Solar Powered San Diego Encourages Ecological Advancement

San Diego is well on its way to becoming a city destined for environmental salvation. According to the non-profit Environment California Research & Policy Center San Diego Ranks second in the nation in terms of solar power usage. We are doing well in protecting our environment and ensuring a sustainable future. That doesn't mean we can't do more.

Creating streamlined processes for solar power installation approval as well as encouraging higher levels of solar power reliance is beneficial for setting the framework for sustainable cities. If there are any unnecessary restrictions on installing solar panels it will raise the overall customer costs and slow the pace of solar integration.

There are advantages to developing solar panels that include less reliance on outside sources of energy, lowering long-term costs, and reducing environmental costs. As more renewable sources are developed the city will lower its overall carbon footprint and slow its contribution to environmental problems.

Finding the right policies, awareness processes, and incentives helps to ensure people make a equitable choice to use renewable sources. With solar panels there is often a higher initial investment but much lower costs spread out over the duration of the panels. Making sure people understand where they can get panels and their true costs can tip the scales in consumer choice.

Solar panels and ecologically designed cities are the way of the future. Those cities in the process of transformation and building new infrastructure should consider the benefits of developing ecologically sound practices. San Diego is in a strong position to foster ecological hubs that spur new industries in environmental and blue economic development. 


http://www.environmentcaliforniacenter.org/

Using Solar Panels in San Diego Schools to Save Costs and Protect the Environment

The cost of education is going up in San Diego and it has nothing to do with curriculum. According to an article in UT San Diego the cost of electricity for public schools in San Diego County bounced to $30 million (1). Over half of these school districts saw their electricity bills explode to over 43% in the past six months. Officials are upset as the costs are crushing their budgets and soaking up resources. An evaluation of the long-term nature of this problem and the possibilities of implementing solar panels is beneficial. 

Installing solar panels on the roof and facilities of San Diego schools is not an impossibility as the idea as it has already been completed in Orange County Schools. The project costs $17 million dollars and is a 20 year commitment that generates 6.6 million kilowatt hours of solar energy per year that removes the equivalent of the pollution of 12,000 cars per year from the environment (Yarbrough, 2010). 

The benefits of solar program will need to be calculated through a thorough feasibility study of the use of energy, the investment costs of solar panels, and the options for financing to ensure that it makes sense. If it creates a net positive value for the school district and the length of the school buildings themselves then it should be a project worth considering. 

The other issue is the use of electricity and whether or not there are other ways to save on costs. Massachusetts’s School District changed their lighting, thermostat control, and energy monitoring to save money (Connell, 2014). The conservation of energy can take a nice bite out of the cost of running the schools and can lead to tertiary learning about other ways to improve the schools. 

There are no easy solutions but one of the ones that are most likely are using alternative sources of energy and starting to spark San Diego into a place where sustainable development is a viable option. Projects like water desalination and solar panel inclusion help create multiple sources of resources. Better monitoring and using technology to reduce waste in those systems further helps the city make it to the next stage of development. 

Connell, J. (2014). A massachusetts school district’s pioneering path to solar. Environmental Design & Construction, 17 (8). 

Yarbrough, S. (2010). Going solar in Orange County Schools. Sustainable Facility, 35 (1).

Walmart Uses Solar Panels to Cut Expenses

Energy conservation is still a hot topic and an important part of developing stronger, more efficient, and a more innovative economy that reduces potential solutions. Walmart has become more innovative by using solar panels on top parking spaces to provide better use of surfaces. Their goal is to have 100% renewable energy sources that cut back on other bills and problems. 

At the end of 2013 the company had 335 renewable energy projects. They save the environment 2.2 kWh of energy globally that doesn’t need to come from oil, gas, coal, or other non-renewable sources. The projects are completed on a large enough scale that it is more cost effective than others. You may read more about their efforts at their site. 

Walmart is at the forefront of encouraging sustainable energy development. Something likely reaching way back into the family’s farmer and conservation past. You will notice this as you drive or walk into the parking lot and see the carports that protect your automobile from the blistering sun. Kind of nice to get into your car without a wall of heat while still helping society curb global warming. 

The technology that goes into reusable energy has grown over the past few decades. Becoming stronger, bigger, and more cost effective for large companies like Walmart. It is believed that if solar and wind energy were harnessed appropriately it would supply enough energy for the entire world (Quanhua, et. al. 2009). This alone can be one reason to keep developing and implement technology.

It is refreshing to see companies like Walmart make efforts to curb global warming while reducing their costs on maintaining energy. They have a goal to someday be 100% renewable in energy. It may be a lofty goal but if there is one thing that Walmart is good at is finding efficiencies in economies of scale. It won’t be long other companies start following their path.

Quanehue, L., et. al. (2009). Solar and wind energy resources and prediction. Journal of Renewable & Sustainable Energy, 1 (4).

Capturing 30% More of the Sun’s Energy with Solar Panels

Sustainable technology is developing. As researchers put more energy into sustainable technology like solar panels they naturally become more efficient and cost effective.  Chemists led by Jianhui Hou from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and North Carolina State University created a polymer known as PBT- OP that, “was not only easier to make than other commonly used polymers but showed an open circuit voltage value of 0.78 volts — a 36 per cent increase over the 0.6 volt average from similar polymers” (1).

This means that solar panels may soon be 30% more effective than in the past.  The discovery helps to retain more excitrons than in the past (2).  When electrons make their way onto the solar panel a certain amount of energy is lost in the transfer from the donor to the receptor. The new polymer will allow for a higher level of efficiency in transfer without as much loss.

This may not be so exciting for some people. Yet if we think about the long term implications of more effective solar panels we will come to understand that a 30% increase in solar panel efficiency as a clean energy has a profound impact. As people begin to use more solar panel and other clean energy products a 30% increase in the energy development is amazing. The future of energy and pollution reduction is within such research and someday it may be possible to reduce our overall carbon footprint.

The Published Journal Article

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