Ontario Scores an “A” for Energy Conservation

Energy Efficiency Advocate Highlights McGuinty Government's Commitment

Ontario's commitment to energy conservation scores an "A" on the latest report card from a national non-profit group that promotes energy efficiency.     Ontario's grade on the 2007 report card from the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance - released today - is just the latest in a string of improved scores, reflecting the province's ongoing commitment to conservation as the cornerstone of a long-term energy plan.     The Alliance highlights Ontario's work on conservation so far, including the province's plan to save 6,300 megawatts of electricity by 2025. To date, Ontario has reached its first interim target: a 1,350 MW reduction in peak demand by the end of 2007, and is working toward another 1,350 MW reduction by 2010. "Solid grades," the report points out. "But even more encouraging is what is in the pipeline for the future - Ontario appears to be taking Energy Efficiency VERY seriously."
QUICK FACTS      -   Other energy saving initiatives of the McGuinty government include:         -  Banning inefficient light bulbs by 2012         -  Supporting homeowners with the $112 million Ontario Home Energy            Audit and Retrofit programs which cover half the cost of an energy            audit (up to $150) and provide access to up to $10,000 in combined            provincial and federal grants         -  Helping the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors adopt            a clean, renewable option through the $14.4 million Ontario Solar            Thermal Heating Incentive (OSTHI)         -  Extending point-of-sale retail sales tax exemption for            ENERGY STAR(R) products (e.g., light bulbs, refrigerators, and            dishwashers)         -  Installing smart meters across the province by the end of 2010.         -  Supporting Ontario Power Authority programs, such as the Great            Refrigerator Round Up, peaksaver, Cool Savings Rebate and Every            Kilowatt Counts Summer Sweepstakes programs

(via. CNW Group)

A ray of sunshine for solar energy

A new solar-cell system could one day make power from the sun as cheap as electricity from fossil fuels.

TYLER HAMILTON | ENERGY REPORTER

Nov 10, 2008 04:30 AM

RICK EGLINTON/TORONTO STAR

Morgan Solar founder Jean Paul Morgan, left, with his brother Nicolas, developed a lower-cost solar panel to bring cheap electricity to developing nations. (Nov. 4, 2008)

John Paul Morgan was a cutting-edge engineer at JDS Uniphase Corp., back when the optical telecom giant was a market titan and solar power was still perceived by many as a backwoods technology for off-grid tree huggers.

Seven years later, the high-tech whiz kid has become a solar hotshot. Morgan has developed a new type of solar panel that, like many other systems on the market, concentrates the sun's rays on to high-efficiency solar cells. The big difference is the simplicity of his design and the lower-cost materials used to build it could soon make power from the sun as affordable as electricity from fossil fuels.

All he has to do now is prove it. "We have to show this technology is bankable," he says.

Morgan's path from telecom to solar panels wasn't a straight line. A graduate of engineering science from the University of Toronto, he joined JDS in 2001 while in his mid-20s. Within three days at JDS he impressed higher-ups with his first invention and within three months broke the company record for most inventions in a year.

But the telecom market crashed and Morgan grew bored. As his older brother, Nicolas Morgan, explains, "developing products to make the Internet faster didn't inspire him." He quit JDS in 2003, and travelled a year through South America, Australia and Asia before heading back to UofT to get his graduate degree in electrical and biomedical engineering.

Read the entire story here.

(via. Toronto Star)

Solar Energy becomes a reality for Toronto area consumers

Corporate News: Xantrex Technology

Retail launch of solar energy solutions available from major retailer

VANCOUVER, B.C., September 5, 2007

Xantrex Technology Inc. (TSX:XTX) today announced its participation as the exclusive supplier of solar inverter technology to installers of solar energy grid-tie systems purchased at Home Depot Canada. The program will provide Greater Toronto homeowners with convenient access to industry-leading renewable energy products and services. 

Xantrex GT Series Grid Tie Solar Inverters are a key component in a photovoltaic (PV) installation package available to Home Depot customers, with installation and service provided by Solera Sustainable Energies Company®, of Ontario.

Homeowners that purchase a Home Depot system can participate in the recently implemented Ontario Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program (RESOP) - a renewable energy initiative launched last year by the Ontario Power Authority. The program provides homeowners with a financial incentive to install residential solar energy systems.

