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American Solar Energy Society 4760 WALNUT ST SUITE 106 BOULDER CO 80301

solartoday.org SOLAR TODAY July/August 2013 3Copyright © 2013 by the American Solar Energy Society Inc. All rights reserved.

SOLARTODAY.ORG JULY/AUGUST 2013VOLUME 27 , NO . 5

ON THE COVER: The Sacramento Mu-

nicipal Utility District’s (SMUD’s) SolarShares

program and others have helped address the

barriers to investing in solar. Micro-investing

goes a step further by allowing anyone to

invest for as little as a few dollars per month.

Story on page 24. PHOTO COURTESY OF SMUD.

Articles appearing in this magazine are indexed in Environmental Periodicals Bibliography and ArchiText Construction Index: afsonl.com.

COMING in the September/October Issue

Pushing the Limits of Sustainable Design in N.C.

CSP for Industrial Heating Applications

Solar Decathlon Heads to Southern California

Showcase: Solar Power International Products Preview

Trees 234

Energy 169 million Btu

Water 36,256 gallons

Greenhouse Gases 10.2 tons

Solid Waste 9.9 tons

SOLAR TODAY is printed with vegetable ink on paper containing

100 percent post-consumer waste. The paper is produced at a

biomass-powered mill. This issue saves:

SOLAR TODAYenvironmental statement

SSOLAARRTTODAAYY OORG JULY/AUGUUSST 2013

Follow the American Solar Energy Society

24Major Funding Through Micro-InvestmentsBy Stephen Levy and Kenneth J. Lutz, Ph.D.As a scenario for TVA demonstrates, such a program overcomes investment obstacles while spurring big benefits for investors, utilities, local economic development and the industry.

28Managing the Dark Side of TreesBy K.K. DuVivier and Dan StaleyBy specifying height limitations for vegetation in advance, solar access zones have the potential to make compliance easy.

32A Net-Zero-Energy Learning Lab in Upstate New YorkBy Craig R. Clark, P.E., and Dave KostickSophisticated monitoring at Alfred State’s demonstration home enables students to better understand performance of the renewable energy systems they built.

36Connect with Local Solar LeadersNow in its 18th year, the ASES National Solar Tour is the world’s largest community solar event.

TOYO

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FEATURES

20 Explosive Growth By Larry Sherwood Once again led by utility-sector installations, PV capacity installed in 2012 jumped 80 percent over the prior year.

All under one roof.

All about solar permitting.

Visit SolarPermit.org to search for permitting requirements in your area and contribute what you know. SolarPermit.org hosts the National Solar

Permitting Database, a free, online database

of information related to solar permitting

requirements of cities and counties across the

country. Developed by Clean Power Finance

and supported by a Department of Energy

grant, the database is populated and kept

up-to-date by solar professionals like you.

More than 1 in 3 installers avoid

selling solar in an average of 3.5

jurisdictions because of associated

permitting difficulties.

The first publicly available source

identifying all 18,000+ permitting

jurisdictions across all 50 US states.

100+ fields covering comprehensive

permitting requirements (Contact,

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SOLARTODAY.ORG JULY/AUGUST 2013VOLUME 27 , NO . 5

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SOLAR TODAY is published by the American Solar Energy Society, ases.org, the U.S. Section of the International Solar Energy Society

in every issue6 Perspective

8 PV Power Map

38 New Products

46 Inside ASES

48 Ad Index

10 advancesViewpoint: Follow State Energy Legislation with AEL Tracker By Tom Plant

Closing the Clean Air Act Loopholes By Robert Ukeiley

16 investingSustainable REIT Goes Public By Rona Fried, Ph.D.

18 the tradeBefore Climbing That Tower … By Mick Sagrillo

50 system accomplishedCollaborative Planning Speeds Construction By Seth Masia466

18

6 July/August 2013 SOLAR TODAY solartoday.org Copyright © 2013 by the American Solar Energy Society Inc. All rights reserved.

perspective

An Anniversary, A Turning Point

Seth Masia: Executive Director (interim)

Editorial Gina R. Johnson Editor/Publisher [email protected]

Design Allison J. Gray Art Director

Dan Bihn Photojournalist

ContributorsRichard Crume, Rona Fried, Joseph McCabe, Mick Sagrillo, Robert Ukeiley

AdvertisingRob Simonelli [email protected] P: 562.431.1630 F: 562.431.1530

Magazine Advisory CouncilGabriela Martin, Chair Dan Bihn Paul Notari Richard Crume Mick Sagrillo Chuck Kutscher Bob Scheulen Joseph McCabe Robert Ukeiley

ASES OperationsTiffiny Harrower Operations Manager

Patty Michaels Accounting Manager

Nicole Gallegos Administrative Coordinator

ASES National Solar Tour ases.org/tour

ASES National Solar Conference ases.org/conference

ASES Board of DirectorsDavid Hill, Chair Bill Poulin, Treasurer Brian Allen, Secretary David Comis Alison Mason Anthony Denzer David Panich Francis De Winter Jeff Peterson Allison Gray Bill SpratleyLouise Hart

SOLAR TODAY (ISSN: 1042-0630) is published eight times per year by the American Solar Energy Society, 4760 Walnut Street, Suite 106, Boulder, Colorado 80301, 303.443.3130, fax 303.443.3212, [email protected], ases.org. Copyright © 2013 by the American Solar Energy Society Inc. All rights reserved. Editorial Comments Send questions or comments to [email protected].

Member Services To renew your subscription or change your address, log-in to your account at ases.org/renew or call 720.420.7935.

L E A D I N G T H E R E N E W A B L E E N E R G Y R E V O L U T I O N

S O L A R T O D A Y. O R G

SOLAR TODAY®

Seth Masia ([email protected]) is interim executive director of the American Solar Energy Society.

David Hill ([email protected]) is chair of the American Solar Energy Society Board of Directors.

The renewable energy business has had both the best of times and the worst of times during the past couple of years. A boom in installations, in North

America and worldwide, led economists at the U.S. Ener-gy Information Administration to estimate in January that about 19 percent of the world’s electric power production is from renewable sources (remember that capacity is much higher than production).

On the other hand, the business is also maturing, which means that fewer, larger companies now dominate the man-ufacturing sector. Smaller companies, even pioneers with leading-edge technology, have fallen behind, failed or been absorbed. Fewer manufacturing companies mean fewer manufacturing jobs. While the installation side of the busi-ness remains healthy, a larger proportion of the good jobs in renewables are boots on the ground, and a smaller pro-portion are in executive suites, factories and laboratories.

This historical trend has necessarily affected the Ameri-can Solar Energy Society (ASES). Membership fell sharply during the Great Recession, and has not rebounded. Circu-lation of our publications is at an all-time high — SOLAR TODAY now has about 30,000 qualified readers for each issue (a qualified reader is someone who has paid for or specifically asked for the magazine), Solar Citizen reaches more than 42,000 solar-minded citizen-advocates twice each month, and our trade bulletin Solar@Work has about 8,500 subscribers. Just about anyone involved in renew-able energy turns to ASES for expert news reporting and policy analysis.

Nonetheless, the drop in membership, along with the consolidation among our corporate supporters, means that

the Board of Directors needs to take ASES back to its roots, in a sense. ASES was founded in 1954 as a clearinghouse to communicate between technology innovators (scientists and engineers) and businesses interested in manufacturing and deploying the technology. During the coming year we will maintain the ASES publications at their traditional high level of editorial quality, and reach out to ever-broader audi-ences with the renewable energy message. We learned at SOLAR 2013 what members value most about the Society: the opportunity to meet face-to-face with their colleagues, to learn and teach about the technologies and issues driving renewable energy. The Board of Directors is exploring new ways to enable those meetings.

As it happens, 2014 will mark the 60th anniversary of the original Bell Labs “solar battery,” the first commercialized PV cell. Of course, solar thermal technology is much older than that; passive solar architecture, wind power and hydro power go back to the dawn of civilization. It will also be the 59th year since ASES was founded.

We expect our 59th year to return ASES to a growth pattern. We will reach out to young professionals joining the field and to an American population eager to adopt electricity and transportation fuels gathered cheaply from the sun, wind and water. To do it, we’ll need full participa-tion from our chapters, divisions and general membership.

Through the 1950s and ’60s, long before there was a SERI or NREL, ASES members incubated today’s success-ful clean-energy technologies. We still have work to do, especially in the policy arena. Let’s not flag now.

David Hill, ChairSeth Masia, Executive Director (interim)


PV Power Map

The PV Power Map is a report of national solar resource availability as illustrated by the monthly energy out-put of a nominal 1-kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic (PV)

system by location. In addition to showing the estimated PV power output for the month of March, this issue we also highlight how same-month production varies historically.

As seen in the PV Power Map, March experienced above-average solar energy production through most of the South as drier-than-average conditions prevailed. The Northeast and Great Lakes regions experienced lower-than-average energy production due to cooler and wetter weather effects. Persistent snow cover in the upper Midwest was in some cases misinterpreted as cloud cover, leading to an underes-timation of irradiance in that region. A soon-to-be released SolarAnywhere update that integrates infrared satellite data to better estimate irradiance under these conditions will reduce these observed effects.

The chart, “Current and Historical Energy Production for March,” depicts the estimated monthly PV energy produc-tion at two locations — Flagstaff, Ariz., and Austin, Texas — for every March from 1998 to 2013. This data is compared to the average estimated March PV energy production from 1998 to 2012. As the figure highlights, the monthly produc-tion at any particular location can vary as much as +/- 10 to 20 percent from the long-term monthly average.

While monthly PV production variability can be significant, it is important to remember that production variability is significantly less on an annual basis, with most locations experi-encing less than 5 percent year-to-year vari-ability. Having access to reliable, long-term historical PV energy production estimates can significantly reduce risk by providing insight into projected monthly and annual production variability.

To use the PV Power Map to calculate the generation potential of a PV system in a given location, multiply the power output indicated on the map by a project’s capacity, in kilowatts. The result is the total estimated power output for the month. PV Power Maps can be seen for the entire year at pvpower map.solartoday.org.

The PV Power Map is created with power output estimates generated by SolarAnywhere services from Clean Power Research; these include simulation capabilities and hourly satellite-derived irradiance data with spa-tial resolutions from 1 to 10 kilometers. The calculations are based on a PV system with a total 1-kW nameplate rating that is configured as five 200-watt PV panels with a 1.5-kW inverter; fixed, south-facing panels with 30 degree tilt; no shading; panel PVUSA Test Condi-tions rating of 178 watts; and inverter efficiency of 95.5 percent. Visualization

and mapping provided by GeoModel Solar. Access free historical irradiance data at solaranywhere.com. Adam Kankiewicz ([email protected]) is a research specialist at Clean

Power Research.

Historical PV Generation Potential for March By ADAM KANKIEWICZ

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advances solar technology | analysis | markets

An international research team led by Paulo Monteiro of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

(Berkeley Lab) has analyzed the chemis-try of a concrete breakwater, submerged for 2,000 years, and found why the best Roman concrete was superior to most modern concrete in durability, why its manufacture was less environmen-tally damaging, and how these improve-ments could be adopted in the modern world. The work has implications for low-carbon architecture and durable engi-neered structures.

“It’s not that modern concrete isn’t good — it’s so good we use 19 billion tons of it a year,” says Monteiro. “The problem is that manufacturing Portland cement

accounts for 7 percent of the carbon diox-ide that industry puts into the air.”

Portland cement is the “glue” that holds most modern concrete together. It’s made by mixing limestone and clays to 1,450°C (2,642°F) — a process that releases huge volumes of carbon. Berkeley mineralogist Marie Jackson found that the Romans used much less lime, and baked it at 900˚C (1,652˚F) or lower, requiring far less fuel than we use today.

Cutting greenhouse gas emissions is one powerful incentive for finding a bet-ter way to provide the concrete the world needs; another is the need for stronger, longer-lasting buildings, bridges and other structures.

“In the middle 20th century, con-

crete structures were designed to last 50 years, and a lot of them are on borrowed time,” Monteiro says. “Now we design buildings to last 100 to 120 years.” Yet Roman harbor installations have survived 2,000 years of chemical attack and wave action underwater.

Roman concrete mixed about 10 per-cent lime and volcanic rock. For under-water structures, lime and aluminum-rich pozzolan volcanic ash were mixed to form mortar, then packed with volcanic tuff into wooden forms. Seawa-ter combined with lime in a hot chemical reaction, cementing the composite together. For more information, see news center.berkeley.edu/2013/06/04/roman- concrete. — PAUL PREUSS, BERKELEY LAB

Roman Concrete Holds a Secret to Cutting Carbon Emissions

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Drill core of volcanic ash-hydrated lime mortar from the

ancient port of Baiae in Pozzuloi Bay. Yellowish inclusions

are pumice, dark stony fragments are lava, gray areas con-

sist of other volcanic crystalline materials, and white spots

are lime. Inset is a scanning electron microscope image of

the special aluminum-tobermorite crystals that are key to

the superior quality of Roman seawater concrete.

Berkeley mineralogist Marie Jackson found that the Romans used much less lime, and baked it at 900˚C (1,652˚F) or lower, requiring far less fuel than we use today.

