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Direct Incentives for Solar Energy

By Carolyn on November 22, 2009 6:02 PM
According to the IREC, "federal legislation coupled with state budget problems have spurred solar policy and programmatic changes for direct financial incentives at the state level, but these changes have been far from uniform."

Between September 2008 and September 2009, approximately 40 new solar programs have
been created in 19 states. Of these programs, 10 are state programs.

Approximately 16 programs in 14 states increased funding for solar programs over the past year. Thirteen of these programs are state programs; the others are utility or local government
programs. In total, eight programs in 12 states increased the incentive level for individual systems.

A handful of states did reduce program budgets or incentive levels. Typically, states or utilities adjusted the individual incentive level or cap instead of reducing the overall program budget. Incentive levels in 10 states were reduced, with six of the incentive reductions occurring at the state level. Colorado, Illinois and Vermont were the only three states that lowered overall
program budgets during the past year, with the reductions in program funding in Illinois and
Vermont resulting from a re-appropriation of public benefits funds to fill state budget gaps.

Performance Based Incentives (PBIs)

As the U.S. solar market matures, states and utilities have begun shifting away from simple
rebate programs for photovoltaics (PV) and towards production- or performance-based incentives (PBIs).  15 PBIs were created, and the caps or rates for seven PBIs changed.
There are 39 production-based incentives in 28 states, with 14 production incentives for solar (excluding feed-in tariffs), 11 feed-in tariffs (FITs), and 14 REC-purchase programs (through
which RECs are purchased separately from electricity). Most - but not all - PBIs involve the
transfer of RECs from the generator to the utility.

SOURCE:  2009 Annual Report of IREC

The California Solar Initiative (CSI)

By Carolyn on October 3, 2009 9:32 PM

The California Solar Initiative (CSI) is overseen by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and provides incentives for solar system installations to customers of the state's three investor-owned utilities (IOUs): Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE) and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E). The CSI Program provides upfront incentives for solar systems installed on existing residential homes, as well as existing and new commercial, industrial, government, non-profit, and agricultural properties within the service territories of the IOUs.

The CSI Program expanded state support for solar technology and is the product of Governor Schwarzenegger's "Million Solar Roofs" vision for the State of California. The CSI Program was authorized by the CPUC through a number of regulatory decisions throughout 2006. In addition, the legislature expressly authorized the CPUC to create the California Solar Initiative in 2006 in Senate Bill 1 (Murray). When it launched in January 2007, the CSI Program built upon nearly 10 years of state support for solar, including other incentive programs such as the Emerging Renewables Program (ERP) and the Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP). Both programs still exist to provide incentives for other technologies but have been closed to new solar projects as of the end of 2006.

CSI Program Components

The CSI Program has a budget of $2.167 billion over 10 years, and the goal is to reach 1,940 MW of installed solar capacity by the end of 2016. The goal includes 1,750 MW of capacity from the general market program, as well as 190 MW of capacity from the low income programs. The general market program is the main incentive program component of the CSI, and is administered through three Program Administrators: PG&E, SCE, and California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) in SDG&E territory.

In addition to the general market program, the CSI Program has four other program components, each with their own program administrator and 10 year budgets:

In addition to the CPUC's CSI Program, Senate Bill 1 envisioned that the State of California would also have other programs to support onsite solar projects, including the California Energy Commission's New Solar Homes Partnership (NSHP), and a variety of solar programs offered through publicly owned utilities (POU). The statewide effort includes the CSI - as well as the NSHP and the POU programs - and it is known collectively as Go Solar California. The statewide goal of the Go Solar California campaign is 3,000 MW and there is a statewide budget of $3.3 billion.

The CSI Program is a subset of the wider solar effort in California.

October is Solar Energy Month!

By Carolyn on October 3, 2009 9:26 PM

         

Get ready for a month of celebrating the joys of going solar during California Solar Energy Month this October 2009.

