Alternative energy startup Pythagoras Solar is dreaming big and it has sold the owners of one of America's most iconic skyscrapers on its vision.
Chicago's Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower) is among the most recognizable man-made landmarks in the country. Towering over local high-rises, its 108 stories make it the tallest building in the U.S. and the fifth-tallest freestanding structure in the world.
During summer months solar heating contributes to energy costs and sun glare can be an issue at times.
Pythagoras Solar power has cooked up a novel solution -- transforming the building into the nation's largest vertical solar farm. The farm will produce up to 2 MW of solar energy, reducing the building's reliance on the power grid.
Its panels -- to be installed on the building's southern-facing windows that get the highest sun exposure -- will help remedy both issues, while preserving the view and producing electricity.
The company's pane design is dubbed high-density photovoltaic glass units (HD-PVGUs). The device acts similar to louvered windows (think slat blinds). It contains a thin layer of monocrystalline silicon, sandwiched between glass, which acts as a cell. An internal plastic prism directs angled (direct) sunlight onto the cell, while allowing diffuse daylight and horizontal (less intense) sunlight through.
The result is that you still have attractive views out the window, without the glare or heating. Meanwhile your panel produces electricity that Pythagoras Solar claims is on par with rooftop panels.
If the installation is a success, it could set a precedent for high-rises across America. The Willis Tower installation alone is expected to produce as much power as a 10-acre ground installation would.
Conserving land, particularly in a city, is obviously a tremendous concern. The Willis Tower project could serve as a blueprint for skyscraper owners to reduce their energy costs and improve their buildings' sustainability in years to come.
Cost and maintainability are obvious concerns in the long run for solar window panels from companies like Pythagoras Power. Indeed, Pythagoras Power offered little insight into how it would handle the extra maintenance burden or what the cost-per-window might be.
That said, even if the company did provide such metrics, it'd be hard to fairly judge them, as this project is the first of its kind on this kind of magnitude. Initial implementations of any technology typically start off high in terms of maintainability problems and cost, but eventually bring down both metrics.
And the cost must not be overly exorbitant. After all, the panels are good PR for the Willis Tower's owners, but they are in business to make money. If the panels were overly expensive, the project likely wouldn't have received the green light to begin.
2011年3月13日星期日
Solar power's outlook grows brighter in Pittsburgh region
In a city meteorologists call one of the cloudiest in the United States, Michael Ramsey's
North Side apartment seems an unlikely locale to tap the sun's power.
But technological advances, coupled with rising energy prices and a bevy of state and federal
incentives, are selling people such as Ramsey, a University of Pittsburgh geology professor,
and Stephen Lee, head of the school of architecture at Carnegie Mellon University, on the
benefits of solar power.
Last week, Ramsey had 48 solar panels installed on part of the roof of his 2,000-square-foot
apartment. The rest of the roof will be covered with plants, designed to provide maximum
insulation and drainage.
Lee, who worked on the first urban solar project in Pittsburgh in 1976, had 13 solar panels
installed on the roof of his Polish Hill office in December.
"To walk the talk, I put an array on our roof," Lee said. Although Ramsey estimates the
panels will provide most of his power, Lee estimates his smaller system will provide a
quarter to a third of his office's energy.
Statistics from the National Climatic Data Center indicate Pittsburgh, with an average of 59
sunny days a year, is among the country's cloudiest cities. Michelle Waldgeir of Astrum
Solar, the company that installed Ramsey's system, said there's adequate sunshine to power
solar systems.
"It's one of the things that surprises a lot of folks. It's cloudy here, but even when there
are clouds there is some light. Germany is the leader in solar technology and, relative to
Germany, Pittsburgh's got quite a lot of light," Waldgeir said.
"And on beautiful sunny days when it produces more energy than you need, it will flow into
the grid, so your meter flows backwards," she said.
Department of Energy figures show Pennsylvanians are adopting solar power at a rate far
outstripping many sunnier climes. According to the agency's National Renewable Energy
Laboratory, only California and New Jersey rank ahead of Pennsylvania in the number of solar
systems installed.
Joe Morinville of Energy Independent Solutions, the Robinson firm that installed Lee's
system, got involved in solar energy in the late 1980s. He said the addition of
microinverters that allow each solar panel to work to maximum capacity is a major plus for
homeowners. In the past, when shade covered some panels, all worked at lower capacity.
"I have 13 panels. If one is shaded, the others all are in full sun and operate at maximum
capacity," Lee said.
