Is the Sun Going to Set on Florida?

There are only a few days left, and lawmakers have an urgent decision to make about Florida's future. While workers are going jobless and the Florida Legislature stands at the precipice of budgetary ruin, a very clear path to a prosperous future loaded with new jobs and true, long-term energy independence is bottled up in the Florida Legislature.

A Senate bill expected to be approved this week would require the state's utilities to buy an increasing amount of their electricity from renewable energy companies in Florida that produce solar, biomass and even wave-generated electricity. The Senate and governor are ready to act. But the House is an unknown, and the 2009 Legislature is scheduled to conclude Friday.

Gov. Charlie Crist and Sen. Jim King, R-Jacksonville, are pushing for 15 percent of our energy to come from renewable sources. Why? In large part because each megawatt of energy produced by solar is creating 15 to 30 jobs and each megawatt of biomass creates nine new jobs. These are real jobs based on an estimated 6,000 megawatts of renewable energy. The new market being created is likewise real. This new industry and jobs are so tangible that 28 states already have mandated such policies. Smart, forward-looking states are making this move - and doing so fast - for three reasons: jobs, energy independence and to reduce the causes of global warming.
These policies are spawning an entire new industry and marketplace for innovative small, and large, homegrown businesses. The money changing hands would stay in Florida, instead of going off to a corporation in another state.

Florida has sunlight. Florida has crops. Florida has ample tidal and solar thermal possibilities. Given all of this, Florida should already be the renewable energy capital of the world.

But there is one huge hurdle in the way: The House of Representatives is in disarray and is struggling to merely pass a budget. It's time for the House to get down to the business of the people.

Orlando: A leader in solar technology

Advanced Solar Photonics in the News

With warm weather and consistent sunshine, Florida is an ideal location for solar research and application. And with growing awareness of clean technology, Orlando is poised to become a leading force in the solar industry.

The existence of a strong technology cluster and proximity to the University of Central Florida (UCF) - one of the nation's top research universities - help set Orlando apart. In addition to research being conducted by UCF's Florida Solar Energy Center, local companies are working to leave their mark on the industry as well. Lake Mary based Advanced Solar Photonics is poised to become Florida's first photovoltaic solar manufacturer by producing thin-film solar panels. In nearby Longwood, SKYShades is merging shade structures and solar power by harnessing thin-film solar technology atop sidewalk umbrellas dubbed "Powerbrellas" in order to power small electronics.

For more information on the growing clean tech industry in Metro Orlando, click here.
Watch below as Executive Vice President of SKYShades, Joe McKenna, provides more info on the "Powerbrella."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjeUkqpWBFM&feature=player_embedded

Advanced Solar Photonics Celebrates Earth Day with e2

Advanced Solar Photonics, (ASP), the cutting-edge developer of laser marking, scribing, edge deletion and edge isolation systems for the solar industry is celebrating Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 by announcing e2, their latest patent pending method, which increases a solar panels overall efficiency.

Traditionally, to anneal a coating on glass, the coating was applied to the glass, baked at 600 degrees Celsius, and then cooled for three to four hours. Using this new oven-less annealing process, the coating is applied to the glass and then a laser beam is swept over the surface to anneal. The Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) is limited and the material can be handled relatively soon after the annealing is complete. Researchers at Advanced Solar Photonics have discovered that with this newly developed oven-less laser annealing process the light transmission efficiency and conductivity of TCO layers are increased by up to 35%.

“There’s a lot of research going on now to increase solar panel efficiency,” said Maureen McHale, Advanced Solar Photonics Corporate Marketing and Public Relations Manager. “This new process is a huge breakthrough for Advanced Solar Photonics and the solar industry. Not only does using this new process increase efficiency, the e2process also lowers the electrical surface resistance, prevents de-lamination and performs recrystalization of amorphous silicon.”Glass that has been coated and annealed is used for such things as: architectural glass, as seen in large buildings and skyscrapers, windshields and solar panels.

Advanced Solar Photonics, located in Lake Mary, Florida employs an international team of technology driven professionals. Reaching out to the photovoltaic industry, ASP strives to lower manufacturing costs utilizing proven patented technology geared to improve and lower the cost per kilowatt. This technology is applicable to both the silicon and thin film processes.

