Springwater Environmental Sciences School

April 11, 2012 | 1 comment so far

In 2012, we decided to work with Springwater Environmental Sciences School in Oregon City on an educational solar array. Last year an 8th grader from the school contacted us looking for some guidance from a solar professional to help with her final project. We met with her and spent some time going over some of the basics of solar energy. This year when it came time to decide on a local project, Springwater immediately came to mind. We met with the principal of the school and discussed the idea of Future City Solar donating a small solar array. There would be no cost to the school and all electricity savings would benefit the school directly.

The principal was enthusiastic about the idea and also introduced us to four 8th grade girls who were interested in solar energy as the topic for their year end Capstone research papers. From early February 2012 and into March we met with the girls and answered some questions to help them refine their topics for the paper.

On March 12 we began installing the 1kW solar array on the roof of the school. The girls were eager to get up on the roof and help out but the principal and I decided that probably wasn’t the best idea. Instead they played the role of paparazzi snapping photos of the installation from below. The system consisted of (4) Solarworld 255W solar panels and (4) Enphase microinverters.

Now that the system is fully functional, you can check its production simply by clicking here. The Enphase monitoring system is really fun to play around with, so check it out!

Posted in Uncategorized |

Home Energy Monitoring and the TED Energy Detective

March 1, 2012 | Leave A Comment

Our New Portland Home

Recently, my wife and I bought our first home in North Portland. There were many reasons that we fell in love with the home but, being a solar installer, I was most excited about the South facing roof (prime real estate for my solar panels), and the TED home energy detective that came with the house.

My new friend TED

I had heard about these neat devices before, but I must say since moving in I have become addicted to monitoring our home energy usage. Our home is already quite energy efficient but it has been a revelation seeing exactly how much power we use when the heat pump outside kicks on.Our first few days in the house we were using about 20kwh per day. After readjusting the thermostat from 72 to 68 inside and to 66 at night our usage went down to 10kwh/day.

Knowledge is Power

Knowledge is power and if you have no way to monitor what you use how are you supposed to be thrifty about energy efficiency? Imagine you were grocery shopping and you didn’t get the bill for the entire month and you had no idea what each item cost you. That is how we consume our energy today.

Check out this great video below to learn more about TED.

Posted in Energy Efficiency, Solar Technology | Tags: efficiency, electric bill, TED Energy Detective

Solar Powered Ski Resort

February 7, 2012 | Leave A Comment

In the tiny town of Tenna in Switzerland local residents came together to replace the old and dilapidated ski lift at their local mountain resort. Instead of simply replacing the lift they decided to break some new ground and funded the world’s first solar powered ski lift.

The system produces 90000 kilowatt-hours per year or nearly 3 times the amount of energy needed to run the lift. The modules also are able to track the sun and shed snow when necessary.

So, when is Mt Hood going to follow suit and solarize its lifts?

Posted in Commerical Solar, Community Solar, Pacific Northwest Solar, solar design, Solar Technology | Tags: solar power, solar ski resort, solar technology

Low Tech Solar Bottle Bulb

February 6, 2012 | Leave A Comment

Low Cost Solutions for Lighting in the Developing World

Here in the US many of us take light for granted. We flip a switch and our incandescent, compact fluorescent, or LED lights up. Much of the world is without this luxury. Children huddle around kerosene lamps at night just to be able to study. Solar energy has the possibility of bringing light to many around the world but the technology is still expensive (but getting cheaper) and their are other hurdles as well (batteries, maintenance, installation). Many researchers and scientists are developing new innovative low cost measures to provide light for rural areas. One such technology that struck me as very innovative is the “solar bottle bulb”. The materials required are a plastic 1 liter bottle, sheet roofing metal, water, and chlorine.

Have a look at this video. Brilliant!

Posted in Solar 101, Solar Technology, Solar Videos | Tags: low cost solar, solar bottle bulb, solar videos

Portland Launches Community Supported Solar Initiative

February 2, 2012 | Leave A Comment

Portland Community Solar RFP

The Portland Bureau of planning and sustainability recently released an RFP (request for proposal) for “Private-Sector Partnerships to Finance Community-Supported Solar Electric Systems on Public Facilities”. In layman’s terms, an RFP to help generate models for community supported solar energy projects on public facilities.

