Using Sunlight to Power Your Business: The How and Why

How does a solar panel system work? The basic science is simple: light equals energy. But that doesn’t explain how that sphere of hot plasma in the sky is going to power your building. 

So let’s start with the basics: how a solar panel system works. Then we’ll talk about all of the ways your business can benefit from commercial solar power.

The Building Blocks of a Solar Panel System

A solar system (not like our galactic home) typically consists of the following:

• Solar Panels – Solar panels directly harvest energy from the sun using solar cells. These panels consist of photovoltaic (PV) modules that include 60 (or more) solar cells. PV modules are rated based on their output and their efficiency. The more efficient your panels, the more power you collect. What's the highest efficiency for commercially-available panels? Currently it’s at about 24%.
• Inverter – The electric current generated by solar panels is DC (direct current). However, the electricity powering your business is AC (alternating current). So your inverter steps in to perform a little electronic wizardry—turning DC into AC. Then, when the energy leaves, it’s ready to use. From there, it can pass through a meter, go straight into your building, or be fed into the grid, depending upon your setup.
• • Meter – A typical power company meter tracks how much energy you use. In most cases, you’ll get a new one that can track what you use from the grid and what you export to the grid (more on that below). This is called gross metering. In some cases, your electric provider may prefer to install a new meter to separately track the power you export.
  Your commercial solar panel system will also include mounting equipment, wiring, switches and other electrical gear. If you choose, you might also a incorporate a battery system. Everything together, minus the solar panels, is known as the “balance of system.” You won’t be tested later, but you might want to use these terms to impress your colleagues.

The Benefits and Bragging Rights of Commercial Solar

This is the fun part. When your inverter is connected to your circuit breaker, your system can start using the solar power generated by your panels.

Then, when you convert more energy than you can use, your system will automatically feed it back to the power grid. This process is called net metering (although you should check with your utility company to confirm net metering is available in your area*). With net metering, your meter dial literally spins backwards for every kilowatt per hour you feed in, lowering your energy bill and offsetting your operating costs. It’s kind of like turning your clocks back for daylight savings time, only in this instance, time really is money.

And at night, or when you’re using more energy than your system can provide, you’ll just pull from the grid like you’d normally do. 

Now, we haven’t even touched on the eco-friendly benefits of using commercial solar to help power your business. Because, you know that going solar lowers your business’ carbon footprint, is a boon for public relations and gives everyone major bragging rights. Not to mention that it can also contribute towards LEED certification.

 

Next Steps

Hopefully you’re either ready to wow your peers with your knowledge of PV science and AC/DC voltage, or you’re ready to continue your investigation to determine if commercial solar power is right for your business. Either way, you’re feeling electric.

NERC begins nationwide stakeholders’ consultations on mini-grid electrification

The National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has commenced a nationwide stakeholders consultation on its mini grid electrification programme aimed at accelerating electrification distribution in the South East and South South zones, Eagle Online reports.

Emeka Ezeh, the Head of Communication, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), in a press statement in Enugu on Monday, said the consultation would hold in Enugu on September 28. He said that the electricity regulator would collate inputs from stakeholders on how to accelerate electrification in areas without an existing distribution network or unserved areas.

The communication head said that NERC would license mini-grid operators after due consultation. He said that stakeholders from the franchise area of EEDC, Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company and Benin Electricity Distribution Company would participate in the consultations.

Transmission capacity expansion on course – Fashola

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, while addressing complaints in respect of the transmission segment as the weakest link in the power chain, has argued that progress was being made in the expansion of transmission capacity within the country, Vanguardreports.

Fashola who gave this disclosure at the Wilson Centre, Washington DC, USA on the sidelines of the just concluded United Nation’s meeting stated that among the areas listed to undergo such expansion projects include: “the Eastern Axis where the Ikot-Ekpene – Alaoji Transmission project takes off up to Enugu from where it would  boost power all the way to Markurdi.”

