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Why Conservatives Are Bad on Energy: It’s All About the Costs
By Tom Rooney, CEO, SPG Solar
Conservatives, let’s talk about energy. And why so many conservatives are so
wrong — so liberal, even — on wind and solar energy.
Let’s start with a recent editorial from the home of ‘free markets and free people,”
the Wall Street Journal. Photovoltaic solar energy, quoth the mavens, is a “speculative
and immature technology that costs far more than ordinary power.”
So few words, so many misconceptions. It pains me to say that because, like many
business leaders, I grew up on the Wall Street Journal and still depend on it.
But I cannot figure out why people who call themselves “conservatives” would
say solar or wind power is “speculative.” Conservatives know that word is usually
reserved to criticize free-market activity that is not approved by well, you
know who.
Today, around the world, more than a million people work in the wind and solar
business. Many more receive their power from solar.
Solar is not a cause, it is a business with real benefits for its customers.
Just ask anyone who installed their solar systems five years ago. Today, many
of their systems are paid off and they are getting free energy. Better still,
ask the owners of one of the oldest and most respected companies in America who
recently announced plans to build one of the largest solar facilities in the
country.
That would be Dow Jones, owners of the Wall Street Journal.
Now we come to “immature.” Again, the meaning is fuzzy. But in Germany, a country
1/3 our size in area and population, they have more solar than the United States.
This year, Germans will build enough solar to equal the output of three nuclear
power plants.
What they call immaturity our clients call profit-making leadership.
But let’s get to the real boogie man: The one that “costs far more than ordinary
power.”
I’ve been working in energy infrastructure for 25 years and I have no idea what
the WSJ means by the words “ordinary power.” But, after spending some time with
Milton Friedman whom I met on many occasions while studying for an MBA at the
University of Chicago, I did learn about costs.
And here is what every freshman at the University of Chicago knows: There is
a difference between cost and price.
Solar relies on price supports from the government. Fair enough — though its
price is falling even faster than fossil fuels are rising.
But if Friedman were going to compare the costs of competing forms of energy,
he also would have wanted to know the cost of “ordinary energy.” Figured on the
same basis. This is something the self-proclaimed conservative opponents of solar
refuse to do.
But huge companies including Wall Mart, IBM, Target and Los Gatos Tomatoes figured
it out. And last year so did the National Academy of Sciences. It produced a
report on the Hidden Costs of Energy that documented how coal was making people
sick to the tune of $63 billion a year.
And that oil and natural gas had so many tax breaks and subsidies that were so
interwoven for so long, it was hard to say exactly how many tens of billions
these energy producers received courtesy of the U.S. Taxpayer.
Just a few weeks ago, the International Energy Agency said worldwide, fossil
fuels receive $550 billion in subsidies a year — 12 times what alternatives
such as wind and solar get.
Neither report factored in Global Warming or the cost of sending our best and
bravest into harm’s way to protect our energy supply lines.
Whatever that costs, you know it starts with a T.
All this without hockey stick graphs, purloined emails or junk science.
When you compare the real costs of solar with the fully loaded real costs of
coal and oil and natural gas and nuclear power, apples to apples, solar is cheaper.
That’s not conservative. Or liberal. That comes from an ideology older and more
reliable than both of those put together: Arithmetic.
New Freeloader Solar Charger Puts the Power of the Sun in Your Hands
Gloucestershire, UK – In today’s society, it’s virtually impossible to go a day without use of a cell-phone, MP3 player, or digital camera. With that dependence on hand-held technology and lifestyles that are becoming increasingly on-the-go, a dead battery is a very real nuisance and searching for an outlet to recharge can be an insurmountable burden. Recognizing the demand for convenient and affordable power sources, Solar Technology International is launching its line of Freeloader Solar Chargers, which harness the power of the sun, in the United States.
By channeling power to Li-ion batteries through its solar panels, the Freeloader Solar Chargers are able to reliably power any hand-held device anywhere, anytime—essentially freeloading power from the Sun. Solar Technology International offers three different versions of the Freeloader, all of them providing a sleek, compact design along with an environmentally conscious mentality.
“Being able to free load the energy from the sun, and use that to power all of the gadgets that we use day-today; that is our vision,” says Adrian Williams, President of Solar Technology International. “We provide that with the Freeloader. It’s something that everyone from techies to greenies to anyone who is constantly on the go can appreciate.”
