Alternative Energy Archives - Page 7 of 41

The Top 3 Things to Look for in Solar Panels

June 7, 2023 Webmaster

It’s no secret, there are a lot of solar panels on the market. Many promise different results from lower prices to better aesthetics. But what factors should you weigh when evaluating which solar provider to choose? It all comes down to these 3 things – efficiency, durability and warranty.

Efficiency

SunPower® solar panels are widely known to be the most efficient on the market*. That’s because SunPower solar cells are unobstructed by metal gridlines across the top, unlike most conventional solar cells. That means that there is plenty of open space for each solar cell’s unique light-trapping surface to absorb more than just visible light rays such as ultraviolet and infrared light.

SunPower also uses intra-digitated back contact technology, meaning all of the wires that carry the electricity from each cell in the solar panel are placed onto the back. This eliminates shading and helps SunPower solar panels generate more energy, even when the weather isn’t ideal. SunPower’s technology and strategic design give its solar panels the ability to harvest more sunlight than conventional solar panels.

Durability

In addition to their design for efficiency, SunPower solar panels were also created with durability in mind. SunPower solar cells have a strong copper backing that is resistant to corrosion and weathering. This is incredibly important because solar panels sit on rooftops and are subject to harsh temperature and weather changes. Exposure to the elements causes all solar panels to degrade over time. But the rate of degradation can vary heavily from one solar panel provider to another. For a conventional solar panel, this reduction of power output happens at an average rate of 0.5% each year. But a SunPower solar panel degrades much more slowly at only 0.25% each year. That’s a big difference and illustrates just how durable SunPower solar panels are.

Warranty

Not all warranties are created equal. To find the real value behind a warranty, homeowners should look past just the years a solar system is covered. Some solar companies have warranties that only cover the materials but not the loss of power production. Or, they source parts from different manufacturers, leaving you with multiple warranties to sort through. SunPower offers the most comprehensive warranty in the industry, with coverage spanning both power and product. In addition, SunPower is the only company that stands behind the entire solar system, not just the panels. In the rare likelihood that something does go wrong, you only need to contact one company to fix the issue – SunPower.

But SunPower doesn’t just stop at the product. We also guarantee that your panels won’t lose more than 8% of their original DC power output in 25 years. When compared to conventional solar providers that only guarantee 19%, there’s a clear winner.

When deciding which solar panels are right for your home, do yourself a favor and evaluate which option delivers the most overall value. Chances are, you’ll land on SunPower as the obvious choice.

Alternative Energy News

Opinion: No, nuclear power isn’t the ‘big bazooka’ climate fix you might think

May 15, 2023 jrobinson

Germany’s exit from nuclear power on April 15 doesn’t single it out as a quirky anomaly or black sheep in a world otherwise enthusiastically embracing nuclear energy.

Rather, it situates Germany firmly within the global mainstream: ever more countries are abandoning or scaling back their nuclear power programs, including the US.

Since a highpoint in the early 2000s, the number of operational nuclear reactors worldwide has fallen – from 438 to 411, according to this year’s World Nuclear Industry Status Report. (And that was before Germany’s move this week).

Nuclear power’s share of global electricity generation has now slid to its lowest point in four decades. While at the same time, renewable energy generation – clean tech like solar, wind, bioenergy and geothermal – has expanded by more than 30-fold.

Despite bipartisan backing, the US, the globe’s nuclear energy stronghold, has 12 fewer reactors operational than a decade ago – and none at all under construction.

In fact, when matched up against renewables as a source of energy that doesn’t emit carbon, nuclear power falls egregiously short.

It is so expensive and grievously slow to roll out that its steady decline is no wonder – even if there’s currently the illusion of nuclear’s comeback as a solution for the climate crisis.

Nuclear power may look like an attractive, big bazooka fix to rising emissions. But it is a red herring and the so-called renaissance is nothing but a soap bubble. Nuclear power actually obstructs the transition to a carbon-neutral world. It robs the urgent rollout of clean tech funds, obscures planning clarity and throws a spanner in energy systems driven increasingly by renewables.

In terms of price, nuclear power is itself a striking anomaly in the world of technology, as cost has risen over the course of time rather than sunk.

Since 2011, the price of a kilowatt of nuclear generated electricity has soared by 40%.

Meanwhile solar energy, which the International Energy Agency calls “the cheapest electricity in history,” has plummeted by 90% – and is still falling as its technical efficacy steadily improves.

The cost of a megawatt-hour generated by utility-scale solar or wind is around $38; the same from a nuclear plant runs around $167. Why invest four dollars in a unit of energy when get you the same for one?

The high price tag on nuclear kilowatts is a result of the exorbitant construction bill and insurance costs. The tab is so high that countries simply can’t attract investors no matter how sweet they make the deal.

The two reactors that will go online this year in the US state of Georgia racked up costs of more than $30 billon. But the Hinkley C plant in the UK takes the dubious prize of the priciest: currently $32 billion.

As for rollout time – critically important as the planet is racing against the clock to stop global warming – nuclear also occupies the doghouse. While authoritarian states such as China start up plants more quickly – though not nearly as quickly as they throw up giant wind and solar farms – in the West construction time is almost always vastly underestimated. Supposedly about ten years, though usually much longer.

