The Future of Solar is Bright

With federal, state, and utility incentives, the residential solar industry is seeing growth upwards of 50% per year.

In 2005, Western Washington University professor, Jack Hardy, started a renewal energy company as more of a hobby. Nine years later, his garage start-up is thriving with two locations and over 130 projects completed last year alone.

Now retired, Jack’s legacy is doing business as Western Solar Inc and under new direction. Josh Miller, General Manager, reported substantial growth in 2013. “We installed the second largest number of projects in the state last year. Our business has easily grown 50% annually since 2009.”

Recently, Miller completed a contract for a 108kW/400 panel installation which will mark the largest array in King County and fourth largest array in the state. This project will take what was once a small town operation and make it into one of the leading solar installation businesses in the Puget Sound.

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) U.S. Solar Market Insight Report, photovoltaic (PV) installations increased 41% nationwide since 2012. This pencils out to an increase of nearly fifteen times the installations six years ago, making solar the second largest source of new electricity behind natural gas. To date, there are over 445,000 PV systems operating in the states, with 140,000 of those installed in 2013.

The boost in PV installations created more than 10 new jobs every hour, as reported in The Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census. Nearly 143,000 workers joined the solar industry in 2013.

SEIA reported that the average price of solar panels declined 60 percent since 2011 making solar more affordable. Rebates and incentives are also making solar more attractive to Washington residents.

The financial incentives available for homeowners currently rank among the richest programs in the United States. Until 2016, there is a 30 percent federal tax credit for residential properties and no state sales tax on equipment or installation until 2018.

Additionally, local utilities offer production rebates. According to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency, Washington has one of the highest performance-based incentives in the world. Grid-interactive systems may receive production incentives ranging from $0.12 to $0.54/kWh or up to $5,000 per year. Multiplying factors of this incentive are based upon the electricity produced using equipment manufactured in Washington State.

Snohomish PUD customers are eligible for an additional one-time credit of $500 for every kWh installed, capped at $2,500, on qualifying units.

The return on investment, once taking ten years, is now closer to five to seven years. With Washington based panel manufactures offering a 25 year warranty and production expectancy of 35-40 years, anyone with initial funding would be hard pressed to turn down switching to solar.

With 50-60% projected growth in 2014, those in the solar industry like Miller are in for a positive fiscal year, making for a very bright future.

Source: Written by- Amanda Brock. Western Solar Inc. Marketing Director. July 2014.

U.S. Solar Industry Has Record-Shattering Year in 2013

What would Alexandre Edmond Becquerel be thinking now?

In 1839, at the age of just 19, Becquerel built the world’s first photovoltaic panel, later inspiring the imaginations of millions of people worldwide, including legendary scientist Albert Einstein.  Still, it took another 115 years before Bell Labs invented the first modern silicon solar cell. 

By comparison, it’s no stretch to say that the solar timeline has rocketed forward at warp speed in recent years.

Continuing its explosive growth, the U.S. solar industry had another record-shattering year in 2013.  According to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) Solar Market Insight Year in Review 2013, photovoltaic (PV) installations expanded rapidly last year, increasing 41 percent over 2012 to reach 4,751 megawatts (MW) of new capacity.  In addition, 410 MW of concentrating solar power (CSP) came online in 2013.  Consumers nationwide benefited from this growth as the cost to install solar fell throughout the year, ending 15 percent below the record low set at the end of 2012.

When the final 2013 numbers were added up, there were 440,000 operating solar electric systems across the United States, totaling more than 12,000 MW of PV and 918 MW of CSP.

What does this mean to you?  Well today, solar is the fastest-growing source of renewable energy in America, generating enough clean, reliable and affordable electricity to power more than 2.2 million homes – and we’re just beginning to scratch the surface of our industry’s enormous potential.  Last year alone,solar created tens of thousands of new American jobs and pumped tens of billions of dollars into the U.S. economy.  In fact, more solar has been installed in the U.S. in the last 18 months than in the 30 previous years combined. That’s a remarkable record of achievement.

