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Solar energy panels were distributed among 67 students of Government Postgraduate College and the Government Commerce College Attock at a function here on Sunday.
Speaking on the occasion, MNA Sheikh Aftab Ahmed of the PML-N, who was the chief guest, said the Punjab government had introduced “Ujala” scheme to provide solar energy panels to the brilliant students so that they can continue their studies at home during power loadshedding without any hindrance.
It may be mentioned that under the scheme, a total 3,559 students were selected from the six tehsils of the district for the award of the solar panels.
The Technical Education and Vocational Training Department is facilitating the students in installation of the solar energy panels in their houses.
BANGLADESH now has the fastest growing solar home systems programme in the world with more than 50,000 new installations a month, the World Bank said in a statement recently.
The lender has been supporting the programme to provide electricity to rural households since 2002 through the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development Project.
The solar home systems consist of a solar panel, a battery, and a charge controller. The battery is charged by solar energy, which in turn provides electricity to the households.
With support from the WB and other development partners, about two million solar home systems have already been installed in the rural areas.
The lender has contributed about US$492 million to the project that ended in December 2012.
Recognising the project’s success in providing rural electricity, the WB in September last year approved the second phase of the project worth US$155 million to further the initiative.
The second phase will support provision of 550,000 solar homes systems in rural areas, renewable energy-based mini-grids, replacement of diesel irrigation pumps with solar pumps, dissemination of clean cook stoves and deployment of energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps.
Technical assistance to the power sector will also be provided.
The government-owned Infrastructure Development Company Ltd and non-government organisations, such as Grameen Shakti, Rural Services Foundation and many others, have partnered the effort.
Solar home systems are economically-viable solutions to get electricity to villages where electricity grids would be too expensive to build.
These systems meet the basic electricity needs of rural people, who would have otherwise been dependent on kerosene lamps for lighting.
The electricity provided from the systems has helped children spend more time studying, and new opportunities are emerging for village enterprises.
The installation of the 5 MW high-speed drive trains – for CSIC (Chongqing) Haizhuang Windpower Equipment Co., Ltd – was the company’s first in China.
The turbines operate continuously at 5 MW, the highest power rating so far for The Switch.
According to the company, the new Haizhuang PMG5000 generators and FPC5000 converters have been designed especially for Haizhuang by integrating the latest technology and the 6 GW real-life wind power field experience of The Switch. The optimised drive trains, known as The Switch Drive, represent the highest power range that The Switch has commissioned to date.
The Switch PMGs and FPCs have been adapted to operate reliably in the harsh offshore environment for which they were specifically developed. The converter is installed inside the tower’s base floor, which is about 12 meters above sea level; the generator is installed in the nacelle.
The company claims that compared with a traditional double-fed induction generator (DFIG) drive train, The Switch PMG technology offers a higher annual energy production (AEP) rate and lower operations and maintenance costs. This makes it a “more ideal solution for offshore use, where maintenance costs are much higher than with onshore applications”.
In the study by NREL’s National Center for Photovoltaics, Silicon Energy’s modules outperformed five other module designs with respect to degradation mechanisms such as potential-induced degradation, delamination and corrosion.
The NCPV study was performed to evaluate the “Test-to-Failure,” a testing protocol designed to comparatively assess module durability and show potential failure mechanisms. NREL’s accelerated lifetime testing simulates severe environmental conditions, including repeated thermal cycling from -40 to 185°F and separate application of 85% relative humidity at 85°F with system voltage bias applied.
The study also found that these accelerated tests cause some failures that are representative of field exposure and some that have not been identified to occur in the field, so the significance of a failure in a test must be evaluated on a case by case basis.
Silicon Energy’s Cascade Series module was tested along with five of the top twenty PV module manufacturers by megawatt sold in 2010, and outperformed them under the accelerated test scenarios. Silicon Energy’s module emerged from the testing environment with no electrical safety failures and no performance degradation.
According to Silicon Energy, its modules are made with double tempered glass construction, and laminated using an advanced encapsulant to survive extreme environmental conditions. One such environment is Puget Sound Energy’s (PSE) Wild Horse Wind and Solar Farm at 3,500 ft on the slopes of Whiskey Dick Mountain in the Washington Cascade Mountains, an installation that exposes the Silicon Energy modules to severe weather, temperatures, and wind gusts up to 120 mph.
