The SolarBeam concentrator is a parabolic system that tracks the sun and creates solar hot water. 1 SolarBeam can create 34,144 BTU’s or 10kW per hour of solar hot water. In most applications, 1 SolarBeam will replace 15-20 flat panels which makes it highly cost effective. Please contact SolarTron Energy Systems to learn how to become a distributor of the SolarBeam Concentrator
MINNESOTA
A policy for encouraging the use of solar energy to produce solar hot water for heating buildings was approved by the House Energy Finance and Policy Division.
HF1078, sponsored by Rep. Paul Thissen (DFL-Mpls), would require the commerce commissioner and Pollution Control Agency to make recommendations to achieve solar and thermal energy goals, in order to meet the federal requirement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent before the year 2025. Passage of the bill would help reduce energy dependence on coal and expand the number of green jobs in Minnesota, said Thissen.
About one-third of the energy consumed in Minnesota is thermal, said Anders Rydaker, president of District Energy in St. Paul. “To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and set goals for reducing our carbon footprint, we should not ignore that third,” Rydaker said.
Minneapolis receives as much direct sunlight as Houston, Texas, and is therefore poised to produce more solar hot water and solar energy, if the appropriate incentives and policies are in place, said Rydaker, adding solar thermal energy is three times more efficient than solar-electric production.

HAWAII
Some major policy initiatives were signed into law in 2009, including a 40% Renewable Portfolio Standard required by 2030, and a 30% (4,300 GWh) Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard, also with the target date of 2030.  In December 2009, HCEI published policy recommendations for the 2010 legislative session, developed by the initiative’s working groups in conjunction with the Department of Energy; the report is available on the HCEI website.  The comprehensive analysis of the cost and energy impacts of these policy recommendations was released in April 2010.  Under HCEI, the U.S. Department of Energy commissioned step by step permitting guidebooks to lay out federal, state, and county requirements for bioenergy, solar, marine, wind, waste to energy, hydroelectric, and geothermal projects.
Another resource is the Hawaii Legislature Website, which contains up-to-date hearing and bill information during legislative session.  The Hawaii State Policy Website has additional information and reports. The HCEI partnership also helped lay the groundwork for an Energy Agreement signed by the State of Hawaii, the HECO companies (Hawaiian Electric Company, Maui Electric Company, and Hawaii Electric and Light Company), and the Division of Consumer Advocacy signaling a new path forward in October 2008.
INDIANA
The IST grant program will provide cost share grants to Indiana’s public, non-profit, and business sectors for the purchase and installation of solar water heating systems . Solar energy systems make use of non-fossil fuel resources to produce clean, home-grown thermal energy for heating water.  In a time of rising energy costs and increased energy supply volatility, it is vital to our economic future to diversify the portfolio of resources we use to produce energy.  The purpose of this grant program is to increase awareness and utilization of solar thermal energy resources as well as to create vocational opportunities for Hoosiers interested in renewable energy.  Three facilities, two apartment complexes and one food co-op are taking part in the IST program.  Program data will be used to gather additional information on the economic viability of solar thermal energy in Indiana. 
UTAH
In general, credits are available for eligible systems placed in service on or before December 31, 2016:

Solar. The credit is equal to 30% of expenditures, with no maximum credit. Eligible solar energy property includes equipment that uses solar energy to generate electricity, to heat or cool (or provide hot water for use in) a structure, or to provide solar process heat. Hybrid solar lighting systems, which use solar energy to illuminate the inside of a structure using fiber-optic distributed sunlight, are eligible. Passive solar systems and solar pool-heating systems are not eligible.

How do Parabolic Solar Concentrators compare to Solar Trough technology?

While solar trough systems are the primary choice of industrial solar farms, such as those currently under development throughout the western United States and other countries, this form of renewable energy generation cannot compete when compared to the efficiency of parabolic solar concentrators. This is especially true when parabolic solar concentrators are used as a primary energy source for home or business solar hot water production.

Solar trough systems (which are also known as line-focus collectors) consist of rows (or troughs) of collectors which are coated in a highly reflective material. A tube containing oil runs down the center of each trough, and is heated to temperatures in excess of 400 Celsius by the concentrated rays of the sun. The heat from the oil is used to produce steam, which is in turn used to power a turbine-generator or other machinery to produce electricity.

