Shortage of Solar Hot Water Collectors
21 Aug 08 | General Business, Solar Hot WaterThis was almost inevitable. It seems that there is a growing shortage of solar hot water collectors. One manufacture that I spoke to is having difficulty getting glass for its larger sized collectors. Others are struggling with higher product demand and fixed manufacturing assets. Solar thermal manufactures may be leery of making large investments in facilities because congress still has not approved the renewable energy tax incentives past December 31, 2008 (which is fast approaching).
On the surface, this would seem to be a good thing. The solar business is growing, more and more people are aware of solar, not just Photovoltaics, but solar hot water too. More and more people want these systems installed on their homes and businesses to off set energy use and save money. Those are the positive aspects.
However for a solar installer, it is difficult to get business if you cannot give the potential customer an installation schedule. I am right now, waiting on several collectors to show up so I can finish two jobs. I am also leary of Congress and the lack of progress on the renewable energy tax credits. As I have said before, unless they pass, a great majority of home owners will not be able to afford solar thermal systems. I do not want to take on a large inventory of flat plate collectors that I will not be able to sell in six months.
And so we wait.
I curse incentives and subsides. Too much tinkering around with the market forces if you ask me.
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Tags: Solar Hot Water, solar thermal
Business Insurance for the Solar Installer
23 Jul 08 | General BusinessFor a contractor it is a must. Not only do most town building departments require a valid certificate of insurance to issue a building permit, the state of New York requires it to be an eligible installer for their PV program. It is also necessary to protect you from undue expenses in this highly litigious society we currently have.
It is a drag, but shopping around is necessary to find the best price. Here is what I found:
- State Farm, would not even talk to me. I spoke with three of there agents who stated that the field (solar installations) has not been around long enough, and that I had not been in business long enough. I will remember that in a few years when “The good neighbor” comes a calling looking to sell insurance.
- Local insurance agencies can vary greatly. Some people know what they are talking about, some do not.
- I found the best insurance deal through my bank, the Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union. They have and insurance company called Insurance Agency of the Hudson Valley, who have been very helpful
Even so, I gave them as much information as possible. The issue with solar equipment installation is it encompasses many areas. For example, I may do some light plumbing during a solar hot water system installation, but I am not a plumber. I may also do some electrical work during a PV installation, but I am not an electrician. I may place solar panels on a roof, but I am not a roofer. The generic category that best encompasses all of the many areas a solar installer may work is “Millwright.” From the Bureau of Labor Statics web site:
Millwrights install, replace, dismantle, and repair machinery and heavy equipment used in power generation, including wind power, hydroelectric damns, and natural gas turbines, and in manufacturing plants, construction sites, and mining operations. The development of new technologies requires millwrights to work with new industry-specific and highly complex precision machines. Some of these machines have tolerances smaller than the width of a human hair.
The millwright’s responsibilities begin before a new piece of machinery arrives at the jobsite. Millwrights consult with production managers, industrial engineers, and others to determine the optimal placement of the machine in the plant. Some equipment, such as a metal forging press, is so heavy that it must be placed on a new foundation. Millwrights either prepare the foundation themselves or supervise its construction. As a result, they must know how to read blueprints and to work with a variety of building materials.
When the new machine arrives, millwrights unload, inspect, and move the equipment into position. To lift and move light machinery, millwrights use rigging and hoisting devices, such as pulleys and cables. With heavier equipment, they may use hydraulic-lift trucks or cranes. Lifting such heavy equipment requires millwrights to understand the load properties of cables, ropes, hoists, and cranes.
While that is not a dead on description, it is pretty close.
As far as limits go, pretty standard:
- $1,000,000 each occurrence
- $100,000 rented property damage
- $5,000 medical expenses any one person
- $1,000,000 Personal injury
- $2,000,000 general aggregate
- $1,000,000 products
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Tags: Business administration
Is the Solar Energy field recession proof?
23 Jan 08 | General Business, Solar Electric, TechnologyStarting a small business during a recession may seem like a recipe for failure. The basic premise is that people will not buy anything other than what is absolutely necessary. So the questions are; is electricity necessary today? How about hot water or heat, is that necessary? Would people be interested in saving money on those things if it involved an initial outlay of cash? How fed up are people with paying for oil, gas or electric? Here is a basic recap (prices for New York State, Hudson Valley region as of January 20, 2008 from NYSERDA):
- Home heating oil $3.484/gallon
- Propane $2.851/gallon
- Electric $0.138 kWh
- Natural Gas $1.926 therm
- Solar $0.00
- Wind $0.00
Will people get that? I know many are rushing off to trade in their SUV’s for fuel efficient cars, but will they consider the energy they use at home as well? Those are things that I want to find out.