Since 2000 only one new European reactor has gone online, and in the US the first to be built in more than three decades began operations in Georgia this year. Of the 63 reactors that commenced construction globally between 2012 and 2021, only 19 are operational – and almost all of them in China.

This also means that the world’s current nuclear fleet is aging – average age 31 years. And as France’s disastrous summer of 2022 taught us (half of its reactors were down for repairs) old nuclear technology is unreliable – anything but the 24/7 phenomenon that advocates claim.

None of these numbers or arguments, however, should obscure the original reason that Germany, as well fellow European countries Spain and Switzerland, chose to toss in nuclear power, to say nothing of many of the 163 countries that never went the way of spitting atoms for energy in the first place.

Nuclear fission remains an extremely dangerous and toxic means of energy generation. In addition to the meltdowns in Chernobyl, Ukraine (1986) and Fukushima, Japan (2011), according to the IAEA, there have been 31 serious incidents at nuclear power stations worldwide since 1952— including two in France and six in the United States.

Most recently, in November 2022 the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant north of Minneapolis, Minnesota, leaked about 400,000 gallons of radioactive water into a nearby stream.

And nuclear waste remains a radioactive dilemma without a solution. There are currently more than 250,000 tonnes of spent fuel sitting on or near nuclear plant sites – waiting for permanent repository sites to be named and constructed. The problem since 1954: nobody but nobody wants it stored near their communities or water supplies.

Germany, and all of Europe, is building out renewable energy, smart grids, electric vehicles and energy storage facilities at breakneck pace to eliminate fossil fuels from its energy supply.

This is a clear-headed, evidence-based decision in contrast to the pipedream of a nuclear future.

CNN

Alternative Energy Government News

DANGER!

May 15, 2023 jrobinson

Local scientist warns Caribbean leaders about building nuclear power plants

Jamaican scientist Dr Dennis Minott has issued an appeal to Caribbean governments to exercise caution on the matter of erecting inland or near-shore mini nuclear fusion power plants, saying that any such venture could pose serious risk to lives and the natural environment.

Dr Minott, who has a PhD in physics, postgraduate training in applied nuclear physics, and undergraduate training in engineering, made the appeal in a letter to the Jamaica Observer over the weekend in response to a comment by Prime Minister Andrew Holness at the opening ceremony of Expo Jamaica 2023 on April 27.

Holness had said that the Government was looking at introducing new energy sources that will make power generation in Jamaica more reliable, available, and affordable.

“We are currently doing a new integrated resource plan to make sure that when we do introduce more green energy, up to 50 per cent, that the entire grid is stable, and that the capacity has been increased,” the Jamaica Information Service reported Holness as saying.

“So, we are looking at pumped hydro storage… looking at the Mahogany Vale project, which I announced as an important element in our energy mix. I have [also] met with the International Atomic Agency. Jamaica has to explore new technology in nuclear energy, small nuclear plants to generate energy in Jamaica, which will be cheaper, more stable, and more affordable,” he added, as he indicated that the Government is serious about insulating the economy from energy shocks and high energy prices.

These initiatives, Holness is reported as saying, may take a decade to happen, but the country, he argued, has been lagging for 40 years.

“Let us start doing things differently. Let us start looking at the big projects that are going to make the difference, and that is what we are investing in now, to create a new paradigm in energy in Jamaica,” the prime minister said.

Dr Minott did not name Holness in his letter; however, it was clear that he was including the Jamaican chief executive in his plea to Caribbean leaders.

Stating that he understands the importance of considering all available options when it comes to energy generation, Minott said that “it is crucial that we do not compromise safety and sustainability in the pursuit of cheaper or more efficient energy”.

“As you are well aware, the Caribbean is renowned for its beautiful beaches, diverse wildlife, and vibrant communities. It is essential that we prioritise the safety of our people, environment, and future generations when making decisions about energy generation,” Minott said.

“Given our geographies, it is almost impossible to locate any small nuclear fusion power plant that would be 35km or more clear of human, large-animal, or fish habitation on these islands. Moreover, nuclear wastes must be safely disposed of, and there is very limited availability of trained physicists and nuclear power engineers, let alone civilian nuclear power technicians. Therefore, it would be unwise to venture into nuclear energy without proper consideration of the long-term implications,” he argued.

He said the potential dangers of nuclear energy are well-documented, and “it would be irresponsible to put our people and environment at risk without proper consideration of the consequences”.

He reiterated his appeal to Caribbean leaders to prioritise the safety of the region’s people and environment when considering energy-generation options.

“There are many viable alternatives to nuclear energy that we can further explore, including renewable energy sources like solar, wind power, small, medium and mini-hydro, and farmed biomass. These options are safer, more sustainable, and less likely to cause harm to our communities,” Minott stated.

In 2022, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) launched a project to help Caribbean countries safely reap the benefits of nuclear technologies in medicine, industry, agriculture, and research.

The Regulatory Infrastructure Development Project opened on April 11 with a four-day workshop in Vienna, Austria, with some participants joining online. Government officials from 14 countries in the region, all at different stages in the development of their nuclear regulatory infrastructure, had the opportunity to hold bilateral sessions with IAEA experts to assess their needs, the agency stated in an online report.

Participants included experts from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis, and Suriname.

