GOING SOLAR PROGRAM

Thanks To The New American Vision Solar™ Power Purchase Agreement

Solar panels create a ‘green’, pollution-free source for heat, light and electricity. The technology has been around for a while, in fact, because satellites utilize solar panels, we already rely on solar power for many of the gadgets we use everyday from cell phones to GPS systems to satellite TV. Large corporations are now relying on solar to power their plants and factories while major league ballparks use it to power LED scoreboards. So what has been keeping the average homeowner from installing solar panels on their home? Hands down, the answer is the upfront cost to install the solar panels.

Thanks to leaps in technology over the years, solar panels are more within your financial reach than you may think. The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) from American Vision Solar™ is a brilliant, cost-effective program that helps homeowners take advantage of solar panels with little to no upfront costs. By signing an American Vision Solar PPA, qualifying homeowners will get professional installation of the highest quality solar panels on their home, and immediately reap all of the amazing benefits solar has to offer.

“A lower carbon footprint, significant monthly cost savings and added home value are just a few significant reasons why homeowners are taking the plunge to go green with solar,” says Bill Herren, President and CEO for American Vision Solar. “And the new PPA from American Vision Solar now makes it possible for virtually every homeowner to benefit from solar panels, with little to no money down as well as no hassle with ongoing maintenance.”

How does it work? American Vision Solar works with Solar PPA Companies who literally purchase the solar panels for you, and in turn act as your ‘local energy company’ –
collecting your monthly utility bill (PPA Payment), as well as any applicable state/local incentives. There’s no initial investment by simply letting someone else pay for the system, handle all the paperwork involved, plus the PPA Company will pro-actively monitor the system and be responsible for any repairs and maintenance over the 20 year term. Production guarantee, inverter replacement and full-system insurance are also included. And the biggest benefit of all, your PPA payment is guaranteed to be LESS than your local Southern California Edison (SCE) bill without solar. Over a period of 20 years, the solar panels will provide a huge rate of return on investment!

Husband and wife team Bill and Kathleen Herren began providing homeowners with
energy-efficient solutions with their window sales and installation company, American Vision Windows™. Now, more than ten years and 30,000 satisfied customers later, the company has expanded its unmatched service to its other brands that will help revolutionize the home improvement industry: American Vision Solar and American Vision Garages™.

To learn more about American Vision Solar, and to find a showroom near you, visit the company online at http://www.americanvisionsolar.com • Call toll free: (888) 635-2579.

El Segundo, Calif., August 8, 2011—Blessed with abundant sunshine and a supportive political structure, California is positioned to add 7.5 gigawatts (GW) of installed power from photovoltaic (PV) sources during the period of 2010 to 2015, further ensuring that the state remains America’s leading light in solar energy, according to new insights from the IHS iSuppli Photovoltaic Service from information and analysis provider IHS (NYSE: IHS).

Installed PV capacity in California is projected to reach 967 megawatts (MW) this year, the highest in the country and part of an increasing push by the most populous U.S. state to derive a greater portion of energy from renewable sources, a mix that also would include wind turbines and fuel cells.

Next year, power from solar sources will generate some 1.2GW in California—more than the PV capacity of the next six-highest states combined. States approaching the land size of California, like New Mexico and Arizona, are projected to have less than a third as much PV capacity by the same time, hovering in the mid-300MW range. And outside of the top 10 states where solar generation will be highest, combined PV capacity from the lowest 40 states will add up to just 395MW, also merely one-third of California capacity, IHS data shows.

“California is indeed at the forefront of photovoltaic technology, and its commitment to the industry is important for the whole North America region,” said Mike Sheppard, analyst for photovoltaics at IHS.

California’s drive to attain clean energy gained fresh impetus during a recent two-day conference in late July at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), attended by 200 researchers, academics, business leaders and politicians. There, Calif. Governor Jerry Brown reiterated the push to obtain by 2020 as much as 33 percent of energy from renewable sources, an amount equivalent to 12GW—enough to power roughly three million homes.

With a series of intensive solar projects under way, as much as 7.5GW in PV capacity could be added to the local power grid by 2015, more than half the state’s announced goal of achieving 12GW from all renewable sources—and with five more years to spare before the targeted 2020 deadline. What this shows is the likelihood of PV accounting in the future for a great portion of clean energy in California, Sheppard noted.

The figure below shows the cumulative PV capacity for California from 2010 to 2015. Given an installed PV power capacity of 900MW in 2010 that then rises to a forecast level of 8.4GW in 2015, a total of 7.5GW in power will have been added to the state in the span of five years.

California’s natural advantage lends itself to busy PV activity within the state
In the United States, California has among the highest insolation levels for measuring the rate of solar radiation delivery as measured by NASA. With a score of 5.4 kilowatt-hours per square meter per day (kWh/(m2/day)), the Los Angeles area ranks second only to the 5.96 kWh/(m2/day) rate of Honolulu, Hawaii. Los Angeles also places higher than perennial hot-weather spots like Phoenix, Ariz. (5.38 kWh/(m2/day)); Las Vegas, Nev. (5.3 kWh/(m2/day)); and Miami, Fla. (5.26 kWh/(m2/day)).

Two other areas surveyed in California likewise boast of above-average insolation rates: the Bay area near San Francisco at 5.08 kWh/(m2/day), and San Francisco proper at 4.89 kWh/(m2/day).

Aside from an inherent natural resource in plentiful supply, California hosts a number of companies engaged in the solar business, including research and development sites that do not engage in manufacturing. At least 27 firms can be found in the state engaged in solar-related activities including the production of ingots, crystalline silicon cells and modules, and thin-film cells and modules—all components that go into the manufacture of solar panels.

