I don't know if this is too political. But this should help with solar.........
Australia's Climate Change-Denying Prime Minister Has Been Ousted
Alissa Walker, Gawker Media
Sep 15, 2015, 12.30 AM IST
He said he was "hugely unconvinced" on the science of climate change and once called wind turbines "awful." Now the same Australian prime minister who's been labeled an environmental villain has been removed from office.

As we reported back in July, Tony Abbott's troubled term included undoing lots of the great work that Australia had accomplished in the clean energy arena, most recently ordering national banks to stop financing wind and solar programs:

After assuming office, Abbott quickly moved to dismantle Australia's limited carbon reduction systems, lower the country's renewable energy targets, and disband a climate advisory body. In September of 2014, Abbott was notably absent from a UN climate summit that included more than 120 world leaders.

But with perpetually sunniest skies and some of the fastest-growing adoption rates in the world, the country could easily be the global leader when it comes to solar energy. With the right government support, that actually might happen.

Throughout Abbott's term a former Minister of the Environment named Malcolm Turnbull has been his most contentious critic when it comes to climate change (what is it with powerful Australians and climate change denial?). Turnbull even publicly called Abbott's weak emissions policy "bullshit." In some very good news for the country (and the planet): Turnbull has just been named as Abbott's successor.

While Turnbull hasn't formally announced any policy changes yet, he has been a vehement supporter of a carbon tax which would deter coal-fire power production. With the next round of UN climate talks coming up in December, this is perfect timing to get Australia engaged in true climate regulations on the global stage.

This market can do anything.We could bump up 3,000% on no news...... (not a prediction)

Followers: 400 - Board type: Free - Posts Today: 0
WTF did everybody go?

Leap in solar inverters with HD-wave technology

Read more at: http://www.energyharvestingjournal.com/articles/8396/leap-in-solar-inverters-with-hd-wave-technology
Posted on September 11, 2015
SolarEdge Technologies Inc a leader in PV inverters, power optimizers, and module-level monitoring services, introduces its new HD-Wave inverter technology. Based on its track record of optimized PV solutions, SolarEdge has developed a novel power conversion topology that represents one of the most significant leaps in solar technology in the past 20 years. Inverters are the "brain" of the solar energy system, because they convert solar power into usable energy and are measured by size, efficiency, and reliability. While advances have been made in the solar inverter space throughout the years, the large size of magnetics and cooling components have significantly limited any leapfrogging in the inverter space. SolarEdge's new HD-Wave technology will dramatically reduce the size of the inverter's magnetics by means of advanced digital processing. At the same time, the new technology is designed to increase reliability and optimize the performance of solar energy systems to 99% efficiency and beyond, an increase that will provide more solar power at lower cost. "Continued technological progress is required to make solar energy more competitive with fossil fuels," said Guy Sella, CEO and Chairman of SolarEdge, "and inverters are the key component for accelerating the adoption of solar technology. We believe that our new HD-Wave technology is a significant milestone in the development of solar and further positions SolarEdge as a leader in a thriving industry."
Read more at: http://www.energyharvestingjournal.com/articles/8396/leap-in-solar-inverters-with-hd-wave-technology.
According to recent industry reports, the solar inverter market is estimated at nearly $7 billion in 2015, with SolarEdge being a leading provider and among the fastest growing companies in the solar industry. With HD-Wave, SolarEdge enables continuous and rapid improvement of inverter technology and once again demonstrates its leadership in the solar technology field. "We believe HD-Wave represents a significant milestone for solar inverter technology, akin to the transition from large glass tube TVs to the flat-screen," stated Lior Handelsman, VP Marketing and Product Strategy of SolarEdge. "The use of digital processing will allow us to more quickly improve inverter size, efficiency, and reliability than the current industry standard and drive down the cost of solar." SolarEdge's first inverters powered by HD-Wave technology will be available starting December 2015. SolarEdge will unveil the first inverter powered by its HD-Wave technology at Solar Power International in Anaheim, CA, September 14-17. About SolarEdge: SolarEdge provides an intelligent inverter solution that has changed the way power is harvested and managed in solar photovoltaic systems. The SolarEdge DC optimized inverter system maximizes power generation at the individual PV module-level while lowering the cost of energy produced by the solar PV system. The SolarEdge system consists of power optimizers, inverters and a cloud-based monitoring platform and addresses a broad range of solar market segments, from residential solar installations to commercial and small utility-scale solar installations.
SolarEdge is online at http://www.solaredge.com
or information contact: Tom Hannaford Thomas.hannaford@edelman.com Investor Contacts: SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. Ronen Faier, +1 510-498-3263 Chief Financial Officer investors@solaredge.com or Sapphire Investor Relations, LLC Erica Mannion or Michael Funari, +1 415-471-2700 investors@solaredge.com Learn more at the next leading event on the topic: Energy Harvesting & Storage USA 2015 on 18 - 19 Nov 2015 in Santa Clara, CA, USA hosted by IDTechEx.
Read more at: http://www.energyharvestingjournal.com/articles/8396/leap-in-solar-inverters-with-hd-wave-technology

High-efficiency, semi-transparent perovskite/graphene solar cells created at low cost
COLIN JEFFREY SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

The semi-transparent, inexpensive solar cells have a claimed conversion efficiency of around 12 percent (Credit: Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
http://www.gizmag.com/transparent-perovskite-solar-cells-graphene-electrodes/39349/
With the continued rise in the uptake of solar cells, consumers are now looking at less obtrusive ways to incorporate these in buildings and vehicles. Transparent or semi-transparent cells provide greater flexibility and visual appeal than standard, opaque silicon solar cells, however their relatively high-cost and poor efficiencies have meant that their adoption has been slow. To help remedy this, researchers working at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have created semi-transparent, efficient, low-cost perovskite solar cells with graphene electrodes.

First generation silicon solar cells have been the mainstay of photovoltaic (PV) energy conversion for many years now due to their high stability and efficient energy conversion, but their opacity and expense mean that alternatives are now being actively sought for modern building and vehicle applications. Thin film PVs (second generation solar cells) are lightweight and flexible, but are expensive because they are created from rare materials using complex structures requiring high-temperature production processes.

Now, utilizing such materials as thin-film perovskite, the third generation of solar cell is currently being developed for commercial use in the not-too-distant future with the promise of greater power conversion efficiencies, simpler fabrication processes, and lower cost.

In this vein, the PolyU researchers have developed their own version of the third generation solar cell using semitransparent perovskite with graphene used as the electrodes. Being exceptionally thin but with high conductivity and low cost, graphene makes an ideal choice for semitransparent solar cells as it allows light to be absorbed from both sides. As such, the researchers envisage these devices potentially able to be used in windows, louvers, and building roof surfaces, thereby increasing the available surface area for collecting solar energy.

While graphene has been around for more than a decade now and is highly-efficient as a conductor in its own right, the PolyU researchers decided to further enhance the conductivity of graphene to meet their specific requirements. To do this, the graphene was coated with a patina of PEDOT:PSS conductive polymer (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate) – the same ingredient recently used by KAIST scientists in the production of weavable LED fibers – that also acted as an adhesion layer to the perovskite during the process of lamination.

To promote power conversion efficiency, the researchers found that by multilayering graphene through chemical vapor deposition to create transparent electrodes, the sheet resistance of the electrodes was additionally reduced while the exceptional transparency of the electrodes was retained. Finally, the performance of the device was further improved by enhancing the degree of contact between the top graphene electrodes and the hole transport layer on the perovskite film.

