The state’s largest panel manufacturer, whose business has suffered in the face of cheaper competition, has joined the chorus of panel makers across the country in demanding that tariffs be placed on Chinese imports.
North Jersey project developers and installers, while sympathetic to the manufacturers’ plight, say the cheaper Chinese panels have made solar systems more affordable — up to 25 percent cheaper.
At the heart of the debate is the question of how best to create jobs in a sector that has been touted by President Obama and many others as a potential sunrise industry for the future.
"I’m conflicted," said Kurt Holmes, owner of Englewood-based Renewable Energy Associates, which develops and sells solar energy projects.
"As a citizen, I would like to see manufacturing done here at home," he said, reflecting the view of several installers. "However, I’ve got to pay the lowest price. The fact that Chinese manufacturers are driving down the price is good for the industry."
Manufacturers say protection from Chinese imports would help create jobs in the U.S. and stop them from going overseas. But some installers and project developers say Chinese imports help bring down project costs, spurring the creation of new businesses and sales, construction and installation jobs.
Tom Ferraro, owner of Solar & More, a Pompton Plains solar installation company, said he supports the manufacturers, but low panel prices help boost his year-old business, which employs four people including himself. He opened a showroom in April and plans to open two more next spring.
"Obviously, when you are selling something that’s thousands of dollars, the lower the price the easier it is to sell," he said. "I get these stores open and I’m going to need to hire service people, office and support staff."
On Friday, the U.S. International Trade Commission voted unanimously in a preliminary ruling on the petition by manufacturers calling for anti-dumping and countervailing duties. The commission will now proceed with a full investigation.
The manufacturers accuse Chinese manufacturers of "dumping" solar panels in the U.S., selling them for less than the production and shipping costs with the help of Chinese government subsidies. The complaint asks the U.S. to impose tariffs on imported Chinese panels, which could significantly raise the price.
The dispute comes at a volatile time for the solar industry, which has been shaken in recent months by the bankruptcies of Fremont, Calif.-based Solyndra, a large solar panel manufacturer that received $500 million in federal subsidies, and two other large panel makers, as low-priced Chinese imports flooded the market.
Solar-panel prices have fallen dramatically in the past year in large part due to a worldwide excess in panel manufacturing capacity, some of it the result of a collapse in European demand. New Jersey installers say panel prices have fallen 30 percent in the past year.
2011年12月4日星期日
2011年12月1日星期四
Solyndra saw staff "mutiny" before Obama visit
Prices for solar panels were in free-fall and the company's chief executive officer was bickering with customers unhappy with the amount of electricity produced by the cylindrical panels he invented, according to new e-mails released by Republicans investigating the now-bankrupt company.
An initial public offering was on the skids, and finally, there was a "mutiny" by the company's entire executive team, who flagged the crisis to the company's board of directors.
The e-mails between senior advisers to George Kaiser, a major investor in the company, provide the best view yet into how problems took root early at Solyndra.
The company had received a $535 million federal loan guarantee in 2009 and was held up by the Obama administration as an example of how it could help create green jobs.
Behind the scenes, Kaiser's Argonaut Private Equity was trying to right the flailing company. "To put it bluntly our poster child of private equity is acting up something fierce," a senior official from the George Kaiser Family Foundation said in an internal e-mail dated May 8, 2010, warning Solyndra's long-term business plan was in jeopardy.
The new emails highlight how the government backed a company that was in trouble from its early stages, giving more fuel to critics who believe the government threw good taxpayer money after bad.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu's top adviser on stimulus projects brushed aside White House questions about financial red flags ahead of Obama's May 25 visit.
The investment has become politically embarrassing for the administration in the 2012 presidential election race. Last month, Republicans grilled Chu about why he approved the restructuring plan, which kept the company going after it ran out of cash in late 2010.
Chu has staunchly defended his department's decisions as trying to get the best return for taxpayers. The department's inspector general, an independent watchdog, is probing the loan, with help from the FBI. The House Energy and Commerce Committee has been investigating the loan since February, collecting more than 250,000 pages of documents from government departments, the White House and private investors.
The White House and Energy Department did not immediately comment on the emails.
Solyndra got the loan in 2009, the first company to receive funding under a program that was a top priority for the newly minted administration. Between November 2009 and February 2010, it became clear that subsidized Chinese solar panel manufacturers were undercutting higher-cost Solyndra, the e-mails from private investors said.
