We chat with Stephen Condon, east coast sales director of Solar-Log, about a Connecticut solar project that uses Solar-Log monitoring systems for measurement and feed-in management. Stephen also tells us the benefits of these monitoring systems for both end users and solar installers.
ViZn Energy Systems Inc. (ViZn), a leading provider of energy storage systems for microgrid, commercial & industrial and utility applications, announced today that it has built upon its best-in-class proprietary flow battery technology to enhance the capabilities, reliability and lifetime of all next generation flow battery systems for multi-megawatt energy storage applications. The Vanguard II battery stack further expands the operating range of ViZn’s systems, strengthening their industry-leading long-duration energy services by enhancing the fast switching and high power cycling capabilities required for many applications, further maximizing ROI and providing industry-leading payback periods.
The Vanguard II battery stack has demonstrated 20 percent greater capacity and is immune to cycle life degradation, providing more headroom to handle spikes in power requirements for demanding and unpredictable applications on both sides of the meter. All ViZn flow batteries incorporate the new Vanguard II stack control technology which eliminates life-limiting issues such as dendrite growth, simplifies cell balancing, and removes thermal and electrolyte breakdown issues associated with high frequency power switching. This unique multi-use capability is necessary for frequency regulation and other high power applications while adding value to longer duration storage. All of ViZn’s systems are highly scalable, adding value for even the largest utility requirements. By interconnecting multiple units, both power and energy capabilities can be increased to offer utilities, as well as commercial & industrial customers the optimal fit for any size project.
ViZn’s current flow battery systems can be seamlessly upgraded with the Vanguard II battery stacks, increasing the capabilities and application flexibility of customers’ current assets and making existing systems even more efficient across the remaining life of the battery.
“We’re seeing an increasing interest in a flexible large-scale energy storage platform,” said Ron Van Dell, CEO of ViZn. “Our customers are deploying ViZn systems because of the unique mix of applications requiring both energy and power capabilities that only our flow battery systems can address. Our continuous innovations in flow battery stack advancements give users an inherently versatile battery that can be run at very high power for short durations with millisecond response times and also dispatch energy over a long period of time, addressing both frequency regulation and peak shaving simultaneously without concern for battery state of charge (SOC). The ability to stack revenue streams and applications on both sides of the meter addresses the uncertainties about the kind of services customers will require 10 or 20 years down the road, future-proofing ViZn’s technology against a changing mix of applications requirements.”
All of ViZn’s systems utilize the inherently safe, non-toxic, non-explosive zinc-iron electrolyte that incorporates ViZn’s industry-leading performance guarantee over the life of the system.
Many have heard of Solar Roadways, the viral IndieGoGo campaign promising technology that would turn roads into power generators (though the feasibility of such a concept has been debated). The campaign raised $2.2 million dollars, largely off the success of its Solar Freakin’ Roadways video.
Now solar mounting provider Solar SpeedRack hopes to make some crowd-funding magic of its own with a technology called Solar SpeedTile. In essence, the technology consists of one-square-foot, interlocking solar tiles for flat-roof projects. The tiles, which would be flexible and weigh about 4 lbs. each, use plug-and-play technology to make installation easy.
A promotional video says Solar SpeedTile could help installers overcome roof limitations, including weight restrictions and obstructions. The tiles would include features such as rapid shutoff, energy diversion and cell failure indicators, according to the video.
In an email interview, Company CEO Shane Shamloo said the Solar SpeedTile is the product of working with module manufacturers to develop market-competitive mounting systems.
“But we ran into many obstacles such as weight limitations, space limitations, cost competitiveness, wiring, anchoring and ballast,” Shamloo said. “This forced us to look at alternative and innovative ways of doing things, and that’s how we came up with Solar SpeedTile.”
The company has established an IndieGoGo account with a goal of $80,000, which would be enough to bring the concept to a full working prototype for beta testing, Shamloo said. The company would need to raise $250,000 more to bring a production model to market.
“We decided to go with crowdfunding to get the ball rolling and to pique interest,” Shamloo said. “The word needs to get out on this product as it will be a game changer once in the field.”
As is the case with most crowd-funding sites, donors will get something in return for their cash. A $1 donation will get supporters updates about the technology’s progress. Donors of $100 or more would get promotional Solar SpeedTile kits that could be used to generate power for home products, like patio lights or speakers. Shamloo said further incentives are being developed.
Solar SpeedRack currently markets a shared-rail mounting system with integrated grounding. Shamloo said the SpeedTile would be an entirely different product line, standing on its own.
“Solar SpeedRack has a reputation of being a leading innovator in the industry, and this product is another example of the innovative spirit of the company,” Shamloo said.
