SolarReserve Helps Netcare Lower Their Energy With Solar Rooftops

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA--(eSolarEnergyNews)--SolarReserve, a leading global energy developer with 246 megawatts of solar capacity already on-line in South Africa, has worked with Netcare Limited to roll out commercial sized solar PV rooftop installations at fifteen of its facilities, namely at the Netcare 911 head office in Midrand and fourteen Medicross family medical and dental centres across the country. The sites combined deliver about 720 kilowatts peak of solar power, with a cumulative production of over 950 megawatt-hours per year – saving 34,354 tons of CO2 emissions annually.

GameChange Solar Sells More Than 1 Gigawatt of Solar Power

NEW YORK, NY --(eSolarEnergyNews)-- GameChange Solar announced that it has passed one gigawatt in sales and expects to have substantially over one gigawatt installed by year end 2016.

Starting in 2012 with fixed tilt roof and pile driven systems, GameChange Solar quickly moved into ballasted ground and then single axis tracker systems. After attaining leadership in the landfill market with its proprietary Pour-in-Place™ ballasted ground system, GameChange Solar has pioneered multiple technological innovations for fixed tilt and single axis tracker systems which have allowed the company to widen its lead in offering bankable quality products at value pricing to the large commercial and utility scale market.

Dubai To Build 1 Gigawatt Solar Power Plant

DUBAI, UAE (eSolarEnergyNews) Dubai Electricity & Water Authority is seeking partners to help build 1,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power plants as part of the emirate's plan to diversify its energy sources.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of DEWA announced plans to launch projects to generate 1,000MW by 2030 as Dubai aims to provide 7 percent of its total power output from clean energy sources by 2020, 25 percent by 2030, and 75 percent by 2050.

DEWA said it intends to build the largest concentrated solar power (CSP) project in the world, using the independent power producer (IPP) model.

SunEdison Helps 700 Students Gain Energy Independence

CHENNAI, INDIA --(eSolarEnergyNews)-- SunEdison, the world's largest renewable energy development company, today announced the installation of a 100 kilowatt (kW) solar system on the premises of the Ramakrishna Mission Students' Home as a part of its Social Innovations mission to bring electricity to 20 million people by 2020. The project will enable the students at the Mission to be more energy independent and, under a net metering arrangement, can raise revenue for the Mission when surplus electricity is generated.

The Ramakrishna Mission Students' Home serves approximately 700 students in the Indian state of Tamilnadu, and has sister organizations throughout the world providing spiritual and educational opportunities as well as medical services to the public.

Reverend Swami Gautamanandaji Maharaj, Adyaksha of the Sri Ramakrishna Math Center in Chennai and Senior Trustee and Governing Body Member of the Ramakrishna Math Center and Mission, stated: "The Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission centers in India and abroad always strive to reduce pollution by using clean and efficient technologies. Generating electricity from renewable energy helps mitigate the air and water pollution emitted by coal power plants that is linked to certain health risks."

"SunEdison is proud to donate and install this 100 kW solar system to the Ramakrishna Mission Students' Home," said Pashupathy Gopalan, President of Asia-Pacific for SunEdison. "The system allows the mission to increase its energy independence and frees up resources to help them focus on vocational training and universal education to students."

The rooftop installation is composed of 345 high performance SunEdison solar panels, and is connected to the state electricity grid. Under the net metering arrangement, the Mission can export excess electricity produced by the solar panels to the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO), powering nearby buildings with clean solar energy.

Solar Powered Full-Scale Demonstration Hyperloop Planned for California

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On the heels of announcing a public offering and Elon Musk’s offer to build an open source test track in Texas, JumpStartFund’s Hyperloop Transportation Technologies has announced a formal agreement with the developers of Quay Valley, California, to develop an installation of the Hyperloop along a five-mile stretch of the town running alongside the Interstate 5 freeway. With construction beginning in 2016, this will be the first working passenger-ready Hyperloop in an urban area.

