Archive for January, 2011

This holiday season was certainly a busy one for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). While many Americans were off completing last minute Christmas shopping and spending time with loved ones, the team at NNSA was working around the clock to secure over 50 kilograms of highly enriched uranium from three sites in the Ukraine. As part of President Obama’s ambitious plan to secure all vulnerable nuclear material around the world in four years, NNSA assisted in repatriating the dangerous materials from the Ukraine to a secure facility in Russia.

The successful completion of this mission capped a year of important achievements by NNSA and its international partners, which included securing 10 metric tons of highly enriched uranium and three metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium from Kazakhstan – enough material to create approximately 775 nuclear weapons. These complex international efforts were buoyed in large part by the Nuclear Security Summit, which took place last April and was attended by over 40 countries that pledged to secure their vulnerable nuclear material.

We’re not the only ones to take note of NNSA’s achievements. Up against some very impressive nominees, the Arms Control Association recently voted to make NNSA Administrator Thomas D’Agostino Co-“Arms Control Person of the Year” for his work with Kazakhstan's Deputy Foreign Minister KairatUmarov and international partners on that highly sensitive Kazakhstan project. This honor highlights the importance and difficulty of the milestones that NNSA and its partners have achieved in the past year and the magnitude of the work left to be done.

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From Renewable Energy World

California, USA — In an undated posting on Governor Jerry Brown’s campaign web site, the then candidate called for building 12,000 MW of distributed generation out of 20,000 MW of new renewable generation.

Governor Brown specifically calls on the legislature to introduce feed-in tariffs to accomplish this task.

Brown’s position on distributed generation and feed-in tariffs is the most ambitious–and the most specific–of any sitting US Governor.

California has lagged far behind other US states since Brown’s previous tenure as Governor in the early 1980s. At best California produces two percent of its electricity with wind energy and less than one percent from solar energy. Several Midwestern states generate more than seven percent of their electricity with new renewables, mostly wind energy.

12,000 MW of new distributed renewables could produce 15-25 TWh of generation, or about 5%-8% of current consumption. Total new renewables proposed by Brown could generate 30-40 TWh per year for about 10%-13% of consumption.

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Last month Secretary Chu announced that the Department of Energy had installed a“cool roof” atop the west building of our Washington, DC headquarters. The announcement elicited a fair number of questions from his Facebook fans, so we decided to reach out to the people behind the project for their insight on the specific benefits of switching to a cool roof, and the process that went into making that choice.

Jim Bullis (Facebook): So what is the percentage saving of energy bills for this building?

Answer: The West Building cool roof is estimated to save about $2,000 per year in reduced energy costs. In the spring, we will also be installing a cool roof on the Headquarters' South Building, which will save an additional $6,000 per year. While this represents just a small portion of the total annual energy costs for the building, it is important to note that this cool roof was a no cost initiative, meaning that the West Building roof was already due to be replaced and opting to switch to a cool roof added no additional cost to the project. As a result, these small savings offer an immediate payback.

Kim Greenfield (Facebook): Why aren't these solar panels instead?

Answer: The roof of our North Building already hosts a 205 kW photovoltaic solar array,which was installed in September 2008. At the time, it was the largest PV array in Washington DC and it generates over 230,000 kWh of electricity per year. We decided to install a Cool Roof on the West building since it would showcase a different type of technology at no additional cost and save money on lower energy bills for taxpayers.

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To escape the holiday chaos, many folks found refuge in caves – dark places with sticky floors, lumpy seating and Jeff Bridges playing scenes against a computer-enhanced younger version of himself . . . at least if they saw the new Tron movie released last month.

Yet researchers at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the Center for Advanced Energy Studies spent time in a cave even cooler than one occupied by the two Jeff Bridges. Specifically, they set up a new 3-D Computer-Assisted Virtual Environment – yes, a “CAVE” – which allows them to literally walk into their data and look at it from multiple perspectives.

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In 2008, Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, received quite the retrofit. The 96-year old landmark was bestowed with enough solar panels to heat 1/3 of its hot water need- an 18 ton annual reduction in CO₂ emissions. And while Massachusetts may be respected for its illustrious past and notable civic icons, it will not- and should not- be ignored for its present commitment to clean, renewable solar energy!

Massachusetts Renewable Energy Requirements

Prior to 2007, Massachusetts had a renewable portfolio standard (“RPS”) that required only 1% of the retail electricity supply to be from renewable energy sources by 2003, increasing to 4% by 2009. Luckily, the RPS was revised by the Green Communities Act of 2007, which separated renewable energy sources into Class I and Class II groups with separate increased standards. Class I renewable energy sources, which includes energy generated by PV solar panels, is required to be 15% of retail sales by 2020, with an additional 1 percent each year thereafter.

As a result of the RPS, Massachusetts adopted strong solar rebates and tax incentives to promote the adoption of solar power. As a result of these efforts, in 2010, Massachusetts was rated a top 10 state for its solar initiatives and rebates. In 2010 alone, more than 2,600 systems were installed statewide- generating more than 45 MW of solar energy! Massachusetts main solar rebate program, Commonwealth Solar – organized by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, has supported more than $330 million of solar energy investment since its inception in 2007. Due to the popularity of the program and the competitive solar installation industry, average installation prices have decreased 35% since 2007. With some systems priced at less than $4.50 per watt and solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) selling high, the payback period for most is between 5 and 7 years. An absolute bargain!

