News for November 11, 2003

SEI's Women's workshop crew finishing up array installation at Walden West,
an outdoor education school located in Saratoga, CA. The resulting grid-tie array
compliments the hands-on solar activities introduced by Rahus' Solar Schoolhouse program.

CSC November Solar Forum - Anaheim. November 20th - ** Over 150 registered to attend. Don't miss out. Recent addition to the agenda is Tom Baker who will discuss the California Fairground solar experience*** Information on recent California solar and renewable energy legislation (AB 1685), program updates (CEC, SelfGen etc.), special projects, installer certification, solar schools, challenges for the future, and an opportunity to network with others involved in the solar industry.. Hosted by The Rahus Institute/California Solar Center and Anaheim Public Utilities. time: 11-5:30. Pre-registration required- click for detailed agenda also.

Stanford's Synergy residents install solar panels [Palo Alto]

Green Education at Walden West [Saratoga]

Photovoltaic Systems Help Augment California's Electric Grid

San Diego Homebuilder Brings Solar Electricity Into Mainstream

Shell Solar sheds light on solar innovation [Camarillo, CA]

Bush Is Wasting His Energy and Ours on Old Ideas [Robert Bryce Commentary - LA Times]

NRDC Orders New Offices Sunny Side Up [Santa Monica]

Schwarzenegger's growth agenda may rile state's suburban builders

IN BRIEF

Wenger ends Free Agency, Joins Powerlight Team - Solar pioneer Howard Wenger, a key player in developing net metering and other solar friendly policies in California, has ended his stint as a free agent, joining the LA Lakers of solar, Powerlight Team. Wenger, after tending to some long ignored home improvement projects while working 24/7 at Astropower the past 5 years, will immediately provide some quality minutes on the all-star Powerlight Team. Powerlight, a dynasty in the making, is the leading solar electric provider for commercial scale projects in the US. For career stats, and an indepth analysis of how Wenger's addition will improve the offense and defense, read the press release on Powerlights website or at Solar buzz. Go get'em Howard!

CEC 3rd Qtr Renewables Report online - California Energy Commission - Renewable Energy Program - Third Quarterly Report to the Legislature (July 1 through September 30 2003) - This report provides information on #of rebates given for the quarter, funds reserved, consumer eductaion activities, and 4th quarter activities. Committee Report is available online now.

CEC Renewable Resources Development Report (RRDR) available online - The Renewable Resources Development Report (RRDR) describes the renewable resource potential in California and the other states in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC). The report also discusses cost trends of renewable energy technologies along with installed capacity of renewable energy in California and the remaining WECC. Estimates of renewable energy required to meet the statewide Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) by 2017 are provided, along with estimates of renewable energy required to meet the statewide RPS at an accelerated schedule. The report contains a discussion of key policy issues affecting implementation of the statewide RPS and accelerated RPS, as well as discussion of recent research and development activities related to renewable energy. The report is available for viewing on-line and can be downloaded from the Energy Commission's website at: www.energy.ca.gov/renewables/02-REN-1038/documents Anyone may obtain a print copy by contacting Janet Preis at (916) 654-4524

SMUD - job opening - Sr Project Manager - Renewables and Distributed Generation Research & Development. http://www.smud.org/careers/jobs/SrPrjMgrRGA.html

Solar Power Pump at California Food Processor [Bakersfield]- The world's largest solar pump was introduced at a ceremony at the Lehr Brothers' Big L Packing facility near Bakersfield, California. The unit, which operates a 350 hp "Hydracooler" for processing potatoes, is part of a grid-tied solar system designed and installed by WorldWater Corporation to reduce energy costs and provide alternative power in the event of a grid power outage or power reduction. The event, hosted by WorldWater and the Kern Country Farm Bureau, showcased WorldWater's AquaMax hybrid solar pumping system, which works in automatic combination with the electric grid to power the compressor from either the solar array or the electrical grid, or from both sources if necessary. The 120-kW system features two solar arrays totaling over 10,000 square feet, which also provide a shaded parking structure for farm equipment. [press release 2003.11.03]

Oakland RFP seeks PV Systems for 10 City Buildings - The City of Oakland is soliciting proposals to provide turnkey design-build professional and construction services for Photovoltaic Generation Systems. Proposals are due by 2pm on December 12. The project consists of providing turnkey planning, design, engineering, labor, materials, delivery, installation, construction, and commissioning of energy efficient and life-cycle cost-effective solar PV systems at 10 City buildings at 8 locations. The City anticipates 300-500 kW of PV installations. .A pre-proposal conference is scheduled for Monday, November 17, 2003, 9:30 a.m., in the Broadway Conference Room (Room 4304), at 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza Oakland, CA 94612. A tour of the project sites will begin immediately follow the pre-proposal conference. More information on how to get a copy of the Solicitation[pdf].