He also hinted that local issues that earlier hindered work, such as that of Itu and in Abia State had been resolved. He further added that some of the transmission projects had been completed, saying work was ongoing in the Kano-Kaduna Transmission Station, Lambe Transmission Station, Kumbotsu Transmission Station and the Alagbon Transmission Station in Lagos, among others.

Continuing, he said; “We have finished the one in Okada in Edo State and there are more that have been awarded this year; the Gurara Transmission to take power from Gurara into Kaduna is nearing completion. It is a site I have visited so work is going on”.

Plastics Help Deliver Renewable Energy

TORONTO, Sept. 23, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Is your home powered by plastics? If it's one of the thousands of Canadian homes that uses energy from renewable sources, plastics could be playing a role in helping you reduce the environmental footprint of energy production.

Canada is a world leader in the production and use of energy from renewable resources. Renewable energy sources currently provide about 18.9 per cent of Canada's total primary energy supply.

Here are three contributions that plastics can make to renewable energy—now and in the future.

Wind Turbines

A wind turbine works a lot like a household fan but in reverse: instead of using electricity to produce wind, it uses wind to produce electricity. The wind spins the turbine blades around a rotor that turns a generator to create electricity. Lighter weight turbine blades typically can spin faster, so technicians have continuously experimented with innovative materials to lighten the blades.

That's where plastics come in. Most wind turbine makers today use various lightweight plastic composites to create durable, aerodynamic blades. These materials continue to advance, resulting in tougher and lighter blades. Researchers even are looking at coating the turbines in a plastic designed to mimic owl feathers, which might allow wind turbine speed—and megawatt output—to increase without extra, unwelcome noise.

Solar Cells

Solar cells have been used for decades to generate renewable energy, but plastics generally have played a secondary role. For example, solar panels often use various plastics to protect or connect some of the panels' parts.

Recently, Dow created something new—innovative solar shingles that play two roles: roof protector and renewable energy generator. The Dow POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingles can be integrated directly into a home's roofing system because the durable, engineered plastic shingles combine the aesthetic and profile of traditional shingles while eliminating bulk and height.

Some researchers suggest the future may belong to plastic-based solar cells. Researchers have been developing a new generation of solar cells in which plastics not only can protect the technology but also can serve as the photovoltaic material itself. While there have been many advances over the past few years, fairly recent discoveries may lead to significant improvements in this technology. For example, researchers have found that they can manipulate the molecules in certain plastics to create ordered pathways—or "nanowires"—along which electrical charges can travel more efficiently.

These types of advances could enable the versatility of plastics to open up new possibilities for solar technology. Plastics used in solar cells can be flexible, lightweight, and extremely thin, so plastic solar cells potentially could be printed onto walls, windows, and a variety of other surfaces—including curved ones.

Plus, plastic solar cells are expected to become comparatively less expensive, which could make renewable energy available to many more people, homes, and businesses.

Energy Recovery

We all know that recycling helps turn our everyday plastics into materials for making new products, which gives these valuable resources a second chance—but what happens to the plastics that aren't recycled? More than ever before, they can become a source of energy.

Plastics are derived from materials found in nature that typically are used as sources of energy, such as natural gas, oil, coal, and plants. Today, there are facilities in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec, Canada that recover the energy from waste—including the energy inherent in used plastics—to create electricity for communities.

In addition, thanks to new technologies, some emerging companies can break down plastics at the molecular level and recapture these energy sources to use again in various fuels.

How does it work? One way is through a technology called gasification; heating waste in an oxygen deficient atmosphere, which can then be converted to chemicals or fuels. That means today's used plastics could power tomorrow's homes and cars—instead of ending up in a landfill.

Today's intelligent plastics are vital to the modern world. These materials enhance our lifestyles, our economy and the environment.

Potential US investments may help Nigeria generate 10,000mw in 5 years

Nigeria may, in five years, generate 10,000 megawatt (mw) of electricity if United States (US) President Barack Obama implements the report of the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA) before leaving office in January, The Nation reports.

