Another DOE-subsidized Solar Company to File For Bankruptcy

Following on the coattails of other failed “green” energy companies, a Colorado-based solar firm announced Thursday it will file for bankruptcy. Like many other green-tech companies, Abound Solar secured a loan guarantee — worth $400 million — from the Department of Energy (DOE) under the Obama administration.

Abound borrowed about $70 million against the guarantee before DOE officials froze its credit line last year. The company said it will suspend its operations immediately, which will result in about 125 employee layoffs. Citing a devastating expansion in Chinese solar production, Abound said in a press release that foreign manufacturers have made the solar market far too competitive, and that, consequently, it is imperative that import tariffs be implemented:

Abound believes that, at scale, its USA-made CdTe panel technology has the ability to achieve lower cost per watt than competing crystalline silicon technology made in China. However, aggressive pricing actions from Chinese solar panel companies have made it very difficult for an early stage startup company like Abound to scale in current market conditions. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, the U.S. solar market has seen the prices for panels drop by more than 50 percent in the past year at a time when the value of imports of Chinese-made solar cells nearly quadrupled from $639 million in 2009 to $3.1 billion in 2011. Abound supports recent initiatives to enforce fair trade with import tariffs, but this action is unfortunately too late for the company.

Abound secured the loan guarantee in 2010 to expand operations at a plant in Longmont, Colorado, and to construct a new plant in Tipton, Indiana — while pledging to generate more than 1,200 jobs. But as the price of solar panels plummeted, prompting the DOE to suspend its line of credit, the company slashed its workforce by 70 percent, firing about 100 part-time workers and 180 full-time employees.

According to DOE spokesman Damien LaVera, American taxpayers are prepared to lose $40 million to $60 million on the federal loan after the firm’s assets are sold off and the bankruptcy proceeding closes. “When the floor fell out on the price of solar panels, Abound’s product was no longer competitive,” LaVera contended.

Congressional Republicans and other critics are comparing Abound’s demise to the infamous Solyndra collapse that transpired late last summer. “Our government is not good at picking winners and losers in the marketplace but has certainly proved it is good at wasting taxpayer dollars,” declared Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

Solyndra, also a solar panel-maker, was the first green energy firm to be awarded a loan guarantee under President Obama’s 2009 stimulus law, and the administration often lauded the company as a poster-child for renewable energy. However, the company’s collapse, along with a string of evidence that showed the administration expedited the loan for a 2009 groundbreaking, has delivered ammunition to Republican critics who oppose the President’s government-sponsored approach to renewable-energy development.

Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s oversight panel that launched a comprehensive probe into Solyndra’s loan guarantee, said he believes an investigation over Abound’s closure is unwarranted. “We know why they went bankrupt. We warned them they would go bankrupt,” Stearns said Thursday. “The larger question is why the administration was pursuing a green-energy policy in which companies are going bankrupt and wasting taxpayer money.”

Other observers have offered their criticisms, asserting that Abound’s collapse was inevitable, largely because of the progressive expansion in foreign solar production. “This is not surprising at all,” stated Anthony Kim, a Bloomberg analyst. “They were trying to sell to a competitive, over-supplied market with limited production. That keeps costs high.”

Of course, the typical response is that Chinese competition is the culprit, and that falling prices are the sole catalyst to these companies’ failures. However, as Erika Johnson of Hotair contends, “Maybe if we had just left the decision to develop solar (or not!) up to the private sector, we would’ve quickly figured out that investing in solar energy was a bad idea.” Investors and business owners are more discerning when they’re placing bets with their own dollars, Johnson continues, “than the federal government is in floating free taxpayer cash to their politically-profitable pet projects.”

All in all, the Energy Department has doled out nearly $35 billion in loans, loan guarantees, and other commitments to renewable-energy firms, about 35 percent of which have gone to solar-generation projects. Abound adds to the growing list of failed DOE-subsidized green-tech ventures, which have placed billions of taxpayer dollars on the line.

Interestingly enough, Abound Solar was one of Obama’s chief models in expanding the renewable-energy market. Delivering a weekly address in July 2010, the President lauded his stimulus law’s support for solar power, adding that the law would ignite a vast expansion in American jobs. Abound would “creat[e] more than 2,000 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs,” he asserted, and would be a chief stimulant to the White House’s quest to “create whole new industries and hundreds of thousands of new jobs in America.”

But instead, the failures of Abound, Solyndra, and other DOE-financed boondoggles have led to the laying off of thousands of workers and a multi-billion-dollar tax bill for American workers.

Source:http://www.thenewamerican.com/tech/environment/item/11918-another-doe-subsidized-solar-company-to-file-for-bankruptcy

Solar power helps CableOrganizer save money, prepare for storms

Tropical Storm Debby was a reminder that hurricane season has arrived, but one Fort Lauderdale business has put a green twist on its preparations.

CableOrganizer.com has installed 144 solar panels and 48 backup batteries that can provide enough power for mission-critical operations for up to two days, a news release said. The mission-critical components include computers, servers, lights, security systems, packing stations, product carousels and the air conditioning for the server room.

The $170,000 solar-panel system, which took advantage of a $15 million Florida Power & Light Co. incentive program, can provide upward of about $500 worth of power a ...

Source:http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/print-edition/2012/06/29/solar-power-helps-cableorganizer-save.html

Haywood businesses catch the solar bug

Two technology-related businesses in Haywood County are looking to save some green by going green.

While many businesses and individuals have become increasingly focused on their carbon footprint during the past decade, one rarely, if ever, hears about a shop that is completely off the power grid. But, situated here in downtown Canton, @Home Computer Services has achieved that distinction, generating all its own energy with a 16 rooftop solar panels, generating 3,584 watts.

When owner Rob Worth was younger, he was fascinated by technology including alternative energy. For a long time, he has wanted to live a more sustainable life —something that he didn’t think was as attainable in the colder climate of Michigan, where he and his family lived until about a year ago when they transplanted to Haywood County.

Now, Rob and his wife Kelley Worth live in a home, half powered by solar energy, and own a business that is completely off the grid.

“Rob is kind of the passion behind this,” said Kelley, who admitted that at first, she was not nearly as enthusiastic as her husband about living a sustainable lifestyle. “I was the ultimate all consuming (person),” she said.

But, Kelley said the change to solar energy is not nearly as difficult as people think it is, adding that their life is not much different. She and Rob agreed that focusing on power consumption leads people to examine other parts of their lives where they might be overindulging.

“It makes you think about other things in your life that you don’t need to consume,” Rob said. He added that he drives his truck slower to get better gas mileage and does not gun it when the traffic light turns green like he used to.

The Worths purchased American-made solar panels and hired the Waynesville company Appalachian Alternative Energy Solutions to coordinate the project.

In addition to the panels themselves, the store is also equipped with a battery system that stores energy collected by the solar panel array. That way the store will still have power at night, on cloudy days and during power outages.

“When the power does go down, you can continue to run,” said Powell Davis, a contractor with Appalachian Alternative Energy Solutions.

The price of solar panels continues to decline, whereas electric bills keep rising. Solar panel prices have seen large declines during the past decade and are expected to keep falling.

“It’s the cheapest it’s ever been,” said Lucas Brown, a contractor with Appalachian Alternative Energy Solutions.

Overall, the Worths’ system cost $21,500. And, that’s before tax breaks. The state offers a 35 percent tax credit, and the federal government shaves another 30 percent off the cost, making such systems much easier to afford. So after several years of using solar energy, the system will have paid for itself.

