Solar Energy Systems
Solar Energy Systems
Through an affiliated partner company, we are now installing:
- Free Solar Power Systems for qualified homeowners and businesses in the Palms Springs and Riverside County areas of California.
To qualify for our *Free Solar Power Systems, homeowners and businesses must meet the following requirements:
- Have a good credit rating.
- Agree to buy all of the power generated from the Free Solar Power Systems under a 20 year Power Purchase Agreement.
- Presently receives their electricity from Southern California Edison electric power company.
- For customers who qualify, we will then install our Free Solar Power Systems at no cost.
We expect ALL of our customers will be very happy knowing that the clean, green, renewable power they are using is:
- More reliable than the electricity from the power company.
- Saving the environment by reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and helping reverse Climate Change and Global Warming.
- Generated from their own reliable Solar Power System on their roofs.
- Saving Money! At today's Southern California Edison's published electric rates, most of our customers will also enjoy a SAVINGS on their present electric bills by as much as 10% from what they are now paying for their electricity from the electric utility.
- Under warranty.
- At the end of the Power Purchase Agreement, the Free Solar Power Systems is then owned by our customers and the savings really start to add us as the power and electricity generated from their Free Solar Power Systems is now free!
To find out if your home or business qualifies for one of our Free Solar Power Systems, call (832) 758 – 0027 today!
We provide Solar Energy Systems. Unlike most companies, we are equipment supplier/vendor neutral. This means we help our clients select the best equipment for their specific application. This approach provides our customers with superior performance, decreased operating expenses and increased return on investment.
Cooler, Cleaner, Greener Power & Energy Solutions project development services are one of our specialties. These projects are Kyoto Protocol compliant and generate clean energy and significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Cogeneration Technologies is the parent company of Solar Energy Systems. Cogeneration Technologies is located in Houston, Texas, and has been providing power and energy project development services since 1999. Our project development services generate clean energy and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and carbon dioxide emissions. Included in this are our turnkey "ecogeneration" products and services which include renewable energy technologies, waste to energy, waste to watts and waste heat recovery solutions. Other project development technologies include; Anaerobic Digester, Anaerobic Lagoon, Biogas Recovery, BioMethane, Biomass Gasification, and Landfill Gas To Energy, project development services.
Products and services provided by Cogeneration Technologies include the following power and energy project development services:
- Project Engineering Feasibility & Economic Analysis Studies
- Engineering, Procurement and Construction
- Environmental Engineering & Permitting
- Project Funding & Financing Options; including Equity Investment, Debt Financing, Lease and Municipal Lease
- Shared/Guaranteed Savings Program with No Capital Investment from Qualified Clients
- Project Commissioning
- 3rd Party Ownership and Project Development
- Long-term Service Agreements
- Operations & Maintenance
- Green Tag (Renewable Energy Credit, Carbon Dioxide Credits, Emission Reduction Credits) Brokerage Services; Application and Permitting
We are Renewable Energy Technologies specialists and develop clean power and energy projects that will generate a "Renewable Energy Credit," Carbon Dioxide Credits and Emission Reduction Credits. Some of our products and services solutions and technologies include; Absorption Chillers, Adsorption Chillers, Automated Demand Response, Biodiesel Refineries, Biofuel Refineries, Biomass Gasification, BioMethane, Canola Biodiesel, Coconut Biodiesel, Cogeneration, Concentrating Solar Power, Demand Response Programs, Demand Side Management, Energy Conservation Measures, Energy Master Planning, Engine Driven Chillers, Geothermal Heat pumps, Ground source Heat pumps, Solar CHP, Solar Cogeneration, Rapeseed Biodiesel, Solar Electric Heat Pumps, Solar Electric Power Systems, Solar Heating and Cooling, Solar Trigeneration, Soy Biodiesel, Trigeneration, and Water source Heat Pumps.
