Austrian Smartflower on display.
At this year’s giant solar show, Solar 2016, the future of clean and cheap solar energy was discussed and displayed.
The criteria for success of a solar future was based on the following continuation of five trends:
- The Germans and the Chinese are dramatically transitioning to renewable energy by government edict. This has massively lowered down costs for the masses through innovation and mass production.
- The Americans are adopting and developing viable solar “distributed power” units at an increasing rate. They have a do-it-yourself and market-based approach designed to effectively reduce or free residences and industries from any dependency on grids or utilities.
- “Distributed power” is being adopted by developing countries led by China. Now, two-thirds of renewable development is underway in developing nations.
- Perovskite, a breakthrough material will be introduced next year and will bring down solar cell costs and massively increase efficiency.
- Battery storage technology is also advancing dramatically that under three years, anyone with renewable power generation such as a rooftop solar system will be able to go off grid.
Two exciting solar and storage systems were on display at the solar show: one by JLM Energy in Arizona and another called Smartflower from Austria.
JLM is doing a pilot project in Arizona on 75 homes. Its four-foot by nine-inch battery pack hangs on a wall. It is connected to the rooftop solar system with software that can allow consumers to set a monthly budget in power costs from the grid. While the Austrian “Smartflower” system is a solar and storage system. This beautiful freestanding device, an 18-foot-high petal-shaped unit can be installed in an hour and can be moved anytime. The “Smartflower” opens like a blossom at sunrise and shuts at sunset and moves with the sun during the day.
For the full article, visit: http://business.financialpost.com/diane-francis/bright-future-on-display-for-renewable-energy-at-giant-solar-show
