Progressive Minds

I came across this concept of a 'solar tree' the other day while I was doing some research on biofuels and comparing them with alternate energy sources (short story: biofuel technology right now not good - net energy losses and net green house gas emissions, plus other problems; other existing technologies better option).

I'm really quite intrigued by them to be honest with you. I think they have the potential to really be of use in Bermuda. I'll provide some links at the bottom of this post, but I'll try to give a brief description of them here, the links have photos though! Basically they look like metallic futuristic abstractions of trees. They have a 'trunk' and then a number of 'branches' with photovoltaic panels as the bunch of leaves.

The idea behind them is that they could be placed in areas where they do not prevent the space being used for other purposes, but at the same time allow for the generation of solar electricity. During rain they also provide some shelter from rain. I haven't found out any information on whether or not they attract lightning more than regular trees though...

They're main use so far, in the USA at least has been in car-parks, while in continental Europe they seem to also be used in public squares. They are either used to provide energy for the complexes of whom carparks they are part of, or into the general electric grid.

Looking at them I thought they would be of use especially in our carparks aroung Hamilton. I can see them in City Hall carpark for example, or even along the Front Street waterfront. The carpark for the House of Assembly would also be a good location. I can also envision them being installed at the ferry docks, around Dockyard and at Flatts (say within the Aquarium?). I also see no reason why they can't be installed near public bus stops or in schools also, or at sports fields.

Now sure, there are some problems with solar, in that they aren't going to work on cloudy days. But they we can build in the capacity to store energy, and they should be used at least to supplement our existing electricity grid. They also involve an initial capital investment, but recent research shows that they are now able to produce a net energy gain within just two years (in that all energy produced after that point is new), and can pay for themselves over the long-term, much like energy-saving lightbulbs. My biggest concern is how hurricane proof they would be. I know that the roof mounted panels can be made to withstand hurricanes, and I reckon the same would be true for these. Or could they be dismantled and stored temporarily for the duration of the storm and then remounted?

One would also have to factor in whether their installation would serve as almost a 'gift' to BELCO, if installed by the municipality or state, for example. But with our rising energy costs, and the contribution to global warming involved in current fossil fuel use, their implementation could be seen more as self-preservation above and beyond mere corporate profit.

I'm also thinking that we could use this almost as a tourism benefit as well. Market Bermuda tourism as being more green (we would have to off-set the fossil fuels involved in arriving here in the first place though). I should stress that I'm not seeing the erecting of these solar trees as being able to replace our current BELCO diesel turbines. The biggest assemblages of these that I've come across produce about 1.6 megawatts (googleplex).

I do think though that government should institute a carbon tax with the resulting resources being used to subsidise both an expanded public transport system (the buses in particular) and the installation of these or other similar renewable energy technologies. I believe they have already announced plans to offer concessions to the installation of home solar technologies (I assume on import duties and land tax, provided the aesthetic quality of the installation is balanced), and this should be accelerated. I also think that we should look at the future potential for reverse-metering, so that excess electricity can be fed into the energy grid.

There are other renewable technologies that I know BELCO has floated, notably something along the lines of the Pelamis Wave Energy Converter off the south shore, or wind turbines off St. Georges (personally I'ld be concerned about the impact of these on migrating birds and corals during installation). Another perpertual idea is to install a tidal energy generator under Flatts bridge which would be sufficient to power the Aquarium and Flatts.

Anyway, I just thought the issue was worth discussing, and I hope it leads to some constructive debate. I plan to post other articles here soon, primarilly about public transport and electric and fuel cell cars, biofuels, carbon taxes, waste treatment and energy efficiency, but should anyone feel like bringing those, or other topics up in this discussion, more power to them, and I'll try to build subsequent threads for them as time progresses.

Links - Please note, put your critical reasoning hat on here, as some of these publications may have vested interests... Also, I welcome people posting additional relevant links here too, these were just a rush job of surfing the net.

The googleplex:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/10/google_ends_sea.php
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/12/googles_solar_t.php

Kyocera:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/07/solar_parking_l.php
http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/16264

Solar Tree in Austria - http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/16264

Other Reading:

The True Cost of Solar Power - http://www.photonconsulting.com/the_true_cost_of_solar_power.php

International Energy Agency - Photovoltaic Power Systems Program Report 2006 - http://www.iea-pvps.org/products/download/rep_ar06.pdf - or see the 2007 report and other info at http://www.iea-pvps.org/

Pelamis Wave Energy Converter - http://www.pelamiswave.com/media/pelamisbrochure.pdf