CleanTech.Org

From industry publications to national press, the Government’s decision to reduce subsidies for solar panels on homes has generated wide coverage and condemnation over the government’s rushed attempt to stem the increasing number of solar installations. The industry has pointed to a resulting risk to thousands of jobs, damage to the whole industry, and “huge economic uncertainty”. The recent challenge by Friends of the Earth and two solar companies, Solarcentury and HomeSun, has culminated in the High Court ruling that the decision was ruled “legally flawed”.

While we have heard many arguments against the Government’s action, some in the industry have put forward a different point of view, suggesting that, while the Government’s handling was clumsy, the funding could indeed be better used to achieve more widespread energy saving measures for householders with no subsidies required.

In his blog for HVR Magazine, consultant Mike Malina writes: “The problem with this [solar PV funding] is it’s not equal and those at the poorer end of society see few of the benefits...

“Gimmicks to provide a bit more ‘green bling’ have negatively impacted on areas where the money could have been spent, for example, providing more targeted lower carbon and energy saving measures like insulation, controls and making sure householders’ heating systems were set up correctly and re-commissioned for optimal performance.”

HVR Magazine editor Ian Vallely, commenting on the Feed-in Tariff, blogs: “The starting point should be reducing the demand for energy in the first place by fitting effective insulation (the Green Deal has an important part to play in this respect); next, use energy more efficiently; thirdly, supply energy from renewable sources; and finally, ensure that any continuing use of fossil fuels employs clean technologies and is as efficient as possible.”

This is reinforced by Mark Northcott, MD of Remeha Commercial, who argues in an article on Future Technologies in H&V News 14 December that “We live in a frugal economy where, despite our social and political responsibility to provide affordable food and fuel, in Europe the cost of fuel continues to spiral ever higher… In my view, it is essential that any low carbon and low NOx technology we use from now on is both affordable and replicable. It’s important too that when developing or producing new technology, we examine our fuel resources and use the fuel as cleanly as possible. Gas is still the cleanest fuel available, offering the shortest payback and cheapest installation costs, allowing us to fulfill our responsibility to provide affordable energy...

“Renewables are an important part of the mix, but it is important that this technology should be truly sustainable both environmentally and financially. Technology that relies on Government grants is almost certainly doomed to failure.”

All these industry experts argue for improved energy efficiency, for technologies that offer significant energy savings to householders and businesses to achieve our carbon reduction targets - and all this with a short financial payback.

The great news for householders is that what might sound like a future technology is in fact here already.

The GasSaver is a patented energy saving device that sits on top of your boiler and captures the heat otherwise lost from even high efficiency A-rated condensing boilers up the flue. It then uses this captured energy to help heat hot water for your home.

In real terms, it gives you a typical annual saving of 37% of the energy otherwise required to deliver hot water. Or, to put it another way, the GasSaver delivers more usable hot water than a typical solar hot water system, just by extracting all the energy from the gas that you have already paid for.

Over the next 4 years it could save customers £1 billion in gas bills, reduce carbon emissions by 1 ¼ billion tonnes, reduce poverty, and save water as hot water arrives at the tap sooner.

The GasSaver is manufactured in the UK, recommended by the Energy Saving Trust, approved under the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS), recognised under the Government’s SAP scheme and can be used to count towards the energy rating of a dwelling.

A fitting New Year’s resolution would be to make this existing British technology standard in new boilers. It’s win win all round, after all.

Since the Ontario government launched North  America’s first Renewable
Energy (RE) Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) program last fall, thousands of megawatts of Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) have been awarded to private solar energy developers and integrators operating in the province. Despite the government’s generous 20 year secured contracts, many renewable energy companies in the region are still finding it difficult to secure the necessary capital to fund the construction portion of their projects, and as a result, several projects are now coming up for grabs. 

