The Northwest Solar Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Reeves Clippard) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 22:19:00 +0000

The following came out of "Electrical Currents" a newsletter for electrical contractors and the electrical industry in Washington. You know what struck me about this? This kind of thing doesn't happen with solar. Our equipment is required by Underwriters Laboratories to never turn on if the grid isn't present.

Generator Backfeed Near-MissLast month, a Potelco line crew working in Pierce County experienced a dangerous near-miss. A backfeed from a customer’s temporary generator had energized the utility’s wiring. Luckily, the crew discovered that power was present and was not injured.
A similar situation occurred in Yakima a few years ago when a new service panel was energized during construction by a temporary generator. While working on the utility system, a meter technician was injured. The service conductors were energized by backfed power from an improperly installed generator.
With the coming storm season, anyone doing electrical work needs to be aware of the potential for a circuit that is de-energized to suddenly become energized. Always verify that a circuit is isolated from it’s source of supply and from any potential sources of backfeed before working on it.
Installing a generator system is potentially one of the most dangerous types of electrical installations to your family, employees, and the utility’s line workers. Legally and safely installing a generator system is very specialized work that
This document may contain hyperlinks to internet web pages. To access this PDF document online, go to:
http://www.ElectricalCurrents.lni.wa.gov
Electrical Section Internet Address: http://www.ElectricalProgram.Lni.wa.gov/
This document is available in alternative formats to accommodate persons with disabilities. For assistance, call 1-800-547-8367.
(TDD/TTY users, please call 360-902-5797.) Labor & Industries is an Equal Opportunity employer.
Vol. 15 No. 11 November 2012 Page 2 of 2
requires expertise and experience. Prior to making a generator system purchase or installing a generator system, review the special edition Electrical Currents – October 2007. All the information in the article is still relevant and accurate.
L&I strongly encourages anyone interested in having a generator system installed at their home or business to work with a properly licensed electrical contractor. Before beginning the work, get written bids from two or three electrical contractors and verify that each has significant experience installing generator systems. Ask for references. Then make certain your contractor gets an electrical permit and has an inspection to verify that the work was done correctly and safely.

noreply@blogger.com (Reeves Clippard) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:01:00 +0000

July 17, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Community Launches Solarize Mukilteo

Free Educational Workshops Ahead

Mukilteo, WA – Mukilteo is going solar! Solarize Mukilteo is a community-led initiative to bring solar energy to homes and businesses in zip code 98275 and surrounding areas. A collaborative effort of Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (Northwest SEED), Snohomish County PUD, and a team of local volunteer residents, Solarize Mukilteo is a time-limited initiative designed to help people “go solar” via a streamlined process and group discount. Registration is now open; the first workshop will be held July 28, 2012.

The Solarize Mukilteo initiative also includes an authorized solar installation team, A&R Solar and NW Wind & Solar, whose joint proposal was selected by the volunteer steering committee through a competitive process that completed in June.

“We are excited to get this initiative underway and confident that the A&R Solar and NW Wind and Solar Team will do a great job,” said Mary Shank of the volunteer committee. “We are really looking forward to working with them to bring solar to our community.”

Registration for Solarize Mukilteo is now open at www.solarizewa.org. To learn more and qualify for a free site assessment, interested residents and business owners are invited to attend free educational workshops scheduled monthly through October. Workshops are set for the following dates and locations:

· Saturday, July 28, 9:00-10:30AM at Mukilteo City Hall

(11930 Cyrus Way, Mukilteo)

· Saturday, August 18, 10:00-11:30AM at Mukilteo City Hall

· Saturday, September 22, 10:00-11:30AM at Mukilteo City Hall

· Wednesday, October 17, 6:00-7:30PM at Rosehill Community Center

(304 Lincoln Avenue, Mukilteo)

For additional information, please visit www.solarizewa.org.