“With Quay Valley, we’re creating a community built on economical, environmental and social sustainability, and part of this is seeking to reduce car dependency,” said Quay Hays, CEO of GROW Holdings, Inc. (Green Renewable Organic & Water), the master developer of Quay Valley. “For these reasons, the Hyperloop is the ideal clean community transit system for Quay Valley.”

“Our agreement with Quay Valley is a major milestone in the advancement of the Hyperloop project,” said Hyperloop Transportation Technologies CEO Dirk Ahlborn. “This installation will allow us to demonstrate all systems on a full scale and immediately begin generating revenues for our shareholders through actual operations.”

The Quay Valley Hyperloop track will be built using HTT’s tube, capsule, and station models. It will be instrumental in optimizing passenger system needs--such as loading, departure and safety considerations--to ensure Hyperloop is ready for larger-scale operation. Running speed will be reduced on the shortened track from Hyperloop’s full potential.

In the past two years, JumpStartFund assembled a team of nearly 200 core team professionals who have worked to bring the Hyperloop to reality by completing extensive technological and financial feasibility studies. On February 13, 2015, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies announced the company was moving towards a public offering near the end of 2015. The offering is planned to be an auction with the goal of raising $100 million.

SunEdison To Bring Electricity To 20 Million People By 2020

BELMONT, CA --(eSolarEnergyNews)-- SunEdison, the world's largest renewable energy development company, today announced an ambitious plan to electrify 20 million people in underserved communities around the world. The initiative will be led by SunEdison Social Innovations, a global group focused on developing new business models and new technologies which make renewable energy in rural communities economically sustainable over the long term, while also contributing to social and environmental benefits to the community.

"Billions of people worldwide don't have access to electricity," said Ahmad Chatila, President and Chief Executive Officer at SunEdison. "Without electricity they can't access many of the things we take for granted - health clinics with vaccines, or schools with computers and fans. But by applying a mix of new business models, new technology, and charitable donations, we are tackling the issue head on. We are committing to bringing electricity to one million people by the end of 2015, and are targeting to help 20 million people gain access to electricity by 2020."

The Social Innovations team has already started working toward its goal and has helped more than 250,000 people worldwide through strategic partnerships focused on three key areas: new business models, new technology, and charitable donations.

New business models

SunEdison is developing new ways to bring electricity to the people who need it most through a series of partnerships and innovative business models.

In India, SunEdison and Omnigrid Micropower Company (OMC) are electrifying rural villages by pairing commercial solar customers with local villagers.  Telecom companies need their cellular towers powered. Villagers need electricity. A solar electric mini grid providing electricity for both of them is the answer. The mini grid is first built to power the tower – the tower becomes the anchor for the project. With this in place, SunEdison and OMC develop additional mini grid capacity that can be sold to the local villagers. By pairing high credit telecom companies with low to no credit villagers the entire project becomes bankable. It is a mutually beneficial relationship – the telecom companies save money by powering their telecom towers with cost effective solar energy, while the hundreds of families that live around each tower get access to electricity that can be used for lights, fans and mobile phone chargers. With a target of 5,000 solar power plants to be developed over the next 5 years, the SunEdison-OMC partnership expects to help more than 10 million people.

In Nepal, SunEdison is partnering with SunFarmer to amplify the benefits of electricity by providing solar systems to remote hospitals, health clinics, and schools. Their latest innovation is a five to seven year rent-to-own loan. The loan was designed to fit the needs of less affluent organizations by spreading the cost of the solar system over a longer term than is typically available. Financed in this way, solar delivers lower cost energy than diesel generators and brings with it the certainty that the energy prices are not going to fluctuate.

To date, SunFarmer and SunEdison have positively impacted 250,000 people to date through this program and are set to expand to geographic regions beyond Nepal, with the goal of bringing electricity to 7 million people by 2020.

