Source: http://www.circularenergy.com/2013/03/circular-energy-to-donate-complete-solar-installation-to-austin-childrens-shelter/

On April 4th, Circular Energy, a leading full-service solar design and installation firm, unveiled a custom solar energy system they donated to the Austin Children’s Shelter (ACS). The Austin-based firm installed the 10,000-watt solar PV array, consisting of 40 solar panels, on the roof of the ACS gymnasium. Of the campus’ eight buildings, the gymnasium is the largest and has the highest energy usage. This system will give the shelter the opportunity to reinvest the savings into caring for the neglected and suffering children it serves. “Not only will these panels help lower our substantial energy costs, they will also provide a powerful learning opportunity for our residents, volunteers, and staff. The ongoing savings and long-term environmental impact of this gift will give the young people we serve a firsthand lesson in the value of renewable energy,” said Kelly White, CEO of Austin Children’s Shelter. Circular Energy is setting a new standard in the solar industry through exceptional customer experience and community involvement, the company has hosted activities for the children of the shelter to learn about their new solar system and the future of clean energy. “With our abundant solar resources in Texas, we have the power to position ourselves as the world leader in renewable energy for the next one hundred years, just as we have positioned ourselves as the world leader in oil and gas for the past one hundred years,” said Texas Representative Mark Strama. Austin Children’s Shelter and Circular Energy formally launched the Shelter’s solar power system Wednesday, April 3 to commemorate accessible alternative energy in Texas. 

Source: News release- Gift of Solar Unveiled at Austin Children’s Shelter

Source: http://gov.cbia.com/issues_policies/article/is-connecticuts-renewable-energy-goal-feasible

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is proposing broad changes for the Connecticut’s Renewable Portfolio Standard. DEEP Commissioner Dan Esty said that restructuring the portfolio will give the state more flexibility to make renewable power a larger share of the energy mix and also ensure that the state’s energy policy is focused “on new and innovative renewable technology, not legacy projects that no longer make sense.” The current renewable energy portfolio in place is 15 years old and focuses on many “outdated” technologies. “Our new RPS strategy focuses on innovative approaches that minimize costs for electric ratepayers, while bringing us the benefits of cleaner air, a more diverse and reliable power supply and support for in-state projects that grow our economy and create jobs right here in our state,” Esty said. They also plan to spend money wisely in order create new jobs in Connecticut while also lowering the cost of electricity.

On the other hand, the president of Environment Northeast, a Maine-based regional organization with offices in Connecticut, Daniel Sosland, said the restructuring is a bad idea. Sosland said the legislation in which the restructuring is included — Proposed Substitute Bill 1138 — would eliminate support for existing energy efficiency programs. Although there may be some disagreement and misunderstanding concerning this proposal, DEEP officials say a key change being proposed is to increase targets for state use of solar, wind and other types of renewable energy, including some kinds of hydropower. These changes also would allow the state to run a competitive bid process to buy a portion of the renewable portfolio, 7.5 percent by 2025, to meet the target that the portfolio’s share of Class I renewable energy types will become 25 percent required by 2025. The aim is to bring down the overall ratepayer cost of meeting the portfolio’s goals while preserving support for renewable development in Connecticut and across the region, Esty said.

Source: Connecticut revamping renewable energy strategy, Luther Turmelle, March 18 2013

SOLAR TODAY

ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS

Rethinking Solar Water Heating in an Age of Booming PV
SWH could relieve utility stress about the challenges of integrating so much PV, so fast.
By Jill K. Cliburn and Joe Bourg

Affordable Net-Zero-Energy in Outlying D.C.
By minimizing construction and utility costs, the North Pointe homes in Frederick, Md., offer low-cost living  quite a feat in metro Washington, D.C.
By V. Paul Zanecki

Relieving a Glaring Problem
Proper design and siting of solar energy installations is probably the most effective way to mitigate potentially hazardous glare.
By Clifford K. Ho

Squeezing Utility Bill Savings from Commercial PV
Net metering or power purchase agreement? It depends on the customer and utility, but a study of North Carolina commercial customers finds that selling the PV generation yields the best savings, thanks to onerous net-metering charges.
By Kacey Hoover

Power Forward at SOLAR 2013
The 42^nd ASES National Solar Conference gets down to business in Baltimore, Md., April 16–20.
ASES staff

Innovators
Acting Against Coal
By Seth Masia

Investing
Japan’s Big Leap Forward
By Rona Fried, Ph.D.

The trade
Model Zoning Ordinances for Small Wind Turbines
By Mick Sagrillo

New Products
SOLAR 2013 Products Preview

System Accomplished
Do-It-Yourself Pays Off for UPS
By Seth Masia

READ THIS ISSUE

There are several ways to read the issue online:

Subscribers/ASES members: Log in to your member account here, and click on the “SOLAR TODAY Digital” link in the left sidebar. Or, look for your print copy in the mail.