Contacts:

Neil Neroutsos, Snohomish County PUD, 425-783-8444, nsneroutsos@snopud.com

Adam Pinsky, A&R Solar/NW Wind & Solar: (206) 788-3803, adamp@nwwindandsolar.com

Alex Sawyer, Northwest SEED, (206) 457-5403, alex@nwseed.org

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About Northwest SEED: Northwest SEED is a non-profit organization that empowers community scale clean energy through expert guidance that combines technical support, community education and practical implementation. www.nwseed.org.

About Snohomish PUD: Serving Snohomish County and Camano Island, its mission is to provide quality water, power and service at a competitive price that customers value. www.snopud.com.

About A&R Solar/NW Wind & Solar: The A&R Solar/NW Wind & Solar team provides design and installation services for solar energy systems for your home or business. The team considers the growth of all employees – through experience, education, and mentoring – to be as important as profitability and productivity. www.a-rsolar.com; www.nwwindandsolar.com.

# # #

Unbiased solar information

noreply@blogger.com (Reeves Clippard) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:52:00 +0000

I just got off the phone with a potential client. He's super excited about solar, but he's operating in the dark. Outside of my exceedingly high moral code, how does he know I'm not just trying to sell him snake oil? We actually get this question a lot from people just trying to wrap their heads around solar for the first time. Solar energy is a vastly broad category with lots to learn, and there are few places to go to learn from the beginning without listening to a sales pitch. For those of you that fit into this category I present the following webpage:

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/sunshot/resources.html The preceding link will take you to the US Department of Energy's website with informational resources about solar. It's a great start and may just lead you to the place you need to go.

If you know of some other great solar basic sites. Leave a link in the comments; we'd love to give it as a resource to future solar seekers.

Solarize Seattle: Northeast is here!

noreply@blogger.com (Reeves Clippard) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:03:00 +0000

Solarize Seattle is a concept borrowed from Portland. The idea is that by pulling a community together, bulk discounts can be negotiated from suppliers and everyone gets a terrific deal installing solar on your home. What’s great about this idea is that it really works. In the current campaign, Solarize Seattle: Northeast, prices are about 25% less than what a home owner might expect if they were to go it alone. Once you take into account production incentives, tax credits, and tax exemptions, you could save up to 50% on the upfront cost of your solar array in the first year.

Solarize Washington is a Northwest SEED initiative designed to bring solar energy to Washington homes. By partnering with grassroots sustainability groups and local installers, we help neighbors come together to enjoy significant discounts through the group purchase of solar systems. The Solarize initiative provides a streamlined process through which neighbors can collectively decide where to start, how to budget, what to buy, and who to hire.

So once upon a time (2011), Sustainable Northeast Seattle, a community group, teamed up with Northwest SEED, a local non-profit. Together they approached the Seattle solar installer community, and ran us through the wringer. Our proposals were graded on experience, expertise, capacity, sustainability practices, sales practices, health and safety records, employment practices, quality at all levels of the installation and customer service, and last but not least price. In the end, program participants get to rest easy knowing the hard part of the homework has been done: who do I shop with, and how do I know I’m getting the best possible price? NW SEED and Sustainable Northeast Seattle selected A&R Solar and Northwest Wind & Solar. Why two contractors? A&R Solar and Northwest Wind & Solar self-selected each other to work together as a team. We wanted to bring the best value to the program, and knew that by collaborating together we could do it better than anyone else.

You can participate on several levels. For those with little time on your hands, just register and attend a free workshop or webinar to learn more about the program and how solar works in Seattle. After that you qualify for a free site assessment. The assessment will often start over the phone using aerial photography, and could end with a company representative coming to your house to take precise measurements. After that you’ll receive a proposal based on the pricing negotiated by the selection committee before the program kicked off. Then it’s up to you whether or not to go solar.

Another way to participate is to become a volunteer. We always need people to help at events, put on events, and just get the word out. So again:

The process to get involved is very easy.

1. Register online – it’s super quick and easy

2. Attend a workshop.

3. Receive a free site assessment.

4. Receive a fixed price proposal.

5. Install solar panels.

6. 6. Bask in the glory of knowing you produce your own clean green energy.

7. Tell your neighbors and friends about Solarize Seattle: Northeast

There’s only one catch: there is only a short window of time to participate. Registration opened on Tuesday and closes April 23^rd. Don’t hesitate to register now. There is no obligation and no cost to participate. So what are you waiting for?

