Maximizin g Solar Energy. Mark Unger President Unger Enterprises Inc. Bridgeport, CT

Transcription

1 Maximizin g Solar Energy Mark Unger President Unger Enterprises Inc. Bridgeport, CT

2 MAXIMIZING SOLAR ENERGY UNGER PRESENTATION AGENDA Unger Company Background Solar Power Plant Global Development Why Clean Solar Panels Google Example Unger Green Cleaning System for Solar Panels Questions by Google

3 Unger Company Background Founded in 1964 by Henry and Barbara Unger Solingen, Germany Revolutionized window cleaning globally over the past 40 years Invented modern squeegees, telescopic poles and tools of the trade 1975 sister company founded in USA Moved to Bridgeport, CT in Ownership transition to 2nd generation of Ungers Global leader in professional cleaning tools Serving Contract Cleaners, Universities, Hospitals, etc. 250 employees world wide serving over 80 countries Entered into solar panel cleaning market in 2006

4 SOLAR POWER PLANT DEVELOPMENT GLOBAL SOLAR POWER PLANT INSTALLATIONS

5 SOLAR POWER PLANT EXPANSION WORLDWIDE BY COUNTRY Output is growing fast!

6 WHY CLEAN SOLAR PANELS??? Dust, dirt and debris collects on solar panels reducing energy output over time. Cleaning Panels brings back maximum energy output and extends the life of the panels

7 MOTHER NATURE IS THE PROBLEM SUN = ENERGY // NO SUN = NO ENERGY DIRT BUILDUP REDUCES SUN EXPOSURE AND OUTPUT OVER TIME

8 CLEANING SOLAR PANELS INCREASES OUTPUT BY UP 50%!

9 Germany Hands on Cleaning

10 SIMPLE + EFFECTIVE MAINTENANCE

11 LONG TERM RETURN ON INVESTMENT

12 Maximizing Solar Energy Regular cleaning of solar panels increases long term energy output Eichstaett Solar Park, Germany cleaned with UNGER Tools

13 INSTALLERS AS WELL AS CONTRACT CLEANERS ARE OFFERING SOLAR CLEANING SERVICES SERVICES ARE COMMON IN GERMANY

14 THE GOOGLE CASE STUDY Google Objectives What causes fluctuations in Google s solar energy production? How can we optimize Google s solar energy production based on these findings? With solar panel installations ever increasing, what can other solar owners learn from our findings? by Google

15 THE GOOGLE CASE STUDY Summer 2007: Google s 1.6MW solar installation switched on, the largest in corporate America at the time. Fall 2008: Cleaning a subset of Google s solar panels resulted in a doubling of those panels energy output, thus restoring them to optimal operation by Google

16 THE GOOGLE CASE STUDY DOES RAIN CLEAN SOLAR PANES? End of winter also coincides with periods of heaviest rain in the San Francisco bay area. Does rain do an adequate job of cleaning dirt off of solar panels? Tilted solar panels Non-tilted solar panels Visual inspection indicates that rain does clean them quite well. However, dirt does accumulate in the bottom most corner of the solar panels. Rain does not clean dirt off horizontal, nontilted solar panels. Rain, mixed in with dirt that had settled on the solar panels does not drain well due to the solar panel s frame structure. Metal frame Glass surface by Google

17 THE GOOGLE CASE STUDY Cleaning: Since rain does not clean dirt off of horizontal solar panels, we got them professionally cleaned. Output doubled after B45 Parking & B47 Parking solar panels were cleaned for the first time in 15 months. Output increased by 36% after these solar panels were cleaned again 8 months later. by Google

