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EcoFasten Solar recently received Engineering Certification from the structural engineering firm PZSE Inc. for their Rock-It System, specific to the following states: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.

The Rock-It System is a fast, easy to install rail-free solar roof mount that conforms to UL Subject 2703, and holds a Class A Fire Class Resistance Rating when used with Type 1 listed PV modules. The top down leveling feature gives the installer the freedom to level the array during or after the installation is complete.

PZSE Inc. has determined that all information, data, and analysis contained in the Rock-It System installation manual is based on, and is in compliance with, the structural requirements of the following Reference Documents:

• Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and other Structures, ASCE/SEI 7-10
• International Building Codes by International Code Council, Inc. (State-specific)
• State Building Codes (State-specific)
• Aluminum Design Manual, 2005 Edition & 2010 Edition, by The Aluminum Association

“Rail- free mounting is revolutionizing PV Installations across the nation. We all know that installers are beholden to local permitting authorities, some of which have stringent requirements. 3^rd Party design certification is an important permitting tool for our customers, and an important milestone for any engineered mounting system,” says EcoFasten Solar Engineering Manager, Ryan Ward.

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The grassroots coalition of Floridians for Solar Choice, comprising over 65 diverse organizations and thousands of Floridian supporters, is strong and advancing in their effort to remove and limit barriers to solar power that currently exist in the Sunshine State. The initiative’s vast network of petitioners across the state is steadily gaining momentum as the remaining needed petitions are collected, even in the face of high-dollar opposition from monopoly utilities and their supporters.

“We continue to aggressively move to secure the required signatures, and we call on all Florida citizens who believe in Solar Choice and clean energy to join our effort.” said Dr. Stephen Smith, Executive Director, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and founding member of Floridians for Solar Choice. “It is clear that FPL and the other utility monopolies with their proxy groups are having to spend a significant amount of money to recruit people in order to intentionally mislead voters about their “dumb” petition which does nothing to advance solar in the Sunshine State.”

It is evident that the Solar Choice initiative would upset the monopoly utilities’ status quo: the utility-sponsored amendment received hefty campaign donations totaling more than $2.3 million in October.

Following a positive ruling from the Florida Supreme Court in October, the Solar Choice campaign’s total number of verified signatures continues to grow with more than 207,000 already verified by Florida’s Division of Elections and another 200,000 signed and awaiting verification. The ballot proposal – designed to expand solar choice by removing barriers that limit solar ownership models – continues to gain wide support as more than 65 businesses, associations, conservative groups, faith communities, clean energy and environmental organizations now comprise this diverse coalition.

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Applied Energy Technologies (AET), a supplier of commercial and utility-scale racking systems, announces that it was selected by Swinerton Renewable Energy to provide its Rayport-G ECO ground mount system for a 7 MW solar PV installation in Mendota, California, currently under construction.

AET’s engineering team provided the full design, professional engineering stamp, and subsoil evaluation for permitting. AET boasts an impeccable record with 100 percent on time, 100 percent on budget and zero warranty claims. For this particular project, to meet the needs of the customer, AET’s highly efficient logistics team shipped the entire racking solution for the 7 MW project in one week.

“Swinerton upholds a high level of standards for all of its projects,” said Aaron Faust, VP of Business Development for AET. “To be selected by Swinerton requires an extensive vetting process to ensure the racking team fits the bill. There are many facets that go into a utility-scale solar project, such as shipping, engineering, service, quality product, and cost. AET is focused on meeting all of these needs for every customer.”

A recent report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirms the continued growth in utility-scale solar power generation. The U.S..EIA anticipates utility-scale solar capacity to increase by greater than 100 percent (11 GW) over a two-year period (2014-2016), with 4.4 GW of new solar power generation being constructed in California (Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration Short-Term Energy and Winter Fuels Outlook Oct 2015).

“There are a number of factors that are contemplated when selecting the components for our projects,” said Scott Stites, Procurement Manager for Swinerton. “We continue to be pleased with the quality of AET’s racking system, competitive price point, aggressive lead-times, and speed of installation. They have exceeded our expectations in expedited engineering deliverables, materials delivery, and responsive customer service.”

