Now IBM wants to play the hybrid game

So Google Alerts is out there sniffing out occurrences of "Hybrid Photovoltaic Thermal" and sometimes brings back a big prize.

http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/ibms-concentrated-pvthermal-hybrid-with-water-air-con-82890

Yikes does this look expensive! They say it is not an expensive design concept. I see a part that requires a crane and microchannel (some cooling scheme) multi-junction cells and 2000X concentration - all expensive literally or by implication.

I'm living the "Lean Startup Dream" here at Muppet Labs, so when I see this:

Such a system is currently being developed by researchers at IBM Research, Airlight Energy, ETH Zurich, and Interstate University of Applied Sciences Buchs NTB, after winning a three-year $2.4 million grant from the Swiss Commission for Technology and Innovation.

Oh, and the video too, where more $ worth of people and gear is on display than I have deployed in the entire course of my project:

OK gotta sleep. Enjoy.

Who will own the gear?

Here is a discussion about the future of Solar Leasing as the ownership model for solar gear.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/31902831

PPA's and equipment leases and the Tax Equity manipulation (sorry, my bias is showing) and the arbitrage of the accelerated depreciation available to the companies rather than the roof owner. They all get a quick touch here.

It seems like they agree on the math (yay, always a good sign) but the psychology is another matter.

There is a standing problem here which is that NONE of today's solar companies really have the deep roots that give a customer a strong sense that they are very likely to be around in 10 years. We saw the auto companies almost evaporate and gigantic banks and investment houses that sounded like household names vanish. The psychology issue is an interesting one to think about. What company could lend its name to a system that would act as a "you will not be stranded" message.

OR, like cars do we bring down the cost such that in 10 years you just feel like the extra miles are bonus for a lucky pick. To take the win but had it gone the other way you'd just figure you got a good 10 years and move on? Furthering this car analogy - what if you knew that the parts in the system were pretty available and that mechanics that could work on your car were pretty populous... Would you worry as much? This could be a great side network effect of the shrinking of the industry's supply of brands. It feels like i am taking a bigger risk of being stranded when picking between 200 brands but if I am picking from a group of 6 or 10 and they are all pretty big it seems less perilous.

Amazing how many forces are at play. I look forward to having somebody else looking forward... :^)

Johnson Controls Cogenra and York team up!

OK we learned a little more and yes...

This IS what I've been talking about!

Dear Reader, this is the moment. Possibly our moment.

Are you are reading this because you are seeing this double whammy of increased efficiency AND reduced load / demand reduction as a game changer?

Do you compete with Johnson Controls or York? or both? We should talk. They have a neat offering, for sure, and it is game changing. But there is a still better way. I'm working on it.  Let them go educate the public about the value and role of hybrids in the generation, conservation plus the air conditioning space.  While they do that we'll generate the version that wins the day. Seriously, I can layout the advantage that I present in about 20 min.

My guess is you are reading this because you understand the problem with temperature and Photovoltaic materials.  And that you get the frustrating "loss" of the thermal potential in most PV collection schemes.  Cogenra makes sense to you but the limits on where they can install and the scale and the granularity and the temperatures seem just short of the win. And 10X suns? is that all?

Ping me.

OK not a hybrid but neat way to stack the Air Conditioning and DC power cards

These guys have a different spin on running Air Conditioning on solar power: just make a DC air conditioner.  Nice. They run it at 24V. I am not sure why they did not go for a higher voltage to sneak out some more efficiency.... I'll leave a question and see what comes of it. But they skip the inverter losses and seem to have made a tidy little unit.

http://www.greenrealitiesllc.com/virtual-powersolar-ac.html

13,500 BTUs... a small RV AC unit size. Not too shabby. The additional goodies (grid-tie option and battery carrier area) seem to be in the "technically feasible but lots of regulations to contend with" category. But the "stand-alone, grid-free AC while the sun shines" part is good to go. I'm guessing there are plenty of customers for that.

Cogenra keeps chugging along

Here is a more detailed than usual story. In the Ventura County Naval Community newsletter - you go to source for energy efficiency news evidently.

Take a look at how burly their mounts are. 100 mph winds they say are no problem... I'm ready to believe it.

The story has a prohibition on "redistribution" so I'll leave it over there and aim you.

Johnson Controls Releases Hybrid Solar Thermal-PV Cooling System

SolarIndustryMag.com: Johnson Controls Releases Hybrid Solar Thermal-PV Cooling System

I need to look into this. More as I know it.

Solar Industry Mag discusses the troubles of super abundance

OK kinda...

how to deal with the increasing saturation of PV in HI is a really interesting issue and it gets started here:

SolarIndustryMag.com: Hawaii's Novel Approach To Solar PV Integration

Let us watch this space. Grid management and renewables is a problem covering up an opportunity. Many opportunities I think.