Prison Cells Host Solar Cells

"The Rock" is famous for being inescapable. But now it has a new claim to fame. It's the newest success of the National Park Services and US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory joint effort to bring clean energy to national parks and landmarks. Alcatraz Prison has gone green.

For the past 75 years the prison has been powered by diesel fuel ferried across the bay. But this year, Alcatraz installed 1,300 solar panels to power the tourist attraction. The roof of the main Cellhouse building is now home to a 307 kW photovoltaic array and two 2,000 amp hour battery strings and an inverter plant. The system will produce close to 400,000 kW a year and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 337,000 kilograms a year. And as if that wasn't enough, the pv project only costs about 71 cents a kW hour- including the captial costs of buying and installing the solar panels.

Read more about the installation and the process in any of the articles listed after the jump.

New Jersey passes encouraging legislation

Governor Christie signed Assembly bill A2966 into law this week to diversify New Jersey's energy supply and encourage the solar industry's role in energy production. Renewable energy advocates hope that more states will adopt more aggressive legislation like this to address oversupplies of solar renewable energy credits, stabilize solar markets and incentivize the infant renewable energy industry. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), this particular legislation will address:

1. Accelerate the Solar RPS requirement
2. Reduce the solar alternative compliance payment
3. Defines program eligibility for grid-connected projects
4. Establishes SREC program eligibility for grid-connected projects
5.  Promotes development of projects located on brownfields and landfills
6. Authorizes aggregated net metering for certain public entities
7. Extends the shelf life of SREC's

Read more about this legislation and the issues it will specifically address in this article on the SEIA's website.

International Collaboration

Jon Woodhead over at the Guardian wrote a nice piece this week about successful collaborations of Governments, NGOs and leading companies teaming up together to promote sustainable energy. Woodhead points out the massive commitments the international community has made towards providing access to modern affordable energy. As he say as he says “providing universal energy access by 2030 is estimated to increase global energy demand by 179m tonnes of oil equivalent with 54% of this increase based on fossil fuels.”

But what if that new demand was met with renewable energy? Woodhead points to the UK based organization SolarAid which is using solar light to reach unelectrified communities. Read Woodhead’s whole article, Joining forces to achieve sustainable energy for all, to learn more about the global goal of providing modern affordable energy to everyone and the cutting edge collaborations that are working towards fulfilling that heroic commitment. 

Solar App for your Phone

Onyx Solar just released a free app for your smartphone (android or iPhone). This cool new app allows you to calculate the energy produced by a photovoltaic installation, the hours of light generated, CO2 emissions avoided and even the distance traveled by an electric car with the energy generated by the PV installation.

Sure this app is fun for those of us with PV panels installed- we can budget, estimate, show off our energy production and money savings. But one of the best things about this cool new tool, is that you don't need an installed system to use the app. You plug in the chosen technology, and details about the area you have in mind, and it will calculate the potential energy production.

This app can be used to compare products, estimate savings, and illustrate in numbers exactly how much energy you can produce with renewable energy.  Everyone from consumers, to producers to advocates and educators could use this app to add to discussions of renewable energy production.

Renewable Energy Financing: Crowdfunding and MLPs

Ron Pernick, the co-founder and principal of Clean Edge, a research and advisory firm for the clean energy sector, wrote a piece for Renewable Energy World, titled Crowdsourcing, Limited Partnerships and Other Tools for Financing our Clean- Energy Future. The piece analyzes two promising avenues for financing clean technology in the 21st century; one a traditional financing mechanism, the other a brand new- but potentially game changing tool.

The first, a Master Limited Partnership (MLP), relies on traditional capital models that have been historically employed for fossil fuel energy production. The MLPs trade like corporate stock, and allow investors to earn dividends. In terms of MLPs, however, current legislation is antiquated and is only applicable to oil and gas. However, as Pernick points out, there is reason for optimism in the clean tech world, as legislators start to acknowledge the gap, and attempt to address it. For instance, Senator Chris Coons (D- Delaware) has introduced the Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act, which would let MLPs include renewable energy.