Get involved and Go Solar, California!

Solar Energy Month provides a showcase for solar events happening statewide--and we want to promote YOUR solar event, too!

Simply click to the Go Solar California! Community Solar Calendar and submit the details about your event.  Then, we will publish your events in weekly emails to over 7,000 subscribers of the California Solar Initiative Newsletter.

The focus of Solar Energy Month 2009 is to Get Involved and Go Solar, California!  We're inviting everyone--from residential solar beginners to savvy solar pros--to join with their communities in taking a solar class or workshop, attending a solar tour or fair, and talking with their neighbors and local businesses about going solar and generating their own clean energy. View the poster.

Here are 10 easy ways you can Get Involved and Go Solar:

  • 1. Submit YOUR local solar event to the Go Solar, California! Community Solar Calendar and reach out to thousands of solar enthusiasts statewide! 
  • 2. Attend one of the many free solar classes held everyday throughout California.  Whether you are completely new to solar, or a seasoned solar contractor, there are dozens of workshops and classes for you.  As a start, the California Solar Initiative Program Administrators in your utility service territory--PG&E, Edison and the California Center for Sustainable Energy (for SDG&E customers)--offer basic and technical solar classes.  Sign up today!
  • 3. Hop on the bus for guided solar tours--or take a self-guided solar tour!  The American Solar Energy Society will sponsor the annual National Solar Tour at over 20 locations in California.  These tours are a lot of fun and incredibly informative, as you get story from real solar system owners. 
  • 4. Already got solar? Wonderful!  Now wouldn't it be great if more and more of your neighbors began installing solar systems, too?  Well, spread the word. Become a Solar Ambassador--the go-to person for solar in your neighborhood--so that when your neighbors have questions about the way solar works, the costs and savings, and how to find a good solar contractor they will have someone to talk to.  (Print out a Go Solar, California! window or lawn sign to announce that you're the neighborhood solar expert!)
  • 5. Hey San Diegans:  Be sure to have fun during Solar Energy Week September 27-October 3, sponsored by the California Center for Sustainable Energy.  Solar Family Fun Day, a Solar Conference, and organized solar homes and commercial tours are just some of the highlights.
  • 6. Looking for an entry into solar's green collar workforce? Solar Energy Month is a stage for green job seekers and employers alike.
    • A recent workforce development survey by the Vote Solar Initiative found 27 programs delivering solar-specific instruction throughout the state, with more than 5,400 prospective new solar workers currently enrolled.
    • The Emerging Industry and Occupations Report (2008) by the Centers for Excellence states that 70% of the businesses surveyed would hire within the next 12 months.
    • The Environmental Defense Fund has published  a Green Jobs Guidebook, which profiles more than 200 green jobs currently in California, including details on 25 different types of solar jobs.
  • 7. Find your solar potential on a solar map.  Both San Francisco and San Diego have developed highly accurate interactive maps for customers and installers to determine how much solar a given rooftop can produce.  The maps account for attributes like tilt, shading, and climate zone, plus allow people to enter other inputs such as historical energy usage and the effects of energy efficiency measures.  Location arrows show other solar systems in the vicinity, and many system owners provide system output and other relevant details to help you get a clear picture of your true solar potential. 
  • 8. Attend a solar expo or conference.  October kicks off with San Diego's Solar Week, then West Coast Green in San Francisco.  The end of October boasts the largest solar conference and exposition in the U.S., Solar Power International, held the 27th-29th in Anaheim. (This year's Keynote Speaker will be Robert Kennedy Jr.)  Mark your calendar: Solar Power is FREE to the public on Wednesday October 28th from 5:30--8:30 p.m., with the whole expo floor open for browsing and several workshops scheduled.
  • 9. Go Solar!  Contact eligible solar contractors for competitive bids; a qualified contractor should hold a valid A, B, C-10, or C-46 California Contractors license, and can be found (among other places) on the State's Eligible Contractors List.  Your contractor will get you started with a simple energy efficiency audit, then show you the most affordable system design for your property--whether to displace your entire load or simply skim off the highest, most expensive energy use tiers--and assist you by applying for California Solar Initiative rebates on your behalf.  Building a custom home?  Make solar part of your home's design from the start. 
    • Your architect or builder can help you with New Solar Homes Partnership incentives. 
    • Go solar and you're also eligible for 30 percent federal tax credit (plus other business perks like accelerated depreciation.) 
    • And homeowners, did you know that your solar system will increase the value of your home without a property tax assessment? 
    • Plus, you get to generate free energy each month, earn bill credits for your surplus generation, AND do something good for the environment.  

