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Are We Going to Shoot Ourselves in the Foot?

April 7th, 2011

Do you know that this country presently exports more solar energy products than it imports?

Are you aware that the investments in energy research and development are reducing the cost of alternate forms of energy, that maybe; just maybe, we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil?

Are you aware that the House Budget Committee Chair, Paul Ryan, has submitted his proposal for the 2012 budget resolution that would completely eliminate investments in clean energy technologies of the future.

Instead it retains the $40 billion in Big Oil tax loopholes. Also, there would be tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans lowering the maximum tax rate to 25% for individuals and corporations. According to the April 4^th Wall Street Journal op-ed, his plan “rolls back expensive handouts for uncompetitive sources of energy, calling instead for a free and open marketplace for energy development, innovation and exploration.”

Ryan has evaded answering the question as to whether he would continue the “welfare” for Big Oil giving those of us the uneasy feeling that the tax breaks and the Big Oil welfare will continue to be a major issue in the proposed house budget for 2012. Ryan’s budget would slash investments in the research, development and deployment of the clean energy technologies of the future cutting investments in clean energy by half in FY 2012, by two-thirds in 2013 and 90% in 2014 to just $1 billion.

The federal government invested seed money beginning in 2009 to launch industry here which would benefit the middle class with good-paying manufacturing jobs. In Michigan, the result of federal policy of investing in storage batteries has attracted 17 battery companies projected to create 63,000 jobs.

Here in Tennessee we have solar energy and electric car industry during this same period. We are talking about investments in billions of dollars in building auto plants, battery plants, and polysilicon manufacturing plants that would not have located here if the market for the next generation of autos and for renewable energy had not been stimulated by Federal dollars?

What will happen if the house budget is passed as proposed by Congressman Ryan is the loss of these jobs now coming into the marketplace continuing the outsourcing of good paying jobs overseas leaving us with lesser employments in the service sector. The Advanced Research Project Administration–Energy or APRA-E will disappear as funding for this program was eliminated by the House passed budget for the remainder of FY 2011 and likely will be excluded by the Ryan budget as well. This program has promise for reducing the cost of solar PV to a dollar a watt installed.

We will lose the technology developed by young start-ups to be produced in other countries.Investors, banks are providing capital to exploit the technology starting companies that will be competing in the world economy with new energy related products that will drastically reduce the demand for oil. With the emergence of the electric powered cars that do not need gas or diesel to transport workers to and from their jobs, our dependence on foreign oil will lessen and eventually disappear as a strategic concern will give this country a break from its role of policing the Middle-East so that the oil can continue to flow. Then our defense budget, which is one of the big three spending programs, can be reduced. Reducing our dependence on foreign oil is our biggest barrier and offers the richest target for improving our balance of trade and providing us with the opportunity to really reduce our national debt.

I cannot believe that so many of our citizens can be supportive of this counter-productive policies being offered by our Congress.

Stephen Levy, Technical Director, TSEA

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Just How Much Freedom Should Your Neighbor Have in Locating Solar Arrays on Their Property?