Two years earlier, Jamaica officially launched its Hazardous Substances Regulatory Authority, becoming the first Caricom member state to establish an independent regulatory body to ensure safety and security in the operation of facilities involving ionising radiation and nuclear technology in the country, including the Caribbean’s only nuclear reactor — the 20kW SLOWPOKE research reactor, which is owned and operated by The University of the West Indies on its Mona Campus.

The reactor is primarily used for neutron activation analysis of trace elements in studies related to health, the environment and agriculture as well as in education and training.

Jamaica Observer

Alternative Energy Electricity Government News Solar Buzz Featured

Jamaica to go nuclear

May 4, 2023 jrobinson

Gov’t exploring nuclear energy as part of National Energy Policy

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has signalled the intentions of the Government to integrate nuclear energy in the country’s energy mix.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of Expo Jamaica 2023 last week Thursday, April 28, 2023, the prime minster revealed that already he had spoken to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) — the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the nuclear field — about using nuclear energy to generate electricity.

The move will form part of the Government of Jamaica’s National Energy Policy which, in part, aims to generate 50 per cent of electric energy from renewable sources by 2030. This, Holness said, will make the supply of electricity “more reliable, more available, and more affordable”.

“Jamaica has to explore new technology in [the form of] nuclear energy — small nuclear plants to generate in Jamaica — which is cheaper, more stable and more affordable,” he explained further.

“So the Jamaica Government is serious about insulating our economy [against] energy shocks and high energy prices,” the prime minister continued.

The move has been welcomed by president of the Jamaica Renewable Energy Association (JREA) Alex Hill, who informed Jamaica Observer that “nuclear cannot be written off as future energy source”. He added that though there are pros and cons, the energy source should be considered for integration into the country’s energy mix over the next five years.

Last October, Jamaican billionaire and chairman of Portland Holdings Michael Lee-Chin signed a memorandum of understanding with the Canadian Nuclear Laboratory (CNL) under which he will be promoting nuclear technology — through small modular reactors (SMRs) — as the means to decarbonise electricity production across the world. When asked by Business Observer if Jamaica will be targeted for SMRs, he responded, “Every country is a target, whether you are a large oil-producing nation, or Jamaica, there are demands for our services.”

Still vice-president of JREA Jason Robinson is of a completely different opinion to his colleague Hill, explaining that Jamaica is not ready “or will ever be ready” for such energy source.

“Jamaica is located in a hurricane and earthquake zone which puts us in extreme danger with out having to worry about a nuclear meltdown. Also Jamaica’s brand is a natural vibe not a one that fits well with nuclear energy. I think it would take a lot away from Brand Jamaica in terms of tourism as well,” he contended.

While Robinson notes the comments of Lee-Chin, and the backing he has received from Government, the JREA vice-president told Business Observer that there needs to be a much heavier debate before there is a push towards a nuclear facility in Jamaica.

“We all can remember Fukushima and Jamaica and the Caribbean cannot withstand that type of meltdown,” he added.

Hydroelectricity

In the meantime, Holness, pointing to an announcement he made in his budget presentation in March, said on Thursday that the Government of Jamaica of creating “a new Integrated Resource Plan [IRP]” that will facilitate the introduction of new energy sources to the energy mix and ensure that the grid is stable and has the capacity to respond to the growing demand for electricity.

Back in March, Holness informed Parliament that the draft of the IRP 2 was being presented to various stakeholders for discussion and feedback, and thereafter will be finalised and presented to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.

One of the energy sources the IRP 2 will explore is hydroelectricity from hydro storage pumps. In particular, he said the Government is pursuing the Mahogany Vale Project as a national priority and an important element in the energy mix. The Mahogany Vale Dam, located in St Thomas, was first proposed as a source of convert electricity from potable water supplied to the Kingston Metropolitan Area in 1967.

“These initiatives will not materialise in two years. It may take a decade to materialise but I want you to reflect on it: we have been lagging behind for 40 years. Let’s start doing things differently now, let’s start looking at the big picture to transform our country [and] let’s start looking at big projects that are going to make a difference,” Holness urged.

The introduction of new energy sources, the prime minister argued, will create a new paradigm in energy and “change the parameters that can reduce the cost of production, increase [businesses’] capacity, and ensure [businesses] can innovate integrate technology and compete effectively with the rest of the world”.

Jamaica Observer

Alternative Energy Climate Environment News Renewable Energy Solar Energy

Conservation coalition confirms wind and solar transition is best route for the environment

April 21, 2023 jrobinson

The rapid transition to renewable energy offers opportunities to reset the broken relationship between energy production and nature, according to a new report by the Coalition Linking Energy And Nature for action (CLEANaction).

In its first major report, CLEANaction confirms that even when the full range of environmental impacts — from sourcing raw materials to final operation — is considered, generating and storing energy from renewables is far less environmentally damaging than using fossil fuels. The report argues that a transition focused on wind and solar can result in significantly reduced environmental impacts compared to other renewable energy types, although other renewables can be the most appropriate solution depending upon the local circumstances.

To limit global warming to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels and avoid the worst risks of climate change, renewable energy will need to account for more than 90% of electricity generation by 2050 according to International Energy Agency projections. The report explains how, in a vital decade for action, the potential for negative impacts from the energy transition can be carefully managed to ensure that renewable energy technologies causing the least damage to nature are prioritized.

