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The sun was like a huge 50-cent piece that someone had poured kerosene on and then had lit with a match, and said, "Here, hold this while I go get a newspaper," and put the coin in my hand, but never came back.
-- Richard Brautigan, Trout Fishing in America

No New Question

Send questions! Do you have a question about any aspect of solar energy or other renewables? Send it to SUN-Enews here.

Previous Question
Q1, Vol. I, Issue 5
Whatever happened to the Luz solar plant near Barstow, CA?
-- Maynard Sarvas, mnsarvas@worldnet.att.net, Laguna Woods, CA

A1.1, I.5
The Luz solar thermal electric power plants constructed near Barstow and elsewhere in California are alive and well. Luz no longer operates the plants. Kramer Junction operates some of them, and other entities operate the rest.

With a total capacity of 354 megawatts (MW), these plants have continued to operate with increasing efficiency. Prior to the first of this year, they had produced more electricity from solar energy than all of the worldwide PV systems combined. The total PV-produced electricity probably now has surpassed these plants.

Solargenix Energy (formerly Duke Solar Energy) has a contract to construct a 50MW solar thermal electric plant in Nevada that will use improved tracking trough receivers. This system is expected to be on line in 2005.
-- Tom Henkel, technology specialist, Solargenix Energy, Raleigh, NC

A1.2, I.5
The plant went bankrupt as Luz International. It is operated now by Kramer Junction Operating Company.
-- Gerald V. Roman

A1.3, I.5
Luz built nine plants in southern California in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The smallest two were near Barstow; five more were at Kramer Junction (Highways 395 and 58) and two more were at Harper Lake. They total 354 megawatts (MW), about a third the size of a large nuclear plant. With the exception of the first and smallest one near Barstow, all are operating quite well. The last one was completed in 1991, and no further plants were built. Luz was unable to finance its tenth plant and went out of business.

Several are planned, because their costs are less than half that of PV plants. They have the additional advantage that they can operate on natural gas at night. One is planned in Nevada and another in Arizona, to be developed by Solargenix. Others are planned overseas, where there is greater interest in clean electric technologies.
-- John Schaefer, Arcata, CA

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Grants Made in Massachusetts
Recent grants totaling US $3.5 million have been made from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) Executive Director Mitchell Adams said. The funds will help support more than 100 new solar electric installations and enable 26 recipients across the state to develop new and renovated energy-efficient buildings. Eight design and construction grants were awarded to projects that use renewable energy technologies, environmentally sensitive materials and high-performance design.

Australia Extends Solar Subsidy
Australia's solar PV industry has succeeded in getting funding in a recent budget to extend the successful Photovoltaic Rebate Program (PVRP) for two years.

The Howard Administration announced the introduction of the solar program in 1999 as part of a suite of greenhouse initiatives negotiated with the Democrats at the time of the introduction of the GST. Prior to this PV systems were tax-exempt. The program started on Jan. 1, 2000 and provided households that installed a PV system a rebate of AUD $5/watt (US$3.20), up to a maximum of AUD $7,500 (US$4,800) per household. The rebate was designed to stimulate Australia's emerging solar power industry. Due to overwhelming public demand, the program was capped in February 2003, effectively bringing the solar PV industry to a halt. But in the recent Australian federal budget the government has allocated AUD $11.5 million (US$7.1 million) over two years for the program.

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States Graded on Renewable Electricity
An American study released last week by the Union of Concerned Scientists(UCS) found that only five states will provide 80 percent of the projected gains in use of renewable energy in the United States. In the absence of federal leadership, the reports stated, 19 states have acted to increase the nation's supply of wind, solar and other renewable energy resources, but the top five—California, Nevada, Texas, Massachusetts and New Mexico—account for nearly 80 percent of the nation's projected renewable gains. The report grades the states in a range from A down to F, the standard school grades in the United States.

California and Nevada led the nation with grades of A- for committing to increase the amount of electricity generated from clean, renewable energy sources. However, 34 states received a failing grade for failing to tap into the jobs, public health gains and reduced air and water pollution that homegrown renewable electricity could provide.

