Power management company Eaton offers its new modular ferrule fuse block products designed for Class CC, 10×38 millimeter (mm) supplemental, photovoltaic solar and Class H(K), J and R fuses. Featuring a  snap-together design, this Bussmann series portfolio provides tool-less assembly of multiple pole blocks at point-of-use to save inventory and reduce assembly time. Additionally, these fuse blocks feature a compact design that minimizes the footprint, allowing for the most efficient use of panel space within alternative energy, commercial construction and electrical panel OEM markets.

“Our latest ferrule fuse blocks make it easier to apply fusible overcurrent protection from control and lighting circuits to HVAC/R equipment and industrial machinery,” said Darren McDowell, product manager, Eaton’s Bussmann Division. “With a snap-together design and optional covers, these fuse blocks speed up installation, increase flexibility and enhance safety for the customer.”

In addition to its modular design and minimal footprint, the fuse block series’ DIN-Rail and panel-mount versatility allow one product to be used for multiple applications while also lowering inventory costs. Enhancing safety to help prevent contact with terminals, the fuse blocks are available with clear, IP20 finger-safe covers with test probe holes that allow for easy fuse inspection and thermal imaging without cover removal. The blocks’ IP20 optional cover, lockout/tagout feature and optional open fuse indication help to enhance overall maintenance safety while reducing troubleshooting time.

The modular ferrule fuse blocks provide easy circuit identification with universal marker labels and have both national Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) certifications.

To learn more about the new Bussmann series modular ferrule fuse blocks, please visit www.cooperbussmann.com.
Eaton develops and manufactures Bussmann series critical circuit protection, power management and electrical safety products designed to provide innovative circuit protection solutions. These products serve customers in the industrial, commercial, alternative energy, high reliability and other markets.

Eaton’s electrical business is a global leader with expertise in power distribution and circuit protection; backup power protection; control and automation; lighting and security; structural solutions and wiring devices; solutions for harsh and hazardous environments; and engineering services. Eaton is positioned through its global solutions to answer today’s most critical electrical power management challenges.

Eaton is a power management company with 2013 sales of $22.0 billion. Eaton provides energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power more efficiently, safely and sustainably. Eaton has approximately 102,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countries.

Solar Power World

NRG Renew, a wholly owned subsidiary of NRG Energy, and SunShare, one of the country’s first and fastest-growing community solar companies, are partnering to finance and build 8.2 megawatts (MWac) of community solar projects along the Front Range of Colorado (including Colorado Springs and Denver), which is enough to power more than 1,600 homes for 20 years. This project will more than double NRG’s existing community solar portfolio.

Once completed and online in mid-2015, this will be one of the largest operating community solar portfolios in the nation, comprised of five ground-mount sites, four in Denver’s bustling metropolitan area and one in nearby Colorado Springs.

“Community solar projects broaden access to locally generated solar energy and allow businesses and family residences with financial or space restrictions to choose renewable energy,” said Craig Cornelius, Senior Vice President of Business Development at NRG Renew. “Community solar is a key part of the distributed, clean energy future NRG is committed to fostering.”

A primary component of NRG Renew’s distributed generation strategy includes developing and delivering clean, reliable energy in an efficient manner that generates power closer to where it is consumed. In addition to a number of community wind assets, NRG also owns and operates the Community 1 solar facility in Brawley, Calif., and a community solar array in Rutland, Vt.

“Our partnership with NRG brings the promise of a bright future for community solar, an exciting market that truly has the potential to bring the choice of solar to every American,” said David Amster-Olszewski, President and Founder of SunShare. “Together, SunShare’s innovation in community solar and NRG’s superb reputation for large-scale solar finance and industry leadership will drive solar adoption to new heights. This partnership strengthens our commitment to current and future customers.”

SunShare’s first two .5 MWac community solar gardens in Colorado Springs are the first fully subscribed solar projects of their kind in the country. In total, SunShare has more than 100 MWac of solar gardens built or under development and has offices in Denver and Minneapolis.

The renewable electricity generated through this alliance will be available to residential, municipal and commercial subscribers spanning five counties, including schools, libraries and other municipal buildings. Subscribers will enter into a 20-year power purchase agreement with SunShare and will earn credits toward their energy bill.

Solar Power World

The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative announced today an award of $712,000 to the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE) for a project aimed at eliminating barriers to greater adoption of solar electric power systems at multiple tenant commercial properties and multifamily housing.

