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A collaboration of chemists, mathematicians and engineers at Michigan State University is driving to improve solar panel technology, backed by a $1.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

The three-year grant comes from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act monies and will focus on developing methods for making a new class of solar cells from cheaper materials.

“For renewable energy to succeed, it has to get to a point where it is economically competitive with current technology,” said chemistry Professor James McCusker, the project leader. “This means we need totally transformational technologies.”

Today’s solar panels are based on science worked out when the Beatles’ “Good Day Sunshine” was new to the airwaves, McCusker said. Their primary light absorber is extremely pure – and costly — silicon. Electricity produced by solar panels today costs two or three times as much as energy produced by coal.

“With estimates showing global power consumption tripling by 2050, we need to have scalable approaches that balance cost efficiency with environmental stewardship,” McCusker said. “Only solar can be scalable to the amounts required.”

Solar energy is plentiful, if underutilized: The amount that hits the Earth’s surface in one hour equals the energy humans consume in a year.

The group is developing a solar cell based on a design that combines a dye with an inexpensive semiconductor — titanium dioxide – instead of silicon. Titanium dioxide is an opaque white pigment commonly used in paint and other consumer products. Applying advanced materials and nanoparticle technology can make electron conduction more efficient, researchers said.

The efficiency of these devices is around 11 percent, McCusker said, but that requires using a liquid electrolyte. His project will use a more efficient and inexpensive solid-state material.

The complexity of developing new approaches for converting sunlight into energy requires interaction among a variety of specialists. Research team members include chemical engineer Lawrence Drzal; chemists McCusker and Greg Baker; and mathematicians Keith Promislow and Andrew Christlieb. The mathematicians will develop modeling to efficiently guide the chemists, who experiment with materials alongside chemical engineers.

McCusker leads a research group at MSU that is deeply involved in many areas of solar energy research. Some of his other research, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, focuses on using other abundant elements such as iron and copper.

“To properly address the future demands of energy, we need to first solve the science in order to develop the technology for tomorrow,” McCusker said. “It takes a long time and much collaboration, but our job as scientists is to conquer the fundamental hurdles and address the scientific problems, so companies can then build and develop the technologies needed based on the science.”

Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.

 A proposed project in New Mexico is generating considerable attention over the boost it could provide to solar energy and other renewable power sources in the coming years.

The Tres Amigas project aims to link the nation’s main power grids covering the eastern and western United States while also facilitating the transmission of renewable energy from sites that are generally further away from major population centers.

“One of the biggest constraints on wind and solar power growth is the reduced capacity of the transmission grid to deliver energy to customers. This new transmission infrastructure will allow half of the United States to access vast wind and solar energy resources,” said New Mexico Public Lands Commissioner Patrick Lyons.

The company Tres Amigas LLC will spend the next couple of years conducting various analyses with an eye on undertaking the major project. If completed, the project could result in the development of the Tres Amigas Superstation, to be located near Clovis.

The current electrical grid has long been seen as an obstacle to the full development of solar energy and wind power, which has prompted increased efforts such as this one and the drive towards introducing more smart grid technologies.

After a long eclipse, solar energy is shining again. Its comeback is being fueled by an enticing combination of federal and state tax incentives, the desire of fed-up homeowners to lower their utility bills, and increasing concern over dwindling natural resources (not to mention presidential warnings to start 12-stepping our national addiction to oil).

But one of the biggest reasons for solar’s renewed popularity has to do with aesthetics. In the 1970s, going solar meant mounting panels the size of ping-pong tables in cumbersome racks on your roof. But in the past five years, the industry has become more architecturally savvy, offering up solar-powered shingles that blend almost seamlessly with traditional roofing materials.

These systems—called “building-integrated photovoltaics,” or BIPVs—combine solar cells with slate, metal, fiber-cement, even ­asphalt roofing. Electricity is generated when the sun strikes a semiconductor layer, typically crystalline silicon, laminated to the shingle’s surface. One shingle by itself doesn’t produce a whole lot of power—between 50 and 200 watts, enough to run a window fan—but harness hundreds of square feet of them together, and you can generate enough electricity to power a whole house. The shingles get installed over new or existing roof sheathing, then an electrician (or trained roofer) has to wire the units together and tie them in to your home’s electrical system.

