Solar Energy Show

Electric vehicles are great: they’re affordable, great for the environment and low maintenance. And where electric rates are low — or if you have rooftop solar power -- EVs are cheaper to drive per mile than gas-powered cars. But you have to think about how you will charge your EV: there are only a few thousand public charging locations in the U.S. — compared to 100,000 gas stations. When you buy an EV it comes with a 120 volt charger that you can plug into just about any outlet. These 120 volt chargers are convenient, but can take awhile to completely charge your battery — about 12 hours for a Chevy Volt, 17 hours for a Nissan Leaf and 59 hours for a Tesla. So if you drive a lot you will definitely need a higher capacity charger, either at home or at work. There are three choices for EV chargers: Level 1 chargers (120 volts), Level 2 chargers (240 volts) and Level 3 chargers (480 volts). Level 1 chargers are cheap and work just about everywhere, whereas Level 3 chargers are fast, but expensive and only wor

It’s the environmentalist’s third rail question: “Should we promote nuclear power as an expedient way to reduce CO2 emissions?” On the one hand, nuclear power generates electricity with almost negligible CO2 emissions — potentially a good way for our society to reverse the current global warming trends. On the other hand, nuclear power is…well…nuclear. Problems related to waste disposal, proliferation and high costs have not been solved, and we still have the occasional disaster. Nuclear technology continues to improve. Today we have more efficient reactors, lower cost modular designs, safer fuel cycles, better materials and control systems, and a heightened awareness of reliability and safety issues. We also have a determined and well-funded nuclear industry pushing the “restart” button. But alternative sources of electricity — particularly solar and wind — also continue to improve. Moreover, developments in more cost-effective storage are starting to negate nuclear’s biggest base load generating benefits.

Most of my rooftop solar customers express a preference for buying "Made in the U.S.A.” solar panels. And they were willing to pay a premium for domestically manufactured panels. But because there were very few U.S. manufacturers -- and hundreds of overseas companies manufacturing panels at lower prices -- the prices for U.S. made panels were always significantly higher. For a variety of reasons, the price gap between U.S. made solar panels and overseas made solar panels has been narrowing. Tariffs on certain manufacturers has been a factor; unfortunately, these tariffs have been one of the most contentious and divisive issues in the solar industry over the past three years. But a bigger factor has been the gradual resurgence of U.S. manufacturing of all types — capitalizing on automation, low overhead operations and shorter supply chains. My guest on this week’s Solar Energy Show is Mamun Rashid, Chief Operating Officer of Auxin Solar. Auxin began contract manufacturing of solar panels in the U.S. in 2008,

I bet you don’t know that there is a home improvement investment that you can make that will increase the value of your house more than the investment cost. It’s not remodeling your bathroom (2% return). It’s not landscaping with a designer (break even). It’s not remodeling your kitchen (2% loss). It’s rooftop solar (43% return). Surprise! A recent study by Lawrence Berkeley Labs clearly shows that your home's value will increase much more than a rooftop system costs. “Selling into the Sun: Price Premium Analysis of a Multi-State Dataset of Solar Homes” found that a home’s value will increase based on the size of the rooftop solar system at the rate of $4/watt. So for a typical 5,000 watt system that costs $14,000 after the 30% Investment Tax Credit, a home’s value would go up by $20,000. This is a big deal for anyone considering solar as an investment. But there is one catch: that $4/watt increase in value only applies if the system is owned by the homeowner (unsecured and secured loans, as well as PACE lo

For a homeowner, it’s a simple question. But in order to answer the question accurately, solar installers need to make a number of assumptions -- as well as gather some pretty detailed information from a homeowner. Often, by the time these data gathering questions are answered, the homeowner is even more confused. The ideal system size that a homeowner really needs is bounded by two parameters. First, the number of panels that will physically fit on the roof -- taking into account applicable setbacks, wiring issues, shading, structural requirements and aesthetics. And second, the size of the current (or projected) electric bill (only the utility will benefit if the resulting electric bill is negative). Naturally, a third parameter — the homeowner’s budget — is almost always a factor. Of course, a lot of number crunching goes on behind the scenes as a good installer determines the energy output, annual savings, and financing options for the customer. And tradeoffs are usually offered between higher efficien

Every residential solar contractor's website talks about their experience, knowledge of rooftop solar products, and happy customers (full disclosure: including mine). Although many states have licensing requirements for contractors, some of these requirements are not specific to rooftop solar work. So how can you find out if a solar contractor really has the right training for the surgery necessary on your roof? To address this training and certification need, the North American Board of Certified Energy Practioners, or NABCEP, was founded in 2002. Since then they have certified thousands of solar PV and solar thermal installers, as well as solar PV salespeople. In order to become certified, a solar installer or salesperson must document the experience they have, and then must pass a rigorous examination specific to their certification category. As a result of these requirements -- and the reputation that NABCEP has built over the past dozen years -- NABCEP Certification is now considered the "gold standard