Berkeley mineralogist Marie

Jackson found that Roman

concrete — still strong after

2,000 years — was made with

less than 10 percent lime

mixed with volcanic ash con-

taining aluminum crystals.


viewpoint

Tom Plant is vice presi-dent, state policy, at AEE and senior policy advi-sor at the Center. Before serving Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter as head of the state’s energy office, Plant served in the Colorado state legis-lature for eight years.

By TOM PLANT As a former legislator, I know that when you’re crafting legislation, sometimes you feel like you’re re-inventing the wheel. We all want to

promote legislation that will achieve our objectives, but determining the most effective mechanism for do-ing so is a daunting challenge. Surely, someone must have introduced legislation on this topic before, right?

Enter the Advanced Energy Legislation Tracker, or AEL Tracker for short (aeltracker.org). The AEL Tracker is a new, free service spearheaded by Colorado State University’s Center for the New Energy Economy (the Center) and by the Advanced Energy Economy Institute (AEE). Finally, there is a resource to identify all energy legislation introduced around the country using an easy and adaptable interface.

Former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter established the Cen-ter for the New Energy Economy at CSU when he left office in 2011. Gov. Ritter is nationally recognized as a visionary leader on energy policy, signing 57 bills that moved Colorado into its current leadership position in advanced energy.

I was fortunate to serve as Gov. Ritter’s energy office director for four years, and today I work for both the Center and for the AEE, promoting good state energy policy around the country. I can tell you, I use this tool on a daily basis.

The AEL Tracker is useful to legislators and their staff to identify legislation and then link to the language of the bill. But it also contains a robust set of capabilities that makes it an indispensible tool for anyone working on or researching state activity on energy policy.

Let’s take an example. If you want to find all legisla-tion introduced in the country concerning solar energy, you will find 333 bills: 48.5 percent of these deal directly with electricity generation, while 44.4 percent deal with financing. Finding that information took exactly 7 sec-onds. There’s also a geographic distribution map to show the number of bills meeting those criteria in each state.

Let’s drill down further. Maybe I want to limit that search to just New York. Some 52 bills meet those cri-

teria. I see one, A5060, for which I’d like a little more in-formation. When I click on the bill, I find that it has had five actions taken on it since being introduced on Feb. 15, 2013. Four versions of the bill are available through the AEL Tracker, including the latest version. There’s also a link to an article written at Fierce Energy about the bill, entitled “NY Senate commits to a ten year solar pro-gram extension.”

Furthermore, I see that the legislation has 63 spon-sors. I can click on any of them and see their district information, plus a link to email the legislator directly.

All of this information took less than one minute to discover. Previously, this kind of information would have taken days of searching. But the Center and AEE have made the AEL Tracker available to anyone, free of charge, at aeltracker.org.

This is not only a valuable resource for legislators, but also for advocates of all stripes. Researchers will find the information invaluable. Journalists can use the tracker to identify trends and follow activity on legislation. Businesses can use the information to identify market opportunities and legislation worthy of support.

If the Center provided only this tool, it would be a rev-olutionary step forward for those following, researching, supporting and writing legislation. But as a dedicated research center, they dive into the data, providing analy-sis and identification of policy trends. Since launching the Tracker in May, the Center has published a paper on energy-efficiency legislative trends, and one on the more than 550 bills to develop financing mechanisms for energy efficiency and clean energy technologies.

Using the latest in application programming interface capabilities, mining the web for critical information on energy policy and then distilling this information into a resource anyone can use, Tracker opens the door for a free and unfettered exchange of policy information and the sharing of best practices throughout the country.

As a former prosecutor, Gov. Ritter likes to say, “It isn’t larceny if it’s a good idea.” The AEL Tracker is there to make productive thieves of us all. ST

Follow State Energy Legislation with AEL Tracker

This is a

valuable

resource for

advocates of

all stripes.

Ateam at the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research, in Baden-Wurttemburg, Germany,has demonstrated lithium-ion cells that can achieve more than 10,000 full charge/discharge

cycles, retaining better than 85 percent of initial capacity at the end of the run. The Center has created a manufacturing process and run a sample series in the 18650 format; the process can be applied to large pouch and prismatic cells, specifically for EV and PV-storage use. The new cells have an industry-standard power density of 1,100 watts per kilogram. Research was funded by agencies of the German federal government.

Lithium-Ion Batteries Achieve 10,000

Charge Cycles

AEE


advances | sustainable transportation

Support ASES in speeding the transition to a sustainable energy economy.

ASES is the nation’s leading non-profit association of solar professionals and advocates. 100% of your tax-deductible donation goes directly to support the ASES mission.

Donate today. ases.org/donate

Four-Junction Cell Reaches 43.6 Percent at 319 SunsSoitec, the French-German consortium, has achieved 43.6 percent conversion efficiency using a new four-junc-tion cell at a concentration of 319 suns. The test was con-firmed by the Fraunhofer Institute. The cell, developed in collaboration with Fraunhofer and the Helmholtz Center in Berlin along with the French CEA-Leti in Grenoble, uses two new dual-junction sub cells grown on different III-V compound materials, to allow band-gap tailoring to a broader range of the spectrum. The cell is designed to operate at concentrations of 250 to 500 suns.FR

AU

NH

OFE

R


U.S. Plug-In Car Market Reaches 100,000 EVs

The U.S. plug-in car market passed a significant mile-stone in May: the 100,000th plug-in vehicle sold since the introduction of the latest generation of highway-capable

plug-in vehicles just over two years ago. According to Plug In America, the advocacy group, more than 250,000

Americans are now exposed daily to EV transportation; the Nissan Leaf has outsold all other Nissan models in se-lect markets; Tesla’s Model S currently outsells Mercedes

S-Class, BMW 7 series and Audi A8 cars in the U.S. market; Chevy Volt drivers have now logged more than 187

million miles in electric mode; at 48 percent growth rate the plug-in market is accelerating faster than the hybrid

market did in its comparable time frame; the American EV fleet now represents 2 gigawatts of storage; and EVs are now available from Nissan, Tesla, GM, Ford, Honda,

Mitsubishi, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes and Fiat.

TESL

A

Tesla’s Model S currently outsells Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7 series

and Audi A8 cars in the U.S. market.


advances | clean air law

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Robert Ukeiley ([email protected]) is a lawyer who represents environmental nonprofits in Clean Air Act litigation affecting energy issues.

By ROBERT UKEILEY

Closing the Clean Air Act Loopholes

When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) originally approved the states’ plans to implement the federal Clean Air

Act, the agency inadvertently approved a loophole to emission limits. Specifically, in many of the state plans, polluters did not have to comply with their emission limits during startups, shutdowns, mal-functions and maintenance (SSM) events. EPA was overwhelmed and inexperienced when originally approving all these plans in the early 1970s and sim-ply missed the opportunity to reject these SSM loop-holes. However, since at least 1977, EPA has been con-sistently on record as saying the SSM loopholes in the state plans are illegal.

The reason should be obvious. People breathe all the time, and therefore need clean air all the time. If emission limits apply only part of the time, they are incompatible with human and animal life. The very foundation of the Clean Air Act is to provide people with air that won’t make them ill or die. Oddly enough, the Clean Air Act says that sources of pollution only have to follow the rules set out in states’ plans, even if the states’ plans violate the Clean Air Act. Luckily,

however, the Clean Air Act has a mechanism to fix plans that violate the Clean Air Act.

As of 2012, about a third of the states did not have SSM loopholes in their state plans, but about two-thirds did. In response to a request from the Sierra Club — backed by 37,000 public comments — EPA recently invoked the mechanism to fix the SSM loophole.

Fixing the loopholes is a two-step process. First, EPA tells each state to fix its SSM loopholes. Then, the state actually does it, through a process that involves an opportunity for the public, including supporters of renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE/EE), to comment on the proposed fix. RE/EE advocates should take this opportunity, which will occur in the various states over the next two years.

The SSM issue provides an opportunity to let the benefits of RE/EE shine. It is an opportunity to demon-strate that, for example, the pollution-free nature of solar and wind power is 24/7, 365 days a year. In con-trast to this consistent and predictable state of zero air emissions, fossil fuels cause inconsistent and often unpredictable air pollution that endangers people’s health and their very lives. ST

Micro Cell Stores Power for Darkside Ops

Hongrui Jiang and his students at the University of Wisconsin/Madison have developed a PV cell that stores part of the energy it produces to keep the juice flowing after dark.

The top layer is a conventional silicon cell, but the cell diverts some of the electron flow to an array of zinc oxide nanowires coated with polyvinylidene fluoride polymer (PVDF). PVDF has the high dielectric constant required to store electrons. When the sky goes dark or cloudy, stored voltage comes back through the nano wires to power the load. The prototype demonstrates only 4 percent efficiency, but Jiang expects to develop it for micro-scale devices.

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investing | green stocks report

Rona Fried, Ph.D., is president of Sustainable Business.com, the online community for green business: daily green business and investor news, green jobs and the green investing news- letter, The Green Investor. Contact Fried at rona@ sustainablebusiness.com.

By RONA FRIED, Ph.D.

Sustainable REIT Goes Public

Ropr

In April, Hannon Armstrong Sustainable InfrastructureCapital (NYSE: HASI; hannonarmstrong.com) went public on the New York Stock Exchange, the first invest-

able green REIT (real estate investment trust). The Maryland-based company provides debt and equity

financing for sustainable infrastructure projects. The com-pany says it finances energy efficiency, renewable energy and “projects that positively impact the environment and make more efficient use of natural resources.” Hannon is the largest financier of energy-efficiency projects for the U.S. federal government.

Since 2000, Hannon has provided or arranged more than $3.9 billion of financing for about 450 projects. In 2012, they booked $17 million in sales. Income generated from project financing will pass through to shareholders as dividends. Hannon is the first company to get approval from the IRS to do so.

This means, for the first time, that small investors have the opportunity to support and benefit from sustainable infrastructure projects, such as energy-efficiency upgrades of buildings and renewable energy projects.

When a solar plant, for example, signs a 20-year power purchase agreement, that generates reliable long-term rev-enue for investors. Now anyone can be one of those inves-tors and make dividends around 6 to 8 percent, based on current market value.

Since the profits from projects will be returned to inves-tors as taxable dividends, a REIT is well suited for retire-ment or other tax-sheltered accounts.

Hannon intends to invest proceeds from the IPO in eight clean energy projects that are ready to go. Being able to raise money on the public markets will allow Hannon to take a big-ger stake in projects that it finances.

Going forward, Hannon says it will invest in a mix of

projects in similar proportion to the past: The managed portfolio is now composed of energy-efficiency upgrades in buildings (58 percent), clean energy projects (33 percent) and “other sustainable infrastructure” (9 percent).

Earlier this year, Greencoat went public in the United Kingdom with a similar business model. The biggest renew-able energy IPO in the United Kingdom to date, it raised $395 million to buy operating projects from utilities, passing the dividends to shareholders.

Boon to Efficiency/ RenewablesWith subsidies waning and under attack, a top priority

for the clean energy industry is to use the tax code as a reli-able route for financing growth.

Minor tweaks to the tax code would open a floodgate of financing for efficiency and renewables through REITS and master limited partnerships (MLPs).

In November, President Obama asked his Council of Advisors on Science and Technology how he could best address climate change. They replied with a nine-page letter that said, in part —

“Conventional energy projects have better access to low-cost capital than renewable energy projects, and that can be fixed through changes to the tax code. All that’s neces-sary is to allow renewable energy projects to be financed through REITs and Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs), just as conventional energy projects are.” Hannon received permission from the IRS to function as a REIT, explicitly for this purpose.

REITS are commonly used to finance real estate devel-opment. They might similarly be used to finance renewable energy infrastructure. Everyone would then be able to invest and get a direct stake in solar, wind and other projects.

Currently, the IRS limits REITs to specific types of real estate assets, so the tax code would have to be broad-ened and clarified to allow proceeds from power purchase agreements to qualify as revenue. Either the IRS could directly rule on this, or Congress could amend the tax code through legislation.

In late 2012, the Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act was introduced to Congress; it would allow renewable energy projects to be structured as publicly traded MLPs. It failed to advance from committee. In April, a revised bill was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.)and co-sponsors Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Ala.), and in the House by Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) and House co-sponsors Mike Thompson (D-Calf.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Chris Gibson (R-N.Y.) and Cory Gardner (R-Colo.). ST

Hannon received permission

from the IRS to function as a REIT

specifically for this purpose.

Hannon Armstrong

arranged $400 million

in financing to expand

geothermal development

in California’s Salton Sea.

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—into Clean Energy Generators

Introducing the PvMini, a non-penetrating ground mount solution designed for mid- to large-scale PV applications, including closed landfills and areas with rocky terrain. Based on the proven PvMax™, the PvMini is designed for one portrait or two landscape module configurations.

The core strength of the PvMini lies in the system efficiency and spans achieved using the proprietary ProfiPlus XT™ rails. The ProfiPlus XT rails enable longer spans and allow for more efficient use of other system components, thereby reducing the number of concrete foundations needed.

Consider this: easy installation, light-weight system, longer spans, competitive pricing.

Backed by a team of engineers and the most sophisticated tools available, each PvMini achieves the most efficient level of material usage for low overall cost and high structural integrity. The result is a competitively priced system designed to last.

