Solar Solutions
Finnish Scientist Could Revolutionise Inverter Design
16 January 2013POSTED IN Research
If this researcher at the Tampere University of Technology (TUT), Finland, is right, generally used design principles of power inverters used in photovoltaic applications are wrong. As they are attracting growing international attention, the potentially revolutionary understandings could be key to solving the problems solar photovoltaic power systems have with power quality and disruptions in the power grid.
Case Study: The long roof challenge
05 June 2012POSTED IN Case Studies and Solar Solutions
Not all roofs are created equal, which was the challenge faced by Tecta Solar when they installed a large PV system on a distribution centre in Whitinsville, Massachusetts (US). What was unusual was the 3000-foot run of roof, which was made up of four different heights and design. The challenge, according to Brett Chapman, Tecta’s Sales Director, was accommodating the long runs.
Solar Solution: CPV at Mojave Air & Space Port
30 April 2012POSTED IN Case Studies and Solar Solutions
The Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California (US) motto is “Imagination flies here.” Many firsts have launched from its runways: the first non-governmental rocket ship, the first plane to circle the globe without refuelling, the first rocket-based plane. Today it’s home to Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, Paul Allen’s StratoLaunch, the National Test Pilot School and many other businesses.
tenKsolar Announces Strategic Partnership with Hanwha
25 April 2012POSTED IN Business News
tenKsolar, a photovoltaics (PV) solutions provider in Minnesota (US), announced today the completion of its $15.5 million (USD) financing round led by Hanwha of South Korea together with ESB Novusmodus of the UK, creating a global footprint for tenKsolar as a next-generation solar company.
Home Heliostat from Wikoda
17 April 2012POSTED IN New Products
Rather than turning on a light indoors while the sun is shining outdoors, a team at Wikoda Inc. in Concord, Massachusetts (US) has developed a heliostat designed and priced for residential use, enabling homeowners to add brightness and warmth to dark or gloomy rooms.
Solar Solution: Charging lives in Africa and India
15 March 2012POSTED IN Case Studies and Solar Solutions
Energy is seen as one of the primary elements for eradication of poverty and human development. Affordability and accessibility are the key issues to be addressed when energy services are to be provided to people living in off-grid areas.
Intersolar Award 2012 Adds New Category
29 February 2012POSTED IN Applications News
Intersolar North America 2012 will take place at the Moscone Centre in San Francisco, California (US) on 9-12 July 2012. It features next-generation solar products and cutting-edge technologies from exhibitors from across the globe.
Optical Technology for Greenhouses
21 January 2012POSTED IN Research
ULMA Agrícola in collaboration with the private research center Tecnalia Research & Innovation, both located in Northern Spain, have developed a photovoltaic module for greenhouses that allows electricity generation without affecting the crops by overshading.
Solar Solution: The UK's Largest City Centre PV Installation
20 December 2011POSTED IN Case Studies and Solar Solutions
UK-based solar company GMI Renewable Energy Group has recently installed the country's largest city-centre PV system on the roof of a multi-story car park in Leeds.
Solar Solution: Frost valve for solar thermal
21 June 2011POSTED IN Case Studies and Solar Solutions
Australia has the highest average amount of solar radiation of any continent, making it the perfect place for generating power or heating water with energy from the sun. Not surprisingly, the combination of generous rebates and sunny weather has given rise to solar thermal installations across the continent. Generally these installations are quite straightforward, but in the southern part of the continent, temperatures can drop below zero (Celsius), causing freezing problems for some thermal systems.
Solar Solution: Solar assisted AC in India
31 May 2011POSTED IN Case Studies and Solar Solutions
Air conditioning in India has not been common due to the extreme demand that it puts on a notoriously unreliable electrical infrastructure. But when you think about when air-conditioners (AC) would be most used in tropical countries like India, it coincides with the time when the sun is blazing its heat in the peak afternoon. Dr Upendra Kamdar, founder of Suryashakti Systems came up with air conditioning unit that is powered in part by direct solar heat. Because units often have to fit into limited space, the systems are small because solar PV panels and batteries are not needed.
Solar Solution: Winery takes hybrid approach
12 March 2011POSTED IN Case Studies and Solar Solutions
Sonoma Wine Company crushes more than 7,500 tons of grapes, bottles over 4 million cases and stores over 65,000 barrels of wine a year in its six facilities in California wine country. At its Graton, California facility alone, the company processes nearly 3 million cases of wine a year.
Solar Solution: Making the most of a windy situation
12 March 2011POSTED IN Case Studies and Solar Solutions
It’s not always easy being green, which is what Solis Partners, a leading developer and integrator of commercial solar power systems, found when it won the contract to install a 164 kilowatt (kW) rooftop solar system for the new Vertical Screen, Inc. world headquarters building.
