Edmonton, Alberta-based National Solar Distributors now offers the APS advanced solar microinverter line to PV installers across Canada.

National Solar serves all of Canada from Vancouver Island to the Maritimes, with an emphasis on the western provinces.

The company is a full-service stocking PV distributor, offering modules, mounting solutions, inverters, and balance-of-system components, as well as equipment for off-grid systems of all sizes.National Solar will offer the APS line as its exclusive microinverter solution.

“APS has the perfect mix of reliability, price and service as a vendor,” said Matthew Lisac, National Solar director of operations. “Our installers love the ease and speed of installation, and not having to worry about messy and expensive cables. Our goal is to make APS the No. 1 microinverter in Canada.”

National Solar was founded in 2014 by Lisac and Matthew Lannigan. With more than 20 years’ combined experience in the PV and electrical industries, the pair bring expertise in systems and support to Canada’s growing solar industry.

“We are the friendly, service-oriented distributor with a focused approach to products,” Lisac said. “That means we can offer great products at competitive prices.”

The agreement extends the APS microinverter line’s reach in a Canada solar market that is just hitting stride. The province of Ontario has been a solar hot spot for some years, Lisac said, with Alberta tabbed as the country’s next breakout regional market.

“But every province has great potential, including our northern territories,” Lisac said. “Solar has grown organically in most of the country, so when grid-parity arrives and demand skyrockets, there will be a plethora of professional, experienced installers ready to do their part.”

Ryan Simpson, APS America senior director of business development, welcomed the opportunity to bring APS microinverter technology to more customers in North America, after excellent response from installers across the U.S.

“Canada is clearly poised to see tremendous growth in consumer-level renewable energy,” Simpson said. “As a global leader in solar innovation, APS has the most forward-thinking microinverter solutions for this emerging marketplace.”

APS flagship products include the YC500, a powerful dual-module microinverter, and the YC1000 true 3-phase unit, purpose-designed for commercial applications and offering an unprecedented 1:4 microinverter-to-module ratio.
Both units are now offered by National Solar Distributors through their sales website, www.nationalsolar.ca.

APS was founded in Silicon Valley in 2009, and is now a global leader in the development, manufacturing and marketing of microinverters based on their own proven, leading-edge solar technology.

APS ranked No. 2 in global market share among top microinverter suppliers by shipment in 2013 (source: GTM Research).

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Much like a new car, solar monitoring and control systems have options available to the owner and operator. And much like car options, some monitoring upgrades are important and relatively inexpensive, some are nice to have and other things really make the site a Rolls Royce system. It’s up to you (and the budget) as to which options make the best sense for each site. We’ll take a look at some important monitoring systems.

This article was authored by Keith Davis, Director of Solar Services at Affinity Automation

Inverters

The first monitoring point that jumps out is DC feeder currents and voltages. More inverters are equipped with current transformers (CTs) within the DC input section, which provides data to the inverter controller. The site data logger can then poll the controller and export the information to the web portal provider. This would be a great diagnostic tool to help pinpoint a combiner box that is off or if currents from each combiner box are low.

If the inverter cannot provide this function, another option for DC monitoring is to include the DC CTs within the DC disconnects adjacent to the inverters. Most, if not all, major manufacturers can include this option within their DC disconnect, so look to them for Plan B if necessary.

Combiner boxes

Combiner string DC current monitoring is an option as well. There are two schools of thought relating to that option: 1) That’s too much date to review; and 2) Give us all the data we can get. The middle ground I like to take is yes, give us the data, but not to review. Instead let’s mine for anomalies and trends. How much current each string produces is not relevant. How it compares to the string right beside it is more critical. Monitoring allows alerts to be issued that there is a problem on-site. The issue could be as simple as tall grass or as serious as a ground fault in the string itself, but at least you’re alerted to a problem.

Trackers

More and more sites are utilizing single-axis trackers on site and they have a wealth of data available, too. Array positioning angles are important to know, as if one tracker has not rotated in the last two hours, a service call is necessary.

Security

Site security and access is another point that can be included in a good monitoring system. Cameras with IR illuminators can watch the site 24/7 and be remotely monitored. There are radar-based sensors that can “see” much further than the human eye and be programmed to watch for any motion on-site. Having a strong outer perimeter and a reliable access control system is important, and with the right controls in place, it is possible to know who is on the site, when they arrived and left and what work was accomplished.

So think about how the power of the microprocessor can help you to install reliable monitoring systems to keep your solar fields safe, secure and running at their peak. When you look at the cost/benefit ratio over the long-term, I think you will find that including these enhanced reporting points adds value and profitability to each site and they are a good investment to make on several levels.

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Rectify Solar received the EDGE Award in the Emerging Business category for the year 2014 at the 7th annual Edge Awards, held on June 19. The award was presented to company co-founder Phil Teague by Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann on behalf of the Indiana Small Business Development Center (ISBDC). EDGE stands for Economic Development and Growth through Entrepreneurship.

