Electric Vehicles Early Adopter Benefits

I read an article in the WSJ about how several utilites are offering deals to the first customers who purchase electric vehicles.  DTE for example is offering a flat rate of $40 per month to charge your vehicle.  If you drove 40 miles per day that represents about $116 less than what you would pay to use a gas powered vehicle (3.25/gal and MPG of 25)...pretty good deal.  They will also give the first 2500 customers a free home charging station to boot.

SDG&E is randomly offering three plans to new owners of the Nissan Leaf. In two of those plans they install a separate meter for the car. In the other they will offer a whole house rate that includes the car.  Their goal is the entice people to charge the car over night.  So much lower rates will be applied in the evenings. In any case it will be much cheaper to drive than using gasoline.

This will be a big step forward for electric vehicles.  I applaud the utilities for planning now rather than being caught off guard when the power grid starts choking.  It's also good that they are getting the consumer mindset prepared to plan for off peak use..an simple form of premeditated demand response!

Green Power Oregon

I came across a site called Green Power Oregon.  It is put out there by Portland General Electric.  The idea behind it is to give information to consumers about using "green" generated electricity.  One of the tings I like is that you get a picture of where and what type of green energy is being produced...pretty cool..and I'm sure most people don't even know how much investment utilities are making in this space.  It also has a green calculator that shows you how your options, should you choose to partcipate in getting part of your energy from green sources, affect the climate.  Here's the calculator:
 
http://www.greenpoweroregon.com/your-options/green-calculator.aspx

Getting back to my last post this is exactly the type of information we need to start delivering to consumers.  They will make the right choices when they have access to information.

Smart Grid Myths About Consumers

I just saw this article on Greentech Media site and smiled.  It reiterates my point that consumers need more information.  It talks about four myths on how the consumer feels towards the smart grid.  One of the things I thought was interesting is they've proven that dynamic pricing works to reduce demand in the residential consumer market..at the rate 3-10%.  But what was even more intriguing is that by adding technology to mix, i.e. information, it reduced it by 20-30%.  The reductions were higher still with the use critical peak pricing. 
The other thing that stood out was consumers are not necessarily opposed to having the utilities automatically control say their air conditioner from a far.  If it saves them money then it's OK to limit how cold your AC can get at a certain time of day.  Good stuff....Here's the article:
http://bit.ly/9ks1W5

California Energy Grid Demand Response

I read an interesting article on the eMeter site about how California utilities instituted a series demand response programs to reduce the load on the grid one day this week.  This was in response to extreme heat across the state which of course meant more demand as everyone fires up the AC.  The programs seemed to have the desired effect in reducing demand..a good thing.
One of the programs they have in place is dynamic pricing for large customers.  The cost of electricity goes up as demand goes up.  This does entice those customers to look for ways to cut back, reducing demand as a result.  It proved to be effective.  I'm sure the utilities are looking at ways to expand this program.  I'm not necessarily against that but the problem I see is that the next place to go is to the residential consumers.  Once smart meters are in place at a residence there's nothing stopping them from implementing dynamic pricing.
This model can be a good thing and will  help them from having to build more power plants.  However in order to be fair to consumers they must give them more information, in real time.  I would be upset if I found my bill say doubled in a particular month because I ran my AC during high cost times without even knowing it.  Since  I wasn't aware there was an issue I didn't turn down my AC..which achieved no reduction in peak demand.
So by providing much more useful feedback to the consumer...things like text messages, emails or power portals to alert a consumer of an event... the utilities can both cut power use during peaks and have happy customers...what a concept.

Check out the article here:
http://bit.ly/cE6MM8

Grid Alternatives Install

I have been volunteering with a great organization, Grid Alternatives.  They put solar power on low income housing.  The goal is to help people lower their monthly utility bill and at the same time reduce greenhouse gases...a win win!  The installs are done with volunteers like myself supervised of course by people that know what they are doing.