System solutions for any terrain, 100% IBC Code compliance, PE stamped drawings, a standard 20-year warranty—these are a few of the expectations Schletter is proud to be known for.

Before you bid on another landfill or large-area ground mount system, request a quote for the PvMini. Plus, don’t miss the PvMini on display at Intersolar, third level, booth 9323.

Racking Simply Doesn’t Get Any Better.

NEWPvMini™


the trade | hands-on news and information

Summer is when small wind installers sched-ule operations and maintenance (O&M) visits with their customers. A typical visit involves

a complete system inspection to assure that nothing went awry over the winter. Every prudent turbine owner should invest in an O&M inspection annually, to catch problems before they turn into downtime and costly repairs. Unfortunately, most owners don’t think about preventive maintenance until the turbine is crying out for help.

The primary focus of an inspection is obviously on the wind turbine, the component that takes the brunt of what nature throws at us. But first, the installer needs to look closely at the tower, to be sure that it is safe to climb. For freestanding lattice, monopole or guyed climbable towers, the checklist includes these items:

visit. Watch and listen to the turbine as it runs. Does the tail bob or wag? That could indicate that the rotor is out of balance. Can you hear the bearings growling or whining? Are there any scraping sounds?

situation with a pair of binoculars before climbing. Look for broken or corroded parts, dangling wires, even wasp nests.

-tal close-up photos of the equipment are invaluable to jog your memory when you write your inspec-tion report, especially weeks later, when you need to remember which bolt was missing or which weld cracked.

so that the rotor doesn’t turn. Some turbines have electrically activated disc brakes, while others are dynamically braked by engaging a shorting switch. Other systems have cables and winches that engage a disc brake, or crank the tail to turn the rotor away from the wind.

climber doesn’t need are the turbine starting to run while you’re up there, or an electrical shock from touching something that was assumed “dead.”

-crete foundation and tower bolts for cracks and rusted anchors.

wires to the tower. Tighten any loose connections.

hardware, turnbuckles and especially the condition of the guy cables as they pass around their guy thim-bles. You do not want to climb a tower if the guys are frayed, rusting or if strands are broken. Are the turnbuckle figure-8 safeties secure?

-

ders might have found a way in, but mice should not. Be especially cautious of wasps.

assure it is not coming apart.

integrity and all tower section fasteners for tightness. Note any missing fasteners.

if not in conduit, that it is not chafing on any part of the tower.Carefully check the j-box atop the tower for inhabit-ants. This is the one place on the planet you do not want to encounter wasps.

maintenance checklist for this particular turbine, to see what the manufacturer recommends. Every turbine model has unique characteristics. Does the manufacturer claim that the system is maintenance free? Then throw the manual away. No checklist? Worse, no manual? Then take detailed notes for future reference.

into the turbine for signs of abrasion, looseness or arcing.

the tower for chafing or wear. Immediately replace any missing hardware before working on or around the turbine.

the point of attachment dictate immediate attention. If the blades have leading-edge tape, check its condi-tion. The leading edges and tips of the blades, travel-ing at more than 100 mph, get the most wear and tear.

machine, you’re looking for worn alternator bearings. For a gear drive machine, you’re looking for excessive gearbox wear.

blemish, or indication of a more serious condition?

leaks.

drooling down over parts. All grease, oil and hydrau-lic fluids need to be cleaned up, for up-tower safety if for no other reason.

for integrity, conductor connection and any pitting that might indicate poor contact. Sporadic electrical contact can lead to arcing or even lightning damage.

I can’t overstress the importance of notes and digital photos, to assure yourself of completed maintenance of this current machine, and to serve as a guide to similar machines that you may service in future. ST

Before Climbing That Tower …

Mick Sagrillo (msagrillo@ wizunwired.net) teaches and consults about wind power, and has powered his home with wind power since 1982.

MIC

K SA

GRI

LLO

By MICK SAGRILLO

Powered by:

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NORTH AMERICA’S MOST COMPREHENSIVE SOLAR EVENT

To access emerging technologies, industry visionaries and leaders, and powerful educational and networking opportunities, solar energy professionals head to one event: Solar Power International 2013.

Wherever solar energy market trends, policy changes or new technologies may take your business, you’ll be ready to move forward thanks to the relationships, insights and innovations you fi nd at SPI. Register today!


U.S. photovoltaic installations

Once again led by utility-sector installations, PV capacity

installed in 2012 jumped 80 percent over the prior year.

CON

STEL

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ON Expl


EVEN AS DOZENS of solar compa-nies folded in 2012, photovoltaic (PV) installations spiked to stratospheric levels, both in terms of number and total capacity. Growth was astounding even for a decade averaging capacity increases of 65 percent per year.

The PV capacity installed in 2012 was 80 percent higher than the capacity of 2011 instal-lations (see figure 1, page 22, and “Big Time for Solar,” July/August 2012 SOLAR TODAY, solartoday-digital.org). The total capacity of 2012 utility installations increased by 150 per-cent, and distributed installations, largely on resi-dential, commercial and government buildings, increased by 36 percent. The annual capacity growth rate has now exceeded 40 percent for six straight years. The number of systems installed in 2012 increased 46 percent, to almost 95,000.

Federal tax credits and cash grants are an important financial component of most instal-lations. As important as incentives are, state renewable portfolio standards (RPSs) play an increasing role in growth. Dramatically falling prices are opening new markets, and the avail-ability of good financing options is contribut-ing to the development of strong markets. The total installed cost for distributed installations fell 12 percent in 2012 and has fallen 33 percent over the past three years. The cost decline is even greater for utility installations. Falling module costs is the primary reason for the cost declines, but all elements of the system cost are lower.

These are among the highlights of U.S. Solar Market Trends 2012 from the Interstate Renew-

able Energy Council Inc., recently published at irecusa.org. According to the report, declining PV module prices, stable federal financial incen-tives and continued solar-friendly policies in some states contributed to strong PV market growth this past year. While solar markets remain heavily concentrated in a few states, more states have significant solar installations each year. All signs point to continued growth for 2013.

Utility-Scale Projects Continue to Grow

Utility-sector PV installations more than doubled in 2012 compared to 2011 and, for the fifth consecutive year, was the sector with the highest growth. The utility sector’s share of all U.S. grid-connected PV installations grew from virtually none in 2006, to 32 percent in 2010, and to 53 percent in 2012 (see figures 2 and 3). Just 50 large utility installations (each greater than 5 megawattsDC) provided 45 percent of the total capacity installed in 2012. Contrast this with the 85,000 residential installations that, combined, represented only 16 percent of the capacity installed in the same year.

More than three-quarters of utility installa-tions are located in just four states: California, Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina. All four states have RPSs, which are an important driver for these installations. Financing, of course, is also important. The three largest utility-sector installations each received a federal loan guaran-tee for at least a portion of their installation costs. Although this program is known for high-profile failed loans to Solyndra and other manufacturers,

JULY/AUGUST 2013VOL. 27, NO. 5

SOLAR TODAY®

By LARRY SHERWOOD

osiveGrowth

Larry Sherwood ([email protected]) is president of the consulting firm

Sherwood Associates and vice president of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council,

Inc. (IREC). The solar data reported here was collected for IREC as part of a grant from the

U.S. Department of Energy. A full report on the data is available at irecusa.org. Previously,

Sherwood served as executive director of the American Solar Energy Society.

The capacity of PV installations in the

non-residential sector increased by

“just” 26 percent in 2012 over 2011. The

largest installations in this sector were

a 20-MWDC installation at an Apple data

center in Maiden, N.C., and a 16-MWDC

installation at Maryland’s Mount St.

Mary’s University (shown here).


none of the guaranteed loans for specific solar projects failed. These loan guarantees, which supported 574 MWDC of installations last year, are a crucial component of the overall financial package for these projects.

Five installations were completed in 2012 that are larger than the largest systems installed in pre-vious years. All five produce electricity for Pacific Gas and Electric in California. These installations are located in California, Arizona and Nevada, with the largest installation being the 289-MWDC Agua Caliente Project in Yuma, Ariz.

Construction began in 2012 on many addi-tional utility-sector installations, and utilities and developers have announced plans for even more projects to be built in the next few years. Installations in this sector seem poised for con-tinued growth.

Distributed Installations Grow in Size and Number

Distributed installations provide electricity for use at the host customer’s site, like a home or business. In 2012, the amount of distributed grid-connected PV capacity installed annually in the United States increased by 36 percent, to 1.6 gigawatts DC. Nearly 95,000 distributed PV systems were installed in 2012, a 46 percent increase over the number of distributed PV sys-tems installed in 2011. Unlike the past several

years, the growth in the distributed PV market was strongest for residential installations.

The capacity of PV installations in the non-residential sector, which includes sites such as government buildings, retail stores and military installations, increased by “just” 26 percent in 2012 compared with 2011 (see figure 1). Although the average size of non-residential dis-tributed installations remained constant at 120 kilowatts (kW), the largest installations contin-ued to get larger. The largest 2012 installations in this sector were a 20-MWDC installation at an Apple data center in Maiden, N.C., and a 16-MWDC installation at Maryland’s Mount St. Mary’s University, with power sold to the Mary-land Department of General Services and the University of Maryland System.

Federal stimulus legislation passed in Febru-ary 2009 allowed commercial entities to receive the federal incentive as a cash grant instead of a tax credit. The program expired at the end of 2012, though projects that began construction in 2012 can still qualify for the cash grant in future years. In 2012, the U.S. Treasury awarded $2.3 billion in such grants, which funded one-third to one-half of all distributed commercial installations.

The capacity of residential installations increased by 61 percent and the average sys-tem size increased by 8 percent, to 6.2 kWDC. (See figure 1.) Most residential systems are now

financed using the leasing, or third-party owner-ship, model. In this arrangement, the homeown-er does not own the system, but makes monthly payments to a third-party owner. In states with high-cost electricity, the combinations of lower installed costs, stable federal tax incentives and good net-metering policies are growing the resi-dential market, even with declining local incen-tives. California and Hawaii were the two largest residential PV markets in 2012, and both rely less on rebate incentives than in the past.

Other States Gain on California’s Lead

In 2012, more than two-thirds of grid-con-nected PV system installations were concen-trated in California, Arizona, New Jersey and Nevada, as shown in table 1, page 23. Six of the top 10 states for 2012 installations — Arizona, Nevada, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Hawaii and Maryland — more than doubled the capac-ity installed the year before. Nevada, Hawaii and Maryland joined the top 10 installation list for 2012, replacing New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Texas. In Nevada, four large utility instal-lations totaling 215 MWDC were completed in 2012, representing most of the Nevada capacity installed last year. Nevada’s ranking in the top 10 installation list fluctuates wildly, depending on how many utility installations are completed in a given year. Hawaii and Maryland made the top 10 installation list due to large growth in distributed installations. New Mexico and Pennsylvania both saw large drops in capacity installed last year. In New Mexico, the utility-sector installations dropped significantly, and in Pennsylvania the distributed installations fell off

U.S. photovoltaic installations

Utility-sector PV installations more than doubled in 2012

compared to 2011 and, for the fifth consecutive year,

was the sector with the highest growth.

F I G U R E 1 . Annual Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Installations by Sector F I G U R E 2 .

2012 Installed Capacity by Sector

F I G U R E 3 .

2006 Installed Capacity by Sector


with the end of the Pennsylvania Sunshine Solar Rebate Program. In Texas, installation capacity grew, but not enough to keep Texas in the top 10 installation list.

State policies affect PV installations, with most installations happening in the few states with good solar policies. All states in the top 10 installation list have state RPSs, which mandate that utilities generate a percentage of their power from solar or other renewable sources, and which tend to encourage larger installations. Arizona and Nevada also benefit from solar installations supplying power to Pacific Gas and Electric to help meet the California RPS requirement. The

RPS requirements and structure vary widely from state to date.

Though their impact on the total market is declining, financial rebates are the most influen-tial state policies, especially for smaller installa-tions. Five years ago, owners of most PV instal-lations received a cash rebate from a state or utility incentive program, and this rebate was the most important element of the financial package. In that era, no state had a significant amount of installations without also having a rebate program. For the past three years, the incentive expenditures have been declining, in part because the rebates provided per watt have been declining and in part because some states have stopped these programs. Despite the decreasing incentives, installed capacity with rebate support continues to increase. When PV is less expensive, less incentive money is neces-sary to encourage installations.

On a cumulative per capita basis, the top five states — Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, New Jersey and New Mexico — remained the same as the previous year, although the ranking of these five states changed. (See table 2, above

left.) The uneven distribution of PV installa-tions shows that state policies are important, outweighing other factors like geography, resulting in concentrated growth in states with supportive measures.

Growth Will Continue in 2013What can we expect in U.S. solar markets this

year? As of June, indicators point to sustained grid-connected PV growth and the continua-tion of the 2012 trend of higher growth rates for larger installations. Like last year, further reduc-tions in PV module prices, continuation of the federal investment tax credit and strong state RPSs will help drive market growth.