The second, crowdfunding, allows thousands of investors to provide small investments that add up to millions. The crowdfunding (or crowdsourcing, or peerfunding) model democratizes the financing process of solar installations. An example is Solar Mosaic, which is the first of its kind, but uses the KickStarter model to finance solar. Solar Mosaic provides an online platform that could raise millions of dollars from thousands of investors with the potential of a decent return.

Read more about these two options in financing clean energy in Pernick's article.

NRDC Assesses India's Solar Progress

Natonal Resources Defense Council (NRDC) published a new report assessing the progress of Phase 1 of India's National Solar Mission: Laying the Foundation for a Bright Future. The report analyzes available funding, political support and current and planned projects- country-wide. As the NRDC says, "even with 300 sunny days a year in most regions, creating a new solar energy market in India is no easy task." The report provides recommendations to scale grid-connected solar energy development, and is a great start for anyone interested in building solar panel systems in India's burgeoning market. 

The assessment presents research, and findings from stakeholder discussions to highlight major achievements of Indian State's efforts thus far. These achievements range from generating solar energy from panels mounted on a body of water, in Gujarat to creating policy in Odhisha to target 3000 villages for renewable energy electrification by 2014.  In Phase 1 of installations the states of  Rajasthan and Gujarat took the lead, but a the market grows many states are poised to take that lead in Phase 2. Read the whole report here. Or if you're looking for just a quick rundown- check out this factsheet the NRDC produced.

Solarize Connecticut

The Connecticut Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA) will be implementing a Solarize Connecticut Program this summer. The Solarize Connecticut pilot program is based on its successful Massachusetts counterpart. It will encourage the adoption of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects through coordinated education, marketing and outreach efforts, coupled with a tiered pricing structure that provides savings as more homeowners choose to install solar panels.

CEFIA published a Request for Information (RFI) as the application for Connecticut municipalities to express interest in participating in the program. This competitive review process required applicants to demonstrate a clear commitment to increase education and outreach through community groups and resident volunteers. They were also required to illustrate a willingness to streamline their permitting process. Depending on their progress with renewable energy at the time of application, municipalities were either labeled "Clean Energy Communities", or they chose to take a "Municipal Clean Energy Pledge" to demonstrate their commitment. Through the competitive application process CEFIA chose four towns to pilot the first phase of the Solarize Connecticut program in 2012, which include Durham, Fairfield, Portland and Westport.

Details of the program are being fine-tuned this summer, and CEFIA will begin promoting the program at more length starting in August. Phase II of the program will include four more towns, and begin in early 2013.

You can read about Westport's activities in particular in Chase Wright's article Westport Selected for Solarize Connecticut Or go directly to the source, and check out the CEFIA's Solarize Connecticut page.

Michigan Dukes Out 25x25

Michigan voters have decided to put a constitutional amendment on their ballot in November. The 25x25 initiative got 550,000 signatures, (surpassing the 322,000 signatures necessary), making it eligible for the November ballot. The 25x25 initiative would require energy providers to produce or purchase 25% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025. Eligible energy sources include biomass, hydro-power, solar energy and wind. The amendment even includes a provision that limits the utility customers' annual rate increases to 1%, ensuring the customer isn't responsible for covering renewable energy costs to the utility.

Of course the bill has found opposition as well as supporters. Both the Michigan and Detroit regional chambers of commerce oppose the bill. But many view the issue as pitting utility companies and their employee unions against energy entrepreneurs and renewable energy advocates.   Currently Michigan has a goal to make 10% of electricity production from renewable sources- and the two largest utilities in Michigan claim that they are on track to reach that goal by 2015. However, they feel the 25x25 goal is unrealistic. According to them, it will take 3,100 more wind turbines spread over an area 17 times larger than the city of Grand Rapids to reach the goal. And it will cost the utilities companies $12 billion. Regardless of how biased those numbers might be,  given how little renewable energy is currently being produced in Michigan today, perhaps its that very investment the state needs.

