This is the seventh issue of SUN-Enews. If you like this free newsletter, subscribe by clicking on the Subscribe here link above. Feel free to share the website (www.sun-enews.com) with your colleagues and association members. Thanks!
--Kate McGraw, electronic editor, ConnectPress, Ltd.

Send feedback or submit news here.

Share this newsletter with a friend or colleague here.

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.
-- Helen Keller, 1880-1968

New Question
Q1
Are solar-photovoltaic modules available from any PV manufacturer in triangular shapes (in addition to the standard rectangular modules)? Triangular PV modules, in several standard sizes, could be fit into the triangular structural constituents of similarly standard-sized geodesic domes. This product could be offered by a PV manufacturer in partnership with one or more of the main modular geodesic dome manufacturers.

"Dome people" and "solar people" are both creative and visionary folks and overlap considerably, so I believe such a product would find more than a little use. Perhaps the geodesic dome PV modules would be manufactured in concert with one or more manufacturers of modular geodesic domes.

Also, dome structures—and pyramids, ziggurats, spires and more—could be added to existing large buildings as a way to retrofit solar electric modules in an architecturally compelling and beautiful way, another reason for PV manufacturers to consider this option.
-- Gregory Wright, SUN Utility Network, www.SunUtility.com

Know of triangular PV panels? Or just have a response to this proposal? Send your answer here.

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

Solar Retrofit Architecture Contest?
I propose a design competition whose purpose is to encourage the design and installation—in architecturally creative and attractive ways—of solar energy technologies (solar photovoltaics in particular) on existing large-scale buildings: a Solar Retrofit Architecture Design Competition that might be sponsored by the American Institute of Architecture, the American (or the International) Solar Energy Society, the Solar Energy Industries Association, the United States Department of Energy (perhaps as a project of the DOE's Solar Decathlon competition) and/or one or more schools of architecture.

It is fair to say there is little time to lose in promoting this, and quite a number of other ideas that collectively will create the new sustainable civilization we humans had better put together, soon, on this beleaguered planet!
-- Gregory Wright, communications director, SUN Utility Network, Los Angeles, CA

We have put Gregory Wright's longer discussion of his proposal on our website. Click here to read his article, and then tell us what you think.

Keep it coming!
To send us SUN-E feedback, click here.

Sealite Solar LED Device Wins Award
A solar-powered light emitting diode (LED) marine lighting unit from Sealite earned the prestigious DesignMark award at the recent Australian Design Awards, a national event with competing products from engineering, software development and industrial design.

The DesignMark is awarded by industry professionals who review and vote for products based on their product design expertise and judgment. Judges are asked to consider the novelty, technical feasibility, commercial success and social and environmental benefits of the inventions.

The Sealite SL70 was recognized for the elements of electronic, optical and polymer engineering. The design is unique in its use of two high-performance Saturn solar cells, mounted within the lens of the unit and angled to obtain maximum sunlight capture. This allows the lantern to operate reliably in a range of low-sunlight environments such as Britain, certain locations in parts of Canada and Europe. Based on LED technology, the light requires zero maintenance, and has met requirements for prolonged water immersion.

The SL70 has been in the marketplace for two years, and been widely adopted by coast guards, ports and harbors and marina operators. Thousands of units currently are enhancing marine safety throughout Asia, the United States, Canada and the Middle East.

To send solar energy news, click here.

UK Renewable Power Association Wants Higher Targets
An association of green power generators in Britain wants to provide 30 percent of the country's electricity within 25 years, a higher target for renewable energy than the 20 percent proposed by the United Kingdom's government in a recent white paper.

"The government was too timid on targets for renewables (in the recent white paper) and its policies are too thin and weak to deliver the result," said Philip Wolfe of the Renewable Power Association (RPA). Referring to a document released by Wolfe, Jeremy Leggett and David McDonald in a meeting with the Associate Parliamentary Renewable & Sustainable Energy Group, Wolfe said, "This route map shows how the vision can be turned into reality." [To see a .pdf of the document, click here.]

The current Renewables Obligation requires suppliers to acquire 10.4 percent of their power from green energy sources by 2011 or pay a penalty. (Renewable energy currently generates less than 4 percent of Britain's electricity.) The green power industry is developing rapidly and can play a larger role in energy supply, but the government target is not achievable without urgent changes to address significant barriers to the development of renewables, the RPA route map explains.

The high growth required from renewables needs substantial investment, but a weak planning process and "Not in My Back Yard" (NIMBY) attitudes are delaying deployment of renewables, Wolfe said. The British government's new target of 20 percent of electricity from renewables by 2020 is "too modest" to reduce GHG emissions, he added. The Renewables Obligation is stimulating development of some renewable energy sources, but present policies will lead to a shortfall of one-third against the 2010 target, while support grants are proving "only partially effective," the RPA report concluded.

The RPA wants government to review the Renewables Obligation before the scheduled review in 2005-06, and it should extend the percentage quotas to show a growth trend for at least 10 years into the future. It wants eligibility under the RO to include energy from waste, refurbished hydro of any scale and coal mine methane.

Government also should set longer-term plans at higher support levels both for research in wave and tidal, and demonstration of solar photovoltaics, to enable the industries to plan coherent development and implementation programs.