The award is part of SunShot’s $14-million Solar Market Pathways program to develop solar deployment plans that establish business certainty and provide multiyear strategies applicable across the nation. CSE will be working with the California Solar Energy Industries Association, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council and other solar stakeholders to identify technical, regulatory and financial barriers constraining widespread solar adoption in multitenant developments.

The project’s goal is to expand use of a special utility billing arrangement, called virtual net metering, that allows the “virtual” sharing of energy generation credits from a single solar system among multiple tenant accounts with separate meters, such as apartment buildings, commercial offices and shopping malls. This ability to share the credits while bypassing the need to connect the solar power to every meter greatly improves the value proposition of installing solar for property owners as well as providing tenants with direct utility bill savings.

“Nearly all of the residential solar energy installations in California have been made on single-family housing, yet a third of the state’s residents live in multi-unit dwellings, and in addition, there are tens of thousands of multimeter commercial facilities,” said Ben Airth, a senior manager at CSE. “The regulations that permit virtual net energy metering were put into effect in California several years ago, but for a variety of reasons both solar contractors and property owners have not taken advantage of the potential for energy and cost savings.”

Airth said that CSE estimates there are more than quarter of a million properties in California that could take advantage of shared solar resources, yet less than 100 are doing so now within the service territories of the state’s three large investor-owned utilities.

The CSE project will establish pilot programs in two distinct areas of the state to serve as test beds for research and analysis and as sites demonstrating the capabilities of solar and virtual net metering. They also will develop guidelines for how to best implement virtual net metering installations, and work with property owners, solar contractors, utilities, regulators and others to address current market barriers and promote awareness of the economic benefits of shared solar.

Through the SunShot Initiative project, CSE plans to disseminate information about the benefits of shared solar to multitenant, multimeter property owners and occupants, as well as to energy industry professionals, policy makers and relevant stakeholders. Currently, 43 states plus the District of Columbia have implemented net energy metering policies, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

CSE manages regional and statewide programs in energy efficiency, renewable energy and clean transportation and promotes sustainability education and outreach. The center administers the California Solar Initiative and the Self-Generation Incentive Program in the San Diego Gas & Electric service territory, providing rebates and information about solar and other clean energy technologies.

Solar Power World

SolarCity and MillerCoors announced the completion of the largest solar installation at any brewery in the United States. The 3.2-MW array consists of more than 10,000 solar panels installed across ten acres of the famed brewery’s grounds in Irwindale, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The solar system is expected to produce enough energy to brew more than 7 million cases of beer annually.

Solar Power World

SunEdison and TerraForm Power announced that they have completed their previously announced acquisition of First Wind Holdings LLC.

Solar Power World

In this Solar Speaks podcast, Yury Reznikov, vice president of product management at SunLink, a solar mounting systems provider, discusses trends in the solar ground-mount market, including key product differentiators and supply chain best practices.

• What questions should contractors ask mounting providers about supply chain?
• In what ways can solar ground-mount products improve?
• What is driving business in the solar ground-mount segment?

Find out in this Solar Speaks podcast, hosted by associate editor Steven Bushong.

This podcast is brought to you by Schletter.

Solar Power World

Pennsylvania-based solar racking manufacturer PV Racking has seen very strong sales figures for January 2015. With more than 280 kW of residential solar racking sold in January alone, PV Racking expects a record-breaking year.

“This has been a very exciting month for us. We had a very strong 2014, but as we introduce several new products, we expect an even greater 2015,” said Barry Moore, President at PV Racking.

PV Racking now offers clamp-free solar carport solutions in addition to its clamp-free ground and roof mounts. PV Racking will also introduceits PVStealth roof-mounted system, which will offer a black anodized, streamlined clamp-free design that is ideal for homeowners who are concerned with aesthetics. In addition to offering “labor saving” slide-in rails, PV Racking has also eliminated the need to grounding lugs and copper wire on its ground and carport racking solutions by incorporating DynoBond clips.

Solar Power World

The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) today announced that it has received a $705,830 competitive award from the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative for a first-of-its-kind project aimed at accelerating the spread of community solar energy programs across the country.

The collaborative research project will draw on expertise from utilities, solar developers, nonprofits and other organizations to develop easily adoptable models for community solar project design and marketing, all aimed at accelerating the growth of these increasingly popular programs. The SEPA project is one of 15 receiving the SunShot competitive awards as part of the initiative’s Solar Market Pathways program.