New Technology

The new Outdoor Microstation is now available for deployment. The Outdoor Microstation is a stand-alone power generation unit that provides renewable and reliable electricity for a variety of off-grid applications in hard-to-service remote areas.

It can be used to quickly and cost effectively power households and small businesses, illuminate public places, supply energy to clinics and health centers, power water pumps or irrigation systems, or provide electricity to telecommunications systems. These systems can be deployed quickly - in less than a day, a village that was dark the night before can experience electricity by sundown  As an added benefit, the Outdoor Microstation protects against rising and fluctuating diesel fuel costs.

The Outdoor Microstation comes in two versions: a 3,500 volt-amperes version and a 650 volt-amperes version. The Outdoor Microstation 3500 unit can provide power for a rural community of up to 25 households, including street lighting, for 5 hours each night. The 650 volt-amperes unit can provide electricity for up to 10 households for five hours each night. Both models are equipped with high capacity batteries that can provide three days of autonomy under any weather condition. The system is low maintenance and is designed to ensure steady operation under almost any conditions, thanks to its quality components and its rugged weatherproof design.

To view the new SunEdison Outdoor Microstation video please visit: youtu.be/KEFlpqpE8NE.

Charitable Donations

SunEdison and the SunEdison Foundation are engaged in a variety of charitable initiatives dedicated to empowering people and improving lives. To maximize the benefits of electrification in the local community, the SunEdison Foundation focuses on providing clean energy solutions for health clinics and schools.

"We have donated and installed 344 kilowatts of solar systems for 28 schools and clinics to date, which has positively impacted more than 16,000 people," said Alakesh Chetia, President of Social Innovations at SunEdison. "Our latest donation is a 5.2 kilowatt system installed at a school on the off-grid island of Gilutongan, in the Philippines. This system is the largest system ever donated to an island in the Philippines. The school had no access to electricity during the day to power the 11 computers owned by the school. By donating a solar system to the school, we have given these children a means to learn with computers.  This will improve computer literacy for the area, which will have a powerful economic impact further down the road as the children enter the job market."

Recently, the SunEdison Foundation made a charitable donation to the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) to help salt farmers in the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat purchase solar water pumps. The pilot phase of the program has been very successful; the donation has enabled the purchase of 200 solar water pumps.  SunEdison hopes to move all 17,000 SEWA members from diesel to solar water pumps over the next 5 years by bringing in additional funding from finance partners.

Mr. Chetia concluded: "Bringing electricity to 20 million people by 2020 will require not only new business models, new technologies, and charitable work, but also partnerships. We all benefit when we work together. At SunEdison we're committed and engaged, and we want to magnify our efforts by connecting with others who are equally engaged."

To find out more about SunEdison Social Innovations and our mission please visit www.sunedison.com/social_innovations.

About SunEdison

SunEdison is the world's largest renewable energy development company and is transforming the way energy is generated, distributed, and owned around the globe. The company manufactures solar technology and develops, finances, installs, owns and operates wind and solar power plants, delivering predictably priced electricity to its residential, commercial, government and utility customers.  SunEdison is one of the world's largest renewable energy asset managers and provides asset management, operations and maintenance, monitoring and reporting services for its renewable energy customers around the world. Corporate headquarters are in the United States, with additional offices around the world. SunEdison's common stock is listed on the New York Stock

City of Hanford Expected to Save Over $30 Million with Chevron Energy Solutions Project

HANFORD, CA --(eSolarEnergyNews)-- The Hanford City Council has approved a Chevron Energy Solutions project that is expected to save the city over $30 million in energy costs over its life, or almost $17 million after paying all expenses.

The project, which includes 2.3 MW of solar generation, conversion of lighting at city buildings, parks and traffic intersections to energy-efficient LED lighting, and other energy efficiency improvements, is expected to reduce the county's annual energy costs by 35% and eliminate over 5 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually, or the equivalent of taking approximately 829 cars off the road.