Under the Home Depot program, homeowners can purchase a PV system from select Home Depot stores. A consultant will visit the home and provide a full assessment with the home owner to determine the requirements for a solar system, including solar panels and a Xantrex inverter. The Xantrex inverter converts DC energy generated by the solar panels into clean, useable AC power, which is sold back to the utility electrical grid at a price nearly four times higher than the homeowner pays the utility for the electricity used in their home.

“Homeowners throughout the Greater Toronto Area now have the option to install a grid-tie solar energy system through Home Depot Canada, a familiar and dependable retailer,” said Leonard Allen, President and CEO, Solera Sustainable Energies Company®. “With the additional incentive of the Ontario Standard Offer Program, high-quality components such as Xantrex GT Series Grid Tie Solar Inverters, and installation provided by Solera, we hope to accelerate consumer adoption and drive awareness of solar energy systems as part of our responsibility as a community business.”
“This market breakthrough represents a milestone for the Canadian renewable energy market and for our company,” said Xantrex CEO, John Wallace. “Our unique position as the exclusive inverter supplier for Home Depot installation partners ensures that consumers will receive the highest quality and most efficient solar inverters currently available on the market.”

The province of Ontario recently enacted the RESOP feed-in tariff system, to help enable the reduction of global warming through support of alternative energy solutions and ultimately offset electrical grid usage.  This system will allow homeowners to receive payment for the electricity that they produce which is fed back into the utility grid. Residential solar PV systems will be eligible for a feed-in tariff rate of CAD $0.42 or approximately USD $.40 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity.
The first of its kind in Canada, the program makes Ontario’s support of solar power installations one of the highest in North America. Projects that comply with the Standard Offer Program may also qualify for a variety of federal and provincial incentive programs and grants under Renewable Energy Development in Ontario (REDO).

(Via. Xantrex)

City of Toronto splashes into solar at Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre

City of Toronto splashes into solar at Jimmie Simpson Recreation

by CNW, TORONTO, Sept. 20, 2008

Today, community members joined Councillor Paula Fletcher (Ward 30 Toronto - Danforth) and City of Toronto representatives at a showcase of the solar hot water system that heats the indoor swimming pools at Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre. The centre, operated by Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, has two indoor pools with an area of 360 sq. m and 70 sq. m, respectively. Under the umbrella of Toronto's Energy Retrofit Program (www.toronto.ca/environment/initiatives/energy_retrofits.htm), the Jimmie Simpson pool conversion to solar heating began in October 2006 and has an estimated cost savings of $12,095 annually thanks to reduced energy bills.     

"The City of Toronto has earned acclaim as a world leader on the environment," said Councillor Paula Fletcher. "The Solar Pool Party is a great way to invite the community to see how the City is taking great steps towards energy conservation, learn about renewable energy alternatives and how to save money on their own energy bills." As the home of Canada's largest solar-heated pool, Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre uses two solar systems, consisting of 91 unglazed solar collector panels covering 400 sq. m of the flat roof of the swimming pool area. The piping system has a dedicated pump and is piped as a secondary water system to the swimming pool water circulation system. The system is controlled by the building's computerized control system. A temperature sensor mounted adjacent to the solar panels measures ambient conditions (solar and wind temperature) and determines whether solar heating is available. The controls also prevent losses when heat is not available.     

"Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation is proud to support the energy retrofits at Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre because it is not only a great gathering place for the community and a great place for exercise, but the solar heating system uses renewable energy, saves money and protects the environment," said Brenda Patterson, General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation.     

The Solar Pool Party at Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre included workshops on renewable energy and energy efficiency, solar neighbourhood tours of the Riverdale neighbourhood, children's activities, pool games and exhibits from solar companies and community groups.     

"The Riverdale neighbourhood has done a great job of bringing neighbours together to purchase solar energy equipment for their homes," said Mary Pickering, Associate Director, Toronto Atmospheric Fund. "We hope to use the lessons learned from this local experience to accelerate renewable energy across the whole city, both on homes and on city facilities."

In June, 2008 the City of Toronto and Toronto Atmospheric Fund launched Solar Neighbourhoods, a pilot program to help homeowners in Ward 30 conserve water and energy, providing financial incentives to purchase a solar water heater. Solar Neighbourhoods will help homeowners assess their home's suitability for solar panels, assist with finding a contractor, monitor the system, and provide financing options and cash rebates of up to $1,000. These rebates are in addition to an existing $1,000 now available from provincial and federal governments.

