Tag Archives: solar panels

Ciel & Terre Completes Two New Floating Solar Projects in California and Colorado with Others Under Construction and Planned in U.S.

New Floating Solar Projects for Walden and Salad Cosmo Use Manmade Ponds for Cost-Effective Solar Power Using Ciel & Terre Patented Floating Photovoltaic Technology.

Petaluma, CA, USA — Ciel & Terre USA (http://www.ciel-et-terre.net), innovators in floating solar power systems, today announced the completion of two new floating solar projects. A municipal floating solar project in Walden, Colorado, and a private floating solar project for Salad Cosmo in Dixon, California, are producing cost-effective solar power to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Other larger projects are under construction and planned in the U.S.

The Town of Walden, Colorado, faced a challenge with rising energy costs, and by partnering with Johnson Controls on a performance contract, which was supported by Colorado Energy Office, Department of Local Affairs, and GRID Alternatives, the town installed a 75kW floating solar system with Ciel & Terre technology capable of potentially completely powering the town’s drinking water facility in certain months. The $400,000 project included a town-wide energy audit and a $200,000 investment from the town. Estimates are that Walden will save $10,000 per year in energy costs.

“The floating solar array is a milestone for the Town of Walden and highlights the potential for Colorado’s overall energy efforts,” said Rowena Adams, Performance Infrastructure™ account executive at Johnson Controls. “It was a practical choice for Walden given the surrounding bodies of water and the town’s energy resiliency efforts at the Town Water Treatment Facility, as well as the desire to conserve water and minimize algae growth. At Johnson Controls, we are always looking for sustainable environments to work with and Walden has become a prime example of what can be achieved through strong partnerships.”

“We were excited to be a part of Colorado’s first floating solar installation,” said Jake Bobrow, Project Manager for GRID Alternatives. “Having installed many ground and roof mounted systems, we were also delighted with how easy Ciel & Terre’s system was to assemble and install.”

Salad Cosmo USA, a family-owned bean sprout producer in Dixon, California, has made an environment commitment that includes using recyclable packaging, composting waste products for use in the fields, and irrigating with waste water. As part of that commitment, Salad Cosmo wanted a sustainable energy solution for production and hired Sky Power Solar of San Ramon, California, to install a 600 kWp floating solar plant using Ciel & Terre’s floating photovoltaic technology.

“Placing a solar system on our farm land would have reduced the yield of our agricultural products that we need from that land. And in summer time the temperature of the panels does not rise on the water as much as it would on the land, and that improves the solar panel efficiency,” said Masahiro Nakada, CEO OF Salad Cosmo U.S.A Corp.

“The Ciel & Terre solution enabled Salad Cosmo to utilize the surface area of the pond, saving land for more productive uses. The system is easy to install and well-engineered,” said Bob Winn, President of Sky Power Solar. “We look forward to doing more of these projects.”

“These two installations demonstrate that floating solar has become a compelling energy solution for both municipal water treatment and private industry anywhere in the U.S.,” said Eva Pauly-Bowles, Representative Director for Ciel & Terre USA, Inc. “With demand for solar power continuing to rise and available real estate becoming more expensive, floating solar is the ideal solution for anyone with a manmade pond or body of water. It’s cost-effective, quick to install, easy to maintain, and offers a variety of environmental benefits. Floating solar is no longer an exotic niche in the US, but a rapidly growing sector of the solar market. Ciel & Terre USA has other larger floating solar projects under construction and planned across the country.”

Deploying a floating solar array on manmade bodies of water improves energy production by keeping the solar system cooler. At the same time it reduces evaporation, controls algae growth, and reduces water movement to minimize bank erosion. Floating solar arrays also make optimal use of pond surfaces, providing clean solar energy without committing expensive real estate or requiring rooftop installations.

About Ciel & Terre
Established in 2006 as a renewable Independent Power Producer (IPP), Ciel & Terre has been fully devoted to floating solar PV since 2011. The French company pioneered Hydrelio®, the first specific and industrialized system to make solar panels float on water, with criteria such as cost-effectiveness, safety, longevity, resistance to winds and waves, simplicity, drinking water compliance, and optimized electrical yield.

