Blogging For Sustainability
You are invited to attend the 2010 Solar Seminar Series. UA faculty and outside experts will cover a variety of topics in the field of solar research. Topic: Nanoarchitectured Polymers and Polymer Nanocomposites for Photovoltaic Applications
Presenter: Dr. Bob Norwood, UA Optical Sciences Professor
Where: University of Arizona, Bldg: ECE, Room #: 530
When: Tuesday, October 12th, 2010, 12:30pm - 1:30pm
You are invited to attend the 2010 Solar Seminar Series. UA faculty and outside experts will cover a variety of topics in the field of solar research. Topic: Nanoarchitectured Polymers and Polymer Nanocomposites for Photovoltaic Applications
Presenter: Dr. Bob Norwood, UA Optical Sciences Professor
Where: University of Arizona, Bldg: ECE, Room #: 530
When: Tuesday, October 12th, 2010, 12:30pm - 1:30pm
You are invited to attend the 2010 Solar Seminar Series. UA faculty and outside experts will cover a variety of topics in the field of solar research. Topic: Solar Concentrators, Illumination Uniformity and Conversion Efficiency
Presenter: Alan Kost, UA CIAN Engineering Research Center Administrative Director
Where: University of Arizona, Bldg: ECE, Room #: 530
When: Tuesday, October 5th, 2010, 12:30pm - 1:30pm
You are invited to attend the 2010 Solar Seminar Series. UA faculty and outside experts will cover a variety of topics in the field of solar research. Topic: Solar Distallation
Presenter: Dr. Leslie Frame, UA Materials Science & Engineering Research Associate
Where: University of Arizona, Bldg: ECE, Room #: 530
When: Tuesday, September 28th, 2010, 12:30pm - 1:30pm
You are invited to attend the 2010 Solar Seminar Series. UA faculty and outside experts will cover a variety of topics in the field of solar research. Topic: Planar Holographic Solar Concentrators for Photo-Voltaics
Presenter: Dr. Jose Castro, UA Electrical and Computer Engineering Research Assistant Professor
Where: University of Arizona, Bldg: ECE, Room #: 530
When: Tuesday, September 28th, 2010, 12:30pm - 1:30pm
You are invited to attend the 2010 Solar Seminar Series. UA faculty and outside experts will cover a variety of topics in the field of solar research. Topic: SOLON's Global Test Site Network
Presenter: Bill Richardson, Head of Research & Development, SOLON Corporation
Where: University of Arizona, Bldg: ECE, Room #: 530
When: Tuesday, September 21st, 2010, 12:30pm - 1:30pm
You are invited to attend the 2010 Solar Seminar Series. UA faculty and outside experts will cover a variety of topics in the field of solar research. Topic: Polymorphism in Titanyl Phthalocyanine and its Implications on Small-molecule Third Generation Photovoltaics
Presenter: Diogenes Placencia, UA Chemistry/Biochemistry Research Graduate Associate
Where: University of Arizona, Bldg: ECE, Room #: 530
When: Tuesday, September 14th, 2010, 12:30pm - 1:30pm
You are invited to attend the 2010 Solar Seminar Series. UA faculty and outside experts will cover a variety of topics in the field of solar research. Topic: TEP Solar Test Yard Data vs. Models and Conference Corner (a list of solar power related conferences).
Presenter: Dr. Alex Cronin, UA Physics Associate Professor
Where: University of Arizona, Bldg: ECE, Room #: 530
When: Tuesday, September 7th, 2010, 12:30pm - 1:30pm
The Tucson Children's Museum invites you to attend Sun Power. This is a free Labor Day fun in the sun event for the entire family. Learn about the importance of alternative energy resources as you visit with TFS and other local solar energy organizations and businesses. Also enjoy fun-in-the-sun children's activities and live entertainment by Za Boom Ba. Free Admission Sponsored by BRIGHT SOLUTIONS from Tucson Electric Power. For more information, contact the Tucson Children's Museum at (520) 792-9985.
When: Monday September 6, 2010 -- 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Where: Tucson Children's Museum, 200 S 6th Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85701
Cost: Free
Rainwater Harvesting TourNovember 13 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. WHAT: In the Australian Outback everyone does it. In the Sonoran Desert the rain in vain falls mainly down the drain. Visit a selection of sites including private homes, a housing co-op, neighborhood streets and a commercial site to study the myriad strategies for capturing rainwater. Calculate how much water can be collected off of your roof and property and how to divert and store water in both cisterns and in earthworks.
WHO: Leona Davis of the Sonoran Permaculture Guild will be the instructor.
WHERE: Meet at a Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 2331 E. Adams St. Transportation is included.