Meanwhile, New Meridian Technologies in Waynesville plans to jump on the sunshine express soon as well, hoping to use solar panels to power their daytime operations.

“If we can help mitigate our impact in terms of the environment, then we are keen to do that,” said Jon Feichter, president of New Meridian. “Our goal is to generate all of the electricity that this building uses via the solar panels.”

Feichter owns a large office building beside town hall on Main Street in Waynesville, which is occupied by his own computer business and five others that lease office space. The solar panel installation is part of a larger building renovation and expansion, including a new façade and energy efficiency measures, including skylights to add more natural light.

The business’s electric bill typically runs between $275 and $350 a month.

“We use a lot of power,” Feichter said. The system is definitely worth the investment, he added.

To generate enough energy, Feichter estimates that it will need a 57-kilowatt system installed, a $211,000 cost. Although the state and federal tax breaks are generous, New Meridian will likely take a piecemeal approach to the project, starting with perhaps a smaller 10-kilowatt system for $43,500.

“In a perfect world, we would obviously do the whole nine yards,” Feichter said.

Unlike the system setup at @Home Computer Services, New Meridian’s will not feature a battery storage component, and they will still rely on regular electric power during the night and on cloudy or stormy days.

Source:http://www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/7405-haywood-businesses-catch-the-solar-bug

R.I.’s First Bulk Solar Panel Project Underway

Installation of solar panels has begun at 16 properties on the city’s West Side, in a first-of-its-kind, large-scale green energy project created by the West Broadway Neighborhood Association (WBNA) and supported by the state Economic Development Corporation (EDC).

A program of the WBNA, West Side Solar is the first community-designed, community-run mass solar panel project implemented in a historic, urban setting in Rhode Island. The program, funded by the EDC and federal tax credits and contracted to Real Goods Solar, makes renewable energy affordable and accessible to West Side property owners through a neighborhood group purchase program.

“This project has been a remarkable collaboration between the West Side community, EDC, and our local and state historic preservation offices,” said Julian Dash, former Director of the EDC’s Renewable Energy Fund. “This is truly a unique partnership and endeavor, and can serve as a model for other Rhode Island communities, both urban and otherwise, that seek to utilize renewable energy alternatives on a large scale.”

All but one of the participating properties are historic, and represent a variety of building types on which solar panels will be installed — from a single-family home on Marshall Street to a former firehouse turned three-family residence on Harrison Street to a small business, Healing Paws, on Westminster Street.

Implementing a green energy program in a largely historic neighborhood posed a worthwhile challenge to the WBNA, an organization known for protecting and valuing the West Side’s historic character. The Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission reviewed all properties in its jurisdiction and found that, by Real Goods Solar carefully selecting installation locations that are not visually prominent, the solar panels would have “no adverse effect” on the National Register District. The local historic district reached a similar conclusion.

“This program has been extremely gratifying because it shows that historic preservation and renewable energy projects are not mutually exclusive,” said Kari Lang, WBNA’s executive director. “West Side Solar has allowed the WBNA to combine its commitment to protecting historic properties with its efforts to save energy and promote the use of alternative energies.”

Pam Elizabeth, owner of a single-family cottage in Federal Hill, has already experienced the pleasure of watching her electric meter run backwards. “I am thrilled to be the first in our neighborhood project to be generating my own electricity,” she said. “My solar panels are working, and they look mighty fine.”

Last fall, the WBNA, in partnership with the EDC, invited residents and businesses of Federal Hill and the West End to participate in the solar panel project. The response was overwhelming, as more than 125 property owners applied. The WBNA since received a $500,000 grant from the EDC’s Renewable Energy Fund that, paired with federal tax credits and start-up deposits from participating neighbors, made it possible for West Side Solar to move forward with its first round of solar panel installations.

Total project completion is expected by Aug. 1, according to the WBNA. To date, installation is complete at nine sites, with work currently underway on the remaining properties. The WBNA hopes to announce a second round of project sites before year’s end.

Source:http://www.ecori.org/front-page-journal/2012/6/26/ris-first-bulk-solar-panel-project-underway.html

International Green Hero Award for solar pioneer

Solarsense, a renewable energy company based near Bristol, has received a prestigious award in recognition of its role as a global 'green beacon' of environmental sustainability.

Richard Simon, technical director of the 18-year-old company, was presented with the International Green Hero Award by Trevor Baylis, inventor of the wind-up radio which has revolutionised communication in much of the developing world, at a special ceremony at London’s Canary Wharf yesterday.

Simon said: "We hope that other companies will gain from our experience and look at how they can reduce their own carbon footprint”.

Roger Wolens, managing director of The Green Organisation, which makes the awards, said: “The International Green Hero Award is given to organisations and companies such as Solarsense that are global beacons of environmental good practice.”

Solarsense’s headquarters at Helios House, Brockley Lane, Backwell, was officially confirmed as ‘carbon negative’ last month when it received an Energy Performance Certificate showing that it generated negative carbon emissions.

It does this by generating much of its own electricity with the help of a large array of solar PV panels and exporting surplus power to the national grid. A solar thermal system, combined with a ground source heat pump, are used to heat water, and a solar carport is being built to charge the company’s expanding fleet of electric cars. A new bike store for employees who cycle to work also sports a charging point for electric bikes.

Staff may conduct meetings or take lunch breaks in a wooden ‘outdoor office’ powered by solar PV panels on the roof, and even make themselves smoothies using a pedal-powered smoothie maker!

All of the company’s green features as well as its renewable energy products will be on show to the public at the company’s open day on Saturday 7 July from 10.30am to 3.30pm.

Since its inception 18 years ago Solarsense has grown to become the South West’s leading renewable energy specialist and is no stranger to awards. In 2011 it won the Renewable Energy Association’s Company of the Year Award and in 2012 the Solar UK Installation of the Year award.

Recent successful installations have been made at the UK’s first zero carbon school in Exeter; Bristol Zoo, the At-Bristol science discovery centre; and a range of properties owned by the Duchy of Cornwall.

Source:http://www.eaem.co.uk/news/international-green-hero-award-solar-pioneer

Local solar panel installer slams council’s proposed changes to planning rules on solar panels

A Harrogate-based renewable energy installer has hit out at the local authority’s plans to ban solar panels from being fitted to homes fronting the Stray.

If it comes into force, the new measures will affect almost 1,000 properties located in conservation areas including West Park, York Place and Park Parade.

Under the changes, Harrogate Council will need to give planning consent to properties facing onto the Stray, something they say is needed to protect the natural beauty of the Stray.

However, the move has been slammed by Clean Energy (Yorkshire), which has accused the council of robbing homeowners the right to solar powered renewable energy.

Managing Director Spencer Cassidy said:

Whilst I appreciate the need to preserve certain areas, a blanket ban on solar installations is way over the top.

In addition to conventional solar panels, we now have solar tiles and thin film panels. These are much thinner and sit flush to the roof.

Two years ago, we installed solar tiles at council-owned toilets in Knaresborough, which are sited in a conservation area. And last month we completed a project at a Knaresborough business where we fitted 175 thin-film panels.

Before adopting this one-size-fits-all-approach, Harrogate Borough Council needs to look at the options available.

David Cameron said he wanted his Government to be the greenest ever, yet here we have a Conservative-controlled council looking to deny almost 1,000 households the chance to install a solar energy system should they wish to do so.