Currently the biggest PV project within the state is the Topaz Solar farm, a 550MW power plant being built by Arizona-based First Solar Inc., located in the Carrizo Plain northwest of Los Angeles. Other solar projects under way or slated to begin are the 55MW Niland Project in Imperial County; a five-year program by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) to develop 500MW of power in northern and central California; the Catalina Solar Project in Kern County; and a project by Southern California Edison for distributed power through commercial rooftops, IHS data shows.
More on California to Continue to Lead Nation in Solar Power Installations

Department of Energy Finalizes a $967 Million Loan Guarantee to Support the Agua Caliente Solar Project

Arizona Project Expected to Generate Approximately 400 Solar Related Jobs

Washington D.C. – U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that the Department of Energy finalized a $967 million loan guarantee to Agua Caliente Solar, LLC. The loan guarantee will support the construction of the Agua Caliente Solar project, a 290-megawatt photovoltaic solar generating facility in Yuma County, Arizona that will use thin film solar panels manufactured by First Solar, Inc. The project sponsor, NRG Solar LLC, estimates the photovoltaic generation facility will fund approximately 400 construction jobs and 10 full time operating jobs, and will be one of the largest plants of its kind in the world when completed.

“The Agua Caliente Solar project will bring hundreds of jobs to Arizona, while helping increase the reliability of renewable solar power,” said Secretary Chu. “Today’s announcement, in addition to several recent offers of conditional commitments for loan guarantees to solar manufacturing and generation projects, demonstrates the Administration’s ongoing commitment to creating clean energy jobs while bringing innovative renewable energy technologies to the market.”

The Agua Caliente Solar project will deploy fault ride-through and dynamic voltage regulation, innovative technologies that are new to photovoltaic solar power plants in the United States. These technologies will improve the reliability and predictability of the electricity supplied to the electricity grid. Pacific Gas & Electric Company will purchase power generated from the project and will deliver clean, renewable electricity to California consumers.

More on Agua Caliente Solar Project

By Daryl J. Ehrmantraut

Our future energy requirements depend on reaching the ‘holy grail’ of electricity generation – Finding a cheaper alternative to coal and other fossil fuels. The availability of an alternative energy source would also contribute significantly to energy self-sufficiency in North America.

Every hour more energy from the sun hits the earth than the world’s entire population consumes in a single year. Given this abundance, solar energy is our world’s most obvious energy choice. Why then, is less than 1% of our global electricity supply powered by solar energy? Because the industry has been unable to harness the three critical success factors for global solar deployment – high efficiency, low cost and high materials availability for deployment on a global scale.

Current solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies generate electrical power by converting solar radiation into an electric current using semiconductor material. The process involved is called the photovoltaic effect (PV). Today, solar PV cannot be realized on a worldwide scale because neither of the two main technologies presented today; crystalline silicon PV and thin-film PV, completely address the three critical success factors. Crystalline silicon PV possesses high efficiency using abundant materials but they are very expensive to manufacture. It wins on two of the 3 critical success factors. Thin-film PV on the other hand is cheap to manufacture but has low efficiency and relies on rare and toxic elements in its manufacture. It wins on one critical success factor. Furthermore most thin-film technologies use dangerous, toxic materials including cadmium telluride and indium among others.

Despite the challenges, the global market for solar PV technology is growing very rapidly. Some analysts predicting solar PV could contribute as much as 10-15% of our global electricity by 2050.
As we seek to move solar energy into the mainstream, we need to retain the industry’s green integrity and bypass the pitfalls of electronic waste. Creating safe, affordable solar energy solutions requires research and development that eliminates the sector’s reliance the scarce and dangerous elements that are in limited supply, toxic, difficult to mine, or found only in select, sometimes geopolitically unfriendly regions of the world.
More on Removing the Rare Element Shackles from Solar Energy

4.4 MW of Solar Power from Constellation Energy

More than 8 Megawatts of Solar Now Supplies 6 Percent of DIA’s Total Electricity Needs

DENVER, July 28, 2011 – Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) and Denver International Airport (DIA) today announced the completion of a 4.4-megawatt, ground-mounted solar power system. Constellation Energy built, owns and maintains the solar installation, and DIA will purchase the electricity produced by the system over a 20-year period. It is the third large-scale solar project for DIA, bringing the airport’s total amount of hosted solar power to more than 8 megawatts – the most solar generation at a commercial airport in the United States.

In honor of the solar project’s completion, a celebration and ribbon-cutting were held today at DIA. Business and community leaders, as well as representatives from state and local government were on hand for the event, including Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock.

“With the addition of this solar facility, Denver International Airport’s three solar array systems now produce approximately six percent of the airport’s total power requirements,” said Kim Day, aviation manager for DIA. “We support alternative energy applications at DIA because these projects are good for the environment while positively impacting our bottom line; they are financially sustainable. This airport was built with a goal of being green, and with this additional solar array, Denver International Airport now has one of the largest solar installations in North America.”
More on Destination Clean Energy: Denver International Airport Dedicates

Trade-off between Profitability and Inventory Clearance Becomes the Biggest Challenge for Solar Cell Manufacturers

July 27, 2011 — According to the latest survey conducted by EnergyTrend, manufacturers indicated that they are conservative about September orders and the PV market of 3Q11. On the other hand, the spot price of polysilicon remained at a high level. The Chinese market demand still stayed high while other markets showed signs of slowing. According to EnergyTrend, downstream manufacturers are conservative about spot price trend of polysilicon, primarily because most orders from large manufacturers are signed on contractual terms, and few make purchase on the spot market. The second tier and third tier manufacturers are the main active participants on the polysilicon spot market, but their combined purchase volume is much less than top tier manufacturers’. Therefore, it is estimated that the current spot market situation can not support polysilicon manufacturers to raise the price.