The PAC-DBIA comprising 15 American private sector leaders with business operations throughout Africa was  appointed by Obama in 2014 to advise him on how to advance the US-Africa business agenda. It recommended, among others, the acceleration of energy infrastructure in Nigeria where the U.S. is expected to  pursue a detailed action plan to achieve 10,000mw of electricity.

The report advised that as a result of Nigeria’s enormous potential as the largest country in the continent in terms of both population and GDP, and because the electricity generation and distribution capacities in Nigeria are among the least developed on the continent, President Obama should focus on Nigeria as the focal point for energy infrastructure on the continent. They recommended that US and Africa policy makers should collaborate on identifying and facilitating investment in electricity generation, especially for the hard- to-finance early stage projects.

Federal Government plans uninterrupted power for 40 universities

The Federal Government is working on a plan for uninterrupted power supply for 40 federal universities within the next 18 months.

To this end, the ministers of education; and power, works and housing; Mallam Adamu Adamu and Babatunde Fashola (SAN) respectively, have begun to collaborate to meet the target.

It was revealed at a meeting held in Abuja yesterday by representatives of both ministers that the project would be implemented through the Energizing Education Programme Initiative (EEPI) .A statement from Deputy Director Press of the ministry of education, Ben Bem Goong, informed that the project will be executed through the utilization of off-grid Independent Power Projects (IPPs) and Public Private Partnership (PPP) structures.

At the meeting which was held with the Vice Chancellors and Directors of Physical Planning of all the 40 Federal Universities, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Dr. Folashade Yemi- Esan, who represented the minister said that the project was initiated by the Ministry of Power, Works & Housing.

According to her, the project will as well, provide an avenue to train students especially those in the faculty of Engineering on how to utilize various energy sources in their respective departments.

“Since both Ministries are on the same page over this important project, we decided to call the Vice Chancellors together, share their vision, cooperation and pray for smooth sailing”, she said.

The Minister for Power, Works and Housing was represented by the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Alhaji Mustapha Baba Shehuri. He stated that the programme is aimed at providing reliable power supply which he said will promote economic growth and sustainable development in our Universities.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Power, Damilola Ogunbiyi, in her presentation, stated that the project will boost productivity, efficacy and professionalism in the concerened universities.

She noted that the off-grid power plants being planned for varsities are environmentally friendly with little or no carbon emission, in line with global climate change standard.

ENERGY-SAVING TECHNOLOGIES YOU SHOULD ADOPT

When it comes to saving energy, many people think investing in solar power or buying an electric car are the only options. But conserving doesn’t have to be so expensive. There are numerous ways you can adopt energy-saving technologies. Between smartphones and smart appliances, you can start saving dollars and energy all at the same time. Here are a few ways to do this:

Refrigerator

Today’s smart refrigerators are more than appliances that keep food fresh. They are also energy-efficient and come with computerized touch screens that help you keep track of what’s inside, what you need to replace or buy, and help you find recipes online. The Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator is rated one of the best smart refrigerators on the market.

While they aren’t cheap, your savings in the long run come from not wasting as much food since keeping track of it all is that much simpler. You can pair some devices with the touch screen allowing you to make phone calls without even picking up your phone. Pair up your smartphone or tablet to access your refrigerator even when you aren’t home. How’s that for convenience?

Washer/Dryer

Smart washers and dryers allow you to connect to your appliances when you aren’t home. You can activate their options through an app on your smartphone or tablet, and track how much energy they are using. You can start a load of laundry when you are out and about, and you can sign up to receive notifications on its progress. These appliances also allow you to keep track of maintenance and repairs.

Range

Cut down on the amount of time you spend in the kitchen with a new smart range. Some of the newer models allow you to download an app to your smartphone or tablet and send recipes straight to the stove automatically setting the temperature and cooking time. You can also monitor a food’s cooking time and progress. This same app also lets users monitor their food’s cooking progress. Smart ranges cut back on cooking time by using infrared cooking. Perfect for the home cook who prepares several meals a day.

