Bertrand Piccard and his co-pilot Andre Borschberg are planning to take the plane on a trip around the world in 2012. For now they’re doing some test flights with it, to gather enough data to improve on its efficiency.

The plane features an array of 12,000 solar panel cells that are used to charge lithium batteries. It also has four electric motors which can provide a maximum of forty horsepower. The plane will have a takeoff speed of 22 mph with a cruising speed of around 44mph.

Bertrand Piccard can use the experience he earned while travelling nonstop around the world in a balloon. But with this solar plane flight, they will need to make stops along the way. The pilots will need to change places, and stretch, after long periods spent cramped in the cockpit. His co-pilot, Borschberg is an experienced airplane and helicopter pilot.

Solar Impulse will have its first test flight later this year. They plan to take the plane out for a night flight in 2010. Piccard stated that they will take the plane gradually off the ground. They’ll start will one meter, then three meters, then five meters. If everything goes well, they will then take it to altitude.

The plane will not be flying during bad weather because it needs the sun’s energy for day-time flying, and to charge the lithium batteries to be used at night. It will be a challenge for the team to plot a flight path that will avoid stormy situations.

Piccard has this to add with regards to the Solar Impulse:

If an aircraft is able to fly day and night without fuel, propelled solely by solar energy, let no one come and claim that it is impossible to do the same thing for motor vehicles, heating and air conditioning systems and computers.’

Major sponsors of the project are Solvay, Omega Watch, and Deutsche Bank. Solvay designed the cockpit as well as other parts of the Solar Impulse, using lightweight polymers. For more information with regards to the solar plane project, visit its official web site here.

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The space solar industry has been busy these past months. PowerSat’s announcement came after Solaren, another company engaged in space solar development, signed a deal to provide power to northern California utility PG&E last April. There’s also the Swiss company, Space Energy, that announced its plan to launch a prototype satellite in space over the next two to three years.

Solar power from space can provide unlimited, sustainable, and clean power. Unlike PV solar systems, the output will not depend on atmospheric conditions or cloud cover. In space, the sun’s energy will be five times more powerful than it is in any spot on the planet. The energy-capturing satellites (called PowerSats) will be able to receive a much greater amount of power, compared to a ground-based system of the same size.

It might sound complicated at first, but the idea is simple. Power satellites will be fitted with solar arrays that will generate direct-current electricity. This will be converted into radio-frequency energy and transmitted back to earth, the same way radio signals are sent to a radio. Once the radio frequency signal arrives at the receiving station, it will be converted back to DC electricity.

Space solar looks promising indeed, but it must first overcome some obstacles along its way. One challenge it faces is that investors see it as risky. It is still unproven, and no one wants to invest billions of dollars in it, to find out that it does not succeed as was hoped.

PowerSat thinks it has solved the money problem with its two new technologies. The company claims that these can take off around $1 billion in launch and operation costs, for a 2.5-megawatt power station in space.

The first technology is BrightStar, which will use a cluster of small satellites instead of one large satellite. The small satellites will work together and transmit power as a group.

The second technology they unveiled is Solar Power Orbital Transfer, or SPOT. This will save on fuel costs because with SPOT, satellites will be using their solar arrays to power their electronic thrusters.

PowerSat plans on launching a prototype in 2015, and mass producing their system between 2019 and 2021. It estimates that a 2.5-gigawatt system will cost around $4 to $5 billion.

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Southern California Edison unveiled their five year plan which involves installing solar panels on top of at least 150 buildings which it will be leasing. They are targeting locations with high-growth areas such as San Bernardino and riverside counties. These rooftop solar arrays will produce half of the utility’s solar energy.

Last summer, Southern California Edison got a head-start by installing a 2.4 megawatt solar power system on a warehouse owned by Prologis in Fontana. They are constructing another one on top of a warehouse in Chino. A third one is still under negotiation. The three solar projects were approved by the commission last year. The utility is set to install 50 additional megawatts on rooftops.

Southern California Edison will then buy 250 megawatts from independent solar companies, which will lease commercial roof space. Solar power systems on commercial roof space will be more feasible than on homes and small businesses, because of the larger area available for panel coverage. Solar energy generated by smaller systems will cost more, overall, than power generated from larger ones.

