Solar saves. That is what the Lopez family has found out with their 10-kW photovoltaic system investment in solar this past year. They certainly had concern with the unique shape of their roof, but fortunately the design flexibility of the Fronius Primo allowed for them to have the system they truly wanted. Sun King in Kahului, Honolulu, and Lihue, Hawaii is experienced in installing photovoltaic systems and other green energy options and constructed the project for the Lopez family.

“We‘re so pleased with the ease of installation and quality Fronius brings to the table for our projects so the Fronius Primo was a straightforward choice for this residential system,” said Chris Spencer of Sun King. “We at Sun King are highly committed to providing only the best in photovoltaic equipment to our community in Hawaii and are proud to say Fronius fits that bill.”

Sun King also offers other green services to customers like solar hot water systems and opened in 1976, so shares a longstanding tradition with Fronius in high quality renewable energy solutions.

Solar Power World

APS, a global leader in solar technology, is now APsystems. The brand refinement highlights the company’s commitment to powerful alternative energy solutions, and its evolution from a product-oriented portfolio to a whole-systems innovator.

The phrase “Altenergy Power,” a nod to the company’s original legal name, will appear beneath APsystems in the company’s new mark.

“We’ve been asked at times what ‘APS’ stood for, and it was a trade name we fell into largely for simplicity,” said Kelly Samson, APsystems CEO, U.S. operations. “As our company has become prominent in the marketplace, and our range of offerings expands, we want to make our commitment to alternative energy and advanced power systems more explicit. APsystems is who we are and what we’re about.”

The new positioning follows the company’s strong growth and industry recognition in the U.S. and international solar markets over the past two years.

APsystems is headquartered in Seattle, USA, and Jiaxing, China, with regional offices in Europe and Australia.
The company was founded in Silicon Valley in 2009 with a single product offering, a first-generation microinverter.
An ongoing commitment to research and development, engineering and technology innovation has created a robust module-level power electronics (MLPE) solutions portfolio. The company’s technology is also featured in integrated PV solutions by other solar industry leaders.

More than half of the APsystems workforce is involved in R&D engineering, underscoring the focus on constant product advancement and innovation.

The company’s flagship product, the YC500 microinverter, broke ground among MLPE offerings as the most powerful unit to handle two solar modules simultaneously, simplifying PV system design and significantly lowering installation costs on a per-watt basis.

More recently, the YC1000 microinverter entered the solar market as an innovative, purpose-designed unit for commercial applications. The fourth-generation technology offers true 3-phase (balanced AC) output and handles up to four modules per unit, bringing microinverter technology to the untapped commercial segment for the first time.
The microinverters have been successfully deployed on five continents.

“We’ve been very successful providing an alternative to conventional ‘string’ power inversion, moving the market toward microinverters as the standard for residential and small-scale commercial solar applications,” said Andrew Lonseth, APsystems president, U.S. operations. “As we expand our systems portfolio, we will continue to bring new and innovative technology offerings to the alternative energy market.”

APsystems products are designed around a flexible and powerful Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) integrated circuit, giving the company a significant competitive advantage in design, manufacturing, reliability and cost effectiveness.

The company’s microinverter line is programmable to any grid standard anywhere in the world, and is backed by industry-leading warranties and support.

Solar Power World

UGE International, a leader in distributed renewable energy solutions for businesses, and Alpha Energy, an engineering procurement and construction firm, have entered into an agreement to work jointly on the development, installation, maintenance and financing of distributed generation projects. The collaboration will put forth a unique vertically integrated team, with the ability to efficiently approach the distributed generation and energy storage markets on a global basis, which is projected to grow at a rate of 300 percent per year according to Navigant Research.

UGE is a leading full service renewable energy provider for commercial and industrial clients with over 2,000 installations in more than 100 countries. Recent projects include the installation of wind turbines on the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the design and installation of a hybrid wind, solar and battery system that provides complete power to a telecommunications facility in the Pacific Islands, as well as the largest distributed solar portfolio in Central America. In May, UGE announced that it was a recipient of an award to develop microgrids in New York City as part of the RISE:NYC initiative.

“We look forward to enhancing our capabilities and market presence by partnering with Alpha Energy,” said Joshua Rogol, director of business development for UGE. “Alpha Energy’s global engineering procurement and construction (EPC) expertise on large-scale construction and solar projects is a win for us and our clients. Together, we expect to deploy leading edge solar and microgrid solutions for commercial customers worldwide.”

