Domestic Fuel

It seems like I just don’t have enough time to watch TV, unless of course I’m holed up in a hotel room as I am tonight. I just happen to be flipping channels when I stopped on a rerun of the Simpson’s, “The Squirt and the Whale.” This episode was created in honor of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day (2010) and I’ve been so out of touch apparently, I never saw it until tonight. I have to say that while the episode was not entirely supportive of renewable energy, the Simpson’s go off the grid with their own personal wind turbine and it was pretty funny.

The move to renewable energy is spurred by a high electric bill and sends the family to the Alternative Energy Expo. As the family piles into the car, to avert thieves in their absence, they leave on all the lights, including their Christmas lights. Once they get to the expo, several things catch their eye including solar panels and biofuels where boothmates “switchgrass” and “corn ethanol” get in a fight over who is better.

But what really catches Homer’s eye is the promise of the wind turbine, which he installs in his backyard.

Lisa: Dad, you are leading the way in clean energy.

Homer: Yep. I Al Gore’d it pretty good.

Lisa: The Simpsons are off the grid and so far it’s going great.

Until…

Homer: Who turned off the wind?

Lisa: Dad, if we’re really off the grid than we won’t get power when the wind is still.

Homer: Well, I’m not crawling back to Big Electricity. From now on the Simpson’s are living intermittently.

Ok, so while the message wasn’t perfect you know when a technology has captured the minds of the general public when it shows up in pop culture. Now let’s hope that renewable energy does a better job of capturing the minds of our politicians so it can continue to “show up” in our backyards.

Raise your mug if you love coffee. For you coffee lovers in Iowa, you can now get your fix from Dave Bess and Anna Erickson’s mobile coffee shop that is fueled by biodiesel. The Iowa City couple has been traveling around the country to public events this summer including the world famous Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) sponsored by the Des Moines Register.

The idea for the business emerged last summer while Bess and Erickson were riding from the Missouri River to the mighty Mississippi when they realized that there was no coffee stand to be found. Soon after, Besspresso was born. But the couple didn’t want to just sell great coffee- they also wanted to do this in an environmentally friendly way.

As a result, their green Mercedes-Benz van is powered by soy-based biodiesel and the coffee-making equipment runs on solar power generated from panels mounted on the roof. In case you didn’t know, Iowa is the largest biodiesel producing state in the country.

Since launching Besspresso, Bess and Erickson have traveled to the Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee, a white-water rafting festival along the Arkansas River in the Rocky Mountains and a Bicycle Tour of Colorado. When they’re not traveling, Besspresso’s home base is 312 E. Market Street in Iowa City.

A new report commissioned by Paris-based Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) shows that the renewable energy sector continues to perform well despite the continuing economic recession, incentive cuts and low natural gas prices. In fact, "Renewables 2011 Global Status Report" calculates that renewable energy supplied around 16 percent of global final energy consumption and accounted for nearly 20 percent of global electricity production. The report was authored by Janet Sawin, a senior fellow with the Worldwatch Institute along with a global network of research partners.

When you include large and small hydropower, which is estimated to have added 30 gigawatts of power in 2010, renewable energy accounted for approximately 50 percent of total added power-generating capacity in 2010. Also increasing in capacity last year was the solar water and space heating industry which added approximately 25 gigawatts-thermal (GWth) or about 16 percent.

"The Global Status Report shows that despite the recession, renewables are growing at an enormous rate," said Director of Climate & Energy Alexander Ochs who contributed to the report. "Still, there are 1.5 billion people who don't have any access to energy, and 3 billion people relying on traditional biomass sources and coal. If we want to prevent climate change from spinning out of control, we need to scale up our efforts to accelerate renewable energy development and deployment at all levels. Worldwatch will continue to provide guidance as to how this can be done."

The driver for growth continues to be renewable energy policies. By the beginning of 2011, there were at least 119 countries that had some policy target or renewable energy policy at the national level. In 2005, this number was only 55. The report details that more than half of these countries represent the developing world and at least 95 countries have policy specifically to grow renewable power generation. In the United States, for example, 30 states (plus Washington, D.C.) have Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS).