By April, Solyndra's Chief Executive Chris Gronet had "burned a lot of bridges" with customers, said Steven Mitchell, managing partner with Argonaut Private Equity, in an internal e-mail. "Gronet was unwilling to accept that the market was forcing a lower price -- he reacted unilaterally by forcing his sales people to maintain high pricing in spite of customers' pleas to 'help them out,'" Mitchell wrote.
At the same time, existing customers were "disgruntled" because panels they had bought from Solyndra were not producing as much electricity as promised. "Unfortunately, Gronet again took a unilateral stance and over the objections of his sales and marketing folks to argue with customers over their data set or power readings -- Gronet clearly never learned the 'customer is always right' slogan," wrote Mitchell, who had a seat on the company's board of directors.
That was the last straw before his executive team demanded a "derating" in the panels by 3.5 percent, another move that hurt the company's revenues.
"It took a full mutiny by management to bring this to the board's attention," Mitchell said.
Gronet's lawyer could not immediately comment about the emails on Thursday.
Argonaut first told the Energy Department about Solyndra's revenue problems between April and May 2010, Mitchell said in a November 2010 e-mail to Kaiser, a billionaire oilman and fund-raiser to Obama during last election.
After the initial public offering was withdrawn from the market in June, Solyndra hired a new CEO, Brian Harrison, and Gronet became the chairman of the board. It would have looked bad to fire Gronet, the founder, who had a good relationship with the Energy Department and was the face of the company in Washington, where the company wanted to focus more of its sales efforts, the Argonaut e-mails said.
"He has star power in DC and we need our government to step up if at all possible," one e-mail said. The company was counting on a second loan guarantee from the Energy Department for $469 million, but ultimately it was not approved.
By June, Solyndra was working with a Washington lobbying firm on a strategy to get government contracts with "Buy America" procurement rules that would give its panels an advantage, the e-mails showed. "Getting business from Uncle Sam is a principal element of Solyndra's channel strategy," an unidentified official said in an August 10 e-mail provided to Republican investigators by Argonaut.
An initial public offering was on the skids, and finally, there was a "mutiny" by the company's entire executive team, who flagged the crisis to the company's board of directors.
The e-mails between senior advisers to George Kaiser, a major investor in the company, provide the best view yet into how problems took root early at Solyndra.
The company had received a $535 million federal loan guarantee in 2009 and was held up by the Obama administration as an example of how it could help create green jobs.
Behind the scenes, Kaiser's Argonaut Private Equity was trying to right the flailing company. "To put it bluntly our poster child of private equity is acting up something fierce," a senior official from the George Kaiser Family Foundation said in an internal e-mail dated May 8, 2010, warning Solyndra's long-term business plan was in jeopardy.
The new emails highlight how the government backed a company that was in trouble from its early stages, giving more fuel to critics who believe the government threw good taxpayer money after bad.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu's top adviser on stimulus projects brushed aside White House questions about financial red flags ahead of Obama's May 25 visit.
The investment has become politically embarrassing for the administration in the 2012 presidential election race. Last month, Republicans grilled Chu about why he approved the restructuring plan, which kept the company going after it ran out of cash in late 2010.
Chu has staunchly defended his department's decisions as trying to get the best return for taxpayers. The department's inspector general, an independent watchdog, is probing the loan, with help from the FBI. The House Energy and Commerce Committee has been investigating the loan since February, collecting more than 250,000 pages of documents from government departments, the White House and private investors.
The White House and Energy Department did not immediately comment on the emails.
Solyndra got the loan in 2009, the first company to receive funding under a program that was a top priority for the newly minted administration. Between November 2009 and February 2010, it became clear that subsidized Chinese solar panel manufacturers were undercutting higher-cost Solyndra, the e-mails from private investors said.
By April, Solyndra's Chief Executive Chris Gronet had "burned a lot of bridges" with customers, said Steven Mitchell, managing partner with Argonaut Private Equity, in an internal e-mail. "Gronet was unwilling to accept that the market was forcing a lower price -- he reacted unilaterally by forcing his sales people to maintain high pricing in spite of customers' pleas to 'help them out,'" Mitchell wrote.