California PUC President Michael Peevey stated that power from a commercial rooftop solar power system is more expensive than power from large wind and solar plants, but that the state has to adopt the scheme because it can be executed faster and with less hassles.

Large-scale wind and solar projects usually meet opposition from environmental groups who are concerned about the impact on the plants and animals in the surrounding area. Plus, companies need to construct additional transmission lines to connect the plants to the power grid.

In contrast, rooftop solar systems can generate energy that can readily be fed into Southern California Edison’s power grid. This is the main reason why the PUC approved the plan. Even small-scale power companies can participate in the program, through competitive bidding.

With plenty of rooftops available throughout the US, this could be the model program for other states to follow. With both utility-owned and private companies participating, a healthy competition will be fostered which will be good for the market.

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Once completed, it will be the biggest solar power system that’s been incorporated to an existing data center.  Its total power output will be almost three times that of the 1.6 megawatts generated by the solar power system installed at the Googleplex.

The first phase will consist of 5,000 solar panels that will generate 500 kilowatts.  It will be completed by January 2010.  This solar array will be expanded until it reaches the full capacity of 4.5 megawatts.  The target date for completion will be in late 2010.

Even though the solar power system will only power part of the whole data center, the company will be saving at least 50 percent of its energy bill because the company will also implement an on-site thermal storage system.

The IT industry has also been a staunch supporter of solar energy.  In 2007, AISO.net hosted the Live Earth’s web site.  AISO is short for Affordable Internet Services Online.  Live Earth is a series of global concerts to address climate change.  AISO.net uses solar power in its operation.   It’s their mission to be a reliable and responsible web hosting company.  AISO is located in Southern California, where the sun is often shining.

What makes AISO.net unique from other data centers and hosting providers is that it is 100% powered by solar energy.  It uses 120 solar panels installed at both sides of its data center facility.  To cool the facility, ASIO.net uses two air/water units that use only 1,200 watts, at full speed.  They can cool 110 degree air down to 55 degrees, with no humidity.  Plus the facility catches all the water from the building and the solar panels, and brings them to a sump, which will then divert them to tanks.  That’s how committed the company is with regards to conservation and the environment.

I/O Data Centers going partially solar is a good start.  Hopefully they will follow ASIO.net’s footsteps. and go 100% solar in the future.  That the IT industry is utilizing solar power only goes to show that the sun is a reliable, sustainable source of energy that businesses can harness.

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Among the major gainers are U.S. solar panel manufacturer Evergreen Solar Inc (up by 19 percent), Chinese LDK Solar Co Ltd (up by 19 percent), and Chinese solar panel manufacturer Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd (up by seven percent). These are just some companies that enjoyed profit after the market closed last Wednesday.

The stocks of U.S.-listed Chinese companies are boosted by the speculations that the Chinese government is preparing some sort of feed-in tariff to encourage the use of photovoltaic solar power. That move will give Chinese companies lots of business in the near future.

As early as now, Suntech has stated that it is engaged in talks of developing a 500 megawatt solar power station in the Qinghai province. If this pushes through, it will be the first photovoltaic project in China in the three-digit megawatt range. There has been an oversupply of solar panels the past year and this increase solar demand in China will be good for the industry. The abundance of solar panels on the market has caused the price to drop and has caused profits to go down.

The rising oil prices are also one of the major factors in the investors’ decision to go for solar stocks. The prices for one crude oil barrel closed at $71. More people are looking for alternatives and a solar photovoltaic panel is the most common solution.

It’s not just in China that solar power is in demand. In the US, there’s was a 16-percent increase in installed capacity in 2008. This is due to the federal stimulus fund that President Obama appropriated within the 2009 federal budget.

Some cities are aggressive with their plans on going green. Philadelphia, for one, wants to list all of city-owned rooftops and open spaces to determine spots that can be used for solar panel installations. Its city water department is planning to place a solar array on top of its water storage basins. In California, San Francisco residents can go online to find out what solar power can do for them. Berkeley used property taxes to fund its solar installations. In New York, city engineers are trying to find ways of incorporating solar power systems into the state’s power grid.

