Solar Leasing – Power for Pennies

Innovative leasing programs are opening new markets for solar panels and new opportunities for generating clean electricity – and at a much lower cost to consumers.

Correspondent Patty Kim visits the Cincinnati Zoo to learn how a new financing model connects solar power investors and manufacturers with people who want to install solar arrays on their homes and businesses to lock in low prices for decades.

Empower Energies Seeks North American Renewable Energy Projects In Need of Financing

US renewable energy investment advisory services and development company specializes in connecting bankable projects with financing.

Empower Energies, LLC, a global renewable energy investment advisory services and development company headquartered outside Washington, DC, announced the availability of new funding sources for renewable energy projects, with an emphasis on North American ventures.

“We’re looking to immediately secure more bankable renewable energy projects,” said Len Jornlin, President and CEO of Empower Energies. “Over the next 45 days we’re prioritizing projects for domestic investors and several visiting international due diligence teams on site visits to the US.”

The company’s consortium of investors is seeking to finance or acquire clean energy projects, developers, or manufacturers according to the criteria listed in this downloadable pdf. This group will also consider co-investment in renewable energy funds.

“We are exclusively focused on Renewables,” Jornlin noted. “That is our forte. Our partners are primarily interested in solar, wind, and biomass projects, and in developers with “live? projects.”

Empower Energies offers extensive financing and development expertise in the renewable energy business worldwide. Since 1994, its management team has experience in the pioneering clean energy companies of their time on the ground in more than 45 countries across Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Empower Energies provides fit-for-market solutions which accelerate development and entry or expansion into growing markets. Working closely with a unique mix of financing partners, the company understands and manages risk – especially in emerging markets – and delivers attractive returns on investment and measurable local economic development.

Although the organization specializes in emerging clean energy markets worldwide, Empower Energies is a US-based company, and is currently focused on the rapidly-developing North American marketplace.

“Solar, in particular, has been a cyclical business,” Jornlin continued. “Investment has traditionally focused where government support intersects with a strong technology base, manufacturing capacity, local development capability, and an engaged public. Right now no markets are hotter than the United States and Canada.”

Empower Energies helps local developers do more faster with less risk, by providing financial resources, proven expertise, and global relationships. The company provides select partners in emerging clean energy markets with an array of branded, adaptable tools and services engineered to enable accelerated time-to-market, ROI, and risk management.

Since its founding in 2009, Empower Energies has originated and executed confidential investor transactions amounting to more than $378 million, including the monetization of “orphaned” or distressed solar and wind projects.

About Empower Energies, LLC
Founded to finance and develop clean energy projects globally, Empower Energies, LLC also specializes in helping overseas Renewable Energy companies compress their North American market entry timeline. With a focus on solar electric projects, the organization’s principals provide extensive experience in solar photovoltaic CPV, biomass and other renewable energy technologies as well. Empower Energies has significant experience across the solar value chain, and offers a successful track record since 1994 in established and emerging solar markets around the world. To date, Empower Energies has provided investment advisory services and clean energy investment opportunities valued at $378 million. The company is headquartered just outside Washington, DC, in Frederick, MD, USA.

Removing the Rare Element Shackles from Solar Energy

By Daryl J. Ehrmantraut

Our future energy requirements depend on reaching the ‘holy grail’ of electricity generation – Finding a cheaper alternative to coal and other fossil fuels. The availability of an alternative energy source would also contribute significantly to energy self-sufficiency in North America.

Every hour more energy from the sun hits the earth than the world’s entire population consumes in a single year. Given this abundance, solar energy is our world’s most obvious energy choice. Why then, is less than 1% of our global electricity supply powered by solar energy? Because the industry has been unable to harness the three critical success factors for global solar deployment – high efficiency, low cost and high materials availability for deployment on a global scale.