New to the US, the standard Freeloader appears as a stylish aluminum body the size of a cellular phone. Utilizing two 120mA solar cells, the standard Freeloader can charge the 1000mA lithium-ion battery in as little as eight hours. The standard Freeloader can power an iPod for 18 hours, a mobile phone for 44 hours, a PSP for 2.5 hours, a PDA for 22 hours and much more. MSRP $59.99 USD.
New for the worldwide marketplace, and designed to provide free and infinite power to almost all portable electronic devices, the FreeLoader Pro is the perfect eco-friendly, pocket sized partner for an endless array of gadgets such as mobile/smartphones (including the iPhone and Blackberry), mobile gaming devices, MP3 players, GPS devices, e-books, PDAs, and more. Included with the Freeloader PRO is the CamCaddy accessory, which gives the Freeloader PRO the unique ability to charge compact digital, DSLR and video camera batteries. The Freeloader PRO uses two 200mA solar cells to power a 1600mAh lithium-ion battery which can provide a mobile phone with 70 hours of standby time, 5,000 page turns on an eBook, or fully charge a digital camera battery. MSRP $119.99 USD
Also completely new for the worldwide market, the Freeloader PICO is the ideal travel buddy for virtually any portable electronic device. Boasting an extremely lightweight and tiny design, the Freeloader PICO can provide enough power to keep a mobile phone running for 35 hours or an iPod for 14 hours. When fully charged, the PICO will charge a gadget in just 30 minutes using one 75mA solar panel which powers an 800mA li-ion battery. MSRP $29.99 USD
The Freeloader Solar Chargers are currently available for purchase at www.freeloadersolar.com and will be at select retailers nationwide starting May 1, 2010.
About Solar Technology International
Solar Technology International designs and produces a range of solar products that allows users to harness solar energy. The solar panels capture the sun’s energy and convert it to electrical current to power a range of appliances. Solar Technology’s panels use Crystalline silicon technology, the latest in solar technology to harness power which is more efficient than amorphous or thin film solutions, particularly in lower light conditions. To find out more about Solar Technology’s product range, please visit: www.freeloadersolar.com
One Block Off the Grid (1BOG) Launches New Solar Group Purchase Program in Denver
One Block Off the Grid (1BOG), the nation’s largest solar group purchase provider, today announced the launch of a new solar group purchase program in the Denver area. The program offers Denver homeowners a solution that reduces the cost and confusion traditionally associated with the solar buying process.
After an intensive selection process, 1BOG has selected REC Solar as partner to conduct the group’s solar system installations. Homeowners who join the 1BOG community are eligible for online and offline support, information and fixed discounted pricing. With zero down financing options, homeowners can install systems for free and save money from day one.[1]
After a month-long process of vetting local installers, 1BOG selected REC for their excellent group pricing, proven record of successful installations nationwide, premium products and long-term warranties.
“Colorado is one of the country’s leading solar states, so we are excited to bolster local solar adoption with a group program that makes going solar easy and affordable for homeowners,” said Dave Llorens, CEO of 1BOG. “Our 2009 Denver 1BOG campaign with REC Solar was a huge success. We are confident that this one will make a significant dent on the state’s goal of 100,000 solar rooftops by 2020.[2]”
“We are thrilled to have been selected as 1BOG’s partner for the upcoming Denver program,” said Cary Hayes, Senior Regional Manager at REC Solar. “We have worked with 1BOG in several markets around the country and have found the group model to be great for our business and our customers.”
The 1BOG Denver solar program is available now to local homeowners from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs including the cities surrounding the Denver area through October 14, 2010. For more information, details about pricing and products or to sign up, visit the 1BOG Denver homepage at www.SolarDenver.1BOG.org.
About One Block Off the Grid
One Block Off the Grid (1BOG) helps you buy solar panels for your home by researching local solar installers, negotiating group discounts and managing the entire solar buying process from beginning to end—at no cost. 1BOG membership is free and gives homeowners access to exclusive, pre-arranged group discounts, educational tools and advice from an experienced team of solar advisors. Homeowner members are confident that 1BOG’s installation partners have been carefully vetted on products, install practices, long-term stability as a company, as well as a great group discount rate. 1BOG was founded in 2008 in San Francisco, California and has active solar programs in 15 markets across the United States. For more information, visit www.SolarDenver.1BOG.org.