“Say ‘community solar’ and — depending on where you’re saying it — the term could have different meanings,” said Becky Campbell, SEPA’s Senior Manager of Research and Advisory Services, who will lead the project. “For some, it’s a ‘solar garden’ allowing individual customers to lease one or more panels, while for others it could be a remote or virtual net metering program under which groups of individuals co-own a single project, with each receiving a utility bill credit proportional to their share.

“The diversity of programs show how popular these programs are becoming,” Campbell said. “But what SEPA has seen, as we track community solar projects across the country, is that multiplicity can also, unintentionally, become an obstacle to the kinds of basic, easily adoptable models for program design and marketing that could spur even more widespread growth.”

Key components of the two-year research project will include:

— Program model development: SEPA will form a cross-industry working group that will identify and assess different community solar programs being used nationwide, with a focus on the cost-benefit values for customers, utilities and the solar industry. Based on this research, SEPA and the working group will release a report laying out a number of core models for community solar.

— Research on market demographics and messaging: Working with Shelton Group, a marketing research and consulting firm, SEPA will conduct in-depth research — including surveys and focus groups — on how different market segments view community solar. The goal here will be to connect the resulting market insights with model program designs to develop effective communications strategies and best practices for targeting and expanding community solar markets.

— Practical applications: In addition to publicly available reports, SEPA also plans a series of workshops, webinars, articles and other public education efforts on the project results. The SunShot funding will also allow SEPA to work with eight different utilities to help them set up community solar programs.

“We’ve been polling Americans about the attitudes and behaviors related to energy consumption for more than 10 years, so we are very much dialed into perceptions of and desire for solar energy,” said Suzanne Shelton, President and CEO of Shelton Group. “For this project, we’ll evaluate reactions to specific models for community solar among both residential consumers and businesses to identify what makes these programs compelling and the potential differences in perceptions by customer class, demographics, industry sectors and geography.”

“Duke Energy sees community solar as an opportunity to expand this energy resource — bringing it to customers who may not have direct access to renewable energy,” said Justin LaRoche, business development manager at Duke Energy, which has already committed to taking part in the project’s industry working group. “It is a natural extension of our existing business of providing reliable electric service to our customers.”

“People want choices in their energy supply; they want solar,” said Julia Hamm, SEPA’s President and CEO. “From careful siting at key locations on the grid to providing local jobs, we see huge benefits in these projects. Having basic, easily adaptable models should help minimize risks and uncertainties and help more utilities and communities stand up their own community solar programs.”

Solar Power World

The Solar Ware Samurai central inverter from TMEIC achieved a maximum efficiency of 99.01 percent in California Energy Commissioning (CEC) testing, setting a new standard among photovoltaic central inverters. TMEIC developed the Solar Ware Samurai through decades of research, and created the most advanced inverters in the industry.

CEC testing is a standardized performance testing protocol and guideline for evaluating PV Inverters used in grid-connecting photovoltaic systems. The CEC testing and protocol imitates a real life scenario by weighing the efficiency based on actual anticipated load conditions. CSA, a qualified, Nationally Recognized Test Laboratory performed the tests.

“The Solar Ware Samurai is the world’s first central inverter to achieve a maximum efficiency of 99.01 percent”, TMEIC General Manager of Renewable Energies, Donn Samsa, said. “There have been string inverters tested at 99 percent due to SiC design, but no central inverter has ever done this.”

The Solar Ware Samurai is an outdoor PCS with a stand-alone capacity of 1,667kW. It’s highly advanced cooling system offers fanless operation up to 50 percent of the output power rating, and maintains high reliability while reducing energy costs. The inverter also boasts the ability to operate efficiently under the harshest of environments, such as deserts, where large-scale mega solar facilities are frequently installed.

Earlier this year, the Solar Ware Samurai won an Intersolar Award for innovation in solar technology. The inverter was among the three winners selected from more than 200 companies, in 21 countries worldwide, to receive an award in the Photovoltaics category.

Designed and built in Japan for high quality reliability, it is available in America, with an installed base of more than 60 units since its introduction in 2013. TMEIC anticipates orders of more than 400 units in 2014.

The Samurai and other TMEIC drives will be made manufactured in a new facility in Houston, Texas. TMEIC North America is headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia.

Solar Power World

Solar manufacturers, especially those selling inverter and mounting products, have added web-based tools to their websites that help contractors design and buy systems.

The tools benefit contractors and manufacturers alike. Contractors can use them to ensure they’re buying the right product; and as a result, manufacturers are less likely to sell the wrong one. Selling the wrong product could, at best, mean a time-consuming exchange or, at worst, a fault on a rooftop.

