FW: Ontario capacity factor for reference updated

 

 

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

646.402.5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

 

---

From: Monty Bannerman [mailto:mbannerman@arcstarenergy.com]
Sent: Saturday, October 31, 2009 11:40 AM
To: 'mbannerman1.blog@blogger.com'
Cc: 'mbannerman@tnag.net'; 'Allen Draa'
Subject: Ontario capacity factor for reference

500 kWp plant produces 514,000 kWh annually

 

Avg. hours insolation: 3.87

Avg. annual production hours available: 365 X 3.87 = 1413

 

 

max possible output: 500 X 1413= 706,275 kWh

expected output: 514,000kWh

 

Ontario  Solar  Capacity factor: .7278 

 

Raw Ontario Capacity Factor measured in total hours in a year: 

 

hours: 8760

500 nameplate x hours = 4,380000 kWh 

Raw capacity factor: .1174

 

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

646.402.5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

 

FW: Power Engineering - Utility-scale Solar

 

 

From: Monty Bannerman [mailto:mbannerman@arcstarenergy.com]
Sent: Saturday, October 31, 2009 11:12 AM
To: 'Allen Draa'
Subject: Power Engineering - Utility-scale Solar

 Some good data on regional cost/watt and traction in utility integration of solar PV and thermal with combined cycle generation.

 

http://pepei.pennnet.com/display_article/369897/6/ARTCL/none/none/1/Utility-scale-Solar/

Ontario capacity factor for reference

500 kWp plant produces 514,000 kWh annually

 

Avg. hours insolation: 3.87

Avg. annual production hours available: 365 X 3.87 = 1413

 

 

max possible output: 500 X 1413= 706,275 kWh

expected output: 514,000kWh

 

Ontario Capacity factor: .7278

 

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

646.402.5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

 

FW: Solar Leaders Applaud New PV Cost Study That Shows Government Policies Reduce Installed Costs, Expand U.S. Solar Market

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
646.402.5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Rebecca Van [mailto:rvan@tnag.net]
Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2009 11:37 PM
To: Monty
Subject: Solar Leaders Applaud New PV Cost Study That Shows Government
Policies Reduce Installed Costs, Expand U.S. Solar Market

http://www.electroiq.com/index/display/pv-wire-news-display/136728968.html

Solar Leaders Applaud New PV Cost Study That Shows Government Policies
Reduce Installed Costs, Expand U.S. Solar Market Today researchers at
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab released "Tracking the Sun II: The Installed
Cost of Photographs in the U.S. from 1998 -- 2008." The new report found
that the average cost of going solar in the U.S. declined by more than 30
percent from 1998 to 2008, a trend that can be largely attributed to the
success of market-building policies at the state and local level. Findings
also show that, after a three-year plateau, costs decreased by 3.6 percent
from 2007 to 2008, marking a pivotal year for the American solar industry.
The full report may be downloaded at
http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/emp/re-pubs.html. Solar advocates from the Vote
Solar Initiative, the Solar Alliance and the Solar Energy Industries
Association issued the following statements in response to the report.
"The bottom line is that affordable solar is no longer a vision for the
future, it's very much here now, ready to be a significant part of our
nation's energy mix," said Adam Browning, executive director of the Vote
Solar Initiative, a national grassroots organization focused on bringing
solar energy into the mainstream. "This all means there has never been a
better time for energy customers to go solar or for our government leaders
to invest in building a new solar economy." "This report confirms that
as a policy investment, solar is one of the best values for the American
taxpayer," said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy
Industries Association, the industry's national trade association based in
Washington, D.C. "This year we've already seen solar PV panel prices drop
another 17 percent. Congress must prioritize the use of solar in the current
energy bill, which will stimulate further investments in manufacturing and
installation of solar equipment. This in turn will create good-paying jobs,
while bringing the cost of solar in line with traditional sources allowing
more consumers to go solar now." "Smart solar policies are intended to
build self-sustaining, strong markets that drive installed costs down.
Berkeley Lab once again shows that these policies can and do work. In states
like California and New Jersey that have committed to supporting renewables,
solar energy has in fact become more accessible for consumers and created
strong local green economies," said Carrie Cullen Hitt, president of the
Solar Alliance, a state-focused alliance of the solar industry.
"Tracking in the Sun" is the most comprehensive cost analysis of
grid-connected photovoltaic systems in the U.S. This second edition analyzes
data from more than 52,000 residential and non-residential PV systems that
were installed between 1998 and 2008. In 2008, the U.S. solar market
experienced record growth, nearly doubling the amount of grid-connected PV
installed annually. Key findings of "Tracking the Sun II" include:
Average installed costs as paid by the system owner prior to receipt of any
incentives, declined from $10.80 per watt (W) in 1998 to $7.5/W in 2008,
equivalent to an average annual reduction of $0.3/W, or 3.6 percent per year
in real 2008 dollars. The primary driver over that 10-year period was a
reduction in non-module costs such as the cost of labor, marketing,
overhead, inverters, and the balance of systems. In contrast, the decline
in costs from $7.8/W in 2007 to $7.5/W in 2008 is primarily attributable to
wholesale module costs, which decreased by approximately $0.5/W over this
period. PV installations benefit from significant economies of scale,
suggesting support for larger systems and larger markets drives down costs.
The installed cost of solar varies widely by state with low costs found in
Arizona, California, and New Jersey, an indicator that more mature markets
driven by strong incentives help reduce the cost of solar. Total after-tax
incentives from federal, state and local governments also declined from 2007
to 2008; the decreased incentives outpaced the drop in installed costs
leading to a slight rise in the net installed cost of both residential and
commercial systems. Though the report only analyzes trends through the end
of 2008, the continued decline of module prices and improved federal
incentives for solar energy in 2009 mean there has never been a better time
for Americans to go solar. About the Vote Solar Initiative: Vote
Solar is a non-profit grassroots organization working to fight climate
change and foster economic opportunity by bringing solar energy into the
mainstream. Since 2002 Vote Solar has engaged in state, local and federal
advocacy campaigns to remove regulatory barriers and implement the key
policies needed to bring solar to scale. www.votesolar.org About SEIA:
Established in 1974, the Solar Energy Industries Association is the national
trade association of solar energy industry. As the voice of the industry,
SEIA works to make solar a mainstream and significant energy source by
expanding markets, removing market barriers, strengthening the industry and
educating the public on the benefits of solar energy. Learn more at
www.seia.org. About the Solar Alliance: The Solar Alliance is a
state-focused association of solar equipment manufacturers, integrators, and
financiers specifically working with state administrators, legislators and
utilities to establish cost-effective solar policies and programs.
www.solaralliance.org A service of YellowBrix, Inc. Photovoltaics
World Article Categories:
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FW: China's Solar Footprint Could Grow Tenfold Through Policies, Low Prices, According to New Report From Greentech Media

