its low as i watched but never bought and missed big on last run, the A/S was 75m...... ground rules, weekly chart sar flips soon, weekly ma200 at 05 a weekly lethal golden cross will be epic in 2016,
Solar Is the Fastest-Growing Source of Renewable Energy in America
May 19, 2015
From the end of 2004 through the end of 2014, the deployment of solar energy in the U.S. grew at an unprecedented rate, according to a new video report, Solar Energy in the United States: A Decade of Record Growth, released yesterday by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
According to a detailed SEIA analysis, in 2004, there were 500 megawatts (MW) of solar energy installed nationwide. But by the end of 2014, there were 20,000 MW—enough to power more than 4 million homes—with 97 percent of that capacity added after passage of the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC). Over the same time period, the cumulative investment in installed solar installations in the U.S. soared from $2.6 billion to $71.1 billion.
And from an environmental perspective, by 2016, solar is expected to offset more than 45 million metric tons of damaging carbon emissions—the equivalent of removing 10 million cars off U.S. roads and highways, or shuttering 12 coal-fired plants.
Our new video report is not only filled with important information like this, but it tells solar energy’s tremendous success story in a fun and visually-interesting way. For example, did you know that in 2004 only two states had 10 MW of installed solar capacity, yet a decade later, 35 states had topped that threshold—and 20 states had more than 100 MW? But here’s the best news: we expect to double our total capacity in the next two years alone.
Here are some other key takeaways from SEIA’s analysis:
In 2004, approximately 15,500 homes had solar photovoltaic (PV) installations across the U.S. Through the end of 2014, that number had grown to 600,000.
From 2004 to 2014, the number of utility-scale solar projects in the U.S.—both PV and concentrated solar power (CSP)—increased by more than 10-fold, growing from 100 projects to nearly 1,100 projects spread across 30 states.
From 2004 to 2014, the amount of installed utility-scale solar capacity in the U.S. increased by more than 30 times, from 365 MW to 11,440 MW.
In 2004, the U.S. had 58 MW of total solar capacity. In 2014, 14 states installed that much solar or more, with a record total 7,000 MW coming online nationwide.
Over the 10-year period studied, the average price of an installed residential PV system dropped by more than 60 percent, and utility-scale prices plummeted by more than 73 percent.
In 2014, for the first time in history, each of the three major U.S. market segments—utility-scale, commercial and residential—all installed more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of solar PV.
Most importantly, the tremendous growth of solar energy in the U.S. has translated into tens of thousands of new jobs. In 2004, there were less than 20,000 people at work in the U.S. solar industry. Through 2014, that number had soared to 174,000—with new jobs being added every day. Without question, effective, forward-looking public policies, like the solar ITC, Net Energy Metering (NEM) and Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), are helping to drive solar energy’s remarkable growth. Because of these polices, we should be generating enough clean electricity to power more than 8 million American homes by the end of 2016, benefitting both our economy and environment, while providing homeowners, businesses, schools, nonprofits and government officials at all levels with real choices in how they meet their electricity needs in the future.
US solar energy increases by a third to help offset nation's carbon emissions
20 May 2015
Americans' energy use continued to grow slowly in 2014, fuelled by increases in the use of natural gas, wind and solar, according to new research released by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Each year, the Laboratory releases charts that illustrate the nation's consumption and use of energy. Overall, Americans used 0.9 quadrillion (quads) British thermal units (BTUs) more in 2014 than the previous year, an increase of about 1 percent.
The Laboratory also released another study illustrating the nation's energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. Americans' carbon dioxide emissions increased, but only barely, to 5,410 million metric tons from 5,390 million metric tons in 2013.
However, carbon emissions from coal and petroleum declined, while emissions from natural gas made up the difference. Overall, the carbon intensity of the American energy economy is decreasing.
Petroleum use was decreased by one percent due mainly to lower use in the industrial sector. Much of that energy has been replaced by natural gas.
"American manufacturers have gained confidence that natural gas prices will stay low for the long term, and have invested in equipment to switch from oil to natural gas feedstocks and fuels," said A.J. Simon , an LLNL energy group leader.