“Having an installer pick the right components and do the installation the right way helps all parties,” said Michael Rogerson, marketing manager at SolarEdge. “The homeowner, installer and service team all have a good experience.”

For its part, SolarEdge offers Site Designer, a tool that recommends the number of strings for an array as well as each string’s length. It also suggests inverter and power optimizer selections based on site size and module selection. After a customer finishes the process, he can print a Bill-of-Materials for the design.

Rogerson said SolarEdge has long been an engineering-focused company, steeped in technical detail.
“It’s somewhat daunting if you’re new to the technology,” Rogerson said. “There needs to be an on-ramp.”

IronRidge also has an online tool, Design Assistant. Users input array dimensions and the program compiles a Bill-of-Materials and provides engineering values, such as the loads and forces a solar array can be expected to endure.

Solmetric’s PV Designer

“At SolarEdge, they’re talking about electrical characteristics,” said David Briggs, marketing director at IronRidge. “With us, we’re interested in the mechanical dimensions—such as how much surface area there is, how thick the frame is.”

Briggs said Design Assistant gives contractors all the information they need to procure a system, at least one from IronRidge. The information lets contractors quickly quote a customer and start a project faster.

Another benefit, Briggs said, is the tool provides enough engineering information for contractors to tweak variables and try their hand at design optimization.

“We were the first to come out with a tool in 2009,” Briggs said. “Customers thought IronRidge was so easy, why would they use other stuff? And over the last five years, we’ve seen more companies come out with similar products.”

Another manufacturer to develop software is Solmetric. The company sells the Suneye, a tool that uses a fisheye lens to map the sunpath at any location and determine how much sunlight or shade the location will receive throughout the year.

Accurate on-site shade analysis allows system designers to optimally place arrays, as well as make more informed selections of module, inverter and BOS components. Using shade data from the SunEye as a graphical gradient overlaid onto proposed CAD roof sections, the company’s software, PV Designer, provides an intuitive interface to select components and place arrays with real-time yield estimation updates.

“PV Designer is not necessarily associated with the hardware product—you can use it without the hardware—but it’s a natural progression of taking shading data and using it in a convenient way,” said Kevin Myers, applications engineer at Solmetric.

As the future unwinds, manufacturers say the goal of software will be to reduce soft costs and go from sale to install quicker. Part of the process will be the adoption of more mobile software tools.

“Mobile is a big part of what we’re doing,” Briggs said. “You can do a lot with a smartphone app. Instead of someone downloading Site Designer for their PC, maybe they have it in their hand, on the field, checking the order as it comes.” SPW

Solar Power World

(c) Can Stock Photo Inc. / jirsak

Content marketing has become an important tool in business marketing efforts, and solar companies are embracing it with blog initiatives. REC Solar, Run on Sun and SolarCity each have popularized their blogs. And perhaps you’ve encountered The Energy Miser from Mark Durrenberger, president of Massachusetts-based solar installation company New England Clean Energy. We asked the company’s marketing director, Susan Boucher, to share some thoughts on the aim and production of The Energy Miser.

Solar Power World: Why do you think it’s important to blog?

New England Clean Energy: It’s important to blog simply for SEO. Relevant content brings people in and introduces them to our business. In the past 30 days, The Energy Miser has had nearly 1,000 hits. For a small, local installer, we see that as a huge success.

In addition, we’ve always been a company that focuses on education. An educated consumer is our best customer. The blog is a perfect forum for digging into solar issues and developments in more detail than Facebook, Twitter and our e-newsletter allow.

Site stats suggest people are reading full articles. They spend much more time on our blog pages than our website pages (or maybe they’re just going to get a cup of coffee while the blog is up on their monitor).

SPW: What are some of the key blog-writing guidelines you follow?

New England Clean Energy: We try to stick to 300 to 500 words and include at least one visual to spice it up. We love data and charts. Content-wise, we shoot for conversational and educational with a touch of humor.

SPW: How frequently do you blog?

New England Clean Energy: The goal is to blog at least monthly. It usually ends up being slightly less due to lack of time. Because our blog has in-depth articles rather than a daily diary approach, this frequency seems to work.

SPW: Do you talk generically about the industry or specifically about your business?

New England Clean Energy: The Energy Miser is not a stream of consciousness blog where Mark says what he had for breakfast or reports a funny comment he heard at the bank. We use Twitter and Facebook for brief observations or quips. While his personality comes through on The Energy Miser, it’s not about him. It’s about solar. We focus on in-depth analysis of solar industry issues seen through the lens of our own experience. Mark interprets issues, technologies or trends, and brings them to life with his own analysis or anecdotes.

