A little fit over microFIT

The Globe and Mail recently profiled a rising wave of resentment over a change in Ontario’s otherwise popular feed-in-tariff (FIT) program. A quiet change to the regime on July 2 reduced the rate paid to solar producers from 80.2 cents to 58.8 cents per kilowatt hour for ground-mounted solar photovoltaic, which has some producers up in arms. Solar PV hadn’t previously been separated into two distinct categories (roof- and ground-mounted).

The change won’t affect the rate being paid to existing producers, who sign a contract for at least 20 years guaranteeing a preferable rate, but it would affect those who are just beginning the process of singing up. That’s inflamed tempers faster than an efficient solar heating panel.

The Globe’s article quotes one would-be producer, John Verway of Copperhill Alternate Energy, in an open letter saying that the change is “a misguided and miscalculated change” that could “destroy the progress so many have made so far.”.

The guaranteed, relatively high rate being paid for renewable power is a cornerstone of Ontario’s Green Energy Act, designed to increase the production of renewable power and associated industries. Under the FIT program, the Ontario Power Authority guarantees that renewable power producers will be paid a subsidized rate in the long term. In the case of the microFIT program, these projects have to generate less than 10 kilowatts.

But while the contracts are meant to guarantee funding in the long term, the change to the payment schedule is happening immediately.

According to the announcement of the change, anyone wanting to comment on the change has until August 2. A subsequent announcement also outlines the government’s rationale for the change, and once the deadline has passed, any complaints made afterward will unfortunately just be hot air. And under FIT, wind power uses a different payment schedule.

Via The Globe and Mail

Bigger And Biggerer

When we talk about solar power, we’re not always thinking big. It’s exciting to discover, for example, that there’s actually a species of ocean-bound bacteria that can photosynthesize just like land-based plants, and we’re always hearing about solar-powered devices like solar backpacks that can fit just about anywhere. But sometimes, bigger really is better — at least when we’re talking about megawatts.

At 100 MW, the Shams 1 solar power plant will certainly be producing more power than even the most incredible solar backpack. The plant will be built by Total (a French oil firm) and Abengoa Solar (a Spanish solar firm), and its 768 collectors will eventually cover 2.5 square kilometres. The project is intended to be the first of three, to be followed by Shams 2 and 3, and will take about two years to complete.

Despite being one of the world’s largest producers of oil, the UAE is no stranger to large-scale, headline-grabbing renewable energy projects. The largest of those, Masdar City, will eventually be the home of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), showcasing a variety of renewable energy and energy efficiency-related features.

Like Masdar City, Shams 1’s size provides two main benefits: a critical mass of energy production and, perhaps more importantly, a very public environmental offset to the emirates’ main export. But is it big enough?

When it comes to solar power, it can always get bigger: every day, the Earth receives the equivalent of 174 petawatts of energy from the sun (though over a third is reflected immediately by the upper atmosphere). The UAE are going to need a much, much bigger solar backpack for that one…

Via Popular Science

Where The Sun Shines

The Drake Landing Solar Community in Okotoks, Alberta met an important milestone last month, keeping its residents toasty almost exclusively with the aid of the sun. After three years, the project has successfully reached its goal of providing 80 per cent of the homes’ heating from an array of 800 solar panels on garage roofs around the community.

With new homes being increasingly built to take advantage of solar heating, either through active sources like solar panels or passive sources like strategically placed windows, successes like Okotoks’s go to show that it’s possible to take charge of our energy use beginning where we live.

Started on June 21, 2007 — the day of the summer solstice — The Drake Landing Solar Community certainly experienced hiccups along the way. In the project’s first two years, it missed its annual targets by 10 to 15 per cent. But now, according to the community’s website, it’s currently on track to reach 90 per cent of its users’ heating needs by the project’s fifth year.

Southern Alberta is in a particularly well located to take advantage of solar energy, with between 1,200 and 1,300 potential kilowatt hours available . In fact, a band of high potential runs throughout southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, providing a natural fit for residential and large scale solar projects.

And it’s not just Alberta that’s showing the country how much potential lies in solar energy. Ontario Solar Thermal Heating Incentive Program (OSTHI) provides funding to encourage the installation of solar heating, just as Saskatchewan’s Solar Heating Initiative for Today (SHIFT) encourages a variety of consumers, from residential to municipal, to do the same.