 The nice thing about this is that not only does this reduce their costs but it exposes people to solar energy,  They want to teach you about installing this technology.  They are VERY patient with everyone who comes out as some folks with no experience show up...i.e. can't use a screw driver, .  They want you to have a wonderful experience...and you do.  In the end everyone pitches in and gets some hands on.

I just helped on a project in Oakland that was in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity.  They are building several low income condo units and Grid Alternatives is installing solar on each one, 16 in total I think.  The cool thing about this is that they don't give away the panels.  They work out a loan so that a customer's monthly payment is less than their current energy bill.  This makes sure that people who get these really want them..and will be ambassadors for GA.  It is really exciting to see customers come out every10 minutes asking it is done yet?  When they finally flip the switch to turn on the system and watch the meter run backwards, the smile on their face is a huge reward.

Don't get me wrong it can be hard work and being on a roof all day takes it out of you.  When you get home you are tired but its the best kind of "tired" you can have.

http://www.gridalternatives.org/

See Through Solar Powered Windows

 New Energy has developed a spray on technology (at room temperature!) for glass that allows it to create electricity from sunlight.  They were set to demonstrate their prototype technology at University of South Florida.  Typically solar film is opaque which is not the best thing for a window, especially if you want to enjoy the view.  Their solution is clear so the view is not the limit!

If this technology is cheap enough it could jut bee added to any window..can you imagine a high rise glass building with these?

http://bit.ly/bHY9dx

MiaSole to Achieve 15.5 with Thin Film?

I jusr read that MiaSole feels confident that they can achieve 15.5% efficiency with their CIGS thin film and produce modules at around 70 cents/watt by 2012.  That pretty good considering they currently produce modules with 10.5% efficiency.  Then I go on to read that they are lining up series F funding and plan to go public in the second half of 2011...hmmm...boasting a bit?
I don't think so.  They put out a press release that says they've received confirmation from NREL verifying that their large area production panels (1 square meter)  are in fact 14.3% efficient.  They feel they can produce these at around 79 cents/watt.  This is great because this puts them on par with silicon modules but the best thing is that these modules can now be financed.  This will really move the "PV" ball forward and help to drive the industry. They are saying that they will ship 22MW worth of panels this year and that's at 10.5% efficiency..can you image what they will do next year with panels that cost less and are roughly 25% more efficeint?  It's great to see new technology be so successful.

Here's the press release:  http://bit.ly/aPaos0

California Solar Array to be the Largest in World!

California has a reputation for being on the leading edge of change.  This is no exception when it comes to energy policy.  A path was laid for companies to come in and build alternative energy projects in the hopes that CA could put off building more large generating stations..or even close some they already have in place.  The problem has been that the approval process  is like stepping in to quicksand...the more you struggle the deeper you are stuck.  Don't get me wrong, it is still very important to make sure that projects are not doing more harm than good..not creating Superfund sites or wiping out entire species..but there has to be balance, a fine line between those.  The California Energy Commission needs to find that line much quicker than they have been.

So I applaud the CEC in that they have finally approved a huge solar project in the desert of Riverside county.  In fact this will be the largest project in world..sweet!.  It will produce about 1,000 megawatts of power, enough for 800,000 homes.  That's putting a dent in our power needs! 

You can read more about it here: bit.ly/bSudFs

I hope that the CEC will continue to enhance the approval process so that we get more of these in place. 

Xcel Energy to Pass Costs of SmartGridCity on to Ratepayers

I was in Denver over the weekend and read an article about Xcel Energy's SmartGridCity project in Boulder.  The PUC there approved a rate hike so they could pass the costs on to consumers.  OK I with them so far...seems reasonable that people pay for the upgrade.  However as I read on I had a "hmmm" moment.

A rate hike including the projected costs had already been approved.  This was for the overrun since the project costs three times what it was supposed to..which means the rate hike will be even higher.  Hmmm..though I'm still not writing them off yet.  After all they are on the bleeding edge on this smart grid stuff taking what they call a holistic approach to the smart grid.  I applaud them for taking a leadership position.

