Solar Power World-November 2012

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November 2012

www.solarpowerworldonline.com

INSIDE:

>> Racking and

mounting:

NEW CELLS

FOR ALCATRAZ

PagE 22

>> SolaR BuSineSS:

ThESE COmpANiES

SuppORT SOLAR

PagE 34

>> manufactuRing

PRoceSSeS:

pROduCTiON BEgiNS

AT CONCEpTiON

PagE 38

Technology Development Installation

PagE 28


3/65


4/65

T H E F I R S T W O R D

Now We Can Get BackTo Business

Im wriig is at the end o October. The election is still too close to call, buthere is one thing I am certain about: Even I will be glad when its over.

Weve spent much o the last 18 months (didnt it seem like a decade?)

debating, arguing and sometimes ghting about which candidate would be best

or the solar industry. I made my position abundantly clear, and those on theopposite side o the political spectrum did, too. It was an incisive, spirited debate,

and Im glad to have taken part in it.

On Nov. 6, the American people will make their decision. Regardless o who

wins, well all get back to doing what we do best working to urther the best

interests o the solar industry.

Here is my ve-point list o items that should top our agenda in 2013:

1. Many o you may know that Ive been on the subsidy bandwagon or morethan a year, and Ive taken a lot o heat or it. But I had a conversation with

Peter Lynch, a board member o the Principal Solar Institute, who made a

compelling case or a eed-in tarif instead. Im now on board: Scrap the

subsidies. Getting a national FiT should be our top priority in 2013.

2. We must nd a (relatively painless) way to accelerate the industrys inevitable

consolidation. The slow drip o high-prole bankruptcies is drowning out the

good-news message o our industry. It needs to end sooner rather than later.

3. The Chinese tarif decision, or better or worse, has been decided. It split the

industry, and blood was spilt. Now its time to bind those wounds and unite

again to push our industry orward with one voice.4. We must have national licensing or solar installers. Im not sure what body

would be the most appropriate to do this, but the barriers to entry or this

industry are too low. As my riend Yann Brandt articulated so well on his blog

(and our website), solar schemers have the potential to sink the industry. We

cant allow that to happen.

5. We must hold the presidents (and Congress) eet to the re to make sure

they build policies that support our industry, now and in the uture. They

wont support what they dont understand, so make your voices heard. By

the time you read this, the election will be over but advocacy on behal oour industry should never stop.

Id love to hear whats on your solar priority list in 2013. Please drop me a line at

[email protected] call me at 440-234-4531 (Ext. 110).

E d i t o r i a l D i r e c t o r

a n d o r k a @ s o l a r p o w e r w o r l d o n l i n e . c o m

What do you

thInk?

Discuss this, andother solar issues

at www.engineering

exchange.com

Frnk Andoa

www.solarpowerworldonline.com 11 2012 SOLAR POWER WORLD 1

Natalie HoltgrefeSolectria Renewables

Jose GomezIngeteam

Raheleh FolkertsRenewable Energy

Systems Americas

Steve HoganSpire

Gary MullWestinghouse Solar

Devon CichoskiSolarWorld

Marcelo GomezUnirac

Justin BarnesNorth Carolina (State

University) Solar

Center

Scott WiaterStandard Solar

EditorialAdvisoryBoard


5/65

Moxa, Inc.Tel: 1-888-669-2872

Fax: 1-714-528-6778

[email protected] www.moxa.com

Smart Solar Ideas from Moxa

RISC-based Industrial Embedded Computer

Moxa ART 32-bit ARM 9 Industrial Processor

4 DIs and 4 DOs with 3 KV digital isolation protection

2 AIs and 2 thermocouple inputs; sensor types J, K, T, E, R, S, B, N

2 software selectable RS-232/422/485 serial ports

50 bps to 921.6 Kbps serial speed, supporting non-standard baudrates

Dual 10/100 Mbps Ethernet ports for network redundancy

SD socket for storage expansion

Supports Modbus TCP library to retrieve AI and thermocouple data

The IA3341Series Rcore Software PlatformMoxas Rcore ready-to-run platform makes it easy for programmers

to develop embedded software. Rcore includes easy-to-use

application libraries, tested bug-free sample code, and requires

less time for the concept validation and development cycle

enabling a faster time-to-market that meets or exceeds customer

requirements. The Rcore Community also offers our partners easy

access to software and technical knowledge about embedded

systems, along with an interactive forum to share knowledge with

embedded computing professionals.

Visit http://rcorecommunity.moxa.com/ for details.

Industrial Wireless Industrial Ethernet Serial Connectivity and Networking Embedded Computing

Use your Smart Phone toscan for more information.


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.solarororldonlin.com 11 2012 SOLAR pOweR wORLD 3

[ S O L A R S N A P S H O T ]

Editors Note: Solar Power World is proud to introduce Solar Snapshot, a new department that

provides a glimpse of the solar industry in pictures. If you have an infographic youd like to see on this

page, email it to Editorial Director Frank Andorka at [email protected].

State Rankings by Cumulative Installed Solar Electric Capacity

as of Q2 2012Installed Solar Electric Capacity

1-California

2-New Jersey3-Arizona

4-Nevada

5-Colorado

6-New Mexico

7-Florida

8-Pennsylvania

9-New York

10-North Carolina

11-Hawaii

12-Massachusetts

13-Texas

14-Oregon

15-Ohio16-Maryland

17-Tennessee

18-Illinois

19-Delaware

20-Connecticut

21-Wisconsin

22-Washington

23-Vermont

24-Missouri

25-DC

Other

State Rankings by Q2 PV Installed Capacity

CommercialResidential Utility

1-California

2-Arizona

3-New Jersey

4-Nevada

5-Texas

6-Illinois

7-North Carolina

8-Massachusetts

9-New Mexico

10-Hawaii

11-New York

12-Tennessee13-Pennsylvania

14-Maryland

15-Colorado

16-Oregon

17-Ohio

18-Florida

19-Missouri

20-Washington

21-Connecticut

22-Delaware

23-Wisconsin

24-DC

25-Vermont

Other

103 MW

173 MW

217 MW

Residential Total = 94

Commercial Total = 196

Utility Total = 447

Sources: (Clockwise from upper left) SEIA; SEIA and VoteSolar; SEIA and Vote Solar; SEIA; BarackObama.com


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Noember 2012 ol 2 no 5

EDITORIAL

Edtoral Drector

Frank Andorka

440.234.4531 x110

andorka@solarpowerworl-

donline.com

@SolarFrankA

@SolarPowerWrld

Assocate EdtorKathie Zipp

440.234.4531 x107

kzipp@solarpowerworldon-

line.com

@SolarKathieZ

@SolarPowerWrld

Assstant Edtor

Steen Bshong

440.234.4531 x118

sbushong@solarpowerworl-

donline.com

@SolarStevenB

@SolarPowerWrld

ART/DEsIgn

Drector, Create Serces

Mark Rook

440.234.4531 x103

[email protected]

