Tata Power installs solar powered street lights

In line with its continuous efforts to improve quality of life of its communities, Maithon Power Limited (MPL), a 74:26 joint venture company of Tata Power and Damodar Valley Corporation has successfully installed special solar-powered street lights in villages around the Maithon power plant.

A total of 60 solar-powered street lights were installed at the common places on the peripheral villages of MPL where there was complete darkness. The locations for installation were selected from nearby villages in discussion with sarpanchs and community members to map their needs. A joint meeting was called by the local R&R committee, sarpanchs, local opinion leaders and villagers to decide upon the location finalisation. After signing by the local villagers, requests with the list of locations were then given to the MPL team for execution.

Speaking about the initiative, Bhaskar Sarkar CEO-MPL said, “MPL is committed to the welfare of its communities and shall continue to endeavour to be a neighbour of choice. We as a Tata Power group company encourage the use of renewable energy sources such as solar power and these measures are a step forward towards achieving a greener environment. It’s also our constant endeavour to enable youth of our community to progress and have a bright future.”

During the installation of the street lights, few local youth were identified from the community and were given know-how on the technicalities of the street lights by Tata Power Solar Systems technicians. These local youth from the neighbouring villages took active participation in installation of the high quality street lights. They are now trained enough to be engaged in maintenance of these solar lights as a vocation or even to join other solar system companies for installation work.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee, station head-MPL, added, “This is a unique and innovative initiative that MPL has undertaken and is also a part of our sustainability agenda. We believe in making solar energy accessible and affordable to everyone, especially those who do not have access to electricity. With these installations, we plan to light up the common areas in the peripheral villages with natural, sustainable and alternate source of energy.”

Acute load shedding in the villages around the plant was leading to a lot of inconvenience to the villagers. Though almost all the villages under the Block of Nirsa are electrified but all the street and common places remain un-illuminated during the night. Common area lighting was one of the needs identified and based on the repeated requests from the community, sarpanchs, R&R committee, village opinion leaders and political leaders in forums, the solar street light project for common area lighting was planned and executed by MPL.

Currently, lighting makes up 12 percent of a home’s power usage, switching to LED’s will further reduce costly utility bills.

LED’s offer the same bright, warm light as incandescent bulbs and use 75 percent less energy, so in monthly energy savings, LED’s will pay for itself. LED’s also last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

For those interested in making the switch to solar technology to generate clean and efficient electricity, SolarMax can recommend and design a tailored solar panel solution. Contact them today for information on how to get started.

AC Solar Solutions

AC Solar Solutions helps energy conservation through every solar panel they install. Based in Austin, Texas, and Colorado, the company is a full-service energy provider specializing in high quality solar panels and home-efficiency solutions. The company looks at each home and commercial building differently, finding ways to save energy and install cost-effective methods for lowering energy costs and, ultimately, reducing the world’s carbon footprint one roof at a time.

A recent article at Clean Technica examines research and development government spending over the past few decades. While fuel prices are spiking and climate changes are occurring, political groups are finding ways to bolster their reputations by promising R&D solutions that could one day change the world. The article states that this is not effective enough for immediate change, and says every household in the country is able to make changes on their own.

“We are a proud frontrunner in helping reduce America’s carbon footprint,” AC Solar Solutions says. “We have made great progress in the last couple of years and, as a nation, we are on the right track.”

Alternative energy in the home is the first step. While power companies are starting to offer wind and other sources of green energy, high quality solar power system is a method almost any home can take advantage of. The installation is the most expensive part, but after that energy costs decrease substantially over a few years.

Part of this is due to net metering. When a home is not using power, like during a workday or when residents are on vacation, the solar energy is directed back into traditional energy grids. A meter “runs backwards,” allowing homes to take advantage of power earned through credits at night and when the weather is overcast and cloudy. Not only does this reduce costs for homeowners, it enables others to take advantage of solar-created energy.

The article explains how the U.S. has spent twice as much as Japan in the past three decades, and more than ten times as much as Germany on R&D. It is also pertinent to observe that the U.S., despite its research and development efforts, still consumes twice the amount of energy as Japan and Germany.

An energy breakthrough is undoubtedly over the hill somewhere, but in the meantime there is no reason not to start pinching pennies and conserving. Japan and Germany, for example, have incentives available for residents utilizing green energy solutions. AC Solar Solutions taps into U.S. incentive and rebate programs, cutting back on installation costs, but there still are not enough homeowners making the switch.