According to the researchers, the exceptional flexibility of graphene and the simplified preparation of the cells means that the PolyU device could be eminently suitable for mass production via direct printing or using a roll-to-roll process. In this way, semitransparent solar cells may well provide a greater uptake of PV panels across markets not currently serviced by traditional, opaque devices.

The results of this research were published in the journal Advanced Materials.

Source: Hong Kong Polytechnic University

What a day!

Solar Power International is North America's premier educational conference and product exhibition bringing together more than 15,000 solar energy industry professionals from over 75 countries
September 14-17, 2015
Anaheim Convention Center
Anaheim, California
http://www.solarpowerinternational.com

U.S. solar power installations exceed 20 gigawatts
By IVAN PENN contact the reporter
U.S. solar power installations continued to climb in the second quarter of 2015, reaching a new high compared with the same period in previous years, according to a report released Wednesday.
The total amount of solar-electricity capacity nationwide topped 20 gigawatts, or enough to power 4.6 million homes.

The sun rises over the photovoltaic solar panels at the 550-megawatt Desert Sunlight Solar Farm in Desert Center. The photovoltaic solar farm is one of the world's largest, on 3,800 acres of federal land in Riverside County. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
The demand for solar energy is now higher than ever and this report spells out how crucial it is for America to maintain smart, effective, forward-looking public policies,” said Rhone Resch, president and chief executive of the Solar Energy Industries Assn., which published the findings.

“U.S. solar growth has exploded and more than 150,000 American solar jobs have been created. By any measurement, that’s a success for both our economy and environment.”

Part of the growth continues in the residential solar market, which set records in the second quarter. Residential solar grew 70% year-over-year with 473 megawatts installed. California by far leads the nation in all solar installations.

The solar industry report highlighted the popularity of residential solar in the state, despite the fact that residential incentives are no longer available in the service areas of Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric and Pacific Gas & Electric. In the first quarter of this year, for instance, 94% of residential solar installations came online without incentives, the report states.

Nationwide, the non-residential market finished the quarter down 33% from the same period last year. But utility-scale solar still made up 52% of all solar installations at 729 megawatts.


“The utility PV market continues to be the bedrock driver of new installation growth. And in the second half of this year through 2016, growth will reach new heights as a higher share of what comes online stems from projects procured purely based on centralized solar’s cost competitiveness,” said Shayle Kann, senior vice president at GTM Research, which helped produce the report.

The solar industry and GTM Research expect solar installations for 2015 to exceed last year by 24%, or 7.7 gigawatts, more than a third of the current U.S. total.

For more energy news, follow Ivan Penn on Twitter: @ivanlpenn

The archaic nature of 'baseload' power
Michael Mariotte 7th September 2015
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2985269/the_archaic_nature_of_baseload_power.html

Wind turbines along a mountain ridge in Galicia, Spain. Photo: Luis Alves via Flickr (CC BY).
Nuclear power advocates cling like limpets to the idea of 'baseload' power, writes Michael Mariotte. No surprise there - it's the only selling point they've got. It's just too bad the idea is obsolete. Variable renewables combined with stronger grids, energy storage and responsive demand can do a better job for less money. No wonder the shills are getting desperate.
The old grid, beholden to massive, polluting baseload power plants, is being replaced by a nimbler, high-tech 21st century system oriented toward variable renewable energy.

There are no shortage of skeptics out there, even some among environmentalists and clean energy advocates, who are unconvinced that renewable energy can ever be the dominant-perhaps even sole-source of electricity generation.

The reasons for this skepticism vary. Some, for example, argue that the land needs for sufficient generation of wind and solar power are too great. This turns out to be an incredibly lame argument, but that's the subject of a different article.

More frequent are the arguments that 'baseload' power-large power plants that tend to run 24/7-are necessary to ensure reliable electricity and that the variable nature of some renewables-solar and wind-can't provide that reliability.

Then there's the notion that the electrical grid can only accommodate a certain level of renewables, around 30-40%. Above that and the grid pretty much breaks down. These arguments are actually related and solved in the same way.

More recently, an argument has been circling among energy nerds-especially pro-nuclear energy nerds-that the integration of renewables into the grid reaches a peak for economic reasons: that renewables are limited by their cost. Not by their high cost, but by their low cost, or as one writer put it: "solar and wind eat their own lunch."

But that merely shows that not only must the technical nature of the grid change, and it can; but so must its economic nature, and it can too.

The good old days ... too bad they were killing us

The electric grid in use today was mostly designed in the 20th century. Large baseload nuclear and fossil fuel plants were built, usually far from the largest electricity consumers (cities and large industry), and transported by huge (and not particular efficient) power lines.

Those baseload plants had, and have, high capacity factors and run pretty much all the time, although nuclear reactors have to be shut for refueling for a few weeks every 12-18 months. Utilities try to arrange those shutdowns to occur during periods of low demand.

During peak power needs - hot summer days in most of the country - smaller gas plants and in the old days even oil plants would be fired up to supplement the baseload levels. And it all worked pretty well given the technology available at the time.

But, as we all now know all too clearly, that system had a price - a price not reflected in the cost of electricity. That system was and is killing us. Those large nuclear and fossil fuel plants are spewing out carbon dioxide and radioactivity and creating large quantities of dirty and deadly waste products that society doesn't know what to do with.

Had the cost of those effects - which do have a price, a steep one - been incorporated into the price we and our parents paid for electricity, we probably would have moved to a clean energy system much faster. As it is, we no longer have much of a choice.

Variable power sources more reliable, resilient than 'baseload'

Fortunately, as is being proven daily in Europe, a grid based on smaller, distributed variable power sources can be just as reliable, and even more resilient and secure, than a grid reliant on baseload power.

Variable does not mean unreliable: as long as it can be reliably projected with sufficient advance time what the wind will do and thus how much wind power will be available where, and the same for the sun, then a variable grid can be highly reliable. And those can be and are, in fact, reliably projected.

The ability to integrate a moderately large amount (say 30-35% or so) of renewables into a baseload-dominated grid is a given. It is happening daily. Not so much in the US, although even here states like Iowa are getting more than 20% of their power from renewables, and the percentage of renewables is set to rise rapidly-both on their own for sound economic reasons and due to encouragement of them in the Clean Power Plan.

But at some point above 35-40% renewables or so, a conflict arises. If more renewables are to be brought into the grid, the large baseload plants have to begin closing - even if they theoretically remain useful.

That's because the kind of grid that works for the variable renewables - a fast, nimble grid where power from different sources scattered in different locations can be ramped up and down quickly depending on where it is being generated and where it is needed - doesn't work well for baseload plants, especially nuclear reactors, which cannot ramp up and down quickly.

Those kinds of plants were designed to run 24/7 and that's what they do - they're not designed to fit in with a grid that doesn't want them to run 24/7, that instead wants them to run when their power is needed. And the higher the penetration of renewables, the less the baseload plants' power is needed.

The new kid on the block: energy storage

Add in energy storage, the new kid on the block, and polluting power plants running 24/7 become an anachronism. When the variable sources aren't generating what is needed, just release the stored, and cheaper, electricity they generated earlier during periods of low demand.

The polluting baseload plants then make no sense at all. Why throw carbon dioxide into the air and tritium into the water and generate lethal radioactive waste just to keep dirty and usually more expensive power plants operating just for those few hours in the week when they might be useful? With storage, they're not needed, or even particularly useful, at all.