@wtwh_graphics

Graphc Desgner

Matthew Claney

[email protected]

Trac Manager

Mary Hedelof

440.234.4531

[email protected]

sALEs

natonal Sales Manager

Todd Tidmore

512.426.2378

[email protected]

@wtwh_ttidmore

Key Accont Manager

Jim Poer

[email protected]

@jpowers_media

Regonal Sales Manager

Sren Sagadean

310.386.0302

[email protected]

@wtwh_suren


Tom Lazar

440.234.4531 x106

[email protected]

@wtwh_Tom


Cortney Seel

440.523.1685

[email protected]

@wtwh_CSeel


Neel Gleason

312.882.9867

[email protected]

@wtwh_ngleason

CORPORATE

Pblsher

Mke Emch

508.446.1823

[email protected]

Managng Drector

Scott McCaferty

310.279.3844

[email protected]

sVP Onlne Media

Marshall Matheson805.895.3609

[email protected]

sOLAR POwER wORLD does not pass judgment on subjects o controversy nor enter into disputes with or between any individuals or organizations.

sOLAR POwER wORLD is also an independent orum or the expression o opinions relevant to industry issues.

Letters to the editor and by-lined articles express the views o the author and not necessarily o the publisher or publication. Every eort is made to provide accurate

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sOLAR POwER wORLD does not endorse any products, programs, or services o advertisers or editorial contributors. Copyright 2012 by WTWH Media, LLC.

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sOLAR POwER wORLD (ISSN 2164-7135) is published by WTWH Media, LLC, 2019 Center Street, Suite 300, Cleveland, OH 44113.

4 SOLAR POWER WORLD 11 2012

WTWH Meda, LLC 2019 Center Street, Ste 300, Cleeland, OH 44113

Ph: 440.234.4531 Fax: 216.453.0617

Drector, AdenceDeelopment

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2011, 2012

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8/65

F e a t u r e s

28

The Capitalist Case for Solar Despite its (false) reputation, solar is completely compatible with a

free-market economy.

34

Solar Means Business

38

Taking Solar Products from Concept to Production

45

Harmonics and Noise in Photovoltaic (PV) Inverter and the Mitigation Strategies.

50

Test and Verify Will your solar array stand up to heavy winds? Heres how you can fnd out.

c o n t e n t s

D e p a r t m e n t s

01 th Fi Wd

03 sl sh

06 Dvl

11 s f h s

12 pj rviw

18 F f Fi

20 tiig

22 rkig d mig

56 Products

60 Contractors Corner

59 Ad Index

12

ab h cv:

Done in the illustration

style of unfettered

capitalisms greatest

champion Ayn Rand,

this imposing skyline

made us think of Wall

Street, capitalisms

humming hub.

11 2012 SOLAR pOweR wORLD 5

38

50Illustration: istockphoto.com


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6 SOLAR POWER WORLD 11 2012 www.solarpowerworldonli ne.com

[ D E V E L O P M E N T S R E S I D E N T I A L ]

The Largest Solar NeighborhoodIn The Southeast

Kathie Zipp/Associate Editor

In the 1940s, the St. Thomas Housing

Project provided housing for low-

income residents of New Orleans. But

by the 1980s, it had become one of the

countrys most dangerous developments.

After Hurricane Katrina, the project

received grants from several government

agencies to revitalize the neighborhood.

The funds helped build affordable and

sustainable housing where St. Thomas

once stood.The new housing, known as River

Garden Apartments, is a mixed-income

development that stretches eight blocks

and spans almost a square mile. Its also

the largest solar project in Louisiana, as

well as the largest solar neighborhood

in the southeastern United States.

Pontchartrain Mechanical Co. installed

420 KW of photovoltaic systems on the

developments roofs.

Installing PV systems on multiple

roofs, each with a specic conguration

and mounting angle, posed a challenge

for the company. Turning to SolarEdges

power optimization system allowed using

maximum roof space for optimum power

harvesting, even in areas with partial

shading or obstructions.

Generating maximum power from

each module, independent of type, string

length or mounting angle, was key to the

projects success, the company says.

The SolarEdge system monitors thenumerous arrays through built-in, real-

time performance data at the module

level. The system automatically provides

web-based alerts on underperforming

modules and faults, and pinpoints affected

modules on a virtual site layout map.

Also, the systems SafeDC mechanism

keeps residents, installers, maintenance

personnel and reghters safe. Damaged

arrays could potentially start arc faults and

home res. SolarEdge guarantees a safe

installation with its inverters and power

optimizers. This has special importance in

hurricane-prone areas where ying debris

resulting from high winds can damage solar

installations.

The residents of the apartments

pay $0.10/KWh of electricity. The solar

installations on each home were combined,

which enabled a volume discount for further

reduced electricity costs. Residents are

expected to save an average of $50 per

month in utility bills.We overcame many challenging issues,

specically installing modules on multiple

roofs and different angles, in a safe manner

and with reduced maintenance costs, says

Micah Galy of Pontchartrain Mechanical

Co. This revitalized community is now able

to sustain itself with reliable energy and will

be able to stabilize their energy costs for

the long term in a clean and sustainable

way. SPW

SolarEdge

www.solaredge.us


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[ D E V E L O P M E N T S C O M M E R C I A L ]


Moxa, a manufacturer of

industrial networking products,

has partnered with So-Cal Solar

to install a 35,000 square-foot

solar power system at its global

sales-and-marketing headquarters

in Brea, Calif. The installation

is one of the largest in Orange

County and is expected to reduce

green house gas emissions by

9,309 tons of CO2 over the next

25 years. The system includes

rooftop and carport arrays, and it

produces more than 311 KW DC,

using 1,133 panels and a central

inverter.

It is important to Moxa to

be environmentally mindful as a

company through green product

design, conservation of natural

resources and compliance with

ISO 14001 standards, says

Ben Chen, president of Moxa

Americas.Chen says Moxa has also

implemented other resource

conservation efforts such as

low-ow aerators, rain sensors

for irrigation and motion sensors

for lighting. A Moxa team

will research other means of

conserving resources, such as

retroftting parking lights to LED,

an electronic HVAC system and

a building energy-management

system.