Rectify Solar focuses on the energy usage of homes and businesses, targeting key areas to facilitate the greatest energy reductions. It also specializes in solar installations with a heritage of more than 500 installs completed. Their offices are located in Indianapolis and Boonville.

Eligibility for the award is limited to clients of the ISBDC through one-on-one confidential counseling through a trained ISBDC business advisor, participation in ISBDC programming, or use of ISBDC tools and business resources. Rectify Solar was selected by the regional ISBDC staff who work directly with the business.

Teague, a graduate of Indiana University, is a board member of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association (InREA) and helped to coordinate the 2014 Indy Eastside Solar Tour. Additionally, he has been a panelist for the solar industry for the Monroe County Builders Association and the Sierra Club, and given multiple solar presentations to schools, non-profits and businesses throughout Indiana.

Retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Scott Teter is also co-founder of the company. He is a Bloomington native who — along with Teague — holds an Advanced Solar PV Certification by North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP).

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Silicor Materials recently announced the signing of a contract with MT Hojgaard for the design and construction of Silicor’s commercial-scale plant in Grundartangi, Iceland.

The companies have worked together for more than a year to optimize the design of the 121,000 square-meter production facility, which will supply photovoltaic (PV) cell and module manufacturers around the world with at least 16,000 metric tons of solar silicon each year.

Under the terms of the agreement, worth more than $226.5M, MT Hojgaard is responsible for various aspects of plant construction, as well as any design, planning and consulting support required throughout the process.

“This collaboration is a prime example of our ability to add value to projects from the initial stage, ensuring that customers like Silicor achieve the greatest possible economic benefit in terms of both planned production and future flexibility,” said Joannes Niclassen, Vice President of MT Hojgaard.

Silicor’s solar silicon is a lower-cost, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional polysilicon, allowing manufacturers to reduce production costs with no impact to product performance or quality. The material, which currently powers more than 20 million PV cells around the world, is produced through a proprietary metals-based process that consumes significantly less energy than traditional methods.

This news comes on the heels of Silicor’s multi-million dollar equipment contract with SMS Siemag, as well as the finalization of the land lease and port agreements with local Icelandic authorities.

“One by one, we continue to check off the boxes required to get our commercial-scale plant in the ground on time, on budget, and with some of the biggest names in the business,” said Terry Jester, CEO of Silicor Materials. “MT Hojgaard’s unparalleled experience across the North Atlantic region has proven to be a major asset to our team throughout this process, and we look forward to planting the first shovel in the ground on this world-class facility.”

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As part of the company’s expansion from a leading PV mounting systems manufacturer to a full-scope solar energy solutions company, SunLink Corporation has engaged Silicon Valley Bank (Nasdaq: SIVB) to provide a new line of credit and other financial services in support of the company’s continued expansion. Well known for successfully backing high-growth companies for the past 30 years, Silicon Valley Bank will provide invaluable support to SunLink as the company explores new opportunities to advance universal solar adoption.

“SunLink is on a high-growth trajectory, with a recent acquisition of leading tracker technology and financings that scaled our solutions to best serve national and regional partners alike,” said Michael Maulick, CEO of SunLink. “We’re investing significant financial and human resources not just to continue to engineer superior products and grow our portfolio of successful projects, but also in bringing to market services that will help take our industry to the next level. We needed a banking partner with the vision and experience to collaborate with us on that journey, and SVB is a financial institution that understands the intricacies of the high-growth company experience.”

“We aim to build lasting relationships with our innovative clients who are at the forefront of their industries,” said Matt Maloney, head of Energy and Resource Innovation for Silicon Valley Bank. “SunLink is a clear leader in the solar industry, and we are proud to be the preferred financing partner to fuel their accelerating momentum in the market.”

“Fostering relationships is the underlying key to success in the financing business. Having collaborated with Michael Maulick in prior capacities, we look forward to building on that foundation of successful partnership as we help propel SunLink forward, and by extension, contribute to the elevation of the solar industry,” said Dan Baldi, managing director of Silicon Valley Bank in San Francisco.

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AllEarth Renewables, a dual-axis solar tracker manufacturer, has announced a rebranding to position the company for its national expansion with a growing group of solar developer and installer-partners around the country.

The new Full Circle logo captures the company’s belief that when people and business work together, our energy future is bright.  AllEarth Renewables has the vision and technical expertise in inventing new, more efficient energy solutions and has its arms around creating innovative products that ensures a renewable future for all of us.

The rebranding coincides with the company’s launch of its new website at www.allearthrenewables.com and AllEarth Solar.

In addition, as part of the rebranding, the company’s AllSun Tracker, of which the company has manufactured more than 3,000, becomes the AllEarth Solar Tracker.

“As a company, we are looking to advance renewable energy use and are rapidly moving into regions and working with partners that share that vision for a renewable energy future.  Our goal is to design and bring to market smart technological solutions to the energy problems we face,” said David Blittersdorf, president and CEO of AllEarth Renewables.