My fear is if this is sanctioned it could well be adopted in every conservation area in the district. Households should be actively encouraged to look at green energy solutions, not actively discouraged.

Whilst they are at it, why not ban satellite dishes which, in my opinion, are far more obtrusive.

A report is due to be presented to the Cabinet for Planning, Transport and Economic Development Meeting on the 27 June 2012.

Source:http://www.harrogate-news.co.uk/2012/06/25/local-solar-panel-installer-slams-councils-proposed-changes-planning-rules-solar-panels/

Can Solar Panels and Historic Preservation Get Along?

I believe that historic preservation in the right context – a healthy neighborhood – can be intrinsically green. Most historic buildings, at least the ones constructed before the days of freeways and urban flight, are on walkable streets in relatively central locations. They represent embodied energy and materials that would be consumed if the same amount of space and the same function had to be constructed anew. Also, being built before “the thermostat age,” as my friend Steve Mouzon calls it, many of them were built with attention to climate and with locally sourced materials, giving them environmentally beneficial characteristics as a matter of design.

But, by definition, historic buildings do not have the latest technology unless it is added many years later. I agree with Steve that technology can be overrated as an environmental cure-all, but there are clearly some forms of green technology that can strengthen the environmental profile of older buildings. This raises the delicate issue of how much updating can and should occur without compromising the building’s historic character.

Source:http://www.theatlanticcities.com/design/2012/06/can-solar-panels-and-historic-preservation-get-along/2364/

Green energy saving environment, money

Home and business owners who have adopted solar power as an alternative energy source have found the devices are not only helping reduce their carbon footprints but creating opportunities for profit.

Mike Eason said there’s nothing like going outside and watching his electric meter roll backwards, putting money in his pocket.

“You’ll be shocked at how fast it goes on a summer day,” Eason said.

Cherigene Slaughter of Middletown said she saw her electric bill drop from $180 a month to $20 after she installed 30 solar panels in her backyard.

“I believe we have to have renewable energy to save the planet,” Slaughter said. “It’s very expensive right now, but the more people do it, I believe the cheaper it will become.”

Proponents say solar energy offers a virtually limitless alternative energy source to fossil fuels, which has a finite amount and causes pollution.

Solar energy is still used by less than 600,000 homes in the U.S. but the number of users jumped by 109 percent, or 340,000 homes, in 2011, according to Solar Energy Industries Association.

Solar energy users said that while the initial cost of installing the machines can be prohibitive, they will eventually receive a return on their investment.

Besides the reduced bills to and even credits from the electric company, owners of solar panels generate Solar Renewable Energy Credits, which are tradable commodities that companies purchase from homeowners to make up for their own lack of energy efficiency.

Slaughter said she receives about $700 every three months for her SRECs.

Eason said his solar panel system cost $39,000 to install but he was able to get $14,000 from a (now-defunct) state grant program and an $8,000 tax credit from the federal government, leaving his out of pocket costs at around $17,000.

“It was a significant chunk of change, don’t get me wrong,” Eason said. “But we expect to be getting a return on investment in five or six years based on the SRECs and the savings on electricity.”

For Eason, the motivation was not financial, but spiritual.

“I believe it’s God’s will that we be good stewards of the earth and that means taking care of the earth,” Eason said. “We can’t change the whole world but we can do our part to off-set pollution.”

Al Fischer, who runs several manufacturing companies in Fairfield first became interested in solar energy when setting up a manufacturing plant in Africa.

“About two months in, the owners came to us and said we need power and energy,” Fischer recalled. “We started looking into how to get them electricity in the middle of nowhere and that led to us exploring solar energy... When we started looking at solar energy we realized that it was feasible for us as well.”
Fischer turned his knowledge of solar panels into F&R Services, which designs and installs solar panels at homes and businesses

“Our ultimate goal is to have zero-net energy. I have a plan for another building that won’t even be hooked up to the energy grid,” Fischer said.

For most businesses, any sort of energy initiative, whether it be converting to solar power or simply putting in better insulation, starts and stops with the bottom line, said Ken Caminati, a spokesman for Advanced Energy Economy Ohio, a non-profit organization that advocates for the use of renewable energy sources like solar panels.

“While there is a PR value and it’s good for boosting morale in being energy efficient, companies are doing it because first and foremost it makes economic sense,” Caminati said. “If it didn’t save them money, they wouldn’t be doing it.”

Caminati said that in the past companies saw energy as a fixed cost. Now, with improvements in renewable energy resources like solar panels and wind turbines, they see energy as a cost that can be controlled and improve their competitive advantage.

Source:http://www.journal-news.com/news/hamilton-news/green-energy-saving-environment-money-1395343.html

Michigan Energy Fair makes going green fun

Eight-year-old Ryleigh Crawford had plenty to do at the Western Michigan Fairgrounds on Friday.

She built a miniature wind turbine out of PVC pipe, then rode on a bike that powered a row of lightbulbs using a 12-volt generator before entering the fairgrounds building to check out other exhibits.

She walked back out with a toy yellow fan powered by something much more sophisticated than the AA-batteries that are standard in most childhood toys.

The fan was powered by a miniature solar panel on the bottom. Ryleigh held it up to the sun, watching as the blades whirred in the sunlight.

“It’s just really cool because when the sun hits it it works by itself, but when you cover (the solar panel) up, it stops,” she said.

Ryleigh, who will be going into the fourth grade at Foster Elementary, went to the energy fair with her grandpa, Dave Crawford. They went to the fair after going on a tour of the Lake Winds Energy Park.

The first exhibit they visited at the fair was the Great Lakes Energy Service’s renewable energy mobile classroom.

Chris Dunkel, director of the Great Lakes Energy Service, was on site to tell visitors about the various types of green and efficient energy, which are on display within the solar and wind-powered trailer.

The energy generated by two solar panels and a wind turbine on the trailer’s roof is stored in batteries in the trailer’s floor. It is then put through two inverters that convert the direct current stored in the batteries into alternating current that powers the lights and television screens in the trailer.

Dunkel said one of the keys to using efficient energy is to use and conserve it properly. To buy solar panels or wind turbines to use for power is a waste, she said, if a house isn’t properly insulated or uses inefficient appliances and light bulbs.

The Michigan Energy Fair continues at the fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $10 per day, but the fair is free for members of the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association, as well as for children 12 and under.

Source:http://www.ludingtondailynews.com/news/66080-michigan-energy-fair-makes-going-green-fun

Solar Maker A Splash In San Diego’s Energy Market

Stand on top of the new Southwest Marine Fisheries Service building in La Jolla in the afternoon, and it's easy to see why the sun will be generating power for the structure. The roof is bathed in sunlight. This environmentally friendly building will have a roof covered with photovoltaic panels.

Sullivan Solar Power Construction foreman, Cesar Chaidez
Enlarge this image



Above: Sullivan Solar Power Construction foreman, Cesar Chaidez

Construction foreman Cesar Chaidez kneels near a rail that runs the length of on roof. This rail will help support more than 800 solar panels.

"We ground them here," said Chaidez. "All the modules to the spars. And from here they go ahead and carry them over and set them in place."

The panels will lie flat on the white roof and generate enough power to keep the lights on in 150 homes. That's a pretty typical commercial installation.

"As we build it out, from that side over, the entire roof area is going to be covered," said Dan Sullivan, president of Sullivan Solar Power. "There will be space around it so the system can be serviced, but for the most part, that's completely covered."