The UCS projects that the 19 states that have enacted renewable electricity standards or funds will increase total U.S. renewable energy capacity by 113 percent by 2017. This increase will provide enough electricity for 10.4 million typical homes and eliminate carbon dioxide—the main heat-trapping gas causing global warming—equal to taking 7.4 million cars off the road.

The UCS once again called for a national renewable electricity standard, saying the tremendous disparity in state programs and failing grades for 34 states illustrates the need for a national standard. Studies by the federal government and UCS have shown that a national standard of 20 percent by 2020 is feasible and affordable.

And in fact, U.S. Sens. James Jeffords, I-VT, and Jeff Bingaman, D-NM, are expected to introduce amendments to the Senate energy bill that would establish a national renewable electricity standard.

Curious about your state? The "report card" reads as follows:

• States earning an A-: California, Nevada

• States earning a B: New Mexico, Massachusetts, Minnesota

• States earning a C: New Jersey, Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin

• States earning a D: Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming

• States earning an F: Alaska, Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia

To learn more about RE news, visit our Other Renewables section below.

To submit solar political news or opinion pieces, click here.

Wind Energy Conference Uses Wind Energy
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) puts its money (well, its members' donations) where its mouth is: at the WINDPOWER 2003 Conference in Austin, TX last week, Green Mountain Energy Company donated enough wind energy tags from west Texas to offset pollution from the Austin Convention Center's electricity consumption for the three-day conference. Green Mountain is largest provider of cleaner electricity in the United States.

A wind tag certifies that electricity from a wind farm has been produced and that the generation was pollution-free. Purchasing wind tags is a way to support clean, renewable-energy generation. It helps to avoid pollution by reducing the demand for electricity generated with fossil fuels.

But then, AWEA has been doing everything it can to promote wind energy since 1974. It is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry. Wind energy is growing at a double-digit pace in the United States. The association's membership includes turbine manufacturers, wind project developers, utilities, academicians and interested individuals. An energetic website about wind energy is maintained by the AWEA at http://www.awea.org, and includes news about events and projects, an online bookstore, membership directories, a FAQs .pdf and access to a weekly newsletter.

In its latest project, AWEA has launched a separate website to address specifically current wind energy legislation and actions that can be take to best support them. Check out that site at www.windenergyaction.com/.

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Solar Glossary
A short list of common terms:
Passive solar—Harvesting the sun's radiant heat through greenhouse windows, Trombe walls, transpired solar walls, brick floors and other non-electric uses.

Solar hot water—Sometimes called solar thermal; usually involves storing solar energy in a heat storage device to heat water for household or commercial use. It also can be used to heat a home through baseboard radiators or embedded floor tubing, as well as to heat and cool swimming pools.

Solar electric—Using the sun's energy to run electrical systems, excluding electric heating elements.

Grid—tied and off the grid-Remaining on the electric grid after converting to a solar-electric system is called "grid-tied." A solar electric system that stands alone and is not connected to the electric utility is considered "off the grid."

Net metering—When you convert to solar energy and remain hooked to the larger electric utility, you have an automatic backup if your solar system does not generate as much electric power as you need to use on any given day. On the other hand, most of the time your solar system will generate more power than you are using, and will let that generation flow into the larger electric "grid." Most states now have "net metering" laws that allow you to connect your renewable energy system to the grid and bank your electrons there, literally making your meter spin backward and reducing your electric bill, often to a credit rather than a debit charge. To download a table of state net metering programs, click here.

To submit a news item or tip for people beginning to explore the world of solar energy, click here.

Energy Conversion Devices Buys Bekaert ECD Solar
A United States solar energy company, Energy Conversion Devices, is paying US $6 million to N.V. Bekaert S.A. to acquire full control of a joint venture that was established with the Belgium firm three years ago.

