ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Alternative Energy RENEWABLE ENERGY: YOUR causes for concern?

[q=HotLine1]~s~:



ah!, another green machine plot!



kudo's to NJ, hopefully God spared them today's quake on that note!



sure, like the buncha old hippies that infiltrated VT legislature, bloody do-gooders all off to save the planet



please so, i'm obviously google challeged this evening HotOne

~S~

~s~:
Since you asked....we felt the quake at the office, building 'shook' on the second floor...we went outside for a bit..then...back in after a 'no damage visable' call from the building inspector.

I got an Email from my ex and she said it shook some things off shelves and popped some cabinet doors open but no real damage (southern Md)

OK, last quke comment....

Oyster Creek, Lacey Twp., NJ; Oldest operational reactor in the US, sorta like the same design as the units in Japan....up & running. It may have went into shutdown at 2:00, but it's up & running!

Like the song says... Another one bites the dust.

It looks like the really good news is that this venture only cost U.S. tax payers a little over a half-billion in stimulus funds to temporarily prop up this company and the 1000 employees that are now out of work.

Solar Bankruptcy

Another sad case of..."we used to make what here in the US"!!!

Maybe it's time for a "Made in the USA" drive.

Please guys, no politics.

Hotline...

I'm very much in favor of PV -- if done right.

I'm upset that this technology has been made political -- by the President.

But it's not just him.

Our Congress has decided to jump in with both feet WRT all matters electrical.

Like the crazy idea of eliminating the original Edison bulb.

There are many, many situations where the Edison bulb is a hands down winner -- starting with cold locations and intermittent use.

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Good electrical design can't be initiated in Washington DC. It's best left to EEs, ECs and J-men.

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I also am disturbed to see PV arrays mounted atop residences. It's a Science Fiction theme. But such a location is uneconomic -- forever.

Let's start with the roof falls typical of roofing contractors: their Workman's Comp Insurance is a fright. It can't be much different for PV installers. Does anyone think it through?

Next, the orientation of most homes ( mine ) is entirely contrary to effective PV collection. In my neighborhood the VAST majority of homes are entirely mis-oriented for PVs atop their roofs. HALF of the day is lost!

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PVs should be operated by experts -- and located in prime collection zones -- like Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and West Texas. These spots are enough to power the ENTIRE country -- with enough units!

Placing PVs in northern states with lousy weather is a complete loser on the economics.

Next, clouds are pure trouble for PV collection. Again, we need to use the dry desert conditions to get stability in collection.

Lastly, PV makes far more sense if it is used to boot up the hydrogen economy. Hydrogen solves the storage problem --and is massively useful in upgrading coal and heavy oil into viable motor fuels.

The President's heart is in the right place -- but his policies are adrift. Lowest cost/ most efficient is what can work. Nothing he says or does indicates to me that cost control is any part of his being.

I met him, in Hawaii, in 1983. He was home visiting his Grandmother. She lived on the 16th, penthouse floor in my condo. I lived directly below -- the 15th floor.

I found him most impressive -- even though his Grandmother was doing ALL of the talking.

Even in 1983 I figured he'd be HUGE in politics or acting. It was THAT obvious. He just had the look.

BTW, he's in a 1980's rock video, too. Dang, I wish I could find the Utube link.

In it you can see what I saw in 1983.

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As for PV manufacturers going under -- it's happening in China, too.

This is what happened in autos a century ago.

It's what happened to floppy discs in the mid 80s.

It's called brutal competition.

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BTW, there is an outfit that is attempting to PRINT solar collectors on a web-press.

( Web-presses print newspapers and magazines -- google web press. )

When that happens conventional notions of PV collection will be smoked into oblivion. Imagine: a collective surface spewing out at 40 to 60 mph, and 12 feet wide!

Its already been demonstrated on a pilot basis. Tomorrow may be coming sooner than you think.

Such a cheap collector would make the hydrogen economy realistic. Obama is just too early -- he needs to give the engineers enough time.

I have been hearing about that solar collector since the Carter administration. When it comes, it will certainly be a game changer but it doesn't sound like it is a lot of jobs.

It would make energy cheaper and that is always a good thing.
I also think hydrogen is a boondoggle but maybe if the energy is too cheap to meter, it might be worth trying.

Fluorescent and LED can do all of that and better and using LESS energy. Sure it can be improved, but no one is going to until the CHEAP option (up front) is removed from the equation.



BIPV is where everything will be in years to come, all residences will have some form of PV integrated into the roof, wall and windows, but for now the large scale utility arrays are the best/most cost effective.



Hot climates are definitely NOT good for PV, silicon handles it somewhat, but thin film is way to dependent on the ambient temp. The hotter is gets the lower the voltage produced and all hot climate arrays use a calculated balance of average temps to get their results, this usually means some clipping of the inverters in the winter mornings and afternoons and some mid-day clipping in the summer.

If the same array was located in a more moderate climate production would increase dramatically so somewhere between cold and hot climate zones is best.

Clouds are not the problem they once were, but dust and debris in dry desert type climates is a major draw on PV production so frequent cleanings, which is a further draw on production $$$ is needed.



Most of the new thin film CIGS technology I've seen is using ink-jet printer technology to print the CIGS or liquid silicon cells and the associated cell circuitry in a continuous assembly-line.

When that is perfected the cost per watt is going to make PV economical for just about anywhere, it's already approaching $1/watt.