Massachusetts Rebates and Tax Incentives

Commonwealth Solar currently offers two rebate programs: the Solar Stimulus program for large commercial projects and the Commonwealth Solar II program. Commercial solar systems larger than 5 kW receive rebates from the Solar Stimulus program, which is partly funded by federal ARRA funds. The Commonwealth Solar II rebates are available to all types of customers (commercial, residential, non-profit, government…) served by the four major Massachusetts investor owned utilities and some of the municipal ones. Rebates for residential consumers are based on the system’s first 5 kW (the average system size for a family home), but the maximum rebate value is not limited- an awesome change to previous policy.  Up until December 2010, the available rebate per watt was higher, but the maximum rebate size, for any system, was limited to $10,500. Rebates for commercial consumers are also based on the first 5 kW, but the system must be less than 10 kW in capacity to be eligible.

Massachusetts solar rebate calculation are a little complicated as the factor in your home value and your personal income. So depending on your estimated home value and income, you will receive approximately $0.75 to $1.70 per watt rebate on your solar energy system under the new rebate pricing levels. With the Commonwealth Solar II incentive, the base rate is $0.75 per watt. However, if your solar equipment in manufactured within Massachusetts, you will receive an additional $.10 per watt. For residential solar systems, add another $.85 per watt for a moderate home value and another $.85 per watt for a moderate income.

Massachusetts also offers a number of attractive tax incentives. All residential solar systems are exempt from sales tax while commercial system expenditures are exempt from excise tax. A 15% personal tax credit, up to $1000 dollars, is given to individuals who install a solar power system. Massachusetts law also dictates a 100%, 20 year property tax exemption for all renewable energy systems. Along with the 30% federal tax credit on renewable energy equipment (or a solar energy grant in some commercial cases) and accelerated depreciation, installing a solar energy system is now a financially feasible and attractive option in Massachusetts!

It is important to note that some municipal and investor owned utilities have modest, sometimes even cash, rebates. In addition, there are also many different ways to finance the purchase of a residential solar system so that you do not have to come up with a large cash outlay at one time yet ensure that you are still spending less than your current electric bill even with financing. Your solar installer should be able to help you with any additional financing mechanisms or municipal/utility rebates.

Massachusetts Solar Renewable Energy Credits

What makes Massachusetts stand out nationally in 2010 is their new clearinghouse for Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs). A SREC represents 1 megawatt-hour of electricity generated from an eligible renewable energy source. Just like stocks, SRECs are sold on an open market at varying prices correlated to demand. Utilities need to buy a certain amount of these credits to comply with a state’s RPS. Massachusetts Solar Credit Clearinghouse Auction is unique in that they will purchase any SRECs that cannot be sold on the open market for $300. This essentially creates a price floor.

To qualify for SRECs, the system must be less than 2 MW and net-metered. In Massachusetts, all investor owned utilities must provide net metering. Some municipal utilities choose too also. Net metering means that you only pay for the net amount of electricity that you use. With net metering, homeowners with solar installed are able to “bank” the excess electricity their solar system generates and receive credit up to 100% of their electric use bill at the full retail electricity price that they can use later.

SRECs are in very high demand so they are almost always purchased, meaning that when you install solar, you not only receive tax exemptions, negligible monthly  electricity bills, an annual payment for any “banked” excess energy….but you will be paid for just having them there! For every MWh of solar electrity your panels produce, whether you use the watts or sell them back to your utility through net metering, you will receive an SREC. For the average family with a 5 kW system, an SREC is produced about every 2 months, meaning, at minimum, another $150 in your pocket every month (if you sell your SREC on the market)!

Conclusion

Fenway Park’s environmental upgrade marked the beginning of Solar Boston, an initiative to increase the city’s solar energy output 50 fold by 2015 (.5 MW to 25 MW). As of August, there had been 57 complete solar installations, generating 1.9 MW- a 280% increase, but an overall slow start. However, with Boston being one of the original 13 Solar America Cities and Massachusetts’ amazing solar program, Solar Boston is sure to make great headway in the upcoming years, with Massachusetts blazing a solar trail for all to follow. Way to go, Massachusetts!

Prior to moving forward with a solar installation, it is always a good idea to seek professional advice. This is especially true in today’s climate, with many solar incentive programs struggling to keep up with demand. A licensed solar installer can help you figure out the cost of a system, financing options, and the incentive for which you qualify.

For those interested consumers – homeowners and commercial business owners – that are unsure about solar power and how they should go about evaluating whether solar is right for their situation, please know that there are answers to your problems and all you need to do is a little research at great sites like the U.S. Department of Energy, Solar Energy Industries Association, and Solar Energy Installers. Remember, solar power is potentially a large investment, so it’s advisable to look into both the technical and financial considerations before either getting the wrong solar panel system or dismissing the chance to save with solar.

Cross Post from the Energy Savers Blog.

by Chris Stewart

"Keeping things simple" and "getting back to basics" are two ideals I naturally gravitate to.  And while I'm not usually someone who makes New Year's resolutions, I am a big fan of top 10 lists. While pretty straightforward, these easy tips are great way to save money and energy throughout the New Year. So here goes, my personal top 10 ways to save money and energy in 2011.

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