Solar Energy Systems is a subsidiary of Cogeneration Technologies located in Houston, Texas. We provide the following power and energy project development services:
- Project Engineering Feasibility & Economic Analysis Studies
- Engineering, Procurement and Construction
- Environmental Engineering & Permitting
- Project Funding & Financing Options; including Equity Investment, Debt Financing, Lease and Municipal Lease
- Shared/Guaranteed Savings Program with No Capital Investment from Qualified Clients
- Project Commissioning
- 3rd Party Ownership and Project Development
- Long-term Service Agreements
- Operations & Maintenance
- Green Tag (Renewable Energy Credit, Carbon Dioxide Credits, Emission Reduction Credits) Brokerage Services; Application and Permitting
Solar Electric Power Systems (PV)
Solar electric power systems transform sunlight into electricity. Sunlight is an abundant resource. Every minute the sun bathers the Earth in as much energy as the world consumes in an entire year.
Solar cells employ special materials called semiconductors that create electricity when exposed to light. Solar electric systems are quiet and easy to use, and they require no fuel other than sunlight. Because they contain no moving parts, they are durable, reliable, and easy to maintain.
How It Works
Solar cells, also known as photovoltaic (PV) cells, do the work of making electricity. Several types of solar electric technology are under development, but four—crystalline silicon (a form of refined beach sand), thin films, concentrators, and thermophotovoltaics—are illustrative of the range of technologies. Solar cells are connected to a variety of other components to make a solar electric power system.
Crystalline Silicon
Crystalline silicon solar cells are used in more than half of all solar electric devices. Like most semiconductor devices, they include a positive layer (on the bottom) and a negative layer (on the top) that create an electrical field inside the cell. When a photon of light strikes a semiconductor, it releases electrons (see animation). The free electrons flow through the solar cell's bottom layer to a connecting wire as direct current (DC) electricity.
Some solar cells are made from polycrystalline silicon, which consists of several small silicon crystals. Polycrystalline silicon solar cells are cheaper to produce but somewhat less efficient than single-crystal silicon.
A simple silicon solar cell can power a watch or calculator. However, it produces only a tiny amount of electricity. Connected together, solar cells form modules that can generate substantial amounts of power. Modules are the building blocks of solar electric systems, which can produce enough power for a house, a rural medical clinic, or an entire village. Large arrays of solar electric modules can power satellites or provide electricity for utilities.
Solar Electric Power System Components
In addition to modules, several components are needed to complete a solar electric power system. Many systems include batteries, battery chargers, a backup generator, and a controller so that people in solar-powered homes and buildings can turn on the lights at night or run televisions or appliances on cloudy days. Grid-connected systems don't require batteries or backup generators because they use the grid for backup power. Some remote system applications, such as those used to pump water, do not require a backup power source.
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| Components of a typical standalone PV system using crystalline silicon technology. (Source: Solar Electric Power Association) |
Solar electric power systems can incorporate inverters or power control units to transform the DC electricity produced by the solar cells into alternating current (AC) to run AC appliances or sell to a utility grid. Complete systems usually include safety disconnects, fuses, and a grounding circuit as well.
Thin Films
Solar electric thin films are lighter, more resilient, and easier to manufacture than crystalline silicon modules. The best-developed thin-film technology uses amorphous silicon, in which the atoms are not arranged in any particular order as they would be in a crystal. An amorphous silicon film only one micron thick can absorb 90% of the usable solar energy falling on it. Other thin-film materials include cadmium telluride and copper indium diselenide. Substantial cost savings are possible with this technology because thin films require relatively little semiconductor materials.
Thin films are produced as large, complete modules, not as individual cells that must be mounted in frames and wired together. They are manufactured by applying extremely thin layers of semiconductor material to a low-cost backing such as glass or plastic. Electrical contacts, antireflective coatings, and protective layers are also applied directly to the backing material. Thin films conform to the shape of the backing, a feature that allows them to be used in such innovative products as flexible solar electric roofing shingles.
Concentrators
Concentrators use optical lenses (similar to plastic magnifying glasses) or mirrors to concentrate the sunlight that falls on a solar cell. With a concentrator to magnify the light intensity, the solar cell produces more electricity. Today, most solar cells in concentrators are made from crystalline silicon. However, materials such as gallium arsenide and gallium indium phosphide are more efficient than silicon in solar electric concentrators and will likely see more use in the future. These materials are now used in communications satellites and other space applications.