About REC Solar
REC Solar, Inc. specializes in grid-tied solar electric design and installation, offering affordable solar solutions for all residential, commercial, government and utility customers. With a local presence in all major solar markets in the USA and millions of watts installed, REC Solar is committed to lowering the cost of solar power through efficient processes, innovative products and outstanding customer service. REC Solar has installed more residential solar electric systems in the US than any other company. REC Solar is among the nation’s largest solar integrators and currently has over a dozen offices throughout five states (AZ, CA, CO, HI, and OR). For more information, visit www.RECsolar.com.
[1] Financing subject to credit approval
[2] http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/GovRitter/GOVR/1251575069016
Envision Solar Announces the LifeVillage, a ‘Solar City in a Box’
Envision Solar International, Inc. (OTCBB:EVSI), a leading solar planner, architect and inventor of clean energy systems, announces its newest solar innovation, the LifeVillage, which offers rapid and widespread deployment of safe, system-built, solar-integrated buildings that provide shelter and clean energy in times of crises.
Using the most cutting-edge and efficient solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, Envision Solar’s LifeVillage offers clean energy and durable steel-framed buildings where traditional electrical power generation and the associated transmission and distribution infrastructure cannot go. At 3,500 square feet of habitable area, the LifeVillage has the unique potential to provide a solar powered clinic and/or schoolhouse, residences, purified water, refrigeration and modern communications facilities.
The LifeVillage can also be tailored to an extensive array of applications, depending upon the situation and need. At up to 50kW of generation capacity, the LifeVillage can provide electricity to the surrounding community, offering power for such needs as charging cell phones, solar lanterns, and batteries for hundreds of families.
Integrated with large battery systems, the LifeVillage provides clean and reliable power at any hour of the day or night which is especially beneficial in times of crisis. These solar integrated buildings can be rapidly installed on site in just a few days by unskilled workers.
In an effort to build the best possible product that could be shipped to remote locations, Envision Solar partnered with Nuconsteel to frame each LifeVillage using light gauge steal. Envision Solar’s partnership with Nuconsteel includes access to the Mobile Framing Solution, roll former and light gauge steel technology, all of which offer a distinct and easily-deployable feature for the LifeVillage product.
By assembling the LifeVillage onsite, Envision Solar can cut down on the need for a manufacturing plant, costs, time, and labor significantly. Fabricating onsite also considerably reduces costs associated with shipping, and allows commoditized steel to be sourced in-country, if available.
“In light of the recent earthquake activity and rebuilding efforts in countries like Haiti, it is crucial for under-developed nations to have a quick, reliable energy solution, like the LifeVillage, in times of crises,” said Robert Noble, CEO of Envision Solar. “The LifeVillage is comprised of very simple, moderately-sized buildings that can do very big jobs – like provide purified water, refrigeration, medical facilities and transmission capabilities for cell phones, Internet, radio and television – in a time when recovering communities need help the most.”
For more information on the LifeVillage or other solar parking arrays created by Envision Solar, visit envisionsolar.com
Constellation Energy Completes Solar and Wind Installation for University of Toledo
BALTIMORE, Mar. 29, 2010 – Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) today announced that its subsidiary, Constellation Energy’s Projects & Services Group, has completed installation of a 1.2 megawatt solar and wind power system at the University of Toledo’s Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation in Toledo, Ohio. The campus will utilize solar and wind power to generate electricity and the university’s commitment to sustainability also provides students with firsthand educational experiences with renewable technologies.
“Renewables have a twofold importance for colleges and universities that are looking to improve their sustainability and expose students to careers in alternative energy,” said Mark Huston, managing director of retail energy, Constellation Energy. “We are proud to have developed this project with the University of Toledo and look forward to years of clean energy production as well as years of inspiration for a generation of students that will embark on green careers.”
“The creation and production of clean, renewable energy sources is vital to the way we power our world. That’s why The University of Toledo created the Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation,” UT President Dr. Lloyd Jacobs said. “Our relationship with Constellation Energy for the solar and wind electric generation systems on that campus will help students and researchers advance the technology that will power our future.”
The project utilizes thin-film-on-glass photovoltaic solar technology that was originally developed based on research at the University of Toledo. Constellation Energy’s Projects & Services Group also installed a 132-foot wind turbine at the site. Together, the solar and wind systems are expected annually to generate power equivalent to the amount of electricity used by 140 homes in a year. Generating that same amount of electricity using non-renewable sources would result in the release of more than 1,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and the equivalent of the emissions from 200 passenger vehicles annually.