The Problem

Not everyone has the ability to install solar panels on their home. They might be renters instead of homeowners, have a low credit score, have a roof with too much shade or an improper orientation, not have the funds for a residential size system, or live in a condo. There are numerous reasons why solar doesn’t work for everyone even if they are enthusiastic about the technology.

Non profits, schools, and public buildings also struggle to be able to install solar. Even though many of these institutions have ideal rooftops and sites for solar, they lack the tax appetite to make effective use of the available incentives. Without outside grant money, there is little financial incentive for these institutions to install solar panels.

What if there could be a way to connect the community members who want to be a part of a solar project but can’t with the non-profts and schools that need solar the most?

The Solution

Community solar is a way to connect community members, businesses, and non-profits in a collaborative way that benefits all. There are various models that have been used across the country with varying degrees of success. To read more about these different approaches have a look at our past article on community solar programs.

The Portland community solar RFP devised a simple flowchart that helps conceptualize the community driven approach.

At the center of the diagram is a local for profit business with a tax appetite that can benefit from tax incentives. The business initially owns the system and gets a 30% federal tax credit as well as the accelerated depreciation. The business also receives monthly production payments that come from Oregon’s feed-in tariff program. To make the deal economically viable for a business a part of the upfront cost would also need to be provided by community members. In exchange for community financial support, the members can receive either monetary reimbursement or some kind of tangible benefit (a coupon, retail item).

The non-profit/school/public facility is the site host and would be the beneficiary of a reduced energy bill and in the case of a school would have the educational benefits associated with having a solar array.

Posted in Community Solar, solar install oregon, solar installs oregon, solar panels, solar panels portland, solar power oregon | Tags: community solar, oregon feed-in tariff, solar in oregon, solar panels portland, solar power portland

USDA releases yearly funds to support renewable energy projects

January 24, 2012 | Leave A Comment

REAP grants available for solar

The USDA is seeking applications for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. REAP (Rural Energy For America) program grants are awarded on a competitive basis and can cover up to 25% of project costs. For 2012, the USDA has about $25.4 million for its annual budget to fund REAP activities, which will support $12.5 million in grants and the remainder in loan guarantee rewards. Oregon has seen it’s yearly REAP budget decreased by 2/3 this year resulting in a highly competitive program. This year we are only submitting applications for grants requesting $20,000 or less in funding ($80,000 total eligible project costs). Applications are due in by March 30th so there is little time to lose. Typical grant writing costs approximately $1600 for simplified $20,000 or less grant requests..

Below is an example of how the costs break down for a typical 9kW system installed on a rural agricultural property with Washington made solar modules and inverters. This system can produce on average about 9000kwh/year.

Cost: $67,500
REAP Grant: $16,875
Federal Tax Credit: $20,250
Washington Production Incentive Income: $40,000 (over 8 years)

Plus approximately $1000/year of energy savings and depreciation benefits.

Posted in Commerical Solar, Oregon Feed-in tariff, REAP grant, solar farms, solar install oregon, Washington Solar | Tags: agricultural solar, oregon feed-in tariff, REAP grant, Solar for farms, solar in washington, solar panels washington, washington production incentive, washington solar

Coeur de Terre Winery Solar Installation

December 26, 2011 | Leave A Comment

Solar Energy for Wineries

We just completed a solar install over at Coeur de Terre Vineyard in Mcminnville, Oregon. This 9.9kW system consists of 45 Solarworld modules and 45 Enphase micro inverters. Great Pinot Noirs and a great looking solar energy system. The perfect combination!

Posted in Project Profiles, solar install oregon, solar panels, solar power oregon, Uncategorized | Tags: coeur de terre winery, microinverters, solar install oregon, solar panels, solar panels mcminnville, solarworld

Solar Design by Fibonacci Numbers and Ancient Origami Constructs

December 19, 2011 | Leave A Comment

Unique solar energy designs

Design is the adaptation of means to a pre-conceived end. The end can be purely for aesthetic purposes or to improve efficiency, functionality or a combination of all three. It has been said that the genius of Steve Jobs of Apple fame was his ability to combine technology and design. The seemingly benign and ubiquitous vacuum cleaner was revolutionized by Sir James Dyson, who after over 5,000 failed attempts

designed the “cyclonic” cleaner for a more beautiful and powerful product.

