Monitoring Clouds in Real Time; SUNPATH Solicitation; and Standards and Conformity Conference

8.19.2011

Monitoring Clouds in Real Time; SUNPATH Solicitation; and Standards and Conformity Conference

On Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 6:47 AM, DOE Solar Energy Technologies Program <eere@service.govdelivery.com> wrote:

One of two new Total Sky Imagers at Copper Mountain Solar captures a nearly cloudless day in Nevada.
Credit: Sempra

Fast Fact
Survey on 2011 Financed Projects Deadline Today

NREL is seeking input from energy developers and financiers as part of an ongoing effort to collect and share quantitative data on renewable energy financing terms, and to assess barriers to renewable energy development. The current Renewable Energy Finance Tracking Initiative questionnaire—for projects financed during the first half of 2011—is available online through August 18.

New Sky Imagers Monitor Cloud Activity in Real Time

One DOE collaboration has resulted in the deployment of two Total Sky Imagers (TSIs) at the Copper Mountain Solar power plant in Boulder City, Nevada. TSIs are the latest technological innovation in the solar resource assessment arena and are designed to capture real-time cloud activity to manage variability and inform solar plant operations.

The work is part of DOE's SunShot Initiative which is a collaborative national effort to make solar energy technologies cost-competitive with other forms of energy by reducing the cost of solar energy systems by about 75% by the end of the decade.

During the last year, the DOE solar resource team has collaborated with the California ISO, FirstSolar, University of California at San Diego, Sempra, and the California Energy Commission to provide expertise on solar resource assessment.

The collaborative team plans to calculate historical solar forecasts and develop a real-time solar forecasting model for the facility in 2012.

SUNPATH Targets Industrial-Scale Demonstration

DOE is requesting applications for an industrial-scale demonstration of photovoltaic (PV) module, cells, substrates, or module components. Part of the SunShot Initiative, SUNPATH (Scaling Up Nascent PV AT Home) will demonstrate lower cost targets over the next 2 years and enable the path to solar energy systems that are cost competitive with other energy sources.

Learn more about the SUNPATH financial opportunity.

Solar Conference on Standards and Conformity Assessment

On September 15-16, 2011, in San Francisco, California, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is hosting an event on standards and conformity assessment for solar technologies. Conference topics include policy frameworks in support of solar technology, standards development, navigating regulatory frameworks, solar technology deployment, and APEC trade.

Register today.

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