San Diego Pilot Program Opened The Doors For Calif. Solar Thermal Market

The California Solar Water Heating Pilot Program, which operated in the San Diego area during 2007-2009, helped drive a statewide program for rebates for solar thermal applications, according to a new report from the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE). CCSE administered the pilot program for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

More than 340 residential and commercial solar water heating systems were installed in the San Diego region during the 30 months of the pilot program, with rebates totaling nearly $540,000. Funding for the rebates came from the CPUC and utility ratepayers statewide.

Based on the success of the pilot program, the CPUC established a statewide solar water heating rebate program under the California Solar Initiative (CSI) called CSI-Thermal in January 2010. The commission allocated $350.8 million, with the goal of installing 200,000 systems in the state by 2017. CCSE administers the CSI-Thermal program in the San Diego Gas & Electric service territory.

In addition to providing rebates of up to $1,500 for residential solar water heating systems and $75,000 for commercial installations, the pilot program was designed to gather data to evaluate the effect of incentives on the adoption and marketing of the technology, according to CCSE.

The report shows that single-family homes that installed solar water heating experienced an average monthly utility bill savings of $11.29 for displacing natural-gas water heating and a savings of $41.08 when displacing electric water heating.

The report also found that single-family participants appeared to be driven to install solar water heating slightly more by environmental concerns, whereas commercial/multifamily residential owners were driven mostly by financial interests. Increasing energy costs, concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and improved technology were found to be contributing factors to increasing interest in solar water heating.

One of the major conclusions was that solar water heating and solar photovoltaic generation, in combination, offers a faster path toward a true zero-energy home, CCSE adds.

"We believe that an opportunity exists to combine incentives and outreach for solar water heating and PV in ways that provide consumers with increased options for managing electricity and natural-gas consumption and increased greenhouse gas emission reductions," says Jordan DiGiorgio, CCSE program manager for solar water heating.

The report was prepared for CCSE by Itron Inc. of Davis, Calif. A copy of the report and additional information about the current CSI-Thermal program and rebates can be obtained online.

Photo: Solar thermal installation at Peninsula Station, a multifamily property in San Mateo, Calif. Credit: SunWater Solar

Small Scale Solar Thermoelectric Device Prototype Developed

Solar thermal based electricity generation tends to conjures an image of a baking desert plain filled with shining mirrors; each reflecting and concentrating sunlight onto a collection point mounted at the pinnacle of a gleaming tower, where the concentrated sunlight's heat is used to create steam and drive turbines that produce electricity.

A collaborative research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Boston College have developed a small-scale thermoelectric solar device that uses flat-panel technology - much like conventional silicon photovoltaic solar panels - to harness the sun's heat and produce power up to eight times more efficiently than other devices based on solar thermoelectric technology.

The beauty of the device, according to MIT Professor in Power Engineering, Gang Chen, lies in its simplicity. Like a photovoltaic module based system, it has no moving parts. The device consists of a thermoelectric generator placed inside a vacuum chamber made of glass, covered with a black plate of copper that absorbs sunlight but does not re-radiate it as heat. The other side of the generator is in contact with ambient temperatures. Even when not in direct sunlight, the generator is capable of harnessing a temperature difference of 200 degrees Celsius between the interior and exterior of the system to generate electricity.

The concept "is very radical," Chen says, and because the MIT device requires much less expensive materials to manufacture than traditional solar panels, the cost vs. energy output could become a superior clean energy choice in the future once the technology is properly developed.

By installing small-scale solar thermoelectric devices onto existing solar hot water systems, households could also produce electricity and further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Li Shi, associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, says the thermoelectric approach to solar power is "very novel, simple, and easy for low-cost implementation." The efficiency level they have demonstrated so far, at 4.6 percent, is "already quite impressive," he says.

Source:   Energy Matters

Google Invests $168 MIllion in Ivanpah Solar Thermal Plant

Google announced this week that it will be making its largest renewable energy investment to date by investing $168 million in Brightsource Energy's Ivanpah solar thermal power plant in the Mojave desert. The plant will have an installed capacity of 392 MW.