Ciel & Terre has floating solar installations in Japan, Korea, China, UK, France, Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia, Italy, Taiwan as well as the United States. The company has its United States headquarters in Petaluma, California.

For more information, visit http://www.ciel-et-terre.net.

Contact:
Tom Woolf
Woolf Media & Marketing
415.842.7398
tomw@woolfmedia.com

Ciel & Terre Delivers First California Public Floating Solar System for Lake County Special Districts – Kelseyville County Waterworks, Dist. #3

International Innovator in “Floatovoltaic” Technology Enables 252kW Clean Energy Project by Floating 720 Solar Panels on Kelseyville Wastewater Treatment Pond.

Kelseyville, CA, USA — Ciel & Terre USA (http://www.ciel-et-terre.net), innovators in floating solar power systems, today announced completion of a new 252 kW floating photovoltaic power system for the Lake County Special Districts on behalf of Kelseyville County Waterworks Dist. #3 in partnership with local contractor North Coast Solar. Financed by a municipal lease, the Ciel & Terre® Hydrelio solar power system is being floated on a man-made wastewater treatment pond in Kelseyville and is expected to produce up to 1,650 kWh in its first year.

This is the first public floating solar power system installed in California. The installation itself consists of 720 floating solar panels mounted together and delivering electrical power safely to shore using solar optimizers provided by SolarEdge to maximize inverter output. The municipal lease for the installation gives the county positive cash flow starting the first year, so no cash investment was required to pay for the system. Once the Kelseyville solar installation proves successful, the Lake County Special District is considering installing additional floating solar power systems around the county.

“We are excited to be able to take advantage of clean energy using Ciel & Terre’s floating solar systems,” said Jan Coppinger, Special Districts Administrator for Lake County. “We didn’t have available land or rooftop space suitable for this project, but our wastewater treatment pond had enough surface area to accommodate a sizable solar system. Floating is a great way to control algae growth in the pond at the same time we generate virtually free energy. All costs to provide utilities continue to increase, which forces Special Districts to seek out and implement any means possible to reduce future costs. This floating solar system will result in significant savings in future years.”

Floating solar is an ideal solution for any utility district since it generates clean energy at the same time it provides other water conservation benefits. Floating a solar array on man-made bodies of water improves energy production by keeping the solar system cooler. At the same time it reduces evaporation, controls algae growth, and reduces water movement to minimize bank erosion. It also makes optimal use of pond surfaces, providing clean solar energy without committing expensive real estate or requiring rooftop installations.

“Municipal water districts, wineries, farms, and others want to adopt solar but they don’t want to commit land that could be used for other purposes,” said Eva Pauly-Bowles, Representative Director for Ciel & Terre USA, Inc. “Installing floating solar systems gives them ready access to green energy while helping them manage their water resources. We expect we will see more demand for floating solar systems, especially in light of California’s commitment to produce only carbon-free electricity by 2045.”

The Kelseyville project is only one of four floating solar power installations being completed this summer using the patented Ciel & Terre® Hydrelio system in Q3 2018 delivering 5.3 MW.

About Ciel & Terre
Established in 2006 as a renewable Independent Power Producer (IPP), Ciel & Terre has been fully devoted to floating solar PV since 2011. The French company pioneered Hydrelio®, the first specific and industrialized system to make solar panels float on water, with criteria such as cost-effectiveness, safety, longevity, resistance to winds and waves, simplicity, drinking water compliance, and optimized electrical yield.

Ciel & Terre has floating solar installations in Japan, Korea, China, UK, France, Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia, Italy, Taiwan as well as the United States. The company has its United States headquarters in Petaluma, California.

For more information, visit http://www.ciel-et-terre.net.