Wind Energy Joins the Fight
Meanwhile, the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) has offered evidence to the Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group (PRASEG) urging the government to bring forward its intended 2005-6 review of the country's Renewable Obligation.

The group to make sure that the recent success in bringing forward new onshore and offshore wind projects is maintained, and believes that an early review setting out the future of renewables beyond 2010 is critical. The Renewable Obligation has stimulated the market for wind energy development. BWEA predicts that 2003 will see a six-fold increase in onshore planning applications from three years ago.

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

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

Solar 2003
The National Solar Energy Conference—Solar 2003, America's Secure Future—will be June 21-26 in Austin, TX. If you are a sustainable-energy advocate, professional or interested user, you will want to attend. Solar 2003 actually is a conglomeration of conferences, featuring the 32nd ASES annual conference, 28th National Passive Solar Conference, SEIA industry updates, AIA Committee on the Environment symposium, SBSE annual meeting, IREC/DOE "Million Solar Roofs" partnership annual meeting and the SRCC annual meeting.

Solar 2003 will have a strong technical component, with scores of technical papers, invited sessions and hands-on workshops. Special events include the ASES Chapters caucus, IREC meetings and a Women in Solar Energy (WISE) luncheon, plus more casual events such as a poster author Q&A, solstice celebration and a "Texas Food & Follies" event. There also will be a reception and grand awards banquet, and closing plenary sessions.

Workshops are slated on:

• Women's Photovoltaic Design & Installation

• A Sustainable Home Water Supply: Rainwater Harvesting

• Solar Domestic Hot Water

• Green by Design: Austin Energy Green Building Program

• Selling Distributed Generation

• Energy for Teachers

• Designing High-Performance Sustainable Buildings

• Daylighting and Passive Designs for Heating and Cooling

• Latin American Renewable Energy Development

• Tapping the Hybrid Potential: Wind for the Solar Installer

• Building Integrated PV

There also will be tours of Austin-area projects: green-built homes, solar installations, green-built commercial buildings, rainwater collection systems, the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems and Solar San Antonio projects.

For more information, or to register for the conference or individual events, go to www.solar2003.com.

To nominate an organization or company for a profile, click here.

Click here to learn about listing your resource on the SUN-E directories.

How To Send Images
We love images! The basic criteria are: 72 dpi, in RGB color mode, 350 pixels wide (max) and in .gif (preferred), .bmp or .jpg format. To submit an image, click here.

Click here to learn about listing your resource on the SUN-E directories.

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.

New Thin-Film Solution for Flat Roofs
United Solar Systems Corp. (Uni-Solar), a leader in thin-film amorphous silicon solar technology, and Independent Energy Solutions (IES) have introduced the SolarQuilt, a thin-film solar energy product designed for all types of flat and low-slope roofing situations. Lightweight, flexible, durable and aesthetically pleasing, the SolarQuilt is an ideal solution for those with existing flat roofs who want a solar energy system. It is a lightweight, simple-to-install, easy-to-maintain ballasted solution with a self-cleaning design. Its interconnecting panels can be installed on all existing roofing materials without penetrating the roof, and can be removed and re-installed easily when the roof is replaced.

"The SolarQuilt can be installed on any existing roof, including built-up roofs and bitumen roofs, and is therefore complementary to our building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) product line for membrane and steel roofs. We're pleased to partner with IES for this type of solution," said Subhendu Guha, president and chief operating officer of Uni-Solar.

ECD Ovonics and Uni-Solar hold the basic patents covering the continuous roll-to-roll manufacturing of thin-film amorphous silicon alloy multi-junction solar cells and related products. For more information, go to www.uni-solar.com.

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.

• Employment

• Associations

• Education

• Resources

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!

Wind Conference Is Successful
The American Wind Energy Association hosted more than 3,400 attendees at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, TX. Highlights of this year's conference included:

• Fifty percent growth in conference attendance, from 2,300 delegates in 2002 to 3,451 delegates this year. The conference has tripled in size in the last two years. In addition, the exhibit hall was the largest in the industry's history, with 166 exhibitors in 2003, up from 90 in 2002.

• Release of the first-ever national study on wind development and property values. The study, conducted by the Renewable Energy Policy Project with a grant from the United States Department of Energy (DOE), examined wind development nationally and found that large-scale wind facilities do not harm property values.

• Strong support for extension of the wind energy production tax credit (PTC). The nation's largest utility, American Electric Power of Columbus, OH, announced its strong support for long-term extension of the PTC to ensure stability and continued growth of the wind industry, echoing continued backing from the world's largest wind turbine manufacturers, including Vestas, NEG Micon and LM Glasfiber.

• New product lines introduced and wind projects announced. GE Wind Energy, NEG Micon and Vestas unveiled new wind turbine product lines before and during the conference. NEG Micon also announced that it will supply turbines to a new US $62 million facility in Oklahoma that will be the largest wind farm in the state. The facility will be developed by Zilkha Renewable Energy of Houston, TX.

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.

To submit renewable-energy news, click here.

FYI

The SUN-Enews archives are available on the website. Click here or just click on the Archives button at the top of the page.