SOLAR ENERGYEmily Crick, Rachael Hadden and Jordi Lluch

WHAT IS SOLAR ENERGY?

✕ Energy created and used from the sun

✕ Two types: solar thermal and solar photovoltaic

✕ Solar Thermal:+ Used to heat water in households+ Can also make steam which can

generate electricity✕ Solar Photovoltaic:

+ Conversion of sunlight directly into electricity with the use of photovoltaic cells

+ Can be installed on roofs, incorporated in building and vehicle designs

ADVANTAGES

✕ Sustainable and renewable resource✕ Abundant✕ Thermal and Photovoltaic✕ Can be a part of the building✕ Little maintenance✕ Worldwide usage✕ Tax credits

DISADVANTAGES

✕ Expensive facilities

DISADVANTAGES

✕ Not productive during night time ✕ Intermittency of sunlight✕ Panels with a fixed location✕ Rare and expensive materials✕ Just 20% of sun rays converted to electricity

CURRENT USAGE

CURRENT USES OF SOLAR ENERGY

✕ Residential✕ Industrial✕ Commercial

WORLD from 2010 to 2014

✕ Top 10 (units in GW):✕ 1- Germany (9.8 35.5)✕ 2- China (0.305 18.3)✕ 3- Italy (1.2 17.6)✕ 4- Japan (2.6 13.6)✕ 5- USA (1.6 12)✕ 6- Spain (3.4 5.6)✕ 7- France (0.272 4.6)✕ 8- Australia (0.125 3.3)✕ 9- Belgium (0.363 3)✕ 10- UK (0.027 2.9)

POLICIES TO INCENTIVIZE MORE USE

✕ New Jersey: requires 2.1% of all electricity come from solar energy sources by 2021

✕ Other states use rebates, production incentives, and tax incentives, loan and grant programs

✕ Federal tax incentives:+ there is a 30-percent federal

investment tax credit (ITC) for solar energy systems

+ Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008

✕ State-level policy support and federal tax incentives in US+ California leading in US

HOW BRIGHT A FUTURE FOR SOLAR ENERGY?

✕ Within the next 10-20 years solar energy is expected to become a main source of energy

✕ Global Warming advocates increased dependency✕ Compete with fossil fuels as a key energy source(?)

+ Price of oil + Technology advances+ Predisposition (politics, conflict of interests…)

EXAMPLE

✕RiPASSO Energy (Sweden) claims to have developed a system that can convert 32% of solar energy into electricity

HOW BRIGHT A FUTURE FOR SPAIN?

✕ Attempting to scale back the production of solar power

✕ Many produce their own energy for less than what they would have paid the utility company

✕ Many can even produce more than what they need sell to producers

✕ All solar panels now have to be hooked up to the grid to figure out how to tax it

+If not 30 MILLION Euro fine ($40M)!!!

Interesting Website

http://www.dsireusa.org/

SOURCES

✕ http://arena.gov.au/about-renewable-energy/solar-energy/✕ http://turbinegenerator.org/solar/history-solar-energy/solar-energy-today✕ http://energyinformative.org/solar-energy-pros-and-cons/✕ http://www.tc.umn.edu/~dama0023/solar.html✕ http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2010/ph240/danowitz2/✕ http://www.seia.org/about/solar-energy✕ https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/solar-powers-bright-future✕ http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/renewable-energy/how-solar-energy-

works.html#.VhblvflViko✕ http://www.recgroup.com/en/tech/the-future-of-solar/✕ http://www.solarbuzz.com/going-solar/using/uses✕ http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2013/08/19/out-of-ideas-and-in-debt-spain-sets-

sights-on-taxing-the-sun/✕ http://www.certificadosenergeticos.com/impuesto-energia-solar-peaje-respaldo✕ http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=renewable_home✕ http://

www.seia.org/about/solar-energy/solar-faq/what-rebates-incentives-are-available-solar-energy

QUESTIONS?