At the same time, existing customers were "disgruntled" because panels they had bought from Solyndra were not producing as much electricity as promised. "Unfortunately, Gronet again took a unilateral stance and over the objections of his sales and marketing folks to argue with customers over their data set or power readings -- Gronet clearly never learned the 'customer is always right' slogan," wrote Mitchell, who had a seat on the company's board of directors.
That was the last straw before his executive team demanded a "derating" in the panels by 3.5 percent, another move that hurt the company's revenues.
"It took a full mutiny by management to bring this to the board's attention," Mitchell said.
Gronet's lawyer could not immediately comment about the emails on Thursday.
Argonaut first told the Energy Department about Solyndra's revenue problems between April and May 2010, Mitchell said in a November 2010 e-mail to Kaiser, a billionaire oilman and fund-raiser to Obama during last election.
After the initial public offering was withdrawn from the market in June, Solyndra hired a new CEO, Brian Harrison, and Gronet became the chairman of the board. It would have looked bad to fire Gronet, the founder, who had a good relationship with the Energy Department and was the face of the company in Washington, where the company wanted to focus more of its sales efforts, the Argonaut e-mails said.
"He has star power in DC and we need our government to step up if at all possible," one e-mail said. The company was counting on a second loan guarantee from the Energy Department for $469 million, but ultimately it was not approved.
By June, Solyndra was working with a Washington lobbying firm on a strategy to get government contracts with "Buy America" procurement rules that would give its panels an advantage, the e-mails showed. "Getting business from Uncle Sam is a principal element of Solyndra's channel strategy," an unidentified official said in an August 10 e-mail provided to Republican investigators by Argonaut.
2011年11月29日星期二
Munro Distributing Now Offers SolarWorld Sunmodule Solar Panels
Munro Distributing Company Inc., a leading supplier of clean energy solutions and electrical supplies, announced the launch of a new product line and the immediate availability of U.S.-manufactured SolarWorld Sunmodule solar panels. Munro’s solar division, which facilitates residential and commercial solar electric and thermal systems, has leveraged its expertise and market presence to form a strategic distribution alliance with SolarWorld, the largest and most experienced U.S. solar manufacturer.
“Partnering with SolarWorld is consistent with our goal to assist customers in choosing the best components for their projects in order to minimize costs, while ensuring maximum system production,” said Glenn Maltais, Vice President Market Development and Sustainability. “By promoting American- made modules as an integral part of our product line, we are doing our part to support the US solar manufacturing market.”
Sunmodules are available in both mono-and polycrystalline in a wide range of sizes, making them suitable for all applications – from a residential rooftop to a large-scale facility. With plus sorting, SolarWorld only delivers modules that are factory-tested to meet or exceed their name plate power rating - even after initial light-induced degradation. Now available at Munro’s locations throughout New England, Sunmodules come with a 25-year linear performance guarantee and a 10-year product workmanship warranty.
“This partnership joins SolarWorld’s 35-plus years of solar-manufacturing experience with Munro’s decades of expertise supplying electrical products in New England,” said Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas. “Key distribution partners, like Munro, offer our installers access to local knowledge and relationships along with SolarWorld’s trusted, American-made product.”
Munro’s renewable energy professionals are available to assist novice and experienced solar patrons through value-add services designed to meet a wide range of needs. Munro provides contractors with a host of services relating to system design, installation, product selection, federal grants, state rebates and energy efficiency.
“Partnering with SolarWorld is consistent with our goal to assist customers in choosing the best components for their projects in order to minimize costs, while ensuring maximum system production,” said Glenn Maltais, Vice President Market Development and Sustainability. “By promoting American- made modules as an integral part of our product line, we are doing our part to support the US solar manufacturing market.”
Sunmodules are available in both mono-and polycrystalline in a wide range of sizes, making them suitable for all applications – from a residential rooftop to a large-scale facility. With plus sorting, SolarWorld only delivers modules that are factory-tested to meet or exceed their name plate power rating - even after initial light-induced degradation. Now available at Munro’s locations throughout New England, Sunmodules come with a 25-year linear performance guarantee and a 10-year product workmanship warranty.
“This partnership joins SolarWorld’s 35-plus years of solar-manufacturing experience with Munro’s decades of expertise supplying electrical products in New England,” said Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas. “Key distribution partners, like Munro, offer our installers access to local knowledge and relationships along with SolarWorld’s trusted, American-made product.”