Overall natural gas use increased by 0.9 quads. The growing economy spurred demand in the commercial sector, and use was up in the transportation sector because natural gas is used to power natural gas pipelines, and pipeline utilization has been on the rise for the past decade.
Solar energy use jumped dramatically by 33 percent from .32 quadrillion BTUs, or quads, in 2013 to .427 quads in 2014. Simon attributes the change to an unprecedented solar industry expansion coupled to low global prices for panels and innovative financing for homes and businesses. Both utility-scale solar (which feeds the power grid directly) and rooftop solar experienced rapid growth.
Wind energy was up again by 8 percent, growing from 1.6 quads to 1.73 quads. The pace of wind energy deployment slowed considerably from 2012 to 2014. Hydroelectricity production declined by almost 4 percent due to the continued drought in California, Simon said
The majority of energy use in 2014 was used for electricity generation (38.4 quads), followed by transportation, industrial, residential and commercial. Energy use in the residential, commercial transportation sectors all increased slightly while the industrial sector did not fluctuate from 2013 use.
Rejected energy increased to 59.4 quads in 2014, from 59 in 2013, rising in proportion to the total energy consumed. "Not all of the energy that we consume is put to use," Simon explained. "Heat you feel when you put your hand on your water heater and the warm exhaust from your car's tailpipe are examples of rejected energy." Comparing energy services to rejected energy gives a rough estimate of each sector's energy efficiency.
United States: Capturing Value In The Solar Industry
May 21 2015
The solar industry consists of several different but connected functions. These include module manufacturing, project development for utility scale or distributed generation (commercial and residential), construction and installation, financing, and asset management and operation. Over the relatively short period of the last decade, inefficiencies have been largely squeezed out of module manufacturing and other early parts of the value chain. Instead, the focus on value has shifted toward the back end of the chain—developing and operating generation assets. Where this value is available and how it is monetized depends to some extent on whether the assets are utility scale or distributed. With respect to utility scale solar, current values depend in part on declining equipment costs and on continued mandates and subsidies for renewable energy, weighed against the decline in natural gas costs in the United States. For distributed generation, value has been captured by standardizing and optimizing financing structures, and aggregating portfolios of assets. In both the utility scale and the distributed sectors, developers and operators have captured additional value by structuring portfolios that can be financed more efficiently. To understand the overall value shift, it is worth looking back at how the industry got to where it currently is, then, where value currently lies, which players have access to it, and, ultimately, why.
The Module Manufacturer Era
Less than a decade ago, a "large" photovoltaic solar project might be 10 MW, and while project financing for such projects was available, the risks were still relatively challenging to paper over. Solar modules were supply-constrained. Construction contractors could not be assured of module availability, and therefore may not have agreed to liquidated damages in case of certain project delays. Investors risked sinking money into financing a project that might sit halffinished for months. In those days, module manufacturers had more significant control because they controlled supply of a constrained input.
Demand began to grow, however, triggered by state renewable portfolio standards (RPS) and other renewable incentive regimes. The module manufacturers' positions were strengthened by increased demand, and investment began to pour into module technology and manufacturing. Tax equity and affordable debt provided financing to buy the modules and build the solar projects.
High margins realized by module manufacturers stimulated, in part, a competitive increase in manufacturing capacity, leading to an increase in module supply and steadily decreasing manufacturing margins. Forward to today, solar module manufacturing has been operating at razor-thin margins for years, while producers continue to reduce manufacturing costs and improve module efficiency. Average per-Watt sales prices for PV modules have dropped from over $3.50/Wp to well under $1.00/Wp since 2008.1
Having lost the strong market position that benefitted them when module supply was constrained, some major U.S. manufacturers proceeded to vertically integrate their module manufacturing businesses with the rest of the solar value chain, engaging in project development, construction, ownership, and operation to varying degrees. This strategy has allowed better visibility into future sales of their modules and overall asset value.
Take as an example First Solar, whose net sales for the first quarter of 2015 were estimated between $550 million and $650 million, down from $1 billion for the fourth quarter of 2014. Among the reasons for the decline, the company's disclosures cited the completion of two large utility-scale projects that had been developed by the company and sold to third parties, to which First Solar had been selling modules in a steady stream for years.2 Concurrently, the company pivoted toward retaining the ownership of projects that are under construction, in anticipation of launching a yieldco with SunPower.3 The yieldco, which will be public and partially owned by the joint sponsors, will own and finance the projects going forward. With that temporary shift, First Solar will become a more significant owner of operating solar assets and will have a right to a share of the resulting revenue streams.