Source: EnergyTrend

This week’s survey shows that the polysilicon price remained stable with the main trading price between $52/kg and $54/kg. Notably, the trading price in the Chinese market is slightly higher than other areas, ranging from $55/kg to $58/kg with the average price of polysilicon remaining at $54.55/kg. In terms of Si wafer price, the average market spot price of mono-Si wafer stayed stable, and the main trading price stayed between $2.6/piece and $2.65/piece. The current trading price of multi-Si wafer remanded between $1.95/piece and $2.1/piece, but the top tier manufacturers’ price has increased to $2.0/piece. Comparatively speaking, the average price of multi-Si wafer has slightly risen by 0.05% to $2.051/piece while that of mono-Si waver has increased by 0.04% to $2.632/piece.

As for solar cells and modules, due to strong demand for high conversion efficiency solar cells, the price remained relatively high with the highest price above $0.9/Watt. In addition, from perspectives of the production line, the output volume of solar cell with conversion efficiency under 16.4% accounts for 10%~20%. Although the demand for high conversion efficiency solar cells stays strong, manufacturers still need to take selling lower conversion efficiency product into consideration. Therefore, with the pressure of trading price adjustment for lower efficiency products still remaining, trade-off between profitability and inventory clearance is the biggest challenge for solar cell manufacturers. According to EnergyTrend, cell prices fluctuated this week and lower priced products has dragged down the average price by 0.62% to $0.797/Watt. On the other hand, the average price of module, affected by Chinese manufacturers’ price quotation, has continuously decreased by 0.78% to $1.265/Watt.

According to current market situation, manufacturers indicated that they put much focus on the Chinese local governments’ subsidies. To date, Jiangsu, Shandong, and Qinghai provinces have announced their local subsidies. Among those, the subsidy of Qinghai government attracted wide attention of Chinese PV manufacturers. However, EnergyTrend believes that fund availability is the key determinant factor for the subsidy program’s future success. Furthermore, subsidy releases show the Chinese local governments’ support for local PV industry developments. In particular, Jiangsu and Shandong, their PV industry developments have reached a certain scale. EnergyTrend indicates that the subsidy release can help locally based manufacturers to overcome challenge of the oversupply market.

Notably, the Qinghai government attempts to support its PV industry growth through the new subsidy in the hope of making Qinghai province become a big PV production base and market place. Currently, the Qinghai government has achieved the fundamental goal. However, the Chinese market is now the world’s biggest PV production base. At this stage, the accumulated production capacity in the southeast China can fully already meet the projected annual domestic market demand through 2020. Additionally, the northwestern China has also released new subsidy policy that might further spur the production output. Therefore, EnergyTrend believes that the risk of Chinese PV industry forming a bubble may increase, if the oversupply situation continues or even worsens without guidelines.

How are you with your knowledge of solar energy and solar energy related issues. Well the good folks over at National Geographic have put up a very cool quiz that tests your knowledge.

I took it. Why don’t you?

Solar Energy Quiz Here

We no longer need to burn fossil fuels to produce usable energy. Today there are many alternative forms of usable energy available to us. Choosing to utilize other forms of renewable energy such as solar panels not only reduces our carbon footprint and the impact that we have on the world, but also provides us with a sustainable energy source that will be around for years to come.

The importance of solar power

The surface of the earth receives enough energy in one hour to meet all of the world’s energy needs for one year. By harnessing this energy using solar photovoltaic (PV) technology, we can meet all of our energy requirements. Solar is the perfect example of a form of energy which is truly renewable, as harnessing solar power puts no additional strain on the sun and can be seen as utilizing a vital resource. Scientists believe that the sun will begin to run out of hydrogen (its fuel) in about 5 billion years, thus solar power is a viable option for years to come.

There are many reasons to invest in solar panels. For a domestic installation, the government-introduced Feed-in Tariff ensures a great return on investment of 11% on average. This is significantly higher than savings accounts or ISAs. Another key reason is that by generating your own electricity, you need to buy much less from the national grid, meaning savings on electricity bills, another financial incentive.

The environmental benefits are a key reason for investing in solar panels. These have been overshadowed recently by the financial incentives that were introduced by the government with the Feed-in Tariff (FIT). Yet it is important to remember that the FIT was introduced for environmental reasons, as a way of encouraging individuals and organizations to invest in renewable energy sources as this would help to meet the country’s environmental targets and reduce our nation’s carbon footprint.

Our carbon footprint

Your carbon footprint is a gauge of the impact that your activities have on the environment, measured by CO? emissions. Our carbon footprints are mainly produced from the burning of fossil fuels for transportation and heating, production and shipping. These can be reduced by making lifestyle choices reducing the amount of CO? produced. Buying local produce where possible is an easy way to reduce our carbon footprints, as these items will have no carbon emissions associated with them.

Choosing to heat or power your home or organization through renewable energy sources is one of the most significant choices that you can make to reduce your carbon footprint. This is because heat and power are some of the biggest producers of CO? and can therefore result in some of the most significant reductions.

The UK government is responsible for ensuring that the carbon emissions for the country are reduced, but in order to succeed this needs to be tackled by individuals. Crucially the clean green electricity that a solar PV system produces will be used in the home, replacing the electricity that you would have bought from your energy supplier. Thus you are significantly reducing the amount of energy derived from burn fossil fuels that you consume.