CLEANaction is a coalition of NGOs, leading businesses, government bodies and financial institutions established in recognition of the urgent need for a global and just transition to a low-impact and nature-sensitive renewable energy system. The founding members are WWF, IRENA, ICLEI, The Nature Conservancy, Birdlife International and the Alliance for Rural Electrification.

“Climate change is causing havoc across the globe and, together with habitat loss and overexploitation, is a leading cause of reduced biodiversity worldwide,” said Dean Cooper, WWF global energy lead. “This loss of biodiversity, and of the natural carbon uptake and storage enabled by healthy ecosystems, exacerbates the climate crisis and threatens the health and wellbeing of humankind around the world. We all must urgently shift to 100% renewable energy, but we must take care to protect and enhance nature at the same time.”

Existing global-scale mapping of sites for wind and solar indicate there is enough energy available in areas that have low conflict with biodiversity to achieve projections from the International Energy Agency for a power system consistent with holding global temperature rise to below 1.5ºC. This Paris Agreement goal is a crucial threshold to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change on people and nature.

Significant changes are also needed in how we source and trace materials, such as rare earth elements, for developing our energy infrastructure. A new, circular economic model is essential to reduce environmental impacts, according to the report.

A circular economic and energy efficient model should prioritize the reduction of primary materials, as well as reuse and recycle to minimize further extraction and impacts related to the disposal of end-of-life equipment. When mining occurs, rigorous environmental and social safeguards must be in place to avoid the degradation of natural habitat and other harms, according to the report.

To achieve a clean energy future that takes full account of the impact on nature, CLEANaction is urging governments to:

Undertake strategic-level energy planning at national or regional scales to identify potential energy savings, suitable renewable energy sources and sites for energy expansion in areas of low biodiversity sensitivity.
Consider the impact on nature at the earliest stage of integrated clean energy planning, taking account of the full value chain (from sourcing material to disposal).
Develop national regulatory schemes that require energy developers to contribute to national conservation targets.
Invest in timely nature-sensitivity mapping to help direct technology siting through proper data and require industry to avoid protected areas, Key Biodiversity Areas and other areas of particular sensitivity and value.
Apply stringent environmental impact assessment processes and required standards to all new developments according to best practice.
Adopt a circular economy approach with optimized energy efficiency, to maximize reuse of energy materials, and minimize demand for natural resources.

CLEANaction is calling on renewable energy investors and developers to:

Integrate biodiversity, social and environmental risks early into renewable energy planning and investment decisions.
Apply effective biodiversity safeguards and environmental impact assessment procedures to avoid and minimize impacts, and offset any residual impacts to achieve net-positive outcomes.
Ensure there is traceability of raw materials and account for supply chain impacts within corporate commitments to nature.
Apply a circular approach to minimise the use of primary materials and maximise the reuse and recycling of materials.
Strengthen corporate disclosure and reporting on biodiversity, environmental and social impacts.

Solar Power World

Alternative Energy Climate Climate Change Environment News

CLIMATE LITERACY IS THE KEY TO REVERSING CLIMATE CHANGE

April 21, 2023 jrobinson

Climate education and environmental literacy are the most underestimated and underfunded solutions for adopting eco-friendly practices to end the climate crisis. Investing in education better prepares the next generation to face climate change as it establishes foundational values and solutions for environmental safety. Preparatory courses have the potential to raise awareness about harmful actions and develop a sense of circular and sustainable communities from a young age.

The Education International Manifesto on Quality Climate Change Education for All defines five pillars to help ensure such transformation is possible: (1) include governmental oversight on quality climate change education to guarantee students become climate-literate, (2) coursework based on science, (3) addressing the ethical, cultural, political, social and economic dimensions of climate change, (4) well-trained teachers, and (5) transformed school and learning environments to support climate literacy.

Even though effective methods of climate literacy implementation are widely available to governments, only a few countries have incorporated climate education into their school curriculum. According to the Climate Change Education Ambition Report Card, every country failed this commitment based on their submissions to the UNFCCC. The progressive countries on climate education with the highest real score include Cambodia (58%), Dominican Republic (51%), Colombia (50%), and Vanuatu (50%).

While the Paris Agreement emphasized the role of education and training to empower the public to make ethically informed decisions, countries who are committed to the treaty — including the US and China — have yet to implement an extensive and systemic reform on climate education. UNESCO exposes the tragic truth as reports show Africa and Oceania have considerably more climate change content, whereas Central and Southern Asia have the least. Countries most vulnerable to climate change are more likely to include climate literacy in their national curriculum frameworks than those primarily responsible for the emissions causing climate change.

The total negligence of climate literacy has disastrous implications for the countries as it not only jeopardizes the well-being of citizens and the safety of the environment, but also misses the chance to reverse climate change impact with proper education and professional development. For instance, well-trained architects and engineers can get the upper hand in the fight against climate change as they apply engineering principles that reduce the impact of major industrial activities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics already projects that the number of jobs for environmental scientists and specialists will increase by 8% between 2020 and 2030, signifying the priority for climate literacy inclusion in the school curriculum.

Llearning about environmentally conscious practices encourages changes in young people’s attitudes and behavior and helps them to adapt to climate change-related trends. Further progress intensely relies on our commitment to provide quality education in schools to prepare the younger generation for immediate climate change consequences and expose them to environmentally safe practices.