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The area Hyatt’s rooftop is used to hold tennis and basketball courts. It is also the location of the annual networking party conducted by the Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce. But for the rest of the days in the year, the site is relatively underused. The solar panels also act as addition thermal insulation for the building.

SunPower Corp began installing the solar array in Hyatt Regency last March, and was completed in April. The courts used to be an attraction point for hotel guests, but it is used less often in recent times. Replacing it with solar panels made the area an asset to the hotel.

The hotel’s solar power system consists of 1,870 panels. It is the first Hyatt hotel in the North America that utilized solar energy. Several hotels are using solar heating systems for their hot water needs. The company is looking for ways of using more renewable sources in the near future. According to computations, the solar power system will reduce the state’s carbon dioxide emissions by at least 10,000 tons over the next 30 years. At least 749 barrels a year will be saved with the use of the solar power system.

Installing the solar power system is not the only green move the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick made. Last April they implemented a food-composting program. They also started recycling their paper, glass, plastic, and metal waste. They installed a kitchen-hood control system last month and expect to reduce their air conditioning and heating costs by up to $28,000 per year. The hotel switched to CFL lights and replaced their garage lighting with QL lights. LED lights are also used in certain parts of the hotel. This translates to a reduction in electricity consumption by 375,000 kWh each year.

The time is just right for going green, with consumer incentives and the infusion of federal stimulus funds. Households and businesses can quickly regain savings from their solar power systems. Not only that, but the technology is developing fast. In the future, solar collectors will not be as bulky as they are today. Businesses should follow Hyatt’s example, and make an effort to reduce their environmental footprint.

Integrated photovoltaics is what experts predict to be the future of solar PV systems. The massive solar panels of today will be gone. The flexible solar shingles is said to be cheaper and easier to install than the boxy panels currently in use.

Mark Gross, senior scientist at the Depart of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, stated that every rooftop can be used to generate power from the sun. Another plus to this is that flexible solar panels can easily be incorporated with a home or building’s aesthetic design. No more unsightly boxes to place on rooftops.

One of PNNL’s goals is to increase the United States energy capacity and reduce its dependence on foreign oil sources. This is one reason why they’re developing ways of harnessing the sun’s power. Their researchers have developed the technology using thin film as early as the 1990s. They created the flexible panels by encapsulating the films, using the same process to coat flat screen displays that use organic light-emitting diodes (or OLED).

The encapsulation and barrier film has been known to be effective in barring moisture, but the research must find a way to use the technology on the solar panels that will be made up of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) or cadmium telluride (CdTe). They will have to come out with a way of making flexible solar panels that can survive harsh weather conditions, including hail and rain for up to 25 years.

Once the research is complete, it could lead to the mass production of photovoltaic energy. In the future, we might see the average home with a PV solar systems installed.

This research is made possible through the funding from the DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Technology Commercialization Fund. A total of $1.5 million was allotted by the DOE for the project, but it requires commercial partners to shell out the same amount. Vitex, the partner, can only provide up to $350,900 in labor, materials, and equipments for the project. Hopefully the taxpayers’ hard earned money will not just go to waste.

For more details regarding the research, you can visit the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory site here.

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One of the the biggest differences between CSP and PV is that concentrated solar power utilizes reflectors, such as mirrors, to focus sunlight onto a specific area. Photovoltaic systems avoid using reflective materials because they can decrease their absorption.

The concept of concentrated solar power can be demonstrated with a magnifying glass.  When one concentrates sunlight through a lens onto a small area, one creates heat strong enough to light a fire or even burn through steal.  You might have played with this when you were a child, to burn leaves and the like. But with a CSP system, one is focusing sunlight to heat transfer fluids. Once the transfer fluids are heated, they turn into steam, which is siphoned towards a turbine. The turbine will turns and generates electricity.

Heat transfer fluids are vital part of any CSP plant. Without them, the plant would not produce any energy no matter how clear the weather.

Significant improvements on this technology have been seen in this during the past years. Dow Chemical Company, one of the leading suppliers of heat transfer fluid in the world, has announced the launch of Dowtherm. The company has now produced enough Dowtherm to produce more than 500 megawatts of energy from concentrated solar power plants across the globe.