Many large solar projects began construc-tion in 2012 in order to take advantage of the Treasury 1603 grant program. Most of these installations, both distributed and utility-sector projects, will be completed in 2013 through 2016. Since projects that begin construction in 2013 will no longer have the cash grant option, developers will need to find entities with tax bills large enough to take advantage of remain-ing tax credits. ST

T A B L E 2 .Top 10 States for Cumulative Per Capita

Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Installations2011 rank in parentheses

PV Capacity per person

State (watts-dc/person)

1. Arizona (4) 173.1

2. Hawaii (3) 146.6

3. Nevada (5) 129.5

4. New Jersey (2) 108.7

5. New Mexico (1) 98.7

6. California (6) 68.7

7. Colorado (7) 59.6

8. Delaware (8) 51.4

9. Vermont (10) 44.7

10. Massachusetts (13) 31.7

National Average 23.9

Installations through 2012

T A B L E 1 . Top 10 States for Grid-tied Photovoltaic

Installations in 20122011 rank in parentheses

State Capacity (megawatts-dc)

1. California (1) 983

2. Arizona (3) 709

3. New Jersey (2) 391

4. Nevada (15) 226

5. Massachusetts (10) 123

6. North Carolina (9) 122

7. Hawaii (11) 114

8. Colorado (6) 103

9. Maryland (12) 80

10. New York (7) 56

All Others 434

Despite the decreasing incentives, installed capacity with rebate

support continues to increase. When PV is less expensive, less

incentive money is necessary to encourage installations.

FIRS

T SO

LAR

Five installations were completed in 2012 that are larger than the largest systems installed in

previous years. Of these, the largest was the 289-MWDC Agua Caliente Project in Yuma, Ariz.


solar financing

Consumers and businesses that favorsolar energy often have good rea-son for being unable to invest in it, whether due to system cost, the cost of financing, or system siting chal-lenges and regulatory hurdles. Solar leasing, tax incentives and rebates,

and the opportunity to invest in community solar projects offer some relief for those chal-lenges. Yet solar investments remain limited compared to the overwhelming public support for solar.

This article focuses on lowering the financial barrier and making it easier for consumers and businesses to finance solar projects, even as the cost of technology falls over time and the tax incentives remain in place. There are already efforts around the nation to address some of these financial barriers.

For instance, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) SolarShares Program launched in 2008. To buy into the SMUD solar farm, customers pay a flat fee based on the num-ber of kilowatts they want to subscribe to, and receive a credit on their bills equal to the amount of power generated by their shares. In another successful program, the city of Ellensburg, Wash., installed a community solar energy system in 2006 with 73 utility customers investing more than $120,000. The utility framed it as a solu-tion for residents who can afford $2,000 for solar, but not $20,000. The Clean Energy Collective in Carbondale, Colo., develops and helps members finance community-owned renewable energy facilities. In Maryland, University Park Commu-nity Solar LLC placed solar panels on a church roof, financed by its members at a minimum cost of $2,000 each. Such initiatives rely on tax credits and utility net metering to help manage the cost of building and operating the projects.

Our proposal takes these concepts one step further by allowing any individual or business to invest in solar energy with a small monthly pur-chase, perhaps as little as $5 per month, using a micro-investment plan. Solar micro-investment

is intended to increase financing for solar instal-lations through the aggregation of small invest-ments from a large population of ratepayers. Such a program has many benefits, especially because it provides the opportunity for all rate-payers to invest in solar projects that would directly benefit them through lower electricity rates and return on investment. It overcomes the financing and siting obstacles that can keep would-be investors on the sidelines.

A solar micro-investment program would provide large sums to utilities and other solar companies that otherwise might not be able to finance a solar project. That would allow them to use economies of scale to create solar farms at the lowest possible cost and in the most opti-mal locations.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) region is an ideal test bed for the concept. Our investment chain shows the flow of capital to TVA for the purchase and operation of large solar installations, with the majority of the funds from the sales of the solar power being returned to the micro-investors. As an example, if all TVA ratepayers became micro-investors at a rate of $5 per month, each year TVA would generate $135 million for constructing solar farms. We expect that by increasing the investment in solar sys-tems, the return on investment will increase and the number of solar-related jobs would expand. This would stimulate the economy of the Ten-nessee Valley and other areas as additional utili-ties adopt the micro-investment model.

Financing SolarThrough Micro-Investing

Micro-investments allow anyone to investin a project because the cost of a single share is affordable. A recent micro-investment con-cept was developed by Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi banker who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work in creating economic and social development for the poor. A similar concept, savings bonds, was used in the United States and other countries to finance costs for

MAJOR FUNDING Through Micro-Investments

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As a scenario for TVA

demonstrates, such a

program overcomes

investment obstacles while

spurring big benefits for

investors, utilities, local

economic development

and the industry.


World War I and World War II. During World War II, half the U.S. population purchased approximately $186 billion in savings bonds. This investment accounted for nearly three-quarters of total federal spending from 1941 to 1945 — all from families whose average wage was $50 per week.

The Tennessee Solar Energy Association (TSEA), an ASES chapter, has as its mission the promotion of the widespread use of solar energy in the state of Tennessee. Unlike most states, Tennessee is served entirely by electric distribution companies who purchase power from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The TSEA will use the concept of micro-invest-ment to provide opportunities to all ratepayers to invest in solar projects in Tennessee. The success of our endeavors in Tennessee will mean that the concept can easily be duplicated in other states.

Financing solar projects through micro-investments offers many advantages. First, con-sumers and businesses would neither have to finance nor build their own solar projects on their properties. This eliminates three barriers they often face: (a) unsuitable properties for solar because of trees or rooftop alignments; (b) building permits and grid interconnections; and (c) large financial investments with long payback periods. Second, by opening invest-ment opportunities for all ratepayers, a micro-investment plan should attract customers who otherwise would or could not have considered their own solar projects. Third, micro-financing can be used for large solar projects to benefit entire communities, taking advantage of the lower overall costs of large-scale projects. Final-ly, micro-investments would provide large sums to utilities and other solar companies who might otherwise not be able to finance a solar project.

Stephen Levy has 40 years’ experience in electric

power, including 30 years at the Army Research Labs

and then as director of the EPRI’s Power Electronics

Applications Center. An environmentalist when he

lived in New Jersey, Levy, upon his retirement, merged

both his advocation and vocation into his study of

solar photovoltaics. He teaches at the University

of Tennessee’s Materials Science and Engineering

Department and is co-founder of the Tennessee Solar

Energy Association.

Kenneth J. Lutz ([email protected]) found-

ed AMR Strategies LLC to apply his decades of exper-

tise in energy, public policy and telecommunications

to help utilities modernize their grids, with smart

grid technologies, renewable energy sources, energy

storage and other technological improvements. He

has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the Johns

Hopkins University.


SOLAR TODAY®

By STEPHEN LEVY and KENNETH J. LUTZ, PH.D.

SMU

D

As an example, if all TVA

ratepayers became micro-

investors at a rate of $5 per

month, each year TVA would

generate $135 million for

constructing solar farms.

Through SMUD’s SolarShares Program, customers pay a flat fee for each 0.5-kilowatt unit of the solar

farm, and receive a credit on their bills equal to the amount of power generated by their shares.

Micro-investing goes a step further by allowing anyone to invest in solar energy with a small monthly

purchase, perhaps as little as $5 per month.


solar financing

In the micro-investment model, a distri-bution utility (distributor) would establish a micro-investment program for its customers to finance a solar project that will benefit them. After projecting the total amount of invest-ment needed and securing the base of micro-investors, the distributor would either build a solar generation facility directly, build through a subsidiary or contract with a third party to build and operate the facility.

Financing a solar program through micro-investments is likely to be successful because each distributor has a large number of cus-tomers who will see the return on investments (ROIs) directly on their bills. Any other com-pany would have to search for micro-investors from a non-captive audience and convince

them to invest in a project.Figure 1 above shows an example in which

a distributor has created a micro-investment program to invest in a solar utility to provide power to its customers. Customers would elect to invest in the solar project, with their micro-investments paid through an addition-al charge on their monthly electric bills. The micro-investment plan would have a mini-mum amount for the monthly investment, but one low enough to allow every customer to participate. The distributor then credits each investment to the customer’s account, deducts a percentage of the investment as expenses for managing the finances and deducts a tariff for distribution line infrastructure mainte-

nance, and then passes the remainder to the solar utility. As the solar utility generates rev-enue, it returns some of it to the investors in the form of rebates that reduce the custom-ers’ utility bills. After the financing is paid off, the customers would no longer have to keep investing, but would begin to see even greater returns on their bills.

Proving the Model at TVAIn the Tennessee Valley, TVA is a closed

system in which all 155 distributors buy power from TVA, making it an ideal utility for study-ing this micro-investment model. Moreover, as a federal power authority, TVA plays an important role in the Tennessee Valley as the regional stewardship agency and supplier of

public power. TSEA envisions that TVA would establish a micro-investment program, achiev-ing even greater economies of scale than the individual distributors could achieve.

A 2012 Hart Research survey, funded by the Solar Energy Industries Association, found that 92 percent of voters “believe it is impor-tant for the United States to develop and use solar power.” TVA, serving 9 million people in the Tennessee Valley, can play a large role in finding the relationship between how much the public says it wants solar energy and how much the public is willing to invest.

TVA’s aging coal-fired plants are more than 50 years old and are depleting TVA funds to meet increasingly strict air-quality standards.

As a result, the TVA has little funding available for solar energy. Although TVA has a renew-able energy program known as Green Power Providers, which provides long-term power purchase agreements, the program has pro-duced few solar installations.

As a federal authority, TVA is in an ideal position to undertake a micro-investment program. Under the TVA charter, the presi-dent can direct the U.S. Department of Energy to provide support and resources as requested by the TVA board, which is direct-ed to make studies “in the application of elec-tric power and a better balanced development of the resources of the region” (Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933, Section 10). Furthermore, TVA pays no property tax, has a

plethora of sites where large solar installations can be located, knows where in its power sys-tem to best locate large solar farms to provide the greatest ROI, has the staff to manage the program, can handle the procurement actions and can set aside a percentage of the installa-tions for local installers. Thus TVA can avoid all the soft costs that ordinarily burden solar purchasers. In addition, its purchasing power, backed by the aggregated micro-investments, will produce the lowest cost through competi-tive bidding.

Such a project would provide enormous benefits to small businesses in the area. As a federal entity, TVA is required by Federal Acquisition Regulation to have set-asides for


small businesses as long as there are at leasttwo companies that can provide the product or service. Contracts over $100,000 can be set aside if enough small businesses are able to do the work, and contracts over $500,000 have to include a small business subcontract-ing plan so that small businesses can get work under these large contracts. These regulations protect in-state solar installers and ensure that they will be able to participate competitively in the program.

Figure 2 on page 26 shows an example in which multiple distributors participate in TVA’s solar micro-investment program, giving an even wider range of customers the oppor-tunity to invest. TVA would have the financial resources to build several solar facilities to pro-vide power to its various distributors.

If TVA were to develop a micro-invest-ment program, it could raise enormous sums for solar projects. For example, if all ratepay-ers became micro-investors at a rate of $5 per month, each year TVA would generate $135 million for constructing small community solar

farms and larger regional solar farms, assum-ing that all of the 155 distributors in the TVA system participated in this venture.

Demonstrating Benefitsfor the Industry

Figure 3, right, shows supply and demandcurves for solar investments. Micro-invest-ments will increase the amount of money invested into solar energy, which will shift the supply curve to the right. Micro-investments will also increase demand for solar energy as the investors insist on having solar-generated electricity. As the supply and demand curves shift to the right on the graph, the ROI will increase, which will produce additional incen-tives for investing. Ultimately, the increased demand for solar will increase the number of jobs in Tennessee.

TVA could begin a micro-investment program with a pilot involving one or more willing distributors. It would begin with a fea-sibility study of sites suitable for solar farms and a promotion campaign for the customers.

The rate at which customers sign up for the micro-investment program will indicate the success of the promotional campaign. TVA should set a threshold for the total invest-ments to indicate that the actual construc-tion can begin. Once the threshold has been reached, TVA can begin to replicate the pro-gram throughout its region. As the programs are proven and refined in Tennessee, utilities nationwide can confidently launch their own micro-investment programs. ST

KEN

NET

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A micro-investment program would provide utilities with large sums to fund solar projects,

using economies of scale to create them at the lowest possible cost and in the most opti-

mal locations. Shown, the 12-megawatt PSEG Wyandot Solar Farm in Ohio spans 80 acres.

28 July/August 2013 SOLAR TODAY solartoday.org Copyright © 2013 by the American Solar Energy Society Inc. All rights reserved.28 July/August 2013 SOLAR TODAY solartoday.org Copyright © 2013 by the American Solar Energy Society Inc. All rights reserved.

Solar continues to make dramaticgains as a power source. World-wide, the United States ranks fifth, with a total installed solar electricity capacity of more than 4.5 gigawatts. While utility-scale

photovoltaics (PV) added the most megawatts in recent years, distributed rooftop and ground-mounted systems still represent the majority of PV installations.

Including federal, state and utility incentives, these installations represent billions of dollars of investment in distributed solar. Several states are committing hundreds of millions of additional dollars. While these public-private investments in distributed PV are impressive, they will not pay off without access to the fuel that powers the panels — the sun. But does our legal system value and protect such solar access?

