Domestic Fuel

New Mexico farmworkers are receiving green job training installing solar panels, according to the Association of Farm Worker Opportunity Programs.

HELP-New Mexico, a statewide community-based organization headquartered in Albuquerque, helped prepare a group of farmworkers to obtain certifications that will provide them with the skills, knowledge, and ability to work together with journeyman electricians to design and install solar panel systems. The 48-hour training culminated over the weekend with a hands-on solar panel installation of a system on the homes of two low-income families in Berino, New Mexico.

“The class has provided workforce participants, many of whom are currently unemployed and/or underemployed, with a way to enhance their skills in targeted industries and provide them with a “leg up” in the job market”, states Roni Spetalnick, Southwest Regional Manager, HELP-NM.

Classes began on November 15, 2011, at the El Paso Electricians Apprenticeship Training Facility where a journeyman electrician/trainer helped prepare the New Mexico trainees to take the entry level North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) certification exam. Last Saturday, the trainees used their new skills to install solar systems on two homes built by Tierra Del Sol Housing, a nonprofit agency that builds affordable homes for low income individuals. They worked under the guidance and direction of a local solar installation company, Border Solar.

In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama voiced strong support for renewable energy and an end to oil subsidies.

“We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That’s long enough,” the president said. “It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that’s rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that’s never been more promising. Pass clean energy tax credits and create these jobs.”

Mentioning natural gas, wind and solar specifically, Obama called for using various types of renewable energy solutions to make the country less dependent on oil alone. “This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy – a strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs,” he said.

Petra Solar and Enviromena Power Systems have formed an alliance so the two can develop solar and smart grid projects in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Petra Solar is the pioneer and market leader of Smart Solar, an innovative approach that couples solar with smart grid technology to generate clean, safe renewable energy while making the electric infrastructure more stable, efficient and energy independent. The platform is scalable to future smart grid applications including energy efficiency.

Enviromena Power Systems is the leading developer of solar projects in the MENA. Their highly experienced team finances, designs, installs and operates solar power plants. Enviromena Power Systems is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates.

“The increasing demand for solar energy and grid reliability provides a tremendous opportunity for Petra Solar throughout the Middle East and the world. Collaborating with Enviromena, the leading developer of solar projects in the Middle East and North Africa, will facilitate the international expansion of our products and business development in the region,” said Dr. Shihab Kuran, President and CEO of Petra Solar. “Enviromena has an impressive list of completed projects including the Masdar 10MW Power Plant and has the largest installed capacity of any solar developer in the Middle East and North Africa.”

“Petra Solar’s unique technology greatly expands our portfolio of photovoltaic solutions available to the MENA region,” said Sami Khoreibi, CEO of Enviromena. “We see a large market here for distributed solar applications, particularly where smart grid iitiatives are taking place.”

ESA Renewables, (ESA), a leading turnkey solar solutions provider, has entered into separate multi-year operation and maintenance (O&M) contracts with four solar farms in North Carolina.

The four O&M agreements are with:

• -The Murphy Solar Farm, which is approximately eight acres in size and consists of 4,298 ground-mounted solar panels. The solar installation is located on the grounds of the Martins Creek Elementary School.

• -The Wingate Solar Farm, also located in Murphy, N.C. which consists of 4,340 solar panels. This solar project has been installed on a tract of land which is approximately seven acres in size.

• -The Culberson Solar Farm located on approximately five acres which is composed of more than 3,400 solar panels.

• -The Holiness Solar Farm which consists of 4,242 solar panels and is located on approximately nine acres.

A lead engineer and other O&M technicians will utilize ESA’s proprietary monitoring system which has been installed on each solar array to ensure maximum performance, reduce system downtime, and make informed decisions as to O&M services. ESA’s employees are also factory authorized and qualified to install and service advanced energy’s inverters which were used in the initial construction of the solar farm.

“ESA is proud to have designed and engineered a renewable energy technology that is an ideal O&M solution to maximizing energy generation,” Jeffrey Burkett, president of ESA Renewables. “We look forward to integrating our technology on many other renewable energy power plants in the near future for effective monitoring and control.”

Biodiesel consulting firm Lee Enterprises of Little Rock, Ark., has announced plans for expansion in 2012 into ethanol, biomass, wind, solar and geothermal, and the addition of consultants and strategic partners.

“We are currently the world’s largest biodiesel consulting group, and most of our consultants and strategic partners are already very involved in the other alternative fuels,” said principal owner Wayne Lee.

Lee notes that the group’s current appraiser, environmental expert, QA experts, and grant writers have backgrounds and experience in these areas, and that the group’s larger strategic partners – Stoel Rives (legal), Christianson & Associates (accounting), IMA of Kansas (insurance), FCStone Merchant Services (feedstock financing), and Executive Leadership Solutions (staffing) – already have very significant presences in these other alternative fuels sectors. “Our goal over the past several years has been to put together a top notch team of the best biodiesel experts in the world”, says Lee. “I am quite satisfied that we have accomplished that goal and now address almost every need in the biodiesel sector.”