What's stopping us, or slowing us anyway, is not the technology for the new grid - that exists. It's the rules. And the political will to transform the grid to accommodate the transformative technologies that have been developed over the past two decades.

If we're going to move into the 21st century, and with nearly 15% of the century already gone we're a good ways into it, then we'd better get moving quickly. The old rules need to be changed; David Roberts, formerly of Grist, has compiled a useful list of some of those needed changes.

The problem - the powerful incumbents holding onto their profits

One problem, obviously, is that utilities don't want to close their old baseload power plants if they are still useful at generating electricity. They want to put off that retirement date as long as possible. Assuming its operating and maintenance costs are not so high that it loses money, the longer a power plant runs the more profit it returns. And utilities are about making money, not transforming the grid.

In the US, at least, we're not at the point where profitable baseload power plants have to be forced closed for the greater good-renewables don't yet make up enough of our power to require that step. But parts of Europe are quickly getting there, and we in the US will get there in many places faster than most people now think - surely within the next decade.

Germany is already showing that a grid with a high penetration of renewables can be reliable, and that forcing reactors to close can not only be publicly acceptable, it can attain wide public support.

The larger problem in Germany these days is not the amount of renewables in place, it's that there is so much renewable generation that the grid needs to be strengthened to better distribute that electricity across the country and for export to nations like Poland and Austria - which badly want that cheap, clean power.

Public opinion polls suggest that in the US, a similarly high penetration of renewables will be most welcome, even if anti-nuclear sentiment is not at German levels.

The real problem with renewables - they are 'too cheap'

Perhaps forcing reactors to close won't be necessary; enough are already unprofitable, and more are likely to become so in coming years that perhaps they will simply shut down, be replaced by renewables and it will all happen quietly and happily.

More likely though, as nuclear utilities contemplate 80-year operating licenses and squeezing every last watt of power out of them regardless of their age or safety condition, that could become the nuclear issue of the next decade for the public, state regulators and policymakers and the like: should existing reactors stay open when they're still viable or be forced aside to welcome larger amounts of cleaner, safer and usually cheaper renewables?

From our perspective, the answer is obviously yes, they should shut down to make way for the more modern system. But that's an answer that will take a lot of preparation and groundwork beginning now, because the nuclear utilities will fight that hard.

That's a somewhat different issue than the one that confronts us today, which is should uneconomic reactors stay open or move aside for renewables? The nuclear utilities want the ground rules changed to force ratepayers to keep those uneconomic reactors open regardless of their cost.

That's an easy argument to make: of course the rules shouldn't be changed to favor the higher-priced, dirtier power source. And it appears that argument is on the verge of victory in Illinois - the most nuclear state in the US. If that argument does end up carrying the day there, it can everywhere.

As for the notion that solar and wind are too cheap, that just shows the absurd nature of the economics of electricity and the failure to consider external costs - the environmental damage they cause and the full lifecycle costs of their existence - in the economic equation.

There is more to life than the dollar, though you wouldn't know it by how many traditional markets work, and, in fact, we have reached the point that unless 'more to life' is adequately factored into prices, there may not be any life at all.

The concept being bandied about by these pro-nukers is that if there is 'too much' solar and wind in the system, its price will eventually become zero - essentially free. And at that price - or no price if you will - the system breaks down and there will be no more investment in solar and wind. Who would want to invest in it if you have to give it away?

The cheap power 'problem' can be solved - if you want to solve it

There are ways around the problem even under the existing system, from feed-in tariffs to Power Purchase Agreements. And the 'problem' itself still has at its foundation the baseload concept of electricity generation and distribution. Absent those baseload plants, which only inhibit renewable generation anyway, there cannot be 'too much' renewables in the system.

But including the real costs of nuclear and fossil fuel use would be the best step. Because once added in, those costs make that kind of generation too expensive to use no matter what the competition. And if the only choice is low-cost to zero-cost renewables, well, certainly consumers wouldn't mind.

In the real world, rather than abstract economic modeling scenarios, electricity is a necessity and it will be provided. But in the real world, in the new world of the 21st century electricity grid, it may well be that electricity itself will not be as profitable to generators as it was in the 20th century.

Energy efficiency is reducing demand and that, despite a growing population and even with economic growth, is a trend that will continue and probably accelerate (Maryland, for example, has set a new policy of reducing demand by 2% every year). Renewables act to drive down electricity prices.

Certainly the idea that individual utilities, or even a consortium dominated by a single utility (a la Vogtle or Summer) will ever again build mega-billion dollar power plants of any kind just in order to sell electricity, is a relic of the 20th century playing out today as farce.

It won't be playing out much longer. Utilities, like Virginia's Dominion, that may think that obsolete model still applies, will regret it.

Not too cheap to meter - but too cheap to worry about

Electricity may never be free, or too cheap to meter, but it may well become one of life's little bargains. Long distance in my lifetime has gone from an expensive luxury item rarely used; to an inexpensive, frequently-dialed option; to a free add-on to both my landline and iphone plans.

For my millennial kids, the concept of a 'long-distance' call is meaningless: they've never made one and never will. But they do still use phones, and all the services modern phone plans offer.

The costs of electricity are going to come down too - technology and renewables are already starting to see to that - but someone, whether it be the traditional utilities or someone smarter is going to come along and figure out how to make money by providing electricity add-ons and services, even if the electricity itself is free or nearly so.

Totally free electricity may be too much to hope for, there is a grid to pay for and maintain after all, and there will be for the foreseeable future. But the money to be made will be in the add-on services, not the basic electricity.

The solar rooftop people have pretty much already figured this out for their slice of the business - whether by lease or purchase, you pay primarily for the equipment, installation and maintenance, not so much for the electricity.

But since rooftop solar doesn't work for everyone nor everywhere, there is a market ready for something new and safe and clean and that won't destroy the planet we live on. I'd say that's a pretty damn large market looking for the electricity equivalent of long-distance in the iphone era. With a market like that, someone is going to deliver, even if the electricity itself is little more than a low-cost add-on to other services people want.

That won't happen tomorrow, of course. As Barry Cinnamon of The Energy Show podcast put it, "But this change in our energy sources will take many years, just as the complete transition from 'horse and buggy' transportation to gas-powered cars took 50 years.

"As with other large-scale technological changes, customer economics will force the current incumbent energy providers to change (unlikely), or go out of business (more likely). It's a virtuous cycle as more customers are satisfied with renewable power generation, and more people are employed in these industries."

Bye-bye nuclear - no place for you in this new power market

For nuclear power though - even for 'small modular reactors' (which actually are not so small, most are much larger than the early US commercial reactors like Big Rock Point and Yankee Rowe and some are as large as Fukushima Daiichi Unit-1) - and fossil fuels as well, the transformation means extinction.

By definition, SMRs are also baseload power plants; despite being smaller than today's behemoth reactors, they are designed to run 24/7 and like their larger brethren, cannot power up and down quickly.

Before they even exist, they are obsolete. Their polluting 'baseload' means of providing their product (electricity) will be unneeded and functionally and economically irrelevant - unable to compete with those offering electricity as part of a set of services, rather than as an end in itself.