Solar Maker A Splash In San Diego's Energy Market
Enlarge this image


The San Diego company got into the solar installation business about eight years ago and has grown pretty rapidly since then. Sullivan's firm does six to eight installations a week. They range from small residential projects to larger commercial scale efforts, like the one in La La Jolla.

"In the beginning prices were between $8 and $10 per watt installed," said Sullivan. "Now prices are between $4 and $6 per watt. So there's been a pretty substantial decline in costs."

A homeowner looking to zero out a $160 a month electric bill, would install roughly 460 square feet of panels. Sullivan Solar puts the cost after incentives and tax credits at about $19,000. But not all homeowners pay that up front cost.

"Seventy-five percent of all new systems sold in the state of California are not owned by the customer, the guy paying the electric bill. It's owned by a 3rd party financier. And then they make monthly payments that are less than the avoided costs of the electricity," said Sullivan.

The Center For Sustainable Energy in California says the solar marketplace has changed dramatically and that change has happened quickly.

Solar Maker A Splash In San Diego's Energy Market
Enlarge this image


"Five years ago, many of the people who were going solar were doing so because it was the right thing to do," said Peter Hamilton, managing director of the Center for Sustainable Energy. "They wanted to go green. They were looking at very hefty capital investments -- $50,000, $60,000, $70,000 with limited financing options."

The high cost kept the potential solar market small. Then prices started falling and the cost of electricity went up.

"You have now some customers who may not even care about going green, may not care about having panels on their house or not, they're doing it just for the economic benefit," said Hamilton.

But issues remain. California regulators restrict the number of people who can sell their solar generated power back to the utility, home ownership rates are below average in San Diego, limiting who can install a solar system, and what pencils out economically today, may not tomorrow.

Even so, there are some major solar farms poised to come online soon.

"The first central station will be larger than all the rooftops we've done in the past ten years," said Jim Avery, San Diego Gas & Electric's vice president of power supply. "And we'll be adding one of those every several months."

Solar arrays could generate close to 10 percent of the region's power in a few years, if current trends continue. Right now the sun is responsible for about 2 percent of the region's power.

Source:http://www.kpbs.org/news/2012/jun/21/solar-maker-splash-san-diegos-energy-market/

DuPont Apollo Fuels Sustainable Growth in Thailand Through Solar Energy

DuPont Apollo recently announced two new contracts to supply Thailand with a total of 22.75 megawatts (MW) of power generated by silicon-based thin film photovoltaic (PV) solar modules. The PV modules will be used for utility solar projects located in Chaiyaphum Province and Saraburi Province, owned by Smart Green Energy and Infinite Green.

At a media briefing held at the DuPont Thailand Innovation Center, DuPont reaffirmed its support for Thailand’s 10-Year Alternative Energy Development Plan.

“Together with our PV partners here, we all share a common mission and vision: to support and contribute to Thailand’s economic expansion and to meet growing electricity demand in a way that will generate less greenhouse gas (GHG) emission than if the country were to depend solely on oil and gas, said Somchai Laohverapanich, managing director, DuPont Thailand. “The aim is to help the country to gain more energy independence and lessen economic pressure from the price fluctuation of imported fuels.”

Thailand’s alternative energy plan is designed to drive the national economy and build up national energy security during 2012-2021. The aim is to attain a renewable energy mix of 25% of overall energy consumption. The country consumes a large amount of imported energy such as oil and gas.

“While hot, humid regions like Thailand present a challenge to many solar panel designs, silicon-based thin film PV modules from DuPont Apollo demonstrate significant advantages in this type of environment, with higher energy yield and reliability that contribute to improved returns on customer's investments,” said Chuck Xu, chief executive officer of DuPont Apollo. “Through works such as the 8.7 MW L Solar 1 PV project, which has been grid connected for more than half a year, DuPont Apollo continues to build on its track record of reliability and performance from its PV modules and system solutions.”

DuPont Apollo collaborated with L Solar 1, a joint venture led by Loxley, on a ground-mounted solar farm in Thailand’s Prachin Buri Province. It was the first megawatt-scale project on which DuPont Apollo has collaborated with a local partner, and it was a significant milestone for both companies to accelerate the use of solar energy in Thailand.

“We are thrilled by the remarkable system power performance enabled by the DuPont Apollo PV modules and we are confident our long-term investment is secured with the reliable modules,” said Piboon Piboontum, managing director of L Solar 1 Co., Ltd.

Source:http://www.glassonweb.com/news/index/16228/

Low-Priced Chinese Solar Cells Pose Huge Threat to German Solar Industry

Now at only 6 percent, the German solar industry once occupied some 20 percent of the global market, and the industry leaders are not at all optimistic. The solar panel manufacturers have had to deal with the greatest cost reductions of all the other industries.

Carsten Körnig, head of the German Solar Industry Association said “it has never been this bad” at Intersolar, the world’s #1 solar energy trade fair in Munich.

“The Chinese offer their customers a price that’s below cost. By doing this, the Chinese government forces the good, technologically advanced companies into a dire financial straights so they can ultimately monopolize the market,” said Frank Asbeck, manager of SolarWorld, quoted by Deutsche Welle.

This happens because Chinese manufacturers are receiving huge subsidies from their government to develop ultra-cheap solar cells for the fast-growing market. While this is creating the first of its kind revolution for solar power and allows more and more customers to go green by installing affordable energy producing devices, it drives established manufacturers’ sales to death.

On top of that, the subsidies for solar energy are decreasing, which leads to an even more reduced demand from the European market for locally-produced solar cells. ”The funding rates have been halved in the last three years,” said Körnig. “No other technological sector has had to reduce its costs as much to keep up as the solar power sector.”

In the U.S., SolarWorld convinced the government to implement draconic taxes on solar cells imported from China, taking Solyndra’s collapse as one of the most convincing arguments. Solyndra had been heavily backed from the U.S. taxpayers’ money. Now, they want for the same thing to happen in Europe.

I know that from a financial standpoint imposing taxes and saving a sector of the economy seems fair, but if you think of consumers directly, it is not. I live in Europe, but I don’t care whether the solar cells I will put on my house will come from SolarWorld or from some Chinese manufacturer (again, from a financial standpoint).

And just like me there are millions of potential consumers. If SolarWorld can’t handle the low prices, let the Chinese produce solar cells, I don’t mind. Yes, it’s harsh and egotistical, but that’s the crude reality. The trade war should be centered on what the customer receives, and not on the survival of some unfit German company that has to deal with cost reductions.

It’s not China who brought Europe to recession and crying for the pity of European (German) solar manufacturers is like feeling sorry for oil companies not selling as much diesel as they did ten years ago, when the Chinese had almost zero solar cell production. But the facts tell that oil companies don’t have issues with money and moreover, they are naturally glad of the taxes imposed by various governments on Chinese solar panels, which ultimately deliver clean, limitless energy, as opposed to theirs.

Overall, the global economy and the global climate destabilized because of the greed characterizing the human kind: we just can’t seem to have enough of anything, and the ones having power fight over their interests which ultimately bring disadvantages to their own customers. In fact, lately it’s been awkward for prices to go down, and one can quote many reasons for that. The solar industry has actually seen this trend and its strange behavior leading to cheaper and cheaper power… and that is not ok to oil companies.