The City of Toronto will also be accelerating solar installations on its own facilities, using a unique "solar utility" model to expand solar heating to many more of the City's pools - a step that supports actions outlined in the City of Toronto's Climate Change, Clean Air and Sustainable Energy Action Plan. Learn more about Solar Neighbourhoods by visiting www.solarneighbourhoods.ca.

(Via. CNW Group)

Solar Panel Demand Exceeds Supply

Americans' rushing for panels before federal incentives can expire by end of 2008, causing the demand exceeding the supply.

Solar Panel Demand Exceeds Supply

September 16th, 2008

Many American states are offering incentives to business houses and residents if they are willing to install solar panels for their use. But sadly these incentives are set to expire on 31 December 2008. The solar tax credit offers 30 percent of a system’s cost, but it will go down to 10 percent from January 1 if Congress doesn’t take steps after it returns Monday. Now manufacturers and installers are experiencing a rush for panels before federal incentives can expire. Many solar manufacturers and installers say they can’t take on more orders for 2008 because they’re either out of panels or out of time.

Arizona currently provides a one-time 25 percent income tax credit accessible to residences and a one-time 10 percent income-tax credit for businesses that set up solar panels. Along comes the federal investment tax credit, set at 30 percent, which is important both financially and symbolically, industry people say. Regardless of state-credits, solar systems for houses and businesses are too expensive without the federal credit.

Solar panels have been in short supply since 2005 because silicon, a key constituent of photovoltaic solar panels usually installed in homes and businesses, was limited. Now tax incentives haven’t done much to improve the situation. “From the manufacturing perspective, we’re sold out,” said Tom Mueller, a spokesman for BP Solar in Houston. The probability of taking on a new order right now is low, said Tom Dyer, senior vice president of marketing and government affairs at Scottsdale-based Kyocera Solar Inc. Now the present situation is if one has not placed orders months ago, few solar installers or wholesalers will have the time or the panels in stock to accept more jobs this year.

“It’s almost a man-made shortage because everyone is scurrying around to get their jobs done before the tax credits expire,” said Ron Kenedi, vice president of Solar Energy Solutions Groupfor Sharp Electronics Corp., the largest maker of solar panels. Tucson-based Technicians for Sustainability buys solar panels from Schott Solar Inc. and SunPower Corp. Both manufacturers have informed company President Kevin Koch that they will be unable to supply more solar panels this year. If a business asked Koch to set up a 30-kilowatt system, characteristic size for a commercial job, Koch said he could not take on the project this year. This shortage is hitting the business installations seriously.

Dave Haycock, of All West Energy Inc. of Fountain Hills, stated that his company will take on projects one at a time. “We have inadequate supply,” Haycock said of solar panels. But with the increase in demand before the solar credit expires, the company said it cannot take any more orders for 2008.

Phoenix’s Perfect Power would not have problem taking orders before the year end, but it is not taking any more commercial projects for 2008, said John Balfour, the company president.

Solar installers generally consider panel orders about four or five months in advance, said Mike Richter, a sales consultant for SolarCity, an installer with offices in California and Phoenix. Therefore one has to take into account this fact for uninterrupted supply line.

“(Solar installers) don’t want to go beyond the December 31st deadline, so everybody’s trying to jam-pack their orders in before the end of the year,” said Kenedi of Sharp Electronics, the largest U.S. producer of solar panels. The threat of the expiring credit has led Arizona Public Service Co. and Abengoa Solar to put the 280-megawatt Solana Solar Plant near Gila Bend on hold.

What would happen if the credit incentives would not be renewed in the coming years? Japan and European countries like Germany, Spain and Italy provide generous state-sponsored solar tax credits. As the U.S. dollar continues to depreciate, and with demand increasing in foreign countries, solar corporations could find market more lucrative abroad.

(Via. Alternative Energy)

Solar Energy System for Google Headquarters

Solar Energy System for Google Headquarters

October 17th, 2006

Google Inc. plans to build a massive solar-electricity system to help power parts of its Mountain View, Calif., campus that it says will benefit both the environment and its bottom line. The system, to be built by EI Solutions, a unit of Energy Innovations Inc., of Pasadena, Calif., will use 9,212 solar panels and have a total capacity of 1.6 megawatts, or enough electricity to supply 1,000 average California homes. That will satisfy 30% of the campus’ peak electricity needs. The installation at Google’s headquarters, known as the Googleplex, will begin next month and will be completed in the spring. It will be the largest solar-power system ever constructed at a U.S. corporate campus and one of the largest on any corporate site in the world, EI Solutions said.

