Domestic Fuel

A new study from PV Solar Report and SunRun reports that families in median zip codes make up the majority of California home owners who have installed solar energy. Nearly two-thirds of solar installations in ’09, ’10 and ’11 were completed in homes where the household median income is than $85,000 per year. In addition, the state is seeing a rise in solar projects in lower income zip codes as solar prices continue to drop.

The findings are in line with PV Solar’s Report of the Top 10 Solar Cities that was published in October. Two cities to make the list – Bakersfield, CA and Fresno, CA have average household incomes between $40,000 to $50,000. Only 2-3 percent of solar projects in Cali are in the state’s highest income zip codes.

“In 2007 we invented a way for homeowners to go solar without the high upfront costs so income would not prevent a switch to cleaner and less expensive energy,” said SunRun President and Co-founder Lynn Jurich. “The data from PV Solar Report shows this model is working, and that it’s not just the wealthy driving and benefiting from solar adoption. We are working to educate consumers that solar is finally affordable.”

SunRun owns, maintains and insures and installs solar panels on rooftops. Homeowners pay a fixed, low monthly cost for 20 years. This type of solar project accounted for 59 percent of residential projects in Q3 of 2010.

Solar is not reserved for the wealthy and the trends cited in the report support this according to Stephen Torres who is the founder and managing director of PV Solar Report. “Solar prices are coming down, it’s great for job growth from installing, financing, and servicing solar in local communities, and models like SunRun are helping drive growth because they eliminate large upfront investments,” he concluded.

You can download the report here.

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has proposed a General Rate Case (GRC) “network use charge” that would impose new costs on more than 14,000 solar power producers in the utility territory who are exporting solar energy to the grid. In response, the San Diego Solar Coalition has filed for intervenor status with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) that allows local solar firms to dispute the GRC.

The Coalition believes that these proposed new charges are an “attack on solar” and has “vowed” to protect its customers. Solar companies in the territory have combined invested more than $500M in solar electric systems and solar is the fastest growing sector in the city.

“SDG&E’s proposal wipes out 20 years of progressive energy policy in California for the benefit of the utility,” said Daniel Sullivan, a member of the San Diego Solar Coalition. He also said that the GRC proposal, if passed, will kill jobs in a dim economy.

What is interesting is the GRC proposal came following a commitment by California Governor Jerry Brown to generate 12,000 megawatts of clean energy such as solar by 2020. Brown appears to be in line with the American’s desire for more solar. According to a poll conducted in October 2011 by Kelton Research, 89 percent of Americans think it is important for the U.S. to develop and use solar energy.

“Solar power enjoys widespread, bi-partisan support both in the Capitol and among the public. One company should not be able allow to ignore the will of the people,” concluded Sullivan. 

HyperSolar has filed a patent application for its technology to produce natural gas using solar power. According to the company, the natural gas is a carbon neutral methane gas that can be used as a replacement for fossil-fuel based natural gas.

“The sun is our greatest source of energy and a method to use this energy to make clean, renewable fuel is a very significant discovery,” said Tim Young, CEO of HyperSolar. “We intend to focus all our energies and resources on commercializing this breakthrough technology.”

The technology was inspired, according to HyperSolar, by the photosynthetic processes that plants use to create energy. The company is developing a solar-powered nanoparticle system that mimics photosynthesis to separate hydrogen from water. The hydrogen is then reacted with carbon dioxide to produce the methane, which is the primary component of natural gas.

“With global consumption projected to surpass coal in 2035, natural gas will be the next great fuel, continued Young. “From sunrise to sunset, our proprietary nanoparticles will work in a water based solution to produce clean and environmentally friendly renewable natural gas that can be collected for later use in power plants, industrial plants and vehicles – anywhere and anytime.”

Young also noted that there has already been hundreds of billions of dollars invested in natural gas infrastructure. He believes a renewable natural gas fuel is a reality.