Moxa Installs Solar At U.S. Headquarters

The solar power system is also

an opportunity for Moxa to provide

education on solar technology and

related Moxa solutions. Visitors can

see a live-monitoring demonstration

and learn about power output and

system metrics. The demonstration

incorporates Moxas own industrial

switches, surveillance cameras,

computers and I/O modules. Aseparate monitoring system is also on

display to provide a birds-eye view of

system productivity. SPW

Moxa

www.moxa.com


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12/65

[ D E V E L O P M E N T S U T I L I T Y ]


[ D E V E L O P M E N T S U T I L I T Y ]

Hard soil patches posed a challenge for installers

working at a water treatment plant in the Thermalito

Water and Sewer District in Oroville, Calif. But they

were able to make up for lost time with quick module

mounting.

Integrator Elite Solar chose Creoteccs Creoterra

mounting system because of its insertion-rail design,

which holds modules without clamps. Instead,

modules are inserted into rails, making installation

easier than with other systems, the company says.

I was impressed by how fast and easy the

mechanical assembly was, and how quickly the

modules installed without clamps, says project

foreman Rich Sanchez.

Creotecc says the Creoterra system suits almost

all terrains and site conditions. A versatile pile bracket

allows a tilt range of 10 to 50 degrees, and slotnut connectors are fully adjustable. This allows the

system to meet demanding site conditions.

Creotecc also delivered the rail to the job site

pre-cut. Sanchez estimated a time reduction of 50%

when compared to other mounting systems hes used

on similar projects.

Support from the team at Creotecc was there

from the beginning of construction to commissioning,

says Kirk Short, owner of Elite Solar. Creotecc will

be my go-to racking based on ease of install, product

support and cost. It will keep me competitive in this

highly competitive eld.

The system at the treatment plant is expected

to eliminate 100% of the districts electricity bill,

resulting in more than $3.8 million in positive cash

ow over the 25-year life of the system. SPW

Creotecc Solar Mounting Systems

www.creotecc.com

Speedy Solar InstallationAt Thermalito

Project Overview

Development Group: Elite Solar, City National

Bank, Creotecc Solar Mounting Systems

Commissioned: Aug. 17, 2012

Installation Time Frame: 45 Days (May 25

through June 10, 2012)

High/Low Temperature: 115F/12F

Annual AC Production: 708,994 KWh


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Helical Products Company, Inc. and its engineering team have over 50

years of experience designing and manufacturing innovative products for

controlling mechanical movement, including heliostats tracking the sun.

Offering a variety of materials for challenging environmental

conditions and the option of integrating several parts

into one piece, Helicals exible couplings provide

you the perfect design solution for

accommodating angular misalignment,

parallel offset, and axial motion.

With over 8,000 successfuldesigns and 35,000

satisfed customers

served, why not let

Helical start coupling

your dreams with

reality today!

When the temperature is 1000F

Quality and Precision are Critical!

AS9100C & ISO 9001:2008 Certied

PO Box 1069 901 West McCoy Lane

Santa Maria, California 93455

877-353-9873 Fax 805-928-2369

Flexible Couplings for motion control systemsrequiring accuracy, reliability and value


14/65

[ S T A T E O F T H E S T A T E ]

The Solar State By State Reports:Arizona

Background

On Oct. 31, 2006, the Arizona Corporation

Commission voted 4-1 to expand the states

renewable portolio standard to require 15%

renewable energy, and 30% o that to come rom

distributed generation resources. In 2012, the

renewables goal is 3.5% o retail load.

We think much o the renewable energy

standard will be met with solar. With a world-class

solar resource and strong population growth,

Arizona has the potential to emerge as a key solar

market.

Arizona currently has no cap on the total

amount o solar that can be net metered. Individual

net-metered systems are not allowed to exceed

125% o the customers total connected load.

Policy Needs and Next Steps

Utility implementation o the RES will be an

ongoing issue, as will deending the standard

rom attacks by opponents o clean energy in the

state legislature. Long-term, Arizona must keep

increasing in-state demand or clean energy to

compete with other western states or solar jobs.

Streamlining permitting on ederal and private

lands will also continue to be a priority. SPW

Annie Lapp is Vote Solars lead or Arizona. She

can be reached at [email protected].

Arizona is a rising star in the race among statesor solar leadership. Its now third in the country

or solar jobs, according to The Solar Foundations

2011 Jobs Census (behind Caliornia and

Colorado). But given Arizonas abundant sunshine

and burgeoning solar manuacturing industry, the

state has made good on only a small sliver o its

solar potential. As o August 2012, Arizona had

installed 448 MW o solar capacity, or enough to

power 57,491 homes. The state ranks third in the

United States, right behind Caliornia and New

Jersey, in solar installed.

On the small-scale solar ront, solar incentives

are dropping quickly in 2012 as demand or solar

soars. We are working with partners in the state to

prepare or a post-incentives ramework. We will

ocus on the details o solar rate design to ensurethe small-scale solar market continues to grow

apace.

On the large-scale solar ront, we are working

to site solar projects eciently and responsibly.

The Arizona Bureau o Land Management (BLM)

has released a rst-o-its-kind proposal to map

the best areas or renewable energy development

throughout the state and to streamline permitting

in those areas on BLM lands.

In February 2012, Arizona BLM releaseda drat environmental impact study (EIS) on

its Restoration Design Energy Project (RDEP)

website. In May, Vote Solar submitted comments

to the BLM in partnership with Arizona utilities,

land conservation groups and the solar industry,

including detailed suggestions or how to make

RDEP most efective at choosing the best BLM

lands or solar and how to make the program a

model or other states in the uture.

Annie Lapp

www.solarpowerworldonline.com 1 1 2012 SOLAR POWER WORLD 1 1

Solar Power World thanks our riends at Vote Solar or allowing us to help get the word

out about whats happening in the solar industry, state by state. Our frst installment

ocuses on Arizona.


15/65

One of the greatest issues with renewable energy generationis its intermittency. Utilities still need to provide people

with power when the sun is not shining or the wind is not

blowing.

Many times, fossil fuels such as natural gas are used to provide

back-up power when renewable sources alone can not generate

enough electricity to meet demand. The ability for solar and

wind facilities to provide consistent power like conventional coal

or nuclear power plants is critical to the widespread success of

renewables.

The key to obtaining it is storage, but this is easier said than done.

Many companies are working on such solutions, but one is already

implementing its technology into a project that will be operational as

soon as next year.

1 2 SOLAR POWER WORLD 11 2012

The Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project will providerenewable power without intermittency

[ P R O J E C T R E V I E W ]

Setting The Standard For Solar Storage

Kathie Zipp/Associate Editor

So

larReserve


16/65

.solarororldonlin.com 11 2012 SOLAR pOweR wORLD 1 3

Renewable Resources Welcome In Nevada

Nvadas grat solar rsourc and rnabl

ortolio standard has attractd solar

dvlomnt in th stat, including intrst

rom Santa Monica, Cali.-basd dvlor

SolarRsrv.