January 12th, 2011

Jan 11 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Tim O’Brien Times Union, Albany, N.Y. A couple’s decision to build a massive collection of solar panels in their yard is generating controversy as well as energy.As Beth and Todd Silaika expanded their already sizable home at 39 Addison Estates, they decided to reduce their impact on the environment. They added one of the largest residential solar arrays in the state. It measures 80 feet long by 20 feet tall and generates 30,240 watts a year.For the Silaikas, it is a source of pride, a sign of their dedication to conservation and care for the planet.“Anything we can do to reduce our dependency on foreign oil and to reduce our environmental footprint is a positive,” Todd Silaika said. To some neighbors, however, one person’s pride is another’s eyesore. Diane Miller said the solar array is too big for the residential neighborhood and, ironically, blocks the sun from her back yard.Town officials admit no regulations exist that govern building such a structure.“It’s definitely fair to say we were caught by surprise,” Supervisor Phil Barrett said. “It’s difficult. You’ve got the government giving these grants, you’ve got a definitive push in our culture to move to these types of installations, but at the same time I do feel there has to be some regulation. I don’t think we want to ban them, but we want to have a process to get them approved.”Parents of six children, the Silaikas moved into their newly built home in 2005. It’s a dream house, spacious with giant artworks of nature the couple proudly discuss. They recently decided to add a pool house and a detached garage, which generated additional controversy when it was partly built on town land and the town swapped other property for it.The solar project began when the couple was making the other improvements and realized the impact all their building could have.“Beth said: ‘We’ve added all this space to the house, we probably should do something to give back to the environment,’ ” her husband said.They talked to Mark Bomba of Alteris Renewables, who designed what is called a solar shed. Construction, begun in November, is now complete, though it will likely be about a week and a half before National Grid connects the meters and the system becomes operable.“We believe it’s the largest in New York state, and it might be the largest in the Northeast for a residential solar system,” Bomba said. The state Energy Research and Development Authority says the system is one of the largest residential ones in the state but may not be the biggest.By building the solar power generator, the couple expect to wipe out their $6,000 annual electricity bill and to sell some power back to the grid.“At the end of the year, they will get paid back,” Bomba said. “This is definitely an extreme installation. They are definitely going to get a payback.”There are environmental benefits too, Bomba said. The fuel the solar shed will conserve is the equivalent of taking 4.75 cars off the road for a year. It is equal to planting 15,400 trees over a 20-year period.While Todd Silaikas says the going rate for selling back electricity isn’t all that much — you get paid only 1/15th of what you’d pay for the same amount of energy — he said that is expected to improve.He does not want to disclose how much the couple spent, but adds that the investment should be paid off in a dozen years.Miller has a clear view of the back of the structure from her rear yard at 42 Michelle Drive. It’s not what she ever expected.“I am going to have to pay several thousands of dollars to conceal this,” she said. “I knew there would be homes built behind me. I never expected this. I’m in favor of renewable energy, but I just think there should be a plan for it in a residential neighborhood.”Since no regulations were in place, there wasn’t much the town could do when Alteris applied for a building permit, said Town Attorney Thomas McCarthy.“It’s not illegal so the code office reviewed it and issued the permit,” he said. “There wasn’t any way to tell them no.”The couple agreed to set the solar shed 50 feet from the property line rather than the minimum 10, he said, and they committed to adding mature blue spruces to shield the view.“I wish they had been a little more sensitive going in but they have been responsive to us,” McCarthy said. “I think they are trying to be reasonable.”Todd Silaika doesn’t get the neighbors’ complaints.“We’ve paid as little attention to it as we could,” he said. “There has to be a few people displeased by the way the solar panels look. If you’re trying to do something positive for the environment, why complain? Personally, when you see it in sunlight, it looks like artwork to me.”“Most people have been positive about it because we’re giving back,” his wife added.When work is complete, Bomba said, it will be less visible.“Once the ground cover is in and they plant some trees and shrubbery around it, it will start to bleed into the environment,” he said. “Right now, it looks like a construction site.”Reach Tim O’Brien at 454-5092 or at tobrien@timesunion.com

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Milestone for Tennessee solar: The First Megawatt Site in Tennessee

August 10th, 2010

It exists! Ask Robby Thomas, the installer, if it is real. “One small step for man and one giant step for mankind.” Here in Greater Knoxville is our first megawatt site of solar photovoltaic panels on Andrew Johnson Highway on five and a half acres. It is impressive when you see how little ground holds one megawatt. It is a solar pioneer’s dream come true. It is working delivering electric power to the electric distributor. The fuel is free and will remain free for the next 30 or more years. It dispells the myth that the Tennessee is not a good site for solar: totally wrong! As the price of solar reaches the point where it makes sense for the homeowner to install solar on their homes and commercial buildings, our electric distributors and TVA have to reinvent their business model to incorporate the new distributed power sources into the system. Taking a system that was invented some hundred years ago and updating the system to incorporate a time and situation dependent power source into a normally constant power source system is not going to be easy, but it is a change that must be incorporated or there will be problems in the near future. The message to our electric power distributors is: “It is here, it is now so let’s work together.”

Stephen Levy

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TVA Accepts 200 kW limit for Partners program

July 12th, 2010

TVA will continue the Green Partners program instituting a 200 kW limit on the maximum size of the installation. The installation yearly energy delivery cannot exceed the owners energy useage for the year. Later, TVA will reassess the limitations on solar systems larger than 200 kW with one set rate and contract terms to be finished by the end of the summer. The problem is the amount of funding set aside for solar and now biomass which is limited by a set figure. The state of Tennessee needs solar utility sized systems if we are to reduce the money leaving the state to pay for escalating fossil fuel purchases. TVA has some energy storage in its system with its pumped storage. It may need more in the future. But the advantages of solar with its free fuel combined with energy storage can go along way in providing the state’s needs for peak power during times of hot humid days of summer. As the amount of solar increases the price is expected to drop. For utility sized systems, the going rate installed is $3 per watt. No pollution, no rising fuel fees, cleaner air, energy independence, more of the money we spend on electricity will stay here in the state. Eventually, the cost of electricity should stablize and even come down as the one time system cost is paid off and all we have to pay for is the small upkeep fee to keep the panels clean. It is a win-win for all of us. It is the right thing to do.