Hawaiian Electric Company has again selected Renewable Energy Group® (REG) to supply their sustainable biodiesel needs.

Under the new contract, REG will continue to supply 3-7 million gallons of high quality biodiesel annually for Hawaiian Electric’s 110-megawatt combustion turbine generator at Campbell Industrial Park Generating Station for three additional years. Like the current supply contract, the biodiesel will be processed from used cooking oil and waste animal fats. The new contract was awarded as a result of a request for competitive bids issued in February 2011.

“We are committed to beating the legal requirement of 40 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2030,” said Robbie Alm, Hawaiian Electric executive vice president. “We need to bring as much clean energy online as soon as possible.”

The Campbell Industrial Park Generating Station is the first utility-scale combustion turbine run entirely on biodiesel.

“We are proud to continue our partnership with Hawaiian Electric Company, a progressive, sustainable leader in the electric utility generation business,” said Daniel J. Oh, REG president & CEO. “The state should be commended for its leadership in creating a model for other utility companies across the country to follow.”

Solar energy has taken over St. Louis. The St. Louis Housing Authority recently completed five solar energy projects that included powering its administrative building along with four affordable housing complexes. The 617 KW combined solar projects were designed, installed and engineered by Real Goods Solar and the energy produced is expected to reduce the complexes’ electricity use by more than 75 percent and reduce electricity use in the admin building by around 15 percent.

“Solar power isn’t just for large corporations or those with large incomes,” said Michael Steinbaum, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Sunwheel Energy Partners who developed the project. “It provides an opportunity for just about anyone to reduce costs and have a positive impact on the environment.”

The total combined systems are comprised of 405 SunPower and 2, 216 Sharp solar panels. The projects were funded through the federal Housing and Urban Development Green Communities stimulus funds along with energy and redevelopment tax credits and all parts of the solar system were manufactured in America. The system includes both roof-mounted and carport canopy solar arrays and are estimated to generate nearly 777,000 hours of energy each year. This is enough electricity to power 81 homes per year.

Tyson Grul, Director of Commercial Solar for Real Goods, added, “The coordination required to install systems on more than 90 buildings – in a wide variety of weather conditions – was no small feat. However, the result is the largest solar initiative in the state so far, and we believe it will open doors for many future projects – putting Missouri on the path to being a national renewable energy leader.”

The Kingman I wind and solar project located in Kingman, Arizona and owned by Western Wind Energy has begun operations. According to the company, the 10.5 MW combined wind/solar energy farm is the first purpose-built wind and solar project in North America. In other words, the combined wind and solar energy facility was designed and built for the power purchase agreement with Unisource Electric Services.

The project consists of five Gamesa G-90 2 MW wind turbine generators with 500 kW of solar panels located on a single axis tracking system. The farm went online on August 30, 2011 and began revenue service on September 16.

“This is a ground breaking, game changing development in the renewable energy industry where two completely separate types of technology and renewable fuel sources are integrated at the very beginning as a combined facility,” said Jeff Ciachurski, CEO of Western Wind Energy. “Integration of multiple renewable fuel sources allows for the maximization of existing transmission infrastructure by having a greater range of time of day availability. Western Wind Energy is excited to be the first owner/operator of this real-time, solution oriented facility.”

Here is unique use of solar. Carlisle Energy Services (CES) has completed its Sepctro PowerCap Exposed Geomembrane Solar Cover system in Madison County, New York. This technology will “cover” the landfill for up to 30 years. The eight-acre demonstration system feature’s the GeoTPO Geomembrane with a south-facing 40kWp DC integrated solar photovoltaic array powered by Uni-Solar. The system is expected to offset almost all of the power requirements of the Madison County ARC Recycling Facility located on site.

The Madison County landfill is the first in the country to apply this technology in a closure project and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority provided a grant in an effort to showcase the technology to other landfill owners.