They never believed that we would have an effect.....
How Australia’s Electricity Demand Is Slashed By Solar PV
September 5th, 2015 by Giles Parkinson

Originally published on RenewEconomy.
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/09/05/how-australias-electricity-demand-is-slashed-by-solar-pv/

Every Australian household is aware of just how much electricity bills have risen in the past five years. They have effectively doubled, driven almost entirely by soaring network costs – the result of building a grid for demand forecasts that were never met.

Consumers ended up paying billions of dollars for an oversized network, in anticipation of demand peaks that never eventuated.

A new study from researchers from the Melbourne Energy Institute and RMIT in Victoria – titled Five Years of Declining Annual Consumption of Grid-Supplied Electricity in Eastern Australia: Causes and Consequences – has highlighted how demand has been reduced in the last five years.

The authors note that there has been an overall decline (reflected in area 1), as a result of energy efficiency measures and behavioral change that apply during all hours of the day, as well as large-scale industrial closures, and constantly loaded embedded generation.

That accounts for around 1GW of reduction on average. In the early morning, from about 2am (area 2) there have been demand reductions of nearly 1.5GW due to the phasing-out and/or improved efficiency of resistive-electric ‘‘off-peak water heaters’’. Remember, these were introduced to keep the coal-fired generators busy during the night.

The biggest declines, however, come in area 4, where solar PV plays a major role. This has knocked up to 3GW off demand in the middle of the day.

Indeed, since the big push into rooftop solar PV by Australian households – there are now 1.44 million households with a total of 4.4 GW of rooftop solar – there have been no more “super peaks” in electricity demand.

The highest peaks all occurred between 2009 and 2011, and in the middle of the day or mid afternoon. These peaks are now covered by rooftop solar, which in most states has pushed the average peak into the evening. This is one of the unsung, and unrewarded, benefits of rooftop solar PV.

“One reason why no new records have been set since 2011 is because the deployment of rooftop solar PV has reduced maximum demand for grid-supplied electricity during midday hours,” the authors note. “Solar PV has also shifted the time-of-day at which maximum demand might occur until later in the day.”

In total, the authors noted that in the five years since 2009, annual electricity consumption in eastern Australia has declined by 7 per cent, even while the Australian economy grew by 13 per cent.

As the graph above shows, even as recently as 2011, declining consumption was not forecast by the planning authority nor by market participants. (Compare the dotted line forecasts of 2011 with the hyphenated line at bottom right for 2014). But consumers are still paying for those inflated forecasts, and will continue to do so.

This is having major consequences for incumbents, trying to pass on excessively high prices (Australia’s electricity costs are among the highest in the world), while new technologies such as solar PV, battery storage, and smart software offer cheaper alternatives.

The problem facing policy makers and regulators is that in response to overbuilding of electricity infrastructure and declining use of the infrastructure, industry incumbents are trying to reverse energy efficiency, renewable energy, and climate change mitigation programs.

Reprinted with permission.

Solar power's bright future, in one illuminating chart
Date September 4, 2015 - 11:25AM
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/business/energy/solar-powers-bright-future-in-one-illuminating-chart-20150903-gjewsi.html#ixzz3kjlTL9fk

A massive investment in solar power is expected over coming years. Photo: Aaron Sawall
"I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power!"
That's a famous quote from Thomas Edison, the legendary inventor of the lightbulb and electricity distribution systems, in 1931. It's only taken eight and a bit decades, but his prediction is finally beginning to look prescient. In case you didn't notice, there is a bit of a solar revolution underway globally. And to use a mixed energy metaphor, it's gathering steam.
Governments from California to Germany are pinning their hopes on solar energy as a cleaner source of power, while advances in battery and solar PV (photovoltaic) technologies are enabling people in Australia and elsewhere to go off the grid.
Solar gained another influential supporter this week in the form of the research department of UBS. The investment bank's energy analysts made some staggering predictions about solar power Fairfax Media's energy writer, Angela McDonald Smith, reported.
UBS said solar could account for a quarter of the world's installed power generation capacity by 2050, and that it could eventually replace nuclear power and coal as the default energy source of the future. Locally, Origin Energy has said solar can rival new wind for cost competitiveness by the end of the decade in Australia.
One of the common criticisms of renewable energy sources like solar is that they require huge subsidies from governments to be economic. Well, UBS has a riposte to that as well, as this chart shows.

"Perhaps against 'common sense', global subsidies don't appear an excessive burden," the analysts write. Subsidies will peak at about €70 billion ($110 billion) by 2025. But that would be just 0.03 per cent of global GDP, and at they point they would begin to decline, as new cheaper facilities replace older ones, and as technology and scale benefits kick in. At some point between 2045 and 2050 subsidies will basically be negligible.
If UBS is right, solar's future does look very bright indeed.

Amazed (and happy) that this hasn't crashed worse.....I was sure that this was going to be back to 7¢. Happy that it hasn't...
Showed some strength lately. Or maybe they are just ignoring it....
Lets get that battery out!

Berkshire Hathaway shareholders sign petition supporting rooftop solar
More than 18,000 people have signed a petition asking Warren Buffett and NV Energy to ease what it calls their opposition to rooftop solar. The petition, released by ClimateTruth.org, includes more than 400 signatories who are investors in Buffett’s holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, which includes NV Energy.
Lobbyists for Berkshire Hathaway have pushed to eliminate a credit or add new costs for rooftop solar customers in Nevada, Utah, Washington and other states, arguing that the policy is a burden on nonsolar customers.
In the past decade, Berkshire Hathaway has invested $15 billion in utility-scale solar projects around the country. The company recently signed onto the the White House’s American Businesses Act on Climate Pledge, promising an additional $15 billion investment in renewables.
For the petition signers, what Berkshire is doing isn’t enough. “They’ve made a great commitment, but what’s happening in Nevada and Utah runs contrary to it,” Brant Olson, campaign director for ClimateTruth.org, said.
Roger Levine, 77, is a Berkshire shareholder who has solar panels on his home in Las Vegas. He signed the petition despite his financial interest in Buffett’s company. “I want him to leave net metering alone,” he said. “There are people ignoring climate change and we are seeing the results of it.”
Faith Frank, a Las Vegas solar customer and Berkshire shareholder, also signed the pledge. “I am sure Warren Buffett is a perfectly nice man, but I am so tired of American corporations trying to squeeze out the last penny of profit at the cost of the environment,” she said. “It’s driving me crazy.”
Berkshire has a diverse set of interests aside from the billions it has invested in renewables — it also has a large stake in the fossil fuel industry. This week, Berkshire paid $4.5 billion to become the largest shareholder in the United States’ largest oil refiner Phillips 66.
Buffett’s role in Nevada’s rooftop solar debate has been making headlines this year, but that should be over by 2016.
After the state’s cap on new net metering customers was reached months prior than expectations, the state Public Utilities Commission issued rules in August that keep in place the rate structure for the net metering program until a more permanent solution can be reached before 2016.
In related news, Buffett’s Berkshire takes $4.48 billion stake in Phillips 66.
(c)2015 the Las Vegas Sun (Las Vegas, Nev.)

A whole $25 in volume so far today... 100@.25¢

U.S. Energy Secretary: Solar and wind energy now cost-competitive without subsidies
Michael Graham Richard (@Michael_GR)
Energy / Renewable Energy
September 1, 2015

Public Domain U.S. Government
And they'll only get cheaper over time...

