers in California and Texas never were fulfilled.
Other companies use similar "dish-Stirling" technology, but they are far less popular than flat, black solar panels now common on rooftops. And Stirling's competitors' dishes are not identical to those in Peoria.
Maricopa Solar's assets were listed at between $50,000 and $100,000 in its petition for bankruptcy. Barkoff said that the opening bid would not be disclosed until the auction, and he declined to estimate what a buyer might pay for the equipment.
Bidders must pay $25,000 just to register for the sale, but that's only the beginning of the complications they will face if they buy the power plant.
The plant took about four months to build, but the buyer must sign a contract agreeing to remove all of the equipment no later than April 26, within nine days of the auction, according to the bankruptcy court order authorizing the sale.
Each of the solar dishes stands nearly 40 feet tall, meaning potential bidders need lots of vacant land, a crane and plenty of transportation to move the dishes.
The dishes are connected to the power grid, so the buyer must also coordinate with Salt River Project to safely de-energize the facility and take the equipment, separating it from SRP's transformers and other equipment.
The power plant also is connected to a small pipeline of flammable hydrogen gas compressed to 3,000 pounds per square inch, and the gas lines must be purged with nitrogen before removal, according to the 42-page decommissioning plan buyers will be required to follow.
And there's another catch: The plant's instruction manual will be sold separately.
On March 15, the bankruptcy trustee for Stirling Energy Systems filed an objection to the sale of any "confidential information" in the upcoming auction, stating that those assets belonged to Stirling, not the Maricopa Solar affiliate auctioning the power plant.
The bankruptcy judge approved the objection, apparently preventing the sale of any documents that would explain how the complex machines work, including operation and maintenance manuals, specifications for the power plant's weather stations, hydrogen stations, communications, computer hard drives and even the SunCatcher product descriptions.
Angela Abreu, a lawyer in New Jersey representing the Stirling trustee, confirmed that Stirling considers the intellectual property from the company to be assets owned by Stirling.
She said the company is working on a plan to sell those assets, but she would not say how or to whom.
Lothar Goernitz, the trustee for Maricopa Solar, said he would prefer that Stirling offer the intellectual property along with the solar equipment, which he is responsible for liquidating. But he said Stirling's bankruptcy trustee did not want to sell the information along with the equipment.
"If (a buyer) wants to use the intellectual property and copyrights and whatnot, yes, they are going to have to deal with Stirling Energy Systems," he said. "But I have not come to the conclusion that there is no way that someone will come and buy this, disassemble it and use it."
He said he has been contacted by a variety of interested buyers, including some from overseas that could use the power system in remote areas. He also said that because other companies use similar dish-Stirling technology, that a buyer might not need the manuals to use the plant or parts of it.
"If you had 20 of these dishes in Sudan ... this would be a much more proficient way of generating electricity," he said. "There are places in the world where this technology makes some sense. The obvious economic concern is how to disassemble it, relocate it and set it up that is cost productive."
Barkoff said 16 parties have signed non-disclosure agreements, which allows them to see details of the equipment.
Barkoff would not say how many have paid the $25,000 to become registered bidders, but he said he has had interest from educational institutions, technical colleges, utilities and scrap-metal dealers.
An April 17 online auction thought to be one of the first of its kind will offer the bankrupt Maricopa Solar power plant in Peoria, which uses a rare solar-thermal technology.
Solar equipment frequently is auctioned from bankruptcies, but not this type, said auctioneer David Barkoff of Heritage Global Partners, which is handling the sale for the bankruptcy trustee.
"Power plants or power-generation equipment, yes, (we auction) lots of it," he said. "But I don't think a solar-thermal power plant has come online for sale ever."
The company that was running the power plant with a license to the technology from Stirling Energy, Maricopa Solar LLC, also declared bankruptcy and now is liquidating the power plant. But not the intellectual property to build and run it.
Stirling used a complex technology with mirrors focusing the sun's heat on an engine in the middle of each dish. The engines converted the heat energy into motion, and the motion was used to make electricity.
Stirling built six of its so-called SunCatchers in New Mexico at Sandia National Laboratories, and then the larger demonstration plant in Peoria. Stirling's plans to build tens of thousands of SunCatchers in California and Texas never were fulfilled.
Other companies use similar "dish-Stirling" technology, but they are far less popular than flat, black solar panels now common on rooftops. And Stirling's competitors' dishes are not identical to those in Peoria.
Maricopa Solar's assets were listed at between $50,000 and $100,000 in its petition for bankruptcy. Barkoff said that the opening bid would not be disclosed until the auction, and he declined to estimate what a buyer might pay for the equipment.
Bidders must pay $25,000 just to register for the sale, but that's only the beginning of the complications they will face if they buy the power plant.
The plant took about four months to build, but the buyer must sign a contract agreeing to remove all of the equipment no later than April 26, within nine days of the auction, according to the bankruptcy court order authorizing the sale.
Each of the solar dishes stands nearly 40 feet tall, meaning potential bidders need lots of vacant land, a crane and plenty of transportation to move the dishes.
The dishes are connected to the power grid, so the buyer must also coordinate with Salt River Project to safely de-energize the facility and take the equipment, separating it from SRP's transformers and other equipment.
