When new trends in apartment living emerge, they often take hold quickly in fad-conscious Japan. That is what happened with “solar apartments,” residential buildings that have solar panels on their roofs. Now, such buildings are being aggressively promoted by some Japanese developers.
People here are enamored of new homes and apartments, and so are developers, who find them profitable — about two-thirds of houses and apartments bought and sold here are new.
Interest in solar apartments grew after the March 11 earthquake last year. The aftermath, which included a meltdown at one nuclear power plant after a tsunami struck and the shuttering of others, periodically deprived Japanese households of electricity. There were many calls for greater reliance on renewable forms of energy, including solar.
“Whenever the conditions allow, we want all our new apartments fitted with solar panels,” said Toshiya Kitagawa, executive officer at Takara Leben, a midsize apartment developer in Tokyo.
The company’s first solar apartment went on sale last June, in the city of Wako in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, and sold almost instantly, according to the company. Takara Leben — like its rivals Sankei Building and Daikyo, which have developed similar projects recently — had conceived the solar-apartment idea before the earthquake. But the disaster “gave a big boost” to sales of the 112 units, Mr. Kitagawa said. The price tags were 30 million to 38 million, or roughly $350,000 to $470,000.
The company was so happy with the results that it now has five projects in the pipeline, two to be completed this spring.
Sankei Building, another midsize developer, had also set out to build a solar apartment in 2010 in Musashino, a popular suburban residential district of Tokyo. Last June, the company announced its sales to great acclaim. “They sold out quite instantaneously,” said Yukari Sasaki, the managing officer who heads the residential development department at Sankei in Tokyo. “People’s awareness for natural energy and disaster readiness has been greatly enhanced” after the earthquake.
Each apartment’s solar system comes with control panels and a display that compares energy generation and use on a month-to-month and year-to-year basis. The apartments also have batteries that kick in when grid-supplied energy is cut in emergencies. Sankei Building has three new solar apartment buildings in the works.
There is another reason midsize developers favor solar apartments. They tend to build on the outskirts of Tokyo, while their bigger rivals, like Mitsui Fudosan, Mitsubishi Estate and Sumitomo Realty, have an edge in developing inner-city high rises in prime locations. But high-rises are generally unsuitable for solar apartments, because they require expansive roof space relative to the number of units.
“The building shouldn’t be taller than five to six stories,” said Ms. Sasaki of Sankei Building. “You end up with too little roof space per housing unit.”
Sankei Building and Takara Lebel assigned six solar panels to each unit. “That’s the minimum, given the need to generate enough solar power to each household,” Mr. Kitagawa said.
An expensive lot in the city center that could fit a 30- to 40-story structure is a poor choice for solar panels. Besides, “You want be clear of tall buildings in the surrounding areas, which could compromise full exposure to sun you need to have,” said Hiroshi Iwamoto, sales manager for Takaka Leben’s solar apartments in Yokohama.
According to Takara Leben, the six panels per household for most of its apartments in Tokyo and Yokohama will be enough to cut electricity bills 56 percent in a typical household of four, based on a simulation conducted by the Tokyo Electric Power. According to the company’s math, the energy bill falls to 6,150 a month on average from 14,035 — to about $75 from $170.
Hiromu Sato, 37, an owner and a resident of Takara Leben’s solar condominium in Wako, said he did not necessarily believe the electric company’s calculations when he was considering buying an apartment.
“I thought that figure was kind of hype,” he said. But he found the savings warranted the claim. “I am quite comfortable saying we are saving in excess of 10,000 a month, compared to the bill we used to pay” at the last apartment he and his wife shared, which was considerably smaller than the 70-square-meter, or 750-square-foot, unit they now own.
2011年11月1日星期二
Shining spotlight on solar panel bankruptcy
The White House’s half-billion-dollar loan to a now-bankrupt solar-energy firm is just the first act in an emerging scandal of insider political influence over a deeply flawed clean energy program.
What has come to light so far as part of a congressional investigation is the administration’s willful order to approve a bad loan, despite dire warnings from a number of federal officials that the Solyndra Corp., a California-based solar panel maker, was in deep financial trouble.
A steady stream of government emails released by a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee tells a sordid tale of a company that President Obama turned into an energy showcase for his $40 billion loan program - until it went bankrupt in August, putting 1,100 employees out of work.
One of the people who promoted Solyndra’s $535 million loan, which now will be paid by federal taxpayers, was Steven J. Spinner, a senior Energy Department adviser, a major fundraiser for Mr. Obama and a Silicon Valley investor who was given the job of guiding the government’s clean-technology investments.
He not only was the one of Solyndra’s unabashedly inside defenders, his wife worked for the California law firm that represented the solar company and helped it file for the government loan her husband was promoting.
While internal concerns were raised about Solyndra’s shaky finances as early as the summer of 2009, Mr. Spinner emailed a top aide to then-White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel that Solyndra was a financially solvent company that fully deserved the administration’s support.