Other sources of renewable energy

Once you install solar panels on your home, the environmental benefits are immediate and significant. The source of the energy that is generated is free, as the sunlight hitting the panels is converted into free, clean green electricity. However there are other forms of renewable energy such as ‘clean fuels’, which, because of physical or chemical properties, create less pollution than fossil fuels do. In general, the hydrocarbons emitted from these fuels are much less, and the hydrocarbons they do emit are much less toxic. Clean fuels can be chosen as alternatives to petrol and gasoline which fuel road vehicles. These will allow individuals and businesses to reduce their carbon footprints from the life-cycle of the products that they use.

Solar Startup Semprius to Create 250 Jobs in North Carolina at Cutting-Edge Pilot Plant

Energy Department-enabled innovation made Tuesday, July 19, a good day for North Carolina.

Entrepreneurs from Durham-based solar startup Semprius teamed with Governor Bev Purdue to announce the company’s plan to build a new high-tech manufacturing facility in Henderson. The factory is expected to create more than 250 full-time jobs over the next five years, which is a particular boon for Henderson, where the county unemployment rate reached 13.3% in May. This follows on the heels of news that Siemens recently participated with others in a $20 million investment in Semprius. Siemens took a 16% stake in the company – a vote of confidence from a global engineering giant with years of success in the solar industry.

None of this comes as a surprise to those of us who have followed Semprius’ progress as a pioneer in the design and fabrication of high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) solar modules. The company’s story provides a case-study example for how federally-funded research and development sparks job-creation for Americans in a global growth industry.

Spun out of Lemelson-MIT award winner John Rogers’ research lab at the University of Illinois, Semprius employs a breakthrough semiconductor manufacturing technique called micro-transfer printing, originally invented with Energy Department Office of Science support. This core technology has a broad range of potential applications — from improving LED lighting to increasing computer hard drive capacity to making tiny sensors for next-generation medical devices. It enables Semprius to combine extremely small solar cells — about one half the surface area of a pin head — with low-cost, highly efficient lenses that concentrate the sun’s energy more than 1100 times.

Semprius first explored the idea of using micro-transfer printing for HCPV with the help of a 2007 “Next Gen” grant from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The company’s progress has been astounding since then; it earned Semprius one of four spots in the 2010 class of the PV Incubator Program along with recent record-breakers Alta Devices and Solar Junction and Tetrasun, which also closed a funding round recently. Like its peers, Semprius has benefited greatly from its participation in the Incubator. “Programs like the PV Incubator allow you to develop quicker, implement quicker and go to market quicker,” as Semprius CEO Joe Carr recently told me. Access to key tools and personnel at the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) has helped the company optimize both its tiny cell (NREL-confirmed 41.7% ) and its module.

This news adds Semprius to a growing list of PV Incubator participant companies that have attracted significant private investment and are plowing it into new manufacturing operations in communities like Henderson across the U.S. Between 2007 and 2010, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy invested $50 million in the Incubator for 20 solar startups like Semprius. Private investment in those firms now totals more than $1.3 billion, a 25-to-1 multiple.

These companies already employ more than 1,200 people in good hi-tech jobs, and that number is poised to grow rapidly as new manufacturing facilities come online. Six of those companies — 1366, Abound, Calisolar, PrimeStar (acquired by GE), Solopower, and now Semprius — have publicly announced plans to hire more than 3,800 full-time workers for new factories being built here in America.

The Department’s SunShot Initiative investments are not only making solar energy systems cost competitive with traditional sources of energy by the end of the decade; programs like the PV Incubator catalyze market support for leading companies like Semprius that are putting Americans to work.

Now here is a new one. A Solar enabled bikini that wiull charge your iPhone! Imagine that. I just had to post this today. If for no other reason than it is summer and the weather is not very warm here so no bikinis out and about….

Swimwear has come a long way since its mere itty bitty bikini days — new styles often have enough Lycra and slimming technology to give the wearer a whole new body. Even so, current fashion designers are about to encounter a totally different kind of competition: Andrew Schneider, a multimedia designer, is bringing the art of swimwear into a new era.

His bathing suit combines design with electronic engineering: thanks to 40 thin and flexible photovoltaic strips connected by conductive thread, his bikini can generate enough energy to charge your iPod or iPhone in the same amount of time your laptop could. The bikini, which also contains a USB port for easy plugging in, can still be used for swimming (though not while charging, and it must be completely dry before using as a charger).

read more

Thanks To American Vision Solar’s New ‘Solar as Service’ Program

One of the biggest hurdles that keep homeowners from taking the solar power plunge is the large amount of cash needed for the initial solar panel purchase. This is why American Vision Solar™ is now offering its customers a unique opportunity under its new Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), to install solar panels onto their home with little to no money down, allowing them to immediately reap the incredible cost savings.

“American Vision Solar is dedicated to enhancing home energy efficiency, and we’re thrilled to be able to offer our customers such a unique PPA,” said Bill Herren, President and CEO for American Vision Solar. “We pride ourselves on providing impressive customer service, which is why it was our priority to create an agreement that would truly benefit the homeowner.”

Just imagine, what if you didn’t have to purchase your power from Southern California Edison (SCE)? What if you could choose to pay less? The new ‘Solar as Service’ program from American Vision Solar puts this ‘power’ in the palm of your hands — providing qualifying homeowners with a choice to pay less for clean energy generated through solar panels — too good to be true? Here’s how it works. American Vision Solar works with Solar PPA companies who literally purchase the solar panels for you, and in turn act as your ‘local energy company’ – collecting your monthly utility bill (PPA Payment), as well as any applicable state/local incentives.