http://www.electroiq.com/index/display/pv-wire-news-display/136167898.html

China's Solar Footprint Could Grow Tenfold Through Policies, Low Prices,
According to New Report From Greentech Media Demand for solar panels
inside of China could explode over the next three years, presenting an
opportunity for investors and select international partners, according to a
new report from GTM Research, the market research arm of Greentech Media.
China has a cumulative installed base of 140 megawatts of PV. By 2012, the
report forecasts growth reaching 1.4 gigawatts to 2.6 gigawatts, driven by
new state policies like the Golden Sun program that can cover 50 to 70
percent of the cost of solar systems, according to two authors, China-based
Matt Miller and Matthiah Larkin. During the same period, the full price of
a solar system installed will drop from $2.82 in 2009 to $2.18, lower than
in the U.S. or Europe because of lower prices for labor, inverters and other
factors. In the West, panels sell for approximately $2 a watt. In China, a
panel now sells for $1.57 a watt. By 2020, the cumulative installed PV
base could grow to 10 gigawatts. As early as 2007 Chinese industry officials
had aimed for 300 megawatts by 2012 and 1.8 gigawatts by 2020. The shift
to solar could help deflect criticism internationally and more importantly
de-escalate ongoing conflicts over coal mining and pollution in various
provinces, but the main driver in the shift to solar is a concern over jobs.
The country exports more than 95 percent of its solar panels. The global
recession, however, has stoked fears that demand from Spain, Germany and the
U.S. could drop. During the same period, the solar manufacturing footprint
will grow from 5.6 gigawatts of capacity in 2009 to 8.1 gigawatts in 2012.
In 2005, China had a production capacity of 400 megawatts and a cumulative
installed base of 70 megawatts. "Growth is likely to be lumpy and uneven,
as bottlenecks will inevitably arise in the project approval and funding
disbursement process," states the report. "There are many political layers
involved (local government, provincial DRC, NDRC, and the Ministry of
Finance, at a minimum), and because application volume will be extremely
high." The report, based on dozens of on-site visits to industry
officials, policy makers and installation sites, offers a detailed look at
China's power industry and policies over the last three decades, and how
they could shape the country's solar energy development. See the summary
and download a free executive report at:
http://www.gtmresearch.com/report/china-pv-market-development. About
Greentech Media Greentech Media is an integrated online media company
designed to deliver the highest-quality content in the industry, whether it
is market research, news or conferences. Greentech Media is headquartered in
Cambridge, Mass., with operations in New York City, San Francisco and
Munich. For more information, visit www.greentechmedia.com. Contact:
Scott Clavenna Greentech Media Email Contact SOURCE: Greentech Media,
Inc. A service of YellowBrix, Inc. Photovoltaics World Article
Categories: Photovoltaics   Test and Reliability Silicon Photovoltaics   BOS
Components Thin Film Solar Cells   Wire News CPV   PV World Magazine Current
Issue Equipment and Materials PV World Archives Advertisement