Munro’s renewable energy professionals are available to assist novice and experienced solar patrons through value-add services designed to meet a wide range of needs. Munro provides contractors with a host of services relating to system design, installation, product selection, federal grants, state rebates and energy efficiency.
2011年11月23日星期三
Solar panels to power city college
A college plans to unplug from the National Grid and generate its power with a "solar meadow".
Jewel & Esk College in Edinburgh aims to create a one-acre site of around 800 solar panels adjacent to the campus, which will generate 1,076KW of energy a day, enough to be energy sufficient.
Surplus electricity from the solar meadow, so called because it will be planted with grasses and wildflowers, will be made available to local community groups and projects.
The college said the project is one of a number being developed to reduce its reliance on Government funding. The solar power site will cost 300,000 to build but will save around 150,000 a year in electricity bills.
The planning application was submitted to Midlothian Council earlier this month and the college said initial discussions were positive.
The site will be used as a study area for students to analyse the interaction between the biodiversity and the solar panels.
Professor Steve Tinsley, project leader, said: "This is a tremendously exciting project for us. In creating the solar meadow we are providing the first teaching facility of its kind in Scotland for our students and lecturers, whilst developing innovative ways for the college to become less reliant on Government funding.
"Such projects will help up-skill the next generation of engineers and play an essential role in closing the skills gap in low-carbon technologies. Knowledge transfer on this level can also significantly benefit our industry partners and the economy as a whole."
Work is scheduled to start early next year and should be complete by the end of the year.
Earlier this week Jewel & Esk entered merger talks with Stevenson and Telford College in Edinburgh, in light of Education Secretary Mike Russell encouraging higher and further education institutions to find ways of working in the face of public spending cuts.
Jewel & Esk College in Edinburgh aims to create a one-acre site of around 800 solar panels adjacent to the campus, which will generate 1,076KW of energy a day, enough to be energy sufficient.
Surplus electricity from the solar meadow, so called because it will be planted with grasses and wildflowers, will be made available to local community groups and projects.
The college said the project is one of a number being developed to reduce its reliance on Government funding. The solar power site will cost 300,000 to build but will save around 150,000 a year in electricity bills.
The planning application was submitted to Midlothian Council earlier this month and the college said initial discussions were positive.
The site will be used as a study area for students to analyse the interaction between the biodiversity and the solar panels.
Professor Steve Tinsley, project leader, said: "This is a tremendously exciting project for us. In creating the solar meadow we are providing the first teaching facility of its kind in Scotland for our students and lecturers, whilst developing innovative ways for the college to become less reliant on Government funding.
"Such projects will help up-skill the next generation of engineers and play an essential role in closing the skills gap in low-carbon technologies. Knowledge transfer on this level can also significantly benefit our industry partners and the economy as a whole."
Work is scheduled to start early next year and should be complete by the end of the year.
Earlier this week Jewel & Esk entered merger talks with Stevenson and Telford College in Edinburgh, in light of Education Secretary Mike Russell encouraging higher and further education institutions to find ways of working in the face of public spending cuts.
2011年11月2日星期三
IBM brings solar power to data centers
The company tomorrow will detail a pilot project that couples solar power with water-cooled servers that run on high-voltage direct current. The method results in about a 10 percent energy savings by reducing the losses that normally happen in converting from alternating power from the grid to the direct current servers run on, according to Kota Murali, the chief scientist of nanotechnology at IBM India who developed the pilot as a side project.
That level of energy reduction is significant for large data centers with many servers, but the implications of solar and servers are potentially profound for places that don't have access to reliable power, Murali said.
A bank, for example, that wanted to set up a remote branch and operate a data center could use solar power as a way to supplement power from the grid and on-site generators. IBM plans to offer the system in custom engagements next year. Clients in developing countries have already shown an interest.
"Everybody is talking about getting connectivity from the grid. The cities are already overloaded so they need ways to generate local power," Murali said. "You can start connecting unconnected parts of the world using this kind of system."
The system is designed so that power will be pulled from the grid at night or when there isn't sufficient voltage to run servers directly. Power conditioning units dedicated to supplying the data center can automatically switch between power sources.