Where they completely lost me is that they said they wouldn't do this again or expand the program..what??  They decide to lead the country in this and become a role model, go through a huge learning curve and then bag on the great stuff they did.  They basically said it was too expensive and would look at ways to spend 25% of what they did to get 75% of the return...hmmm.. so much for the visionary stuff.

The worst thing is that this is going to make future projects from other utilities harder to get through.  Opponents will have plenty of fodder from this to slow, reduce or even stop smart grid roll outs.  I can only hope that Xcel will extremely forthcoming in sharing their data and "scar tissue" with others to help them be successful in deploying these across the country. 

Power From Jellyfish?

I'm signed up for several newsletters in the solar industry and recently came across an article about a startup in Washington called Clarian Technologies.  They are approaching alternative energy from a unique point..self service.  Yep you too can install solar or wind power yourself.  They make small solar and wind powered systems that can be plugged in to a regular house outlet and provide power...free!..well not exactly free since you still have to buy the unit but you get the idea.
The solar product, the Sunfish, is about 200W and starts at $599.  The wind system is great. It's called the Jellyfish and it really does look like a Jellyfish...definitely put a smile on my face.  It puts out 400W (at a wind speed of 28mph) and starts at $399.  These are not huge systems but if everyone installed it would add up.  Here's a shot of the Jellyfish..love it!:

I think these are a great idea and one that will promote alternative energy.  Though I wish they could somehow turn this upside down and embed a satellite dish.  They could call it the Flipper..talk about bang for the buck!

Anyway check them out at : http://www.clariantechnologies.com/

Popular Science Archives

Popular Science teamed up with Google to archive images of all past issues.  Some of this stuff is pretty classic..very fun to browse through old mags.  I saw an article from 1981 about a house in Massachusetts  that installed a 7.5 Kw PV system on their house.  It was going to supply  all the energy they needed.  The problem was that it cost $75, 000 and I doubt there were any tax incentives at that time. A quote of the article "economic justification is not even remotely possible"..wow we've come a long way.  Thank god for early adopters though!

You can read the archived issue here: http://bit.ly/95I9xi

You have to scroll through the old ads, very amusing.  I was especially surprised at the number of cigarette ads in there..yes the Marlborough Man shows up (check out the Camel Man too on page 26)...have fun.

Big Solar Struggles to Find Home in CA

I read an article on the NPR site that outlined the difficulties companies are having putting very large solar farms in California. It seems there is quite a bit of NIMBY going on.  No on wants them to rip up large swaths of land just down the road from where they live. They are concerned that if they remove the vegetation it will create a dust bowl. This is a tough dilemma and I'm not sure of the answer.  It would supply power for about 120,000 homes. 

It did get me thinking...what if these companies could lease roof space from all those homes and put their solar systems there?  Then they wouldn't have to touch all that land.  Of course it would be more expensive and probably the biggest draw back is that the smart grid isn't really in place to move this power to where it needs to get to. I do think distributed power is the key going forward...just need the smart grid!

NPR Stories This Week on Energy in California

California is making an attempt to the lead the way to clean energy.  NPR is taking at look at this all this week with a series of interesting stories.  You can listen in here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129128750

Is Thin Film About to Change The Industry?

I read an interesting article in the SF Chronicle this morning about a small company, AQT, that is manufacturing equipment to make thin film CIGS cells.  They are using technology that has been around for a while, reactive sputtering...sounds funny but it's proven (disk drive manufactures have been using it to make hard drive platters).  The idea of using existing equipment is to get capital costs down.  This in turn will help drive the cost of PV well below the $1 per watt point.

The direction they've taken is in contrast to other companies like Solyndra who are developing their own equipment to do this.  AQT claims that improvements have driven up the efficiency to around 12% on their manufactured panels...that's pretty good and makes a very compelling case.  Selling PV at  50 cents a watt could bust the market wide open.  Now they just have to convince large suppliers of PPA's to get on board.  They tend to be very conservative with new technology.  They need to make sure the reliability is there over the long haul before they commit since a high number of failures can hugely affect their margins (this is not so critical in the residental space).

