Napa Valley winery Far Niente on Tuesday commissioned what it says is the first floating solar farm.
(Credit: Sharp Solar Systems)In tandem with another 1,300 panels next to the pond, the entire array will generate about 4.000 kilowatts of energy at peak time, covering the winery's annual electricity use.
The panels in Far Niente's solar array, made bySharp Solar Systems, were installed by SPG Solar.
California utility PG&E on Tuesday announced contracts to buy up to 900 megawatts of electricity generated by solar power plants to be built in the Mojave Desert by BrightSource Energy. It’s one of the biggest solar deals to date -- enough to power some 600,000 homes -- and is another sign that that the shift from fossil fuels to carbon-free energy is well underway, at least in California.
But is it too late? PG&E (PCG) first announced it was negotiating a power purchase agreement with BrightSource, then called Luz II, on Aug. 10, 2006. Around that time, the United States’ leading climate scientist, NASA’s James Hansen, warned that the world had only a decade to take drastic action to cut carbon emissions and avert a global catastrophe from global warming.
It took nearly two years alone to just hammer out the PG&E-BrightSource deal and the world now has eight years left to radically ramp up alternative energy sources. By the time the first BrightSource 100-megawatt solar power plant (image above) goes online it will be 2011 and the last one will begin generating electricity for PG&E just as the climate change alarm clock goes off. If you believe Hansen, hitting the snooze button will not be an option.
Of course, there’s no guarantee the BrightSource plants will actually be built — it will take billions to construct them and the investment climate is not exactly sunny these days, clouded by Wall Street’s meltdown and the looming expiration of a crucial solar investment tax credit. (Personally, Green Wombat is betting BrightSource pulls it off — though April Fool’s Day probably was not the best date to unveil such a deal. The Oakland, Calif.-based company was founded by solar pioneer Arnold Goldman, its CEO, John Woolard, hails from Silicon Valley and the startup is backed by Morgan Stanley (MS) and some savvy venture capitalists.)
Given the moral and regulatory imperative — California utilities must obtain 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2010 and a third by 2020 — why is large-scale solar proceeding at the pace of a Mojave Desert tortoise? (Almost three years ago, for instance, Southern California Edison (EIX) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SRE) unveiled agreements with Phoenix’s Stiring Energy Systems to buy up to 1,750 megawatts of solar electricity. Ground has yet to be broken on any of the planned power plants.)
Partly it’s because the years-long negotiations between utilities and solar power plant companies is something of a black box. Details of these power purchase agreements are kept confidential but are estimated to be worth billions — if a recent $4 billion dealstruck by utility Arizona Public Service with solar power plant builder Abengoa Solar is any indication. Regulated utilities are by their nature big and bureaucratic and can be expected to be extra-cautious when they’re placing bets on untried solar technology from companies like BrightSource and Ausra.
“Transactions of this magnitude require a fair amount of time to negotiate and due diligence must also be performed,” PG&E spokeswoman Jennifer Zerwer told Green Wombat in an e-mail. “The original [BrightSource agreement] announced in August 2006 was for 500 megawatts; the final agreement expanded on the original . . . and culminated in the execution of five separate power purchase agreements for up to 900 MW.”
Another factor is a regulatory structure that is an artifact of the fossil fuel age. California requires extensive environmental review of new power plant projects — be they clean and green or down and dirty — a process that can take a 18 months or more. And the best solar sites often are on federal land in the Mojave — securing a lease for that land is another 18-month-long process.
Still, when the United States faced a threat of a different kind in World War II, it retooled its factories in a matter of months to produce planes and tanks. The fight against global warming will require a similar agility.
The clock, after all, is ticking.
To popularize the solar cookers in urban areas the Ministry has formulated a strategy to introduce cookers with electrical backup which consume low electrical power.
Solar cookers are available with and without electrical back in different sizes and can be procured from dealers/manufacturers/nodal agencies/Aditya solar shops all over India.
A family size solar cooker is sufficient for 4 to 5 members and saves about 3 to 4 cylinders of LPG every year. Life of this cooker is 10 to 20 years. This cooker costs around Rs. 1000 after allowing for subsidy.
Concentrating solar cookers have been developed and deployed but the quantity is low and until wider acceptance is gained or some modification is made in the concentrating solar cooker which will allow the solar rays to be directed to a hot spot inside the kitchen, people will shy away from these giant contraptions.