With successes like Okotoks paving the way, solar heating definitely has a bright future.

Via Calgary Herald

Keeping “Green” Green

We’d all rather make environmentally sensitive choices about our energy use, especially given the financial incentives for energy efficiency. And with large-scale changes like Nova Scotia’s plan to increase its provincial renewable energy targets from 25 to 40 per, there’s strong evidence that these changes can be made on a considerable scale.

But there’s always room to be cautious about the steps we take forward, especially when there’s evidence that the steps we’re so certain are helping the planet might be nothing but a green shell around old ideas.

In a recent article in the Globe and Mail, for example, University of Toronto professor Dan Harvey cried foul on recent developments in Toronto’s downtown core. Noting that the focus on glass facades creates a veritable heat trap — a perfect example of how passive solar heating can work (even if unintentionally) — Harvey suggests that no matter other fancy energy features might be included, bad design will fundamentally undercut any other initiatives.

Harvey’s comments don’t just suggest an isolated example in Toronto either. With the growing trend of “green” renovations, consumers need to be clear that making a building more energy efficient doesn’t just include its most obvious features. The fundamentals of our energy use, as always, are the main factors in determining whether we’re making smart energy choices. And there will always be temptations to accept greenwashing, because, after all: it feels good to think you’re a savvy energy consumer.

The future of energy is certainly going to include a new energy mix that includes renewable as well as non-renewable sources, coupled with a heavy dose of energy efficiency. And for that future to be different than our present, we need to ask hard questions about the well-meaning steps we take along the way.

Something old, something new and something green

What is the future going to look like?

It’s not a new question, but it’s one we’re still constantly trying to answer. And when it comes to energy, it’s a question that seems to have a few contradictory answers.

On one hand, we already know that Canada’s future is going to be different than its present: with the advent of alternative energy technologies and an increasing emphasis on energy efficiency, Canadians are demanding a bigger say in the energy they use. A national Canadian Centre for Energy Information survey conducted this year found that a full 59 per cent of respondents felt disconnected from decision-making on energy policies. But on the other hand, there are strong economic incentives to continue using the same profitable sources we’ve always used, especially when demand for those sources is growing globally. So, what’s a Canadian to do?

Flow doesn’t have a crystal ball (just a pic), but we’re always doing our best to keep an eye out to the future. So, here are a few thoughts on Canada’s energy future: the new, the old and the green.

Something Old

At the moment, Canada’s primary energy production is dominated by crude oil and natural gas. Together, these two sources make up almost 75 per cent of our total energy exports, exports that totalled $126 billion in 2008. Given the current patterns of global energy consumption, those exports isn’t likely to become any less important to the country.

Global demand for both oil and natural gas is continuing to rise, driven by demand in Asia and the Middle East, particularly China. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), demand in the transportation sector alone is expected to climb 41 per cent by 2030. And with most of that demand occurring in the developing world, Canada’s strength as an exporter is likely to continue, especially with oil reserves actually continuing to grow.

In fact, despite the fact that oil is a non-renewable resource, developments in areas like Alberta’s oil sands — the second largest oil reserve in the world — have hiked the planet’s total proved reserves to 1,258 billion barrels. If demand continues to increase, there will continue to be reserves to meet this demand into the near future.

One of the places where industry will be discussing that near future will be the CERI 2010 Oil Conference, a three-day event running between April 18 and 20. With session titles like “Conventional Oil: Last Rights or New Breath?” it’s clear that the industry recognizes that changes are coming, but with demand continuing, there’s strong reason to believe that the future won’t necessarily be unrecognizable.

Still, while oil and natural gas have long been mainstays of the Canadian energy mix, an increasing emphasis on the environmental impact of their use has fuelled the development of alternative energy sources.  The field of alternative energy includes sources as varied as biomass and waste products, but two of the leading areas in the field of alternative energy continue to be solar and wind.

Something New

Solar and wind energy are two of the most common examples of energy technologies that are changing the Canadian energy mix, and are likely to continue to change it into our future. Solar power is already becoming increasingly common in Canadian homes and once-distant wind turbine might end up finding their way into our cities.

