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The IREC declared that the most significant trend during the September 2008 - September 2009 period is a continued emphasis on solar energy in recent RPS adoptions and changes. Eleven states enacted or significantly modified standards; of those, seven states and DC included new provisions specific to solar energy.

In addition, five states made minor adjustments to their policies, of which two involved solar provisions.

• Missouri replaced (via ballot initiative) an existing renewables goal of 11% by 2020 with a standard of 15% by 2021, and included a provision mandating that at least 2% of the requirement come from solar energy (equivalent to 0.3% of retail sales in 2021).
• Illinois expanded its RPS to cover competitive sales and adopted a solar carve-out of 6% of the annual requirement from 2015 - 2025.
• And, in September 2009, California extended its RPS to 33% by 2020, via executive order.
• Both Oregon and Rhode Island adopted provisions relating to long-term contracts for solar energy resources, coupled with targets for solar that are outside the scope of each state's existing RPS.
  
• New Jersey approved long-awaited utility-administered solar renewable energy credit (SREC) contracting programs in connection with its existing solar carve-out.
  

SOURCE:  2009 IREC Annual Report

Solar Decathelon
October 9-18, 2009
National Mall in Washington

The U.S. Department of Energy sponsors the international Solar Decatehlon and this year's participants in DOE's 2009 Solar Decathlon will exhibit a range on new innovations in solar PV and solar thermal technologies -- as well as green building. 

The Solar Decathlon competition challenges students to design and develop houses that can provide their own energy from the sunlight - a clean, renewable source of energy.  

The twenty collegiate teams from the United States, Canada, Spain and Germany will each build a completely self-sufficient solar powered house, showcasing energy-efficient amenities and smart home systems that provide reduced carbon emissions without sacrificing the comfort of modern conveniences.

 "The Solar Decathlon highlights President Obama's goal of improving our national security and transforming the economy by using off-the-shelf, clean energy technologies to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil, reduce our carbon emissions, and protect the environment," said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu.  "As part of the building competition, the next generation of green engineers, architects, designers, and professionals gain valuable experience that will help them to lead America toward a clean energy future."

DOE's Solar Decathlon, which takes place October 9-18 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., consists of 10 individual contests that evaluate the teams' skills in architecture, home design, and communications. The homes constructed by the teams must produce enough electricity and hot water from solar panels to perform all the normal functions of a home -- from powering the lights; to cooking, washing clothes and dishes; to powering home electronics; and maintaining a comfortable temperature.  This year, a new net-metering contest will evaluate each home's ability to produce its own power.  The competition focuses on cutting edge energy efficient and renewable energy innovation while providing a unique green jobs training opportunity for each of the students.

The start of the competition marks the culmination of more than two years of hard work by the student teams.  The twenty teams will assemble their homes on the National Mall in early October.   Following the Opening Ceremony on October 8, the homes will be open for public tours October 9-13 and 15-18.

This is DOE's fourth Solar Decathlon competition since premiering in 2002 with subsequent competitions in 2005 and 2007.  On average, each Solar Decathlon competition has drawn more than 100,000 visitors to the National Mall.

The colleges and universities competing in the 2009 Solar Decathlon are:

• Cornell University
• Iowa State University
• The Ohio State University
• Penn State
• Rice University
• Team Alberta (University of Calgary, SAIT Polytechnic, Alberta College of Art + Design, Mount Royal College)
• Team Boston (Boston Architectural College, Tufts University)
• Team California (Santa Clara University, California College of the Arts)
• Team Missouri (Missouri University of Science and Technology,  University of Missouri)
• Team Ontario/BC (University of Waterloo, Ryerson University, Simon Fraser University)
• Technische Universität Darmstadt
• Universidad de Puerto Rico
• Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
• The University of Arizona
• University of Illinois
• University of Kentucky
• University of Louisiana at Lafayette
• University of Minnesota
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Virginia Tech

The Solar Decathlon is sponsored by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, in partnership with its National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which manages the event.  For more information, please visit http://www.solardecathlon.org/.

Energy Productivity is higher in California than the rest of the country. While gains were similar from 2005 to 2006, the gap in energy productivity between California and the rest of the U.S. remains with California's energy productivity 68% higher than the U.S.

Measured as the ratio of energy consumed (inputs) to GDP (economic output), growth in energy productivity equates to more dollars of GDP generated per unit of energy consumed.

In 2006, California produced $2.17 of GDP for every 10,000 BTU of energy consumed. In comparison, the rest of the United States produced $1.29 for every 10,000 BTU of energy consumed.

Therefore, the difference in energy productivity between California and the rest of the U.S. is about 88 cents per 10,000 BTU of energy consumed.