Current solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies generate electrical power by converting solar radiation into an electric current using semiconductor material. The process involved is called the photovoltaic effect (PV). Today, solar PV cannot be realized on a worldwide scale because neither of the two main technologies presented today; crystalline silicon PV and thin-film PV, completely address the three critical success factors. Crystalline silicon PV possesses high efficiency using abundant materials but they are very expensive to manufacture. It wins on two of the 3 critical success factors. Thin-film PV on the other hand is cheap to manufacture but has low efficiency and relies on rare and toxic elements in its manufacture. It wins on one critical success factor. Furthermore most thin-film technologies use dangerous, toxic materials including cadmium telluride and indium among others.

Despite the challenges, the global market for solar PV technology is growing very rapidly. Some analysts predicting solar PV could contribute as much as 10-15% of our global electricity by 2050.
As we seek to move solar energy into the mainstream, we need to retain the industry’s green integrity and bypass the pitfalls of electronic waste.  Creating safe, affordable solar energy solutions requires research and development that eliminates the sector’s reliance the scarce and dangerous elements that are in limited supply, toxic, difficult to mine, or found only in select, sometimes geopolitically unfriendly regions of the world.

At Quantum Solar Power Corp., we are developing NGD™ a solar PV device which we believe will address all 3 critical success factors –high efficiency, low cost and high scalability through the use of abundant non-toxic materials. We believe Quantum will win on all three critical success factors. Quantum’s revolutionary approach to solar PV design will revolutionize the solar power market. We invite other solar technology companies and manufacturers to join our quest to create safe, affordable solar technology solutions that will literally light up the lives of people across the world.

There is no doubt that our predicted energy needs have a “sunny” future. According to the American Solar Energy Society, U.S. manufacturing of PV components — wafers, cells, and modules — has increased substantially year-over-year, with growth rates demonstrated at 97%, 81%, and 62% respectively. In 2009, the U.S. solar industry grew 36% to nearly $4 billion and supported the addition of 17,000 new jobs.

It is important for our geopolitical future that we create a clean energy economy along with a strong energy policy. A sunny future for our children demands that we continue to create green sector jobs that replace our dependency on fossil fuels with renewable energy through wind turbines, hydro-electric power and solar photovoltaic technologies that make solar energy a globally deployable, environmentally smart energy source.

About the author:
Daryl J. Ehrmantraut is Chief Executive Officer, President & Director of Quantum Solar Power Corporation, www.quantumsp.com, which is developing a “Next Generation Device” (NGD™) photovoltaic technology. Mr. Ehrmantraut lives and works in Vancouver, Canada.  He can be reached at info@quantumsp.com

Dept of Energy Investing $50 Million to Advance Domestic Solar Manufacturing Market

DOE announced on August 2 its $50 million investment over two years for the SUNPATH program. The program is designed to help the United States reclaim its competitive edge in solar energy manufacturing. SUNPATH, which stands for Scaling Up Nascent PV AT Home, is the second Photovoltaic Manufacturing Initiative supporting DOE’s SunShot Initiative.

SUNPATH seeks to increase domestic manufacturing through investments that have sustainable, competitive cost and performance advantages. It will help companies with pilot-scale commercial production scale up their manufacturing capabilities, enabling them to overcome a funding gap that often curtails domestic business at a critical stage. By bridging this gap, SUNPATH will help ensure that innovative, low-cost solar technologies are manufactured in the United States.

The United States maintained a dominant share of the global solar market in 1995, manufacturing 43% of the world’s PV panels. It has declined steadily to just 7% by 2010. DOE is seeking applicants with industrial-scale demonstrations of PV modules, cells, or substrates that offer lower-cost solutions in line with the SunShot goal. Applications are due by October 28, 2011. See the DOE press release, the application requirements at the Funding Opportunity Exchange, and the DOE SunShot Initiative.

Introducing The Bikini That Can Charge Your iPhone

Photo: Preston Noon

Swimwear has come a long way since its mere itty bitty bikini days — new styles often have enough Lycra and slimming technology to give the wearer a whole new body. Even so, current fashion designers are about to encounter a totally different kind of competition: Andrew Schneider, a multimedia designer, is bringing the art of swimwear into a new era.