“This company rebranding seeks to position our company as an energy solutions leader as we expand into new markets with our developer and installer partners,” Blittersdorf added.

The company has more than 70 solar partners across the country.

To build brand value and strength, AllEarth Renewables is expanding its strategy from being a brand that is primarily business-to-business oriented to one that also includes the end consumer—from being a facilitator in the world of renewables to also being a leading change agent.

AllEarth Renewables manufactures the AllEarth Solar Tracker, a dual-axis solar tracker that uses innovative GPS and wireless technology to follow the sun throughout the day, producing up to 45 percent more energy than rooftop solar.  The company has manufactured and installed over 3,000 solar tracker systems used for residential and commercial installations.

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The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) today announced it has selected Sungevity, Inc., a leading global solar service, as its official solar energy partner for the next decade. Throughout the 10-year term, Sungevity will work with UC Berkeley students across academic disciplines to develop careers in the new energy economy with internships in solar design, engineering, strategic planning, operations efficiency, marketing and finance. To help Berkeley meet its carbon neutrality goal by 2025, Sungevity will partner with the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative (BERC) on sustainability outreach and programming, and offer expertise to the campus’ Office of Sustainability and Energy. Importantly, this partnership also focuses on reducing the regional carbon footprint by expanding renewable energy to the larger Cal community through innovative residential solar programs.

Sungevity is the first partner to launch UC Berkeley’s University Partnership Program (UPP), which will provide campus units with the infrastructure to work collaboratively across the university to develop comprehensive relationships with business partners. The partnership with Sungevity, a renewable energy company, underscores the university’s commitment to sustainability, delivering on the campus goal of integrating carbon-reducing energy technology on campus and to its extended community.

“Sungevity was the clear choice as UC Berkeley’s solar energy partner. Not only do we share a rich history with many of its founding employees being Cal alums, but the company’s authentic passion and commitment to UC Berkeley’s sustainability ensures that our interests are strongly aligned,” said vice chancellor for administration and finance, John Wilton. “Sungevity also is renowned for its industry-leading advanced technology platform, which mirrors our mission of advancing innovation for the benefit of future generations.”

The new partnership also benefits the larger Berkeley community, providing faculty, staff, friends and family with an opportunity to save money on electric bills while also reducing pollution. Aside from the core sponsorship revenue, each time someone goes solar with Sungevity, the company will contribute a minimum of $750 to the university, which will be used to support strategic priorities for the university and participating campus units.

Beyond its residential offerings to the campus community, Sungevity also is developing its first campus project on Jacob’s Hall, part of the School of Engineering and the university’s new home for design innovation. Currently slated to open for the Fall Semester, the building is being outfitted with 286 solar panels that will generate approximately 114,000 kWh in the first year.

“Sungevity and Berkeley share complementary core values, both fundamentally dedicated to using innovative technologies to solve social and environmental problems,” said Danny Kennedy, Sungevity’s co-founder. “It’s a union that almost feels predestined, with such rich Berkeley DNA woven right into the fabric of our being, and we’re energized to be advising the nation’s No. 1 public university on achieving its sustainability goals throughout the next decade.”

Sungevity and UC Berkeley share a long history with its founding Remote Solar Design (RSD) employees – those who developed the company’s industry-leading technology, its proprietary RSD tool, iQuote, and Instant iQuote – being university alumni. Since the company’s founding in 2007, Sungevity has employed more than 100 Berkeley alumni and students in areas of marketing, finance, and engineering.

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Andalay Solar’s Instant Connect Module is compatible with power optimizers supplied by SolarEdge Technologies, The SolarEdge module add-on power optimizer can now be snapped onto the Andalay module frame using Andalay’s bracket. Andalay and SolarEdge have also agreed to work on developing DC Instant Connect, a solution that will embed the power optimizer cables into the frame of the Andalay module to allow faster cable connection between modules with the intention of eliminating costly wire management issues. In addition to the plug-and-play wiring, the DC Instant Connect rail-less module further simplifies installation since it has built-in racking and grounding.

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NEXTracker, designer and manufacturer of single-axis PV trackers, and Blattner Energy, a diversified power generation contractor, have announced a signed supply agreement totaling over 1 gigawatt (GW) of NEXTracker solar trackers to be deployed in projects throughout North America over the next two years.

“We’re very impressed with NEXTracker’s technology not only for the construction process, but more importantly the operational life of the plant,” said Stephen Jones, Director of Solar, Blattner Energy.  “NEXTracker is a proven and respected supplier in the market today.  We look forward to employing their technology on our projects.”

“We’re thrilled to be supplying our technology to Blattner, one of the most distinguished installers of renewable power generation systems in North America,” noted NEXTracker CEO Dan Shugar.  “Deploying NEXTracker generates more energy and reduces installation time with a repeatable, self-powered system design that is flexible to varying site conditions.  Those features, combined with lower operational costs, maximize financial returns to our project stakeholders.”