Sadly, in almost every U.S. jurisdiction, the answer is “no.” In fact, in most cities, local offi-cials can help you control a neighbor’s weeds or barking dog, but they have no authority to help you control a neighbor’s actions that render your solar panels useless. In other words, a neighbor can add shading that was not there when you installed a solar array, and there is no effective legal remedy to stop them or to receive compen-sation for depriving the grid of the benefit of what would effectively be a remote power source.

Despite the lack of federal and state safe-guards, solar advocates have options for avoid-ing solar access conflicts. One simple solution is for solar installers, working with arborists, to create solar access zones, or SAZs. SAZs create standardized height limitations in order to lessen the risk of future obstruction. Unlike existing solar access laws, SAZs specify in advance the appropriate height limitations and species of trees for each zone. That makes compliance easy.

Solar Easements Prove IneffectiveAncient cultures deeply valued solar

access for providing heat and light. It was only

Copyright © 2013 by the American Solar Energy Society Inc. All rights reserved.

protecting solar access

Managing the Dark Side of Trees

A good example of solar-friendly tree species selection and placement for rooftop PV.

An example of how land-use considerations — in this case, short setbacks from the street — can affect

solar access. These trees will impede solar access likely in less than a decade, depending on site conditions.

DA

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solartoday.org SOLAR TODAY July/August 2013 29Copyright © 2013 by the American Solar Energy Society Inc. All rights reserved. solartoday.org SOLAR TODAY July/August 2013 2299Copyright © 2013 by the American Solar Energy Society Inc. All rights reserved.Copyright © 2013 by the American Solar Energy Society Inc. All rights reserved.


SOLAR TODAY®

By specifying height limitations for vegetation in advance, solar access zones have

the potential to make compliance easy.

By K.K. DUVIVIER and DAN STALEY

K.K. DuVivier is a professor of law at the Univer-sity of Denver Sturm College of Law. She teachesenergy law and renewable energy law courses aspart of the Environmental & Natural Resources LawProgram. In researching her book, The Renewable

Energy Reader (Carolina Academic Press 2011), shewas struck by how the development of renewableenergy resources is more often stymied by legalimpediments than by technological hurdles.Dan Staley is a green infrastructure consultant inthe Denver area. He has a B.S. in urban forestry anda Master of Urban Planning specializing in urbanecology. His manual on solar access for arboristswill be published this fall.

after the discovery of fossil fuels and the inven-tion of artificial lights that legal regimes began to characterize access to the sun as an expend-able commodity, secondary to allowing unhin-dered development.

This trend began to reverse during the ener-gy crisis of the late 1970s, as some states and towns began to recognize and protect access to sunlight as a source of energy. At that time, about half of the states attempted to solve the solar access dilemma by legislating a right to create solar easements. A solar easement is essentially a contract between neighbors that prevents shade from one property from impact-ing the adjacent property.

Unfortunately, except in a few instances, the solar easement mechanism has proved ineffec-tive for protecting residential solar. First, the pro-cess of getting an easement in place can involve significant additional costs for the solar host — including not only payment to the southern neighbor for the easement, but also attorney’s fees for drafting and negotiating the contract.

Second, in return for payment, the southern neighbor may take on obligations, such as trim-ming vegetation. With easements, this condi-tion would “run with the land,” meaning that the next owner would be responsible for this obligation. Some buyers would view such an obligation as a burden on their title, making the property less marketable.

Third, even if the solar easement does not place any additional responsibilities on the southern neighbor, the very existence of some-thing different in the title could be perceived by potential buyers of the property as a negative. Because we have a transient culture in America, many people are more concerned about being able to sell their home in a few years than they are about getting along with neighbors. Conse-quently, neighbors to the south may be unwilling to even discuss granting a solar easement.

Currently there are no federal-level protec-tions for private solar access. Only a handful of

states have explicit statewide protections. New Mexico and Wyoming’s laws are the strongest, but both of these states have relatively few solar installations and sparse populations, so their stat-utes have been rarely, if ever, applied.

With more than a quarter of the nation’s cumulative solar electricity capacity, Califor-nia should be a leader in the area of solar access protection. Yet California has no statewide system for addressing obstructions that are constructed after solar investments have been made. California did, however, pass one of the strongest statewide protections against solar shading from vegetation.

The California Solar Shade Control Act pro-tected “solar collectors” such as PV panels, but not passive solar designs, from trees or shrubs that “cast a shadow greater than 10 percent of the collector absorption area” during certain times. But in 2008, 30 years after it was enacted, the California State Legislature eviscerated this act. The act was amended to make the remedy a private, instead of a public, nuisance, so now the burden is on the solar panel holder to bring a lawsuit to enforce the act’s protections. The fall-ing prices for solar panels and the rising rates for attorney’s fees mean that pursuing this remedy would cost more than the panels themselves in most instances.

Without federal or state safeguards, the most effective security for solar panel hosts is available in only a handful of cities that have solar access protections in their municipal codes. Two of the strongest such ordinances are in Boulder, Colo., and Ashland, Ore. Both of these cities prohibit constructed obstructions in a portion of the sun’s path during certain times of the day and year. Both Boulder and Ashland, however, have sepa-rate “solar access permit” requirements to pro-tect solar installations from trees or other vegeta-tion. These alternative requirements have proven not to be very effective as, in some instances, the cities have either refused to grant the permits or refused to enforce them.

Does our legal system

value and protect such

solar access? Sadly, in almost

every U.S. jurisdiction,

the answer is “no.”

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Instead, Install with Tree Growth in Mind

There are several possible solutions to avoid future conflicts between trees and solar power, and they don’t necessarily depend on govern-ment action to be implemented.

In the context of new construction or new tree plantings, potential conflict between trees and PV arrays arises from a lack of knowledge of how tall a tree will grow. One simple way to preserve the ability to collect solar energy when trees are near buildings is to create solar access zones. Using the path that the sun casts on the ground, SAZs define areas that suggest limits or formally restrict maximum tree heights to lessen the risk of future obstruction of solar collectors (see figures 1 and 2 at left for examples). That is, SAZs allow vegetation, but only vegetation that grows no larger than a defined height within a specific zone.

The zones’ restrictions also vary according to structure height, and taller trees are possible closer to a taller structure. With SAZs, the ben-efits of vegetation — aesthetics, property value, cooling, stormwater and so on — are preserved, and energy production is preserved as well. There is no need for an “either tree or collector” situation. Plus, SAZs eliminate the difficulty for the homeowner or layperson to imagine future tree growth and shading. Lastly, SAZs can be voluntary agreements or legal requirements; any way can work.

Defined solar ordinances, like Boulder’s, require up to complete clearance from obstruc-tions during certain times of the sun’s pathway, such as between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. SAZs can support, add to or complement existing ordi-nances — or replace them altogether. They also can be oriented to time periods such as 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. or 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Vegetative SAZs have two key parts. First is width; the SAZ width is defined by the azimuth of the sun for a chosen date and times at a cer-tain distance from a collector. Standard distances

F I G U R E 1 . Solar Access Zone 1 F I G U R E 2 . Solar Access Zone 2

Sept. 22 at 3 p.m.Solar access zones define areas that suggest limits or formally restrict

maximum tree heights to lessen the risk of future obstruction of solar collectors

protecting solar access

A basic analysis by an arborist can identify possible future conflicts for a proposed PV installation.

Side view of solar path with the solar access zone reflected on the ground for vegetative restrictions.

With SAZs, there is no need

for an “either tree or

collector” situation.

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can be equivalent to front setbacks or common distances that are easy to calculate, such as 20 or 50 feet (6 or 15 meters). Solar installers and even savvy homeowners can easily create the SAZ drawings using charts of the sun’s movement.

The second defining element is a plant spe-cies list for the SAZs. This is where arborists’ extensive knowledge of tree species and their maximum heights, as well as maintenance requirements, comes in. For example, in figure 1, the innermost zone sets a maximum height of 15 feet for any vegetation. A species list would include small ornamental trees under a 15-foot height at maturity. Any species list will depend on local conditions such as climate zone, aspect and soils.

A solar installer cannot anticipate that a neighbor or a government tree-planting program will plant a tree after installation that will grow to interfere with a panel’s performance. Conse-quently, solar businesses can consider reaching out to jurisdictions to work on local solar ordi-nances or state statutes. Savvy installers can help create SAZs for vegetation and other obstruc-tions. Working with arborists, solar businesses can help define suitable species and placement in areas such those shown in figures 1 and 2.

Another opportunity for a solar-arborist partnership is to provide advice on whether (or when) young trees nearby will grow into the access planes and reduce power generation. This is particularly important to companies that lease roofs to generate power. The leasing model depends upon an expected generation rate over the contract period. Trees growing into an access

plane reduce power generation, which may affect the return on investment and the contract itself.

Solar folks can also partner with arborists to reach out to the sustainable development community to provide custom SAZs to support passive solar designs. Plant lists in these SAZs would be chosen to shade (or not shade) walls and roofs, provide aesthetics and environmental services, and avoid conflicts with infrastructure. Many energy-efficient building designs depend on proper shading in summer and solar gain through windows in winter. This new partner-ship can ensure green buildings perform as expected and can provide a valuable service to help create green and sustainable buildings. This can be especially important in California, with its new rules for solar roofs (outlined in the Cali-fornia Building Energy Efficiency Standards in Title 24).

It is one thing to provide new construction projects with solar access, but what about exist-ing structures with trees nearby? Although many solar rebates or leasing systems have insolation requirements and require a shade analysis before installation of panels, how often do new solar arrays installed on older homes or businesses require removal or heavy trimming of an existing tree? Not all trees can be saved, but there will be times when a solar-smart arborist, working with a solar installer, can perform careful clearance pruning to prevent a tree from coming down or being injured beyond repair. Solar-smart pruning can also help to avoid unwelcome sur-prises, as when a shading tree must be removed, resulting in increased air conditioning costs that reduce the return on the solar investment.

Solar-smart arborists can perform recurring pruning services to ensure some young trees stay out of solar access planes as they grow and mature. This service will be based on the arborist’s knowledge of the solar access plane, the property owner’s concerns and the time frame required for clearance. Such consider-ations will be an important business model in the near future as the need for trees to cool cit-ies grows. Another important — and, we hope, infrequent — service will be for selection and replacement of trees removed from the SAZ for a PV array. The solar-arborist partnership will be valuable to the party losing a tree and seeking a replacement.

Falling prices, energy security and new busi-ness models mean renewable energy in cities is likely here to stay. While some solar installers and hosts may dread the “dark side” of trees, trees and solar panels are natural partners and can coexist with thoughtful planning and care. Formal national and local regulations will help us in the long run, but for now there are still ways to get the job done efficiently. Knowing the law is a good start, and knowing a solar-smart arborist is too. ST

Having a solar access permit was not enough to

protect this Ashland, Ore., panel host from the

neighbor’s landscaping choices. Without federal,

state or local safeguards that address all obstruc-

tions, including vegetation, such permits have

proven ineffective.

Boulder, Colo., and Ashland, Ore., prohibit constructed obstructions in a portion of the sun’s path dur-

ing certain times. However, both cities have separate solar access permit requirements to protect solar

installations from vegetation. Boulder refused to grant a solar access permit to protect this home’s solar

features, so the neighbors planted these two blue spruce trees in the solar skyspace.

SAZs can be voluntary

agreements or legal

requirements; any way

can work. K.

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case study

The Wellsville campus of Alfred StateCollege in New York’s Southern Tier is known for its “learning by doing” trade programs. With most of the pro-grams focused on real-world work,

such as building homes for sale, the school is one of the largest workforce providers for the state’s construction industry. So, during the

past decade, as local businesses have asked for students with green technology skills, it was natural for us to deliver that training through hands-on experience.

The construction-related programs have been building and selling homes in Wellsville since 1966, homes built entirely by students through their laboratory coursework. Through a 2007 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), we took this program one step further: We would build a zero-energy demonstration home on campus to serve as a learning laboratory for students and the commu-nity. It would use sustainable building materials and techniques and be powered by photovoltaic (PV), solar thermal, geothermal and small wind systems. A monitoring and control system would generate real-time data for students to analyze and for displaying to the public.

Construction took place from August 2009 through May 2011, with the monitoring system installed that December. Last year the house earned National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Gold Certification, the Association

for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Best Campus Sustainability Award and the Siemens Application of the Year Award. Most importantly, the experience our graduates have gained through this project has helped them launch careers in sustainable building and renewable energy.

Going for Green Building GoldAlfred State College is part of the State Uni-

versity of New York system, and its programs directly link to workforce development. Gradu-ates typically have a 98 percent placement and transfer rate each year. Alfred State’s campus in Alfred, N.Y., houses the traditional two- and four-year college programs. The Wellsville cam-pus houses the skilled trades programs: building construction, electrical, automotive, culinary arts and computerized design and manufacturing. For the 800 students in these programs, a typi-cal day will include 1.5 hours of lecture and 4.5 hours of laboratory. Labs might involve repairing vehicles in the auto shops or serving prepared food for customers.

A Net-Zero-Energy Learning Lab in Upstate New York

Sophisticated monitoring

at Alfred State’s demonstration home

enables students to better

understand performance

of the renewable energy

systems they built.

Alfred State’s zero-energy demonstration home uses

sustainable building materials and techniques and is powered by

photovoltaic, solar thermal, geothermal and small wind systems.

