Solar Solutions

A new report titled  “Solar Heating & Cooling: Energy for a Secure Future” lays down a plan for the expansion of solar heating and cooling (SHC) systems.

By educating the public and policymakers about the benefits and availability of solar thermal water heating solutions, SEIA hopes to expand the rebates available for the technology as a way to increase the amount of solar energy usage throughout the United States.

Media coverage of the solar industry tends to pay more attention to its impact on the energy sector. Although this is certainly a crucial area where photovoltaic (PV) power can have a positive effect on energy consumption and carbon emissions, it should be noted that 44 percent of energy consumption in the U.S. comes from heating and cooling applications, such as water and space heating, air conditioning and steam generation. This is where solar thermal applications can play a larger part.

SEIA recommends that the United States set a goal of increasing its solar thermal capacity from 9 gigawatts (GW) to 300 by 2050. Doing so could provide the American economy with $61 billion in annual savings, while helping to create over 50,000 jobs and increase manufacturing output by $1.9 billion. It would also offset 226 million tons of CO2 emissions annually, which is similar to take 47 million passenger cars off the road.

Among the policy prescriptions that Pilgaard and his colleagues propose is an expansion of incentive programs that are already in place to encourage more homeowners, businesses and institutions to adopt solar energy for their heating and cooling needs. These include renewable energy tax credits, rebates for SHC systems and ensuring that renewable portfolio standards, which require utilities to procure a certain amount of their energy from renewable sources.

They want to make sure that when homeowners decide to rely on Orange County or Los Angeles solar power for their water heating and temperature control needs, they receive similar credits and rebates as if they had installed a solar electric system.

In the past few years, the United States has made great strides to better integrate solar energy into the electric grid. Hopefully, the American public and elected officials can make similar efforts to expand the role of SHC systems.

Last Sunday, the AMECO Solar team attended the Solar Decathlon at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. We walked through the Solar Village where 19 solar-powered, energy efficient homes were designed and built by collegiate teams from around the world.

While it was inspiring to see the students’ innovative approach to solar electric and thermal installation, we were most impressed by their enthusiasm about solar energy and energy efficiency. You could see they took pride in their work and were enthusiastic to share the knowledge gained over the two years it took to prepare for the competition. AMECO Solar staff came away from the event with some favorites.

West Virginia University’s PEAK

The home was designed as a modern take on a typical Appalachian home with cabin-like features and lots of wood detailing. It boasts a living garden on the rooftop along with a PV array and solar hot water panels. Energy usage from the entire home can be accessed through a tablet or mobile device so that home owners can track their consumption and adjust their usage accordingly. This home has a particularly cozy atmosphere and seemed the most live-ready. Also, we felt that the overall design has a wider appeal than some of the other uber modern homes in the Solar Village.

University of Southern California’s fluxHome

When you first walk up to the USC solar home, you immediately notice the metal-like covering. It’s a thermally responsive envelope around that house that regulates air flow and provides additional insulation. Inside, the bedrooms open up to the main living area where the kitchen, living room and dining room are all in one large space with a loft-like feel. We like how the solar panels were installed in a discrete way so that they were not visible from the walkway. But, sometimes it’s the little things that count. We were most impressed by the retractable skylight in the bathroom that automatically opens and closes. Not only is the skylight a beautiful architectural accent, but it’s also built for function as it lets warm air exit easily to keep the house cool.

Stanford University’s Start.Home

Knowing that all families are different, Stanford designed a modular home built around a mechanical room that houses the equipment for the solar electric and thermal systems. Home owners can easily customize the home by adding additional bedrooms or offices as needed. We were most intrigued by the prototypes that the team created. For example, each room has a special light switch where you can turn lights on and off with quick swipe (similar to a swipe you would use on an iPad or mobile phone). By swiping the switch with four fingers, you can turn the power off in the specific room allowing for more energy conservation (a lot easier than unplugging all your devices when leaving a room).

Each solar home is measured in 10 different contests ranging from architectural design and market appeal to affordability and energy balance. As of today, Santa Clara University is currently in the running for first place with University of Nevada Las Vegas not far behind.

