QUICK NEWS, Oct. 6: WHERE NEW ENERGY IS IN THE PRICE RACE; THE FIRST “SOLAR BATTERY”; PERFECTING WIND

WHERE NEW ENERGY IS IN THE PRICE RACE Solar, wind cost-competitive for peak energy, study finds; Consultant questions subsidies for residential solar when costs are dropping

Sept. 29, 2014 (Canadian Broadcasting Company News)

“Solar and wind power are increasingly cost-competitive with conventional forms of electrical power, including coal and nuclear, even without subsidies…The cost for utilities to generate energy from photovoltaic technologies has fallen by nearly 20 per cent in the past year, and nearly 80 per cent in the last five years…China's entry into the solar panel business has helped push down the cost of solar technologies…As a source of peak energy — that is, power at times when there is the greatest demand on the electrical grid — photovoltaics are more flexible and cost-competitive than conventional technologies, [according to Lazard’s Levelized Cost Of Energy Analysis 8.0…

“…[L]and-based wind power has dropped in price — as much as 60 per cent in the last five years, though off-shore power remains expensive…Without subsidies residential-scale solar photovoltaic solar panels remain considerably more expensive than utility-scale solar…[and] large-scale conventional generation projects continue to face a number of challenges, including high upfront capital costs, especially for nuclear…[though it] is still more manageable and cost-competitive for base-load generation…[Natural gas generation] will be a transition source, between coal or nuclear and renewables, as gas prices are low…” click here for more

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THE FIRST “SOLAR BATTERY” Batteries Included: A Solar Cell that Stores its Own Power; World’s first “solar battery” runs on light and air

Pam Frost Gorder, October 3, 2014 (Ohio State University)

“Is it a solar cell? Or a rechargeable battery?...Actually, the patent-pending device invented at The Ohio State University is both: the world’s first solar battery…a battery and a solar cell [hybrid device]…Key to the innovation is a mesh solar panel, which allows air to enter the battery, and a special process for transferring electrons between the solar panel and the battery electrode. Inside the device, light and oxygen enable different parts of the chemical reactions that charge the battery...Yiying Wu, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Ohio State, says…their device brings down costs by 25 percent…[and eliminates most of the 20%] loss of electricity that normally occurs when electrons have to travel between a solar cell and an external battery…

“…[D]uring charging, light hits the mesh solar panel and creates electrons. Inside the battery, electrons are involved in the chemical decomposition of lithium peroxide into lithium ions and oxygen. The oxygen is released into the air, and the lithium ions are stored in the battery as lithium metal after capturing the electrons…When the battery discharges, it chemically consumes oxygen from the air to re-form the lithium peroxide…The mesh belongs to a class of devices called dye-sensitized solar cells…Based on early tests, Wu and his team think that the solar battery’s lifetime will be comparable to rechargeable batteries already on the market…” click here for more

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PERFECTING WIND NREL Software Tool a Boon for Wind Industry

Sept. 29, 2014 (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

“Wind energy is…close to achieving cost parity with fossil fuels…[The extra efficiency it needs] may be realized with a software tool built by the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)…called Simulator for Wind Farm Applications (SOWFA)…[I]t can calculate how undulating ground, whipping blades, surface temperatures, and other variables alter the air flow and energy production at wind farms…SOWFA's key innovation is that it simulates an extensive range of scales—from regional weather patterns down to the space between turbines and all the way to the movement of electrons. It gives a complete picture of an active plant, showing how controlling each turbine can influence the direction of the wakes, and detecting the effect on downwind turbines. And it helps researchers understand how local atmospheric conditions affect local wind around the wind farm…

“SOWFA is the first tool that enables developers to improve the performance of not only one wind turbine, but the entire wind farm. And because it is an open-source "community" software platform available for free to academics, investors, wind developers, and manufacturers, users have the support of an online forum where they can discuss problems and solutions with other SOWFA users…” click here for more

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