Solar Energy
Podcast episodes about Solar Energy
Here are our podcast episodes about Solar Energy and its role in the energy transition.
#61 Harvesting Sunlight: Exploring Agro Photovoltaics (with Marta Victoria, Aarhus University)
In this episode, we discuss the emerging field of agrophotovoltaics (agri-PV) with Marta Victoria, an associate professor specializing in solar photovoltaics and energy systems modeling at the University of Aarhus in Denmark.
We learn about the basic concept of agro-PV, combining agriculture and solar panels on farmland, and discuss its benefits, geographical viability, challenges, and the use of different crops. Marta explains various installation methods—horizontal and vertical setups—and addresses concerns regarding material consumption, reduced solar panel yield due to crop shadows, and potential collaborations with irrigation systems to optimize water usage.
The ongoing HyPErFarm Project aims to create real installations in Germany, Belgium, and Denmark to study and implement agro-PV systems, focusing on crop-solar panel interactions, irrigation integration, and overall efficiency.
#60 Solar PV: Technologies, Materials, and Testing (with Ewan Dunlop, Joint Research Centre)
Ewan Dunlop leads the European Solar Test installation at the Joint Research Centre (JRC). As we will cover in the episode, JRC's work is significant in the standardization and calibration of solar PV technologies, which ensures accurate measurements, reliability, and trustworthy information for consumers.
In this episode, Dunlops explains the history of solar PV testing, emphasizing its evolution from early applications in the 70s to current silicon-based module dominance. He highlights the crucial role of standardized testing methods in guaranteeing product quality and market confidence.
#57 Solar in Norway, and how to ramp it up to 8 TWh by 2030 (with Carl Christian Strømberg, CEO of Solcellespesialisten)
Carl Christian Strømberg, is founder and CEO of Solcellespesialisten, Norway's largest solar PV installer. Carl shares his journey from graduating with an electronics degree from NTNU in 2005 to becoming the CEO of a leading solar company in Norway. He talks openly about the challenges of starting a solar business in a market where solar installations were virtually nonexistent, and his plans for the future.
Over the years, Solcellespesialisten has snowballed, doubling its workforce and expanding its operations several times. Carl explains how the company focuses on quality and close relationships with customers to achieve this growth. When listening to this episode you will also learn about the status quo of the Norwegian solar energy ecosystem and how Carl and Solcellerspecialisten aim to shape it in the future as the energy transition progresses.
Roof Integrated Solar
Our guest this week is Helen Anijalg, Co-Founder of Roofit.solar - a provider of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) construction elements that replace the conventional roofing and facade materials. By combining solar technology and building material, homeowners can invest in visually appealing roofs and facades that, over time, pay for themselves. Listen to learn more about the technology and developing markets from an inside perspective. Check out https://roofit.solar/ for inspirational photos, links to social media, and more information.
Floating Solar
Per Lindberg is the CEO and co-founder of Sunlit Sea - a technology provider to the floating solar industry, that aims to address the potential of optimizing cost, longevity, power production, operation and maintenance. He has over 10 years of experience within the solar industry and explains both pros and cons of floating solar technology.
How does it harmonize with other energy sources? How does it compare to onshore solar? And how will the floating solar market look in the coming years? Join us, and let's find out!
The Rise of Solar PV
'Solar energy is a substantial global industry, one that has generated trade disputes among superpowers, threatened the solvency of large energy companies, and prompted serious reconsideration of electric utility regulation rooted in the 1930s. One of the biggest payoffs from solar’s success is not the clean inexpensive electricity it can produce, but the lessons it provides for innovation in other technologies needed to address climate change', says the description of UW-Madison professor Gregory F. Nemet's 2019 book: How Solar Energy Became Cheap.
Nemet is a former teacher of mine and was kind enough to guest in today's episode. We talk about different ways countries utilize PV's, and ask: How come this relatively old technology wasn't implementet in lager scale until recent years and what lessons can we take from this?
Solar Energy
Here are some key facts about solar energy in the energy transition:
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Solar energy is a clean and renewable energy source: Solar energy does not produce any greenhouse gas emissions or other air pollutants, making it a clean and sustainable energy source.
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Solar energy is widely available: Solar energy is abundant and can be harnessed in most parts of the world. It is a particularly attractive option for countries with high levels of solar irradiance, such as those in sunny regions of the world.
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Solar energy can be used for electricity generation and hot water: Solar panels can be used to generate electricity for homes and businesses, while solar thermal systems can be used to produce hot water for domestic and industrial use.
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Solar energy can be deployed at different scales: Solar energy can be deployed at a variety of scales, from small-scale systems for individual homes and businesses to large-scale solar farms that generate electricity for the grid.
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Solar energy is becoming more affordable: The cost of solar energy has decreased significantly in recent years, making it more affordable for consumers. This trend is expected to continue as solar technology becomes more efficient and economies of scale are achieved.