The availability of Pennsylvania Sunshine rebates, a state grant program that expires this
year, might have played a role in solar's ascendancy.
According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, the program had reservations
for about $94 million in rebates by the end of 2010. Tom Bell, director of the Pennsylvania
Energy Development Authority, said the program, begun in 2009, logged reservations for money
for solar systems for 658 small businesses and about 4,800 homes.
Bell said home and business owners might cancel some of those reservations, but he believes
the program helped boost the state's standing in alternative energy output. He said
contractors in Western Pennsylvania told him customers still clamor for grants.
Lee and Ramsey conceded it took a combination of state grants, federal tax credits and the
knowledge that they could sell solar renewable energy credits -- known as SRECs -- every year
to utilities, to put solar systems within their reach.
Ramsey said the 30 percent federal tax credit on his system, coupled with a $10,000
Pennsylvania Sunshine grant and a contract that means he'll collect about $3,000 a year in
SREC credits, made his $50,000 investment doable.
Lee said the grants and credits mean his $23,000 system will pay for itself in seven or eight
years, maybe sooner.
"All the numbers ... go out the door as soon as power starts going up," Lee said.
North Side apartment seems an unlikely locale to tap the sun's power.
But technological advances, coupled with rising energy prices and a bevy of state and federal
incentives, are selling people such as Ramsey, a University of Pittsburgh geology professor,
and Stephen Lee, head of the school of architecture at Carnegie Mellon University, on the
benefits of solar power.
Last week, Ramsey had 48 solar panels installed on part of the roof of his 2,000-square-foot
apartment. The rest of the roof will be covered with plants, designed to provide maximum
insulation and drainage.
Lee, who worked on the first urban solar project in Pittsburgh in 1976, had 13 solar panels
installed on the roof of his Polish Hill office in December.
"To walk the talk, I put an array on our roof," Lee said. Although Ramsey estimates the
panels will provide most of his power, Lee estimates his smaller system will provide a
quarter to a third of his office's energy.
Statistics from the National Climatic Data Center indicate Pittsburgh, with an average of 59
sunny days a year, is among the country's cloudiest cities. Michelle Waldgeir of Astrum
Solar, the company that installed Ramsey's system, said there's adequate sunshine to power
solar systems.
"It's one of the things that surprises a lot of folks. It's cloudy here, but even when there
are clouds there is some light. Germany is the leader in solar technology and, relative to
Germany, Pittsburgh's got quite a lot of light," Waldgeir said.
"And on beautiful sunny days when it produces more energy than you need, it will flow into
the grid, so your meter flows backwards," she said.
Department of Energy figures show Pennsylvanians are adopting solar power at a rate far
outstripping many sunnier climes. According to the agency's National Renewable Energy
Laboratory, only California and New Jersey rank ahead of Pennsylvania in the number of solar
systems installed.
Joe Morinville of Energy Independent Solutions, the Robinson firm that installed Lee's
system, got involved in solar energy in the late 1980s. He said the addition of
microinverters that allow each solar panel to work to maximum capacity is a major plus for
homeowners. In the past, when shade covered some panels, all worked at lower capacity.
"I have 13 panels. If one is shaded, the others all are in full sun and operate at maximum
capacity," Lee said.
The availability of Pennsylvania Sunshine rebates, a state grant program that expires this
year, might have played a role in solar's ascendancy.
According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, the program had reservations
for about $94 million in rebates by the end of 2010. Tom Bell, director of the Pennsylvania
Energy Development Authority, said the program, begun in 2009, logged reservations for money
for solar systems for 658 small businesses and about 4,800 homes.
Bell said home and business owners might cancel some of those reservations, but he believes
the program helped boost the state's standing in alternative energy output. He said
contractors in Western Pennsylvania told him customers still clamor for grants.
Lee and Ramsey conceded it took a combination of state grants, federal tax credits and the
knowledge that they could sell solar renewable energy credits -- known as SRECs -- every year
to utilities, to put solar systems within their reach.
Ramsey said the 30 percent federal tax credit on his system, coupled with a $10,000
Pennsylvania Sunshine grant and a contract that means he'll collect about $3,000 a year in
SREC credits, made his $50,000 investment doable.
Lee said the grants and credits mean his $23,000 system will pay for itself in seven or eight
years, maybe sooner.
"All the numbers ... go out the door as soon as power starts going up," Lee said.