More and more module manufacturers appear to have followed this path, doubling down on their project development pipelines. A few recent examples include the Chinese manufacturers Trina Solar (which created a holding company this winter for operational projects, which it plans to IPO),4 and Canadian Solar (which acquired Recurrent Energy and its 4 GW project pipeline in February)5 and the Japanese manufacturer Solar Frontier (which acquired a 280 MW project pipeline in the United States from Gestamp Solar in March).6
Rising Dominance of Solar Developers
Even as the United States suffered through the credit crisis beginning in 2008, the 30 percent investment tax credit for renewable energy generating assets and the §1603 Treasury grant program introduced in 2009 under the Recovery Act7 kept financing flowing for projects. After the credit crisis, as financing further opened up and demand from renewable portfolio standards and other renewable incentive programs continued to grow, project developers, or sponsors, found themselves more in control of the potential value of solar assets. It was now development assets that became the constrained inputs: utility power purchase agreements, interconnection rights, project permits, and project sites.
Given the new glut of solar panels, developers had more options for low-cost equipment. And as tax equity structures became standardized and solar power plants came to be seen as mainstream risk, developers had improving access to competitive financing.
Eventually the high potential returns in the development business led to a heavy influx of participants, echoing the history of the manufacturer-dominated era, when new supply heralded falling margins. Competing against each other in contract auctions and anticipating continued declines in module and balance of system costs, prices under power purchase agreements decreased precipitously. Today's power purchase agreement (PPA) prices of $50 to $60/MWh (with some prices rumored to dip below even $40/MWh)8 are significantly off from prices even five years ago. The end result is, of course, that smaller margins remained for companies executing the development function.
A New Dawn: New Markets and Asset Ownership Structures. Today, not only has the increase of the numbers of project developers (an increase in supply) driven down margins, but also some of the major RPS requirements have been fully contracted, such as California's (a decrease in demand for new renewable energy generating assets). As a result, developers (and vertically-integrated players) are creating an array of new business models to serve demand and support the value of solar assets.
Portfolios of Rooftop Assets: It was in the post-credit-crisis period that portfolios of residential solar assets (which produce revenue streams for investors from PPAs and leases) for the first time gained financing on a portfolio basis, first from tax equity investors and later from asset-backed securitizations. The most successful residential installers have been those that vertically integrated the financing function. Solar City and Vivint Solar, which together installed more than half of all residential solar deployed in the second half of 2014,9 both finance and install systems. The most recent push is to finance commercial and industrial installations using offerings similar to those that have been successfully used to grow the residential market. In April, SolarCity announced its plans to finance $1 billion of commercial and industrial installations with investments from Credit Suisse.10 In March, Vivint announced its own plans to find a tax equity partner to invest with it in the commercial and industrial segment.11 Meanwhile, in February, Duke Energy, a utility, acquired REC Solar, a specialist in the commercial and industrial segment.12 Community Solar: In conventional community solar structures, individual electricity consumers have ownership interests and contractual rights in a community-based central solar generating facility and its financial attributes. Developers capture direct consumer demand for renewable energy while preserving the efficiencies of large-scale ground-mounted systems. SunShare is one such developer;13 First Solar invested last year in community solar developer Clean Energy Collective;14 and other major developers investing in the niche include NRG and SunEdison.15 Forecasts are that over 500 MW of community solar installations will be online before the end of 2016.16 PG&E, meanwhile, announced plans to sell solar energy generated from community-based solar projects directly to consumers, allocating to customers 100 percent of their electricity demand from community solar generating assets. In PG&E's program, unlike conventional community solar, program participants do not own the generating facility. However, they are entitled contractually to certain benefits similar to those that would accrue from ownership, such as future savings on avoided alternative generation if gas prices increase.17 Utility-Owned Generation: Utilities have begun to develop or purchase their own solar generating capacity, as well as procuring renewable energy with voluntary (non-RPS) PPAs. For example, Tenaska, an IPP, owns 280 MW of utility- scale solar projects in California. In March, it took a controlling interest in Soltage, a solar developer and operator. 