This will be the second Hanford project undertaken by Chevron Energy Solutions. The first was completed and dedicated last year, and is projected to save the city $12 million in energy costs.

Construction of this project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2014.

About Chevron Energy Solutions: Chevron Energy Solutions is one of the largest installers of solar power in the US public sector and has developed hundreds of projects that have built renewable energy capacity, increased energy efficiency, reduced energy costs, and supported sustainability. Its parent, Chevron Corporation, invests across the energy spectrum to develop energy sources for future generations by expanding the capabilities of alternative and renewable energy technologies. For more information: www.chevronenergy.com.

Virginia Tech, India Center To Launch Solar, Windmill Research Project

BLACKSBURG, Va., Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Whether India can spring millions of people from poverty rests on its capacity to produce enough electricity for everyone, National Public Radio reported earlier this month. A new Virginia Tech research center, set to open later this fall in the state of Tamil Nadu in southeast India, will mobilize an engineering team to refine and adapt windmills and solar panels for use in households in rural India.

"The goal is to improve life for 400 million Indians not connected to the grid," says Guru Ghosh, vice president for international affairs. "There are still some refinements to be made on this amazing technology developed at Virginia Tech. We're aiming for the point where the solar panels and small windmills can be mass produced, tested in India's rural communities, and then be deployed to create low-cost, renewable energy worldwide."

Richard C. Benson, dean of the College of Engineering, says, "Especially during this sesquicentennial celebration of the law creating the land-grant system, Virginia Tech is honored and pleased to contribute research ideas and acumen that solve some of the world's most pressing energy problems."

Two years ago Virginia Tech announced an agreement with private-sector partner MARG Swarnabhoomi to establish the Virginia Tech, India campus. MARG Swarnabhoomi has committed $1.8 million for laboratory build-out, which will equal or exceed facilities at the Blacksburg-based Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems, directed by Shashank Priya of the College of Engineering. Virginia Tech is underwriting staff and operations with an initial outlay of $350,000, Ghosh says.

"We will start recruiting graduate students in India to work on the project immediately, while our 6,000-square-foot lab space is being fully outfitted," says Roop Mahajan, director of the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science at Virginia Tech. "Our push for sustainable energy technology reflects our understanding of the interconnectedness of developed and developing countries. With more than a billion people worldwide living in rural communities in extreme poverty, how energy production proceeds will have global impact."

The new research center will be called the VT, India Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science Innovation Center. The center will be inside MARG Swarnabhoomi's Amrita Research Park, where ocean breezes are conducive to windmill research, Mahajan says. Windmills are being designed to work in areas of low and variable wind speed; similarly, the solar panels are being designed to work in low-light conditions, he says.

While initially graduate students assigned to the center will be drawn from Virginia Tech's partner institutions in India, eventually Blacksburg-based students will have the opportunity to work on the project, Ghosh says. "In addition to giving access to investors interested in commercial application, our being in India also provides Virginia Tech's graduate-level engineering students valuable experience working in a developing country."

Priya adds, "India, with its big energy needs, can immediately begin to use these technologies and tell us how they work, what improvements need to be made, and guide us so that the windmills and solar panels are suitable to go to the marketplace."

The windmills, which currently cost less than $1,000 to produce, use a unique blade developed at Virginia Tech that achieves greater than normal aerodynamic performance. The solar panels involve a paint process that might one day be easily mass produced in a factory.

The VT, India Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science Innovation Center will be part of the National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center established at Virginia Tech in 2010, Priya says.

Virginia Tech's Outreach and International Affairs supports the university's engagement mission by creating community partnerships and economic development projects, offering professional development programs and technical assistance, and building collaborations to enrich discovery and learning - all with the overarching goal of improving the quality of life for people within the commonwealth and throughout the world. Outreach and International Affairs leads Virginia Tech's presence on five continents; its regional research and development centers across the commonwealth focus on graduate education and professional development. Blacksburg-based centers are dedicated to student engagement, language, policy, and governance.