Long Beach City College Unveils Solar-Powered Parking Structure

Lighting, elevator systems draw juice from fifth-level panels.

Mayor Bob Foster led a delegation of college officials Tuesday in the dedication of a $27 million parking structure that provides more than 900 spaces for students.

Foster, LBCC President Eloy Ortiz Oakley, LBCC Board President Tom Clark, Daniel Sullivan of Sullivan Solar Power, and members of the Long Beach City College community came together Tuesday to dedicate and open a new 295,485-square-foot parking structure that features over 900 new parking spaces for students. The $27 million project was built with Measure E facilities bond money approved by the voters in 2008.

"I am proud to help dedicate such an important project for Long Beach City College and the City of Long Beach," said Foster. "This structure is now the second largest solar project in Long Beach, and will become a sustainable model for other public and private projects in the city."

The structure's lighting and elevator systems are 100-percent solar powered, along with a few adjacent buildings, according to campus spokesman Chi-Chung Keung.

Anchored on the southwest corner of Carson Street and Clark Avenue, the structure is the second largest solar powered system in the city, after the Convention Center. Built with sustainable materials, the solar power will provide an estimated 451 kilowatts of power, Keung said. It does not feature charging stations for electrical cars.

"This parking structure is something that I and our Board of Trustees promised our students and community when I became President," said Oakley.

"It will greatly relieve some of the parking pressures that exist on campus and in the surrounding neighborhoods."

The building is five stories, with the solar panels on the fifth level, according to Keung. The garage provides drivers with updated counts on the number of spaces vacant at each level.

SOURCE: http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_17728464?nclick_check=1

Iowa Senate Approves Renewable Tax Credits

The Iowa Senate has approved a measure providing up to $10 million a year in tax credits for the installation of wind and solar power generators at homes, businesses and farms.

The Senate voted 49-1 Monday to approve the bill, which provides up to $15,000 for businesses and farms and $3,000 for homeowners that install wind or solar generators.

The bill now goes to the House, where its future is unclear.

Rep. Thomas Sands, a Wapello Republican and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, says majority Republicans are more interested in broad-based tax reform than targeted tax credits.

SOURCE: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9MD39G00.htm

Does Solar Energy Hurt the Grid?

Solar power is in on the rise in the U.S. and it is helping consumers take control of their electric bills. Instead of simply consuming energy through the grid from a power plant, solar homeowners are generating their own electricity but also sending excess electricity generated from their solar panels back onto the grid. A recent article from the San Diego Union-Tribune wonders what the impact is of thousands of solar systems turning the electric grid from a one-way highway from a power plant to your home to a bi-directional flow of electricity.

Power then flows both ways, affecting the amount and quality of electricity. As more and more solar panels are installed, the possible headaches for those who run the grid grows….

…a single large installation in the county, a one-megawatt array, fluctuated from making 700 kilowatts to making nothing on a second-by-second basis as clouds passed by.

That caused the voltage on the circuit to which it's connected to fluctuate beyond the standards, as more power had to be brought in to deal with it.

Voltage is a function of how much power is on a system and where it comes from Fluctuations can cause malfunctions for customers.

The one draw back to solar power is that it is sunlight dependent so, as the article points out, a large solar array could be generating large amounts of energy for the grid one minute and then completely shut off the next minute creating a huge power fluctuations that can affect non-solar customers.

One way utility providers are trying to deal with this issue is through better forecasting, energy storage and cloud tracking. In addition, understanding consumer behavior with respect to electricity usage will also help as utility providers could potentially engage turbines that are already spinning in reserve and ready to put power on the grid or in grid batteries. The problem with this is that these changes cost money and for the most part, those using renewable energy systems are not shouldering their share of the burden.

Most solar customers right now put extra power they make during the day on the grid, then draw power at night when the sun is not shining.

In effect, they're using the grid as a giant battery.

Right now, the cost of the wires, cables and substations is included as part of the electricity, the actual energy you use. But if people are making as much electricity as they use -- or if they make more -- they're not paying for the cost of running the grid.