Source: The Green Optimistic (http://s.tt/1eUdH)
Source:http://www.greenoptimistic.com/2012/06/18/solarworld-chinese-solar-panels-threat/#.T-B7XFJkzbU

Las Vegas plugging into solar energy

John Bettencourt smiled from under his wide-brimmed hat as the Southern Nevada sun blazed across the 25-acre solar array he has been installing in northeast Las Vegas.

“Solar technology is changing so fast. It's really pretty incredible,” said Bettencourt, manager of the photovoltaic project under construction next to the city of Las Vegas’ wastewater treatment plant near Vegas Valley Road and Nellis Boulevard.

The $19.7 million project, which is being funded by the city's Sanitary Sewer Enterprise Fund, is one of the largest of its kind for a municipal government.

“The initial panel installation has gone very quickly, and it should be online by the end of the year,” said David Mendenhall, the city’s environmental manager.

The solar project, expected to generate about 20 percent of the power needed at the adjacent Water Pollution Control Facility, is the latest of several projects local governments are working on to reduce energy costs.

Clark County, North Las Vegas, Henderson, the Southern Nevada Water Authority and Nellis Air Force Base have also been plugging into projects that use solar technology.

But solar power is only part of the green recipe to save on energy costs.

They've also been using new lighting technology or conservation means to reduce the costs of operating street lights and traffic lights, buildings, ball parks and recreation centers.

Tom Perrigo, Las Vegas' director of administrative services and the city’s chief sustainability officer, said state and local governments are making a statement to the industry by building to LEED energy efficiency certification standards for all of their buildings.

“We’re developing expertise," Perrigo said. "We’re developing a framework where it really is attractive to people, to industries, to business owners who want to be the green tech industry. In the state of Nevada, we have more square feet of LEED-certified buildings per capita than anywhere in the country."

Perrigo said sustainability efforts adopted by governments and businesses are creating an energy-efficient climate in the state.

"Quite the contrary to the common perception that we’re very energy intensive and very wasteful, we produce more economic output per unit of energy input than just about anyone else in the country,” Perrigo said.

3 megawatts of power

Sitting inside a construction trailer at the new solar array project, Mendenhall looked at an architectural drawing on a table.

It showed the layout of the 15,000 solar voltaic panels, which are just to the northeast of the Las Vegas Valley Wash Trail as it crosses Vegas Valley Road.

The ground-mounted panels will rotate and follow the sun, making them more efficient than solar arrays that are stationary, Mendenhall said.

One of the advantages of the solar panels is that they will produce their most power at the time of the day when power is needed most and when electric power is the most costly, Mendenhall said.

The photovoltaic project will generate 3 megawatts of power at peak capacity — when the sun is out between about 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.— and is expected to produce about 6 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year, he said.

That’s enough electricity to power 300 homes annually, he said.

Diana Paul, city public information officer, said there are some projects on the East Coast that are larger, but this is probably the largest project of its kind in the West and possibly the largest of its kind for a municipality.

Other sustainability efforts

Perrigo said Las Vegas' city government spends about $15 million a year on energy.

Of that, a third is used to treat wastewater, a third is for lighting streets, and a third is for buildings and facilities — such as recreation centers, parks, ball fields, fire stations and City Hall.

“If you can hit those, you’re making a big dent,” Mendenhall said.

Perrigo said the city adopted a sustainability strategy in 2008 that set targets for energy conservation and renewable energy.

When the solar array project at the wastewater treatment plant is finished, the city will be up to nearly 5 megawatts of total solar energy installed across 28 city facilities and will provide up to 20 percent of the city’s peak energy demand, Perrigo said.

“That will save the city anywhere from $800,000 to $1 million on its energy bill,” he said.

They have financed the photovoltaic projects through rebates, grants and low-interest loans.

“The portion that the city has invested will be paid back in 15 years,” he said.

To put that into perspective, the total amount of power generated by the solar projects would be enough to power about 600 homes, he said.

“We’re generating power for city facilities during peak demand (the middle of the day), offsetting our peak energy load,” he said. “What that means is between the hours of 1 and 7 (p.m.) in the summer months, the value of that energy is three times what it is the rest of the year. Everybody is demanding energy at that time, so the price goes up.”

Residential customers pay 10 to 12 cents per kilowatt hour, he said. The energy that the city’s solar projects are producing during peak times is worth 30 to 35 cents per kilowatt hour, he said.

“We’re helping to relieve the pressure, even if it’s just a small amount,” he said.

Triple bottom line

The city’s sustainability strategy is the idea of the “triple bottom line,” Perrigo said.

In making decisions, more goes into it than just the trade-off in the energy cost — the city also looks at how the project will affect the environment and what kind of an effect it will have on the community's economy, he said.

"If we can bring those three components into focus, then it starts to make sense on these projects," he said.

For example, the new, large solar array project wouldn't make sense financially because the payback would be extended beyond the life of the solar panels themselves, he said.

But it does make sense when considered along with the rebates and grants available, the benefits to the community to develop green energy and to create green energy jobs, plus the benefits to the environment, he said.

“Some people would say a 15-year payback is too long,” he said. “But if you’re generating power for 30 years and you’re an organization that’s going to be around for a lot longer, and you have all these other benefits in terms of creating jobs and improving the environment, then it all starts to make sense.”

Sweet spot

Perrigo said the city's efforts to replace its street lights and traffic lights is the "sweet spot" of its energy savings effort — it translates into cutting about $2 million a year in energy costs.

Of the city's 52,000 street lights, about 42,000 will be replaced by the end of this year or early next year with LED lights, he said. So far, about 12,000 lights have been replaced.

The LED lights will use roughly half as much electricity as the existing lights, he said. The LED lights also have about a 15-year life, compared with the two-year life of the existing lights, he said.

Perrigo said moving city offices from the old City Hall at Fourth Street and Stewart Avenue to the new Las Vegas City Hall at 495 S. Main St. has reduced energy spending by about 30 percent.

The city has more than 140 buildings and is retrofitting those that use the most energy, he said.

For example, it just finished a retrofit of the Development Services Center at Rancho and U.S. 95 that will reduce energy costs by 30 to 40 percent, he said.

They have also replaced the air conditioning and lighting at the city’s Detention Center, which will save 30 to 40 percent in that building.

“The payback on those is usually five to seven years,” he said. But on some retrofits, the projects pay for themselves in three years or less, he said.

More solar projects

The city has also done 25 other solar projects, Perrigo said. Those have been at recreation centers, fire stations, parks and the city’s maintenance yards.

The city is also evaluating using solar thermal energy for heating some of its pools. He said they are trying to figure out where to locate the solar water heaters at those pool areas.

He said they’ve also evaluated using wind energy. But wind maps indicate the wind speeds wouldn’t sustain energy projects in the valley.

“If we could get up on the ridge line, it would work,” Perrigo said. “But we don’t want to put big wind towers out blocking the view of Red Rock. I don’t think anybody would appreciate that. So wind doesn’t seem to have that much of an application. ”

He said officials were looking at the waste stream right now to, for example, turn a lot of the landscape waste into pellets that could be used in pellet furnaces. He said it might even be a way to efficiently heat water in swimming pools.

“We’re continuing to explore other opportunities for renewable energy,” Perrigo said. “The future is wide open, for sure.”

'Net zero' difficult to achieve

In the future, the overall energy bill will continue to be reduced — just not completely. The city will always need to employ people who are constantly monitoring building performance and seeking out new technology to make energy use more efficient. And it will need to pay off loans to install energy-efficient equipment.