Read on e-reader: Find this issue soon on iBooks or the Kindle! (additional charges apply)

Not a subscriber or member? Sign up today and don’t miss an issue (print and digital versions available).

Source: Bosch Solar Energy, Maui County car port

Bosch Solar Energy, a division of the Bosch Group, has completed the largest solar photovoltaic project in Maui County, Hawaii. The Bosch Group’s Solar Energy Division is a leading supplier of photovoltaic products. This company offers high quality solar cells and modules for photovoltaic power generation; the division also develops top-quality turnkey solar power plants. The completed solar project in Maui is 1.9 megawatts and will provide power for 11 sites including: four fire stations, two senior centers, the Lahaina police station, the Eddie Tam Community Center, and the Kihei Aquatic Center. Two wastewater treatment facilities occupy the largest number of solar panels installed, at 3,696 panels. Mayor Alan Arakawa comments that this project provided more than 200 local jobs for four months and will save the county in total more than $10 million over 20 years. Maui county was able to go solar with no upfront costs because Bosch Solar energy and its partners jointly developed, constructed, and financed the Power Purchase Agreement project. The completion of this large project is a great contribution to the county’s commitment to installing renewable energy systems and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

Source: Bosch Solar Energy news release- Bosch Solar Energy Completes 1.9 Megawatt Project in Maui County

Boulder, CO, March 7, 2013 — The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) will focus on the relationship between renewable energy and extreme weather events at its annual national solar conference, SOLAR 2013, in Baltimore, April 16-20.

For a day-long series of sessions on “Extreme Weather: Strategic Opportunity for Renewable Energy,” ASES will convene a cross-disciplinary group of state and local officials, utilities, businesses, insurance and finance experts, researchers and renewable energy companies, to strategize about the role of renewable energy in reducing risk from extreme weather events.

Speakers for the “Extreme Weather” session on Thursday, April 18, include

- Alice LeBlanc, former head of the Office of Environment and Climate Change at American International Group (AIG), where she designed and implemented AIG’s global corporate climate change strategy. AIG suffered losses of $1.4 billion as a result of hurricane Sandy.

- Margarett Jolly, Distributed Generation Ombudsman for Con Edison, will present the electric utility’s point of view on extreme weather mitigation.

- Drew Torbin, VP-Renewable Energy at ProLogis, will talk about the potential of commercial solar to improve resiliency in natural disasters. ProLogis is one of the world’s largest commercial real estate firms, managing over 500,000 million square feet of industrial space in 22 countries.

- Patricia Hoffman, Assistant Secretary, Department of Energy, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, will discuss grid reliability and energy security.

Renewable energy can slow the pace of climate change by displacing fossil fuels and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But only recently has it become clear that renewable energy can save lives and money during and after extreme weather events, through “islanded” microgrids that combine renewable energy with backup storage, and maintain local power when the grid goes down.

Hurricane Sandy, which left 8.2 million people without power for weeks on end, is estimated to cost at least $60 billion. Half of that amount is from the loss of business, mainly due to power failures, while the rest is from property destruction.

Learn more about the Extreme Weather series here.

About the American Solar Energy Society:

Established in 1954, the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is the nation’s leading association of solar professionals and advocates. Our mission is to inspire an era of energy innovation and speed the transition to a sustainable energy economy. ASES leads national efforts to increase the use of solar energy and other sustainable technologies through the publication of the award-winning SOLAR TODAY magazine, the ASES National Solar Tour – the largest grassroots solar event in the world, and the the ASES National Solar Conference. For more information about ASES and the SOLAR 2013 conference please visit http://www.ases.org/solar2013.

Contact:
Seth Masia
smasia@ases.org
303.443.3130 x109

Lili Francklyn
lfrancklyn@ases.org
303-443-3130 x 107

Source:http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/03/ohio_power_siting_board_has_ap.html

According to the results of a recent statewide public opinion survey, a solid majority of Ohioans support investment in renewable energy and the state’s law which encourages those investments. Ohio is a very fast growing state for renewable energy investments and this data further confirms that policymakers should continue on the successful course they have taken since the clean energy law was passed in 2008. According to this public opinion poll almost eighty percent of Ohio voters support laws requiring Ohio to produce a portion of its electricity from clean energy sources and that three out of four Ohioans support increasing the number of the state’s wind farms. The poll also found that nearly two-thirds of voters support the policy to promote clean energy sources making Ohio less dependent on fossil fuels, and nearly sixty percent of Ohioans would be willing to pay up to $3 a month to use clean energy sources. This public survey is a good representation of the positive attitude towards renewable energy in the state of Ohio and upcoming Senate hearings should have no problem confirming and continuing the advances Ohio has made in clean energy.

Source: AWEA News Release- Eighty percent of Ohio voters support requiring a portion of the state’s energy to come from clean sources