18 This followed on its investment, in February, in residential solar company Suncrest Solar.19 Duke Energy, meanwhile, acquired REC Solar. As described above, the REC Solar acquisition gives Duke access to project development capabilities in the commercial and industrial segment. Duke also plans to add 278 MW of solar projects in North Carolina, 110 MW in South Carolina, and 500 MW in Florida.20 In other cases, utilities are procuring developed or newlyconstructed projects to hold in their portfolio of generating assets, In these cases, developers appear willing to settle for a definite return on the sale of the generating facility rather than bidding away their margins in competitive power purchase agreement auctions. Voluntary Procurement by Utilities: Despite today's low gas prices, utilities are eager to lock in low solar energy prices now, before the ITC expires at the end of 2016, knowing that predicting gas prices for the next 20 to 25 years is very difficult. Thus, where market conditions are right, some utilities are signing power purchase agreements that are not RPS-driven. Utility-owned generation and non-RPS PPAs accounted for 5.7 GW of utility solar procurement over the last 18 months in 14 states: from Florida through South Carolina and Minnesota to Utah and beyond.21 Utility-Scale Direct Procurement by Industrials: In certain markets, such as the direct access program for non-residential customers in California, certain customers may contract directly with power generators to purchase electricity, without going through a utility.22 In the last few months alone, hundreds of MW of renewable power have been contracted for periods up to 25 years, purchased by the likes of Apple, Kaiser Permanente and Google from providers such as NextEra, SunPower and First Solar.23 Other major commercial and industrial investors in solar and other renewable energy assets, whether through direct ownership, longterm PPAs, or the purchase of renewable energy credits, include Microsoft, Dow, Amazon, Ikea, Intel and Walmart, some of which are committed to eventually procuring 100 percent of their considerable energy needs, directly or indirectly, from renewable sources.24
Lighting the Way for Investors
Utility-scale solar energy assets have become mainstream investments for project-finance, tax equity, and long-term equity investors. A decade ago, investors were more wary of the risk. But as tax equity structures became standardized, independent engineers became comfortable with solar technologies, and customary provisions fell into place for utility solar power purchase agreements, investors began to view these assets as comparable to conventional power investments.
For residential customers, financing in the form of PPAs and leases has become commonplace, and now residential solar loans are also being put on offer by both the traditional solar lease providers, such as SolarCity and Sunnova, and new pureplay loan providers, such as Dividend Solar and Sungage.25
Today, several factors are reshaping the solar market for investors. First, new large-scale solar power plants with utility PPAs are becoming harder to find and the alternative models of asset ownership described in the previous section are beginning to replace them. Second, developers are seeking to further compete for these new opportunities by reducing financing costs. Finally, new structures are being applied to investments in this sector.
The yieldco is one example of a new application of an old investment structure to solar assets. Yieldcos are publicly traded companies that hold energy generation assets and are structured to allocate defined proportions of cash flow to each class of investor. Developers sell their projects to yieldcos that they control in order to monetize some of the projects' value and free up cash immediately to invest in further project development. However, because they hold a class of shares in the yieldco, the developers also maintain a claim on the projects' long-term cash flows. Yieldcos have been popular in the last two years, and in this era of low interest rates, commentators suggest that renewable energy yieldcos are comparable in the eyes of many investors to corporate bonds.26 However, as interest rates rise on corporate bonds, the appeal of yieldcos as an investment alternative may diminish.27
Another example, the packaging of smaller residential, commercial and industrial solar assets into portfolios of assets for investment, continues to grow. The standardization of such assets has been pursued through industry efforts such as that of the Solar Access to Public Capital Working Group, which initially developed standard power purchase agreements and solar leases,28 and more recently has spearheaded the framing of system installation best practices29 and the formation of an accreditation body to apply risk screening standards for commercial and industrial PV projects.30
If the rating system gains traction, it may serve the purpose that FICO scores have for the financing of small residential solar assets—allowing investors to evaluate the risk of a pool of assets more cheaply than they would be able to if they had to conduct diligence on each small solar system individually. The story above is ultimately a story of building efficiency at all stages of the solar asset value chain. The beneficiary is the ultimate purchaser of solar electricity. The demand for solar energy, previously driven largely by tax incentives and renewable portfolio requirements imposed on utilities, is increasingly clearing the cost hurdle to be more influenced by the long-term budgetary, planning, and sustainability needs of households and large commercial and industrial power users. In the near future, these new considerations will likely become primary drivers, as tax incentives decline and potentially fade away after 2016, and as the modes of delivering electricity service continue to evolve under the influence of declining costs for solar and energy storage technologies and increasingly sophisticated energy management software and power control electronics. The unsubsidized voluntary solar energy markets at our doorstep may very well result in further reallocations of value within the solar asset value chain.