AET’s Rayport-G ECO is strong and durable, having been engineered to withstand the most challenging environmental conditions. Its high-quality and low cost features, backed by AET’s highly-efficient logistics makes AET a leading choice for EPCs and developers looking for a balance-of-system racking component that meets time and budget constraints while upholding quality and reliability for their utility-scale projects.

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Following their collaboration on a 148.5 MW utility-scale solar project earlier this year, SunLink Corporation has been selected as the project partner for a 112.7 MW solar PV portfolio project under development in the southeastern United States by Blattner Energy, a power generation contractor and leading provider of renewable energy construction in North America.

“Many companies in our business benchmark their success on total MWs installed. But the true measure of our success is in the quality of our customer relationships and the comprehensive range of problem-solving services and support we’re able to offer them over the long term,” explains SunLink CEO Michael Maulick. “We are very proud to be embarking on another utility-scale endeavor with Blattner, who shines when it comes to delivering a better construction experience for their customers. We commend and share their focus on quality, driving down the levelized cost of energy and adding value throughout all phases of the project lifecycle.”

Collectively, SunLink and Blattner have been trusted with nearly 2 GW of solar projects throughout the Americas – a testament to their industry-leading expertise in renewable energy engineering and construction. The Southeast continues to be one of the leading solar markets in the U.S., and Blattner and SunLink share a dedication to advancing universal solar power adoption throughout the region.

“Blattner is known for collaborative relationships with our partners,” said Aaron Pyfferoen, manager of procurement, solar for Blattner Energy. “During the course of the first project with SunLink, they demonstrated that they share our commitment to exceeding expectations, problem solving and optimizing project solutions. We’re pleased to have a long-term partner that shares

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Photovoltaics added value to homes in six markets, according to a new report titled “Appraising into the Sun: Six-State Solar Home Paired-Sales Analysis,” led by a researcher from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and a home appraisal expert. Researchers engaged a team of seven appraisers from across the six states to determine the value that solar photovoltaic (PV) systems added to single-family homes using the industry-standard paired-sales valuation technique, which compares recent sales of comparable homes to estimate the premium buyers would pay for PV.

The appraised premiums also confirmed statistical modeling results from a large Berkeley Lab study conducted in 2013, which found that buyers were willing to pay $15,000 more for a home with the average-size solar photovoltaic system (3.6 kilowatts), or about four additional dollars per watt of solar power, though premiums for any individual home are market dependent and are likely smaller given currently falling installed solar prices.

“These results will benefit appraisers, real estate agents, and mortgage lenders who increasingly encounter PV homes and need to understand the factors that contribute to, and detract from, market value,” says study co-author Ben Hoen, a researcher in the Energy Technologies Area of Berkeley Lab. The soaring growth in U.S. home PV systems—which totaled more than half a million homes in 2014—highlights the need for additional valuation options.

For each of the 43 pairs of comparable PV and non-PV homes, appraisers found premiums were highly dependent on the underlying system and market characteristics. These include the size of the system, the available incentives and installed prices at the time of sale, and the underlying retail electricity rates. The appraisers therefore recommend not using a one-size-fits all approach, but rather one that considers these factors. They found both the replacement cost, specifically one that takes into account federal state and utility incentives, and the present value of energy savings are likely good predictors of premiums found in individual markets.

“Many appraisers and lenders prefer the paired-sales valuation techniques that are standard in the real estate community, but comparable pairs of PV and non-PV homes are not always available, which can result in PV systems on some homes receiving no appraised value,” says lead author Sandra Adomatis, an appraiser who helped develop the Appraisal Institute’s Green Addendum and who has written and spoken extensively on valuing green features. “One of the most important contributions of our study is to show that paired-sales analysis accords with cost, income, and statistical-modeling approaches to estimating PV home premiums. Lending appraisal guidelines and expectations should allow these methods for estimating PV home premiums when comparable sales are not available.”

The study also found that price per watt was the appropriate metric for valuing PV systems and that there was no consistent difference in days on the market between PV and non-PV homes.

The study concludes with a list of recommendations for improving PV home valuation.

The research was supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative. The SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort that aggressively drives innovation to make solar energy fully cost-competitive with traditional energy sources before the end of the decade. Through SunShot, DOE supports efforts by private companies, universities, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour.

Additional Information:

Download the new 2015 report, “Appraising into the Sun: Six-State Solar Home Paired-Sales Analysis,” as well as a fact sheet and a summary slide deck here.