For now, solar energy is primarily used in two ways in Canadian homes, either passively and actively. Examples of active use include photovoltaic (PV) cells that generate electricity or through solar heating panels that transmit the sun’s heat through a heat-transfer liquid. Passive uses of solar energy include architectural changes that allow homes to absorb ambient heat and redirect it in much the same way that a heating duct redirects a furnace’s.

At a federal level, solar development is supported through Natural Resource Canada’s CanmetENERGY, whose solar projects include research into low energy solar homes and developing codes, certification, and installation standards for PV systems and components. The agency has even developed a useful map of PV potential across the country demonstrating Canada’s solar potential.

Given that potential, it’s not surprising that organizations like The Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) are trying to get professionals networking. In May, CanSIA will host its first-ever regional conference. Running for two days, May 25 and 26, the conference’s topics include “The economics of solar – can it make sense?”, “Sharing the Western Landscape…where do renewables and solar fit in?” and a “Solar Showcase” featuring private and public industry figures.

Wind, meanwhile, continues to be largely a commercial, rather than a residential sector. Though there are wind turbines small enough to be used residentially, they aren’t nearly as common as their larger, commercial brothers.

For now, wind represents only 0.3 per cent of the country’s total electricity mix, but given global trends it’s not difficult to imagine that number growing. In fact, in the last 10 years, wind power use globally has increased annually by 30 per cent. The applications for Canada, where rural communities sometimes require their own power, are considerable. Operations adding diesel or hydro to intermittent wind, for example, could provide the same amount of energy with fewer emissions and other negative environmental impacts. Expect issues like these to be discussed at The Canadian Wind Energy Association’s upcoming Wind Energy Forum, running from April 13 to 14 in Toronto.

Something Green

Whether they’re fossil fuels or renewable energy sources, one of our strongest motivations for changing the way we use energy continues to be our concern over greenhouse gas emissions. Even if our mix continues to include fuels that produce these emissions, the way we use our energy is becoming just as important as the types of energy sources we use. Canada’s energy future, then, is likely to include changes in that use, both by consumers and businesses.

For those industries already producing fossil fuels, the emphasis will now be on “cleaner” versions. From carbon capture and storage technology that will trap much of the carbon dioxide ultimately released into the atmosphere, to fundamental changes in the way that oil and natural gas are extracted. At least one of the many public acknowledgements of this move toward cleaner fossil fuels can be seen in the U.S.- Canada Clean Energy Dialogue, a resolution between the two countries aimed at reducing the intensity of the energy industry’s emissions.

Consumers, meanwhile, in addition to being able to purchase home-based energy systems that can sell power back to the grid, as Ontarians can do under the province’s Feed-In Tariff program, are using less energy. And provincial governments are doing what they can to ensure that this conservation becomes a large part of the country’s energy future.

Provincial governments have already nodded to the importance of reducing their citizens’ energy use, creating agencies like Quebec’s Agence de l’efficacité énergétique and Prince Edward Island’s Office of Energy Efficiency to centrally manage provincial energy efficiency initiatives. Together with more rigorous building codes and incentive programs that encourage everything from low flow toilets to more efficient appliances, the hope is that future energy use will not only be defined by resources like oil and natural gas, wind and solar, but by the consumers who ultimately use them.

Solar power in unusual places

Harnessing solar energy requires creativity and ingenuity. Sometimes that ingenuity pops up in unusual and unexpected places.

Unusual places like on backpacks.

UniqueSolarProducts.com sells solar backpacks, among many other unusual items that make use of solar power. Wearing this bag around can capture enough energy to keep your phone, GPS, or camera charged and at the ready. Green bonus – the shell is made from recycled pop cans.

Unusual places like on pool covers.

Most solar power is used to heat water, true, but not a lot of pools actually make use of their own covers in order to heat them. Covering you pool prevents evaporation, which is where some of the heat, along with the water, is lost.

Solar pool covers not only maintain heat, but generate it. Water that passes through the pool’s filter is also passed through solar collectors, which heat the water.

And unusual places like the Yukon.

Not only was it believed to be impossibly cold for this to work, but the Yukon spends half of its year in total darkness. But bless them; Yukon Energy is making a go of it.  They see solar power as ideal for use in remote locations.

To prove it, they’ve made a functional model to tour around and demonstrate to Yukoners the potential of solar energy. Called the Solar-Hybrid Unit, It has made appearances at the Dawson Gold Show, the Commissioner’s Potlatch and the Yukon Agricultural Fair.