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Northwest Bergen County Water Utilities Authority Turns to Solar Energy (Oct 20, 2009)

http://www.solarbuzz.com/news/NewsNAPR1721.htm

 

FW: How PV grid-tie inverters can zap utility power factor - Photovoltaics World

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
646.402.5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Rebecca Van [mailto:rvan@tnag.net]
Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2009 1:46 PM
To: Monty
Subject: How PV grid-tie inverters can zap utility power factor -
Photovoltaics World

http://www.electroiq.com/index/display/photovoltaics-article-display/4985038
539/articles/Photovoltaics-World/bos-components/inverters/2009/10/how-pv_gri
d-tie_inverters.html

How PV grid-tie inverters can zap utility power factor by Gerritt Lee,
contributorThe rush to harness energy from the sun to make electricity has
inevitably fueled the development of large industrial-grade grid-tie
inverters (GTI) that convert DC from photovoltaic (PV) panels into AC power
for commercial use. Compared to their residential forerunners that generated
only a few kilowatts (kW) of power, the mammoth systems of today are
designed to put out upwards of 100kW. While these super-sized powerhouses
can dramatically lessen reliance on utility power, there is something else
they do that may surprise you.Customers with PV systems that have displaced
a good portion of utility power and whose loads have a sizable reactive
component can actually see utility power factor deteriorate after their
system is connected to the grid. Low power factor presents a heavier
generation and transmission burden on the power grid and also deposits a
larger carbon footprint. Because of this, most tariffs have provisions
allowing the utility to charge a penalty for low power factor. But it is
possible to address this problem.Background on commercial powerWe begin with
a basic discussion of the different kinds of commercial power. One is called
real power because it is directly related with doing real and useful work
such as heating and lighting. Resistive loads are consumers of real power,
whose common unit of measure is the kilowatt (kW). In a resistive load, both
supply voltage and load current are "in-phase" such that the peaks and
troughs of their sinusoidal waveforms coincide and constructively work
together.Another kind of power is reactive power that is present in loads
with inductive or capacitive elements in them such as motors and lamp
ballasts. Unlike real power, reactive power behaves differently by storing
energy in the electric and magnetic fields of the reactive load and
releasing it back to the grid on each AC cycle, made possible because supply
voltage and load current are 90-degrees out-of-phase with each other. The
unit for reactive power is the kilo-volt-ampere reactive (kVar).The
relationship between real and reactive power is represented by the right
triangle shown in Figure 1 where real power falls on the horizontal axis and
reactive power rises on the vertical. The vector sum of real and reactive
power is called apparent power, whose magnitude is the length of the
hypotenuse and whose common unit of measure is the kilo-volt-ampere (kVA).
Seen another way, apparent power is the total burden placed on the grid by
the load from both its real and reactive parts. Figure 1. Relationship
between real, reactive and apparent power.In Fig. 1, the cosine of the angle
f (a fraction between 0 and 1) represents power factor at the fundamental
power line frequency -- commonly known as displacement power factor
associated with linear loads where a phase shift exists between supply
voltage and load current. A lagging power factor is associated with an
inductive load, while a leading one is indicative of a capacitive load.Power
factor can also be affected when harmonic components of the fundamental
frequency are present in magnitude to distort the waveform of the load
current. True power factor is then a combination of simple phase
displacement and harmonic distortion. Because of the technical complexities
associated with harmonic distortion, the remaining discussion will be
focused solely on displacement power factor.The power factor represents the
degree to which the load is resistive with the ideal occurring when f is
zero degrees and power factor equals one, or unity. At unity power factor,
apparent power equals real power, reactive power is zero and the load is
purely resistive in nature. If the load also contains reactive elements (as
