The Solar Reflector   

                    Newsletter of the Texas Solar Energy Society- September 2013                                                


Help us promote solar energy and the wise use of all resources in Texas. Memberships start at $25!


EVENTS ON THE HORIZON

The largest green fair in the South!  September  27-29
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  Dallas/Fort Worth Solar Home Tour, October 5
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Solar power from Austin to Blanco, October 12
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SolarFest San Antonio,October 12
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 In conjunction with Houston Energy Day,October 19
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The 20th Border Energy Forum
San Antonio, November 6-8
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The 29th Annual TREIA Conference San Antonio,          November 11-13                   
 

         CHAPTER NEWS

Read how our chapters in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin promote the benefits of solar energy and the wise use of all resources
   
One environment,one simple way to care for it. Your gift through workplace giving can support TXSES and other respected environmental charities.  Reliant Energy generously supports EarthShare Texas through their
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TXSES is a member of the American Solar Energy Society,  shinning a light on the solution since 1954. Read the latest issue of Solar Today Magazine and Solar at Work.
October is National Solar Tour Month!

         

Chairman's Corner

Chris Boyer       

Thanks to solar supporters like you, the success of the solar industry has been truly amazing; even in the face of all kinds of adversity from the energy industry. Can you believe the Department of Energy published in the 2003 Annual Energy Outlook that "oil prices would be steady at $23 to $25 per barrel through 2025." Wrong! Oil prices shot up since 2003 and today sit around $100/barrel. They also predicted "solar PV would grow slowly and might break 1 GW of capacity by 2025." Wrong! Solar capacity zoomed past 1 GW a few years after that prediction and we stand at about 5 GW today with many predictions based on projects in progress showing well over 30 GW before 2020. More   

 

         TXSES Members Bring Solar and  
         Training to South Sudan, Africa   

By Chris Boyer

                            
Imagine being the medical center that is responsible for the health of 500,000 people in South Sudan. Now realize that you have no electricity; you cannot store medicine because it spoils in the heat; you deliver babies in the dark of night; and there is sandy dust everywhere that blows in from the windows left open for light and ventilation. That's the daily operation of the medical clinic in Aweng - that is, until our solar team arrived. More  

  Solar in Our State Parks    
  Baylor University Solar team collects data for Texas Parks and 
      Wildlife, setting a standard of efficiency for solar panels 

By Billy Anderson &
Dr. Mack Grady 

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As part of its endeavor to conserve the usage of natural Texas resources, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TWPD) recently installed eighteen solar panel arrays across Texas. They range from a 5kW array at Ft. Davis, 30kW at Cedar Hill State Park, 35 kW at Cooper Lake State Park, on up to the 92kW array on the Austin Headquarters (see Solar Power Parks ).  The energy generated by these arrays typically supplies about 20% of facility power needs and supplements the Texas grid, but the department is unable to determine the efficiency of their photovoltaic systems. Consequently, the question is whether or not a higher level of energy production should be expected. Baylor University's Solar Team, under the supervision of Prof. Mack Grady, is partnering with TPWD to develop a tool for evaluating actual photovoltaic system efficiency. More  

    Never Enough Water in Texas     
            Why solar should be a serious contender for   
                     the state's energy portfolio mix

By Kimberly Tanner 

 

With the scorching summer nearly behind us, conserving water has been on everyone's mind. Adequate water supplies is not a given in the Texas future as we look at the possibility of a new drought of record, while the state boasts 5 of the top 10 fastest growing cities in the U.S. All those people need electricity and right now, the power from coal, nuclear, natural gas, hydro and biopower require access to massive amounts of water. Some technologies do return water to the natural environment, but at the high cost of cleaning and cooling, and sometimes not effectively. In order to make responsible decisions and adapt to the new landscape of water and energy, we will need to educate ourselves and weigh environmental costs and benefits that will affect future generations. The following is information concerning the water-energy nexus and why we think the adoption of solar is important to the state's energy mix. More

       
            
   Thanks to our Sponsors 
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Visit www.txses.org for a list of all our business supporters.  We thank all of our members, both business and individual, for supporting our mission to promote solar and renewable energy, and the wise use of all resources. 
                              
       The Solar Reflector is a publication of the Texas Solar Energy Society  

The Texas Solar Energy Society, a 501(c)(3), was founded in 1976 as a non-profit organization created to increase awareness for the potential of solar and other renewable energy applications and to promote the wise use of sustainable and non-polluting resources.  
 
 Chairman - Chris Carter Boyer  
 Executive Director - Lucy Stolzenburg   
 Intern -Kimberly Tanner
 Editor - Lucy Stolzenburg  
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