Media Contact:
Tom Woolf
Woolf Media & Marketing
415.842.7398
tomw@woolfmedia.com

City of Paso Robles Reaches 1,000 Solar Home Installs

Last month, Paso Robles resident Dan Robinson applied for a solar energy permit. Little did he know that his application would be the 1,000th alternative energy permit filed in the city of Paso Robles.

Atascadero, CA, USA — Last month, Paso Robles resident Dan Robinson decided he wanted to save money and do the right thing when he called Solarponics and applied for a solar energy permit to install solar on his home. Little did he know that his application would be the 1,000th alternative energy permit filed in the city of Paso Robles. With Mr. Robinson’s solar install, Paso became the first city to reach 1,000 installs in San Luis Obispo county.

“These seven panels on my roof can do the same for me as a multi-billion dollar power plant… with no pollution,” says Mr. Robinson. “Solar makes so much sense on so many levels. It’s the right way to go.”

Solar energy first became popular in the late 1970’s when President Carter installed solar water heating panels on the White House. At the time, electric rates hovered around a low of 5¢/kWh. Solar electric and solar water heating systems were still quite a bit more expensive than ulitily-purchased energy.

Since the mid, California has seen a nearly 300% increase in the price of energy, currently averaging 19¢/kWh, while solar energy prices have dropped significantly, making solar electric far more affordable than grid-tied energy today.

Nationally, solar installs in the U.S. have grown from 1.2 gigawatts (GW) in 2008 to an estimated 34GW today. Paso Robles has gone from under 20kW of solar installs in 2008 to over 6 megawatts (MW) of residential solar today. This equates to more than $50 million in collective energy savings for Paso Robles homeowners over the next 20 years.

“Even with the recently imposed solar panel tariffs, solar energy continues to be a significant money-saver. The more energy rates increase, the more solar makes sense. And rates are always increasing.” says Kristian Emrich, Solarponics vice-president.

To celebrate the 1,000th residential solar energy install in Paso Robles, Solarponics is donating solar powered systems for electric golf carts to north county schools, and converting those electric golf carts to solar-power.

“Five years ago, we could not have imagined reaching this milestone…1,000 solar roofs in Paso… 10,000 county-wide. And now, here we are. Our vision is to see renewable energy systems on every single structure in the county. So, there’s a lot of work to do still,” says Mr. Emrich.

About Solarponics
Solarponics is the Central Coast’s go-to renewable energy installer, helping businesses and homeowners save money and achieve energy independence. Solarponics has installed over 5,000 energy systems throughout the county since 1975. The longest continuously owned and operated solar company in California, Solarponics is still privately owned and locally operated. For more information, visit http://www.solarponics.com, or like them on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/solarponics).

Media Contact:
Frank Scotti
Solarponics, Inc.
805-466-5595
frank@solarponics.com

More Than Just Solar

ADVENTURE KINGS SOLAR PANEL RANGE – HOW MUCH POWER DO I NEED?

Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2018-Jan-15 — /REAL TIME PRESS RELEASE/ — When you need to recharge yourself and your 12V system, look no further than an Adventure Kings Solar charging system.

We have pioneered a range that starts from a simple 10W USB solar charger to a fully fledged 250W output array with MPPT Regulation for absolute maximum output to give you the options to power your setup no matter what you take camping with you.

All Adventure Kings Solar panels use Monocrystalline silicone cell construction which is the most efficient panel design available remaining lightweight and compact whilst still outputting effective power for use at home or in the bush.

We have fully standalone systems that include a solar regulator in both hard framed designs or the more flexible folding solar blankets which are excellent for space saving in the back of your vehicle or for emergency use.

We even have a fully customisable 110W Hard mounted system that includes fittings so you can easily and permanently mount it to your vehicle, camper trailer, campervan, caravan or boat with your choice of solar regulator.

We stock both the easy to operate low cost PWM style of regulator that has become the standard across the industry, or you can upgrade to one of our high efficiency, high output MPPT style regulators which gives you up to 30% more efficiency in cloudy or overcast conditions ensuring you get the most out of your solar setup no matter what the weather conditions.