Global demand for solar trackers is expanding rapidly.  NEXTracker’s advanced features reduce overall layout constraints, the number of foundations and use of steel, wear and tear on drive components, and simplify wiring requirements.  Certified to stringent UL2703 requirements, NEXTracker’s system eliminates separate grounding materials and associated installation costs.

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SunEdison and Green Charge Networks recently announced that they have teamed up to deliver a solar plus storage system to the municipal utility Silicon Valley Power. This project is part of an ongoing strategic partnership between SunEdison and Green Charge Networks to deliver additional electricity savings to commercial and municipal customers throughout Calif.

In California, the electricity bills for commercial and municipal customers typically have both energy charges and demand charges. By combining the benefits of solar and energy storage, SunEdison and Green Charge are able to generate savings on both portions of a customer’s bill. Solar delivers savings by reducing the amount of electricity drawn from the grid. Energy storage addresses the demand portion of the bill, and produces savings by reducing the amount of power needed at one time from the grid.

“Solar plus energy storage is a great way for California customers to realize immediate savings,” said Tim Derrick, SunEdison general manager of Advanced Solutions. “Demand charges in California can account for as much as 50 percent of a commercial or municipal customer’s electricity bill. By partnering with Green Charge, we’re able to deliver a complete solution and address our customers’ total energy bill.”

“Partnering with SunEdison and adding behind-the-meter storage, has created a one-stop-solution for commercial and municipal customers to holistically evaluate both their energy and power use,” said Vic Shao, CEO of Green Charge Networks.

Silicon Valley Power, the municipal utility serving the City of Santa Clara, is the first joint customer of the new partnership. The solar plus storage system is located at the Tasman Drive parking structure next to the new football stadium. To date, the SunEdison solar system at the Tasman Drive parking structure has generated more than 1.18 gigawatt hours of clean energy and eliminated the emission of approximately two million pounds of carbon dioxide. That’s enough electricity to power 112 homes for a year, and is the equivalent of taking more than 170 cars off the road.

“We are proud to have an intelligent energy storage system combined with an EV fast-charger at our Tasman Garage across from the stadium,” said John Roukema, the utility director of Silicon Valley Power. “This system has been in operation for more than nine months and was installed with no upfront costs to the utility.”

The strategic partnership combines SunEdison’s solar development, asset management and financing expertise with Green Charge’s intelligent energy storage system and networked management platform. Customers are able to install a solar plus storage system with zero upfront costs by signing a power purchase agreement with SunEdison and a power efficiency agreement with Green Charge.

Operation and maintenance of the solar power plants will be performed by SunEdison Services, which provides global 24/7 asset management, monitoring and reporting services. All operation and maintenance for the storage systems will be performed by Green Charge, which provides second by second monitoring of the system for the life of the contract.

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Princeton Power Systems announced recently that they will be exhibiting and speaking at the Intersolar North American Annual Conference July 14- July 16 in San Francisco, CA at the Moscone Center West Hall. Princeton Power Systems is Booth #8025. Prior to the conference, a pre-conference tour of the Alcatraz Island Microgrid installation will occur on July 13th; Princeton Power won an Intersolar Award for the project in 2014.

“This leading, premier event is an attractive venue to showcase Princeton Power Systems’ products, technologies, and capabilities in energy storage and solar microgrids,” said Ken McCauley, President and CEO for Princeton Power Systems. “As the solar and energy storage industries grow rapidly and increasingly overlap, we are finding more and more demand for our energy storage products from solar developers.”

Darren Hammell, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, was invited to speak on Innovations in Energy Storage and Microgrids on Tuesday, July 14, 2015 from 1.30 PM to 1.45 PM at the Innovations and Application Stage.

“We are happy to present Princeton Power Systems’ recent innovations and new deployments in solar energy storage and microgrids,” explained Darren Hammell, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Princeton Power Systems, “as well as to exhibit and meet with many of our customers and partners over the course of the conference.”

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SunPower recently announced a major new philanthropic initiative in partnership with GRID Alternatives. The Solar Futures program will expand on GRID Alternatives’ work in high schools, providing both classroom and hands-on solar training to K-14 students, with a focus on high school juniors and seniors. SunPower is donating 1 megawatt of high efficiency solar panels and inverters – enough to power approximately 300 homes – to underwrite the program and continue the company’s long-time support of GRID Alternatives’ work providing solar power and job training in underserved communities.

“Real change starts with our youth which is why SunPower invests in solar and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education initiatives at schools around the world, helping students experience the technology first-hand and learn about diverse career paths available to them in the growing renewable energy sector,” said Tom Werner, SunPower president and CEO. “We look forward to working with GRID Alternatives on the Solar Futures program, building on our combined expertise bringing solar from rooftops to classrooms.”