It will be interesting to see how this plays out but I predict that thin film will be leading the charge going in to the next phase of PV.

Demand Response

I read an interesting article on how power companies will start getting in to demand response.  That is where they manage the grid for peak loads.  The goal is to move loads from peak times to keep the grid from being overloaded (and hence force brownouts).  The incentive to them is to avoid the costs of having to build plants that may not run at full capacity (until need at peak).

The consumer will most likely start to see tiered pricing because of this..its inevitable with smart meters. This will give them an incentive to move their loads as well.  After all you don't want to be running the dishwasher unnecessarily at 1pm if you know the electricity costs more. The problem is how do consumers know what the costs are at any time during the day?  Commercial customers that use a lot of electricity won't be the issue.  They already have agreements in place to reduce their energy consumption if notified by the utility.  A residential consumer might have a general idea about rates and act accordingly but it certainly won't really have anything to do with demand response.

The solution is to give them more information in real time so they can make decisions. A web portal with current usage and rates would go a long way.  They could get an automated phone call or text message with a notice about a demand response event (a really hot day for example) so they could defer some of their usage.  Even better would be to automate the process.  There has to be something on the appliance end of things and a way to communicate with it though.  GE is focusing on this with their new appliances.  Imagine a washer that is smart enough to say I'm not starting right now because rates are too high (or the utility sent out demand response alert).  I'll start in two hours and save you some money.

I saw a Carnigie Mellon study from 2006 that said if there was a 1% shift in peak usage it would result in a system savings of 3.9 billion dollars...not chicken feed by any stretch of the imagination.  So get ready it's coming.  I believe there will be a lot of opportunity in this space.

European Union Solar PV Installations Hit 16GW

According to the EurObserv'ER (L'Observatioire Des Energies Renouvelables) the installation of PV systems in the European Union reached almost 16GW last year.  That's 16 billion watts! If I figure correctly based on an average of 170 watt panels that is just shy of 600,000 individual panels...quite a bit of installing that went on.

It seems like this is a good sign for the industry.  I don't see any reason why we can do this is North America too.  Come on NA..PV Charge!

http://www.eurobserv-er.org/downloads.asp

Solar Shade?

Those two terms would seem to be in contradiction.  When you install solar panels you lay them out so there is no shade since this reduces their efficiency.  But Envision Solar uses the panels themselves for shade, in parkings lots. As they say in the Guiness commercial..Brilliant!

Envision Solar developed a center post system with a tree like reach that can cover 8 parking spots. One of their trees can develop about 7.5 Kw of power.  This seems to be a slam dunk, lots of open space and plenty of sun.  Plus these spots will be much appreciated in places like Sacramento or Phoenix in the dead of summer where getting in a car that has been sitting in the sun can be brutal.

They are working on other things like integrated building structures and something they call LifeTree. It's a fiberglass tree that can hold about 1.4kw of power. It's much lighter that a traditional stand and can be installed quickly. Think of it like a back yard umbrella but it gives you more than shade.  Pretty interesting stuff...

http://envisionsolar.com/

Go Solar Initiative

The New Solar Homes program is part of the California Solar Initiative.  It is a set of incentives to help promote installing PV systems on new homes built in CA.  I say it's about time.  A tract of new homes in the ideal place to use solar power.  It's relatively easy to install while they are being built and the infrastructure to handle the power generated (i.e. grid) can be added as they put in the power lines.

It is a great way for a developer to differentiate themselves in this competitive market.  They'll probably get a higher price for the homes too!  Most important it's a chance to do something right for the environment, something they should brag about.

