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The New Frontiers of Solar – CPV Concentrator Photovoltaics

Part of SEG’s “Energy Chats” Series with Joe Nelson

Question by an SEG Customer:

The panels and equipment that you installed in ’17 are working well. My question has to do with photons. Energy produced by the panels converts what wavelengths of the sun’s spectrum to electrical energy? Is it everything except infrared?

Could properly placed reflective mirrors (either silvered or just a highly reflective metal) increase the panels’ production? Would the extra heat produced cause damage?

 

Answer by Joe Nelson (Licensed Electrician) :

 

Let’s talk physics for a moment.

 

Light (energetically) is made up of photons, even light not visible to our eye is still comprised of photons. These photons at the upper and lower level of light (outside our visible range) are typically either moving too quickly or too slowly for efficient conversion into Photovoltaic electricity, therefore most solar panels are designed primarily to use the visible light spectrum most efficiently. Ultraviolet light has too much energy, and its byproduct is heat which lowers the panel’s ability to convert photons to electricity. On the other hand, the infrared end of the spectrum just does not have enough impact to knock loose those pesky electrons on the solar panel.

 

Your logic is sound, in that the two limitations to capturing solar energy are a) intensity of the sun’s energy and b) heat. You are may be familiar with “Concentrated PV,” in this configuration they use lenses to focus the intensity of the sun onto the surface of the solar cell, they then use water to bathe it all in and wash away as much heat as possible wringing the most efficiency out of it as possible. you absolutely could increase the intensity of the sun either with a reflective surface OR a lens, and at that point your production would go “up”, this would be counter balanced by the loss of efficiency as the material heated up and in a roundabout manner the gain would be a wash against the losses.

 

 

This would not “damage” the solar cells (other than the risk of truly overheating them and cooking the material) but it would “shorten their lifespan” by accelerating their deterioration. Therefore, most of the design schemes you see are experimental in nature. When NREL is testing differing types and strategies for modifying these technologies they are seeking to increase efficiencies by fractions of a single digit percent, we have the luxury of designing inside an “achievable goal” in this case the client says, “make my PG&E bill go away”. I know with absolutely certainty there is an increase in efficiency I can gain somewhere! But is that gain and its cost worth the reward realized? Usually, the answer is no.

 

 

To play devil’s advocate, if we took your system off the roof and placed it in the backyard, and were able to wash water across the surface of all the panels like a recycling fountain(with a large enough volume of water to remove the heat and shed it to the ambient environment), and then place either mirrors or Fresnel lenses arranged to increase the intensity on the solar cell’s surface, you would see a gain in collected energy.

 

Editer: Don’t you wish all electricians spoke so sweetly?! Thank you for sharing Joe!

 

Until next time on SEG’s “Energy Chats”

 

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A low-cost summer, energy saving cooling option for your home here in the Sierra Foothills of California.

If you don’t have any cooling or if you’re paying too much for air-conditioning, I have a viable alternative for you to consider. But before getting into that however, an important first step for staying cool is to always do whatever you can to keep the sun out, a topic I covered in last month’s newsletter article on solar shades.

You’ve probably heard of “swamp coolers” but I prefer the term “evaporative cooler”. While the terms have been used interchangeably, I use evaporative cooler to describe coolers that use a more efficient pad than you find in the typical swamp cooler. The pad is the material the water runs down in and the air blows across. The old-style metal swamp coolers use relatively thin pads made of aspen wood shavings or a plastic mesh. I prefer the coolers with thick honeycomb shaped pads such as the CELdek™ pads made by Munters, as they produce cooler air.

I also prefer coolers made of a high quality plastic that doesn’t rust. My own cooler has been in use for 10 years and, with new pads every few years, should last much longer. It’s much more compact than the common swamp cooler too. Examples of these types of coolers are the Durango model made by Bonaire and the MasterCool slim-profile evaporative cooler, both of which are available from many home stores for around $600 to $700.

Another important factor for effective evaporative cooling is to open lots of windows at the other end of your home from the cooler. This allows the cool air to move across and through rooms, with the breeze helping to cool you and your home down as well.

To give you an idea of how they perform, I recently kept our home at a comfortable 73 degrees when the outside temperature was 102 degrees using just 175 watts of electricity. For comparison a 10,000 Btu/hr window air conditioner uses about 1,000 watts.

