DIY Solar Power System
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June
Breaking news on rising rnergy costs in California…
From Associated Press : “Calif. regulators approve SoCal Edison rate hikes”
ROSEMEAD, Calif.—California regulators have approved a Southern California Edison Co. rate hike that adds $2 to $4 a month to the average residential bill.
Rosemead-based Edison says rate hikes are necessary to upgrade transmission lines and buy equipment.
The California Public Utilities Commission approved the increases Thursday. The hikes go into effect April 4.
PUC president Michael Peevey says it will add $2 to the average monthly residential bill of $85, but consumer groups estimate it’s closer to $4. Rates for business firms also increase.
Edison estimates 65 percent of its 4.3 million residential customers would see little or no change in their monthly charges because they participate in special programs for low-income families or consume little power.
From Orange County Register : “Regulators approve $2.1 Billion electric rate hike”
State regulators have approved a rate hike that will give Southern California Edison an extra $2.1 billion in revenue over the next three years.
The hike will raise the average residential bill $2 or so, to $85 a month, officials said.
Some details of the proposal changed on the dais, but regulators granted the utility $106 million for employee incentive pay, and $4.4 million to start re-licensing San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, where licenses expire in 2022.
Thursday morning, the California Public Utilities Commission chose the greater increase of two rate hike proposals before it, on a 4-1 vote. Emerging victorious was a slightly-scaled-down plan penned by commission president – and former Southern California Edison executive – Michael Peevey.
The rejected proposal would have given Southern California Edison a smaller increase – about $1.4 billion over three years. That was not enough.
“I cannot support a decision that would leave California hamstrung,” Peevey said. The less-expensive rate hike “would require deferral of vital infrastructure projects and potentially lay off hundreds of workers,” he said.
Commissioner Dian Grueneich was the only one to disagree.
“If ever there was a time to leave these dollars in the hands of Southern California Edison’s customers, now is the time,” said Grueneich.
The smaller increase was robust and prudent, she said. It would have saved ratepayers $765 million over the next three years, while still allowing Southern California Edison to invest in infrastructure.
Grueneich took particular exception to Southern California Edison’s claims that the smaller increase would force it to lay off 1,000 workers. “Edison’s claim defies logic,” she said, suggesting the utility was “crying wolf.”
More excerpts:
“Edison is taking advantage of economic concerns to drive through rate hikes that can only add to the pain,” TURN executive director Mark Toney said in a prepared statement. “The CPUC did all Edison customers a disservice today.”
That sentiment was echoed by the Division of Ratepayer Advocates, the PUC’s independent consumer advocacy arm. This decision gives Edison “excessive revenue increases,” it said in a prepared statement.
“The cumulative amount of the increases and the resulting rise in electric rates will impose an additional financial burden on Edison’s Southern California customers and households during these difficult economic times,” said DRA Deputy Director David Ashuckian in the statement.
For the full story click here .
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June
2008 was a scary year for many solar startups. After the bliss of the two years prior, when venture capital money was being dumped into solar startups as if pouring out of a hose, last year saw a decline in solar investment due to the economic downturn and the extra scary notion that solar tax credits might expire .
Well the tax credits did not expire. In fact they got even better for homeowners (and therefore the industry as a whole) when the new cap-less incentives kicked in with the new year. That news was rosy enough to keep smiles on a few faces, but the trepidation remained and, tax credits or no, several startups began laying off employees as they tried to weather the upcoming storm.
Then came the economic stimulus package , which is more than friendly to the renewable energy industry. Combine that with a new administration that is determined to become lasting friends with renewable energy, green building and all things energy efficient, and you find even more smiling faces. Solar power companies now look to have, at least, the softest landing amongst a bunch of companies falling fast through dire economic straits.
There are a few ways in which the stimulus and new tax credits are fueling (or are set to fuel) solar industry growth. Already some companies are quickly turning from firing to hiring mode.
- Utilities now can directly benefit from federal 30% tax credits, and utilities tend to have a good amount of established capital which many solar startups could use.