The CALIFORNIA GREEN INNOVATION INDEX (2009) provides insight on a California culture that includes three decades of ambitious state environmental and energy policies, putting California on a path to energy independence and one of the lowest per capita carbon footprints in the nation, all the while growing one of the most vigorous economies in the world.

Solar is one of the renewable energies leading the new green economy in California with the Million Solar Roofs program, extensive solar PV installation training infrastructure development, and utility scale solar PV and solar thermal installations to meet California's demand for renewable energy and mandates in AB 32 and related greenhouse gas legislation.

An Australian company, Solar24 Inc., has developed a solar thermal system that holds heat for 14 hours, long enough to sustain through a cloudy winter night.  One big problem with solar has always been the retention of the heat overnight.

While sunshine is only available during daylight hours, and no renewable energy source is without drawbacks, all forms of renewable energy can be a useful addition to the general power supply that would eventually stabilize and lower costs.

Wind farms do create a cost issue with transmission, and large commercial size solar installations can have that same drawback -- but so did natural gas and crude oil before the pipelines were built to handle distribution. Transmission solutions are just part of the challenge of energy business.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, the United States added more wind energy to its grid in recent years than any other country, and U.S. wind power capacity grew by 45 percent to 16.8 gigawatts in 2007.

A light that runs on the sun! At night, they can see your address!

This light is great! It helps friends and emergency services find your house! Easily visible at night and during the day.

Solar powered-no wiring. No electrical installation. No digging up the lawn, No electrical costs.

Automatically goes on at night and off in the morning! Rugged weatherproof construction

1.5hrs of sun = 1 full night of illumination!

Profit from the technology of tomorrow today! With the new solar powered house number light! Made of durable ABS plastic, Sun-Mat is completely weatherproof and clearly identifies any address up to 5 digits. Bright blue 4"numbers which are easily visible from 500ft. Pinpoint exact location for emergency calls, deliveries, etc.  Only 1.5hrs of sun each day will keep it  illuminated all night! Can be mounted (hardware included) or staked in to the ground with the included 16" stake.

Green Home Environmental Store
"Green home, Inc. first started in 1999 and has continued to succeed as the longest lasting environmental store and resource center on the internet. Located in the Richmond District of San Francisco, our main office is still technically in the original garage space, although there is a mystical spaceship atmosphere within the garage as we suspend ourselves in the endless universe of the internet in search of better ways to improve our planet." :-)

Greenhome.com

"This is the breakout growth sector of the next generation," said the author of Next 10's report, "Energy Efficiency, Innovation, and Job Creation in California".

David Roland-Holst, a professor of agriculture and resource economics at UC Berkeley. "We cannot afford to miss this market opportunity."

California's per-capita electricity use is about 40% less than the national average, Roland-Holst said, largely because of government-mandated energy efficiency standards for utilities, buildings and appliances put into effect over the last four decades.

Roland-Holst found that the lower use has enabled Californians to save $56 billion on energy since 1972. That money was spent in the local economy, he said, instead of on imported oil, out-of-state electricity or building new power plants. The result: 1.5 million additional California jobs with a total payroll exceeding $45 billion.

Programs like AB 32 will have a multiplier effect

Next 10's report calculates that energy innovation required by AB 32 will create 403,000 green-collar jobs over the next 12 years as companies spend big on renewables and energy efficiency. Roland-Holst said that would increase household income in California by as much as $48 billion by 2020 and boost the state domestic product by $76 billion.

California's Environmental Innovation Advantage

Some of California's leading companies agree with Roland-Holst's assessment that environmental innovation could become a pillar of the California economy.

Read more about the report: Energy Efficiency, Innovation, and Job Creation in California (by David Roland-Holst, UC Berkeley, Oct. 2008)

Solar Energy
Solar energy is one of the most abundant and visible renewable resources on Earth. Many national, state, and local governments are engaged in programs to expand programs that enable homes, businesses, and large-scale project developers to make use of this clean energy resource.

Solar power technologies convert radiant light energy to into more usable forms of energy such as electricity or hot water. Photovoltaic cells made from silicon are the most well know, and can leverage mature silicon electronics manufacturing technology to lower their manufacturing cost in order to expand their market reach. Other solar technologies concentrate the sunlight into a small area to heat a working fluid such as water to generate electric power or provide useful hot water for space conditioning.

Ardour Global Alternative Energy Indexes provide investment fund information.

Government incentive programs are getting spotty for solar and wind energy.  With the changing of the guard during election seasons, old programs are ended so that new administrations can write and endorse their own versions of funding programs.  And, I assume you know that taxes and incentives are structured to control behaviors of the populace, right?

What's unusual in today's political world is the EXTENT of corporate level incentives.  Not long ago incentives were extended to consumers who were in need of assistance.  Today, with the escalating speed and technological prowess of startup technologies, more and more sectors such as alternative energy and alternative transportation are being subsidized at the venture funding stage...and the commercialization stage to encourage rapid payback for the venture capital firms.

