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Sun Volt

Sun Volt Solar

earth, the final frontier

Clean Energy, Clean Environment

We are at a cross roads in human history, we can choose to continue on as we have been, or we can make a change to improve our future and quite possibly the future for several generations to come. We are here to promote energy independence, a better environment, a secure future and a higher return on investment for your hard earned dollar. It is what I believe in, it is why I am in the solar business.

NYSERDA funds PV rebate program through 2015

06 Aug 10 | Solar Electric

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has updated it’s PV rebate program, formerly known as PON 1050, now known as PON 2112.  In the new program, 2 million dollars per month is allocated to PV installations.  Rebates are capped at various levels, 7 KW DC for residential, 25 KW for non-profits, and 50 KW for government installations.  The cash rebate is $1.75 per installed watt, however, if demand exceeds 2 million dollars in any particular month, that amount can be adjusted downward.

The prices of PV panels have dropped from the highs seen two years ago, leveling off in the $2-3 per watt range.  The balance of system parts also have more options available, so system prices are still edging downward, slowly.  Eventually, those prices will bottom out and begin to climb as energy prices in general increase.

Installation season is in full swing, so if you would like to get in on the action, give us a call.

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06 Aug 10 | Solar Electric | Comments (0)

New York A7557A fixes some of it’s net metering law

30 Jul 10 | Solar Electric, Wind Power

New York legislature has fixed at least one issue with the net metering law (PSL 66) with A7557A, which was signed by the Governor last March.  The law took effect yesterday.  Here are some of the issues addressed:

  1. Removed the requirement that solar generating equipment not exceed customer’s peak load.
  2. Removed the requirement that wind generating equipment not exceed customer’s peak load.
  3. Make certain provisions for commercial customers to pay for the installation of safety equipment

Increasing solar and wind generating capacities are a step in the right direction.  If a customer has a resource that is available to be used to generate power for other electrical customers, there is no reason not to take advantage of it.

The utility companies buy this power at wholesale rates and sell it for retail to the next few customers down the line.  Everyone wins.

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30 Jul 10 | Solar Electric, Wind Power | Comment (1)

Off grid solar system for construction site

18 Jul 10 | Solar Electric

This was a unique and fun project.  A fellow is constructing an off grid home in upstate NY.  His idea, since the house is going to be off grid anyway, why not put in a temporary system to power tools and such while building the structure.  When the house is completed, the system can then be moved inside.  He is also living onsite in a yurt, so having electricity available to charge laptops, run the well pump and other things that most of us take for granted would be a great side benefit.

To start, he purchased a portable saw mill and began clearing the lot.  Using trees he cut down on site, he built this temporary power shed to house the inverter, charge controller and batteries:

Temporary power shed made from onsite harvested and milled lumber

We used a bit of left over rubber roof membrane to water proof the roof prior to installing the PV panels.  The PV panels are Sharp NU-235F1 mounted on Unirac rails.

Power shed with roofing and solar panels attached

The inverter is a Xantrex XW-6048 with a XW-MMPT solar charge controller.  Also used are the XW power distribution panel, the XW control panel and generator start panel.  Since this system is going to be used in the finished house, we choose the larger inverter.  This house has a well that is 380 feet deep and uses a Goulds 1 1/2 HP submersible pump.  This pump is the largest single draw in the entire system, starting surge of about 5,000 watts and using 2,100 watts when running.  The 6 KW inverter is able to handle this without problem.

Balances of system parts, off grid system

The batteries are  16 Surrette S-530 flooded cells.

The wall between the batteries and the inverter has 30 pound roof felt to act as a corrosive barrier between the batteries and the electronics.  Ventilation is copious.  The tarp is placed over the opening when the system is not in use.

The house itself is in progress, with the foundation completed and the floor slab being prepared for pouring soon.

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18 Jul 10 | Solar Electric | Comments (0)

NABCEP certification

25 Apr 10 | General Business, Solar Electric

Paul Thurst NABCEP PV installer certificationIt has been a long road to travel, but I felt that it was important to gain certification through NABCEP for PV installations.   Being certified gives some indication to potential clients and customers that I have taken required technical courses and met a minimum standard of workmanship and customer satisfaction.  Yesterday, the test results arrived and I have attained status as a Certified PV installer.

Being certified as a NABCEP PV installer opens up several state sponsored incentive programs which opens up more business possibilities.

This is not the end all for PV installers, continued education and learning is always required.  Keeping up with the latest technology can be a chore, especially in a developing technology like PV.

In September, I intend to take the Solar Thermal Certification for all the reasons noted above.