GRID Alternatives has been providing solar training for high school students in California since 2010. This new investment will help expand that work nationally, with a focus on the Inland Empire region of California where the program got its start. GRID will also develop training materials and resources that can be used for K-14 students in schools nationwide.

“A lot of the students are looking forward to putting the newfound knowledge and skills to use when they graduate, and now have the experience on their resumes while looking for jobs or applying for college,” said Laura Gallardo, coordinator of the CORE Academy at Arroyo Valley High School in San Bernardino, which participated in GRID’s program this year.

“Solar education is a double win,” said Tim Sears, co-founder and CFO/COO of GRID Alternatives. “It opens up an exciting career path for students, and helps make young people advocates for renewable energy and energy conservation in their communities. We’re thrilled to be partnering with SunPower on this important initiative.”

SunPower has been a GRID Alternatives supporter since 2006, and a major equipment partner since 2012. Nearly 950 families have gone solar through the partnership to-date. SunPower employees have also volunteered more than 2,000 hours of their time to install solar in Bay Area communities.

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The combiner box’s role is to bring the output of several solar strings together. Daniel Sherwood, director of product management at SolarBOS, explained that each string conductor lands on a fuse terminal and the output of the fused inputs are combined onto a single conductor that connects the box to the inverter. “This is a combiner box at its most basic, but once you have one in your solar project, there are additional features typically integrated into the box,” he said. Disconnect switches, monitoring equipment and remote rapid shutdown devices are examples of additional equipment.

Solar combiner boxes also consolidate incoming power into one main feed that distributes to a solar inverter, added Patrick Kane, product manager at Eaton. This saves labor and material costs through wire reductions. “Solar combiner boxes are engineered to provide overcurrent and overvoltage protection to enhance inverter protection and reliability,” he said.

“If a project only has two or three strings, like a typical home, a combiner box isn’t required. Rather, you’ll attach the string directly to an inverter,” Sherwood said. “It is only for larger projects, anywhere from four to 4,000 strings that combiner boxes become necessary.” However, combiner boxes can have advantages in projects of all sizes. In residential applications, combiner boxes can bring a small number of strings to a central location for easy installation, disconnect and maintenance. In commercial applications, differently sized combiner boxes are often used to capture power from unorthodox layouts of varying building types. For utility-scale projects, combiner boxes allow site designers to maximize power and reduce material and labor costs by distributing the combined connections.

The combiner box should reside between the solar modules and inverter. When optimally positioned in the array, it can limit power loss. Position can also be important to price. “Location is highly important because a combiner in a non-optimal location may potentially increase DC BOS costs from losses in voltage and power,” Kane explained. “It only constitutes a few cents per watt, but it’s important to get right,” Sherwood agreed.

Little maintenance is required for combiner boxes. “The environment and frequency of use should determine the levels of maintenance,” Kane explained. “It is a good idea to inspect them periodically for leaks or loose connections, but if a combiner box is installed properly it should continue to function for the lifetime of the solar project,” Sherwood added.

The quality of the combiner box is the most important consideration when selecting one, especially since it’s the first piece of equipment connected to the output of the solar modules. “Combiner boxes are not expensive compared to other equipment in a solar project, but a faulty combiner box can fail in a dramatic way, involving shooting flames and smoke,” Sherwood warned. “All should be third-party certified to conform to UL1741, the relevant standard for this type of equipment,” Sherwood said. Also be sure to pick a combiner box that meets the technical requirements for your project.

A new trend is the incorporation of a whip: a length of wire with a solar connector on the end. “Rather than a contractor drilling holes in the combiner box and installing fittings in the field, we install whips at the factory that allow the installer to simply connect the output conductors to the box using a mating solar connector,” Sherwood explained. “It’s as easy as plugging in a toaster.”

This year arc-fault protection and remote rapid shutdown devices are more popular than ever, due to recent changes in the National Electrical Code that require them in many solar applications. “New technologies and components are driven by the NEC changes, as well as the desire for enhanced energy efficiency and reduction of labor costs,” Kane said. Some of these new components include: higher voltage components, integral mounting hardware and custom grounding options.

By: Joshua Smalley, SPW research assistant

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SunShare announced that 400 kW of solar energy from two of its Denver Community Solar Gardens will soon be powering sixteen City-owned locations. One of the nation’s leading Community Solar providers, SunShare is headquartered in the Mile High City, known for having over 300 days of sunshine a year.

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Intersolar North America, the most-attended solar industry exhibition and conference dedicated to the North American market, will offer an expanded workshop and training program targeted at solar installers, contractors and practitioners at this year’s event. Developed in collaboration with its partners, these workshops and technical training sessions will provide practical, hands-on educational opportunities that cover topics ranging from system design to battery safety to solar racking and mounting best practices at the InterContinental Hotel and Moscone West exhibition hall.