EARTHDAY.ORG’s Climate and Environmental Literacy Campaign is committed to ensuring that students worldwide have access to high-quality climate change education to support upcoming generations’ conscious and informed decisions. To successfully execute this commitment, demand global leaders at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change commit to compulsory, assessed climate and environmental education with a robust civic engagement component at COP28 this November.

Earth Today

Alternative Energy Environment News Renewable Energy

Electric Vehicles and the Case for Resilience

March 30, 2023 jrobinson

Resilience is something you usually don’t know you need – until you do.

When Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast in late October 2012, floods and high winds caused huge damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure, including the power grid. Two weeks after the storm passed, 5% of New York residents were still without power.¹ Other major storms, such as hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma, and Ike, also led to weeks-long outages.² It took more than a year for some households in Puerto Rico to have power restored after Hurricane Maria decimated that island’s grid in 2017.

The effects of such long outages on everyday life make a long list – particularly for lower income individuals and households who can’t afford to be off work or to move temporarily to other areas. Without power, food rots quickly, essential medicines degrade, heat and air conditioning fail, businesses and jobs close, and communications become difficult. The impacts on human health can be severe. In Texas, the extended blackouts that followed the winter storms of February 2021 claimed 246 lives. Winter blackouts could be repeated in coming years in that state, leaving residents who rely on electric heat again at grave risk.³

Severe heat waves and cold spells can also cause transient problems by boosting power demand beyond what the grid can supply and by making the grid more vulnerable to individual failures of generators and transmission lines. Parts of the West, Midwest, and South are at growing risk of rolling blackouts and brownouts (drops in voltage and frequency) caused by huge demand for air conditioning during heat waves as well as a drop in available hydropower during extended droughts.⁴ While not as dangerous as extended blackouts, such transient events can have a significant impact on daily life and can cause health problems as vulnerable residents are forced to cut back their use of air conditioning or heat.

How Bidirectional Charging Can Enhance Resilience

EVs can help mitigate the risks of severe weather events. Equipped with appropriate bidirectional (two-way) charging equipment, they can provide a backup source of power to keep disaster shelters, community centers, medical offices, emergency services, and other services in operation. Being mobile, EVs can drive to areas where there is no outage or there is a source of resilient local generation, such as an EV charging station powered by solar, to be recharged, and then return to the community and resume delivering power. They need no special shipments of generators or fuel. Their very mobility is one of their biggest advantages. They can even be deployed to neighborhoods to serve as mobile charging hubs for cell phones and medical devices. Widespread use of EVs could also help avoid blackouts and brownouts by shifting power supply from low-demand to high-demand periods. This is why many electric utilities are actively supporting early-stage vehicle-to-grid programs.

While the technology of bidirectional (two-way) charging is not yet widely adopted, EVs with the capability of sending power to the grid are already on the road (Table 1). Nissan was one of the first car companies to equip its EV, the Leaf, with bidirectional chargers, and others are following suit. Ford has made the F-150 Lightning’s ability to keep the lights on when the grid goes dark a key message of the truck’s marketing campaign: “What if the next time your power went out, your pickup truck could electrify your home.”⁵

Bluebird, a leading electric school bus manufacturer in the US, likewise offers two-way charging in its electric buses. This bus – like the F-150 – contains a relatively large battery pack (roughly twice the size of that on most electric cars) which can provide power for up to several days depending on the size of the load. Other electric bus manufacturers offer the same capability.

Table 1. List of electric cars and light trucks equipped with bidirectional charging/discharging as of 2022. The list may not be complete. Source: EV Connect

There are three main ways EVs can be used to feed power to other systems and networks: Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), in which the vehicle connects directly to the power grid, just like a small power plant; Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) or Vehicle-to-Building (V2B), in which the vehicle connects to the power distribution within a home or business, behind the utility meter; and Vehicle-to-Load (V2L), in which the vehicle connects directly to a set of devices such as lighting and appliances. The simplest of these is V2L: it suffices to plug the appliance directly into the charger that’s connected to the vehicle. V2H/B and V2G require additional equipment and software to manage the power flows and interactions with the grid.

Numerous demonstration projects have been or are being performed to show that bidirectional technology in its various forms works. For instance, Electric Frog Company is providing free use of a Nissan Leaf to the Burrillville Wastewater Treatment Facility in Rhode Island. When not in use by Burrillville employees, the EV will be plugged into a bidirectional charger, with the ability to feed power back to the grid to help meet peak loads. ⁶ Among other programs, the California Energy Commission recently approved three “vehicle-to-grid integration (VGI)” pilots focused on residential, commercial, and microgrid applications in the PG&E utility area;⁷ the charging company EV Connect is partnering with Indiana’s Battery Innovation Center and Energy Systems Network to demonstrate bidirectional technology for school buses and heavy-duty truck fleets;⁸ and even the Department of Defense is getting in on the act with an initiative to test between 100 and 500 EVs in bidirectional applications at military bases.⁹

How to Implement Bidirectional EV Charging

Making use of bidirectional EVs to offset peak loads or keep the lights on in a blackout requires not only an appropriately equipped vehicle, but a charging point that can receive power from it and deliver the power to where it is needed. Even if your home or business is equipped with a standard charging station, you cannot use it to run your lights and appliances when the grid is out. It just won’t work.