While feed-in tariffs are somewhat taboo in the United States, they remain the most common mechanism worldwide to encourage adoption of renewable energy sources. Also somewhat lacking in the U.S. private investments in the industry on a global scale reached $211 billion last year, up from $160 billion invested in 2009. Money invested in renewable energy companies, utility-scale generation, and biofuel projects increased to $143 billion, with developing countries surpassing developed economies for the first time, according to the Global Status Report's recently released companion report, "UNEP's Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2011." Not surprisingly, China attracted $48.5 billion, or more than a third of the global total.

In addition to the report, REN21 also launched its Renewables Interactive Map, a tool for gathering and sharing the renewable energy developments.

The solar industry has a new resource for information about the solar industry. Principal Solar has launched the “Definitive Solar Library,” an online resource center dedicated exclusively to solar energy. The company believes this is the first of its kind worldwide.

“Efforts to capture the power of the sun at a reasonable cost continue to evolve, positioning solar energy as one of the hottest topics around the world and creating the need for straightforward information and perspectives that improve upon the renewable energy exchange of ideas,” said Michael Gorton, CEO and president of Principal Solar, Inc. “By defining the issues, collecting and distributing information, the Definitive Solar Library will serve as a valuable educational outpost for leaders of government, business and academia. It will also be accessible to consumers who want to join the dialogue.”

To demonstrate the value of the Library, Principal Solar also released two white papers. The first, “Under the Sun: Putting Environmental and Regulatory Issues to Work,” was co-authored by Michael Gorton, CEO and chairman of Principal Solar and Scott D. Deatherage, partner Patton Boggs. This paper guides investors through the technical, legal and environmental issues required for making solar projects work successfully.

The second white papers, “Interfacing with the Electrical Grid,” was co-authored by Ken Allen, chief operating officer of Principal Solar and Ron Seidel, PE, board of directors, Principal Solar. This paper outlines the interconnection of power sources with renewable generation and the roles of federal, regional and state regulatory agencies in the processes.

Gorton added, “Because more entities have become aware of solar energy and its many attributes, timing for this launch is ideal. We expect the Library to improve upon existing practices and deliver additional solutions that advance significant social and economic value to communities, governments and individuals worldwide.”

Want to move the angle of your solar panels? Got an app for that. At the touch of an iPhone, 382 solar trackers were brought into position perpendicular with the sun marking the completion of the largest solar installation in Vermont and according to AllEarth Renewables, the largest solar installation of its kind in North America.

The 382 AllSun Trackers use GPS and wireless technology to follow the sun’s path throughout the day producing more than 40 percent more energy than fixed solar according to AllEarth Renewables. The company manufactured the technology just four miles from the site of the 2.2 megawatt solar farm.

“This project not only produces renewable energy from the sun, it creates a lot of local clean energy jobs,” said David Blittersdorf, CEO and founder of AllEarth Renewables. “We’ve innovated and refined our AllSun Tracker so it can be affordably used to power homes or businesses, and at the same time make up a utility-sized farm like this project in South Burlington.”

The solar farm will sell an estimated 2.91 million kWh of power each year to Vermont’s Sustainably Priced Energy Development (SPEED) program. This is part of the state’s Standard Offer program that was established as part of the Vermont Energy Act of 2009. Attending the ribbon cutting event was Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, Lt. Governor Phil Scott and Speaker of the House Shap Smith. They joined nearly 75 others on hand to commemorate the solar farm.

This has definitely been a summer of solar – both in terms of oppressive heat as well as dozens upon dozens of new solar power systems going online. Recently Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) along with the Matrix Group, commissioned a 3 megawatt (MW) solar power project in South Brunswick, New Jersey that is part of PSE&G’s Solar 4 All program, aimed at helping the state reach it solar energy goals. The 12,684 crystalline solar panels cover more than 318,000 square feet of roof space and will produce enough power for 500 homes.

“We have put more than 43 megawatts of solar capacity into service over the last 18 months, and along the way created good jobs, developed the New Jersey solar market in a cost effective way and helped the environment,” said Al Matos, PSE&G’s Vice President – Renewables and Energy Solutions. “All of this solar power flows into the grid, to provide clean solar energy to all of our electric customers.”