There are much more efficient air conditioners that cost less to operate but they’re considerably more costly. There are high-efficiency heat pumps that provide summer cooling as well as heat in winter, but they’re also more costly. Those may be a better choice in some cases, but I’ll cover those in a future newsletter.

Evaporative coolers aren’t for everyone. They work best when the outside air is hot and dry. There are a few weeks every year when the outside air is both hot and humid, but even heat-sensitive people I know have tolerated them as long as there’s enough of a breeze moving over your body. They can also be noisy and blustery, so finding a good location where noise and a strong breeze isn’t an issue is important.

In addition to window units there are whole-house evaporative coolers, some even employing ductwork to serve individual rooms. These units can have pads up to 12 inches thick and, with ducts serving individual rooms, the noise and strong breeze is greatly reduced.

This is part of an ongoing series of energy efficiency tips to make your home more comfortable, healthy and most of all smarter on energy use here in the Sierra Nevada Foothills.

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A stay at home case study on solar screens and other home cooling techniques

Are you unknowingly heating the inside of your home in the summer with solar energy?

Solar energy coming through your windows may be a welcome friend in winter but it’s an unwelcome guest in the summer. Whether you’d like to stay cooler, reduce your summer air conditioning bill, or both, there are some surprisingly effective and greatly underappreciated things you can do.

First of all, most people don’t know how much their drapes or shades do to help heat their home in the summertime. Here are some pictures showing just how effective an indoor drape really is in heating you up.

Most people think closing their curtains or miniblinds helps keep their home cooler, but do they really? From top to bottom we have –

• A vinyl-coated curtain, bright white on the side facing the window

• A room that’s 71 degrees (based on the temperature of an inside wall)

• A curtain that’s 87.5 degrees

• A curtain that’s just 73.5 degrees when a solar screen covers the window outside

The takeaways from this are –

1. The curtain, despite being bright white, is actually a pretty effective solar collector, coming in about 17 degrees hotter than the room
2. The solar screen reduces the curtain temperature 14 degrees, an 82% reduction
3. This is not the only window in the room. Add them all up and you have even more solar collectors
4. A solar screen on the outside is far more effective than even a bright white shade on the inside

Awnings are another alternative, actually anything that substantially shades a window on the outside will make the most difference.

The key is to shade your window from the outside.

Here’s a recent example of another approach I saw recently.  

I know someone who has a sliding glass door in their master bedroom that faces west. The room gets really hot in the afternoon, even with the air conditioning on. The problem went away after they put a patio umbrella up on the deck outside the slider.

Now they’re not only more comfortable, but they’re saving on their air conditioning bill too!

The post To Screen or Not to Screen? A case study on home solar screens appeared first on Sustainable Energy Group.

Sustainable living in the age of COVID-19 and power outages.

I don’t know about you, but my family has been pretty stressed out lately. We have two physicians in the family on the frontlines of this pandemic, each with older parents who are vulnerable to the virus and two small children as well.

This is a time where every little comfort makes a big difference and, in our case, sustainable living practices have been huge.

It all comes down to security. Why might surprise you, so I’ll share the backstory.

Energy security

The early March snowstorm dropped 30” of snow over four days on my little foothill community. Not much by high country standards, but challenging for us here at 3400 feet elevation. Homes went dark, refrigerators stopped working, well pumps stopped working, furnaces stopped working, everything stopped working! A few homes had generators going 24/7, but most people huddled under blankets in candlelight, anxiously checking their cell phones for word on when the power would come back on and waiting for snowplows to come to the rescue.

I woke up to a text alert from PG&E a little after midnight on the 15^th telling me our power was out due to fallen trees. It was comforting to say the least, having a solar system with batteries charged up and ready go when the text came through. Another text later that day assured me that crews were on the way and power would be restored shortly. I received that same text every day for 6 days.

When the sun was out, we relied on our solar to power us during the day and charge the batteries for electricity overnight. During cloudy periods we only had to run our generator for a few hours to charge the batteries, not constantly like our neighbors.

Comparatively, during last summer’s outages, the sun alone powered us. The sun charged us up during the day and we coasted through the night on batteries.