One reason is that batteries use direct current (DC), rather than the alternating current (AC) used in homes and businesses. This means they cannot directly power most services such as refrigerators, lights, and televisions. Batteries need an inverter to convert between DC and AC, which can be either on the vehicle or in the charging station. For bidirectional charging, the inverter must be able to operate in both directions. These components are often part of what are called “smart” charging systems because they use computers and sensors to decide when and how much power to deliver in either direction.

Figure 2: Bidirectional Electric Vehicle and Charging Framework. Source: Argonne National Lab

There are several different bidirectional charging systems on the market, with more in development. Unfortunately, they are not all compatible with one another. Tesla and Ford maintain their own charging networks with their own standards. This can result in confusion, so it is best to consult the vehicle manufacturer to make sure a particular vehicle’s charging system works safely with the receiving station.

Over time, as the technology matures, the industry should coalesce around a standard that makes most bidirectional EVs and EV chargers mutually compatible.

What Services Can Bidirectional EVs Support – and How Long?

With the right charging equipment, an EV can provide 110-volt or 220-volt AC power that can support most services – such as lighting, A/C, refrigeration, and computers – for as long as its battery lasts. But how long is that? That depends mainly on three things: the size of the battery, the size of the load (the total amount of power required), and whether there is additional on-site power, such as from a solar array, to satisfy part of the load and replenish the EV battery.

Let’s start with a single-family household. Energy use for any specific household can vary a lot depending on its size, type of construction, location, climate, heating and cooling systems, and other factors. The average American home consumes about 11,000 kWh per year, at an average power draw of 1.25 kW.¹⁰ A typical electric car battery stores up to about 50-75 kWh, implying that it could supply such a home at its regular usage rate for about 2 days. A larger vehicle like the F-150 Lightning, on the other hand, with its 134-kWh battery, could power the same home for around 4.5 days. That’s without any solar on the house.

In an emergency, power demand could be reduced, thereby extending the time it takes to discharge the battery. If the same household used full power only for water heating, lighting, and refrigeration, cut power use in half for air conditioning and heat, and shut off all other uses, a typical electric car could power the home for around 3.5 days, and a vehicle like the F-150 for just over a week. This is enough to get through most blackouts.

On a larger scale, fleets of electric cars, vans, and buses could power many essential community services almost indefinitely, thanks to their mobility. To take an example: A police station in Washington, DC, consumes an average of about 125 kW to keep its services running around the clock.¹¹ A single electric passenger bus with 200-300 kWh storage could power full operations of one such station for around two hours. A fleet of, say, four buses taking turns and driving to be recharged in another city or at an emergency generator station could keep it in operation almost indefinitely (depending on distance to the recharging point).

Most community emergency shelters, such as school gymnasiums and churches, require less power than a police station, and so could be powered longer by a single vehicle. Actual power usage varies widely, of course, depending on the building size, local climate, and types of services delivered. Any community considering using bidirectional charging should carefully study the requirements to incorporate it into their emergency planning. Organizations like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can provide useful guidance.¹²

Pilot Projects

As we saw in the last blog, electric school buses are the “point of the spear” in expanding the use of community EVs. Initiatives like that of the Stockton Union School District (SUSD) in Stockton, California, envision eventually using their school buses and other municipal electric vehicles to support the power grid and earn revenue during peak load periods and to provide backup power during outages caused by events such as wildfires. However, it will require further work and investment to provide essential infrastructure, such as schools and emergency services, with the equipment to receive power from the buses.

One of the main lessons learned from these initiatives is the importance of optimizing charging strategies to minimize the number and capacity (in kW) of chargers required, avoid overtaxing the power grid, and take advantage of off-peak electricity rates. The Mobility House, a private consulting firm based in Germany, advised the SUSD on its charging strategy, and claims to have reduced the peak capacity requirement for the current fleet of 11 electric buses from 317 kW to 79 kW and the annual charging cost by $25,700 per year, compared to an unmanaged strategy.

Several pilot projects demonstrate the potential to use electric school buses to feed power into the grid in the Northeast. In one located in Beverly, Massachusetts, a Thomas Built Buses electric school bus helped the local utility, National Grid, meet peak loads over the course of 30 events in the summer of 2021.¹³ In another, located in White Plains, New York, five electric school buses built by Lion Electric Company of Quebec have demonstrated the ability to feed power to the ConEdison grid in a pilot program that started in 2018.¹⁴

In both cases, the goal is to demonstrate how electric buses can help utilities meet peak loads and so reduce the need for costly peaking power. In fact, the main instigator of such initiatives has not been school districts or town governments, it has been the utility companies who face high costs and a growing risk of outages due to rising peak loads. Nonetheless, the towns stand to receive an economic benefit, as well, as they can be reimbursed for the power provided to the grid at a much higher rate than they pay for charging the buses at night and, in some cases, generate revenue through participation in utility demand response programs that are beginning to explore EV participation.

