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Solar Policy

High School Girls Create Solar Powered Tent For The Homeless

by Steve Hanley April 6, 2017

A team of female high school engineering students at San Fernando High School have collaborated on the design of a solar powered tent to provide shelter for the homeless. The girls utilized insulated fabric and solar panels for their tent design, which also includes a safety locking system and a UV system to help sanitize it. Among the tasks that went into completing the solar tent were coding, electrical wiring, and sewing.

solar powered tent

The work was promoted by a $10,000 Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Grant, one of 15 awarded to teams of young inventors around the country. The grants are intended to promote solutions to real world problems using technology. The real world problem that the students saw and attuned their project to was a 36% increase of homelessness in San Fernando Valley in 2016. “How many people are actually trying to help them [the homeless] or make them feel better? Letting them know that people still care about them, and they are still human,” said Daniela Orozco, a senior at San Fernando High School.

The girls’ are putting their compassion to work. “It’s not about us. It’s not about what we do or how great we can be. It’s what we can do to make this world a better place for these people, a better place for everyone,” said seniur Maggie Mejia. The team will present their project at a showcase at MIT in June. Most of the girls come from low-income communities; hence they have set up GoFundMe to raise the $15,000 necessary to get the whole team there.

The publicity from the grant and project has had other positive impacts on San Fernando High School. “A lot of our young girls, who originally or normally would not think about engineering or science, are inspired to do so for next year,” said Violet Mardirosian, coordinator of the school’s math, science and technology program. For more information about the IntenTeams program, enjoy this informative video.

Source: Lab Roots

April 6, 2017 2 comments

Solar Policy

New Orleans Is Leading City For Solar Power Says New Report

by Steve Hanley April 6, 2017

written by Steve Hanley

A report released this week by the Environment America Research & Policy Center entitled “Shining Cities: How Smart Local Policies Are Expanding Solar Power in America” ranks New Orleans ninth of all American cities for solar power per capita. That ranking places The Big Easy ahead of such cities as San Antonio, Sacramento and Jacksonville. New Orleans ranks 14th overall in total installed solar power. The Solar Foundation just released new data showing there are 956 people employed in solar in New Orleans Metro Area as of year-end 2016, a 36 percent increase from 2015.

New Orleans solar power

“By using solar power in New Orleans, we can reduce pollution and improve public health for everyday Louisianians,” said Bret Fanshaw, co-author of the report. “To realize these benefits, city leaders should continue to embrace a big vision for solar on rooftops throughout the community.” In 2015, the New Orleans city council unanimously adopted a resolution stating, “…we support public policies to encourage a robust local solar industry to save our families money, provide quality employment opportunities, produce clean energy, and grow our local economy.”

The figures in the report reflect the recent growth of solar across the country. The top 20 cities listed in the report have nearly as much solar today as the entire country had installed in 2010. In 2016, solar was the number one new source of energy installed in America.

“New Orleans has been fortunate to have an abundance of sunshine, supportive regulators at the city council, and a strong solar industry thanks to solar incentives and solar-leasing programs,” said Logan Atkinson Burke, the Executive Director of Alliance for Affordable Energy. “Whole neighborhoods are leading the charge through word of mouth, and are showing their support for clean energy as a way to reduce their electricity bills. This is what it looks like when the community sets an example.”

The report also shows that while New Orleans is a solar leader, the city only uses 3 percent of its solar potential, according to data from the U.S. Department of Energy. “Cities are big energy users with lots of unutilized roof space suitable for solar panels,” said Fanshaw. “New Orleans can continue to lead the way and protect our environment by using as much of our solar potential as possible.”