California continues to lead the U.S. market and installed more than half of all new U.S. solar in 2013.  In fact, the Golden State installed more solar last year than the entire United States did in 2011.  North Carolina, Massachusetts and Georgia also had major growth years in 2013, installing 663 megawatts – more than doubling their combined total from the year before. On the whole, the top five states (California, Arizona, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and New Jersey) accounted for 81 percent of all U.S. PV installations in 2013.

Here are some of the other highlights of the report:

• The amount of PV installed last year in the U.S. was nearly 15 times greater than the amount installed in 2008.
• Q4 2013 was by far the largest quarter ever for PV installations in the U.S. with 2,106 MW energized, up 60 percent over the next largest quarter (Q4 2012).
• The market value of all PV installations completed in 2013 was $13.7 billion.
• Solar accounted for 29 percent of all new electricity generation capacity in 2013, up from 10 percent in 2012.  This made solar the second-largest source of new generating capacity behind natural gas.
• Weighted average PV system prices fell 15 percent in 2013, reaching a new low of $2.59/W in the fourth quarter.
• The new report forecasts 26 percent PV installation growth in 2014, with installations reaching nearly 6 GW.  Growth will occur in all segments but will be most rapid in the residential market.
• The U.S. installed 410 MW of concentrating solar (CSP) in 2013, increasing total CSP capacity in the U.S. more than 80 percent.
• And finally, Brightsource’s massive Ivanpah project also began operating this year and SolarReserve’s Crescent Dunes project began commissioning.

So while 2013 was a record-breaking year for the U.S. solar industry, 2014 promises to be even better with 30 percent growth being forecast.  Part of this unprecedented expansion is due to the fact that the average price of a solar system has dropped by more than 50 percent since 2010, benefiting consumers, businesses, schools and government entities.

Today, 40 years after SEIA was first formed, there are nearly 143,000 Americans employed by the U.S. solar industry at more than 6,100 American companies – with SEIA leading the fight to expand markets, remove market barriers, strengthen the industry and educate Americans about the benefits of solar energy.  These efforts have led to the adoption of a wide range of smart public policies, including the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) in Congress and Net Energy Metering (NEM) at the state level.

And to think it all started when a 19-year-old in the 19th century came up with the idea of turning sunlight into electrical energy.

Source: Writer- Rhone Resch. The information and views expressed in this blog post are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of RenewableEnergyWorld.com or the companies that advertise on this Web site and other publications. This blog was posted directly by the author and was not reviewed for accuracy, spelling or grammar.

Stimulus Dollars Advance Energy Efficiency And Renewable Energy In America's Cities

The nation's mayors this week released the results of a new survey pointing to city successes in using Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). 

Participating Washington state cities included Everett, Redmond, Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver.

Gresham (OR) Mayor Shane Bemis, Bridgeport (CT) Mayor Bill Finch and Carmel (IN) Mayor Jim Brainard presented the survey findings on a national press conference call to highlight local energy innovations championed by mayors in every part of the country. The results document the responses of 204 mayors – representing cities of all population sizes and from all regions – to a series of questions from the Mayors' Climate Protection Center designed to show generally how cities invested their EECBG program funds to help further local initiatives to reduce energy use, deploy new energy technologies and curb harmful energy emissions, among other local outcomes. 

"These findings underscore that mayors have been leading by example on energy efficiency and conservation for years," said Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis, Chair of the Conference's Energy Committee.  "Mayors all across the country have been actively working to advance energy-saving measures in communities large and small, and what we see in this report translates into real budgetary savings, local job creation and small business growth."

