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Archives: September2011

We are Boilermakers. Boilermaker heritage goes far beyond athletics. It defines our community through spirit, determination, and work ethic. Back in the late 1800’s, the Purdue football team was known for their knowledge and hard work in the classroom and industrial fields. Covered in dirt and smog every day from working in boiler rooms, the football team soon gained the unpleasant nickname “Boilermakers.” Since then, Purdue University has adopted the name in remembrance of our university’s humble beginnings.

Today, with the INhomes team’s hands-on-approach, we truly represent the essence of a Boilermaker. We are proud of the hard work, determination and skills that have made this dream become a reality. Kevin R. is the team’s project manager and designer of the unique Biowall feature. Jordan W. is our engineering manager, who has integrated multiple technical features into our home along with the PV system itself. Jordan has a team of talented engineers that have built and designed the INhome to perform very well.  Mallory S. is our HVAC system engineer and Lee C. is the controls engineer of the home.  Sarah M. is our team’s design and architecture manager. Communications includes those in management, hotel tourism management and liberal arts. McKenna R., Devynn L. and Kristyn Z. are a few of the students involved in communications and education for the INhome. Eric H. leads the construction team as the team’s construction manager. Those who assist Eric H. in the home’s design and build are; Derek K., Jeffery D., Matt H., Spencer D., Steven J., Kaitlyn T., Brendan M., Andy G. , Caitlin M. and more.
 
The INhome is powered by a 8.64 kW SunPower solar photovoltaic system that annually produces as much electricity as the INhome consumes, allowing the INhome to become net-zero. The photovoltaic system is driven by 36, SunPower® E19 / 238 Solar Panels. Excess electricity is sold back to the power utility company during times of high production. Our team chose to use SunPower solar panels because the company is a leader in the solar industry and offered our team a cost effective, high quality and reliable product, as well as a supportive industry partnership. All in all, allowing us to succeed in the competition.

The philosophy behind the INhome is making the concept of solar powered residences a reality in the near future for residential consumers. This Midwestern inspired home shows consumers they can be sustainable without sacrificing quality or comfort. The INhome blends technological innovations with functional and appealing aesthetics to create a living space that appeals to the majority of homeowners.

The most unique feature of the INhome is the Biowall. The Biowall is a home air filtration system that utilizes plants placed in a vertical wall, which remove harmful chemicals that can accumulate in homes that are tightly sealed like the INhome. Air from the home is drawn through the plant wall where the chemicals are removed by the plants and used as a food source. The wall requires very little maintenance and is even designed to water itself. The Biowall improves the air quality in the home, saves energy, and provides a calming ambiance by bringing nature inside the home.

We will not only be a top player in this competition, but also be recognized as future leaders in innovation. Team Purdue is competing in the Solar Decathlon knowing that no matter the challenge, we Boilermakers have the drive and skills necessary to surpass our goals.



For more information on Team Purdue, please visit our website.

Howard Wenger
McKenna J. Regan
Communications and Marketing Manager, Purdue INhome
West Lafayette, IN, United States

In mid-September, 19 teams of talented university students traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the fifth U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon at the National Mall's West Potomac Park. The teams represent 13 U.S. states, five countries and four continents. Competing in 10 categories over nine days, the Solar Decathlon challenges each team to design, build and operate the most attractive, functional and energy-efficient solar-powered home. Teams accrue points based on how well their houses perform in the 10 categories, each worth 100 points. Once teams are scored in all ten categories, the team with the highest total number of points is declared the winner of the Solar Decathlon and receives the championship trophy.

Competition categories:
1.    Architecture
2.    Market Appeal
3.    Engineering
4.    Communications
5.    Affordability
6.    Comfort Zone
7.    Hot Water
8.    Appliances
9.    Home Entertainment
10.  Energy Balance

The final results for Architecture and Affordability were announced this week. Congratulations to two of the teams using SunPower panels - Middlebury College for placing 4th in Architecture and Purdue University for tying for 1st place in Affordability! 

Long-term planning and determination is key to participating in the competition. Teams started preparing more than two years in advance. Check it out - their work is impressive and inspiring. 




















With homes designed for the energy needs of the average household, the Solar Decathlon aims to help visitors learn about the benefits of applying sustainable, energy efficient and cost-saving features to their own homes.

The public is invited to tour the houses for free through Oct. 2. If you haven’t had a chance to tour the 2011 Solar Decathlon homes at West Potomac Park, make time for it this week or over the weekend. 

