Rooftop solar challenge

The funding from Sunshot Solar Rooftop Challenge awarded to Chicago will help make it easier for people to go solar because the regulatory red tape will be lessened via the program to be funded by the grant, according to Mayor Rahm Emmanuel.

With less process and approvals required, both applicants and utility companies will be able to push through proposed rooftop solar panels connected to the grid in a more cost effective, efficient manner.

Here is how the program is projected to work, in a summary fashion:

Sunshot solar addresses the inefficient factors of the various governmental entities that regulate the electric grid.  By combining several steps required to feed solar power generated from solar panels into the grid, savings quickly add up via the reduction of administrative fees that can sometimes climb to a few thousand dollars.

Chicago is not the only city or region that can benefit as a result of funding from the Sunshot solar rooftop challenge.  Any area in which bureaucracy adds up to unnecessary, duplicative fees and charges can encourage more solar installations through a reduction in red tape and required paperwork.

If you live in a city or region that could benefit from solar but are fighting clogged permitting and/or installation fees, please add to the comments below.  You might be ready for DOE federal funding to make going solar easier!

New solar cell technology allows silicon wafers to be cast without losing material to dust

The United States Department of Energy is expected to provide a $150 million loan guarantee for a company developing new solar cell technology.  The company, 1366 Technologies, is positioned to revolutionize the manufacturing process of silicon cells, which will make it possible to create cheaper solar panels.

In fact, estimates are that the cost of manufacturing a solar cell could be cut by 40%.

The solar technology is used to directly cast silicon wafers (only 200 microns thick, or 8/1000th of an inch) instead of slicing them from a block, which results in about half the material being lost as dust.

The U.S. Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu, commented:

“This project is a game-changer that could dramatically lower the cost of photovoltaic solar cells.”

Federal funding for the new solar cell technology, through the loan guarantee program is consistent with the DOE’s goal of developing a cradle-to-market innovation strategy.

Identifying promising solar technologies like this one of 1366 Technologies, and then providing support early in the process to help them mature, will eventually benefit everyone.  By streamlining and reducing solar panel production costs, this renewable energy resource becomes more affordable and available to everyone.

Red, white and blue PV solar panels in the DOE SunShot program

For those of us holding out for reduced prices on solar panels, you might be wondering… how cheap can solar power get?

Well, brace yourselves for this amazing news.  The U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) unveiled a new program this year that promises to reduce the price of solar energy to about $1 per watt b7 2017, and even further to 73 cents by 2030.  Through SunShot, the total cost of solar power can be reduced by more than 2/3 of current prices which average $3-4 per watt for fully installed solar panel arrays.

According to the official website:

Currently, PV solar panels cost about $1.48 per watt.  So, solar panel modules will have to drop at least 50 cents to reach the $1 per watt goal of SunShot.  In addition, installation and other costs will have to be slashed to a quarter of what they are today.

The SunShot Initiative accelerates and advances existing DOE research efforts by refocusing its solar energy programs — valued at approximately $200 million per year — to make large-scale solar energy systems cost competitive without subsidies by the end of the decade.

The DOE’s SunShot program helps reduce solar panel costs by focusing on the overall cost of an installed solar system, with an eye to improve efficiency of solar cells and also cut installations and permitting costs.  And when you think that the cost of solar panels has been drastically reduced since 1980 from over $21 per module to a mere $3-4 each, cheap solar power is something we should all be considering tapping into.

Cheaper solar panels will help encourage more installations

Cheap solar power is certainly worth our tax dollars, don’t you think?  The sooner we can get down to or below $1 per watt for solar energy, the better.

What are your thoughts?  Please share below.

Federal funding for solar photovoltaic research

Its budget time for the federal government.  While the news has been buzzing about the deficit and cuts in funding, the Department of Energy announced that approximately $12 million has been allotted for solar R&D.  The federal funds will largely be provided to several solar photovoltaics (PV) projects that are undertaken in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

The goal of the solar technology research – and the provision of federal funds – is to help bring cutting-edge solar tech out of the laboratory to commercial production.

Bringing solar power from the laboratory to consumers

The Department of Energy’s Photovoltaic Incubator Program will receive about $10 million of the funds through the Recovery Act.  According to the web site:

The goals of the projects include exploring the commercial potential of new manufacturing processes and products; fostering innovation and growth in the domestic PV industry; establishing an efficient and cyclic funding opportunity; and expanding and diversifying domestic “market-ready” PV technologies.

In short, the DOE aims to take prototype solar tech to demonstration or full-scale projects.

Of the total $12 million in solar research funding, about $3 million will be awarded in 2010 to each of four companies under subcontracts with the Department of Energy.  This is the fourth year in a row that funding awards have been presented by the DOE to solar tech companies.

