Solar Energy Expertise

So many of the buildings we have toured have used solar panels as part of their sustainability efforts. Mark Thompson, from Green Ox Energy, is the Director of Sales and a solar energy expert. Green Ox Energy is "a full service commercial, residential and utility renewable energy solutions provider that makes renewable energy more flexible, accessible and affordable." 

Mark talked about the basics of electricity as well as where our electricity comes from. I found it interesting that most of our energy comes from coal. Texas does not have large supplies of coal so this material has to be brought in from places like West Virginia. Mark also said large amounts of our electricity comes from nuclear generators. My father-in-law worked for Areva which managed the plant in Glen Rose so I am familiar with this. The thrid growing source of energy that has potential is wind energy. I lived in West Texas for five years and have seen the wind mills go up all over West Texas. I love seeing them turn and produce electricity. However, I am disappointed to learn there is not enough transmission lines to utilize all of the energy the wind mills produce. Below is a picture of the wind mills found in West Texas.

Mark went on to discuss some of the basics of solar panels, For example, he went into detail with the location of the panels. I knew that this was important but I did no realize that the panels have to be tilted to reach maximum efficiency. I also learned that the energy created from the panels has to be changed from DC to AC through the use of an inverter.  Below is a picture of the solar panel tubes used at the BRIT.

Mark highlighted the affordability aspect of this technology. I always assumed solar panels were expensive, which they still are. However, there are several incentives from the government as well as electric companies like ONCOR that help bring down the investment in the technology. Two locations we visited, stated that they received a credit from ONCOR. Those locations are Bedford Library and Tarrant Regional Water District. I personally feel that the cost for the panels is still really high, when they are only 18-24% effective. I believe I would seriously consider this type of technology when the panels come down in cost and increase in efficiency. One question someone asked was really interesting to me. Someone in the class asked what happens to the panels once they are used up? I think this is a question that the solar community does not have an answer for yet but needs to think about for the future. Eventually these panels will have to be replaced and it is important to have a plan in place for what to do with the old panels.   I personally enjoyed learning more about solar panel technology from an expert in the field.

REFERENCES 

http://www.greenoxenergy.com/about.html

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/uc/windenergy/