Th local utility NV enrgy took intrst inth comanys rojct roosal, articularly

bcaus SolarRsrvs cor concntratd solar

or (CSp) tchnology has intgratd nrgy

storag, hich rovids th utility ith rliabl

or hn ndd and solvs th utilitys

concrns ith intrmittncy rom its rnabl

gnrators.

Storage: The Holy Grail For Renewables

SolarRsrv uss moltn-salt tchnology frst

dvlod by pratt & whitny Rocktdyn,

rockt scinc nginrs or NASA. SolarRsrv

no holds th xclusiv orldid licns to

commrcializ this tchnology.

Basically, hliostats ocus th suns nrgy

to th rcivr, hich sits ato a cntral tor.

Liquid moltn salt is umd rom th cold

tank at 500 degrees Fahrenheit, up the tower

to th rcivr, hr it collcts th suns

thrmal nrgy. Th moltn salt is hatd to

1,050 degrees Fahrenheit and pumped downth tor, hr it is stord in th hot tank.

whn ndd, th thrmal nrgy is

rlasd into a hat xchangr to crat

stam and or a standard stam turbin

to gnrat lctricity. In this ay, th lant

can orat just lik a convntional or

plant, providing 100% output at any given

tim vn hn its not ossibl or othr

rnabl nrgy gnrators to orat,

such as in riods o cloud covr or at night.

SolarRsrvs CeO Kvin Smith says this is th

Holy Grail or th rnabl industry.

Lts say th sun shins rom 6 a.m. to

5 .m., Smith says. Th utilitys ak

SolarRsrv


17/65

requirements are really noon to 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. so

they want us to run frm baseload during those periods

to solve their peak power requirements. We can actually

run 24 hours a day i the utility wants us to, and thats

unusual in the renewable energy sector.

The technology also uses hybrid cooling that keeps

water use at a strict minimum, which is especially

important in a desert ecosystem like Nevada.

SolarReserve is using it to build the 110-MW Crescent

Dunes project near Tonopah.

Crescent Dunes Challenges

Though the new technology was intriguing, it took time

to convince lenders to fnance the project. SolarReserve

applied to the U.S. Department o Energy (DOE) Loan

Guarantee Program, so the DOE had third parties

perorm due diligence on the technology, SolarReserve

as a developer, NV Energy as a utility and more.

SolarReserves Senior Vice President o Development

Tom Georgis says ACS Cobra, the projects engineering,

procurement and construction (EPC) frm out o Spain,

reassured lenders with its willingness to guarantee the

acilitys perormance.

That obviously makes any lender eel comortable,

Georgis says. They just want to make sure they get paid

with interest.

Critical components o the technology came rom

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, which was at the time a

part o United Technologies Corporation (UTC). UTC is a

Fortune 30 company that built a pilot solar-tower plant

with storage or the DOE to demonstrate its technology.This also reassured the DOE, which approved a $737

million loan. SolarReserve was relieved to be able to

take advantage o the DOEs program and also the 1603

Treasury Grant Program, which has since expired.

There was urgency around the fnancing because o

the uncertainty and imposed deadlines on the DOE loan

program and the treasury grant, Georgis says. We were

always in danger o unding getting cut or appropriations

not coming through.

The loan, along with $260 million o private equity rom

SolarReserve, ACS Cobra and Banco Santander (a global

1 4 SOLAR POWER WORLD 11 2012 www.solarpowerworldonl ine.com



18/65


[ P R o j e c T R e V I e W ]

bank out o Sain), as nough to

nanc th $997 million rojct.

prior to vn nancing th rojct,

challngs aros in th arly stags odvlomnt, scically through th

siting and rmitting has. with much

o ara bing dral land or military

tsting rangs, it as a rocss to nd

a location acctabl to all artis.

w r ortunat not to hav

nvironmntal or cultural issus or th

sit, Smith says. But snt a air

amount o tim orking closly ith

Nllis Air Forc Bas and th Burau oLand Managmnt.

Th Air Forc as concrnd th

650-foot-tall tower would obstruct

ying zons, and that th lant ould

intrr ith its radar. So Gorgissays vn though th rojct ould

encompass only 1,500 acres, he and

his team studied more than 20,000

acrs to nd a sit satisactory to all

artis.

To mak th sit assssmnt

vn mor challnging, som o th

militarys issus r classid.

It as difcult bcaus didnt

kno xactly hat som o th issusr, Gorgis says. w brought on

a consultant to ork ith th Air Forcs

scintic advisory board. Th consultant had

clarancs to communicat th issus and

advis us ithout disclosing anything. It aschallnging daling ith an unknon.

Atr adjusting th sit a tims, nally

a location as ound that suitd vryon.

But Gorgis asnt rustratd by th rocss.

In act, h vid it as a grat larning

xrinc.

No on had rally built this kind o

rojct on dral land it as th rst

o its kind, Gorgis says. But [Scrtary

o th Intrior] Kn Salazar rcognizd thimortanc o this rojct or Nvada, hich

So

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1 6 SOLAR POWER WORLD 11 2012 www.solarpowerworldonline.com

already looking forward to taking its

technology to other markets. Smith

says it has contracted the 150-MW

Southern California Rice Solar Energy

Project with Pacic Gas & Electric, has

late stage developments in other states

across the United States and is also

active in areas like South Africa, Peru

and China.

Were also seeing tremendous

interest internationally, Smith says.

Utilities and governments want aconsistent supply of power from

renewable sources. The basis of

renewable energy with storage that can

provide consistent supply is really key.

Georgis is also looking forward to

the spread of SolarReserves molten-

salt technology and cautions not to be

deterred by the price.

It certainly is more expensive than

PV and wind, he says. But we dont

require natural gas-peaking facilities to

come online when the sun goes down,

or what will be costly transmission

system upgrade requirements to support

all the PV and wind thats coming online.

All of these costs need to be factored in.

This is kind of the best of both worlds

a renewable-energy resource that

operates like a conventional power

plant. The key issue for solar thermal

and other technologies is scale. We need

to have more projects nanced, into

construction and operating. We need to

exercise the supply chain, and thats how

were going to reduce our costs. SPW

expedited the process.

Overall, it went pretty

smoothly.

Currently Under

Construction

The project began

construction in September

2011.

As far as solar projects in

remote locations, its one of

the easiest interconnects Ive

seen over the past ve years,

Georgis says.

It should be generating

consistent solar energy by

December 2013. During a

25-year power purchase

agreement, 100% of theelectricity generated will be

sold to NV Energy and used to

power 75,000 homes during

peak periods. It will generate

500,000 MWh annually,

which is twice the amount of

a similarly sized photovoltaic

project.