- The economic stimulus is pumping big time bucks into the renewable energy industry and streamlines the tax credit process, resulting in more money and greater security for startups.
- Increased supply , a scary notion when demand is down, may actually help solar startups by driving down solar equipment costs and therefore installation costs, which could drum up significant business for young companies.
- Long-term commitment may be the biggest boon to solar companies the world round. Even during a recession and a fall in oil prices, the commitment to renewable energy remains strong in every sector, from the populace to government to corporations. That is keeping many startups confident even through the toughest of times. There is a general feeling that solar power is on the right side of history.
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June
The Desert Sun reports today, ” Congressional subcommittee looks at solar development.”
Excerpt:
Witnesses in today’s Congressional subcommittee hearing today said it would take multi-agency cooperation to balance expanding renewable energy with environmental and land disturbance concerns.
Today’s nearly three hour hearing, by the Energy and Minerals Resources subcommittee, started around 9:30 a.m. at the University of California-Riverside Palm Desert Graduate Center. Their focus is solar development on federal lands.
Nine panelists, including representatives from the California Public Utilities Commission and Bureau of Land Management, discussed various projects underway as well as specific solar projects.
Many were California specific. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has set of goal of raising its dependency on renewable energy to 33 percent by 2020, as well as cutting global emission levels by almost 30 percent from current use levels.
“These are very, very important goals,” said Julia Levin, the renewable energy commissioner for the California Energy Commission.
“These are also critical for our economy. These will create jobs, these will create new business opportunities for California … and finally give us true energy independence.”
For the full article, click here .
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May
Home Energy Upgrades That Pay
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Writer Richard Crume, of Solar Today Magazine , brings us this excellent review of home energy upgrades that pay in their March 2009 issue. Solar Today is the publication of the American Solar Energy Association . Here is an excerpt, click here for the full article .
Are homeowners making good choices when it comes to reducing home energy consumption? Do they make decisions about improving energy efficiency based on the best advice of experts, or are decisions driven by popular trends and the latest advertising campaigns? If our nation is to make progress toward the goal of energy independence, we need to understand whether homeowners are making rational decisions about conserving energy when remodeling their homes, upgrading their appliances or simply replacing light bulbs.
President Obama’s New Energy for America plan makes efficient use of energy a national priority. Calling energy efficiency the “cheapest, cleanest and fastest energy source,” the president wants to cut electricity demand by 15 percent from projected levels by 2020, saving consumers an estimated $130 billion in utility costs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Under the president’s plan, more efficient energy use will be required across all segments of American society — in our factories and businesses, on our roads and in our homes.
Energy efficiency in the residential segment is particularly important because houses consume so much energy — nearly 21 percent of total U.S. energy production. Many homes are old and poorly insulated, and their owners cannot afford to make necessary improvements. Acknowledging this problem, the president’s energy plan sets forth a national commitment to weatherize at least 1 million low-income homes each year for the next decade. With simple improvements like sealing around windows and doors, fixing leaky ducts and installing insulation, the energy plan estimates home energy bill reductions of at least 20 to 40 percent. And by upgrading the furnace and adding energy-efficient lighting and appliances, a homeowner can achieve even greater savings.
Wise Decisions for Home Energy Upgrades
What are homeowners doing right now about energy efficiency? A recent survey by building products manufacturer Johns Manville (jm.com) helps answer that question. When homeowners were asked about energy upgrades made in the past year, 54 percent reported taking some action in their homes to conserve energy. The most popular action was putting in energy-efficient lighting, followed by caulking and sealing and then by installing energy-efficient appliances. Just 16 percent of respondents invested in attic insulation, a suprising outcome given that this may be the single most effective means for conserving energy in many older homes. (According to the U.S. Department of Energy, roughly 80 percent of older homes are poorly insulated.)