While the full report can be found at www.usmayors.org, some of its key findings are below:

• The three top uses of EECBG dollars by cities were energy retrofits of government buildings (83%of cities), LED/other energy-efficient street lighting (42%), and solar energy systems on public buildings and facilities (31%).
• Most mayors directed a majority of their EECBG funds to investments in municipal projects and operations.  Nearly seven in eight mayors (87%) expended a majority of their EECBG grant dollars on municipal projects and operations.
• LED/other energy-efficient lighting ranked first among energy technologies that have already been deployed by cities, with local and federal resources, most notably EECBG grants, providing the primary sources of funding for these deployments. 
• The availability of EECBG funds to cities has influenced city budgetary priorities, and also prompted new partnerships with a range of private sector and governmental entities.
• A majority of mayors cited energy service contracting as the innovative energy financing strategy that EECBG funds helped most often.

Of the report's findings, Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, who Co-Chairs the Conference's Energy Independence and Climate Protection Task Force said, "Even as mayors were confronting budget constraints due to the recession and federal spending cuts, this report shows that cities leveraged EECBG dollars by making investments that are still paying dividends today.  In my city, we are reducing electricity usage and making solid waste and sewage sludge operations more efficient.   So, clearly, this modest federal commitment has bolstered mayors' efforts to advance energy efficiency, conservation and technology deployment initiatives in their cities." 

Five years ago, as part of ARRA, EECBG formula grants were distributed directly to cities by the U.S. Department of Energy. Of the $2.7 billion provided to the program in formula funding, about half of these dollars ($1.3 billion) were distributed directly to cities to support their energy and climate efforts, a commitment that ranked among the largest provided to local governments in the ARRA legislation.

The Conference of Mayors conceived the EECBG Program to engage the federal government in supporting the nation's mayors in accelerating local energy and climate initiatives, especially the more than 1000 mayors who have joined as signatories to the Conference's Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which was a landmark pledge for mayors all across the country to take bold action to significantly reduce carbon emissions in cities in alignment with Kyoto Protocol standards.

"The mayors who signed the USCM Climate Protection Agreement represent more than 86 million people in the U.S. who are learning how important it is to work locally to curb harmful greenhouse emissions and adapt to climate change," said Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard, Co-Chair of the Conference's Energy Independence and Climate Protection Task Force.  "The success mayors are having in deploying these resources makes the case for a stronger local-federal partnership on our nation's energy and climate challenges, including continued EECBG funding to support cities and local areas as they develop new energy solutions." 

Last month, the Conference released a related report, Energy Efficiency and Technologies in America's Cities, which was unveiled during the USCM 82^nd Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. at a session with mayors and U.S. Energy Secretary Moniz at the Capital Hilton.  That survey can be found at usmayors.org/2014energysurvey.

About the United States Conference of Mayors:
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. 

SOURCE: The U.S. Conference of Mayors. WASHINGTON, March 1, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire.

Solar Power Succeeds in Whatcom County

When Dana Brandt started installing solar panels on homes in Bellingham nine years ago, people wondered what was next - screen doors for submarines?

"You can imagine what people say," says Brandt, sitting in the conference room at his company, Ecotech, on a cloudy December day.

The northwest corner of the Pacific Northwest is famous for its winter gloom, and there's not much energy to be had from the sun that time of year. But as it turned out, Brandt was on to something. Whatcom County is a good place to go solar.

What winter lacks in sunlight is made up for in the summer, when clouds are usually scarce and the sun can shine 16 hours a day. What Washington needed to launch its solar industry was a way to squirrel away that summer bounty for the dark winter.

Enter "net metering." A state law passed in 1998 requires utilities to credit homeowners with solar (or other alternative energy) systems for any power they generate beyond what they use and that flows onto the grid. The excess power produced in the sunny summer comes back to the homeowner as a credit on their electric bill during the gray winter.

"It's really why solar works here," Brandt says. "There's no battery that can do that."

Josh Miller, general manager of solar operations at Western Solar in Bellingham, says his goal is for his clients to produce as much electricity in a year as they use. That wipes out the customer's electric bill - all but a base $7.49 monthly charge, according to Puget Sound Energy.

On top of that, owners of solar-powered homes typically get $1,000 cash from the state just for producing solar energy. The payback, from what PSE calls the Renewable Energy Advantage Program, can be as much as $5,000 a year.