A 3-MW solar installation is now complete on the top deck of two Terminal 1-Lindbergh parking structures at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) – Minnesota’s largest solar generation site.
This first-of-its-kind airport project also included converting more than 7,700 metal halide light fixtures in all four parking ramps to energy-saving LED technology. Four additional electric vehicle charging stations were installed in the ramps, bringing the total number of MSP charging stations to 18. It is estimated that the installation will generate close to 20 percent of the airport’s total peak power capacity.
“The Metropolitan Airports Commission has worked for decades to operate Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as sustainably as possible, investing millions in infrastructure to reduce impacts to soil, water and air quality, and spending nearly a half-billion dollars on noise mitigation around MSP,” said Jeff Hamiel, the Commission’s executive director and CEO. “This solar project is a major step forward in use of renewable energy at MSP International Airport.”
Ameresco, a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, developed the solar infrastructure and LED lighting upgrade. Ameresco also will maintain and operate the system on behalf of the Metropolitan Airports Commission.
“Together we celebrate a major step forward in renewable innovation in the state of Minnesota—today the largest solar site in the state to date is now operational,” said George P. Sakellaris, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ameresco. “Ameresco commends the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and applauds its leadership team for its stewardship both in pursuing renewable energy solutions for the airport as well as obtaining public-private financing to support the construction. Ameresco is honored to be a sustainability partner in this innovative project, and we take pride in contributing to local job creation as part of achieving energy savings and sustainability.”
This solar project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6,813 metric tons annually. This is the equivalent of taking 1,434 passengers off the road in one year. As a result, this effort has already been recognized nationally for its innovation and partnership through awards, including the Airports Going Green Award presented by the Chicago Department of Aviation and the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s 2015 Technology and Innovation in Environmental Stewardship Award.
Xcel Energy, also a key contributor, provided a $2.1 million grant from its renewable development fund.
“We’re pleased to partner with the Metropolitan Airport Commission on its ambitious solar initiative,” said Xcel Energy Regional President Chris Clark. “As a first and last stop for travelers, the airport’s visibility showcases Minnesota’s commitment to increasing renewable energy use and improving the environment.”
CSUN’s sub company SST has announced today the introduction of a new Smart solar module to its product portfolio. Officially unveiled in November, SST’s Smart DC modules integrate Tigo’s modular TS4 platform. The new platform enhances SST’s smart DC module system’s performance through the accessibility of wireless communications, the optimization of power output, and the availability of real-time monitoring, while ensuring a reduction in the overall maintenance costs.
“This smart DC module design eliminates module-level or cell string mismatch, reduces the chance of module malfunction, and increases the overall cell performance. The Tigo TS4 is a remarkable new product application that we are adding to many of our existing modules. The smart DC module offers increased safety, flexible system design, reduced O&M costs, and real-time monitoring. This new module enriches CSUN’s portfolio by differentiating its products from others in the market,” says Peter Zhang, Manager of Technology Department of SST.
The TS4 Platform replaces the traditional JBox (junction box), allowing customers to install different functional covers to their solar panels. The covers currently offer a range in functionality from diodes and rapid shutdown to full functional long string and optimization – all providing unique, customized unprecedented capabilities. These personalized covers are selectively deployed on each module at different price points, utilizing predictive IV (PIV) technology to maximize energy harvest at minimal cost.
Compared to a traditional module, the smart DC module provides system with greater connectivity, efficiency, and output. The smart module with the Tigo TS4 is fully integrated and compatible with all leading inverters, monitoring equipment, and mounting solutions. By providing shade tolerance at the cell level, the SST smart DC modules will produce more energy than modules equipped with the leading DC optimizers or micro-inverters. Increasing power output in constricted installation spaces,the SST smart DC module offer up to 30% longer strings that reduce BOS cost of system.
“Tigo is distinguished in the industry as being sole company to offer a modular platform where customers can cater their PV Module behavior according to their needs by simply replacing the covers,” says Zvi Alon, Tigo CEO. “We are focused on partnering with tier 1 solar companies in order to focus on spreading our innovation and energy optimization. By combining our leading technologies with CSUN, we will be able to provide the solar market with the finest solar energy generation products and management systems.”
The United States has experienced its largest quarter for energy storage deployments (total, not just in solar) since the fourth quarter of 2012. According to GTM Research and the Energy Storage Association’ (ESA) U.S. Energy Storage Monitor, released today, the U.S. deployed 60.3 megawatts of energy storage capacity in the third quarter of the year. This represents 53.1 megawatt-hours.