Novel Semiconductor Could Soup Up Solar Cells [Berkeley Labs] - In recent weeks, some of the most powerful solar flares ever witnessed have sent electrically charged gas shooting toward the earth in so-called coronal mass ejections. But even without such impressive displays, the sun provides a wealth of energy to our planet. Unfortunately, efforts to mass produce solar cells to harness energy from Sol have stalled at efficiencies of around 30 percent in the laboratory and less than 20 percent in commercial cells. A novel crystal described in a paper set to be published in the journal Physical Review Letters may change that, however. Scientists report that the semiconductor material could form the basis of solar cells with nearly 50 percent efficiency. In a standard photovoltaic cell, the sun's rays are converted into electricity when electrons within the material are knocked loose. To accomplish this the incoming light must have a specific energy, known as the band gap. Incident light with less energy will not be absorbed, while the portion of more energetic radiation above the band gap will be lost. In an attempt to alleviate this problem, Kin Yu of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and colleagues investigated the properties of a new semiconductor material comprising an alloy of zinc, manganese and tellurium. The researchers added oxygen impurities to the crystal, which resulted in a crystal having three band gaps instead of the customary one. "These three absorption edges span much of the solar spectrum," they write, "thus these alloys are good candidates for the multi-band semiconductors envisioned for high efficiency photovoltaic devices." The scientists further theorize that the efficiency could be increased to as much as 56 percent by changing the ratio of the atoms or replacing manganese with magnesium. [scientific american 2003.11.10]

U.S. Energy Information Administration Renewables Report 2002- The EIA Renewable Energy Annual 2002 report is available at: <http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/rea2002.html> The report contains information on PV cell and module shipments, electricity generation from renewables including PV, and survey results on green pricing and net metering.

Largest solar home development debuts Nov.15th [Orange County]- Dedication of the green home community at Ladera Ranch in Southern California this Saturday Nov. 15th, will include 450 homes with solar electric systems as a standard feature. The development represents the largest new home development to include solar electric in the US to date. In addition to the solar (PV) systems, homes are built to surpass Title-24, the California energy code, by 20%. Astropower provided the solar modules, with many homes using the new integrated solar roofing tile developed with support from California's PIER (Public Interest Energy Research) program.

Events

Winter Course: Photovoltaic System Design and Installation - Diablo Valley College -Pleasant Hill, CA - Teacher Tom Chatagnier continues his very affordable classes on renewable energy. This course covers photovoltaic systems, site evaluation, configuration options, installation options, performance testing and maintenance. This course includes many 'hands on' activities working with real equipment. Spring 2004 schedule (Sign UP NOW): Jan. 17- March 20, 2004 Saturdays 8:30 am - 2:20 pm www.dvc.edu (search under Alt technologies) for info and registration or 925/685-1230 x 2522

11/20 Solar Forum - California Solar Center [Anaheim] - Information on recent California solar and renewable energy legislation (AB 1685), program updates (CEC, SelfGen etc.), special projects, installer certification, solar schools, challenges for the future, and an opportunity to network with others involved in the solar industry. Learn about new products developed through the PIER (CEC Research progam), GIS analysis tools for identifying prime customers, Powerful new custom quote tool for your clients, A new Consumers Report type of evaulate of PV systems, new activities of the Solar Schoolhouse program, and a discussion about bringing solar into the mainstream. Co-sponsored by The Rahus Institute/California Solar Center and Anaheim Public Utilities -Time: 11-5:30pm. Pre-registration required.

11/22 Solar Electric Info & Payback [Campbell] - 10am to noon. Campbell Library, Community Room, 77 Harrison Ave, Campbell. A free class on Solar Electric Information for persons wishing to learn the practical realities of modern solar electric systems. The latest economic analysis will be presented to demonstrate the financial payback of PV systems for PG&E utility users. Install tips will be shared. Time will be alotted to answer your PV solar questions! RSVP recommended. For more info contact Kurt Newick, 408-370-9636, KurtNewick@yahoo.com. Presented by Kurt Newick, Solar Advocate, and Andy Black, Solar Financial Specialist & Educator.

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