QUICK NEWS, December 3: TURNING SOLAR AROUND; IKEA BUYS BIG WIND; NAVY TO TEST ADVANCED VANADIUM FLOW BATTERIES

TURNING SOLAR AROUND Why More Solar Panels Should Be Facing West, Not South

Matthew L. Wald, December 1, 2014 (NY Times)

“…A new study of 110,000 California houses with rooftop solar systems confirmed that a vast majority of the panels were pointed south because most of the panel owners were paid by the number of kilowatt­-hours the panels produced…Electricity prices are higher at [the late afternoon] period of peak demand…Houses with solar systems consume less than half as much utility­delivered electricity as ordinary houses, the study found. But from about 4 p.m. through the night, they consume more, and they add to the system’s peak demand, which comes around 5 p.m…

“Pointing panels to the west means that in the hour beginning at 5 p.m., they produce 55 percent of their peak output. So a 10-kilowatt system would make 5.5 kilowatts. But point them to the south to maximize total output, and when the electric grid needs it most, they are producing only 15 percent of peak, or 1.5 kilowatts…While some solar panel owners are paid time­of­use rates and are compensated by the utility in proportion to prices on the wholesale electric grid, many panel owners cannot take advantage of the higher value of electricity at peak hours because they are paid a flat rate…So the payment system creates an incentive for the homeowner to do the wrong thing…” click here for more

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IKEA BUYS BIG WIND IKEA Group Purchases 165 MW Wind Farm In Texas — Largest Renewable Energy Investment Made By IKEA To Date

James Ayre, November 29, 2014 (Clean Technica)

“The IKEA Group has purchased a 165 MW wind farm in Cameron County, Texas…[It is] the biggest renewable energy investment made by the group to date, worldwide…[and a significant] move towards the achievement of the IKEA Group’s goal of producing at least as much energy via renewable energy as the company uses every year globally…[The Cameron Wind Farm will use 55 Acciona 3-MW turbines and be fully owned by the IKEA Group. It will be constructed and managed by renewable energy company Apex Clean Energy and is] expected to be operational by the end of 2015…IKEA has [now] committed to the purchase and operation of 279 wind turbines, across nine countries. By the end of 2015, a total of $1.9 billion will have been invested in wind and solar power…IKEA renewable energy investments in the US to date now include: 104 wind turbines…165,000 solar panels installed on 90% of IKEA buildings across the US, providing an additional 38 MW installed capacity; and geothermal integrated into the heating and cooling systems of two US store locations…” click here for more

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NAVY TO TEST ADVANCED VANADIUM FLOW BATTERIES Imergy Power Systems' Flow Batteries Selected for Navy/California Energy Commission Microgrid Demonstration Project

December 1, 2014 (Power Engineering International)

“…Foresight Renewable Solutions has selected Imergy Power Systems' ESP30 series vanadium-based flow batteries for a Smart Microgrid project sponsored by the California Energy Commission (CEC)…To be deployed at the [U.S.] Navy's Mobile Utilities Support Equipment (MUSE) Facility in Port Hueneme, California, the Smart Microgrid project will focus on developing applications and use-case scenarios to optimize power consumption at military bases, college campuses, industrial parks and other institutions…

“The project will demonstrate how well the system can release short bursts of energy when demand peaks occur…will prove how well the system can shift load from higher cost [to lower cost times of day]…will show how well batteries can smooth out the jagged nature of solar power production…[and] will demonstrate how well a photovoltaic (PV) solar system and battery storage, disconnected from the grid, can provide energy for a user's critical loads…Three Imergy ESP30 series vanadium-based flow batteries will be incorporated…[with] a 50 kW PV solar panel system and GELI's Energy Operating System (EOS) to automate the multiple applications. The ESP30 series has a capacity of up to 50 kilowatts (kW) and can store up to 200 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity…Worldwide revenue from energy storage for the grid and ancillary services is expected to grow from $675 million annually in 2014 to $15.6 billion in 2024, according to a report from Navigant Research…” click here for more

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