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Pitch

Solar power is energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy.


Description

Summary

Solar energy is the cleanest and most abundant renewable energy source. Modern solar energy technologies harness the energy for a variety of uses, including generating electricity, providing light or a comfortable interior environment, and heating water for domestic, commercial, or industrial use through the use of photovoltaic, or PV, panels.


Category of the action

Reducing emissions from electric power sector.


What actions do you propose?

HARNESS SOLAR ENERGY:

  •  Solar heating & cooling:- Solar heating & cooling (SHC) technologies collect the thermal energy from the sun and use this heat to provide hot water, space heating, cooling, and pool heating for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. These technologies displace the need to use electricity or natural gas.

  • Passive solar: In passive solar building design, windows, walls, and floors are made to collect, store, and distribute solar energy in the form of heat in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer. This is called passive solar design because, unlike active solar heating systems, it does not involve the use of mechanical and electrical devices.


Who will take these actions?

The key actors are:

Governments, Local Government, companies, solar industries and individual


Where will these actions be taken?

Worldwide


How much will emissions be reduced or sequestered vs. business as usual levels?

90-95% green house gas emission will be reduced.


What are other key benefits?

  • Solar energy is a flexible energy technology.
  • Renewable energy.
  • Clean energy.
  • Sustainable energy
  • Solar increases the value of your home.
  • Use of solar helps decrease air pollution problems related to burning fossil fuels.


What are the proposal’s costs?

Pricing for Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems.: Generally, Solar PV systems that generate electricity from sunlight cost between $1.95 to $6 per installed watt. Typically, the larger the system, the lower price per watt. Large commercial systems are typically well below $3 per watt. Residential systems, because of their smaller size are usually somewhat higher. For example, in Ohio a 5.1 kW residential system with an average monthly production of about 540 kWh would cost approximately $19,000 or about $3.77 per watt. Larger systems have a significantly lower cost per watt.

Note that this a fully installed price including all mounting hardware, inverters, wiring, labor, permits, inspections and Dovetail 5 year installation warranty. It is also list price before any grants, tax credits, depreciation or SRECs are applied. These incentives will significantly reduce your final cost.

CSP is a capital-intensive technology. Initial investment, dominated by solar field equipment and labor, ranges from 2,500 to 10,200 USD per kW – depending mainly on the load factor and energy-storage capacity – and accounts on average for 84% of the electricity-generation costs of CSP. The remaining 16% consists mainly of fixed Operation and Maintenance (O&M) costs.

Cost of an installed residential solar domestic water heating system typically ranges between $6,000 to $10,000, depending on system type and geographic location.  Commercial system costs can vary widely depending on the heating or cooling load they are sized to, and can range from $20,000 to $1,000,000 per system,

The cost of passive design elements can run the same or slightly more than conventional building costs. This assumes that design services are used in both approaches – passive solar design and conventional design. Interior thermal mass materials such as stone and brick generally add to the cost of a home but can also be considered aesthetic enhancements.


Time line

Time line

1-5 year baseline survey and manufacturing solar system components.

5-15 year installation of solar system.

Above 15 years assessment of cost benefit analysis.


Related proposals


References

http://passivesolar.sustainablesources.com

http://www.azsolarcenter.org/economics/quick-facts/solar-electric-quick-facts.html

http://www.dovetailsolar.com/Solar-Electric/Pricing-for-Solar-Electric-Systems.aspx

http://www.seia.org/about/solar-energy

http://www.seia.org/policy/solar-technology/solar-heating-cooling

http://www.seia.org/research-resources/solar-heating-cooling-energy-secure-future

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentrated_solar_power

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaics

https://www.sbc.slb.com/SBCInstitute/Publications/SolarPower.aspx