Going solar doesn’t mean cutting ties to your local supply grid. Most BIPV systems work in concert with existing power lines, which kick back into service after sundown and on rainy days, when the shingles don’t produce much juice. And if you generate more power when the sun is shining than you actually need (not uncommon in places like California and Arizona), at least 39 states let you sell unused watts back to the local utility for a credit, thus making your electric meter do something really remarkable: spin backward. That’s what Sheri Gage discovered when she and her husband bought their Live Oak, California, home earlier this year. They opted for an energy-efficiency package, offered by the builder, that included a 2-kilowatt BIPV system integrated into the cement-tile roof (general guidelines call for 1 kilowatt, or 1,000 watts, per 1,000 square feet of house area). The system cost $15,000, which they rolled into their mortgage, adding about $100 to the monthly bill. Come tax time, they’ll receive a generous federal tax break thanks to the Energy ­Policy Act of 2005, which gives homeowners a credit of 30 ­percent, or up to $2,000, toward the cost of a system. Gage has no worries about the new roof paying for itself: Her last electrical bill was a paltry $3.85. “I am now a firm believer in the power of the sun,” she says.

Even before new federal and state tax incentives, “the cost of generating solar electricity has fallen 95 percent since the 1970s,” says Noah Kaye, of the Washington, D.C.— based Solar Energy Industries Association. But that doesn’t mean it’s cheap: Factoring in equipment and installation costs, the price of a kilowatt-hour of solar energy (the amount required to power ten 100-watt lightbulbs for an hour) is about 25 cents, versus around 10 cents for a kilowatt-hour of natural gas- or coal-generated electricity from the grid.

The economics of whether or not to install a system depend heavily on where you live. While houses in sunnier states can collect more solar power than those in northern climes, solar payback is strongly affected by local electric rates. “If you have a 2-kilowatt PV system in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it produces 25 percent more electricity than the same system in Boston,” says Kaye. “But the savings are greater in Boston, since electricity there costs so much more.”

Still, if the high cost is what’s keeping you from going solar, you won’t have long to wait before increased demand and advances in PV efficiency make these systems more affordable. “As electric rates continue to rise, solar prices will come down,” Kaye predicts. “We think it’s possible to make solar cost-competitive with retail prices, without subsidies, within the next decade.” Manufacturers are already working on products that are even better-looking and simpler to install. For example, Atlantis Energy Systems has figured out how to sandwich PV cells inside semitransparent glass panels, a technology that could someday show up on the residential market as super-powered skylights. Just a glimpse of what’s to come as the solar industry heats up again.

According to the Energy Information Administration, fossil fuel based emissions are set to fall by 5.9 percent for 2008, largely due to less economic activity and demand because of the recession.

Some of the reduction in emissions was said to come from the adoption of clean energy technologies, as well as a trend where more power plants have been dropping coal in favor of natural gas because it tends to be more clean-burning and has been experiencing significantly low prices in recent months.

Another factor in the decline was said to be a recession-driven cut in products like jet fuel and petroleum products in general.

This trend is likely to continue in the next several years. A number of industrial scale projects are under development in most regions of the country with the potential to generate more and more megawatts of clean wind and solar energy, serving tens of thousands of homes in the process.

How They Work

Solar water heating systems include storage tanks and solar collectors. There are two types of solar water heating systems: active, which have circulating pumps and controls, and passive, which don’t.

Most solar water heaters require a well-insulated storage tank. Solar storage tanks have an additional outlet and inlet connected to and from the collector. In two-tank systems, the solar water heater preheats water before it enters the conventional water heater. In one-tank systems, the back-up heater is combined with the solar storage in one tank.

Three types of solar collectors are used for residential applications:

• Flat-plate collector

  Glazed flat-plate collectors are insulated, weatherproofed boxes that contain a dark absorber plate under one or more glass or plastic (polymer) covers. Unglazed flat-plate collectors—typically used for solar pool heating—have a dark absorber plate, made of metal or polymer, without a cover or enclosure.

• Integral collector-storage systems

  Also known as ICS or batch systems, they feature one or more black tanks or tubes in an insulated, glazed box. Cold water first passes through the solar collector, which preheats the water. The water then continues on to the conventional backup water heater, providing a reliable source of hot water. They should be installed only in mild-freeze climates because the outdoor pipes could freeze in severe, cold weather.

• Evacuated-tube solar collectors

  They feature parallel rows of transparent glass tubes. Each tube contains a glass outer tube and metal absorber tube attached to a fin. The fin’s coating absorbs solar energy but inhibits radiative heat loss. These collectors are used more frequently for U.S. commercial applications.

There are two types of active solar water heating systems:

• Direct circulation systems

  Pumps circulate household water through the collectors and into the home. They work well in climates where it rarely freezes.

