Solar Greenhouse Uses Underground Heat Sink

http://www.solaripedia.com/13/401/YMCA+Solar+Greenhouse+Heats+Up+in+Virginia.html

As food security becomes an issue everywhere, more and more people are opting for the ability to raise their own food year-round. In the Appalachian Mountains, in Blacksburg, Virginia, the local YMCA has built a solution for climates with cold winters.The YMCA Solar Greenhouse in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA, uses a novel way to store energy collected from the sun: a subterranean heat sink of soil, rocks and water beneath its interior planting beds. This system is called the Subterranean Heating and Cooling System (SHCS), and it collects solar energy and stores it for use when the sun is not shining. This 18'x32' solar greenhouse is constructed with its long axis running east and west, instead of north/south; it employs a heavily insulated north roof as opposed to a transparent or translucent roof on the north side. When outside conditions are very cold, heat is stored during the day in the ground and walls of the greenhouse and released during the night to keep the greenhouse air warm. Other solar greenhouses typically store the sun’s energy in water barrels and/or rocks along the north wall inside the greenhouse - taking up valuable floor space. Conventional greenhouses are also constructed on a long north/south axis, with glazing on both slopes of the roof; conventional greenhouses tend to overheat when the sun is shining and get too cold during winter nights. This solar greenhouse was designed by retired physics professor, Dave Roper. At an estimated cost of $35,000USD in 2010, the greenhouse project could seem out of reach to the average homeowner, but Roper says the design can be adapted to smaller spaces and could be built using recycled materials, which could bring costs down.

Alcatraz Island Completes Photovoltaic System

Two years ago, in June 2010, we reported that Alcatraz Island was planning to go solar.We're happy to report now that the former prison is host to 1,300 solar panels, powering lights and appliances that for 75 years were powered by diesel fuel ferried across San Francisco Bay. Hurray for the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to bring clean energy to national parks and landmarks! The 307-kilowatt photovoltaic (PV) array sits on the roof of the main Cellhouse building (shown in the photo), attached to two 2,000-amp-hour battery strings and an inverter plant. The new 1,300-panel system produces close to 400,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by about 337,000 kilograms a year and reducing the time the diesel generator runs from 100% to 40%. The NPS also made energy efficiency changes, such as better light bulbs and changes in operation to reduce energy consumption. A massive solar battery system helps power the island when the sun doesn't shine — and it, too, is hidden from the view of the 1.4 million visitors the island and prison get each year. http://www.solaripedia.com/13/255/alcatraz_going_solar_with_1,360_panels.html

Open PV Database Tracks US Solar Installations

The Open PV Project is a community-driven database, fostered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, of photovoltaic (PV) installations around the US. It collects, organizes and distributes info on location, size, cost and date of every PV installation in the USA. A very cool animation is superimposed on a US map showing all logged PV systems installed since 1998.