The Ivanpah plant began construction last year and should be completed in 2013. It will employ 173,000 heliostats, each with two mirrors, to concentrate solar energy onto a tower where the heat will make steam that turns a turbine and creates electricity. While other solar thermal projects are in the works in the Southwest, Ivanpah is the largest solar tower project so far.

This type of solar power technology is one that Google is trying to improve upon themselves. The company announced last year that it was working on a more efficient mirror technology that could lower the cost of solar thermal plants.

This latest investment brings Google's total renewable energy investments up to $250 million.

via:   Google & Ecogeek

NY State Announces Solar Thermal Incentive Plan

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has launched the state's first incentive program for solar thermal systems. The programwas created under Program Opportunity Notice 2149 in December 2010.

The five-year, $25 million initiative provides incentives of up to $4,000 per site for eligible single-family and multifamily residences and up to $25,000 per site for eligible commercial and nonprofit customers who currently use electricity to produce hot water.

In addition to the NYSERDA incentives, homeowners, commercial entities and nonprofit organizations can apply for federal tax incentives, which cover 30% of the cost of an installed solar thermal system, and New York state tax incentives, which cover 25% of the installed system, up to $5,000.

On average, incentives for a typical residential or commercial system are expected to cover approximately 15% to 20% of the installed cost of a solar thermal system, according to NYSERDA. The incentives are paid directly to the eligible installer and must be passed on, in full, to customers.

To qualify for incentives, equipment and systems must be certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corp., and incentives will be available only on approved solar thermal systems installed by NYSERDA-approved solar thermal installers.

SOURCE: NYSERDA

Alstom Invests $75 Million in BrightSource Energy

Alstom, a company involved in power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure, has invested $75 million in BrightSource Energy Inc. This new transaction further reinforces Alstom's partnership with BrightSource, following Alstom's $55 million initial investment in the company in May 2010 and the partnership agreement signed in August 2010, to provide fully integrated solar thermal power plants.

This latest investment positions Alstom as BrightSource Energy's second-largest shareholder, the companies note. Alstom and BrightSource are currently partnering in countries, such as in the Mediterranean ring and Africa, where solar conditions best suit BrightSource's tower technology and where Alstom has a proven track record in engineering and construction of power plants.

Alstom's expertise in steam turbine technology - together with its integrated power plant solutions - will complement BrightSource's solar technology to offer highly efficient solar thermal power plants, according to the companies.

SOURCE: Alstom

Solar Thermal Systems Installed On Municipal Buildings In North Carolina

North Carolina-based Southern Energy Management (SEM) says it has equipped six existing facilities and two new fire stations that are still under construction with new solar thermal water heating systems. The rooftop additions are part of a larger environmental sustainability effort by the city of Greensboro.

SEM installed all of the systems, along with one more with Pepco Energy, on the roof of Greensboro's city hall, the Melvin Municipal Office Building. Each installation includes two, three or four solar thermal collectors which pre-heat water that is sent to existing hot-water storage tanks, lessening the need for traditional electric- or natural gas-heated hot water tanks, SEM explains.

The solar installations are part of Greensboro’s Sustainability Action Plan, in which the city plans to invest in both PV and solar thermal systems in the coming years. The plan also calls for increased energy efficiency and green building practices in municipal buildings.

SOURCE: Southern Energy Management

Lots of Hot Water from Small-Scale Parabolic Solar

Parabolic solar dishes generally come in two sizes, the very small "solar oven" and the large, industrial scale solar furnace. But now, a Canadian company is making parabolic solar dishes for small commercial and even residential use.

The Solar Beam Solar Concentrator produces up to 13kW of heat per houraccording to the company. That's far more hot water than most households would need, but could be practical for a home with hot water radiators or in-floor radiant heating.