Constellation Energy finances, designs, constructs and owns these solar installations and supplies power generated on-site to the customer over a period of 15 to 20 years. This creates an attractive and affordable model that requires no upfront capital from customers, such as The University of Toledo, and reduces customers’ use of power from the electrical grid and associated carbon emissions. Constellation Energy’s Projects & Services Group has developed a number of renewable energy projects for universities throughout the U.S., including a 17.1 megawatt system under development on the grounds of Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md., that will be one of the largest solar installations in the U.S. when completed.
Constellation Energy currently has approximately 25 megawatts of on-site solar projects completed or under development throughout the U.S., and announced last month that it has set aside $90 million to fund the development of similar solar installations in 2010. Qualifying projects of 500 kilowatts generally require at least 100,000 square feet of roof space or two acres of open ground. Colleges and universities and other commercial customers interested in developing solar projects can contact Constellation Energy at Sustainable-Solutions@constellation.com or 1-877-427-2005.
Constellation Energy’s Projects & Services Group utilized the design and build services of Advanced Distribution Generation (ADG) LLC of Northwest Ohio for the project. Plug Smart Solutions consulted and managed the project for the University of Toledo. Solar panels were supplied by First Solar, and photovoltaic inverters were supplied by PV Powered. The wind turbine was manufactured by Wind Energy Solutions (WES) of Holland.
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About Constellation Energy
Constellation Energy (www.constellation.com) is a leading supplier of energy products and services to wholesale and retail electric and natural gas customers. It owns a diversified fleet of generating units located in the United States and Canada, totaling approximately 7,100 megawatts of generating capacity, and is among the leaders pursuing the development of new nuclear plants in the United States. The company delivers electricity and natural gas through the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), its regulated utility in Central Maryland. A FORTUNE 500 company headquartered in Baltimore, Constellation Energy had revenues of $15.6 billion in 2009.?
Will Konarka’s solar plastic finally hit the big time with its new $23.8M?
By Camille Ricketts, Green.Venturebeat.com
Konarka, maker of a unique solar plastic, is an old company. In nine years, it has raised more than $150 million from the likes of Chevron, New Enterprise Associates, and the government. But it’s had little to show for it on the market. That could change with a new round of funding (its seventh) that closed today, totaling $23.8 million, according to a filing with the SEC.
Will the company finally have what it needs to step out of the shadows?
Money isn’t Konarka’s only strength. Its technology is actually pretty special too. Its patented photovoltaic material, called Power Plastic, is more efficient than even the best thin-film systems devised by the likes of First Solar and Solyndra. It is lightweight, portable, and perhaps most importantly, flexible — making it suitable for a host of interesting applications ranging from rooftops to apparel.
Click link above for complete article.
SunEdison to Build 50MW of PV Solar for Xcel in New Mexico
SunEdison, a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials (NYSE: WFR), and Xcel Energy’s (NYSE: XEL) regional operating company, Southwestern Public Service Company, announced a deal for five photovoltaic solar installations in New Mexico that will total 50 megawatts (MW) in generation capacity.
The five 10MW sites, to be located in Lea and Eddy counties in southeastern New Mexico, will comprise a utility-scale, ground-mount system that will be fully operational by the end of 2011. In total, the installations will generate enough power for more than 10,000 homes in its first full year of operation.
This total project will enable Xcel Energy to continue meeting New Mexico’s renewable portfolio standard, which requires that regulated electric utilities meet 15% of their electricity needs by 2015, and 20% by 2020, through renewable energy sources.
The five installations will be built, financed and maintained by SunEdison, under a 20-year solar power services agreement (SPSA) with Xcel Energy, which will buy the solar power generated by the plant.
This project eclipses the 8.22MW (DC) solar power system SunEdison activated for Xcel Energy in Alamosa, Colorado in December 2007.
SunEdison finances, installs and operates distributed power plants using proven photovoltaic technologies, delivering fully managed, predictably priced solar energy services for its commercial, government and utility customers.
Solar wafer maker MEMC acquired SunEdison in October 2009.
The Green Rush Is On In China
by Louisa Lim, NPR.org
A new gold rush in China is actually a green rush — an urgent drive to develop green technologies. One group of Western companies, the Cleantech Initiative, suggests China’s market for renewable energy could eventually be worth as much as $500 billion to $1 trillion a year.
