Radioactive Trash Bags with Solar Array in Background

I noticed a picture in the Wall Street Journal of the Tsunami Zone in Japan with trash bags full of radioactive waste with a solar array in the background.  How ironic right?  It seems obvious to me that solar is a better energy source than nuclear reactors.  When there's a radioactive spill they have to evacuate entire cities.  When there's a solar spill they just call it a nice day!

On the opposite page of the page there was a small article about how warming waters are destroying Australia's Great Barrier Reef.  No connection was mentioned connecting the two articles, but to me alarm bells are going off.  How many more signs do we need that we need to change course?

Federal Tax Credit Extension Brings More Solar to Durango

The Federal government extended the tax credit for solar another five years!  This tax credit will greatly help the expansion of solar in the US and more specifically in the greater Durango area.  Solar is really catching on both nationally and internationally so I'm very happy to see our congress has chosen to keep the momentum going and further promote solar.  

Durango Solar Evolution with StorEdge

SolarEdge, a manufacturer of solar inverters, has officially partnered with Tesla to be the exclusive provider of inverter technology for their up coming Powerwall.  It looks like all SolarEdge inverters will also be backwards compatible with the new Powerwall.  This is exciting news as self-generation of electricity moving into the next phase.  Initially the Powerwall is being marketed as backup power for grid tied solar systems, which is a great reason to invest in the technology since the Durango area can have outages in rural and urban areas.  I hear a lot of interest in backup solar power in the Durango area and this is a product that I think I will be able to offer with confidence.  StorEdge can also be used to increase self-consumption and reduce peak demand.  In the Durango area these two features are not yet economically applicable since there are no residential demand charges... yet.  For commercial customers in the area the possibility of reducing peak demand can shave quite a bit off of a bill.  Some commercial electric bills are 50% demand charge so if that peak demand can be reduced they could save a lot and have backup power for any outages.

Where I think things will get interesting with StorEdge is when projects are limited on solar output because of infrastructure deficiencies on the utility side (think old, small wires that are at capacity because they were installed in 1950 when there were only two houses on the street and now there are 30).  If the StorEdge can be set to limit the amount of power fed back into the grid, perhaps larger projects could be approved without costly upgrades to the utility infrastructure; paid for by the utility customer wanting to install solar.

Another use of StorEdge down the road could be the option to defect from the grid entirely.  I personally don't want to see things go this route because I think that grid tied solar has many benefits and could add much resiliency to the existing power grid in the Durango area for solar and non-solar customers alike, but it might come to pass that this is the most economical decision to make.  This would mean no base rate charge for the meter, no rate change surprises down the road such as demand charges, and no approval needed from the utility.  The Rocky Mountain Institute has been talking about this for some time now and StorEdge is definitely pushing things in that direction.  This is an exciting development and looks more and more promising as the details emerge.

What the Powerwall means for solar in Durango

Tesla's announcement of the Powerwall has created quite a buzz in the alternative energy arena.  What does it mean for solar in Durango?  Honestly its too soon to tell, but I think it has the potential to disrupt the existing models of power generation and usage.  If Elon can deliver what he announced, then solar in Durango just got a lot more interesting.  More to come.

Fighting wars with solar panels

In a follow up to my last post on 'Solar and national security', I thought I'd share some interesting stats on the use of solar by the US military.  The US military is the world's largest consumer of energy and is now looking at solar in a big way.  Tanks, trucks, generators, etc. use a lot of energy and unfortunately a lot of soldiers have died transporting fuel from A to B.  The Pentagon has now set a goal of providing "50 percent of the power used by the Navy and Marines come from renewable energy sources by 2020".  This is a huge shift for the military and one that could change the solar industry.  

The war in Afghanistan saw the first marines to use portable solar panels in the battlefield.  Additionally there are numerous military bases around the world that are now equipped with solar power.  I think as we see a shift towards autonomous military vehicles, perhaps powered by electricity, the role of solar in fighting wars will become ever more important.