To register for a related 1-hour webinar at 4 PM Eastern (1 PM Pacific) today go here: Webinar Registration.

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Signal Energy Constructors

Signal Energy Constructors, a full-service EPC for wind, solar and clean energy, has awarded Trimark Associates a technology and services contract to address both regulatory compliance and operational control for the Garland Solar Project. Garland is a combined 200-MW photovoltaic (PV) based power generation resource under construction in Kern County, Calif.

Trimark won the project based on its extensive experience and thorough understanding of technology for metering, monitoring and controlling utility-scale power production facilities. The facility is subject to the California Independent System Operators (CAISO) tariffs and Business Practices Manual (BPM) requirements. Trimark’s end-to-end solution and commitment to delivering fully-functional projects made industry leading Trimark the ideal project partner.

“The Garland Solar Project truly encompasses the strength our partners have become accustomed to – a single, unified solution for PV control and compliance. We are excited to get started and continue our part in greening the grid,” says Trimark Founder and CEO Mark Morosky.

The Garland PV Project must meet CAISO requirements for metering, data telemetry and meteorological data. Trimark will provide an integrated system including tools to provide site control, performance monitoring and networking. The total approach includes: a CAISO Remote Intelligent Gateway (RIG) and associated CAISO New Resource Implementation (NRI) services; CAISO revenue meters and associated NRI services; a full featured Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system including: T1-S Vantage – Trimark’s HMI application; a data historian; advanced inverter controls; substation power equipment monitoring; interfaces to SCE EMS; CAISO and SCE compliant meteorological stations; and integration with the overall fiber optic network. This end-to-end solution ensures that the Garland Solar Project will have a complete, integrated CAISO compliant system including full featured controls.

West Hills Construction

West Hills Construction, a general contracting firm based in Corona, Calif., has awarded Trimark Associates Inc. a technology, services and consulting contract to address both regulatory compliance and operational control for the Little Rock Pham Solar project. Little Rock is a 3MW photovoltaic generation site located in Palmdale, Calif.

The Little Rock Pham Solar project must meet grid regulator California Independent System Operator’s (CAISO) and host utility Southern California Edison’s (SCE) New Resource Implementation (NRI) requirements for revenue metering, data telemetry and meteorological data. In addition to providing these services, additional elements of the project include Trimark’s power generation control and monitoring system, T1-S Gateway SCADA, and physical and cyber protection of on-site equipment. This end-to-end solution ensures that the Little Rock Pham Solar project will have a complete, integrated CAISO compliant system including full featured controls. Trimark will also be on the ground-level with West Hills Construction offering CAISO and SCE consulting and support – critical insight through the NRI process that eliminates the guesswork from their path to interconnection.

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In this edition of Solar Speaks, SunLink CEO Michael Maulick discusses the solar mounting manufacturer’s business strategy going toward 2017, when the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) may expire or be reduced. Maulick discusses international expansion—including a pair of projects in Honduras—global supply chains and how his experience in the tech industry can apply to solar. He also offers clues about a new SunLink product yet to be unveiled. Learn more about SunLink in this Solar Speaks podcast.

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Revenue Grade Metering is required of systems in SREC states for the necessary data needed for a system owner to gain these values. Revenue Grade Metering is also helpful in simply providing more accurate data, specifically to investors, to garner valuable information on the production of a solar system. Fronius now has this technology integrated as an option in its residential Fronius Primo inverters.

Fronius is continuing to move toward its vision of 24 Hours of Sun in implementing innovative strategies to make solar easier and better for installers and investors alike. This Revenue Grade Metering software option allows for an ANSI certified inverter with 2% accuracy with no additional hardware or labor required.

This solution is direct from a quality leader and manufacturer, in that it is not produced outside of the quality controls in place for their solar products. The Revenue Grade Metering software inside the string inverter undergoes a unique calibration in production which allows for the accuracy and alleviate issues with configuration in the field.

“We’re so excited to offer this option to the already extremely successful line of the Fronius Primos,” said Tristan Kreager, Director of Solar Energy at Fronius USA. „We are continually building upon our high quality power conversion products to build solutions for the market and move towards an easily integrated world of renewables.“

The Revenue Grade Metering option is now available in the Fronius Primo, 3.8 – 15.0 kW. When ordering, please ensure to request the option. The Fronius Primo is the leading residential string inverter, dual MPPT and features the SnapINverter hinged mounting system. For more information, please call 1-877-FRONIUS or visit their website.