COST: $52 museum members; $57 non-members.
To register call the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum at 883-3086 or log ontowww.desertmuseum.org/sonoranstudies
Join us August 26th at 6:30pm for a captivating 1-hour talk, "Water Wanderings and More in the Middle East", with Brad Lancaster, author of the award-winning Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond.
In this presentation, Brad will share inspiring stories and images gleaned during two recent trips to the Middle East: a U.S. State Department-sponsored trip to Jordan and Saudi Arabia in 2009, and a return trip to the region in 2010 to teach permaculture in Palestine and conduct research in Syria and Israel.
Topics Include: sustainable groundwater extraction with ancient gravity-fed qanats; the forgotten and refound cisterns of old Jeddah; revived Nabatean runoff farms producing almonds, carob, olives, pomegranates, grapes, figs, and more on just 4 inches (50 mm) of rain per year; rainwater tea; revolving community loan funds; water wise women of Jordan; tank culture in a water-truck culture, the spiral cisterns of the Bell Caves, salvaged plastic bottle irrigation, and kanafa.
Where: TFS's downtown location - 612 N. 7th Avenue, 85705. Car parking available on the North side of 5th Street. Plenty of bike parking available.
Cost: This is a free community presentation!
About Brad Lancaster:
Brad Lancaster is the author of the award-winning Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond (www.HarvestingRainwater.com). Living on an eighth of an acre in downtown Tucson, Arizona, where rainfall is less than 12 inches annually, Brad practices what he preaches by harvesting over 100,000 gallons of rainwater a year. Brad is also a permaculture teacher, designer, consultant and co-founder of Desert Harvesters (DesertHarvesters.org).
RSVP Encouraged:
Please RSVP by August 19th. Light refreshments will be served. To reserve your spot, please email TFS community outreach coordinator Aimee King at aimee@tfssolar.com or call 740-0736.
TFS customers throughout Southern Arizona are showing their solar pride and promoting the solar power movement. Making the switch from fossil fuels not only benefits you, but also our shared environmental future. Below are a few ways that you can let your fellow community members know you are making a difference. Once again, thank you for playing an incredible role in promoting solar power and helping to make the world a better place to live.
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The TFS "Show Us Your Solar" CampaignOur customers serve as inspiration to others in their community and we would would love to see photos of you with your PV, solar hot water and/or rainwater system! Feel free to get creative and let your personality shine through. We would love to feature you on our website. Please send your photos to tiernay@tfssolar.com. |
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My Solar StoryTEP posts brief stories of individuals who have installed solar energy systems. You can even submit photos and videos along with your story, if you choose. To share your solar story, click here. |
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Green Pueblo MapThe Green Pueblo Map provides a sampling of what makes Tucson a "Green Pueblo.” The map is part of the growing international Green Map movement, and it is supported by a collaborative partnership between Pima County, The Inner Connection, and the City of Tucson. Want to join the Green Pueblo Map? Visit the website here and click “Make Your Mark." |
We have all looked at a lightbulb and noticed that it says, “100 Watts,” but what does that mean? We’ve also looked at our utility bill and seen that we’ve been charged for the amount of kilowatt-hours (kWh) we’ve used. But, again, what does this all mean? These terms are often used incorrectly and interchangeably, so we thought it was time for a clear explanation of what these units are and what they mean.
Let’s start with the basics. A watt (W) is a measure of POWER (or one joule per second). Power is the rate at which energy is used per unit time (an indicator of how fast an item uses energy). A kilowatt (kW) is, simply, one thousand watts, just as a megawatt (mW) is one million watts. When we’re talking about electricity, power is voltage times amperage or 1 watt = 1 volt x 1 ampere.
True, this may sound a bit like your high school physics class, but don’t panic. Read on and you’ll see it’s a simple concept to grasp…
One of the easiest ways to think about all of this is to think of electricity as water coming out of a hose. Voltage is the water pressure and the amperage is the flow. When there’s a kink in your garden hose, there’s a lot of pressure (voltage), but the water is not flowing anywhere (no amperage), which means there’s no power (i.e. a lot of volts x zero amps = zero watts).
Now let’s take this understanding and apply it to what happens when we un-kink the hose, and the water comes rushing out of it. The result is, a lot of volts x a lot of amps = huge POWER.
Okay, so you’ve got the concept POWER down, let’s go back to watts (W). A watt (W) is energy burned per second. A 100-watt light bulb eats up 100 joules of energy every second. Since “watts per hour” doesn’t make sense, because it’s already measuring “joules per second” and thinking of “joules per second per hour” is enough to make most people’s eyes glaze over, our utility companies use a watt-hour to charge us for the electricity we use. It’s a way of removing “per second” from watts.