Over three years, Solar 4 All will develop 80 solar megawatts, enough to power 13,000 average sized homes in New Jersey. The program is structured so the financial benefits – the value of the solar credits (SRECs), federal tax credits and the sale of the solar energy and capacity– are returned to customers by offsetting the overall cost of the program. In addition the solar now powering the South Brunswick site, Matrix also hosts a 2.8MW solar system in Perth Amboy that went online in January 2011.

Richard F.X. Johnson, Partner of Matrix Renewable Energy Services added, “We are extremely proud of the partnership we’ve established with PSE&G in New Jersey, where Matrix is committed to energy-efficiency best practices at the more than 10 million square feet of commercial space that we own and manage throughout the state, as well as the buildings owned by clients of our Renewable Energy Services division,” stated Johnson. “This solar venture gives us the ability to play a significant role in expanding access to clean energy— an important step toward achieving the state’s goal of becoming a recognized leader in the renewable energy arena.”

U.S. Foodservice, located in La Mirada, Californa, has activated its new rooftop solar system consisting of 5,000 DelSolar modules. The system is powerful enough to provide 16 percent of the facility’s power needs each year, or about the equivalent of powering 150 average sized homes annually. The solar system was designed and installed by California-based Stellar Solar who has a goal of installing 6 megawatts of solar energy in 2011.

“This was a very exciting project to be a part of. Working with two global leaders in DelSolar and U.S. Foodservice was a great experience,” said Kent Harle, founder and CEO of Stellar Solar. Both of those companies are walking the talk when it comes to business practices that are sustainable and have a positive effect on the bottom line. Two thousand eleven is shaping up to be our best year ever at Stellar Solar and this project played a significant part in making that happen.”

In addition to the completion of this project, the company is also in the process of installing solar systems for Salk Institute in La Jolla, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Cedars Sinai Hospital, San Diego Cardiac Center and the City of Tustin. Stellar Solar also installs residential solar power systems.

I ran into Yingli Green Energy during the InterSolar North America conference a few weeks back in San Francisco. Today Yingli Solar, the brand that the company markets its photovoltaic (PV) products under, announced that its PV modules were installed in the largest solar plant in Greece. Yes, it would be odd if a solar plant did not create its energy from solar but strangely enough this happens. The 10 megawatt (MW) utility-scale solar project is located in Larisa and is estimated to produce enough solar power to energize nearly 3,700 homes.

The project was developed by Selected Textiles S.A., a Greece-based textiles group, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Selected Energy S.A., which specializes in the development and operation of renewable energy sources projects including solar and biomass energy. The construction company was Biosar Energy S.A., also a Greece-based solar system specialist that in addition offers maintenance and management services. The project was financed on a long term, non-recourse basis from the Project Finance team of Piraeus Bank. Piraeus Bank Group is the leading bank in Greece in green business financings.

“We are pleased to cooperate with STIAFILCO and Biosar to complete the largest solar plant in Greece,” said Mr. Liansheng Miao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yingli Green Energy. “Because of the country’s favorable natural solar irradiance and the Greek government’s strong commitment to renewable energy, Greece is considered an important market for PV. We continue to see increasing demand for our premium-quality solar products, which further confirms our leadership position in this market.”

Yosemite National Park’s new 700 kW solar system is now in operation. The project was completed by Suntrek Industries and incorporates over 2,800 solar panels that are estimated to produce 800,000 kilowatt hours of energy per year. The company collaborated on the project with the National Park Service, Taylor Teter and PIA and today all were on hand to celebrate the “flip of the switch” to solar power.

Suntrek project manager Alex Smith said, “Yosemite is the jewel of our National Park system and Suntrek Industries, Inc. could not be prouder of the fact that efforts of the NPS and the solar energy teams to design and build this project went without a hitch. We designed the systems so that we could produce clean solar energy from roof tops, car ports, construction yard walls, and the façade of the building itself. This was an architecturally diverse project for everyone to admire and all the components are made in the USA.”

The majority of the solar energy produced will be used to power the maintenance facility. The building walls faced South and are also at an angle making them ideal for solar panels. However, with limited space available the solar power team needed to be creative when designing the system.

Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don Neubacher added, “This energy-saving photovoltaic project reflects Yosemite National Park’s commitment to sustainable and renewable energy sources.”

DuPont has expanded it’s solar market portfolio with the acquisition of Innovalight, Inc., a company that develops silicon inks and process technologies that increase the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells. According to DuPont, Innovalight will broaden and more integrate its efforts in the photovoltaic market.