Heating and cooling security

Along with electricity, light and appliances, we had heat unlike other homes in our community with gas furnaces and no backup, which just went cold. Those same homes were uncomfortably hot during last summer’s outages.

Financial security

COVID-19 is having serious economic impacts. So it matters that our solar system covers nearly 100% of our annual electricity. We only pay a $10 fee to PG&E each month. Many folk’s immediate reaction is “sounds great for you, but I can’t afford solar.” Yet, in most cases, solar is cheaper than PG&E the very day it’s operational. How’s that possible? Because the fixed monthly solar payments are less than ever-increasing PG&E bills.

Water security

Solar plus battery backup provides people well water when power goes out, and there are generous incentives for people with wells to install battery storage due to being in a high fire risk area.

Food security

We do our best to provide for ourselves what we can. Right now, we can harvest salad greens and carrots from a small raised bed. “Sheltering in place” and “social distancing” is giving us a head start on our garden this year. Additionally, we make our own compost from food scraps and organic matter from our yard, creating a closed-loop between our garden and kitchen.

The bottom line

It has been said many times before that our basic needs are food, water and shelter. And let’s face it, all those rely on energy and money. COVID-19 is stressful enough, so take note.

This is my first-hand account and a takeaway for you: sustainable living goes along a long way towards making my family’s life more comfortable and secure!

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To me it’s 5 things.

Food, water, shelter, health and energy.

Why?

Because, without these essentials, nothing else matters.

If I am hungry and thirsty, there is nothing else I want but food and water. When it’s cold at night, there is nothing more I need than a roof over my head, warm clothes and bedding. When I am sick, returning back to health is all that matters.

Lastly, a need that sometimes gets overlooked, energy.

We would not have water without some sort of energy. Water needs to be transported, pumped.

If we can’t pump water, then we also can’t irrigate crops to grow food.

We can’t flush toilets and we can’t wash our hands. We lose sanitation needed to prevent the spread of disease. Additionally, sick and elderly in our community need life sustaining devices to be powered. In order to get our modern medicine, again, energy is essential.

Energy, food, water and shelter all go side by side.

If I want to grow food locally and it’s 30 degrees outside, I need ENERGY to heat some kind of structure, a greenhouse. I need energy to produce and transport materials, the shelter for my plants and the shelter for my myself and loved ones.

Energy makes it possible for us to survive in this seasonal climate zone. It helps us stay at home and social distance.

Let’s also not forget what else energy powers. The Internet, communication, cellphones, entertainment, comfort, cooking, appliances, showers, and whatever keeps you from going crazy in these extended times at home.

It’s easy to take these things for granted.

So what am I really saying?

In my humble opinion, our community needs to generate more of its OWN ENERGY.

If more people in our community get solar and batteries, WE ALL WIN.

First and foremost, instead of paying PG&E prices that keep going up, we can make money by producing our own energy. A smart investment.

Beyond the economy, it’s smart for our health. Solar is clean and renewable, not polluting the same air and water we need to survive. Going forward, it’s energy independence.

Having solar means, no matter what happens (PSPS, snow storms), you have energy at your home, energy for your family. You also become a source of energy for your community and friends. A beacon of light.

So, what is my recommendation in these times of heightened uncertainty?

Get solar, get batteries, build a greenhouse, grow some food.

I want to help you do that.

I can help you install solar at your home, not even having to go in your home.

I can help you get backup power, batteries and generators.

I can even help you build a greenhouse and a garden, so food is not so much of an issue. I have friends that can help, too.

Here is where to start.

Do you know someone nearby who owns a home without solar? Yourself maybe? Do you know someone who has solar but does not have battery backup?

Did you know solar can be installed while social distancing is a thing?

If you’ve had to cancel vacation plans, maybe use that money to make your home even better.

Did you know financing is easy to get and rates are good?

Truly, money is not the issue. The solar pays itself back quickly. It is a secure investment, not a roller coaster ride. Also, there are really big incentives and tax breaks for solar and batteries right now that are set to expire.

It’s time to share these thoughts with all homeowners. Have them reach out to me. Pass them my info,

It’s time to build up security for ourselves, our families and our communities.

Once we add more security, when times like these come, we actually thrive and enjoy them. We can have what we need and we can also have what we want. The technology is available and skilled experts and installers live here in our town.