Adventure Kings maintains its reputation for supplying functional camping setups whilst also still offering some of the most affordable solar setups available to the Australian market!

Whatever your 12V setup, Adventure Kings has a Solar charging system to efficiently top up your batteries and run accessories, with zero running costs and zero noise, whilst you kick back and relax and enjoy your favorite campsite in peace and quiet….When you are looking for a solar panel setup, you can’t look past an Adventure Kings Solar setup.

When you’re building a tourer or planning a campsite in your head, solar panels should always be a consideration – they are a source of free, limitless power after all – but how do you know what panel to choose!?

Luckily Adventure Kings has a wide range of panels, that won’t break the bank.

There are two main considerations to make when choosing a solar panel – how much power you use and how much space you have to pack your panel/s.

First, to calculate your requirements, consider how many 12 volt accessories you use at camp.

Generally all electrical products will have a wattage listed (check for a sticker near the power cord) you can use this wattage to calculate the real-time amps the product will use while it’s on. Some products may also list an Amp/Hour rating which simply gives an average on the total amount of amps used per hour the product is turned on. For example, the Adventure Kings 60L fridge/freezer is rated to use less than 1 amp/hour when the interior is set at 5°C and the outside temperature is 32°C.

So let’s work through an example:

You arrive at camp at 6pm on Friday, and it’s 32°C – your fridge is down to temperature at 5°C thanks to being plugged in while you drive and you’re ready for an icy cold beverage while you light the campfire, roll out your swag and set up the awning. Then you set up an Illuminator Strip Light and as the sun sets you turn it on and wind it down for ambient light.

As the temperature drops into the night your fridge will use less power, but every time you open it for a bevvy it has to work to cool back down again, so we’ll assume the fridge is using the rated 0.83Amp/Hours all night and into the morning. 6pm to 8am the fridge has used around 12 amp hours. The Illuminator strip light was on for 5 hours total and uses 0.4A at its low level for a total of 2A

So between 6pm and 8am you used 14 Amps total – whether you have a 98AH or 115AH deep cycle battery you’ve still got plenty of juice.

But throughout the next day your fridge will continue to use power. Between 8am Saturday and 8am Sunday it will use another 24 Amps. Add another 5 hours of strip light use for 2Amps and add in a phone charge using a cig socket USB adapter rated at 12W – that’s another Amp per hour your phone is on charge. In this case your phone is charged in 2 hours so that’s another 2Amps. Plus you use your Thumper to inflate some inner tubes to relax and float in the river – you use your Thumper for 15 minutes. To calculate the amps used per hour, you find the instantaneous power listed on the sticker (45Amps) and because you’ve used it for a quarter of an hour, calculate one quarter of 45. For this example we’ll call it 12Amp/Hours.

So Saturday to Sunday morning 8am you’ve used 40Amp/Hours – combine this with the Friday night total 14Amps and you’re looking at 54Amp/Hours – at this point your Deep cycle battery has used over 55% capacity if you’ve got the 98AH battery, and over 46% capacity if you’re using a 115AH battery.

You’re planning to leave camp at 4pm so the fridge still needs to be powered by your battery for a further eight hours. That’s another 8Amp/Hours, bringing the total weekend use up to 62Amp/Hours. 63% of your 98AH battery and 53% of your 115AH battery – you should definitely add a solar panel to keep those batteries charged!

Now you can look at the output of the different solar panels available.

4WD Supacentre offers a 110W fixed solar panel, a 120W Folding Solar blanket (with PWM regulator) a 160W Folding solar kit (with PWM regulator) and a 250W folding solar panel kit (with PWM regulator). The table below shows their maximum charging amperage (assuming the same PWM regulator for all panels) as well as the estimated total Amp/Hours after 6,8 and 10 hours of sun light.

So even six hours of sunlight on the Saturday and Sunday and your battery will have recharged at least 72A/H with a 110W Fixed Solar Panel (with added PWM regulator.) This would cover your power usage and keep your batteries charged. Of course, this is only a guide and your actual consumption may vary depending on many factors including, but not limited to, the outside temperature, fridge temperature, battery condition, wiring size and condition, solar panel angle and position etc etc.