By supplying power during periods of peak demand, EVs such as buses can be an important part of an overall strategy to replace peaking power plants with clean energy solutions, which has important environmental justice benefits. According to analysis by Clean Energy Group, a disproportionate number of peaking power plants are in lower income communities and communities of color. These plants also tend to emit harmful pollutants at higher rates, severely impacting the health of surrounding communities. Clean Energy Group’s Phase Out Peakers initiative seeks to call attention to the pollution and cost impacts of fossil peaking units and accelerate the transition to clean alternatives, including EVs providing demand response.¹⁵

At the same time, the pilot programs provide confidence that bidirectional charging would work in the event of a grid outage. However, that application requires additional investments in “smart grid” equipment, which after sensing a grid failure can isolate the buildings or services from the grid and deliver electricity from the buses to power essential services.¹⁶

Other organizations are seeking to incorporate EVs into complete resilient power solutions for their communities. The Glad Tidings International church, for example, is planning to build a “clean energy hub” that includes 668 kW of solar, ten Level 2 and four Level 3 (fast) bidirectional charging points, and a combination of stationary batteries and EVs able to supply power for the Glad Tidings campus for 3 days without sun, and indefinitely with sun. Bidirectional EVs (2 Nissan Leafs and a Kia EV6) are a critical part of their plan and provide the bulk of the storage capacity.

Clean Energy Group

Alternative Energy Climate Electricity Government News Solar Energy

Indian solar company wants to do more for Jamaica

March 30, 2023 jrobinson

International Solar Alliance's (ISA) Chief of Operations Joshua Wycliffe (right) speaking recently at the organisation's office in Dehli, India. At left is ISA's Chief of the Project Implementation Unit Remesh Kumar Kuruppath. — International Solar Alliance’s (ISA) Chief of Operations Joshua Wycliffe (right) speaking recently at the organisation’s office in Dehli, India. At left is ISA’s Chief of the Project Implementation Unit Remesh Kumar Kuruppath.

DEHLI, India — International Solar Alliance (ISA), based in this populous Asian city, has expressed interest in furthering its work with the Jamaica Government after providing funding of US$50,000 to complete the Little Park Solar Pump Station in St Elizabeth last year.

According to ISA’s chief of the Project Implementation Unit Remesh Kumar Kuruppath, Jamaica is the first country to benefit from this type of developmental solarisation project from the organisation.

“Jamaica is our first project in the solarisation of an agricultural pumping system. It is a water pumping system that has been solarised, and this was commissioned sometime in September last year. This is the first demonstration project we have done with the country to solarise a water pumping system there, and we have a very close interaction with the Jamaica Government and team there, and they want us to do more,” Kuruppath told journalists from the Caribbean and Latin America now in India on a familiarisation tour organised by the Indian Government.

This addition to the Little Park Pump Station saw the National Irrigation Commission (NIC) obtaining a 30-kilowatt solar retrofit to the Little Park-F3 Solar Pump Station through which over 390 farmers in the rural parish were already benefiting from increased and reliable access to water.

The organisation’s Chief of Operations Joshua Wycliffe told the Jamaica Observer that ISA believes Jamaica’s next step is to solarise other key sectors.

“It has been an absolute delight working and partnering with Jamaica. One of the areas that we are now looking at is how we have solarised our hospital rooftops. We would love to do that to health-care [and] educational facilities in Jamaica. These are two demonstration projects that can be replicated across Jamaica next,” Wycliffe said.

Pointing to the negative implications on the global job market and economy, Wycliffe went on to note that the project commissioned at the Little Park Pump Station in St Elizabeth by NIC supports the push for a more sustainable agricultural sector. Furthermore, the chief of operations told the Sunday Observer that the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic saw an undeniable increase in agriculture due to the loss of jobs, and that ISA played its part in providing solarisation.

“Now Jamaica, like most island states, would also have a lot to do with fishing and marine exports, so coastal ridges are areas that we can support in terms of solarising that industrial segment. Recently there were countries, and I suspect Jamaica would be no exception, where hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost during the pandemic so people went back to farming — and we were able to provide solarisation to sustain that,” Wycliffe explained.

He continued, “This saw that a new channel for exporting was created so what we have looked at is being able to provide sustainable agriculture through solarised power. So, remote villages and communities where they don’t have power grid support to run the irrigation pumps, solarised pumps are an answer. They provide support for people living below the poverty line, so these are two broad areas where we can support Jamaica in being able to further solarise and transition.”

In the meantime, Wycliffe told the Sunday Observer that the ISA is hoping to meet with delegates from Jamaica at its upcoming regional committee meeting in the summer.

“We have had a great working relationship with the Jamaican Government, and that has certainly helped us in putting in small demonstration projects. We are looking forward, eagerly, to the regional committee meeting that is coming up; we would like to further work with them,” he said.

ISA is an international organisation with 110 member and signatory countries. It works with governments to improve energy access and security worldwide, and promotes solar power as a sustainable way to transition to a carbon-neutral future.

To support those projects the organisation partners with multilateral development banks, development financial institutions, private and public sector organisations, civil society, and other international institutions to deploy cost-effective and transformational solutions through solar energy, especially in the least -eveloped countries and the small-island developing states.

Jamaica Observer

Alternative Energy News Renewable Energy Solar Energy

Renewables increased energy output by more than 12% in 2022

March 12, 2023 jrobinson

According to a review by the SUN DAY Campaign of data just released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), renewable energy sources provided almost 23% of the nation’s electrical generation in 2022.