U.S. Energy Storage Deployments, 2013-2015 (MW)
Source: U.S. Energy Storage Monitor
The U.S. has now deployed 108 megawatts (94 megawatt-hours) through the first three quarters of the year. The Energy Storage Monitor tracks deployments going back to 2008, and until now, deployments had never surpassed 100 megawatts in a given year. The report forecasts total deployments of 192 megawatts this year, triple last year’s total.
“As expected, 2015 is turning out to be a breakout year for U.S. energy storage market,” said Ravi Manghani, senior storage analyst at GTM Research. “Even though we’ve seen the PJM market dominating megawatts of deployments so far, third quarter of 2015 had utility-scale deployments in states like Georgia and Vermont. Energy storage has started to appear in different utility request for proposals (RFPs) and grid planning across states, another indication that utilities and policymakers are getting comfortable with the technology and multiple values it can provide.”
The majority of deployed capacity this past quarter was in the utility-scale (front-of-meter) segment which had its best quarter since the end of 2012. The utility-scale market deployed 46.6 megawatts of capacity, representing 25 megawatt-hours.
The report notes that the majority of the front-of-meter projects were deployed in PJM territory for frequency regulation, a short duration application. As a result, the total energy capacity in megawatt-hours is less than that of the behind-the-meter segment, which consists of residential and commercial deployments that are typically used for medium- to long-duration applications.
The U.S. deployed 13.7 megawatts (28.1 megawatt-hours) of behind-the-meter energy storage in the third quarter of the year, bringing the segment’s annual total to 18.8 megawatts. Commercial deployments made up 88 percent of the quarterly behind-the-meter total, and residential deployments accounted for the rest.
FIGURE: U.S. Energy Storage Deployments by Segment, 2013-2015 (MW)
Source: U.S. Energy Storage Monitor
“Storage brings value to all parts of the grid. We are seeing that demonstrated in the diversity of markets where storage is being deployed,” said Matt Roberts, executive director at the Energy Storage Association. “And storage is reliable and increasingly cost-competitive, so not only is utility-scale storage continuing to expand, but customer-sited storage is growing rapidly as well.”
LG Electronics and Enphase Energy, have agreed to integrate Enphase’s microinverter technology into LG Electronics’ new generation of AC solar modules (ACM) for the global solar market.
The LG high-performance backsheet-integrated ACM will incorporate Enphase’s next-generation S-series microinverter with LG’s high-efficiency NeON 2 photovoltaic (PV) panels. Initial shipments of the LG-Enphase ACMs are expected to begin in the second half of 2016.
“Large solar distributors, installers and fleet owners want a reliable, low-cost, high-performance AC module product,” said Stefan Zschiegner, vice president of product management at Enphase. “Pairing LG’s NeON 2 modules with Enphase’s advanced S-series microinverters will create an ACM that works with our smart home energy solution. The LG-Enphase ACM will simplify the supply chain, reduce capital and labor costs, and shorten the design and installation process.”
“The factory integration of LG’s NeON 2 modules next year with the Enphase microinverter system is expected to provide the high level module quality and performance desired today by distributors and installers,” said Ellen Kim, senior vice president of energy solutions, LG Electronics USA. “With a single SKU for the module and inverter, simplified warranty process, and one-stop after-sales technical support, the LG-Enphase ACM also will offer asset management advantages.”
The LG-Enphase ACM collaboration brings together two solar industry pacesetters. LG has become a leading innovator in the high-power PV module sector, while Enphase has established itself as the top residential inverter and module-level power electronics company in the United States.
The LG NeON 2 is the latest addition to the company’s family of high-efficiency PV modules. Based on LG’s monocrystalline Cello technology, the 60-cell LG NeON 2 offers a peak output of up to 320 watts. The LG NeON 2 recently won the Intersolar Award 2015 for excellence in the PV module category.
The advanced, smart grid-ready Enphase S-Series Microinverter is designed to meet current and future requirements for distributed solar on utility networks, including the Rule 21 tariff in California. The fully bidirectional, software-defined microinverter system supports reactive power control and other advanced grid functionalities.
Leading independent energy company Tenaska and Soltage, a full-service renewable energy company developing, financing and operating solar power plants across the United States, today announced the acquisition of a portfolio of solar generating assets in a number of states, including Massachusetts and Connecticut. This is Tenaska’s first transaction in a portfolio-level investment vehicle with Soltage; Tenaska contributed a second corporate investment in the renewable company in March.
The majority of the capital will be deployed for the construction of new assets, which Tenaska and Soltage will own and Soltage will manage and operate. Those assets will sell power to a combination of municipal and health care offtakers under Net Metering Credit and Power Purchase agreements, with commercial operation dates expected in late 2015 and mid-2016. The portfolio also includes several solar generation assets already in commercial operation in various northeastern states. This investment continues Soltage’s momentum as it expects to deploy more than $250 million for roughly 125 megawatts (MW) of solar projects through 2015 and 2016.