“As the North American market continues to grow at a record-breaking pace, staying up to date on new technologies, legislative polices and trends is critical for those looking for an edge,” said Markus Elsaesser, CEO of Solar Promotion International GmbH, and Daniel Strowitzki, CEO of FMMI International, the second organizer of Intersolar North America. “Building on the success of last year’s CALSEIA Contractor Day, Intersolar is offering more sessions tailored to installers, contractors and others involved in solar deployment to help these companies understand the issues and opportunities available to downstream companies.”

In partnership with CALSEIA, Intersolar North America will host the second annual CALSEIA Contractor Day on Tuesday, July 14. The daylong program features tracks designed for both sales and installation teams, and participants can choose from up to six workshops that cover energy storage, permitting and product face offs between different inverter and racking companies. The program also includes an open Q&A with CALSEIA’s executive director and policy director over a catered lunch, as well as a ticket to Intersolar North America’s premier networking event, Solar Summerfest. Registration information is available online.

Intersolar Workshops Spotlight Downstream Market

The U.S. solar industry employed 174,000 people in 2014, according to a report from the Solar Foundation, a growth of more than 20 percent compared to the previous year. Nearly one-third of the jobs were located in California, with the rooftop solar sector creating the majority of new jobs. Intersolar North America is an important educational and networking platform for installers, contractors, project developers and others, and those active in the downstream market can enjoy cost-effective workshop rates and access to Intersolar’s ees special exhibition and SEMICON West. The workshops at Intersolar North America 2015 are designed for both seasoned industry veterans and those new to solar to gain insight into the newest technologies and trends impacting the downstream market:

• Design and Installation Trainings: Solar Energy International (SEI) developed a series of advanced technical trainings taught by experienced instructors to promote industry best practices related to the planning, design and implementation of projects. NABCEP CEU credits will be awarded for each workshops; a list of the five workshops, including a Spanish-language training, is available online. Topics include AC Coupled PV Systems and Microgrids; PV System O&M; Commercial PV & Solar Farm Design; and Battery-based System Design.
• Technical Training Workshops and Product Sessions: NABCEP and Intersolar North America selected 11 exhibiting companies to offer in-depth technical training workshops and hands-on product workshops. Attendees will be awarded two NABCEP CEUs for each two-hour long workshop. The workshops will cover new design, installation and maintenance techniques for code-compliant PV systems across three dedicated tracks: IT/Software Solutions for Installers; Solar Racking & Mounting Best Practices; and Inverters. Complete schedules and registration information is available online. Presenting companies are ArcelorMittal International America, eGauge Systems, Enphase Energy, Folsom Labs, Magnum Energy, Morningstar Corporation, QuickMount PV, Rennsteig Werkzeuge/Roof-Tech, SolarEdge Technologies, Solectria Renewables and Trina Solar.
• Energy Storage Workshops: NAATBatt International, a partner and primary supporter of Intersolar/ees™ North America, will offer two workshops on July 14 to help system integrators and installers get a better understanding of important issues related to energy storage. The morning workshop, “Inside-the-Meter Storage System Safety,” will examine safety issues concerning advanced batteries about which everyone installing storage in commercial and residential properties should be aware. The afternoon workshop, “Optimizing Policy Initiatives to Promote Solar-Storage,” will focus on new state and federal proposals to encourage deployment of solar-storage systems. The workshop will be interactive, asking participants for their views as to what types of programs and incentives the industry should prioritize. There are 35 different energy bills pending in Congress, all of which could die for lack of focus. Attend the policy workshop to help the industry speak with a coherent, consistent voice.  More information is available online.
• Solar Schoolhouse Workshop: The new Solar Schoolhouse workshop, developed in partnership with the Rahus Institute, will give solar professionals tips on how to engage schools within their community, and develop solar lesson plans targeted at students in grades K-12. Registration information is online. The workshop reflects Intersolar’s commitment to educating the next generation on the benefits of solar power.
• National Electric Code Workshop: This full-day workshop covers the 2014 National Electric Code (NEC), and will give special attention to the more difficult new parts of the 2014 NEC, such as rapid shutdown, points of interconnection and PV source and output circuit fuse requirements. The workshop qualifies for eight hours of NABCEP credit, and participants can register online.
• Power Electronics for Photovoltaics: This seminar gives an overview on the most commonly used power electronic circuits, with a focus on grid-connected applications. The workshop covers low power applications, as well as battery charging circuits and the interactions between modules and inverters. The workshop is organized in partnership with Fraunhofer ISE, and registration information is available online.

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Itron announced today the launch of Itron Total Solar, a complete offering that combines production measurement, asset monitoring, sensing applications and forecasting in a managed services offering for solar photovoltaic (PV) generation. The offering is a part of Itron Total Services, which takes Itron’s capabilities in metering, communications, data management, analysis and professional services, and packages them together in a simplified, subscription-based pricing structure.

