Solar is the Fastest Growing Industry in US Says SEIA

Posted on May 27, 2011 by quest

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) hosted a press teleconference today to discuss an emerging trend in the utility-scale solar market toward diversifying solar technologies in utility-scale power plants. But the call strayed from the diversification topic and addressed some of the major issues confronting the U.S. market in 2011. Rhone Resch, President of SEIA, said that the solar industry employs 100,000 Americans and that that number could double in the next two years. Within a few years, the U.S. will be the world’s largest solar market, according to SEIA.

Resch said that the 1603 tax grant program has filled the void in the collapse of the tax equity market and that the grant program has doubled the efficiency of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC). He remarked that it is scheduled to expire despite the tax equity market not having fully recovered. (The 1603 program provides a 30 percent grant in lieu of the tax credit.) Resch said, “We have found it to be absolutely critical in the last two years.” Resch added that SEIA wants the 1603 program extended through 2016 “so we have business certainty. We’ve found that the 1603 program is an extremely efficient policy for job creation.” In the last two years, the solar industry has created 50,000 jobs, according to Resch, adding that the U.S. market will double from 1 gigawatt in 2010 to 2 gigawatts in 2011 and could possibly double again if the tax credit is extended.

Large-scale solar farms on public lands have pitted environmentalists against solar developers, with a bit of help from media amplification. And tortoises. Resch notes that the oil and gas industry has received 74,000 permits for drilling on public lands over the last century, while the solar industry has received nine permits to build on public lands. “There is no land grab,” said Resch, adding, “The EIR [environmental impact report] to study these areas has been comprehensive.” Resch also notes that 75 percent of the U.S. public support locating solar on public land instead of using it for grazing or other uses.

GROW YOUR OWN CLOTHES

Oregon Sustainability Center Solar and Ion Ready

Posted on May 25, 2011 by quest

SANYO North America Corporation and InSpec Group announce a new 679-kilowatt solar system to be designed and installed by InSpec for the Oregon Sustainability Center in Portland, Oregon. The project also includes a 30-kilowatt hour large-scale lithium-ion battery storage system, which will be connected in line with the rooftop PV system, capable of supplying DC electricity for applications such as LED lighting. InSpec will be managing the solar and smart energy system design and installation for the building which is expected to be completed by the beginning of 2013, and will employ SANYO solar modules and batteries.

“The Oregon Sustainability Center is proactive in their use of green building materials, and the choice of SANYO HIT modules makes sense, as they are perfect for these types of powerful rooftop system installations, where space is limited,” said Charles Hanasaki, president of the Solar and Smart Energy Division. “We value our partnership with InSpec because they share our vision of helping customers to achieve a reduction in energy consumption from non-renewable sources and improving efficiency of energy used.” Yasuyoshi Kawanishi, president of SANYO Solar of Oregon, LLC, added, “Living in Oregon, our engineers are inspired by sustainability, and it makes us proud that our work is becoming a part of Oregon, especially in a landmark building like the Oregon Sustainability Center.”

The Oregon Sustainability Center is planned to be a future home to Oregon’s leaders in sustainable business, government, and education. The structure is designed to be the greenest high-rise ever built, with locally-sourced building materials, its own energy generation and ways to collect and treat water on-site, qualifying it for Living Building Challenge certification, which requires meeting net-zero energy and water performance as well as toxin free, locally-sourced materials. The Oregon Sustainability Center will be a showcase for green building, green business and community development. The building will demonstrate sustainable practices and will offer ways to connect the community to state and local sustainability resources, including green job training opportunities.

SOLAR GOLF CART

Sahara Desert Solar Power Vision Gets Reaction

Posted on May 24, 2011 by quest

A plan to turn the desert sunshine of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) into electricity, both for the region and for export to Europe, has been criticised for ignoring the needs of local people and the science community.

Critics say that the Desertec Industrial Initiative’s (Dii) centralised, top-down approach means that electrification may not benefit the desert people and may stifle capacity-building in the region’s science community.

They were speaking on the sidelines of the Solar Energy for Science Symposium in Germany this week (19–20 May), held to push the project forward and explore the potential for scientific collaborations between Europe and MENA.

The symposium was organised by the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), with Egypt’s Academy of Scientific Research and Technology and the Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME), in Jordan.

Desertec aims to harness the huge solar and wind resources across the deserts of MENA, delivering up to 15 per cent of Europe’s electricity needs by 2050 via high-voltage transmission lines. Feasibility studies are on the way after which funding of up to US$400 billion will be sought. Hamed El-Mously, chairman of the Egyptian Society for Endogenous Development of Local Communities, said the project was ignoring the wishes of local people. Desert people have not

One Block Off the Grid Launches Solar Lease in Los Angeles

Building the World’s Greenest Skycraper

Posted on May 24, 2011 by quest

The new Pittsburgh headquarters of PNC Financial building expected to set standard for green construction. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. announced today that it plans to construct the world’s most environmentally friendly skyscraper. The Tower at PNC Plaza will be located on the Southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and Wood Street, the same Pittsburgh intersection where PNC has been headquartered for more than 150 years. Once complete in 2015, the approximately 40 story building will serve as PNC’s executive offices. At approximately 800,000 square feet, the Tower at PNC Plaza would be PNC’s largest building in Pittsburgh. Tentative plans call for approximately 300 underground parking spaces, street level retail and green rooftops. Erecting the planned $400 million Tower should create 2,500 construction jobs, with 500 workers at a time on the site during peak periods.

