Solar Power Comes to the San Diego Zoo

Solar San Diego sustainability initiatives this week unveiled a solar-powered vehicle (EV) charging station at the San Diego Zoo. Now environmentally-cautious citizens can visit the Zoo guilt-free, in addition to reducing their gas consumption, helping CA reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, and reduce green house gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

Solar energy is received in the form of sunlight, which when converted into electricity becomes solar power. Photovoltaic solar panels can harness solar energy from sunlight and make it possible to convert solar energy to solar power. Solar power can then be used for any residential, industrial, and commercial purpose - including charging an EV.

The San Diego Gas & Electric’s sustainable communities program initiated their project to supply the San Diego Zoo’s parking lot with solar panels by installing enough solar panels to supply five EV charging stations powered by ten photovoltaic canopies.

In total, the San Diego Zoo parking lot solar panels are projected to provide about 90 kilowatts of energy -- enough energy to supply up to sixty residential homes. In addition, the local power grid utilities will purchase any surplus electricity generated, which can then be used for the local community.

A common criticism of solar panels is that they are only efficient and cost-effective when their is direct sunlight. In response, the San Diego Zoo decided to integrate batteries to store the energy generated by the solar panels so that the solar station in the parking lot can provide electricity to EVs and the local grid even if the sun has set or a certain day is overcast. 

Renewable energy sources, such as solar power, provide visitors and citizens a more efficient way to travel around the state. In addition to the electricity generated, the panels will also provide shade for up to fifty vehicles, both EV and non, which is another energy-saving technique. 

The project dovetails with the Zoo’s broader goal of encouraging “the application of sustainable design driven by science and the natural world.” Educational tools were placed at the solar panel site as well as online. The San Diego Zoo is hoping that its project can become a model for other businesses to follow.

Solar Power at San Diego State University

Solar power in San Diego State University (SDSU) is making headlines, as researchers have been able to generate solar-powered electricity using just sun and air. Sun and air may seem like the obvious ingredients needed to make solar power, but in fact, many concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies use superheated air to power a generator need water sources.

Although solar power is a great alternative to using fossil fuels - and can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions - the current method of producing solar power uses water, a non-renewable natural resource. 

Current CSP systems use mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight (also called solar thermal energy) onto a small area that can convert the light into energy. Solar-powered electricity is produced when the light is converted to heat, which drives a heat engine - most commonly a steam turbine - connected to an electrical power generator. This turbine uses heated water to generate the steam which then powers the generator. The SDSU researchers have developed new technology to use as an alternative to water-based CSP systems. This innovation is an advancement, as the ideal location for CSP systems is in the desert.

The new CSP technology uses carbon nano particles to make the thermal absorption process in air more efficient - the light is converted into heat more effectively when it is absorbed by the nano particles. This method is more efficient when compared to the traditional method, which heats the air by pushing it through tubes. This system drives a combustion turbine as opposed to a steam turbine.

After the technology was successfully tested, plans are now in order for the system to be scaled up and put into use in the field at the National Solar Thermal Testing Facility at Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico. The lead researcher involved in the project was awarded a grant of $3.9 million from the United States Department of Energy's (DOE) SunShot Initiative.

The DOE SunShot Initiative is a national initiative to make solar energy costs more competitive with other forms of energy by 2020.

For more information on solar energy in San Diego, visit Solaire Energy Systems.

Japanese Tsunami Inspires Expanded Adoption of Solar Panels in Germany

In March of 2011, a devastating earthquake - the most powerful known earthquake ever to have hit Japan - triggered a tsunami whose waves  reached heights of up to 133 feet and traveled up to six miles inland. The devastation caused by the tsunami affected thousands and caused serious damage to most of what stood in its way. 

At the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex, the destructive power of the waves rendered the backup diesel generators used to cool the reactors useless.  It also and caused three large explosions along with radioactive leakage at three of the six reactors in the complex.  The disaster at the plant inspired the German government, a leader in solar panel and solar energy adoption, to move toward a safer and more eco-friendly model for their country’s energy needs.

Germany’s Initiative

Since the 2011 Japanese tsunami, the German government has implemented the following measures to move more towards a reliance on solar panels.

• An initiative to close all nuclear power plants in the country by the year 2022.
• Close eight out of the seventeen in the country immediately. 
• Replace the eight closed nuclear power plants with renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and biomass. 

Results

Just over a year after the introduction of the proposed changes in Germany, the initiative’s huge success is becoming a reality.  The country has seen a number of successes.

• On May 26, 2012, solar generators broke a world record by generating twenty-two gigawatts per hour. 
• In this time, solar energy generated the same amount of energy that twenty nuclear power plants at full capacity would have.
• Solar energy also met nearly fifty percent of the country’s midday electrical needs. 
• The twenty-two gigawatts per hour resulted in an increase of eight gigawatts per hour from a year ago (when fourteen gigawatts per hour were generated).

The impact traditional sources of energy have had so far on the planet - and the need for more cost-efficient ways of producing energy to power our daily lives - have generated a growing awareness in the importance of adopting renewable energy sources. Beyond nations with large-scale projects, private citizens around the world have also shown interest in having a lesser impact on the environment and eliminating electric bills. 

For more information on the benefits of solar energy from a leading provider of San Diego solar panels, visit Solaire Energy Systems online.

Solar Energy decreases Florida University footprint

In order to minimize its impact on the planet and generate a smaller ecological footprint, Florida Gulf Coast University, located in South West Florida, has with a 15-acre solar field, which was inaugurated in 2009. The solar photovoltaic array, which according to FGCU, not only decreases it’s sole reliance on Florida Power & Light Company by 18 percent, but it also produces 85 percent of the energy utilized to operate it’s Engineering and Business School buildings, as well as AB-7, their newest science laboratory and classroom building for the College of Arts and Sciences. 

Florida Gulf Coast University’s commitment to renewable energy is also channeled by further solar panels, which are utilized to heat the water in two freshmen residence halls and provide the energy needed to operate many of the schools trash compactors. An increasing environmental awareness, along with the savings solar panels generate by eliminating electric bills and increasing property values have recently fueled interest in this source of alternative energy not only by those in charge of large projects such as FGCU’s, but also by homeowners interested in such benefits for themselves.

Considering companies offering solar solutions such as Solaire Energy Systems, which offers San Diego solar panels and all the benefits that come from them, can get you started in reducing your ecologic footprint and saving considerable amounts of money in the long run.

For more information on solar energy solutions visit Solaire Energy Systems.