Today, Google reports the successful completion of their 1.6 MW solar installation at the Googleplex in Mountain View, California (near San Jose).

In total 9,212 modules (rated at 208-watts each and provided by Sharp) provide approximately 30% of Google’s peak electricity demad, roughtly equvalent to the energy required to run 1,000 California homes. For potential bragging rights, Google’s system is now the largest solar installation on any corporate campus in the U.S. to date.

But wait, there’s more…

The project also includes solar panels have also been installed atop the company carports to serve as charging stations for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Google’s so-called RechargeIt.org program is a partnership between Google and A123 Systems/Hymotion to convert the company’s fleet of hybrid cars into plug-in hybrids, among which the Toyata Prius earns a respectable 73.6 MPG.

From the Google blog:

By accelerating the adoption of plug-in hybrids and vehicle-to-grid (“V2G”) technologies, this new project, RechargeIT.org, aims to reduce emissions and dependence on oil while promoting clean energy technologies and increasing consumer choice.

As additional icing on the cake, Google set up a performance monitoring site to report the day-to-day production of their solar electricity generation system.

With the rapid growth of the renewable energy industry and solar photovotaics in particular, many employment opportunities in fields such as solar system design and installation are showing increasing demand.

To meet this upcoming demand, several colleges and universities are beginning to offer accredited programs and degrees in renewable energy technologies.

Furthermore, many industry organizations offer specialized workshops and training to help prepare future energy workers for the complexities of renewable energy system design and installation.

2-Year Degrees and Certificates

• San Juan College – Farmington, New Mexico
  Offers an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Photovoltaic System Design and Installation and a One-Year Certificate in Photovoltaic System Design and Installation (the certificate program is recommended for those who have industry experience or hold a 4-year degree).
  http://www.sjc.cc.nm.us/
• Lane Community College – Eugene, Oregon
  Offers an Associate of Applied Science Degree in renewable energy technology, which includes a cooperative education requirement, so that students may gain industry field experience.

  http://www.lanecc.edu/

• Coconino Community College - Arizona
  Offers an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Alternative Energy Technology, covering PV and wind-electric systems and solar home designs.
  http://www.coconino.edu/

Out of the 3 colleges covered in this article, San Juan’s programs, which include courses covering AC/DC circuits and NEC code, seem to be best suited to those interested in obtaining certification from the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) or a state-level organization such as the Colorado Solar Energy Industry Association (CoSEIA). Of course, prospective students should also note that on-the-job training will be imperative to industry certification.

Workshops & Courses

• Solar Energy International – Carbondale, Colorado
  Offers hands-on workshops in solar, wind and water power and natural building technologies in 17 locations. SEI also offers internet based online courses.
  http://www.solarenergy.org/
• Florida Solar Energy Center – Cocoa, Florida
  http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/
• Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association – Diamondale, Michigan
  http://www.glrea.org/
• Midwest Renewable Energy Association – Custer, Wisconsin
  http://www.the-mrea.org/
• North Carolina Solar Center – Raleigh, North Carolina
  http://www.ncsc.ncsu.edu/
• Northeast Sustainable Energy Association - Greenfield, Massachusetts

  http://www.nesea.org/

For more information on solar PV workshops and courses, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) provides a comprehensive database of couse listings and workshops offered in the United States.

Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) programs obligate utility companies to derive a significant portion or target percentage of their total electricity from clean fuels by a given date.

For example, here in Colorado, Amendment 37 mandates that the utilities generate 10% of their electric energy from renewables by the year 2015.

In the United States, 28 states have implemented RPS programs to date.

One of the pitfalls (from the solar energy prespective only) is that much of the percentage of energy generated through RPS programs comes from centrally generated power, such as wind turbines. However, Colorado’s Amendment 37 made an explicit “carve-out” for solar contribution to the RPS target.

Different types of solar energy systems provide power for specific applications. Among these types of solar power are passive and active solar, as well as concentrating and nonconcentrating solar. To clear up some of the confusion regarding the types of solar energy systems and their respective applications, check out the breakdown below.

Passive Solar Energy – passive solar energy is used to convert sunlight into usable heat, cause air-movement for ventilation or cooling, or store heat for future use. Passive solar works best and proves to be most cost effective with building designs that are intended to effectively capture the sun’s heat and light. A simple example of a passive solar energy system is a greenhouse.

Key features of passive solar energy systems include:

• No conversion of solar energy into electricity – the energy is simply collected and used or stored
• Site selections and building placements maximize synchronized heating & lighting
• Windows are placed in south-facing walls
• Vents and ducts are moved to capture heat through the building
• Trombe walls – dark, south-facing walls that absorb light and heat
• Wide eaves
• Heat-storing slabs
• Superinsulation

Active Solar Energy (Photovoltaic or Thermal) – active solar energy captures the sun’s energy in order to store or convert it to thermal or electric power. In active solar energy systems, there is an active and intentional collection and redirection of energy.

There are two main types of active solar energy:

• Thermal – used to generate heat for hot water, cooking, heating, melting, steam engines, etc.
• Photovoltaic – used to generate electricity for both grid-tied and off-grid systems

Photovoltaic solar energy systems work by allowing light to hit the specific molecular structure, which consistes of a semiconductive substrate (usually silicon) that has been “doped” with chemical additives that create opposing positive and negative layers (known as the P and N types). When the photons of light strike the surface of the substrate, this causes electrons to move from P layer to N layer. This movement of electrons creates the electric current that powers many solar homes and buildings, as well as orbiting satellites.

Concentrating & Nonconcentrating Solar

While nonconcentrating solar does not involve the use of mirrors or other means to directly focus the sun’s light, concentrating solar uses mirrors to either focus sunlight on a PV array or to heat water or other fluids to create steam that drives turbine generators.

Concentrating solar is more complicated to build & manage, which translates into higher cost. Furthermore, concentrating solar involves moving parts, resulting in more maintenance. Accordingly, concentrating solar is more often used in larger-scale, centralized systems at commercial energy plants that tend to serve upwards of tens of thousands of homes and businesses.

Build It Solar has published plans created by “Don”, who has fabricated a custom solar power setup for his electric scooter.

The scooter’s PV panels include hinges and brackets for safe stowing during operation. More details to come.