Reducing carbon emissions is a global effort. It is scaled, and homeowners can utilize the same green techniques (dual-flush toilets, natural lighting, solar power, etc.) commercial buildings do. Transportation, though, is still the biggest energy consumer in the U.S. Conversely, Japan and Germany utilize public transportation, have accessible trains, and ship cargo more efficiently. Due to America’s size, there is no doubt this is a challenge, and people can hope that one day R&D will pay off in the transportation sector. More information about the program is available on the web site at www.solaronlamp.com.

Gas released into NYC subways

On your way to work Tuesday, you may have drifted through a cloud of a harmless perfluorocarbon gas, part of a gigantic anti-terror study carried out by Brookhaven National Laboratory with the NYPD.

The study, called the “largest urban airflow study ever,” is meant to follow the trail of airborne chemical, biological and radiological weapons throughout the city. Low concentrations of the “tracer” gas were released for a 30-minute period at subway and street locations south of 59th Street in Manhattan, and then tracked as it made its way across the five boroughs.

Roughly 200 breadbox-sized sampling devices have been stashed throughout the subway system at 21 stations and on street light poles throughout the city. Some devices were also hand-carried by researchers.

“

For security reasons,

we’re not giving out the locations of the devices,” Peter Genzer, spokesperson for Brookhaven, told the Brooklyn Eagle on Tuesday.  But the boxes “are pretty obvious in subway stations.” Genzer said testing took place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

The test will be repeated two more times in July, the exact days depending on the weather. Notify NYC will send out an alert the night before the gas release, Genzer said.

According to NYPD, the city will use the data collected during the three days of research to “optimize emergency response following an intentional or accidental release of hazardous materials.”

"The NYPD works for the best but plans for the worst when it comes to potentially catastrophic attacks such as ones employing radiological contaminants or weaponized anthrax," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said in a release. "This field study with Brookhaven's outstanding expertise will help prepare and safeguard the city's population in the event of an actual attack."

“This study will bolster the NYPD's understanding of contaminant dispersion within the subway system as well as between the subway system and the street,," said MTA Acting Chairman Fernando Ferrer.

Perfluorocarbon tracers (or PFTs) have “incredible staying power,” according to the Gizmodo website, making them perfect for tracking purposes. They can pass through fabric and are easy to detect, because they aren’t found in nature.

The Subway-Surface Air Flow Exchange (S-SAFE), as the project is formally known, was commissioned by the NYPD and funded through a $3.4 million Department of Homeland Security Transit Security Grant.

A similar but smaller study, called the Urban Dispersion Program, was carried out in 2005 in midtown Manhattan south of Central Park, also using PFTs.

In in earlier vulnerability test in 1966, the U.S. Army released live germs (the generally-harmless Bacillus globigii) into the tunnels of the New York City subway system, according to Wikipedia.

The army has since been criticized for the release of live bacteria, potentially harmful to small children and immunocompromised adults.

According to Leonard Cole, an adjunct professor of Political Science at Rutgers-Newark as quoted on the Democracy Now website, the results showed that if a pathogenic organism were released onto the tracks, “more than half of the people who were riding the subways could have become deathly ill.”Read the full story at www.solaronlamp.com web.

PVMC releases first US roadmap for CIGS

The US Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC) - an industry-led collaboration headquartered at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the State University of New York (SUNY) in Albany, NY - has released the first US CIGS (copper indium gallium diselenide) PV Roadmap reports.

“Photovoltaics and especially thin-film PV are again at a tipping point,” says Larry Kazmerski, co-chair of the US CIGS PV Roadmap. “We want PV to be a substantial part of the world’s energy portfolio and our efforts with this roadmap are aimed to help make CIGS thin films a significant part of that solar success,” he adds.

“In building on the innovation strategy of Governor Andrew Cuomo that is establishing New York as a hub for solar energy technologies and companies, we engaged over 75 partner firms and 100 industry experts to develop a 10-year projection in the first-ever US CIGS PV roadmap,” says Dr Pradeep Haldar, PVMC’s chief operating & technology officer and CNSE’s VP for Clean Energy Programs. “This blueprint identifies the critical challenges for CIGS PV manufacturing, applications for sustainable innovation, and technical developments that will serve our members and stakeholders, and enable a competitive US solar industry amid the global marketplace.”

Spearheaded by SUNY’s CNSE and SEMATECH (the international research consortium of semiconductor device, equipment, and materials manufacturers) as part of the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) SunShot Initiative, PVMC is an industry-led consortium for cooperative R&D among industry, university and government partners to accelerate the development, commercialization and manufacturing of next-generation solar PV systems. Through its programs and advanced manufacturing development facilities, PVMC is a proving ground for innovative solar technologies and manufacturing processes. Specifivcally, PVMC is targeting a reduction in the total installed cost of solar energy systems by 75% over the next decade. The CIGS PV Roadmap aims to provide a congruent plan for the national CIGS industry, including module and systems manufacturers, suppliers and end-users, that will identify common challenges and define the areas of technical developments needed to sustain and advance a competitive US photovoltaic industry.