Now, Obama administration officials are warning that the U.S. could risk losing the race in green technologies.
“The future of sustainable energy is here.” The words are emblazoned on a wall at the world’s largest nongovernmental solar research center. It was built by an American company, Applied Materials, in the central Chinese city of Xian.
The cost of solar panels has dropped dramatically — 30 percent in the past year alone. One major reason is the “China price,” or the competitive advantages offered by Chinese manufacturing, with its cheap labor and economies of scale. China is now the world’s biggest producer of photovoltaic solar panels, making about 40 percent of all panels, according to the China Daily, mostly for export.
At Applied Materials’ $250 million research center in Xian, Elizabeth Mayo, a process engineer from Santa Clara, Calif., is working with local staff testing solar panels in the Sunfab panel reliability test lab. This simulates extreme weather conditions, and the company boasts that it is the world’s only laboratory capable of testing 61-square-feet solar panels.
Mayo is impressed by the facilities in Xian. “We don’t have facilities like this in the U.S. We don’t have anything of this magnitude,” Mayo says.
Catrina Ren, an enthusiastic English-speaking engineer, beams while showing a visitor another facility at the research center: vast empty hangars waiting for new pilot lines for crystalline silicon, and thin film solar technology to be installed. “I’m very proud I have chance to work here,” she says. “This is most advantaged tech center in world. I graduated from university only two years ago. I’m very proud.”
And Applied Materials is no doubt overjoyed to have Catrina and her former classmates on staff. Costs in China are much cheaper than in the U.S. An engineering graduate in Xian earns one-tenth of her American counterparts.
And the biggest draw is the eternal lure of China’s fabled market. Gang Zhou, general manager of Applied Materials Xian facility, says the company has decided to put its money where its customer base is.
“China is No. 1 producer of solar panels. That’s where our market is. The China new R&D center, that’s where we validate a lot of R&D work that is being carried out in U.S. and in Europe,” he says.
Click link above for complete article.
Boulder City to have nation’s largest solar PV array
By Stephanie Tavares, Lasvegassun.com
Boulder City is soon to be home to yet another large solar plant, thanks to Sempra Generation receiving final approval to sell solar energy generated in the Eldorado Valley to a California utility.
The company received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission today to sell energy to California’s Pacific Gas and Electric. Sempra will begin construction next month on a 48-megawatt solar thin film power plant, an expansion of its existing 10-megawatt solar plant located near a Sempra natural gas plant along Highway 95.
The two solar plants combined will create the nation’s most powerful solar photovoltaic array, outdoing Nellis Air Force Base’s 14-megawatt photovoltaic array by dozens of megawatts.
The new Boulder City plant will take at least a year to build and will employ more than 200 construction workers and electricians during the building phase, said Sempra President Michael Allman.
“It will be a mix of job types,” Allman said. “Some are for trained electricians but some of the work is basic construction work: installing posts in the ground and installing brackets to hold the panels. … We expect to fill the vast majority of the jobs locally.”
This will be the first solar project built since Sempra completed its 10-megawatt array last December. There are several other projects planned, but most would be on federal land which has a longer permitting process.
The solar energy corridor in Boulder City is owned by the city and is already zoned for solar energy development allowing for fast tracked permitting.
“The land was zoned and ready to go,” Allman said. “We just entered into a lease and we’re off and running. You can’t compare that to BLM land that’s similarly situated with the flat land and the transmission lines, the permitted process is much more complicated and a lot slower.”
New solar energy product could revolutionize industry
From CoolerPlanet.com
A newly announced development from Dow Chemical may change the solar energy industry for homeowners in the coming years.
Dow’s new Powerhouse solar shingle is said to incorporate photovoltaic technology into a roof shingle, potentially allowing people to use their entire rooftop to generate electricity at a reasonable cost. According to the company, the new shingles will be on the market in limited quantities next year, becoming more widely available in 2011.
“These types of innovative products not only showcase our deep scientific and technical expertise but also demonstrate how our commitment to R&D is fueling Dow’s future growth agenda around the world,” said company chairman Andrew Liveris.
The news was also hailed by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm because of the green manufacturing jobs the new product is expected to bring to the state, which has it headquarters in the city of Midland.
The technology is said to involve thin film technologies that have been growing more common throughout the industry. In the coming years, thin film technology may provide advanced new applications for solar energy technology, such as wrapping or printing solar generating material onto a variety of surfaces.