Source: Environment America

April 6, 2017 0 comment

Solar Policy

Solar Power Sets New Record In UK In March

by Steve Hanley March 29, 2017

written by Steve Hanley

Something unexpected happened in England last weekend. For the first time ever, National Grid, the countries primary utility company, reported that the demanded for electricity for homes and businesses was lower last Saturday afternoon that it was that night. That was because the power available from solar panels was so high, thanks to a beautifully sunny Spring day.

solar power and wind power

Let’s be clear. National Grid isn’t saying the citizens of the British Isles used less electricity that day. What they are saying it that supply from solar was so high that there was less need for electricity from fossil fuel or nuclear power plants. It sees the solar power generated on the distribution networks — the parts of the grid that benefit from the input of localized solar power — as reduced electricity demand. National Grid called what happened a “huge milestone”. The sunshine meant that solar power produced six times more electricity than the country’s coal fired power stations on Saturday.

Duncan Burt, who manages daily operations at National Grid, said: “Demand being lower in the afternoon than overnight really is turning the hard and fast rules of the past upside down. It’s another fascinating sign of the huge changes we are seeing in Britain’s energy scene.” Electricity demand usually peaks between 4 and 6 pm at this time of year when people return home from work.

According to Chris Goodall, who has written a book about how solar power is transforming energy systems, says March is a good time for solar panels in the UK, due to the angle the sun is hitting them and because they operate better in lower temperatures. “A sunny day between the equinoxes can now produce a peak of around 9.5GW. At weekends, when demand is low, this will frequently mean solar is producing well over 25% of the UK power need. This drives coal almost completely out of the mix, as it did at the weekend, and depresses gas use,” he said.

Goodall claims that on summer weekends this year, when electricity demand is lowest, the grid will need less than 15% of its power supply from fossil fuel sources. As offshore wind farms are completed and brought online in coming years, he thinks the need for convention electrical generation could fall to zero on windy and/or sunny days during the week when demand is higher.

The solar industry hailed the landmark, saying the government has repeatedly underestimated the technology’s potential. A spokesperson for the Solar Trade Association said: “This milestone shows the balance of power is shifting, quite literally, away from the old centralized ‘coal-by-wire’ model into the hands of householders, businesses and communities all over the UK who want their own clean solar power.”

An independent report commissioned by the STA found the UK’s power network could handle four times more solar capacity than what is avialable today without increasing costs for the grid. Other studies have also concluded that a significant expansion of renewable energy would impose only “relatively modest” costs to integrate into the electricity system.

March 29, 2017 1 comment

Solar Policy

England Increases Tax On School Rooftop Solar Systems By 800%

by Steve Hanley March 11, 2017

written by Steve Hanley

Public schools in England and Wales with rooftop solar systems are facing an 800% increase in taxes beginning next month. Schools in Scotland are unaffected by the new tax levy as are British private schools. To avoid confusion, public schools in the UK are the same as private schools in America and private schools are the same as public schools. It’s odd but Brits drive on the wrong side of the road, so it all makes sense, sort of.

rooftop solar panels

The government is telling the schools not to worry about the new tax because the money will benefit them in some as yet unspecified way. History teaches us that once tax money gets into government hands, it rarely comes back to benefit those paying the tax.

According to The Guardian, the average rooftop solar tax increase will amount to around $900 per year per school. With up to 174 different school authorities affected, a total of $2.2 million in extra revenue is slated to flow into British tax collectors’ coffers as a result of the new tax policy.

With typical British understatement, Leonie Greene of the Solar Trade Association says, “This is slightly less than helpful for the British solar industry. It’s absurd. Energy tax policy is going in the opposite direction to how we know energy needs to change and how it’s changing. What he is doing is advantaging old technology and disadvantaging new ones. It’s nonsensical.”

Children at the Eleanor Palmer school in London have taken matters into their own hands. Working with Greenpeace, they have collected 200,000 signatures from people who want the government to “urgently rethink” the rooftop solar tax hikes. The petition bearing the signatures was delivered to England’s Treasury Department on Thursday.

England has turned its back on solar recently by slashing incentives both to industry and private individuals. As a result, 12,000 workers in the solar industry were laid off last year and installations slowed by 85%. Perhaps America can now expect a similar slashing of clean energy initiatives from an EPA administrator who testified to Congress that people need have no fear from breathing carbon dioxide.