“Carlisle Energy Services is proud to have helped Madison County develop a sustainable landfill closure system that generates clean solar energy,” said Carlisle’s Director of Landfill Solutions Arthur Mohr Jr. “This project demonstrates the merits of our GeoTPO Geomembrane as a viable long-term closure system for landfill owners.”

Other plans for the site include a landfill gas system that captures the heat generated by the turbine engines to dry lumber on site. This energy will be used to heat the building. In addition, the owners are considering adding other alternative energy elements such as a windmill, hydroponic greenhouses and/or additional solar systems.

“The photovoltaic landfill cover will play an integral role in Madison County’s growing renewable energy initiative, and we are proud to demonstrate the technical and commercial feasibility of Carlisle’s unique landfill closure system,” added James Zecca, Madison County Solid Waste Department Director.

Local youth in Durban, South Africa will be participating in a two-week solar training course compliments of Greenpeace. The 30 youth will learn about solar photovoltaic (PV) and other renewable energy technologies in addition to completing course modules covering social entrepreneurship and Greenpeace’s Energy (R)evolution report.

The PV panels were donated by the SunPower Foundation and will be installed as part of the solar training course. Once installed, the four SunPower solar panels will generate energy for two Greenpeace Africa mobile solar showcase units. They will be on display during the 17th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNGCCC) taking place in Durban November 28-December 9, 2011. Each unit will utilize solar-powered multi-media technology devices, including televisions, laptops and sound systems.

“With this donation, the SunPower Foundation remains true to its mission — to empower the world’s next generation of solar leaders,” said Tom Werner, SunPower president and CEO. “We hope that the Greenpeace Solar Training course will inspire local youth to explore solar technology and create renewable solutions for energy needs in this part of the world and beyond.”

In addition to the donation of the four panels. SunPower Foundation has also announced its plans to solarize the Greenpeach Africa Johannesburg headquarters with a SunPower rooftop system later this year. Olivia Langhoff, campaigns director for Greenpeace Africa added, “This donation provides an impetus for investment and is a demonstration that renewable energy solutions are feasible.”

Renewable energy is one of the fastest growing sectors of energy in the U.S. Last year wind energy was only second to natural gas in terms of providing new electric generation. Bill White with David Gardiner & Associates told me during an interview that it won’t be long before wind energy surpasses all other forms of energy for new electric energy installed.

White said that policies are very important to help create jobs, lower electricity costs and increase dependence on domestic sources of energy. Several policies to pay attention to include the federal production tax credit, which is set to expire at the end of 2012. He stressed that it is important for Congress to extend the tax credit.

“Leaving it to the last minute will create a lot of uncertainty in the market and make investors a little less comfortable,” said White. “It would really have a negative effect on the boom in the industry that’s going on despite the recession.”

Listen to my interview with Bill White here: How to Accelerate Wind Energy Development

Another key policy is the investment tax credit that was enacted in 2009 as part of the Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This gives developers the option to take a 30 percent investment tax credit for a new facility in lieu of the tax credit. To be eligible, construction must begin by the end of 2011.

One of the biggest barriers to developing wind energy, says White is the ability to move the power from where it is most cost effective to produce to where people use a lot of electricity. FERC recently issued a series of orders that takes important steps in the way companies share and plan new transmission projects.

White concluded that the wind industry has been very successful and he believes it will be more successful in the future. “If we’re really able to build the infrastructure under this new FERC order, than we’ll really see this industry take off.”

You can learn more about the wind industry at the upcoming Wind & Transmission Leadership Summit in Blue Sky, Montana September 26-28.

The U.S.-based University that uses the most solar energy in its mix is Arizona State University (ASU), which exceeds 10 megawatts (MW) of solar-energy capacity. The solar energy produced is enough to power 2,500 average sized homes. This is according to Ameresco Southwest, Inc.

“Surpassing 10 megawatts of solar energy capacity is a tremendous accomplishment for ASU and our partners,” said ASU President Michael Crow. “Over the years we have made several major commitments to sustainability, such as establishing the first school devoted to sustainability, raising awareness of how to live sustainable lives and finding ways to harness natural resources, like our abundance of sunshine. By doing these things, we are making a brighter future for ourselves and the place in which we live.”

