Solar Powered Food Trucks use energy from the sun to power refrigerators, stoves and more

Here in my hometown of Bend, Oregon, we love to stroll downtown mid-day to see what food trucks are out on the street corners for a quick, convenient meal.  Although they have become a hot new trend in “fast food,” street food trucks actually preceded drive-ins for many decades.  Today’s offerings are decidedly more sustainable, organic and local, however.

Sustainable even more so now that there are solar powered food trucks.

When these mobile restaurants are outfitted with solar panel kits like the ones you might see on RVs or boats, the relatively small amounts of electricity required to prepare food and light the interior of a truck can be entirely generated by solar power.  There are also solar powered ice cream trucks that use energy from the sun to keep refrigerators running and the frozen treats cold and delicious.

Watch this amazing video about the Soup Truck, which runs on solar power:

If you are looking for solar powered food trucks in your city or region, consider the following businesses, all of which serve sustainable, low impact fast food and run on the energy of the sun!

1.  Arlington, VA – Solar Crepes

Ingredients include local and organic food from sustainable sources. Food is packaged in eco-friendly wrappers, and the food truck uses a 90-watt solar panel that produces an average 590 watt hours of power per day.

2.  Portland, OR – Off the Griddle

If the clever name of this food truck isn’t enough to make you curious, come for the delicious taste of the vegan and vegetarian burgers and other offerings, created with natural, organic ingredients.  The portable burger joint runs on 100% renewable energy with the rooftop solar panels producing more than enough power to keep operations running.  Excess electricity is sold back into the grid.

3.  The Green Truck – locations in Los Angeles, San Diego and New York City

Like Off the Griddle, you can enjoy sustainable, vegan and vegetarian dishes from The Green Truck.  The solar powered food truck generates ample power for food prep, cooking and refrigeration and also sells back excess solar electricity into the grid.  Leftover, recycled cooking oil is also used for fuel.

4.  Sungevity Ice Pop Truck (Nationwide)

Unlike the traveling restaurants, serving meals out their solar powered food truck, the Ice Pop Truck (shown above) is the brain child of Sungevity, a solar power company.  You may see one of these cheerful trucks in your neighborhood soon, as they are traveling across the country this year to help educate consumers on the benefits and affordability of solar power.  Enjoy a free organic ice pop while you learn about how clean, green and inexpensive solar power can be.

Find out where the Sungevity Ice Pop Truck will be by visiting their website.

How Far will Prices for Solar Panels Drop?

After several years of strong solar industry growth, the tide has turned briefly as supply of solar panels currently exceeds demand and governments have begun to curtail generous tax incentives and rebate programs.

Is this the beginning of the end?

Not even close!

According to a published report analyzing McKinsey research, the solar industry is merely experiencing some growing pains and will soon be out of the awkward “teenage” years.

The report, entitled, “Solar power: Darkest before dawn” projects that the average cost of solar panels will continue to drop as it has in recent years -  40% by the year 2015, and an additional 30% by 2010. At the same time, solar manufacturing is expected to double to meet demand, allowing companies to reap impressive profits notwithstanding lower prices.

This growth, over the next 20 years, will stem largely from demand based on viable stand-alone economics in five customer segments: off-grid, residential and commercial in areas with good and moderate sun conditions, isolated grids, peak capacity in growth markets, and new large-scale power plants

Can you imagine a 70% drop in prices for solar panels in just the next 8 years?

The best part is that the falling cost of solar panels and predicted industry changes will benefit consumers, as well as companies that adapt with reducing their overhead costs to maintain healthy profit margins.

Plug in solar panels from Clarion

Plug in solar panels will allow property owners to begin generating clean, renewable solar power immediately.  No need for wiring or solar inverters because the Smart Box Solar device has a micro-inverter.

A single 200 watt panel can offset enough grid-based electricity to meet an average residential home’s lighting needs for an entire year.  You can add additional panels to your system to generate even more solar power.

