In President Obama’s First 100 Days in office, the state of Arizona is “seeing the light” when it comes to university collaborations for stimulating Green job growth (see image below from reason.com) and the development in solar power. Border states such as California have been developing state and national collaborative efforts for many years through their university system; however, primarily only Arizona State University (ASU) has initiated similar pursuits in Arizona.
The University of California, San Diego (UCSD), in collaboration with UC Davis recently announced that it will use a two-year, $700,000 grant from the California Energy Commission to expand the development and use of solar energy in the state. The new California Solar Energy Collaborative will evaluate existing solar research, facilitate research in new technologies and develop consensus among key solar players in the market- by surveying the evolving solar landscape across California. UCSD remarkably utilizes 1 MW of photovoltaic or solar capacity, with 1.4 more MW becoming available later this year. This campus deserves immense credit for generating more photovoltaic energy than any other in the UC system.
One of the Solar Collaborative's goals is to help establish comprehensive energy policy for the State of California, including the development of roadmaps for introducing solar technologies across the state. UCSD and UC Davis will also join forces to determine which of the various solar technologies such as bulk crystalline silicon, exotic thin-film or nanocrystalline materials, etc. will be most efficient by analyzing market and growth trends, in addition to studying regulatory, economic and financial limitations and barriers. Similar efforts are being conducted at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in Berkley, CA.
The California Solar Energy Collaborative falls under the California Energy Commission's California Renewable Energy program, which also includes three other existing collaborations focused on a suite of alternatives such as biomass, geothermal and wind energies. The total funding for all four initiatives, including the Solar Energy Collaborative, is $3 million.
Arizona has been following California’s lead in this regard, and it was recently announced that Science Foundation Arizona will fund five new solar investments totaling $4 million including the opening of the Solar Technology Institute (STI) to advance Arizona's renewable energy position in the marketplace. In a collaborative effort, STI is deploying Arizona's significant solar resources with industry and the research strengths of the University of Arizona (UA) and Arizona State University (ASU) to grow the state's global stake in renewable energy.
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The five solar investments, totaling $4 million, include:
1. Concentrator Solar Cells- Researchers at UA and ASU will be collaborating on next generation low-cost solar reflectors that can be used in solar energy generating systems.
2. Nanostructured Films for Solar Cells- Companies including: Global Solar, General Plasma, Prism Solar, along with ASU and UA are teaming up to improve the capabilities of thin film solar panels through innovative technology to reduce the cost of electricity from more expensive and most commonly-used crystalline silicon solar panels. (see flexible solar cell in image to the right from treehugger.com)
3. Solar Environmental Performance and Reliability- ASU and UA are working with Tucson Electric Power, and TUV-Rheinland, to expand the ASU Photovoltaic Testing Laboratory to conduct faster product certification and testing for higher performance solar products.
4. Compressed Air Energy Storage- Southwest Solar Technologies, the U.S. Geological Survey, UA and ASU are developing compressed air solar storage technology for off-peak sun exposure periods, which is one of the complexities of inconsistent solar power plants.
5. AZ Smart Grid- Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project, ASU and UA are partnering to create a system of smart grid management and develop modeling software for future power generation station locations, storage sites and power lines throughout Arizona.
Also within Obama's first 100 days, Arizona State University and Advent Solar, Inc. based in Albuquerque, NM recently announced a partnership to further the advancement of solar photovoltaic technology. As part of the initiative, members of Arizona State University's Solar Power Laboratory will work with Advent Solar, a leading innovator of silicon-based solar technology, to generate solutions for improving energy harvesting of solar systems.
Arizona has several new university-industry collaborations which should elevate its position in the solar industry, as it transforms from being primarily a residential solar panel installation and consumer-oriented market into a technology and business leader. These efforts will eventually spur significant Green job growth, reduce Arizona’s large-scale dependence on coal-fire power plants, and help diversify the state economy, which heavily relies on real estate and construction. We will have to see if the next 100 days of President Obama will lead to even greater Green job and renewable energy initiatives.
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For more info: Reference site on Obama's energy plan, Reference site on Obama's First 100 Days as President
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