March 11, 2017 1 comment

Community Solar Going Solar PV Solar Policy

Georgia Power Unveils Simple Solar Energy Program

by Steve Hanley February 26, 2017

written by Steve Hanley

Georgia Power is rolling out a new voluntary solar energy program known as Simple Solar for customers who want to support solar energy development but do not want to (or can’t) install a rooftop solar system on their homes. Signing up is simple. Just go to GeorgiaPower.com/SimpleSolar, fill in some basic account information, and click the right button. You’re done. Participants agree to pay 1¢ per kilowatt-hour over and above the standard rate for electricity.

solar power in Georgia

“This initiative is the latest evolution of our efforts to advance renewable energy in the state while also creating economical services and solutions for customers who want to help grow solar energy,” said Norrie McKenzie, vice president of renewable development for Georgia Power. “Solar energy continues to offer tremendous potential for powering Georgia and we are committed to helping our customers find the solar option that works best for them.”

The interesting thing is that solar is largely now cheaper than everything except wind in the United States, which makes it odd that you have to pay a premium for it, but hey, maybe we’re missing something. Perhaps it is just that getting electricity from new power plants — whatever the source — means not using/paying for electricity from old, non-solar power plants?

The Simple Solar program was designed in cooperation with the Georgia Public Service Commission to encourage solar development. GPSC has approved the plan. Georgia Power uses the 1¢ per kilowatt-hour fee to purchase renewable energy credits from certified solar generation sources. Because purchases are tied to subscriptions, customers who volunteer are directly supporting the growth of solar and solar generators throughout the region.

Simple Solar has several subscription tiers available including Large Volume and Special Event purchase options. Hundreds of residential and business customers have already subscribed. Toto USA is a Georgia manufacturer known for its sustainability efforts and renewable goals. It was the first customer to match 100% of its monthly usage through the Large Volume option.

“We are pleased to increase our commitment to match 100% of our usage through Georgia Power Simple Solar,” says Bill Strang, president of operations and e-commerce for the company. “Our partnership with Georgia Power allows us to provide both a return on investment with cost effective electricity and a return on environment with sustainable solar energy.” Georgia Power expects to add up to 1,600 MW of additional renewable energy capacity by 2021.

Georgia is an excellent candidate for solar power. Former president Jimmy Carter recently announced that he is installing a large community solar system on leased land to benefit his local community. Who’s next? Maybe Akon?

Source: Solar Power World | Image Credit: Georgia Power

February 26, 2017 1 comment

PV Rooftop Solar Solar Policy

California City Wants New Homes To Have Rooftop Solar For Net-Zero Operation

by Steve Hanley February 22, 2017

written by Steve Hanley

Lancaster, California, is located northeast of Los Angeles near Edwards Air Force Base. It lies at the edge of the Mojave Desert, where abundant sunshine is the order of the day. The city has been a leader in clean, renewable energy since 2011 and has been requiring builders to install solar panels on all new homes since 2014. Its policies have served as a model for other California communities, including Sebastopol, Santa Monica, and San Francisco. Now, the city seeks to raise the bar by requiring each new home to have a rooftop solar system large enough to meet its full energy needs.

rooftop solar panel systems

First, a disclaimer: The new requirement for rooftop solar is computed based on the square footage of the home. How much electricity each family actually consumes will vary widely. Couple A may have an in-ground pool, a hot tub, and two Teslas. Their energy usage will naturally be higher than Couple B, who have none of those things. Lancaster’s “Zero Net Energy” policy, passed last week, mandates that rooftop solar systems generate 2 watts per square foot of living space.

“The Zero Net Energy Home Ordinance expands upon Lancaster’s residential solar ordinance so that new homes built in Lancaster now will not only be environmentally friendly, but have a zero net impact on our environment, while reducing energy costs for the homeowners,” said Republican Mayor R. Rex Parris in a statement. “This is a great stride in Lancaster’s journey to become a Zero Net City.”