The annual roadmap ‘2013 US CIGS PV Roadmap Reports’ identifies the technology challenges to attain projected module cost and performance targets over the next 10 years. The various reports, based on the latest industry analysis, advance the effort for achieving the SunShot initiative target.

The roadmap addresses six focus areas relevant to the entire industry, including roll-to-roll, rigid glass, metrology, modules and packaging, substrates and materials, and reliability/certification/test. Each section outlines the current status and critical challenges for each technology, discusses the role of industry standards for CIGS, and potential areas of innovation for the pre-competitive domain.

As the primary sponsor of the effort, PVMC provides the resources for managing and coordinating the roadmap activities. Members of the CIGS PV Roadmap represent all areas of the PV industry, including module producers and integrators, equipment suppliers, materials and metrology tools, end-users, and the research community.

On 11 July, during the Third Annual US CIGS PV Roadmap Public Forum held during Intersolar North America 2013 in San Francisco, roadmap working group leaders will present summaries of these reports and announce plans for a revised 2014 roadmap.  The Forum, sponsored by PVMC and hosted by industry association Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), will encourage public debate and invite new members to join the various teams to develop the next assortment of reports. Click on their website solaronlamp for more information.

Slow pace of road work leaves commuters in the lurch

The Baner Road is supposed to be the best in the city, considering the VIP movement to the sports complex in Balewadi for some reason or the other, including the recently held Asian Athletics Championships, in which 1,500 of athletes of 43 countries participated.

However, the civic administration has failed to complete work on this road, particularly of putting up dividers along the entire stretch of the road. Add to this the failure of the officials to ensure proper streetlights along this crucial road.

The Pune Municipal Corporation undertook the development of Baner Road under JNNURM. Most of the work was carried out on a war-footing during the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2008, while the civic administration planned to complete the remaining later on.

The widening of the road is complete and also the concretisation of the entire stretch. However, there is unevenness at some places due to manholes, but the main concern is due to the dividers remaining incomplete.

There is enough room only for one pilot. Freight or passengers are unthinkable at this stage in the solar-power plane's development.

About one-quarter of its weight is batteries that store solar light and allow the plane to fly independent of sunshine. The wings of the plane hold the 12,000 solar cells, which transfer energy to the batteries and the four motors.

The last leg of the flight is also be a farewell for the Solar Impulse. Ten years after it was designed and after setting numerous records, it will be retired. Borschberg and his partner, Bertrand Piccard, also of Switzerland, aim to fly its successor around the world in several stages.

To add to the problem,

the Baner Road has streetlights that do not work. This too causes much inconvenience to commuters. "The streetlights were not working at a particular point on the road, where the road got uneven due to a manhole. I fell from the bike and injured myself," said Suresh Naik, who was returning from Balewadi in the evening last week.

"There are certain places where the civic body is putting dividers on road and one has to be careful while driving on this stretch to avoid AN accident," said Sheetal Joshi, who uses the road everyday to go to work. "The civic administration should put up signboards at places where work is going on, so that the citizens are extra careful while using these roads. Moreover, any such work needs to be completed at a faster pace," she added.

Satish Khot of National Society for Clean Cities (NSCC) said, "The quality of street-lighting, particularly in the fringe areas, is very poor. Certain portions of the roads, which are used by influential people, the construction sites are brightly lit-up even though these areas are sparsely populated."

In a letter to Pune Municipal Commissioner Mahesh Pathak, he said, "We would like to bring to your attention the fact that street lighting in many parts of the city and particularly in the fringe areas is not up to mark. In the fringe areas, many streets are poorly lit and at times are in total darkness." When street and footpaths are well lit, pedestrians and vehicles find it much safer to traverse, he added.

Maintaining that the work of constructing dividers would be completed soon, civic officials said, "The civic electrical department would be asked to repair the street lights and further improve the lighting on Baner Road."

Penticton downtown projects selected for improvements

Now the downtown revitalization is part of Penticton’s official community plan, the city is setting to work implementing the first of a number of improvement projects planned for the coming years.

The city has already earmarked $1.25 million to upgrade Martin Street and a few blocks along Westminster Avenue where the two cross. Besides enhancing to the western entrance to the downtown core and Martin Street entertainment district, this project was selected to help build momentum and excitement about the downtown revitalization, according to Anthony Haddad, the city’s director of development services.