His bathing suit combines design with electronic engineering: thanks to 40 thin and flexible photovoltaic strips connected by conductive thread, his bikini can generate enough energy to charge your iPod or iPhone in the same amount of time your laptop could. The bikini, which also contains a USB port for easy plugging in, can still be used for swimming (though not while charging, and it must be completely dry before using as a charger).

See complete article at thehighlow.com

Silicon Energy Unveils One of the World’s Strongest Extended Warranties for PV Systems

Woodland Park Zoo

Silicon Energy, a manufacturer of world-class solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for the North American market, announced today that it has extended its Silicon Energy Cascade PV System Power Warranties by five years. Based on over two years of field performance data and extensive third-party testing by NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), Silicon Energy’s decision to extend its product warranty makes it one of the strongest warranties in the industry.

“We are committed to making solar a mainstream energy source with products that are safe, durable, maximize energy production, increase energy harvest, are aesthetically appealing, and support our local economy and environment with smart manufacturing practices,” said Gary Shaver, president, Silicon Energy. “Customers who choose Silicon Energy for their PV systems are choosing best-in-class products, now backed by one of the industry’s top warranties.  Our product lifespan, application flexibility and optimized energy harvesting capability make our product a great investment.”

For Silicon Energy’s growing network of partners and contractors who sell and install the company’s PV systems, the extended warranty provides an added incentive for customers who want a long-term system that boasts a 40+ year usable life and innovative design that provides completely sealed wiring to make it extremely safe, a theft-resistant mounting system, the highest industry fire rating, and frameless design that allows water, dirt, snow and ice to easily flow off for optimal light access and energy creation even in extreme weather conditions. The Silicon Energy glass-on-glass construction also enables installations such as awnings, carports, patio covers, and bus shelters.  For those design-conscious customers, the company also provides custom color mounting hardware for visual continuity.

Silicon Energy’s extended warranty is available starting July 1st for its Cascade PV System.
·  Limited Product Warranty Materials & Workmanship: 5 years
·  Limited Power Warranty:

Power Output Table
1-15 years (up from 10 years) ? 90% PMAX
16-30 years (up from 25 years) ? 80% PMAX

In addition to presenting its extended warranty, Silicon Energy recently has been able to reduce its pricing as a result of manufacturing improvements and strengthened vendor relationships.

“When choosing Silicon Energy PV systems, our customers are making a sound investment in solar, their local economy, their environment, and clean energy creation for many, many years to come,” closed Shaver.

About Silicon Energy
Founded in 2007, Silicon Energy delivers the highest quality and durable photovoltaic (PV) modules on the market today.  Made in Washington and Minnesota, Silicon Energy’s sustainable approach to doing business offers customers a durably-made, locally-manufactured product that was created without negative environmental impact.   The company’s philosophy of supporting the local and US economy and commitment to creating long-lasting, aesthetically pleasing PV allows customers to be confident that they are reducing their carbon footprint through solar installations and contributing to local business. Silicon Energy PV Systems are available through select partners for home, commercial, government and utility installations.  For more information about Silicon Energy, please visit www.silicon-energy.com or call (360) 618-6500.

Solar Contractors Embrace Pictometry Online™ Aerial Imagery Solutions

Pictometry Online™, a web-based technology providing a vast library of high resolution aerial images, is now offering solar contractors a new quick, easy, and accurate way to assess solar installations.

Pictometry maintains a global image library containing millions of continually updated aerial oblique images of properties across America. When combined with Pictometry software and accessibility, this library transforms into Pictometry Online™ – a one stop web resource where contractors can go to view and measure roof space, determine title and direction of the roof, and even identify shade issues or potential obstacles in installation.

Using a fleet of Cessna aircraft each equipped with a patented camera system, Pictometry’s patented image capture technology captures every square foot of an area in high resolution detail, from both orthogonal and oblique angles, giving Pictometry’s imagery something traditional aerial imagery or even satellite and GPS mapping can’t provide: a detailed metric oblique view of geographic and structural features.

