The solar panels will be ground mounted and is the largest commercial solar array currently under development in the United States of America. By the end of this year, all the solar panels will be completely installed and will start producing power.

As agreed, Enfinity America Corporation will handle the financing of the project and co-manage the system and operations with BNB.

Campbell will purchase all the power generated by the Napoleon, Ohio system. This can satisfy about 15 percent of the plant’s annual electricity needs. With this, about a quarter million tons of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions can be eliminated. This will indeed create a positive impact to the environment.

SunPower (San Jose, Calif.) was called upon to deliver the technology, procurement, and construction work for the Napoleon solar energy plant. The SunPower® [Oasis®] Tracker system will be installed.

This project is likely to create more than 200 jobs in Ohio this summer. During the first year of operation, this solar power plant can generate more than 14.7 million kilowatt hours.

“This opportunity to collaborate with Enfinity marks a great milestone in the development of BNB’s potential DG projects and ensures a successful completion and financing of the Campbell project”, said Matthew Baird, a principal and founder of BNB Renewable Energy Holdings, “The construction of this facility marks a turning point towards larger on-site renewable generation in the USA; We look forward to developing additional projects for environmentally conscious companies like Campbell.”

Rafael Dobrzynski, Enfinity’s Americas CEO, commented “Partnering with BNB means that a range of synergies and complementary skill sets have been used to bring this project to fruition. Our involvement with the Napoleon Solar project validates Enfinity’s strategy of focusing on large-scale DG installations; moreover, our deep experience with this type of solar project and ability to rapidly deploy capital means we can accelerate the pace of development and implementation. DG projects have continued to be an important part of our USA project pipeline.”
The partnership between BNB and Enfinity was established by Bostonia Partners (Boston), a financial advisor to BNB that specializes in renewable energy finance.

(This news report was adapted from: Enfinity, published 22 Aug 2011)

Continue Reading:

1. Home Solar Power — Different Ways of Harnessing Energy From The Sun To Reduce Energy Bills
2. Is Solar Energy Really Renewable and Sustainable?
3. Global Solar Energy Starts New Solar Module Operation At Berlin-Adlershof

Solar Panels -- Our Best Investment At Home

Electricity produced by solar panels used to be the most expensive option.

But things have changed.

Government and large institutions investing into this technology encouraged economies of scale. This caused the price of solar panels to come down over time.

Nowadays, solar panels have become affordable to the point where average households often consider owning them.

Even though solar panels may seem a little costly at first, they can actually help you financially. This happens in a few ways:

1. You can enjoy significant savings on your monthly energy bills.

2. Your property value increases

3. You may be qualified for grants and rebates when you use renewable energy

Since buying PV panels is really an investment, we must be able to quantify monetary returns over a specific period of time. This involves some basic calculations.

Here are some numbers that you need to figure out in order to know if installing solar panels make sense (financially) for you:

(a) Calculate your payback period. This is the number of years it takes to recoup your upfront cost. The savings you enjoy every month adds up. The time (years) it takes to reach the total cost of installing solar panels is your payback period.

An example: If you spend $3,000 on a solar heating system and that saves you $50 every month, your payback period is 60 months. This is also equivalent to 5 years.

If the cost of oil rises (every so often), you’ll save more money. As a result, your payback period becomes shorter.

Other purchases around the house will not give you such advantage. They usually result in zero (if not negligible) returns on your investment, no matter how long you wait.

And if you were to put that same $3,000 into the stock market, you could be making a windfall…or end up losing your shirt. The returns are just not as certain as investing into solar panels.

Note: Your payback period is directly influenced by the solar panel’s efficiency and the amount of solar radiation your property experiences. It is advisable to get a qualified personnel to help you with these figures if you are not familiar with the calculations.

(b) Find Out About Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs). This is important if you are using a grid-tied solar power system. Essentially, you are using the power grid as storage. Whenever your PV panels generate more electricity than you can use, they are channeled to the grid for others to enjoy. The utility company will then offset your energy bills according to their feed-in tariff rates.

There isn’t much to calculate here. As long as the FiTs are almost equivalent to the rate they’re charging you, it makes sense to use grid-tied systems. Otherwise you’ll need rechargeable batteries, which are not cheap. This, unfortunately, increases your payback period directly.

(c) Ask About Rebates. This is different for every state. The rebate you receive can either encourage or discourage you from installing PV panels. Some states offer reasonable rates while others seem to be nonchalant about using solar generated electricity. If the rates are good, your payback period shortens.

After some calculation, you will almost always agree that solar panels are the best investment for you home. Therefore we should all consider installing them (even on a small scale) sooner rather than later.