Michigan has no large scale renewable energy production facilities in operation, in construction or in even in development. The state only has 400 mW of wind capacity installed -and with the vast coastlines the state boasts, it has massive potential for a thriving offshore wind industry. The strong manufacturing base and skilled workforce eager to tap into any areas of growth- make Michigan ripe for a renewable energy manufacturing and generating industry. On top of all of that, Michigan currently outsources most of its energy production to other states: it spends $1.8 billion for out of state coal- which accounts for 60% of its electricity consumption. In the case of energy- it's safe to say Michigan is under performing. But is the 25x25 the key to unlocking that wasted potential?

The opposition claims cementing the goal into the states constitution limits future flexibility. They have also estimated that it will cost the state $10 billion to implement. Interestingly enough, supporters have claimed the 25x25 initiative will attract $10 billion in investment to the state. So apparently we all agree it will cost $10 billion to reach the 25% goal- and now the question is who will pay?  Supporters have pointed to other states with similar goals, like Iowa with a 21% goal, to show that significant cost increases aren't an inevitable result of a renewable energy portfolio like this. They have also illustrated the job growth opportunity, the economic development and the environment preservation benefits that a plan like this can provide.

One thing is clear- this will continue to be fought out on the political stage until November- and then possibly taken to the judicial stage. Who will win, though, is not that clear. Want to read more about this debate? Check out the links below!

Long Island Power Announces New FIT Program

The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) recently announced a new Feed in Tariff program (FIT) intended to spark 50 mW of commercial and large scale solar projects over the next two years. The program builds off of the current Solar Pioneer and Entrepreneur Program, and new solar projects within the LIPA service area that are of 50kW or more are eligible. LIPA has committed to purchasing all of the energy generated through this program. The rate is subject to change, however once the PPA is signed it will remain at the agreed upon rate for 20 years. As of now LIPA is committing to a rate of at a fixed rate of $0.22/kW over that 20 year lifespan.

The program will begin accepting applications on July 16, 2012 at 8:00am and continue until June 30, 2014, or once LIPA has signed a total of 50mW of solar PV, whichever comes first. LIPA has not determined if additional PV capacity blocks will be added after the first 50mW is filled, but as of now there is no intention to do so. 

Read on for a complete overview of the program, application process, and links to additional information.

Pittsburgh trades steel for sustainability

Several years ago the Steel City- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania committed to be one of the most sustainable cities in America. Since then, they have made admirable progress to that end. 

As this Forbes article points out, Pittsburgh is home to sustainable buildings, businesses, and even art installations. Pittsburgh is home to the largest "green wall" in the country- a 2,380 sq. ft. soil based public art piece; the Fairmont Pittsburgh hotel,  a mixed-use and Gold level LEED certified structure;  and the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens just opened a LEED Platinum certified research and education complex. 

Read the rest of the Forbes article to learn about more businesses and sights for any environmentally interested individual. 

Independence Day

On the 4th of July we have fireworks, bbq's and parades to celebrate the day America declared her independence from Great Britain. This year, however, over at Renewable Energy World, Tor Valenza used the day to reflect on another type of independence. An independence Americans are still striving for today: Energy Independence.

Valenza's article outlines 10 principles that constitute true energy independence:

1. True energy independence is renewable

2. True energy independence is self-generated

3. True energy independence is domestic
4. True energy independence causes minimal or no damage to our air, water and land
5. True energy independence requires no armies, navies, air forces or marines

6. True energy independence doesn't require anyone or any community to sacrifice health or jobs for energy

7. True energy independence doesn't require $4 billion a year in taxpayer subsidies
8. True energy independence can be implemented locally and democratically
9. True energy independence means you don't need to donate hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign contributions

10. True energy independence means we do not have to apologize to our children.

Read Valenza's full article to read more details about each of these principles. It's an outline worth reflecting on, and a goal worth