Nanomesh, and Accelerating Breakthroughs in Solar Technology

I've written on this site many times that solar is not for everyone.  Many climates, roof architectures, and other factors often make solar uneconomical.  (Let's ignore government and power company subsidies, because there are subsidies for almost all forms of power).

Flexible solar panels, micro inverters, improved manufacturing technique, and scale have helped little by little, but there are still relatively few cases where a homeowner can be 100% guaranteed that solar will save them money.  There is still this pesky maximum theoretical efficiency limit in today's cells - 37% of the suns energy is the maximum that could ever be retained.

In the last few weeks new data was published by Princeton that shows they can significantly improve upon this 37% limit.  New "nanomesh" technology limits the amount of energy that is reflected away from panels.  And there is some promise that this can be manufactured at reasonable rates.

Read more about this solar breakthrough here on extremetech.com.

Clarian Power 'Plug-n-Play' Solar Update

Clarian Smart Box Solar (http://www.clarianpower.com)

A few months back I posted about a new solar niche emerging, being partly driven by Clarian Power.  The niche - plug and play solar.

They offer stand-alone solar panels, rated at 200 watts, that can be connected to the power grid via a standard electrical outlet.  Micro-inverters and a simple mounting system make this possible.

Clarian's price point at that time was $600 - $800.  A check back on their website today reveals an increase to $700-$900, with another part of the site indicating "less than $1000).  This increased price point will make payback even harder to achieve, though we still don't know the full specifications of their panels.  But assuming typical efficiency specs, I was really thinking a $600 price point would be needed to be viable.

And on a side note, Clarian seems to have re-branded this product as the "SmartBox' (previously SunFish). 

I'll continue to keep an eye on Clarian to see when their product is released to the general public.

Does Solar Make Sense For Me?

Over the last several weeks we've taken a look at home solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.  We've talked about many of the components of those systems, how they work, and what options exist.  But how can you tell if solar makes sense for you and your home?

For something as important and expensive as solar, it is important that you spend some time reading and learning.  As we've discussed, a well designed solar system is more than a few panels on the roof.  The placement of the panels, inverters used, shading considerations, and how you intend to use the system all alter a design.

Most importantly, if you are considering solar, get three estimates and pick-apart and compare each design.  You'll likely see that some companies simply offer "cookie cutter" approaches that may not be as efficient, while others may offer more custom solutions for your specific environment.

Anyway, lets get started and determine if solar makes sense for you.

What About Solar Lease Programs?

At this point in my solar series, the extreme DIYers are likely thinking "wow, I could install a solar system myself".  Others might be thinking that solar is too complicated or too expensive to mess around with, even if someone else installs it.

For that latter group of people, you may want to consider a solar leasing program.  So today, I'm going to make a quick digression from my originally scheduled solar series to talk briefly about leasing options and pros and cons.

How Does Residential Solar Work? Part II

In our first part of this series week we jumped in with both feet into the world of residential solar, discussing solar panels (monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and amorphous), inverters, grid-tied or off-grid, and a few additional topics.

This week we'll look at design considerations of home solar systems, including panel placement, shading, and lifespan of equipment.  We'll also look at how to get the most efficiency from a system.

And more importantly, we'll answer the question posed in part I - How do you make your power meter run backwards so that the power companies are paying you!?

Quick Guide For Going Solar

Last week we talked about the basics of home solar systems, discussing solar panels (monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and amorphous), inverters, grid-tied or off-grid, and a few additional topics.

This week we'll take a brief segue for the impatient and get you jump started onto your solar journey.  This is the bare bones steps necessary to get a solar system on your house as soon as possible.

But be sure to check back next week where we'll arm you with more information, including design considerations, and system reliability and longevity information, and most importantly, answer the question posed in part I - How do you make your power meter run backwards so that the power companies are paying you!?

How Does Residential Solar Work?

On the surface, solar is straight-forward. Sun is converted to electricity, and that electricity is made available to your house, sold back to the utility, or stored in batteries.