When looking at ASU’s total energy use, the solar energy generates about 20 percent of their needs. The first solar energy product took place in October 2004 with a 34-kW installation at one of its parking structures on the Tempe campus. The university reached the 10 MW milestone after installing a 700 panel, 168-kilowatt (kW) ground-mounted photovoltaic installation on Tempe campus. Another solar installation is located at ASU’s West campus.

David Brixen, ASU’s associate vice president of Facilities Development and Management added, “Ten megawatts is a pinnacle for ASU and represents years of dedication to working toward our campus sustainability goals. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest solar installation at a single university in the United States.”

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a $2.1 million contract to Solectria Renewables as part of its SunShot Initiative, to develop integrated smart-grid ready photovoltaic (PV) inverters with utility communications. The project will be completed in partnership with Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Detroit Edison, National Grid, and Xcel Energy. The DOE program is aimed at bringing cost-competitive solar technologies to market faster.

The purpose of a PV inverter or a solar inverter is to convert the variable DC output of the solar modules into a utility frequency AC current that can be fed into the electrical grid. A PV inverter has special functions adapted for use with PV arrays. The key objectives of the Solectria Renewables Program are to leverage ongoing investments in smart grid and related standards as well as to expand PV inverter capabilities. The company says that together these two things will help grid operators better utilize grid assets.

“We are honored to have been selected by the Department of Energy to receive this award, which is a reaffirmation of our leadership in the inverter space,” said Michael Zuercher-Martinson, CTO of Solectria Renewables. “Enabling utilities to control our SMARTGRID inverters (SGI) is the next big step towards a smarter grid that can accommodate a very high PV penetration density in a safe, secure, efficient and reliable manner.”

Detroit Edison, National Grid and Xcel Energy will supply test sites ranging from 605kW to 30MW. Each of the sites will test different aspects of the technologies being developed by EPRI and Solectria Renewables.

I felt like an academic when I read this week’s book, “The Powers That Be Global Energy For The Twenty-First Century And Beyond,” although author Scott L. Montgomery wanted the book to be “fun.” I sported my black geek glasses and curled up in a chair at a local coffee shop and attempted to give off the personae that I’m smart. Although I’m not sure anyone was fooled, I’m definitely smarter about our country’s energy options now than I was before I read the book.

This is an extremely in-depth look at what our energy landscape looks like today. It also reviews where we stand, as a world, with regard to resources and options as well as politics and policies that are driving the future. In addition, it looks at where we are headed.  As I look at our country, I’ve felt for a long-time that we are “energy illiterate” and need to become better students of energy education. While Montgomery agrees to some degree, he feels the problem lies more in lack of curriculum and the inability for people to learn about energy in a nonpartisan setting.

Montgomery writes, “Energy matters are critical to understand because they are fundamental to our way of life and because they are the subject of endless misconception, misrepresentation, and, as already noted, myth.”

Throughout the book, Montgomery takes an approach that many other authors have not and that’s the view that he doesn’t categorize energy as “dirty or clean” or necessarily “evil versus good.”  He explains that fossil fuels help build and transport renewable sources and also reminds us that every type of energy has an impact on the environment. Yes everyone, there is no “renewable” energy source that is developed, produced or transported without a fossil fuel.
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The Two Dot community wind farm located about 90 miles Northwest of Billings, Montana has taken another step forward in the development of its wind energy project. NorthWestern Energy and OwnEnergy, a developer of community wind projects, announced the signing of a 25-year Qualifying Facility Agreement for the 9.7 megawatt Two Dot Wind Farm.

OwnEnergy will sell the wind energy to NorthWestern Energy and the two organizations negotiated a long-term rate well below the current rate of $69.21. As a result, OwnEnergy obtained curtailment provisions that are more favorable than ones traditionally found in a Qualifying Facility Agreement.