Renewable energy, particular solar energy, is a wonderful technology that can help provide clean power to consumers and help them save money over the long term. However, this article highlights some of the issues that we have to face as we attempt to integrate these technologies into our existing infrastructure. As more and more people turn on to solar power, grid issues will only get worse unless the proper solutions and funding for those solutions are found.

SOURCE: http://www.solar-energy-installers.com/2011/03/03/does-solar-energy-hurt-the-grid/

Lakeland Florida to Build 18,000 Panel Solar Farm

There's a new farm coming to Lakeland, Florida Linder Regional Airport, but don't expect cows or horses.

A new facility that Lakeland Electric officials call a solar farm will be built at the west end of the runway on Hamilton Road and will generate enough electricity to serve 2,000 homes.

It will be the biggest solar farm at an airport in the country, Lakeland Electric officials said.

The city utility will make an announcement about the new 45-acre solar farm at 2 p.m. on Wednesday at the Sun e_SSRqn Fun Fly-In.

Jeff Curry, alternative energy coordinator for Lakeland Electric, said Monday that the utility and Maryland-based SunEdison plan to install 18,000 solar panels at the airport by 2012.

The panels will generate 5½ megawatts of power. A megawatt equals one million watts of power.

The city already has installed solar panels on top of The Lakeland Center.

Those panels cover the size of about an acre.

At its peak, the solar facility will produce enough electricity to power 2,000 homes.

The type of solar collectors at the airport will be non-reflective or what Curry called photovoltaic.

Curry said pilots won't be bothered by reflecting lights.

"It's designed to absorb the sunlight," Curry said.

Each morning, the panels will move in an eastern direction toward the sun. The panels will continue to move through the day to absorb as much sunlight as possible.

Lakeland Electric buys electricity from SunEdison and Lakeland Electric receives renewable energy credits. Curry said those credits can be used in the event there is ever a state carbon compliance requirement.

Curry said it's likely that requirement will occur in the coming years. Already, 36 states have carbon compliance requirements.

A spokesman from Sun-Edison did not return a phone message.

Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields said the city has become more energy efficient.

"While our partnership with SunEdison is the latest green effort from Lakeland Electric, as a municipal government we have been installing more energy-efficient lights in our buildings, gone to LED traffic signals and converted to more energy efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems in our larger facilities," Fields said.

This is the first solar farm at an airport in Florida.

Other solar farms at airports are in Fresno, Calif., Oakland and Denver, Curry said.

SOURCE: http://www.theledger.com/article/20110328/NEWS/110329472/1410?p=1&tc=pg

Carlsbad to Get Solar Power Plant

Carlsbad, NM is all set to get a solar power plant as the first of 5 regional plants ready to be shaped at the south near Carlsbad Airport. One among the five plants have been planned to be built at Eddy and Lea counties and it is expected to generate a total of 10 mw of power each for a total of 50 mw after its completion. This power would be enough to power about 10,000 homes in their first year of operation.

The power will be generated with the help of photovoltaics which helps to generate the electrical power by changing the solar radiation into direct-current electricity with the help of semiconductors. John Waters, the executive director of Carlsbad Department of Development said this method has lot of challenges and Carlsbad area is perfect to avoid such difficulties and 2 things are very important like the present power grid must be able to handle the electricity as it is produced and secondly the location of users who will be using it said John Waters.

John Waters said the first plant will be charging into the grid during spring or by summer in this year and it will be set up, maintained and financed by the SunEdison. The plant will be managed by the Xcel Energy with the Southwestern Public Service Company, its regional operating company. All 5 facilities which have a capacity of 50 mw will become the largest solar generating project after its completion in North America.

John Waters said Xcel’s system and the present power grid can handle the power when it is fed directly into it and send to the users at southeast New Mexico and there are issues like storage and degradation involved in producing such kind of power. They is a good solar generation climate in the southeastern New Mexico, and Xcel can use it completely said John Waters.

SOURCE: http://www.biofuelswatch.com/carlsbad-gets-solar-power-plant/

Solar Artificial Leaf is Unveiled

MIT chemist Daniel Nocera has unveiled details about his long-awaited "artificial leaf" invention, a small solar cell that mimics photosynthesis and has the potential to produce low-cost electricity for individual homes - an advance that could be particularly valuable in the developing world, where many people lack electricity.