Installation takes only one hour.  Connect the device to an existing circuit and then, once you plug in the solar panel into an existing outlet, you can start saving energy and money.

The cost savings resulting from Smart Box Solar will pay for the cost of the device within five to eight years, a shorter return on investment than associated with regular photovoltaic (PV) solar panels.  With solar rebates and tax incentives, the ROI may be even shorter.

As of the date of this publication, the Smart Box Solar Module from Clarian is not yet available for consumers.  However, recently, the United States Department of Energy pledged $5 million toward additional research and development of plug in solar panels like Clarian’s.

We should soon see homeowners tapping into convenient solar power as easily as plugging in an appliance.

Hybrid solar panels

But now, a hybrid solar panel can generate solar electricity and solar hot water at the same time!  Virtu, a hybrid solar panel, has been invented by UK renewable company Naked Energy.

Richard Boyle, the Chief Engineer at Naked Energy, developed the hybrid solar panel technology, which combines PV solar cells that generate electricity, and solar thermal panel that generates hot water.

The solar technology works by using the downside of PV solar cells (a decrease in efficiency as they get warmer) to transfer excess heat from the PV cells to heat water.  Solar electricity generation rises as excess heat is transferred to warm water.  When the PV solar cells are cooled, they maintain efficiency.

In short- its a win, win for the solar technology and consumers!

But there is another form of residential solar power that is both affordable and efficient:  solar thermal panels for solar hot water.  Just like PV panels, solar thermal panels require exposure to sunlight.

Solar hot water via solar thermal panels

Even at lower ambient temperatures, sunlight that falls on thermal panels can heat domestic water via a solar hot water system.  In other words, you don’t have to live in California or Florida to generate hot water with solar energy!  People throughout northern regions of the U.S. and in European countries like Germany enjoy free hot water from their solar panels.

There are several different methods for heating water with a solar thermal system, some of which are specifically designed for areas that experience frost and lower temperatures.  The savings from solar hot water can really add up, too.  By replacing a gas or electric hot water tank with a system using solar thermal panels, a household can save $500-1000 each year.

Because solar thermal panels are less expensive than PV panels, the return on investment is shorter, as well.  At current energy prices, expect an ROI of 8-10 years.  However, if utility rates further increase, a homeowner with solar hot water is protected against such spikes and may achieve payback for the system in 5-7 years, or less.

Increase in solar power installations in 2012

Since 2010, renewable energy has been growing at an impressive pace – overall about 31%, representing an increase from $188 billion in revenue to $246 billion in just 2 years.

Just by itself, solar power installations have grown to a total of more than 26.5 gigawatts of capacity worldwide.   While solar panel manufacturers are not necessarily reaping the benefits of this growth in the industry (due to falling costs), property owners have witnessed more than 50% increase in solar installations.

The United States still has progress to make in this regard, however.  Despite being a global leader, the country accounted for less than 10% of the solar work market for 2011.  Germany continues to be a leader in solar power.

Part of the reason for the increase in solar power installations recently is attributable to government incentives and tax rebates.  In addition, financing tools such as solar leases and property assessed clean energy loans are popular now, but could wane with a shift in local policies.

Notwithstanding the potentially fickle nature of solar power installations,  Clean Edge believes that global revenue for solar could reach $130.5 billion in less than 10 years, by 2021.

Solar installer jobs in Northern California

Solar installer jobs in Northern California are frequently posted on Craigslist, where prospective employees can easily locate the positions.   In fact, no matter where you live, searching Craigslist for green jobs can result in potential, higher paying jobs.