U.S. EIA energy outlook 2015: Up to 70 GW of solar generation capacity could be installed through 2040
In the coming decades, additions to U.S. electricity generation capacity are expected to be lower than in the recent past, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)'s latest Annual Energy Outlook 2015. In EIA's reference case, which reflects current laws and policies and does not include EPA's proposed Clean Power Plan, US total generating capacity (including end-use generators like rooftop solar PV panels) will increase from 1,065 gigawatts (GW) in 2013 to 1,261 GW in 2040.
Wind and solar energy supported by federal tax incentives, renewable portfolio standards The amount of capacity added is more than three times the amount that is expected to retire, with 287 GW added and 90 GW retired. Capacity additions through 2017, much of which are under construction, average about 17 GW per year and about half are non-hydro renewable plants (mainly wind and solar) prompted by federal tax incentives and renewable portfolio standards. From 2018 to 2024, projected capacity additions average less than 4 GW per year, as earlier planned additions are sufficient to meet most growth in electricity demand. From 2025 to 2040, average annual capacity additions - primarily natural gas-fired and renewable technologies - average 12 GW per year. By comparison, annual additions from 2000 to 2013 averaged 26 GW per year. Natural gas-fired plants account for 58% of the capacity additions through 2040, while renewables provide 38% of the additions, and nuclear 3%.
Reference case expects 31 GW of solar PV capacity to be deployed through 2040 Renewable additions are aided in the near term by federal tax credits, and in the longer term by rising natural gas prices and state renewable targets. The 109 GW of renewable capacity additions in the reference case are primarily wind (49 GW) and solar (48 GW) technologies, including 31 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations from rooftop and other distributed generation installations.
7.7 Million Renewable Energy Jobs Worldwide In 2014
May 21st, 2015
The global shift to a clean energy economy keeps accelerating, creating millions of green jobs for workers around the world, and showing once again that decarbonization and economic growth can go hand in hand.
More than 7.7 million people were employed by renewable energy industries worldwide at the end of 2014, according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). This surging figure is up 18% from 2013, mirroring the global rise in new renewable energy installations.
IRENA’s Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2015 reports significant employment milestones in several renewable energy industries, including 2.5 million jobs in solar photovoltaics, 1.5 million jobs in large hydropower, and 1 million jobs in wind energy.
Renewable Energy Jobs Shifting East To Asia
Even casual observers of international energy markets will note the shift of renewable energy manufacturing and installation away from developed economies like the United States and Europe toward booming markets like China and India, so naturally green jobs have followed.
“Renewable energy continues to assert itself as a major global employer generating strong economic and social benefits worldwide,” said Adnan Z. Amin, IRENA Director-General. “This increase is being driven in part by declining renewable energy technology costs… we expect this upward trend to continue.”
Asia’s rise as a renewable energy powerhouse can’t be ignored. IRENA notes five of the top ten countries for renewable energy jobs were in Asia during 2014, up from just three in 2013. Even with continued employment expansion, the European Union and United States are home to just 25% of global renewable energy jobs, down from 31% in 2012.
China remains the world’s unquestioned renewable energy jobs leader, with 3.4 million renewable energy workers, led by 1.6 million jobs in the solar photovoltaic industry. China’s got 70% of the world’s solar manufacturing capacity, so naturally 80% of its renewable energy jobs are in the manufacturing segment. China is also the world leader for jobs in wind, solar heating and cooling, small and large hydropower, as well as biomass and biogas.