“Distributed solar generation empowers government and corporate consumers to lock in electricity costs well below utility rates, even if they can’t host onsite systems,” said Jesse Grossman, Soltage co-founder and CEO. “Rising electricity prices and falling project costs continue to make solar a smart investment for forward-looking utilities and consumers.”
“Tenaska is pleased to deploy long-term capital into the rapidly growing distributed solar sector,” said Tim Hemig, Tenaska managing director, distributed solar investments. “We continue to be impressed with Soltage’s ability to assemble strong portfolios of solar projects.”
Soltage develops, finances, installs, owns and operates solar power generating stations, providing electricity to commercial, industrial, educational, utility and municipal customers under long-term contracts. The company owns and operates 85 MWdc of generation capacity across eight states.
Tenaska is consistently ranked by Forbes magazine as one of America’s largest privately held companies, with approximately 11,000 MW of power generating assets under management, including approximately 450 MWdc of utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) and distributed solar generation projects operating or under construction.
Roughly 16.6 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale solar PV capacity is currently in development across the U.S., and project costs are forecast to fall 40 percent by 2020 according to GTM Research. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects a 2.6 percent annual growth in electricity prices, while annual power consumption is predicted to grow 0.7 percent for industrial customers and 0.5 percent for commercial customers through 2040.
We spoke with Jing Tian, head of global marketing for Trina Solar, about the company’s recent milestone of 15 GW of solar modules shipped globally. We also learn about the company’s future plans and where it expects to find market growth.
This podcast is sponsored by Trina Solar.
Gone are the days when a solar power plant proprietor could treat operations and maintenance as annoying afterthoughts. The outdated mentality of “the arrays are generating energy” has given way to “how can I ensure the optimum performance of my solar asset and the income it generates?”
This article was contributed by Martin Rogers, vice president of worldwide customer service and support at Enphase Energy and manager of the Enphase Energy Service (EES) group.
As gigawatts of solar assets come online every month, the new mantra has become “Am I getting the best possible performance from my investment?” Without professionally managed systems and strong O&M practices, you can be assured that your asset is underperforming.
What does solar O&M 2.0 look like? Here are four trends to watch for in the coming years.
Trend 1: Changing market dynamics
A new breed of asset owner is coming on the scene. These financially savvy owners buy up bundles of solar assets as an investment. They will want 100% assurance that these assets are producing at the highest possible level before they invest. Clearly this means that the assets should be properly maintained and producing at or above their assumed production levels. Marketability and prices will suffer for systems that cannot prove their performance or show convincing maintenance records.
Put another way, if you buy a used car and the owners can’t prove they regularly changed the oil, you’ll wonder if you’re buying a lemon or a gem. It’ll affect the perceived and actual value of that car, and the same could be said for solar assets.
Trend 2: Masters of data
Remember Ben Franklin’s adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? The same can be said for solar O&M. Intelligent monitoring and granular data acquisition can no longer be considered a luxury for system owners or O&M providers. Data acquisition and understanding are core elements of preventive and preemptive maintenance.
Terabytes of data flow daily from the growing number of solar installations and provide a treasure trove of system and fleet behavior and performance, as well as actionable troubleshooting information. The days of blindly rolling a maintenance team every time an “issue” pops up are over. And when it’s necessary to get a team onsite, in-depth data analysis and remote diagnosis efforts will prepare them for the task at hand, boosting operational efficiency and reducing labor and materials cost.
Trend 3: Retrofits, rebuilds and warranties
As systems age, things may break down, underperform or need to be completely replaced. With many of the solar plants built over the past 10 years, however, some of the component suppliers as well as the EPCs/installers have gone out of business or left the industry.
The inability to procure modules, mounts and inverters from defunct companies means more retrofitting and rebuilding of systems will end up on the O&M provider’s menu. Over time, it will be difficult to get parts, even for now-current PV systems. Since we’re talking about 20- or 25-year asset life, once those parts become unavailable, the components and systems will have to be rebuilt or replaced.
If the system has not been professionally maintained, there’s also the high likelihood of a warranty becoming invalid. When a string inverter is sent back to the manufacturer and the device hasn’t been properly maintained, the manufacturer will likely void the warranty and the asset owner will have to pay for the replacement system.
Up until now, the industry has been extremely generous and has provided repaired units free of charge. I expect more suppliers to forgo free giveaways of replacement units to owners who didn’t maintain their products.