The second consideration is the amount of space you have in your vehicle – for smaller vehicles, a 120W portable Solar blanket is perfect as it packs down to a compact size and still packs a punch.

For permanent mounting solar panels, the choice is obvious – a 110W fixed solar panel (or two!) These feature a thicker aluminium frame and don’t come with a regulator so you can connect your own, use a DC to DC charger and even connect multiple.

For bigger vehicle where space is less of a priority a 160 or 250 watt folding solar panel is ideal. You can set these at varying angles to catch the sun, and they mean you can park in the shade and have your panel in the sun doing the hard work! They also provide plenty of power for bigger camp setups or hotter conditions where your fridge is working more to keep your drinks cool.

Contact-Details: OJ Aba
Jaba@4wdsupacentre.com.au
https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au

 

SolaTrim™ Inks Distribution Agreement with Nixalite of America for Rooftop Solar Protective Barriers

Nixalite Catalog to Add SolaTrim Peel-and-Stick Barriers as Innovative, Aesthetic Solution to Permanently Protect Residential Solar Systems from Pest and Environmental Damage.

Sacramento, CA, USA (December 6, 2015) — SolaTrim™ LLC, innovators in protective barriers to beautify and safeguard residential solar systems, announced today that the company has signed a wholesale distribution agreement with Nixalite of America, Inc., a leading provider of bird control, bird barrier, and pest control products.

Nixalite has added SolaTrim protective barriers to its Bird, Animal, & Pest Control wholesale published and online catalog. SolaTrim is one of a handful of solar system barriers that Nixalite offers but the only solution specifically designed to beautify and protect solar arrays without the use of fasteners, screw or clips. SolaTrim aluminum panels are easily cut to fit and connect to the solar panels using a peel-and-stick acrylic foam adhesive for fast and simple installation. The adhesive SolaTrim uses has been tested for extreme weather conditions and is guaranteed to last for the life of the solar array. A typical installation can be completed in two to three hours, with Nixalite offering an aluminum cutting tool as a catalog accessory to SolaTrim.

“I am very impressed with the SolaTrim product; it is easy to install and has a clean attractive appearance,” said Cory A. Gellerstedt, President of Nixalite of America Inc. “Most importantly, SolaTrim is a very effective pest, bird, and debris barrier for solar panels. It will protect the investment of residential solar arrays by keeping the panels free of birds, rodents, and debris. I am happy to add SolaTrim to the Nixalite product line and see a great potential for this new product.”

“We are proud to have SolaTrim included in the Nixalite wholesale catalog,” said Bob Smith, co-founder and President of SolaTrim. “Nixalite has a reputation for offering some of the most innovative and effective bird and pest control products on the market and we are confident that Nixalite’s customers will love the quality and aesthetics of the SolaTrim protective barriers.”

SolaTrim is an all-weather aluminum barrier stiffened by design to resist warping or bending and diamond-stamped to facilitate airflow. The four-foot SolaTrim sheets can be easily trimmed to fit any rooftop solar array and is designed to prevent any damaging environmental impact to the area underneath the solar modules. It will permanently prevent birds and rodents from nesting under the solar array, which can cause damage to the solar systems.

For more information, visit http://www.solartrim.com or http://www.nixalite.com, or call Nixalite at http://www.nixalite.com.

About SolaTrim
SolaTrim LLC is an innovator in providing new solutions to protect and beautify residential solar systems as well as protect the homeowner solar investment for the life of the system. The SolaTrim barrier system adds an attractive border to solar arrays while protecting the system from pests, debris and other environmental threats. Solar integrators across the country are turning to SolaTrim as a permanent solution that will beautify rooftop solar while reducing unnecessary service & warranty calls.

Headquartered in Sacramento, California, SolaTrim is committed to developing affordable, dependable, and attractive made-in-the-USA solar aftermarket products to support America’s renewable energy initiatives.