I applaud California for leading they way in this effort.


http://www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/nshp/

Zep Solar Seminar

I attended the GroSolar Zep week seminar yesterday. They put this on to showcase the new Zep Solar mounting system. This is a system where you interlock the panels directly together (with special hardware from Zep) and there is no need to install rails. The system is pretty ingenious and well thought out. You can install a system about 5 times faster than conventional rack method, dramatically reducing labor costs..and it's much more flexible. The other thing about it is that once you connect a module it's grounded. You simply bring your grounding wire to the edge of the array, add a small grounding stud to one of the panels and attach the ground..viola, it's all grounded.

Now the one big draw back is that the panels themselves require a special rail. This means that the manufacturers must adopt this new rail system when they manufacture a panel. Canadian Solar is the first and they have two modules in their line up with the Zep rails. They call it the NewEdge system.  The panels are backwards compatible with a traditional system so I don't see too much drawback to more widespread use of the Zep rail.

The other thing is that the new system will require manufactures to develop a way to plug in to the Zep edge on these panels (since there are no rails). I'm sure that will come as it's not a difficult task but it will have to be done (Enphase had a representative there..hint hint!). Currently Zep only has a residential version but will have a commercial version (think flat roof mounting) soon and the ability to do ground mounts later this year. I think the Zep system is a game changer in the industry so stay tuned.


Check them out here:
http://www.zepsolar.com/index.html

Solar "Pods"

I was talking with someone while on an install with GRID Alternatives.  We discusssed how time consuming it is to install the rails, panels, wires, etc.  Wouldn't it be great if you could develop a turn key solution that you could just plug in?  Well the solution was already out there..Sunpods!

They manufacture self contained "pods" of solar panels, pre-engineered, tested and ready to go. The only thing you need to do is to hook up the pods to your meter.  They even use string inverters on each panel so the output is already AC (check out Enphase Energy : http://www.enphaseenergy.com/index.cfm)

The options with this solution are many. How about having new houses prewired to the roof..drop a pod on there and plug in. What if you mount these on trailer that could be rented to companies for peak periods of use.  They get a green source of power without the need to invested in a big system...hmmm.

Check 'em out:

http://sunpods.com/index.html

GRID Alternatives Install

I spent two days last week as a volunteer for GRID Alternatives.  It was very interesting.  There was a small tract of homes in Greenfield where they were installing solar power on seven homes. We had a big group of volunteers (they wanted to get as much done as they could because rain was forecast) and I though it might be a bit unwieldy but things went very smooth. We installed two systems (2Kw) in two days. Normally they do one house in two days.

I had much more fun than I could have imagined. It was a great group of people, ranging from not knowing how to use tools to solar installers.  They split the teams in two groups, roof and ground. The roof teams install the rails, wiring and panels. The ground team installed the inverter, conduit up to the roof and pulled the wiring up there.   I was on the ground team and it was great.  The hardest part was being up the attic running conduit  to the panels on the roof.  It was hot but you got used to it.

The great thing about this program is they want you to learn.  They will show you how to do things once then let you run with it.  You can soak in as much as you want, they are very patient and make all feel welcome.  I highly recommend this. 

It was such a kick as we gathered round to watch them hook up the first system, everyone squeezing in to see the meter spinning backwards!  It was registering 700 watts but it was later in the afternoon and it was covering what they were using in the house. Probably the best thing was the second house.  The owner was there and she was so interested as we neared completion.  After they hooked that one up we let her throw the on switch with a big smile...very rewarding!  I will be back for more soon.

Party Over For Thin-Film?

Interesting article on Greentech Media about the outlook for VC investment for solar. While 2009 was a tough year compared to 2007-08, money for thin-film dried up considerably. The ship has sailed on start-ups needing funding to build huge factories. They will have to be creative in order to survive, i.e. explore new ways to market or throttle back their plans.

The companies that received funding early on now have to deal with a quickly contracting market and hence more competition. I personally think they are at a crossroad. Thin-film won't go away, there is a place for it. These companies just need to figure out a way to bring down the price (compared to silicon based PV) and most importantly prove the long term reliability of their product.