Advanced Seaward Solar PV test instrumentation is helping a successful Caribbean based reseller and installer of solar photovoltaic and thermal systems to verify the quality of PV modules and the performance of installations.
Comet Solar is an established solar installation company based in the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla. With some of the best beaches in the world, the local economy is largely focused on tourism and Comet has been successful in encouraging local hotels, resorts, property owners and businesses to invest in solar systems as a means of helping to offset the effects of the economic downturn on tourism levels and rising energy costs.
Chris Mason, owner of Comet, explains: “Cost is very important to our customers and so we tend to look for PV modules at bargain prices.
“Without any subsidies or incentives and facing aggressive resistance from the utilities, solar has been a difficult sell. It is only because the cost of electricity is US$0.433 / kWh that we have any customers at all. At that rate and if we had net-metering, our payback on solar PV systems would be about 3 years.”
Comet customers therefore tend to focus on price and return on investment, with aesthetics often being low on the list of purchasing factors. However, buying bargain priced solar PV modules brings its own challenges; second hand or refurbished modules are often used, but, in some cases the life history of the modules or the original manufacturer is not always known.
Another issue is the lack of formal installation standards or regulations. For example, operating in a Caribbean jurisdiction means that Comet is not specifically required to perform the same tests that a UK or US based installation company would be faced with.
However, in spite of this, in the interests of maintaining installation quality, Comet always aims to apply and meet the existing standards of the US NEC code and to perform to the best practices of the industry.
To help achieve this the company has recently invested in a dedicated new Seaward Solar PV150 solar installation test kit, along with a 200R irradiance meter, to enable it to carry out effective quality control and customer reassurance testing on its products and installations.
The Seaward Solar PV150 is a dedicated multi-function PV electrical tester designed specifically for solar panel system installation. It performs open circuit voltage measurements (Voc), short circuit current measurements (Isc), earth continuity, insulation resistance, operating current (via AC/DC current clamp).
With the push of a single button the new combination tester carries out the required sequence of electrical tests in a safe and controlled manner, avoiding the risk of contact with exposed live DC conductors. Results can be recorded and stored in the tester for subsequent USB downloading to a PC.
Chris Mason, explained: “In order to ensure the quality of the products we sell to our customers, we feel it is important to carry out testing thoroughly and effectively.
“We owned standard test instruments and DC clamp meters but found that these manual methods were prone to error and were not particularly practical to use in the field. There is also no efficient way to record the results. We therefore decided to find a portable but capable test system that would document the performance of each module in a recordable way.”
Recently Comet was offered a container of 170W used monocrystalline solar panels and used them on a 12 kW commercial flat roof top system.
These PV units had been replaced on their original system due to yellowing of the backing but were in perfect electrical and mechanical condition. As the modules were used, Comet tested every unit prior to installation to make sure of the quality and safety of the modules and also to prevent any subsequent dismantling of the installation for any troubleshooting required.
To do this Comet set up an improvised test bench at the installation site and tested every module as it came out of its packing. All testing was carried out during the middle of the day so as to make use of full sun for testing. Every one of the 66 modules were tested individually and no issues were found, with all units performing as expected with little variation between the modules and no ground faults or open circuits.
Importantly, the speed of the test system allowed comet to perform full tests on each module without impairing the workflow of the installation crew.
The test data for each module was downloaded and given to the owner as a system spreadsheet to reassure him that testing had been carried out thoroughly to verify the quality of the modules and to confirm the anticipated performance levels of the system.
Comet’s latest solar PV installation project is much larger and so requires a different test regime. The company is currently installing 500KW of Canadian Solar 240W modules, purchased directly from the manufacturer.
As these are Tier 1 Grade A modules, Comet won’t be pre-testing every module, but will test each string at the combiner before installing fuses.
Working to US NEC requirements does not does not allow for easy testing of the installation in the way that typical UK systems do. The wiring is always in conduit and the combiner circuits are hard wired, so there is no easy way to test installed strings on larger systems.
For these larger projects, Comet will therefore be using 1000V rated test leads with alligator clips.
Chris Mason said: “Using the PV150 system on an installation in front of the client gives a sense of security that the installers are professional and are doing the project properly.
“We are seeing the emergence of some less than professional installers in the region who perform poorly crafted installations, test nothing and do not give the customer any comfort that the work is being done properly.
“We invite our customers to witness the commissioning tests with the PV150 so they can see how much work goes into our quality assurance procedures. This is both a marketing tool to enhance word of mouth referrals and protection against liability from call-backs.