IRENA also expects India’s renewable energy workforce to surge in coming years. By their estimate, the country’s 100 gigawatt (GW) solar and 60 GW wind capacity targets will create an incredible one million new jobs by 2022. Japan, Malaysia, Korea, and Bangladesh are also expanding their share of green jobs, primarily from wind and solar PV manufacturing.
America and Europe Still Strong, But Waning Comparatively
Total employment also increased across the US, with total solar jobs up 22% to 173,800, overall wind jobs up 43% to 73,000, and total ethanol employment expanding 34% to an estimated 49,500 jobs. However, long-term concerns persist for the US renewable jobs market in the expected federal solar Investment Tax Credit expiration as well as uncertainty surrounding the federal wind Production Tax Credit renewal.
But whenever there’s a push in one direction, there’s a pull in another direction, and IRENA’s report does highlight slight renewable energy employment contractions in established markets across the European Union. 1.2 million workers were employed in the renewable energy industries across EU countries, down roughly 500,000 from the previous year.
Germany’s solar manufacturers felt the brunt of Asia’s rise, shedding roughly 11,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector compared to 2013. However, the country’s wind industry is expected to increase as onshore and offshore wind capacity additions keep growing, and Germany remains Europe’s top renewable energy job market with 371,400 employed workers. France also experienced a decline, with overall jobs falling 4%, but still leads Europe in biomass/biofuels and geothermal employment.
Solar energy is becoming increasingly popular thanks to dropping cost of solar, new technology innovations and new business models. Businesses, policymakers and utilities should work together to drive the growth of solar, says writer Emma Bailey.
Fossil fuels have powered the development of civilization and technology for more than a century, but the effects of oil and coal on the environment are now driving interest in alternative energy sources. With Tesla’s new Powerwall and solar power leasing, it seems that solar power, in particular, is becoming a more viable and affordable option for renewable energy. Homeowners now have a prime opportunity to explore many of the environmentally friendly options for powering their homes.
Until recently, solar panels were rarely used by homeowners because of high cost, and cumbersome installation. Even when homeowners have expressed interest in getting their own solar power system, many banks have been reluctant to finance such small projects. Solar leases address most of these issues. By signing a contract with solar leasing companies, homeowners can have solar panels installed on their home for free. Homeowners then lease the panels on a monthly basis and enjoy a variety of perks along the way.
SolarCity, a firm headed by South African CEO Elon Musk and headquartered in San Mateo, California, has pioneered the solar leasing business in the United States. With lease payments lower than what homeowners would pay for electricity from the local grid, SolarCity starts saving homeowners money as soon as they install the panels for free. Upgrades, insurance and repairs are all part of the deal.
Other companies, including Google, are now entering the market. Other American companies offering solar leases include Vivint Solar, Clean Power Finance, SunPower and Sunrun. Some of these companies, such as SolarCity, market their products themselves while many others let their installers handle sales. More than half of the companies install panels while the rest contract with installers around the country.
Despite the environmental upsides of solar leases and the warm reception of this service among consumers, some utility companies have taken issue with the industry. This is partly because solar panels complicate management of the grid—evident in its intermittency issues, in which the majority of power is generated during the day but no power is generated at night.
However, utility companies have also expressed concern that the addition of solar panels to homes connected to the grid will increase their costs related to repair and administration of the panels. Of course, the success of solar leasing companies in some regions has also cut into profits for the utility companies.
It seems that solar power, in particular, is becoming a more viable and affordable option for renewable energy. Homeowners now have a prime opportunity to explore many of the environmentally friendly options for powering their homes.
The clash between the existing power grid and the emerging solar lease business has led some state and local governments in the United States to pass laws regulating the new industry. Some states, such as Florida, have simply banned consumers from using such services. Near Phoenix, Arizona, the Salt River Project utility company has begun imposing fees of $50 per month on customers who use solar panels. The average monthly bill increase footed by its customers easily overshadows the savings they would receive from leasing solar panels. Naturally, this fee discourages many property owners from leasing solar panels.