SPW: How do you make sure people find your blog?

New England Clean Energy: We use our social media outlets—Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn—to drive people to The Energy Miser, and we often link to the blog in our e-newsletter. Recently, we added the blog URL to our business cards.

SPW: What’s been your most popular blog so far?

New England Clean Energy: Our most popular post is, “Tree Math: Solar Panels vs. Trees, What’s the Carbon Trade-off?” It was published two years ago and is still, consistently, our most popular post, even though some of the links have long since disappeared. Our readers find the content still relevant though. Plus, we actively refer people to that post who are debating taking down trees to make solar work.

SPW: Have you ever encountered challenges or complaints about your blog and how did you deal with it?

New England Clean Energy: One time a customer thought they were portrayed negatively in an example, though no name was given. We didn’t agree—we would never try to cast a customer in a negative light. We were happy to respond by simply removing that reference from the post. SPW

Solar Power World

NRG Home Solar is growing its capabilities by assuming the Northeast sales and operational resources of Verengo Solar, a top-tier provider of residential solar with a proven history of delivering quality operations. Both companies are Solar Power World 2014 Top 400 Solar Contractors.

“Increasing our capabilities and bandwidth in the Northeast — one of the fastest growing areas for residential solar in the U.S. — is an integral part of our plan to continue our growth towards ultimately becoming the top provider of residential solar in the country,” said Kelcy Pegler, Jr., President of NRG Home Solar. “NRG is deeply committed to residential solar and we continue putting the key pieces in place to drive a fantastic customer experience and help homeowners realize the value of their rooftops.”

NRG Home Solar is a leader in the residential solar industry in several states across the U.S. The company is a top-tier home solar company with locations in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, California, Massachusetts and Texas. Late last year, NRG Home Solar acquired Pure Energies, a leading online and tele-sales company for residential solar and announced a loan product for the first time to supplement its leasing operations.

“From online and kitchen table sales, to financing and installation, we are a vertically-integrated residential solar company that is committed to winning this space,” said Pegler. “Having this experienced and established Northeast team join NRG Home Solar will be a tremendous resource to help us continue serving more and more customers in the region.”

The company sees residential solar as the gateway for American consumers to join the growing movement toward a clean energy future. Increasingly, Americans in many states are adopting solar at home as they seek the freedom to make their own clean energy and reduce their electricity bills by capitalizing on the energy generating potential of their own home.

Solar Power World

Principal Solar will build the largest solar facility east of the Rockies. The project, located in Hope Mills, North Carolina, with a capacity of 78.5 MWac, will be the largest solar facility east of the Rockies. Total investment in the project is expected to be approximately $173 million. Duke Energy Progress, Inc. has signed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to buy energy from the project.

Solar Power World

Trina Solar Limited has been selected by renewable energy specialist Gestamp Solar to supply modules for a 42.5 MW PV plant located in Marcovia, which is in the Choluteca region of the Republic of Honduras, Central America.

Solar Power World

The Solar Energy Finance Association (SEFA), the only non-government organization solely dedicated to advancing the availability of public capital and expanding financing options for the solar energy industry, has announced the launch of its new membership program with enhanced offerings for the coming year.

Open to solar stakeholders, SEFA membership not only affords access to valuable information but also gives solar professionals the opportunity to lead the way and help shape the rapidly growing solar industry.

“We are eager to embark on a new year as we prepare to offer exciting new opportunities in the solar industry,” says Mary Rottman, president of SEFA. “SEFA is an organization that supports industry professionals, providing them with the tools necessary to collaborate and collectively pave the way to solving some of the industry’s most complex challenges.”

SEFA’s long term goal is to promote solar as an asset class and thereby improve the solar industry’s access to capital, reduce financing costs and increase the footprint of distributed solar power in the U.S..

To do so, SEFA will carry forward, promote and administer many of the valuable work products and initiatives developed by the Solar Access to Public Capital (SAPC) working group, a 3-year initiative to increase the availability of capital to the solar industry, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

A primary activity in support of SEFA’s goals is to develop and promote the use of standardized financing contracts by the solar industry to reduce the time and complexity of evaluating projects, lower transaction costs in the solar development process, and improve transparency to the consumer. Standardization will also allow for the ability to pool the associated cash flows from solar PV assets for sale or securitization in the capital markets, thus increasing the solar industry’s access to lower cost funding sources.

