Knowing we have months of cold, snowy, cloudy winter each year, St. Lawrence County homeowners might think using solar energy is a pipe dream in the North Country, but a Canton solar energy installer says it’s a viable, and burgeoning, alternative.
Scott Shipley of Northern Lights Solar Energy says the equivalent of southwestern sunlight isn’t needed to make home solar power a cheaper choice than NationalGrid electricity alone. The sunny days during most of the year make up for the dreary days of winter.
In fact, Shipley’s 4,000-kilowatt-hour-per-year home system, which has two large panels on the roof and a free standing panel on the ground, makes about 30 percent more energy than the household can use annually.
“The only thing that matters is the amount of sun that shines over the course of a year,” he explains. “It turns out the amount of sun we have over a year is not much different than the rest of the country.”
Shipley said he and most of his customers choose to stay “on-grid,” which means the energy his solar panels produce goes out into the National Grid and is used by everyone. It’s a kind of barter system; when it’s sunny, his panels produce more power than his home needs so the extra is given away to the grid. But when it’s cloudy and he needs more than the panels produce, he can draw extra from the grid.
Annually, this means big savings. Shipley said his household pays $17 a month for service fees, but saves about $600 annually compared to a traditional electric utility.
The initial cost outlay, if a homeowner chooses to buy the equipment rather than lease it, can be between $5,000 and $10,000, but NYSERDA and other agencies give incentives to help defray the expense.
Shipley said the important thing is to keep the cost in perspective. All of the cost is equipment, not in fuel. “It’s the cost of the system versus what you now pay for electricity,” he said.
With the incentives, Shipley said homeowners should see the system pay for itself in five to 15 years depending on the system.
“People need to think of it in terms of ‘what it costs to can your own tomatoes versus buying them.’ Is it cheaper?” he asked.
The silicon panels are very durable, too, he said. There are no moving parts and they’re designed to take worse weather than we have in the North Country.
“Nobody really knows how long they last,” Shipley said, noting panels first developed in the 1970s are still in use. Manufacturers will provide 20- to 30-year warranties.
Over a long period of time, the panels may not be as efficient as they once were, but he estimates they might only lose about 80 percent of their original power production.
Snow isn’t really much of an issue, either, Shipley said. While it does create shade initially, the panels are slanted and still heat up when it’s sunny out, causing the snow to slide right off.
So why don’t more people have at least some form of solar energy supply? Shipley said the public mind is finally starting to change. In addition to the cost savings, solar energy is also eco-friendly and reduces our dependence on pollution-causing forms of energy.
“It’s difficult to argue a more socially and environmentally responsible form of energy,” he said. People never hear about a solar power spill. But they hear about nuclear disasters in Japan, the Gulf oil spill and coalmining tragedies, not to mention air and ozone quality concerns caused by fossil fuels, he said.
“Solar energy is growing by leaps and bounds,” he said, noting his phone is ringing more and more these days with requests. “We are in the midst of a solar revolution.
2012年2月6日星期一
Hackensack may restrict solar panels
Solar panels may be environmentally friendly, but officials in some towns are worried they might offend the neighbors.
Hackensack is the latest of several New Jersey municipalities to consider regulations on private solar installations that could prohibit the reflective panels in front yards, mandate shields for those in side yards or require special approval for panels on street-facing roofs.
For now, such rules are mainly speculative: With solar technology still too expensive for most homeowners, most North Jersey installations have been limited to public and commercial buildings, said Matt Weng, the staff attorney at the League of Municipalities, a statewide organization the advises and trains local officials.
But so many officials are betting that the technology will become more commonplace as the panels become cheaper and the economy improves that model solar ordinances are among the most popular requests public officials make with his office, Weng said.
"The biggest concern they would have is solar panels impacting the quality of life of the people around them," he said. "If a house is covered with solar panels, or has solar panels all over the yard, it could affect the aesthetics of the neighborhood."
Hackensack officials are still discussing what regulations they want to enact, but an ordinance could be ready for the first of two required votes as early as Tuesday, City Manager Steve Lo Iacono said.
"There's no intent here to inhibit the growth of solar power or to make it difficult for a homeowner to install solar panels," Lo Iacono said. "More than anything, it's for safety's sake and aesthetics."
Along with regulations geared toward shielding panels from view, the city is also considering laws that would require compliance with city electrical codes and other safety standards — including extra stability so they would not blow off during a storm, Lo Iacono said.
A League of Municipalities sample ordinance, from the township of Mantua, lists five pages of restrictions, including a requirement that rooftop installations follow the slope of the roof and are installed at the rear; a mandate that the panels are made of materials that blend into the surroundings; a restriction of ground installations to the rear of lots that are at least three acres large and a prohibition of tower- or pole-mounted panels. Installations that don't meet the requirements in the ordinance must be presented to the township zoning board for special approval.