A monitoring and control system generates real-time data.

By CRAIG R. CLARK, P.E., and DAVE KOSTICK ART COURTESY OF ALFRED STATE COLLEGE


Over the past 10 years, all five programshave integrated green technology into the course work, based on industry requests. In the construction-related programs in Wellsville, this integration was made possible through grants. Beginning in 2003, our focus on renewable ener-gy began with a New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) grant to train PV installers. It was followed by a 2007 Appalachian Regional Commission grant to further develop the ability to teach PV systems and begin teaching the installation of small wind systems. In 2009, ARC funded grants to develop weatherization training and a green building lab-oratory. That same year, NYSERDA also award-ed a $2.2 million Clean Energy Training grant, to develop educational modules in geothermal, solar thermal, small wind and photovoltaic sys-tems in a consortium of colleges led by Alfred State. The green home laboratory integrated all of this knowledge in a net-zero-energy demon-stration home.

We had three goals for the home: 1. To give students real-world experience

with renewable energy technology and green construction techniques;

2. To showcase the high-quality student work and demonstrate to the public that a typ-ical-looking home can be built sustainably; and

3. To provide a living laboratory for educating the future workforce in green build-ing techniques.

This vision was funded by the ARC with a start date of April 2009. During the preparation year for the project, faculty selected a home lay-out and materials for most components. That

included working with regional suppliers of appropriate green materials and discussions with the local and state NAHB organizations. The col-lege decided to work toward a minimum goal of NAHB Gold certification. As it turned out, the biggest challenge of the entire project was following the NAHB standards, including col-lecting and weighing all materials to be recycled.

We selected a one-story home design, in order to assure accessibility for all visitors, regardless of mobility. The home is approxi-mately 2,200 square feet (200 square meters) with three bedrooms, including a master bed-room suite with master bath and walk-in clos-ets. Both the entryway/family room and master bedroom have cathedral ceilings. The house has a full dining room, den and kitchen with an eat-in breakfast area. There are two additional full bathrooms and a workshop, as well as a fire-place and an attached garage. Since the home was to be a showcase home, we made some minor modifications to the layout. The master

bedroom’s walk-in closet was modified to be a handicapped restroom and a storage closet for the laboratory. The workshop was modified to be the mechanical room so that all visitors could assess the mechanical space. The dining room and den are used for office space, and the master bedroom is used as a conference room. Many of the renewable energy components are installed in the garage.

We selected most of the materials, systems and construction techniques for their green attributes and because they were technologies we wanted to have the students install. Since all operations were to be on the ground floor, we eliminated the basement (a normal feature for homes in the area). We used a frost-protected shallow footer system, with footers capable of being located only 18 inches below grade —above the frost line. The protection includes placing insulation horizontal to the footings to prevent frost penetration. We also installed a form-a-drain system, a hollow plastic material

Alfred State College Net-Zero-Energy Home

Project TimelineJune 2008 Submitted initial

Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant

May 2009 Received ARC grant

August 2009 Began construction

May 2011 Finished construction

December 2011 Installed monitoring system

December 2011 Achieved HERS rating of 9

January 2012 Received NAHB Gold Certification

October 2012 Honored with AASHE 2012 Best Campus Sustainability Award

December 2012 Honored with Siemens 2012 Application of the Year Award

The 2.5-kilowatt

Proven 7 small grid-

tie wind turbine was

installed prior to the

home’s construction

as part of another

grant.

Monitoring revealed

consistent irradiance

levels, but falling

output from PV

string 4. A look via

the webcam shows

the initial shading on

string 4 caused by

the adjacent higher

roof. Note: The stu-

dents designed this

PV system with two

separate inverters

because they knew

this shading would

happen.


case study

used to form the concrete footings. Form-a-drain is left in place to act as a drainage system and can also be used to vent the system from any radon in the soil.

Since there was to be a conditioned crawl space in the house for utilities, we used insulated concrete forms with an R-value of 17. The floor system was standard engineering I-joists and was built to tight tolerance since the wall system we selected was of structural insulated panels; their R-value is 24.3, at 40°F (4°C). Since most students will be installing trusses in their future jobs, we selected a truss system for the home. The roof system was very complicated due to the cathedral areas, and we found only one company in the area that could build the trusses.

All during the requisition of materials, we worked with local suppliers to obtain the appro-priate green materials and certifications required for the NAHAB certification. The internal walls were constructed of 2x4 wood framing and were sheet-rocked. The high-efficiency windows have U-values of 0.25. The outside building envelope was wrapped and sealed, and all cracks, including windows, were sealed. Because the home was to be green and airtight, all finishes were selected to be low- to no-volatility material, including the paints and the carpeting. The oak kitchen cabinets were custom-built by students in the building trades program and, again, used low-volatility finishes. Interior design students on the Alfred campus selected colors, tiles, carpeting and lighting fixtures.

Installing RE SystemsThe original plan for the house included

renewable energy, but with additional

grants, we were able to expand the renewable energy systems.

Students installed an 8.8-kilowatt PV grid-tie system as two arrays, with two separate invert-ers to allow for better monitoring. The 2.5-kilo-watt Proven 7 small grid-tie wind turbine was installed prior to the home’s construction as part of another grant. During the home con-struction, students installed a 2-ton geother-mal system with four vertical closed-loop wells. Working with the well driller, we had four dif-ferent grouts installed. Each grout had different thermal transmittance properties. Thermocou-ples were installed to measure the temperatures to the full depth of the wells. An eight-vacuum-tube solar thermal system was installed with a storage tank. Another electric water heater was installed to act as both a surge tank and a prima-ry heat source when solar energy is inadequate. We also installed a Temp-Cast wood-burning fireplace that is about 97 percent efficient, using radiant heat.

The geothermal heat pump and solar thermal tanks are both installed in the mechanical room. The inverters for the wind turbine and PV panels are located in the garage. An air-exchange system with heat recovery is also located in the mechani-cal room. The home was wired for phone and communication systems that all terminate into one control panel in the garage, as well. This is something the students do in all homes we con-struct, but this is the first home that we com-pleted with cable, telephone and internet being operational. Because our goal was net-zero-energy usage, all of the appliances installed in the home are electric. This will allow us to better monitor the energy usage.

Monitoring for By-the-Moment Performance

By fall of 2011, the home was essentially complete and operating. We planned to build and operate a monitoring system that would allow the college to showcase the operation of the home. We also wanted to be able to operate the home with full loads to show the public its net-zero-energy operation. Late in the summer of 2011, Alfred State College was introduced to IMT Solar, a maker of solar test, measurement and monitoring equipment, and, through the NYSERDA grant, we designed and installed a system that fall.

The outside patio features a wood-fired hearth

oven, where students enjoy baking pizza.

The house has a shallow footer system, with insulation installed horizontal to the footings to prevent frost

penetration. A form-a-drain system was used to form the concrete footings.

The geothermal heat pump and solar thermal

tanks are both installed in the mechanical room,

along with an air-exchange system with heat

recovery. Inverters are located in the garage.

Many of the renewable energy components are

installed in the garage.


The system was essentially an expanded version of IMT Solar’s REVTOS (Renewable Energy Visual Tableau Operations System) monitoring and control system. IMT Solar had never before installed monitoring for geothermal or solar thermal systems, but they knew their sys-tem had the scalability and flexibility to include these as well. Upon inspection of the house site, IMT Solar decided to divide the monitoring sys-tem into two control cabinets: one placed in the mechanical room and the other placed in the garage. That saved an enormous amount of wire runs from the various sensors and power moni-tors utilized in each system. In addition to the dedicated touchscreens located in the front door of each control cabinet, IMT Solar also mounted a 23-inch touchscreen PC in the living room of the home.

All three screens have graphic displays to show both real-time and historical data from the four renewable energy platforms. Addition-ally, temperature sensors are located in the ceil-ings and walls in two locations, each to measure the temperature differential between the inside of the drywall and just below the surface of the insulation. An outside temperature sensor in a radiation shield displays the outdoor tempera-ture at all times. An iPad, supplied as part of the system, also allows us to show the graphical data as we give tours of the house.

IMT Solar installed power meters on each of the power production platforms (the two PV inverters and one wind inverter), on the major

power consumers (the geothermal heat pump system, backup resistive heating unit, heat-recovery ventilator, solar thermal pumps and electric backup water heater), and on the main power distribution panel. That allows us to see exactly what is going on, electrically, within the entire house.

Sixteen temperature sensors installed during installation of the four geothermal wells are also tied into the monitoring system. Doing so allows us to study the thermal transfer characteristics of the four different grout systems. Built-in web servers in the IMT REVTOS system allow the monitoring screens to be brought into any class-room on campus. The same data can also be seen via our website. Screen captures of the real-time data, as well as the historical data files (stored in Microsoft Excel file format), will allow us to study all aspects of the renewable energy systems in the home, today and into the future.

All of the energy systems are performing exactly as projected. We had a good idea of what to expect with the PV arrays, having installed a 5.1-kW system, with monitoring, on campus a few years ago. As of Jan. 1, 2013, a year after our monitoring system went online, our total grid usage for the house for the year was 13 kilowatt-hours — about as close to zero-energy as you can get. See real-time data at alfredstate.edu/sustainability/zero-energy-green-home.

The home continues to be a learning labo-ratory for our students, local high school stu-dents, the public and the contractors. We give tours regularly, including tours for perspective students to the college. In the summer, we offer

a two-day training event for high school technol-ogy teachers. We are now involved in construct-ing a much larger demonstration home in Alfred that will house the college president and be used for community events. ST

Craig R. Clark (clarkcr@

alfredstate.edu) is execu-

tive director and dean

of Alfred State College’s

School of Applied Tech-

nology in Wellsville,

where he oversees the

college’s satellite campus

with an annual budget of

more than $3 million with 65 faculty and staff. Clark

has been associated with Alfred State College since

1979, serving in a variety of teaching and adminis-

trative capacities, including professor and depart-

ment chair, Civil Engineering Technology, as well as

interim vice president for academic affairs. He also

is in charge of the Center for Renewable Energy at

the college.

Dave Kostick is currently

involved in commercial

technical sales at Solar

Liberty. He was formerly

the sales manager and

engineering manager at

IMT Solar. Prior to that,

Kostick spent many years

in the industrial automa-

tion field, which led him to

develop the REVTOS system using very robust, off-the-

shelf, industrial automation components.

All finishes were selected to be low- to no-volatil-

ity material, including the paints and the carpet-

ing. The oak kitchen cabinets were custom-built

by students in the building trades program.

IMT Solar’s monitoring system allows students to study all aspects of the renewable energy systems.

Visitors can view graphical data via touchscreens at the house.


solar in your neighborhood | Saturday, Oct. 5

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Connectwith Local Solar Leaders

Grabill Plumbing & Heating Inc. | Beach City, Ohio

Green Energy Ohio Tour Green Energy Ohio, greenenergyohio.org

For years, Grabill Plumbing & Heating has showcased two solar thermal system technologies and a data comparison

on the annual tour. This year, the business will also display its new 50-kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic system with 216 mod-ules and six inverters. Installed by Carbon Vision, the system is projected to produce 60 megawatt-hours annually. A federal tax credit reduced the system cost from $216,500 to $151,500. Grabill Plumbing & Heating expects to save $7,000 on its annual utility bill and earn solar renewable energy credits plus any net-metered production.

Marsik-Donaldson House | Dillingham, Alaska

Dillingham Home Energy Tour Alaska Center for Appropriate Technology, acat.org

On Saturday, May 4, the University of Alaska Fairbanks–Bristol Bay Campus hosted the 3rd annual Dillingham

Solar Tour in conjunction with the Alaska Solar Tour and the ASES National Solar Tour. Along with solar, small wind and efficient wood boiler technologies, a highlight was Tom Marsik and Kristin Donaldson’s home. Largely based on the Passive House standard, the 600-square-foot (56-square-meter) house features 28-inch-thick (71-cm-thick) walls and is heated almost entirely by internal heat gains. The house was recently recognized as the tightest residential building in the world by the World Record Academy.

3505 #10 Villa Court | Austin, Texas

Austin Cool House Tour Texas Solar Energy Society, txses.org

Featured on the 17th Annual Austin Cool House Tour in June, this home is one of 13 in a neighborhood of modest-

ly sized family homes, 1,395 to 1,761 square feet, built to five-star Austin Green Building standards. PSW Real Estate built the homes to insure that energy efficiency was achieved prior to the installation of solar. Lighthouse Solar installed Lumos 255-watt panels on seven of the homes, the arrays ranging in size from 4.08 kW to 5.04 kW. Because the desire for solar in Austin is so strong, PSW Real Estate has now made solar PV a standard feature on all their houses.

Jeantheau House | Berea, Ky.

Berea Solar Tour Sustainable Berea, sustainableberea.org

A sustainable living showcase in rural Kentucky, Mark Jeantheau’s passive solar home features rainwater catch-

ment, a greenhouse, solar water heating, geothermal heating and air-conditioning and a 5.4-kW PV system. Installed by Josh Bills of Sunbelievable Services in 2006, the PV panels are mounted on twin dual-tracking pedestals, which boost total power output 25 to 30 percent over a fixed-array system. The system is grid-tied with an instantaneous UPS/battery backup.