Don't let your rooftop go to waste--go solar!

  • 10. Help inform others. If you know someone who is considering solar--as an energy solution, investment, or career--then forward the California Solar Initiative electronic newsletter their way.  You can also send them the option to subscribe themselves.  Click here for the opt-in form. For serious data fans, take a look at the CSI Program's Performance in the CPUC Annual Program Assessment to the Legislature.  California now boasts a half gigawatt of solar power in over 50,000 locations.

Solyndra solar photovoltaic systems for the commercial rooftop market.

By Carolyn on October 3, 2009 2:38 PM
The US Department of Energy has finalized a $535 million loan guarantee for Solyndra, Inc., which manufactures innovative cylindrical solar photovoltaic panels that provide clean, renewable energy.

The funding will finance construction of the first phase of the company's new manufacturing facility. Annual production of solar panels from the first phase is expected to provide energy equivalent to powering 24,000 homes a year or over half a million homes over the project's lifetime. Solyndra estimates the new plant will initially create 3,000 construction jobs, and lead to as many as 1,000 jobs once the facility opens. Hundreds more will install Solyndra's solar panels on rooftops around the country.

"This announcement today is part of the unprecedented investment this Administration is making in renewable energy and exactly what the Recovery Act is all about," said Vice President Biden. "By investing in the infrastructure and technology of the future, we are not only creating jobs today, but laying the foundation for long-term growth in the 21st-century economy."

"It is time to rev up the American innovation machine and reclaim our lead on clean energy," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. "This investment is part of a broad, aggressive effort to spark a new industrial revolution that will put Americans to work, end our dependence on foreign oil and cut carbon pollution."

The Recovery Act is changing America's economy, making significant investments that are catalyzing private funding sources, creating sustainable green jobs and transforming how America produces and uses energy.

Secretary Chu has made it his priority to accelerate important DOE investments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, helping move America's energy policy forward. Finalizing this agreement with Solyndra, which was issued a conditional commitment earlier this year, solidifies DOE's focus on expediting loan guarantees and other funding opportunities.

Solyndra is the first recipient of a loan guarantee under the Recovery Act and Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. In addition, the loan guarantee issued to Solyndra is the first issued by DOE since the 1980s.

Over its lifetime, the first phase of the facility could manufacture up to 7 gigawatts of solar panels, which can generate electricity equivalent to 3 or 4 coal fired power plants. This plant will produce about as many new solar panels as the US produced in 2005.

The project will introduce into large-scale commercial operation a new and highly innovative process for manufacturing a breakthrough design for photovoltaic panels. Solyndra's panels will be primarily used in the fastgrowing market for large, flat rooftops.

Solyndra designs and manufactures solar photovoltaic systems for the commercial rooftop market.

Solyndra


Solyndra solar photovoltaic systems for the commercial rooftop market.

By Carolyn on October 3, 2009 2:38 PM

Commercial rooftops represent an enormous potential resource for alternative energy production.

The US Department of Energy has finalized a $535 million loan guarantee for Solyndra, Inc., which manufactures innovative cylindrical solar photovoltaic panels that provide clean, renewable energy.