For those of you who live too far away to go in person, we are happy to bring the Solar Decathlon to you. Take a look at our Solar Decathlon 2011 Facebook album to see photos of this year’s innovative and sustainable homes and follow us on Twitter for updates.

Six Solar Decathlon 2011 teams selected our high efficiency, high reliability SunPower solar systems for their homes:
  • Team Florida International University (Florida International University) with perFORM[D]ance  House, selected the SunPower® E19 / 320 Solar Panels
  • Team Illinois (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) with Re_home, chose the SunPower® E18 / 230 Solar Panels
  • Team Massachusetts (University of Massachusetts at Lowell and Massachusetts College of Art and Design) with 4D Home, featuring the SunPower® E19 / 240 Solar Panels
  • Team Middlebury College (Middlebury College) with Self-Reliance, using the SunPower® E18 / 225 Solar Panels
  • Team New York (City College of New York) with Solar RoofPod, selected the SunPower® E19 / 240 Solar Panels
  • Team Purdue (Purdue University) with INhome, will install the SunPower® E19 / 238 Solar Panels
Did you know?
The winners of the 2005, 2007 and 2009 Solar Decathlon competitions used SunPower solar panels. SunPower panels offer the maximum power from a limited roof space, a key design requirement for the decathletes, as well as residences and businesses everywhere.

Interested in learning more about the SunPower teams at the 2011 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon? We are excited to host a series of guest blog posts about the six Solar Decathlon homes powered by SunPower at this year's competition.

This summer, SunPower was host to the Solar Discovery Game, the first ever interactive solar trivia contest on Facebook. With thousands of players throughout the course of the three-month contest, on September 21st, we conducted the final tie-breaker event. We would like to extend a warm thank you to all our Facebook community that participated in the game, and to those that helped spread the word about solar by encouraging their friends and family to play! We hope you enjoyed the experience and had fun learning about the process of going solar.

We will announce the winner of the Grand Prize, a complete SunPower solar energy system worth up to $25,000, in the upcoming weeks. In addition to the Grand Prize, we had more than 60 exciting prizes that we gave away to randomly selected winners. You can find the complete list of winners on the SunPower website

While the Solar Discovery Game is over, the exploration and education don't have to end! We are looking for a few passionate ambassadors who are enthusiastic about solar and are interested in spreading the word about how solar power can help people save on electricity costs and protect the environment. Leave us a note on Facebook if you think you'd be a great solar ambassador. We'd love to hear from you!

Also, we are offering a rebate of up to $1,750 to all the Solar Discovery Game players interested in purchasing a SunPower solar power system. This is a limited time offer, so sign-up now to qualify.

As always, you can join the solar conversation on our Facebook Page, or leave us a comment below. Let's keep the solar revolution going!
 

CNN recently featured a story about the huge savings solar energy systems can provide to school districts, highlighting SunPower’s efforts. Within the next year, SunPower will install solar panels for schools at more than 90 school facilities in California. Using a variety of low-interest rate solar financing tools, our world-leading, high-efficiency solar systems will immediately begin saving schools money on their electric bills, providing critically needed budget savings for use towards teachers, programs and supplies. 
 
Over the systems’ lifetime, these SunPower solar panel installations will save tens of millions of dollars for school districts across the state. Schools are major beneficiaries of the California Solar Initiative with installed solar power systems expected to deliver more than $1.5 billion in savings to schools statewide.
 
As SunPower’s Bill Kelly said in the CNN segment “One of the ways they are capitalizing on that is borrowing money at very low interest rates and investing in solar with that borrowed money. Then in turn, they are getting savings from the solar projects which pay back that investment and then some.”
 
Construction is underway to provide solar energy for schools in districts ranging from Los Angeles Unified School District to San Ramon Valley Unified School District. 

 

Check out our website if you'd like to learn more about SunPower's efforts in the arena of solar energy for schools

This August, we had the pleasure of hosting Dartmouth College’s Big Green Bus, an eco-friendly Greyhound bus run by 13 students who strive to educate people on sustainable innovation. It was a unique experience for us to see how these college students (aka bussers) get their audience excited about the environment, sustainability and making a difference with the bus they live in and travel around the country with. 
 
The bussers have equipped the Big Green Bus with an assortment of educational tools. Perhaps the best educational tool they have is the actual bus itself. The bus was reengineered with mechanical and electrical components, which allow the bus to run clean and educate people. Two of the best examples are their veggie oil system and the solar panels. Many of the people that visit the bus have never seen either form of technology, but seeing it makes it easier for the bussers to explain how the technology works. One bonus is that some can’t quite believe that 13 students are travelling across the country and living off of the sun and used French fry oil. The bussers showcase how this is done at the places they visit. They use a touch-screen computer that maps different sustainability efforts around the country to help their excited visitors find local sustainability efforts that they can get involved with. The bussers are not the only ones who influence others, there are people and entire communities that surprise and inspire them as well. 

