Meets State requirements for medical Marijuana dispensary Regulation for 100% Solar Credits.

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Meets State requirements for medical Marijuana dispensary Regulation for 100% Solar Credits.

Photo: Marty Caivano

Todd Young stands among his growing medical marijuana plants at the Therapeutic Compassion Center in Boulder last year. A combination of state and city laws being considered would force all dispensaries to offset 100 percent of their electricity use with wind or solar power.

A Colorado bill that sets regulations for the growing medical marijuana industry would probably have the unintended side effect of forcing all dispensaries in Boulder to use 100 percent wind or solar energy.

ScienceDaily (Feb. 7, 2010) — Scientists at the Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) and the Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF) have succeeded in developing a method for treating the surface of nanoparticles which greatly improves the efficiency of organic solar cells. The researchers were able to attain an efficiency of 2 percent by using so-called quantum dots composed of cadmium selenide.

These measurements, well above the previous efficiency ratings of 1 to 1.8 percent, were confirmed by the “Dye and Organic Solar Cells” research group of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems at the FMF. The photoactive layer of hybrid solar cells consists of a mixture of inorganic nanoparticles and an organic polymer. As it is theoretically possible to apply the method developed by the researchers to many nanoparticles, this breakthrough opens up new potential for increasing the efficiency of this type of solar cell even further.

The procedure has been patented and the results were published in a recent issue of the journal Applied Physics Letters.

Organic solar cells belong to the so-called third generation of solar cells and are still in the developmental stage. The world record for purely organic solar cells, a type in which both components of the photoactive layer consist of organic materials, is currently at 7 percent for layers created through wet chemical methods. Organic solar cells have many advantages over the conventional silicon cells typically used for large-scale energy production: Not only are they are considerably thinner and more flexible, they are also less expensive and quicker to produce. They are thus better suited for powering everyday devices and systems which are not in constant use, such as sensors or electrical appliances. In the long run, organic solar cells could drastically reduce our dependence on batteries and cables.

The research group which developed the groundbreaking new solar cells is a close-knit team of chemists, physicists, and engineers from IMTEK and FMF.

“The interdisciplinary orientation of the group is a clear advantage and has led to rapid progress on the project. We were able to carry out all of the steps on our own: from the synthesis of the nanoparticles to the modification of their surface and integration into composite materials,” says group head Dr. Michael Krüger. His “Nanosciences” research group is part of the Chair for Sensors at IMTEK held by Prof. Dr. Gerald Urban. The group is now applying the methods described in the publication to other promising materials systems — also as part of a joint research project sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research — in order to refine them further and shape them into a market-ready technology. The necessary preconditions for marketability are marked improvements in efficiency, a further increase in the durability of the materials, and a reduction in production costs.

The project “Quantum Dot Polymer Hybrids as Photoactive Material in Solar Cells” receives funding from the German Research Foundation through the IMTEK research training group “Micro Energy Harvesting.”

For the Shaw brothers, who converted the downtown arts building and community center into a miniature solar power plant two years ago, each reverse rotation subtracts from their monthly electric bill. It also means the building at that moment is producing more electricity from the sun than it needs.

“Backward is good,” said John Shaw, who now runs Shaw Solar and Energy Conservation, a local solar installation company.

Good for whom?

As La Plata County in southwestern Colorado looks to shift to cleaner sources of energy, solar is becoming the power source of choice even though it still produces only a small fraction of the region’s electricity. It’s being nudged along by tax credits and rebates, a growing concern about the gases heating up the planet, and the region’s plentiful sunshine.

The natural gas industry, which produces more gas here than nearly every other county in Colorado, has been relegated to the shadows.

Tougher state environmental regulations and lower natural gas prices have slowed many new drilling permits. As a result, production _ and the jobs that come with it _ have leveled off.

With the county and city drawing up plans to reduce the emissions blamed for global warming and Congress weighing the first mandatory limits, the industry once again finds itself on the losing side of the debate.