Currently, six standard forms of residential and commercial solar leases and PPA templates are available and are already in use by many solar companies. SEFA will promote, administer and maintain these contracts while actively developing additional financing contracts through interactive industry participation and engagement. New standard contract templates are likely to include solar loan and EPC agreements. To view the suite of standard contracts, please visit www.sefa-finance.org/

Additional benefits to the industry from SEFA include a Consumer Best Practices Checklist, focused on consumer education and regulatory guidelines. The checklist offers guidance to consumers who are thinking about adding a solar system to their home and assists industry professionals in complying with regulations. To view the checklist, please visit http://www.sefa-finance.org/sefa-consumer-best-practices-checklist/.

SEFA also offers the opportunity to work with the Open Solar Performance and Reliability Clearinghouse (oSPARC), which compiles actuarial data used to evaluate solar investment risk. Additionally, SEFA members have access to best practices guides for plant monitoring and operations and maintenance and system installation

Other benefits of membership include advocacy for the development of solar capital market solutions and financing structures; creation of best practices standards for other aspects of the solar industry; in-depth and timely information on developments, trends and opportunities in solar energy; educational programs, events and publications; and opportunities to network with key companies, organizations and thought leaders in renewable energy through conferences, forums and webinars.

To learn more about becoming a member visit SEFA-finance.org or e-mail info@SEFA-finance.org.

Solar Power World

As the demand for quality renewable energy sales and financing platforms continues to grow, enACT Systems has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Energy Finance Strategies (EFS) for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition strengthens enACT’s end-to-end sales and financing software platform for solar and energy efficiency projects by integrating the renewable energy development and financing expertise of EFS. The acquisition is set to deliver installers and developers, access to new software platform capabilities through EFS’s proven expertise in the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) marketplace. Current partners and clients of EFS will benefit from a streamlined delivery of current EFS services, while enabling access to a broader range of enACT’s high-value SaaS solutions.

“enACT’s powerful suite of software capabilities is transforming how distributed energy companies do business. Especially for solar, it helps lower transaction costs and provide users a simple way to scale their sales volumes, increasing revenues,” said Thomas King, Founder & Managing Partner of EFS. Ryan Hamilton, also Founder and Managing Partner at EFS added, “Teaming up with enACT, allows us all to provide more value for a larger client base, more quickly. We are pleased to combine our strengths to meet the growing demands of the renewable energy marketplace.”

The acquisition of Energy Finance Strategies is immediately impactful to current enACT users and the future direction of enACT Systems. The merger will expand the enACT management team as well as the company’s competitive edge. Thomas King is taking on the role of Chief Financial Officer at enACT Systems. Before Founding EFS, Mr. King was a Co-Founder and Managing Director of US Renewables Group, the leading pure-play, renewable energy focused private-equity firm globally, with over $750 million of assets under management. Ryan Hamilton has taken the role of Chief Commercial Officer, and Executive Vice President for Sales and Business Development. Before EFS, Hamilton held management positions at NRG, and Solar Power Partners. King and Hamilton join the existing enACT management team of Co-Founder and CEO Deep Chakraborty, Co-Founder and COO Manasij Kar, and Matt Cheney, Executive Chairman of enACT’s Board of Directors and an executive member of its leadership team.

“Tom and Ryan have done a very impressive job of enabling funding for distributed energy more accessible through leveraging the PACE financing model,” said Deep Chakraborty, CEO of enACT Systems. “As we expand our SaaS platform across multiple technology, financing and market segments, their proven expertise will assist us in scaling a truly end-to-end solution to both small firms and large enterprise clients.”

enACT’s end-to-end business process automation solutions for distributed energy developers, installers, and investors, specifically in solar and energy efficiency, focuses on lowering customer acquisition, operational and financing costs. The rapidly growing distributed energy marketplace, now representing over $20B in annual revenue in 2014, is impaired by growing soft costs often as high as 30% of sales for mid-size companies – due to inefficient age-old transaction processes, a disconnected eco-system and the general lack of software solutions. enACT’s platform is driving rapid change in this space leveraging software in a unique manner to cut costs and drive revenue growth.

enACT’s SaaS platform provides end-to-end business process automation solutions for distributed energy developers, installers, and investors. enACT’s functional SaaS marketplace is focused on lowering customer acquisition, operational and financing costs, while enabling incremental revenue growth for all stakeholders. enACT Systems is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA, with an office in Bangalore, India.