A 20-panel solar system with equipment made in the state can be installed for about $22,000, Miller says. Combining net metering, REAP and certain tax breaks, such a system can pay for itself in five years.

Solar energy has grown at a rapid clip in the state - about 50 percent a year since 2008. Brandt says it should continue to grow over the next decade or so.

A big reason the future looks so bright for solar power here is the 270 solar arrays that already have appeared on Bellingham roofs, according to PSE's count.

"Every week more people learn solar works here because their friends and neighbors did it," Brandt says.

INCENTIVES

Net metering: Under a state law, utility customers receive a credit on their bills for the full retail cost of extra energy produced and delivered to the grid.

Federal income tax credit: Covers 30 percent of the total cost of the system, including installation (expires 2016).

No state sales tax: The tax exemption for solar equipment or installation expires 2018.

Renewable energy system cost recovery law: What Puget Sound Energy calls the Renewable Energy Advantage Program pays solar users 15 cents per kilowatt-hour, which increases to as much as 54 cents per kWh for solar panels and inverters made in Washington. (itek Energy of Bellingham makes both.) On average, the incentive is $1,000 a year. The maximum payment is $5,000 (expires 2020).

OTHER ENERGY-SAVING TIPS

Besides solar, there are a number of ways to reduce home energy costs, says the Community Energy Challenge, based in Bellingham:

-- Use energy-efficient light bulbs. CFLs are used as are LEDs, which are becoming popular because of their color quality and dimmability.

-- Seal heating ducts. That way, the ducts won't leak into unheated spaces in your home. "That's about the biggest bang for your buck," says Alex Ramel of Community Energy Challenge.

-- Air-seal or weatherize your home. That requires a trained professional, because improperly sealed homes can lead to unsafe levels of carbon monoxide or mold.

-- Insulate your home. People should start with the attic, because hot air rises. "If you only have $1,000 to spend, spend it on insulation in the attic," Ramel says.

-- Replace furnaces or water heaters. That's recommended if the original system is older and less efficient.

SOLAR FAQ

How do I get started?

To find a reputable solar contractor, call an energy advisor at Puget Sound Energy, 800-562-1482. Two established companies are based in Bellingham: Ecotech, 360-318-7646; and Western Solar, 360-746-0859.

For a broader assessment of how to reduce energy costs in your home (see "Energy-Saving Tips"), contact the Community Energy Challenge at 360-676-6099.

Is my home right for solar?

The ideal spot for solar panels is a south-facing roof. Panels can also be installed along a deck or free-standing in the yard, as long as the area gets no shade from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Panels can be mounted on east- or west-facing roofs, but the energy production drops 12 to 15 percent.

How many panels should I get?

The median size of an array attached to PSE's grid is 19 panels. Josh Miller of Western Solar says at least 10 panels give a significant return on investment. Beyond 38, the customer doesn't get the full state cash incentive for the energy produced, because the incentive is capped at $5,000.

How quickly does a solar system pay for itself?

For the typical system, five to seven years. Larger systems that produce more energy can see a full return on investment sooner.

Given that a solar system is expected to last much longer, homeowners come out ahead. For a proposed $31,000 system, Dana Brandt of Ecotech estimated the client would net $24,000 in 30 years.

Are solar grids hard to maintain?

Solar panels are virtually maintenance free, Miller says. They are generally more durable than the homes themselves, and can withstand winds up to 120 mph. Installers recommend hosing off the panels once or twice a year to remove debris. Panels come with a 25-year warranty, which includes a guarantee that the efficiency of the panel will be no worse than 80 percent after 25 years.

Source: By Ralph Schwartz, The Bellingham Herald, 2/17/14

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2014/02/17/3403276/remodeling-solar-power-succeeds.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2014/02/17/3403276/remodeling-solar-power-succeeds.html#storylink=cpySource

Solar 101 Hosted by Solar Washington

Video of Western Solar & Itek Energy

Western Solar and Itek Energy have been featured in this CBC video.

View it here.