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Level Developments specializes in the design and manufacture of sensors for measuring angles and has developed a range of inclinometers specifically to provide angular position feedback in solar tracker applications.

The company offers several ranges of inclinometers with different price and performance levels suited for the different types of solar tracker technologies. It explains its expertise and experience in this field means it can also offer customized sensors to enable better system integration and lower overall cost.  It also offers single and dual axis sensors with a range up to ±180° and accuracy to ± 0.05°. Interface styles include RS232, RS485, CAN, Analogue voltage and current.

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The Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) is set to expire at the end of 2016 – and if it does, many residential solar installers might face trouble. Shayle Kann, Senior VP of GTM Research, referred to the expiration of the Investment Tax Credit as “the cliff” which will force the solar industry back to its 2014 installation levels, even though only growth is predicted from here on out.

This article is contributed by Pamela Cargill, principal at Chaolysti, a strategic consulting firm that helps residential solar installers operate more efficiently.

On top of this, many local solar rebates are declining or sunsetting altogether, leaving the ITC as one of the last remaining solar incentives. Net energy metering (NEM)–another kind of incentive–is also under fire in many utility jurisdictions as witnessed in a number of high-profile battles since 2011.

Installers need to watch carefully how NEM 2.0 cases and utility rate cases are shaping up in the utility territories where they operate. Changes to NEM, proposals for fixed charges and minimum bills, and rate cases threaten the customer savings models we have depended upon until now. In most areas, NEM offers retail rate compensation for any solar electricity sold back to the grid.

Many proposals to change NEM will result in solar customers being offered wholesale rate or lower compensation for the solar they sell back to the grid. Aside from being more complicated to model project financials, this will impact customer savings significantly. Rate cases will also challenge customer savings. Proposals including residential demand charges, time-of-use rates, fixed charges and minimum bills will all have impacts on modeling customer savings and are being explored in some combination depending on your jurisdiction.

What Can Be Done?

For residential installers, the complex threats via NEM 2.0 and utility rate changes compound on top of the potential loss of the ITC into a powerfully uncertain environment. Find out from your state SEIA chapter on how you can get involved being a face for the solar industry in local campaigns that target key members of Congress who can support the extension of the ITC or by participating in conversations at NEM and rate cases.

Installers who successfully close the gap of 30% of project cost for direct ownership or 20% for third-party ownership may gain advantage over their peers who are playing the “wait and see” game. That’s almost $5,000 per project that installers need to reduce. However, this “gap” is likely more like 40-50% when overhead “all-in” is factored. That’s a lot of ground to cover.

Installers need to understand where they play the strongest in the project fulfillment cycle. Is it sales, design, installation, customer experience? Small, pure play solar installers who do everything from lead generation to long-term customer support may not find themselves in an advantageous position given the trend toward increasing costs of customer acquisition, as seen with the Q3 2015 earnings announcements from SolarCity about rising customer acquisition costs.

The residential market is gravitating toward an ecosystem model, where sophisticated marketing and sales organizations deliver lower cost-of-acquisition customers to an array of service providers connected together via software platforms and strategic partnerships. The entire solar value chain from manufacturing to distribution to installation to the end customer will begin to operate in a more integrated and interoperable fashion as the industry continues to mature. How will you fit in to that structure?

Solar installers need to look at how organizational design, business process and software tools or platforms can help them compete given the changes that are coming. The first place many installers will need to start is freeing up the time of the business owner to allow them more freedom to work on the business as opposed to in the business. That means delegating responsibility to other staff members and putting guidelines and policies in place for everything from sales margins to design standards to project or customer escalations. This important step alone will pave the way for the real strategic thinking needed to chart the course.

Software will continue to play a key role in streamlining and automating increasingly complex processes. Software tools already help streamline the proposal process and will continue to as the financial modeling becomes more complex. Many sales and proposal platforms are already starting to add more complex modeling that accounts for different sell-back compensation for NEM 2.0, demand charges, and more. Ask your proposal tool provider how they are accounting for these changes in their development roadmap. If they aren’t, you might want to consider how strong of a partner they will be to your business.

