世界初、歩ける太陽光発電パネルの歩道 LED照明を充電し、夜には光る歩道に (World First Walkable Solar Sidewalk)

Published at Solar Journal ---  世界初となる、太陽光発電パネルで出来た歩道（ソーラーウォーク）がGeorge Washington UniversityのVirginia Science and Technologyキャンパスに完成した。

Solar Journal Vol. 9  (04/30/2014 Published)

Purchase magazine at Solar Journal

Japan Residential PV Program is Over for Good!

Japan Photovoltaic Expansion Center, J-PAC, released the latest data on the national residential PV rebate program.  Considering the federal government ended the long-run rebate program at the end of March for good, the installation capacity in the first quarter of 2014 was just over 260 MW, almost 100 MW less than the same quarter in the previous year.

During the fiscal year 2013 (FY2013), the government provided a rebate of 20 yen/watt for the installed system cost below 400 yen/watt and 15 yen/watt for the system cost below 500 yen/watt and above 400 yen/watt.

According to J-PAC, the average system cost for retrofit systems was 414 yen/watt while that for new homes was 378 yen/watt. Compared to the same quarter in the previous year, the installed system price for retrofit systems came down by 10% and that for new homes was down by 9%.

Japan residential PV average system cost by quarter

Although the program didn’t receive rush applications toward the end of the fiscal year, over 1.3 GW worth of residential PV systems was supported by the national rebate program during FY2013.

A big question is whether the Japanese residential PV market can continue growing without the capacity-based incentive moving-forward...

ネット対応の「魔法のゴミ箱」ゴミの回収コストを85%削減 (Solar-Powered Trashed Cans Reduce Waste Collection Cost by 85%)

Published at Nikkei Electronics --- 米国カリフォルニア州サンディエゴ市の郊外に位置する、カリフォルニア大学サンディエゴ校（University of California, San Diego：UCSD）のキャンパスを歩いていると、大きなゴミ箱が目に飛び込んでくる。ゴミ箱の外形寸法は1281mm×672mm×660mm、重さは136kgで、「BigBelly」（大きなお腹）と呼ばれている。UCSDでは、2012年3月にBigBellyを設置したことで、ゴミ回収の頻度が90％減り、運営コストを85％削減できた。この“魔法のゴミ箱”は、欧米を中心に世界40カ国で設置が進んでいるという。... Read more here

Nikkei Electronics April 2014 Edition

Big Belly Solar at UCSD Campus

メガソーラーの電力を運ぶ大規模送電網、低所得世帯への太陽光発電システム設置に貢献 (Low-Income Solar Rooftop Program Funded by Sunrise Powerlink for Utility-Scale Solar Projects)

Published at Nikkei Technology --- 米国カリフォルニア州の南東部に位置するインペリアルバレーは、アリゾナ州やメキシコに隣接しており、天候に恵まれた広大な土地を有している。このため、太陽光を含む再生可能エネルギーの開発の舞台となってきた。

再生可能エネルギーの宝庫であるインペリアルバレーと、一大電力消費地であるサンディエゴを結ぶ、新たな送電網「Sunrise Powerlink」が2年ほど前に完成した。送電電圧は500kVで、全長は117マイル（1マイルは約1.6km）に及ぶ。実はSunrise Powerlinkは、メガソーラーなどの再生可能エネルギーの開発を促進するだけでなく、低所得世帯への太陽光発電システムの設置にも貢献している。Read More

Utility-scale Solar Projects at the Imperial Valley, California

Low-Income Rooftop Solar Program Helping Hundreds of California Families

Published at Renewable Energy World --- In June 2012, the Sunrise Powerlink, a 117-mile, 500-kilovolt transmission line, was completed after years of review, permitting processes and controversies. San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) developed the line to facilitate the development and generation of renewable energy in the Imperial Valley, California’s southwest desert, and to bring power to the San Diego region.

Despite its controversies, the Sunrise Powerlink currently carries 872 megawatts of electricity “100 percent generated by renewable energy such as solar and wind physically located in California,” said James Avery, Senior Vice President of Power Supply for SDG&E... Read More here

SDG&E Sunrise Powerlink