Thursday, November 3, 2011

Open Energy Information Blog US Government

November 3, 2011

The US government blog on renewable energy says, "The OpenEI.org blog is intended to keep people interested in renewable energy issues up to speed with the rapidly evolving market. All the information on the OpenEI blog is then added to OpenEI.org. Anyone can become a contributor or editor on OpenEI. Simply navigate to the page, sign-up, and you're now part of the world's source for renewable energy information". 


Read on: http://blog.openei.org/

Main Site:  http://www.data.gov/energy

Joe Joson
USA

email:  blackhawk74@yahoo.com

Solar Solar and Solar Everywhere!

November 3, 2011

The prices of manufacturing photovoltaics are dropping at staggering speeds.  The target is now at 50 cents per kilowatt hour!  At this level, the solar industry will be poised to truly start eating into coal which is by far still the cheapest way to produce electricity. Not for long. In 3 to 5 years according to many analyst estimates, solar is going to take over a lot of the production.

Here are a few sites to check out:

Nano Solar at http://www.nanosolar.com/technology  , one of the leaders in thin film solar production and manufacturing.

First Solar at http://www.firstsolar.com/en/index.php  , the website says...First Solar manufactures thin film PV modules using an advanced semiconductor technology that offers enhanced suitability for affordable and efficient PV modules. Systems using First Solar modules generate electricity with no water, air emissions, or waste stream and have the fastest energy payback time and the smallest carbon footprint of any PV technology on a life cycle basis."



Joe Joson
USA

emails: joe@mendozasolar.com  or blackhawk74@yahoo.com

website: www.mendozasolar.com 


Energy News Sources to Follow

Here are several of the sources of energy news to follow:

International Energy Agency at http://www.iea.org/index.asp

Green Tech Media at http://www.greentechmedia.com/research/

TechPulse360 at  http://techpulse360.com/tag/solar-energy/

TechPulse360  at  http://techpulse360.com/2010/03/18/california-renewable-energy-credits-to-spark-the-building-of-in-state-solar-and-wind-farms/  ,  great news on Solar Farms!  This means large tracts of land where solar panels will mushroom!





Joe Joson
USA

emails: joe@mendozasolar.com  or blackhawk74@yahoo.com

website: www.mendozasolar.com 

Solar News November 2011

Solar energy is shifting from Solar Thermal to Solar Photovoltaics as prices of solar cell manufacturing drop faster worldwide led by China. Solar Thermal is the production of electricity using multiple mirrors reflecting the sun's rays and focusing them on a water line or tank raising temperatures of the water to as high as 1000 degrees fahrenheit. This superheated water is then used to drive turbines, the turbines serve as prime movers for generators.

Solar Thermal companies are having a hard time competing due to higher expenses in start up and eventual operation.  There are a few exceptions of course and these companies are not ready to fold  up and some of them are even expanding operations. Here are a few of the holdouts:

Bright Source Energy at  http://www.brightsourceenergy.com/ with offices in Oakland , California, Israel and Australia. Note that these three locations, in addition to their high technology , are also located geographically where sunshine is plentiful year round.

Abengoa Solar at  http://www.abengoasolar.com/corp/web/en/index.html , a Spanish company with operation and production plant in the Mojave Desert area, California.

NextEra Energy at  http://www.nexteraenergy.com/news/contents/news_releases.shtml, is planning to construct a Solar Thermal site near Abengoa Solar in the Mojave Desert.

These companies and others may remain competitive with Solar Photovoltaics companies as they continue to be innovative and keeping their production expenses lower.  But at the rate that photovoltaics technology is going, it may not be a surprise if the Solar Thermal energy industry could get buried in the years to come.



Joe Joson
USA

emails: joe@mendozasolar.com  or blackhawk74@yahoo.com

website: www.mendozasolar.com