Most importantly start preparing now. No matter what changes–whether the ITC, NEM, rate cases, the rise of storage, the smart home, electric vehicle adoption–where solar falls in the solution landscape is sure to change. Get ready.

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Solar meters allow for the display of real-time PV energy production data. Photo: Solar-Log.

Solar meters can refer to pyranometers, which are used to measure solar radiation flux density (W/m2), or devices used to measure the kWh production from a PV system. This article is about the latter.

Solar meters collect PV yield production and local energy consumption to monitor and analyze PV plant performance. Solar meters often come with a monitoring function to alert plant owners of issues with PV plant performance, letting them quickly resolve issues and maximize return on investment. Plant data is transferred to a monitoring platform that provides a concise presentation of PV yields, monetary savings and plant performance.

“Solar meters record electricity readings using integrated current transformers (CTs),” said Anne Nelson, marketing manager at Solar-Log. “Solar Meters can be cellular enabled, which allows for a dependable communication from the plant to the monitoring platform, where the installer and customer can view performance remotely via the web.”

To measure electrical power (kW)—the rate of production—two aspects are measured: current and voltage, according to John Browne, applications engineer at Continental Control Systems. The current represents the amount of electricity (electrons) flowing through a conductor. Voltage represents the pressure pushing the electricity through the conductor. Current is typically measured by sensing the strength of the magnetic field produced when electricity flows through a conductor. A current sensor installed around a conductor is the current transformer (CT). The voltage is measured directly by the meter via two or more connections to the electrical service. The meter multiplies the current by the voltage to calculate apparent power (VA), and compares the current and voltage signals to calculate power factor (Pf). The apparent power is multiplied by the power factor to calculated real power (P). Real power is integrated over time to calculate real energy (kWh).

Meters, which do the measuring, can be internal or external to the inverter. All inverters include an internal meter, but frequently these meters are not revenue grade. External meters can be installed along the AC line between the inverter and the main distribution panel. This allows one meter to measure output from multiple inverters, which can create significant cost savings, as well as a collection of more precise PV yield data if the meter is “revenue grade.” Some solar meters can connect directly to the inverter through an RS485 or Ethernet cable, providing additional data for plant monitoring and diagnostics, Nelson said.

A revenue grade meter meets the ±2% reporting accuracy requirement in accordance with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Most meters embedded in solar inverters do not meet the ANSI certification requirements which means that these readings are much less accurate. In the U.S. PV market, many solar financing or incentive programs require revenue grade metering precision.

“In order to reduce field installation labor, the industry is heading towards integrating the meter into the inverter at the factory,” said Browne.

Even aside from the financing and incentive programs that require revenue grade metering, more and more, solar meters are becoming a necessary component of solar PV plants, Nelson said. Meters allow PV plant owners to monitor their plants and ensure the plant is performing correctly. Meters also provide the production information that is necessary for plant owners to calculate a solar PV plant’s return on investment.

Solar Power World

Solar Power World

Tuesday, December 15, 2015
2:00pm EDT / 11:00am PDT

Join experts from the EcoFasten Solar team for an hour-long discussion on best practices for mounting solar on low-slope roofing applications.

What participants will take away from attending this webinar:

• Appropriate mounting methods for low-slope roofing
• How to deal with a damaged roof prior to installation
• Best practices, code compliance and tips

Featured Speakers

Addie Webster, Sales/Client Support, EcoFasten Solar
Addied is a graduate of Barnard College with a background in sales. She has spent almost a decade devoted to the sustainable agriculture industry. Addie is a strong proponent of renewables.

Ryan Ward, Engineering Team, EcoFasten Solar
BS.AET from Vermont Technical College. Former PV System Designer with 31 MegaWatts of PV Design, Review, Engineering Team and Tool Management with one of the largest EPC’s in the US.

Brought to you by:
EcoFasten Solar

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The HDPV™ Alliance, an industry-wide alliance focused on lowering the cost and increasing the performance of photovoltaic (PV) solar systems, today announced the addition of 14 new members including: Arctech Solar, Array Technologies, Inc. (ATI), Bender, Bentek, China Sunergy, ConnectPV, Folsom Labs, GameChange Racking, GS Battery, Littelfuse, Schletter, Stion Corporation, Tabuchi Electric and Waaree. These new members join Alliance founders Ampt, Bonfiglioli,KACO new energy and LTI ReEnergy to expand HDPV membership to over 30 companies from around the globe.