We too are facing uncertainty and fortunately solar, battery backup and generators are considered an essential service as they provide energy generation and security in power outages and shutoffs.

Please call and talk to myself or any of us at Sustainable Energy Group (530-273-4422), we are here for you. We live and breathe this message every day.

Help us keep our local people working to a bring a more sustainable future to our community. We are all in this together!

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In 2018, commercial buildings accounted for almost 20% of all energy used in the U.S. and accounted for approximately 17% of all U.S. CO2 emissions. They consumed 18.61 quadrillion Btu’s of primary energy, a 76% increase from 1980. To help address these issues, the South Yuba Club has made major strides to save energy and reduce their environmental impact.

The solar photovoltaic system completed in February 2020 is only the most recent and most visible upgrade the Club has made to their facility. Unbeknownst to most, the Club also implemented an extensive list of measures to not only improve energy efficiency, but health and safety too.

In this case, South Yuba Club created a healthier environment for people to get healthy in!

Having worked in the energy field for the past forty years, I applaud South Yuba Club for the monumental changes they’ve made to their facility. It is my hope that other local business and home owners will follow their example and join in on contributing to a more sustainable and resilient future, while saving money.

South Yuba Club:

1. Replaced 100% of the old and outdated fluorescent lighting with the latest LED technology. LED lighting has a variety of benefits over fluorescent. For example, they can last 50,000 to 100,000 hours or more while fluorescent lamps last only 10,000 hours. LED’s are more energy efficient because they release less infrared radiation and they emit light directionally (180 degrees vs. 360 degrees for fluorescent). LED’s also produce higher quality light, closer to natural daylight, which benefits health and well-being. Lastly, because LED’s don’t contain mercury, they have less environmental impact than fluorescent lighting.
2. Replaced all 17 outdated, old and less than 80% efficient heating units with 96% efficient units, reducing gas use by more than 17%.
3. Installed all new air conditioning units and more efficient ducting. The more efficient air conditioning units reduced electricity use, and the ducting improvements reduced both heating and cooling energy use. Newer ducts have about three times as much insulation and, installing new ducts presents the opportunity to seal air leaks at duct connections, adding to energy savings.
4. Installed large ceiling fans to improve air circulation. By mixing the air from floor to ceiling there’s less stratification of air which in turn reduces energy use.
5. Replaced the entire roof to improve building integrity and eliminate water intrusion. Water intrusion can not only damage the roof structure, it can also lead to mold growth which can contribute to unhealthy indoor air.
6. Installed dropped ceilings where possible to reduce the volume of space needing heating and cooling.
7. Installed extra insulation to reduce heat loss in overall building. Adding insulation in attic spaces is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce energy waste, because it provides both heating and cooling savings all-year-round at a relatively low price.
8. Installed an automatic door, reducing the amount of outside air entering the building as members enter and exit the building, in turn increasing energy savings from heating and cooling.
9. Installed non-toxic floorings to improve indoor air quality. Toxic chemicals in flooring can be a significant source of indoor air pollution.
10. Installed a ‘salt water’ pool water treatment system, reducing the amount of chlorine and chemicals needed to treat water.
11. Installed a new ‘equipment room’ to house and protect all pool equipment, allowing for more frequent servicing. This helps assure the equipment is working as efficiently as possible.
12. Installed new ‘backflow’ prevention devices in facility plumbing. These devices help to safeguard against the risk of contaminated water entering the fresh water supply to the building, ensuring the water supply into the building is safe and healthy.
13. Installed a ‘low flow’ irrigation system to reduce water use. Water efficiency is important because our community is subject to drought. Reducing water usage helps make our community more resilient and able to meet everyone’s needs.

One remaining opportunity for energy savings is a pool cover, which Club Management is considering.

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Research shows that homes with solar sell for more. That is, your home with solar has a higher value than a similar home without solar. They also indicate that homes with solar sell faster than those without.

A 2019 study conducted by Zillow, an online real estate and rental marketplace, compared homes with and without solar-energy systems that were listed for sale and sold between March 1, 2018 and February 28, 2019. Zillow’s study proved that solar increases home value nationwide by an average of 4.1 percent. Granted, owning vs. leasing solar matters, for owning a system outright adds value to homes, while leasing does not.