“Many companies are too focused on securing as many property leases as possible, as fast as possible, without putting enough emphasis on the projects themselves.  A lot of work needs to go into making sure that the FIT contracts you get are the ones you want. The contracts are very specific and can’t be altered. Basically you have to get all your ducks in a row before you can get your panels in a row.” stated Mr. Martin Baldwin, a former international banker and Chief Financial Officer for Atlantic Wind & Solar - A leading publicly traded, renewable energy company headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

The “ducks in a row” that Baldwin refers to is preplanning, design, and engineering plus the addressing of key issues such as equipment bankability, proven operating and maintenance platforms, and project rates of return. Although these issues vary from region to region they are the key fundamentals of the industry. “You have to find the right blend of cost, compensation for the property, return for the company, return for external investors, and other components specific to the Ontario market before you can even start a finance discussion. Financing is a key component to these projects, even for companies that plan to fund the equity portions internally” Baldwin further explained, following with “Ontario has an enormous appetite for power and the Ontario Power Authority has a strong commitment to renewables. There is a vast amount of commercial sized rooftops and even more farmer’s fields on which to produce power. We believed from the beginning that the race would not be for FIT contracts and leases but for financing. This focus has served us well”.

The seeming lack of project funding in the province is not necessarily being viewed as a bad thing by some of the larger, better funded companies. In fact, Atlantic believes this is simply a case of Darwinism at it’s finest, where only the strong survive, while the smaller companies either drop off, or simply get acquired. The company confided that through consolidation, their Ontario project pipeline has grown by almost 15% in the last few weeks alone.

In response, the company recently announced that it has launched a Wind and Solar Project Financing Division, designed to assist other solar integrators and developers in bringing their projects into full construction by providing the necessary guidance and possible funding where others would not.

While waddling to the finish line – It appears that slow and steady may be a key factor in winning the renewable energy race in Ontario.

By theSolarGazette.org 

 

The Ontario Government’s decision to promote clean renewable energy is now proving to be a catalyst for creating thousands of new green collar jobs in the province.

The controversial procurement program, launched last fall by the Ontario Power Authority, which is commonly referred to as the Feed In Tariff (FIT) program, offers to pay private energy producers generous rates for electricity generated by renewable sources (i.e. solar, wind, hydroelectric, etc.) for contracted periods of twenty years. In order for renewable energy power producers to qualify for these long term – high premiums, over half of the materials they use to build their clean energy power plants must be made in Ontario. This local content requirement rule has created a gold rush-like mentality for international manufactures who are now flocking to the province to qualify. One year after the program was initially introduced, the number of new green collar jobs being created in the region is substantial.

  Canadian Solar, one of the world’s largest solar panel manufacturers, with operations in China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, and the United States, has started to build a solar module manufacturing plant in Guelph, Ontario. The multi-million dollar complex will supply 500 new jobs as early as next year.

  The Town of Oakville has been chosen by Solar Semiconductor to host its first North American solar module manufacturing facility. The company has expanded into Ontario from India, with expectations of opening the doors to its new plant within the next two years. The facility will train and employ 200 new employees.

  Italian-based solar panel manufacturer, Silfab, is making its move into the province. Its new facility will be operational as early as mid-2011 and is also expected to employ 200 new employees.

  German appliance giant, Bosh, leading Canadian electronics manufacturer, Celestica, and several others are also in the process of opening new solar manufacturing facilities and creating many, many more jobs.

  Before making a leap from the uninterrupted power supply (UPS) industry where it specialized in building back-up power main-frames for computer systems, Aim Global Energy of Richmond Hill developed a new inverter technology which increases the output of solar energy by up to 30%. After partnering with publicly traded Atlantic Wind & Solar, a Toronto-based renewable energy company with over 100 large-scale rooftop solar energy projects in the GTA, Aim has begun to expand its manufacturing operations into Toronto’s Scarborough area. The region’s unemployment rate was significantly impacted after a recycling plant in neighboring Whitby announced it would be closing its doors, affecting 151 employees. The timing of FIT could not have been better for many Ontario residents.

  In addition to new jobs being created, the FIT program is creating many new opportunities for trained professionals who are now reapplying their job skills and work experience.