“I haven’t heard anything negative on my side,” he told Mr. Emanuel’s aide in an email about the warnings. “I … have no idea what they’re referring [to].”
As the loan deal stalled after internal criticism of the firm’s looming insolvency, Mr. Spinner grew more impatient. “How [expletive] hard is this?” he wrote to a career Energy Department staffer Aug. 28, 2009, about its delayed clearance from an Office of Management and Budget official. “What is he waiting for? Will we have it by the end of the day?”
But internal complaints from OMB and Treasury about Solyndra’s dubious finances as well as the favorable terms of its loan persisted. That sparked further internal debate about the legality of the loan’s revision, though to no avail.
Dismissing warnings that the government’s restructuring of the loan was illegal and should be reviewed by Justice Department attorneys, Energy officials moved ahead with changes in February that required Solyndra’s investors be repaid before taxpayers if the company defaulted on its debt.
Other emails released by the House panel last month reveal a politically pressured program that was heavily influenced by powerful special interests that had a stake in its outcome.
“In an administration that said it would curtail lobbyists’ influence, the documents show ardent lobbying by political appointees inside the agencies and significant White House access given to venture capitalists with a major stake in the $40 billion stimulus investment program for clean energy,” The Washington Post reported last month.
One of these venture investors was David Prend, whose company, Rockport Capital, was a Solyndra backer. He met with White House officials about the deal in March of 2009.
“It was great to meet you with [then-White House climate adviser] Carol Browner last week,” Mr. Prend wrote. “I look forward to working with you to get the message out and to effect real change in the Energy Industry. I will follow up shortly on 2 of the companies we discussed,” he said. One of them was Solyndra.
But emails from government officials to Energy officials, who were responsible for reviewing the deal, were growing increasingly critical of Solyndra’s rising debts and declining revenues.
What has come to light so far as part of a congressional investigation is the administration’s willful order to approve a bad loan, despite dire warnings from a number of federal officials that the Solyndra Corp., a California-based solar panel maker, was in deep financial trouble.
A steady stream of government emails released by a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee tells a sordid tale of a company that President Obama turned into an energy showcase for his $40 billion loan program - until it went bankrupt in August, putting 1,100 employees out of work.
One of the people who promoted Solyndra’s $535 million loan, which now will be paid by federal taxpayers, was Steven J. Spinner, a senior Energy Department adviser, a major fundraiser for Mr. Obama and a Silicon Valley investor who was given the job of guiding the government’s clean-technology investments.
He not only was the one of Solyndra’s unabashedly inside defenders, his wife worked for the California law firm that represented the solar company and helped it file for the government loan her husband was promoting.
While internal concerns were raised about Solyndra’s shaky finances as early as the summer of 2009, Mr. Spinner emailed a top aide to then-White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel that Solyndra was a financially solvent company that fully deserved the administration’s support.
“I haven’t heard anything negative on my side,” he told Mr. Emanuel’s aide in an email about the warnings. “I … have no idea what they’re referring [to].”
As the loan deal stalled after internal criticism of the firm’s looming insolvency, Mr. Spinner grew more impatient. “How [expletive] hard is this?” he wrote to a career Energy Department staffer Aug. 28, 2009, about its delayed clearance from an Office of Management and Budget official. “What is he waiting for? Will we have it by the end of the day?”
But internal complaints from OMB and Treasury about Solyndra’s dubious finances as well as the favorable terms of its loan persisted. That sparked further internal debate about the legality of the loan’s revision, though to no avail.
Dismissing warnings that the government’s restructuring of the loan was illegal and should be reviewed by Justice Department attorneys, Energy officials moved ahead with changes in February that required Solyndra’s investors be repaid before taxpayers if the company defaulted on its debt.
Other emails released by the House panel last month reveal a politically pressured program that was heavily influenced by powerful special interests that had a stake in its outcome.
“In an administration that said it would curtail lobbyists’ influence, the documents show ardent lobbying by political appointees inside the agencies and significant White House access given to venture capitalists with a major stake in the $40 billion stimulus investment program for clean energy,” The Washington Post reported last month.
One of these venture investors was David Prend, whose company, Rockport Capital, was a Solyndra backer. He met with White House officials about the deal in March of 2009.
“It was great to meet you with [then-White House climate adviser] Carol Browner last week,” Mr. Prend wrote. “I look forward to working with you to get the message out and to effect real change in the Energy Industry. I will follow up shortly on 2 of the companies we discussed,” he said. One of them was Solyndra.
But emails from government officials to Energy officials, who were responsible for reviewing the deal, were growing increasingly critical of Solyndra’s rising debts and declining revenues.
2011年9月6日星期二
Solyndra Bankruptcy Reveals Dark Clouds in Solar Power Industry
Many of the problems that forced solar company Solyndra to shutter operations threaten other businesses in the sun-power industry, with more upheaval likely in the coming months, analysts say.