Alpha Energy is a leading EPC of turn-key renewable energy systems for utility, commercial, institutional and remote applications that utilize solar, wind and alternative resources. Alpha Energy recently completed construction of the 29.6 MW HXOap Solar Farm in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. The company is currently engaged in several projects, including a 100 MW solar farm in Cumberland County, North Carolina. Once complete, the project will be the largest solar facility east of the Rockies and is expected to generate enough electricity to power 30,000 homes.

“Both of our companies are committed to designing and building the highest-quality, most innovative and efficient systems,” said Greg Siemer, general manager and vice president of Alpha Energy. “UGE’s track record of successfully completing world-class projects, along with their project financing capabilities, will ensure this is a successful venture.”

Solar Power World

In this Solar Power World Issue:

• ACT NOW! Avoid project backlog before ITC drops
• Special section on inverters and storage
• Solar Power International

Solar Power World

One California recycling firm approaches solar developers to clean up projects.

Solar is the heart of the “green” movement. Using clean, renewable energy is one of the best ways to support a clean environment.

But how green is this industry, really?

One would hope an environmentally conscious industry does its part to recycle as much as possible. Millions of cardboard boxes full of solar panels make their way to jobsites across the country every year. In California alone, undeniably the capital of Solar Country with its hundreds of utility-scale projects operating or under development, the number of boxes and pallets discarded during installation is staggering. One company is offering a solution for solar project managers.

“As far as the greenest way to do a project, we’re really helping out with that,” said Kasem Cornelius of STJ Corporate Recycling, which just two years ago got involved with recycling at solar project sites. “We got hit up one day to help out on one of these solar projects that was running behind. We got our foot in the door and realized that there is a lot of this to be done.”

STJ’s crew separates abandoned boxes from pallets at solar jobsites, puts the cardboard in bins and stacks pallets to be transported off-site.

The company first started as a wrecking yard in 1943 and has since freshened its image to focus on recycling scrap metal and various cardboard jobs. Cornelius said he never expected the business to focus so heavily on solar sites, but STJ is located in the middle of a solar boom. Cardboard boxes now make up 90% of STJ’s work flow.

“This is definitely our main, full focus,” Cornelius said. “We still have a wrecking yard and we still do towing and scrap metal, but it’s nothing compared to what we’re doing now on this. We called in people who used to work for us that had left to go to the oil fields. We have everybody going full-on doing solar projects now.”

Breaking down boxes isn’t a one-day job. Take a typical California 100-MW utility-scale project—at least 385,000 standard PV panels are needed to reach that output. According to a Canadian Solar spec sheet, 30 panels come in a package. Just in this example, that requires over 12,830 boxes. Include the filler inside the boxes for protection, and it’s clear STJ stays busy.

“As [installers] are putting on panels, they’re just pushing that empty box to the row and aisle they drive down, and they don’t worry about it anymore,” Cornelius said of jobsites. “They push it out of the array and then we take it all from there. It’s as little of their involvement as possible.”

Working as the contractors install allows a finished solar project to be truly completed. STJ brings its own forklifts and other machinery to help with cleanup.

“We are working simultaneously, keeping the project clean visibly,” Cornelius said. “You don’t have a huge stack in the corner of a project. When it’s done, everything is done. It’s not another headache to worry about in the end.”

STJ guarantees a 100% recycling rate. A recent project had 400 tons of cardboard and nothing ended up in a landfill. For contractors not wanting to take the time to sort out contracts with local recyclers, turning to a subcontractor like STJ ensures as green a process as possible.

“We know recycling and getting this waste out isn’t the No. 1 thing companies are thinking when they’re planning,” Cornelius said. “There are a million other things that need to be handled. But instead of letting this be a worry at the end of a project, we’re trying to take this on and be there at the beginning so it’s handled in one big swoop.”

The STJ crew at a solar jobsite.

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Conergy, one of the largest downstream solar companies operating globally, announces it has won 60 MWp of solar projects in Brazil’s national auction.

“Brazil’s auction was one of the most competitive in the world,” said Eduardo Abreu, Conergy’s General Manager in Brazil. “Of bids totaling 11,200MWp, only 833 MWp were approved, making Conergy’s projects among the top 7.5%. The team’s technical expertise enabled efficient site selection and project design gave the company a competitive advantage during the auction.”

Alexander Gorski, Conergy’s Chief Development Officer adds: “Conergy leveraged seventeen years of global solar experience to achieve maximum cost competitiveness and project returns. With our global development platform, we look forward to entering exciting markets such as Brazil to grow our portfolio.”

Conergy’s two projects, which will receive a 20-year power purchase agreement in the amount of BRL 296 (USD 82.57/EUR 73.58) indexed to local inflation (IPCA), are located in the northeastern Brazilian state of Paraiba, which is known as one of the highest irradiance areas in the country. Close proximity to the point of interconnection leads to very low interconnection costs and makes Conergy’s project portfolio very attractive to investors.