The 2010 funding recipients were announced in January, as follows:

• Alta Devices Inc. of Santa Clara, California will work on developing a solar module with a conversion efficiency better than 20 percent.  The new solar panels could be sold commercially next year, in 2011.
• Solar Junction Corp., based in San Jose, Calif. is developing a manufacturing process for high-efficiency multi-junction solar cell which can be used in concentrating photovoltaics (CPV).
• Tetra Sun, also based in California, is working on back-surface passivation, which helps protect a semiconductor from contamination, for crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells. The result should be high-efficiency, low-cost c-Si solar cells, which are already the most efficient and durable solar cells on the market.
• Semprius Inc., of Durham, North Carolina, will develop a “massively parallel,” microcell-based CPV receiver. The company will combine manufacturing techniques unique to solar power with the inherent benefits of CPV.

With important funding from the Department of Energy/NREL, solar R&D will be able to continue to develop new technologies that are practical, efficient and affordable, and to bring them to the public for actual use!

We’ve got to agree that investing in a clean energy future is worth every dollar.

Installing solar panels on a home

For builders (and future homeowners) in the state of Oregon, a new law encourages green building practices that result in a home that uses half the energy for heating, cooling, lighting and water heating than a similar-sized home.  Oregon high performance homes are those that meet stringent benchmarks for residential construction.  And what is the reward, you may ask?  To begin with, high performance homes will be allowed to use the Business Energy Tax Credit, which will save up to $12,000 per house.  This breaks down to $3,000 for shell, heating and ventilation upgrades and up to $9,000 for renewable energy system components.

Since I live in Oregon and often represent builders and developers in my land use law practice, I have been able to see the positive effects of construction of high performance homes.  Builders pay less, as a result of the tax credits, which also get passed onto homeowners in a lower-priced, more affordable home.  Then, over time, the homeowner enjoys significantly reduced energy costs and the satisfaction of knowing that their residence is part of the answer to problems related to global warming and foreign oil supplies.

Christopher Dymond of the Oregon Department of Energy explains:

“Builders make important decisions that determine how much energy the house will use over its lifetime.  Because nearly all of our marginal energy resources are imported fossil fuels, builders directly affect Oregon’s long-term balance of trade.  Builders are an important component to our state’s strategy for a lower carbon footprint and financial independence.”

The components of a high performance home include efficiency ratings and on-site generation of renewable energy, such as solar power.  The following excerpt from the Department of Energy website goes through the specific requirements to qualify as a high performance home:

“A High Performance Home is an energy facility that is a new dwelling unit constructed by a licensed builder under the Oregon Residential Specialty Code which has its own space conditioning and water heating systems, complies with the specifications listed in the BETC Technical Requirements and is intended for sale to an end-use homebuyer. A High Performance Home must include a Homebuilder Installed Renewable Energy System that produces at least 1 kWh per square foot of conditioned space on an annual basis for photovoltaics or the equivalent for other technologies as listed in the BETC Technical Requirements.”

Its all about the ENERGY STAR

In short, the technical requirements are based on, and actually supplement, the Northwest ENERGY STAR homes requirements.  Not surprisingly, a builder that wishes to qualify to build high performance homes must have entered into a builder partnership agreement with the Northwest ENERGY STAR homes program.  To verify that a home was built to ENERGY STAR standards, the builder must hire an ENERGY STAR homes verifier who will actually obtain certification after reviewing the building components.  This helps the Department of Energy when considering tax credit applications, and the buyer can be assured that his or her new home meet the standards.

It is important to note that homeowners cannot themselves apply for state Residential Energy Tax Credits for high performance home features that qualify for the Business Energy Tax Credit.  They can, however, claim federal tax credits. Potential homebuyers should ask to review all information related to high performance homes standards and ENERGY STAR home verification before entering into a purchase and sale agreement.  That is what I advise my clients!

Once you own a high performance home, you can consider going even further than the 50% reduction in energy use compared to other similar houses.  With such a great start on energy savings, many owners of high performance homes have continued adding more renewable energy upgrades to achieve a zero net annual energy bill home!

What if you don’t live in Oregon?  Well, you are in luck – high performance homes are also certified under similar programs in Colorado.  Builders in the state can consider joining HPH-100, a group that advises and assists in getting high performance home accreditation.  I expect that it will not be long before other states follow suit with respect to high performance homes as demand for smart, energy efficient houses increases and builders realize that the added features of a high performance home will actually bring willing buyers who may otherwise be waiting for the residential market to “bottom out” – if it hasn’t already!

Next time you are considering buying a home – why not think about a high performance home?