Continue Reading:

1. About
2. How You Can Benefit from Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) with Electricity Generated by Your Solar Panels
3. Challenges and Difficulties In Using Solar Panels And How To Overcome Them

However there are many details you must take note of during construction. Otherwise you will not have a model train that can run properly.

Here are 3 things to help you succeed in building your solar powered model train:

1. Manage the weight of your train

There are many different train models you can build. However due to most of their dimension, there may not be enough room at the roof for enough solar panels to be fitted. If your train is heavy, it’ll require more power to propel it along the tracks. As a result solar power alone may not be sufficient to drive your model train for the whole day.

But if you want it to run for 5 to 10 minutes only, weight should not be a big concern.

2. Choose your material properly

The best way to manage the weight of your train is to use a suitable material. Hard wood is a popular choice but they can be pretty heavy. An alternative is to use less of the same material. This means using thinner materials to build your train. However this it will not reduce the weight as much. Instead of using hard wood, why not try balsa or even plastic?

3. Feed power through the rails

If you want to preserve the look of your train, avoid putting thin-film solar panels on its roof. Instead, energize your rails with DC current. The DC motor can pick up its power by connecting to the wheels, which are in contact with the metallic rails.

Hidden away from the railroad setup, a solar panel and a rechargeable battery pack quietly feeds your model trains with renewable energy.

If your model trains are heavy, all you need to have are bigger solar panels and more batteries.

More importantly, you can build your model to any scale you want without worrying if you have sufficient power to run it through the day.

These are what you’ll need to build your solar powered model train:

a. Solar panels (and mounts, if you need them)
b. Rechargeable batteries
c. Charge controller

First, you’ll have to find a suitable location where there is sunshine throughout the day to site your solar panels. After you have installed your PV panels at that location, connect its output to the charge controller. The charge controller will maintain a consistent voltage input for the rechargeable battery.

When there is enough sunshine, the solar panels can energize the rails with current. But when it gets dark and gloomy, rechargeable batteries take over to provide your train with power.

You can schedule your model train to rest during the day when no one is at home. During this period, the battery is charged up using solar energy. Just before you come back from work, let the trains run so when you come home they’re there to greet you.

Continue Reading:

1. Making A DIY Solar Powered Reading Lamp
2. How to Make a Solar Powered Tricycle
3. How to Build a Solar Powered RC Glider

Although you are paying a high initial cost for the equipment and installation, your energy bills will be slashed dramatically thereafter…

…at least for the next 25 to 30 years.

The French car maker, Renault, is working with Gestamp Solar to install roof solar panels at their plants. As a result, the amount of carbon dioxide emission can be reduced by about 30,000 tonnes a year.

This project is expected to complete by February 2012. The solar panels will cover a total area of 450,000 square meters on the roof and is expected to generate 60 MW of power.

On top of this, Renault will make a significant impact to the environment by installing solar panels for their facilities at Douai, Maubeuge, Flins, Batilly, Sandouville and Cleon. The proposed installation sites are on the roofs and staff carpark lots at their delivery and shipping centers.

Many other companies are following Renault’s example because it simply makes sense. Other than solar power, industrial leaders are also looking to tap wind power and geothermal power to supplement the energy needed for their operation.

Money that is invested into renewable energy can usually be recovered by the twelve year onwards. Of course, this depends on several factors like solar and wind intensity over a period of time. But if the solar panels array is sited properly, twelve years is achievable.

If oil prices increases dramatically, the payback period shortens. As a result, companies (or individuals) can even get back their total investment by the tenth year… or earlier.

Certainly there is a reason why many more factories are planning to install solar panels on their roof as part of their operational strategy. Large corporations will have done their calculation and made detailed analysis on why this makes a good decision.

Likewise, I believe it will be good for home owners to install solar panels on their roof to (at least) supplement their energy needs. Although you cannot enjoy the fruit of your investment immediately, you will definitely see it in due time.

Whether you build your own solar panels or buy them… whether you install many PV panels or not… you can at least start with a small solar panels array.

When you’ve tasted the goodness of using renewable energy, you’ll begin to realize why more and more industry leaders (and smart homeowners) believe in using solar power.

Continue Reading:

1. Why Are Solar Panels The Best Investment For Your Home?
2. Before You Install Solar Panels, Plug All Your Air Leakages
3. How To Determine The Payback For Your Solar Panel Investment (Part 2 of 3)

Image via Wikipedia

As you shop around for solar energy panels, there may perhaps be that occasional doubt about its benefits. Many consumers have similar experience. At some point in time, they take the leap of faith to supplement their household energy requirement with solar energy. As a result, their utility bills decreased dramatically. Most are delighted to sell their extra supply of electricity back to the grid.