Nest Thermostat and Smoke Alarm

A Nest Learning Thermostat learns your heating and air preferences allowing you to save the time of programming it yourself. This can also save you money over time. The company also makes carbon monoxide alarms and smoke detectors that will alert you through your smartphone when the batteries are running low, as well as when there is a pending emergency.

Quick Charge Technology

You can change the way you charge your smartphone or tablet with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 Technology. Devices with Snapdragon mobile processors can receive the energy-efficient, “lightning-fast” charging. This technology decreases the amount of time you spend connected to a charging cable. Select devices equipped with this technology include LG G5, HTC 10, and Lenovo ZUK Z2 Pro, to name a few

Power Adapter

Energy savings don’t always need to come by installing or doing something big. In fact, there are quite a few things you can do on a smaller scale. Charging and powering up your electronic devices can use a considerable amount of home energy.

However, companies such as Belkin offer solutions. Instead of continuously charging, these types of adapters can be set to for 30 minutes, three hours, or six hours. Once the time is up, they automatically shut off. This reduces standby power.

Saving energy doesn’t only mean installing solar panels on your roof or buying an electric car. There are many other ways people can go green. Whether you install a learning thermostat, invest in a smart appliance or find easy ways to save power with your every-day electronics, there are several energy-saving technologies that you should adopt.

1,041MW lost as 10 power plants shut down

The nation’s power generation fell by over 1,000 megawatts as four power plants were down on Saturday, bringing the total number of plants not generating electricity at the moment to 10, The Punch reports.

The nation recorded a total system collapse on Friday, September 16, 2016, the 17th time this year, industry data on Sunday showed. The total power generation stood at 2,555.7MW as of 6am on Saturday, down from 3,596.2MW the previous day, worsening the outage being experienced by households and businesses across the country.

The plants that were shut down after the collapse included Olorunsogo I and Olorunsogo II in Ogun State; Omotosho II in Ondo State; and Ihovbor located in Edo State, with installed capacities of 294MW, 500MW, 500MW and 225MW respectively.

Can a whole country run on renewable energy?

Portugal has shown that in terms of electricity at least, the answer is yes. For 107 hours in May 2016 the sun, wind and rain powered a nation.

It's not just big energy companies who are boosting the green energy infrastructure. Portugal's first renewable energy cooperative has also been busy.

Starting in December 2013 with just 16 members, Coopérnico has just installed its seventh photovoltaic facility on the roof of the Irene Rolo foundation, in Tavira on the south coast of Portugal.

Now with almost 500 members on its books, Coopérnico raised the 55,750 euros needed for this project in just one week. It was so quick, people missed out. "There were members who wanted to invest and they didn't get there in time, so the investment was already closed," says Coopérnico board member Susana Fonseca.

Members invest a sum of money over 12 years. In Tavira the individual amounts ranged from 250 to 12,000 euros. Each year stakeholders receive a portion of their initial outlay back, and also the interest generated.

Investment potential

With a competitive interest rate of 4 per cent, there are undoubtedly those attracted by the investment potential.

But the main driver for membership, says Fonseca, is the fact it's one of the few opportunities in Portugal to invest in sustainability. "This is not only about producing renewable energy. People are investing in something they consider sustainable. It's the opposite to putting your money in the bank and never knowing what they are doing with it. So here, people know where their money is going."

Coopérnico works with non-profit entities like schools and municipalities. The Irene Rolo foundation in Tavira works with disabled people. Coopérnico rents the roof space, installs the solar panels, and sells the energy to the national grid. After 15 years the equipment is donated to the host institution.

"In Denmark 80% of wind power that is produced is owned by citizens through co-operatives. So it is a very viable model and we do believe that it is a substantial part of the future", says Fonseca. "We see renewable energy as the future." And in Portugal the future has arrived. In May 2016 the country managed to run for four and a half days on renewable electricity alone. Thanks to favorable weather, and the use of 83 hydroelectric dams to store green energy. There has been considerable investment in wind and hydro over the last few decades.