HDPV, or High Definition PV, refers to PV system designs that use DC optimizers to achieve greater system power management capability while lowering the total system costs on day one.  Alliance members collaborate through defined standards and shared best practices to make lower cost and higher performing systems widely available to the industry.

“We are pleased to welcome our new members and look forward to working with them to serve our mutual customers,” said Mark Kanjorski, HDPV Alliance chair and director of marketing for Ampt. “With these new partners, HDPV members continue to work together to source projects, be more competitive within the industry, and provide customers with lower cost and higher performing PV systems.”

New HDPV Alliance members include:

• Arctech Solar is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and solution providers of solar tracking and racking systems for utilities, commercial, industrial and residential projects. Since 2009, with over 6GW of installations and hundreds of completed projects in more than 10 countries, Arctech continues to develop innovative technologies that improve energy production and deliver long-term financial benefits for solar  projects worldwide. With annual production capacity of 6GW for fixed structures and trackers, Arctech solar is well equipped to meet the growing solar energy needs of the planet.
• Array Technologies, Inc. (ATI) is the leading U.S.-based solar manufacturer of smart, cost-effective, reliable and robust solar tracking systems for utilities, corporations, small businesses and homeowners. A pioneer in ground-mounted solar systems design and manufacturing, ATI is recognized for its performance-driven products and engineering expertise. ATI provides solar tracking solutions for any project, whatever its scale, location or requirements.
• Bender ­– for over 70 years, Bender has been a global leader in ground fault protection products for both grounded and ungrounded systems. Bender’s extensive experience in renewable energy industries ensures that your system is provided with the most advanced electrical safety equipment on the market and compliant with the latest standards and code requirements for the photovoltaic industry.
• Bentek is a recognized leader in engineered electromechanical and power distribution solutions for industrial applications. Our success is attributed to the creation of effective, durable and safe products that reflect quality, reliability and functionality. Founded in 1985, Bentek designs and manufactures products such as cable harnesses, electrical combiner boxes, and custom OEM assemblies for the solar energy and semiconductor markets. Bentek is ISO certified.
• China Sunergy is a public company listed on the NASDAQ as CSUN. Founded in 2007, CSUN is a tier one manufacturer in Chinawith 1.2GW of solar cells and module production capacity. CSUN’s head office is in Nanjing, China and has factories in Turkey(400MW), Vietnam (150MW) and Korea (200MW). CSUN is competitive in European and American markets with bankability and third party insurance.
• ConnectPV is based in San Diego and delivers expertise and experience. ConnectPV brings over 10 years of solar PV industry experience in electrical balance of system products, coupled with more than 25 years of high quality, ISO9001:2008 certified, manufacturing expertise. ConnectPV actively works with customers to deliver innovative, high-quality and cost-effective solutions.
• Folsom Labs develops HelioScope, an advanced PV system design tool that integrates system layout and performance modeling to simplify the process of engineering and selling solar projects. HelioScope is more than just CAD-caliber layouts, robust shade and wiring loss calculations, module-level electronics modeling, SketchUp integration and bankable physics. These features are integrated to dramatically simplify the solar design process, making it easy for anyone to generate world-class solar layouts and performance estimates. HelioScope is used by thousands of leading developers and engineers.
• GameChange Racking leads utility and large commercial solar racking with bankable quality, unmatched service and value pricing. GameChange’s systems are UL/ETL 2703, CPP wind tunnel tested and Black & Veatch assessed.
• GS Battery is a global leader in energy storage. GS batteries are manufactured to the highest standards and deliver high quality, long life and superior performance in a wide variety of mission-critical applications. GS Battery’s products deliver reliable battery power for telecommunications, renewable energy, uninterruptible power supply (UPS), emergency lighting, power sports and automotive industries.
• Littelfuse is a manufacturer of fuses and fuse holders specifically designed for the solar market. Understanding global codes and standards unique to the solar market, as well as product specifications required for the harsh environments, allows Littelfuse to provide a comprehensive range of circuit protection products.
• Schletter is an internationally recognized manufacturer of solar mounting systems and design tools for residential, commercial and utility-scale PV applications. Schletter has globally designed, developed and produced solar mounting systems for more than 15GW of installed module capacity on roofs and ground-mounted systems.
• Stion is a leading manufacturer of high-efficiency thin-film solar modules. Stion is advancing the industry by dramatically improving the cost and performance of solar energy through superior manufacturing and R&D technology. Stion is making clean, renewable solar energy the clear and economical choice for large- and commercial-scale applications with a product that is 100 percent made in the USA.
• Tabuchi Electric is the world’s fifth largest solar inverter manufacturer. Globally diversified and listed on the NIKKEI, it has developed and manufactured state-of-the-art solar inverters for over 20 years. Building on its success in the Japanese solar market, Tabuchi Electric proudly introduces its innovative PV inverter brand to North America.
• Waaree Energies Ltd is the flagship company of Waaree Group, founded in 1989 with headquarters in Mumbai, India. It is a leading player in the solar energy space in India, as well as internationally. It has India’s largest solar PV module manufacturing capacity of 500 MW, being scaled up to 1000 MW by the end of 2015. Waaree Energies is present across the solar value chain providing EPC solutions, solar modules for grid connected solar farms, rooftop solar, solar water pumps, project development services and also as an independent power producer. Waaree Group has its presence in over 20 locations nationally and 68 countries internationally.

