Tag Archives: Renewable

How to go solar in your condo

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Click here for a Good Dirt Radio 5-minute eco-spot on solar condos.

FOLLOWING CARBON FOOTPRINTS TO YOUR BANK--CAP ...

Sunny rooftops are proving to be an excellent asset for property owners faced with rising energy costs. The benefits of rooftop solar include energy income, tax savings and a reduction of one’s carbon footprint. Increasingly, householders are harvesting sunlight for their electricity and heat, saving money on utility bills while reducing climate-changing pollution from burning fossil fuels. Yet cost can be a hurdle. And, a large number of folks live in condominiums or town homes where it may seem impossible to install a solar system. But as they say, where there’s a will, there is a way. Tune in to hear how one couple focused their passion, for greener living, on installing solar on their condo.

Click here for resources and information on this topic.

Read the transcript below.

Welcome to Good Dirt Radio, reporting on positive change… taking root.

Sunny roof-tops are proving to be an excellent asset for property owners faced with rising energy costs.  The benefits of roof top solar include energy income, tax savings and a reduction of one’s carbon footprint.

Increasingly, householders are harvesting sunlight for their electricity and heat, saving money on utility bills while reducing climate changing pollution from burning fossil fuels.  Yet cost can be a hurdle. And, a large number of folks live in condominiums or town homes where it may seem impossible to install a solar system.  But… as they say, where there’s a will, there is a way.

We were inspired by a solar condo, retrofit project… created by Sarah Lozanova, a free-lance eco-writer based in Chicago. Sara has an MBA in sustainable management and years of experience with sustainability in business. She and her husband, Karil Losanov, an engineer and wind energy specialist, found a way to generate solar energy from their condominium rooftop.   Lozanova says its important to analyze the availability of sunlight on the roof, talk to neighbors and the condo association to gather support… but advises starting with energy efficiency.

Lozanova:  Well first, I recommend people look at energy efficiency before sizing a system, that might involve putting power strips on the entertainment system, making sure that the appliances are energy efficient and using energy-efficient lighting, like LED or compact fluorescent lights. It’s good to contact the association to see if they are receptive to it, keeping in mind that they might have certain requests such as how the conduit is run or how the panel are mounted. 

The design of some condos makes it difficult to retrofit solar… and requires finding creative ways to install the hardware.  She says some associations can be particular.

Losanova: Then its good to contact a local solar installer to see if they are able to cater to the requests of the condo association and then they can also give information on state and local incentives which could further reduce the cost of the solar system. And then they would also be able to look at how exactly you are gonna connect the solar system to the electrical panel or if it’s a solar thermal system for hot water and/or heat, then they could take a look at the layout of the utility room.

Losanova says converting sunlight to energy on a condo or town home roof is a viable and safe investment.

Lozanova:  I like to think of a solar system as alternative currently because you’re investing in a system that will generate energy for your unit for years to come.  It has a very low risk because you know that the sun is gonna shine even though some days may be cloudy.  By and large, solar equipment is very reliable, for at least 20 to 30 years, and requires very little maintenance and upkeep.  In many area of the country, there are net metering laws that require the electrical company to purchase extra electricity that is fed to the grid, at a retail rate.  You can calculate a pretty accurate return on what the system will be and then there’s also a federal tax credit that’s available right now that’s a dollar for dollar tax credit equal to 30% of the cost of the solar system. 

In a recession or buyers’ market, adding renewable energy to any real estate, including a condo or town home, can provide an attractive market advantage, for sellers.

Lozanova:  It’s also appealing when the unit is put on the market because many buyers would like to know that they’ll have a much lower or even non-existent electrical bill and it can also boost property values. 

Real estate appraisers and banks now commonly add value for solar installations.  If you live in a condo or town home, we encourage you to talk to your neighbors about rooftop solar on your building, at a group price.

Lozanova: I think with the severity of the environmental challenges we are facing, such as climate change, really, all hands are needed on deck.  And that doesn’t exclude condo owners or town homeowners.  Now is a great time to invest in renewable energy and to put the sun to work for us. 

Change comes from the bottom up when we learn about options and take action.  For more information about solar condos, please visit us at gooddirtradio.org.

I’m Tom Bartels and I’m Tami Graham.  Thanks for joining us on Good Dirt Radio, digging up good news…. for a change.