“Documenting system performance at commissioning gives us a baseline against which to retest in the case of a complaint or problem, both with customers and manufacturers. For this use alone, the test kit and reporting system is invaluable.”
The sun delivers more energy to the earth in one hour than civilization currently uses from fossil fuels, nuclear power and all renewable energy sources combined in a year.
This solar energy can be captured and stored directly in the chemical bonds of a material, or fuel, and then used when needed. These chemical fuels, in which energy from the sun has deliberately been stored, are called solar fuels.
A new report by Amadee & Company, “Solar fuels, artificial photosynthesis, hydrogen, fuel cells and the future of clean energy: Technologies, markets, competitors and opportunities – 2013-2023 analysis and forecasts” provides an in-depth look at solar fuel technologies including photovoltaic artificial photosynthesis, photoelectrochemical, photobiological and concentrated solar thermal. The report also examines hydrogen as the future of clean energy and the fuel cell technologies needed to convert chemical energy into electrical energy.
Company profiles are provided for the following: Air Liquide SA, Air Products & Chemicals, Inc., Ballard Power Systems Inc., Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited, FuelCell Energy, Inc., Hydrogenics Corporation, Linde AG, Praxair, Inc., Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation, and UTC Power, LLC/ ClearEdge Power.
A full table of contents for this report may be obtained here, or request free sample pages from the full report here.
Like batteries, fuel cells produce electrical energy through an electrochemical process. Unlike batteries, fuel cells are “conversion” devices that change some kind of chemical fuel into electricity. Like combustion engines, fuel cells “convert” fuel into energy, but in this case the energy is electricity, not kinetic (movement) or heat.
Fuel cells can’t directly store electrical energy, but they may have a great deal of flexibility in fuels. Possible fuels include hydrocarbons like natural gas or alcohol, or even metals like aluminum. Many designs operate best on hydrogen gas; others can operate on utility-grade natural gas or propane.
BCC Research’s “Fuel Cells for Residential, Commercial and Military Power” provides a unique analysis of the residential, commercial, and military fuel cell market and will be of interest to a variety of current and potential fuel cell users and integrators as well as competing battery, fuel cell and conventional power generation makers
Table of contents for this report may be viewed here, or request free sample pages from the full report here.
According to “Fuel Cells Market (PEMFC, MCFC, PAFC, SOFC, DMFC & Others) – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Trends, Analysis, Growth And Forecast, 2012 – 2018″, a report by Transparency Market Research, the global fuel cells demand was worth USD 355.3 million in 2011 and is estimated to reach USD 910.3 million in 2018, growing at a CAGR of 15.0% from 2013 to 2018. Key participants in the fuel cells market include Fuel Cell Energy, Ballard, Clearedge, Toshiba, Panasonic, Plug Power Inc. and Hydrogenics Corporation.
Fuel cells are currently more dominant in the North America due to regulatory support and technological innovation push in recent times. U.S. is expected to emerge as one of the biggest markets for fuel cell vehicles by 2018. Asia-Pacific is the other major region where the fuel cells market is very strong with demand expected to grow at a CAGR of about 12% from 2013 to 2018. In Asia-Pacific, Japan and South Korea dominate the market revenue for fuel cells. Europe is expected to grow at the highest rate among these three major regions, driven primarily by regulatory policies pushing for sustainability and is expected to cover a substantial part of the market by 2018. With regional coverage, the study also provides comprehensive market data on key countries such as U.S., Canada, Japan, South Korea, Germany, UK, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
View the table of contents for this report here, or request free sample pages from the full report here.
Find more market research for the clean energy industry
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Bringing the concept of an “artificial leaf” closer to reality, a team of researchers at MIT has published a detailed analysis of all the factors that could limit the efficiency of such a system.
The new analysis lays out a roadmap for a research program to improve the efficiency of these systems, and could quickly lead to the production of a practical, inexpensive and commercially viable prototype.
Such a system would use sunlight to produce a storable fuel, such as hydrogen, instead of electricity for immediate use. This fuel could then be used on demand to generate electricity through a fuel cell or other device. This process would liberate solar energy for use when the sun isn’t shining, and open up a host of potential new applications.