The implementation of the new rooftop solar policy must wait for a feasibility study to be concluded. That is expected to happen in April. Then, Lancaster will seek approval from the California Energy Commission. If everything goes smoothly, the rule will take effect before the close of 2017. One of the advantages for homeowners is that the cost of the solar system is included in the price of the home. That means the extra cost of the system only increases the monthly mortgage payment slightly. In addition, it eliminates the homeowner having a separate loan to pay in addition to the mortgage each month.

February 22, 2017 0 comment

Solar Policy

California Legislation Would Double Down On Renewable Energy Goal

by Steve Hanley February 21, 2017

written by Steve Hanley

California Senate president Kevin de Léon has proposed legislation that would ramp up the state’s commitment to renewable energy. If enacted, the new law would mandate that the state get 50% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025 and 100% by 2045. Those targets are considerably more aggressive than called for by any other state other than Hawaii.

solar is key to renewable energy manidates

De Léon was the original sponsor of the state’s current renewable energy mandate, which calls for 50% renewable energy by 2030. He told the Los Angeles Times recently that the present legislation simply doesn’t go far enough. The new bill, known as SB 584, lacks details and is considered a placeholder that will be amended later. The deadline for new legislation was last Friday.

California has long been a leader in sustainable and renewable energy but it is far from alone. Cities and towns are also committing to 100% renewable energy. Last week, the cities of Pueblo, Colorado, and Moab, Utah became the first to commit to transitioning to full renewable energy since Donald Trump was elected. That makes the total number of cities in that category now numbers 23. They include Democratic strongholds like Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco as well as Georgetown, Texas which is a Republican area.

Prior to being sworn in, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti described the wave of adoption of clean energy programs among states and cities this way. “It’s become normalized. It’s not just our city. It’s Michigan, it’s Colorado, it’s Texas, it’s Indiana, it’s South Carolina, it’s North Carolina, it’s Ohio, it’s Nevada. We’ve got cities everywhere. It’s small, it’s big, it’s in between. And it’s growing.”

A bill was recently introduced in the Massachusetts legislature that would mandate the state obtain 100% of its energy across all sectors — electricity, transportation, and manufacturing — from renewable sources by 2050. In that it includes all sectors of the economy, it is actually even more ambitious than the California initiative.

February 21, 2017 1 comment

Solar Policy

Twenty Governors Ask President To Support Renewable Energy Programs

by Steve Hanley February 14, 2017

written by Steve Hanley

Twenty governors have sent a letter to the president advocating for federal policy support of renewable energy programs. The governors are from both political policies and their message is the same. Renewable energy is good for business and is a powerful job creation tool. The president claims to be a strong supporter of creating new jobs for Americans, but so far his stance on renewable energy has been less than forthright. His America First energy plan makes little mention of renewable energy. Instead, it focuses on coal, natural gas, and oil facilities.

Governors renewable energy council

The letter from the 20 governors, who together represent the Governor’s Wind & Solar Energy Coalition, illustrates how out of touch with reality the president’s plan is with many local leaders and the wishes of corporate America. Since he was elected, Republican governors in Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan have signed legislation backing wind and solar. Last month, more than 600 U.S. companies issued a statement urging Trump not to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, saying it will generate trillions of dollars in investments.

“The nation’s wind and solar energy resources are transforming low income rural areas in ways not seen since the passage of the Homestead Act over 150 years ago,” Kansas Republican Sam Brownback and Rhode Island Democrat Gina Raimondo wrote in the letter, on behalf of eight Republican governors and 12 Democrat state leaders.

Despite the president’s lack of enthusiasm for clean power, the industry is a boon in many rural regions that formed that backbone of his electoral support. Rural property owners earn more than $245 million a year from leasing land to wind farm developers, according to the American Wind Energy Association’s fourth-quarter report. Solar companies employed more than 200,000 people last year, and most new installations were in rural regions, according to the letter.

February 14, 2017 0 comment

Solar Policy

SunShot Initiative Pays Off Big Time For America, Faces Ax From Trump

by Steve Hanley January 28, 2017

written by Steve Hanley

The SunShot Initiative is a program conceived by the US Department of Energy in 2011 with the goal of reducing the cost of grid scale solar power to under $1.00 per watt by the year 2020. When the program began, the cost of installed solar was over $4.00 per watt. Solar power was responsible for only one tenth of one percent of America’s total electrical resources at 1.2 gigawatts.