Benefits to the homeowner are overflowing — no initial investment by simply letting someone else pay for the system, handle all the paperwork involved, plus the PPA Company will pro-actively monitor the system and be responsible for any repairs and maintenance over the 20 year term. Production guarantee, inverter replacement and full-system insurance are also included. And the biggest benefit of all, your PPA payment is guaranteed to be LESS than your local Southern California Edison (SCE) bill without solar. Over a period of 20 years, the solar panels will provide a huge rate of return on investment!

So why not ‘go green’ if it doesn’t cost you any ‘green’ ($)? Utilizing the clean energy brilliantly generated from the sun’s rays makes you a friend to the environment. In fact, there’s enough free and pure sunlight shining on America every hour of every day to power the world for a year. So the right question is, why not ‘go green’ if it actually saves you ‘green’? The answer: there’s no reason not to, it’s time to go solar!

Husband and wife team Bill and Kathleen Herren began providing homeowners with energy-efficient solutions with their window sales and installation company, American Vision Windows™. Now, more than ten years and 30,000 satisfied customers later, the company has expanded its unmatched service to its other brands that will help revolutionize the home improvement industry: American Vision Solar and American Vision Garages™.

To learn more about American Vision Solar, and to find a showroom near you, visit the company online.

Company Extends Solar PV Systems Warranty to 30 Years

Marysville, WA – July 11, 2011 – Silicon Energy, a manufacturer of world-class solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for the North American market, announced today that it has extended its Silicon Energy Cascade PV System Power Warranties by five years. Based on over two years of field performance data and extensive third-party testing by NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), Silicon Energy’s decision to extend its product warranty makes it one of the strongest warranties in the industry.

“We are committed to making solar a mainstream energy source with products that are safe, durable, maximize energy production, increase energy harvest, are aesthetically appealing, and support our local economy and environment with smart manufacturing practices,” said Gary Shaver, president, Silicon Energy. “Customers who choose Silicon Energy for their PV systems are choosing best-in-class products, now backed by one of the industry’s top warranties. Our product lifespan, application flexibility and optimized energy harvesting capability make our product a great investment.”

For Silicon Energy’s growing network of partners and contractors who sell and install the company’s PV systems, the extended warranty provides an added incentive for customers who want a long-term system that boasts a 40+ year usable life and innovative design that provides completely sealed wiring to make it extremely safe, a theft-resistant mounting system, the highest industry fire rating, and frameless design that allows water, dirt, snow and ice to easily flow off for optimal light access and energy creation even in extreme weather conditions. The Silicon Energy glass-on-glass construction also enables installations such as awnings, carports, patio covers, and bus shelters. For those design-conscious customers, the company also provides custom color mounting hardware for visual continuity.

Silicon Energy’s extended warranty is available starting July 1st for its Cascade PV System.

· Limited Product Warranty Materials & Workmanship: 5 years

· Limited Power Warranty:

Power Output Table

1-15 years (up from 10 years)

? 90% PMAX

16-30 years (up from 25 years)

? 80% PMAX

In addition to presenting its extended warranty, Silicon Energy recently has been able to reduce its pricing as a result of manufacturing improvements and strengthened vendor relationships.

“When choosing Silicon Energy PV systems, our customers are making a sound investment in solar, their local economy, their environment, and clean energy creation for many, many years to come,” closed Shaver.

You’ll find a big collection of solar panels for sale nowadays. Therefore, choosing 1 for your house can be a slightly difficult task. Provided below is really a listing of ten ideas that will help you select the best solar cell for your house and do the installation properly. 1. The first thing you need to evaluate before choosing home solar power systems is the quantity of power you need to power all of the equipment that you use in your own home. Once you know just how much electrical power is required, you are able to search for an appropriate solar panel.

2. The size of your own solar power product is generally dependent on two factors – your own typical power consumption figures and the quantity of sunshine your home gets. 3. You will find two common types of Solar panels for sale – panels made from crystalline silicon and panels made from amorphous silicon alloy. The second are a good option as they are thinner, lighter, more durable, and much more effective. 4. The price of the solar cell mostly depends upon the quantity of wattage it provides. Therefore, you should always go ahead and take dollars/watt percentage into account acquire the best with regard to solar power systems. A percentage of $4.30 for each watt is generally regarded as effective by many.

5. If you will find the needed expertise and experience, you can purchase all of the supplies needed for the panel and do the installation yourself. Should you, on the other hand, are not into Do-it-yourself projects, you can purchase the panel online or from the store that provides installation services. 6. GE, BP Photo voltaic, AEE Photo voltaic, Mitsubishi Electric, Sharp, Sanyo, and Evergreen Photo voltaic are some of the most popular manufacturers which create home solar power systems.

7. If you are on a small spending budget, you can purchase utilized solar panels, that cost substantially lesser than brand new panels. You have to, nevertheless, ensure that they are of good quality and therefore are likely to last a long time. Otherwise, you may wind up wasting your cash on poor panels that aren’t well worth the package they come in.

8. You will find solar panels for sale in numerous stores. The internet, nevertheless, is the best spot to buy solar power systems due to the wide range of options available online. Should you study well enough, you’ll find some good offers upon home solar power systems and save a lot of money.

9. Whether you buy online or traditional, make sure you take phone options available, evaluate the provides, and judge the best deal. The customer support policy, restore and upkeep policy, and guarantee differ greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer. Therefore, spend time online, do your homework, and make sure you buy something that provides excellent bang for your buck.

10. A south-facing roofing with clear space or an east-west roofing with good sun damage is usually the best area to install home solar power systems. A ground-mounted system is also a wise decision provided you have enough area available. Factors to consider that the area is not shaded by trees and shrubs or any synthetic buildings, as it is termed to affect the effectiveness of the panel.

