Since the 1973 oil embargo and 1979 energy crisis, worldwide energy policies have been reorganized, bringing about renewed attention to developing renewable energy sources and solar technologies. Deployment strategies have  focused on incentive programs such as the Federal Photovoltaic Utilization Program in the U.S. and the Sunshine Program in Japan. Other efforts incentivized the formation of research facilities in the U.S., Japan, and Germany. This research and subsequent studies paved the way to the generation of more usable renewable energy, such as solar power.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an investment of up to $11.8 million for five endeavors to boost the development of Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS) to the next level. Five existing projects were selected as beneficiaries of this government project, whose common goal is to improve or maintain power reliability and the superiority of solar energy. The five selected projects include:

1. PVPowered of Bend, OR and its partners aim to strengthen the basic goals of the SEGIS program to optimize interconnections of emerging photovoltaic (or PV) module technologies through new systems integration.
2. Petra Solar of South Plainfield, NJ, with the support of University of Central Florida and Fifteen Electric Utilities, harmonizes with the Solar Program’s aim to reach the goal of a widespread acceptance of solar energies by improving the reliability and adaptability of PV integration.
3. Princeton Power of Princeton, NJ, working with Transistor Device Inc., La Guardia Community College, Idyllwild Municipal Water District, and others, focuses on lowering the cost of energy and developing new inverter designs.
4. Apollo Solar of Bethel, CT, and its partners are creating modern inverters using energy storage and two-way communications between solar electrical systems and utilities.
5. Florida Solar Energy Center/UFC, working with other technical companies, focuses on acquiring solutions to technical problems such as higher PV penetration levels in larger electrical networks.

“By integrating renewable energy onto the grid now, we can deliver power more reliably and effectively, lower utility bills for American families, and help rebuild our economy along the way. Initiated in 2008, the SEGIS activity is a partnership that includes DOE, Sandia National Laboratories, industry, utilities, and universities and emphasizes complete system development.  The selected projects focus on the most promising technology advances and include development of intelligent system controls. These projects ultimately seek to maintain or improve power quality and reliability, as well as return economic value, while increasing integration of solar technologies into the U.S. electrical grid.” [US Dept of Energy]

With this kind of support and investment from the government itself, we can safely say that solar energy generation is quickly becoming one of the major sources of renewable energy. The development of innovative equipment to improve the reliability and adaptability of solar energy is effectively lowering the cost and making it practically affordable for daily usage.

This government initiative to improve the existing SEGIS is a strong indication of its acceptance that the potential of solar energy and other renewable energy sources is tremendous. If given the proper attention and funding, these renewable energy sources will yield remarkable consequences, such as having electricity without the worries of global warming, air pollution, and any other worrisome effects brought about by the traditional production of electricity. The president of the United States himself, in a joint address to Congress on February 24, 2009, asked the nation to double renewable energy within the next three years.

While the government is spending vast amounts of money to support the solar power industry, there are things you can do to integrate solar power into your own home’s energy, at not much cost. Home made energy is a growing trend, and home made solar panels is no exception. With a collection of relatively cheap materials and some assembly, you can put together a series of effective panels that could dramatically reduce your home’s energy costs.

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One Response to “Solar power on the rise”

1. smart home systems | sodini video says:

   August 19, 2009 at 12:37 pm

   [...] the District of Columbia.Washington Home & Garden Magazine – http://www.whgmag.com/|||Solar power on the riseRecently, the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced an investment of up to $11.8 million for five [...]