  Solar Clean was originally formed by firefighters who recognized that solar maintenance presented a unique opportunity to reapply many of their skill sets. The attributes of being rigorously trained in electrical hazard awareness, how to work safely with water around high voltage systems, the use of safety equipment such as fall arrest systems, operating elevated devices, and ladder safety techniques, are proving to be beneficial in this new sector. The company predicts it will increase in size by four to six times in the next 12- 18 months.

  A number of opportunistic real estate sales agents in the province who may have been feeling the effects of a softening real estate market are now supplementing their incomes by helping local clean power producers find suitable vacant farm lands and commercial rooftops to lease for the deployment of new wind and solar energy parks.

  A Toronto-based company named CommSite Works Inc., who is best known for securing commercial rooftops used to host cellular phone antenna towers, has been actively closing rooftop lease agreements to facilitate utility-scale solar energy parks. The progressive company, which has an exclusive arrangement with a leading Toronto-based solar company, reported that it is also in the process of significantly increasing its staff in order to facilitate the new niche market.

  Some lawyers who specialize in real estate law are adding renewable energy development to their practices. Ms. Cherie Brant of Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP specializes in the planning, structuring, and implementing of renewable energy projects and related transactions with special emphasis on First Nations related projects. Ms. Brant also works with rooftop solar developers, and through her established connections, she finds solutions to financing and other installation challenges that new industries such as this often face. She credits her background in telecommunications leasing and involvement in the legal and policy issues of this growing industry with giving her a competitive edge when delivering added value to her clients.

  Roofers are now becoming solar panel installers. Commercial shelving manufacturers are now converting their steel fabricating shops over to building racking systems used for solar panels. Logistics companies specializing in the transporting of various freights are now focusing on gaining new contracts to ship solar panels and wind turbines. Construction crane operators are now booking rooftop solar construction projects and are also being asked to use their equipment to erect wind turbines. Even once abandoned automotive manufacturing plants are now being converted over to build wind turbines while hiring back many of the same personnel who once worked at these very factories on automotive assembly lines, before being laid off.

  Thousands of green sector stakeholders are now officially beginning to feel the positive effects that the Ontario’s Green Energy and Green Economy Act was designed to bestow. It is reassuring to know that as these new green collar jobs and the new opportunities the sector brings with it increase, so too will other new ways of doing business.

Ontario took a bold step in developing a private procurement program. Not only has it successfully begun to wean the province off of its dependency on electricity generated by harmful CO2 emitting sources, but Ontario has also successfully implemented a job creation program that is set to leave the rest of North America green with envy.

I'm looking for data on the efficiency of CSP solar in relation to ambient temperature, i.e. curves that show how net energy output decreases with rising temperature because of increased cooling needs. Any idea where the best place to find that would be?

TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 24, 2009-- First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) today announced it reduced its manufacturing cost for solar modules in the fourth quarter to 98 cents per watt, breaking the $1 per watt price barrier.

“This achievement marks a milestone in the solar industry’s evolution toward providing truly sustainable energy solutions,” said Mike Ahearn, First Solar chief executive officer. “First Solar is proud to be leading the way toward clean, affordable solar electricity as a viable alternative to fossil fuels.”

First Solar began full commercial operation of its initial manufacturing line in late 2004. From 2004 through today, manufacturing capacity has grown 2,500 percent to more than 500 megawatts in 2008. First Solar’s annual production capacity will double in 2009 to more than 1 gigawatt, the equivalent of an average-sized nuclear power plant. These escalating volumes have been accompanied by a rapid reduction in manufacturing costs. From 2004 through today, First Solar’s manufacturing costs have declined two-thirds from over $3 per watt to less than $1 per watt. First Solar is confident that further significant cost reductions are possible based on the yet untapped potential of its technology and manufacturing process.