In 2010, DuPont exceeded revenues of $1 billion from sales into the photovoltaic market and has set a goal of surpassing $2 billion by the end of 2014 based on continued growth supported by new innovations and improved technologies.

“Innovalight has very exciting technology that improves cell efficiency and DuPont can help expedite its adoption,” said David B. Miller, president – DuPont Electronics & Communications. “DuPont and Innovalight share a commitment to innovation in materials that have a common purpose – to make solar energy more efficient and more affordable.”

The company is based in Sunnyvale, Calif and was founded by Conrad Burke. They have developed several silicon ink products that use DuPont’s Solamet photovoltaic metallization pastes to boost the amount of electricity produced from sunlight. The resulting product is known as Emitter solar cells. The company anticipates its Selective Emitter technology could represent 13 percent of crystalline silicon solar cell production by 2013 and increase to 38 percent by 2020.

Burke added, “Innovalight brings in-depth knowledge of solar devices, silicon technology and Selective Emitter technology, and DuPont adds expertise in materials science, manufacturing capabilities and global market access. Our offerings are complementary to one another, and together we will broaden and accelerate our ability to meet customer needs and address today’s energy challenges with our continued innovations.”

This is the second renewable energy company that DuPont has been in partnership this year that it has acquired. Earlier this year, it purchased Danisco.

According to a new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), clean energy policies would boost Midwestern economies. Last week, the Brookings Institution released a study that found the private-sector “green” economy in the Midwest already employs nearly 40,000 people. However, “A Bright Future for the Heartland: Powering the Midwest Economy with Clean Energy,” estimates that this number is already higher and will continue to grow.

In particular, the report found that the Midwest has great potential to produce electricity from renewable resources including wind, biomass and solar. Iowa is already the leading state for wind and biofuels and other Midwestern states like Minnesota are following close behind. The UCS report says that renewable energy has the ability to cut home and business energy bills, drive billions of dollars in new business investment and create thousands of jobs. All of this can happen, says the report, while reducing the use of energy created by coal.

“Adopting stronger clean energy standards can help transform the region’s economy,” said Steven Frenkel, director of UCS’s Midwest office. “Generating more renewable energy will put people back to work manufacturing the components needed to power the clean energy economy, such as wind turbines and solar panels. At the same time, reducing energy use can help keep Midwest businesses competitive by cutting their energy costs.”

The study analyzes the possible impact of a clean energy strategy that would help the economy. The duo approach includes policy combined with the adoption of energy efficient technologies. More specifically, the “proposed” policy would require 30 percent of each state’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030 coupled with the goal of a 2 percent reduction in annual power consumption by 2015 with an additional 2 percent reduction each following year. The study also found that while individual state policies can have an impact, the greatest achievement would happen if all states acted together.

Claudio Martinez, UCS energy analyst and report author added, “Few places in the world have the combination of a great renewable energy potential, a strong manufacturing base and the skilled workforce needed to realize that potential. And the Midwest is one of those places.”

San Juan Water District (SJWD) is now powered by solar energy. The solar panels will now supply up to 90 percent of the electricity consumed by the water treatment plant, administration buildings and booster pump station. The district estimates that the solar panels will save them $12 million in energy costs over the 25-year life of the system. SunPower designed and built the solar power system on nearly 4 acres of District-owned land and the panels were mounted on the SunPower to Tracker system which rotates the panels to follow the sun during the day.

“San Juan always looks for programs that benefit our customers,” said Ted Costa, San Juan Water District board president. “This project will allow the district to minimize the long-term impacts on ratepayers from rising energy costs. When we have the opportunity to help the environment and improve our bottom line, that’s a win/win.”

To help offset the costs of the solar panels, the district received a California Solar Initiative rebate from PG&E that will cover almost 40 percent of the construction costs. SunPower says the balance will be recovered through energy costs saving over the next nine years. In addition, using EPA figures, they almost estimate the CO2 reductions will be similar to removing 3,525 cars off of California roads over the next 25 years.

“With SunPower systems operating at more than 20 water agencies, representing approximately 20 megawatts in total, our experience and ability to deliver guaranteed performance sets us apart,” said Jim Pape, president of SunPower’s residential and commercial business group. “We applaud SJWD’s decision to convert a small piece of underutilized land into an asset that generates clean, reliable solar power and significant savings. Solar power makes good sense today for public agencies and our environment.”