Posted in TSEA Announcements | 1 Comment »

TSEA supports Solar Thermal Systems

February 8th, 2010

The Tennessee Solar Energy Association actively supports solar thermal technology and funding of this technology in the TN CET grant program should be allowed. Solar thermal with solar photovoltaic can provide a home with the energy needed to service the home for the most part. Someday, the thermal and the solar PV will be combined into one product, but until then, we need both technologies and both should be supported if funding is available. While the emphasis has been on the advanced technology of solar cells, solar thermal has been and will continue to be a valuable asset to homes that want to conserve energy and thus reduce the need for more fossil-fueled electrical power plants. With the combination of energy conservation, solar thermal and solar PV, we can reduce the demand for new power plants that will save each of us in our power bills and make for a cleaner world for future generations.

Stephen Levy, Technical Director

Posted in TSEA Announcements | 3 Comments »

A Vision of the Future Home Power Source

December 24th, 2009

“Panasonic is going to create one of the hottest batteries available to date. The new lithium-ion storage cell should power up a whole house in 2011 when it could be available to the general public. I don’t know about you but I’d want to plug that battery right into my laptop and see how much life it will be able to offer me.
Furnio Otsubo, president of Panasonic said that the new battery should offer sufficient electricity for about one week of use. That’s certainly something I could get used to although I bet the new battery concept is not going to be that affordable.

Panasonic has become Japan’s second-largest electronics manufacturer after it completed the acquisition of Sanyo. It seems that the new giant has all the resources needed for such a bold endeavor. Creating a battery that can power up a house it’s not such an easy thing to do. But once such products become available, people will definitely want to use them.

Solar batteries and fuel cells which some of us already use to power up our homes can’t actually store energy. That’s why a lithium-ion battery that can last for about a week before needing a recharge is something else. Such a battery could help you save some money on that monthly electricity bill and it will also contribute to saving our little planet.

No specific details about the future home battery from Panasonic have been given yet. In two years time we should know more about the device and Panasonic will definitely want to periodically show everyone its progress.

Not only could we end up driving hybrid or electric cars by 2011 but we could also use rechargeable batteries to power all our devices in our homes. What do you say, folks, are you ready to switch to eco-friendlier energy sources? Do you think Panasonic will have a product ready so soon?”

Steve - When I first started working on the concept of the self-supporting solar home in the year 2000, it was obvious that there needed to be some sort of energy storage so that the home could have energy during the non-daylight hours. Beyond the day-light hours, there would be days when the weather turned foul and one had to depend on the energy storage for power to continue powering the home. The first concept was to create hydrogen by electrolysis, store it, and then pass it through a fuel cell to create the household power when needed. But the ultimate goal was a simpler energy storage. That lead one towards the battery. This is the concept that will make a major impact on our daily lives should it come to pass. It is a logical extension of the concept of distributed energy storage for everyone. By the time this concept is adopted by this country the battery storage will be safe and should be affordable. Affordable in the sense that it could be on lease from your electric power distributor who would own and maintain the energy storage and use the storage for their energy transfer planning.

The question to our members is what do you think of the idea and how do you envision our future electric power delivery system will keep our lights on and our heat pumps working?

Posted in TSEA Announcements | 1 Comment »

Tennessee Needs to Allow PACE Financing

December 20th, 2009

Most of us interested in solar power for our homes are not able to afford the initial cost of the solar installation. PACE is the Property Assessed Clean Energy program recently approved by New York state. They passed a bill authorizing municipalities to establish programs that will finance the installation of solar and other renewable systems which allows property owners to pay for the improvements over 15 to 20 years through an increase in their annual property taxes. Right now 15 states have passed such a law. The key feature is the spreading the initial cost of the system over many years for energy retrofit loans and structuring the loan repayments as annual property tax surcharges which are Federal Tax deductable. It benefits both the homeowner and the lender. For the property owner it improves the value of the home and to the bond holder it provides virtually no risk on the investment (PACE lien is senior in the right to mortgage debt).