most do), reactive power will be non-zero and apparent power will exceed
real power as Fig. 1 shows. Therefore, given two loads each consuming the
same amount of real power, the one with the higher power factor will be more
efficient and draw less circulating current than the other with the lower
power factor.The inefficiencies associated with low power factor require
larger power plants and bigger transmission lines to generate and deliver
the higher currents. For this reason, the utility must set minimum power
factor standards in accordance with applicable tariffs to mitigate the
problem. Non-conforming users with sub-par power factor may be penalized
with higher rates. Figure 2. Utility power factor without grid-tie inverter
(GTI).Putting it all togetherHaving the basics covered, let's focus our
attention on Figure 2, which shows an example of a commercial load connected
to the grid through the electric meter. The meter shows that the load draws
1000kW of real and 450kVars of reactive power, which results in a
respectable power factor of 0.91 as indicated by the triangle in Fig. 2.In
Figure 3, we have the same configuration except this time a large GTI unit
displaces 50% of utility real power. In other words, the grid and GTI each
feed 500kW to the load. The meter now registers 500kW of real power and the
full 450kVars of reactive power as well. Crunching the numbers again, you
find the power factor has dipped to 0.74. What caused this plunge of 19%,
you may ask?Remember that power factor can be decreased in a couple ways.
One is by holding real power (kW) constant while increasing reactive power
(kVars). The other way is to keep reactive power constant and trim real
power, which is precisely what is happening here. The missing piece of the
puzzle is the fact that GTIs are designed to operate with a unity power
factor output and be synchronized with grid frequency. Recall that a system
with unity power factor exhibits 100% real and 0% reactive power. So the GTI
does not contribute any reactive kVar production to the equation, which
leaves the utility to bear the entire burden. The reason for the mysterious
drop in power factor now becomes clear. Figure 3. Utility power factor with
grid-tie inverter (GTI).What can be done to ensure that power factor falls
within acceptable utility limits? In reality, PV power output is not
constant but fluctuates throughout the day depending on the sun's position
and cloud cover. Because of the inversely proportional relationship between
PV output and utility power factor just explained, the latter will also
fluctuate throughout the day. However, if average power factor falls below
utility standards, the initial power factor must be boosted to compensate
for the loss. Since most loads are inductive in nature, capacitor banks can
be employed to cancel some of the negative effects of inductive reactance,
since opposing reactances offset.In the example of Fig. 3, suppose the
utility requires a minimum power factor of 0.85. What must occur to boost
power factor from the sub-par 0.74 to the minimum 0.85? For this to happen,
the meter must see 500kW of real power and 310kVars reactive. Doing the
math, we find that the initial power factor must be raised from 0.91 to
0.96. The reader is left to ponder the details of this conclusion,
summarized in the table below.ConclusionFollowing on the heels of the
residential bandwagon, large GTI systems are becoming more prevalent today
as large businesses embrace sustainability and take greater ownership of
their energy costs. The availability of export energy credits from
feed-in-tariffs provides an income stream to help defray the large capital
expenditure. Following all the hard work and money invested to make your PV
system just right, getting cited for sub-par power factor would cast a gray
cloud over an otherwise sunny day. But armed with the foregoing knowledge,
you are now prepared for the solution. Comparison of utility power factor
with and without grid-tie inverter. *Fig.2 **Fig.3BiographyGerritt Lee
received his BSEE degree from the U. of Hawaii and is a registered
professional engineer employed by Hawaiian Electric Company; e-mail
gerritt.lee@heco.com. Photovoltaics World Article Categories:
Photovoltaics   Test and Reliability Silicon Photovoltaics   BOS Components
Thin Film Solar Cells   Wire News
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FW: Reportlinker Adds Utilities Go Green: Worldwide Utility Solar Market Shares, Forecasts, and Strategies, 2008-2014