Concentrators produce more electricity using less of the expensive semiconductor material than other solar electric systems. A basic concentrator unit consists of a lens to focus the light, a solar cell assembly, a housing element, a secondary concentrator to reflect off-center light rays onto the cell, a mechanism to dissipate excess heat, and various contacts and adhesives. The basic unit can be combined into modules of varying sizes and shapes. Concentrators only work with direct sunlight and operate most effectively in sunny, dry climates. They must be used with tracking systems to keep them pointed toward the sun.
Thermophotovoltaics
Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) devices convert heat into electricity in much the same way that other PV devices convert light into electricity. The difference is that TPV technology uses semiconductors "tuned" to the longer-wavelength, invisible infrared radiation emitted by warm objects. This technology is cleaner, quieter, and simpler than conventional power generation using steam turbines and generators.
TPV converters are relatively maintenance-free because they contain no moving parts. In addition to using solar energy, they can convert heat from any high-temperature heat source, including combustion of a fuel such as natural gas or propane, into electricity. TPV converters produce virtually no carbon monoxide and few emissions. They may be used in the future in gas furnaces that generate their own electricity for self-ignition (during power outages) and in portable generators and battery chargers.
Advantages
Solar electric systems offer many advantages. Standalone systems can eliminate the need to build expensive new power lines to remote locations. For rural and remote applications, solar electricity can cost less than any other means of producing electricity. Solar electric systems can also connect to existing power lines to boost electricity output during times of high demand such as on hot, sunny days when air conditioners are on.
Solar electric systems are flexible. Solar electric modules can stand on the ground or be mounted on rooftops. They can also be built into glass skylights and walls. They can be made to look like roof shingles and can even come equipped with devices to turn their DC output into the same AC utilities deliver to wall sockets. These advances mean individual homeowners and businesses can relieve pressure on local utilities struggling to meet the increasing demand for electricity.
More than 30 states offer grid-connected solar electric system owners the chance to save money on their energy bills by feeding any excess power their solar electric system produces into the utility grid—an arrangement called net metering.
Solar power systems require minimal maintenance. They run quietly and efficiently without polluting. They are easy to combine with other types of electric generators such as wind, hydro, or natural gas turbines. They can charge batteries to make solar electricity continuously available.
For utilities, large-scale solar electric power plants can help meet demand for new power generation, especially in distributed applications. A solar electric power plant is created from multiple arrays that are interconnected electronically. Solar electric plants are easier to site and are quicker to build than conventional power plants. They are also easy to expand incrementally—by adding more modules—as power demand increases.
Solar electric power systems are good for the environment. When solar electric technologies displace fossil fuels for pumping water, lighting homes, or running appliances, they reduce the greenhouse gases and pollutants emitted into the atmosphere. The use of solar electric systems is particularly important in developing nations because it can help avert the expected increases in emissions of greenhouse gases caused by the growing demand for electricity in those countries.
Solar electric technologies also benefit the U.S. economy by creating jobs in U.S. companies. Exporting solar electric technologies to developing nations expands U.S. markets while protecting the global environment.
Disadvantages
Although solar electric systems make financial sense in remote areas that lack access to power lines, they are usually more expensive than fossil fuels for grid-connected applications.
This disadvantage is significant for utilities considering large-scale solar electric power plants. Although solar electricity costs considerably more than electricity generated by conventional plants, regulatory agencies often require utilities to supply electricity for the lowest cash cost.
Utilities view solar electric power plants differently than they view conventional power plants. Solar electric modules produce electricity intermittently—only when the sun shines. Their output varies with the weather and disappears altogether at night. Integrating solar electricity into a utility system requires creative planning.
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| A combination of solar electric arrays and pool-heating solar collectors were used to provide power and heat to the Georgia Tech University Aquatic Center, site of the 1996 Olympic swimming competition. (Credit: Heliocol) |
Applications
Solar electricity has powered satellites since the dawn of the space program. It has run remote communications outposts high in the mountains and turned on the lights, kept medicines cold, and pumped water in rural areas for more than 30 years. Small solar cells are used to power wristwatches, calculators, and other electronic gadgets. More recently, solar electric systems have been used to provide supplemental power to homes and commercial buildings in cities.