Get the best tips, guide and reviews of home solar power systems from the best resources at: http://www.home-solarpowersystems.net.

Torresol Energy Commissions 19.9MW Gemasolar Power Plant in Spain

Torresol Energy, a joint venture between Masdar – Abu Dhabi’s leading future energy company and SENER – the leading Spanish engineering and construction firm, announced today the commissioning of its flagship 19.9MW Gemasolar Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant in Seville, Spain.

The world’s first commercial-scale CSP plant featuring central tower receiver with thermal storage capabilities has commenced supplying electricity to 25,000 homes in the Andalucía region of Spain. The plant is expected to save more than 30,000 tonnes of CO2 emission a year.

The innovative molten salt heat transfer technology deployed at the Gemasolar greenfield independent power project helps avoid fluctuations in power supply through a system that is capable of 15 hours of energy production without sunlight. This accordingly allows for generation of electricity 24 hours a day for many months of the year, even during the hours of darkness or poor daylight during winter.

The Gemasolar plant comprises 2,650 heliostats (mirrors) that stretch approximately 185 hectares. The system is capable of reaching temperatures exceeding 900-degrees Centigrade at the central receiver located at the top of the tower. The tower technology uses molten salt as a heat transfer medium that reaches temperatures above 500 degrees Centigrade and allows delivering hotter and more pressurized steam to the turbine than the parabolic trough technology, which significantly increases the performance of the overall plant.

SENER was responsible for providing the technology, the engineering detail design and part of the EPC and commissioning works of the plant. The technology developed by SENER includes state-of-the-art solutions such as the molten salt storage system and the receiver, which is able to absorb 95% of the radiation from the sun’s spectrum and transmit this energy to the molten salt compound that circulates within the receiver, which is then used to heat steam and operate the steam turbines.

Frank Wouters, Director of Masdar Power, said: “The commissioning of the CSP plant marks another key milestone in the development and deployment of solar energy in Europe. It also highlights Masdar’s commitment to partner with global industry leaders such as SENER and bring clean technology closer to the community”.

“Masdar is currently working on other solar power projects within the UAE including Shams One and Noor One projects, each with 100MW capacity. We will continue to work closely with industry leaders in the development of projects and ensure they are commissioned and connected to local grids as part of our larger efforts to adopt clean and renewable energy.”

Miguel Domingo, Solar Business Director of SENER, added: “The on-schedule and on-budget completion of the construction and commissioning of the Gemasolar plant is a milestone for SENER. Currently, SENER is the only company in the world that has developed and built a commercial plant with central tower molten salt receiver technology that has already started operation.”

Enrique Sendagorta, Chairman of Torresol Energy, said: “Gemasolar is a revolution in the CSP sector, as the standardization of this new technology will mean a real reduction in the investment costs for solar plants. The commercial operation of this plant will lead the way for other central tower plants with molten salt receiver technology, an efficient system that improves the dispatchability of electric power from renewable sources.”

Founded in 2008, Torresol Energy is a 40:60 Masdar-SENER joint venture. The company that commercially develops, manages construction, owns and operates CSP plants globally has been awarded a 25-year regulated tariff by the Spanish Government.

Torresol Energy’s Gemasolar project received EUR171 million financing through a transaction that involved several leading European financial institutions including Banco Popular, Banesto, ICO and the European Investment Bank.

SENER has already been nominated to represent Spain in the prestigious 2011 European Business Awards in the ‘Innovation’ category for the Gemasolar project’s molten salt storage system technology, which is considered revolutionary in the concentrated solar power sector. The final category Award winners will be announced in Barcelona in November 2011.

Torresol Energy also owns the Valle 1 and Valle 2 plants –currently under construction – that will employ parabolic trough technology and have a power generation capacity of 50MW each. Valle 1 will have the capability to generate 3,950 hours of electricity a year – equivalent to the average consumption of 40,000 households, or in other words, the entire city of Cadiz. The two plants at Cadiz in Spain will together help avoid the emission of 90,000 tonnes of CO2 a year. Both plants will start operations on 31 December 2011.

Torresol Energy’s focus areas for developing, building and operating additional CSP plans include the US, Southern Europe, Middle East and North Africa. In these areas, the company aims to promote tower plants with a central receiver tower system, or parabolic trough technology, based on the experience acquired in Spain and Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

Spain is one of the world’s most advanced renewable energy players. In 2009, renewable energy represented 12.5 per cent of total energy generation in Spain, and this is expected to go up to 20 per cent by 2020.

Solar Power For Churches: an underutilized market

A strong, faithful congregation isn’t the only thing powering the 58-year-old Faith Lutheran Church in Inglewood. A 26.6-kilowatt solar installation is now producing a majority of the church’s electrical power.

The installation is made up of 144 solar panels placed on 2,500 square feet of the church’s concrete roof. Installed in 2008 by California Green Designs, the church has since saved a minimum of $500 to $600 per month in energy costs.

“We are a very large church, with a school and administration building. Our electric bills were getting quite high,” says Rev. Dietrich Schleef, head pastor at Faith Lutheran. “We were in the process of planning a church renovation. Solar had been on my mind for many years. I grew up on a farm in Indiana where energy conservation was always important. Our church had a perfectly pitched roof with southern exposure so solar was a natural fit as part of the renovation.”

The church took advantage of government rebates and tax credits that reduced the solar installation price tag by $53,000, bringing the total cost to $132,000. “The rebates were very helpful, but we would have probably added solar even without them,” says Schleef. The installation is expected to save the church $83,000 in electricity costs over a 10-year period.