Municipal officials are particularly sensitive to potential problems with solar installations after the public outrage in many communities over the solar panels PSE&G installed on utility poles across the state in 2011, Weng said.
Hackensack is the latest of several New Jersey municipalities to consider regulations on private solar installations that could prohibit the reflective panels in front yards, mandate shields for those in side yards or require special approval for panels on street-facing roofs.
For now, such rules are mainly speculative: With solar technology still too expensive for most homeowners, most North Jersey installations have been limited to public and commercial buildings, said Matt Weng, the staff attorney at the League of Municipalities, a statewide organization the advises and trains local officials.
But so many officials are betting that the technology will become more commonplace as the panels become cheaper and the economy improves that model solar ordinances are among the most popular requests public officials make with his office, Weng said.
"The biggest concern they would have is solar panels impacting the quality of life of the people around them," he said. "If a house is covered with solar panels, or has solar panels all over the yard, it could affect the aesthetics of the neighborhood."
Hackensack officials are still discussing what regulations they want to enact, but an ordinance could be ready for the first of two required votes as early as Tuesday, City Manager Steve Lo Iacono said.
"There's no intent here to inhibit the growth of solar power or to make it difficult for a homeowner to install solar panels," Lo Iacono said. "More than anything, it's for safety's sake and aesthetics."
Along with regulations geared toward shielding panels from view, the city is also considering laws that would require compliance with city electrical codes and other safety standards — including extra stability so they would not blow off during a storm, Lo Iacono said.
A League of Municipalities sample ordinance, from the township of Mantua, lists five pages of restrictions, including a requirement that rooftop installations follow the slope of the roof and are installed at the rear; a mandate that the panels are made of materials that blend into the surroundings; a restriction of ground installations to the rear of lots that are at least three acres large and a prohibition of tower- or pole-mounted panels. Installations that don't meet the requirements in the ordinance must be presented to the township zoning board for special approval.
Municipal officials are particularly sensitive to potential problems with solar installations after the public outrage in many communities over the solar panels PSE&G installed on utility poles across the state in 2011, Weng said.
2011年10月8日星期六
Medway Middle School celebrates adding solar panels
The sun shone on Medway Middle School on Thursday, generating electricity, good feelings and a hug for Mother Earth.
At a ceremony in the auditorium celebrating 1,404 new solar panels on the building's roof, students learned that the array will provide the school with clean energy as well as lower electric bills.
Assistant Superintendent David Verdolino tried to get students to understand the significance of the work.
"So why are we here today?" he asked the students, some of whom are members of the school's "Green Team," a club dedicated to helping the environment.
"Maybe our parents helped pay for it?" one student asked.
"So we can learn about solar panels," answered another.
"My answer is because you are the ones with the most to get out of this," Verdolino said. "Let it be motivation that you can make a difference."
Medway High School added solar panels last year, but the middle school is three times as big a project, Verdolino said. The panels will provide about 70 percent of the school's electricity, school officials have said.
The ceremony, which included speakers from the offices of Gov. Deval Patrick, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-3rd, and state Rep. Carolyn Dykema, D-Holliston, celebrated the completion of the panels' installation.
The panels provide 386,000 watts of energy to the school, said Broadway Electrical Co. CEO Lawrence Hurwitz, whose company installed the array for free. The company will receive tax credits or tax advantages in the years following the project.
Solar work is part of the future of electricity, providing an inexpensive and environmentally sound alternative to other energy sources, Hurwitz said. Even his own company thrives from its benefits, he said.
"We have 100 to 125 electricians, and if we weren't doing solar work, we'd probably be down to almost 50," he told students.
Meg Lusardi, director of the green communities division for the Department of Energy and Resources, said the school was proof that communities are taking the green movement seriously. Gov. Patrick is committed to seeing similar projects, she said.
Through Patrick's Green Communities Act and the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Medway received a $150,000 grant from the federal energy grant program to install the panels. The project was at no cost to the school district or the town.
"When Gov. Patrick came into office, there was less than 4 megawatts of green energy. We're expecting 100 megawatts by the end of the year," Lusardi said.
At a ceremony in the auditorium celebrating 1,404 new solar panels on the building's roof, students learned that the array will provide the school with clean energy as well as lower electric bills.
Assistant Superintendent David Verdolino tried to get students to understand the significance of the work.
"So why are we here today?" he asked the students, some of whom are members of the school's "Green Team," a club dedicated to helping the environment.
"Maybe our parents helped pay for it?" one student asked.
"So we can learn about solar panels," answered another.
"My answer is because you are the ones with the most to get out of this," Verdolino said. "Let it be motivation that you can make a difference."
Medway High School added solar panels last year, but the middle school is three times as big a project, Verdolino said. The panels will provide about 70 percent of the school's electricity, school officials have said.