The funding will finance construction of the first phase of the company's new manufacturing facility. Annual production of solar panels from the first phase is expected to provide energy equivalent to powering 24,000 homes a year or over half a million homes over the project's lifetime. Solyndra estimates the new plant will initially create 3,000 construction jobs, and lead to as many as 1,000 jobs once the facility opens. Hundreds more will install Solyndra's solar panels on rooftops around the country.

"This announcement today is part of the unprecedented investment this Administration is making in renewable energy and exactly what the Recovery Act is all about," said Vice President Biden. "By investing in the infrastructure and technology of the future, we are not only creating jobs today, but laying the foundation for long-term growth in the 21st-century economy."

"It is time to rev up the American innovation machine and reclaim our lead on clean energy," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. "This investment is part of a broad, aggressive effort to spark a new industrial revolution that will put Americans to work, end our dependence on foreign oil and cut carbon pollution."

The Recovery Act is changing America's economy, making significant investments that are catalyzing private funding sources, creating sustainable green jobs and transforming how America produces and uses energy.

Secretary Chu has made it his priority to accelerate important DOE investments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, helping move America's energy policy forward. Finalizing this agreement with Solyndra, which was issued a conditional commitment earlier this year, solidifies DOE's focus on expediting loan guarantees and other funding opportunities.

Solyndra is the first recipient of a loan guarantee under the Recovery Act and Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. In addition, the loan guarantee issued to Solyndra is the first issued by DOE since the 1980s.

Over its lifetime, the first phase of the facility could manufacture up to 7 gigawatts of solar panels, which can generate electricity equivalent to 3 or 4 coal fired power plants. This plant will produce about as many new solar panels as the US produced in 2005.

The project will introduce into large-scale commercial operation a new and highly innovative process for manufacturing a breakthrough design for photovoltaic panels. Solyndra's panels will be primarily used in the fastgrowing market for large, flat rooftops.

Solyndra designs and manufactures solar photovoltaic systems for the commercial rooftop market.

Solyndra


America's First Solar Electric Shuttle Free To Communities & Institutions

By Carolyn on September 4, 2009 12:30 PM

Founded on the principles of national and community involvement, corporate responsibility, and most importantly, environmental responsibility, The Solar Electric Vehicle Company is using an innovative business strategy and partnering with corporations committed to combating climate change and dependence on foreign oil.

The Solar Electric Vehicle Company will provide clean and reliable solar-electric shuttles to communities and institutions cost free.

  • No gas
  • No emissions
  • Free energy from the sun

The Solar Electric Vehicle Company

Solarev believes that their business model can help bridge the gap between environmental change, and fiscal responsibility; transport needs and environmental concerns; as well as between governments and citizens.

The company believes it has developed a business plan where all can prosper. While the profitability relies on having as many solar electric vehicles in use as possible, its success relies on the impact the solar electric vehicles will be able to make.

For every solar electric vehicle in a community, citizens will have access to pollution-free transportation. For every vehicle at a university campus, more students will be able to cut down on their gas bills, as well as feel more secure traveling on campus.

For every vehicle at any park, museum, garden, or zoo, there will be one less dirty, costly, petrol burning vehicle which keeps us dependent on foreign oil, and which keeps our economy inescapably tied to the price of a barrel of oil. For every solar electric vehicle in America, more people will be able to breathe cleaner air, creating a healthier environment.

Information at www.Solarevco.com

Ford Develops Open Source EV Communications for Smart Meters

By Carolyn on August 23, 2009 5:09 PM
Intelligent Charging System for EVs

Ford Motor Company has developed an intelligent charging system that previews how its production vehicles will interact with the grid. The unnamed system enables all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle owners to restrict charging to when electricity prices fall below a certain threshold, or even "when the grid is using only renewable energy such as wind or solar power," according to Ford.

There's a natural synergy for customers to put solar on their homes and buy hybrids/EVs, who can then drive free of fossil fuel guilt.