T E X A S

A L A S K A

O H I O

By GINA R. JOHNSON

Looking for an oppor-tunity to meet solar advocates, profession-

als and ready buyers in your area? Then you won’t want to miss the ASES National Solar Tour, the nation’s largest annual demonstration of installed renewable energy technol-ogies and energy-efficient business practices. More than 100,000 participants are expected to visit some 9,000 buildings in com-munities across the Unit-ed States. The 2013 event is set for Saturday, Oct. 5, in most locations.

Sign up today to participate, whether as a tour organizer, sponsor, site host or tourgoer. For details, visit ases.org/tour or contact [email protected].

Gina R. Johnson ([email protected]) is editor/publisher of SOLAR TODAY.

K E N T U C K Y

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SDS Redesigns Solar-Log PV MonitorsSolar Data Systems launches three new models: Solar-Log 300 and Solar-Log 1200 for domestic installations and medium-size plants, and Solar-Log 2000 for large-scale PV plants. All show operating status via LCD touch screens, and a USB port allows automatic data backups and simplifies firmware updates. Remote reporting is via faster, improved versions of the WEB online tool. solar-log.com/en/

Advanced Energy Launches Megawatt InverterThe 1 MW-rated AE 1000NX inverter is AE Solar Energy’s next step in utility- and large-scale solar power. The inverter was designed to provide solar power plant owners with reduced cost and increased energy harvest for a lower LCOE, and advanced utility interactive controls to mitigate grid integration issues. solar energy.advanced-energy.com/solar-inverters

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Solar SPEC Pak from Anderson Power Products is said to be the first multi-pin

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- Scalable technology to 300WAC

- Ability to mix & match portrait and landscape with one sku

- Closer to one-stop shopping (one credit line for micro inverter and module)

Peace of Mind & Minimized Risks

- Canadian Solar is a Bankable Partner

- Bundled Product Warranty (No nger-pointing)

- PV Module with 3rd Party 25yr Re-assurance

Introducing the new Intelligrated™ ResidentialAC module

www.canadiansolar.com

Canadian Solar is offering a product that addresses the issues of the rst generation micro inverters. The ResidentialAC module is designed to save time and materials during installation and provide homeowners with a piece of mind - truly achieving a reliable 25yr solar system and faster ROI.


new products

Most Americans would produce their own

clean local energy if it were easy and affordable

in their own communities.

Solar Citizen tells them how to get it. We showcase

histories of local folks who figured it out, and

how they did it. We connect the new audience to news

and tools and resources to make it happen on homes,

farms, churches, schools and community buildings.

Help us build the Solar Citizen network! Join the campaign now, at ases.org/solarcitizen

ASES Reaches Out to Communities

Wagner Introduces Solar Thermal Flat-Plate CollectorsWagner Solar received its SRCC OG-100 rating for two new solar thermal collectors, the EURO L20 AR and the EURO L20 MQ AR. An aluminum absorber sheet is built with laser welds, creating the clean appearance of a PV module. More aluminum improves the price-to-performance ratio, with the same vacuum-applied highly selective absorber coating to maximize solar heat yield and minimize radiation losses. The EURO L20 AR features a dou-ble-harped header/riser piping with 12 8-mm riser tubes suitable for piping up to five in a series. The EURO L20 MQ AR is Wagner Solar Inc.’s first four-port serpentine flow pattern flat-plate collec-tor for the U.S. market. us.wagner-solar.com

| Intersolar North America products preview

SMA Tripower TL Scaled for Commercial PVSMA’s new Sunny Tripower TL-US is designed to serve decentral-ized commercial PV plants. This three-phase transformerless inverter is UL listed for up to 1,000 V DC maximum system volt-age and has peak efficiency above 98 percent, while OptiTrac Global Peak minimizes the effects of shade for maximum energy production. It features all-pole ground fault protection and wintegrated AFCI, a wide input voltage range and two indepen-dent MPP trackers. Applicable for both 600 V DC and 1,000 V DC applications. tinyurl.com/tripowertl

INTERSOLAR NORTH AMERICAJuly 09 – 11, 2013 — San Francisco, USA

Visit the German Pavilion at booth 7633 in Moscone West Convention Center – 1st Level!

Meet more than 20 German companies at Intersolar North America 2013 and learn more about renewable energy

stand of the German Federal Ministry of Economics

Drop in and meet German experts in renewable

www.renewables-made-in-germany.comwww.efficiency-from-germany.info

More flexible financing options. Faster deal processing. Clean Power Finance just gave you the keys to closing more solar deals. From flexible credit criteria to eSignatures and a streamlined deal processing flow, now you can grow your business even faster.

We just fast trackedthe future of solar.

Find out today how you can close more deals faster.Call us at 1.866.525.2123 x 2 or visit www.cpf.com/solartoday


new products

Armored Tablet Designed for Construction Sites

GammaTech’s Durabook TA10 rugged tablet is engineered for demanding industrial and field applications. The 10.4-inch tempered-glass LCD display is sunlight-readable, and is backlit with LEDs. The Durabook includes a digitizer

with active stylus, an Intel Ivy Bridge processor, Bluetooth and WiFi wireless connectivity, and two six-cell battery packs. The unit meets Military Standard

810G for drop and shock resistance as well as salt and fog protection, and IP65 for dust and water resistance. gammatechusa.com


Mage Launches Three-Phase AC ModuleMage Solar has begun shipping the 208-volt, three-phase version of its 245-watt ACPV module. The 60-cell polycrystalline module is equipped with a microinverter running peak efficiency of 95.7 per-cent for a maximum power AC output of 240 watts. Plug-and-play technology allows for faster installation plus the ability to create clean solar energy almost anywhere. Both module and microinvert-er carry a 30-year warranty. magesolar.com/about/news


Longer Rails Mean Fewer PostsDPW Solar expands the Power Rail family with the new LD and MD rails. Offering longer spans between supports, the rails minimize penetrations and eliminate additional support structures for commercial solar installations. Installers will save time and money with integrated grounding, single-tool assembly, and revolutionary RAD Lock-in-Place bolts. dpwsolar.com

Fronius IG Plus Has AFCI for Code Compliance

To comply with the new NEC require-ments, the Fronius IG Plus Advanced

inverter line has proprietary built-in arc fault circuit interruption (AFCI) to detect

and extinguish an arc fault, and can notify the system operator that the inci-

dent occurred. tinyurl.com/froniusig


FindSolar.com is the largest listing of solar manufacturers, distributors and installers in the U.S. Thousands of consumers visit FindSolar every month, look-ing for solar pros like you, making

leads for your solar business.

FindSolar.com is a program of ASES.

Join the Solar Pro Network

w w w . a s e s . o r g

Solar@WorkGroundbreaking research and the latest renewable energy industry news delivered right to your email.

Subscribe today.solartoday.org/sw

L e a d i n g t h e r e n e w a b l e e n e r g y r e v o l u t i o n

w w w. a s e s . o r g / j o i n

new products

Utility-Scale Inverter System from NextronexThe Ray Max Power Island Inverter system from Nextronex is said to produce 4 to 8 percent higher output, measured through an installed base totaling 22 megawatts. The inverter series is rated from 650 watts and up, and the manu-facturer claims good performance in low light conditions. nextronex.com

Trina Incorporates Tigo OptimizerTrinasmart DC combines Trina Solar’s high-quality mod-ules with Tigo Energy’s power optimization electronics integrated into the junction box. Trinasmart DC reduces energy loss by minimizing the impact of shading and other environmental and site concerns. It enables the system to reclaim up to 20 percent of otherwise lost solar energy through distributed MPPT and impendence. Trinasmart also enables installation of more modules per roof top by

increasing string length and module placement options. In addition, Trinasmart also provides module level sys-tem performance monitor-ing, arc fault and fire safety features. trina solar.com/us/product/Trinasmart.html



The Solar Friendly Communities program works with city and county govern-ments to make solar permitting easier for local governments, faster for solar installers and more affordable for citizens who want to use solar energy.

We have created an easy to follow route called 12 Best Practices: A Roadmap to a Solar Friendly Community and recognize cities and counties who make progress.

Join us today! 303-333-7342 www.solarcommunities.org

Help bring more solar to your city

Unirac Creates Simple Ground Mount Tracker (GMT)

Unirac’s new GMT is the result of years of proven performance as a leading PV mounting vendor. The GMT is said to be one of the easiest to assemble and most reliable trackers on the market today, designed

to reduce overall project costs, risks and complexity. unirac.com

New Design Software from ValentinValentin Software’s PV*SOL 6.0 is said to be the first program that can realistically simulate battery systems in grid-parallel operation. This allows designers to calculate their own consump-tion from solar arrays. The program can import load profiles down to one-minute intervals, calculate string-line losses and AC and DC wiring losses per inverter. valentin.de/en

Butler Offers Residential PV-Powered Pumping StationThe new pumping station from Butler Sun Solutions features an El-SID PV-powered pump with backflow prevention as well as solar loop pressure and temperature gauges. Control elec-tronics and status LEDs are built in. The EPP insula-tion is state-of-the-art. Station includes all filling and flushing valves. This plug-and-play product reduces installation and service time especially when installed with the Solar Wand system, but can also be efficiently added to tanks with built-in heat exchangers. butlersunsolutions.com


inside ases

American Solar Energy Society News

D I V I S I O N S

Divisions Chair Brian [email protected]

Clean Energy and Water Chair: Veera [email protected]

Concentrating Solar PowerChair: Alison [email protected]

Sustainable Transportation Chair: Lucas Dixon [email protected]

Resource ApplicationsChair: Justin [email protected]

WindChair: Karin [email protected]

Solar BuildingsChair: David [email protected]

Solar ElectricChair: Marlene [email protected]

Solar ThermalChair: Ron Gehl [email protected]

SustainabilityChair: Brian [email protected]

Commercial Applications Ramping UpBy RON GEHL

Solar Thermal Division Report

To join a local chapter visit

ases.org/chapters.

To join a division visit

ases.org/divisions.

To share chapter or division

news, please email

[email protected].

In most areas of the country, installation activity in resi-dential solar thermal (ST) has not followed the upward trajectory of residential photovoltaic (PV) installs, as artificially low natural gas prices and stubbornly high

installation costs often make solar thermal a tough sell. However, many firms are finding success in commercial applications for solar heat, filling the need for high-volume domestic hot water, space heating/cooling and process heat. Significant benefits can be derived from the superior effi-ciency of solar thermal methods, which typically yield four to five times the energy of PV panels with the same area, but in the form of heat instead of electricity.

The exten-sive areas of the country that do not have access to natural gas for heating are prime candi-dates for com-mercial solar thermal applications at present, but competitive projects are also being completed in areas served by gas. Commercial and institutional entities with a longer-term view of their energy needs are more likely to recognize the return on investment (ROI) provided by ST. A properly designed thermal system with a lifespan of 30 years or more can eas-ily provide greater than 10 percent ROI, higher in areas where the only alternatives for heating may be oil and pro-pane. And these returns are even more attractive in states that include thermal processes in their renewable portfolio standards (RPSs). Increasingly, heat energy produced by ST is becoming eligible for renewable energy certificates (RECs). Harvesting RECs is most effective in large-scale applications, where high production volumes and accurate energy monitoring are the norm.

One advantage in implementing commercial and indus-trial-scale applications for ST is economies of scale. As in large PV installations where cost per watt diminishes as sys-tems get bigger, the cost per Btu in large thermal applica-tions can also drop substantially. Balance-of-system costs, such as control systems and integration into existing heating plants, don’t get much higher with larger arrays of solar thermal panels, so there is often good incentive to occupy as much roof space as possible to meet a higher proportion

of the facility’s total heating (or cooling) costs. Larger arrays can also meet higher temperature requirements for cool-ing (via absorption chillers), process heat (for instance in dairies, food processing and certain chemical processes) or space heating. An additional advantage of ST is that every installation can store energy in the form of heat, often for hours. Try that with PV!

This spring’s ASES’ SOLAR 2013 conference in Bal-timore, Md., included a panel discussion on new market opportunities in solar thermal, in which commercial appli-cations figured prominently. The panel was hosted by Mike Healy, director of market development for Skyline Inno-vations in Washington, D.C., and chair of the U.S. Solar Heating and Cooling Alliance (SHC Alliance), recently launched as a division of the Solar Energy Industries Asso-ciation (SEIA). Healy says, “Solar heating and cooling is especially viable in multi-family housing, an area PV often doesn’t get to.” He feels that a combination of better financ-ing models and putting ST on an equal footing with PV under state policies will greatly expand demand for solar heating applications. A few smart firms are also finding that power purchase agreements are just as applicable to thermal energy as they are to PV-generated electricity.

More advanced controls and monitoring are becom-ing a requirement for larger system installations, says Chris Wetherby, head of the solar department at Stiebel Eltron in West Hatfield, Mass. “On-site plant engineers, facility managers and off-site OEM [original equipment manufac-turer] staff want to know how their systems are performing 24/7. They need the ability to remotely access an instal-lation for commissioning, troubleshooting and accurately monitoring thermal production, in conjunction with overall system function.” To address thermal production moni-toring, a subcommittee of industry experts organized by ASTM International is working on a U.S. standard for heat metering, which will provide greater accountability for solar thermal RECs.