“Right now we’re looking at getting to some form of net zero, where we drive conservation as deep as we can and then make up the rest of our energy with renewable energy,” Perrigo said. “I think net zero is absolutely possible.”

He said in the past four years, the city has cut its energy demand by 20 percent, and up to 20 percent of its peak load is coming from renewable energy.

“In the next 10 years, it’s very possible for us to be at net zero,” he said, “especially when you see the price of solar is coming down.”

The city’s energy bill is expected to drop from about $15 million to about $13 million this year because of the various projects. Next year, it will probably be even lower, he said.

Henderson projects

Kathleen Richards, a spokesperson for the city of Henderson, said that since 2008, the city has put a hold on all of its capital building projects.

However, any new project will be built to LEED certification standards, she said.

"When we do, we will include sustainable things, such as solar, geothermal and windmill power," Richards said.

She said since completing an energy performance contract last year on nearly all city buildings and streets, the city has saved about $2 million annually by:

• Reducing electric consumption by 20 percent, which includes a street lights project and retrofits at about 60 city-owned and city-operated facilities.

• Reducing natural gas consumption by 9 percent and water consumption by 8 percent.

• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60 million pounds, which is equivalent to removing 2,662 cars from the road.

One of the projects done in the past two years was to retrofit about 26,000 street light fixtures from high-pressure sodium to induction lighting, which lasts four times longer and will save up to $1 million in energy costs a year, she said.

She said the city has also received LEED Gold Certification for the Heritage Park Senior Facility and Aquatic Center and has installed a ground source geothermal heat pump system at Heritage Park.

They have also installed a ground source geothermal heat pump system at Heritage Park.

North Las Vegas projects

Tom Brady, engineering design manager for North Las Vegas, said the most noticeable new solar project for North Las Vegas is at the new City Hall building at 2250 Las Vegas Blvd. North, which was completed in November.

A 165-kilowatt solar array was installed at the site, which puts solar panels on the roof of the building and on covered parking stalls, Brady said.

He said the LEED Silver Certified building receives about 12 percent of its power through the solar array.

"With all of our buildings, we attempt to get them LEED certified," Brady said.

The city is finishing construction on its Craig Ranch Maintenance Facility at Craig Ranch Regional Park, which will also be LEED certified, he said.

North Las Vegas is also working with Las Vegas to replace street lights along Losee Road with LED lighting, he said.

Clark County projects

Dan Kulin, public information officer for Clark County, said from 2004 to 2011, the county has reduced its energy consumption per square foot by 27 percent, saving close to $17 million in energy projects.

Since 2004, the county has updated the traffic signals at 375 intersections from incandescent to LED lights, which has translated into a 90 percent savings.

Kulin said new LED lights have been installed at another 150 intersections in the county.

About 5,000 street lights were also replaced, and eventually all of the street lights will be replaced, which is about a 65 percent energy savings, Kulin said.

The county has also modernized its buildings with temperature and lighting controls to produce energy-efficient lighting, heating and air conditioning.

The county also operates three 30-kilowatt photovoltaic systems, he said. One is at the Spring Mountain Youth Camp, one at the county's Development Services Building and one at the Clark County Government Center.

Source:http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/jun/18/city-plugs-solar-energy-wastewater-plant/

Solar panel meeting June 18

Those interested in "going green" will have the chance to earn $2,000 toward installing solar panels in their homes.

The Solarize Madison County Initiative will hold a panel discussion about the initiative on Monday at the Cazenovia Public Library. On the panel will be Cazenovia farmer Jim Golub.

Grants and incentives offered at the state and federal level helped pay the $70,000 price tag for installing 45 solar panels on the roof of Golub’s barn. To help foot the bill, he received federal grant money, New York State tax credits and a grant from NYSERDA.

Golub was able to get grant funding for the bulk of his project, leaving only $12,000 out of pocket. With that now paid off, his energy bills are lower. He says he still receives some power from National Grid on days when there is not much sun, but his energy bills are nowhere near what they once were.

At times, Golub was paying National Grid upwards of $175 a month for electric at his Peth Road farm.

“I wanted something that would pay for itself eventually,” he said.

His 45 panels, installed last summer, generate 10 kilowatts of power every year, which he says is enough to power his 3,500 square foot house and a barn.

The panels can be adjusted to coincide with the changing path the sun takes across the sky during the changing seasons.

“It takes care of all of our needs at the farm,” he said on Friday.

In addition to the panels on the roof of his barn, Golub also has another panel on the roof of his house that generates an almost unlimited supply of hot water, he said.

Source:http://oneidadispatch.com/articles/2012/06/18/news/doc4fdbcc2d64878054797214.txt

U.S. solar installations grows 85 percent in first

Developers installed 85 percent more solar panels in the United States in the first quarter than a year earlier, led by strong growth in commercial projects and demand, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.Total U.S. installations were 506 megawatts in the quarter and may reach 3,300 megawatts this year, about 11 percent of the 2012 global market, the Washington-based trade group said last week in its quarterly market report.That will make the U.S. the fourth-largest solar market this year, and one of the few countries where growth is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, according to GTM Research, a Boston consulting company that prepared the report with SEIA.

Middle Georgia has certainly done its part to be part of this growth.

Damaste Real Estate installed downtown Macon’s first solar panels in April on top of the parking deck at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Cherry Street. All the lighting for the parking deck is supplied through solar panels now.
Source: http://www.macon.com/2012/06/17/2063556/us-solar-installations-grows-85.html#storylink=cpy

One Stop Green Now Offers Portable Energy Power Systems

One Stop Green now offers new solar energy power systems perfect for residential, commercial, and off-grid applications. The solar solutions include both portable and permanent solutions, including ground and pole mount systems, trailer based solar panels, and revolutionary solar tracking systems.

For every Solar Tracker project, One Stop Green has a product. Their systems are designed and manufactured here in the United States and then distributed across the globe. One Stop Green portable energy systems deliver improved performance, consistent quality and lower production costs while delivering the highest levels of performance and reliability in excess of 100 mph wind-loading conditions. Each of their trackers and fixed systems also come standard with dual side galvanized steel to ensure rugged durability for even the most demanding projects.

Portable solutions include mobile solar generators mounted on trailers that can be hauled from site to site and are ideal for power generation in remote areas. The power generating abilities vary, but the variety of options means that anyone can find an appropriate sized system for their needs. Their ground mount solar panels are suitable for both residential and commercial use and install quickly. More advanced solar panels are available with single and dual axis tracking systems that maximize solar power generation by following the sun’s trajectory across the sky in order to optimize solar performance and create a free power source with no maintenance or emissions.

“The various solar solutions we offer will give our customers many new options for diverse applications,” says One Stop Green CEO Sohail Hassan, “and perhaps most importantly, they are all manufactured right here in the USA. Our mission is to provide quality solar products and services in the most efficient and responsible manner while remaining committed to the principles of sustainability. “ All of One Stop Green’s new solar solutions are modular, designed to fit most PV panels, are expandable to up to 1MW, and come packaged with materials and controllers.

One Stop Green, LLC facilitates environmentally friendly improvements to residential and commercial properties through distribution of green, energy efficient products and services. They offer every product needed for sustainable energy independence enabling homeowners, businesses and commercial property owners to master their usage by reducing waste and implementing efficient energy consumption methods. Their goal is to provide user friendly and practical long-term solutions to existing inefficiencies and their carefully selected products and professional installers offer a higher level of satisfaction and service for their customers.