Designed for residential use, it can capture enough energy to run small household appliances and power tools, but does need to be recharged in the winter.

Solar Toys

Solar power: it’s not just for energy. It has countless practical – and impractical – uses.

Consider the Solar Light Cap. Better than a flashlight because you wear it on your head, the Solar Light Cap charges during the day, and can be turned on at night for as many as five hours. See six feet in front of you, and stop fumbling around in the dark.

Next time you go  camping, wouldn’t it be nice to use your tent to charge your GPS system? Solar powered tents come with LED lights installed inside, with solar panels that can be attached to the roof.

The Glastonbury Solar Tent, made by Orange, features coated solar threads woven right into the fabric. It’s able to charge batteries, there’s a floor heater, wireless Internet access, and “Glo-cation” technology – if you get lost, just text your tent, and it will light up for you.

Or, let’s say you’re the type that would rather camp in your backyard.  How about a solar-powered spinning sunflower to enhance your garden? It moves much like the wind-catching variety, only this one spins when the sunlight warms its solar panel.

Let’s not forget the kids.  Animal Planet offers three solar-powered animal toys. When fully charged the zebra, elephant and giraffe delight kids with realistic movements.  They raise their feet, turn their heads and twitch their tails.

You can even use solar gadgets to charge your other gadgets.  PowerGorilla makes a portable charger that can be plugged in and carried with you and your laptop wherever you go.  It’s also good for iPods, portable DVD players, cameras, you name it.

If you think about it, it’s kind of poetic – using solar to charge your battery-devouring toys.

Solar cooker

Summer’s here, which means easy livin’. 

What makes summer so easy?  Not just because it’s hot, but also because it’s barbecue season – which means far, far less dishes to clean.  But can you barbecue without actually having a barbecue?

Yes, you can – provided you like projects.  Solar cooking is gaining in popularity, and why not?  It combines the delicious outdoor flavour of barbecuing with the environmentally-friendly aspect of zero emissions. 

Some solar cookers are recognizably industrial-grade appliances – just like your BBQ.  But where’s the fun in that?  Planet Green shows how you can build your own with aluminum foil and an umbrella.  Yes, an umbrella – what else were you using it for in the summer?

Sure, you also need some tools, as well as glue, a tripod and sunglasses.  You also need time, steady hands and patience.  That comes with the territory when you’re playing eco-MacGyver, and nobody could fail to be impressed with a homemade solar cooker.

Solar cooking, it’s worth noting, is different than barbecue and (especially) baking.  Temperatures don’t get anywhere near as hot in a solar cooker; pizzas or anything you want browned aren’t really a good idea.  But solar cooking doesn’t have to be about sacrifice. 

There are some advantages.  No air circulation and the relatively low temperatures are great for dishes you want to keep moist – and unburned.  Think of solar cookers as outdoor crockpots. Just like crockpots, they work best over a long period of time, and produce tender, succulent flavours.

Plus, they look cool.  Where can you go wrong?

Solar power

Photo by Randy Montoya

You know the expression “the sky’s the limit.” With solar power, that’s literally true – and Canada has a lot of sky. It’s surprising, then, that Canada has been somewhat slow to embrace solar as a viable energy source.

There are positive signs this is changing.

Take Calgary – according to the Environment Canada, the country’s sunniest major metropolitan centre, at 333 days of sun per year. Until August 2008, residents who wished to install solar panels had to apply for development permits. That doesn’t sound too bad on the surface, but the permits cost $3,000 and approval took weeks. The lethal combination of extra cost and significant delay effectively killed not a few prospective solar projects.

Ending the permit requirement for solar panels happened concurrently with Alberta’s provincial government passing a new law. Alberta’s electrical utilities are now required to compensate customers for the surplus power they produce (from solar or any other source). Suddenly, Albertans – and especially Calgarians – found it cheaper, less time-consuming, and more rewarding to install solar panels.

That’s no mere drop in the bucket, and representative of the shifting mood and increasing opportunities for solar across the country.

As of late 2008, the solar power industry was growing annually by 30 to 40 per cent. This is a timely trend; experts say new technologies on the verge of being ready for the market are about to make solar power lighter, cheaper and more efficient.