U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who trained as a nuclear physicist, believes that the price of solar and wind power have fallen so dramatically that the market for them can now grow without subsidies. Moniz told reporters that the Obama administration supports Congress' extension of renewable energy tax credits, but "I certainly see solar growing" even "without subsidy" and the cost reductions have "been incredible" for the solar industry, making for an improved "value proposition ... in many contexts."
He said the cost of electricity from rooftop solar panels could fall to as low as 6 cents per kilowatt hour very soon, which makes it "extremely competitive" with natural gas and other fossil and non-fossil power plants.

The cost of wind also has fallen dramatically in the last year, making the electricity produced by wind farms cost competitive with fossil fuels such as natural-gas-fired power plants, according to a report issued earlier this month by the Energy Department. (source)

SolarCity/Promo image

A report on wind technology from a few weeks ago said: "Lower wind turbine prices and installed project costs, along with improvements in expected [production capacity], are enabling aggressive wind power pricing" The report shows that prices dropped from nearly 7 cents/kWH in 2009 to 2.35 cents/kWh in 2014, which is pretty incredible (it's not that low everywhere, but over time it should keep going down). The report says the cost trend placed wind "below the bottom of the range" of nationwide power prices in 2014. That makes wind power very competitive against natural gas power generation through 2040, according to projections.

This doesn't mean that all subsidies should immediately dropped or anything drastic like that, though. The fossil fuel industry has had billions and billions and billions in help over decades and decades, and they still receive all kinds of favored treatment. I think we can keep pushing clean energy for a while to help it replace dirty sources of power faster than it would without the help. If we want to save a few bucks somewhere, we should cut fossil fuel subsidies instead. There's a lot more fat to cut there anyway...

National Renewable Energy Laboratory photo/Public Domain

Just busy here watching the paint dry. It's that exciting.......

My broker is a computer. And it doesn't call customers......

Super Battery Technology - High Capacity Cathode
David D. Lee | BioSolar
08/20/15, 08:46 AM | Storage & Distribution | BioSolar, Inc. | lithium, research
Please provide a description of the BioSolar Super Battery and its capabilities.
http://www.altenergymag.com/article/2015/08/super-battery-technology--high-capacity-cathode/21053
BioSolar is currently developing a high capacity Super Cathode for use by battery manufacturers to create the ultimate high capacity, low cost lithium-ion battery.

Our novel high capacity cathode is engineered from a polymer, similar to that of low-cost plastics used in household products. Utilizing a smart chemical design, we manipulate the polymer to hold a tremendous amount of electrons. Rather than relying upon conventional cathodes that use lithium-ion intercalation chemistry, an inherently slow process, we exploit the fast redox-reaction properties of our polymer to enable rapid charge and discharge.

While most lithium-ion batteries do not retain more than 80% of storage capacity after 1,000 charge-discharge cycles, we believe the stable redox chemistry of our cathode material can enable significantly longer life. Our laboratory experiments have indicated that the cathode can cycle over 50,000 times without degradation in super capacitors. We are also confident that it can be extremely effective in batteries as well.

Based on internal analysis, a super battery built upon this innovative technology can double the capacity, cost four times less, and potentially break the $100/kWh cost barrier needed for mass market adoption of energy storage. Achieving the $100/kWh cost barrier would effectively reach what is referred to as the "holy grail" for energy storage.

What are the ideal applications for this technology?

We are essentially trying to solve what has been one of the fundamental challenges since the inception of renewable energy technology – once the energy is captured by PV panels, where do you store it? We hope to represent that solution.

On the other hand, we believe our technology can reach a wide variety of industries and verticals. Electric vehicles and stations, residential and commercial solar systems, and even consumer products such as personal cellular devices represent market opportunity.

Which of these applications is the best suited to focus on for the next few years?

Transportation is the fastest growing segment of battery industry and is one of the biggest users of energy storage. A low cost, fast charging and long- range battery will enable the mass adoption and affordability of clean-energy vehicles to replace fossil fuel vehicles. Therefore, our highest priority will be to partner with conventional battery manufacturers that are already supplying to the transportation industry.

On-site energy storage is a very fast growing sector, as well. A super battery that can increase capacity, costs much less, and can break the $100/KWh cost barrier needed for mass market adoption of energy storage, will be a major contributor to on-site energy storage regardless of whether they are attached to solar power generation or not. Therefore, we will be placing a high priority on this sector.

Consumer Electronics is also a very large segment of battery industry, and includes everything from mobile phones, laptops, power tools, Internet of Things (IoT). Higher energy capacity and rapid charge will enable mobile lifestyles where we don’t have to worry about running out of battery charge, or be attached to wall outlets of airport terminals waiting for that extra charge. We will be looking for opportunity to team up with mature battery manufacturers already entrenched in his sector.


How does BioSolar’s energy storage technology differ from that of competitors and other technologies?

Since there is really no established energy storage product viewed as being truly effective and revolutionary, our main competition is represented by the many lithium-ion battery solutions that have been widely available but without groundbreaking performance improvements. Most recent research and development focused on achieving incremental improvements in charging capacity, costs, or longer life cycle, etc., but are not all at the same time. More importantly, most groundbreaking solutions are not expected to become mature products in the near future.

Our novel high capacity cathode is engineered from a polymer that provides high charging capacity at lower costs. Rather than relying upon conventional cathodes that use lithium-ion intercalation chemistry, an inherently slow process, we exploit the fast redox-reaction properties of our polymer to enable rapid charge and discharge.

Our cathode can provide longer life cycle for the Li-ion battery. The longer life cycle is due to the stable redox chemistry of our cathode material as demonstrated by our laboratory experiments using the cathode in super capacitors.

Our novel cathode is compatible with current battery manufacturing processes. Conventional electrolytes and aluminum current collectors can be used. Therefore, today's battery manufacturers can simply replace the cathode fabrication process with the new BioSolar materials and processes. This will allow our battery manufacturing partners to achieve significant capacity improvement and cost savings without having to make major modifications to their existing manufacturing equipment or processes.



Please explain the challenges BioSolar, and other companies face, with respect to commercialization. Use this question to address the $100/kWh cost barrier to mass market adoption.

The innovation recently occurred in the renewable energy space and tech spaces, be it electric cars, solar expansion, new cellular products, and interest from utility power companies, all of which are providing excellent market opportunity for battery technologies that can help address the $100/kWh cost barrier to mass market adoption.

There have been numerous attempts by a number of startup companies to commercialize their battery technologies that promises incremental improvement in storage capacity, cost, or long term reliability. Unfortunately, none have been able to provide compelling technology that can challenge the $100/kWh cost barrier by relying upon conventional cathodes that use lithium-ion intercalation chemistry, an inherently slow process.

Therefore, it is extremely important for any startup company to be able to provide solid evidence that its technology is indeed capable of addressing the $100/kWh cost barrier in order to convince its potential partners and customers already entrenched in the market.

Our near term goal is to build commercial grade prototype cathodes that enable full scale testing of Li-ion battery incorporating the cathode. The performance data obtained from the full scale testing will help us to secure beneficial partnerships.

Battery designs based on new chemistry or breakthrough technology often require entirely different ways of manufacturing. Thus, existing manufacturing facilities can no longer be used to manufacture new batteries without undergoing substantial new investments in equipment and processes. Therefore, it is important for the technology to be easily inserted into existing battery manufacturing processes.



How will you get over the hump and bring the battery to the market in a big way?

Our near term goal is build commercial grade prototype cathodes that can be used to perform full scale testing of Li-ion battery incorporating our cathode. Next, we will use the performance data obtained from full scale testing to secure technology/manufacturing partnerships with companies that have significant potential market share in the Li-ion battery industry.