Solar Industry Cost Overview

noreply@blogger.com (Reeves Clippard) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:41:00 +0000

While reading the morning paper, I came across an article about cost trends an renewable energy technologies. The conclusion of the article is very encouraging. To paraphrase, many renewables are on the cusp of obtaining "grid parity" (ie- they cost the same as fossil fuels.) And they're achieving parity without considering the environmental costs (pollution) of utilizing fossils. If you pair this article with the information from yesterday's post about the paltry subsidies renewables receive you can start to get extremely excited about the renewable revolution that's right around the corner. My conclusion? Even if the government won't support renewables the way it supports fossils, these industries are going to keep growing anyway. Clean green future, here we come.

Holy Subsidies Batman!

noreply@blogger.com (Reeves Clippard) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:12:00 +0000

Sometimes I wonder, "would solar be doing as well as it is without the subsidies from the Federal Government?" And then I saw the following infographic and thought, "Egads! How many hundreds of thousands of jobs would be created if our industry got a fraction of the subsidies as the other guys?!"

Just imagine what kind of clean green future we could have with a real investment in renewables by the United States of America?

Check it out:
http://holykaw.alltop.com/what-if-solar-got-fossil-fuel-subsidies-infog

Refer Friends. Make Money. Make a Difference.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Kozin) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 23:18:00 +0000

A&R Solar has launched a new referral program where we pay you $100 for every Kilowatt of installed solar power that you send our way, up to $500! While we focus on high quality installations and top-notch customer service, we rely mainly on word of mouth advertising from our fans and customers to drive business our way. This is where you come in....

You can make up to $500 per referral just by spreading the word about the benefits of going solar and how amazingly amazing our company is! At the same time, you'll be helping to lower our collective environmental footprint, securing our energy independence, and bolstering a green economy.

On average, our customers install 20 panels rated at 240 Watts each, totaling 4.8 kW, or a referral of $480! Use this money to "speed up" the payback of your own solar system, put it toward your child's college fund, or pay off those student loans! There is no limit on the amount of customers you can be paid on for sending our way, so why not start now?

Did you know that prices for solar energy systems are the cheapest they have ever been, with paybacks as quick as 7 years in our not-so-sunny city of Seattle? What about the fact that energy prices continue to rise, and going solar allows you to lock in your rate for 25-30 years? There are plenty of other reasons why going solar is not only a smart decision, but the right thing to do for our communities and our planet.

If you have any friends, neighbors, or family members living around Puget Sound who may want to become solar powered, please pass along our information. We are extremely grateful for any and all of your support.

* Note: On November 30th, 2011 this program was changed to limit the maximum referral amount to $500 per new customer. There is still no limit on the amount of total referrals.

Washington's First & Only 110% Performance Guarantee

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Kozin) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:02:00 +0000

As a company that prides itself on being honest and transparent with its customers, A&R Solar has launched the state's first 110% Solar Performance Guarantee on all of our PV systems. Our program will demonstrate to the masses that solar isn't just a smart idea in theory or on paper, but in actual, real life....even in the Northwest.

Our offer is simple: your solar PV system performs the way we say it will, or we refund 110% of all missed energy savings and state production incentive credits.

To learn more about our performance guarantee or find out how solar can save you money, reach out to us by calling 206-707-9937 or e-mailing info@a-rsolar.com.

Obama's Solar Sun-Shot: Ready, Aim, Fire!

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Kozin) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 05:39:00 +0000

Source: http://www.restructuringtoday.com/members/11930.cfm

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced Friday his department's "SunShot" initiative to make solar cost-competitive by the end of the decade. The move supports the call Chu's boss made during the State of the Union speech last month that "especially clean energy technology" needs to be the modern equivalent of America's "Sputnik moment" in the 60s. The goal of the initiative is to slash the total costs of solar photovoltaic by 75%, making them cost roughly 6¢/KWH and more easily deployed, said Chu.

