DIY Solar Power System
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
Fat Spaniel Technologies , the market leader in monitoring and reporting services for distributed energy systems and HelioEMS , Energy Management Solutions, recently announced a partnership to develop a Demand Side Monitoring Channel focusing on energy monitoring services.
“Since you can’t save what you don’t measure, monitoring the energy use of a building and selected systems within it, is the critical component to meeting energy efficiency goals. Our breakthrough service is offered in partnership with Fat Spaniel to give building owners real-time actionable intelligence to understand energy use and proactively manage costs,” said TR Bietsch, Managing Director of HelioEMS. “We are pleased to offer an intelligent energy decision service at a time when our country reaches for new and expanded goals in energy efficiency. We are very pleased to work with Fat Spaniel to bring real-time energy analysis and performance measurement to property owners and facility managers.”
The technology gathers on-site energy information and delivers real-time energy analysis via an online portal to make energy use decisions. The on-site set up, proprietary energy analysis and load management recommendations are provided by HelioEMS, Energy Management Solutions specialists. The online technology delivery and portal user interface elements are powered by the industry leader, Fat Spaniel Technologies.
“Fat Spaniel has built a market-leading position based on our ability to deliver intelligent monitoring solutions to our renewable energy customers. Ever-changing marketplace dynamics require methods to reduce installation costs for our customers,” said Chris Beekhuis, President and CTO of Fat Spaniel Technologies. “Combining the strengths of the two companies will aid that effort. Together with targeted industry leaders, we can meet our customers’ solution needs.”
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May
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – After weeks of debate, Democratic leaders in House of Representatives and the Senate have reached an agreement on an economic stimulus package that would pump billions of dollars into ” smart grid ” projects and renewable energy.
The $789 billion package, which now must be approved by both chambers, contains $11 billion for modernizing the U.S. electricity grid and developing so-called smart grids.
Smart grids utilize technology to create more efficient and less costly methods of moving electricity.
Aimed at boosting the nation’s economy and creating jobs, the legislation also provides $6 billion in loan guarantees for renewable energy projects such as wind or solar energy development.
Solar industry representatives said the stimulus bill would add 67,000 jobs to the sector in 2009 and a total of 119,000 jobs over the next two years.
“The solar provisions in the bill will allow us to begin hiring, create growth opportunities for small businesses throughout the country and keep the economic engine going,” Solar Energy Industries Association President Rhone Resch said in a statement.
Earlier this week, President Barack Obama stressed the importance of providing tax breaks and loan guarantees for firms that produce solar and wind energy.
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April
A growing number of states are moving to require home builders to offer solar electricity and hot-
water systems in new homes, right alongside more traditional options such as fancy kitchen countertops and special window treatments.
“It’s just like the granite countertop upgrade or the two-car garage or the larger closet — these are options the homeowner can choose to purchase,” said Jeff Lyng, the renewable energy program manager for Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter’s Energy Office.
In Colorado, lawmakers are considering a bill that would require builders to offer a range of options, from pre-wiring the home for solar power to full installation of a solar system. The legislation would also require builders to tell buyers they can roll the cost of the system into their mortgage, reducing up-front costs, Lyng said.
“What this begins to do is standardize things. We’re trying to build Colorado’s infrastructure to be ready for solar,” Lyng said.
The Colorado proposal has passed in the state House and awaits Senate consideration. Ritter, a Democrat who had solar panels installed at the Governor’s Mansion in Denver several years ago, said he plans to sign the bill.
Elsewhere:
•New Jersey lawmakers approved a bill last month that would require builders in developments of 25 homes or more to offer solar panels to home buyers and to discuss during construction the benefits of clean energy.
•A California law taking effect in 2010 will require builders to offer solar panels on homes in developments of more than 50 houses.
•Hawaii, starting Jan. 1, will require all new single-family homes to include solar hot-water heaters, said Russell Pang, a spokesman for Gov. Linda Lingle, a Democrat. Hawaii imports 90% of its fossil fuel energy sources, Pang said. “Living on an island, that’s not the kind of thing we want to be depending on.”
•New Mexico home builders must offer solar-ready wiring but are not obligated to offer solar installation, under a law that took effect last year.
The federal government is offering a 30% tax credit for homeowners who install solar panels or solar water heaters through 2016, said Karen Schneider, spokeswoman for the federal Energy Star program. The credit covers materials and installation costs, with no ceiling on claims.
Colorado officials hope at least 10% of the 12,000 new homes expected to be built in the state this year have solar systems installed, creating at least 300 jobs for installation technicians, Lyng said.
Daniel Glick, of Lafayette, Colo., helped persuade more than 25 families in his neighborhood to install solar systems over the past several years. Glick said residents agreed to use homeowners association dues to make low-interest loans to their neighbors to cover installation costs. Glick now gets a monthly check from his power company because his home is generating more power than it uses.
“It’s not just the right thing to do. It makes economic sense,” he said.
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