Trend 4: Training for solar-plus-storage and more
Solar O&M may not be rocket science, but it still takes a properly trained team to carry out the mission. It’s not going to get any easier to find people with the needed skill sets. While current solar O&M responsibilities are mostly limited to the upkeep and optimization of residential, commercial and utility PV assets, the dawn of the era of behind-the-meter storage and distributed generation energy management has broken.
This means technicians will need to be fully trained and versed in multiple technologies to help operate and maintain ever-more complex systems. Service providers will need to have expertise in working on the entire home or business energy envelope, soup to nuts, from EV car chargers to batteries to very complex energy management systems. Companies not already planning for this paradigm shift in clean energy O&M will find themselves playing catch-up when these integrated solutions become the norm rather than the exception.
Billions and billions
The smart money is on the role of solar O&M growing in importance and value. With the addressable market approaching a billion dollars in the United States alone, stakeholders are taking note. The O&M sector will grow exponentially as will the challenge to wring the best performance out of all those clean energy assets.
Canada’s provincial governments and consumers are focusing more on renewable energy in an effort to lower greenhouse gases and utilize more renewable sources of energy. This has created a tremendous opportunity for the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) members and global solar community to expand their market presence in Canada. Next week’s Solar Canada trade show and conference scheduled to take place from December 7-8, 2015 at the Metro Toronto Convention Center promises a host of new business opportunities and industry leadership discussions on a variety of solar energy topics and trends.
“It is a time of transformation and rapid growth for the solar industry in Canada,” said John Gorman, President and CEO of CanSIA. “During Solar Canada, industry experts and leaders will share insights and knowledge in the field of solar energy as CanSIA looks at regions across the country transitioning to 21st century electricity systems.”
Solar Canada attendees will hear about the role of utility reform in the transformation of the electricity sector to the 21st century from keynote speaker, Lisa Frantzis, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Development at Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), a national business association whose mission is to transform policy to ensure a more secure, clean, and affordable energy system throughout the United States. Additional keynote speakers Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy, Bob Delaney MPP and Michael Lyle, Vice President Planning, Law and Aboriginal Relations, Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) will speak to implications of climate change for the future of Ontario’s electricity supply and demand. Mayor Trevor Birtch, the City of Woodstock & Oxford County Councillor, who put forward the motion to be the first municipal government in Ontario to commit to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050 will speak to how other communities across Canada can follow suit.
During Solar Canada, CanSIA will spotlight the Canadian energy conversation, highlighted by closer looks at what will be required to make the utility and industry technical transformation, as well as what market transformation will look like, and the various challenges and opportunities in provincial, national and international markets. The implications of solar as a mainstream resource also will be examined in a project-focused track.
Construction on one of Ohio’s largest solar projects with a 7-MW/2.8-MWh energy storage facility is expected to be completed in the next several weeks.
Though it is a single solar/storage project, American Renewable Energy and Power (AREP) worked with the village of Minster to locate the storage site adjacent to one of the village’s substations, creating a very efficient energy delivery process.
“American Renewable is committed to Public Power and School Districts,” said David Dwyer, owner of AREP. “We are convinced that this combined market will be the energy game-changer in America. Comprising over 20% of the aggregate electricity use in the U.S., public power can help this country shake off the grip of huge power providers and bring the benefits directly to the people they serve. We don’t want the benefits of distributed energy to fall into the hands of a few professional rich guys.”
Minster and AREP put together a design and a PPA in June 2014, but Ohio’s passage of Senate Bill 310 in July 2014 halted renewable energy standards and made investments in large-scale solar unattractive in the state. In August, Dwyer began talking options with several investment groups.
“After Senate Bill 310, we realized we needed a new, creative approach,” he said. “All utility solar and wind projects stopped when, as a direct result of 310, the SREC market went stagnant.”
Dwyer considered molding the project into a community solar development, but it seemed that a storage system would better suit Minster’s distribution system improvement plans and business development goals. After working with Minster’s city council, village administration, legal advisors and energy consultants to approve the battery storage plan and amendment to the PPA, AREP began negotiations with battery-specify investors.
“The mayor and council could have just said ‘No, all this is too much trouble,’ but we persevered in our research,” he said. “We discovered and then verified the great many benefits the solar/storage combination could provide.”
The 18-acre, 4.3-MW solar array and medium voltage connection are nearly complete. The 7-MW/2.8-MWh energy storage system will improve power quality locally and within PJM’s transmission grid, which serves more than 60 million customers. Minster will receive reactive power compensation, voltage support, improved grid power quality and potential peak demand reduction.
