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Energy Independence
By Jamie Newton
Overview
• Solar Energy Potential
• Non-Electric Solar Power
– Technologies
– Implications for Energy Independence
• Solar Generated Electricity
– Technologies
– Distribution Approaches
– Implications for Energy Independence
Solar Energy Potential
• As of February 2006, Photovoltaic technology
accounted for less than 1% of worldwide
electricity generation.
• The amount of solar energy that reaches the
Earth’s surface every hour is greater than
humankind’s total demand for energy in one
year
Non-Electric Solar Power
• Advantages
– Replacing or supplementing
other water heating
methods: natural gas,
electricity
• Disadvantages
– More expensive in cooler
climates
Passive Solar Heating/Cooling
• Passive solar heating
can use overhangs to
shield the home from
the sun in the
summer, and warm
the home when the
sun is lower in the
winter sky
Solar Heating/Cooling
Non-Electric Solar Power &
Energy Independence
• Lowered Energy Consumption
• Broadening of Energy Portfolio
• Reduced Need for Fossil Fuel Imports
Solar Generated Electricity
Utah 3,600 456,100 - Direct normal solar resource in the Southwest, filtered
by resource, land use, and topology. Image courtesy of
Total 53,900 6,877,000
“Tackling Climate Change In the US: Potential Carbon
Emissions Reductions from Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy by 2030” (Charles F. Kutcher ed.)
Image of parabolic trough power plant in Kramer Junction, CA, which supplies power for the greater
Los Angeles area. This plant, in conjunction 4 other parabolic trough plants in California, can
produce as much as 354MW of electricity.
Photovoltaic Cells
Photovoltaic Potential
• “The basic resource potential for solar PV
in the United States is virtually unlimited
compared to any foreseeable demand for
energy.”
– Paul Denholm, Robert Margolis, & Ken Zweibel, “Potential Carbon
Emissions Reductions from Solar Photovoltaics by 2030,” in Tackling
Climate Change In The US: Potential Carbon Emissions Reductions
From Energy Efficiency And Renewable Energy By 2030, p.99 (Charles
F. Kutcher, ed., 2007)
• PV is flexible enough that it can be adapted for use in many areas.
Photoelectric Effect
• Basic process by which a
photovoltaic cell converts
absorbed sunlight into
electricity
• “Photons” knock
electrons free from the
silicon structure, freeing
them to enter electric
current and power a
“load” (like a light bulb)
Solar Generated Electricity
Distribution Approaches
• Centralized (CSP)
– Advantages and Disadvantages
• Distributed (PV Roof Installations)
– Advantages and Disadvantages
– Distributed PV Generation & Energy
Independence
Centralized
• Advantages • Disadvantages
– Traditional model of – Non-Constant Power
distribution – Vulnerability
– No fuel costs
•Goals for DOE’s Solar America Initiative for cost reduction in PV Residential
(2-4kW) Systems:
•2015 = 10-12 cents/kWh
•2030 = 6-8 cents/kWh
•$148M in 2007 Funding for Solar America Initiative to spark R&D
Efficiency
• Conversion Efficiency – the percentage of
solar energy shining on a device that is
converted into electrical energy
• Typical Efficiencies
– Single Crystalline Silicon = 14%
– Thin Film = 7%
CCRs
• As of 1999, 42 Million Americans lived in
community associations
• Many of these communities seek to establish
aesthetic uniformity, protecting homeowner and
developer investment and lessening the risk of
undesirable activities in the community
• The Declaration of Conditions, Covenants, and
Restrictions are one method used to ensure that
homes retain a common design theme w/in a
community
Typical CCR Provisions Restricting
Solar Systems
• Prior Approval of • Requirements that utilities
Architectural Committee be screened
• Explicit Restrictions on • Restrictions on the
Placement of Solar placement of
Equipment improvements
• Height Restrictions • Specifications regarding
• Restrictions on secondary roofing materials
buildings or structures • Restrictions pertaining to
architectural style
Architectural Restrictions
• Arizona HOA is battling
resident over black solar
collector which doesn’t
match his light-brown roof
• Some state laws have
attempted to limit the ability
of CCRs to restrict solar
improvements
Intermittency
• Obviously, solar power requires sunlight to
generate power
• This means that:
– No power is can be generated at night
– Power generation may be reduced by cloud cover
• However, PV will still work with overcast skies
– Generation techniques requiring direct sunlight (CSP)
are ineffective w/o optimum conditions
• Solutions:
– Generators, Batteries, Hybrid Facilities
– Hydrogen
Hydrogen
• Hydrogen can be used as an energy carrier
• Hydrogen can be created from water through a
process called “electrolysis”
– DC current is used to split water into hydrogen and
oxygen
• Energy from renewable sources, like solar
power, can be used to manufacture hydrogen
• Commercial feasibility of solar generated
hydrogen is far off
Solar Power and Energy
Independence
• Lessen Reliance on Fossil Fuel
• Stabilize Energy Costs
• Re-conceptualize Distribution of Energy
– End-user production
– Distributed system lessens large-scale
vulnerability
• Production Method for Hydrogen
Economy