With Itron Total Solar, Itron’s experts run, manage and maintain Itron’s solar offering, simplifying deployment of monitoring and communications technology and lowering the total cost of ownership for utilities and third-party solar providers. Designed for quick installation with new or installed solar assets, Itron Total Solar includes a revenue-grade OpenWay CENTRON solar meter that collects, stores and uploads solar PV production data via an existing fast, reliable and secure 4G LTE cellular network. With Itron Total Solar, the production data, along with analytic services, are made available to subscribers via a secure, cloud-based infrastructure and easy-to-use interface.

The solar service provides an accurate, reliable way to measure and monitor solar production, which is often distributed across a wide geographic area. Installation of the monitoring technology is “plug and play” with streamlined activation.

“Itron Total Solar combines Itron’s industry-leading revenue-grade solar monitoring with multiple areas of expertise within the company and packages them into one overall solution, providing the ultimate benefit for our clients,” said Bruce Douglas, senior vice president and general manager of software and services. “Today Itron monitors nearly 100,000 solar installations across the U.S. representing over 500 megawatts of clean energy capacity. With Itron Total Solar, we are giving our clients greater flexibility and convenience to better serve their customers in this rapidly growing market.”

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Intersolar North America, the most-attended solar industry exhibition and conference dedicated to the North American market, recently unveiled the finalists for the Intersolar AWARD for solar projects in North America. All finalists will be honored during a special on-site ceremony at Intersolar North America, when the winners will be announced. Additionally, Intersolar, in collaboration with partner the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA), will present the second annual Champion of Change award to an individual who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to supporting the development of renewable energy.

The Intersolar AWARD, now in its eighth year, promotes the industry’s power to innovate. Since 2012 The “Solar Projects in North America” category recognizes landmark projects that exemplify a high degree of technological innovation, uniqueness, economic feasibility and benefit to the environment and society. Winners are selected by an independent committee of industry experts and trade press, and are announced each July in San Francisco. The finalists in the category represent a wide array of outstanding installations or products used in a project.

Finalists for the Solar Projects in North America include:

• Eaton’s MGM Resorts International Mandalay Bay Resort and Convention Center Installation (Las Vegas, Nevada). The 6.4 MWp PV installation delivers power to the Las Vegas resort through a competitive power purchase agreement.
• First Solar’s Desert Sunlight Solar Farm (Riverside County, Calif.). The 550 MWp PV power plant is one of the largest in the world, and produces enough electricity to power 160,000 households, making it equivalent in size to conventional power plants. Additionally, the
  construction process uncovered areas for improvement that will speed the construction of
  future PV power plants.
• Outback Power’s GridZero System at the Haliburton Soap Factory (Haliburton, Ontario). This small solar project ensures that the Haliburton Soap Factory has an uninterruptible power
  supply. The building’s network is supplied with solar power from an off-grid system. While the generated solar power is not fed into the public grid, the grid ensures a constant supply of electricity in the event of system faults.
• Princeton Power Systems’ Brooklyn Army Terminal installation (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
  This smart grid system combines a 100 kWp solar installation and a storage device featuring a capacity of 720 kWh with the aim of not only reducing CO₂ emissions, but also gathering experience of using large-scale storage systems.
• Solaire Generation’s Boston Properties Garage Top Solar Canopy (Boston, Mass.). The solar canopy covers 60,000 square feet on top of a parking garage, eliminating annual snow clearance expenses in addition to generating electricity that can be sold—one of the main reasons why the canopy is so profitable.
• Solaire Generation’s Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Solar Canopy (Edgewater, Md.). This parking garage installation was integrated into an overall energy project that also repurposed rainwater.
• Solar FlexRack’s Palm Springs Unified School District Solar Project (Palm Springs, Calif.). The 638 kWp solar installation is saving significant amounts of money for the school. This money can now be spent for student education, and the PV installation is also used for teaching
  purposes.
• Solar Frontier’s Catalina Project (Kern County, Calif.). The 82.5 MWp ground-mounted
  installation in the Mojave Desert is combined with a wind energy project to produce an
  impressive hybrid strategy.
• tenKsolar’s Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall Installation (Washington, D.C.). Although installing PV systems on protected buildings is challenging, this project
  provided both a static and aesthetic solution. Thanks to the system’s aerodynamic design, which places only a small burden on the roof, PV modules could be installed on a larger area. The north-facing sides of the modules are covered to produce an aesthetically pleasing effect as well as reflect additional light onto the modules.

Intersolar Names Winner of the Champion of Change Award
In close partnership with CALSEIA, Intersolar named three finalists for the second Champion of Change Award. The winner, former California State Assembly member Nancy Skinner, authored AB 510 which greatly expanded California’s net metering law. She was instrumental in the developed SB 2X, which mandated California’s 33 percent renewable portfolio standard; AB 2514 that prioritized energy storage for grid wide and distributed energy applications; and AB 39, which funded solar and energy upgrades for schools. Skinner has long been a solar and renewable energy champion, and has worked on global warming and environmental policy since the late 1980s. Ms. Skinner has recently announced she will seek a seat in the California State Senate in 2016.