You can see photos of the solar homes on the AMECO Solar Facebook page. If you are in the Los Angeles or Orange County areas, you still have time to see the event in person. Public viewing hours for the Solar Decathlon start up again today and will extend through the weekend. Visit the Solar Decathlon website for more info.

The most recent numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that new housing construction is rising as the economy recovers from the recession and existing housing stock fills up. As the housing market picks up and more single family and multi-family residences are built, Americans may notice that many of the new units will come with solar panels on the roof.

SunPower Survey Reveals High Interest in Solar

SunPower — a manufacturer known for its highly efficient solar panels offered for installation by AMECO — conducted a survey and found that six of the ten biggest home builders in the country, are including solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on newly constructed houses. Because of rising demand for clean energy technology and favorable public policies, solar power is becoming more of a priority for these firms and their customer base.

There are a number of reasons for this trend. First and foremost is the fact that Net Energy Metering and government rebates and incentives have made solar an extremely popular investment that guarantees a positive return on investment. Another is that it tends to be less expensive to install solar panels at the time of construction, rather than after the home is already built. Lastly, it’s easy to fund the solar project by embedding the cost into a mortgage.

California Leads in Solar for New Constructions

The inclusion of solar panels on new homes is largely a California phenomenon, according to Megan McGrath, a real estate analyst with MKM Partners LLC who was interviewed by Bloomberg News.

This is due to our state’s more solar-friendly regulatory environment and favorable outlook towards renewable energy. A few cities, including Lancaster, California, have even begun requiring that all new homes within the town limits be built with solar panels already installed.

Having solar panels installed on your home at the time of construction is a great way to take advantage of the numerous benefits of solar power. You’ll be able to claim the various local, state and federal incentive programs that make California solar energy such a great investment, while saving money on installation costs if you decide to purchase the panels.

Earlier this year, AMECO Solar applied for LADWP & SCE’s Net Energy Metering program on behalf of two of our customers who had wanted to install solar panels along with a battery storage system. Since it was a process that had been allowed in the past and was previously acceptable to these utilities, we were surprised to receive notice that the applications were rejected.

Shortly thereafter, we received a memo from the utility company that was sent to all solar contractors in Orange County and Los Angeles. In this letter, SCE stated, “If a renewable generator is modified so that the battery storage system is integrated into the generator, SCE cannot separately meter the energy from the renewable PV generator and the non-renewable battery”.

In simpler terms, the utility claims that there is no way of knowing whether the solar owner is selling back power that was originally generated from the solar panels or from the electric grid itself. SCE assumes that solar owners are “gaming the system” by charging their batteries with nonrenewable power and then selling it back to the utility during peak times as if it was generated by their PV systems.

The accusation seems ridiculous to both solar owners and companies. Most solar customers install a battery storage system so that they can use solar energy in the event of a power outage. Moreover, the majority of battery backups do not have the capacity to send power back to the grid. The few dollars “saved” by selling nonrenewable energy back to SCE would not make up for the large investment needed for such back-up batteries used in a household.

As a result of this new interpretation, future solar owners would be denied entry into the Net Energy Metering program if batteries are also installed. Even worse, it is probable that any solar NEM generators with battery backup who had previously been granted entry would now be denied participation in the program as well.

Currently, the only solution is to redesign a solar electric system so that the batteries are metered separately. It’s an expensive undertaking and adds significant costs to installation, which will most likely deter solar customers from pursuing this option.

The California Public Utilities Commission is trying to work out a deal with utilities that would let customers who have purchased solar battery backups participate in Net Energy Metering programs without the possibility that they could be selling grid-produced power back. Though, there is no clear indication of when the issue might be resolved.

Since these types of systems make up only a small portion of the overall solar market, SCE’s recent efforts to deny battery storage systems can be seen as another way to attack solar customers and the solar industry. Without the benefits of the NEM program, the payback period of solar system installation is extended and owning one becomes less attractive. Less solar customers producing their own renewable energy means more customers for Edison using non-renewable energy, which ultimately means more money for the utility’s bottom line.

Because of the obstacles detailed in this article, AMECO Solar does not currently offer solar battery backup systems as part of our solar installation services. While we aim to provide the most comprehensive solar experience possible to our customers, we do not want to place our clients in a position where they may not be able to realize the full potential and value of their solar panels because of utility rate policies.