Solar Energy in Spain

Solar Energy in Spain

Spain is forging ahead with plans to build concentrating solar power plants, establishing the country and Spanish companies as world leaders in the emerging field. At the same time, the number of installed photovoltaic systems is growing exponentially, and researchers continue to explore new ways to promote and improve solar power.

This is the seventh in an eight-part series highlighting new technologies in Spain and is produced by Technology Review, Inc.s custom-publishing division in partnership with the Trade Commission of Spain.

From the road to the Solcar solar plant outside Seville, drivers can see what appear to be glowing white rays emanating from a tower, piercing the dry air, and alighting upon the upturned faces of the tilted mirror panels below.

Appearances, though, are deceiving: those upturned mirrors are actually tracking the sun and radiating its energy onto a blindingly white square at the top of the tower, creating the equivalent of the power of 600 suns. That power is used to vaporize water into steam to power a turbine.

This tower plant uses concentrating solar technology with a central receiver. Its the first commercial central-receiver system in the world.

Spanish companies and research centers are taking the lead in the recent revival of concentrating solar power (CSP), a type of solar thermal power; expanses of mirrors are being assembled around the country. At the same time, Spanish companies are investing in huge photovoltaic (PV) fields, as companies dramatically increase production of PV panels and investigate the next generation of this technology.

Spain is already fourth in the world in its use of solar power, and second in Europe, with more than 120 megawatts in about 8,300 installations. Within only the past 10 years, the number of companies working in solar energy has leapt from a couple of dozen to a few hundred.

Power from the Suns Heat

Southern Spain, a region known the world over for its abundant sun and scarce rain, provides an ideal landscape for solar thermalpower. The tower outside Seville, built and operated by Solcar, an Abengoa company, is the first of a number of solar thermal plants and will provide about 10 megawatts of power.

The company Sener is completing Andasol 1, the first parabolic trough plant in Europea 50-megawatt system outside Granada that will begin operation in the summer of 2008.

Unlike photovoltaic panels, which harness the movement of electrons between layers of a solar cell when the sun strikes the material, solar thermal power works by utilizing the heat of the sun. CSP has until recently cost nearly twice as much as traditional naturalgas or coal power plants, and it is effective only on a large scale.

“You need a very large budget to set up a concentrated solar power system,” says Eduardo Zarza, director of concentrating solar research at the Solar Platform of Almera (PSA in Spanish), a research, development, and testing center.

California Governor Jerry Brown Wants to Increase Renewable Energy Workforce

Governor Jerry Brown is determined to create half a million jobs in the renewable energy industry. During his campaign, one of his promises was to increase the renewable energy workforce, and he has created a plan that outlines what he wants to do in order to achieve his goal. He was sworn into office this month, and now Californians are waiting to see if he lives up to his promises.

“My goal is that by 2020, California should produce 20,000 new megawatts (MW) of renewable electricity, and also accelerate the development of energy storage capacity. California can do this by aggressively developing renewables at all levels: small, on-site residential and business systems; intermediate-sized energy systems close to existing consumer loads and transmission lines; and large scale wind, solar and geothermal energy systems. At the same time, California should take bold steps to increase energy efficiency,” commented Governor Brown.

“Below is my plan to get us there. It will produce a half a million new jobs in research, development, manufacturing, construction, installation, and maintenance over the next decade,” continued Governor Brown.

1. Build 12,000 MWs of Localized Electricity Generation

a) California should develop 12,000 megawatts of localized energy by 2020. Localized energy is on-site or small energy systems located close to where energy is consumed that can be constructed quickly (without new transmission lines) and typically without any environmental impact.
b) Solar systems of up to 2 megawatts should be installed on the roofs of warehouses, parking lot structures, schools, and other commercial buildings throughout the state.
c) Solar energy projects up to 20 megawatts in size should be built on public and private property throughout the state. For example, we should create the California Solar Highway by placing solar panels alongside our state highways.
d) The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) or Legislature should implement a system of carefully calibrated renewable power payments (commonly called feed in tariffs) for distributed generation projects up to 20 megawatts in size. Holding down overall rates must be part of the design.

Governor Brown’s plan is to install solar panels in warehouses, parking lot structures, schools, commercial buildings, and highways. Knowledge of proper solar panel installation procedures is important for workers to have, therefore solar photovoltaic (PV) training is required. The American Institute of Renewable Energy (AIRE) is a solar training school that offers solar sales force training, solar installation certification courses, and solar panel installation training. By being a part of Governor Brown’s plan, those looking for this type of work should really consider attending this remarkable institution.