Right now, the solar industry is dependent on government subsides, there are no two ways about it. Without generous help from the government (federal and state) neither solar thermal nor photovoltiacs would be viable except in situations where grid power was unavailable (i.e. remote cabins, telecommunications sites, etc). In fact, in the mid 1980’s the industry was brought down to almost nothing as the Reagan administration killed all the tax incentives that were then fueling the solar sector. Will congress restore the tax breaks? Only time will tell. Even if they do, it will take a huge effort to move them away from their corporate sponsors toward the less corporate renewables.
I was listening to an interesting report on the local NPR station on my way home from work today. Amid reports of troubled economic times and other bad omens, there was an upbeat report on the Solar economy right here in the Hudson Valley. You can listen to an .mp3 of the report here (opens media player window). Basically, the it speaks about TSEC (The Solar Energy Consortium) based in Kingston, NY. This is more along the lines of research and development, but that is what will fuel the green economy in the future. It is clear to me that the sustainable movement must be able to stand on it’s own, without government assistance, to succeed. This is a tall order, considering how unfavorably the deck is stacked against renewable energy due to the huge subsides given to coal and oil.
It is, however, possible.
For the short term, the solar energy sector may well be able to weather the up coming recession as more and more people are aware of it and are looking for ways to save money. As much as we would like to believe that the human race is altruistic and will alter it’s behavior of the benefit of the planet, economics trumps environment.
For the long term, the only way that solar, wind and other renewable energy sources will survive is if they become competitive with fossil fuels on their own. This means that fossil fuels have to become more expensive (than they already are) and renewable energy, particularly photovoltaics must become less expensive.
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Tags: Commentary, solar economy, solar power R and D
New Phone Number
22 Jan 08 | General BusinessI am glad that I live in 2008 and we are a technologically dependent society. Things like having a business phone are not only necessary but vital to the success of said business. I can imagine that if I lived at some point before all these technological marvels we have today, ordering a new phone line might become quite an ordeal.
Perhaps it would take no fewer than five phone calls, three e-mails, one canceled order, one phone number miss-assigned, a threat to use the cable TV’s phone system and about three weeks for the phone tech to finally show up and wire it to my office. All this of course, provided by the so called “Primary phone service provider” in our area. No, it’s a good thing that I live now so that none of those things happened when I ordered my new business phone number.
By the way, if you wrote down the first number published for Sun Volt Solar, it is wrong. The correct number is (845) 626-2627.
They did say, do not publish the phone number until after it is installed, so I guess that I was warned. Now I can finally order my business cards.
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Tags: business startup
Solar Site Assessments
09 Jan 08 | General Business, Solar Electric, Solar Hot WaterBuying a solar system is a large investment. As such, the purchaser will want to know if it is a good investment and exactly what benefits, including return on investment (ROI), he or she will have by owning it. That is reasonable and expected. A larger PV system may cost many tens of thousands of dollars, having a good idea that the system will work from where it is installed is essential.
Click on picture for hi-resolution view of site assessment.
This is why we offer solar site assessments using a Solar Pathfinder. This is a really good tool for determining how well a solar system, either PV or Thermal will work. Generally speaking, properly sizing a grid connected PV system is pretty cut and dry. Properly sizing a stand alone PV system can be tricky, especially if critical use situations like emergency communication sites. The Solar Pathfinder has associated software that will find the nearest National Weather Service (NWS) office data. This allows the software to access the 30 year average weather conditions on a month by month basis. All of this give a pretty accurate picture of local site conditions and the installer can budget for the worst case scenario.
Solar thermal installations also can vary. A typical solar domestic hot water system with a backup electric heating element can be sized according to the number of people living in a house. Solar space heating system, such as radiant floor system require much more planning and attention to heat loads. Again, the Solar Pathfinder can assist in these calculations. Although it is set up to do mainly PV sites, it can be used with solar thermal installations by using the energy output in kWh/M2. I have an excel spread sheet which I can plug these numbers into and come up with an estimated system energy production in BTU and Therms.
Naturally, all of this takes time and effort to complete. We, therefore, have a policy of charging $200.00 for a site assessment, including a written report. This fee will be refunded if the property owner purchases the system from Sun Volt Solar. Some people have told me that for a little more money, they can buy their own Solar Pathfinder. That is true, however, just because someone owns a scalpel doesn’t make them a surgeon.
Conducting a solar site assessment for potential customers does several things. You get some one on one time with a potential customer. This can tell you a great deal about why the customer is interested in solar in the first place. Sometimes customers have greater expectations than are realistic. This is a good opportunity to educate them as to what is possible with solar systems. It should also show the best placement for the solar panels or collectors or any corrective actions needed, such as tree removal, by the property owner.
The site assessment should follow a standard report format. Beginning with a general site conditions, the expectations of the property owner, the type of system, type and size of structure, street address, geographical coordinates are nice to include.
Then more specific information such as the specific type and size of the system, how much and what type of energy is used by the building, and what percentage of this energy is expected to be offset by the solar system.
I always include the manufactures product brochures along with the site assessment. These usually have pictures of the equipment along with general information about the equipment and manufacture.