A community type parabolic concentrating solar cooker developed by ULOG Group of Switzerland is being promoted by an NGO in Gujarat and has met with moderate success. This cooker is designed to direct the solar heat to a secondary reflector inside the kitchen which focuses the heat to the bottom of a cooking pot. This cooker costs upward of Rs. 50000 and it is also possible to actually fry, bake and roast food. More than 50 such cookers have been deployed under a project sponsored by Sardar Patel Renewable Energy Research Institute and Gujarat Energy Development Agency.
Unique in India is the solar steam cooking system installed at Brahmakumari’s Ashram at Mount Abu with financial assistance from German Government. This system consists of 24 Scheffler paraboloid reflectors, two each of which are installed to focus sunlight on a square type insulated fin and tube receiver. Twelve such receivers are focused by 24 reflectors. The concentrators track the Sun automatically using a mechanical clockwork arrangement and a DC motor run by photovoltaic power panel helps in resetting the reflectors to face the Sun as required. This system generates 500 Kgs of steam which is enough to cook two meals for 500 people. More than 1000 people can expect to receive cooked food from this system within an hour, provided sunshine is adequate.
It is estimated that subsidies are costing oil firms up to $100m a day.
"A green building or home uses less energy, water and natural resources, creates less waste and is healthier for the people living inside compared to a standard building or home. It's as simple as that"
IGBC GREEN HOMES RATING SYSTEM
56 registered buildings
75 million sqft Green homes footprint
The concept of green building is growing in India. There is INDIAN GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL which has around 300 members and which certifies a green building. There is GREEN BUILDINF CONGRESS 2008 between 23-27 Sept 2008, Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. Moreover the IGBC runs Green building training Programs to train individuals. You can check it out on http://www.igbc.in/igbc/testigbc.jsp?desc=5467&event=5547. This are some interesting Articles about Green building from IGBC....http://www.igbc.in/igbc/publications.jsp
The importance that green business has in India will directly impact the world and our environment. With a population well over one billion, green business in India could quite literally alter our ecology. India’s economic growth rate has been incredible, and will continue to be incredible for many years to come. The widening middle class will only fan the flame of this growth.
One thing that separates India from most other fast growing economies is the emphasis and importance education has in the culture. Not only is India a country of many people, but it is a country of many highly educated, and highly motivated people. It’s not a secret that numerous companies have been setting up shop there in no small part due the the quality of its work-force. Sure low wages are a valuable reason too, but one shouldn’t undervalue the intelligence of people there.
The significance India will have on the the world in the future will be extraordinary, we’ve only scratched the surface. The thing that remains to be seen is the importance green business has in India. Tackling mass poverty is the first thing that is happening, and it should be the first thing that the country emphasizes. India will be an economic powerhouse, and could be a leader in green business if they choose to be. The direction that business takes in India will have massive impact on the world. If business leaders there recognize the vast potential that green business has, and then decide to invest time, money, and effort, the world would only benefit. India is in a very unique position right now, they could either lead the world, or potentially aid in its destruction.
India, the world is watching. What’s your next move?
http://www.futureofbusiness.info/green-business-india/
To ensure India will have adequate energy and water supplies in the future...
The first step is to predict where India's population will level off. Assume India's population is going to peak at around 1.3 billion people. This may be somewhat underestimating reality, but everything that follows can be proportionately increased based on higher population projections.
Next, determine how many units of energy (expressed in millions of BTUs per year), and how many cubic meters of water per year, on average, are required to sustain the lifestyle for a citizen of a fully industrialized nation. Currently, on average, each Indian citizen consumes 25 million BTUs of energy per year and consumes not quite 500 cubic meters of water. In the European Union, which provides a useful comparison, the average energy consumption is well over 150 million BTUs per citizen per year, and just over 500 cubic meters of water.
It would take 3.8 gigawatts of electricity (representing about 2.7% of India's estimated 2005 electrical generating capacity of about 140 gigawatts), running constantly, to pump water 250 meters uphill at a volume of 38 cubic kilometers per year. Put another way, a 250 meter lift will require about 100 megawatt-years for each cubic kilometer pumped. About the Author: Ed "Redwood" Ring is the Editor of EcoWorld, reporting on clean technology and the status of species and ecosystems. This story was originally published in the January-March 2007 issue of "TerraGreen" Magazine, published by the Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi, India (www.teriin.org). In his spare time, Mr. Ring grows and gives away trees, especially his beloved Redwoods. |