As energy cost increase over the last decade, more and more homes are installing solar panels on their property. Although it takes some upfront investment to own solar panels, they really pay for themselves after some time.

Theoretically, it takes about 12 years for you to make back your investment in solar panels. But many states are now offering rebates, so the final cost of your investment is really much lesser than it seems to be. Rebates vary from state to state, so be sure to check out what you’re entitled for. The government also offers other incentives to encourage you to use renewable energy for your home.

Over the past 30 years, the price of solar panels have fallen to only 10% of what it used to be. It was practically impossible for folks to get a good return on their investment in the past without very high solar exposure on their property.

However, solar panels are much more efficient than they used to be. Therefore they also generate much more power than before and they need minimal maintenance. Best of all, these maintenance can be done by yourself with very little time. Modern solar cells are also much lighter and compact. Thus they can be installed on your roof with little modifications to its structure. As solar cells become more reasonably priced, adding solar power to your home is a brilliant, long-term solution to expensive utility bills.

But before you go shopping for a solar energy panel, there are a few basics you need to find out. These will help determine what types of solar energy panels you’ll require:

1. Know Your Energy Consumption. You need to know how much power you consume – the average, the highs and lows. This information helps you size up your system so you can figure out how many panels you need and what design is most suitable for you.

2. Find Out How Many Sun Hours You Receive At Your Location. This is obvious, but even the most efficient photovoltaic panels cannot generate enough power if there is insufficient sunlight. It would be impractical and costly to pay for gigantic solar energy systems that produce trickles of power.

3. Decide Whether You’ll Be Going Off-Grid. On-grid and off-grid systems have their own advantages and disadvantages. Most homes will stay on the grid because they can tap extra power (especially during winters) when they need to and when they generate additional power, they can sell it back to the grid. If you’re located in a remote region, going off-grid may be practical. You’ll thus need a storage system such as a battery bank to store energy so you can use during the night.

4. Find Out The Rebates And Incentives Available To You In Your State. This is important as it helps you find out the true cost of your solar generator. This may be an important factor that helps you decide if using solar energy is worth it after all.

Continue Reading:

1. Benefits Of Using Residential Solar Panels
2. Sizing Your Solar Energy Panels – Part 2
3. Sizing Your Solar Energy Panels – Part 3

A Small Solar Power Generator

If you’re thinking of making your own solar power generator, you may have heard how easy it is to throw some photovoltaic components together and start generating energy from the sun. Isn’t it?

Yet if you’re building a solar powered generator for the first time, I can almost guarantee you’ll make these 3 most common mistakes that most beginners (and even some experienced hobbyists) do not know about.

Mistake #1: Not Calculating the Number of Solar Cells and Battery Bank Needed

While this sounds like the obvious, a good proportion of us are guilty. Simply estimating the power and voltage generated by the cells will not do. Calculations and measurements need to be done…for everything. You’ll need to have sufficient solar cells. Battery banks also need to be large enough to store enough of these renewable energy so that it can power your appliances throughout the period of use. Everything needs to be calculated, even the wire gauge (size).

This is especially important if you intend to power your appliance throughout the night. A small initial effort (towards calculations) goes a long way to make sure your project doesn’t crash and burn mid-way.

Mistake #2: Using A Flimsy Solar Panel Casing

It is important to design your solar panel casing with proper dimensions according to your material selection. But most beginners do not have a proven design nor proper planning. As a result, many of these constructions end up being flimsy. And as you may already know, solar cells are brittle and easily broken if you do not handle them with care. If they’re mounted on a flimsy panel casing, they can be broken during installation — it is at this time when most handling (and knockings) occur.

Mistake #3: Not Vapor-Proofing Your Solar Panels

Most homemade solar panel projects break down due to corrosion and rust at metallic joints. This is especially apparent if you’re living by the sea or in a humid area. Reason: vapor seeps through many types of sealant through time and they stay in the interior of the solar panel. So it is important to use the correct type of sealant so vapor cannot seep through.

While there are many other pitfalls you’ll probably encounter while building your first solar power generation project, the above three are the most common among hobbyists.

Fortunately, many mistakes such as these can be avoided if you have an experienced hobbyist guiding you. A good alternative is a reliable, step-by-step construction guide. This can also help you avert mistakes that can potentially bring your solar power generator project to a grinding halt.

PS. As many “advanced” hobbyists have commented, they’re still referencing these manuals even after they’ve built a few successful projects over the years.

Continue Reading:

1. “Who Else Wants to Build DIY Solar Panels?”
2. Build Amazing Home Solar Power Systems Used by Families Who Don’t Want to Pay For Their Utilities
3. Do-It-Yourself Solar Panels – Electricity Conversion From Sunlight