A recent greenhouse-gas inventory of La Plata County found that the thousands of natural gas pumps and processing plants dotting the landscape are the single largest source of heat-trapping pollution locally.

That has the industry bracing for a hit on two fronts if federal legislation passes.

First, it will have to reduce emissions from its production equipment to meet pollution limits, which will drive up costs. Second, as the county’s largest consumer of electricity, gas companies probably will see energy bills rise as the local power cooperative is forced to cut gases released from its coal-fired power plants or purchase credits from other companies that reduce emissions.

“Being able to put solar systems on homes is great, you take something off the grid, it is as good as conserving,” said Christi Zeller, the executive director of the La Plata Energy Council, a trade group representing about two dozen companies that produce the methane gas trapped within coal buried underground.

“But the reality is we still need natural gas, so embrace our industry like you are embracing wind, solar and the renewables,” she said.

It’s a refrain echoed on the national level, where the industry, displeased with the climate bill passed by the House this summer, is trying to raise its profile as the Senate works on its version of the legislation.

In March, about two dozen of the largest independent gas producers started America’s Natural Gas Alliance. In ads in major publications in 32 states, the group has pressed the case that natural gas is a cleaner-burning alternative to coal and can help bridge the transition from fossil fuels to pollution-free sources such as wind and solar.

“Every industry thinks every other industry is getting all the breaks. All of us are concerned that we are not getting any consideration at all from people claiming they are trying to reduce the carbon footprint,” said Bob Zahradnik, the operating director for the Southern Ute tribe’s business arm, which includes the tribes’ gas and oil production companies. None is in the alliance.

Politicians from energy-diverse states such as Colorado are trying to avoid getting caught in the middle. They’re working to make sure that the final bill doesn’t favor some types of energy produced back home over others.

At a town hall meeting in Durango in late August, Sen. Mark Udal, who described himself as one of the biggest proponents of renewable energy, assured the crowd that natural gas wouldn’t be forgotten.

“Renewables are our future … but we also need to continue to invest in natural gas,” said Udall, D-Colo.

Much more than energy is at stake. Local and state governments across the country also depend on taxes paid by natural gas companies to fund schools, repair roads and pay other bills.

In La Plata County alone, the industry is responsible for hundreds of jobs and pays for more than half of the property taxes. In addition, about 6,000 residents who own the mineral rights beneath their property get a monthly royalty check from the companies harvesting oil and gas.

“Solar cannot do that. Wind cannot do that,” said Zeller, whose mother is one of the royalty recipients. In July, she received a check for $458.92, far less than the $1,787.30 she was paid the same month last year, when natural gas prices were much higher.

Solar, by contrast, costs money.

Earlier this year, the city of Durango scaled back the amount of green power it was purchasing from the local electric cooperative because of the price. The additional $65,000 it was paying for power helped the cooperative, which is largely reliant on coal, to invest in solar power and other renewables.

“It is a premium. It is an additional cost,” said Greg Caton, the assistant city manager.

Instead, the city decided to use the money to develop its own solar projects at its water treatment plant and public swimming pool. The effort will reduce the amount of power it gets from sources that contribute to global warming and make the city eligible for a $3,000 rebate from the La Plata Electric Association.

Yes, the power company will pay the city to use less of its power. That’s because the solar will count toward a state mandate to boost renewable energy production.

“In the typical business model, it doesn’t work,” said Greg Munro, the cooperative’s executive director. “Why would I give rebates to somebody buying someone else’s shoes?”

The same upfront costs have prevented homeowners from jumping on the solar bandwagon despite the tax credits, rebates and lower electricity bills.

Most of Shaw’s customers can’t afford to install enough solar to cover 100 percent of their homes’ electricity needs, which is one reason why solar supplies just a fraction of the power the county needs.

The higher fossil-fuel prices that could come with climate legislation would make it more competitive.

“You can’t drive an industry on people doing the right thing. The best thing for this country is if gas were $10 a gallon,” said Shaw, as he watched two of his three full-time workers install the last solar panels on a barn outside town.