An interesting survey outcome concerns what motivates homeowners to conserve energy. Asked about the best reasons to increase home energy efficiency, homeowners gave these responses:
• Reducing home heating and cooling costs — 64 percent
• Reducing home contribution to global climate change — 19 percent
• Home comfort — 11 percent
• Increased resale value — 5 percent
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One of our readers recently wrote in asking for hints on finding solar water heater manufacturers in California, mainly to avoid the high cost of shipping from overseas. Luckily, finding solar companies in California keeps getting easier, manufacturers included.
There are innumerable sources of information across the Internet, all with their own twist and turn, and it can be difficult to find a concise list from any single source. But they do exist. The best list I found was from the Utility Consumer’s Action Network (UCAN) . Their list does not separate water heater manufacturers by state, but instead by SRCC certification — a must for reaping federal solar tax credits . So some browsing will have to be done, although it takes little time to find quite a few solar manufacturers in California. Here are a select few:
Sensible Technologies, Inc.
4723 Tidewater Avenue
Oakland, CA 94601
(510) 434-3130
Radco Products, Inc.
2877 Industrial Parkway
Santa Maria, CA 93455
(800) 927-2326
ACR Solar International
5840 Gibbons Drive Suite G
Carmichael, CA 95608
(888) 801-9060
SunEarth Inc.
8425 Almeria Avenue
Fontana, CA 92335
(909) 434-3100
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May
Georgia Public Service Commissioner Stan Wise says that his state simply does not have the renewable resources to meet proposed standards put forth by President Obama. He says that Georgia would have to outsource green energy, costing the state and its taxpayers billions of dollars and raise electricity bills by as much as 25 percent.
In speaking to Congress in February, Wise claimed that set standards would only cost Southern states “jobs, growth, and industry.” The proposed goals would require the entire country to get 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025. This would be accomplished either through production of power or purchase of that power from elsewhere. Obama’s plan would also institute a cap-and-trade system on greenhouse gas emitting power plants, most notably coal-fired plants. Now guess where Georgia gets the vast amount of its energy.
Roughly three-quarters of Georgia’s energy comes from coal, with the remainder taken from gas or nuclear plants. Only a very small fraction comes from renewable sources. Stan Wise claims that the state does not have the resources of Plains states with their wind or Southwestern states with their solar potential.
Environmental groups say that Georgia has plenty of potential and only a lack of effort and an attachment to the coal and nuclear industries stands in their way. The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy claims that Georgia could easily meet proposed energy goals with a combination of biomass, wind , solar , geothermal and tidal energy resources. In addition, the Union of Concerned Scientists recently noted that Georgia alone could create nearly 4,000 jobs and $1.4 billion in investments by 2030 if it simply committed itself to renewable resources. That study also pointed out that Georgia is already exporting money for energy anyway — roughly $1.6 billion to import coal in 2005 alone.
Instead, Wise and other state officials want renewable energy legislation revised to include nuclear power as well. In fact Georgia Power, the state’s largest utility, is awaiting approval on two more nuclear plants even as the Congressional debate heats up — perhaps a reason for Wise’s apparent sense of urgency.
Click here for more Home Solar Power information
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May
So far the solar industry has remained strong throughout the recession – creating new jobs instead of layoffs. Sadly, OptiSolar, a solar panel manufacturer based in Hayward, California, wasn’t one of them. Recently, they were forced to lay off 290 of their 600 employees after failing to secure financing to finish a manufacturing facility in Sacramento , a facility where they had planned to build the solar cells and other components needed to construct the large-scale solar installation projects already in the pipeline.
But, for every bit of bad news there’s a bit of good news, and that’s where First Solar steps in. OptiSolar has agreed to sell its portfolio of unfinished solar farms to First Solar Inc., of Tempe, Arizona . The maker of photovoltaic panels will pay $400 million in First Solar stock to buy the large-scale outstanding projects, which they plan on completing.
It is anticipated that this new arrangement could result in the creation of 400 new jobs in California – which is actually only 110 new jobs when calculating the 290 layoffs from OptiSolar.