While solar trough systems are undoubtedly highly efficient at what they are designed to do, the sheer number needed to produce electricity can often run into the thousands of units. When these factors are coupled with the large size of each unit and their less than spectacular energy efficiency, it makes the use of solar trough systems as an effective home or industrial alternative-energy-source for solar hot water production extremely limited - especially when compared against the more efficient parabolic concentrator, like the SolarBeam

Parabolic dish solar concentrators are the most powerful type of solar collector available today and are perfectly suited to home and business solar hot water  generation due to their comparatively small size and high efficiency as an energy collector. The advantage to the unit’s smaller size and footprint is that it can usually be placed in areas with limited space (such as rooftops and back gardens), making it a far more versatile system than the far larger solar trough system.

The parabolic dish system consists of a solar collector (shaped somewhat like a satellite dish or inverted umbrella) which is lined with reflective material which capture the sun’s rays concentrating the energy onto an absorber which is set at the focal point of the dish. While other systems suffer from low efficiency due to their inability to track the sun’s progress across the sky, parabolic dish systems can maintain a constant supply of solar hot water because they employ a computerized tracking system. This tracking system allows the dish to follow the sun’s course throughout the day, ensuring that the parabolic dish is always positioned to collect the maximum amount of energy.

 It’s this consistency, efficiency and reliability which make parabolic dish systems the perfect choice for solar hot water production.

Where can solar hot water systems are used for commercial applications?

Solar heating systems are an economical (and green) technology that is rapidly becoming recognized as a viable alternative to conventional energy suppliers. Nowhere is this trend more prevalent than in the adoption of solar heating systems to provide continuous hot water production for use within commercial installations.

An efficient commercial solar heating system can provide up to 80% of the hot water for an average business which currently relies on electricity or gas to produce their hot water supply. An 80% cost reduction in any area can have a significant impact on the bottom line of any business, especially when the current economic climate is taken into consideration.

Any company considering switching from their current energy provider to a solar based energy supply will need to decide which form of solar power solution best suits their company’s solar heating needs. While there are many systems to choose from, the most efficient and cost effective solution is the parabolic-dish solar concentrator.

As the most powerful type of solar collector available on the market today, the compact size and high efficiency of a parabolic-dish solar concentrator, along with its comparatively low cost compared to other solutions, makes this particular system perfect for deployment in commercial installations. The relatively small footprint and ease of installation (some systems, such as SolarBeam Concentrator, takes just 2 days to completely install) means that it can be sited in areas with limited space, such as rooftops (only flat roofs) and small plots of land adjacent to buildings.

A parabolic-concentrator solar heating system collects the energy of the sun and concentrates the gathered energy onto an absorber which uses the collected energy to heat a heat-transfer fluid which in-turn heats the water. Alternatively, the water to be heated flows through tubes attached to the absorber and gathers heat directly from it. The hot water is then stored in the same way as it would have been if it was heated via conventional methods. A single parabolic-dish solar concentrator will take just 3 hours to heat a 228 liter hot-water tank from 12 degrees C to 90 degrees C.

While the cost of installing solar heating systems has been prohibitively high in the past, the recent move towards renewable energy and rapid advancements in solar technology has seen a decrease in cost. Coupled with financial incentives and tax breaks offered by both federal and local level government, the cost of switching to solar heating has never been as attractive as it currently is.

Solar heating systems are most economical when utilized by facilities which require a year-round supply of hot water, with a continuous weekly demand and where the cost of conventionally heating water is prohibitively high.

The SolarBeam is currently being tested for certification by SRCC and Solar Keymark for rebates.

Where can solar hot water systems are used for commercial applications?

Solar heating systems are an economical (and green) technology that is rapidly becoming recognized as a viable alternative to conventional energy suppliers. Nowhere is this trend more prevalent than in the adoption of solar heating systems to provide continuous hot water production for use within commercial installations.