“Thanks to this agreement, our customers will benefit from the addition of a renewable energy source at a rate more beneficial to ratepayers,” said John Hines, Vice President – Supply for OwnEnergy. “With our other recent wind QF purchases, we are nearing the limit of installed wind capacity that we are allowed to purchase through this tariff.”

The Montana Public Service Commission set a rate for NorthWestern Energy to purchase up to 50MW of wind generation. When the company reaches the cap, the MPSC will reexamine the wind QF tariff and related policies.

The Two Dot Wind project is owned by Dave Healow and Dana Dogetrom and exemplifies community wind projects. The wind farm will not only create renewable electricity, but also provide jobs for members of the community.  It is expected to be completed and in production by the spring of 2012.

Jacob Susman, founder and CEO of OwnEnergy, added, “This is an exciting milestone for OwnEnergy, Two Dot Wind, LLC and the local Montana community. NorthWestern has once again shown true leadership, demonstrating that power generation can be environmentally friendly at the same time as being cost-effective.”

New Jersey has been heavily promoting its addition of solar energy across the state but today the Solar Alliance criticized New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for his administration’s conclusions about the merits of the state’s Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) program as part of the Energy Master Plan (EMP).

“While the Draft EMP successfully lays out New Jersey’s energy needs, it excludes solar as an energy source and investment opportunity. Further it contains factual inaccuracies. The type of rigorous analysis encouraged by the EMP must be based on the best and most current information available and not on lingering stereotypes,” said Carrie Cullen Hitt, President of the Solar Alliance.

The SREC’s have been a big factor in the investment in and installment of dozens of solar projects in the state. The loss of the program could dramatically slow the growth of solar energy in the state. The Solar Alliance says they agree with EMP’s focus on rigorous “net economic benefit” analysis but claims that the plan does not apply the benefit equally. They continued by saying many of the costs cited are outdated or misconstrued while the benefits of solar have been overlooked or de-emphasized.

The national solar association cited a few specific examples: the BPU should quantify all value streams associated with solar when applying a ‘net economic benefit test’; the EMP should use updated, universally recognized cost estimates of solar technology; and the EMP should reassess its interpretation of the rate impact of the SREC Program, which is less than 1/2 percent.

Hitt added, “We may debate the methodology for measuring benefits of solar, but their existence is undeniable and their omission from the Draft EMP extremely disappointing. This unfortunately leads to an incomplete picture of the role that solar can play in creating jobs, new investment and clean, reliable electricity for New Jersey.”

“As currently drafted, the EMP will restrict New Jersey solar businesses from creating jobs and deploying clean, reliable solar electricity,” he concluded.

School has started for many kids across the country and its no exception for the students of West Sonoma County Union High School District. But this year the students came back to a little face lift. The school has commissioned its 834 kW solar power system that should provide 80 percent of its power needs and Analy, El Molino and Laguna High Schools. The system, which is a combination of roof panels and ground mounted panels, was designed by Real Goods Solar and engineered and installed in less than four months.

WSCUHSD Superintendent Keller McDonald said, “Using solar will save the school district approximately $250,000 a year, plus the state of California will be providing an incentive for building the project of approximately $1.1 million, to be paid out over the next five years.”

The 2,600 Sunpower 320 modules are 70 percent elevated and 30 percent ground mounted. The district is expected to produce nearly 1,250 megawatt hours of electricity per year, or the enough to power 300 average sized homes. The students will be getting hands-on lessons in renewable energy and through Real Goods Solar’s curriculum and 12-acre solar demonstration center, called the Solar Living Institute.

Tyson Grul, Director of Commercial Solar for Real Goods added, “As a graduate of WSCUHSD, I find it particularly gratifying to be helping reduce its carbon footprint. With school continually facing budget cuts, this is a great example of a district taking control over its financial future and proving that ‘green energy’ is good for the environment and the economy.”