The local residents of Nye

County couldnt be more thrilled

by the economic development

and job creation brought on by the

Crescent Dunes solar project. During

construction, the project will create

600 direct jobs on site, and over 4,300

direct, indirect and induced jobs across

the supply chain, with a signicant goal

of hiring locally rst. Once completed,

the plant will employ about 50 full-time workers and generate tax revenue

for the region. Georgis says he is

grateful for the communitys support.

The community and elected

ocials have been fantastic

throughout, he says. Anytime there

was an issue or challenge they could

weigh in on, theyve been more than

happy to do so.

The Beginning Of A Beautiful Thing

Though the Crescent Dunes Project

isnt yet nished, SolarReserve is


and other Solar issues at

www.engineeringexchange.com

Discuss This

Email, Post, or Share on your

favorite social network

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arReserve


20/65

We believe all people around the globe deserve access to clean, renewable, solar energy and clean water.So weve partnered with Water Missions International to provide energy to the safe water projects theyveinstalled all over the world, in places like Haiti, Uganda, Kenya, Honduras and more. Right now, water borneillnesses lead to 3.5 million deaths per year. Using our solar technology, Water Missions International has beenable to give over 600,000 people access to this basic need that most of us take for granted. To learn about howyou can hel p brin g safe water to more communi ties, go to www.watermi ssions.org.

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21/65

The Solar MarketPost-1603 Grant:

1 8 SOLAR POWER WORLD 11 2012 www.solarpowerworldonli ne.com

[ F U T U R E O F F I N A N C E ]

At the Solar Power International show inOrlando this past September, I moderated a panelof leading experts in the solar market representingthe following companies: Washington Gas,SunEdison, Clean Power Finance, Martifer Solar andNew Energy Finance. Among the many issues wediscussed, one that aroused varied opinions was

securitization. But prior to discussing it, lets rst

dene what it is.As one of the panelists smartly pointed out,securitization means debt. Securitization is theissuance of bonds as a replacement for otherpotential debt you can use to lever transactions,either at the project or corporate level. The bondstypically have a longer tenor or lower interest rates,are of larger size or otherwise oer some additionaladvantage to the typical bank market. Thesebonds are also typically rated, whether publiclyor privately, to ensure that insurance companies,banks and other long-term investors can own themwith lower capital requirements than if they issuedthe debt directly.

As Chris Bailey from SunEdison rightly said,when we talk about securitization, we should alsoinclude private placements, which are privatelyplaced bonds backed by either portfolios of dealsor large single-asset deals like Mid-AmericansTopaz issuance.

So my question to the panelists, who seemed to

hold an extremely opposite viewpoint from mine,was: Will securitization make a material dierencein the market?

Though they said yes, my answer was and is a resounding no.

Why not? If bondholders will accept longertenors, lower-interest rates and more constructionrisks, why wont securitization change the game forthe solar industry in the United States?

Can Securitization Make A Diference?

Here are a few reasons why I dont believesecuritization is a game-changer:

1. Rating agencies arent yet prepared to rateportfolios of deals and, if they are, they willstart with residential products prior to movingon to portfolios of commercial systems.

2. Fixed costs of securitization are expensive

and are currently hard to overcome.3. If the bond issuances are limited to less than$1 billion per asset-class annually, investorswill continue to charge a premium becauseof a lack of liquidity of the bonds in thesecondary market.

4. Investment banks need to warehouse thedebt prior to issuance and the market needsto exist before they will demonstrate suchinterest.

5. Few sponsors have the balance sheet, trackrecord and wherewithal to becomeacceptable issuers.

6. Mixing securitization with any sort oftax-equity nancing will prove dicult.

Accordingly, for 90% of the solar market,securitization is but a mythological entity. Yes,it will exist. Yes, it will be magical for companieslike SolarCity that may be able to avail themselvesof it. But for your average or even better-than-

average developer, sponsor, panel manufactureror long-term owner, securitization is irrelevant.

As a consequence, I encourage our clients andthose other developers in the market to continueto focus on the more conventional forms ofnancing, many of which are becoming evenmore commonplace and increasing in scope andscale, while the largest of sponsors gure out howto open up the securitization market for everyone.SPW

Robert Sternthal

President of

Reznick Capital Markets

Securities

Sternthal is president o Reznick Capital Markets Securities and has extensive experience in nancing renewable energy transactions,

whether they are in the wind, solar or biomass sectors. Working alongside Reznick Group and Reznick Think Energy, Reznick Capital

Markets Securities ofers one o the most comprehensive nancial advisory platorms in the industry.


22/65

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23/65

Accredited Solar TrainingMakes For A Successful Business


[ T R A I N I N G ]

The solar industry is young and growingfast. As a result, many of its professionals havehad relatively short experience in the eld. Manyinstallers come from other trades and often possessa wealth of experience, which is tremendouslyvaluable on the job. But its not solar expertise.

With installation prices around $6.23/W forprojects less than 100 KW, according to SolarBuzz

U.S. Deal Tracker, installer training is not a luxuryanymore its a companys survival tactic. Themore popular and mainstream solar becomes, themore a company must establish itself as a team oftrustworthy, experienced professionals that workssafely, focuses on quality, and delivers maximumyield and the highest return on the customersinvestment every time.

Why is this particularly vital for smaller installers,who primarily focus on the residential and small-scale commercial market? Because these companiesare the heart of the solar industry. Nobody engageswith the public more than these folks do. More than78% of solar companies are installing residentialsystems, and more than 61% focus on commercialsystems up to 50 KW, according to The SolarFoundation. Thats engaging with thousands ofcitizens on hundreds of installations, every day. Forthem, obtaining PV-training and certication maybe the best long-term business investment theycan make in the (potentially) largest solar PV market

on the planet.Dozens of providers oer traditional classes, but

online courses, e-courses and crash courses arebecoming increasingly common. The educationalsector understands that every hour spent studyingin the classroom or in front of the computer is timeaway from installations. Also, more detail-orientedcourses are being developed to ll more variedknowledge niches (grounding and bonding, forexample).

While meeting needs and accommodatingconvenience is important when selecting trainingcourses, beware of attending dressed-up marketingclasses. Opportunities to learn specic productsshould be provided for free, but they will not

replace solid, product-agnostic training from areputable educational facility.

Make sure that the course content is taughtby NABCEP or UL-certied instructors and, whenpossible, that the content is approved by a neutralauthority like NABCEP, so the earned credit hourscount toward certication.

Check that the classes are up-to-date in terms

of technology, as well as National Electrical Code,or NEC, requirements. In an environment like solarwith rapidly changing technology, this is a must.The 2008 NEC wont get you far anymore adetail some providers forget to mention.