About the size of a playing card, the solar cell - which uses inexpensive and widely available materials like silicon - is able to split water into its two components, hydrogen and oxygen. Placed in a gallon of water in bright sunlight, the device could produce enough electricity to supply a house in a developing country with electricity for a day.

The hydrogen and oxygen gases produced by the artificial leaf could be stored in a small fuel cell, which would use the gases to generate electricity. Nocera, who has been working on the technology for several years, released details about it during the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in California. "Our goal is to make each home its own power station," said Nocera. While U.S. researchers had previously developed a so-called "artificial leaf," Nocera's recent discovery of inexpensive catalysts, including nickel and cobalt, has made the technology more efficient and cost-effective.

SOURCE: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/29/idUS81168260920110329

Solar Project Bids Rejected for Kennedy Center

Willingboro, NJ - The Township Council has rejected three bids for a solar project planned at the Kennedy Center.

Officials said the bids were rejected because not all the required information was submitted. It is the second time bids have been turned down because of deficiencies with the proposals.

The township plans to install solar panel canopies over parking spaces at the center by entering into a power-purchase agreement with a company that would pay the installation costs and receive any solar renewable energy credits produced.

The benefit to the municipality would be energy savings estimated as high as $40,000 annually.

Bids were submitted by Horizon Solar Energy of Edgewater Park, Just Energy of New York City, and Borrego Solar Systems of El Cajon, Calif.

"We want to go out to bid (again) as quickly as possible," Mayor Eddie Campbell Jr. said. "We need to see the project done as quickly as possible."

The bidders will be given the chance to bid again and provide the necessary information.

The Kennedy Center, formerly a high school, is used by the township for recreational programs and as a senior citizens center.

A power-purchase agreement could last for 15 to 20 years and create annual energy savings. According to figures provided last summer by Horizon Solar Energy, the center's annual electric bill could drop from $134,335 to $94,004.

Under the state's solar renewable energy program, companies are eligible for tax exemptions and incentives in addition to renewable energy credits. The project could possibly include 2,740 panels, each creating 270 watts of power.

It is expected to generate about 800 solar credits annually. The going rate per credit is about $660. The credits would be sold to electric companies to help them meet a state mandate that 2.12 percent of all electricity be produced by solar by 2021.

Electricity estimates for the project are based on the panels getting an average of 4.5 hours of sun each day. The canopies resemble a carport, with the panels angled to get the maximum sunshine benefit.

SOURCE: http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/burlington_county_times_news/solar-project-bids-rejected/article_885d9de7-4899-5845-a89c-97fa833d52f4.html

Philadelphia Navy Yard to Get Solar Storage

Philadelphia's revitalization project of its Navy Yard and surrounding waterfront property will also include solar storage, according to International Battery.

The Allentown, Penn.-based battery manufacturer says its large format lithium ion energy storage system (ESS) will be used on a 2,700 square-foot building as part of the Philadelphia Energy Innovation Hub.

"The Energy Innovation Hub will include a live demonstration of a microgrid with a 2,700 square foot net-zero energy home. International Battery will provide Sunverge with an 8.2 kilowatt-hour Lithium Iron Phosphate battery pack for use in the residential SIS [Solar Integration System]," the company announced Thursday.

The battery pack will be used to store solar energy that can be retrieved for later use in conjunction with the solar system and micro smart grid, also being constructed on site, according to International Battery.

The Philadelphia Energy Innovation Hub, led by Penn State University, is one of three such hubs backed by the U.S. Department of Energy dedicated to the research, development, and commercialization of improved energy technology for new and existing buildings.


The Philadelphia Energy Innovation Hub at the Navy Yard is part of the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster (GPIC). The GPIC includes 11 academic institutions, two DOE laboratories, and five corporate partners whose members all maintain full-time employees at the Navy Yard facilities, according to Penn State University.

In September 2010 the hub was funded with a $122 million grant from the Department of Energy, a $30 million pledge from the state of Pennsylvania, and $7 million in other sources of federal funding.