Source: http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/press-releases/article/One-Stop-Green-Now-Offers-Portable-Energy-Power-3635623.php#ixzz1xriQLHZv

Suntech Power and Yingli Green Energy Look to Benefit as Demand in China Expected to Double

Solar stocks rebounded sharply Tuesday as First Solar Inc. stated that demand from Europe has grown unexpectedly. First Solar has delayed the closing of a German plant to meet unexpected demand in Europe. "First Solar's comments fit in with what several Chinese companies have also been saying, which is that demand remains strong," stated David Smith, the portfolio manager of Gabelli Green Fund. Five Star Equities examines the outlook for companies in the Solar Industry and provides equity research on Suntech Power Holdings Co. (NYSE: STP) and Yingli Green Energy Holdings Co. (NYSE: YGE).

Access to the full company reports can be found at:
www.FiveStarEquities.com/STP
www.FiveStarEquities.com/YGE

Last week Bloomberg reported solar panel makers were boosting production in 2012 as demand in China was expected to double. The $36 billion market is shifting from Europe to Asia. According to estimates compiled by Bloomberg shipments from the five biggest producers of polysilicon solar modules are expected to rise 27 percent to 37 percent, with China's Suntech Power Holdings Co. and Yingli Green Energy Holdings Co. leading the way.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts that China, who trails only Germany and Italy in new installations, will become the top solar market in 2013 as subsidies for new projects are being cut by European nations. "Europe is going down and Asia is going up," said Matt Feinstein, an analyst at Lux Research Inc.
Five Star Equities releases regular market updates on companies in the Solar Industry so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Take a few minutes to register with us free at www.FiveStarEquities.com and get exclusive access to our numerous stock reports and industry newsletters.

Suntech Power produces industry-leading solar products for residential, commercial, industrial, and utility applications. With regional headquarters in China, Switzerland, and the United States, and gigawatt-scale manufacturing worldwide, Suntech has delivered more than 25,000,000 photovoltaic panels to over a thousand customers in more than 80 countries. Shares of the company surged over 7 percent Tuesday.

Yingli Green Energy is a leading solar energy company and one of the world's first fully vertically integrated photovoltaic manufacturers. Shares of the company jumped over percent Tuesday. Total net revenues were RMB 3,148.5 million (US$500.0 million) in the first quarter of 2012, an increase by 22.6 percent from RMB 2,567.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Five Star Equities provides Market Research focused on equities that offer growth opportunities, value, and strong potential return. We strive to provide the most up-to-date market activities. We constantly create research reports and newsletters for our members. Five Star Equities has not been compensated by any of the above-mentioned companies. We act as an independent research portal and are aware that all investment entails inherent risks.

Source:http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/suntech-power-yingli-green-energy-look-benefit-as-demand-china-expected-double-nyse-stp-1669378.htm

Going "Green" with Wind & Solar Powered Stoplights

It's a new kind of stoplight in Lincoln, in fact researchers say it's the first in the country.

At 84th and Highway 2, it looks just like any other stoplight until you hear a wind turbine whirring and see a solar panel soaking in the sunlight.

Mo Zhou is a civil engineering graduate assistant researcher at UNL. She said, "We can supply our traffic signals by renewable power source so we don't need to get more power from the power grid, so it would reduce our traffic operation cost."

Each year the City of Lincoln spends $72,000 on supplying power to traffic lights, if implemented this "green" stoplight unit could cut down on that expense.

Valerie Lefler is the Program Coordinator for the Mid-America Transportation Center at UNL. She told 10/11, "It can save taxpayers money, it can save taxpayers the social benefit cost of vehicle accidents and vehicle fatalities due to unsignaled intersections and improve traffic operations."

The hybrid solar and wind unit cost $8,000 to install, but researchers say if implemented on the larger scale that cost would go down. From data collected through three years of the study, about 30% of the energy to power the system comes from the wind. Currently researchers are studying the solar electricity generation of the system and will know more within the next few months.
The project is in year three of a four year study and is funded by a $1 million grant through the US Department of Transportation. Zhou and Lefler say the hybrid stoplight research project is the only one in the country.

Lefler said, "This is an innovative new concept, so some of the things we've done we've had to design, we've had to look at the battery source, and designing the technology that's used for this intersection, so literally in the very formative stages and when we give that report to the US DOT, we'll look at if this is economically viable,how many more intersections should we install."

Now it's just a matter of time to see if more are installed. Lefler said the timetable for that is dependent upon what the US DOT decides from the report.

Source:http://www.1011now.com/home/headlines/Green_Wind__Solar_Powered_Stoplights_158986715.html

New law set to revolutionise home energy production?

As Alicja Baczyńska reports, Poland’s rural and cityscapes could soon be peppered with petite windmills, solar panels, and turbines, once a renewable energy bill facilitating micro power generation is passed early 2013.

A DIY power generation boom may be possible with the efforts of the Economy Ministry, which seeks to do away with a legal logjam hampering the growth of the small-scale schemes.

Source:http://www.thenews.pl/1/6/Artykul/102351,New-law-set-to-revolutionise-home-energy-production

OUR VIEW SOLAR INDUSTRY Solar manufacturing job cuts show the need for a diverse energy sector in Idaho

All of a sudden, it seemed, the sun ceased to shine on Idaho’s once-promising solar industry.

First, in late May, Hoku Materials announced 100 layoffs at its still-unopened $700 million Pocatello production plant. The root cause: a shriveling market for polysilicon, the raw material for solar panels, which Hoku plans to produce at the plant.

A week later, Transform Solar said it would shutter its Nampa plant and put at least 250 people out of work. This plant, a collaboration between Micron Technology Inc. and Origins Energy in Australia, struggled to find a share of a crowded market for solar panels.

Both plants are feeling the effects of supply and demand. Competitors flooded the market with cheap supply — and, in May, the U.S. Commerce Department said Chinese manufacturers had dumped below-cost solar panels into the U.S. market.

Perhaps the flooded and manipulated market could not have been foreseen. But the troubles with the Idaho solar plants resonate a bit more because of lofty expectations.

Gov. Butch Otter made solar a talking point in his 2010 re-election ads. In 2011, Otter touted Transform Solar as the kind of company that had the potential to grow into the next Albertsons, Micron, J.R. Simplot or Melaleuca.

But the private sector was just as optimistic, hence the heavy investment in the Nampa and Pocatello solar plants.

None of this sounds a death knell for the solar industry, nationally or in Idaho. This is an industry in its infancy. And it’s hardly the only industry to ride the turbulence of unforgiving supply-and-demand economics — as any observer of Micron and the semiconductor sector knows all too well.

The lesson for Idaho, then, is an old one. Diversify. Don’t bank on any one piece of the renewable energy puzzle.

And capitalize on other opportunities as they present themselves:

Æ So far, Otter’s Leadership in Nuclear Energy Commission has been overshadowed by a controversy beyond the commission’s control — a debate about whether Idaho would or should entertain allowing additional nuclear waste shipments into the state. The answer to that question, clearly, is no, as Otter has ruled out such a dead-end proposition.

Now the job for the commission is to look for ways to capitalize on the Idaho National Laboratory’s legacy in nuclear energy research, to the state’s advantage.

Æ Idaho’s rapidly growing wind energy sector has some well-placed foes, especially in comparison to a solar sector that has basked in widespread political support. Idaho Power has openly complained about being forced to purchase costly and sporadic wind power and work it into its power grid, while legislative critics have repeatedly floated the idea of imposing a moratorium on new wind farm development.