IBM's India Software Lab in Bangalore has set up a 50-kilowatt rooftop array to power about 20 percent of its data center.
Murali was motivated to work on creating the configuration after hearing a talk on energy-efficient computing. When he realized that modern IBM servers can run on high-voltage direct current, he thought to use solar panels, which produce direct current, as a source.
When wired in series, solar panels can produce sufficient voltage, at between 380 volts and 575 volts, to power a server. In places where the grid is not reliable, data center operators will likely still use a diesel generator backup but the solar panels can reduce their fuel cost and cut carbon emissions, Murali said.
That level of energy reduction is significant for large data centers with many servers, but the implications of solar and servers are potentially profound for places that don't have access to reliable power, Murali said.
A bank, for example, that wanted to set up a remote branch and operate a data center could use solar power as a way to supplement power from the grid and on-site generators. IBM plans to offer the system in custom engagements next year. Clients in developing countries have already shown an interest.
"Everybody is talking about getting connectivity from the grid. The cities are already overloaded so they need ways to generate local power," Murali said. "You can start connecting unconnected parts of the world using this kind of system."
The system is designed so that power will be pulled from the grid at night or when there isn't sufficient voltage to run servers directly. Power conditioning units dedicated to supplying the data center can automatically switch between power sources.
IBM's India Software Lab in Bangalore has set up a 50-kilowatt rooftop array to power about 20 percent of its data center.
Murali was motivated to work on creating the configuration after hearing a talk on energy-efficient computing. When he realized that modern IBM servers can run on high-voltage direct current, he thought to use solar panels, which produce direct current, as a source.
When wired in series, solar panels can produce sufficient voltage, at between 380 volts and 575 volts, to power a server. In places where the grid is not reliable, data center operators will likely still use a diesel generator backup but the solar panels can reduce their fuel cost and cut carbon emissions, Murali said.
2011年10月24日星期一
Solar Power's ROI Higher Than Other Renewable Energy Sources
A recent report from the USA has found return on investment from solar power is higher than any other renewable energy source.
The report entitled "Global Solar Inverter Markets", released by SBI Energy, states the payback period for a typical solar PV-based project has reduced from 7-10 years to 3-5 years currently.
This has also been the case for home solar power in some Australian states, where payback time on rooftop solar arrays can be under 4 years. With electricity prices rapidly increasing, investment in a home solar power system can in some scenarios provide a better return than putting the equivalent money in the bank.
SBI predicts the cost of solar power production will decrease by half every ten years, reaching $1 a watt by 2020 and as low as $0.50 per watt by 2030. Further reductions after that time are also possible due to large scale adoption of PV technology and the ongoing development of low cost production sites in China, Taiwan and other Asian countries.
SBI says cumulative PV installations have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 35% since 2000, reaching 40 GW globally in 2010; and are estimated to reach 400 GW by 2020.
SBI expects to see a short-term lull in the European Union PV market, mainly due to solar feed in tariff rate cuts and some regulatory issues, but this will be offset by installations in North America and Asia. The research firm believes China is likely to reach the 1 GW cumulative installation mark during this year.
Global Solar Inverters Markets covers the PV component sector; with a detailed analysis of PV cells, solar panels, wafers, polysilicon and solar inverters. In regard to the latter, SBI Energy estimates that the global solar inverter market, currently valued between $5.5- 5.8 billion, will hit $7.5 billion in 2015. A solar inverter is a device that convert DC electricity generated by a solar panel into AC power; suitable for use by standard home appliances.
The report entitled "Global Solar Inverter Markets", released by SBI Energy, states the payback period for a typical solar PV-based project has reduced from 7-10 years to 3-5 years currently.
This has also been the case for home solar power in some Australian states, where payback time on rooftop solar arrays can be under 4 years. With electricity prices rapidly increasing, investment in a home solar power system can in some scenarios provide a better return than putting the equivalent money in the bank.
SBI predicts the cost of solar power production will decrease by half every ten years, reaching $1 a watt by 2020 and as low as $0.50 per watt by 2030. Further reductions after that time are also possible due to large scale adoption of PV technology and the ongoing development of low cost production sites in China, Taiwan and other Asian countries.
SBI says cumulative PV installations have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 35% since 2000, reaching 40 GW globally in 2010; and are estimated to reach 400 GW by 2020.