The Philadelphia Navy Yard is also home to what will be the largest urban solar farm in the U.S. when complete. The 1.5-megawatt installation when up-and-running in 2011 will generate enough energy to power the equivalent of about 1,800 homes, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Philadelphia has been revitalizing the land in and around its historic Navy Shipyard after an environmental cleanup effort in the 1990s, and a master plan was adopted in 2004. The Navy Yard's Energy Innovation Hub is just one part of the major redevelopment. The Navy Yard area now consists of 1,200 acres and seven miles of waterfront containing retail, office, residential, and green space as well as an active ship-building facility.

SOURCE: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20049262-54.html  

NC Bill Would Double Solar Power Requirements

Solar energy is proving so successful in North Carolina that industry advocates want to double the amount of sun-powered electricity that is required by state law.

A bill introduced Monday in the General Assembly would raise North Carolina's solar energy requirement to 0.4 percent of all retail electricity sold by electric utilities by 2018. The current requirement, set by the state's sweeping 2007 green energy law, is 0.2 percent.

But despite solar energy's increasing popularity and falling costs, the state's politically powerful electric utilities say they won't support a legislative proposal that tinkers with rules that took months of delicate negotiations to establish.

If the mandate is not increased, solar advocates fear, Duke Energy and Progress Energy are likely to stop at their 0.2 percent requirement, rather than continue buying one of the most expensive forms of green energy.

"If the law doesn't pass, you're going to see solar companies like us move out of the state because there's no work," said Bob Kingery, co-founder and CEO of Southern Energy Management, a solar panel installer in Morrisville.

Solar energy has been far and away the most successful of the renewable resources that power companies have developed in North Carolina since the 2007 law required an increase in renewable energy and conservation efforts.

The law requires that 12.5 percent of retail electricity demand be met by renewables and conservation programs by 2021. The law includes individual targets for solar and biomass resources.

Charlotte-based Duke Energy and Raleigh-based Progress Energy are ahead of the current schedule on solar development. The state's largest power companies passed 2011 solar targets, as set in the law, and they are expected to pass their 2016 targets soon, at which point they would have no incentive to sign more solar deals.

SOURCE: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/30/2141010/nc-bill-would-double-solar-power.html

California Solar Consumers at Risk of Losing Protection

The popular California Solar Initiative (CSI) program, which provides rebates for solar installations or pays for solar energy generated from installations, has been so popular among residents, businesses and public agencies that it’s set to run out of money sooner than expected. What will happen if state lawmakers decide not to extend funding for the program?

Aside from losing a big incentive to make going solar more affordable, consumers also will lose some important protection from unscrupulous solar service providers.

A panel discussion at SolarTech’s Leadership Summit on Wednesday described what Californians will lose if CSI sunsets ahead of its original end date of 2016. The $2.2 billion, 10-year program provides rebates for installing solar electric systems or pays for the electricity produced by solar systems (required for systems larger than 30KW). The program, launched in 2007, aims to install 1,940 MW of solar through 2016, including 1,750 MW for customers of the three largest investor-owned utilities and 190 MW for low-income families.

The main, 1,750 MW program has attracted a lot of demand and if you count both the completed and proposed projects for this program, only 477 MW remain unclaimed, according to the California Public Utilities Commission. The incentives for non-residential installations already are running out, so two utilities – Pacific Gas and Electric as well as San Diego Gas & Electric – started to put applications on a waiting list late last year. A big reason the money is drying up is because some solar systems are producing more electricity than expected.

The CSI program includes consumer protection measures that will not be around if it ends, and solar energy advocates are hoping the state Legislature will continue it or even create a permanent rebate program. The CSI’s rules require solar panels and other equipment that go into a solar electric system to be certified by organizations such as the Underwriters Laboratories, and they must meet other requirements to get on a list of eligible equipment for claiming the incentives.

“The program provides standards for equipment and installations that help to ensure that customers are receiving systems that perform optimally,” said Sara Birmingham, director of western policy at Solar Alliance.