Space-race nomenclature has taken off since President Barack Obama's speech -- for example "sun shot" is a word play on President John Kennedy's "moon-shot" speech.

SunShot started with the announcement of $27 million in funding for projects to support development, commercialization and manufacturing of advanced solar technologies. "America is in a world race," said Chu, "to produce cost-effective, quality photovoltaics. The SunShot initiative will spur American innovations to reduce the costs of solar energy and re-establish US global leadership in this growing industry."

The initiative will also focus on steps to streamline and digitize local permitting processes to cut installation and permitting costs.

The technology investments will focus on four main pillars: technologies for solar cells and arrays; electronic equipment to optimize performance; better efficiency in the manufacturing process, and installation, design and permitting for solar systems.

US Sen Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, tried to capitalize on the announcement by reintroducing his "Ten Million Solar Roofs" legislation, that passed the Energy & Natural Resources Committee last year. The bill mirrors a one-million roof program in California and features a competitive grant program for states and local governments to encourage solar energy installations.

"I look forward to working with the Obama administration to incorporate elements of the new solar initiative into the Ten Million Solar Roofs Act to make the legislation even stronger," said Sanders.

Snohomish County PUD warns of higher bills

noreply@blogger.com (Reeves Clippard) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:18:00 +0000

The BPA has requested an 8.5 percent hike on wholesale power rates, which could get passed on to customers in 2011.

By Amy Daybert Herald Writer

EVERETT — Snohomish County PUD customers next year could pay higher electric bills.

That’s because the utility will pay more for the wholesale power it purchases from the Bonneville Power Administration starting next October.

The BPA filed a request with the federal government for an 8.5 percent wholesale power rate hike on Thursday. The agency is a nonprofit federal electric utility located in Portland, Ore., that markets wholesale electrical power from 31 federal dams and one nuclear plant in the Pacific Northwest.

The PUD purchases about 80 percent of its power from Bonneville Power Administration, according to Steve Klein, PUD general manager. The utility district budgeted about $239 million this year for power and transmission services from Bonneville Power. Rates are set by the PUD’s Board of Commissioners.

“We were hoping for a lower number but this is BPA’s initial rate proposal,” Klein said Thursday. “BPA’s final record of decision on their ultimate rate increase will not be determined until July of next year. In the meantime, we intend to participate earnestly in BPA’s rate case process to convince them to lower their increase.”

Klein said the board will be given an analysis of how the increase affects the utility company and hold a public hearing before deciding on any new rates for customers.

A public rate review process is expected to last through next July, according to Michael Milstein, BPA spokesman. The final rate proposal will be decided at the end of the process and will go into effect on Oct. 1, 2011.

Low water levels for the past several years, falling surplus energy sales and aging hydroelectric systems all have contributed to the rate increase, Milstein said.

Wholesale power prices on the open market have fallen from almost $63 per megawatt hour in 2005 to less than $36 in 2009, he said. Bonneville Power charges its regular customers $30 per megawatt hour.

“We sell power first to those utilities in the region that have priority like Snohomish (PUD) and then more power is sold on the open market and helps keep rates we charge to those regional customers lower,” Milstein said.

Milstein said there’s also a possibility that next year could be another low water year. If that happens, rates could rise even higher in 2012. For now, the Bonneville Power Administration estimates that there’s a 60 percent chance another rate increase will not need to happen.

“We’ve been through difficult times before,” Milstein said. “We want to make sure we’re up front in explaining to people we’re trying to keep the rate increases as minimal as possible.”

The PUD serves 320,000 power customers. The last rate boost by the PUD was a systemwide rate increase of 3.5 percent in April 2009.

Solar Roadways

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Kozin) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 02:27:00 +0000

I am still not sure how I feel about the Solar Roadways project, but it is certainly an interesting idea. Personally, I question if putting solar panels directly on the road makes as much sense as putting them on the side of the road. After all, solar panels are extremely sensitive to shade, and automobiles aren't exactly transparent. And then you have the issues of dirt and wear and tear...