An efficient commercial solar heating system can provide up to 80% of the hot water for an average business which currently relies on electricity or gas to produce their hot water supply. An 80% cost reduction in any area can have a significant impact on the bottom line of any business, especially when the current economic climate is taken into consideration.

Any company considering switching from their current energy provider to a solar based energy supply will need to decide which form of solar power solution best suits their company’s solar heating needs. While there are many systems to choose from, the most efficient and cost effective solution is the parabolic-dish solar concentrator.

As the most powerful type of solar collector available on the market today, the compact size and high efficiency of a parabolic-dish solar concentrator, along with its comparatively low cost compared to other solutions, makes this particular system perfect for deployment in commercial installations. The relatively small footprint and ease of installation (some systems, such as SolarBeam Concentrator, takes just 2 days to completely install) means that it can be sited in areas with limited space, such as rooftops (only flat roofs) and small plots of land adjacent to buildings.

A parabolic-concentrator solar heating system collects the energy of the sun and concentrates the gathered energy onto an absorber which uses the collected energy to heat a heat-transfer fluid which in-turn heats the water. Alternatively, the water to be heated flows through tubes attached to the absorber and gathers heat directly from it. The hot water is then stored in the same way as it would have been if it was heated via conventional methods. A single parabolic-dish solar concentrator will take just 3 hours to heat a 228 liter hot-water tank from 12 degrees C to 90 degrees C.

While the cost of installing solar heating systems has been prohibitively high in the past, the recent move towards renewable energy and rapid advancements in solar technology has seen a decrease in cost. Coupled with financial incentives and tax breaks offered by both federal and local level government, the cost of switching to solar heating has never been as attractive as it currently is.

Solar heating systems are most economical when utilized by facilities which require a year-round supply of hot water, with a continuous weekly demand and where the cost of conventionally heating water is prohibitively high.

The SolarBeam is currently being tested for certification by SRCC and Solar Keymark for rebates.

Solar Hot Water in the Wine Industry

The concept of using solar hot water systems arise from the need to convert or replace the production processes of various industries, which minimizes  production costs and reduces CO2 emissions.

This article will discuss how to use solar hot water system in the wine industry.

The wine industry is a huge business that uses lots of water for sterilizing and for fermenting processes. Although the actual cost of water is cheap, the energy used to heat the water whether it is electric, natural gas, oil or wood is getting more expensive. Therefore the use of solar hot water systems like the SolarBeam is of interest to wineries looking to reduce energy usage.

In order to understand how the SolarBeam can reduce operational costs, we need to understand the wine industry.  There are stages in the winemaking process, where it is necessary to maintain low temperatures for storing supplies.  These cooling processes are characterized by high energy usage and water consumption, and the toxicity of refrigerants. On the other hand, hot water is needed for disinfection. In the cellars, as in any food industry, it is necessary to maintain sanitary conditions. Cleaning and disinfection of equipment and buildings requires the use of large volumes of hot water.

 As discussed above the large amount of solar hot water used for cleaning equipment, tanks, bottles, etc. is usually heated by combustion boilers that produce large amount of gases that contribute to global warming. In addition, with the price fluctuations occurring for conventional fuels,  it is becoming increasingly popular to reduce costs by using technologies such as solar thermal This takes advantage of solar energy to heat the water at high temperatures, up to 95 º C (204 F), sufficient for use in such processes, like sterilization. Since technologies like SolarBeam can track the sun, various water temperatures can be maintained because the system can stop tracking the sun once the desired water temperature has been reached.  Through the use of a heat exchanger, various hot water tanks can store temperature at different temperatures and the SolarBeams can be programmed to heat the water until the desired temperature has been reached. This type of flexibility is not available with flat panels because they cannot rotate and they cannot stop collecting energy, because they cannot be moved or covered.

For applications that require water temperatures above 65 C, technologies like the SolarBeam can offer payback of approximately 6 years, depending on the type of solar radiation available. In contrast, flat panels for the same project would be closer to a 20 year payback and evacuated tube, 15 years. To see what the direct solar radiation is in your area, go to www.solartronenergy.com to see an interactive map.

Energía Térmica y Fotovoltaicos

La luz del sol se utiliza para generar la electricidad y energía térmica que consumen los electrodomésticos, la iluminación y los sistemas de calefacción.

