Philly Goes Solar

Moving Metro Philadelphia Toward a Sunnier Economy

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RePower America to open local office

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Today, America has an unprecedented opportunity to choose between transitioning to a clean energy economy and creating millions of jobs, or staying with the status quo. And the result may depend on you joining us to educate the public about this opportunity in Pennsylvania.

That’s why we’re opening a local office, and we need your help to hit the ground running. Come join us for our office opening in West Chester, Pennsylvania on July 30, 2009. You can be one of the first on the ground floor of our Repower Pennsylvania campaign.

Setting America on a new course towards a clean energy economy is going to take resolve and determination. With your help, we can do it. Our economy and Pennsylvania can’t afford to wait.

http://www.repoweramerica.org/us/pennsylvania

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Residential Solar Photovoltaic Financing Options

For those of us contemplating rooftop solar,and trying to bridge the gap between what we think it’s going to cost and what we want it to cost, there are a few more options out there these days.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), part of the U.S. Department of Energy, has summarized some of the financing options for residential PV in a recent report, Solar Photovoltaic Financing: Residential Sector Deployment.

Read more at solar-nation.org

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Recap of PV America trade show

Although solar energy has no roots in Pennsylvania, the event was located in Philadelphia because it is at the heart of the Mid-Atlantic region, which has adopted some of the most progressive incentive policies and grant programs throughout the country.

As SEIA president Rhone Resch explained, “The Mid-Atlantic region is emerging as a powerhouse for the PV industry. Policy makers from Massachusetts to Washington D.C. have had the vision to enact the right policies to promote the solar industry over the past several years.”

Dave Foster of the Blue Green Alliance noted that green-collar jobs are mostly just blue-collar jobs with an environmental purpose. While autoworkers are currently unemployed, the auto glass industry has enormous potential for the production of solar panels – just as steel workers are essential in the production of wind turbines.

The biggest news in Pennsylvania, however, has been the introduction of the Sunshine program, which just became available on May 18, thanks to governor Rendell. This grant provides an immediate rebate of up to 35% of the cost of a residential solar panel system and installation.
“In some cases, when you use our rebate and the federal tax cut that the Obama administration has put forward, the cost and installation of a solar system can be cut by more than half,” said Rendell.

The federal tax cut that Rendell was referring to began several years ago, but has recently been improved upon by the Obama Administration’s “stimulus bill.” (More formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). The ITC, or investment tax credit, is worth 30% of the cost of a solar array and installation. With legislation that is slated to take effect later this summer, an immediate lump sum grant of 30% in lieu of the tax credit will be available.

Even with all subsidies accounted for, the remainder of the investment cost is still a tremendous barrier for working and middle-class families. A loan must be secured.  In many cases, the monthly payment on these loans can be set equal to the current electricity bill of the customer. This stabilizes the price paid for electricity over the next several years. With electricity rate caps expiring in 2010, the market value of a kWh is only projected to rise.

Stay tuned for more innovative solar PV options.

Source: Philadelphia Weekly Press

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Solar Training comes to Philly

I stopped by the Infinite Solar booth and spoke with Sean White and associate Dessie. Sean is an solar course instructor and Diablo Valley College(CA) Adjunct Professor-Advanced Photovoltaic Systems Commercial/ residential solar PV systems design and installation.

Infinite Solar new building is located in northeast Philly and facilitate the education, certification and networking for individuals who currently work or would like to work in the solar energy field. The current course offering:

• 5-day Entry Level Solar PV Installation and Design Course

• 4-day Solar PV Installation and Design Course for Electricians

• 5-day Entry Level Solar Thermal Installation and Design Course

Interested parties cane enroll at their site. www.solarschoolpa.com

Classes are starting  July 20th.

This is good news as solar adoption in the Delaware Valley will be hanpered without sufficient qualified installers to actually get panels on the roofs.

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Rendell calls for Fed Alternative Portfolio Standard

Philadelphia Business Journal reported on Gov. Rendell’s speech today at PV America conference in Philly.

The federal government can help the country escape from recession by launching a five-to-10 year infrastructure revitalization program and by taking steps to boost the production and consumption of alternative energy.

Part of Rendell’s message was similar to the message delivered by SEIA President and CEO Rhone Resch later in the session: When they go home, the people at the conference should promote solar energy’s virtues to everyone from their neighbors to their municipal, state and federal elected officials.

[Ed. note: that is the purpose of this site]

“You have to roll up your sleeves and be advocates,” Rendell said.

Both Rendell and Resch praised President Obama for his efforts on behalf of renewable energy — “President Obama is becoming the solar president,” Resch said — but they said they’d like the federal government to do more.

Twenty eight states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and the District of Columbia have alternative portfolio standards. Rendell said he’d like the federal standard to have minimum figures that states could exceed on their own.

Rendel said alternative energy will drive the U.S. economy for the next 25 years just as the information-technology and life sciences industries have driven it for the last 25.

Under his leadership, Pennsylvania has moved to capitalize on that shift. In 2004, it established an alternative portfolio standard that requires 18 percent of energy sold in Pennsylvania to come from alternative sources of energy by 2020.

Last summer, Pennsylvania created a $650 million renewable energy fund. Of that money, $180 million is to go to solar energy, consisting of $100 million for loans, grants and rebates to cover up to 35 percent of the costs incurred by home and small-business owners who install solar energy systems, and $80 million for grants and loans for solar economic-development projects.

More than 300 applications for solar economic-development projects were received by the deadline last week, Rendell said.

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Curved solar roofing tile to be made in Philly

SRS Energy, a leading developer of sustainable solar roofing products, will exhibit the Sole Power Tile(TM) system, the first building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) roofing product designed for curved roofing systems, in its hometown of Philadelphia at the PV America convention. Presented by the Solar Energy Industries Association, the exhibition takes place June 8, 2009 through June 10, 2009 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

“The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania invited SRS Energy to be a part of its exhibition at PV America, and we couldn’t be more honored to be recognized by government leaders as a contributor to the commonwealth’s growing green economy,” said Marty Low, CEO of SRS Energy. “We are very excited to share the Sole Power Tile(TM) system with our hometown, local contractors and the solar community at large.”

Headquartered in Center City Philadelphia, SRS Energy developed and manufactures the Sole Power Tile(TM) system, a curved solar roofing tile designed to integrate seamlessly with premium clay roof tiles offered by distribution partner US Tile, the largest clay tile manufacturer in the United States. Valley Forge-based CertainTeed, the country’s third-largest roofing company, also acquired an equity stake in SRS Energy in 2008.

SRS Energy is currently building-out a warehouse space in the greater Philadelphia region to create a Sole Power Tile(TM) system manufacturing facility, slated to begin production this fall.

SRS Energy will exhibit Sole Power Tile(TM) at Booth 2111 in partnership with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The product is currently being launched in select West Coast markets. For more information, visit www.srsenergy.com.

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Solar-powered trash compactors

Solar-powered trash compactors called BigBellys are being installed along Philadelphia’s sidewalks. The new bins are powered completely by the sun and hold eight times as much waste as a typical city trash can.

The city is installing 500 of the compactors by July and 210 of them will include separate recycling bins. The greatest thing about these compactors is the fact that they will save the city $12.9 million over 10 years since they only need to be emptied five times a week versus 19 times for the regular trash cans, slashing fuel and staff costs. This also offers the benefit of less CO2 emissions from fewer garbage pick-ups.

Read rest of story at EcoGeek

If you are a municapality or company that is interested in BigBellys please inquire over at Princeton Green.

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