The power plant also is connected to a small pipeline of flammable hydrogen gas compressed to 3,000 pounds per square inch, and the gas lines must be purged with nitrogen before removal, according to the 42-page decommissioning plan buyers will be required to follow.
And there's another catch: The plant's instruction manual will be sold separately.
On March 15, the bankruptcy trustee for Stirling Energy Systems filed an objection to the sale of any "confidential information" in the upcoming auction, stating that those assets belonged to Stirling, not the Maricopa Solar affiliate auctioning the power plant.
The bankruptcy judge approved the objection, apparently preventing the sale of any documents that would explain how the complex machines work, including operation and maintenance manuals, specifications for the power plant's weather stations, hydrogen stations, communications, computer hard drives and even the SunCatcher product descriptions.
Angela Abreu, a lawyer in New Jersey representing the Stirling trustee, confirmed that Stirling considers the intellectual property from the company to be assets owned by Stirling.
She said the company is working on a plan to sell those assets, but she would not say how or to whom.
Lothar Goernitz, the trustee for Maricopa Solar, said he would prefer that Stirling offer the intellectual property along with the solar equipment, which he is responsible for liquidating. But he said Stirling's bankruptcy trustee did not want to sell the information along with the equipment.
"If (a buyer) wants to use the intellectual property and copyrights and whatnot, yes, they are going to have to deal with Stirling Energy Systems," he said. "But I have not come to the conclusion that there is no way that someone will come and buy this, disassemble it and use it."
He said he has been contacted by a variety of interested buyers, including some from overseas that could use the power system in remote areas. He also said that because other companies use similar dish-Stirling technology, that a buyer might not need the manuals to use the plant or parts of it.
"If you had 20 of these dishes in Sudan ... this would be a much more proficient way of generating electricity," he said. "There are places in the world where this technology makes some sense. The obvious economic concern is how to disassemble it, relocate it and set it up that is cost productive."
Barkoff said 16 parties have signed non-disclosure agreements, which allows them to see details of the equipment.
Barkoff would not say how many have paid the $25,000 to become registered bidders, but he said he has had interest from educational institutions, technical colleges, utilities and scrap-metal dealers.
2012年4月5日星期四
Solar power for air conditioners too in GPCB's new building
If you believe that solar energy is good enough only to cook rice in solar cooker or heat water as solar water heaters, you need to look further. Solar energy can also provide you the much-needed respite from heat by running air conditioners.
For the first time, all 40 air conditioners in the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB)'s new building will run on solar energy. The building will be inaugurated today.
GPCB's would the first 100 per cent solar building wherein electricity generated through sunlight will also power as many as 600 fans and 1,000 CFL tube lights besides the A/Cs. After investing Rs 1 crore in the power system, the GPCB claims that the investment made will be recovered in five years! The investment is inclusive of a 10-year operation and maintenance contract for the building. The solar panels set up atop the building over 2,000 sq meters space will generate 80 KW energy.
According to member-secretary, GPCB, Hardik Shah, the peak consumption of the building will be 72 hours, while non-peak consumption is estimated to be around 65 KW. The excess power will be supplied to the Torrent Power grid.
"We will be generating around 1,16,800 units per year against which our consumption would be 84,000 units. The remaining units will go the grid," Shah said. GPCB is likely to get anything between Rs 9 to Rs 15 per unit of solar energy sent to the grid. "This would be a net zero energy building," he added.
Besides using solar power, there will be green plantation along the periphery of the compound as well as proper garden and landscaping, which will be done by the forest department.
GPCB also aims to conserve water in this building. There are two separate recharge wells through which rain water will be harvested. "Approximately, 750 cubic metre of rain water is expected to be recharged into the underground aquifiers every monsoon season," Shah added.
The present building of the pollution watchdog will be used as a research centre, resource centre with a library as well as a training institute. National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) has certified GPCB as a national laboratory.
For the first time, all 40 air conditioners in the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB)'s new building will run on solar energy. The building will be inaugurated today.
GPCB's would the first 100 per cent solar building wherein electricity generated through sunlight will also power as many as 600 fans and 1,000 CFL tube lights besides the A/Cs. After investing Rs 1 crore in the power system, the GPCB claims that the investment made will be recovered in five years! The investment is inclusive of a 10-year operation and maintenance contract for the building. The solar panels set up atop the building over 2,000 sq meters space will generate 80 KW energy.
According to member-secretary, GPCB, Hardik Shah, the peak consumption of the building will be 72 hours, while non-peak consumption is estimated to be around 65 KW. The excess power will be supplied to the Torrent Power grid.
"We will be generating around 1,16,800 units per year against which our consumption would be 84,000 units. The remaining units will go the grid," Shah said. GPCB is likely to get anything between Rs 9 to Rs 15 per unit of solar energy sent to the grid. "This would be a net zero energy building," he added.
Besides using solar power, there will be green plantation along the periphery of the compound as well as proper garden and landscaping, which will be done by the forest department.
GPCB also aims to conserve water in this building. There are two separate recharge wells through which rain water will be harvested. "Approximately, 750 cubic metre of rain water is expected to be recharged into the underground aquifiers every monsoon season," Shah added.
The present building of the pollution watchdog will be used as a research centre, resource centre with a library as well as a training institute. National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) has certified GPCB as a national laboratory.
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