The CSI also helps to police the price installers charge consumers. Last year, CSI administrators added a rule that requires installers to justify why they would charge more than $14.70 per watt. The limit is “part of efforts to protect consumers from over-priced solar systems and thwart fraudulent federal tax claims.” Molly Sterkel, who oversees the CSI program at the CPUC, told us last year that consumers should always get bids from three installers to get a good price comparison.

Sterkel moderated the SolarTech panel Wednesday and said the soft cap was put in place after the state and the three utilities involved kept seeing projects priced at $15-$17/watt. As of January this year, residential solar systems were priced at an average of $8.70 per watt for a 4 KW system, according to the CSI website.

CSI rules also require the solar systems to come with warranties. Although installers will likely have to continue to include warranties to meet other state and federal regulations, they won’t have to face scrutiny from the CSI administrators if the program goes away.

An indirect impact of losing the CSI is the collection of installation and pricing data that help the state design solar incentive programs, said Sue Kateley, executive director of California Solar Energy Industries Association. Kateley, who is advocating for a permanent rebate program, added more consumer protection measures could be added to CSI.

“When you look at the CSI data and the top 10 installation companies, one of them is self installed. Some of them may be homeowners installing the systems. But many of them might be unlicensed contractors,” Kateley said.

She also noted that many consumers today are able to add solar to their rooftops by signing up for leases or other financing options. Some consumers probably don’t fully understand the terms of their contracts, which commit them to paying for the equipment or the solar electricity generated for around 15-20 years.

“Residential (power purchase agreements) and leases are unregulated. The terms and conditions shift, depending on the companies. If the leasing companies go out of business, I can tell you that the warranties will just be a piece of paper,” Kateley said.

SOURCE: http://gigaom.com/cleantech/calis-solar-consumers-at-risk-of-losing-protection/

LDK Solar Completes Buyout of 70 Percent in Solar Power

Solar power equipment company LDK Solar Co. said Thursday it completed the buyout of a 70 percent interest in Solar Power Inc. for $33 million.

LDK, based in China, said it paid an initial $10 million in January and has now completed the transaction with a second payment of $23 million. Solar Power is based in Roseville, Calif.

"Solar Power provides a strong strategic complement to our downstream vertical integration opportunities and provides LDK Solar and Solar Power the opportunity to jointly explore opening manufacturing operations in the U.S. to further enhance Solar Power's competitive advantage in North America," said Xiaofeng Peng, chairman and CEO for LDK Solar, in a statement.

Its shares rose 3 percent to $12.31 in pre-market trading.

SOURCE: http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/market_news/article.jsp?content=D9MA6E580

Indianapolis Schools Benefit from Solar, Wind Test Site

Energy Solutions created a test site for solar and wind energy in Indianapolis, hopes to help cut utility costs at schools and other businesses.

Two Indianapolis companies are joining forces to harness the power of the sun and the wind. Johnson-Melloh and Schmidt Associates created Energy Solutions.

The company built a test site for the renewable energy sources on the city's southwest side. The large solar panels face I-465 and a group of wind turbines can also be seen from the interstate.

"We basically said hey, let's put up these systems to see how they work to find out what they can do for our customers," said Kurt Schneider, with Energy Solutions.

The combination of new technology and federal tax incentives for companies that produce and use solar energy encouraged Energy Solutions to experiment with the renewable energy.

The current panel array at 5925 Stockberger Place produces 100 kilowatts of energy, enough to power the building itself. Next, the company wants to install the technology in local school buildings to help cut operational costs.

"If we can come in and provide an annuity for 50 years for a school and basically cut the actual cost or at least level the cost for a school for 50 years without increases, then we've saved teachers after a period of time after the thing is paid off," Schneider said.

Currently Energy Solutions is working to install solar powered lighting at Delta High School in Delaware County.

The company is hosting an open house to tour the new technology at it's test site on April 22.

You could also soon see more solar panels on neighboring property of Energy Solutions. The Indianapolis Airport is exploring setting up solar farms on perimiter land to generate engery and potential revenue by selling it to utility companies.

SOURCE:  http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-new-solar-farm-in-indianapols-hopes-to-bring-technology-to-local-schools-20110326,0,2975519.story