Now the plan is to beef up solar supplies to help meet electricity demand in the summer months, while leaning on wind and hydro through the winter.

Solar energy in particular makes sense in Portugal.

"We are the European country that has the highest number of sunshine hours," says Francisco Ferreira of Portuguese sustainability NGO Zero. "So, solar is really a source that we have to grow. At the moment solar only represents around one tenth of the power compared with hydro or wind."

The Amareleja plant in the Alentejo region was the biggest in the world when it was installed in 2008. Today there are 12 large-scale solar facilities across the country. The solar cooperative Coopérnico is also hoping to grow. Plans for the future include expanding into electricity supply and being able to sell exclusively clean energy to its members. "That's the dream!" says Fonseca.

Power generation hits 4,285 megawatts – System Operator

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has said that the country’s power generation has increased from 3,810 megawatts recorded on Sept. 8, 2016 to 4,285.90 megawatts on Friday, Eagle Online reports.

The power generation record was reported on the website of the “Nigerian Electricity System Operator’’ on Friday. TCN said that 4,285.90 megawatts was the total output by power generation companies, and had been transferred to the 11 distribution companies across the country.

Electricity generation in the country has been stable in the last two months, rising from about 2,983 megawatts to over 4,000 megawatts. Although power has improved, many parts of the country have remained with supply owing to problems with the distribution companies, including provision of pre-payment meters.

Large-scale tidal power project launches in Scotland

The MeyGen project is a large-scale effort to deploy up to 398 MW worth of offshore tidal stream turbines, connected to the UK National Grid by 2020. The project is now officially underway, with Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, unveiling four 1.5 MW turbines, which together make up Phase 1A of the project, at an event in the Nigg Energy Park in Scotland.

The four 1.5 MW turbines are built by two companies – three by Andritz Hydro Hammerfest, and a single AR1500 turbine from Atlantis Resources (pictured above) – each weighing an impressive 200 tonnes (220 tons). They're all now fully assembled, and are ready to be positioned atop their foundation structures on the quayside at the Nigg Energy Park. Once attached, each turbine will be transported to its operational site by a Neptune jack-up vessel, operated by Geoseas.

Sitting on the seabed, the turbines are similar in appearance to wind turbines, with a three-blade design. However, the blades on tidal stream turbines tend to be smaller in size, thanks to the much denser nature of sea water compared to air. The Atlantis Resources turbine being installed in Scotland features a mechanism that lets it to turn through 180 degrees, allowing it to switch direction with the tide. This new milestone comes three months after the project successfully connected an underground, 33kV power export cable to the grid, in June 2016. The turbines are expected to deliver their first power to the UK grid later this year.

These initial turbines might only be the first part of a much larger puzzle – the completed project will see 269 turbines deployed, powering some 175,000 homes – but they represent the culmination of a lot of preparation for the companies and individuals involved.

"It gives me enormous pride to have reached this juncture after 10 years of tireless work, preparation and planning by everyone associated with this project," said Atlantis Resources CEO, Tim Cornelius. "This is the day the tidal power industry announced itself as the most exciting new asset class of renewable, sustainable generation in the UK's future energy mix."

The project is just the latest example of how we're harnessing nature as a source of green energy. Back in May, New Atlas was on the ground in Gibraltar, where Eco Wave Power switched on the first ever grid-connected wave power plant in Europe.

How Data And Machine Learning Are Changing The Solar Industry

Software will be crucial to lower the cost of solar energy.

Like most sectors, the solar industry is rapidly embracing ways to analyze and crunch data in order to lower the cost of solar energy and to open up new markets for their technology.