Now let’s use one more analogy to wrap up this explanation - pretend you're running a marathon. Think of watts as the speed you’re running (i.e. the rate of energy used in that instant), and watt-hours as the total amount of energy you’ve used while running at a certain rate over an hour.
A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the amount of energy equivalent to powering one kilowatt (kW) for one hour. A kilowatt hour (kWh) is a unit of ENERGY that is a much more convenient unit to use rather than the kilo-joule. It represents the power used by the appliance multiplied by the hours in use. In other words, when you leave a 100-watt lightbulb on for 10 hours you’ve used a kilowatt-hour (kWh) of energy and TEP will bill you accordingly.
So, as you can see, the kW and kWh are fundamentally different. Appliances show their power ratings (kW) on the nameplate to give you an idea of how much energy is used per second by the item. At TFS, we look at the amount of kWh on your utility bill to find out how much energy your home or business uses so that we can recommend the size solar PV system that would best suit your needs.
As part of our mission, we believe we have a social responsibility to educate our fellow community members about solar energy and the importance of employing renewable resources. We are always willing to speak with local groups about sustainability and solar power.
We understand and appreciate that each of our customers serve as an inspiration to their community by doing their part in creating a sustainable future. Often, our customers find that neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers are curious about how their new solar PV system works, the cost, current financial incentives, environmental benefits, etc.
In conjunction with our community outreach, TFS will arrange a fun and informative Open House where we will feature your system and explain the “ins and outs” of solar energy. Simply invite your guests, and TFS will provide a "Solar For Homeowners" presentation, a tour of your system, refreshments, and personalized Q & A. If you would like more information, contact our community outreach coordinator, Tiernay Marsh, at (520)740-0736 or tiernay@tfssolar.com.
We've created a one-hour grassroots education program to inform our fellow community members about solar technology and sustainability. The focus of this program is to inform consumers about the facts of residential solar energy.
The program features free educational presentations, web resources, and targeted information to assist homeowners in making decisions about investing in a solar energy system. If you are interested in having TFS as a guest speaker, contact our community outreach coordinator, Tiernay Marsh, at (520)740-0736 or tiernay@tfssolar.com.
Solar provides enormous benefits for the environment and your wallet, but it’s also great for our community. Do you know someone who is interested in going solar? Each time you send us a referral that results in a new TFS customer, we’ll make a $100 donation, in your name, to your favorite local non-profit (must be registered as a 501c3).
Below is a photo journal of a culvert cistern installation completed by the TFS water harvesting crew. The full installation took place over two days, one week apart.
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TFS crew arrives on site, marks out cistern location and levels ground. |
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Underground plumbing is put together and buried in the pad. |
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Gutter and rainhead screens are installed on the roof edge to catch rainwater and filter leaves and other large debris. |
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First flush pipe and pipe to carry rainwater underground to cisterns are installed. The first flush pipe will catch the first few minutes of each rain storm, which is typically the dirtiest water, and divert it away from the cistern. Once the first flush is full, cleaner water bypasses the pipe and goes directly to the cistern. The inflow pipe is run underground in this system so that the cistern can sit in the far corner of the yard, away from the downspout. |
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Finished mounted rainhead screen, first flush pipe, and inflow pipe. |
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The form for the cistern pad is finished, with all underground plumbing, reinforcement for the concrete, and circular metal concrete form. TFS uses a circular metal form for cistern foundations, as this shape uses the least concrete. Metal forms are removed after the concrete cures, and are reused for the next job. |
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The concrete truck is on its way! |
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TFS crew wheelbarrows the mixed concrete into the form. |
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Concrete is tamped and smoothed. |
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Culvert is hooked up to crane for lifting over the backyard wall. |
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Culvert is crane-lifted over wall. When possible, culverts are lifted with manpower from the ground onto the concrete pad. In this situation however, a crane was the only option for lifting the culvert into the yard corner. |
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All crew members team up to center the culvert over the wet concrete. |
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The culvert is set! The concrete is troweled inside and out. |
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The concrete is now cured. The inside floor of the cistern is cleaned, and sealed with a liquid rubber rated for potable water use. This creates a watertight, leakproof seal on the inside of the cistern. |
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The finished sealed cistern floor. |
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The lid is lifted on. |
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We use a pitched sheet metal lid with a foam gasket around the inside lip, built in observation door and vent on top. |
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The finished cistern. |
There are many great non-profits to support with your customer referral.Below, are some of the organizations that strive to make southern Arizona a great place to live, for present and future generations. |
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Tucson Clean and Beautiful, Inc. -- Mission: To preserve and improve our environment, conserve natural resources, and enhance the quality of life in the City of Tucson and eastern Pima County.