The solar panels, which cover an area equal to about four acres, will be installed on the roofs of some campus buildings and double as shading for cars in parking lots. Most of the panels will be made by Sharp Electronics, a unit of Japan’s Sharp Corp.

Google declined to say how much money it would spend to build the system. However, the company estimates the savings it expects to realize on its electricity bills will pay for the cost of the panels before leases expire on its leased campus buildings, which will hold some of the panels. EI Solutions said panels typically last for 20 to 25 years and pay for themselves within five to 10 years.

“It’s good for Google, the Earth and for shareholders,” said Google’s vice president of real estate, David Radcliffe. “If we can dispel the myth that you can’t be both green and profitable, then we’ll be happy about that.”

Google also expects to realize some savings in air-conditioning costs because the panels on the building roofs, by absorbing sunlight, will reduce the amount of heat absorbed into their top floors.

The system will work seamlessly with the power grid, allowing Google to draw more energy from the grid when the panels aren’t providing enough power due to a lack of sun. But it will also allow Google to sell the utility power at times when the panels generate too much energy.

Andrew Beebe, president of EI Solutions, said companies are becoming increasingly interested insolar power as their electricity bills mount and the costs of solar power decline. Corporate America is reaching a tipping point where “people are making these decisions on an economic basis,” he said.

Google is looking for other ways to make its campus more environmentally friendly. “This is definitely just the tip of the iceberg,” Radcliffe said, but declined to discuss other possible initiatives.

Energy Autonomy at Google (YouTube): Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

(Via. Alternative Energy)

Tax credits to help solar, wind projects

Tax credits to help solar, wind projects

by Ryan Randazzo - Oct. 4, 2008 12:00 AM

The Arizona Republic

Arizona's biggest solar-power plant, its first wind-power plant and countless other renewable-energy projects can move ahead after Friday's House endorsement of a huge bailout package.

Tacked on to the relief bill were 30 percent tax-credit extensions for wind and solar that bounced around Congress for the past year, leaving many projects in doubt, from household solar panels to 300-foot-tall wind turbines.

The credits also will benefit homeowners who install solar panels to power their houses, substantially reducing the price of such systems, which typically run in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Among the top projects in Arizona to benefit from the extensions is the Solana Generating Station, a huge solar-power plant near Gila Bend from which Arizona Public Service Co. hopes to purchase electricity starting in 2011.

The plant developer, Abengoa Solar Inc. of Spain, said the project would not be economical without the credits.

"No question this is significant and positive," APS spokesman Jim McDonald said. "We were confident it would pass sometime this year."

Solar credits were extended eight years, while wind credits got only a one-year extension.

Wind-power proponents balanced their praise for the credits Friday with an eye toward winning a longer extension.

"We are very pleased that Congress extended the production tax credit for wind, enabling our industry to continue our rapid growth and U.S. job creation," Steven Lockard, president and CEO of wind-turbine blade maker TPI Composites Inc. in Scottsdale, said in a prepared statement.

"In 2009, we hope the focus turns to providing long-term stable policy to support continued expansion of wind energy."

Many wind projects require a year or more of monitoring to ensure the most-efficient turbines are installed at the proper height to generate the most electricity, so the wind extension benefits only projects that are near breaking ground.

Arizona is scheduled to get its first commercial wind project near Snowflake before 2010, with the entire electrical output of the farm contracted to Salt River Project.

"It's possible, had the tax credit not been extended, that the plant wouldn't have happened," SRP spokesman Scott Harelson said. "We had a contract for a product at a price that assumed the tax credit. (The developer) could have gone forward, but would have needed to find a customer, it might have been SRP, who would pay a higher price for that electricity."

Homeowners who install solar panels will benefit substantially from the credits.

For example, a medium-size system might retail for more than $42,000. But rebates from local utilities and a state tax credit can cover about $20,000 of that cost, according to American Solar Electric Inc. in Scottsdale.

The remaining $22,000 still represents a significant investment, more than what many homeowners spend on a car.

But the 30 percent tax credits are worth almost $13,000 on such a system, knocking the out-of-pocket price below $10,000, according to the company's figures.