We will also demonstrate that our cathode is compatible with current battery manufacturing infrastructure, and that conventional electrolytes and aluminum current collectors can be used efficiently. Therefore, today's battery manufacturers can simply replace their existing cathode fabrication process with the new BioSolar platform. We believe this seamless transition will drastically increase the likelihood that our technology garners mass adoption.



What are the next steps for BioSolar as it pursues commercialization?

We are in the process of preparing commercial grade prototype cathodes that can be used to perform full scale testing of Li-ion battery incorporating our cathode. Next, we will use the performance data obtained from the full battery system (incorporating our cathode) testing to secure technology/manufacturing partnerships with companies that have significant potential market share in the Li-ion battery industry.

We are working hand in hand with the University of California, Santa Barbara, who we recently extended our research agreement with. UCSB is considered to be a global leader in bioengineering, chemical and computational engineering, materials science, nanotechnology and physics. We are confident that the combined efforts of all scientific professionals involved will continue to advance this technology closer to the goal of achieving a $100/kilowatt-hour cost milestone for energy storage.
About David D. Lee, Ph.D - President and Chief Executive Officer

David D. Lee, founder of the BioSolar, has over 30 years of engineering, marketing, sales, and corporate management experience in the areas of military and consumer communication systems, automotive electronics, software development and consulting. He has held senior management positions in numerous technology companies over the course of his career including Chief Operating Officer for Applied Reasoning, Inc., an Internet software development company; Vice President and General Manager of RF-Link Technology, Inc., a wireless technology company; Program Manager at TRW Transportation Electronics, and Systems Engineer at TRW Space and Defense. Dr. Lee holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.


08/20/15, 08:46 AM | Storage & Distribution | BioSolar, Inc. | lithium, research

I see ask at 30¢
Why? We have no product.
But WHEN IT DOES HIT!

Got a free flashlight today?

Coke is 4 for $10 at Target, got my deal.

Solar3D : Updates on Acquisition of Elite Solar
08/30/2015 | 02:35am US/Eastern
Solar3D commented on the importance of the addition of Elite Solar to its family of companies.
http://www.4-traders.com/SOLAR3D-INC-21162903/news/Solar3D--Updates-on-Acquisition-of-Elite-Solar-20964766/
According to a media release, the acquisition of Elite Solar also continues Solar3D practice of adding another profitable solar company with a strong reputation for customer service throughout its region.

"Identifying solar companies for our consolidation strategy requires a vigorous due diligence process that our team takes very seriously," said Jim Nelson, CEO of Solar3D. "While vetting a number of strong companies, we were drawn to Elite Solar's rapid organic growth in the Northern California and Central Valley farming sector, as well as their synergistic value-add to our other divisions, SUNworks and MD Energy. An important part of our consolidation strategy is to build an ecosystem where all Solar3D subsidiaries, current and future, leverage expertise and resources through their relationship with one another, resulting in a Solar3D enterprise with stronger offerings, more market presence, and poised for tremendous revenue growth."

Elite Solar, led by CEO Kirk Short, is comprised of over 25 professionals whose reputation for providing customer-friendly solar solutions has resulted in sales expected to approach $20 million in 2015 compared to $7.5 million in 2014, an increase of 166 percent -- with a very strong year end backlog. Elite Solar is known for its presence as a dominant player within the agricultural solar industry in California, executing approximately 70 percent of its contracts in the farming sector, with 20 percent in commercial, and 10 percent residential. Their foothold in the space is expected to align directly with SUNworks' growing area of focus, as the Roseville, CA- based subsidiary has recently closed a flurry of contracts for large agricultural solar projects.

"We believe the integration of Elite Solar into Solar3D will provide the resources and infrastructure we need to continue our rapid growth and allow the combined company dominate the California farming solar market," said Kirk Short, CEO of Elite Solar. "The size and scope of the solar projects we've completed have dramatically increased this year as we have signed a number of projects in excess of a megawatt. We expect this trend to continue due to our collaboration with SUNworks, a peer organization with a very specialized know-how for designing and installing solar systems that reduce energy costs for California farmers."

Nelson concluded, "While investing the months of work finding Elite, framing the deal, and concluding our agreement with Kirk Short and his team, we have continued discussions with a group of other solar companies that fit our criteria. We believe that we will be able to come to agreements with more outstanding companies in the coming weeks and months."

Solar3D, a provider of solar power solutions, is focused on the design, installation and management of solar power systems for commercial, agricultural and residential customers.

More Information:

http://www.Solar3D.com

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

(c) 2015 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved., source Newspapers

Delete please

Economies of scale: Why small solar is better than big solar
By John Farrell on 25 August 2015
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/economies-of-scale-why-small-solar-is-better-than-big-solar-15602
While utilities continue to imply that large-scale solar projects are more economical than small ones, the data is telling another story. In fact, costs for transmission and distribution of utility-scale solar energy may largely undermine the modestly better economics at the point of generation.

In other words (as I wrote a month ago), Utility Solar May Cost Less, But It’s Also Worth Less.

But let’s skip any further word chopping and get to the charts. This first one shows the median installed prices for solar in the US as reported in 2014 for distributed solar, and the adjusted modeled prices for utility-scale solar from Q4 2013.

As noted by National Renewable Energy Laboratory and SunShot, the modeled costs for solar are typically much lower than the actual reported cost. As noted in the chart, the costs here do not reflect the cost to deliver energy to customers. Distributed solar is on-site and has near-zero delivery costs. Utility-scale solar may have significant costs.

The following chart illustrates the advantage of large-scale solar at point of generation relative to residential solar.

But looking at installed costs doesn’t tell the whole story, because (as noted) it doesn’t reflect the cost to deliver energy to users. The following chart converts the installed cost into the cost of energy, and adds in Clean Coalition calculations for the delivery cost of energy from large-scale solar arrays. These costs are reflected in “value of solar” calculations for distributed solar (like in Minnesota), because distributed solar doesn’t require long-distance transport over transmission and distribution wires.

As the chart indicates, the cost of power delivery can outweigh economies of scale of large-scale power generation.

So what’s with conventional wisdom about economies of scale?

The studies touting the superior economies of utility-scale solar are utility-funded, meant to defend utility efforts to push back against the distributed solar as a competitive threat to their monopoly business. Evidence suggests they have reason to, since distributed solar won’t be particularly costly to ratepayers, but without a regulatory change, it can be much more costly to shareholders. But wishing that centralized, utility-controlled solar is cheaper doesn’t make it so, and distributed solar clearly competes on cost when transmission and distribution are accounted for.

So the next time your electric company tells you that bigger solar is better, ask them this: for whom?

America’s Utility-Scale Solar Generation Is 31 Times Higher Today Than a Decade Ago
Thermal technologies created the first surge. But then PV started dominating the sector.
Stephen Lacey August 28, 2015

There was a moment in 2013 and early 2014 when utility-scale solar hit a snag in America. California utilities were reaching the upper limits of their renewable energy mandates, concentrating solar power costs were not coming down as expected, and investors had turned their attention to the booming residential PV market.