Solar electric technology has important roles to play in both the developing and developed worlds. From the farmer irrigating his crops in rural Mexico to an innovative lighting system for an Olympic sports arena, solar electric solutions abound.
Electric utilities harness solar electricity for distributed applications—near substations or at the end of overloaded power lines, for example, to avoid or defer costly line upgrades. They use solar electricity during hot, sunny periods when the demand for air conditioning stretches conventional power generation to its limit. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District, for example, uses large solar electric arrays as part of its power generation mix. Utilities also rely on solar electricity to power remote, standalone monitoring systems.
Consumers and builders are integrating solar electric modules into their homes and offices. Innovative solar electric technologies can replace conventional roofing and facade materials in new buildings. Solar electric roofing shingles, for example, are being used in some new residences. In grid-connected applications, solar electricity supplies some of a consumer's energy needs; the local utility provides the rest.
Standalone solar electric systems power a variety of applications far from the reaches of the power grid. These applications include remote communications systems such as television and radio transmitters and receivers, telephone systems, and microwave repeaters. Standalone solar electric power is also used to prevent corrosion of metal pipes, tanks, bridges, and buildings.
Many remote residences worldwide use solar electricity as their source of power. For instance, more than 100,000 vacation homes in Scandinavia rely solely on solar electric technology to run lights and appliances.
Villages around the world are building solar electric systems to bring electricity to their homes and local industries, often for the first time. To make the maximum use of available resources, village power is typically produced by a hybrid power system that combines solar electricity with diesel backup generators and sometimes another renewable energy technology such wind power. Villages also use standalone solar electric systems for pumping water—an application shared by rural farmers and ranchers in the United States.
For more information, visit the following Web sites:
- DOE Solar Energy Technologies Program — information about the DOE program, solar electric technologies, and applications
- DOE's National Center for Photovoltaics — detailed information about DOE research
- Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse PV fact sheet (PDF 264 KB) Download Acrobat Reader. — information about designing a solar electric system
- NREL's Clean Energy Basics — more background on solar electricity, including information specifically aimed at homeowners, small business owners, electricity providers, and teachers.
Our Solar Heating and Cooling System – Uses the "free" Power of the Sun to Heat and Cool your Commercial Business or Home for Free!
Cooling and heating your building (home, office, school, hospital, etc.) costs you up to 60%, or more, every month you receive your electric bill. You can eliminate the heating and cooling portion of your electric bill forever, and cool and heat your home with the sun's power with our Solar Heating and Cooling system!
Our Solar Heating and Cooling system is the cleanest, greenest, and lowest cost method to cool and warm your home or commercial office or other buildings. Our Solar Heating and Cooling system will eliminate your energy costs for heating and cooling your home, office, school, or any other commercial facility for *free: Requires the purchase of our Solar Heating and Cooling system. Minimum size is 10 tons. You must be located in a qualified geographic location, which means our system must be located to receive direct sunlight. For qualified customers, we will install the system with little to no money down and you pay for the system with the savings our system provides!
Solar Absorption Cooling. Solar heat can be used to displace electricity used for cooling. Absorption chillers use a heat source, such as natural gas or hot water from solar collectors, to evaporate the already-pressurized refrigerant from an absorbent/refrigerant mixture. Condensation of vapors provides the same cooling effect as that provided by mechanical cooling systems. Although absorption chillers require electricity for pumping the refrigerant, the amount is very small compared to that consumed by a compressor in a conventional electric air conditioner or refrigerator. Solar Absorption Cooling systems are typically sized to carry the full air conditioning load during sunny periods.
We provide Demand Side Management design and project development solutions that may provide a return on investment in less than 12 months. We also offer energy-saving technologies that may include; Absorption Chillers, Adsorption Chillers, Automated Demand Response, Cogeneration, Demand Response Programs, Demand Side Management, Energy Master Planning, Engine Driven Chillers, Trigeneration and Energy Conservation Measures.
Our company provides turn-key project solutions that include all or part of the following:
- Engineering and Economic Feasibility Studies
- Project Design, Engineering & Permitting
- Project Construction
- Project Funding & Financing Options
- Shared/Guaranteed Savings program with no capital requirements
- Project Commissioning
- Operations & Maintenance