For more information, visit http://www.solatrim.com.

Contact:
Tom Woolf, Public Relations
Palmer Advertising
415-259-5638
tom@palmersolaradagency.com

Solar Power Rebates – What Are The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Solar Panel?

You might be doing your role in protecting the atmosphere, when you incorporate solar energy so that you can power something in the house or office. Did you know that you may get the electric power from the sun as a way to energize your complete home? If you haven’t earlier done so, this is definitely a thing you ought to get it done. There are countless rewards to using solar panel to energize your house. As you can imagine, wherever there are positive aspects, there of course are disadvantages. Prepare yourself to have knowledge of solar energy pluses and minuses.

Would you like me to focus on the advantages or the drawbacks first? Sure, we shall focus on the downsides. You are lucky, since we could only see two drawbacks of using solar energy. The first setback can be the basic amount. On the other hand, whenever you install it, you can not at all get that hefty electric bill to pay to the energy supplier. Please note that the set-up boasts a life-time of forty years, that can as well be a negative aspect. The second disadvantage is you’ll not get any power on a cloudy or wet day.

Finally, I’d like to move forward and let you know about the benefits of solar power. It’s available at no cost! Of course, you ought to pay the actual expense for the solar panels and to get it mounted by an expert (when you aren’t able to get it done yourself), however after that, it is free of cost. You will finally say farewell to the electricity provider. In fact, when you make more power than you require, the electric provider could be be looking forward for purchasing that surplus electrical energy from you. So you could definitely make a profit by having a solar power equipment.

There will be no pollution. If you use energy from the electricity service, there’s a huge amount of pollution. As soon as you choose the sun to energize your home, there will never be any pollution. As a result you’re completing your part in protecting the earth. Several models would not need any repair during their life-time. As a result as soon as you invest in it, for about 40 yrs, you might not need to spend on your utility bills. Several models, relying on one you get, would carry a guarantee which can last for twenty-thirty years or more. It is typically recommended to decide on a model that holds an extended warranty associated with it.

Moreover, Australian federal and state governments encourage this solution by giving big rebates and tax credit. Be aware that each state has distinctive laws, so you’ll want to do some investigation to ascertain whether you’ll be considered in the state you stay in. But, you are qualified to secure a major reduction or a tax breaks. Like with all things, solar panel has its positives and negatives. The advantages, nonetheless, in this case seem to exceed the negatives. The biggest impact may be on your wallet. Thus find a solar panel system immediately!

Divina Rudeen is an expert in the field. For more information  Please Visit: http://www.solarquotes.com.au/

SAVE MONEY ON YOUR ELECTRICITY BILLS THIS SUMMER WITH SOLAR PANELS

Increasing daylight hours following last weekend’s spring equinox mean that there has never been a better time for home and business owners to consider fitting solar panels to their property.

Between now and the summer solstice in June, daylight hours will continue to increase allowing solar panels to work at maximum efficiency and generate more power. This means that now is the ideal time for you to install solar panels to gain the highest reward on your investment.

There are a variety of options available for property owners who want to fit solar panels. Photovoltaic solar panels , also known as solar PV systems, can either be installed as a Stand Alone system or connected to the Grid. Grid-connected systems allow property owners to sell back any additional electricity they have generated and receive money back through the government’s Feed In Tariffs scheme.

Solar panels are not just suitable for the summer months as they continue to collect energy even on cloudy or overcast days. A solar panel is most effective on a south facing roof and the optimum roof angle is around 30 – 40, which is the usual pitch for a roof in the UK and Ireland, meaning that solar panels are suitable for most homes and business properties.

Whatever type of solar panel system you choose, you can be sure that you will receive the benefits of clean and renewable electricity for many years to come.

For More Info Visit: http://www.enerfina.com

Address: Enerfina Limited,
Kendle House,
236 Nantwich Road,
Crewe, Cheshire,
CW2 6BP
United Kingdom
Country: United Kingdom
Phone: 04408446696099