I do like the idea of a "Smart Road", which seems to be the main focus of Mr. Brusaw's project. It will be interesting to see where this idea goes and how much more funding the project will receive. They recently received $50,000 from GE's Ecoimagination Challenge for receiving the most user-submitted votes.

The White House Is Going Solar! Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Kozin) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:32:00 +0000

Most people in my circle seem to know that Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the White House back in the day (June 20, 1979 to be exact). They also know that Ronald Reagan took these same panels down while in office, back in 1986. You say: “What a jerk!” I say: “I know, right?”

Jimmy Carter’s installation of 32 solar hot water collectors made a very progressive statement at the time. Had his vision been carried out by his successors, I believe the solar industry, America, and the world in general would be in much better shape than it is now. Instead, the solar movement lost momentum and essentially went underground for 20 years. America now finds itself behind the renewable energy curve, with countries Germany, Spain, Japan, and even China leading the way.

On a sunnier note, news broke yesterday that the Obama Administration will be installing a new solar energy system on the White House. You say: “Hooray!” I say: “Hooray!” People who do not believe in investing in clean energy or in our energy independence say: “Another waste of taxpayer money!”

Details of the system are still unknown, but according to SEIA, the White House will be getting a PV system in the range of 5 kW to 15 kW, as well as a solar hot water system. To put this in perspective, most of A&R Solar's residential customers have PV systems in the 4 kW to 6 kW range. There are approximately 4-5 solar panels per kilowatt, depending on the power rating of each panel. The new White House system is expected to be installed in spring 2011.

Despite the seemingly eternal rift between left and right, I hope we’ve reached the point where both sides realize the importance of having a clean energy policy and share the desire to no longer be at the mercy of other countries for our energy supply. Especially with regard to countries that hate us and want to kill us.

Did you know?
The George W. Bush Administration installed the first ever photovoltaic system on White House grounds back in 2003. The 9 kW PV system is also accompanied by two solar hot water systems. Surprised? Full story here.

Original article from USA Today: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/10/white-house-solar-panels/1

Largest smart grid in U.S. gets funding [Here in Washington]

noreply@blogger.com (Reeves Clippard) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:57:00 +0000

RICHLAND — The check has arrived to pay for the main work phase on the largest and most comprehensive project in the nation to demonstrate how the electric grid can be used more efficiently and be made more reliable.
"The work being done here makes Washington state a leader in smart grid technology," said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., during a visit to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland on Monday. The Department of Energy lab is operated by Battelle, which is managing the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project.

Read More...

Module Efficiency vs Module Production

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Kozin) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:51:00 +0000

This post comes from an e-mail dialogue between members of Solar Washington’s Education Committee. Here, Howard Lamb, Founder and Principle Engineer of Sunergy Systems, clarifies the difference between solar module efficiency and solar module production:

--
Higher efficiencies don’t necessarily mean higher annual production unless roof space is at a premium. Take, for example, SunPower and Sanyo modules, which have the highest module efficiencies in the industry. Despite their high CEC to STC (power) ratings, both might be lacking in other areas related to production.

For Sanyo modules, not much real world data is available to back up their claims of high annualized kilowatt-hour (production) per kilowatt (power). SunPower does have the data to back this claim up but at the expense of offering a module with +/- 5% tolerance rating, meaning their modules could be 5% more OR less powerful than their nameplate rating. Because the frequency of real-world PV module testing is increasing, the industry standard has become a -0/+5% tolerance rating, meaning modules are guaranteed to be at least as powerful as their nameplate rating, but not more than 5% so.

In regards to PV module testing, SolarWorld modules consistently top Photon Magazine’s real world comparative tests, yet their ~13.8% efficiency is the norm for monocrystalline modules. This goes to show that a module’s efficiency can have little to do with its actual production. It’s worth noting that SunPower does not participate in Photon’s testing, and Sanyo got yanked years ago due to very inferior results that Sanyo claimed was due to the distributer shipping B stock modules to Photon for the testing.

On a separate but related note, the case can actually be made that polycrystalline modules will outperform monocrystalline modules because they maintain their efficiency ratings better at low light conditions, which sounds like the Puget Sound region. Evergreen Solar has a low efficiency but is at the upper end of the CEC’s (California Energy Commission) list of performing modules. Even if there is a higher production associated with higher efficiencies, I don’t know if it is worth the additional costs that these premium modules can go for, that is, unless roof space is at a premium.