Posted in TSEA Announcements | 3 Comments »

FERC Rules No Jurisdiction Over On-Site Solar

December 20th, 2009

Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industry Association, says “the decision of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, removes a great cloud of uncertainty about the role of third-party solar system owners and paves the way for greater, more cost-effective solar deployments.” In other words, solar companies doe not have to be under the same regulatory system as utilities. The effect of the order is to remove the flood of paperwork needed to certify for wholesale or retail operation of solar installations.

Posted in TSEA Announcements | 1 Comment »

House Approves Solar Roadmap

December 19th, 2009

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 3585, the Solar Technology Roadmap, by a vote of 310-106. The bill establishes a process to create a roadmap for solar technology research and development activities conducted by the federal government in partnership with the private sector, with a focus on the department of Energy.

Specifically, the Solar Technology Roadmap would require DOE to appoint a group of experts to create a long-term plan to guide solar energy research and its transition into commercial uses. The panel would be subject to a comprehensive revision every three years. The bill requires that 30% of the DOE solar R&D funding in 2012 be based on the recommendations of the roadmap.

Bart Gordon commented, "I am pleased that we’re considering H.R. 3585, the Solar Technology Roadmap Act sponsored by Science and Technology Subcommittee Chair GABRIELLE GIFFORDS. This bipartisan bill has a number of cosponsors including myself, subcommittee Chair BRIAN BAIRD, and DAN LIPINSKI, as well as committee members MICHAEL MCCAUL and ROSCOE BARTLETT.

I assume solar power is not the first name that comes to your mind when you think of the State of Tennessee; but over the last few years we have really seen firsthand the major potential that solar energy has to create new jobs across the country and reduce our dependency on foreign oil in the process. Recently, two major producers of special materials used in solar panels have chosen Clarksville and Cleveland, Tennessee, as sites for their next large factories, each with over $1 billion investment creating hundreds of jobs, plus many more jobs in larger investment with the supply chain, as well as universities now setting up courses in management for the solar panel industries.

And this is happening all across the State and communities all across our Nation. And that’s why we need a national plan, and that’s why we are discussing this important bill today. H.R. 3585 establishes a comprehensive road mapping process for solar technology research, development, and demonstration activities conducted by the Federal Government in partnership with industry.

The Secretary of Energy is also directed to award grants to carry out these programs by merit-based review specifically to provide awards to industry-led consortia research, development, and demonstration in solar manufacturing. The road map provision in the bill is molded on the successful National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, which has been instrumental in helping semiconductor technology advance rapidly over the past two decades. H.R. 3585 incorporates recommendations of the witnesses who appeared at the Science and Technology Committee, as well as input from a variety of academic, government, and industry experts.

Science and Technology Committee staff closely consulted with the minority in the development of this bill. We accepted several minority amendments, and the vast majority of items in our manager’s amendment in committee were also suggested or requested by the minority.

The bill was voted out of committee on a bipartisan voice vote. H.R. 3585 has been officially endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Solar Energy Industries Association, British Petroleum, IBM, Intel, and National Semiconductor."

Posted in TSEA Announcements | 1 Comment »

Marilyn Brown to be nominated to TVA Board — Good News!

December 14th, 2009

- President Barack Obama said he planned to nominate to the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors a professor who shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. The White House announced the president’s plans to nominate Marilyn A. Brown for one of two vacant seats on the nine-member board. Since 2006, Brown has been a professor of energy policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Before that, she worked at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managing an energy efficiency research and development program. In 2006, she helped launch the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance. Brown has written more than 200 publications, including the recently published book “Energy and American Society: Thirteen Myths.” At the Oak Ridge lab, she co-led the report Scenarios for a Clean Energy Future, described by the White House as a “cornerstone of engineering-economic analysis of low-carbon energy options for the United States.” Brown also is a commissioner on the National Commission on Energy Policy.

Posted in TSEA Announcements | 1 Comment »

photonfuture

Are We Going to Shoot Ourselves in the Foot?

Just How Much Freedom Should Your Neighbor Have in Locating Solar Arrays on Their Property?

Milestone for Tennessee solar: The First Megawatt Site in Tennessee

TVA Accepts 200 kW limit for Partners program

TSEA supports Solar Thermal Systems

A Vision of the Future Home Power Source

Tennessee Needs to Allow PACE Financing

FERC Rules No Jurisdiction Over On-Site Solar

House Approves Solar Roadmap

Marilyn Brown to be nominated to TVA Board — Good News!

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