The Paraiba projects are Conergy’s first utility scale projects in Brazil, a new geographical focus area for Conergy since its acquisition by Kawa Capital Management — a Miami-based asset management firm — and since Brazil has announced aggressive renewable energy goals.

“In the past ten years, Brazil has cut its carbon emissions by 41 percent,” said Andrew de Pass, CEO of Conergy, “Conergy is excited to enter Brazil’s emerging and fast-growth solar market to grow our global footprint and further our company’s mission to preserve the planet and power the world.”

Conergy is set to begin construction of its two projects in the first quarter of 2017 for interconnection in August 2017.

Solar Power World

The looming step down of the solar federal investment tax credit (ITC) from 30% to 10% for larger projects at the end of 2016 is consuming the solar industry. There isn’t some cataclysmic shift that will happen in 2017; it’s happening now. If projects aren’t lined up with a builder by the end of 2015, the project will likely have very serious pain points and, in some instances, won’t get finished.

Solar developers are in an all-out sprint to get deals to a shovel-ready status with an EPC firm within the next few months. At this point, to qualify for the current ITC, projects must be operational by Dec. 31, 2016. For now, industry-leading asset owners, developers and EPCs are preparing for the worst by securing their contracts, counterparties, suppliers and strategic partners now, as opposed to later.

Utility solar project developers have had to navigate the market pressures resulting from the ITC step down for a while. But now that it’s imminent, there is less room for time delays, false starts or mistakes. There are four key factors defining a project’s success in making the ITC cutoff: interconnection timelines, access to labor, tax equity availability and permitting.

Interconnection
Interconnection can be a rather long and drawn-out process depending on the utility, study type and overall project size. To ensure a project reaches permission to operate (PTO) in time to make the ITC cut-off, it’s essential the project is far enough along in the study process to get an interconnection agreement (IA) tendered before the end of 2016. In addition, once there is an IA in place, the engineering and construction timelines associated with interconnection facilities need to provide ample time for testing and commissioning. This will not only require project owners and developers to post capital in the form of security deposits that get spent as construction moves along, but they’ll also need to release the utility to commence construction, drawing down and spending the capital. The decision to authorize the utility to do their work is being made earlier than usual in an effort to make the ITC cut-off.

In areas of the country where hundreds of megawatts of solar is being installed, the industry is likely to encounter testing and commissioning delays with the local utility or independent system operators. For those in the business of mitigating their ITC deadline risk, targeting PTO well in advance of the end of 2016 should be done to accommodate the likely delays from your local utility.

Access to labor
Analyst firm IHS reported in early June that U.S. developers had a pipeline of 32 GW of utility-scale PV to complete before the ITC deadline—25% of the pipeline was already under construction. According to GTM Research, an indicator of utility PV’s aggressive growth trajectory in 2015 and 2016 has been the uptick in construction activity, with total capacity under construction now greater than 4 GW for the first time in two years.

All this activity means that companies, public agencies, technology providers, contractors and financiers will be constrained making sure they can move these projects across the finish line. As a result, the access to high quality materials and qualified manpower will be challenging. Choosing a dependable EPC with technology supply contracts in place and solid relationships with local subcontractors is a key consideration in mitigating this risk.

The rebound of the broader economy and increased construction projects is another limiting factor. Many solar electrical subcontractors and local laborers also work on more general forms of construction projects, and with the economy improving, this is bound to become an additional constraint on project timelines.

A developer’s ability to establish certainty around needed resources is an essential component of securing competitive market financing. Financiers want to partner with developers that have a holistic approach and long-term view, not ones that are in it for the short-term.

Tax equity
Tax equity investors can make up a substantial part of the capital stake of a solar project, and they often take an ownership role and receive a return based on cash flow from the asset and federal and (in some instances) state income tax benefits. Tax equity investors are usually large tax paying financial entities such as banks, insurance companies and utility affiliates that use these investments to reduce current and future tax liabilities. A tax equity investor not only monetizes the ITC, but also benefits from accelerated depreciation.

Given the current environment consisting of more projects in the pipeline than there is tax equity appetite, tax equity investors will be more selective over the next 18 months than in the past. They will shift to higher quality, more bankable projects that have products and resources lined up. To secure your place at the top of the list with this tough-to-attain investor class, make sure you have an ideal clean project to finance, or expect this part to be more difficult than history has shown—which is surprisingly hard to believe.