Solar installer jobs in Northern California, and other places, require the ability to complete the following responsibilities:
• Pulling inventory for installation jobs
• Pre-assembling job components in a warehouse
• Layout and assembly of solar modules/array and mounting hardware
• Mechanical/structural mounting of racking, modules and electrical equipment
• Electrical wiring of solar array/system
• Documenting completion of completed installation
• Attending mandatory training sessions on products, installation methodology and safety

Requirements for a solar installer job:

•Experience in PV installations, roof work, general construction, or carpentry
•Basic understanding/experience with electrical wiring of AC and DC systems
•Experience with hand-held and power tools
•Experience working with all types of building materials – various roof types – stucco, wood, concrete, etc.
•Ability to work in extreme environments, e.g. hot sun, crawl spaces, etc.
•Must be able to lift a minimum of 50 lbs.
•Must have a clean driving record
•Must have knowledge of OSHA compliance standards or familiarity with formal safety practices

Do you or someone you know have these qualifications for a solar installer job, or another green job?

What is the cost of solar panels?

Let’s face it.  If you are considering a residential solar panel system, two of your biggest questions are probably (1) what it will cost to purchase it, and (2) how much will maintenance cost?

For the average homeowner, the retail cost of a solar array can range from $15,000-50,000, depending on your power needs.

But with tax incentives and rebates offered by many governmental entities and some manufacturers, your out-of-pocket expenses associated with installing solar panels can be reduced by 80% or more.

You can also reduce expenses associated with switching to solar power by cutting down on energy usage, or by choosing to offset only a portion of your electricity bill with solar.  The fewer panels you purchase as part of a solar panel system, the more you can save.  If your initial solar array is not enough, you can always add more panels to it in the future.

Some homeowners choose to lease solar panels instead of purchasing them outright.  There are a variety of contractual arrangements that may be offered by solar manufacturers whereby the solar array is installed on your property, but the company continues to own and pay for maintenance of the panels.  In turn, you purchase reduced cost solar electricity at a fixed rate over the life of the lease.

Financing solar panels is another option.  Property Assessed Clean Energy Loans allow you to pay for energy efficient upgrades like panels via a property tax increase – usually with no money down.

When it comes to maintaining a solar panel system, the cost is negligible.  Components are manufactured for a lifetime of 25-35 years.  As long as the panels are kept clean, they should continue to function without issue for many years.

The bottom line is that the answers to questions related to solar panel system costs can be summarized by: “it varies.”  Yet, homeowners should not be dissuaded from solar power by potential costs. Over the long run, switching to solar electricity will save money, protect against rising energy costs and also cut carbon footprints.

Working on technology for solar windows

Researchers have helped bring us one step closer to this type of building integrated photovoltaics – PV power that blends right into building materials such as windows and roof shingles.  The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the organic solar company New Energy Technologies have developed invisible solar cells, applying unique conductive polymers onto a transparent substrate.  The technology, called “plastic solar,” can be installed directly onto the surface of windows.

The technology for solar windows is still in its early stages.  New Energy Technologies, developing the SolarWindow, has been encouraged about the future of the technology by its development of the largest transparent solar cell to date.  But, until efficiencies are improved, there will not be a significant consumer market for see through solar power.

In the meantime, people who wish to make a switch to solar power will have to stick to traditional PV panels… and the building permits or HOA approvals that are required.

Samsung's solar powered computer

The world is on the move and increasingly has little time to plug in devices to recharge them.  Solar cell phones are reality, and now you can buy a solar powered netbook computer from Samsung, as well.

Electronic devices like the computer shown to the left are fitted with solar panels.  When ultra violet light hits the panels, solar electricity is generated, which provides extended power when you are at the park, camping, or sitting outdoors on campus.

Samsung’s solar powered netbook computer, the NC215S, is a 10″ device with a solar panel embedded in its cover.  The company claims that 2 hours in sunlight will generate enough power to run the computer for 1 hour, effectively extending time between plugging it in and recharging.

Solar powered computers and cell phones are particularly useful in off-grid areas of the world.  Residents in third world countries can better stay in touch using solar devices like these.

Here are the stats for the solar powered netbook computer from Samsung:

• 10.1-inch display
• resolution of 1024 x 600
• 1GB of RAM
• 1.66GHz N570 dual-core Atom
• keyboard and touchpad
• 14 hour battery life under “ideal conditions”
• Price:  $399

Samsung’s solar computer is currently available in the U.S., Russia, and Africa.