In the case of a PV 101 entry-level course,for example, evaluate if all relevant topics arecovered, from design and construction, towiring, site analysis, pulling permits, calculatingROI, securing nancing, project management,troubleshooting and maintenance issues. If youre

not sure after reading the catalog, ask, and thenask again. Also, inquire about facilities for hands-on training and how much time is set aside fromtheoretical instruction to really get down anddirty. More is generally good, and there shouldbe ample time to practice with assistance andfeedback from a well-seasoned instructor.

Last, but not least, the best PV-training facilitiesdeliver great after-sales service the ones whereyou can go back and continue to ask questions,

discuss specic problems encountered in the eldor just keep in touch.

One of the best compliments we ever got wasafter a PV 101 class, when one of the studentscommented how much the class had enabled himto take his business to the next level and growwith the future. Back then, the gentlemen had

just started a small PV installation business he wasoperating out of a garage.

While in class, he connected with an electrical

engineer, and both of them soon found out theyhad similar ideas about what they wanted to pursue.Today, they conduct a successful installationbusiness and employ around a dozen people proof positive that training does work. SPW

Sylvia Minton

Senior Vice President for

MAGE Solar

Member of Board of

Directors for MAGE Solar

Academy


24/65

CentroPack- German engineered, turn-key packaged systems.To order your custom packs, Go to: centro-pack.com


25/65


From 1934 to 1963, theAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary

was the preeminent prison

of the United States. Indeed,

it was declared inescapable.

Surrounded by the cold, rapid

waters of the San Francisco

Bay, a mile from the coast and

outtted with advanced securitysystems, ocials believed that

inmates would never escape its

concrete walls at least not

alive.

Five inmates, however, did

escape. Their whereabouts

remain unknown, and ocially

they are presumed drowned.

But a tourist, as he crosses the

bay on a ferry from FishermansWharf, might consider an

alternate ending. He looks up

at the prison and down at the

bay. He considers the water

Generator Jailbreak

Racking company engineers system for high wind loads at Alcatraz

Alcatraz Solar

Installation:

Roof Height: 40 feet

Installation: 9/2011 to 6/2012

Product: SunLink RMS

Entities Involved: About 10

System Size: 307 KW

Number of Panels: 959

Module: SunPower

temperature and the distance to the coast.

He thinks he could make it.

Whats important to the National Park

Service is that, in this moment of wonder, he

does not think about solar power. But as he

and a million other tourists step foot onto

Alcatraz Island this year, they are visiting a

100-year-old structure that is powered in

part by a solar array. Only a lighthouse oersa view of the 959 SunPower panels on the

cell-house roof, and ocials say thats the

way it should be.

Because Alcatraz is a historic landmark,

we couldnt alter that by putting on this

massive installation of solar panels that were

visible, even from the city, says Alexandra

Picavet, a spokesperson for the park services

Golden Gate National Recreation Area. All of

the solar panels are below the parapet wall.That may sound simple enough. Just

put the panels below the parapet wall. But

when it came to the racking, engineering

challenges came from two directions:

[ R A C K I N G A N d m o u N t I N G ]


26/65


27/65


environmental conditions primarilythe wind, which also contained corrosivesalt and the historical integrity of thebuilding.

SunLink, a Bay Area balance-of-system components provider thatprides itself on its ability to solve dicultengineering problems, was brought into design the racking. The company hadworked on other high-prole landmarks Google headquarters, the SanFrancisco International Airport and theAtlantic City Convention Center butnothing quite as well known as Alcatraz.

The prison sits high in the middle of abay. The wind sweeps in from the PacicOcean, funnels through the steel beams

of the Golden Gate Bridge and shootsdirectly at The Rock. In engineeringwind parlance, its in whats called anExposure D, says SunLink CEO ChrisTilley. Wind exposure category D isa designation for areas that face thehighest wind loads.

The prison roof reaches heights of40 feet and experiences a wind loadsimilar to a coastal lighthouse. Leaning

on extensive research and development,SunLink went to work developing thebest system for the former prison.

This wasnt the rst time the parkservice had tried to install solar on


Alcatraz, according to the NationalRenewable Energy Laboratory, whichcollaborated on the solar projects thenand now. In the 1990s, contractors hadinstalled some mounting before a groupprotested the array, which would havebeen on the industries building, a placewhere Al Capone ran a sewing machineand Machine Gun Kelly did the laundry.The protesters said the installation wouldbe visible.

When funds became availablethrough the American Recovery andReinvestment Act, the $3.6 millionproject got a second chance. The parkservice and NREL sought to put a 307-KW installation on the roof of the cell

house. The electricity would run into2,000-amp-hour battery strings (storingpower for cloudy days) and supplantingenergy created on the island by apollution-spewing diesel generator. Theisland is not connected to the mainlandfor power, which a misplaced anchortook care of decades ago.

But in addition to challenges withwind and visibility, the cell house itself

has quirks. Its an ancient concretestructure that wasnt built with the samebuilding codes used today.

When you put a solar system ona building like that, you need to make

sure youre not damaging it in any way,Tilley says. Understanding what thematerials are and how to attach from anengineering point of view all of thosethings can be calculated based on testsor other things to make sure there wontbe a problem with the building.

The company used its SunLink RMSmounting system as a base product, onewhich Tilley says has been extensivelytested in wind tunnels and is madefrom aluminum and stainless steel. Italso mounts panels at 5, 10, 15 and 20degrees. At the time of the installation,RMS was SunLinks primary product. Thecompany now distributes Core RMS fortilts less than 10 degrees and in extreme

conditions, and Precision RMS, with feetthat adjust on-site to accommodaterooftop anomalies, enhancing thecompanys ability to install at irregularsites.

Tilley says that each SunLinkinstallation is specic to the project,though, because of the interchangeablecomponents in each system. You mayhave a strong link in one place because

you really need it for this project, butthe basic geometry of the system is thesame, he explains.

But the solution for Alcatraz alsorequired custom components, which


28/65

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dierentiates it from nearly all of

SunLinks previous installations. One

such custom piece was the lateral link,

which connects subsegments of an

array. Because the park service wanted

a certain size system on the roof, nearly

all the available roof space had to be

used to place solar panels. This customlateral link allowed SunLink to maintain

the structural integrity of the system and

make it stronger, while installing over

deep drainage crickets that installers

would normally avoid.

One of the key aspects of SunLinks

approach to designing mounting

systems is trying to keep everything

strongly interconnected, Tilley says.

The more interconnected a systemcan be and by that I mean structural

components going north, south, east

and west the better you can deal with

loads. The design is rated for high wind

speeds that will both push and pull on

the system.

The system also used customized

short connector posts to keep a low

prole and resolve waterproong issues

specic to the site. Special ashing and

waterproof foot boxes were also used on

the rooftop. Finally, the company chose

a combination of 5- and 15-degree tilt

angles to ensure the system was out

of sight while maximizing eciency in

relation to roof slope.