“I am a firm believer in biodiesel as the best alternative to diesel fuels and I strongly believe in its future” says Lee. “But, the overall solution to the world’s oil dependency rests with all the alternative fuels working together”. As a result, Lee wants his consulting group to be able to provide the same depth of assistance for all kinds of alternative fuels as they currently provide for biodiesel.

Subsole, one of Chile’s largest locally owned exporters of table fruits, is planning to use solar energy from the Atacama desert to help supply its power as the company grows.

Subsole plans to increase output 60 percent over the next four years, mostly by expanding farming in the Copiapó Valley, a region 800 kilometers north of Santiago that is surrounded by the Atacama Desert. The desert is the driest place on earth and the region has the highest solar radiation on the planet.

In order to be able to boost output competitively, Subsole plans to build a 300 kWp (kilowatts-peak) solar photovoltaic plant in the valley to power its irrigation systems. The new plant, the first ever by a Chilean fruit producer, will allow the company to pump water from underground aquifers cheaply and sustainably in a region where a thriving mining industry competes fiercely for scarce electricity. Subsole is using a $32 million loan and technical assistance from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to fund this project.

“The solar plant will allow us to reduce our carbon footprint while ensuring stable energy costs and better energy efficiency,” said Miguel Allamand, Subsole’s president, who founded the company 20 years ago.

With technical and financial support from the IDB, the company will conduct energy audits in six irrigation sites and three packaging and cold storage facilities. It also will carry out a pre-feasibility study to implement solar cooling technology, to improve irrigation and water storage methods, and to build energy-efficient storage and packaging facilities with state-of-the-art technology.

“Subsole’s investment will enhance its sustainability practices and will have a significant impact along the entire supply chain, benefitting 275 small and medium-sized producers and creating more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, ultimately impacting approximately 82,000 beneficiaries along the supply chain,” said Paola Bazan, the project team leader for the IDB.

The loan is a milestone in the long-term relationship between the IDB Group and Subsole. In 2002, the company was the first Chilean fruit producer and exporter to receive financing from the Inter-American Investment Corporation ( IIC ), a member of the IDB Group. In 2008 the IIC made a second loan to a company of the Subsole group. The group also benefited from a diagnostic review process under FINPYME, a program that helps small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) become more competitive and gain access to longer-term financing.

The IIC’s first loan, a $7 million facility fully repaid in 2008, enabled Subsole to finance the increase in output of thirteen of its small independent fruit suppliers. The second IIC loan to the Subsole group, which is still outstanding, was used to finance the construction of a cold storage and packing plant in Copiapó.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is looking for a new location for Solar Decathlon 2013. DOE hopes to provide other communities with the opportunity to host the competition and share the economic and education and outreach benefits of the event.

Since 2002, the Solar Decathlon has been held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where it has successfully showcased energy-efficient housing and clean energy technologies. For Solar Decathlon 2013, DOE is seeking a new venue. The event will promote the outreach, education, and economic benefits of energy security, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.

The winners of Solar Decathlon 2011 were announced last month with the University of Maryland getting first place honors for its WaterShed entry that proposes solutions to water and energy shortages. Purdue University took second place in the competition, and New Zealand (Victoria University of Wellington) received the third-place award. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.

Appalachian State University won the Decathlon 2011 People’s Choice Award for its Solar Homestead entry – a self-sustaining net zero-energy house inspired by the pioneer spirit of the early settlers to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Appalachian State also won second place in the Communications Contest and third place in the Architecture Contest.

The Solar Decathlon’s influence has expanded around the work in recent years, with international teams from Belgium, Canada, China, and New Zealand that bring different perspectives and add to the debate about how to design sustainable homes.

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.

Solar Power International 2011 (SPI 2011) is taking place this week in Dallas and six of the country’s leading solar executives and innovators held a press call this morning from the conference to talk about issues of interest to the industry.

Lyndon Rive, CEO of SolarCity, says there is tremendous momentum in the solar industry despite backlash from the Solyndra affair. “If you look at the companies here, everyone is doing extremely well, they’re hiring,” he said. “The notion of no job growth in the solar industry is totally fake.”

Recurrent Energy CEO Arno Harris discussed impending trade action against China’s solar industry. “Notices are going out this morning that Solar World is joining a petition to the Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce alleging that China is unfairly subsidizing its solar manufacturers and dumping solar modules on the global market,” said Harris.

Julie Blunden with SunPower says it is a very dynamic time for the solar industry. “One of the things we are pleased to see is the continued interest in evolving technology for lower costs and better performance,” she said, noting that her company was unveiling two product advancements in that area at the show this week.

SunRun president Lynn Jurich focused on the residential solar sector, which is about 30% of the industry. “About four years ago, my company pioneered solar leasing for consumers,” she said, explaining that this business model allows home owners to have a solar system installed and they just pay for electricity from it at a fixed cost. “This model has become the dominant way consumers are adopting solar.”