Solar Power World

ILSCO’s offering of irreversible grounding products has been enhanced to include several new RLT and GGB tin plated products for use with galvanized rod. The wire range on the ULT offering has been broadened with the addition of two new part numbers, ULT-1-Z and ULT-2-Z.

On the thin wall c-tap offering, ILSCO is now more competitively priced and offers a broader range of certified tools.
Our product offering includes cross grid connectors, taps, cable to ground rod, cable to rebar, I-beam studs, cast ground plates as well as terminating connectors. ILSCO’s Irreversible Ground compression connectors are made from heavy-duty, strong copper material, they are range taking, UL Listed and suitable for direct burial, including concrete, in most cases. Many are pre-filled with De-Ox oxide inhibitor to keep moisture out and prevent oxidization of the connection.

“Irreversible Ground” is a term found in the NEC Code, Article 250, that indicates a connection, once made, cannot be “undone.” A solid, low resistance, long term connection is critical to the integrity and safety of an electrical system. ILSCO Irreversible Ground compression products meet or exceed all UL Grounding and Bonding requirements and satisfy the NEC definition. All products are clearly marked for ease of identification and inspectability.

Solar Power World

Mastria Auto Group, a family-owned, premier GMC, Nissan, Cadillac, Buick, Mazda and Subaru dealer located in Raynham, Mass., has installed solar energy systems at three of its dealerships in partnership with Solect Energy Development of Hopkinton, a Solar Power World Top 400 Contractor. The systems—installed at the Buick GMC Cadillac, Nissan and Subaru dealerships—are expected to save Mastria Auto Group up to $40,000 per year in electricity costs, covering 30 percent of the auto group’s overall usage. The company’s fourth dealership—Mazda—is expected to have a system installed by Solect in mid-2015, saving the company an additional $10,000 per year.

To date, Solect has installed:
· An 83 kW system at the Buick Cadillac GMC dealership including 276 Canadian Solar 300 Watt panels, DPW Solar mounting hardware, and Solectria Renewables inverters on a tiled metal roof.

· An 81 kW system at the Nissan dealership, including 270 Canadian Solar 300 Watt panels, Ironridge racking, and Solectria inverters on a tiled metal roof.

· A 52 kW system at the Subaru dealership, including 202 Hanwha Q-Cell 260 panels, Ironridge racking, and Solectria Renewables inverters on a tiled metal roof

Additionally, a 41 kW system at the Mazda dealership is scheduled to be installed in the spring of 2015.
Mastria began looking at solar when its contract with its natural gas supplier was due for renewal. “We had thought about solar, but really started looking when our gas supplier reminded us of the benefits and incentives associated with solar energy in Massachusetts,” said Rob Mastria, chief financial officer of Mastria Auto Group. “The environmental issues have always been at the forefront. The brands we represent are all very environmentally conscious. Nissan is very big in the electric vehicle market, for example.

“At the same time, we have this valuable asset on our roof, and knew we had the opportunity not only to help the environment by using green energy but also to help our bottom line through cost avoidance of electricity as well as through the financial incentives and tax benefits available,” Mastria said.

Local regulations prevented the auto group from deploying larger systems, but if rules change in the future, Mastria said it will consider expanding its systems.

In addition to the cost savings generated, Mastria Auto Group is also able to take advantage of state and federal financial and tax incentives, including SRECs (Solar Renewable Energy Certificates), which solar system owners earn based on the amount of solar energy their system generates. SRECs are ultimately purchased by electrical utility providers in Massachusetts to help them meet their state-mandated goals of a percentage of power coming from renewable energy sources.

“The Mastria Auto Group realized it has valuable assets in its four roofs and were able to turn them into significant cost savings and revenue generating mechanisms for the company,” said Stephen Clairmont, Project Director at Solect. “The company is realizing some very real financial benefits, and is also gaining the ability to represent their brands even better from a green perspective because they’re practicing what they preach.”

Solar Power World

S&C Electric Company, a smart grid leader shaping the future of power delivery, today announces the new SpeedNet SDR Software Defined Radios, which combines S&C’s field-proven mesh-radio technology with the software-defined radio platform from XetaWave, a Colorado-based leader in wireless technology. The SpeedNet SDR will support ultra-high frequency (UHF) bands, between 406 – 430-MHz and 450 – 470-MHz, and will be used in S&C’s self-healing distribution automation systems around the world. The new radios are being deployed on the Isle of Wight, off the coast of the United Kingdom, where they are being used with S&C’s IntelliRupter® PulseClosers and IntelliTeam® to reduce the frequency and duration of power outages on the island.