“Enhancements are simple but have a significant impact over what exists today in this area of the downtown,” said Haddad. The enhancement includes new trees, street furniture, decorative street lighting and new sidewalk, made from decorative pavers that will extend into the parking areas along the 200 block of Martin, to create what Haddad calls a flex parking area.

The concept is to let business owners make better use of the space in front of their buildings. Posts marking off the parking areas can be shifted to allow room for sidewalk cafes, outdoor sales or other activities.

“Martin Street is currently the fastest route to exit the downtown core. It is not a desirable or comfortable place to walk,” said Haddad. “The esthetic of Martin Street will be significantly improved with the enhancements of the flex space.”

The city expects to recover about $300,000 of the $1,249,533 estimated cost of the project from property owners in the affected areas, charging them 25 per cent of the cost of the above-ground beautification works, from curb to property line, with a 15-year payback plan.

Haddad said the proposal and funding formula has been greeted well by the majority of the property owners approached. But Philip Locke, a property owner along Martin Street, let his views be known when council adopted the downtown plan at their June 17 meeting.

“Downtown is as beautiful as any shopping centre I have been to. I don’t know why you would want to spend millions of dollars in this time of restraint, when that isn’t even the problem,” said Locke. “I’ve just finished paying for the last one. Now you are going to ask me to pay for the new one.”

Locke and any other property owners opposed to the project will have a 30-day window to join in a petition to stop it, which would require 50 per cent of the property owners and 50 per cent of the assessed value to reject it.

While the city can upgrade the street esthetics, Haddad said they are looking at incentives to encourage business owners to do the same and upgrade their facades to match.

“It is difficult to require private owners to upgrade their buildings,” said Haddad. “We have heard from a lot of property owners who are interested in incentives that will help move them over the line to get facade improvements done.”

Low-energy usage makes new 'blue lights' special

On this campus boasting of red, you’ll see a slew of new blue lights that green the environment.

To further promote energy conservation, Cornell has been switching all of its approximately 120 campus-safety “blue lights” this summer from energy-hogging incandescent to a light-emitting diode (LED) technology, which sips power at one-tenth the rate.

With incandescent technology – as ancient as inventor Thomas Edison – the metal halide bulbs enjoyed a typical lifespan of two years at best, and the bulb usually dimmed significantly the second year. LED technology is brighter and can be seen in daylight. In addition the new lights are easier to maintain and have a 100,000-hour lifespan.

“The new fixtures are expected to last over 10 years before needing maintenance, and the light level will be nearly ‘new’ the whole time,” said Lanny Joyce, director of energy management in Facilities Services. “Being that these light fixtures provide a beacon to safety phones directly connected to Cornell Police for any campus emergency, the added visibility and reliability the LED provides – along with the huge reduction in electricity usage – are quite amazing.

Mark Howe, senior energy engineer, says the payback in energy costs is less than three years. The old 150-watt bulbs used 1,300 kilowatt hours each annually, at a cost of $100 per bulb per year. Systemwide, it cost the university about $12,500 in electricity. The new 15-watt LEDs have reduced energy usage by 90 percent, and now the energy cost will be $1,200 a year. Beyond energy savings, these blue lights get green in other ways, since they are mercury- and ultraviolet-free, and Restriction of Hazardous Substances compliant.

Campus blue lights indicate a special telephone directly connected to the Cornell Police. Find a blue light, and you’ll find a phone. If you are lost, having car problems, want to report a suspicious incident or a medical emergency, or for any other kind of assistance, lift the receiver or push the button.

The team working on the project includes: electric shop superintendent Jim O’Brien; assistant superintendent Heather Mulks; foreperson Nate Deeley; electricians Dave Pawelczyk and Jon Ryan; project engineer Brian Watson; Howe and Joyce.

A new project is beginning in Bristol this month which will allow people to converse with objects throughout the city via text message, reports The Guardian. The project encourages visitors and visitors to communicate with objects such as lamp posts by using repair numbers found on the objects as SMS codes.

Once they wake up the object, it will then ask a series of questions via text messaging and then the next person to sign in with the object will learn about previous replies, creating a conversation.

The project has refuelled the idea of an intelligent home, in which separate objects fitted with the relevant sensors can be formed into useful information networks. This could mean that switching on a bedside lamp in the morning would trigger something else to start such as a coffee machine or kettle.

Technology is already becoming increasingly prevalent in the lighting industry, with new intelligent LED light bulbs being linked to smartphones to create optimum lighting via applications or turning on a set times.  Click on their website www.solaronlamp.com for more information.