In its ongoing testing of converted PHEV Ford Escapes, the company is leveraging communications systems it designed including SYNC, SmartGauge, and Ford Work Solutions. The vehicles are communicating with the grid through smart meters over a wireless network using the Zigbee protocol, but Ford hasn't committed to a network platform for its production vehicles.

Open Source Design Comes to Green

I've been waiting for the advent of "open source" strategies in design to hit the green and climate change arena.  It's coming... I wonder if Obama's approach to greening faster, stronger, better had anything to do with this strategy.

Ford said its final communications system will be designed to work with a variety of smart meters.

The first generation of EVs is likely to use a mix of proprietary and "open" standards that are still in development. Each company will likely offer some part of their charge management technology to others in hopes that it would become industry standard.

The batteries in the 21 test vehicles are from Johnson Controls-Saft, which will also be supplying the batteries for its production PHEV.

Ford will spend $14 billion over 7 years to retool to manufacture advanced vehicles.

Ford has lined up some impressive utilities to help with the tests, including Southern California Edison, American Electric Power, Progress Energy, and 10 others, which will each receive some of the test fleet.

The agreement is to continue testing for three years, which is interesting because the company plans to have a commercial PHEV for sale in 2012 -- you might think that testing of PHEV grid interaction would be moot at that point. Ford received $30 million in DOE grant money to pay for part of the testing.

Ford is rigorously testing PHEVs now, but the all-electric Ford Focus (due out a year earlier) is not being tested in a similar broad fashion. Is developing an EV easier than a plug-in hybrid (with its two systems for locomotion)?

SOURCE: courtesy of Matter Network.

Intersolar Europe 2008 - 140 country solar trade fair

By Carolyn on August 1, 2009 10:00 AM
the following video provides information on the Intersolar Europe 2008 conference which took place in Germany and featured more than 1,000 exhibitors and 52,000 visitors from 140 countries.

For more information:

Solar Energy Challenges Need More Innovation

By Carolyn on May 13, 2009 4:55 PM
 Innovation isn't just about "products".  Industry makes more impact, and more money with merchandising and systems than with the product itself.  Build a better mousetrap just doesn't cut it in this age of hyper-competition, instant communications and volatile economies.

Solar is caught in this vortex.  The solution?  Continuous innovation not only of solar cells, but finance, training, grid infrastructure and adjusting the consumer's mindset that solar is expensive.  Redefining cost as not only personal cost...but all our shared taxes is essential to positioning renewable energies such as solar PV and solar thermal as affordable by small businesses, homeowners and public buildings.

Although solar power can provide a cost-effective alternative for off-grid applications, we believe the principal challenge to widespread adoption of solar power for on-grid applications is reducing manufacturing costs without impairing product reliability. We believe the following advancements in solar power technology are necessary to meet this challenge:

  • Efficient material use. Reduce raw materials waste, particularly the waste associated with sawing silicon by conventional crystalline silicon technology. Efficient use of silicon is imperative for the growth of the industry due to the limited supply and increasing cost of silicon raw material expected for the near future.
  • Simplified and continuous processing. Reduce reliance on expensive, multi-step manufacturing processes.
  • Reduced manufacturing capital costs. Decrease the costs and risks associated with new plant investments as a result of lower capital costs per unit of production.
  • Improved product design and performance. Increase product conversion efficiency, longevity and ease of use. Conversion efficiency refers to the fraction of the sun's energy converted to electricity.
Source:  Girasolar is a solar company innovating processes and products for the global market from their Netherlands operation including R&D, design, manufacture and distribution of components, complete solar energy systems and specialized equipment.

List of 150 Solar Companies

By Carolyn on December 17, 2008 9:03 AM
Green Tech Media has published a list of 150 start-up solar energy companies (greentechmedia.com.)  Each company has a brief description of their part in the solar energy industry, the amount of venture capital received thus far, and a link to their website.

The list is divided into four parts.

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