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Amazing Glitter-Sized Photovoltaic Cells Look Like Golden Snowflakes

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sustainable design, green design, sandia national laboratories, glitter solar cells, solar power, renewable energy, crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells

As snowstorms sweep the country, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories are warming up our winter blues with the creation of these gorgeous snowflake-shaped photovoltaic cells. The glitter-sized solar sequins are made from crystalline silicon and use 100 times less material to generate the same amount of electricity as standard solar cells made from 6-inch square solar wafers. Perfect for soaking up the sun’s rays on unusual shapes and surfaces, the solar cells are expected to be less expensive, more efficient, and have promising applications in textiles and clothing.

sustainable design, green design, sandia national laboratories, glitter solar cells, solar power, renewable energy, crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells

Photo by Randy MontoyaSandia Labs‘ stunning new solar cells are created using cutting-edge micro-electric and micro-mechanical manufacturing techniques, which ensure their tiny size and a small margin of mechanical deformations. One benefit to their miniscule size is that if a single solar cell in an array were to die it would only marginally reduce the array’s efficiency – compare that to conventional arrays where a large faulty panel can cause a huge loss in power production.

The solar cells could be incorporated into unusual shapes and materials such as tents, building facades, and clothing, making it possible for people to recharge cell phones and other electronic devices as they walk around or rest. According to Sandia field engineer Vipin Gupta, their tiny size also means that they can be easily integrated into rooftop applications that have “intelligent controls, inverters and even storage built in at the chip level. Such an integrated module could greatly simplify the cumbersome design, bid, permit and grid integration process that our solar technical assistance teams see in the field all the time.”

As of now the solar cells are producing energy with 14.9 percent efficiency, which is pretty great compared to off-the-shelf commercial modules which range from 13 to 20 percent. As the technology is perfected and economies of scale pick up, these snowflake-shaped microcells will certainly be a hot technology to watch.

+ Sandia National Laboratories

Via Physorg

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Energy incentives get your ecological footprint off to a good start

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Cost savingsMost citizens have difficulty grasping the enormity of the climate crisis, don’t believe they personally can make a difference or don’t know where to start to get involved. Government has yet to embrace the reality of global warming, but tax incentives and rebates for energy conservation and efficiency and renewable energy, are available for projects costing only a few dollars to millions, from basic weatherizing and insulation to an electric car or solar arrays. Tune in to hear how energy incentives can offset the cost of your project, yielding a healthy payback plus long-term fixed energy costs and tax savings, in a rising energy market, and offsetting your ‘ecological footprint’ at the same time.

Read more about energy incentives.

Electricity prices to rise and fall with the tides of change

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Looking ahead from 2017 to 2022, electricity generation could rise as much as 3 cents per kilowatt hour because of increased demand, rising natural gas prices, and New England’s commitment to renewable energy.

To mitigate the potential increase, the IRP recommends Connecticut focus on cost-effective renewable power, increase its investments in energy efficiency, and make sure the region has enough natural gas supplies to meet rising demand in the electricity and heating sectors. (1)

Connecticut electricity prices will drop for five more years before a variety of market factors could force a 38 percent rise in prices by 2022, a new report says.

The state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection released its Integrated Resource Plan on June 7, 2012  following months of examining the energy market and the impact of state and regional policies. The IRP is meant to serve as a guide for the state’s energy policy for the next 10 years.(1)

In the report, DEEP officials said they expect the generation price of electricity – about 40-50% of a total electric bill – to remain at 8 cents per kilowatt hour or below through 2017. The low prices are due almost entirely to the dropping price and increasing domestic supply of natural gas. (1)

Contributed by David Carr Ct Sales Manager

(1) HartfordBusinessJournal 06.14.12

The story of Chesapeake Wind & Solar LC, Columbia, MD

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Thirteen years ago Richard Deutchmann and I got together over a six-pack of beer and a ping pong table to formulate a new solar company business plan, or at least to seriously contemplate the idea of one.  We asked ourselves; how do we grow a solar energy business, make a difference in the awareness and use of solar energy, and make a living all at the same time?  Why would we want to give up our good paying jobs as mechanical engineers for the possibility of success in solar?  What does it take to be a successful business owner?  We knew nothing about business.  Not to mention, in 1999 the solar energy industry was almost non-existent.  It was large enough to support an annual conference and a few renewable energy fairs around the country each year, but was it large enough to support two guys with a passion for solar?

In January of 2000 we officially licensed our company, Chesapeake Wind & Solar LLC.  Within 6 months of starting our little solar business, and against the advice of friends, we quit our jobs to focus full-time on the company.  Although our name implied we were a wind and solar company, we actually started out doing anything related to renewable energy and energy efficiency, including micro-hydro, residential energy auditing and commercial energy auditing.  Our solar energy services included photovoltaics, solar water heating, solar space heating, solar pool heating, and even solar cooking.

Over an eight year period we grew our little business to a 14 person team. We ended up being the largest solar contactor over a 100 mile radius.  In 2007 we even made Inc. Magazines 500 fastest growing companies (#271).  We designed and installed hundreds of residential and commercial renewable energy systems, and in 2008 we were acquired by a national distributor and integrator, groSolar.  Two years later our highly successful mid-Atlantic team was acquired yet again by SolarCity.  Richard and I ended up moving on to start new chapters in our careers, but we remain best of friends.  Richard is now VP of business development for Tangent Energy Solutions, out of his satellite office in Jessup, MD, and I’m now president of Azimuth Solar Training, in Ellicott City, MD.