But that moment passed fairly quickly. Moving into the second half of 2014, utilities all around the country signed an unprecedented number of contracts for utility-scale PV projects -- in large part because the technology had gotten so cheap. California had largely dominated the market since 2010, but suddenly

Today, utility-scale solar continues to hit cost and generation records. There are now more than 7 gigawatts of PV projects slated for completion around the country next year. In June, Austin Energy revealed that the average bid from developers in the second round of a 600-megawatt procurement were averaging below 4 cents per kilowatt-hour. And in March, California became the first state to generate 5 percent of its electricity from utility-scale solar power plants.

Here's another notable record: this week, the U.S. government's energy research arm showed that generation from utility-scale solar power plants is 31 times higher than it was a decade ago. (Note: EIA defines utility-scale solar as any project over 1 megawatt; GTM defines it as any project on the utility side of the meter.)

Utility-scale solar now accounts for just over a half percent of U.S. electricity production. Add in the 700,000 distributed projects around the country -- which make up 45 percent of U.S. installed capacity -- and solar generation is over 1 percent of production.

But the most compelling part of this EIA data set isn't the surge in overall generation. It's the shift in solar generation itself.

From 2005 to 2012, concentrating solar power saw a resurgence of investment after years of virtually no activity. Over that five-year period, the technology contributed 85 percent of overall solar generation. After 2011, as PV development costs fell and CSP costs stagnated, that dynamic flipped. More than 86 percent of total solar electricity came from PV as of last year.

The Dangers of Building Residential Solar Come to Light in Nevada
Does Vivint Solar's retreat from Nevada show a risk for SolarCity investors? SLTD?

You might think that all solar companies are essentially the same, installing solar systems on rooftops or open fields where there's an abundance of sunlight. But the reality is that how solar companies do business varies widely across the industry, and knowing how a company is positioned and where the industry is headed can mean the difference between making a profitable investment and a losing one.

Recent news that Vivint Solar (NYSE:VSLR), the second largest residential solar company in the U.S., is pulling out of Nevada after just two weeks shows one of the risks solar companies face. If you've got sales and installation teams on the ground you've got to keep them busy, and if you don't it can be a costly mistake.

Solar panels, financing, and the cost of "owning the trucks"
There are essentially three components to a residential solar installation. There's the equipment -- panels, inverters, racking, wiring, etc. -- that goes on the roof, there's financing for the project, and there's a sales and installation team that works in the field to put equipment and financing to work.

Some companies are vertically integrating up and down that supply chain, like SolarCity (NASDAQ:SCTY), which controls financing, sales, and installation, and has acquired solar panel and racking companies. Vivint Solar is vertically integrated with financing, sales, and installation, but doesn't make solar equipment. SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR) makes solar panels and designs other equipment and provides financing for projects, but it generally doesn't do the sales or installation directly. These three companies show different models, which can all work in the solar industry.

One debate I've had over and over is whether or not owning the sales and installation teams, also known as "owning the trucks", is wise for solar companies today. While the residential market can be attractive when installations are going gangbusters, if there's a lull in business and you have thousands, or tens of thousands, of workers to pay each month it can erase years of strong operations very quickly.
Companies like SunPower and Sunrun have viewed this as a risk they don't want to take, and essentially pay a fee to third party companies that sell and install systems, providing financing and other services, like high efficiency solar panels in the case of SunPower.

For a long time it appeared that "owning the trucks" was actually the best strategy, but Vivint Solar's news in Nevada could show what a risky strategy it is.

Why Vivint Solar is abandoning Nevada
The story of Nevada is the story of a great potential solar market with entrenched powers that have been very successful staving off the solar industry. NV Energy, which is owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, has proposed extremely onerous rate structures, including basic service charges, demand charges, and energy charges. The change in structure would essentially kill the residential solar industry where it stands.

Before regulators could decide whether to allow or oppose NV Energy's plan they wanted to study the options. So, it allowed net metering to continue with a cap of 235 MW, put in place in May. Solar installers thought that would get them into 2016, when they hoped regulators would allow more net metering, but NV Energy says it's approaching the cap, which could bring the industry to a halt.

This is no small market for the solar industry either. According to GTM Research's first quarter 2015 Solar Market Insights Report, Nevada installed more residential solar in Q1 than it did in all of 2014, and in total it was the second largest solar market in the country at 97 MW (behind California at 718 MW).
For Vivint Solar, it wasn't even worth keeping its new outpost in Nevada open, and SolarCity could run into similar challenges. If the residential solar industry in Nevada collapses, SolarCity would be out millions in operating costs because workers won't have anything to do.

"Owning the trucks" may allow for lower costs and even faster growth in residential solar, but it also comes with risks.

Don't underestimate diversification
One of the major risks U.S. solar companies face today is the reliance on a small number of markets, namely California, where 55% of the solar installations in Q1 2015 occurred.

As we see in Nevada, policy changes can impact a business almost overnight and make a formerly attractive market an unprofitable one. That's why diversification and contracting with sales and installation companies may prove to be a better strategy long-term. It won't be as good when the industry is booming, but it won't require massive layoffs and losses when there are disruptions in the market.

Sometimes the risks in the solar industry are deeper beneath the surface than you think. We may now be seeing the risks involved in building massive sales and installation teams.

What You Need to Know about Solar Power
Posted: 08/28/2015 6:20 pm EDT Updated: 08/28/2015 6:59 pm EDT

The U.S. energy is booming and now is the time for businesses, homeowners and investors to profit. Solar energy isn't just limited to the US; it has now become a global standard. Increasing worries about climate change have compelled many to relook at the role of solar energy. It's not just sustainable, but also renewable like wind and biomass, which means there will always be enough of it to go around.

However, with so much information on solar energy systems and companies, installation, cost and companies, it can be difficult to know how to get started. This article gives a step-by-step overview on solar energy companies, the associated cost and types of solar energy systems.

Step 1: Research Solar Energy Companies

Solar energy has become a workable option in new home construction and renovation. In fact, solar energy has become big business globally. Solar investments grew 25% to 149.6 billion in 2014. The solar energy market is expected to grow 16% to 25% in 2015. Businesses and government entities are looking to become more sustainable and as a result, they are turning solar to operate their systems.

Some of the best US solar energy companies today are installing systems without having customers pay for energy generated by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. Location as well as type of solar energy system that is needed and for what use is important. Another thing to notice is whether the company is getting the attention of investors. This shows some degree of profitability.

When researching solar energy companies, keep in mind the following:

• Not all solar energy companies support residential projects. Residential is the smallest market. In 2014, only 20% of U.S. installations were residential projects.

• The U.S. investment tax credit (the largest solar subsidy in the U.S.) is due to expire at the end of 2016. Now could be a good time for homeowners and future homebuyers to install solar panels while still benefiting from federal and local tax incentives.

• Good news! The cost of solar energy is decreasing significantly, and some of the best US solar energy companies are offering competitive rates. Residential system costs are down 50% to $3.48/watt while commercial costs are down 65% to $2.25/watt. This is good news for businesses and homebuyers who want to profit from investing in solar energy.

Once you've identified the market and need for a solar energy system, the next step for any aspiring investor, business or homeowner is to research the cost of solar energy. Bottom line -- How much are you willing to pay to install solar panels?

Cost of Solar Energy - Power System Cost

Although the initial cost for installation, permits and equipment are high and its cost may seem pricey, the real value and investment is cost efficiency in total home cost and monthly utility bills. According to Find Solar Power, solar energy costs can range from $15,000 up to $29,000 and the initial purchase can be "offset by the available tax credits in your state as well as any from the federal government and made possible through leasing and financing options." The third and final step is to identify the solar energy system that best suits the needs for your residential or commercial use.