After a long process of research and development, in December 2014, Half Moon Ventures was brought in as the investment group and eventual owner of the completed project. S&C Electric Company won the bid to supply the PureWave SMS (storage management system), which consists of LG lithium-ion batteries. Together, the solar array and the energy storage system will allow Minster to reduce its peak demand charges and reduce spot market risk.
“With the new system, we are able to improve reliability and capacity while leveraging renewable energy sources without costly investments into grid expansion,” said Michael Hastings, CEO of Half Moon Ventures (HMV) in a press statement.
Dwyer’s research and experience makes him certain that public power and school districts form the economic and distributed energy backbone of America.
“It’s all about strengthening the local economy,” he said. “We will work only with investors that share our values.” He estimates that over 85% of this project has been completed by local professionals. The engineers, solar installers, racking and inverter suppliers, electricians, attorneys and consultants are all from Ohio or the Midwest.
Future AREP solar/storage clients (Ohio municipal utilities and school districts) will also have the ability to bid into several of the PJM markets. As system co-investors and owners, they can receive proportional benefits and have access to instantaneous backup power when needed. They will also have a community solar/storage option.
“As solar power professionals in Ohio, we are held to a higher standard,” said Dwyer, “and we are determined to be like the Wright Brothers not the Koch Brothers.”
Rhone Resch, SEIA President & CEO
As industry voices continue to express opinions on the possible effects of extending or losing the solar ITC, SEIA President & CEO Rhone Resch put a jolt in the conversation with his recent email warning of upcoming ITC updates.
“I am writing to give you the latest information and to put you on the lookout for regular ITC updates over the next several weeks.
The response of our SEIA members in the face of significant head winds has been nothing short of incredible. Earlier this week, SEIA arranged for 14 solar CEOs to come in from all over the country to meet with members of the House and Senate from both parties and with administration officials to hammer home the point that we need an extension of the ITC and we need it this year.
On a daily basis, SEIA staff and lobbyists have fanned out across Capitol Hill, talking to Senators, Representatives and their staffs, carrying the ITC message. And in all of our meetings, we emphasized that the solar industry is speaking with one voice,” he said in the mass email.
Resch said he sees two possible paths forward, based on published reports and SEIA intelligence. One is a roughly $800 billion tax extenders package. He noted that negotiations among Congressional leaders and the White House continue. If some of these larger issues get resolved, such as the Child Tax Credit and provisions to protect fraud, SEIA believes that Congress will include an expansion of the ITC. This could mean anything from a multi-year extension of the ITC, to a gradual reduction over time. A second possible legislative vehicle is a tie in with legislation lifting the current ban on crude oil exports from the U.S.
“We are working closely with our champions to extract the best possible deal for the ITC if that scenario unfolds,” Resch said referring to the latter path.
Resch also warned of an alliance driven to block even the slightest of advances for solar energy on Capitol Hill. This includes the Edison Electric Institute and Sunnova’s CEO. But in his email, Resch promises SEIA is working to fight for the future of the solar industry.
“Be assured that we are taking diligent steps to address these issues on a multitude of fronts. Look for regular ITC updates, and know that we will not stand for getting lumps of coal in our stockings this year.
We are pushing with every ounce of effort to get the ITC extension approved.”
Alectris, a leading global solar asset care innovation firm, today announced its Solar ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) tool, ACTIS, has won again at the annual Facilities Management awards competition. The Silver accolade in the Management Tools category was awarded Tuesday, November 3, at the Facilities Management Awards program in Athens, Greece. The program is organized by Boussias Communications to celebrate the accomplishments of facilities management professionals and their companies.
“ACTIS grew out of our need to efficiently monitor, maintain and manage the solar PV assets under our care,” explains Vassilis Papaeconomou, Managing Director of Alectris. “We are very pleased with the explosive adoption of ACTIS around the world. By recognizing the contribution of ACTIS to solar PV facility management, this award confirms the decision of clients worldwide and is a strong affirmation of our team’s diligent work to expand the capabilities of our solar plant management software.”
EcoFasten Solar, a leader in the solar roof mount manufacturing industry, will relocate its headquarters to Phoenix, Arizona, in January 2016. The company’s growth has driven it to a point of needing significantly more space, staff and a location more central to serving the solar industry. In Phoenix it will have the capacity to exceed rapidly growing customer demand for its roofer-friendly products, matched with the ability to launch a proactive sales effort to reach new customers.
Owners Brian and Sandy Stearns commented: “We could not be more excited, better positioned, or ready for this next step.”
The company is seeking highly skilled candidates in the Phoenix area to fill the positions of Operations Manager, General Manager, Finance and Administrative Services Manager, as well as a Sales and Customer Service Manager. EcoFasten Solar will then quickly move to filling all operational staff positions.