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
646.402.5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Rebecca Van [mailto:rvan@tnag.net]
Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2009 1:29 PM
To: Monty
Subject: Reportlinker Adds Utilities Go Green: Worldwide Utility Solar
Market Shares, Forecasts, and Strategies, 2008-2014

http://www.electroiq.com/index/display/pv-wire-news-display/136229051.html

Reportlinker Adds Utilities Go Green: Worldwide Utility Solar Market Shares,
Forecasts, and Strategies, 2008-2014 NEW YORK, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ --
Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in
its catalogue. Reportlinker Adds Utilities Go Green: Worldwide Utility
Solar Market Shares, Forecasts, and Strategies, 2008-2014
http://www.reportlinker.com/p0153925/Reportlinker-Adds-Utilities-
Go-Green-Worldwide-Utility-Solar-Market-Shares-Forecasts-and-
Strategies-2008-2014.html The single most significant economic factor
driving adoption of solar utility initiatives is the prospect of carbon use
surcharges. As coal, gas, and oil usage are taxed to help prevent pollution
and stimulate use of renewable energy sources, solar energy becomes more
attractive to the utility grid electricity providers. The environmental
impact of energy use choices promises to be an ongoing factor in energy grid
supply. Large scale solar electric power plants are being developed and
planned worldwide as an alternative to fossil fuel, or nuclear power
generation. These large scale power plants (solar farms) are typically
greater than 100 kW in power output and grow in capacity to well over 1 MW.
Both Germany and Canada have announced solar farm power plants that will be
sized at 40 MW. PV module price decreases continue to drive the growth of
large scale solar farm development worldwide. The speed with which solar
system can be put in place by a utility company is a major factor in
deciding what kinds of systems to put up. Solar utility systems can be put
in place within six months. The ability to create an operational system in
six months instead of 20 years for nuclear systems is significant. Just the
cost of capital weighs heavily in favor of solar utility installations. The
advantage brought by having paying customers sooner is a major factor
supporting implementation of solar systems for generation of utility grid
electricity. Utility vendor electricity solar equipment markets at $10
billion in 2007 are anticipated to reach $78.7 billion by 2014. Growth is a
result of using utility electricity solar systems to power the grid. With
.3% of the grid powered by solar in 2007, huge growth is set to occur as 6%
of the grid power is anticipated to come from solar by 2014, with rapid
shifts to solar energy after that. This will come through massive trillion
dollar investments in grid capable solar energy systems that are financed
throughout the life of the solar installation. Adoption of solar energy
has a simple market driving force. If people do not adopt solar energy, the
planet will become unfit for human habitation. The fossil fuels are warming
the planet at an increasing rate that makes life unsustainable if something
does not change. Global warming drives solar markets. Solar is perceived as
the best, perhaps the only widespread solution to global warming. Every
large enterprise has adopted a social responsibility strategy that makes a
nod toward solving the issues of global warming and embraces renewable
energy. Every person in the world is aware of the problems that global
warming is bringing. Growth comes not only because solar power is the
cheapest power source which it will be in many cases, but because it
fulfills a variety of convenience needs, not the least of which is a way to
attack global warming. Every large enterprise has adopted a green strategy
in response to public demand for better energy solutions. SOLAR UTILITY
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Global Market For Energy Prospect Of Carbon Use
Surcharges Construction Cost Parity With Coal Plants Speed of Revenue
Generation from Solar Utilities Thin Film Solar Technology Era Of Cheap
Energy Is Over Unprecedented Level Of Solar Product Development Worldwide
Wireless Handsets Population Increases Tackling Climate Change
Benefits of Solar For Utility Electricity Markets Solar Utility
Electricity Market Shares Worldwide Utility Electricity Solar Cell and
Panel Shipments 1. SOLAR UTILITY MARKET DESCRIPTION AND MARKET DYNAMICS
1.1 Solar Power Gaining In Importance: Rethinking Among US Utility Energy
Suppliers: To order this report: Reportlinker Adds Utilities Go Green:
Worldwide Utility Solar Market Shares, Forecasts, and Strategies, 2008-2014
http://www.reportlinker.com/p0153925/Reportlinker-Adds-Utilities-
Go-Green-Worldwide-Utility-Solar-Market-Shares-Forecasts-and-
Strategies-2008-2014.html More market research reports here! Nicolas
Bombourg Reportlinker Email: nbo@reportlinker.com US: (805)-652-2626
Intl: +1 805-652-2626 SOURCE Reportlinker Originally published by
Reportlinker. (c) 2009 PRNewswire. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights
Reserved. A service of YellowBrix, Inc. Photovoltaics World Article
Categories: Photovoltaics   Test and Reliability Silicon Photovoltaics   BOS
Components Thin Film Solar Cells   Wire News CPV   PV World Magazine Current
Issue Equipment and Materials PV World Archives Advertisement
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FW: Germany and California: Changes leave the devil in the details - Photovoltaics World

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
646.402.5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Rebecca Van [mailto:rvan@tnag.net]
Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2009 3:51 PM
To: Monty
Subject: Germany and California: Changes leave the devil in the details -
Photovoltaics World

http://www.electroiq.com/index/display/photovoltaics-article-display/3515949
389/articles/Photovoltaics-World/industry-news/2009/october-2009/germany-and
_california.html