Energy Conversion Devices is buying Bekaert's interests in the joint venture established in April 2000 by United Solar Systems and Bekaert ECD Solar Systems to manufacture and market PV products. ECD will assume Bekaert's guarantees to US $25 million of liabilities, and will give rights to Bekaert in non-PV technologies, and rights to build sputtering machines outside the field of triple-junction photovoltaics. Bekaert says it has confidence in Uni-Solar's technology and the long-term potential of solar PV, but new management has decided to concentrate on Bekaert's core business.

California Company Builds Efficient Single-Crystal Cell
SunPower says its affiliation with Cypress Semiconductor has allowed it to develop a rear-contact design that maximizes the working area of a single-crystal solar cell, hides wires and facilitates automated production. It says the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has verified 20.4 percent conversion efficiency, compared with 12 to 15 percent for competing cells.

"Performance and cost are key to making solar power a commercial success," said T.J. Rodgers, chairman of SunPower and president of Cypress Semiconductor. "After more than 30 years of continuous improvement, the science of solar power has matured to the point where it has become highly cost-effective."

The 125mm, single-crystal cell generates three watts of electricity and can deliver 3 kilowatt hours from less than 17 square miles of array, which makes it suitable for rooftop systems, communications applications, building-integrated PV and consumer applications. The cells will be available in limited quantities later this year, with production quantities available in 2004. Cypress Semiconductor is helping to develop the technology and to manufacture the solar cells on a 2 MW manufacturing line in Texas. SunPower is considering building a manufacturing facility near Cypress' assembly and test facility in the Philippines.

To submit a news item or tip for users or providers experienced in solar energy use, click here.

SUN-Enews has created four directories (with links) on our website, www.SUN-Enews.com. There is a nominal fee for listing, to cover costs of content management. These directories are always growing. To find out more about listing in one of our directories, click here.

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SUN-Enews has created two calendars that run in monthly segments on the website, www.SUN-Enews.com. The May calendars list (1) meetings of non-profit associations, and (2) trade shows.

To list your meeting, conference or trade show in the June 2003 calendars click here. Include the name of your association or trade show, date, meeting place (building), town and state/province/country. Also include an email contact, please. Submit June items by May 30. Thanks!

Two New Websites Available Free
The International Energy Agency has launched two new policy-information websites. "Dealing with Climate Change" (http://www.iea.org/envissu/pamsdb/index.html) includes data on energy-related policies and measures taken or planned to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the IEA's 26 member countries. It contains more than 800 records collected between 1999 and 2002.

"Renewable Energy Policies and Measures in IEA Countries" (http://library.iea.org/renewables/index.asp) has detailed references to approximately 160 pieces of legislation worldwide that are designed to encourage the development and market uptake of renewable energy sources.

Visitors can search for information according to country, policy type, technology, sector, year of implementation and other criteria. These new interactive services are intended to complement policy analysis work by the IEA on climate-change mitigation and renewable energy markets. They provide support for decision makers, policy experts, researchers and scholars, as well as practical information to the business community and the broader public.

NASA to Harness Biogas
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the first U.S. federal agency to use landfill gas to produce energy directly at one of its facilities. The federal space agency is using this renewable energy source to heat buildings at the Goddard Space Flight Center, located in Greenbelt, MD. The gas comes from the Sandy Hill Landfill owned by Prince George's County, MD.

Ocean Energy Power Purchase
The Clallam County Public Utilities Division (Washington) has finalized an agreement to purchase electricity generated by an offshore wave energy pilot plant, to be developed by Mercer Island, WA-based AquaEnergy Group, Ltd. This is the first time a U.S. public utility has made a power purchase agreement with an ocean energy company.

At the pilot plant, four wave-energy converters called AquaBuoys will be placed in Makah Bay. The buoys have an expected capacity to produce 250 kilowatts (kW) of electrical power each by mid 2004, which would be enough energy to light approximately 150 homes. Clallam County PUD will purchase the energy generated by the pilot plant and re-sell it to its customers at standard rates.

To submit renewable-energy news, click here.

FYI

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