At the time of the installation, the number of solar panels was the maximum allowed by Edison. “Soon after, we we opened our doors to a variety of other churches that now use our facilities nonstop. The number of kids in our school has grown from 30 to 70. We also decided to open a food pantry with freezers and refrigerators that weren’t too energy efficient. Even with all the added use and demand for electricity, it’s still nice to receive an energy bill that’s about the same size as my electric bill at home,” says Schleef.

The church also replaced recessed and flood lighting, over 30 lights with 500 watt bulbs. with more energy efficient, low-watt florescent lighting.

“Church administrators have an obligation to their congregations to keep costs down,” says Sevan Varteressian, California Green Designs president. “Those with long-term outlooks can use solar energy to greatly reduce their church’s overall operational costs.”

In addition to cost savings, the environmental impact of Faith Lutheran’s installation is significant. The installation will save an estimated 3,410 barrels of oil or 35,484 pounds of coal and keep 586,935 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere. “As a church, we recycle as much as possible and try to be energy conscious,” says Schleef. “We want to do what’s right to benefit the environment.”

California Green Designs, based in Tarzana, has been designing and installing commercial and residential solar electronic systems since 1985. It has installed thousands of systems throughout Southern California. For more information, go to http://www.ca-green.com.

Historic $1-Per-Watt Solar Modules Just Months Away

El Segundo, Calif., June 16, 2011—The photovoltaic (PV) industry appears set to achieve a major milestone with the selling prices of crystalline silicon (c-Si) modules projected to drop to $1 per watt by the first quarter of 2012, a significant benchmark level that could forestall a widely feared dip for solar installations next year and stimulate demand instead, according to new IHS iSuppli (NYSE: IHS) research.

An assessment of this magnitude, bold in its purview and implications, comes in the wake of an accelerated, rapid decline in pricing for deals following the Intersolar Trade Fair, site of the world’s largest PV exhibition, held last week in Munich, Germany.

Going into Intersolar, spot prices from the top Chinese brands, among the major players in the market, had been running at $1.49 per watt for mainstream c-Si modules. By the time Intersolar wound up, prices had fallen to $1.30 per watt, ostensibly hastened by the market’s fear toward a flat—or worse, negative—market in 2012.

“The recent price decline was quickened by top-tier module brands dropping prices to aggressively position themselves, in the face of fears that the industry could be headed toward a down market next year,” said Henning Wicht, senior director and principal analyst, photovoltaics, at IHS. The drops in pricing were spurred by the recent price slide in cells and wafers, with wafers being quoted in the $2.30 per-piece range, down from $3.50 in March.

The figure below shows the IHS iSuppli outlook for the cost of both silicon and non-silicon content, gross margins and prices from top-tier module players, covering the second quarter for each year from 2011 to 2014. While gross margins are projected to range between 10 to 12 percent this quarter, the intense competition in the space will slash margins to between 5 and 9 percent by the second quarter of 2012, IHS iSuppli research indicates.

Solar implications: Bright days ahead?
What this means for the market could be momentous and far-reaching, said Mike Sheppard, analyst for photovoltaics and financial services at IHS. “This trend and milestone is significant in that it opens the door for certain installations to potentially drop to $2.00 per watt, in what one hopes would be an important driver for stimulating demand. Not only could such a development ward off a dip predicted in solar installations for 2012, it also signals that deep-pocketed and lower-cost structured companies will be getting aggressive about pressuring competition out of the market during the next year.”

Another interesting discussion at Intersolar was whether the vertically integrated business model that washed across the PV industry will continue to flourish, even as margins get compressed in this round of price cuts. Can a vertical operation invest in wafers, cells and modules on the one hand, finance downstream projects on the other, and also continue to run world-class operations at each level?

After margins are cut, it will be much more difficult for such vertically integrated operations to sustain the competitive advantage that they once enjoyed, IHS believes. Though many vertical operations will continue to thrive, the space likely will find increased competition from another breed of player—the so-called specialists that will be able to aggressively invest in just one area, and more important, hold their own against their vertically integrated rivals.

For more information on the photovoltaic services of IHS iSuppli, see http://www.isuppli.com/Photovoltaics/Pages/Products.aspx

Deal with Silicon Valley’s SolarCity is search giant’s largest clean tech investment.

Josie Garthwaite
for National Geographic News

Google is making its largest investment yet in clean energy, setting up a $280 million fund to finance home solar rooftop installations.

The search giant announced today it was teaming up with the Silicon Valley’s SolarCity—a company chaired by Paypal co-founder and Tesla Motors executive Elon Musk—in an effort to break down the biggest barrier to solar energy adoption: the cost.

“It’s a great way to support installations going into more homes,” said Google spokesperson Parag Chokshi.

The $280 million fund is the largest fund ever created for residential solar in the United States, according to SolarCity, which has raised a total of $1.28 billion in financing capacity during its five-year history.

Google over the past several years has invested in large, utility-scale wind and solar, enhanced geothermal energy, and other renewable energy projects, for a grand total of more than $680 million in the sector. But today’s deal is not only Google’s largest foray into the sector, it is its first investment in distributed energy.

Leasing Instead of Owning

Based in San Mateo, California, less than 20 miles north of Google’s Mountain View headquarters, SolarCity describes itself as a solar power service provider. The idea is that people want affordable, clean energy—but they often can’t afford to buy a photovoltaic system upfront.

SolarCity is one of a number of companies that have attempted to help people overcome that cost hurdle by leasing, instead of owning their rooftop solar systems.