“Determining whether or not a home or commercial building is suitable for mounting solar panels is a big part of the job,” said Kevin Reilley, President of Pictometry Business Solutions. “Pictometry enables solar installation contractors to pre-qualify jobs right from their computer. This saves costly runarounds and speeds up the installation process, saving contractors time and money, while reducing carbon emissions.”

“Our goal is to make it easier and cheaper to install solar panels,” said Reilley. “Pictometry helps contractors reduce costs in assessments, bidding, staging, marketing, sales and support, while increasing their performance and ultimately, customer satisfaction.”

David Henry, Co-Owner and Commercial Project Development Director of Namasté Solar in Colorado, describes how his company uses Pictometry Online™

1) How long have you been using Pictometry Online?
We have been using Pictometry Online for nearly 2 years. Our Commercial Design Team began using it first and found great value, then our Residential Team. Pictometry Online has greatly improved both teams efficiency.

2) What were you using before them?
We primarily relied on Google Earth and onsite visits to take actual measurements. We found Google Earth to be much less versatile, accurate and efficient than Pictometry Online

3) What are some advantages of using Pictometry Online?
There are several advantages. For our Commercial Team, especially as we begin to perform work in new regions, we can easily call up a building roof virtually anywhere in the nation, view very recent images in a very high resolution which not only allows us to see shade structures, but also gas lines, and in many cases we can get a sense of the roof type and to some degree roof condition. Quickly being able to identify project viability while on the phone with our clients is a major timesaving and greatly aids us in the project qualification process.

Secondly, being able to take accurate roof measurements is enormously beneficial, especially as drawing sets can be difficult to get for many buildings that we work on. This allows us to design Photovoltaic systems with more confidence than if we had to rely on Google Earth.

4) Was the system hard to learn?
Absolutely not. Very intuitive to use and many of the features are easy to figure out. There are also helpful guides available right in the program that can step you through how to use all of the features. If that doesn’t work for you, the folks at Pictometry have always walked me through any questions I have had.

5) How is Pictometry used in your particular business?
We are a solar PV systems design and integration firm that works on a national scale. We rely on Pictometry to allow us to quickly view the roof tops of commercial buildings nationwide, and residential homes in Colorado during the project qualification process, and we continue to rely on Pictometry throughout the project cycle for design and project management purposes. Pictometry has increased our efficiency and minimized the amount of time required on-site allowing us to service more clients over time.

6) Can you take us through the procedure of how it is used step-by-step?
We start by entering the project address into the search window and then scan the particular building from all angles, take some area measurements and try and get a sense of overall project viability. We will often use the images available in Pictometry as a layer in AutoCAD so that we can easily create a system layout and site plan. Once the design phase is complete, these images and drawings will make their way into the client proposal. We will continue to rely on Pictometry as the project evolves through the implementation phases and is also very useful in communicating to our Project Managers about the overall project and helps in the creation of an overall site specific safety and logistics plan.

7) If you had to do without Pictometry what would you do?
Let’s just say it would make our business lives much more difficult if we did not have Pictometry.

8) Who makes up the bulk of your clients?
A majority of our work comes from Commercial solar PV clients, with less than half of our work coming from residential clients.

9) How much do you think you save in dollars and cents by using Pictometry?
We haven’t tracked this yet, however, my hunch is that on the commercial side of our business, it has increased our efficiency by at least 20%.

10) Anything else you would like to add?
Overall, Pictometry has been a great value for us. It has played a part in our continued success and not only is the product/service itself very helpful; the customer service throughout our relationship has been very responsive and helpful.

About Pictometry Online™
Pictometry is a leading provider of geo-referenced aerial, oblique image libraries and related software. With customers throughout the U.S. and licensing partners around the globe, Pictometry uses a proprietary image capture process to produce Pictometry Intelligent Images®, so you can See Everywhere, Measure Anything, Plan Everything.® Additional information about Pictometry is available online at http://www.pictosun.com

About Namasté Solar
Namasté Solar is a values-based, employee owned solar electric company dedicated to the betterment of the planet by bringing clean, reliable, and affordable renewable energy technologies to homes, businesses, and nonprofits. See website for more information, http://www.namastesolar.com