Solar Power World

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the national trade association for the U.S. solar energy industry, announced today that Mortenson Construction, one of the largest construction firms in the United States, has joined SEIA’s board. Senior Vice President, Jim Yowan, will serve as a director.

Mortenson, currently rated the No.1 Solar EPC Firm in North America by Solar Power World, has built more than 150 solar and wind power projects throughout the U.S. and Canada, totaling nearly 18,000 megawatts of renewable energy.

“We are excited to welcome Mortenson Construction to SEIA and to the Board,” said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of SEIA. “Mortenson’s commitment to expanding the clean energy marketplace aligns perfectly with SEIA’s mission and vision.”

Following a vote by SEIA’s membership at-large at its board meeting in Austin, SEIA also announced that the following industry leaders have been elected to serve on SEIA’s Board of Directors: Mike Hall, CEO of Borrego Solar Systems; Yuri Horwitz, CEO of Sol Systems; Laura Stern, Co-founder and President of Nautilus Solar Energy, LLC; Andrew Savage, Chief Strategy Officer at AllEarth Renewables; and Jeff Wolfe, Senior Vice President of Business Strategy at Just Energy. Barry Cinnamon, CEO of Spice Solar, and Chris Diaz, Senior Vice President at Seminole Financial Services, were the elected alternates.

Other board announcements include:

• DG Division Chair – Tony Clifford, CEO of Standard Solar
• DG Division Vice Chair – Doug Payne, Sr. Manager of Sales & Business Development at Panasonic Eco Solutions

• SHC Division Chair – Ed Murray, CEO and President of Aztec Solar
• SHC Division Vice Chair – Adam Chrisman, Vice President of Manufacturing & Engineering at SunEarth

• SSC Division Chair – Matthew Meares, Managing Director of Sunworks NC
• SSC Division Vice Chair – Laura Jones, Partner at Hunton & Wlliams LLP

• USP Division Chair – Fred Morse, Sr. Advisor of U.S. operations for Abengoa Solar
• USP Division Vice Chair – Elliot Hinds, Partner at Crowell & Moring LLP

“Solar is now the fastest-growing source of energy in the United States, and there’s no question that the strong leadership by SEIA’s Board of Directors has been instrumental to that growth,” Resch said. “We welcome the expertise and experience of these industry leaders as we seize upon the massive potential that lies ahead for the solar industry.”

Resch went on to thank the outgoing directors – Todd Glass, Susan Brown and Arthur Haubenstock – for their leadership and service to the organization and industry, as a whole.

Today, the U.S. solar industry employs 174,000 Americans at more than 8,000 companies nationwide.

Solar Power World

WGL, a diversified energy company, has expanded its distributed generation capacity, which consists primarily of photovoltaic solar, to 150 MW DC installed or under construction across the United States. The company announced plans today to invest $200 million in fiscal year 2016 in solar and other distributed systems, representing a 50% increase in renewable power generation.