Permitting
Similar to interconnection, permitting can be challenging and riddled with delays and complications. It’s essential to assume things won’t always break your way, and make sure to get started with the permitting process as early as possible. Go into the local agency offices and sit down with the person responsible for the relevant permit to discuss any concerns you have up front. In many cases establishing a basic relationship can help reduce the inherent bureaucracy associated with this development milestone.

Developers must also manage potential state or federal permitting items. If the project is near a wetland or biological resource, it will likely trigger additional time-intensive permitting requirements. While there may be an option to defer time-intensive public infrastructure upgrades (road improvements, landscaping, etc.) until after PTO, when it comes to federal and state-level environmental permitting, it needs to be done prior to construction commencement.

Be sure to identify areas of concern now; stay in front of them and don’t be afraid to start the project specific permitting process early, as there is bound to be an increase in activity at both the state and federal level—which they’re likely not staffed to handle.

Looking Ahead
Given all of these top-level considerations, the market will begin to see more collaboration between developers, EPCs and project owners with the common goal of getting projects built before the end of 2016. There is less room for error and many developers aren’t proficient in dealing with every aspect quickly enough to keep the project moving forward at the needed pace. Market participants will seek out others in the industry that have expertise in an area that they might be lacking to get the project over the ITC finish line.

The sunset of the ITC is also expected to bring more consolidation in the market. As development of utility projects start to slow down, market participants will either merge, vanish or figure out the next big thing. Stay in front of the curve, put your capital to work and don’t take a vacation. Every day from here on out could make or break your deal.

This article is by Aaron Halimi, director of utility project development at Borrego Solar.

Solar Power World

Tigo Energy has partnered for distribution with Exel Solar, a subsidiary of one of Mexico’s top 400 companies Exel Group. In support of the local market, they will collaboratively drive the adoption of the TS4 product offering. The TS4 platform deploys a modular approach while enabling greater design flexibility, reducing inventory costs, and ensuring the maximum return on investment for solar installers.

Exel Solar is the largest PV Wholesaler in Mexico providing installers constant training and support while offering the most innovative products online and financial services in the market. Last week Exel introduced Tigo’s TS4 platform to the top 150 installers in Mexico’s solar industry. Exel’s CEO Horacio Duhart commented on the partnership, “We are aware of competing products, but once we saw the revolutionary selective deployment feature of Tigo’s TS4 platform we knew that Tigo is the next big thing.”

Duhart went on to add, “The Tigo TS4 platform makes possible the use of different MLPE functionalities on the same string. We utilized this feature in a recent project that is exceeding our expectations and making us proud to offer our customers a product we know first-hand will deliver the reliability and bankability it promises.”

Having just debuted their partnership with Tigo, Exel has already purchased an inventory of 2.5 MW worth of Tigo-powered TS4-L Smart Modules from several leading PV module manufacturers, including: Trina, ET, and Perlight.

Each TS4 platform comprises a universal base that latches onto one of five detachable covers incorporating different functionalities. The first five TS4 covers offered by Tigo include the following functionalities:

-TS4-D (Diode): Most reliable standard JBox dissipating heat away from the module, easily upgraded
-TS4-M (Monitoring): Enhanced operation and management via module-level communication
-TS4-S (Safety): Rapid shutdown compliant via module-level deactivation, includes Monitoring capabilities
-TS4-O (Optimization) Shade and age tolerance for advanced energy harvesting, includes Monitoring and Safety capabilities
-TS4-L (Longer Strings) Increased string length up to 30% via reduced voltage of each module, includes Monitoring, Safety, and Optimization capabilities

All five covers can be mixed, matched, and interchanged according to desired functionality at any point in time. Tigo’s TS4 offers the most practical evolution of module-level-power-electronics, setting the industry standard in design and flexibility.

“We are excited that Exel has chosen to work exclusively with Tigo in offering the Mexican market any required function of MLPE, including DC optimizer solutions that can meet maximum harvest at greatest ROI needs,” said Zvi Alon, Chairman and CEO of Tigo.

Solar Power World

Nextronex’s RayMax inverter system has been selected for a 100 kW carport at the Veterans Administration in Guam. The carport is currently under construction, and will be placed in operation later this year. Venergy Group, LLC of Ft. Pierce, Florida is a service disabled, veteran owned company that won the design/build contract. The system will be the largest solar carport on the Island of Guam.

“We are proud to have been selected by Venergy for this important project with the V.A., ” said Jay Troger, CEO of Nextronex. “We are also excited to be working with Venergy, and know that the carport will serve the V.A. well for a very long time.”