BICAS (Bicycle Inter-Community Action & Salvage) -- Mission: To promote education, art, and a healthy environment while providing service and opportunity for those in need through advocacy and recycling of the bicycle.
Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum -- Mission: To inspire people to live in harmony with the natural world by fostering love, appreciation, and understanding of the Sonoran Desert.
Iskash*taa Refugee Harvesting Network -- Mission: Iskash*taa Refugee Harvesting Network empowers refugees by creating opportunities to use their knowledge and skills to help their families and their community and to better integrate with the larger Tucson community while gaining life skills that serve them in America.
Community Food Bank - Mission: Through education, advocacy, and the acquisition, storage, and distribution of food, we will anticipate and meet the food needs of the hungry in our community.
HOPE Animal Shelter -- Mission: To foster respect for all animals by providing a safe haven for the unwanted animals in an enriching environment during their stay at the shelter. To end euthanasia of unwanted animals by encouraging responsible adoptions, spay/neuter programs and public education.
El Grupo -- Mission: To encourage the use of the bicycle for physical fitness, fun, and camaraderie. We target young people (ages 12-20) who have the determination and willingness to push themselves physically and mentally, but who would not normally have the opportunity to participate in the sport of cycling.
Environmental Education Exchange -- Mission: To enhance the quality and effectiveness of environmental education leading to greater participation in current environmental issues confronting society.
The following are examples of the industry yard signs that TFS has had made. If you are interested in having these signs made for your company, e-mail Tiernay Marsh at tiernay@tfssolar.com for a file that you can customize with your company information. TFS currently has these yard signs made at Signage for about $12 each. Each sign is 4"x6", has reflective a white background (i.e. the same background as a speed limit sign), and is cut to have rounded corners.
The file that you will receive to customize the sign with your company info will arrive as a template (as seen below). In order to customize your yard sign, open the pdf file (e.g. the file of the template) in a graphic design program (e.g. Adobe Illustrator). Second, select and delete the information that says "Your company logo here", then add your company logo (make sure your logo is a vector file or high quality pdf that is at least 300 dpi). Third, delete "your website here" and type in your company website.
Solar energy is getting the positive attention and widespread acceptance it deserves. A recent study from Rasmussen Reports (a comprehensive public opinion poll) showed that 44% of Americans believe in investing in solar for their home. According to the survey, nearly one out of three adults (31%) say they are at least somewhat likely to use solar power in their homes in the next five years, including 13% who say they are very likely to do so.
Interestingly, the survey also found that 55% of voters believe finding new sources of energy is more important than reducing the amount of energy Americans now consume. Also notable, is the age of those who are willing to forge a solar path. Supporters in the 18 to 40 age brackets feel solar energy will become a standard method of powering their homes. Moreover, those in this younger age group are also roughly twice as likely to say they are very likely to use solar power in their homes in the next five years.
The survey also made it clear that there is still the misconception that solar is financially out of reach for the mainstream. For example, 25% of those making more than $100,000 per year said they are very likely to install solar power at home in the next five years, compared to only 6 percent of those making between $20,000 and $40,000 per year.
There also seems to be a perception that the payback needs to be faster (in the three to five year range), before solar technology is widely adopted by the mainstream. It will be fantastic when prices get down to that level, but when looked at honestly, anything less than a twenty year simple payback provides a good investment. But, the great news is that the average payback for a residential solar PV system is about seven to nine years. However, for the sake of making a point, a solar system that provides a twenty year simple payback is like buying a solar bond that pays 5% (tax-free) interest year after year without ANY risk.
Think of it as buying your own dividend-paying utility company, but one with a long operating history and no competition. Current tax credits and utility rebates cover up to 70% of the total cost of the solar PV system. Also, there are financing programs (or call 1-800-SUNPOWER) to help southern Arizona’s homeowners make the switch to clean energy.
It is nice to see evidence that American support for solar energy is continuing its upward swing. This new survey provides credible proof of the positive trend among the American people, in considering the switch from coal to clean energy from the sun.
Find out what the sun can do for you! Show off your solar cooking skills. Solar Potluck for contestants. Get started cooking with the sun: solar ovens, plans & cookbooks for sale. There will be a solar cook ware raffle and info on solar electricity, hot water, pumps & cooling.
When: Saturday, June 12 from 8 a.m. to 1p.m.
Where: Bisbee Farmers Market, Vista Park in Warren.
Directions: From the traffic circle take Bisbee Rd. exit toVista Park opposite Warren Ball Park.
Info: (520) 378-2973, valerie.mccaffrey@bajaaz.org