Until fairly recently, solar powered electricity, or photovoltaic, was prohibitively expensive. It only made economic sense in remote locations where transmission and construction costs made hooking up to the grid a pricey proposition. Solar heating (also called solar thermal) was cheaper and thus much more widespread.

What makes solar power so expensive? In short, the necessary raw materials, and inefficient technology.

First, the raw materials. Whether photovoltaic or thermal, solar panels are primarily made of silicon. Silicon is costly stuff – or, at least, it used to be. A couple of years ago, The Economist famously predicted solar technology would remain expensive until the price of silicon falls. And lo, it has.

New Energy Finance, a London-based energy analysis and research firm, predicted silicon prices would fall over 70 per cent by 2015. That’s on top of the 40 per cent it fell from 2006 to 2008. This has real impact on the price of solar power. In the US, a one-watt solar cell cost $50 in 1980. It’s currently just under $3.

That would be impressive enough, even if “conventional” electricity remained cheap in Canada – but it’s not. Costs are rising across the board, just as solar is getting cheap. “Grid parity” (where solar costs the same per kilowatt hour as conventional electricity) is a term often used in green energy circles, most often in the form of misty-eyed dreaming. Suddenly, it’s just over the horizon – five years in some European markets, say experts. It’ll take longer in Canada, but if current trends continue, it will come just the same.

Second, technology. Until very recently, generating electricity from solar panels was extraordinarily inefficient. In 1984, a particular new solar energy system achieved a sunlight-to-energy efficiency rate of 29.4 per cent. In other words, more than 70 per cent of the solar heat collected was simply waste. That record rate stood for 24 years – an amazing span of time in the tech world.

In January 2008, that record finally fell. New Mexico-based Sandia National Laboratories tested its new Serial #3 solar dish, and achieved a 31.25 per cent conversion rate. While Sandia happily admits it was an extraordinarily bright and sunny day, the real story was the new solar panel design.

While the device defies quick verbal description, here’s a capsule summary. 82 mirrors are set up to create a dish shape, which has the effect of focusing the light into an intense, hot, beam. Ever watch kids fry ants with a magnifying glass? Same concept.

Electricity is generated by focusing the beam onto a receiver and engine, which is filled with hydrogen. The design is efficiency itself, as the mirrors transmit 94 per cent of the available sunlight to the engine. As the gas heats and cools, the pressure drives pistons, which drives a generator.

You might be wondering if that’s truly a big deal – we’re talking about less than two percentage points here. Well, those add up in a hurry. In a 2.5 hour test, the Sandia facility generated 26.75 kilowatts of juice. Two percentage points’ difference means half a kilowatt – or about the total energy generated by a small solar cell unit.

Improvements aren’t just coming from improvements on existing designs, though. Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have been developing a handful of techniques for nanotechnology solar cells. When tested, they delivered a higher-than-expected conversion rate. In the UK, a researcher is exploring ways to design hybrid solar cells – combining organic and inorganic conductors – which may allow for higher conversion rates.

What do these developments mean for Canada? After all, it’s a nation blessed with natural resources that already enjoys some of the world’s lowest energy costs. Canada has traditionally and continues to see solar as a contributor; part of the national energy puzzle, but not an overarching cure-all.

Currently, about 20 per cent of all Canadian energy use is residential. While installing solar cells can put a dent in energy bills, that’s about the limit. Under current costs replacing a typical furnace with a solar system would cost between $15,000 and $30,000. It would eventually pay for itself – eventually. Natural Resources Canada says a 100 per cent solar-powered home becomes a good investment after 30 to 40 years of continuous use.

That has created a vicious circle; Canadians have avoided solar because of high prices, and constant assurances that costs would and will eventually come down – so why pony up now for a system predicted to be soon obsolete?

It’s a reasonable concern. As such, Canada’s residential solar industry has concentrated on niches. First and foremost, water.

17 per cent of Canadian residential energy is consumed in the act of heating water. Nearly 10 per cent of Canadian homes have outdoor swimming pools. Heating an average-sized pool – even in the heat of summer – is actually more energy-intensive than heating a home in winter.

The solution? Solar panels, of course. It already heats about a tenth of the nation’s pools, and a modest $600 system makes a significant difference in energy consumption and bills. The reason is that solar heating is vastly more efficient than photovoltaic electricity.

It’s an exciting time for solar energy. The future’s so bright, it’s gotta wear shades.

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.

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