Media Contact:

Maureen McHale

Corporate Marketing and Public Relations Manager

mmchale@advancedsolarphotonics.com

407-829-2613 x317

www.advancedsolarphotonics.com

FIT Program in Florida

The sun's daily rise is a predictable thing. A Florida legislative session, not so much. Solar power advocates want the state to allow so-called feed-in tariffs of the sort just recently adopted by Gainesville's GRU. But debate over that issue has not been given its day in the sun. The tariff approach is controversial, but it presents appealing economic and environmental benefits that deserve exploration.

Under feed-in tariffs, big electric companies are required to buy — at a higher than usual price, guaranteed through long-term contracts — the excess power produced by small-scale solar systems. Those could include your neighborhood grocery store's rooftop solar panels, for example, or an array on municipal land.

Such installations can be expensive. The guaranteed tariff payments, combined with government rebates, would help defray buyers' costs and encourage wider use of solar power. That serves the vital goal of reducing dependence on fossil fuels, which contribute to global warming.

Large utilities aren't enthusiastic about the tariff approach. They tend to prefer a more centralized strategy involving "renewable energy credits," purchased through competitive bidding from big solar "farms," not rooftop providers.

But credible research suggests that feed-in tariffs do more to broaden the use of clean energy, stabilize prices and create local job opportunities.

In Germany, where the feed-in tariff system has taken hold, "Germans pay 25 percent less per kilowatt hour for renewable energy and deploy seven times more renewable energy," a recent Environmental Defense Fund letter stated.

Lawmakers have a crowded agenda and limited time. But we hope they reserve some of it for an open, informative debate on solar feed-in tariffs. Proponents should get a chance to present their case before the sun sets on the annual legislative session.

Track a PV System in Action with Live Data

Robert Brown, a retired Information Technology person, and his wife have used solar water heaters for fifteen years or more. In November of 2007 they installed a 4.4 KW Photovoltaic system on their home. He has kept detailed daily data on the system and has developed a pretty good feel for the practicality of solar as an energy source. Their house is over 40 years old and does not have a particularly efficient envelope. Even so, since start up they have averaged almost 41 percent of our energy from solar. That is not counting the solar water heating. Visit his website at http://www.bbbrown.com/ and you can track their solar output at http://bbbrown.mysolarlog.com/ -- good stuff, check it out!

Advanced Solar Photonics Was Featured in Texture Magazine!

Page 14 of the Metro Orlando Economic Commissions' Texture magazine has a write up about Advanced Solar Photonics...

Click on the picture to the left to read the article.

Advanced Solar Photonics Featured on Fox35 News - WOFL - Orlando, Fl

Advanced Solar Photonics was featured on the 6, 7 and 8am news here in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday, March 31, 2009. The four spots featured Demitri Nikitin, CEO of ASP, Edgardo Rodriguez, VP of ASP, Kristen Breunig, Market Development Manager of ASP and Maureen McHale, Corporate Marketing and Public Relations Manager.Following the segments, Steve Gelbach, the reporter for Fox 35 wrote and posted the following piece on their website:

Business Ramps Up to Make Solar Panels

Last Edited: Tuesday, 31 Mar 2009, 12:26 PM EDT

Created On: Tuesday, 31 Mar 2009, 12:25 PM EDT

STEVE GEHLBACH FOX 35 News Reporter

LAKE MARY, Fla. - Advanced Solar Photonics will soon be the only place in the Sunshine State to make panels to capture energy from the sun. Solar power is becoming more popular on homes and businesses, but installers have to get the high-tech panels from outside Florida.

The company hopes to start making the panels by June and plans to add hundreds of jobs. President Barack Obama promised billions in funding to great new green jobs and make alternative energy sources more available. Advanced Solar Photonics hopes to cash in on some of those federal dollars.

The company is also working to get legislation passed to make it cheaper for homeowners to switch to solar power by paying them a premium for power they make, but don't use and sell back to power companies. The cost to install solar panels onto your house can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000, depending on the size of the house and system used.