You can read the article here:

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Thin-Film-Solar-Investment-Dries-Up/

GRID Alternatives

GRID Alternatives is non-profit solar company focused on providing solar power for low income households. They install grid tied PV systems basically at cost to the owners and help them procure low cost loans. The idea is to reduce their current electric bill which helps with their monthly budget. In return they expect the owner to participate in the install and help spread the word about the benefits of solar power. This is a wonderful idea.

They get their labor mostly from volunteers who typically donate two days over a weekend to install systems. They do reserve about 20% of the installs for job training programs to help trainees get some hands one experience. Earlier they had a solarthon in San Pedro where they installed 16 systems in one day and raised money from sponsors. The cool thing is that these homes were being built by Habitat for Humanity (they work closely with them on some projects).

I recently took the volunteer training at their headquarters in Oakland so now I'm dangerous and ready to go! I signed up for my first install later this month. It took me three months of trying to get in the training class so I could volunteer. At the class I was told they had to turn away 120 people. I think they've hit on something here. I plan to to take the Team Leader training (as soon as I can get in!).

I'm looking forward to this worthy cause and I'll keep you updated. In the meantime check them out and volunteer yourselves.

http://www.gridalternatives.org/

PV Manufacturing Outlook

Interesting webinar about the outlook for PV manufacturers in the US. Roger Little from Spire Solar was the presenter. He feels that the demand for PV modules in the US will far outstrip capacity to make them over the next few years. The majority of this demand is coming from PPA's that are strictly wanting crystalline silicon. This is primarily due to it's proven reliability over the long haul (usually 20 years).

There is a tremendous opportunity in his view for US companies. When you take the cost of transportation (i.e from China) it makes plants here in the US competitive. He is exploring a great idea where you place the cell assembly facilities on site for a large solar farm. The idea is that it is a very mobile set up and virtually eliminates transportation costs. These plants could produce large 1Kw panels that would bring the costs down even more. Since they are basically going out the backdoor the field their large size is not a transportation issue. Then when the project is done they move the facility to the next job.

His projection is that it would run about 5 million dollars in capital to build a 50Mw panel manufacturing facility (assembly of cells in to panels). The beauty of these small facilities is that you could get them up and running profitably in about 9 months and they can supply a local market, He would like to see one of these in every state...me too...though keep in mind that Spire sells the equipment to do this.

You can listen to the replay here at Greentech Media:

http://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=lobby.jsp&eventid=185622&sessionid=1&key=A9717CFEC64B8BFBEDF10C2E87381EFB&eventuserid=31882008

GridRouter Seminar

Attended a webcast about the GridRouter as I've been interested in what they are doing. Pretty unique piece of hardware that has the attention of the utility companies. It's really about installing their device and allowing the utilities to remotely monitor or mange their smart meters (a communications hub as they put it). The nice thing that it's built on open standards which makes it very flexible.

The initial idea is to collect data about usage (from a smart meter) so they can bill the customer. But this really opens to the door to many possibilities beyond the consumer endpoint. The vision is that is this can be the conduit to do a lot more from managing transformers, to customer's smart appliances (say in the event of a brown out). It uses Linux as the OS so you could take this much farther that the utility industry. Maybe things like remote pipeline monitoring or controlling machinery, stop lights, you name it.

SolarLease Program

PG&E and SolarCity announced a partnership to provide solar system leases to homeowners. PG&E will pony up $60 million which will help SolarCity provide about 1,000 rooftop solar systems. In these type of installations SolarCity retains ownership of the system and the homeowner agrees to purchase the power produced from them. This is done through a PPA or Power Purchase Agreement which provides a set cost for the power over the life of the systems (usually increasing a little each year). The customer doesn't need to worry about upfront payments, maintenance of the systems or rising energy costs down the road, they just get a bill every month..and they know they are truly buying green power!

We definitely need more programs like this.

http://solarcity.com/pressreleases/52/PG-E-Corporation-and-SolarCity-Announce-$60-Million-in-Financing-to-Install-Solar-Power-for-Businesses-and-Homeowners.aspx