India is planning a "solar atlas," based on the intensity of the sun's radiation, to pinpoint ideal sites for the development of solar power projects.
With data from the atlas, solar project developers will be able to predict a proposed plant's output with reasonable accuracy and determine which solar technology is more suited to the project, India's government-run Center for Wind Energy Technology said in a report in The Economic Times.
Last month CWET completed ground-based measuring of radiation in 51 locations in India, a major phase of the project, and is now developing an algorithm to validate the data.
While the country averages 300 days of sunshine annually, solar project developers typically have relied on NASA and its satellite images to identify the best locations.
"A solar atlas will be very useful," said James V Abraham, managing director and chief executive officer of India's Sunborne Energy Technologies.
Accurate data are crucial for solar projects, Abraham said, noting that even a 10 percent gap between the actual radiation and what data show can result in nearly a 20 percent drop in energy output.
Indian companies such as Mahindra Solar, which had used NASA data for planning solar projects, welcome the solar atlas as a useful business tool.
"To have info mapped in India with local conditions will help us further optimize prediction. The entire ecosystem, with solar atlas mapping, will see companies like ours getting aggressive in (the) future," Mahindra Chief Executive Officer Vish Palekar told The Economic Times.
Separately, the International Finance Corp., a member of the World Bank Group, announced Monday that it will provide $5 million debt financing to Mahindra for a 5-megawatt solar photovoltaic power project in Rajasthan expected to generate enough electricity to serve about 60,000 rural homes.
India's National Solar Mission, launched in January 2010, aims for a solar power generation capacity of 20,000 megawatts by 2022. By the end of 2011 India had acquired 190 megawatts of solar, up from less than 12 megawatts in 2009.
In a related development, the Indian government announced it is establishing a solar company with initial capital of $405.6 million to build federal solar projects.
"A dedicated company will ensure that we meet our targets effectively," Renewable Secretary Gireesh B. Pradhan was quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal.
Pradhan said Indian officials are planning visits to the United States and Europe in May to attract investment in India's renewables sector, particularly for solar energy.
Source - SolarDaily
Showing posts with label Africa and Indian subcontinent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Africa and Indian subcontinent. Show all posts
Monday, 2 April 2012
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
FedEx Express Breaks Ground Largest Solar Facility
FedEx Express has broken ground on its largest solar facility and first outside the U.S., when it began construction of its new Central and Eastern European gateway at the Cologne/Bonn, Germany, airport. The hub is slated for completion in 2010.
"Moving to Cologne enables FedEx to plan effectively for the future," said Robert W. Elliott, president, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Indian subcontinent, FedEx Express.
"With the availability of space to expand and more flexible night flight regulations, we have found innovative and practical solutions to meet the needs of our customers worldwide."
The facility will be equipped with new ramp, freight and sort facilities with a fully-automated sort system that will cover a floor space of approximately 50,000 square meters. FedEx opted to build its new hub in Cologne because of the region's excellent freight transport infrastructure and the central location of the airport within Germany and Europe.
In addition, the Cologne hub installation will be a 1.4-megawatt (MW) solar power system and will generate approximately 1.3 gigawatt hours of electricity per year-equivalent to the annual consumption of 370 households.
Solar panels, fitted to the roof of the new ramp and sort facilities, will cover a total surface area of 16,000 square meters.
"On-site renewable energy generation has been extremely efficient and successful for FedEx, and we are continuously looking for new investments," said Mitch Jackson, director of environmental affairs and sustainability. "The solar-energy installation at the Cologne hub will nearly double FedEx's use of on-site solar energy."
The Cologne hub solar installation joins a growing list of FedEx on-site renewable energy investments. In August 2005, FedEx flipped the switch on a solar-electric system at its regional hub in Oakland, then California's largest such rooftop system.
In its first three years, it has provided more than three million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean energy, avoiding the release of more than 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The system can provide approximately 20 percent of the facility's total electricity needs and can meet 80 percent of its peak load demand.
Most recently FedEx Freight completed the installation of solar-electric systems, supplied by BP Solar, at facilities in Whittier and Fontana, California. The three California systems generate 1.5 megawatts (MW) of clean energy, avoiding the release of 2.9 million pounds of CO2 emissions each year.
In Europe, FedEx's use of on-site renewable energy expands beyond solar. In Geneva, Switzerland, a FedEx station uses a system of pipes running deep into the ground to warm the building's air in winter and cool it in summer. The system reduces the facility's reliance on gas for heating or freon for cooling and therefore, requires less energy to operate.
Source - Solar daily
"Moving to Cologne enables FedEx to plan effectively for the future," said Robert W. Elliott, president, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Indian subcontinent, FedEx Express.
"With the availability of space to expand and more flexible night flight regulations, we have found innovative and practical solutions to meet the needs of our customers worldwide."
The facility will be equipped with new ramp, freight and sort facilities with a fully-automated sort system that will cover a floor space of approximately 50,000 square meters. FedEx opted to build its new hub in Cologne because of the region's excellent freight transport infrastructure and the central location of the airport within Germany and Europe.
In addition, the Cologne hub installation will be a 1.4-megawatt (MW) solar power system and will generate approximately 1.3 gigawatt hours of electricity per year-equivalent to the annual consumption of 370 households.
Solar panels, fitted to the roof of the new ramp and sort facilities, will cover a total surface area of 16,000 square meters.
"On-site renewable energy generation has been extremely efficient and successful for FedEx, and we are continuously looking for new investments," said Mitch Jackson, director of environmental affairs and sustainability. "The solar-energy installation at the Cologne hub will nearly double FedEx's use of on-site solar energy."
The Cologne hub solar installation joins a growing list of FedEx on-site renewable energy investments. In August 2005, FedEx flipped the switch on a solar-electric system at its regional hub in Oakland, then California's largest such rooftop system.
In its first three years, it has provided more than three million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean energy, avoiding the release of more than 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The system can provide approximately 20 percent of the facility's total electricity needs and can meet 80 percent of its peak load demand.
Most recently FedEx Freight completed the installation of solar-electric systems, supplied by BP Solar, at facilities in Whittier and Fontana, California. The three California systems generate 1.5 megawatts (MW) of clean energy, avoiding the release of 2.9 million pounds of CO2 emissions each year.
In Europe, FedEx's use of on-site renewable energy expands beyond solar. In Geneva, Switzerland, a FedEx station uses a system of pipes running deep into the ground to warm the building's air in winter and cool it in summer. The system reduces the facility's reliance on gas for heating or freon for cooling and therefore, requires less energy to operate.
Source - Solar daily
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