In North Carolina, the bus passed through a town that had little shops that sourced all local ingredients, which gave lots of business to the local farms and winemakers. This particular town not only gets fresh ingredients, but they are also reducing their carbon footprint. For this reason, Nick Devonshire, the fundraising coordinator of Big Green Bus, names North Carolina by far the coolest state they went to. This town is inspiring, proving that sustainability is not only a Northeast/Silicon Valley issue. Even though the bussers endeavor to make an impression on those they meet with, others have also blown them out of the water. 
 
It was great to see these 13 students in action at our offices explaining how they bring awareness to sustainability by providing eye-opening experience. Check out our video where the bussers explain some of the sustainable features they implemented on the bus as well as our employees’ reactions.

















If you missed them this year, keep an eye out for the 2012 tour

Although most of us perceive solar to be more sustainable than conventional sources such as coal or gas, traditional analysis methods rarely consider the full value that solar generation provides. As a result, economically viable solar power generation that achieves apparent parity with conventional energy sources1  – commonly referred to as “grid parity” – can seem an elusive goal. By taking a closer look at all the economic benefits of solar generation, however, it’s clear that grid parity is within reach. 
 
Let’s start by looking at just one of the many hidden benefits of solar generation. Solar power generation often coincides with peak demand periods, providing substantial value by generating power when it’s needed most. Take for example the August 2003 blackout in the Northeast. Not surprisingly, demand for power peaked during the day when temperatures were at their warmest and air conditioners were working their hardest. Solar generation is ideally suited to mitigating these peak conditions as the sun fuels both the heat wave and solar power generation. In this case, as little as 500 MW of solar PV installations dispersed throughout the region could have averted the outage.
 
One reason PV value is largely unrecognized is that it is usually defined solely in terms of the investment return it provides the owner of a system. That leaves out the value solar generation provides to utilities and ratepayers who purchase power, as well as taxpayers who have contributed to the installation of new PV systems via incentives and to society in general. Recently, I undertook the task of analyzing  the value of solar power generation to all constituencies in a particular area – in this case New York State – and demonstrated that solar generation can indeed reach grid parity.
 
So what are these hidden benefits? For utilities and ratepayers, benefits come in the form of reduced costs associated with obtaining power, whether it’s from the wholesale market or through increased power generation capacity needed to meet peak demand. In addition, because PV systems can be spread across a distribution system, power loss through long-distance transmission and wear-and-tear of feeder equipment such as transformers is reduced. PV generation also can act as a price hedge to volatile commodity prices for electricity. 
 
Taxpayers and the society at large also realize tangible benefits. Solar generation improves grid security by reducing the chances of power outages. Going back to the 2003 Northeast blackout example, a $3 billion investment in PV could have prevented the outage, which is estimated to have cost $8 billion. Solar generation also benefits the environment and public health through reduced pollution, and it employs more people than conventional energy production, creating jobs.
 
As Figure 1 shows, by quantifying these benefits for the State of New York, we estimated the combined value of distributed solar generation to the state’s rate and taxpayers to be in the range of 15 to 41 cents per kWh. Since the unsubsidized cost of PV is in the order of 20 to 30 cents in New York, the effective grid parity gap is essentially bridged in this state, and likely in several others as well. This a fundamentally different conclusion than arrived at when applying the traditional grid parity definition without any context, comparing unsubsidized PV to least-cost (gas) generation at 6 to 8 cents/kWh – let alone coal at 4 cents per kWh – and showing a large apparent solar grid parity gap. 
 
Richard Perez Grid Parity
 
Understanding the full value of solar better equips us to support the growth of solar generation. We all stand to gain from a healthier, more sustainable world – economically, environmentally and in terms of energy security.


 
Richard Perez co-authored the paper, “Solar Power Generation in the U.S.: Too Expensive, or a Bargain ?” with Tom Hoff, Founder and President, Research and Consulting at Clean Power Research, and Ken Zweibel, GW Solar Institute, George Washington University. 

1Specifically, apparent grid parity is the point at which unsubsidized solar competes with the cost of new gas generation capacity, sold at wholesale. 

Richard Perez
Richard Perez
Senior Research Associate, University of Albany, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center
Albany, NY, United States
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