In addition to its superior production and reliability, the Nextronex inverter system was selected for the ease with which it can accommodate potential future expansion of the project. The system is designed to economically accommodate the addition of battery storage, utilizing Nextronex’ patent pending system which couples the solar PV and battery storage on the DC side. Additionally, it is possible to add inverters to the common DC bus and allow the Veterans Administration to get the full advantages of Nextronex’ patented Distributed ArchitectureTM which include superior low light yield and efficiency, unrivaled reliability and increased equipment lifetimes.

The Nextronex inverter system includes a proprietary monitoring system and it is designed to withstand the severe tropical island climate.

“We analyzed the various inverter systems in the market, and selected Nextronex for its performance and future flexibility,” said Corey Clive, CEO/Founder of Venergy.

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The way we produce and consume energy is changing rapidly. With the price of solar panels declining by 99% over the last few decades, more and more customers are turning to distributed renewable energy (DRE) systems to meet their needs. Accordingly, the market for DRE storage systems is growing fast, with Navigant Consulting predicting a 10-fold increase over the next three years. As the market for solar and storage expands, the capabilities of inverters have evolved as well. Optimizing storage technologies with inverters during system design will be critical for companies looking to compete in what may soon become a $2.8 billion market.

Types of storage
While Tesla’s “Powerwall” home energy solution recently made headlines, various types of storage capabilities have been around for a long time. The two most basic methods of storage are mechanical and chemical. Mechanical storage systems work by moving physical mass to increase potential energy. The most commonly used method, pumped-storage hydroelectricity, operates by pumping water from a lower holding tank to a higher one when energy demand is low, later releasing the water back to the lower tank to create energy. The majority of solar-powered storage systems, however, rely on electrochemical storage in the form of batteries. The oldest and most commonly used battery solution in DRE is lead-acid, which is also the least expensive at a cost of $150 to $200 per kWh. Lead-acid batteries hold charges for long durations and are more commercially available, hence their ubiquity in the marketplace. However, lead-acid batteries tend to be heavier and take up more space, giving them a comparatively low energy density.

Alternatively, lithium ion batteries offer a solution with a longer overall lifetime and higher energy density. These batteries also work better in a range of environments. However, the technology behind lithium-ion is still emerging, making it more expensive at $500 to $700 per kWh. The use of lithium-ion is best for customers who need to deploy high amounts of power over a short amount of time but will require the use of a separate battery management system (BMS) to manage thermal runaway, among other things. With the emergence of Tesla’s Powerwall and other lithium-ion technologies, the use of lithium-ion batteries with renewable systems is expected to increase significantly in the coming years.

The role of inverters
There are two main categories of inverters: grid-tied (sometimes referred to as grid-direct) and battery-based. Grid-tied inverters allow power to flow from the installed solar system to the grid. Energy created by the solar array powers the loads directly, with any excess being sent to the utility, resulting in net metering. Due to this interaction with the grid, inverters are required to have anti-islanding protection, meaning they must automatically stop power flow when the grid goes down.

Battery-based inverters can either be one directional, taking DC power from the batteries and converting to AC power, or bi-directional, meaning they can invert DC to AC, as well as take incoming AC power and use it to charge the batteries. These inverters enable systems to be grid independent, so they can function with stand alone storage systems (where there is no grid connection), as well as grid-interactive, meaning they regulate energy flowing between the loads, the batteries and the grid. As with grid-tied inverters, battery-based inverters that are grid-interactive must have anti-islanding to disconnect from the grid during a power outage, however in this case, power will still be available for use via the battery storage system, thus increasing the energy security and independence.

Design challenges
When designing a solar-with-storage system, there are far more factors to consider than with a grid-tied solar project. These include the battery voltage and capacity, battery chemistry, AC output voltage and phase, average and peak loads and grid-interactivity. More often than not, off-the-shelf battery inverters are designed for lead-acid chemistry, although more manufacturers are developing products that can work with lithium ion as well. Project cost is another major consideration. Though added energy security seems like a no-brainer in most cases, the additional cost of energy storage and corresponding power electronics must be taken into account.

Market trends
As the utility grid ages and rates from conventional resources continue to go up, we will continue to see substantial and exponential investment in DRE systems. At the same time, there is downward pressure on pricing for storage and battery-based inverter systems, meaning in the next few years, the number of solar with storage installations will continue to rise, as these systems are deployed to residents and commercial businesses worldwide. Since much of the discussion around solar and storage hinges on the capabilities of battery-based inverters, new technologies will begin to emerge to improve the ease of installation and increase the functionality, improving the customer’s return on investment and energy independence.

By Conor Trujillo, Assistant Director of System Design at UGE International

Solar Power World

Bonfiglioli USA, the Kentucky-based subsidiary of Bonfiglioli Group, is pleased to announce that it has released a new generation of utility-scale solar PV inverters for the North American market.