The ceremony, which included speakers from the offices of Gov. Deval Patrick, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-3rd, and state Rep. Carolyn Dykema, D-Holliston, celebrated the completion of the panels' installation.
The panels provide 386,000 watts of energy to the school, said Broadway Electrical Co. CEO Lawrence Hurwitz, whose company installed the array for free. The company will receive tax credits or tax advantages in the years following the project.
Solar work is part of the future of electricity, providing an inexpensive and environmentally sound alternative to other energy sources, Hurwitz said. Even his own company thrives from its benefits, he said.
"We have 100 to 125 electricians, and if we weren't doing solar work, we'd probably be down to almost 50," he told students.
Meg Lusardi, director of the green communities division for the Department of Energy and Resources, said the school was proof that communities are taking the green movement seriously. Gov. Patrick is committed to seeing similar projects, she said.
Through Patrick's Green Communities Act and the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Medway received a $150,000 grant from the federal energy grant program to install the panels. The project was at no cost to the school district or the town.
"When Gov. Patrick came into office, there was less than 4 megawatts of green energy. We're expecting 100 megawatts by the end of the year," Lusardi said.
2011年6月14日星期二
Bills back trend of rental solar panels
More and more Coloradans are opting to lease solar energy systems for their homes to avoid the large up-front cost of buying solar panels.
To facilitate the practice, Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., is backing a bill to reduce the risk to companies that want to rent solar equipment.
Meanwhile, Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a bill Friday to reduce the permitting fees that local governments charge installers.
Colorado already ranks as a top market for the solar business. The state government provides a number of loans, tax exemptions and rebates for system installation. The state also has the third-highest number of solar installers affiliated with the American Solar Energy Society, according to FindSolar.com.
However, solar panels still remain largely out of reach for residential ownership. Prices for a complete system can range from $10,000 to $40,000 even after state and federal rebates and incentives, according to Cooler Planet, a Seattle renewable-energy company.
To address this problem, several companies have started to offer solar power financing services, where instead of buying panels, homeowners use company-owned equipment and pay for the power they use.
Although there are no savings guarantees, customers often will pay less for the leases and the electric bills than they previously paid for electric bills alone.
“This business model is making it so that solar is affordable for millions of Americans,” said Susan Wise, a spokeswoman for SunRun, one of the nation’s largest solar-power service companies, which also provides service in Colorado.
“This is just a much better way to go solar,” she said. “You don’t actually want the equipment. You just want the clean power.”
SunRun doubled the number of customers it serves from 5,000 to 10,000 between early 2010 and 2011, Wise said.
Close to half of all solar customers in Colorado use a solar lease-type model, as opposed to owning their own panels, according to Neal Lurie, the executive director of Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association.
“I think that solar-related financing programs, including solar leases, are going to see significant growth in the months ahead,” Lurie said. “This model barely existed just a couple years ago. The fact that they have close to 50 percent of solar customers participating in solar leases reinforces the fact that it just makes it easier for customers.”
Udall wants to encourage further growth in the solar market, which currently accounts for just 1 percent of the nation’s electricity supply.
Along with Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., he sponsored legislation that would allow the Department of Energy to ensure the value of leases for residential solar energy panels. Whitehouse introduced the bill, S. 1126, on June 1.
The bill allows companies that lease solar panels to pay a premium to join the program, and they would be protected if homeowners defaulted on the cost of the lease or the system didn’t produce enough energy. Because the companies would pay a premium, the cost of the program to the taxpayers would be zero.
The senators hope the program would encourage more companies to offer such leases and bolster the solar-energy market.
“By making solar energy more accessible to people, you stimulate manufacturing, you create jobs, you also create an interest in solar energy,” Udall spokeswoman Jennifer Talhelm said.
At the state level, Wise said that rebates and other incentives are making it possible for solar leasing to exist.
“We still very much need subsidies in order to make this work,” she said.
Wise said that in the future, the industry’s goal is to be subsidy-free.
A major area that needs to be addressed is inconsistencies in solar permitting practices from municipality to municipality, Wise said. Such differences, on average, add about $2,500 per installation.
“If you can streamline permitting processes across the industry and have a standard process with online submission forms you will significantly reduce the cost of solar,” she said.
Efforts are under way at both the national and the state level to address this issue. The Department of Energy and the White House are enlisting local governments to design a streamlined permitting process that they would encourage cities to adopt.
In Colorado, Hickenlooper on Friday signed into law legislation that would ease the state’s permitting process. It limits the cost of solar permits and related fees to the local government’s actual cost to issue the permit, not to exceed $500 for a residential installation.
“I think this is ground-breaking legislation that is likely to become a national model that other states will follow,” said Lurie with Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association.
To facilitate the practice, Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., is backing a bill to reduce the risk to companies that want to rent solar equipment.
Meanwhile, Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a bill Friday to reduce the permitting fees that local governments charge installers.