Germany and California: Changes leave the devil in the details by Paula
Mints, Navigant ConsultingThe new German governing coalition is promising
(or threatening) a steeper cut to the country's EEG tariff along with a
possible cap, and soon -- perhaps before this article is even published.
Meanwhile, California finally passed a bill that will allow solar system
owners (residential and small commercial) to either be paid for their net
excess or roll it into the next year, instead of losing it. A bill
authorizing a FiT for California also passed for systems =3MWp. The details
about changes in Germany's FiT and California's new programs are not
completely worked out -- and the devil may well be in those pesky
details.One thing is for certain -- should the German FiT be reduced
significantly (guesses abound from 15% to 30%), the market would reduce with
it, perhaps significantly. Should the government implement a cap on the
program, the market could conceivably shrink even further. Meanwhile,
nuclear power in Germany has been given a boost. A significant change in the
German incentive for solar is troubling because Germany is currently the
only market ready to accept >1MWp of product a year; other markets,
including the US, are still in a nascent stage of market development and
need more time. As the figure at right indicates, a significant change in
the market in Germany would lead to an extremely soft market in 2010.
Global demand share in 2009 (total: 4555.0MWp).Germany: Et Tu, FiT?After the
recent parliamentary elections in Germany installed a conservative
government, the PV community expected a change was coming. The recession had
pushed the German population to the point of change, much as in the US.
However, while a desire for change pushed US voters to the left, German
voters chose a different direction.The German government appears to be
acting quickly to change the EEG. While optimistic PV observers expect
significant changes, they also presume these changes would not take place
until 2011, giving the PV industry one more year of heavy selling along with
the chance to build up new markets, such as the US. Pessimistic PV observers
fear that changes will happen much sooner. Now, some degree of optimism
remains; even if it is soon, the change cannot possibly be too dire -- and
how could a significant change take place with such a large German PV
industry, not to mention the EU 20/20/20 target?Optimism and pessimism
aside, there is currently a genuine and significant pushback from German
voters whose utility bills pay for the EEG, along with a degree of anger
that it has created not just a strong German manufacturing industry but also
thriving industries in other countries. Chancellor Merkel has made it clear
that the EEG, long viewed as a 20-year annuity for system owners, is
expensive to support and will be rethought. Meanwhile the entire industry
awaits the expected outcome and at this point, a 15% digression in January
2010 without an accompanying cap would be a relief to many.Again, there are
currently no markets for solar that are developed to the degree that Germany
could be replaced -- much as Spain's market could not be replaced. Japan,
even with its announced FiT, will not be a gigawatt market in 2010 and
likely not in 2011. The market in China remains a wait-and-see proposition.
The US has strong potential and a lot of pesky details to be worked out
before its potential is fully realized.Right now other governments (and not
only in Europe) are watching to see how Germany changes its FiT, and what
reasons it gives for the changes. Italy, Greece, France, and even the US may
well consider making changes to their national programs if Germany -- the
global leader and parent of the FiT model, is too negative in its
response.The US -- we know where, but when?The new net excess and feed-in
tariff bills passed in California are significantly less fuzzy in detail
than the uncertainty in Germany. In California, complexity is the issue.
California is not the only US state with a solar market, nor is it the only
state with incentives and an announced FiT. However, California remains the
boldest US state with regards to breaking the barriers that could really
drive a thriving and globally competitive market for solar in the US
California's legislature and governor are poised to make more changes in
early 2010, hopefully before pre-election anxieties induce legislative
hesitation to act. The state's current Democrat-heavy government and its
independent governor know that they need to take action now, just in case
the next governor is an ultra-conservative Republican. For one thing, in
order for California's new bills (FiT and ownership of net excess
electricity) to have a long-term impact, the state's 2.5% net metering cap
needs to be raised.A cause for celebration is California's elimination of
the net excess penalty -- that is, for systems <1MWp, the net excess must
either be purchased by the utility or rolled over to the following period.
Soon there will be no more 'use it or lose it' in California, which should
stimulate strong interest in rooftop residential and small to medium
commercial solar. Interconnections will also be processed faster -- the bill
calls for 30 days from receipt of a completed application. The price the
utility must pay for the electricity has not been set, but aside from the
market price referent (MPR, ~13¢/kWh) that utilities have set for
renewables, it must reflect the value of the RE generation, and, the value
of the pollution that has been offset. The legislation favors distributed
generation, and should encourage development of new business models for the
residential and small commercial market.More good news: California will have
a feed in tariff for systems <3MWp. The price utilities must pay for
electricity for a 10-, 15-, or 20-year period (to be defined) is the
California PUC's MPR, including "all current and anticipated environmental
compliance costs." The bill authorizes the PUC to adjust the payment to
reflect time of electricity delivery. California's FiT will be available to
system owners or operators within a utility's territory on a first come
first served basis until the utility meets its share of the 750MWp or the
utility's above-market-cost limitation has been met or exceeded. For
California's FiT there will be studies and likely quite a bit of traffic to
and from the PUC by the strong utility lobby not to mention PV industry
interest groups and lobbies. In the timeframe before this particular bill is
enacted, much nebulous language needs to be worked out.Despite the good news
from California's legislature and governor, the changes in Germany could
lead to more than one down year for the solar industry. The best-case
scenario would have Germany announcing changes for 2011, giving markets in
Japan, the US and other countries in Europe time (though not much) to
develop. In the worst case, swift and drastic changes in Germany's FiT will
leave an unprepared industry with even more overcapacity and no time to
react. (No matter the dire effect of losing Spain as a primary market, the
industry was given plenty of warning.) The lesson for the industry is to
aggressively develop new markets while protecting current ones -- and
unfortunately, there is no getting around the pesky details in either
case.Paula Mints is principal analyst, PV Services Program, and associate
director in the energy practice at Navigant Consulting. E-mail:
pmints@navigantconsulting.com. Photovoltaics World Article
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FW: Solar Leaders Applaud New PV Cost Study That Shows Government Policies Reduce Installed Costs, Expand U.S. Solar Market