The rise of data tools—algorithms, machine learning, sensors—are driving investments in, and acquisitions of, solar startups, while entrepreneurs are launching new companies that are using data to solve various solar industry problems. Meanwhile, big companies are spending money on tracking, monitoring and evaluating data from solar projects worldwide, helping to lower the cost of generating energy from the sun.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the solar sector is the latest to embrace the value of data. Other traditionally non-digital sectors, like the auto industry, oil and gas, and agriculture are turning to managing data as a necessity to keep their technology competitive and their companies in business. But when it comes to the solar industry, it could end up being data that ultimately pushes down the cost of solar enough so that it can compete with fossil fuel energy. In that way, it’s not just a way for solar companies to make money (though it’s that, too), but it would also be a way to transition the world from generating energy that emits tons of planet-warming carbon emissions.

At a solar industry conference in Las Vegas this week, companies across the solar industry are talking about their latest data technology and plans.

On Wednesday, a young startup called PowerScout, based in Oakland, Calif., announced that it has raised a seed round of $5.2 million to expand its technology that uses big data, analytics, and e-commerce to find smarter ways to sell solar panels to consumers. The company’s software amasses tons of data on current and potential solar customers, and uses machine learning to predict which of them are likely to buy solar panels.

Machine learning is an artificial intelligence technique that involves feeding data to algorithms so that the machine learning-powered algorithms get better at figuring our patterns in the data. Turns out it can be helpful for selling solar panels.

Selling solar panels to consumers has emerged as a tricky and expensive problem for companies. Particularly, as some markets, like in California, have been successful enough that many of the early adopters already have solar. That means in those places, increasingly, solar companies will have to convince more mainstream customers, who are generally more price-sensitive, to buy solar panels.

PowerScout CEO Attila Toth tells Fortune from the conference in Las Vegas that solar is “still being sold door-to-door just like vacuum cleaners in the 1950s.” That means consumers end up paying more, because of the high costs of the sales process itself, instead of just for the panels.

The company, whose funding includes millions of dollars from the Department of Energy, has also partnered with Google’s  GOOG 0.78%  Project Sunroof, which is using data to build similar solar software. 

Other startups are using data to make it easier to finance the cost of installing solar. Last week a San Francisco-based company, kWh Analytics, introduced a new solar software product that uses data from global solar projects to convince insurance companies to back a production guarantee for solar projects. The guarantee drives down the interest rate for money raised for solar systems, and thus lowers the cost of financing them.

Solar data has historically “been fairly disorganized,” and the industry has little information about who builds quality solar projects, says kWh Analytics CEO Richard Matsui. The company counts Google, which has bought over 2.5 gigawatts over clean energy, as a client. This summer kWh Analytics raised a $5 million round of funding from Anthemis Group and power giant Engie.

Solar data startups aren’t just launching and raising funds from venture capitalists. Big companies are buying them, too.

Last month electronics giant Flex, through its solar gear subsidiary NEXTracker, revealed that it had bought a machine learning startup called BrightBox Technologies. The three-year-old company, based in Berkeley, Calif., developed software to optimize heating and cooling systems in buildings.

Sokoto Cement to generate 60MW from solid fuels, coal by 2017

To reduce the high cost of energy consumption for production processes, the Sokoto Cement (Cement Company of Northern Nigeria Plc) has concluded better arrangements to build two additional power plants that would enable it generate about 60 Mega Watts (MW) of electricity by 2017, The Guardian reports.

The Chairman of the company, Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu, disclosed this last week during the company’s 2015 Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Abuja. Presently, the company is generating 16mw electricity from its biomass plant for its use and those of the adjourning communities where it operates.

‘’The project for production capacity increase and the conversion of the existing production line to solid fuels-coal is ongoing and is expected to reach completion by mid-2017, the use of solid fuels as the main energy for the kiln will considerably reduce the company’s operational costs and its debt profile,’’ he said.

Everything you need to know about the solar company Tesla wants to buy for $2.6 billion

In June, the electric car manufacturer Tesla announced it intended to buy solar energy company SolarCity for $2.6 billion. Since then, SolarCity has experienced delays in locking in new financing commitments, the company said last month in an SEC filing. 