First Solar is not only committed to making solar power affordable but also to making it environmentally sustainable. The Company takes responsibility for its products throughout their life cycle, ensuring that First Solar modules have the smallest carbon footprint of any current photovoltaic (PV) technology. First Solar is proud to have the industry’s first and only comprehensive pre-funded, end-of-life module collection and recycling program, recycling more than 90 percent of each collected module into new products.

Ahearn expressed thanks to governments in Germany and other countries for making today’s milestone possible. “Without forward-looking government programs supporting solar electricity, we would not have been able to invest in the capacity expansion which gives us the scale to bring costs down,” he said. “First Solar’s ongoing focus on cost reduction enables continued growth even as subsidies decline. In the meantime, those initial investments are paying off in a cleaner environment and in the creation of thousands of jobs with a clear future.”

“This represents a major milestone for the solar industry,” said Ken Zweibel, an industry veteran currently serving as Director of the Institute for the Analysis of Solar Energy at The George Washington University and former Program Leader for the Thin Film Partnership Program at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. “In order to address climate change in a meaningful way, we need energy technologies that are affordable, scalable and have a low environmental impact on a life-cycle basis. With this announcement, First Solar continues to demonstrate the ability of thin film PV technology to provide an alternative to traditional fossil fuels and for solar power to provide a meaningful contribution in addressing climate change."

About First Solar

First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) manufactures solar modules with an advanced semiconductor technology and provides comprehensive PV solutions that significantly reduce solar electricity costs. By enabling clean, renewable electricity at competitive prices, First Solar provides an economic and environmentally responsible alternative to existing peaking fossil-fuel electric generation. First Solar PV power plants operate with no water, air emissions or waste stream. First Solar set the benchmark for environmentally responsible product life cycle management by introducing the industry's first comprehensive collection and recycling program for solar modules. From raw material sourcing through end-of-life collection and recycling, First Solar is focused on creating cost-effective renewable energy solutions that protect and enhance the environment. For more information about First Solar, please visit www.firstsolar.com, or www.firstsolar.com/media to download photos.

For First Solar Investors

This release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The forward-looking statements in this release do not constitute guarantees of future performance. Those statements involve a number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including risks associated with the company's business involving the company's products, their development and distribution, economic and competitive factors and the company's key strategic relationships and other risks detailed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. First Solar assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release or with respect to the announcements described herein.

Source: First Solar, Inc.

First Solar, Inc.
United States:
Lisa Morse
+1-602-414-9361
media@firstsolar.com
Europe:
Brandon Mitchener
+49-6131-1443-399
media@firstsolar.com

The HH2 Hydrogen Clean Air Exhaust System is Patent Pending and ready for mass market exposure.  5 million will get the product into the mass market.  Results show total emission reductions on typical vehicles:  Example:  1999 Lincoln Town Car, Zero Emissions; 1999 Cad Northstar V8, MPG went from best 20 up to Mid to high 30's on the Highway; 09' Ford Fusion test shows Hwy MPG better than same car Hybrid version; CNG Honda shows great power boost, great MPG improvement and smoother performance.  All of these vehicles are client owned.  Visit the website:  www.HH2.US and see more info.  The whole company can be acquired for the right price.  California market alone is in the Billions, this is must for every vehicle as it reduces fuel consumption, eliminates up to 99% of greenhouse gases and toxic emissions, it is approved for Sale by California Air Resouces Board, and it will add thousands of jobs, in manufacturing and sales,service and support.  Cities and governments can apply for stimulus $$$ to fund installation in vehicles.  Fuel savings alone can save millions for cash strapped cities and towns, Los Angeles alone could save 10 or 20 million dollars in fuel bills and untold millions in maintanence and repair bills.  This product is for all vehicles, it fits any type of vehicle and brings older vehicles back to life with pep and power.  If synthetic oil is installed after HH2, vehicle can go 5000 or 10000 miles between servicing, and then only change the filter, because the oil never gets contaminated and never gets dirty or full of wasted unburned fuels.

City:  Canoga Park State:  CA
Email:  Dzup@HH2.US