SBI expects to see a short-term lull in the European Union PV market, mainly due to solar feed in tariff rate cuts and some regulatory issues, but this will be offset by installations in North America and Asia. The research firm believes China is likely to reach the 1 GW cumulative installation mark during this year.
Global Solar Inverters Markets covers the PV component sector; with a detailed analysis of PV cells, solar panels, wafers, polysilicon and solar inverters. In regard to the latter, SBI Energy estimates that the global solar inverter market, currently valued between $5.5- 5.8 billion, will hit $7.5 billion in 2015. A solar inverter is a device that convert DC electricity generated by a solar panel into AC power; suitable for use by standard home appliances.
2011年10月7日星期五
Why Americans like solar energy
Listening to an NPR story yesterday about a San Diego company that makes solar-powered parking meters and has doubled its number of employees during the past year was a nice counterpoint to all the frantic attempts recently by supporters of dirty energy to disparage the solar industry. Fortunately, most Americans haven’t been buying it. Recent polling and surveys indicate that, by and large, regardless of our politics, we still think developing solar energy is a great idea.
Think about that last sentence for just a second. People in this country who vote Democratic think that solar energy is smart for the country, and people who vote Republican feel the same way. It’s an issue that unites us. There don’t seem to be that many of those these days, so it’s worth examining why.
No, I don’t think it’s because the U.S. solar power market grew a record 67 percent last year, which makes it our fastest-growing energy sector. And it’s probably not solely because the solar industry created jobs at a much higher rate than the rest of the U.S. economy during the past year. I don’t even think it’s because the cost of residential solar panels has dropped to the point where it’s now affordable for millions of homeowners to buy or lease a system and start saving on energy while helping the environment.
These are all great things, obviously. The Sierra Club even has a program to promote solar-leasing to our members and supporters that runs through the end of this month. Too many homeowners still don’t realize that they can get a solar system installed for little — or even zero — money down.
But I don’t think economic stats are what’s behind solar energy’s broad-based support from the American public. Instead, it’s something so basic and obvious that folks just “get it”: Capturing energy from the sun is renewable and sustainable, while burning fossil fuels is not. Clean energy is easier. And that means that solar energy will always make more sense economically in the long run.
But what a lot of people might not realize is that we aren’t just talking about the long run anymore. Solar makes more sense economically right now. Compare it, for example, to generating electricity by burning coal. An article in the August issue of the American Economic Review (the journal of the American Economic Association, a group that no one has ever accused of being a bunch of tree-huggers), shows that the overall costs to our economy of burning coal are so high that they’re actually greater than the market price of the energy that’s generated. In other words, the roughly $53 billion in damages that the coal industry inflicts on our economy every single year is greater than the value of the electricity it generates!
And yet the supporters of Big Coal want us to believe that solar energy (the fast-growing, job-creating, renewable-energy alternative) doesn’t make economic sense? I think their meter’s in the red and their time is up. Want to help get the real facts out there? Take this Solar Energy Quiz and share it with your friends. I bet you already know more about solar than certain members of Congress.
Think about that last sentence for just a second. People in this country who vote Democratic think that solar energy is smart for the country, and people who vote Republican feel the same way. It’s an issue that unites us. There don’t seem to be that many of those these days, so it’s worth examining why.
No, I don’t think it’s because the U.S. solar power market grew a record 67 percent last year, which makes it our fastest-growing energy sector. And it’s probably not solely because the solar industry created jobs at a much higher rate than the rest of the U.S. economy during the past year. I don’t even think it’s because the cost of residential solar panels has dropped to the point where it’s now affordable for millions of homeowners to buy or lease a system and start saving on energy while helping the environment.
These are all great things, obviously. The Sierra Club even has a program to promote solar-leasing to our members and supporters that runs through the end of this month. Too many homeowners still don’t realize that they can get a solar system installed for little — or even zero — money down.
But I don’t think economic stats are what’s behind solar energy’s broad-based support from the American public. Instead, it’s something so basic and obvious that folks just “get it”: Capturing energy from the sun is renewable and sustainable, while burning fossil fuels is not. Clean energy is easier. And that means that solar energy will always make more sense economically in the long run.