The new work is described in a paper this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by associate professor of mechanical engineering Tonio Buonassisi, former MIT professor Daniel Nocera (now at Harvard University), MIT postdoc Mark Winkler (now at IBM) and former MIT graduate student Casandra Cox (now at Harvard). It follows up on 2011 research that produced a “proof of concept” of an artificial leaf — a small device that, when placed in a container of water and exposed to sunlight, would produce bubbles of hydrogen and oxygen.
An international energy solutions company based in Europe is gearing up to help the local business community by offering latest and low cost energy solutions in Pakistan, says a press release.
Saeed Zuberi, CEO of Tameer Energy, a group company of Tameer Foundation said on his visit to Pakistan that his company intends to introduce state-of-the-art technology developed by NASA engineers.
“The technology has not been employed anywhere in the world which I wants to introduce in collaboration with Planetary Power Incorp., a US-based company working on cutting-edge technology in the energy sector,” he said.
Saeed Zuberi, who was accompanied by Angus Jackson OBE, Director Planetary Power, visited the FPCCI’s capital office on the invitation of Tariq Sayeed, VP CACCI, where they told the business community that more solar energy reaches the earth’s surface in two hours than the total energy consumed by humans in an entire year.
Zuberi said that with the right technology solar energy is easy to capture and use; our ability to harness the sun’s energy is crucial for our civilization’s survival as well as current and future prosperity. “Our hybrid technology is highly dependable which can cut electricity and maintenance costs by 50 per cent while it can be monitored and controlled through satellite, landline or a mobile phone,” he explained.
The ultra-modern diesel and solar powered electricity generation units can be installed in villages with no access to national power grid and small businesses, which are easily upgradeable, he added.
While power politics is being played out in the Western capitals and in the region to wean away Pakistan from pursuing the $7.5 billion Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, Friday saw Germany and the United States offering to bridge the gap in the country’s dismal state of energy deficit and to improve revenues of Discos.
While German firms will ensure over 400MW solar energy for the Punjab, the USAID Power Distribution Programme is working jointly with Discos in Pakistan to improve their performance in terms of reduction in losses, and improvement in both revenues and customer services.
According to a statement from the German Embassy, representatives of the German solar company DEQ-SYS GmbH, a subsidiary of Energiequelle GmbH, has signed an MOU with the Punjab government for providing over 400MW solar energy.
Meanwhile, the Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) Audit Committee and Board of Directors (BOD) chairman met representatives from the USAID Power Distribution Program, to consider adopting the recently-completed Accounting Process Organisation manual. The accounting manual aims to bring transparency in the financial reporting system, facilitate record keeping of each accounting process, enable management to obtain accurate financial reports on monthly, quarterly and yearly basis, help organise and manage the assets and liabilities of Discos, support coordination of accurate financial report and adequate financial disclosures, promote compliance with applicable reporting framework, law and regulations, provide standardised documentation flow, including Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation in financial functions.The Mepco became the first Disco to issue the results of its internal audit under the new framework.
Minister for Water and Power Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar has offered Korean investors to invest in the hydro, coal and wind power projects as government was determined to cooperate and facilitate the investors in all respect.
Talking to investor’s delegation of Republic of South Korea on Thursday he welcomed the delegation, appreciated their interest to invest in the power sector in Pakistan.
He said Pakistan has great potential of producing 60000 MW through hydropower generation. The private investors have been invited to invest in the identified hydel projects.
Pakistan was now focusing on indigenous resources to generate cheap electricity. The work on number of hydel power and water storage projects was in progress, he said.
The Koreans were offered to invest in 590 MW Mahal Hydropower, through ICB and also invest in 840 MW Suki Kinari hydropower, 640 MW Azad Pattan, 1500 MW Chakoti Hattian hydropower and other projects as equity and EPC contractor.
The Minister said that there is no law and order problems for investors and assured to give complete security.
He also said that the government would support the Korean investors and welcome their investment in the water and power sector projects.
Korean companies were already working in different water and power sector projects and more investors were keen to invest in the country. Koreans have expressed their keen interest to invest in hydropower and water sector projects in Pakistan and mutual cooperation in various other projects, the delegation observed.
Earlier, a detailed presentation was given by the MD PPIB on the hydel power potential, ongoing and future projects.
He said that hydel power projects of 9053 MW will be completed by 2020. The incentive based policy is profitable for investors, he added.
The meeting was also attended by Additional Secretary, Joint Secretary (water) of Ministry of Water and Power, MD, PPIB, Ambassador of Pakistan in South Korea and senior officials of the Ministry and BOI.
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