In contrast, the state of Georgia has welcomed solar leasing with its own legislation, which encourages people to use solar power and allows them to sell it back on the electric grid. SolarCity filed a lawsuit against the Salt River Project to protest these fees because they constitute anti-competitive behavior, and the conclusion of the case will clarify how future interactions between utilities and solar lease companies may pan out.
The greatest diversity of alternative energy options is found in states with deregulated energy markets. States like Ohio in the US and Alberta in Canada, which allow solar providers to compete with traditional energy providers, are seeing a higher adoption of renewable energy, wholesale. Amid the conflict between solar lease companies and utility companies, do-it-yourself solar panels also remain an option.
However, this can be a major undertaking with requirements to plan the project, install the panels and meet local regulations. Not only does using a solar lease company eliminate the work involved in getting solar panels, but it can actually save money that would otherwise be spent on parts and installation.
What about consumers who do not live in states where solar leasing is available? In many areas, local utility companies actually offer power from solar and other renewable sources. In fact, some of these programs also sell renewable energy for less than they offer electricity generated through traditional sources and similar to the fees associated with solar lease companies like SolarCity.
Around the world, solar power is set to become the primary energy source as solar panels are becoming more affordable. Although the United States is moving forward rapidly in this area, China and South-East Asia are still the leaders in adopting solar energy. China, in particular, is working on solar projects to reduce regional pollution and plans to triple its solar power production by 2020. Over time, differences in policy among countries are likely to determine solar power growth rates in separate areas.
Whether purchased or leased, solar power is a viable energy source that does not contribute to global pollution. SolarCity and other solar lease companies are making the transition away from fossil fuels easier. While regulations in some areas may challenge the growth of the private solar industry, increased participation of local utilities will also foster the changes we need for the benefit of everyone.
The US government will stop the tax credit for investment in solar energy in 2016
Thus, US companies are trying to complete their projects.
Throughout 2014 every three minutes in the United States, the new project in the field of solar energy was entered, and the number of jobs increased from 15,000 in 2005 to 174000. The Energy Policy Act, which was adopted in 2005 and provide tax benefits for investments in solar energy systems that are used in the commercial and residential sectors, made possible this substantial growth. The benefit was 30%. By 2007, these measures ensured a doubling of the volume of installed solar capacity. In 2008, the US Congress extended the act for 8 years, allowing solar energy to become one of the fastest growing industry. Besides, the cost of per watt has decreased from US $ 7.5 in 2009 to 2.89 in 2013 dollars thanks to tax breaks.
But in December 2016 the tax benefits will be reduced to 10% for producers and they will be canceled for consumers, which led to massive investment. In February this year, the Apple Company announced a 25-year power purchase agreement with the First Solar's California Flats Solar company Project in Monterey County. The station is about 12 square kilometers in California, and the agreement of about 848 million dollars became the largest corporate purchase in the history of solar energy.
Joe Kishkil, commercial director of the First Solar Company, said that the investment of the Apple Company became the tool that helped not only to finish the project, but also significantly increase the energy safe by using the solar power in California. Subsequently, the energy generated in California Flats will not only provide cost savings through the use of renewable energy, but also reduce the level of the impact of greenhouse gases on the environment.
Following the announcement of the Apple Company, the Google Company said that it would invest 300 million dollars to the SolarCity Company - the largest operator in the market of American solar energy industry, which owns stations in 14 states and the District of Columbia. The volume of the capital of the SolarCity Company is 750 million dollars and it is the highest rate among the companies providing solar energy in the residential sector.
"We are glade to support the SolarCity Company in their aim to help the public to reduce the pollution and save money. It's great for the environment, for people and also it is good for business," - said Sidd Mundra authorized by Google on renewable energy.
Meanwhile, in the North Carolina the Duke Energy Company expands its presence in the market, so in the third quarter of last year the state has entered into a three leaders by the volume of installed capacities. Management of the Duke Energy Company expects to invest more 500 million dollars in the construction of three facilities in eastern of the North Carolina, with a total capacity of 128 megawatts.
The federal budget for 2016 provides the resumption of tax credits for solar and wind power as well as technology for reducing carbon dioxide emissions for to make solar energy market continued its growth.
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