Solar panels have been on the market in the U.S. for over 25 years. Without exception, all of the manufacturers of panels on the market today tout their reliability, quality and long term durability. Nevertheless, on a per watt basis, these panels generate almost exactly the same amount of energy over a 25 year period. Manufacturers conduct reliability tests, certify their panels, and conduct bankability studies. But even with these tests, industry experts cannot distinguish significant long term performance differences among solar panels. Being among the Top Ten worldwide manufacturers should imply a certain degree of stability and bankability. Surprisingly, looking back to 2001, fewer than 50% of the Top Ten manufacturers are still in business. To an ordinary consumer, distinguishing among different solar panels is almost impossible, and the mumbo-jumbo language that solar salespeople use just confuses consumers more. On this week's Energy Show we take a consumer's perspective regarding their choices amo

If you live in a location with high electric rates and local incentives, it's very likely that the economics for a rooftop solar system are favorable. But many people don't have the $20-25k cash that these systems typically cost. Fortunately, over the past few years a range of new residential solar financing options have been developed. These new financing options have spurred the growth of rooftop solar throughout the U.S. In addition to a cash purchase, solar financing options also include a home equity loan (secured) or ordinary bank loan (unsecured), lease or Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), and Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) loan. Although the details of these financing options can get pretty complex, with some "back of the envelope" calculations you can figure out the economics for yourself. First, add up your total electric bill for the next 25 years, then subtract out the cost of the system (either up-front cost or periodic payments) to get the total lifetime benefit of the system. You will als

Homes are billed for electricity based on the amount of energy they consume (measured in kwh). But commercial facilities often get an additional charge for the peak amount of power they consume during each month (measured in kw). These demand charges are designed to compensate the utility for the peak generating capacity that they must provide when large motors, air conditioners and other commercial processes are started up (power draw from motors is highest when the motors start). For example, a medium commercial customer may pay a demand charge of $20 per kw based on the peak usage in any given 15 minute period during a month. So if they had several large industrial processes start while their air conditioning and lighting was also operating, they could experience a peak power draw of 200 kw -- and they would be billed for a $4,000 demand charge that month. These demand charges can be dramatically reduced if large equipment is not started within the same 15 minute time period, and if other loads (such as

It's getting to be that time of the year again -- tax time, that is. As all new rooftop solar homeowners should know who purchased a system in 2014, they are eligible for a Federal Investment Tax Credit of 30% of the cost of their system. This tax credit is good for both solar PV and solar thermal (hot water) systems. The solar ITC applies to the owner of the system, which is the homeowner for purchased systems or the leasing/PPA company for systems that are owned by third parties. The solar ITC is arguably the most important incentive to solar customers, but it goes to zero on January 1, 2017. Claiming the credit on your tax return is surprisingly easy. All you need is the complete set of invoices from your installer that summarizes your qualified costs for your system -- then you can reduce your 2014 tax bill by 30% of those total costs. For example, if your purchase price for the system installed in 2014 was $20,000, you get to reduce your 2014 tax bill by $6,000. So Listen Up to this week's Energy Show

The worldwide demand for energy is almost inexhaustible. Couple that demand with the need for clean energy -- and energy we can afford -- and the picture gets a lot more complicated. Fortunately, good market research helps us to get some perspective of the potential for PV to meet these energy demands. There are two types of market research available in the solar industry: primary research and secondary research. Secondary market research related to the solar industry is relatively easy to find on the internet. This information is based on studies that were conducted by industry groups, government agencies, or extracted from other publicly available sources. This secondary information is often generalized and not targeted towards addressing a specific business need. On the other hand, primary market research studies are more specific, particularly useful in the solar industry to answer a specific question. For example, one can find secondary research on the percentage of homeowners who lease a rooftop syste

With energy prices changing so quickly -- and new technologies ramping up into the marketplace -- the "conventional wisdom" about energy is often wrong. I've been as guilty as other people when it comes to trusting emotions and public opinion about energy, as opposed to real math and science. See if you can guess the answer to these ten simple questions: Are electric cars cheaper than gas cars? Is rooftop solar expensive? Will you save money if you buy new energy saving appliances? Will gas prices stay low? Is solar for no money down a good investment? Are LED bulbs expensive? Do electric utilities like customer energy efficiency? Is clean coal cost effective? Is nuclear power the best baseload power source? Has energy efficiency reduced our per capita energy usage? If you answered "yes" to ANY of these questions, I suggest you listen up to this week's Energy Show. The conventional wisdom is wrong -- and all of these energy saving ideas are myths.