But when you peel back the surface layer, solar is more complicated, and many factors contribute to whether solar will make sense for you.

And more importantly, how do you make your power meter run backwards so that the power companies are paying you!?

Solar Water Heaters - Do They Make Sense?

Last week I began the 'hot' topic of water heating with an introduction to tankless water heaters. 

But if you are looking at ways to reduce water heating costs, what about solar water heaters?  You may be surprised at the choices and decision points.

Are Tankless Water Heaters Real Savers?

Tankless Water Heater

One hot area (yes, pun is intended) in energy reduction is that of hot water heating. As I discussed previously, traditional hot water heaters are (almost by design) inefficient. Storing 80 gallons or more of hot water, constantly being heated whether there is a need or not, simply doesn't make much sense. It's no wonder that many estimates show water heating consuming 10% to 25% of a typical home energy bill.

So when it is time to buy a new hot water heater, it would pay to consider a tankless or a solar hot water heater (to be covered next week). However, there are considerations to keep in mind if you want to see real reductions to your gas and electric bills.

Today we'll look at tankless hot water heaters, and the pros and cons of them.

News Roundup - Spray On Solar Windows

Spray-On Solar Windows

OK, this may not be "news" anymore, since it was announced 2 months ago, but a company called New Energy Technologies announced a product that they claim allows ordinary windows to be converted to solar generating windows.

The product, which would be sprayed onto the window surface, essentially creates a thin-film coating (claimed to be thinner than existing thin-filmed technologies) that generates electricity.

The press release can be viewed on eSolar News.

The company claims that performance numbers with third-party review will be published shortly. No indication of availability and cost has been provided.

Obviously, this method brings up a lot of questions, ranging from durability to how much light will be allowed through. Another interesting one to watch...

How To Reduce Your Electric Bill (or Why Is My Bill So High?)

The entire purpose of Home Power Saver is to help readers reduce their electric, gas, and water bills. We do this by discussing changes in behavior, simple energy saving products, and improvement projects that most readers should be able to do.

Thus far I've looked at many specific areas where you can save energy and reduce your electric bills, but I have yet to take a holistic view of why a bill is what it is.

That all changes today, where I will dissect the average bill for an average family in the USA, and look at the prime target areas where the most savings may be obtained.

News Roundup - Better CFLs and Stanford Solar Breakthrough

Better CFLs

GE has announced an interesting new bulb planned for 2011.  This new bulb appears to be a traditional CFL, but with a small halogen bulb as well.  Operating as a hybrid, it plans to address the 'instant on' issue that has caused concerns for CFLs since their inception.  After the CFL reaches full brightness, the halogen bulb switches off, and the CFL remains on.

I've discussed the instant on issue before, and even commented recently that a new EcoSmart CFL was the 'best yet', but CFLs still are noticeably dimmer than incandescents for the first 20-60 seconds.  The question is whether LED prices and quality will continue to improve at a faster pace.  If they do, GE's bulb may have a limited window of usefulness.

Stanford Solar Breakthrough

News: Plug-and-Play Portable Solar?

CNN posted a story a few weeks back about a start up company looking to make major changes to how people view solar power.

Today, most consumer-accessible solar consists of two options:

1. Large arrays of panels generally mounted on the roof.
2. Small purpose-built solar panels, such as for landscape lighting, charging electronics, fountain pumps, etc.

Solar arrays are costly and have a steep barrier to entry for consumers.  Despite rebates from electric companies and some state and local governments, many solar arrays end up costing well over $5000 out of pocket.  While many arrays can result in a return on investment (usually after 5 - 10 years), $5000 or more is difficult for most people to come up with.  We'll look further at the economics of solar panels in an upcoming solar series.

Small purpose-built systems may also make economic sense in some cases, but don't expect to see a major impact to your bills.

The start-up company, Clarian Power of Seattle, WA, looks to find a middle ground by reducing that costly 'barrier to enter' the solar market, and allowing consumers to add capacity to their solar systems as modularly, over time, as they see fit.