The private residence, nestled in a remote canyon, probably will produce more power from the sun than it will use, causing its meter to spin in reverse like the Smiley Building’s. The cost, however, is steep: more than $500,000.

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Colorado Highlands Ranch Homeowner’s Association Adds Solar

The Highlands Ranch Community Association (HRCA), a 22,000-acre, master-planned community of 93,477 located 12 miles south of Denver is in Douglas County, just got a little greener.

Solar arrays at two of its recreation centers, the Westridge Recreation Center and the Eastridge Recreation Center, got rooftop solar arrays; 15 kilowatts at Westridge and 10 kilowatts at Eastridge, according to HCRA Facilities Manager Ken Joseph.

Pointing out the HCRA’s goal, of being environmental stewards, Joseph also noted that the output from the systems will be available via LCD display in the lobby of each recreation center, providing real-time energy output data and an incentive to the 4,000 daily visitors to consider solar energy.

Between them, the solar arrays are expected to produce about 32,000 kilowatt-hours per year, which will save the association about 2 percent on its energy bill. Actual system costs, $138,000, were reduced to $51,609 thanks to rebates provided through regional utility Xcel Energy. That’s a 63-percent savings.

The systems, comprised of Suntech 175-watt panels, were installed by Houston, Texas-based Standard Renewable Energy (SRE), using special racking systems of conduit piping attached to rubber feet and weighted rails, which is designed to protect an existing roof warranty HCRA has with the roofing contractor. SRE also has nine locations nationwide, including one in Boulder.

The panels will reportedly offset about 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, the greenhouse gas most closely associated with climate change, and will also prevent 1.8 million gallons of water from being poisoned with mercury, as happens when coal-fired plants produce electricity.

From recycling to solar panels to generate clean, renewable energy, HRCA is beginning to look increasingly green. In fact, the size of the solar systems was a limitation applied by Xcel Energy’s rebate structure, and might otherwise have been bigger. As it stands, the panels are more for educating residents about the benefits of solar energy than for generating said energy, since the two percent is a drop in the bucket in energy costs.

What’s most remarkable about the systems is the fact that a homeowner’s association installed them with, presumably, the intent of encouraging HCRA homeowners to follow suit. This is a radical departure from most homeowner’s associations across the nation, which have had to be reigned in by law to prevent them opposing renewable energy and energy efficiency measures, which many deem a blight on the appearance of association-managed planned communities (the most recent revolt involving clotheslines).

If nothing else, HCRA’s solar panel arrays prove that solar energy has entered the mainstream as an esthetically acceptable, non-polluting and relatively efficient way to create electricity.

San Francisco, CA, USA: BP Solar and Petra Solar Co-operate on Solar AC Systems for Utilities

BP Solar and Petra Solar, Inc. today announced plans to cooperate in the development of Alternating Current (AC) solar module products, initially targeting distributed utility-scale projects.

The companies will integrate Petra Solar microinverter and smart grid capabilities with specially designed BP Solar photovoltaic solar module expertise.

“The utility grade solar PV market is expanding rapidly, particularly here in the US. Petra Solar is developing products that enable distributed solar generation and smart grid technology and we are working to combine this technology with proven and reliable BP Solar PV modules,” said BP Solar CEO Reyad Fezzani.

“BP Solar is expanding its activities in the utility grade solar PV market and is excited to include Petra Solar in this collaboration,” Fezzani said. “We plan to expand our collaboration into other intelligent solar generation applications tailored to provide solutions to our customers.” “BP Solar is a leader in the PV industry and has been producing products of high quality and proven reliability that have been tested in the field for over 20 years. BP Solar also has a track record of developing large scale solar PV farms in collaboration with the world’s leading utilities,” said Dr. Shihab Kuran, founder, president and CEO of Petra Solar.

“In addition to global reach, BP Solar also brings research and development along with manufacturing expertise, combined with a commitment to developing the US market. It is truly a unique partner for Petra Solar,” said Dr. Kuran.