The RPS TL-UL inverter series variants has been listed by Intertek for compliance to the requirements of UL1741, IEEE1547 and IEEE1547.1 standards.

With the new RPS TL-UL inverter series, Bonfiglioli has expanded its product range, reaching a market-record of 1,575 kW in a single inverter or 3,150 kW for the largest Power Conversion System, with enough reactive power capability to meet the project dynamic and static reactive power requirements hence eliminating the need of capacitor or reactor banks. The scalable, modular design ensures maximum energy harvest, an optimal matching with any size array and maximum system reliability. It is available in either Master-Slave or Multi-MPPT configurations including floating or grounded arrays, optional E-house and medium voltage (MV) transformers – all packaged for fast deployment.

The new RPS TL-UL inverters boast the same technology as Bonfiglioli PV systems that are currently installed in over 2.5 GW worldwide, with over 272 MW in USA. Bonfiglioli’s utility-scale inverters support intelligent utility-grid integration and management features.

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Just one year after the launch of power generation from the Anthony Wayne Solar Array at the Toledo Zoo in Toledo, Ohio, officials say that the renewable energy project has reduced the zoo’s carbon footprint, produced cost savings, and turned a local eyesore into a community asset.

Representatives of the Toledo Zoo and GEM Energy gathered in front of the array to announce new data on energy savings, power generation, and benefits experienced by the zoo.  The 2-MW solar array provides the Toledo Zoo with enough power to supply more than 30% of its electric energy needs, significantly reducing the zoo’s carbon emissions.  The 28,000-panel solar array is the largest in the nation to supply power to a zoo. The zoo uses an average of 8 million kilowatt hours of electrical energy each year, and the solar array produces nearly 3 million kilowatt hours of that total usage.  The array was the product of collaboration with GEM Energy, the Toledo Mayor’s office, City Council, and the Lucas County Land Bank, with no dollars expended by the zoo.

“The solar array allows the zoo to demonstrate environmental stewardship while reducing and stabilizing our electrical costs,” said Rick Payeff, Director of Facilities and Planning for the Toledo Zoo. “The Power Purchase Agreement developed with GEM Energy has provided us with a way to utilize renewable energy sources without expanding capital or operational dollars up front.”

The finalization of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan is driving conversations about renewable energy and energy efficiency as tools for reducing carbon emissions.  The Plan sets the first ever federal limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants that causes climate change, and encourages investments in clean energy and energy efficiency like that seen at the solar array.

“What we see today is the result of a public/private partnership that repurposed a foreclosed and contaminated brownfield into a productive solar array that lowers the zoo’s carbon footprint by producing power through clean energy,” said Jason Slattery, Director of Solar for GEM Energy of the Rudolph Libbe Group. “The project is now iconic in the area and sets a great example of using renewable energy to reduce operating costs in an environmentally friendly way.”

By reducing the amount of fossil-fuel generated power used by the zoo, the solar array has dramatically reduced its carbon footprint and harmful emissions.  This is the equivalent of:

• Reducing 1,976 tons of carbon emissions per year
• Taking 377 passenger cars off the road
• Powering 164 average US homes

Keeping electricity affordable and reliable is a key component of the Clean Power Plan. The flexible and achievable new public health and environmental safeguards under the Plan will modernize our energy system and move us away from the dirty energy of the past with clean, renewable energy sources like the solar array, and cut down on the industrial carbon pollution that is fueling climate change. Restoring Ohio’s clean energy standards would incentivize similar projects and encourage new development and investment.

“By reducing harmful emissions, the Clean Power Plan will improve public health and help to preserve treasured natural habitats across Ohio,” said Greg Ely of the National Wildlife Federation in Ohio. “In addition, it will increase competition in the energy sector and keep our electric rates low. It is a winning proposition on every level. ”

Solar Power World

Enphase Energy announced today that its Enphase Energy Services (EES) business has surpassed one gigawatt (GW) of systems serviced. EES works with system owners, operators and installers to protect their solar investments with a scalable asset management and operations and maintenance (O&M) services offering, and is one of the largest commercial and residential service providers in the U.S.

Next Phase Solar, a division of Enphase Energy, has strengthened EES’ ability to operate and maintain residential and commercial systems, as well as utility-scale PV power plants, regardless of manufacturer or brand. Enphase has also experienced strong growth in its EES service areas, extending coverage from coast to coast in the U.S. and Hawaii.

“Enphase’s successful track record and commitment to being a leader in energy management services have been key contributing factors to EES’ success,” said Martin Rogers, vice president, global service and support at Enphase. “Our continued efforts to streamline solar PV asset management and O&M services reflect Enphase’s commitment to delivering outstanding performance, value and security to system owners and our partners.”