2011年3月3日星期四
PSE&G Explains Solar Panels on Poles
As reported in yesterday's Township Committee meeting roundup, representatives of
PSE&G appeared before the Committee on March 1 to answer questions about the solar
panels that are being installed on utility poles throughout town.
PSE&G Director of Renewable Energy Projects Frank Czigler explained that the panels
were part of $515 million investment by PSE&G in solar and renewable energy to meet a
mandate to generate 30% of its energy from renewable resources by 2020. Czigler said
that 200,000 poles statewide will be hosting the 2' x 5' panels. Ultimately, there
should be between 330 to 400 panels on poles in Maplewood (that's 10-15% of the 3,276
PSE&G poles in town).
Czigler said the panels are noiseless, give off no heat, contain no hazardous
chemicals, and are shatterproof. He said tax credits for the panels would lower rate
payers' energy bills but would not show up as a line item reduction on statements.
Czigler and his two cohorts from PSE&G were grilled by Deputy Mayor Fred Profeta who
questioned the safety of the panels. Czigler explained that panels were as safe as any
other fixture on the poles and that poles were selected based on the amount of
southern exposure they received. He assured the town that no trees would be trimmed to
accommodate more sun exposure for any panels. Czigler also added that no panels would
be installed on poles in historic districts.
Czigler said that the panel installations began in Maplewood in mid-December. Patch
noticed and reported on panels appearing around Maplecrest Park in January.
Mayor Vic DeLuca asked, "What right do you have to put these up?" PSE&G Assistant
General Regulatory Counsel David Richter assured the Committee that PSE&G "has every
right" to use public rights of way and its poles to supply and distribute energy.
Profeta, who is deputy mayor for the environment and a founder of Sustainable Jersey,
noted that "There's nothing I'm more in favor of than solar power and renvewable
energy." However, he was disturbed that "We had no conversations [between the town and
PSE&G] beforehand."
Ultimately, DeLuca apologized for not passing along the notification of the program
that he received via phone from PSE&G Public Affairs manager Everton Scott although he
felt that PSE&G should have sent out a letter and visited the committee before
installation.
"I think they're ugly but we are talking about generating renewable energy and getting
off our dependence on fossil fuels. This is the 'new normal' — if I can steal a
phrase from the governor," said Mayor DeLuca, who added that despite his concerns,
"Overall, the program is a good one. We ought to move forward."
PSE&G appeared before the Committee on March 1 to answer questions about the solar
panels that are being installed on utility poles throughout town.
PSE&G Director of Renewable Energy Projects Frank Czigler explained that the panels
were part of $515 million investment by PSE&G in solar and renewable energy to meet a
mandate to generate 30% of its energy from renewable resources by 2020. Czigler said
that 200,000 poles statewide will be hosting the 2' x 5' panels. Ultimately, there
should be between 330 to 400 panels on poles in Maplewood (that's 10-15% of the 3,276
PSE&G poles in town).
Czigler said the panels are noiseless, give off no heat, contain no hazardous
chemicals, and are shatterproof. He said tax credits for the panels would lower rate
payers' energy bills but would not show up as a line item reduction on statements.
Czigler and his two cohorts from PSE&G were grilled by Deputy Mayor Fred Profeta who
questioned the safety of the panels. Czigler explained that panels were as safe as any
other fixture on the poles and that poles were selected based on the amount of
southern exposure they received. He assured the town that no trees would be trimmed to
accommodate more sun exposure for any panels. Czigler also added that no panels would
be installed on poles in historic districts.
Czigler said that the panel installations began in Maplewood in mid-December. Patch
noticed and reported on panels appearing around Maplecrest Park in January.
Mayor Vic DeLuca asked, "What right do you have to put these up?" PSE&G Assistant
General Regulatory Counsel David Richter assured the Committee that PSE&G "has every
right" to use public rights of way and its poles to supply and distribute energy.
Profeta, who is deputy mayor for the environment and a founder of Sustainable Jersey,
noted that "There's nothing I'm more in favor of than solar power and renvewable
energy." However, he was disturbed that "We had no conversations [between the town and
PSE&G] beforehand."
Ultimately, DeLuca apologized for not passing along the notification of the program
that he received via phone from PSE&G Public Affairs manager Everton Scott although he
felt that PSE&G should have sent out a letter and visited the committee before
installation.
"I think they're ugly but we are talking about generating renewable energy and getting
off our dependence on fossil fuels. This is the 'new normal' — if I can steal a
phrase from the governor," said Mayor DeLuca, who added that despite his concerns,
"Overall, the program is a good one. We ought to move forward."
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