Just my two cents,
Howard
--

Thanks Howard!

Aircraft completes first solar-powered night flight

noreply@blogger.com (Reeves Clippard) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:22:00 +0000

Switzerland (Reuters) - A giant glider-like aircraft has completed the first night flight propelled only by solar energy, organizers said on Thursday.

Solar Impulse, whose wingspan is the same as an Airbus A340, flew 26 hours and 9 minutes, powered only by solar energy stored during the day. It was also the longest and highest flight in the history of solar aviation, organizers said.

Oregon solar incentives go fast

noreply@blogger.com (Reeves Clippard) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:32:00 +0000

July 6, 2010

PORTLAND (AP) — It took just 15 minutes for Pacific Power's share of Oregon's new solar power incentive program to fill up the first round.

“People compare it to getting tickets to a big rock show,” Pacific Power spokesman Tom Gauntt told The Oregonian.

Portland General Electric and Idaho Power offers also filled quickly. PGE accepted 97 projects generating about 1 megawatt. Idaho Power approved 30 projects from Oregon customers totaling 200 kilowatts. The 75 small- and medium-size projects accepted by Pacific Power amount to 768 kilowatts.

The pilot program enacted by the Legislature offers 15-year contracts paying up to 65 cents per kilowatt hour, minus the current market rate, as an incentive to create enough solar power for 2,500 homes over the next four years. The second of eight rounds of enrollments opens Oct. 1.

The current market rate in Portland is about 8 cents per kilowatt hour.

Jonathan Cohen, principal and lead engineer for Imagine Energy, a Portland installer and consultant, cautioned that there are costs that many people don't understand.

The difference between incentive payments and the market rate are taxable. Systems must be insured for $1 million. Owners must pay $10 a month for an extra power meter. And as market rates rise, they will eat into the profits.

“Factoring in those things on a 3-kilowatt system adds costs of about $3,000,” Cohen said. “Having lots of people excited about solar is wonderful, but we just don't want to have a backlash.”

Known as a fee tariff, the premium rates are modeled on a European system. But unlike in Europe, solar producers cannot be paid for more than they produce.

Worried that private solar systems could amount to utilities, the Oregon Public Utilities Commission limited the amount of power that qualifies for the premium to the amount producers consume in a year. Monthly credits for excess power produced during sunny periods can be applied to cloudy months when more power is consumed than produced.

People who miss out on the premium rate can still qualify for other incentives. They include state and federal tax credits and a cash incentive.

A&R Employee Evan Manderbach in SEIA Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Kozin) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:16:00 +0000

Congrats to our very own Evan Manderbach for making SEIA's Solar Jobs Spotlight list! Evan is proving to be a very talented, hardworking young man and we wish him continued success in the solar industry.

Evan Manderbach, Solar Technician
A&R Solar Corp.
Seattle, Washington

Evan Manderbach edged into the solar business by following a girlfriend to Hawaii. A college graduate with a degree in international studies and Spanish, Evan fell back on his construction skills that he picked up from summer jobs and took advantage of the solar industry growth on Oahu.

“Lo and behold, I got really lucky and found an ad on Craigslist for a solar installer,” he said. “By the end of the summer, I was leading job crews.”

Evan used that experience to find a job small solar photovoltaic systems in rural Bolivia, where people gained access to electricity for the first time. That training, coupled with a community college course in solar design, was enough to put Evan in demand and he now works at A&R Solar Corp. installing residential solar systems in Seattle.

He enjoys working with people who care about the environment and only sees the solar industry expanding. Evan thinks about starting his own company down the road, perhaps focused on installing solar equipment in developing countries.

“Honestly, it’s a fun industry to be in, and there’s a great fraternity of people you meet,” he said. “I feel like I really lucked out.”

