By: Lisa Schlais & Heidi Fischer
History
 6th Century A.D. : Sunrooms on houses and public buildings were so common
that the Justinian Code initiated “sun rights” to ensure individual access to the
sun.
 1839: French scientist Edmond Becquerel discovers the photovoltaic effect while
experimenting with an electrolytic cell made up of two metal electrodes placed
in an electricity-conducting solution—electricity-generation increased when
exposed to light.
 1954: Photovoltaic technology is born in the United States when Daryl Chapin,
Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson develop the silicon photovoltaic (PV) cell at
Bell Labs—the first solar cell capable of converting enough of the sun’s energy
into power to run everyday electrical equipment.
 1998: Subhendu Guha, a noted scientist for his pioneering work in amorphous
silicon, led the invention of flexible solar shingles, a roofing material and stateof-the-art technology for converting sunlight to electricity.
 The PV shingles mount directly on to the roof and take the place of asphalt
shingles. The system is connected to the utility grid through an inverter and
produces electricity on customer’s side of the meter. United Solar Systems
Corporation / PIX03636)
Types of Solar Panels





Monocrystalline silicon
Polycrystalline silicon
Building integrated photovoltaics
Thin film
Solar hot water
Comparison
Pros
Cons
Solar energy pays for itself
Solar energy is expensive
Saves you money
Complicated
Rebates pay for half
A lot of misinformation about
Reduces dirty fuel
consumption
 In some countries, solar
energy is the best
investment
solar energy
Takes time and effort to learn
everything
No transparent pricing; hard
to know who to trust
Economic Implications – Nevada
Case Study
Scenario A:
One 100 megawatt trough facility
Direct job growth 817, indirect and induced job growth
1,570
Total personal income attributed to construction and
operations & management (O&M) phase estimated at
$1.15 billion.
Gross State Product (GSP) will increase by $1.14 billion.
Economic Implications – Nevada
Case Study
Scenario B:
10 plants constructed over 11-year construction cycle
Initial employment impact 3,830 jobs in the first year of
construction peaking at 6,940 jobs.
First post-construction year has 1,090 employment
impact
During O&M phase average of 1,800 jobs
Personal income between 2004-2035 estimated $9.37
billion
GSP between 2004-2035 estimated $9.85 billion
Economic Implications – Nevada
Case Study
Scenario C:
Three plants constructed over two-year build cycle
Construction begins 2004, 2005, and 2006 and all completed by
2008.
2005 had 7,000 jobs attributed to construction of facilities
Average annual employment over construction phase is 4,900 jobs.
Average employment over O&M phase is 475 jobs
2004-2035 personal income growth estimated at $3.4 billion
GSP, for the same period, increased by $3.5 billion
https://www.nvenergy.com/renewablesenvironment/renewables/
solar.cfm
Global Community
Dilemma for international energy efficiency initiatives:
Trade-off between smallest common denominator acceptable
for participating countries and specificity of goals and targets
to be effective.
Differences in national government practice, legislation and
regulations, and lack of cooperation.
What works well in one country does not work well for
another
Global Community
Successful Initiative:
 Local support and “buy-in”
 Access to financing
 Effective coordination of ALL parties involved.
 Willingness to make policy changes and adopt regulations locally
 Activities focus efficiency in:
 Buildings
 Appliances
 Electrical equipment (motors/HVAC etc.)
 Utilities/grids
 Some transportation
Global Community
Industrial sector lacks cooperation due to
competition
Focus:
Smaller businesses and commercial areas
Transportation (non-fossil based)
Specific industry sectors
Examples: Textiles and IT
Future
All buildings will be built to combine energy-efficient design and
construction practices and renewable energy technologies for a
net-zero energy building. In effect, the building will conserve
enough and produce its own energy supply to create a new
generation of cost-effective buildings that have zero net annual
need for non-renewable energy.
Photovoltaic research and development will continue intense
interest in new materials, cell designs, and novel approaches to
solar material and product development. It is a future where the
clothes you wear and your mode of transportation can produce
power that is clean and safe.
The price of photovoltaic power will be competitive with
traditional sources of electricity within 10 years.
Solar electricity will be used to electrolyze water, producing
hydrogen for fuel cells for transportation and buildings.
Looking Ahead
 New Technology
 Solar Settlements
 Building your own solar panels
New Technology
Solar Settlement
Building Your Own
 Do-It-Yourself Solar
Kits
 Building Solar
Panels from Scratch
Sources
http://www.leonardo-energy.org/international-program-effortsrelated-energy-efficiency
Questions