Solar and national security

So when I first heard that the Pentagon listed global climate change as immediate risk to national security I thought, "finally, they get it".  This is a global problem with global implications even for rich countries like the United States.  Below is a quote from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel:

“But the challenge of global climate change, while not new to history, is new to the modern world. Climate change does not directly cause conflict, but it can significantly add to the challenges of global instability, hunger, poverty, and conflict. Food and water shortages, pandemic disease, disputes over refugees and resources, more severe natural disasters – all place additional burdens on economies, societies, and institutions around the world.”

- Secretary Hagel

(source: http://www.acq.osd.mil/ie/download/CCARprint.pdf)

This is coming from a guy that opposed the Kyoto protocol; I guess we're all wrong sometimes.  

Solar vs S&P 500

HOW DOES A SOLAR INVESTMENT COMPARE TO THE ALTERNATIVE?

If you look at the historic average return on investment of the S&P 500 vs. a solar system you can see what a solid investment solar is.  These two charts below compare your annual and cumulative return on investment if you invested the same amount of money in either the S&P 500 or in a solar system.  The steady return on your investment with solar would be a better long term investment (and easier on your stomach than the roller coaster of the stock market).

Your solar investment dollars will grow more quickly than the S&P 500, when compared to the last 25 years of the S&P 500.

And since your investment in solar is a savings compared to earnings in the stock market, you won’t have to pay taxes on the solar investment return!  And by the way, because the price of electricity is very unlikely to decrease in the future and solar panels today have a 25 year warranty, your investment is very low risk.

Why Solar?

This is a very important question.  Why Solar?  

While pursuing my degree in Environmental Studies I was presented with a lot of global problems and potential solutions.  Everything ranging from overpopulation in Africa to deforestation in the Amazon.  So why did I choose solar when I was looking for a way to give back?  Because there are only four sources of energy on our planet and solar is the biggest one, that's why...

So what are these four sources of energy you ask?

1. Chemical

This is the one that most people think of when they think of energy.  This is everything that gives off energy in some chemical reaction such as burning.  Coal, petroleum, nuclear, natural gas, etc.  So the important thing to remember about this energy source is that it is limited.  Lots of people argue about what the limit is, but the fact is there is a limit.  We are using this faster than it can be replaced.  This is also an important concept in this discussion; sustainability.  In a nutshell, if you're using something faster than its being replaced, its not sustainable.  If you spend more money than you make every month, eventually you'll be broke.  Depending on your bank account balance it might take months or decades, even generations.  But eventually you, or your descendants, will be broke...

So, we're burning up the chemicals available to us faster than they're being replaced.  

2. Geothermal

The center of the earth is hot.  This is caused by gravity.  I'm not a geologist or physicist, but I think we can all agree that these two facts are correct.  This heat can be harnessed with geothermal pumps, etc.  I don't know the details, but the my understanding is that the options are limited and eventually hot springs cool off if you put too much hot water out of them.  I'm summarizing.  

3. Lunar

This one gets people every time, but the moon creates a little energy on the earth with tides.  As the moon pulls water around the globe, the water molecules rub against each other and create friction which produces a little heat.  There are also ways to harness this energy and people do.  In certain areas of the world there are pretty big tides and they let the moon pull water into a bay with a level for example.  When the tides goes out and the water wants to run from the bay back to the ocean, people let the water run through a turbine and create electricity.  This is a beautiful way to harness lunar energy, but I haven't figured out how to do it in Colorado yet...

4. Solar

I of course saved the best for last.  As I mentioned before, solar is the biggest source of energy on our planet earth.  You can google the exact figures, but its a lot.  So the sun shines on earth all the time and causes wind, rain and just plain heat.  So hydro is really solar.  Wind is solar.  And direct sun on solar panels is solar.  

So this pretty broad, long term view of energy resources available to the inhabitants of earth (you and me), hit me in college.  Eventually we all need to get our energy from the sun, so why not start now?

I'd love to hear your comments on this macro concept.  Thanks for reading.