As part of the deal, First Solar will honor a contract between OptiSolar and PG&E by constructing a 550-megawatt solar plant in San Luis Obispo called the Topaz Solar Farm, scheduled to open in 2011 and be fully functional in 2013, pending state approval.
They’ll also take over negotiations to complete an additional 1,300 megawatts of solar projects that OptiSolar had started and secure the rights to 210 square miles of California desert land from OptiSolar to construct solar plants.
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May
Solar Energy in People
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Did you ever notice that you never see angry people on the beach, in boats, or at the poolside? The sun is an amazing thing. I didn’t really notice it, but over the winter I became a virtual hermit. I say “virtual” not because I am almost a hermit – I’m a total hermit, but I’m living totally in the virtual world, on my computer just about 24/7. I blame the sun – haven’t seen it in months. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it until some freak of nature occurred a week ago and we had several days of sunny 70-degree weather in a row. It was amazing. I itched to detach myself from my desk. I ached to be outside – doing anything, just to be in the glorious glow of the sun’s rays.
And I did just that. I started gathering materials for my garden, I washed my truck (the poor mud-encrusted SUV that hauls my children and me around come rain or shine), I hiked around my 20 acres just looking at nature, and amazingly I still had plenty of time for my computer work. It was like just having sunshine in my day gave me extra energy and more hours.
Admittedly, I’m a bit of a nature freak – bit of a contrast for a girl who spends all her time on a computer, I know, but I really do believe in the healing powers of nature. When my kids were little I remember hearing a little tidbit of trivia on the radio that just four minutes a day spent out in the sunshine could give your body the vitamin D it needs. Just four minutes – who can’t afford that? I’ve since read that it’s more like 10 minutes . Still, not a huge investment of your time for amazing natural benefits.
Energy from the sun is not just a way to gain light and heat in your home or to lasso energy from for your solar panels to run your appliances. Green starts in the heart. The sun’s energy is so powerful that it can protect you from all sorts of diseases, ailments, and syndromes. Not only can it actually give your metabolism a boost, the vitamin D your body absorbs by being exposed to the sun can help prevent heart disease, osteoporosis, breast, prostate, and colon cancer, depression, insomnia, and an overactive immune system.
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May
The State of Solar States
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These are very active times for the solar industry. With layoffs here and jobs added there, some states are out of funding, even while federal funding increases. There is enough solar news going round to fill a hundred newspapers twice over. At the heart of the issue are U.S. states, which have long been the main catalyst behind the U.S. solar industry, many which now face dire economic straits.
So with times at their hardest (we hope) and renewable energy seen as a potential gift horse for a struggling economy, many states are competing for attention in the burgeoning solar industry. We begin in the East:
- In Massachussetts , hundreds of solar, wind, and other renewable energy projects are vying for the state’s alloted federal stimulus funds.
- New York utility Con Edison is seeking state approval for a pilot program that would put 12 megawatts of solar electricity on commercial and residential rooftops throughout its service area.
- New Jersey’s most visually stimulating and power consuming city — Atlantic City — will be the location of the nation’s largest single rooftop solar electric system. It will provide more than a quarter of the power for Atlantic City’s new convention center.
- Tennessee is hoping to gain some more recognition in the solar industry by opening a new solar institute to research and develop new solar energy technologies and programs.
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May
In this age of portable electronic devices, who has the time to find a power source? People are growing more and more mobile, spending as much time about town as at home. At the same time, we carry more battery-powered electronics with us as well, from cell phones to MP3 players to laptops. Therefore a rather ironic conflict between individual and electronic mobility arises. If you’re always on the go, how do you have time to charge all these electronic devices?
Perhaps someday the solar cell phone will catch on, but in the meantime designer Jonathan Globerson thinks he has the answer : the free solar charging station. Designed to be made from retreated bamboo, Globerson hopes his solar charging stations will pepper the urban landscape of the near future, offering the fast-paced populace a free power source for recharging their laptops and cell phones , devices which have moved from luxuries to necessities for the modern worker.
Click here for more Home Solar Power information
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