The Intersolar AWARD ceremony will be held Tuesday, July 14 at 3:30 PM at the Innovation and Application Stage on the second level of Moscone West. More information about the Intersolar North America exhibition, as well as the finalists, is available online.

Solar Power World

In a recent press release, nine finalists were announced for the Solar Projects in North America award for the 2015 Intersolar North America national conference. Each year, the conference highlights successful projects and interesting innovations that have occurred between conferences through the Intersolar Awards. 

Solar Power World editors will be at the conference taking place July 14-16 in San Francisco, so stay tuned for future coverage on the event.

Blurbs on each of this year’s finalists are presented below. Please click through the numbers to view each project.

Solar Power World

Design software has many different uses, touching every aspect of the solar development process. Paul Grana, founder of Folsom Labs, explained that design software may be used in the beginning sales process by measuring the size, cost and expected energy yield of the array. “Then, design software can help engage the customer, generating high-quality imagery and in some cases even giving the customer some input on their system design,” he said.

Rishi Daga, executive vice president of EagleView Technologies, added that design software may become very powerful when it combines high-resolution aerial imagery into the process. EagleView’s Pictometry Online, for example, allows contractors to perform site evaluation and gather basic measurements. The software available today may be used for value-engineering and even for strategic business decision-making and planning.

Solar installers may find, according to Daga, that modern software technology “virtually eliminates the chances of human error when performing calculations and obtaining measurements.” Companies should use these programs, Grana agreed, because they work more efficiently, especially compared to the pencil-and-paper alternatives. “Additionally, design software helps installers generate professional-looking proposals, with high-quality renders of the potential array and powerful analysis of the costs and benefits of the system,” Grana said.

Over the past decade, design software has evolved from pencil-and-paper sketches, to programs such as AutoCAD, and then more recently to those like SketchUp for residential layouts, Grana explained. However, “none of these tools were solar-specific, so they ultimately required too many steps for the user to generate a complete system layout,” he continued.

Modern technologies are more precise, reliable and accessible. Daga cited the evolution of high-speed internet as a major contributor to the advancement of design technology, eliminating the need for installation of special software or local hosting data. The aforementioned programs were cumbersome and required special training, whereas today, “providers are simplifying their systems to make it easy for users to get up to speed quickly,” Daga said.

Advances in mobile technology allow software to be more accessible. “Users are no longer tied to a desktop computer that requires a lot of memory to run the software,” Daga noted. Grana was interested particularly in the advancing quality of contemporary tablets, allowing many installers to pull up their system designs directly in the field, potentially with a customer.

Grana also thought the biggest technological trend of the last five to 10 years was the emergence of the cloud. “It’s a cost-effective, secure, reliable and powerful way to provide software products,” he said.

Software products can employ more powerful calculations without requiring a supercomputer. Being cloud-based also enables real-time collaboration between different engineers, as well as enabling installers to access their work from multiple devices.

Daga referred to aerial image technology as playing a large role in design programs. “Watch out for the impact that drones will make in the industry in terms of design, installation and the ability to perform maintenance inspections in the future,” he said.

By: Joshua Smalley, SPW research assistant

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Enphase Energy announced a major expansion of its philanthropic partnership with GRID Alternatives, a non-profit solar installer, helping the organization provide rooftop solar installations and hands-on job training in low-income communities across the United States. The agreement will help drive an estimated three megawatts (MW) of new capacity, save 900 families $25 million in energy costs over the systems’ lifetimes, and prevent 78,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

“We’re also proud to play a role in the job training of underserved communities who otherwise may not be able to join the transition to clean energy.”

Over the last six years, Enphase has partnered with GRID to bring the benefits of solar power to underserved communities through in-kind microinverter system donations and employee volunteer installation hours. Since 2010, the partnership has helped install over 1,900 rooftop arrays with a cumulative capacity of nearly 6MW across California, Colorado, New York, and New Jersey; saving $50 million in lifetime power costs and preventing 150,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

“Enphase’s expanded donation in 2015 represents a nearly 50 percent increase in our partnership’s cumulative impact to date,” said Tim Sears, CFO and co-founder of GRID Alternatives. “This partnership has already helped bring the benefits of clean energy to families and workers across the country, and continues to grow with us as we expand to serve more communities and explore new ways to deliver solar’s benefits to people that need it most.”

The Enphase-GRID partnership is best shown in the Hollyhock development of Sebastopol, California. Twenty-four of 29 homes in the mutual self-help affordable housing community have received rooftop systems since 2012, with 125 Enphase volunteers logging over 1,000 hours to install 55 kilowatts of rooftop arrays. Enphase also donated microinverters for GRID Alternatives’ first community solar array in Colorado this year.

“Continuing our partnership with GRID Alternatives exemplifies Enphase’s commitment to putting clean, affordable energy on rooftops across America,” said Jeff Loebbaka, senior vice president of global sales, marketing and support for Enphase. “We’re also proud to play a role in the job training of underserved communities who otherwise may not be able to join the transition to clean energy.”

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