“At WGL, we know that the future of energy requires the integration of renewable resources, such as solar, into our energy ecosystems and infrastructures,” said Sanjiv Mahan, president of WGL Energy. “We will increase our solar investment this year, demonstrating our commitment to providing clean energy answers to communities, businesses and governments across the U.S.”

To date, WGL has invested over $500 million in distributed generation systems in 16 states and the District of Columbia. The company’s $200 million distributed generation investment plan in fiscal year 2016 represents a 26% increase from the previous year.

WGL solar projects in service generated 147,000 MWh of power this year and include a system developed for Indianapolis Power and Light Company. Through this system, WGL provides power to various organizations within the state, the largest of which is the Indiana Airport Authority.

WGL solar systems under construction include a 4.2 MW DC ground-mounted, single-axis tracking system in Palmdale, Ca., which will produce more than 4,900 MWh of energy per year, enough to power about 600 average-sized households and eliminate roughly 3,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. In addition, also under construction is a 2.2. MW DC ground-mount system that will power a large company’s manufacturing facility in Hagerstown, MD. Supplying clean and renewable energy to the 1.5 million square foot space, the project will yield 2,665 MWh of energy annually, providing an energy solution to a major business in the region.

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At the top of Mortenson Construction’s corporate headquarters in Minneapolis sit three solar arrays, generating enough energy to offset 40,000 driving-miles of carbon emissions annually. On the floors below, solar production is tracked and displayed in everyday terms for our team members to see, such as laptops-in-operation or miles-driven.

Solar installations are among a host of measures we have employed since 2009 to increase sustainable practices on our campus. We do this to not only walk the walk, but to express optimism for the solar industry as the alternative energy poised to outpace all others, as it has reached cost parity with coal and natural gas.

And we’re not alone in predicting a bright future for the solar industry.

Recently, Mortenson released the findings from our 2015 Solar Industry Study, a research effort aimed at taking the pulse of the industry. Feedback gathered from over 200 attendees at the Solar Power International (SPI) conference, representing utilities, developers, independent power producers (IPPs), financiers and suppliers, indicated that most industry professionals anticipate a robust future for solar.

Considering that the Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) is slated to be reduced from 30% to 10% for commercial properties, this is not an insignificant finding. While most of the conference attendees we spoke to say the 2016 ITC reduction will have an immediate impact on solar activity, 57% of utilities, developers and IPP professionals still believe the long term outlook of solar will still be strong.

Respondents mentioned several factors that would counteract an ITC reduction in the long run, including better financing solutions, falling costs and continued innovation in energy storage. Industry cost reduction is driving much of the optimism regarding future trends. The price of utility-scale solar has fallen by more than 70% since 2008, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Respondents strongly believe that electricity storage, including the massive battery plant being built by Tesla Motors Inc. in Nevada, will be a significant game-changer. Other infrastructure developments lending solar a potential boost include distributed generation, net metering and smart-grid technology.

Lastly, there’s a feeling that the current ITC will be extended, in the same manner as the Production Tax Credit for wind projects has been extended in the past.

What was true in previous years should ring true for solar developers attempting to secure a power purchase agreement: Due diligence is key, according to utility professionals.

There continues to be a palpable optimism around solar energy, it is already at grid parity in many markets. Even a glut of natural gas available at low prices is not seen as a significant threat to renewable energy. Two-thirds of utility, developer and IPP respondents believe solar electricity has or will achieve the same megawatt-hour costs within the next five years.

Of course, the lynchpin to any growing industry is the people behind it. According to our findings, solar is attracting a wide influx of professionals. Of those we surveyed, one-third have worked in renewables for three years or less. Meanwhile, industry participants with 10 years or more under their belts have worked–on average–at at least two firms, indicating a fluid renewables workforce presented with an abundance of opportunity.

What forces will shape the industry in a year or five years from now? At this point, we can only guess. But if the passion and commitment felt across the industry are any indication, a more secure and sustainable energy future is close at hand.

This article is contributed by Trent Mostaert, the Vice President and General Manager of Mortenson Solar and Emerging Renewables Operating Group.  Trent has helped grow Mortenson into the largest full service EPC provider in the nation.  He is driven by a desire to continuously eliminate waste from processes and develop innovative ways to consistently deliver far superior results to customers.

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