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For a householder that wants to find ways to make economies and also assist the environment at the same time, then Solar Energy Panels could be a good option for them. However, they could think that the Solar Energy Prices are a bit high, being about £12,000 for Solar Energy Panels for a standard family house. For these Solar Energy Prices the householder would get a Solar Energy Panels package that would give them about 2.2 kW and this could well save them about 40% of their energy consumption for a year.

As well as these savings, the energy that the Solar Energy Panels supply would earn the householder some money as well as any unused energy that they can export to the national grid in addition. These rewards are from the Feed-In Tariff that is in place to support all householders who use renewable energy sources. Considering that it could take 10 to 12 years for the householder to save enough money that equates to the Solar Energy Prices that they have originally paid, the householder does need to take a long term perspective on this and see it as a renewable energy project, rather than a business project that could earn them money in the short term.

Once the Solar Energy Prices costs have been recouped and the householder has actually saved that sort of amount from their Solar Energy Panels package, then they will be earning free money and could be happy to be part of the renewable energy community. They could well want to extend their Solar Energy Panels package so that they can supply more than the initial 40% of their energy usage, but obviously the Solar Energy Prices need to be paid and they could be about £4,000 to £8,000 per KW. They will obviously need adequate roof space for the extra Solar Energy Panels extension, or possibly they have another south facing roof that could be used, although if this is remote from the main building then cabling etc. could well add to the Solar Energy Prices.

One can find many kinds of clean and renewable energy such as the wind, sun’s rays, bio and tidal. Of every one of these solar energy may be the one which has attracted one of the most interest. Although the original technology emerged a few a long time back again, the mainstream use of solar energy has just started in latest occasions with a lot more solar gadgetry accessible for consumption by men and women from all elements from the nation and is also transportable.

The upfront cost of solar devices is really a bit substantial, but you will discover a lot more and a lot more power derived from solar sources devices accessible around the market place and a huge number of men and women across the United States are turning to solar power each day.

With the a number of solar devices accessible around the market place, one of the a lot more popular ones may be the solar flowerbed lighting. It comprises of tiny solar cells positioned in lights which are available in several different designs, dimensions and colors. They may be transportable sufficient to be setup everywhere so that you could use them to light your sidewalks, illuminate beautiful flowers or offer ambiance to a place inside your yard.

That signifies that you’ll be able to take them if you are moving with moving companies in Georgia. Also accessible are standard yard lights that operate off saved solar power. These let you make the route for your front doorway safe at any time from the evening. Also gaining popularity, are other solar resources such as the solar battery chargers and solar camping gear.

The primary reason for men and women buying these things is their portability and that they usually do not need a separate power resource to work.

This swap to solar power is throwing twin rewards. Not just are these men and women ensuring a greater atmosphere for the potential generations, they are also saving money on their power charges and lowering expenses of energy manufacturing for our everyday consumption. It’s like saving the two the planet along with your wallet in the exact same time.

In fact solar power is not new for the modern day culture; nevertheless the amount of solar gear in the market place has elevated only recently. While these solar devices really are a bit pricey to purchase upfront as compared to their counterparts operating on standard energy sources, in the lengthier operate they a lot more then pay off their cost through the cost savings you make on your own energy charges. With the two money and atmosphere getting saved, there cannot be considered a better way forward.

Across the country, the race is on to drive down the cost of solar energy. And a new challenge through the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative could help slash the costs even faster.

We are challenging cities and counties to compete nationwide to cut the red tape that can push up the price tags on solar energy projects.

One of the highest hurdles for would-be investors in residential and small commercial solar energy installations is navigating the differing and expensive administrative processes required to get their solar panels from the drawing board to the rooftop.

Solar panels on the roof of the Department of Energy Forrestal Building in Washington, D.C. | Credit: DOE photo

Today the Department of Energy announced a new challenge in which teams of local and regional governments compete for funds to help bring down administrative barriers to residential and small commercial photovoltaic (PV) solar installations by streamlining, standardizing and digitizing their administrative processes. The Rooftop Solar Challenge will also spur participating cities and states across the nation to enable innovative financing programs to help homeowners and entrepreneurs install solar energy systems on their homes and businesses.

Up to 40 percent of the total cost of a solar energy system is the result of balance of system costs, which include the capital required to pay for siting, permitting, and installing a solar energy project and connecting it to the grid.

By challenging local governments to cut their upfront fees and paperwork and standardize their permitting processes, the Challenge will not only reduce the cost to homeowners and businesses of installing solar energy systems, but it will also save money and time for local governments already struggling with tight budgets.

Using the Administration’s “Race to the Top” model, the Rooftop Solar Challenge incentivizes local governments to find new ways to tackle old problems and use the best of those innovative solutions as models for other regions. To participate, cities and counties will build teams with other local governments in their state or region, as well as with other critical stakeholders such as their local utility and their state energy office, to develop a step-by-step plan for how they will meet the goals laid out in the Challenge.

The Rooftop Solar Challenge will encourage participating government teams to compete in four critical areas: standardizing permit processes, updating planning and zoning codes, improving standards for connecting to the grid and increasing access to financing. Each team must submit data, including information about their current permitting and grid interconnection processes to establish the baseline against which to measure the progress they make during the year of the Challenge.

The Rooftop Solar Challenge will make it easier for investors to capitalize on all of the benefits of solar energy technologies, support jobs for solar installers, create new opportunities for small solar companies across the country and help the U.S. remain a top competitor in this key renewable energy market.

The Rooftop Solar Challenge will be funded with $12.5 million as part of the SunShot Initiative, which aims to make solar energy cost-competitive with traditional forms of electricity by reducing the total installed cost of solar energy systems by 75 percent before decade’s end.

For more information and to follow the progress of the Initiative, visit the SunShot Initiative site.