When considering the “design” of a solar energy system, whether for residential or commercial purposes, it is hard to envision anything other than a linear concept, that is, straight lines of solar panels arranged next to each other. However, recently several experimenters thought outside the box and came up with solar system designs that are anything but linear.

Seventh grader discovers more efficient solar design

First, Aidan, a 13 year old seventh grader from New York entered a contest sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History in an attempt to win the “Young Naturalist Award.” On a winter hiking trip in the Catskill Mountains of New York, he noticed that contrary to his belief that tree branches were nothing more than a tangled mess, he saw a pattern in the way tree branches grew. His research project studied the complex design of trees and how they “are more efficient than humans in collecting solar energy.” The more that young Aiden learned and experimented, the more he thought about creating a new way to arrange solar panels. In trying to understand the spiral nature of branches on different types of trees (i.e. oak vs. maple) Aiden concluded that the pattern of the branches followed the “Fibonacci” sequence as did many other forms of nature. He states: “I designed and built my own test model, copying the Fibonacci pattern of an oak tree……In place of leaves, I used PV solar cells hooked up in a series that produced up to 1/2 volt, so the peak output of the model was 5 volts. The entire design copied the pattern of an oak tree as closely as possible.” Aiden placed his solar Fibonacci tree model and a linear array in his backyard for two months. He found that the Fibonacci tree array captured 20% more electricity and collected 2 1/2 times more hours of sunlight during the day. Here is a more detailed review of the project. You can read more about Aidan’s project here as well. However, this claim of young Aiden has not been without controversy as it flies in the face, as some people believe, of common sense. For a review of the controversy surrounding Aiden’s project see this link.

Solar Origami

Jeffrey Grossman is an MIT power engineering professor. He states that standard flat solar panels are only “optimized to capture sunlight at one point of the sun’s trajectory-otherwise they need automated tracking systems to follow the sun.” In his attempt to increase the efficiency of the design itself of a solar array he turned to the ancient art of origami. He found that folded solar cell systems could produce constant power throughout the day and didn’t need tracking. He claims that his new designs are “up to 2 1/2 times more efficient per comparative length and width than traditional flat arrays.” ” Like young Aiden, Grossman was inspired by the way that trees spread their leaves in all directions to maximize their exposure to the sun. He worked with MIT graduate student Marco Bernardi to create a computer program that mimics the process of evolution. The computer program would randomize patterns of exposed surfaces and then choose the most efficient one to start the next generation — how Darwinian.

What resulted were gorgeous sun-capturing shapes that resemble origami. In some structures the surfaces also reflect upon each other, intensifying the sunlight and increasing energy gain. Grossman noticed that the larger the shapes, the more effective the arrays were — sometimes they reached 120 KWh per day when a traditional array would generate 50 KWh. He is continuing his research to find the most effective folding patterns and has teamed up with Professors Vladimir Bulović and David Perreault of EECS to create a prototype system.”

I don’t think that we’ll be seeing these designs in the backyards of urban areas as traditional flat panel arrays seem more appropriate. However, I can envision some of these designs springing up in our future cities, where Fibonacci Solar Trees or Origami Solar Constructs represent a bold message that the 21st century will be the age of renewable power.

Posted in solar design, solar panels, Solar Technology | Tags: efficiency, solar cell efficiency, solar design, solar panels, solar power, solar technology

Solar Farms

December 12, 2011 | 1 comment so far

Solar Farms are Sprouting Up Across the Country

The following appeared in the Vancouver Sun on December 2, 2011: “The sun does, however, have superpower potential. It is free, clean, and bathes the Earth with about 100,000 terawatts (trillion watts) of energy per year, which far exceeds the 15 terawatts humanity now consumes.” That is a whopping 6,666 times more than we use and only begs the question why don’t we utilize this free and clean energy source. Although not widely reported in the main stream media, it appears that an inexorable movement has begun towards utilizing this energy source thanks mainly to the various policies instituted by federal, state and local governments. Also, market forces have driven the cost of solar down to the point the grid parity can be achieved in large scale projects. One particular policy of note are mandates that utilities produce a certain percentage of their energy portfolio from renewable energy sources. The result is the birth of solar farms, large solar arrays on commercial buildings, and aggressive rebate programs to entice homeowners to invest in solar energy.