According to U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkley Laboratory (2015), solar adds more than a $4/watt premium to the purchase price of a home in CA. That means, for an average system size of 5.5 kilowatts, add over $22,000 to the value of your home. It’s important to note, too, that solar is exempt from property tax in CA. Another study by the Berkley Lab found that the sales price of the average home increased $17,000 with solar panels.

Similarly, publications from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on solar market research and analysis discuss how, across several housing developments, “solar homes appreciated 20% more, and sold 17% faster than the non-solar homes” (Clean Technica).

With the help of an educated realtor it seems apparent through these studies that solar is a safe and lucrative investment for your home or commercial building. The appraised value ultimately comes down to whether an appraiser can utilize values of comparable homes with solar in your area.

Take a moment to also read an example locally (article link) where Sharon Sausedo, of Sausedo Realty, bought a property in Penn Valley that needed extensive work and upgrades before selling. She repaired and remodeled the house, and then put it on the market in late 2018.  Sharon stated that the appraiser indicated that the property would likely not have come in at the offer price without solar.

When all is said and done, solar pays for itself and then some when you sell your property. With incentives, appreciation, and fast return on investment, solar is an increasingly better deal. The fact of the matter is solar increases the value of your property.

Sounds like a win-win to us!

P.S. – Our customers can sleep soundly knowing that we have the best warranties in our industry, guaranteeing the value that solar adds to your property.

Sustainable Energy Group is so confident our solar installations will stand the test of time that we offer a 25-year installation warranty on the workmanship of our installations as well extended warranties for parts and equipment.

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Have you ever imagined adding a small dwelling to your property?

One that could be healthy, energy efficient, fire-resistant, and serve your family or community?

Natural building is a healthy construction method that uses durable, minimally processed materials such as hemp, straw, and clay which are renewable resources that can be produced sustainably and sourced locally. Natural building lessens the environmental impact of buildings and assures indoor air quality free of chemicals.

Nevada County recently changed zoning regulations to allow for Accessory Second-Dwelling Units on smaller parcels. Read on to see how natural building methods can be used to construct an Accessory Dwelling Unit.

Fewer restrictions for backyard dwellings!

The biggest change to the regulations in Nevada County is that homeowners, regardless of parcel size, are allowed to build detached dwellings up to 1,200 square feet, as of April 25^th, 2019.

They can alternatively build attached dwellings up to 50% of the existing house size, but not exceed 1,200 square feet.

Other restrictions stayed the same; the dwellings can have a 480 square foot attached garage or car port and a deck that is 10ft deep or less. Enclosed decks need to be 15% or less of the new dwelling square footage.

There are also hidden costs to consider that might not be apparent at first. For example, if the new dwelling has a kitchen, then the owner is required to install a separate septic tank and may need to increase the leach field size or build a new septic system for the dwelling. Other costs include laying water lines, electrical lines and making approved parking. Check with your local planning and environmental health agency to discuss the possibilities.

Backyard dwellings can be a green solution for the planet, community, and family.

These dwellings can improve the social fabric of multi-generational households and help to ease the negative effects of urban sprawl and climate change. This is achieved by utilizing existing infrastructure and creating small, energy efficient housing options in neighborhoods that supply employment, schools, and other services.

Not to mention, second-dwelling units create an opportunity for homeowners to generate income and offset the increased cost of living. Small backyard dwellings can also be used for short term rentals, employee housing, low income housing, or a studio/office space. In some cases, a retired homeowner may choose to move into the new unit and rent out their main home to pay off their mortgage and be in a better position to afford retirement.

In Nevada County, homeowners who deed their new dwelling as a rental for low income occupancy and for 10 years or more qualify for deferred permit fees that don’t need to be paid until just prior to getting their occupancy permit. The fee deferral also applies dwellings that are 800 square feet or less.

Please check with your local city ordinance concerning short term rentals or other restrictions.

The benefits of building for health.

Designing and building a small backyard dwelling can be an opportunity to create a healthy sanctuary on your property. Using a natural building methods, such as straw bale, hempcrete and light stray-clay (LSC), to regulate humidity and temperature inside the home is one of the best ways to insure the health of a building for an occupant.

Natural wall systems regulate temperature and humidity, because they’re very thick and porous.

