Gateway:Solar

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Solar Decision Support Tools
  1. "PvWatts2 Application"
    PVWatts calculates electrical energy produced by a grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system.
  2. "In My Backyard Tool"
    In My Backyard (IMBY) estimates the electricity you can produce with a solar photovoltaic (PV) array or wind turbine at your home or business.
  3. "Solar Advisor Model"
    Solar Advisor Model (SAM) is a comprehensive solar technology systems analysis model.


Solar Installed Capacity
  1. "Open PV Project"
    The Open PV Project is a collaborative effort between government, industry, and the public that will develop a comprehensive database of photovoltaic (PV) installation data for the United States.
Feature

PS10
Abengoa Solar began operation of Europe's first commercial solar thermal plant in 2007.[1] The PS10, located near Sevilla in southern Spain, harnesses concentrated solar power through a field of 600 mirrors that focus the sun's rays on a 40-story tower that houses a receiver where water is heated to steam which is stored and then can be used to drive turbines that then generate electricity.[2] Expansion of the facility is under way with a new tower, the PS20, that will have double the capcity of the PS10 and supply electricity for 12,000 households.[3] Construction of the tower was expensive and required subsidy from the Spanish government and the European Union, however the hope is the price of such construction will become competitive as the technology develops.[1][2]

Solar power converts light and heat from the sun into electricity. The sun is the origin of virtually all of the world’s energy. It powers the winds used to generate wind power.[4] And it is the necessary ingredient in photosynthesis which drives the generation of materials for biomass and biofuel energy.[5]

Contents

Solar Incentives & Policies

SOLAR RELATED INCENTIVES -- This list of incentives can be sorted by state or incentive type. The information is provided by DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency) and augmented with community input from OpenEnergyInfo.org.


Solar Technologies

Solar Resource Availability

United States Solar Resources

Europe, Africa, Mediterranean, Asia Solar Resources

Solar Economy

The data from the Open Energy Info platform shows 248 registered companies in the U.S. solar sector, with the heaviest concentrations in the Bay Area (37), the Greater Boston Area (27), the Rockies Area (39), and the Texas Area (18).

Solar Energy Companies

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CSV


PV Manufacturing

As of 2008, global solar PV nameplate capacity was 6.9 GW[6],[7], and was led primarily by manufacturers in Europe and China (each were tied with 27% of the market share[7]). In terms of individual manufacturers, the largest share of the market (8.2%) was held by Q-Cells, of Germany, followed by several manufactures in other countries, including China, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. U.S. manufacturers held a small share of the world PV market (6%), with nameplate capacity of just over 412 MW.[6], [7]

Some of the leading PV manufacturers in the U.S. in 2008 were:[6]
  • First Solar (35.7%)
  • United Solar (27.4%)
  • Solarworld CA (14.8%)


Additional resources include:


Solar PV Pricing

Global average PV module prices in 2008 ($3.65/W) were 23% lower than in 1998 ($4.75/W). During the same 10 year period, capacity-weighted average PV installation costs in the U.S. dropped from $10.8/W to $7.5/W (a 31% decrease).[7]

Solar Installations

The United States installed 0.34 GW of PV capacity in 2008, a 63% increase above 2007. [7] States with aggressive solar incentives lead the U.S. in PV installations. As of July, 2009, the leading states were: California (cumulative capacity as of 2008: 530 MW[7]), New Jersey (cumulative capacity as of 2008: 70 MW[7]), Nevada, and Colorado[6].

About 13 GW of concentrating solar power (CSP) was proposed globally through 2015 (based on forecasts made in mid-2009). The greatest market share is for the U.S. (51%), followed by Spain (33%). The majority of the proposed CSP projects in the U.S., (4.3 GW of the total 6.5 GW proposed) have power purchase agreements (PPAs).[7]


Add a new Energy Generation Facility
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CSV


Annual insurance premiums typically range from 0.25% to 0.5% of the total installed cost of a project depending on the geographic location of the installation[8].

Solar Energy Electricity Generation

U.S.

Solar energy electricity generation more than tripled between 2000 and 2008. U.S. Solar energy generation in 2000 was 909 million kWh, and had nearly doubled by 2006 (1,670 million kWh). Between 2000 and 2008, solar energy generation increased each year. By 2008, solar energy generation in the U.S. was 2,662 million kWh[6].

World

In 2007, Germany, Spain, Japan, and the United States were among the leading countries in solar energy generation[6].
  • Germany: 4,060 M kWh
  • U.S.: 2,133 M kWh
  • Japan: 2,017 M kWh
  • Spain: 803 M kWh

External Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Socolovsky, Jerome (2007 August 22). NPR. "Spain Runs Europe's First Commercial Solar Plant"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Shukman, David (2007 May 2). BBC. "Power station harnesses Sun's rays"
  3. ↑ Solucar Platform, Abengoa Solar - Our Projects
  4. ↑ Cause of Wind
  5. ↑ Biomass Energy Centre, What is BIOMASS?
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 (Published: July 2009) "US DOE 2008 Renewable Energy Data Book"
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 (Published: January 2010) "US DOE 2008 Solar Technologies Market Report"
  8. ↑ Speer,Bethany, Michael Mendelsohn, and Karlynn Cory.  "Insuring Solar Photovoltaics: Challenges and Possible Solutions". Technical Report: NREL/TP-6A2-46932. Revised February 2010
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