• Indirect circulation systems

  Pumps circulate a non-freezing, heat-transfer fluid through the collectors and a heat exchanger. This heats the water that then flows into the home. They are popular in climates prone to freezing temperatures.

• Integral collector-storage passive systems

  These work best in areas where temperatures rarely fall below freezing. They also work well in households with significant daytime and evening hot-water needs.

• Thermosyphon systems

  Water flows through the system when warm water rises as cooler water sinks. The collector must be installed below the storage tank so that warm water will rise into the tank. These systems are reliable, but contractors must pay careful attention to the roof design because of the heavy storage tank. They are usually more expensive than integral collector-storage passive systems.

Selecting a Solar Water Heater

Before you purchase and install a solar water heating system, you want to do the following:

• Consider the economics of a solar water heating system
• Evaluate your site’s solar resource
• Determine the correct system size
• Determine the system’s energy efficiency
• Estimate and compare system costs
• Investigate local codes, covenants, and regulations.

Installing and Maintaining the System

The proper installation of solar water heaters depends on many factors. These factors include solar resource, climate, local building code requirements, and safety issues; therefore, it’s best to have a qualified, solar thermal systems contractor install your system.

After installation, properly maintaining your system will keep it running smoothly. Passive systems don’t require much maintenance. For active systems, discuss the maintenance requirements with your system provider, and consult the system’s owner’s manual. Plumbing and other conventional water heating components require the same maintenance as conventional systems. Glazing may need to be cleaned in dry climates where rainwater doesn’t provide a natural rinse.

Regular maintenance on simple systems can be as infrequent as every 3–5 years, preferably by a solar contractor. Systems with electrical components usually require a replacement part after or two after 10 years.

When screening potential contractors for installation and/or maintenance, ask the following questions:

• Does your company have experience installing and maintaining solar water heating systems?
  Choose a company that has experience installing the type of system you want and servicing the applications you select.
• How many years of experience does your company have with solar heating installation and maintenance?
  The more experience the better. Request a list of past customers who can provide references.
• Is your company licensed or certified?
  Having a valid plumber’s and/or solar contractor’s license is required in some states. Contact your city and county for more information. Confirm licensing with your state’s contractor licensing board. The licensing board can also tell you about any complaints against state-licensed contractors.

Improving Energy Efficiency

After your water heater is properly installed and maintained, try some additional energy-saving strategies to help lower your water heating bills, especially if you require a back-up system. Some energy-saving devices and systems are more cost-effective to install with the water heater.

Bob Meighan, a certified public accountant and vice president of TurboTax tax-preparation software, offers a rundown of the program.

“There are a lot of benefits available under the economic-stimulus package,” Meighan said. The home energy-efficiency credit offers two types of tax credits: The Residential Energy Property Credit applies to home improvements including new insulation, water heaters, heat pumps, air conditioners, caulk, weather stripping, exterior windows and other items designed to increase a home’s energy efficiency. These are eligible for a 30 percent tax credit, compared with a 10 percent credit offered last year. The spending cap eligible for the tax credit is $5,000, for a maximum credit of $1,500 off the homeowner’s total tax bill. This tax credit is good through the end of 2010 and applies only to a homeowner’s primary residence, Meighan said.

The Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit applies to the installation of new alternative-energy systems, such as solar water heaters, geothermal heat pumps and wind turbines. The bill offers a 30 percent tax credit with no maximum amount. Also, the tax credit is good for equipment purchased for any home, not just a primary residence, Meighan said.

Installing alternative-energy systems can be a large up-front expense, he said, but thanks to the tax credit, these more “green” systems are beginning to generate more interest in some parts of the country.

A new program expected to be launched in mid-October will offer cash rebates for energy-efficient home appliances. The so-called “cash-for-refrigerators” program will offer $300 million to consumers who purchase new energy-efficient freezers, washing machines and other appliances. The plan allows for rebates from $50 to $200, depending on the appliance. Unlike Cash-for-Clunkers, which was administered by the federal government, the new program will be administered by the states, and each state will set up its own rebate guidelines, Meighan said.

If you do plan to take advantage of the tax credits, it’s important to keep receipts, he said. Also, he said, the Residential Energy Property Credit allows the tax credit only on materials, not labor, except on larger purchases such as heating and air conditioning systems.

For more information about tax credit programs under the economic-stimulus plan, see www.irs.gov and click on the link for “Tax Breaks of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.”