“Smart grid solutions like self-healing grids, energy storage and volt-var control need a means to communicate quickly and over long distances,” says Donivon Hettich, director – Grid Connectivity, S&C Electric Company. “The new SpeedNet SDR offering will help expedite smart grid deployments globally, and ensure these solutions reach full potential backed by a reliable, effective communication network.”

The SpeedNet SDR has received its FCC and IC certifications and CE conformity mark allowing it to be used in smart grid applications wherever the UHF 400-MHz bands are available. Subsequent certifications for South Africa, South America and Central America are in the approval process. The SpeedNet SDR will be used where S&C’s SpeedNet™ 900-MHz mesh radio operations band is not available or when licensed frequencies are preferred by utility customers.

The radio offers reliable Ethernet and serial connectivity, layer3 wireless mesh bridging and highly available mesh connectivity. The SpeedNet SDR has modulation levels up to 32QAM that provide the industry’s highest level of data throughput using licensed 12.5-KHz channels.

“This level of speed and reliability is essential to achieve the fault isolation and circuit restoration times provided by S&C’s self-healing solutions,” says Hettich. “The UHF frequencies in the licensed spectrum also offer a higher level of interference protection and improved communication range.”

XetaWave’s software-defined radio platform is incredibly flexible and scalable, allowing for multiple data speeds, channel sizing and modulations such that customers can optimize throughput and range. XetaWave is manufacturing the radios in its 17,000 square-foot facility in Louisville, Colo., with S&C serving as a value added reseller.

“We are proud to be joining S&C in this effort,” says Jonathan Sawyer, co-founder, CEO and CTO, XetaWave. “By combining our unique strengths, XetaWave and S&C are taking a huge step toward meeting the increasing demands of a truly smart grid.”

Solar Power World

SMA has been selected by SoCore Energy, specialist in solar portfolio development and commercial rooftop installations, to supply 17.5 MW of commercial-scale inverters. SoCore chose the Sunny Tripower TL-US three-phase, transformerless inverter for 44 PV projects by Fortune 500 companies nationwide. More than 730 inverters have been delivered and will energize some of the most well-known movie theater, shipping and retail chains in the United States. All of the projects will be online by early this year.

“We are excited that the Sunny Tripower, the world’s best-selling three-phase inverter, was selected for this significant commercial-scale order,” said Henry Dziuba, president and general manager of SMA America. “The Sunny Tripower provides unparalleled performance across all U.S. geographies, making it the ideal choice for these nationwide projects.”

Located in six states across the U.S., the installations will have an average system size of 410 kW and will be powered by the Sunny Tripower 20000TL-US and 24000TL-US.

“Our Fortune 500 customers expect the best, so quality and reliability are paramount,” said Pete Kadens, president of SoCore. “Not only does the Sunny Tripower fulfill these needs, but the fact that they are manufactured domestically allows us to meet the very tight timelines these projects require.”

The Sunny Tripower TL-US features unmatched design flexibility, high efficiency and enhanced safety, making it the ideal solution for decentralized commercial PV plants. Also available in 12 and 15 kilowatt models, the Sunny Tripower TL-US boasts peak efficiency of more than 98 percent while its OptiTrac Global Peak maximum power point (MPP) tracking algorithm further maximizes energy production by minimizing the effects of shade. It is suitable for both 600 VDC and 1,000 VDC applications and offers two independent MPP trackers, a combined or detached connection unit, and myriad mounting configurations (vertical to 15 degrees from horizontal), further increasing design flexibility.

Safety and reliability have been enhanced with the Sunny Tripower TL-US due to its all-pole ground fault protection, integrated AFCI, reverse polarity indicator and DC monitoring per MPPT, granular down to four strings. At the SoCore projects, the Sunny Tripower 24000TL-US will also be mounted on an innovative racking solution designed for roof mounting three-phase, commercial-scale inverters, enabling rapid deployment and maintaining a high quality of installation and commissioning while meeting the NEC 2014 rapid shutdown requirement.

The Sunny Tripower TL-US delivers a future-proof solution with full grid management features including power factor correction, low-voltage ride through, curtailment and frequency response, and innovative monitoring and communications features allowing start/stop/reset remote capability, as well as SMA Service, technical support and plant-wide O&M availability. Extended warranties were selected for many of the SoCore projects.

The Sunny Tripower TL-US is available through SMA’s North American distribution program. To locate an SMA Authorized Distributor, solar professionals can visit SMA America’s website and click “Where to Buy” to learn more about each distribution partner.

Solar Power World