New state policies for solar thermal, improved recogni-tion of the long-term benefits for large-scale applications, new financing mechanisms and better monitoring/control technologies are coming together to enhance the outlook for commercial solar thermal. Installers we talked to at SOLAR 2013 have seen a significant up-tick in commercial work, particularly in states that include solar thermal in their RPSs. ASES’ Solar Thermal Division will continue to spread the word of the benefits of solar thermal technology. We look forward to hearing more success stories in 2014!

Ron Gehl, P.E., is president of EOS Research Ltd. and chair of the

ASES Solar Thermal Division.

This 800-bed hospital in Toronto uses 92 solar thermal modules to supply 9 percent of its hot water needs.

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get involved: locate an ASES chapter in your communityAlabamaAlabama Solar Assoc. P: 256.658.5189 [email protected] al-solar.orgContact: A. Morton Archibald Jr. ArizonaArizona Solar Energy Assoc. P: [email protected] Contact: Daniel Aiello ArkansasArkansas Renewable Energy Assoc. P: 877.575.0379 info@arkansasrenewable energyassoc.org arkansasrenewableenergyassoc.orgContact: Frank Kelly California NorCal Solar Energy Assoc. P: [email protected]: Emily Barry Orange County Renewable Energy Society P: 714.794.7795 [email protected] ocrenewables.org Contact: Adam Plesniak Solar Living Assoc.P: 707.472.2456 [email protected] solarliving.org Contact: Karen Kallen San Diego Renewable Energy [email protected]: Stephen Johnston ColoradoColorado Renewable Energy SocietyP: 303.806.5317 [email protected]: Lorrie McAllister ConnecticutNortheast Sustainable Energy Assoc. P: 413.774.6051 [email protected] nesea.org Contact: Jennifer Marrapese DelawareNortheast Sustainable Energy Assoc. P: [email protected] Contact: Jennifer Marrapese FloridaFlorida Renewable Energy Assoc.P: 352.241.4733craig@cleanenergyflorida.orgcleanenergyflorida.orgContact: Craig Williams GeorgiaGeorgia Solar Energy Assoc. P: [email protected]: Jessica Moore IdahoIdaho Renewable Energy Assoc. P: 208.629.6858 [email protected] Contact: Mike Medberry IllinoisIllinois Solar Energy Assoc. P: 312. 376.8245 [email protected] illinoissolar.orgContact: Michelle Hickey

Midwest Renewable Energy Assoc. P: 715.592.6595 [email protected] Contact: Doug Stingle IndianaIndiana Renewable Energy Assoc. [email protected]: Chris Maher IowaMidwest Renewable Energy Assoc. P: 715.592.6595 [email protected] Contact: Doug Stingle KansasHeartland Renewable Energy Society P: 913.299.4474 info@heartland renewable.org heartlandrenewable.org Contact: Craig Wolfe Kentucky Kentucky Solar Energy Society P: [email protected]: Jeff Auxier Louisiana Louisiana Solar Energy Society [email protected] lses.org Contact: Jeff Shaw MaineMaine Solar Energy Assoc. P: [email protected]: Richard Komp Maryland Mid Atlantic Solar Energy Society P: 301-880-7045 [email protected] mases.orgContact: John Essig Massachusetts Northeast Sustainable Energy Assoc. P: 413.774.6051 [email protected] mases.org Contact: Jennifer Marrapese MichiganGreat Lakes Renewable Energy Assoc. P: 517.646.6269 [email protected] glrea.org Contact: Samantha Keeney Midwest Renewable Energy Assoc. P: 715.592.6595 [email protected] midwestrenew.org Contact: Doug Stingle MinnesotaMinnesota Renewable Energy Society P: 612.963.4757 [email protected] mnrenewables.org Contact: Laura Cina MississippiMississippi Solar Energy Society [email protected] Contact: Steve Lewis MissouriHeartland Renewable Energy Society P: 913.299.4474 info@heartland renewable.org heartlandrenewable.org Contact: Craig Wolfe

NevadaSolar NV P: [email protected] solarnv.org Contact: Guy Snow

Sunrise Sustainable Resources [email protected]: Sally Vulich

New HampshireNortheast Sustainable Energy Assoc. P: 413.774.6051 [email protected] nesea.org Contact: Jennifer Marrapese New JerseyNortheast Sustainable Energy Assoc. P: 413.774.6051 [email protected] nesea.org Contact: Jennifer Marrapese New Mexico New Mexico Solar Energy Assoc. [email protected] nmsea.org Contact: Gary Vaughn New YorkNew York Solar Energy Society P: 917.974.4606 [email protected] nyses.org Contact: Wyldon Fishman Northeast Sustainable Energy Assoc. P: 413.774.6051 [email protected] nesea.org Contact: Jennifer Marrapese North CarolinaNorth Carolina Sustainable Energy Assoc. P: 919.832.7601 [email protected] energync.org Contact: Paul Quinlan OhioGreen Energy Ohio P: 614.985.6131 [email protected] greenenergyohio.org Contact: William A. Spratley OregonSolar Oregon P: 503.231.5662 [email protected] solaroregon.org Contact: Claire Carlson PennsylvaniaNortheast Sustainable Energy Assoc. P: 413.774.6051 [email protected] nesea.org Contact: Jennifer Marrapese Rhode IslandNortheast Sustainable Energy Assoc. P: 413.774.6051 [email protected] nesea.org Contact: Jennifer Marrapese South CarolinaSouth Carolina Solar Council [email protected] Contact: Bruce Wood Tennessee Tenneessee Solar Energy Assoc. P: 865.974.9218 [email protected] tnsolarenergy.org Contact: Steven Levy

TexasTexas Solar Energy Society P: 512.751.1873 800.465.5049 [email protected] txses.org Contact: Lucy Stolzenburg UtahUtah Solar Energy Assoc.P: [email protected]: Levi Belnap VermontNortheast Sustainable Energy Assoc. P: 413.774.6051 [email protected] nesea.org Contact: Jennifer Marrapese VirginiaMid Atlantic Solar Energy Society P: 301-880-7045 [email protected] mases.orgContact: John Essig Washington Solar WashingtonP: 425.270.5612 [email protected] Contact: Jim Avery Washington, D.C.Mid Atlantic Solar Energy Society P: 301-880-7045 [email protected] mases.orgContact: John Essig WisconsinMidwest Renewable Energy Assoc.P: 715.592.6595 [email protected] midwestrenew.org Contact: Doug Stingle STUDENT CHAPTERSAppalachian State University Sustainable Energy Society [email protected] asuses.appstate.edu Contact: Tess Scanlon Austin Community College Renewable Energy Student Assoc. P: 512.223.6225 [email protected] austincc.edu/resa Contact: Jason Shaw NCSU Renewable Energy Society P: 919.515.9782 [email protected]: C.C. Maurer Penn State Student Chapter of ASES clubs.psu/up/ases [email protected] Contact: Jeffrey Brownson Shoreline Community College Student Chapter of ASES [email protected]: Debbie Stecher Solar Education & Outreach, The Ohio State University P: 614.595.3847 [email protected] seo.org.ohio-state.edu Contact: Trace Searles University of FloridaP: [email protected]: Jason Rosen

Key Green = This chapter has sub-chapters. Visit online to find the sub-chapter nearest you.


S O L A R A M E R I C A N

E N E R GY SOCI ETY

ASES people are passionate about renewable energy: families, scientists, professionals, and YOU.

People who think globally and work locally.

Efficient, sustainable, renewable — you’ll find it all at ASES.

An ASES membership is valuable and important.

As an ASES member, you’ll be a conduit of information between the renewable energy community and your neighbors, friends, fam-ily, school and town.

If you’re not a member yet… go to ases.org and join today!

Already a member?

Check out ases.org, a new, totally updated website. While you’re there, click the “Members Login Here” button to update your record. If your membership is about to expire, take a moment to renew it.

Keep the passion going strong with ASES today!

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a s e s . o r g

The American Solar Energy Society

… everywhere under the sun!

inside ases ASES news | ad index

| ad index

American Solar Energy Society ............................. 12, 48

Canadian Solar .........................................................39

Clean Power Finance ..................................................41

DPW Solar ................................................................13

FindSolar.com ...........................................................44

IEC Berlin Inter Expo Consult GmbH ............................40

ISES Solar World Congress 2013 ..................................42

Kipp & Zonen.............................................................15

Lead the Sale ............................................................52

Mitsubishi Electric .....................................................37

Outback Power ..........................................................49

Power-One .................................................................9

Quick Mount PV .........................................................51

S-5! ..........................................................................14

Schletter ...................................................................17

SMA America ...............................................................7

Solar@Work ...............................................................44

SolarBridge Technologies .............................................2

Solar Citizen ..............................................................40

Solar Data Systems ......................................................5

Solar Friendly Communities/COSEIA ...........................45

SolarPermit.org ...........................................................4

Solar Power International 2013 ..................................19

SunEarth Inc..............................................................43

In May the ASES Board of Directors named Seth Masia, formerly direc-tor of communications at ASES, to step into the role of interim executive

director. He assumes the duties of Susan Greene, who left her job as presi-dent of ASES on May 31. The Board is grateful to Susan for her dedicated service to the Society over the past 18 months, and wishes her success in her next project.

The Board will immediately seek a permanent executive director. Mean-while, Masia will work closely with the Board to achieve new member-ship/circulation goals, and with Gina Johnson, editor/publisher of SOLAR TODAY, to keep the ASES publications operating on schedule at their usual high level of excellence.

As a member of ASES, you are one of the leaders among solar pro-fessionals and advocates across this country. As a member of ASES, you know that there is strength in numbers and that your member-ship helps to advance education, research and policies encouraging the use of clean, efficient, sustainable solar energy.

But for ASES to continue, we need your help.Please make a tax-deductible donation to ASES today, so that ASES can continue to meet the growing demand for its services. Go to ases.org/14538.

ASES Board Names New Manager

Seth Masia

ASES URGENTLY

NEEDS YOUR HELP

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MATE3 COMMUNICATIONS AND CONTROL

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OutBack transforms the historical heritage complex of Malankara Plantations in India to the country’s first net-zero office building.


system accomplishedSystem Accomplished focuses on unique design or installation problems and how they were solved.

If you have solved a difficult installation problem, we want to hear about it. Email [email protected].

Knorr Brake Corp. (KBC) is the U.S. division of a family-owned German manufacturingcompany. It specializes in brakes, electronic controls, automatic doors, HVAC and maintenance services for mass-transit rail, and for the trucking industry.

When the time came to relocate and double the size of one its five U.S. facto-ries, KBC chose a location in Westminster, Md., and planned for LEED certifica-tion. Planning began in 2011, with groundbreaking in January 2013. Work went swiftly, thanks largely to collaborative planning by the contractors. Standard Solar won the contract for the 865-kilowatt photovoltaic array, to go on 235,000 square feet (21,832 square meters) of flat roof.

The galvanized steel roof was covered with four inches of insulation, hardboard and a TPO membrane — ideal for a PanelClaw Grizzly Bear ballasted racking system. The problem: 20 skylights and 20 HVAC units with associated conduit and ducting.

Standard Solar’s project manager Scott Baxter reports his team worked closely with the archi-tects and engineers designing the roof and conduit alley; they went to meetings and exchanged files with the general contractor and with UGI, the HVAC contractor. A layout emerged for 2,882 300-watt Suntech STP modules, with no shading from the HVAC housings. HVAC and solar-array conduits were carefully coordinated. The system fed power to two Advanced Energy 500 inverters.

Because of the advance planning, array construction took just two months, with an average of 10 people doing structural work and six to eight electricians. The system was commissioned just before the Christmas holidays, but it didn’t produce full power until interior work was completed, and the building opened, in early May. Preliminary data show the system on track to beat its target of 1,154 megawatt-hours annually. — SETH MASIA

Collaborative Planning Speeds Construction

They went to meetings

and exchanged files

with the general

contractor and with UGI,

the HVAC contractor.

The galvanized steel roof was ideal for a PanelClaw Grizzly Bear ballasted racking system. The problem:

20 skylights and 20 HVAC units with associated conduit and ducting.

A layout emerged for 2,882 300-watt Sun-

tech STP modules, with no shading from

the HVAC housings. HVAC and solar-array

conduits were carefully coordinated.

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What makes our Classic Comp Mount the industry’s most trusted protection against roof leaks?

The QBlock Elevated Water Seal

Our patented QBlock technology encloses the EPDM rubber seal – the ultimate barrier between the rafter and the rain – inside a cast-aluminum block and raises it 7/10 of an inch above the fl ashing where the rainwater fl ows. This completely protects the rubber seal from the elements for the life of the solar array.

MADE IN THE USA

See how our patented QBlock technology prevents future roof leaks at quickmountpv.com/noleaks

Don’t risk disastrous roof leaks with inadequate solar mounting products and methods. Insist on Quick Mount PV and install it right – and enjoy peace of mind for the full life of every PV system you install.

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See us at Intersolar in San Francisco July 9-11, 2013 Booth #9517

1-800-MY-SOLAR gives you access to resources that will create leads.

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is looking for. Contact us at 1-800-881-MYMY.

our big idea: YOUR SUCCESS.

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