But what a lot of people might not realize is that we aren’t just talking about the long run anymore. Solar makes more sense economically right now. Compare it, for example, to generating electricity by burning coal. An article in the August issue of the American Economic Review (the journal of the American Economic Association, a group that no one has ever accused of being a bunch of tree-huggers), shows that the overall costs to our economy of burning coal are so high that they’re actually greater than the market price of the energy that’s generated. In other words, the roughly $53 billion in damages that the coal industry inflicts on our economy every single year is greater than the value of the electricity it generates!
And yet the supporters of Big Coal want us to believe that solar energy (the fast-growing, job-creating, renewable-energy alternative) doesn’t make economic sense? I think their meter’s in the red and their time is up. Want to help get the real facts out there? Take this Solar Energy Quiz and share it with your friends. I bet you already know more about solar than certain members of Congress.
2011年5月29日星期日
Juno Solar Panels Complete Testing
The three massive solar panels that will provide power for NASA's Juno spacecraft during its mission to Jupiter have seen their last photons of light until they are deployed in space after launch.
The last of the Jupiter-bound spacecraft's panels completed pre-flight testing at the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., and was folded against the side of the spacecraft into its launch configuration Thursday, May 26.
The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 30 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.
"Completing the testing and stow of solar panels is always a big pre-launch milestone, and with Juno, you could say really big because our panels are really big," said Jan Chodas, Juno's project manager from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
"The next time these three massive solar arrays are extended to their full length, Juno will be climbing away from the Earth at about seven miles per second."
This is the first time in history a spacecraft has used solar power so far out in space (Jupiter is five times farther from the sun than Earth). To operate on the sun's light that far out requires solar panels about the size of the cargo section of a typical tractor-trailer you'd see on the interstate highway.
Even with all that surface area pointed sunward, all three panels, which are 2.7 meters wide (9 feet), by 8.9 meters long (29 feet), will only generate about enough juice to power five standard light bulbs - about 450 watts of electricity. If the arrays were optimized to operate at Earth, they would produce 12 to 14 kilowatts of power.
In other recent events, the 106-foot-long (32-meter-long), 12.5-foot-wide (3.8-meter-wide) first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle that will carry Juno into space arrived at the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on May 24, aboard the world's second largest cargo aircraft - a Volga-Dnepr Antonov AN-124-100.
The two-stage Atlas V, along with the five solid rocket boosters that ring the first stage, will be assembled and tested on site at Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral this summer.
The launch period for Juno opens Aug. 5, 2011, and extends through Aug. 26. For an Aug. 5 liftoff, the launch window opens at 8:39 a.m. PDT (11:39 am EDT) and remains open through 9:39 a.m. PDT (12:39 p.m. EDT).
The last of the Jupiter-bound spacecraft's panels completed pre-flight testing at the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., and was folded against the side of the spacecraft into its launch configuration Thursday, May 26.
The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 30 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.
"Completing the testing and stow of solar panels is always a big pre-launch milestone, and with Juno, you could say really big because our panels are really big," said Jan Chodas, Juno's project manager from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
"The next time these three massive solar arrays are extended to their full length, Juno will be climbing away from the Earth at about seven miles per second."
This is the first time in history a spacecraft has used solar power so far out in space (Jupiter is five times farther from the sun than Earth). To operate on the sun's light that far out requires solar panels about the size of the cargo section of a typical tractor-trailer you'd see on the interstate highway.
Even with all that surface area pointed sunward, all three panels, which are 2.7 meters wide (9 feet), by 8.9 meters long (29 feet), will only generate about enough juice to power five standard light bulbs - about 450 watts of electricity. If the arrays were optimized to operate at Earth, they would produce 12 to 14 kilowatts of power.
In other recent events, the 106-foot-long (32-meter-long), 12.5-foot-wide (3.8-meter-wide) first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle that will carry Juno into space arrived at the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on May 24, aboard the world's second largest cargo aircraft - a Volga-Dnepr Antonov AN-124-100.
The two-stage Atlas V, along with the five solid rocket boosters that ring the first stage, will be assembled and tested on site at Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral this summer.
The launch period for Juno opens Aug. 5, 2011, and extends through Aug. 26. For an Aug. 5 liftoff, the launch window opens at 8:39 a.m. PDT (11:39 am EDT) and remains open through 9:39 a.m. PDT (12:39 p.m. EDT).
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