A&R Solar has five employees who design and install solar hot water and solar electric systems in the Seatte and Bellevue areas of Washington State.

http://www.seia.org/cs/solar_job_spotlight_evan_manderbach

Martha Rose Construction does it again!

noreply@blogger.com (Reeves Clippard) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:47:00 +0000

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH....FISH SINGER PLACE

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Food TOURS MUSIC WINE
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FOOD WINE CHEESE MUSIC

25% by 2050. Let's do this.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Kozin) — Tue, 18 May 2010 19:24:00 +0000

Solar power is expected to provide almost a quarter of the world's electricity supplies by 2050, according to a new report published by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Eleven percent of total supplies are predicted to come from solar panels on homes and offices while a further 11 percent will be provided by central solar power stations feeding clean electricity to populous areas.
Solar power currently accounts for 0.5 percent of total electricity supplies, but this will need to rise if cuts in carbon emissions are to be achieved, according to the IEA.

Executive director of the IEA, Nobuo Tanaka said in a statement: "The combination of solar photovoltaics and concentrating solar power offers considerable prospects for enhancing energy security while reducing energy-related CO2 emissions by almost six billion tonnes per year by 2050."

The future success of solar power stations (known as Concentrating Solar Power or CSP) will depend on the development of "dedicated transport lines," but the IEA predict that it could become competitive with coal and nuclear power plants by 2030.

The IEA expects North America to be the largest producer of CSP electricity, followed by India and North Africa -- which will likely export half of its output to Europe.

With the right policies in place, the IEA says that solar panels on residential and commercial buildings could compete with traditional electricity supplies by 2020 in many regions. By 2030 the IEA anticipate solar panels will provide five percent of global electricity.

Tanaka, who announced the initiatives at the Mediterranean Solar Plan Conference in Valencia, Spain, called for "long-term oriented, predictable solar-specific incentives" in order to "bring both technologies to competitiveness."

Professor Philip Eames, director of the Center for Renewable Energy Systems Technology at the UK's Loughborough University believes that solar power is a viable alternative to fossil fuels.

"Realistically, I think solar power has quite a bright future. I've seen predictions before and they are becoming more and more bullish as the technology develops," Eames told CNN.

"If you look at the resources that are available and the way technology has developed in the last few years, there will be quite a large increase in solar panels and CSP if it keeps developing."

Eames says costs of solar panels have come down a "huge amount" over the past 12 months and will continue to fall as the technology develops and CSP's maintenance costs are relatively small.
"Solar power's time is starting to come," Eames said.

Source: CNN

Worldwide Solar Breakdown

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Kozin) — Fri, 14 May 2010 13:34:00 +0000

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), of the 27 GW of cumulative solar capacity installed in the world, 17GW are residential, with 3GW of commercial capacity, 5 GW of utility scale capacity, and the remaining off grid installation. The IEA predicts that by 2050, there will be 3,155GW of installed capacity, with 1,380GW or 44% of global cumulative capacity will be residential, while 404GW, or 13% will be commercial installations. 908GW or 29% is expected to be Utility scale installations, and 463GW or 15% of installations are expected to be off grid installations.

Source: Ecogeneration.com

Home Appliance Energy Use

noreply@blogger.com (Reeves Clippard) — Fri, 07 May 2010 22:04:00 +0000

If you're researching solar, you probably have heard again and again how important energy conservation and efficiency is. You may have started looking around your house for phantom loads you can disconnect to help save energy. Take a look at this great interactive chart put together by GE. It might just be a new way to look at your appliances that could encourage you to save more.

SunPower's Going Back to Cali

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Kozin) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:53:00 +0000

SunPower announced today that they will begin manufacturing solar panels in Silicon Valley by year-end. This is great news for the solar industry, creating approximately 100 new jobs and increasing our country's contribution of manufactured solar power by 75 MW a year. A&R Solar looks forward to proudly telling its customers that the high-efficiency SunPower modules are made in the USA!

Full story here: http://investors.sunpowercorp.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=462572

Output from Residential Solar Doubled in 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Kozin) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:19:00 +0000

Homes generated twice as much power from rooftop solar panels last year than in 2008, says a new report by the solar power industry.