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25 Apr 10 | General Business, Solar Electric | Comments (0)

XsunX thin film solar advances

15 Mar 10 | Solar Electric, Technology

Thin Film Photovoltaics (TFPV) have the potential to dominate the PV market in years to come. TFPV is less expensive to manufacture due to reduced use or elimination of the raw material Silicon, the key ingredient in all wafer PV technology.  TFPV is also the key to building integrated PV (BIPV), peel and stick laminates and other low profile PV solutions.  Many commercial building architects and owners prefer low profile PV systems to the mounting of large PV arrays, which increase weight and wind loading and lower aesthetic appeal for some people.

The downside to TFPV is lower efficiencies, on the order of 7-9% for most commercially available modules.  This adds to the array area and adds expense and labor to a PV installation.

XsunX, Inc., manufacture of Thin Film Photovoltaics is working on boosting TFPV efficiencies to 19-20%.  Several development laboratories have seen efficiencies of 19% or greater in lab testing.  The difference between lab tests of specific PV modules made in tightly controlled conditions and mass manufactured modules is the purity of the substrate materials.  In conventional TFPV manufacturing, substrate is manufactured in a continuous roll process, making large quantities of low grade material.  These rolls are then cut up into 125 x 125 mm cells and installed in modules.  What XsunX is proposing is using a proven automated manufacturing process very similar to that used in the making of computer hard drives.  Smaller 125 x 125 mm solar cells will be manufactured individually instead of in large rolls.  Other parts of the process include a proprietary co-evaporation chamber which will speed the process and minimize contamination.

According to CEO Tom Djokovich, the cross industry system has the capability of making 600 million CIGS units per year, which equals 3 GW of solar cells.  With a 12% efficiency, the cost per watt will be about $0.80 wholesale.   Currently XsunX is developing the manufacturing machinery for this process as well as building their own thin film manufacturing plant.  They expect the first small production run in the end of 2010.

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15 Mar 10 | Solar Electric, Technology | Comment (1)

Smart grid and renewable energy

05 Mar 10 | Conservation, Solar Electric

I have been reading up on the smart grid technology.  I find it interesting for several reasons.  Our energy conversion to electricity is very inefficient, around 32% for the entire electrical grid in the United States.   Because of this, we are using much more energy than we need to generate electricity.

The aims of the smart grid are:

  • Self-healing from power disturbance events
  • Enabling active participation by consumers in demand response
  • Operating resiliently against physical and cyber attack
  • Providing power quality for 21st century needs
  • Accommodating all generation and storage options
  • Enabling new products, services, and markets
  • Optimizing assets and operating efficiently

According the the US Department of Energy website.

Renewable energy critics often cite the very small percentages that renewables currently contribute to electrical generation in the US.  The other argument against installing photovoltaics is their low efficiency, between 14-16 percent in most commercially manufactured silicone modules.  Others argue that the cost is too high and the reliability is low.  All of those statements are true in the context of the artificially low prices we are paying for energy today.  If the real costs of energy were reflected in one’s electric bill, the cost per kWh would be in the $0.25 to $0.40 range.  Currently, unsubsidized photovoltaic electricity is $0.218 per kWh ($7.31 per watt installed, over 25 year life span).  Our current utility electric rates are about $0.15 per kWh.  If only the Federal income tax refund were taken (30% of the installed system cost), that brings the cost down to $0.152 per kWh.

Behind the meter solar generation is much more efficient than conventionally produced power.  A coal, oil or natural gas fired power plant dumps about half the energy consumed into the environment as waste heat.  Another 10 percent or so is consumed as resistive losses in transmission lines, then there is the energy required to produce the fuel, mining, pumping, transportation, etc.  That is what is required to use whatever fossil fuel the power plant is burning.  The amount of original energy from the sun needed to produce a unit of fossil fuel (e.g. gallon of oil, cubic foot of natural gas, ton of coal, etc)  is almost incalculable.  If we were to compare solar energy inputs, photovoltaic panels are far more efficient than any fossil fuel could ever be.

Photovoltaics also produce peak power during peak demand times, which can help reduce costs associated with Time Of Use (TOU) metering.  They are a distributed generation technology, which spreads the failure risk out over many points of generation, reducing transmission losses as well.  A battery backup couple with a solar and or wind system will keep power on indefinitely if properly sized.

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05 Mar 10 | Conservation, Solar Electric | Comments (5)

What happens to a solar system when it snows?