After the mechanical matters were

sorted out and the design was approved,

it was simply a matter of planning but

it was not simple. Bryan Bucci, who was

a project manager and now works in

marketing for SunLink, was charged withcoordinating all logistical components

associated with the project.

This was a huge project, he says.

When it was handed to me, I had to take

a breath and be like, All right sort of

get red up for it.

Bucci broke the project down to

a daily plan. He set goals and kept

priorities. He documented every e-mail

and phone call. He organized weeklyconference calls with a dozen of the

systems stakeholders. He says these

things were essentially his role with any

installation as a project manager, but

Alcatraz required more.

With installation beginning in

September 2011 and ending in June,

a barge not the normal ferry was

required to transport the materials to

the island. All the skids, pallets, boxes of

metal and aluminum, combiner boxes

and inverters then had to be craned

to the roof, where the installation was

staged.

The installers, who were not aliated

with SunLink, often arrived in the early

morning, sometimes before sunlight

and as fog obscured the bay. The wind

was erce, and workers sometimes hadto tape their helmets to their heads.

Their ngers were nearly frozen from

the morning chill. But they got the work

done and were often leaving the island

just as the rst visitors arrived.

A sign that said solar was being

installed greeted visitors as they arrived.

No one could see the project, though.

And today, the solar system is collecting

energy and cutting down on the costlydiesel generators use by 60%.

This is fantastic for us because were

a Bay Area company, says Tilley. Its

great for our employees to go across

the Golden Gate Bridge and look down

over there and know thats one of our

projects. SPW

and other Solar issues at

www.engineeringexchange.com

Discuss ThisEmail, Post, or Share on your

favorite social network

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30/65

Despite its


31/65


Illustration:istockphoto.com

(false) reputation,

solar is completely

compatible with a

free-market

economy.

By Michael Gorton and

Dan Bedell

Th


32/65

(For the purpose of this paper, it is assumed that that gridparity will occur when solar panels can be produced forunder $0.70/watt with a total system cost under $2/watt.)

With solar costs on a strong decline, this clean renewable

energy has emerged as a viable power partner or generating cost-eective peak electricity generation was 4,361 billion kWh gross, with

annual electricity demand projected to increase to 5,000 billion kWh

by 2030.1

According to Energy Inormation Administration (EIA) data, 42%

o the nations electricity is generated rom coal-fred plants, 25% rom

natural gas, 19% nuclear and 6.5% rom hydroelectric.

This paper examines the recent past and potential uture o

photovoltaic (PV) solar in terms o how it has compared with

traditional generation and how, even without government subsidies,

solar utility-scale projects will reach a price per KWh that will be at

or less than traditional generation, possibly as soon as 2014.

Now is the time or traditional conservative thinking to re-

examine the acts about solar energy and explore its potential or

11 2012 SOLAR pOweR wORLD 2 9

The

Capitalist

Ca$e for

Solar


33/65

not only delivering more ecient and less

costly power, but also or creating jobs and

opportunities that jump-start economic

growth.

This jump-start would be possible because

electricity drives almost every part o the

economy, and cheap abundant electricity

keeps industry competitive.

Clean, Abundant And Renewable

Photovoltaic solar essentially is made rom

one o the Earths most abundant resources:

silicon. O the 92 elements ound on the

periodic table, silicon (Si) is the Earths most

prevalent semiconductor and second

most common element o any kind, ater

oxygen. Appearing in silicon oxides such as

sand (silica), quartz, rock crystal, amethyst,agate, int, jasper and opal, silicon makes

up about a quarter, by weight, o the Earths

crust.2 Furthermore, the uel source is ree

(presuming the sun rises).

As or cost, in response to growing

demand or renewable energy sources, the

manuacturing o solar cells and photovoltaic

arrays has advanced considerably in recent

years. With continued advances in technology

and increases in manuacturing scale andsophistication, the cost o PV will continue

to decline steadily, resulting in competitive

electricity in a growing number o regions.

The annual exponential drops in the cost

o solar will not only result in competitive

electricity, but also in cheaper electricity

coupled with higher prot (the hallmark o

any successul capitalist system, o course).

Solar PV vs. Concentrated SolarConcentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology

3 0 SOLAR POWER WORLD 11 2012 www.solarpowerworldonl ine.com

ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS

uses optical devices such as lenses to

concentrate large amounts o sunlight onto

small areas o solar photovoltaic materials to

generate electricity. This was viable when PV

was expensive and plastic lenses were cheap.

As this paper demonstrates, PV is now low-

cost, so CPV is less important.

CSP simply uses concentrated sunlight

to heat steam, which drives a turbine. Atone point in time, CSP was less expensive

than PV. This has not been the case or

several years. Not only does CSP have all o

the moving parts o traditional generation,

thousands o mirrors must also track the sun

accurately on a daily basis. The expense o

these components alone, coupled with the

ailure rates, deeats the value o potential

saving rom heat storage and CSPs ability togenerate or periods ater the sun has set.

For many years, solar power was not a

viable alternative source o energy, but the

cost o PV went down year ater year just as

electricity costs rose.

From 2005 to 2008, the cost o PV

rose and maintained this level in response

to signicant transitions in the industry.

Substantial volumes o solar parks were being

constructed in response to the 2004 revisionsto the eed-in tarifs in Germany, which

created demand or materials on a large scale


34/65


to meet demands o solar arms.

During this time the silicon industry,

which had previously produced materials or

the microchip manuacturers, adapted and

began renements that would ultimately

drive a new trend line in decreasing PV costs.

To understand this, one need only to realize

that microchips are small, while solar arms

are huge.

For the past eight years, siliconmanuacturers have been developing new

methods o mass production on a scale that

is (potentially) orders o magnitude greater

than historical demand, while simultaneously

developing efciencies to dramatically lower

costs.

This number is based on the total cost o

a system and nancing large-scale projects

using the same methods or nancing a new

combined cycle gas-powered generating

product innovationsfor practical and

affordable installations

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35/65


ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS

acility. Reerring to the previous chart, we

can see that in 2010 PV was approaching $2/

watt.

2012-2014: Solar PVs Big Leap

Forward

In early 2012, solar PV began to approach gridparity, and its almost there. In looking at the

spot market price or PV rom 2009-2012,

note the same downward trend in cost or PV

in Germany, China and Japan.

Because China has cheaper labor, its

understandable that this labor-intensive

industry produces lower-cost products in

China than in Japan and Germany.

The chart above shows the May 2012 spotprice o (Chinese) PV to be $0.91 per watt.

From this trend line, it can be extrapolated

that in the next two years, assuming a

continuing trend, solar PV may reach $0.70/

kWh by 2013 and could be as low as $0.50/

kWh by 2014.

