Residential solar power

Solar power is difficult to do on a large, nation-wide scale.  Doesn’t that make it a perfect thing to do in your own home?

Simple Solar Heating Ltd. thinks so. Based in Okotoks, Alberta, this company makes use of solar thermal technology, which traps heat and uses photovoltaic technology to convert it to electricity. Currently, they focus on producing domestic hot water.

They believe that if one quarter of the houses in Alberta installed these panels, it would equal the power generated by a nuclear plant – at half of the cost. In sunny Alberta, this would constitute a reliable source of energy.

Solar thermal panels, once installed, require little or no maintenance, and can heat water for showers, laundry, and dishes. Even better, it can cut energy bills down by as much as 75 per cent. Even better, Simple Solar is just one of many solar companies to consider.

In BC, SolTrak modular roofing by MSR Innovations builds photovoltaic panels right into the roof. Their idea is simple.  If a homeowner needs a new roof, and wants to save on utility bills, why not combine those needs (as well as the cost) and do it all at once?

There are also government rebates available to  homeowners interested in solar power. Consider the Eco Energy Program, good for a maximum of $1,250, and a Home Retrofit incentive for up to $1,350 of relief.

If it’s cleaner, better for the environment, and cheaper in the long run – where are your panels?

Solar power growth

When it comes to solar power, Canada has some splainin’ to do.

According to the Worldwatch Institute, 2008 saw the greatest growth ever in the solar power market, but Canada is lagging.

96 per cent of the world’s solar power is generated in Europe, the U.S., Japan, and South Korea.  Canada fits into the “rest of the world” category, sharing the remaining 4 per cent. While Canada has made strides in solar, this is still striking.

So what’s going on here?  Consider Europe, which accounts for 81 per cent.  In Spain – the country with the world’s highest demand for solar power – the government requires utilities to buy solar power, at recently lowered long-term fixed rates.

In Germany – currently second-highest, but spent years in the top spot – various attempts are being made to reduce solar costs, eventually down to par with conventional methods. By comparison, in Canada funding is lacking, incentives are few, and cost is high.

While 2008 was a year of unprecedented growth, the opposite is likely to be true for 2009. Due to the economic crunch, many energy companies that previously showed an interest in growing with the solar sector are reducing their involvement, or have pulled out entirely.

However, this may just represent a great opportunity for the Canadian solar industry to catch up.

Solar paint?

Soon, the only tool needed to combat climate change could be a paintbrush. 

No more need for costly solar panels. The Corus Group, a Dutch steel company, has developed a way to paint solar cells right onto steel at the time of manufacture. 

Photovoltaic cells are the things in solar panels which generate a current or voltage when exposed to visible light. In other words, they’re what make a solar panel convert the sun into energy. Photovoltaic paint is a whole new type of ‘sun screen.’

The company says its paint is made into a liquid paste containing a layer of dye and a layer of electrolytes. Four coats of paint would need to be applied in total— an undercoat, a layer of dye-sensitized solar cells, a layer of electrolyte or titanium dioxide as white paint pigment and finally a protective film.

The solar technology is much like a plant’s photosynthesis and this boundary-pushing invention could have production starting by 2012. 

It means that one day all building surfaces that come into contact with the sun have the potential to become a photovoltaic surface. What is really exciting is the potential for deployment on a mass scale. Made possible because the paint would cost less than a solar cell, providing clean solar electricity at a low cost.

There would also be the added advantage for cloudier climates since the painted steel would be more efficient at capturing low radiation light than conventional solar cells.

Someday all your buildings could be three sheets to the sun.

Places where the sun does indeed shine

Quick! Where is the weirdest place you’d expect to find a solar panel? If you said cemetery, give yourself five points. Outhouse garners ten points. If you said an Amish outhouse, ding! You’ve won the bonus prize.

A suburb of Barcelona has placed 462 solar panels over its multi-storey mausoleums. The solar panels cover less than 5% of the total surface area of the cemetery, but will create enough energy each year to supply the needs of 60 homes.

There are plans to install more, meaning the cemetery has the potential to triple the amount of electricity generated. One of only a few open, sunny places in the crowded city of 124,000, the cemetery but will keep about 62 tonnes of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere every year.

The West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island has a solar powered outhouse. Of course it does (and it’s lovely – sporting the best view from a loo in all of Canada). More surprisingly, the Amish are also the leading per-capita adopters of solar in Pennsylvania. Solar panels align with Amish values of self-sufficiency and moderation.

In Rizhao City, which means City of Sunshine in Chinese, 99 per cent of households in the central districts use solar water heaters, and most traffic signals, street and park lights are powered by photovoltaic (PV) solar cells.

It is encouraging that solar is becoming more and more accessible. Though initial reaction to solar cemeteries and outhouses was disdain, the public are generally embracing sunlight as the fuel of the future.

And if the Amish are doing it…

Nunavut Arctic College photovoltaics

A key challenge for solar power is that power production grinds to a halt when the sun isn’t shining – say, for example, at night. An obvious problem, one that seemingly can’t be avoided.

But what about moving solar power generation to where there is no night? It makes sense. Photovoltaic systems that convert solar energy into electricity work better in sunnier locations. Cloudy condition or shortened days diminish solar power generation capacity. Where better to take advantage of solar energy than the land of the midnight sun?

Iqaluit is the capital of Canada’s newest territory, Nunavut. Near the Arctic Circle (63° 45′ North latitude), it receives about 20 hours of sunlight per day in midsummer, and about five at winter solstice.

In July 1995, an advanced photovoltaic system was installed on the campus of Nunavut Arctic College. The project had two principal objectives. First, to publicize photovoltaic as a viable power source, especially in the Arctic.

Second, to document the long-term performance of a photovoltaic system in Canada’s northern territories. There had been fears the harsh (namely, very very cold) climate would be too hard on solar panels.

To that end, the University of Waterloo has closely monitored every facet of its operation. System output and efficiency can be measured down to the hour. The results are in. Not only has the system earned a pass, but flying colours – appropriate in the land of the northern lights.

During its first nine years of operation, the system has worked consistently and reliably. It has generated approximately 2,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year. That’s not a lot; the average American uses 600 – 800 kilowatt hours every month.

But the system has served its purpose – solar energy is irrefutably viable up north.

Vatican looks to the heavens for power

The sea is blue, of course. Everyone knows that. But did you know the Holy See is turning green?

Seat of the Pope and the world’s smallest independent country, The Vatican, installed a new solar energy system. It supplies power to several key buildings in the complex, with more to come – the Vatican is committed to use 20 per cent renewable energy by 2020.

The system is installed on the roof of Nervi Hall, which is one of the largest buildings in the Vatican, and hardly a forgotten outpost. Among other locations, Nervi is where His Holiness Pope Benedict XIV grants audiences to visiting foreign and church dignitaries. Built in 1971, Nervi is – by far – one of the newest and most modern buildings in the Vatican. It was a natural choice for solar panelling. The hall can hold 10,000 people and serves as the Vatican’s unofficial concert venue.

Between papal audiences, concerts and day-to-day demands, Nervi has significant energy needs. The 2,400 individual photovoltaic panels installed on the roof are expected to supply 100 per cent of Nervi’s needs. It’s estimated the energy savings equate to around 70 tonnes of oil.

Those fearing the altering of one of the world’s most famous (and undeniably beautiful) skylines can rest easy. The panels will not be visible from below, leaving the view unchanged.

Pope Benedict has spoken out on environmental issues, saying that global environmental damage is making “the lives of poor people on earth especially unbearable.”

It’s only natural he would look to the heavens for a solution.