EES’ approach to providing customers with proactive O&M services has enabled its customers to focus on their core business of selling, financing and installing solar systems. O&M services are no longer an afterthought for the PV industry, as performance and operational efficiency improve the financial performance of the largest to the smallest PV systems installed. With a network of nationwide coverage and more than one GW of systems served, Enphase is uniquely positioned to help the solar industry reach financial success.

To learn more about Enphase Energy Services, visit Enphase Energy at Solar Power International 2015 (Booth #3 – Grand Plaza) from September 15-17 at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA, or visit enphase.com/energy-services.

Solar Power World

Solar Power World recently hosted a webinar with roof-mounting experts from EcoFasten Solar, IronRidge and SunModo. The speakers shared many best practices for mounting and experiences from the field. Below are tips offered for metal roofs by Cliff Schrock, senior engineer at SunModo. View the whole webinar here, or read tips for tile roofs or asphalt shingle roofs.

1. Don’t bend roofing seam to fit a clamp. Doing so will void a roof’s warranty. Manufacturers make a wide variety of clamps for all metal roof types. Find a clamp that fits correctly.

2. Find solutions for reverse seam decks. “In my opinion, this is the worst type of roof form to deal with,” said Schrock. “And we see quite a few of these now.” Often, the valley area is too narrow for mounts, and applying mounts there would disrupt the flow of water. Mounting on the high part of this roof type requires a special mount with spacers, so tightening doesn’t crush the deck. Unirac has a mount that can work on this type of roof, Schrock said.

3. Orient rails east-west when seams run north-south. “This provides for maximum system strength on a standing seam roof,” Schrock said. “The standing seam provides strength in the N-S and the rails provide strength in the E-W directions respectively.”

4. Consider what’s below. A mounting system is only as strong as the roof below. Some metal roofs have foam insulation directly under the deck. Tightening mounts could crush the insulation. In this case, you may need a system that includes a spacer. Roll insulation under many metal roofs is already crushed at the cross beams, and further fastening is not an issue.

5. Use the right self-drilling screws. Use types that are made for self-drilling through a metal roof into wood. These screws typically have a gasket on them for waterproofing. There are special self-drilling screws for going into heavier metals, too. “Get the help of a structural engineer or the roofing manufacturer to help you find the right length screw to drill through the roof either into wood or into metal underneath so that you don’t void the roof warranty and also get the right attachment strength,” Schrock said.

Solar Power World

Solar Power World recently hosted a webinar with roof-mounting experts from EcoFasten Solar, IronRidge and SunModo. The speakers shared many best practices for mounting and experiences from the field. Below are tips offered for asphalt shingle roofs by Dan Felix, training manager at IronRidge. View the whole webinar here, or read tips for metals roofs or tile roofs.

1. Check with roofing manufacturers about flashing. IBC 1503-2 states that flashing shall be installed to prevent moisture entering from penetrations through the roof plane. IBC 1507-2-9 says flashing shall be applied in accordance with this section of the code and also the asphalt shingle manufacturer’s printed instructions. “From that note, it’s clear that an installing contractor should identify the exact manufacturer of the roofing material on a customer’s home and double-check the manufacturer’s website for instructions on properly installing a flashing, both for maintaining the warranty and ensuring a waterproof roofing system,” Felix said.

2. Use quality flashing. “There’s now just a huge amount of flashings options from which to choose in the solar industry,” Felix said. “We should be paying notice to a few key items.” Among them are corrosion resistance, structural performance, waterproofing and ease of installation. A flashing should be guaranteed to last the life of a solar system. Felix recommends a product with an elevated platform for the actual penetration location to divert water. Extra wide flashing can accommodate any errors when locating the rafter. Flashing manufacturers should be able to provide installers with third-party certifications of their products.

3. Consider shingle thickness. Shingles with 15- and 20-year warranties are relatively thin and present few issues when installing flashings. Shingles with longer lifespans, however, are thicker and have a layout design with high and low points. Flashing with elevated attachment points will work well in the low areas of the shingle layout, minimizing the chances of the flashing curling as it’s tightened (casually known as the “potato chip effect”). In high points, extra wide flashing will keep wind-driven rain from getting to the elevated section of that roofing material where a penetration is located.

4. Use the right sealant. When applying sealant into a pilot hole, contractors need to use the sealant specified by the roofing manufacturer to maintain warranties. This information, and much more, can be found on manufacturers’ websites.

5. Beware of the drip edge in the course of shingles. Make sure the flashing does not extend beyond the drip edge of the shingle as the space underneath could allow leaves and debris to accumulate, causing rot and mildew. Install flashing so that its bottom edge aligns with the drip edge of that course of shingles.