One advantage concentrated solar power has is that it is compatible with the conventional power generators that are used in today’s power plants. It is feasible to convert coal and oil power into CSP plants. There’s no need to build new facilities fully from the ground up. Old facilities can be retrofitted to be run by CSP.

Concentrated solar power plants have been used to generate energy in the United States for the past fifteen years.  But it is only recently that more attention has been focused on their use. Studies show that they are far cheaper for the production of electricity using. And costs will continue to go down as research and development of this technology progresses.

With utilities urged by the federal government to find methods of generating energy from sustainable sources, we can expect that more CSP power plants will be built, along with clean energy plants using other alternative energy sources, such as photovoltaic solar power, wind, and biomass.

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Forest Reach is a group of 58 residential homes between Bethany Beach and Bear Trap, which is about to install solar panels on the land owned by the community. The energy generated will be used to power the neighborhood’s lamp posts, pool equipment, and fountains.

Other communities should start projects like this one. Their energy consumption can actually be reduced by up to 90 percent. Not only that, but there will be a decrease as well of the carbon generated.

The Forest Reach group is said to have a budget of $200,000 for their project. The group will fund the project from savings, and from a bank loan. The project will also get some help through the Delaware Green Energy Fund, which will subsidize 25 percent of its costs. Like all solar projects, the initial capital is a bit high, but it will benefit the community in the long run.

This community is said to recoup around $8,000 each year from their electric bill savings. If their solar power system produces excess electricity, they can earn Renewable Energy Credits and the excess can be sold back to their local utility company.

According to the contractor, Green Energy Design, the Forest Reach project will consist of 112 GE 220 watt solar panels that can produce up to 7.2 kilowatts. They will stack them to fit the land, and will landscape this parcel of land, to soften the appearance of the solar panel system.

Also in Delaware, the Lewes Board of Public Works, with the University of Delaware’s Sea Grant College Program, will conduct a feasibility study on a community solar utility that will service Lewes. The area consumes more energy in the summer, due to the use of air conditioning. This makes solar energy a perfect match for the community. This feasibility study hopes to answer questions as to how much the project will cost, the savings the community will be able to accomplish, and how the progrect can be paid for.

The proposed plan is to install solar panels on the tops of buildings in the community. There would be incentives in place so that building owners who allow the use of their space would be rewarded. There’s already a demand for solar energy in the area, and some homeowners are looking into purchasing solar collector systems for their homes.

Hopefully, the study in Lewes will show how workable it is to harness the sun’s power and generate energy. They should look to the project in Forest Reach as an example.  It will begin its installation in July.

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Solar power plants might be the next big thing when it comes to renewable energy. Unlike the photovoltaic systems we often see today, these concentrated solar power (CSP) plants use mirrors and only work while the sun is out. The lenses must concentrate the sun’s rays to temperatures ranging from 400 to 1,000 Celsius. That’s around 750 to 1,800 Fahrenheit. This technology is suited for hot, cloudless areas, such as the Middle East and the Sahara.

There are CSP solar energy plants already under construction in California and Southern Spain. Lockheed-Martin is also building a large solar plant, with thermal, storage in Arizona. This is by far the largest one being built in the world. The 290-megawatt CSP plant will be able to power around 73,000 homes once it is completed in 2013.

Named Starwood Solar I, this plant will have 3,500 parabolic mirrors which will each focus the sun’s rays onto a heat transfer fluid. The hot fluid will then convert water into steam, which will power the plant’s turbines to produce electricity.

Back to the study, by 2030 CSP plants will power up to seven percent of the total world electrical needs. To reach that projection, companies must invest in building these plants on desert soil. More investments mean more job opportunities as well. By 2050, solar plants will have the capacity of producing 1,500 gigawatts.

With the development of concentrated solar power, and the continuous improvement on wind and solar photovoltaic technology, renewable energy can become a long-term and viable source of the Earth’s energy in the future. CSP plants can deliver reliable industry-scale energy supply 24/7, using energy storage technologies and other hybrid operations within the power plant.

With big companies such as Lockheed-Martin financing CSP projects, more investors are likely to enter into the picture. With more investments, the relatively new concentrated solar power industry will be given a much-needed boost, to provide us with cleaner energy.

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