The project, part of the California Solar Initiative's Research, Development, Deployment and Demonstration Program, seeks to demonstrate the economic and operational benefits of integrating advanced energy storage systems with existing PV systems for peak demand reduction directly on commercial buildings.

Ice Energy is one of three energy storage companies selected to participate in the program, which will be implemented by SunPower in conjunction with PG and E, KEMA, Sandia National Laboratories and a major national retailer.

"Think of it as sun + ice + wind," said Greg Tropsa, executive vice president and co-founder of Ice Energy. "All three of these technologies have the potential to be more valuable together than any single one of them alone, and that's what this project sets out to demonstrate."

"As the sun begins to set in the afternoon, the Ice Bear units will deliver stored energy to bridge the gap between increasing building electrical demand and decreasing solar energy production," Tropsa explained.

"The project will demonstrate that the combination of solar and ice storage will significantly reduce a building's peak demand charge, saving money for the consumer and helping the environment by reducing the need for utilities to dispatch fossil fuel-fired peaking generators.

The bonus is the Ice Bear storage units are recharged during the off-peak hours, absorbing wind and surplus low cost base load generation."

The goal of the CPUC California Solar Initiative (CSI) is to create 1,940 megawatts of new, solar-produced electricity by 2016, moving the state toward a cleaner energy future and helping to lower the cost of solar systems for consumers.

The CSI RD and D program provides grants to fund solar research and demonstration projects that will measurably reduce the cost and accelerate the adoption of solar, or other distributed technologies, such as storage, that could employ solar, for alternative generation, and reduce the use of natural gas and other fossil-fuel generation.

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Related Links
Ice Energy
All About Solar Energy at SolarDaily.com

Neutrons Helping ORNL Researchers Unlock Secrets To Cheaper Ethanol E-Fuel Introduces MicroFusion Reactor Aurora Algae Introduces Industry's First Photosynthetic Algae-Based Platform Grace Receives US DoE Biofuels Grant New Artificial Skin Could Make Prosthetic Limbs And Robots More Sensitive Football Robots Have Future Of Artificial Intelligence At Their Feet Outer Space Close Enough To Touch Sock-pairing robot a promising match for software gurus Spanish wind turbine firm Gamesa to triple China investments Britain urged to speed up wind-power plans China sailing ahead in offshore wind power Duke Energy Changes Focus Of Coastal Wind Demonstration Project With UNC Toyota to launch six new hybrids by end of 2012 China's Geely unveils ambitious plans for Volvo Japan's Nissan unveils new brand for China Audi posts sales records in China, US Anti-Japan rally planned in China Saturday: Japanese media Argentina beefs up military for Falklands US orders idle wells plugged in Gulf of Mexico Levant energy stakes keep getting higher Don't wait for US on cap-and-trade, OECD urges Canada Australia hopes for carbon capturing 'sponges' Australia to address price on carbon EU calls for overhaul of UN carbon credit system EU, Africa team up to boost energy access China will struggle to hit energy-saving goal: official US union accuses China of rigging green energy trade Study Examines Turbine Effects On Yukon River Fish Forestry Professor Helps Shape Future Of Global Industry Research Logging spells danger for Europe's last primeval forest Scots Pine Shows Its Continental Roots Most New Farmland Comes From Cutting Tropical Forest