The American Institute of Renewable Energy (AIRE) is located in southern California and offers the best instructors and hands-on experience in solar power training. If one is interested in attending a course, one should take advantage of the free bimonthly solar seminars AIRE offers. Receiving quality training in solar panel installation is the first step in accomplishing Governor Brown’s goals.

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Metal Roofing Qualifies For The Tax Credit Of 1500.

The federal government and the IRS consider cool metal roofing to be so green they are providing tax credits to homeowners who install this energy efficient building product on their homes in 2009 and 2010.

The tax credits were already in place thanks to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. At that time homeowners who installed an Energy Star labeled cool metal roof could receive a tax credit of 10 percent of the material cost up to $500. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (a.k.a. the Stimulus Package) extended that same tax credit through 2010 and increased the maximum amount to 30 percent of the material cost up to an aggregate maximum over the two years of $1500. The specifics of the tax incentive are covered in Section 25C of the IRS Tax Code. Homeowners need to use IRS Form 5695(2009 version).

Contractor credit
Other Federal tax incentives exist for new residential construction and commercial construction. For new residential, a qualified contractor can receive a $2,000 tax credit for building a home that is 50 percent better than the performance according to IECC-2004. This credit was extended through 2009. A variety of energy efficient building features and processes can help to achieve that level of performance. A cool metal roof is no exception. Cool metal roofing has been shown to reduce annual cooling energy on homes by 25 percent compared to dark roof surfaces. They also can help to reduce peak demand electricity consumption by 15 percent in certain parts of the country.

For commercial building owners, a tax deduction of up to $1.80 per square foot is available if the building is designed and constructed to be 50 percent more energy efficient than one built to ASHRAE 90.1-2001 standards. That deduction has been extended through 2013 in the Stimulus Package. Again, a cool metal roof can contribute to the cooling and heating energy savings in these types of buildings.

Energy Star
Throughout the Federal Energy related legislation, references are made to the EPAs Energy Star program. Energy Star also has a Roof Products Program that lists products meeting certain criteria for solar reflectance. For steep slope roofing (> 2:12) the criteria are initial solar reflectance of 0.25 and aged (3-year exposure) solar reflectance of 0.15.

Todays Energy Star listing has more than 2,200 labeled products and more than 75 percent of them are either coatings for the metal roofing industry or metal roofing products themselves. Industry-recognized ASTM test methods are specified for measuring the surface solar reflectance of roof products.

In the current Energy Star Roof Products Program, manufacturers of roofing products are also required to report the measured thermal emittance of the products. Although there are no minimum criteria for emittance yet, EPA has suggested it will analyze the data being reported and possibly establish a requirement in future versions of the program.

The metal roofing industry is talking to Energy Star program officials to modify the existing program when it comes to metal roofing.

For example, we now know a roof installed in such a way as to create an airspace between the roof and the solid sheathing can significantly reduce heat flow through the roof. This phenomenon is known as Above Sheathing Ventilation (ASV) and when combined with a cool metal roof it can lower the heat passing through the roof by up to 45 percent. We are attempting to convince Energy Star that a roof with a solar reflectance less than their 0.25 minimum criteria, but installed with ASV, can be equivalent to a roof product that meets Energy Star, in terms of energy conservation.

Cool roofing
Energy Star listings for metal roofing are also connected to the products on the Cool Roof Rating Council s directory. The CRRC is an ANSI independent organization that has established a third-party methodology for determining the solar reflectance and thermal emittance of all roof products. Unlike Energy Star the CRRC does not establish a cool roof definition or criteria based on reflectance and emittance. But the data in the CRRC directory can be used to populate Energy Star listings and for codes, standards or green initiatives to reference.

Renewable energy
In addition to the cool nature of metal roofing, which in itself makes it a green product, the surge in popularity of renewable energy is good news for metal roofing. A metal roof is the perfect platform for building-integrated photovoltaic systems. Fastening techniques now allow most PV systems to be installed on metal roofing without penetrating the roof surface. The synergy between the metal roof and the PV array is excellent since they both have a similar expected service life.

Wind power is another source of renewable energy. Many novel and new wind turbine designs are making their way into the marketplace. We are not just talking about windmill farms lining the horizon. Many new wind turbine technologies lend themselves to installation on roofs. Again, with metal roofing, the durability of the product, and the fastening technologies that prevent penetration, make metal roofing an ideal platform for introducing wind power to a building as well.

Metal roofing is a green product. The Federal Government sees it that way, and its properties allow it to be specified that way in numerous green building initiatives, rating programs, rebates and standards.