6. Don’t disrupt water diversion. Manufacturers will often allow flashing to be installed a little further into a course of shingles than normal, if needed. But if a flashing product has an elevated platform for attachment, be sure to trim the shingles around the elevation so that it sits flush with the base of the flashing. “You don’t want to send water to the top of the platform,” Felix said. “That platform is designed into the product to divert water away from your penetration location.”

7. Avoid removing nails from shingles. IBC 1507-2-7 states that asphalt shingles shall have the minimum number of fasteners required by the manufacturer. “You’ll find that there are some flashing manufacturers that recommend removing nails or fasteners in the way of your installation,” Felix said. “As an installer, I don’t recommend that.” Roofing installers typically use the minimum number of nails required. Felix recommends rocking the flashing back and forth against the nail to determine the horizontal location of the nail.  Then taking a pair of tin snips, carefully cut the smallest V-notch necessary in the flashing to place it properly into the course of shingles.

Solar Power World

Solar Clam-P will exhibit the company’s non-rail mounting system for residential solar at booth 7517 at the Solar Power International conference in Anaheim, California from Sept. 14 to 17.

Attendees will learn about the easy and fast installation of the Solar Clam-P system. The system can be used with microinverters or optimizers, as well as a new slipe-and-slide flashing. Solar Clam-P also provides installers with hardware color options.

Booth 7517 will also feature the next-generation of Solar Clam-P component, including the A Beam and Combo Clam-P Beast.

For more information, visit the booth or www.solarclam-p.com.

Solar Power World

Soltec Renewable Energies is opening its first tracker factory in Bahia, Brazil, South America. The factory will cater to the high demand of the country and the rest of South America. This new factory in Brazil and the two factories that the company already has in Spain and China will increase the production capacity of Soltec from 1.2 GW to 1.5 GW per year. Moreover, the opening of new offices in Mexico and Peru will help to expand Soltec’s presence in South American region.

“With the gained experience in Chile, we want to focus on our production in Brazil, where we are participating in competitive propositions for several hundred megawatts. Simultaneously, we will continue our expansion in Latin-America, Canada and United States. Next week Soltec will be at Solar Power International at Anaheim, California”, says Raúl Morales, Soltec’s CEO.

During the last 18 months, Soltec has mounted 5 solar plants that will amount to 350 MW by the end of the year 2015. The company is forecasting the manufacture and installation of 600 to 800 MW for 2016, with the goal of producing just over 1.2 GW annually by 2018.

“The quality of our product makes us very optimistic for 2016. The market is very active and we are participating in competitive processes of great importance. As leaders in the supply and installation of solar trackers in the Chilean market, our goal is to establish and consolidate ourselves in the same way in all South America”, says Fernando Sánchez, Soltec´s General Manager in Latin-America.

Solar Power World

EcoFasten Solar will officially launch their newest product, SimpleGrip, a solar roof mount solution for low-slope roofing.

SimpleGrip has been tested in accordance with AC 286 and ASTM D1761-06, and like all of the products in the EcoFasten Solar line, SimpleGrip is fast and easy to install, and will allow your next low-slope project to be straightforward and hassle-free.

The SimpleGrip mount can also be used with EcoFasten’s rail-free Rock-It System in conformance to UL 2703.

Watch the installation video and discover how fast and easy it really is!

Solar Power World

Array Technologies (ATI), a leading manufacturer of solar tracking systems, has earned UL 3703 certification for its new DuraTrack HZ v3 single-axis solar tracking system.

Upon completion of extensive testing, UL confirms that ATI’s third generation tracker has passed stringent requirements for solar tracker certification according to UL standard 3703. DuraTrack HZ v3 passed several rigorous tests, including UL 2703 testing for grounding/bonding, humidity and temperature cycling, rain tests, and safety testing for electromechanical systems.

The certification represents an important milestone for the innovative product as the company kicks-off major deployment to utility-scale projects across the US.

“Our team is incredibly proud to have received official UL certification on our v3 system,” explained ATI director of engineering, John Williamson. “We greatly enjoyed working alongside the group at UL to complete their rigorous testing regimen and confirm version three’s unparalleled safety and reliability features.”

ATI’s recently launched DuraTrack HZ v3 builds on the company’s 3 gigawatts of design and manufacturing experience. The new tracking system boasts a 6% power density advantage, significant installation efficiencies, the industry’s highest reliability, and zero scheduled maintenance over the 30-year life of the product. V3 is a groundbreaking design built to deliver the best levelized cost of electricity.

Solar Power World