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
646.402.5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Rebecca Van [mailto:rvan@tnag.net]
Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2009 3:58 PM
To: Monty
Subject: Solar Leaders Applaud New PV Cost Study That Shows Government
Policies Reduce Installed Costs, Expand U.S. Solar Market

http://www.electroiq.com/index/display/pv-wire-news-display/136728968.html

Solar Leaders Applaud New PV Cost Study That Shows Government Policies
Reduce Installed Costs, Expand U.S. Solar Market Today researchers at
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab released "Tracking the Sun II: The Installed
Cost of Photographs in the U.S. from 1998 -- 2008." The new report found
that the average cost of going solar in the U.S. declined by more than 30
percent from 1998 to 2008, a trend that can be largely attributed to the
success of market-building policies at the state and local level. Findings
also show that, after a three-year plateau, costs decreased by 3.6 percent
from 2007 to 2008, marking a pivotal year for the American solar industry.
The full report may be downloaded at
http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/emp/re-pubs.html. Solar advocates from the Vote
Solar Initiative, the Solar Alliance and the Solar Energy Industries
Association issued the following statements in response to the report.
"The bottom line is that affordable solar is no longer a vision for the
future, it's very much here now, ready to be a significant part of our
nation's energy mix," said Adam Browning, executive director of the Vote
Solar Initiative, a national grassroots organization focused on bringing
solar energy into the mainstream. "This all means there has never been a
better time for energy customers to go solar or for our government leaders
to invest in building a new solar economy." "This report confirms that
as a policy investment, solar is one of the best values for the American
taxpayer," said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy
Industries Association, the industry's national trade association based in
Washington, D.C. "This year we've already seen solar PV panel prices drop
another 17 percent. Congress must prioritize the use of solar in the current
energy bill, which will stimulate further investments in manufacturing and
installation of solar equipment. This in turn will create good-paying jobs,
while bringing the cost of solar in line with traditional sources allowing
more consumers to go solar now." "Smart solar policies are intended to
build self-sustaining, strong markets that drive installed costs down.
Berkeley Lab once again shows that these policies can and do work. In states
like California and New Jersey that have committed to supporting renewables,
solar energy has in fact become more accessible for consumers and created
strong local green economies," said Carrie Cullen Hitt, president of the
Solar Alliance, a state-focused alliance of the solar industry.
"Tracking in the Sun" is the most comprehensive cost analysis of
grid-connected photovoltaic systems in the U.S. This second edition analyzes
data from more than 52,000 residential and non-residential PV systems that
were installed between 1998 and 2008. In 2008, the U.S. solar market
experienced record growth, nearly doubling the amount of grid-connected PV
installed annually. Key findings of "Tracking the Sun II" include:
Average installed costs as paid by the system owner prior to receipt of any
incentives, declined from $10.80 per watt (W) in 1998 to $7.5/W in 2008,
equivalent to an average annual reduction of $0.3/W, or 3.6 percent per year
in real 2008 dollars. The primary driver over that 10-year period was a
reduction in non-module costs such as the cost of labor, marketing,
overhead, inverters, and the balance of systems. In contrast, the decline
in costs from $7.8/W in 2007 to $7.5/W in 2008 is primarily attributable to
wholesale module costs, which decreased by approximately $0.5/W over this
period. PV installations benefit from significant economies of scale,
suggesting support for larger systems and larger markets drives down costs.
The installed cost of solar varies widely by state with low costs found in
Arizona, California, and New Jersey, an indicator that more mature markets
driven by strong incentives help reduce the cost of solar. Total after-tax
incentives from federal, state and local governments also declined from 2007
to 2008; the decreased incentives outpaced the drop in installed costs
leading to a slight rise in the net installed cost of both residential and
commercial systems. Though the report only analyzes trends through the end
of 2008, the continued decline of module prices and improved federal
incentives for solar energy in 2009 mean there has never been a better time
for Americans to go solar. About the Vote Solar Initiative: Vote
Solar is a non-profit grassroots organization working to fight climate
change and foster economic opportunity by bringing solar energy into the
mainstream. Since 2002 Vote Solar has engaged in state, local and federal
advocacy campaigns to remove regulatory barriers and implement the key
policies needed to bring solar to scale. www.votesolar.org About SEIA:
Established in 1974, the Solar Energy Industries Association is the national
trade association of solar energy industry. As the voice of the industry,
SEIA works to make solar a mainstream and significant energy source by
expanding markets, removing market barriers, strengthening the industry and
educating the public on the benefits of solar energy. Learn more at
www.seia.org. About the Solar Alliance: The Solar Alliance is a
state-focused association of solar equipment manufacturers, integrators, and
financiers specifically working with state administrators, legislators and
utilities to establish cost-effective solar policies and programs.
www.solaralliance.org A service of YellowBrix, Inc. Photovoltaics
World Article Categories:
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Utility solar market