Colorado already ranks as a top market for the solar business. The state government provides a number of loans, tax exemptions and rebates for system installation. The state also has the third-highest number of solar installers affiliated with the American Solar Energy Society, according to FindSolar.com.
However, solar panels still remain largely out of reach for residential ownership. Prices for a complete system can range from $10,000 to $40,000 even after state and federal rebates and incentives, according to Cooler Planet, a Seattle renewable-energy company.
To address this problem, several companies have started to offer solar power financing services, where instead of buying panels, homeowners use company-owned equipment and pay for the power they use.
Although there are no savings guarantees, customers often will pay less for the leases and the electric bills than they previously paid for electric bills alone.
“This business model is making it so that solar is affordable for millions of Americans,” said Susan Wise, a spokeswoman for SunRun, one of the nation’s largest solar-power service companies, which also provides service in Colorado.
“This is just a much better way to go solar,” she said. “You don’t actually want the equipment. You just want the clean power.”
SunRun doubled the number of customers it serves from 5,000 to 10,000 between early 2010 and 2011, Wise said.
Close to half of all solar customers in Colorado use a solar lease-type model, as opposed to owning their own panels, according to Neal Lurie, the executive director of Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association.
“I think that solar-related financing programs, including solar leases, are going to see significant growth in the months ahead,” Lurie said. “This model barely existed just a couple years ago. The fact that they have close to 50 percent of solar customers participating in solar leases reinforces the fact that it just makes it easier for customers.”
Udall wants to encourage further growth in the solar market, which currently accounts for just 1 percent of the nation’s electricity supply.
Along with Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., he sponsored legislation that would allow the Department of Energy to ensure the value of leases for residential solar energy panels. Whitehouse introduced the bill, S. 1126, on June 1.
The bill allows companies that lease solar panels to pay a premium to join the program, and they would be protected if homeowners defaulted on the cost of the lease or the system didn’t produce enough energy. Because the companies would pay a premium, the cost of the program to the taxpayers would be zero.
The senators hope the program would encourage more companies to offer such leases and bolster the solar-energy market.
“By making solar energy more accessible to people, you stimulate manufacturing, you create jobs, you also create an interest in solar energy,” Udall spokeswoman Jennifer Talhelm said.
At the state level, Wise said that rebates and other incentives are making it possible for solar leasing to exist.
“We still very much need subsidies in order to make this work,” she said.
Wise said that in the future, the industry’s goal is to be subsidy-free.
A major area that needs to be addressed is inconsistencies in solar permitting practices from municipality to municipality, Wise said. Such differences, on average, add about $2,500 per installation.
“If you can streamline permitting processes across the industry and have a standard process with online submission forms you will significantly reduce the cost of solar,” she said.
Efforts are under way at both the national and the state level to address this issue. The Department of Energy and the White House are enlisting local governments to design a streamlined permitting process that they would encourage cities to adopt.
In Colorado, Hickenlooper on Friday signed into law legislation that would ease the state’s permitting process. It limits the cost of solar permits and related fees to the local government’s actual cost to issue the permit, not to exceed $500 for a residential installation.
“I think this is ground-breaking legislation that is likely to become a national model that other states will follow,” said Lurie with Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association.
2011年4月1日星期五
California Pistachio farm run on solar energy
A Central Valley, California, pistachio farm has installed six acres of solar panels to power the agricultural center.
The project was completed by a California solar installer, Bechtel Power Corp., and the 1-megawatt structure is the first one in Central Valley, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Nichols Farms, a 50 year-old pistachio farm, will have 70 percent of their electrical demand covered by solar energy, the news source reported. The solar panels are propped up on poles, and the waterless energy setup does not cause permanent shadows.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, almost 9,000 farms and ranches around the country are powered by solar panels, methane digesters or wind turbines, either in part, or in full, the news source said. Of those, approximately 8,000 of these farms had solar installations.
California, one of the leading states in solar power, currently has almost 2,000 energy systems that work on renewable resources, according to the news source. Solar panels work by concentrating sunlight onto "solar cells," which absorb the light and turn it into usable electricity.
The project was completed by a California solar installer, Bechtel Power Corp., and the 1-megawatt structure is the first one in Central Valley, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Nichols Farms, a 50 year-old pistachio farm, will have 70 percent of their electrical demand covered by solar energy, the news source reported. The solar panels are propped up on poles, and the waterless energy setup does not cause permanent shadows.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, almost 9,000 farms and ranches around the country are powered by solar panels, methane digesters or wind turbines, either in part, or in full, the news source said. Of those, approximately 8,000 of these farms had solar installations.
California, one of the leading states in solar power, currently has almost 2,000 energy systems that work on renewable resources, according to the news source. Solar panels work by concentrating sunlight onto "solar cells," which absorb the light and turn it into usable electricity.
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