But on September 12, things started to look a little bit better.

The company announced it raised $305 million in a cash equity transaction advised by billionaire investor George Soros' hedge fund. 

Here's everything you need to know about SolarCity.

What is SolarCity, and what does it do?

Employing about 13,000 people and operating in 20 jurisdictions, SolarCity is one of the largest solar energy companies in the US. The company designs and installs solar panels on the roofs of homes and buildings, currently servicing about 250,000 customers. SolarCity didn't invent the solar panel, but it is credited with making wider adoption of solar panels possible. A few years ago, solar panels were extremely expensive (about $30,000 to $50,000 upfront), which deterred many people from switching to them.

So Solar City developed a lease model that lets people install solar panels with no money down and save money instantly (but pay for the panels in chunks over time). This is great for customers, but has also cost SolarCity a lot.

As of this year, it's swimming in more than $3 billion-worth of debt, and still has plenty of competition from companies like Sunrun and Vivint Solar.

Why did SolarCity raise $305 million?

SolarCity was awarded $305 million to finance new projects. Some of the company's latest projects include a huge solar field in Kaua'i, Hawaii that will charge up batteries during the day, as well as a new battery factory in Buffalo, New York. 

The company also plans to unveil two new products by the end of the year, including a solar roof. Shares of the company were up 6.6% at $17.89 in afternoon trading on September 12, the day the funding was announced. 

What is Tesla's stake?

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, is already a chairman of SolarCity and helped found it in 2006.

This year, Tesla has been making moves to acquire much of the company. In March, Musk's rocket venture SpaceX bought $90 million of SolarCity stock. In late June, Tesla submitted an offer to buy SolarCity for $2.6 billion, and in August, the company accepted.

While the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has already approved the merger, shareholders must still vote on the deal. The shop period ends Wednesday, September 14. 

In a recent securities filing, Tesla said it would need to raise additional money by year’s end to finance it. Some critics have called the merger a "bailout" of SolarCity (In the past year, its stock fallen by 57%).

Tesla is also building the Gigafactory, a $5 billion battery factory in Nevada, by 2017.  There, Tesla will manufacture batteries for the Model 3, as well as batteries for its storage devices, called Powerwalls. Musk has said repeatedly that SolarCity is the missing part of Tesla’s business. 

Tesla already manufactures Powerwall and chargers for its cars — but if a customer wants to use solar energy to power their home and Tesla, they currently must lease solar panels from a third-party company that installs them.

Musk argues that merging with SolarCity would transform Tesla into a one-stop-shop for drivers who want to go green.

Harvesting solar power could propel growth in farm income

Solar-powered water pumps will insure farmers when rains fail and also replace polluting diesel ones.

New Delhi: India has set an ambitious target of achieving 100,000 megawatts of solar power capacity by 2022 as well as doubling farm incomes by the 75th year of Independence.

Both these targets can be a game changer for rural India if implemented in unison, suggests new research.

According to a recent study by New Delhi-based International Council for Research in International Economic Relations (ICRIER), access to solar power can help water crop fields, build cold storages and augment farm incomes by feeding the surplus power generated into the grid.

The paper titled Harvesting Solar Power in India further said that while farmers can earn guaranteed tariffs by feeding the surplus power into the grid—akin to harvesting a second or a third crop—solar-powered irrigation pumps will insure farmers when rains fail and also replace polluting diesel pumps.

Indian farmers currently use more than 20 million diesel and electric pumps and replacing these with solar-powered ones can help reduce the annual power subsidy bill of the government to the agriculture sector, the paper said.

It added that solar pumps can save farmers more than Rs.1 lakh in costs over a decade, due to high maintenance and fuel costs of diesel pumps.

According to the ICRIER paper, if farmers have the option of selling surplus power to the grid, then they would minimize water pumping and thus conserve water.