The bankruptcy last month of Fremont, Calif.-based Solyndra comes as solar manufacturing undergoes a major transition. Prices of solar panels have plummeted, causing a supply glut and slicing company revenues.
Solyndra's collapse marked the third time in as many weeks that a solar company declared bankruptcy. Evergreen Solar Inc. of Massachusetts and SpectraWatt of New York also filed for protection.
"It coincides with the fact that the industry is in trouble," said Ken Zweibel, director of the Solar Institute at George Washington University. "There is a crisis in the solar manufacturing world there's no question about it. With three companies declaring bankruptcy in three weeks, there's no question that they're all under pressure."
Solyndra's bankruptcy also comes as Congress battles over spending and the best way to create jobs. Solyndra had received $527 million in federal loans authorized by a program in the 2009 stimulus act. Many in the GOP say that President Obama's bid to create "green jobs" has been a failure. That could make it hard for solar to fight for any new federal help.
States like California are adding new incentives, however, which the industry hopes will keep it healthy.
The solar industry's trade group, meanwhile, has urged people not to see Solyndra's bankruptcy as a sign of trouble for the sector.
"What we are seeing in solar happens in every industry that is maturing and growing more competitive," said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. "You're going to see winners emerge who find innovative ways to offer consumers the most competitively priced products."
Solyndra had some unique problems, analysts said, that helped accelerate its demise. The company made a unique product: cylindrical solar tubes equipped with copper indium gallium diselenide thin-film technology.
The cylinders could "capture sunlight across a 360-degree photovoltaic surface," Solyndra said on its website. Designed for commercial rooftops, the product offered "the fastest and easiest installation, a non-penetrating mounting system, and superior wind, snow and soiling performance," Solyndra said.
But the tubes also had limited uses, analysts say.
"It was a specialty product that could be used in certain applications, that would be very attractive for those applications, but wouldn't be generally useful for large fields or even [all] rooftops," Zweibel said. "They have misunderstood the marketplace."
That made Solyndra different. But it also had something in common with other solar manufacturers. The Chinese government is investing in solar production, which has led to a burst in production that has boosted supplies and forced down product prices worldwide.
The price of panels has tumbled more than 40 percent in a year, Zweibel said, a drop that followed price declines in 2009.
Analysts believe companies beyond Solyndra will face tough financial decisions.
"There's a lot of turmoil in the solar industry," said Joshua Linn, a fellow at Resources for the Future, "a lot of new companies starting and a lot of companies going out of business around the world. There's going to be a lot of uncertainty."
The bankruptcy last month of Fremont, Calif.-based Solyndra comes as solar manufacturing undergoes a major transition. Prices of solar panels have plummeted, causing a supply glut and slicing company revenues.
Solyndra's collapse marked the third time in as many weeks that a solar company declared bankruptcy. Evergreen Solar Inc. of Massachusetts and SpectraWatt of New York also filed for protection.
"It coincides with the fact that the industry is in trouble," said Ken Zweibel, director of the Solar Institute at George Washington University. "There is a crisis in the solar manufacturing world there's no question about it. With three companies declaring bankruptcy in three weeks, there's no question that they're all under pressure."
Solyndra's bankruptcy also comes as Congress battles over spending and the best way to create jobs. Solyndra had received $527 million in federal loans authorized by a program in the 2009 stimulus act. Many in the GOP say that President Obama's bid to create "green jobs" has been a failure. That could make it hard for solar to fight for any new federal help.
States like California are adding new incentives, however, which the industry hopes will keep it healthy.
The solar industry's trade group, meanwhile, has urged people not to see Solyndra's bankruptcy as a sign of trouble for the sector.
"What we are seeing in solar happens in every industry that is maturing and growing more competitive," said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. "You're going to see winners emerge who find innovative ways to offer consumers the most competitively priced products."
Solyndra had some unique problems, analysts said, that helped accelerate its demise. The company made a unique product: cylindrical solar tubes equipped with copper indium gallium diselenide thin-film technology.
The cylinders could "capture sunlight across a 360-degree photovoltaic surface," Solyndra said on its website. Designed for commercial rooftops, the product offered "the fastest and easiest installation, a non-penetrating mounting system, and superior wind, snow and soiling performance," Solyndra said.
But the tubes also had limited uses, analysts say.
"It was a specialty product that could be used in certain applications, that would be very attractive for those applications, but wouldn't be generally useful for large fields or even [all] rooftops," Zweibel said. "They have misunderstood the marketplace."
That made Solyndra different. But it also had something in common with other solar manufacturers. The Chinese government is investing in solar production, which has led to a burst in production that has boosted supplies and forced down product prices worldwide.
The price of panels has tumbled more than 40 percent in a year, Zweibel said, a drop that followed price declines in 2009.
Analysts believe companies beyond Solyndra will face tough financial decisions.
"There's a lot of turmoil in the solar industry," said Joshua Linn, a fellow at Resources for the Future, "a lot of new companies starting and a lot of companies going out of business around the world. There's going to be a lot of uncertainty."
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