El sistema fotovoltaico utiliza células para convertir la luz solar en electricidad. Las células están formadas por una o varias láminas de material semiconductor. Cuando la luz incide en las células, se crea un campo de electricidad entre las capas, logrando el circuito eléctrico. A mayor intensidad de la luz recibida, mayor será el flujo de electricidad generada. El material semiconductor más utilizado en las células fotovoltaicas es el silicio, un elemento que se encuentra fundamentalmente en la arena. El silicio es el segundo material más abundante en la Tierra.

La parte más importante de un sistema fotovoltaico son las células, que son los auténticos generadores de electricidad al recibir la luz del sol. Los módulos reúnen largas series de células en una unidad, y los inversores convierten la electricidad continua en corriente alterna para que se use diariamente.
Las células fotovoltaicas son generalmente de silicio cristalino, cortadas a partir de lingotes o fundidas.
También hay tecnologías capa fina, que depositan el silicio un otro material semiconductor en un soporte de bajo coste.

El rendimiento de una célula solar se mide en términos de eficiencia al transformar la luz solar en electricidad. Mejorar la eficiencia de la célula solar mientras se reduce su coste es un importante objetivo de la industria fotovoltaica.

Plantas de producción eléctrica
Este sistema, también conectado a red, produce grandes cantidades de electricidad fotovoltaica en un punto individual. El tamaño de estas plantas oscila entre varios cientos de kilovatios a decenas de megavatios. Algunas de estas aplicaciones están ubicadas en amplias zonas industriales o rurales.
Sistema domestico de conexión a red
El sistema fotovoltaico conectado a red es la instalación más común para hogares y negocios en zonas desarrolladas. La conexión a la red local de electricidad permite la inyección y venta de la energía generada y su autoconsumo. Se utiliza un inversor para convertir la energía de la instalación solar, de corriente continua, a corriente alterna.

Instalaciones industriales aisladas
La electricidad solar en instalaciones aisladas es frecuentemente utilizada en el campo de las telecomunicaciones, especialmente para conectar áreas rurales remotas a zonas pobladas. Estaciones de repetición para teléfonos

móviles alimentadas con fotovoltaica o sistemas híbridos también tienen un amplio potencial. Otras aplicaciones incluyen señales de tráfico, sistemas de ayuda a la navegación, teléfonos de seguridad, iluminación remota, señales
para la autopista y plantas de tratamiento de agua residual. Hoy, estas instalaciones tienen un coste competitivo, ya que facilitan la conexión de energía en áreas alejadas de los centros eléctricos principales, suprimiendo el alto coste que requiere una conexión de cableado.
Sistemas térmicos:

En cuanto a los sistemas de generación de energía térmica, permiten que tanto a nivel industrial empresas cerveceras, centrales lecheras, industrias alimentaria, papelera, textil y química hoteleras, etc. Que consumen gran cantidad de agua caliente para sus procesos de fabricación o servicios, son de gran utilidad los sistemas altamente eficientes capases de generar gran cantidad de temperaturas constantes, En este caso los equipos que mejor resultados están dando son los de concentración solar, por supuesto estos sistemas se pueden utilizar para el consumo diario en el hogar.

LOS MECANISMOS DE TARIFA REGULADA

Si instala un sistema fotovoltaico en su hogar, toda la electricidad generada puede ser inyectada y vendida al proveedor de electricidad a mayor precio del que paga en su factura mensual. Este mecanismo le permite el retorno de su inversión en poco tiempo. Además si su equipo es capaz de generar los dos sistemas simultáneamente, energía solar térmica y fotovoltaica el beneficio es doble, por el ahorro que supone en carburantes para la calefacción de su hogar y los ingresos obtenidos de la venta de electricidad.
Pero para esto es necesario equipos altamente eficientes, actualmente se está desarrollando un sistema de energía térmica y fotovoltaica por la empresa SolarTron Energy sistem, que han diseñado un sistema de concentración solar llamado SolarBeam, capaz de proveer los dos energías el sistema térmico genera 13kwh de energía térmica y el fotovoltaico de concentración solar es capaz de producir hasta 3.5 kwh de electricidad mediante una superficie de 25×25 cm. Dicho módulo se ofrecerá a un precio asequible y puede utilizarse junto con concentradores SolarBeam ya existentes.