18 THE GOOGLE CASE STUDY Summary of factors impacting solar output Factor Solar Radiation Impact More solar radiation in the summer = More solar energy production Less solar radiation in the winter = Less solar energy production Tilt Tilt plays a key role in solar output fluctuation, since the amount of solar radiation received by solar panels varies by tilt and time of year. More energy is produced by the solar panels with a 15 tilt than a 0 tilt during non-summer months at latitude 37 North. Dirt Big particles (PM10) like dirt and dust travel short distances and adversely impact the output of solar panels closest to these particle sources. Small particles (PM2.5) settle on solar panels surfaces over time, and have higher concentrations in the winter than summer. Rain Tilted solar panels: Rain cleans them quite well. Dirt does remain in the bottom most corner of the solar panels, however. Horizontal, non-tilted solar panels: Rain does not clean them well, since rain does not drain well due to the solar panel s frame structure. Cleaning Cleaning of non-tilted solar panels resulted in tremendous gains in output. Others Silicon degradation, manufacturer defects, accidental damage, shadows. by Google

19 THE GOOGLE CASE STUDY Practical implications: Things we should do Google is not in the business of designing solar installations. What are the practical implications of these findings? Things we re unlikely going to do Re-install solar panels to change their tilt. Re-install them from being fixed in position to being rotational to follow the sun. Things we should do Higher priority: Clean solar panels regularly, especially horizontal ones located in dirty areas. Practically, it s less critical to clean tilted solar panels, especially after heavy rain. The best time to clean them is just before spring. Ensure that dirt collection and accidental damage are factored in output estimates if we install more solar panels. Share findings with other owners of solar installations. Others may have had similar experiences with their solar output, or could learn from our findings. Lower priority: Trim any trees that cast shadows on solar panels. Google s solar panels are well situated such that the shadow effect is not significant. Implement monitoring to detect solar panels that have malfunctioned or have been accidentally damaged. by Google

20 Green Cleaning Solutions for Solar Panels by Unger Solar Panel Cleaning with Pure Water and Waterfed Pole Systems since 2006: SAFETY AND SPEED: Reach up to 50 feet - no need for ladders ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY: Clean without chemicals EFFICIENT: Saves time and money Most effective solution for many cleaning applications

21 How does the System work? Dirt is loosened on surface through brush agitation (variety of brushes available). Rinse dirt off using Pure Water (cleaning action). Pure Water will evaporate without leaving spots or streaks. Waterfed poles reach up to 50 and deliver purified water to the cleaning surface. This process results in a cleaner surface Without the use of chemicals Cost effective Easy to learn and operate Safer and faster to use than ladders Simple to use on various surfaces

22 HiFlo DI225 De-ionized Water System Portable Spot-free Easy to use Filters all Dissolved solids from tap water Plug-and-Play : Just attach water hose and pole system, turn on, and start cleaning. Easy-to-Read: Battery operated TDS meter monitors the water quality to indicate when to change resin. Robust: Wheeled cart makes moving and using the system strain free Capacity: Based on an average TDS of 100, approx. 800 gallons of Pure water is produced before the resin cartridges require a change (A lower TDS produces more gallons. A higher TDS produces less gallons)

23 HiFlo CarbonTec Modular Pole System Poles are made of strong, yet lightweight, rigid carbon fibers. Flexible cleaning height is achieved by adding or subtracting poles while cleaning. (Modular system) Water flow is easy to control with unique Any Position water feed valve. (connects between any two sections) Highest quality materials and German design and manufacturing Aircraft grade aluminum connectors ensure safety and reliability

24 CONCLUSION Regular cleaning of Solar Panels produces up to 50% higher output and faster Return on Investment. Solar Panel Cleaning Systems combine Safety, Efficiency and environmentally friendly Maintenance of Solar Panels.

25 THANK YOU! Faster Cleaner Greener QUESTIONS?

26 APPEND IX

27 PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER PLANT EXPANSION

28 THE GOOGLE CASE STUDY DETAIL Factor: Dirt Due to proximity and wind direction, B45 & B47 Parking PV receive much more dirt from the sand field than B41 Parking PV. Fields along Amphitheatre Pkwy are grass fields that have some ability to trap particulate matter in the air. The sand field does not have this trapping effect. We thus hypothesize that B45 & B47 Parking underperform relative to B41 Parking PV due to greater dirt collection. * Sand field (tilled monthly) 45 ** by Google * B41 Parking PV s **B45 Parking & B47 Parking PV s