Those credits are even sweeter after the extension because they previously were capped at $2,000.

"(The tax credit) creates an unprecedented opportunity to own a residential solar-electric power system," American Solar Electric President Sean Seitz said.

(Via. AZcentral.com)

Norwegian solar panel firm to build Quebec plant

Norwegian solar panel firm to build Quebec plant

US$1.2 billion investment will create 300 jobs

by Canadian Press

August 28, 2008, MONTREAL

Quebec’s cheap energy is luring Norwegian solar panel company Renewable Energy Corp. to invest more than US$1.2 billion to build a silicon materials plant in Becancour that will create at least 300 jobs.

The province has agreed to supply 95 megawatts of electricity for 20 years at the “competitive industrial rate” that is available for more than 200 major industrial companies.

“It’s what makes Quebec attractive in terms of investment,” Premier Jean Charest said during a news conference in Becancour, southeast of Trois-Riviéres.

Low corporate income taxes, strong research and development along with skilled labour are also key factors in luring a company that is planning to make one of the largest private investments in the province in a decade.

“For us this is a first major step in an area where we want to intensify and develop our capacity as a place in the world that is renowned for clean, renewable energy.”

The project reinforces the Liberal government’s 2006 energy policy, which Charest said is also an economic policy, to leverage the province’s clean energy and show that sustainable development is synonymous with wealth creation.

The head of the Norwegian company said using non-carbon based renewable energy was key to its decision to locate in Becancour as it attempts to limit the environmental impact of producing solar cells and panels.

“Our operation in Becancour could be very significant and this site has the potential to support our proposed growth plans for quite some time in the future,” CEO Erik Thorsen said.

Construction of the plant is expected to start in 2010, with production of the raw material used to manufacture semiconductors and solar panels.

A total of 13,000 tonnes of polycrystalline silicon will be produced annually at the site, which represents nearly one third of the global production of 45,000 tonnes. Some of the material will be used by an existing company in Becancour.

The project is expected to generate more than $100 million in annual economic spinoff and nearly $20 million in tax revenues per year.

Emploi-Quebec is providing a $4 million grant for 25 per cent of the training costs for three years.

Plant construction of the first phase of two plants will employ more than 1,000 people. Four production units could eventually be constructed of similar size as REC’s factory being built in Moses Lake, Wash.

Thorsen wouldn’t rule out eventually fabricating solar panels at the Quebec location.

The site is located near the Gentilly nuclear power plant, which the government recently said would get $1.9 billion for an upgrade and expansion.

The location was selected following a 17-month review in which 100 sites were considered in 16 countries.

Toronto-based Timminco Ltd. is also building a plant in Becancour to manufacture solar-grade silicon.

(via.  Daily Commercial News)

Vatican installs solar panel roof

What an encouraging news! Who will be next? Buddhist temples?

Pope Benedict XVI has become the first pontiff to harness solar power to provide energy for the Vatican. | Last updated at 18:02 GMT, Monday, 29 September 2008 19:02 UK

Roof tiles on the Paul VI auditorium - used in poor weather for the Pope's weekly audience with pilgrims - are being replaced by 2,700 solar panels.

The photovoltaic cells will convert sunlight into electricity, generating enough power to light, heat or cool the 6,000 seat hall, engineers say.

Conserving global resources has been a priority for the German-born Pope.

Since he was elected in 2005, Benedict XVI has criticised "the unbalanced use of energy" in the world.

He has also said environmental damage was making "the lives of poor people on earth especially unbearable".

Surplus power

Working beneath a brilliantly clear Roman sky on Monday, a group of engineers in yellow T-shirts positioned the dark cells on the auditorium's roof.

The solar panels are replacing deteriorating cement roof tiles

Andre Koekenhoff, one of the workers, said the initiative was an attempt to make the Vatican "a little bit greener".

"With this plant, if it is working, in about two weeks we avoid 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide, and this is the equivalent to 70 tonnes of oil," he told the Associated Press news agency.

When the hall is not in use, the surplus energy produced will reportedly be fed into the Vatican's power network.

The Paul VI auditorium was designed by architect Pier Luigi Nervi and built in 1969, but the cement panels on its roof were deteriorating and it was decided last year to replace them with solar panels.

The panels, reportedly worth $1.5m, were donated as a gift to the German-born Pope by a Bonn-based company, Solar World, AP reported.

(Via. BBC News)