Este equipo posee un mecanismo de seguimiento solar de dos ejes, que permite seguir con precisión la trayectoria del sol. El SolarBeam no necesita de sensores adicionales para ubicar dicha trayectoria, en cambio utiliza un algoritmo celeste único junto con el sistema de posicionamiento global (GPS) a fin de seguir el sol sin importar la estación del año.

Actualmente, el país cuyo mayor éxito en el desarrollo de la energía fotovoltaica es Alemania. España, Italia, Francia y Grecia cuentan también con un amplio desarrollo de este sistema. Los consumidores de electricidad conscientes de la importancia de las energías renovables están cambiando al uso de la energía solar y recibiendo una compensación económica por la utilización de estos sistemas.

Solar Power Uses in Homes and Commercial Buildings

Sunlight is used to generate solar power and solar heat and is consumed by appliances, lighting and heating systems.

The system uses photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity. The cells are formed by one or more layers of semiconductor material. When the light hits the cells, it creates a field of electricity between the layers, making the circuit. The greater the intensity of light received, the greater the flow of electricity. The most commonly used semiconductor material in photovoltaic cells is silicon, an element that is found mainly in the sand. Silicon is the second most abundant material on Earth.

The most important part of a solar power system are the cells because they are the generators that receive sunlight. The long series of modules molded together in a single cell, convert electricity into alternating current that is used daily.
Photovoltaic cells are usually crystalline silicon, sliced from ingots or castings.
The performance of a solar cell is measured in terms of efficiency to transform sunlight into electricity. Improving solar cell efficiency while reducing costs  is an important objective of the photovoltaic industry.

Electricity Production Plants
This system, connected to the grid, produces large amounts of photovoltaic electricity in a single point. The size of these plants ranges from several hundred kilowatts to tens of megawatts. Some of these applications are located in large industrial or rural areas.
 

Grid Connection for Homes and Businesses
The grid connected photovoltaic system is the most common installation for homes and businesses in developed areas. The connection to the local electricity network allows the injection and sale of solar power generated and reduces the consumption of electricity created by fossil fuel. Photovoltaic systems use an inverter to convert solar energy from, direct current to alternating current.

Solar Power in Industrial Facilities
The stand-alone solar electricity is often used in the field of telecommunications, especially for connecting remote rural areas to populated areas. In addition,  mobile stations fed  by photovoltaic or hybrid systems also have a huge potential. Other applications include traffic signal systems, navigational aids, security phones, remote lighting, signs for highway and water treatment plants.

Solar Hot Water Systems:
As for the systems thermal power generation is attractive to industrial breweries, dairies and food industries, paper, textile and chemical hotels, etc. These industries consume large amounts of hot water for their manufacturing processes or services and need solar hot water system that can generate large amounts of hot water. In this case the systems that give the best results are concentrating solar power, like the SolarBeam Concentrator.

Feed In Tariffs for Solar Power

If you install a photovoltaic system in your home, all the electricity generated can be connected to the grid and sold to the electricity supplier at a higher price than it pays out on your monthly bill. This mechanism allows the return of your investment in no time. Also, if you have a SolarBeam Concentrator, that is capable of generating thermal and photovoltaic energy, the benefit is twofold. There is savings on fuel for heating your home and also from selling the solar power to the grid.

However, not all systems on the market have this dual purpose. Solartron Energy systems, which have designed a solar concentrator system called SolarBeam,is  capable of providing the solar power and solar hot water. 1 SolarBeam provides 13kwh of thermal energy and up to 3.6kWh of electricity. The photovoltaic module is an upgrade and can be added onto existing solar thermal systems. This way, the upfront cost is reduced, but you still have the option of creating electricity in the future.

Currently, the countries who are having success in the development of PV is Germany. Spain, Italy, France and Greece also have a wide development of this system. Electricity consumers aware of the importance of renewable energy are changing the use of solar energy and receiving financial compensation for the use of these systems.