The latest issue of EIA’s “Electric Power Monthly” report (with data through December 31) reveals that renewable energy sources (including small-scale solar systems) increased their electrical output by 12.37% last year compared to 2021. By comparison, electrical generation by all energy sources combined grew by just 3.47%.

In 2022, renewables provided 22.58% of total U.S. electrical generation versus 20.79% a year ago. Accordingly, they modestly surpassed EIA’s earlier forecast of renewables providing 22% of U.S. electricity in calendar year 2022.

Once again, solar was the fastest growing renewable energy source. Output by solar increased by 24.14% and its share of total U.S. electrical generation for the year was 4.74%. A year earlier, solar’s share was 3.95%. Five years ago, it was 1.91% and at the end of 2012, solar’s share was only 0.11%.

Electrical generation by wind also expanded significantly — growing by 14.97% and providing over a tenth (10.11%) of total U.S. electrical generation in 2022. Combined, solar and wind contributed nearly 15% (14.85%) of the nation’s electrical output last year.

In addition, generation by hydropower grew 4.14% and accounted for 6.09% of the total. Electrical output by geothermal as well as wood and wood-derived fuels also increased by 6.43% and 0.29% respectively. Only generation by “other biomass” fell — by 5.06%.

Taken together, in 2022, renewable energy sources comfortably out-produced both coal and nuclear power by 17.18% and 25.90% respectively. However, natural gas continued to dominate with a 39.27% share of total generation.

Renewables’ growing share of U.S. electrical generation last year mirrored their expansion in other sectors such as transportation and heating.

For example, a second EIA report — its “Monthly Energy Review” released last week — reveals that the mix of renewable energy sources, including biofuels, accounted for 13.03% of total U.S. energy production during the first 11 months of 2022. For the same period a year earlier, renewables’ share was 12.50%.

On the consumption side, renewables were 13.20% of energy use during the first 11 months of 2022. Renewables were 12.43% of energy consumption during the same time period a year earlier. Actual consumption of renewables increased by 8.96%, while total energy use for all sectors increased by just 2.59%.

“Last year set a new record for renewably generated electricity in the U.S.,” noted the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director Ken Bossong. “Renewables are now on track to reach one-quarter of electrical generation in 2023 as well as one-seventh of total domestic energy production and then accelerate in the years to follow.”

Solar Power World

Alternative Energy Electricity Government News Renewable Energy Solar Energy

China ready to help Caribbean with transition to solar energy

March 12, 2023 jrobinson

Deputy official for China's National People's Congress, Liu Hanyuan, is chairman of the Board of Directors of Tongwei Group and co-chairman of the China Photovoltaic Agricultural Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance. Liu spoke with reporters during the Two Sessions on climate change issues on March 8, 2023. — Deputy official for China’s National People’s Congress, Liu Hanyuan, is chairman of the Board of Directors of Tongwei Group and co-chairman of the China Photovoltaic Agricultural Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance. Liu spoke with reporters during the Two Sessions on climate change issues on March 8, 2023.

Chinese deputy official Liu Hanyuan said China’s is willing and ready to assist Caribbean regions with the transition to renewable energy, particularly solar, through collaboration and technological assistance.

Speaking with Loop News for the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC), Liu said because of the Caribbean’s sunny location solar is a good choice for alternative energy.

Liu said from the technical perspective it is possible to reduce the cost for solar energy, however in the Caribbean region photovoltaic (PV) systems are still being introduced. Another issue would be shipping, which contributes to higher costs.

He said however if there is enough demand this could help make solar more affordable.

“If there is the demand, the price would be cheaper and cost could be lower, and they could also enjoy the same prices as people in China.”

He added that there are no limitations with regard to the sharing of Chinese technology and skills in assisting the Caribbean region in the transition to solar energy.

“From the Chinese perspective of the government with regard to these enterprises, there are absolutely no limitations for the transmission of this technology into the Caribbean region. But we need two things, more demand and the new systems being established, which will help bring lower energy costs.”

He said however that once these systems are built the price of energy will be comparatively lower than fossil fuels.

He said it’s hoped that they can assist with the construction of more solar facilities to assist with the Caribbean region’s energy goals.

Liu, who is chairman of the Board of Directors of Tongwei Group and co-chairman of the China Photovoltaic Agricultural Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance, said China’s green development strategy has clear goals for reducing C02 emissions, one of which is developing its solar energy production.

China is also open to developing and providing technological support for other countries in this regard via its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

In Trinidad and Tobago, sod has been turned for the construction of a solar park system at the Piarco International Airport, via a $12 million grant from the European Union’s Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) programme.

Plans are also underway for the construction of the country’s largest solar energy project to be developed and executed by a consortium between Lightsource bp, bp Alternative Energy Trinidad and Tobago and Shell Renewables Caribbean.

It is the first joint project between the three entities.

The 148MW total is split over two sites, Brechin Castle (122MWp) and Orange Grove (26MWp), the latter of which will see bp and Shell collaborate with the University of the West Indies. Construction is expected to begin in Q1 2023, and operations in Q3-4 2024.

The project came about in response to the Trinidadian government’s request for proposal (RFP), seeking projects to contribute to the country’s commitment to lower greenhouse gas emissions in the power sector by 15 per cent by 2030.

Loop

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