Solar Beam uses a 15 foot (4.5 meter) diameter parabolic dish. A block of aluminum 10 x 10 inches (25.4 x 25.4 cm) absorbs the heat and transfers it to a glycol fluid which circulates the heat to the equipment where it is needed. The company also claims a much faster payback for the Solar Beam as compared to flat panel solar water heaters. "The SolarBeam is 262% more efficient that hot water panels and 98% more efficient than evacuated tube technology."

The Solar Beam uses a 2-axis controller to track the sun throughout the day, in order to increase efficiency of energy collection. Since just one dish has to be tracked, it is much easier to do this than it would be to have an array of flat panels tracking the sun. Since the collector can be ground mounted, it can be possible to use it for solar hot water in places where orientation or other factors do not make rooftop collectors practical. The smaller size also makes it possible to use the dish in places where there is not the space available for a large rooftop array or where it might be otherwise undesirable.

via: Solar Thermal Magazine

Germany Cuts Renewable Heating Support Scheme

The German ministry for environmental affairs has announced an immediate ban on further support payments under a federal incentive scheme for solar heating, biomass and heat pump installations, the industry says.

"The measure [cutting support] will also lead to a structural weakness in the solar thermal market as customer demand is likely to fall at short notice but needs, as experience demonstrates, years to rebuild. With Germany representing 38% of the European market, the decision's ramifications will reach well beyond Germany."

-- Olivier Drücke, ESTIF president

This measure is based officially on a budget freeze that the German federal parliament put in place but the solar thermal industry trade group ESTIF has nonetheless expressed outrage, noting that the decision hits the solar thermal industry without warning and puts the whole renewable heating sector in danger.

“The measure will also lead to a structural weakness in the solar thermal market”, says ESTIF president Oliver Drücke, “as customer demand is likely to fall at short notice but needs, as experience demonstrates, years to rebuild. With Germany representing 38% of the European market, the decision’s ramifications will reach well beyond Germany.”

The German solar industry association (BSW-Solar) also strongly objected the unprecedented decision, arguing that under the present support scheme, the so-called ‘Marktanreizprogramm’ each Euro invested in solar thermal triggered 8 euros of subsequent investments.

Calling for the German parliament to lift the budget freeze immediately as far as it blocks investments in solar thermal installations, ESTIF says that both in Germany and beyond, the ban on further support payments will endanger many industry players and investments of the past few years that amount to several billion Euros. The upshot is that most of the manufacturers concerned have already received order cancellations; they will have to restructure their business lines, scale down production and consider a reduction in workforce. Many smaller companies that have specialized and now depend on demand for single components may even be forced to file for bankruptcy, they add.

Source:  Renewable Energy World

Solar Thermal Consortium Unveils Road Map for New York

The Solar Thermal Consortium has introduced a road map designed to establish New York as a national leader in solar heat and cooling technologies. Developed over the past six months by more than 130 industrial, academic and governmental representatives, the Solar Thermal Roadmap creates a path to move New York state toward 2,000 MW of solar thermal capacity - equal to 1 million solar hot water collectors, or 500,000 residential systems. According to the consortium, the plan would result in $2.6 billion in economic activity and 25,000 new jobs over the next decade. "Sixty percent of the energy consumed in New York state’s buildings is to provide heat and hot water," notes New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA) President Ron Kamen, senior vice president of EarthKind Solar. NYSEIA formally presented the map at the recent NY Solar Industries 2010 - Business of the Sun Conference in Albany. The road map recommends the following: creating a statewide educational campaign and electronic resource to inform consumers about the benefits of using the sun to heat homes, commercial buildings and hot water; initiating a solar thermal financial incentive program to encourage installations by shortening the payback time of solar thermal systems; promoting New York state as a location for solar thermal manufacturers; investing in research and development to create a scientific base that systematically develops next-generation Solar Thermal technologies, particularly solar storage and cooling; and clarifying permitting procedures and union jurisdiction to simplify solar thermal installations. SOURCE: New York Solar Energy Industries Association