Solar Asset Management North America is the largest event entirely dedicated to Solar Asset Management and O&M in North America. The 3rd edition of the 2-day conference and compact exhibition will take place in San Francisco March 16-17, 2016. Joined by 400+ leading developers, investors, O&M service providers, IPPs, utilities, monitoring and data companies, legal and financial advisors, Solar Asset Management North America is the place where to learn everything you need to know to optimize performances and maximize financial returns of your PV assets.
Key topics:
The numbers of last year’s success:
In the words of previous attendees:
For more information about program, speakers, sponsors and previous editions, visit www.solarassetmanagement.us.
Gov. Peter Shumlin today announced the completion of a 500 kilowatt solar net metering project at the Southern State Correctional Facility, the fifth of seven state correctional facilities to be powered by solar.
The project is part of an initiative the Governor announced in September of 2013 to deploy 5 megawatts of solar power that will increase the state’s use of renewable energy while saving taxpayers on state energy costs.
“This is a perfect example of how we do renewable energy in Vermont,” said Gov. Shumlin. “Local solar that powers our public buildings all while creating and supporting local jobs. I’m so proud of the state for leading by example.”
The project at the Southern State Correctional Facility is using solar trackers made by AllEarth Renewables of Williston, and the trackers feature local components, including electrical boards manufactured by PCM Image-Tek of Springfield, less than 3 miles from the project site.
“As a local manufacturer, it’s great to have work within Vermont’s growing solar industry and even more rewarding to see the results of our work powering a project just down the road. We see a bright future in Vermont’s solar sector,” said PCM-ImageTek President Mike Hathaway.
“We are pleased to continue making progress on this initiative and to be helping the state save taxpayer money, create good local jobs, and keep electric costs down while producing Vermont-made solar energy,” said Andrew Savage, Chief Strategy Officer at AllEarth Renewables. “With manufacturing and supply partners for our locally made tracker around the state like PCM Image-Tek, projects like this show first-hand the role of the Vermont solar industry creating jobs and adding value to the state.”
Upon completion, the state solar initiative will save taxpayers more than $2.5 million in energy costs over twenty years with no state investment, while producing over 7 million kilowatt hours per year of clean Vermont-made solar electricity.
The Renewable Energy Credits for all State projects are all being retained and retired in-state.
SolarSense, the specialty solar division of Alternative Energy Development Group, provided the financing for the projects, and owns and operates several of the State projects.
Twenty six cities and five counties across California launched the HERO Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Program today. HERO PACE financing enables homeowners to make energy- and water-efficiency improvements and pay for them over time through their property tax bill. Interest may be tax-deductible, and homeowners may see immediate savings on utility bills. The HERO Program launched this week in the cities of Arcata, Camarillo, Chowchilla, Chula Vista, Fairfax, Firebaugh, Fowler, Hayward, Huron, Larkspur, Madera, Millbrae, Mission Viejo, Mountain View, Novato, Oakland, Patterson, Rohnert Park, Salinas, San Anselmo, San Rafael, Santa Cruz, Seaside, Tiburon, Trinidad and Union City, as well as the unincorporated areas of Del Norte, El Dorado, Humboldt, Marin and Tehama Counties. Residents of these municipalities may now submit applications for HERO financing.
HERO has helped fund residential efficiency projects in almost 47,000 households in California, totaling more than $1.08 billion in financing. By stimulating home renovation activity, the HERO Program increases demand for local contractor services. HERO is estimated to have spurred the creation of more than 9,100 jobs in California since beginning in December 2011. Cities and counties benefit through economic stimulus and local job growth while helping their communities reach state-imposed water and energy savings goals.
“HERO has clearly been a tremendous benefit in the Orange County communities where it is already available,” said Mission Viejo Councilman Frank Ury. “The City Council feels it is important to leverage public-private partnerships to help tackle challenging issues like increasing water and energy efficiency.”
As California’s drought drags on, eligible retrofits give homeowners a fast, affordable way to conserve a desperately-needed resource. HERO has a wide variety of products to help homeowners save water, including high-efficiency toilets, faucets and showerheads; drip irrigation systems; rainwater catchment systems; gray water systems; and artificial turf and other drought-tolerant landscaping.
“We haven’t gotten nearly as much rain as we used to in recent years,” noted Humboldt County Supervisor Estelle Fennell. “Even in our green area of the state, folks are tuning in to the importance of using water as efficiently as possible. HERO makes it easy for homeowners to find qualified contractors to install rain catchment systems or replace aging heat systems with more efficient models before winter hits in earnest. These improvements save money over time and can make your home a more comfortable place.”