There is no exact definition of what constitutes a “solar farm.” However, it is the kind of thing that you know it when you see it. The following list represents true “solar farms” that no one would dispute. They are referred to as “photovoltaic power stations” (this list taken from Wikipedia).

“As of December 2011, the largest photovoltaic (PV) power plants in the world are the Golmud Solar Park (China, 200 MW), Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant (Canada, 97 MW), Montalto di Castro Photovoltaic Power Station (Italy, 84.2 MW), Finsterwalde Solar Park (Germany, 80.7 MW), Ohotnikovo Solar Park (Ukraine, 80 MW), Lieberose Photovoltaic Park (Germany, 71.8 MW), Rovigo Photovoltaic Power Plant (Italy, 70 MW), Olmedilla Photovoltaic Park (Spain, 60 MW), and the Strasskirchen Solar Park (Germany, 54 MW).[1]
There are also many large plants under construction. The Desert Sunlight Project is a 550 MW solar power plant under construction in Riverside County, California, that will use thin-film solar photovoltaic modules made by First Solar.[2] The Blythe Solar Power Project is a 500 MW photovoltaic station under construction in Riverside County, California. The Agua Caliente Solar Project is a 290 megawatt photovoltaic solar generating facility being built in Yuma County, Arizona. The California Valley Solar Ranch (CVSR) is a 250 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic power plant, which is being built by SunPower in the Carrizo Plain, northeast of California Valley.[3] The 230 MW Antelope Valley Solar Ranch is a First Solar photovoltaic project which is under construction in the Antelope Valley area of the Western Mojave Desert, and due to be completed in 2013.[4]” This trend of ever increasing large commercial solar farms will only accelerate as we move forward.

Warren Buffet invests in solar

Consider the Topaz Solar farm project presently under construction in California which will be the second largest solar farm in the world. It will produce 550 megawatts (a megawatt is 1,000,000 watts) and it is estimated that it will be able to power 160,000 homes. It is being constructed on the Carrizo Plain on the eastern edge of San Luis Obispo County and is scheduled to be completed by 2015. The solar farm was a project by First Solar, a large publicly traded manufacturer of thin film panels. However, the project was struggling to secure the necessary financing. Several days ago, Warren Buffett through MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co.—part of Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway—announced that it had entered into “definitive agreements” with First Solar to take over the $2 billion, 550-megawatt photovoltaic power plant. When a person of Buffett’s stature gets involved, solar energy is turning a corner. The Topaz project is a risk-free stable stream of profitable income for 25 years, exactly the kind of investment the likes of Buffett require. What is interesting to note is that “the project will be decommissioned and restored to habitat after 35 years of operation.” This trend towards solar farms will continue as “tax credits for wind in the U.S. expire at the end of next year, while solar ones run till 2016.”

Large scale Oregon projects

Large scale solar projects are being built here in Oregon too. Consider a project that came to life in Aurora, Oregon. Under Portland General Electric’s solar payment option program, which buys electricity produced by customers and transfers it to the electric grid, the 500 kilowatt system is also Clackamas County’s largest ground-mounted solar array, practically hidden on some of the area’s oldest farmland. It cost $2,000,000.00 and was 50% financed by Umpqua Bank. It generates $20,000.00 a month for the owner and will be profitable after seven years. For further information on a project of this size or smaller contact jesse@futurecitysolar.com.

Posted in Commerical Solar, Pacific Northwest Solar, solar farms, solar install oregon, solar installs oregon, solar panels | Tags: oregon feed-in tariff, solar farms, solar in oregon, solar panels, solar power

Recent Solar Installs in Portland Metro Area

November 17, 2011 | 2 comments so far

Here are some photos from recent solar installations in the Portland metro area. These installs are using Solarworld modules and Enphase micro inverters.