Identify the Solar Energy System for Your Needs

When paying for the installation of solar panels, you're actually covering the cost of a solar energy system for either residential or commercial use. The key is to identify which one best matches your needs and in some cases, homeowners may need both systems. With the Solar Thermal System, solar panels gather sunlight that transforms into energy during daylight hours for heating water systems. The solar energy that is gathered from the Photovoltaic System converts energy into electricity that is needed for operating many appliances and systems in your home.

As you can see, there's quite a few elements that need to be taken into consideration when choosing solar over another energy source. Decreasing costs, tax incentives and environmental benefits and are good reasons to invest in solar power.

1 year performance energy
sltd -9%
XOM -26%
ACI -98%

We would be the first ones to complain if the government spent $10,000,000 without checking into it fully.

We caught a break!
Nevada regulators vote to keep existing rooftop solar rates
29 minutes ago • By MICHELLE RINDELS Associated Press
CARSON CITY (AP) — Nevada regulators decided Wednesday to keep existing rates in place for rooftop solar customers for a few more months even though the state hit a cap on how much energy can be sold back to a utility company.

The Public Utilities Commission voted to maintain current rates and rules before permanent ones must be adopted by the end of the year. Rooftop solar advocates, who have decried the cap and argued that utility company NV Energy is trying to kill their industry by restructuring rates, said they were grateful.

"The hard work is now before the commissioners to issue long-term rules," said Bryan Miller, co-chairman of The Alliance for Solar Choice, an advocacy group representing rooftop solar companies. "Nevadans will remain vocal to ensure that these rules allow Nevada's solar industry to continue creating jobs and driving economic growth."

Nevada reached a statewide cap last week on net metering, which allows customers with residential solar panels to sell excess energy to the utility company. Lawmakers limited the program to 235 megawatts, a total they estimated might come in spring 2016.

The state hit the cap months sooner when rooftop solar proved more popular than expected. Rooftop solar advocates have argued they were misled about how quickly the state would reach the cap, and fought to keep the existing rates in place.

NV Energy said it needs a new rate structure to avoid shifting costs from solar users to traditional power customers. They say they are paying much more for solar energy from Nevada rooftops than the electricity is worth, and say it's cheaper for them to draw power from their own large-scale solar farms.

NV Energy's proposed rates for solar customers would be higher than existing ones, but still cheaper than traditional electric rates. Rooftop solar advocates say that when the cost of buying or leasing solar panels is factored in, it may no longer be cheaper to install a solar system than to use conventional power.

NV Energy said Wednesday that while the decision was not what the company proposed, they supported the bill that put the PUC in charge of deciding rules on net metering.

"We support cost competitive renewable energy in all forms, and will continue to work with stakeholders through this interim period to ensure Nevada retains its leadership position in the development of renewable energy," a company statement said.

Solar Putting The Squeeze On WA Electricity Generators
August 27, 2015Energy Matters

“Given the excess capacity on a good day – 42 per cent – and also the growth of solar … and declining demand, we have excess capacity”, the ABC reports Western Australian Energy Minister Mike Nahan as saying.
The Minister said some power stations will need to be closed, but didn’t go as far as naming the facilities. He stated Synergy will advise him on which plants should shut down.
Speaking at the Energy in Western Australia Conference 2015, Dr. Nahan also said the government expects the majority of electricity generating capacity during sunlight hours in the Perth metro area will be provided by rooftop solar power systems in around 10 years time.
Dr. Nahan says small scale solar is growing at a rate of “20, 30 per cent a year” and the technology is “actually quite cheap”.
The Energy Minister also stated electricity generators have been taking advantage of the capacity market system.
“We needed a capacity market as an insurance mechanism but it has become a business plan for too many people.”

The Mandurah area (postcode 6210) is among Australia’s top 10 solar postcodes, with 8,575 systems for a total capacity of nearly 19,000 kilowatts.
System owners in Mandurah’s postcode area are generating a rough average of 103,102 kWh daily. This translates to around $927,000 worth of electricity monthly and more than $11,000,000 annually (approximation – based on 30c per kilowatt hour retail value).
According to Energy Matters, a 5kW solar panel system installed in Perth can return a financial benefit of $1,496 – $2,150 a year; depending on a household’s power consumption profile and the installation scenario.
Energy in Western Australia Conference 2015 is being held at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Perth and continues today. The theme for this year is smart energy.

I think that we have had too many disappointments, that is why we don't rally up more before events like this....

All that I can say is that we have $22M of projects to work on......
SLTD 3.18 +3.58% 2.58 2.98
Buy cheap?

ANOTHER quick solar install.......
Installing solar panels is easier than ever before
August 26, 2015 By PennEnergy Editorial Staff Source: KEI Solar
http://www.pennenergy.com/articles/pennenergy/2015/08/installing-solar-panels-is-easier-than-ever-before.html

KEI Solar today announced the availability of the Eulektra ALVA Solar Racking System for North American solar panel installers and commercial projects. Developed in Germany, the Eulektra solar racking system has been extensively tested and installed through Europe and is now available for US solar installations.

Designed for flat roofs, the lightweight (just 22lbs per square meter (10.7 sq. ft.) Eulektra system is easy to install. It is wind resistant without requiring additional weights and offers better power generation results than competing panel installation technologies.

Because of its compact design, solar panels can be mounted closer together than with other mounting technologies (One-fifth of an inch apart!). This enables installers to install more panels on a roof and/or provide additional roof space for other rooftop machinery and systems.

“Because the Eulektra system does not require any roof penetration, there is much less concern about creating roof leaks that are difficult and expensive to repair,” says Jens Kautzor, CEO of KEI Solar. “Simple to set-up, the ALVA system consists of interconnected adjustable aluminum pieces that can be snapped together and be quickly installed by using only a power screwdriver and pliers. No special training or expertise is required”.

After the entire system is laid out on the roof and interconnected with the provided bracing, the aluminum structure is then secured to the building by using steel cables that are anchored in the building walls and mounted into the cable channels of the ALVA system. This installation method guarantees that the roof cladding remains completely undamaged. No more leaks.

The installation images at http://www.keisolar.com/alva-system.html demonstrate the various components and show how easy it is to install.

The ALVA system is resistant to swirling winds and has been hurricane wind speed tested. It also requires less maintenance than other systems. Considering that aluminum expands and contracts as the temperature changes, the ALVA system is flexible, protecting panels against breakage caused by rapid temperature changes. To ensure good rain drainage, the system can be elevated with provided 10cm by 10cm installations pads.

KEI Solar specializes in bringing the best of Germany’s solar technology to the United States. Based in Texas, KEI was founded in 2014 and currently represents Eulektra GmbH. KEI facilitates the business relationship, handling and coordinating shipping and customs, as well as providing customer support and guidance to those organizations and individuals installing latest generation solar power generating systems.

I sold my mining stock on 10/21/2013 less than 2 years.....
The difference between what I WOULD have had and what I have now is over 2,400%
Counting the shares I sold it's 3,500%.......... Weeeeeee!

Think about it. This is HISTORIC.
While many will doubt it, this is a real revolution happening here,
Watching the switch from fossil fuels to renewables.....
And we are all a part of it...
Horses to cars
Electrification of the country.....
And now us......

I did fire off a complaint to Scottrade.....

Those Scotteade Servers are getting to be BS!
Slowing up to a crawl at EOD......