They consist of materials that are vapor permeable and rot resistant, allowing moisture to be absorbed and released without molding.

Using natural materials that are free of known carcinogens also adds to the indoor air quality of the home. This is especially important when designing a small home where toxins have a greater potential to harm an occupant. The EPA has stated that “indoor air pollution in residences, offices, schools and other buildings is widely recognized as one of the most serious potential environmental risks to human health”.

There are many other design choices that can assist in creating a healthy sanctuary. For instance, natural materials such as lime and clay plasters, earthen floors, and passive solar orientation, all contribute to the intrinsic beauty and health of a small home. To take sustainability one step further, solar panels are a great design option for a backyard dwelling.

Natural materials are also a fire smart solution.

Choosing to build with natural materials like straw bale, light straw-clay, and hempcrete can add to the fire resistance of any size home.

Straw bale buildings are exceptionally resistant to fire and can have up to a 2-hour fire rating according to the California Straw Bale Building Association. LSC, a mixture of straw coated in a clay slip, has up to 4 hours of fire resistance¹. Hempcrete, a mixture of hemp hurd (the inner woody core of the hemp plant) and a lime binder, has fire resistance of at least one hour; the wall framing can be embedded in the center of the walls for greater fire resistance and finishing the wall with lime plasters further increases resistance².

There is also the potential to use woods chips in a similar building method to LSC and hempcrete called chip slip, which are wood chips coated in a clay slip.

By using wood chips, sourced from clearing trees that pose a potential fire danger, a homeowner can clean up their property to meet fire zone setbacks and produce a fire-resistant building material.

Lastly, in the event of a fire, because these building methods don’t use petrochemicals, they don’t release toxic compounds into the air in smoke.  There are many other types of natural building methods that should be considered including cob and rammed earth. There are also specific design considerations for each natural building method to meet your life style and design goals.

The Affordability of Natural Building.

The cost of natural building is hard to calculate, because every site is different. Generally speaking, though, the square foot cost for small spaces is higher, since more of the square footage is kitchen and bathroom, which are proportionally more expensive to build than they would in a larger home that has hallways and multiple bedrooms.

On another note, attached dwelling units cost less than detached ones, because water and septic lines can be shared with the primary house. As far as total natural building costs go, they’re comparable to higher end construction. Although, for the average do-it-yourselfer, there are more opportunities for sweat equity and hosting community workshops that help keep costs down.

Permitting natural buildings in Nevada County.

Straw bale and Light Straw-Clay (LSC) are both in the 2016 California Building Standards Code as prescriptive building methods. The first hempcrete building in Nevada County was permitted in 2013 under the alternative materials or methods of construction with no issues. LSC and hempcrete both lend themselves to an easy transition from conventional building, because they both use standard framing systems, which also leads to an easy estimate in cost from a contractor. For more information on permitting and designing natural homes contact Neil Decker of Starseed Creative, LLC in Nevada City at info@starseedcreative.com.

References:

https://www.greenbuildermedia.com/buildingscience/the-advantages-and-appropriate-use-of-light-straw-clay

1. Light Straw-Clay tests conducted by Joshua Thorton and John Straube found that, based on ASTM standards E 111 and E 84, LSC would very likely meet the conditions required for a fire-resistant period of four hours.

Hempcrete Fire Rating Test:

2. A 2009 test conducted by BRE Global in the UK to meet the BS EN1365-1:199 standard met conditions successfully for 73 minutes of integrity, insulation and load bearing capacity.

*this test was performed without plaster or other finishes so real world testing with plasters or wallboard would increase the fire rating.

A 2015 test in Canada to ASTM E199-14 and CAN/ULC S101-07 standards met conditions successfully for 68 mutes fire resistance rating.

Neil Decker is co-owner of Starseed Creative in Nevada City with Stella Adine Michaels. Neil and Stella design sustainable residential homes for the community and well as teach natural building workshops. Their unique approach to residential design is one that connects the occupant to their environment and ultimately themselves by incorporating natural, healthy materials, and passive systems. Neil and Stella pioneered Hempcete building in Nevada County and their demonstration home was one of the first permitted Hempcrete buildings in California. Neil and Stella have taught natural building workshops in New Zealand, Australia, USA, and Mexico.

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