The question is why are companies with record levels of income having to ask for government handouts? I'm just saying.... :-)  It seems we as taxpayer citizens without a corporate lobby behind us,  pay at least twice:  taxes and than again when we pay higher prices for new technology.

I'm just saying.... :-)

 

Power Purchase Agreement

A Power Purchase Agreement, or PPA, is a long-term agreement to buy power from a company that produces electricity.

Solar Power Partners

Solar Power Partners (SPP™) is one provider of PPAs, who use their own source of funds to build a solar energy facility on our customer's site and maintains and operates the facility for 15 years or longer.

This facility generates reliable, long-term clean energy for use by customers. Under the terms of a PPA, SPP™ assumes the risks and responsibilities of ownership when it purchases, operates, and maintains the turn-key facility. They clean the solar panels regularly, provide preventative maintenance services, repair any faults, monitor the energy production and the system's health and well-being. Customers just run their businesses as usual, without any of the headaches of owning a power plant.

At the end of the PPA term, the facility can be purchased by customers at fair maket value or the PPA can be renewed on favorable terms. The PPA enables customers to benefit from the use of "green" energy, while still receiving some of the benefits of ownership (lower and/or "hedged" electricity costs, positive public image, etc. ) and allows them to spend their capital budget on their core businesses.

Additional Resources about PPAs:

Power Purchase Agreements from Renewable Energy Technologies

The industry's leading website address (domain name) for Power Purchase Agreements - www.PowerPurchaseAgreements.com - may now be available for lease under ...
www.cogeneration.net/Power_Purchase_Agreements.htm

Power Purchase Agreement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is a legal contract between an electricity generator and a purchaser of energy or capacity (power or ancillary services). ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Purchase_Agreement

 
Pacific Power Management
The Time is Right For Going Solar Full Service Commercial Integrator
www.pacpower.biz
 

Federal incentives for solar, wind, geothermal, and other sustainable technologies are set to expire this December.

That means these sustainable energy sectors, some of the most promising and strategically important industries in America, are at risk of losing Federal support - unless we act now.

The facts are clear. Solar energy, wind, geothermal, energy efficiency, and other sustainable energy technologies are key components in powering green-collar jobs, promoting energy independence, and tackling climate change. At a time when fossil fuel costs continue to rise, the costs for renewable energy continue to fall.

But legislation to extend these sustainable energy tax incentives (H.R. 5351) is currently stalled in the Senate and time is running out.

That's why we urgently need your help.

The best way to break this stalemate is for grassroots supporters of solar, wind, geothermal, and others to stand together and take action.


Here's how you can help:
1) Contact your Senators to urge them to extend the renewable energy and energy conservation tax incentives to help generate green collar jobs, promote energy independence, and strengthen national security.

Click here to find the contact information for your Senators via Vote-Smart.org (simply enter your zip code on the left side and click 'go').

While the vote of each Senator is important, for your convenience, the list below represents key Senators who could provide the swing votes needed to break the stalemate. If you live in one of the states listed below, click the Senator's name to find the phone numbers of the District Senate office(s) near you so you can call them and add your voice.

Alaska: Senator Murkowski & Senator Stevens
Arizona: Senator Kyl & Senator McCain
Colorado: Senator Allard
Florida: Senator Martinez
Idaho: Senator Craig & Senator Crapo
Indiana: Senator Lugar
Kansas: Senator Brownback & Senator Roberts
Kentucky: Senator Bunning & Senator McConnell
Nevada: Senator Ensign
New Mexico: Senator Domenici
New Hampshire: Senator Gregg & Senator Sununu
North Carolina: Senator Burr & Senator Dole
Pennsylvania: Senator Specter
Tennessee: Senator Alexander & Senator Corker
Utah: Senator Bennett & Senator Hatch
Virginia: Senator Warner

2) Submit a brief letter to the editor of your local newspaper to encourage others to urge their Senators to extend the renewable energy and energy efficiency tax incentives. One key point to highlight: failure to promptly extend renewable energy tax incentives puts 116,000 solar & wind industry jobs and $19 billion in energy investment at risk.

3) Encourage your friends to get involved with the steps listed above to help end the stalemate in the Senate.

This is a critical time for supporters of solar energy. And your help is needed now more than ever. We can create a sustainable energy economy, but only if we work together.

Thank you for getting involved and adding your voice to the large and growing numbers of citizens in support of solar energy, energy efficiency, and other sustainable energy technologies.

Best regards,
Neal Lurie
Director of Marketing & Communications
American Solar Energy Society
303.443.3130 x105
www.ases.org