01 Mar 10 | Solar Electric, Solar Hot Water, solar thermal

I have good customers, they ask good questions.  One such question asked of me lately has been “what happens to my solar system when it snows?”  Since I have both a solar thermal system and a photovoltaic system on my house, I can tell them.  Enough sunlight gets through the snow that the panels begin to heat up.  This, in turn, causes the snow to slide off.  Here is a picture of a ground mounted system after receiving over two feet of snow:

Ground mounted PV array after blizzard

Ground mounted PV array after blizzard

It helps that the panels are tilted to 40 degrees, roof mounted systems likely will not shed snow like this.  Still, on a roof mounted system, the snow will melt off, it might take a little longer.  The only system I would be careful of in this climate would be an evacuated tube collector.  Because the tubes have a vacuum, no heat is transfered to the glass envelope, which is really good for collecting heat, but not so good for melting accumulated snow off the collector.

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01 Mar 10 | Solar Electric, Solar Hot Water, solar thermal | Comments (0)

New York to revise its net metering laws

27 Feb 10 | Conservation, Environment, Incentives, Solar Electric

Both the New York Assembly and the Senate has passed amendments to NY’s net metering rules.  The amendment (A.7557A/S.6700) is designed to increase the net metering for non-residential customers by correcting restrictions to the 2008 net metering regulations.   The original 2008 allowed for interconnections up to 2 MW but the wording was ambiguous and most new net metering accounts were residential since 2008.  By allowing larger commercial systems, businesses will be able to take advantage of solar and wind energy, helping to meet NY State’s goal of 25% renewable energy by 2013.

Net metering allows the owner of an on-site renewable energy system to receive a credit on his or her utility bill for any unused power supplied to the electric grid by the system. The credit then offsets the power received from the grid when the customer consumes more energy than the system is generating. In addition to acting as a hedge against rising energy costs and reducing overall stress on the electric grid, on-site renewable energy sustmers provide numerous environmental, public health, and economic development benefits to local communities.

This is the basis for all grid connected PV systems.  It is good that the government of NY realizes the benefits of renewable energy and are taking steps to help implement it here.

The question is, will all of this renewable energy replace fossil fuel based generation, or will it merely increase the energy capacity and thus use in NY?  There are indications that the latter is normally the case, unless fossil fuel based energy becomes too expensive for the average person of business.   After the energy efficiency increases in the 1970’s and 80’s, many people began building larger houses because they could now afford it.  History will repeat itself unless the true costs of energy are passed on to the end consumer and not the taxpayer.

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27 Feb 10 | Conservation, Environment, Incentives, Solar Electric | Comments (0)

How will Solar change the electrical contractor business

16 Feb 10 | Solar Electric

I read an interesting article yesterday regarding how the solar industry will change the job of electricians.  My experience is thus:  Electricians get asked a lot of questions about solar (photovoltaics mostly) by their customers.  Some attempt to give good answers, some may even look into doing solar installations a little, but most are not interested.  At least right now.

In the future, perhaps solar installation training will become part of electrical apprenticeship programs.  The main skill sets that a solar installer has, which an electrician does not, is the site analysis, system design and intimate knowledge of available incentives and grants.  System design is getting easier with the advent of microverters.  In new construction, at least some of the system design aspect should be up to the architect, e.g. a roof facing true south tilted at latitude.  In retrofitting existing buildings, however, compromise is often the case.  With performance based incentives, such as what is available in New York state, that can increase the system’s cost.

In general, green construction requires an integrated approach.  All of the various systems need to work together to reduce or eliminate traditional energy inputs.  Electrical contracting is but one part of that equation.  There are many other green technologies available to electricians, such as reduced power lighting, variable speed motor controllers, energy efficient appliances, smart building systems, etc.

The article is an interesting read and brings out many good points.

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16 Feb 10 | Solar Electric | Comments (0)

WEEB Grounding devices

28 Jan 10 | Solar Electric

On our last project, a ground mounted PV system supported by a post and beam frame, I used  Unirac WEEB grounding system (UGC-1) on the Unirac rails.  WEEB stands for “Washer, Electrical Equipment Bond.”

Unirack UGC-1 WEEB ground clip between two Sanyo HIP-205N PV panels

The electrical inspector was not familiar with the product or the concept.  I showed him the spec sheet from Unirac, which details how the grounding clip creates one electrical path through the mounting rails for the ground.  Basically, the ground clip pierces the aluminum finish on the panel frame and the aluminum surface of the mounting rail.  With that electrical connection established, a ground wire is run between all of the mounting rails and connected to the grounding electrode system.  Keep in mind, that systems should have a continuous grounding path back to the service panel ground bar and cannot be bonded to the neutral or negative conductor of the PV system.

Not all electrical inspectors would accept this method and it is not currently part of the NEC, so it is better to check with them first.  Otherwise, it saves a lot of time, effort and materials to use WEEB grounds.

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28 Jan 10 | Solar Electric | Comments (0)
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