A wide variety of energy-saving products are available through HERO as well. Some of HERO’s most popular products include including solar power panel installations, whole-home heating and cooling (HVAC) systems, energy-saving windows and doors, and roofing and insulation.
PACE has been adopted to address a problem conventional financing products have not solved. Each year, several million homes in the U.S. will have systems replaced that affect energy or water consumption – such as Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC), windows, roofs, and water heaters – in most cases because existing products are failing. Unfortunately, the majority of homeowners still select the least-efficient solution because homeowners are not sure how long they are going to stay in their home. As a result, the least-efficient solutions end up being the most expensive when taking into account the total cost of ownership when energy or water costs are factored in.
The HERO Program provides crucial new options to homeowners to choose more efficient improvements: PACE finances 100 percent of the home improvement, requiring no upfront cash outlay; the term of the financing is based on the useful life of the product, up to 20 years, lowering the size of monthly payments; and collection is conducted through regular property tax payments. The products installed must meet federal and state efficiency standards, enabling homeowners to lower monthly utility bills and help pay for the cost of the improvement over time.
PACE was also designed to help achieve public policy objectives. The $1.08 billion financed through HERO to date are projected to save $2 billion on energy bills, conserve 7.2 billion kWh of electricity, reduce emissions by 1.9 million tons (the equivalent of taking 370,700 SUVs off the road for a year), and save more than 2.5 billion gallons of water (the equivalent of 78 million showers). HERO has already generated a local economic impact of almost $1.9 billion in California.
PACE enables local governments to add additional requirements to protect consumers not found in other payment options like credit cards or home equity loans. For example, the HERO Program requires contractors to be licensed with the state and in good standing with HERO, homeowners to obtain all required permits, products and labor to meet fair pricing standards, homeowners to use products certified as efficient by the U.S. Department of Energy or water-conserving by the Environmental Protection Agency, and that payment only be made when the homeowner signs off that the job has been successfully completed.
The HERO Program has now been adopted by 362 communities in California, within 37 counties. HERO’s success in California is part of a national trend, with PACE programs now enabled in more than 30 states. In August, President Obama named PACE as an innovative, voluntary tool to meet the country’s clean energy and energy efficiency goals and encouraged its use.
“HERO financing brings renewable energy and energy- and water-efficiency within reach for a broad range of homeowners,” said Blair McNeill, Vice President of Community Development for Renovate America, the company that administers the HERO Program. “We are excited to help people make their home more comfortable, all while saving money and reducing their impact on the environment.”
Cities and counties need only pass a resolution in order to make PACE programs like HERO available to local property owners. The HERO Program has received numerous awards, including the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, the Urban Land Institute Best of the Best and the Southern California Association of Governments President’s Award for Excellence. Taking part in the HERO Program is 100% voluntary for both jurisdictions and property owners. The program is cost neutral to participating local governments.
For more information please visit www.HeroProgram.com.
How will storage be important to solar’s long-term success? Do contractors know enough about storage? How have utilities responded to solar-plus-storage?
We spoke with Ray Kubis, in light of his recent appointment to Gridtential’s board of directors. Ray is a storage veteran, with 35 years of experience in the industrial and automotive sectors of the battery industry. He answered our storage questions, and explained how Gridtential is licencing its storage technology to a network of manufacturers to ramp-up scale and standardize solutions to make them easier to implement.
“We are excited about furthering our sustainability commitment with solar panels on our future Las Vegas store,” said Lars Petersson, IKEA U.S. president. “At IKEA, we have a mission to create a better everyday life for the many, and IKEA Las Vegas can add to this goal with Nevada’s largest rooftop solar array.”
In the PV industry, Helix Electric is a well-known, established engineering, procurement and contracting (EPC) firm. They vetted various inverter manufacturers for this project and chose Yaskawa – Solectria Solar based on the engineering, design and reliability of its inverters, well-known brand name, quality, and customer service.
David Brian, Pre-Construction Manager of Renewable Energy at Helix Electric said, “We’ve worked with various inverter manufacturers in the past, but Yaskawa – Solectria Solar’s inverters have proven themselves over and over again – the quality cannot be beat. Their team’s attentiveness to our needs is also the most superior I have seen in this industry.”
“Yaskawa – Solectria Solar continues to focus on the reliability and quality of its inverters and unsurpassed customer service,” said Mark Goodreau, Director of Sales at Yaskawa – Solectria Solar. “When major PV industry EPCs, such as Helix Electric, put their trust in our inverters for such high-profile installations, it demonstrates our strength and commitment to providing the best inverters possible.”