The journey was amazing and rewarding, and it came with some valuable lessons about business and relationships that I’d like to share with you.

Lesson #1:

Even though many partnerships end in painful expensive breakups, a partnership based in trust and integrity can be exponentially more successful than a one-man-show.  We were able to sprint past the local competition because we were fully invested in each other’s success.

Lesson #2:

When you truly commit to something, the universe seems to align itself to provide a path to succeed.  Richard and I quit our engineering jobs to grow our company.  We were fully committed – sink or swim.  There was no looking back, and no thoughts of failure.  Fully committing to something can be scary, but it’s also thrilling.  Kind of like jumping off a 3-meter high-dive for the first time.

Lesson #3:

There is true joy in providing high quality service to people.  The story of the success of my company seems pretty impressive, but it’s the day to day service of our clients that made the journey truly meaningful.  The way I see it, the idea is to fall in love with each of your clients.  I know this sounds quirky, but perceiving each client as a most cherished friend results in better business, more referrals and a lot more job satisfaction.

Lesson # 4:

People and relationships are the greatest resource a company has.  This lesson has similarities to Lesson #3 and includes employees, suppliers, professional colleagues and just about anyone you can think of – even people you don’t know.  The amazing resource that people and relationships are can be clearly seen every time a challenging milestone is reached with little or no budget to do it.

Lesson # 5:

Self-motivation is greatly enhanced when you are inspired by a possible future.  Have you ever noticed that your perception about the future affects your mood and productivity in the present?  This fact about life can be leveraged in a powerful way by imagining a really good story about the future, and then living into that story.  That’s one of the keys to success in any aspect of one’s life, especially in business.

 Jeff Gilbert

President, Azimuth Solar Training LLC

Jeff.gilbert@azimuthsolar.net

www.azimuthsolar.net

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Home « Gasifier Experimenters Kit

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ALL Power Labs is the new global leader in small-scale gasification. We make gasifiers that are ready for everyday use, to serve real world distributed energy needs.

Our project started with the open source Gasifier Experimenter’s Kit (GEK), supporting research, education and DIY hacking in biomass thermal conversion. Three years later it has evolved into the GEK Power Pallet— a fully automated solution for personal scale biomass power generation. Today you can find over 250 of our systems in 30 countries, supporting research in over 40 universities.

We invite you to join us for the ongoing collaborative process of refining GEK systems, and proving gasification to be a uniquely powerful solution for individual scale energy independence

via Home « Gasifier Experimenters Kit.

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Building A Zero Energy Home

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Saturday, February 23, 2008

Lecture Series/ Krune Building

Last Thursday I began attending a lecture series at Yale in the School of forestry and Environmental Science. It was strange, returning to where I spent four years of my life over twenty-five years ago. Funny thing about it is, when I was an undergraduate, I never stepped foot in that building, or for that matter did I venture into that part of the university altogether. Science hill is the area of the university where the math, science folks went, and I was an artsy, writing guy.So we drove up to Science Hill, got out of the car and headed into the F&ES building. Harassed only one person for directions, and we entered Bowers Auditorium, where, oddly enough, it reminded me of being in a lecture hall in college. The only differences were 1) there were refreshments in the back, and 2) after grabbing a cup of coffee, I sat towards the front because I was actually interested in being there. The lecturer was Gus Speth, the Dean of the F&ES. His introducer went through the many incredible things Speth has done in his career, then ta-da, Speth stepped up to the podium, and to be totally honest about it, gave a pretty mediocre lecture. Not to say he’s a bad lecturer, but the topic was pretty dull. It was about the multiple administrative difficulties he faced over the previous 5 years getting the University to capitulate to the building of the new Krune building, and on the gloriousness of the plan for the building.I learned a lot about the resistance to new ideas during the lecture even within a supposed bastion for new ideas. Speth seemingly engaged in the academic form of open warfare with the temporary provost of the University for a multi-year stretch. After finally outlasting the temp, he actually got what he wanted, which was to have the university agree to get rid of the Pierson-Sage power plant, virtually an energy dinosaur, which of course, sat adjacent to where the Krune building is to be built. Throughout the lecture there were several references to the environmentally ground-breaking nature of the building and how those element will provide leadership for the rest of the university and the community at large to move toward a “greener” future. And I sat there and thought about it for a long time, and I realized this is exactly what is wrong with universities and right with them at the same time.Let’s tackle what’s right first. The Krune building is a brilliant building. Brilliant design, brilliant lighting, floor plan, usage of renewable energy sources. All that good stuff. Further, it is in some respects a beacon, a lighthouse offering direction through the fog of grants and red tape and construction costs and varying reports on the virtues of different forms of fuels and energy and passive solar design and fuel cells… on and on and on. Further,

via Building A Zero Energy Home.

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