When someone gets a new rooftop solar installation, the second question they always ask is "how often do I need to clean my solar panels." We'll answer that question on today's show -- taking into account the different effects of rain, dust and electric rates (BTW, the first question people always ask is "how do I read my electric bill;" but that's a topic for another show). Rooftop solar panels get dirty primarily from wind-blown dust and pollen. Birds are usually not a problem unless your last name is Hitchcock and you live in Bodega Bay. As panels get dirtier, their output declines. A small amount of soiling -- say a light dusty film -- may only cause a 5% output decline. However, when panels get very dirty -- perhaps in an agricultural area or location that does not get regular rainfall -- the output decline can be greater than 20%. A good heavy rainstorm will usually wash away most of the accumulated soiling. I use the term "usually" because on panels that are tilted at about 5 degrees or less, the ra

Outdoor pools are great on hot summer days - the kids are occupied and the water is refreshing. And as the summer progresses, the water heats up to a comfortable level. But on chilly spring and fall days the cool water in that pool amounts to nothing more than a 30,000 gallon decoration in your back yard. Plus you still may need to run the electric pool pumps to keep the water clean. Because the water is cold in the spring and early summer, your options are to swim (or not to swim) in cold water, burn $50 in extra natural gas to heat your pool, or install a solar pool heating system. It's no surprise that my preferred solution is to install solar pool heat collectors. These pool heat collectors are easily connected into your pool's existing circulating pump system, and can easily maintain your pool at a comfortable 80 degrees F for most of the year. My guest this week is Freeman Ford, one of the founders of FAFCO. FAFCO is the oldest and largest manufacturer of pool heating systems in the U.S. They are bas

Many of the most significant industrial and technological innovations in the U.S. were discovered, commercialized and expanded with government support. Turn the clock a century or two and you can see how the government was behind oil drilling and refining, transcontinental railroads and our electric grid. More recently the government's been successful with the space program, the internet and the biotech revolution. And these government efforts continue with solar. To quote the DOE: "In 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) was tasked with achieving the goals of the SunShot Initiative: to drive down the cost of solar electricity to be fully cost-competitive with traditional energy sources by the end of the decade." [no one else uses verbs like "tasked'] Suffice it to say that over the past few years SunShot has already been the motivating factor behind dozens of solar innovations, including new financing concepts (Connecticut Clean Energy Finance and Investment Au

Over 95% of climate scientists have concluded that CO2 is the primary cause of global warming. Solving the problem requires a dramatic reduction in CO2 emissions. Some people are altruistic, but almost all businesses are bottom line oriented and will not reduce their CO2 emissions unless they have an economic incentive to do so. There are two realistic incentives: taxing CO2 emissions or setting up a cap and trade program for CO2. Since increasing taxes is politically unfeasible, the most practical approach is with a cap and trade program. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency implemented a cap and trade program for sulfur dioxide (the primary contributor to acid rain) in 1995. This program was a great success, and essentially eliminated the acid rain program. California passed AB32 in 2006 to accomplish the same goals for CO2 emissions. This law sets a cap on emissions from almost all sources, and gives polluting companies a certain number of allowances. If companies reduce their CO2 emissions (with rene

Solar modules started out as fairly simple moisture-proof sandwiches of glass, silicon cells, glue and backsheets -- with a junction box that contains a few diodes to bypass defective or shaded cells. No fancy electronics in the early days. Then power electronics circuitry crept into early inverters -- to the point now where all inverters contain hundreds of electronics chips to provide various optimization, communications and safety functions. Now that many installations use microinverters or optimizers, every single solar panel has its own collection of electronics chips. Power electronics for solar modules are generally designed with 50-200 general purpose integrated circuits and related components. Like almost all other electronic products, microinverters and optimizers were all initially designed with discrete components -- but then, as sales volumes increase manufacturers started to include more specialized components. Think about the first PCs and all the components that were soldered onto internal ci

Architects are in the driver's seat when it comes to building new homes or overseeing major remodeling projects. Although they are familiar with rooftop solar, their designs generally do not include solar panels. Whether it's because of cost, technology or aesthetics, it's a big opportunity that is lost to almost all new homeowners. Fortunately, this reluctance to include solar panels as a standard feature is beginning to change. Some national homebuilders offer solar as a standard option, and the overall economics of rooftop solar continues to improve. A recent study has found that the single most important factor driving whether a given homeowner installs solar is peer influence -- essentially, whether their neighbors have solar, also. So new home buyers, custom home builders and home remodeling companies are more likely to ask their architects for rooftop solar. My guest this week is Marvin Bamburg, the principle at MBA Architects, a San Jose-based residential and commercial architecture firm. His firm h

Solar PV customers understand that they can generate cheap electricity with rooftop solar. That electricity is good for lighting, appliances, air conditioning and other household uses. But homeowners often ask about heating their homes with solar. The answer used to be installing a solar thermal system with rooftop solar panels generating hot water (stored in a tank) or hot air (stored in a bed of rocks or other thermal mass). But now there is another option: heat pumps combined with rooftop PV. Two trends are making this type of system cost effective. First, rooftop PV systems now generate electricity inexpensively, often much less than what you would pay from your local utility. Second, there is a new generation of smaller, modular heat pumps called "mini-split systems" that allow you to heat and cool a few rooms at a time, instead of your entire house. The combination of cheap PV electricity and a zoned approach to heating and cooling are often less expensive than natural gas heat and central air conditio

Cold Fusion - Dec 2014 by Barry Cinnamon 366248