“This model would act as an incentive to adopt solar energy in the country, and reduce ground water exploitation and augment farmers’ income,” the paper said.

Government data shows the leaps India is taking in this direction. Till March 2015, it had installed 19,500 solar pumps, but during 2015-16 alone, 31,472 solar pumps were installed across the country.

“This definitely is a boon for remote rural and agriculture areas without any power access as well as sparse electricity supply,” the paper said, adding, “it would be a useful and innovative policy solution to connect such decentralized renewable systems to the grid for additional revenue generation for farmers.”

The paper cited the success story of Dhundi Saur Urja Utapadak Shahakari Mandali in Gujarat as the first solar irrigation cooperative in the world where farmers are selling surplus solar power to discoms.

However, according to the paper, high upfront capital costs of Rs.3-5 lakh for installing solar pumps could be a challenge that has to be overcome by providing credit on easy terms.

Besides using solar pumps, farmers could also benefit by leasing crop lands for installing solar panels, while simultaneously harvesting crops, the paper said. “It is like having a second crop of solar power at a height of 15-20 feet with the food crop below on the field,” the study said, adding, “studies across the globe have proved that shade of solar panels have no negative impact on crop growth, if arranged in a particular configuration that allows sufficient sunlight and wind to pass through to the plants.”

Both the agriculture ministry and the ministry of new and renewable energy have to act in unison to achieve the twin goals of doubling farm incomes and meeting India’s solar energy generation targets by 2022, the paper advised.

SON, NESP plan energy efficiency model for households, public buildings

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP) have created a strategic action to improve energy efficiency of equipment used in residential and public buildings in Nigeria, TODAY reports.

The acting Director-General of SON, Dr. Paul Angya, said that the agency will facilitate access to information for consultants, set up and support the technical committee for air condition standards and labels that will support the promotion and creation of awareness in the country. He said Nigeria could not afford to lag behind in a critical area where about 84 countries had already implemented energy efficient standards in terms of the kinds of lamps, air-conditioners and refrigerators that are allowed in their domains.

Head of Unit, Energy Efficiency at Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP), Dr Charles Diarra, said this would be done through the introduction of appropriate energy efficiency policies, measures and demand-side management programmes in order to strengthen the regulatory and institutional framework, develop monitoring and enforcement mechanisms, provide training to appliance and equipment professionals, and launch a public outreach campaign to promote energy efficiency in Nigeria.

Here Comes the Sun: #Solar Power Is Offically Reshaping Our Energy Production

SOLAR CHANGES

Solar energy certainly has come a long way in being a reliable source of energy in its own right. Going from being a novelty resource tapped by climate change advocates to increasingly being used by individuals, cities, and even whole countries.

Indeed, more and more countries are joining the solar bandwagon. The biggest player around is China, who has even thought up a $50 trillion global grid of renewable energy supplying all countries. India sees itself with a 100 GW solar power capacity by 2022.

In fact cities and countries have had their whole grids powered by solar or renewables for periods of time. Costa Rica ran 285 days last year on 100% renewable energy. Cities like Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Reykjavik, Iceland; and Curitiba, Brazil have already reached the 100% renewable energy goal, and much of that comes from solar power.

SUNNY SIDE UP

So what’s fueling the increasing adoption of solar? Aside from being one of the preeminent renewable energy sources (others being wind, geothermal, and biofuels) much research and development has been focused on solar power.

In a nutshell, solar modules and their connected technologies are becoming better and more efficient at generating and storing energy. Even the traditional argument against solar, that it doesn’t run at night, becomes invalidated by concentrated solar power and better battery technologies.

All this has led to a general decline in the cost of solar power. In 2015, the installed cost of solar in the US has dropped 5% in small-scale solar panels and 12% in utility-scale solar farms. Chile has seen solar electricity be sold at $29.10 a megawatt-hour, nearly half of electricity from coal.

With the increasing uncertainty in the oil we suck from the ground, its time we start looking to the heavens for our energy needs.