These photovoltaic (PV) systems were buoyed by expanded federal tax credits and falling PV prices, causing them to produce 156 megawatts of electricity in 2009, up from 78 megawatts a year earlier, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

"Despite the Great Recession of 2009, the U.S. solar industry had a winning year and posted strong growth numbers," Rhone Resch, the group's president and CEO, said in the announcement. "We expect 2010 to be a breakout year for the U.S. solar industry."

Last year, the U.S. government lifted its $2,000 tax credit cap on residential solar panels (also on windmills and geothermal heat pumps), allowing homeowners to deduct 30% of their total costs. Also, the report says, the price of PV modules has fallen more than 40% from mid-2008.

Still, solar energy continues to provide only a tiny amount of U.S. electricity -- less than 1% of the total.

The report cites tremendous variation within the industry, resulting in slower overall growth. Because the large commercial market lagged, total growth in capacity for photovoltaic panels increased 38% last year, down from 84% in 2008.

Worldwide last year, it says, the United States ranked fourth in solar-electric installations after Germany, Italy and Japan.

Among U.S. states, California has the most solar-electric installations, followed by New Jersey, Florida, Arizona and Colorado.

Source: USA Today

2009 Solar Scorecard

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Kozin) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 05:34:00 +0000

Here are some statistics released by SEIA that I found interesting. Germany continues to dominate the rest of the world with added solar capacity, despite their Seattle-like climate. Go figure...

Solar Capacity Added by State (2009):

1. California (220 MW)

2. New Jersey (57 MW)

3. Florida (36 MW)

4. Arizona (23 MW)

5. Colorado (23 MW)

5. Hawaii (14 MW)

6. New York (12 MW)

7. Massachusetts (10 MW)

8. Connecticut (9 MW)

9. North Carolina (8 MW)

* Hawaii installed the most solar electric capacity per capita in 2009 (10.4 W per capita). Nevada has the most cumulative solar electric capacity per capita (38 W per capita).

Solar Capacity Added by Nation (2009):

1. Germany (3,000 MW)

2. Italy (700 MW)

3. Japan (484 MW)

4. United States (481 MW)

5. Czech Republic (411 MW)

6. Belgium (292 MW)

7. France (285 MW)

8. Spain (180)

* The U.S. (2,108 MW) also ranked in fourth place in cumulative solar electric capacity behind Germany (8,877 MW), Spain (3,595 MW), and Japan (2,628 MW). The U.S. ranked in tenth place in new solar electric capacity per capita (1.6 W per capita) and ninth place in cumulative solar electric capacity per capita (6.9 W per capita).

Source: US Solar Industry: Year in Review 2009

How much energy does it take to make a solar panel?

noreply@blogger.com (Reeves Clippard) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:28:00 +0000

Recently a customer of ours raised the concern that they had heard solar panels will never generate enough power to offset the energy that was used to manufacture them in the first place. That energy that went into making the panels is called "embodied energy." After reviewing several websites with very alarmist data I started looking around some more and found two great resources.

This first paper aggregates and reviews thirteen previously published papers and finds one methodology the most accurate that puts the "energy pay back" of a panel at 2-3 years for one projection, and 6-8 years in a worst case scenario. The biggest draw back to the referenced studies is that they were all performed in the late 90's and early 2000's; before the PV industry saw it's great revival.

http://www.energybulletin.net/node/17219

This second study is from 2008. If you scroll down to the conclusion you'll find:

"According to our analysis, replacing grid electricity with central PV systems presents significant environmental benefits, which for CdTe PV amounts to 89–98% reductions of GHG emissions, criteria pollutants, heavy metals, and radioactive species. For roof-top dispersed installations, such pollution reductions are expected to be even greater as the loads on the transmission and distribution networks are reduced, and part of the emissions related to the life cycle of these networks are avoided."

and

"PV technologies provide the benefits of significantly curbing air emissions harmful to human and ecological health. It is noted that the environmental profiles of photovoltaics are further improving as efficiencies and material utilization rates increase and this kind of analysis needs to be updated periodically."

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es071763q?cookieSet=1