Danny Kennedy, founder of Sungevity, talked about the importance of the industry in creating jobs. “The solar industry grew 7% in employment over 12 months from August 2010 to August 2011,” he said. “That compares to .7% job growth in the general economy.”

Solaria CEO Dan Shugar concluded opening comments by noting the expanding opportunities for solar in utilities. “Solar is competing head to head with conventional, polluting power generation resources. Today, solar is less expensive than power from a new nuclear power plant, and obviously much lower risk,” he said.

Listen to comments and questions from the media here: Solar Power Executives

Cellulosic ethanol developer ZeaChem has been named one of the 2011 Global Cleantech 100 companies. The annual list is produced by Cleantech Group in collaboration with UK’s Guardian News, focusing on companies they believe are likely to make the most significant impact over the next 5-10 years.

“ZeaChem is building a portfolio of advanced biofuels and bio-based chemicals derived from cellulosic biomass,” said Jim Imbler, CEO of ZeaChem. “As our 250,000 gallon demonstration plant nears completion in Boardman, Ore. and we develop our first commercial scale biorefinery, we are honored to be named in the 2011 Global Cleantech 100.”

Another advanced biofuels company that made the list for the second year was LanzaTech, a New Zealand-based firm working on the conversion of a nonfood feed stocks into bioethanol. LanzaTech was also named “Company of the Year Asia Pacific” for 2011.

A number of solar companies also made the list, including SolarCity and eSolar of California.

Joule Unlimited Technologies has received the 2011 Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award in the Energy category and was also named the Silver award winner across all of the competition’s 16 categories, from more than 600 entries around the globe.

“We are honored to be the Wall Street Journal’s choice for the most innovative energy company, and to be recognized even beyond our industry as one of the world’s top innovators overall,” said Bill Sims, President and CEO of Joule.

As stated in the Journal’s report by Kenny Tang, one of the independent judges and founder & CEO of Oxbridge Weather Capital, “In bypassing the limitations of expensive processes in conventional biofuel production, Joule’s technology has the exciting potential to significantly transform the economics of the biofuel industry. If translated into wider use, it is a potential game changer—it could become a cost-effective replacement to petroleum on a much wider scale than previously possible, especially with its non-reliance on biomass.”

Using sunlight and waste CO2 from industrial emitters or pipelines, Joule anticipates commercial production of up to 15,000 gallons of diesel and 25,000 gallons of ethanol per acre annually, at stable costs as low as $20/bble and $0.60/gallon respectively, including subsidies. The company has been conducting pilot operations and expects to begin construction of its first demonstration-scale plant this quarter.

A company that makes bio-based materials for solar panels is getting more interest from Asian solar companies.

California-based BioSolar, which develops materials from renewable plant sources that reduce the cost of photovoltaic (PV) solar modules, reports that a number of Asian solar manufacturers are actively evaluating the company’s BioBacksheet for use in solar panels.

BioSolar previously reported that it entered into a sales rep agreement with ShinHa, Inc, a Korean firm representing large Asian PV panel manufacturers targeting the North American solar market, which has led to increased interest from other Asian firms.

“Our BioBacksheet, which costs less than incumbent petroleum-based backsheets, has become very appealing to Asian PV panel manufacturers that export to the North American market. We are also seeing increased interest from foreign PV panel manufacturers pursuing sales to the U.S. government because of our USDA BioPreferred Certification,” said BioSolar CEO Dr. David Lee.

According to the company, the primary material used in the BioBacksheet is a durable polyamide resin made from castor beans. During the extrusion process, the castor beans are compounded with a secondary non-petroleum material to form a unique and highly durable PV backsheet film.

Listen to a DomesticFuel cast interview with Dr. David Lee.

>New Jersey-based GeoGenix, a SunPower Elite dealer, is offering residential solar systems at a reduced price through the “Drive Green for Life” program that was recently announced by Ford and SunPower Corp.

The “Drive Green for Life” program offers buyers of the 2012 Ford Focus Electrica zero-emissions driving experience that allow electric vehicle (EV) drivers to reduce lifetime auto costs and eliminate long-term EV charging costs. The program refers Focus Electric buyers to SunPower Elite Dealers who will install a high-efficiency, 2.5-kW SunPower solar system on their homes for less than $10,000* after state and federal incentives.

“This is an interesting program, because it will help to stimulate further solar market growth, especially here in New Jersey where state incentives are so strong,” said Gaurav Naik, principal at GeoGenix. “Eco-conscious consumers now have yet another reason to install a solar system. We hope that this partnership will increase demand for solar installations and expand our client base through Ford referrals.”

The 2.5 kilowatt rooftop solar system is comprised of the SunPower® E18 Series solar panels that produce an average of 3,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. These high-efficiency solar panels generate approximately 50 percent more electricity than conventional panels and utilize a smaller footprint on the roof. The system was sized to accommodate a customer who drives about 1,000 miles per month.

Learn more about GeoGenix in the Domestic Fuel podcast from March.