PNC opened its first green building in 2000. At that time, the 650,000 square foot PNC Firstside Center, on Pittsburgh’s First Avenue, was the largest LEED-certified building in the world. In 2010, PNC opened Three PNC Plaza, on Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh, one of the largest LEED-certified mixed use buildings in the United States. PNC, which has more newly constructed buildings LEED-certified by the USGBC than any company on Earth, recently completed its latest green office building in Washington, D.C. LEED Platinum certified PNC Place at 800 17th Street sits just blocks from the White House and serves as PNC’s regional headquarters in the capital.The Tower at PNC Plaza will feature a double glass facade to enhance energy efficiency by reducing cooling costs and allowing natural airflow to the building. Using advanced sensors and metering, a state-of-the-art, high efficiency heating and cooling system will deliver conditioned air to specific zones of the building, as needed. The building will be oriented to take advantage of sunlight in workspaces, reducing the need for artificial light during the day.

The design team is also currently exploring fuel cells, solar panels, geothermal systems and other alternative power generation sources that will significantly reduce carbon emissions. The building’s green rooftops will collect rainwater and channel it for use in other parts of the structure, as well as reduce the heat gain associated with traditional rooftops.

PNC will own the building and occupy all of the office space, with tenants in the retail spaces at street level. The project is being designed by the Pittsburgh office of Gensler, the world’s largest architectural and design firm and the design architects for both Three PNC Plaza and PNC Place. Pittsburgh-based PJ Dick will serve as construction manager and U.K.-based Buro Happold will be the engineering firm. Paladino & Company of Seattle serves as the green building consultant.

DISCOVER SOLAR STOCKS

Solar Energy Rooftop Project The Biggest in Canada

Posted on May 21, 2011 by quest

In a move hailed as the biggest rooftop solar energy project in Canada, the Toronto District School Board has approved a $445 million deal to add solar panels to almost every school roof over the next 20 years at no cost to taxpayers. Moreover, the company that will install the suncatchers will spend up to $121 million to repair millions of square feet of rooftop and give the board a share of the profits expected from selling the solar energy.

“This is groundbreaking; this reduces greenhouse gases and provides a learning opportunity for our students and leaves a legacy for more than 20 years — this is extraordinary,” said Trustee Howard Goodman. AMP Solar Ltd. Partnerships has offered to install panels on up to 450 of the board’s 524 roofs, replacing the worst roofs in the first three years. While Trustee Stephnie Payne warned the deal seemed too good to be true, Board Chair Chris Bolton called it “amazing” and said educators from around the world are calling for details. The solar panels are expected to generate 66 megawatts of green energy a year when all are installed, enough to meet the needs of some 6,000 average Toronto homes. Under the terms of the deal, AMP Solar Ltd. will be responsible for construction, technology, power generation, financing, roofing, operations and maintenance. It will pay the board rent for the rooftop space it uses for the panels.

Moreover, students will be able to learn about energy conservation by tracking the energy generated on the roof, noted Goodman. “Our students will not only be able to track the relationship between sunlight and electricity production, they will be going to school every day in a working power plant,” he said. “This will make abstract concepts tangible and inspire many of them to build their own small-scale model power plants, look into the work of Einstein, ponder the mysteries of quantum physics, investigate the economics of power production and consider the relative environmental and health impacts of different energy sources.” The board will unveil further details of the plan Thursday morning at Hillcrest Junior Public School near St. Clair Ave. W. and Bathurst St. Hillcrest already has solar panels on its roof that have inspired an after-school club called the Solar Inventors, which meets once a week to discuss solar energy and find ways to harness its power. The amount of power generated by the new project will vary from school to school, depending on the amount of sunlight each gets on its roof, said staff. AMP will invest a total of $450 million in the project, for which it hopes to raise about $106 million from the private sector and borrow the rest.

Climate Change: Bhutan Video

Video: GROW YOUR OWN CLOTHES

New resourceful energy users plan to install solar

Posted on May 20, 2011 by quest

A new study from Deloitte shows the emergence of a diligent new attitude toward energy consumption in the United States. According to the study, 52 percent of companies are working to reduce their energy costs by 25 percent on average over the next two to three years. Concurrently, an increasingly sophisticated consumer demographic is looking for household savings in a tight economy. According to the study, 68 percent of consumers are taking extra steps to cut their electric bills because of the recession. The study, “reSources 2011″ conducted by Deloitte with strategy and market research firm, The Harrison Group, polled 3,200 household decision-makers and more than 400 business decision-makers responsible for their company’s energy decisions or energy policy.

According to the data, American businesses and consumers are in the midst of “the birth of the resourceful energy user,” said Greg Aliff, vice chairman and U.S. energy & resources leader, Deloitte LLP. “We are seeing a profound and, in many ways, grassroots movement toward energy conscientiousness among businesses and consumers.”The Deloitte study shows that about 45 percent of Americans have directly felt the pain of the recession, due to factors such as a job loss or income reduction. It also shows that in addition to the almost 70 percent of consumers who said they reduced their electricity bills during the recession, 95 percent said they do not intend to increase their electricity use even as the economy improves.

360 VIEW OF THE SUN

Aliff noted that a similar light bulb has turned on when it comes to energy use at businesses, with 90 percent of companies setting specific goals regarding electricity and energy management practices. Furthermore, about three-quarters of businesses now have goals related to reducing electricity cost and consumption and improving the efficiency of the buildings in which they operate. More than half (56 percent) have goals aimed at improving profitability through electricity reduction. And nearly one-third of companies have goals to self-generate electricity through measures like installing solar panels. The Deloitte survey also shows that cost consciousness and social awareness are the twin drivers behind corporate energy management, with 70 percent of companies reporting the desire to cut costs as a driver behind their energy management goals, and more than half (53 percent) saying that their companies have set energy-related goals at least in part because it is “the right thing to do.”