Solar Panel Efficiency and Life

by Shawn Roe

http://sroeco.com/

So, the Sun shines on Earth and in that sunshine there is energy. Plants convert that energy into mass because energy is mass. E = mc2. Energy equals Mass times a constant (which is not important here). We eat the plants for energy, or we eat animals that eat the plants. That’s how we survive.

Simple Explanation:

Well, solar panels are humans’ attempt at making “plants” that convert the Sun’s energy into energy we use – to heat, chill, or light our homes, to power our TV’s, fridges, computers, etc. Well, it’s not easy converting that sunshine into energy we can use. And as it turns out, most solar panels convert 12-15% of the Sun’s energy that falls on the panel. The Sun dumps ~1,000 W/m2 at sea level on a clear day (source: wikipedia).

Panel ratings are standardized – measured under standard testing conditions (STC). A panel that is 17.24% efficient, was not manufactured to produce 1,000 Watts. It was manufactured to produce as much energy as it could, and ended up converting 17.24% of the sunshine.

So basically an independent rating company will shine 1,000 W/m2 at a certain temperature (25 C) and air mass (AM1.5), and measure how many watts the panel will output. If it outputs 200W and the module is exactly 1 m2 in area, then it’s efficiency would be 20%. However, most modules are greater than 1 m2.

Real Example:

Sanyo VBH235SA06 rated at 235W has a module efficiency of 18.64% and it’s area is 1.26 m2.

So: (1,000 W/m2 * 0.1864 * 1.26 m2) = 234.86 W…. or 235 Watts.

Or: 234.86 W / (1,000 W/m2 * 1.26 m2) = 18.64%

…meaning that this particular panel outputs 18.64% of the energy that the Sun dumps on it (which ultimately varies by day, time, location, temperature, etc). If you’re at sea level, at noon, it’s 25 degrees Celsius outside, the airmass is AM1.5, and you have no losses due to wiring, shading, or anything, then this solar panel should output almost exactly 235 Watts.

So, should you wait for solar panels to convert 80% of the Sun’s energy? Absolutely not! You should install solar panels as soon as possible so that humans can continue to live, because chances are that the energy you’re using in your home is coming from a source that will disappear long before the Sun and probably polluting Earth (killing you) much more so than the Sun.

Go solar. It’s good for your health.

Solar power too hard to resist

Mercurio, R. (2014 May 29) Malaya. 
Retrieved from http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news


Property developer turned power producer San Lorenzo Ruiz Builders and Developers Group, Inc. (SLRB) is now among the developers which find investing in solar power too hot to resist.

Anthony C. Violago, SLRB chief operating officer, told Business Insight that the company plans to invest in solar power on top of its recently-announced $2.5-billion investment for large-scale hydro power projects across the country.

“We are looking at some solar projects because we do have an American partner which is very big in the solar industry,” Violago said, referring to Iowa-based MidAmerican Energy Co .

“We’re more on renewable energy because that is where we started in Casecnan. For one, it helps the environment. Coal, meanwhile, as we know is dirty,” he added.

According to Violago, SLRB intends to partner with MidAmerican  for the small-scale solar projects it is planning to put up in the country.

MidAmerican served as SLRB’s partner in the company’s maiden power project, the 150-megawatt (MW) Casecnan hydropower plant in Nueva Ecija which has been operational since 2001.

“They (MidAmerican) were our partner for Casecnan so we’re trying to invite them again for new projects. They are putting up a $3-billion solar plant in Nevada so they’re quite experienced and that is why we’re trying to invite them to partner with us,” he said.

“We do have prospective sites (for our solar projects) but we do not want to disclose it yet, somebody might get it ahead of us,” Violago added.

Solar projects are now among the hottest investment areas in the power sector. Industry experts estimate investment in solar at  $3 million per megawatt.

Data from the Department of Energy (DOE) show that there are  some 19 pending solar project applications with a combined capacity of 266.70 MW.

The interest in solar power investments  stems from the decreasing cost of solar panels as of late, the DOE said.

The Philippine Solar Power Alliance Inc. (PSPA) said that prices of solar panels have plunged to P150,000 per kilowatt (kW), just a third of their price  five years ago.

The DOE reported an oversubscription for solar under the feed-in-tariff (FIT) scheme with so many interested developers trying to put up their own solar farms.

Government is currently looking at expanding the country’s installation allotment for solar power to 500 MW from the current 50 MW.

Aboitiz Power Corp., one of the biggest power players in the country, earlier said it is also looking at adding solar energy into its current renewable energy portfolio composed mostly of hydro and geothermal power facilities.


Mercurio, R. (2014 May 29). Solar power too hard to resist. Malaya. Retrieved from http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/business/solar-power-too-hard-resist

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Projected power bill with solar power generation system

Projected power bill with solar power generation system (1.25 kW-peak)

DOE raises target for solar power installation under FIT to 500 MW

26 May 2014 
Written by Lenie Lectura 
businessmirror.com.ph

The Department of Energy (DOE) has raised the solar power-installation target under the Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) scheme to 500 megawatts (MW) from 50MW, and may do the same for wind energy.

 “The DOE already issued the certification adjusting total solar-installation target from 50 to 500 MW and transmitted it to ERC [Energy Regulatory Commission] last week,” said National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) Chairman Pedro H. Maniego Jr.

The DOE is pushing for more solar- power development with guaranteed power rates in order to boost supply during the summer months.

 NREB is the body tasked by the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 to recommend policies, rules and standards to govern the implementation of the law, which granted fiscal and nonfiscal incentives to renewable energy projects.

The FIT, meanwhile, is the per kilowatt-hour rate that will be guaranteed to renewable energy (RE) developers to ensure the viability of their projects. Consumers will shoulder the tariff through a new line item in their electricity bills, explained the DOE.

At present, the committed capacity for solar power has already exceeded the initial 50-MW target. “Completed solar installations of Sacasol and Majestic have already exceeded the initial solar-installation target of 50 MW,” Maniego said.

 Just recently, San Carlos Solar Energy Inc. (Sacasol), a joint venture between Bronzeoak Philippines Inc. and the ThomasLloyd Group, inaugurated the first phase, or 13 MW of its 22 MW solar-power plant, of the project in Negros Occidental. The inauguration of the remaining 9 MW will be set soon.

 When asked if targets for other RE resources, particularly on wind power, will be adjusted, Maniego said, “The DOE and NREB will study possible installation-target adjustment later this year, once the commercial operation dates of the ongoing wind projects are definite.”

The DOE initially set the installation cap at 750 MW divided among run-of-river hydro with 250 MW; biomass, 250 MW; wind, 200 MW; and solar, 50 MW.

These targets, which are necessary for each type of RE that will qualify for FIT incentives, ensure the security of the power grid and electricity rates, given the intermittent and high cost of power generation from such sources compared with conventional plants.

Marasigan had said that the total capacity for committed wind projects has reached over 300 MW.

“As to wind projects, these are still under construction. The wind proponents must also show that their projects will be quick to deploy like solar, so as to augment the power supply and thus moderate the increase in WESM [Wholesale Electricity Spot Market] prices during peak demand periods,” added Maniego.