| Are Fuel Cells the Key to Solar Thermal Technology? |
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| Alternative Energy - Solar Power |
| Tuesday, 23 June 2009 16:19 |
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www.greentechmedia.com June 16, 2009  Why are photovoltaic panels more popular than solar thermal collectors on homes? One big reason is easy storage. New technology may change that.SAN FRANCISCO - - When it comes to energy storage, solar panels have it easy. Homeowners with PV panels on their roofs effectively store power by shuttling electricity generated in the daytime onto the grid, said Jane Davidson, a professor at the University of Minnesota and the director of the Solar Energy Laboratory there, during a presentation at the Fifth Germany California Solar Day taking place at PG&E headquarters in San Francisco today. It"s not so easy in solar thermal. Concentrated solar thermal plants in the desert store heat from the sun in large tanks of molten salt. That can be used to create steam to run a generator for a few hours after the sun goes down. But in homes it is not so easy. Although roughly 75% of the homes and commercial buildings in the U.S, could potentially derive some of their power from solar systems, most homes aren"t located in the center of the desert and thus don"t get the kind of solar radiation a CSP plant will. To make solar thermal economical, many of these buildings will need seasonal storage. "There is a mismatch," she said. "They need systems so that we can store it in the summer for use in the winter." Which brings us to the headline. For long-term storage, storing energy in chemical bonds – the secret sauce behind fuel-cells – may be the answer. Theoretically, heat generated in the summer could be used to generate a reaction, which could then be unwound later in the year. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute, for instance are looking at ways to take heat from the sun, zinc, oxygen and a dash of carbon to create zinc oxide and carbon monoxide. Zinc oxide could then be unwound in further reactions to produce hydrogen for fuel-cells and zinc, which can be used to release electrons in other reactions. Some researchers have proposed storing heat through a zinc-to-zinc oxide reaction. For more near-term storage, phase change materials – materials like zeolites and desiccants that move relatively easily from solid to liquid or liquid to gas states – could be used. And for really near-term storage, says Werner Koldehoff, a board member of the German Solar Industry Association, households could use the ultimate phase change material: water. Water could be turned into ice (through a solar-driven chiller) and changed into water. In Germany, energy storage for some residential thermal systems is accomplished through storing liquids heated by the sun in pipes in the earth.  |
A Solar Tower For Rotterdam Green building of the week from Inhabitat is this tower planned for Rotterdam - Monolab’s Soaring Solar Rotterdam Tower.Monolab is aiming to take solar power to extreme heights by designing their sky-high Rotterdam Tower with a skin of photovoltaic panels.... Read more Solar Power | | Friday, 26 June 2009 |
Solar panels for cooling deep-freezers[In partnership with VEI] Interest in the use of renewable energy sources for the local generation of electrical energy is increasing on a worldwide scale. This trend is also noticeable in Flanders. The total electrical energy generated by renewable sources... Read more Solar Power | | Thursday, 25 June 2009 |
Gloom and doom for solar firms AgeFriday 19/6/2009 Page: 6A HOUSEHOLD solar panels credits program will be delayed for at least two months after the Opposition voted to refer the Government"s renewable energy target legislation to a Senate committee. The delay could mean job cuts in... Read more Solar Power | | Wednesday, 24 June 2009 |
Jobs threat for solar firms kept in the dark - Uncertainty hits industry expansion AgeThursday 18/6/2009 Page: 7Solar panel retailers are preparing to cut jobs and halt expansion plans because of uncertainty over the Government"s solar credit program. Retailers contacted yesterday said they would have to collectively review the position of hundreds of staff... Read more Solar Power | | Wednesday, 24 June 2009 |
Solar has power to lower electricity bill www.dailyexaminer.com.au19th June 2009IF you"re finding it hard keeping up with changes to government rebates for solar energy systems, you"re not the only one. But here"s an easy explanation for you. Firstly, the Federal Government"s recent removal of the Solar for... Read more Solar Power | | Wednesday, 24 June 2009 |
Solar Millennium Inks Massive Solar Thermal Deals earth2tech.comJune 17thIf anyone doubts the ability of renewable portfolio standards to spur the adoption of clean energy projects, they should look to California. The state is requiring that electric utilities need to get 20% of their power from solar, wind... Read more Solar Power | | TUSEDAY, 23 June 2009 |
Why California Doesn’t Have a German-Style Solar Feed-In Tariff www.reuters.comJun 18, 2009It"s a question we hear all the time: Why doesn"t California have a German-style feed-in tariff for the solar industry? German utilities pay a high price for any solar electricity fed into the grid, with the cost distributed... Read more Solar Power | | TUSEDAY, 23 June 2009 |
Leading German companies join for north African solar project www.lowcarboneconomy.com17 June 2009Some of Germany"s largest commercial enterprises are joining forces to fund an ambitious scheme to provide Europe with electricity harnessed from solar panels in north Africa. Munich Re, Siemens, Deutsche Bank, RWE and E.ON are among the firms... Read more Solar Power | | TUSEDAY, 23 June 2009 |
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