Within the next 5 to 10 years, you may be able to coat your house (literally) in a Thin Film Solar-Cell Technology that is literally sprayed on, if Norwegian company EnSol gets its way. EnSol's power-generating spray-on film, which may hit the market as soon as 2016, can be applied on any surface--exterior walls, your fence, and even windows.
How, exactly, are you supposed to see through a window with solar technology on it? EnSol's application process for the coating Norwegian you adjust how much coating you want applied to the surface.
Instead of turning your house into a cave, you'll have slightly tinted windows that catch some 8-10% of the light and let the rest through. Or, if one side of your house received more sunlight than you like, you can increase the thickness of the coating, further reducing the amount of light that comes through the window.
Needless to say, EnSol has yet to release pricing information for its solar film, but the company plans to begin commercial production by 2016. EnSol is hoping to increase the solar film's efficiency to the point where it'll be able to convert around 20% of the energy it absorbs into energy you can use, which compared to other forms of energy is substantial.
The Desertec Industrial Initiative will work with Morocco in the next month to set out a plan that includes negotiations with the European Union to provide so-called feed-in tariffs for electricity generated using large mirrors in the desert, van Son said today in an interview in Berlin.
"We're just at the beginning of this, and we're putting together a work package with Morocco first," he said. "The difficult part is putting all the pieces together while dealing with so many different governments and structures."
Feed-in tariffs are used in most EU countries to help increase the share of electricity and heat from wind turbines, solar panels and wood pellets. Currently there are no above- market prices available for renewable energy imported into the 27-member group from North Africa, van Son said.
Desertec is part of a plan to reduce Europe's dependence on fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas for power generation. The developers plan to use curved mirrors that focus sunlight to heat liquids and turn power turbines. The 400 billion euro ($546 billion) plan must also obtain backing from European and African governments as well as investors.
The project may create as many as 2 million jobs and provide 15 percent of Europe's power demand by the middle of this century, Siemens and Munich Re have said.
Solar-powered schools are making news these days! Not only are solar panels a terrific way for cash-strapped schools to save money, but its effectively a built-in science lab for learning about energy and solar power. In fact, green schools are cropping up all over the nation.
At Grant Elementary School in Redding, California, students will be returning in a few weeks to a school that merely looks the same as it did when they left in June. Over the summer, the school was outfitted with a new 202 kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) system. Using a solar power purchase agreement with Solar Power Partners, the school will not pay any upfront costs for the panels. Instead, it will only pay for the electricity generated by the solar installation over the term of the contract – much less than grid-based power!
Grant Elementary Superintendent John Krinkel commented:
"A PPA with Solar Power Partners meant that the school does not spend any cash to install, operate, or maintain the system, and we know that a portion of our electricity bill will remain stable. Incorporating renewable energy has been cost-conscious now and for the future."
Here's some fast facts about the solar-powered elementary school in California:
We've published a number of articles that note the fact that installing Solar Panels boosts property values. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, home values rise an average of $20 for every $1 reduction in annual utility bills. Cut your bills by $500 each year and you've just boosted your equity by $10,000.
Why does solar increase your home value?
Imagine that your electricity was going to get more expensive and your utility would raise its rates at any given time. Imagine that national demand for that expensive electricity was going to keep growing, and had already grown 25% since 1990. Finally, imagine that generating this traditional, expensive electricity was creating pollution and hurting the environment.
You're not imagining. The above are all realities that explain why solar homes sell faster, and for more money. According to the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, a solar home will sell twice as quickly as a home without solar.
More information on how solar panels increase home value is found in SunRun's recent report here.
With consumers cutting back on unnecessary expenses, we think it makes perfect sense that a residential solar panel system that can both save on electricity costs and guard against future rate increases would be top of the list for new home buyers!