In February of this year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) unveiled its SunShot Initiative designed to help reduce the costs associated with solar power by at least 75 percent by the end of the decade. This week, during the InterSolar North America conference, Minh Le, a principal scientist with the DOE, introduced SUNPATH – Scaling Up Nascent PV at Home. While the program details have not been specified, the program is intended to address the financial gap in the U.S. solar market.

Le said during his presentation that there is a trade gap caused by the country’s spending on foreign sources of energy – a move that is helping to prolong poor economic conditions. “Oil is about half our trade deficit,” Le said. He continued by saying transitioning to renewable energy will provide a means to resolve this problem.

The two programs are designed to work together. SunShot focuses on reduces the costs of solar technology while SUNPATH is aimed to grow the domestic solar manufacturing market. Today, the majority of solar manufacturing is taking place in countries such as Europe and Asia.

“SUNPATH is an incubator program,” Le said. “Now, as companies are being attracted by foreign capital, we’re having a hard time keeping them in the U.S.”

Fifteen years ago, the U.S. boasted a 43 percent market share for producing PV cells and modules. Today, the U.S. has only a 7 percent market share. As a result of the decline of the United State’s global solar position, the program hopes to create an investment-friendly environment in the U.S. It also hopes to encourage solar companies to keep their business in the U.S.

You can view photos from the InterSolar North America conference in my event photo album.

Yesterday, I spent the day checking out what was happening in the global solar industry at the InterSolar North America conference held in San Francisco, California. With more than 20,000 attendees and nearly 800 exhibitors, there is proof that the solar industry is gaining traction.

One company making news is Siemens Industry, Inc. who announced they received a multi-million dollar order from Interconnect Solar Development to supply solar technology for the 20 MW Murphy Flats solar project located in Idaho. Once complete, this will be Idaho Power Company’s first commercial solar project integrated into its electricity grid. Siemens will be manufacturing the solar technology, that includes inverters, transformers and containers, will be manufactured at its plant in West Chicago.

“The Siemens team demonstrated a true understanding of our project objectives, and the team made a significant investment of their time and expertise to bring additional solar power to electricity customers in Idaho,” said Bill Piske, founder of Interconnect Solar Development, LLC. “Siemens Answers for Industry event first allowed our team the opportunity to learn about the integrated solutions provided by Siemens, as well as the company’s significant portfolio of PV project experience in utility applications.”

According to Siemens, their solar solutions will provide one of the lowest Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) and their IGBT technology-based inverters are expected to deliver efficiencies greater than 98 percent. The Murphy Flats project will also feature Siemens PV-WinCC SCADA software.

Richard Myers, director of solar vertical market management for Siemens added, “We are proud that Interconnect Solar chose Siemens to be its partner for the Murphy Flats project. Additionally, our service and support will ensure uptime and plant efficiency throughout the project lifecycle by providing a 20-year customer service agreement.”

You can view photos from the InterSolar North America conference in my event photo album.

Labcon North America, a company that specializes in manufacturing earth friendly laboratory products, announced today the completion of a $3.3 million, 800 kilowatt (kW) rooftop solar panel system. Over 2,500 solar panels were installed on the company’s 125,000 square foot building, taking up nearly half the roof. Now complete, the solar energy generated should provide nearly 30 percent of Lebcon’s energy needs. The project took 7 months to complete, and in addition to the solar panel installation, included improvements to power routing systems.

“At Labcon we place a high value on being a responsible manufacturer and considerate member of our community,” said Jim Happ, President of Labcon North America. “By installing one of the largest solar projects in Sonoma County [California], we are helping the environment while reducing our energy costs and helping reduce the carbon footprint of our products.”

Based in Petaluma, California since 2003 (Petaluma is most famous for the movie American Grafitti), the company received its project funding from U.S. Bancorp Equipment Finance, and partnered with SunPower for the installation. This project was just one the company has undertaken to become more environmentally sustainable.

“We chose SunPower as our panel supplier, because we wanted to work with a company based in the United States,” added Happ. “SunPower has been an excellent partner, helping us meet our sustainability goals.”