Utility vendor electricity solar equipment markets at $10 billion in 2007 are anticipated to reach $78.7 billion by 2014. Growth is a result of using utility electricity solar systems to power the grid. With .3% of the grid powered by solar in 2007, huge growth is set to occur as 6% of the grid power is anticipated to come from solar by 2014, with rapid shifts to solar energy after that. This will come through massive trillion dollar investments in grid capable solar energy systems that are financed throughout the life of the solar installation.

 

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

646.402.5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

 

FW: Accelerating Solar Financing: SolarTech Releases First Industry Standardized PPA Contract

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
646.402.5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Rebecca Van [mailto:rvan@tnag.net]
Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2009 3:04 PM
To: Monty
Subject: Accelerating Solar Financing: SolarTech Releases First Industry
Standardized PPA Contract

http://www.electroiq.com/index/display/pv-wire-news-display/136445556.html

Accelerating Solar Financing: SolarTech Releases First Industry Standardized
PPA Contract SolarTech (www.solartech.org) today announced a major
milestone in the development of best practices. The consortium will unveil
the first ever contract template for Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) solar
financing at the upcoming Solar Power International 2009 conference in
Anaheim on Oct. 28th. In a recent study, Gartner Group defines the PPA
financing instrument as a major solar driver and predicts 2.3GW of PPA
financed solar by 2013. PPA deals can take several weeks of legal review and
contract negotiations. Utilizing the SolarTech standard PPA templates can
substantially reduce the legal review time, minimizing associated legal
costs and shortening the negotiation timeline. "The use of an industry
accepted form should reduce negotiating time by 50-75%," said Ed Feo, Senior
Partner, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy LLP. "We see a lot of PPA deals
come through our office. Many of the terms are similar and yet are still
negotiated in every transaction. It is far more cost effective for solar
integrators to focus on 20% of the terms that differ from deal to deal, than
to rewrite standard material," explains Feo. The effort was led by
SolarTech's Finance Committee comprised of SolarTech members from solar
financing, project developers and legal firms. The committee enjoyed
extensive legal support donated by two leading legal firms: Milbank, Tweed,
Hadley and McCloy LLP and Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP. "Using
a standard PPA form with the credibility of a well known association like
SolarTech lends legitimacy to the agreements," said William DeGrandis,
Partner, Paul, Hastings. "We will endorse the use of this template with our
clients as a means to substantially reduce negotiation time and enhance the
cost effectiveness of solar energy projects. I look forward to working with
SolarTech to make standardized legal instruments an industry norm," states
DeGrandis. "The industry needs to achieve a 15% annual reduction in
end-to-end cycle time by 2013 if California is to meet the 2017 goals of the
California Solar Initiative," said Doug Payne, Executive Director,
SolarTech. "SolarTech was formed to optimize the delivery of PV systems for
the benefit of California energy consumers. We are pleased to introduce
these important tools at Solar Power International 2009." Looking
forward to 2010, the templates being introduced today will be vetted at
SPI2009 through the Execution & Implementation Track, led by SolarTech.
Several variations of templates could emerge to meet the specific needs of
individual states or markets. The effort was funded in part by a grant
from the California Energy Commission. The grant's overarching objective is
to develop and promote best practices for commercial and residential solar
markets. Defining innovative financial models and market mechanisms that
support grid parity for solar photovoltaics are fundamental to the grant's
goals. Specific SolarTech targets within this Energy Commission PIER grant
include the following: Contribute to lowering the balance of system
costs, as a percent of the current $9/Watt-peak (Wp) system costs to the
projected $5/Wp system costs. Reduce the end-to-end PV installation time
from the current 25 to 50 weeks to 9 weeks by 2013. The PPA and Site Lease
agreement contract templates will be available for download from SolarTech's
web site shortly after the "System Financing: Optimizing Financing Methods
and PV Economics" session on Wednesday at Solar Power International. Visit
www.solartech.org. About SolarTech SolarTech, an initiative of
Silicon Valley Leadership Group, is a collaborative organization formed to
create a Solar Center of Excellence in Silicon Valley. The purpose is to
identify, prioritize, and resolve technical and market barriers to solar
technology by addressing issues of performance, processes, standards, and
workforce readiness. The SolarTech consortium's industry-spanning collection
of products and services will assure member companies achieve faster time to
market, with lower risk, and higher consumer adoption of solar powered
systems. For more information visit www.solartech.org. Copyright 2009,
SolarTech, All Rights Reserved A service of YellowBrix, Inc.
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