SunShot Initiative helped lower the cost of solar power in the US

5 years later, there are more than 30 gigawatts of installed solar power. That’s still only about 1% of the national supply, but it represents exponential growth since 2011. Now the Energy Department says the $1.00 per watt goal — which is equivalent to 6 cents per kilowatt hour — has been reached three years ahead of schedule. The SunShot Initiative had four main targets:

Improve the efficiency of solar cells
Optimize electronics that would improve solar systems’ performance
Boost the efficiency of solar manufacturing processes
Streamline the installation, design and permitting processes nationwide

The program included grants and loan guarantees to provide incentives to manufacturers and suppliers. Together, they were largely responsible for convincing lenders and investors to put private resources to work to make solar power happen. As a result, a new report from the Environmental Defense Fund claims that jobs in renewable energy are growing 12 times faster than the US economy as a whole. There are now about 4 million Americans working in cleantech positions says the EDF.

The Energy Department has now established a new goal for the SunShot Initiative. It wants to halve the cost of installed solar to a little as 3 cents per kilowatt hour by 2020. It says the soft costs of design and permitting are the areas where significant potential cost reductions can be realized.

All this sounds pretty good until you learn that the Trump Administration has ordered a complete halt to any and all news about renewable energy from the Energy Department. It is likely the SunShot Initiative and all other clean energy programs will be terminated by America’s Buffoon in Chief so he can address his desire to reinvigorate the coal industry. That approach is beyond idiotic. Instead of clean, renewable energy, the alleged president wants to go back 100 years to a time when smokestacks belched clouds of poisonous gasses into the atmosphere. That may make America a smog-bound cesspool, but it most definitely will not make it great again.

“Trump’s current approach is basically ignoring an entire industry that has grown up over the last 10 years or so and is quite robust,” Liz Delaney, the program director at EDF Climate Corps, tells Business Insider.

January 28, 2017 0 comment

Solar Policy

HECO May Achieve Renewable Energy Goal 5 Years Sooner

by Steve Hanley January 10, 2017

written by Steve Hanley

No state is blessed with more potential for renewable energy than Hawaii. Abundant sunshine and strong trade winds are ideal for making electricity from photovoltaic solar panels and wind turbines. HECO, the state’s dominant public utility has a plan in place to achieve 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2050. But recently, the company announced it foresees getting to that goal five years earlier than expected.

HECO renewable energy goals

Its latest Power Supply Improvement Plan calls for an additional 360 megawatts of utility scale solar power, 157 megawatts of wind and 115 megawatts from advanced smart grid technology. It now thinks it will meet those goals by 2045. The accelerated schedule to meet the ambitious target means HECO expects to provide 48% renewable power by 2020.

The new plan seeks to meet the 100% renewable energy target without the use of liquefied natural gas. Last May, the company asked the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission to review and approve a proposed contract with Fortis Hawaii Energy to import LNG for electricity generation. Those plans were dropped after the PUC rejected NextEra Energy’s US$4.3 billion bid to purchase the utility group. Instead, HECO now plans to leverage resource demand management, grid scale energy storage, and biofuels instead of LNG, which should allow it to meet its goal faster.

Rooftop solar is a key component in the accelerated plan. Forecasts estimate there will be 165,000 home solar systems connected to the grid by 2030. That number is more than double the 79,000 systems currently installed.

The new power plan estimates renewable energy will account for 72% of the total by 2030. The estimates expect Molokai could reach 100% renewables by 2020. Hawaii Island would reach 80%, Maui 63%, and Oahu 40% by the same year, thanks to expanded use of solar, wind, biofuels and storage.

The Plan seeks to achieve 52% of clean energy by 2021 as a result of adding 326 megawatts of rooftop solar and 31 megawatts of feed-in tariff solar generation, in addition to the additional utility scale resources that are part of the new power plan.

January 10, 2017 0 comment

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