The fact is that persistent winds make southern and eastern Idaho a prime location for wind power development. This climatic condition is akin to the INL’s nuclear research expertise and infrastructure — it’s one more competitive edge for the state to leverage. Instead of fighting to slow the growth of the wind sector, we’d rather see state leaders work with the industry to come up with creative ways to make this sector more efficient and cost-effective.

Renewable energy is not just a key to a sustainable environment; the green energy revolution will also reward communities and states that get ahead of the economic curve. Recent setbacks in solar underscore the importance of thinking broadly and inventively.

Source: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/06/10/2149563/a-cloudy-future-or-supply-and.html#storylink=cpy

Broadband, bridges and solar panels

Stimulus money may be a dirty word to some, but government funding and incentives seem to be making a difference in Tulare County’s economy.

The Central Valley Next Generation Broadband Infrastructure project, a $66.6 million endeavor that is being partly funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will create a 1,300-mile, high-capacity, fiber-based infrastructure throughout 18 counties in the Central Valley. In Tulare County, 200 miles of fiberoptic cable work began in January with a few corridors now nearing 90 percent completion.

Some schools could get service as soon as next month, says Mike Stewart, director of marketing for CVIN/VAST Networks. That includes rural, underserved areas in Alpaugh, Lindsay and Monson-Sultana — all low-income parts of the county.

Not only schools but libraries, hospitals, clinics, public safety facilities and area businesses will be able to take advantage of both new broadband capacity and new wireless service at their front door soon, says Stewart. The towns of Exeter and Porterville are pretty well wired.

Stewart says that working closely with Tulare County and local cities, “we were able to find ways to streamline the processes involved, reduce some of the costs associated with building this new infrastructure and, as a result, expand the network significantly within Tulare County to meet the needs of additional communities.”

The new network will help put rural areas on a more even plane with their urban counterparts, says Stewart, noting that almost half of the households in the Valley and hundreds of smaller towns have no broadband access and only 20 percent of all Valley residents have greater than a 10Mb/s connection. Also, a second project to bring wireless service to rural parts of Tulare County is under way at the same time.
With the new service, homes and businesses “can have affordable access to actual download speeds of at least 100 megabits per second and upload speeds of at least 50 megabits.”

As far as helping to attract more jobs to the area, Stewart notes “that the Central Valley has so much going for it including location, low labor costs and affordable land and now will be able to offer high fiberoptic network capacity to businesses who are considering locating here.”

Source:http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20120609/ROI/120609005/John-Lindt-Broadband-bridges-solar-panels?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Frontpage|s

Solar Charger Armband A Kickstarter Green Gadget

Wearable solar power? No, we’re not talking about that solar-powered clothing (though we have featured such items). We’re talking about the Apollo Armband, a portable solar charger designed to soak up the sun’s rays not on a sunny window ledge or on the dashboard of your car, but rather, on your person.

When Zimmer Barnes, a member of the ATX Hackerspace in Austin, Texas, was sideswiped by a passing motorist’s rearview mirror, his injuries required him to rock what he describes as “a plastic, futuristic looking arm brace” to a technology conference he was scheduled to attend. Here, a number many of other attendees had ideas for tech Barnes could rig up to this brace for added functionality. Barnes took up their challenge and created the Apollo Armband, a portable solar charger designed to provide auxiliary juice for such must-have, energy-hungry portables as the iPhone.

In response to popular demand, Barnes is seeking the opportunity to makes his solar armband available to the masses via a Kickstarter campaign. As per the website’s rules, if the Apollo Armband garners donations equal to his stated $3,200 goal by June 19, units will roll into production. (If not, donors need not send in their pledged cash.) For a pledge of $128, donors will receive an Apollo Armband charger kit, ready to assemble, and for $168 or more, the charger itself, fully assembled.

The Apollo Armband makes use of a rugged Voltaic Systems solar panel and battery, further protected with a quarter-inch layer of clear acrylic sheet, laser cut to fit the size and shape of the panel. It fits on your upper arm via black Velcro strips, black nylon strapping with plastic buckles, and a black cotton armband–ideal, we imagine, for both biking and jogging.

Source:http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/06/solar-charger-armband-a-kickstarter-green-gadget/

Taliesin West finishes solar-power panels

Taliesin West recently completed a new $1 million solar-power system to increase its energy efficiency.

Tempe-based First Solar donated and installed about 4,000 solar panels on the historic property.

A dozen more Arizona and national companies donated parts, expertise and effort toward the "Energizing Taliesin West" program.

Energy efficiency consultants Big Green Zero, a Phoenix company, led the initiative.

The power system is expected to reduce the annual energy bill of $200,000 by 51 percent through efficiency improvements to the 500-acre Scottsdale property, according to Big Green Zero. The balance of the bill would be offset by renewable solar energy.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which oversees the property, reports that a 500-megawatt-hours-per-year system will operate with no water or waste, eliminating more than 300 tons of carbon dioxide annually, or the equivalent of taking more than 50 cars off the road.

The more than 100,000 yearly visitors will see the solar panels on the road up to Taliesin West, which is northeast of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and Cactus Road.

But structures on the campus will look as they did when construction on Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and architectural training ground began in 1937.

Source: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/2012/06/02/20120602taliesin-west-finishes-solar-power-panels.html#ixzz1x4PXlGsk

Solar Cells Linked to Greenhouse Gases Over 23,000 Times Worse than Carbon Dioxide According to New Book, Green Illusions

Solar cells do not offset greenhouse gases or curb fossil fuel use in the United States according to a new environmental book, Green Illusions (June 2012, University of Nebraska Press), written by University of California – Berkeley visiting scholar Ozzie Zehner. Green Illusions explains how the solar industry has grown to become one of the leading emitters of hexafluoroethane (C2F6), nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). These three potent greenhouse gases, used by solar cell fabricators, make carbon dioxide (CO2) seem harmless.

Hexafluoroethane has a global warming potential that is 12,000 times higher than CO2, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It is 100 percent manufactured by humans, and survives 10,000 years once released into the atmosphere. Nitrogen trifluoride is 17,000 times more virulent than CO2, and SF6, the most treacherous greenhouse gas, is over 23,000 times more threatening.

The solar photovoltaic industry is one of the fastest-growing emitters of these gases, which are now measurably accumulating within the earth’s atmosphere according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). A NOAA study shows that atmospheric concentrations of SF6 have been rising exponentially. A paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Geophysical Research Letters documents that atmospheric NF3 levels have been rising 11 percent per year.

Source:http://www.ereleases.com/pr/solar-cells-linked-greenhouse-gases-23000-times-worse-carbon-dioxide-book-green-illusions-80276

New solar panels fitted to town hall roof

SELBY Town Council are continuing to increase their green credentials with plans to fit solar panels to the town hall roof.

Town council leader Steve Shaw-Wright said the panels, costing a total of £9,000 for purchase and fitting, would be similar to the ones already fitted to the community centre roof in Scott Road.

He said this would provide cheap electricity for the council and also a small income due to a 42 pence feed in tariff to the national grid.

The panels would be fitted at the back of the town hall building on the roof of the extension.

“This is one of a number of initiatives we have planned. Others include the capture of grey water.

“This means providing a water capture tank for rainwater and recycling it. We would urge the council to take up such initiatives.”

Source:http://www.selbytimes.co.uk/news/local-news/new-solar-panels-fitted-to-town-hall-roof-1-4601395