These numbers are supported by many o

the largest solar cell and PV manuacturers.

The projected 2014 price will make solar PV

not only competitive with but less expensivethan nuclear, coal and natural gas.

Michael Gorton, Chie Executive

Ocer and Chairman o Principal

Solar, is an entrepreneur, mentor

and company builder, applying

proven strategies in the felds o

renewable energy, telecommu-

nications, music and healthcare.

Drawing on his extensive business

expertise, scientifc education

and training, Gorton serves as a

strong voice and proponent o

solar power.

Dan Bedell is Executive Vice

President o Corporate

Development or Principal Solar.

Cost Analysis: Apples To Apples

Heres a look at a 2009 MIT study3 that evaluated the

resulting cost per kWh o new plants that would be

constructed in 2009. For this analysis, the cost per kWh

(green) o solar built in the same period has been added

to the chart. For 2009, clearly the cost o electricity rom

a new construction nuclear, coal and natural gas plantproduces lower electricity rates than solar PV.

In 2014, solar and natural gas are level, and coal costs

less, although a coal plant will probably cost more to

build than it did ve years earlier in 2009.

From these projections, it can be concluded that

2014 is the year that solar may reach parity with the Big

Three. Solar could cost hal as much as its competitors

by 2020.

Perfect Energy Partners: Solar & Natural Gas

Rootop solar is unlikely to become a truly viable orm

o energy or individual homeowners. Its similar to

making bread. A wheat armer in Kansas grows, harvests

and sells the wheat to a co-op. The co-op sells it to a

transportation company that takes it to a four grinder. A

baker buys the four rom a middleman, bakes bread and

sells the bread to a grocery store. Consumers buy it and

get more consistent and less expensive bread than i they

grew wheat in their back yard.Even though consumers can grow gardens, it doesnt

compare to producing energy by rootop solar panels.

The sun sets. Some days are cloudy. Mother Nature and


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the elements conspire to destroy panels and

their inversion or mounting equipment.

Everyone needs a reliable source o back-up

energy rom a power company.

Most people will agree that producing

electricity is more complicated than bringing

bread to the market. Too much rootop solar

will change the economics o grid power.

Put simply: I everyone had solar, the

power companies would sell a lot less. When

they sell a lot less, the price will go up. Today,the world relies upon the power companies

to provide reliable power at a reasonable

price.

One more important point is that solar

only generates when the sun is shining.

Backup is critical or any solar installation.

Nuclear and coal produce baseload

power. They need to run 24 hours a day.

When a nuclear or coal plant is shut down, ittakes hours and even days to restart. Natural

gas, on the other hand, can start in minutes.

For this reason, solar and natural

gas work well together compared with

nuclear power and coal. Many calculations

and approximations have been made on

how many years supply o natural gas we

currently have. Clearly, using solar as a

supplement to natural gas will extend that

supply.On the other hand, the Achilles heel o

earth-based solar will always be access to

sunlight. Because o this, many experts have


suggested battery and storage methods. Thebest backup system is already on the grid in

the orm o natural gas and combined-cycle

generation.

LOOKING AHEAD

In the nal analysis, solar must be able to

compete on an even playing eld without

subsidies. Based on the projections shown in

this paper, that should happen in the coming

years. A solid capitalist oundation will bethe primary actor driving the coming gold

rush in solar development. It is simply icing

on the cake that solar energy is a carbon-

ree domestic energy source that is widely

available.

Unused land throughout the desert

southwest represents an abundant natural

resource o energy. More precisely, one

county in west Texas sees enough sunshineto provide the entire electricity needs o the

United States or the next 50 years.

Still, its not likely that solar will provide

much more than 15% o the total grid power.

There are many reasons or this, almost all o

which relate to the reliability o the grid.

Solar PV has experienced exponential

cost drops year-ater-year or more than 30

years, with projections putting PV module

costs at $0.50/watt, total system costs under$2/watt and output electricity at just under

6 cents per kWh grid parity in 2014. In

the next three years, this nation will see a

dramatic rise in utility-scale solar productionthat will support the existing inrastructure.

Many will compare the next ew years to a

gold rush, as billions o dollars are made rom

converting sunlight to electricity.

I America continues or expands a carbon-

regulated market, solar will ll the bill with no

uel costs, low maintenance and carbon credits

rather than carbon costs when compared to

coal, nuclear and gas-red power plants.

Again, it is important to note that solarwill not replace the Big Three, but it will add

to the diversity o the nations power grid,

easing congestion in energy-stressed grids and

providing afordable power. Most importantly, it

should produce electricity at a price that is equal

to or lower than its competitors. SPW

ENDNOTES

1 World Nuclear Organization; Nuclear Power inthe USA; http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf41.

html; accessed May 25, 2012.

2 Solar World; Energy for you and me; How we

make solar panels to capture the power of the

sun; http://www.solarworld-usa. com/about-

solarworld/~/media/Global/PDFs/solar-101.ashx;

accessed May 31, 2012.

3 Deutch, John M. et al; Update of the MIT

2003 Future of Nuclear Power; Massachusetts

Institute of Technology; 2009; http:// web.mit.edu/nuclearpower/pdf/nuclearpower-update2009.pdf;

accessed May 25, 2012.

SEIA and Vote Solar


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Solar Means BusinessW

hat do Walmart, Costco, IKEA, McGraw Hill,

Johnson & Johnson and FedEx have in common?

They know a smart investment when they see one,

and all are adopting solar energy wholeheartedly.

From large corporations to small businesses,

U.S. companies are installing solar energy to control energy costs and

improve bottom lines. As o mid-2012, businesses as well as non-prot

organizations and governments across the United States have deployedmore than 2,300 MW o photovoltaic systems on more than 24,000

individual acilities and this number is growing rapidly. During the

rst hal o 2012, over 3,600 non-residential PV systems came online,

an average o one every 72 minutes.2

The rapidly alling cost o solar energy has made solar an

increasingly appealing investment or American businesses. Between

the second quarter o 2011 and the second quarter o 2012, the

average price o a completed commercial PV system ell by nearly

14%.3

The economics o PV have become so attractive that many othe best managed corporations, which are synonymous with low cost

and efciency, are adopting solar energy on a massive scale across the

United States.

This report, prepared by the Solar Energy Industries Association

(SEIA) and the Vote Solar Initiative (Vote Solar), highlights those

companies that have deployed the most solar energy capacity at

their acilities or onsite consumption. In total, the 42 companies

analyzed or this report have deployed at least 321 MW o PV capacity

at more than 750 locations in at least 26 states and Puerto Rico. The

20 companies with the highest installed capacity have deployed at


Rank The Top

Commercial Solar

Customers in the

United States


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39/65

BUSINESS

least 279 MW, enough to supply the

electricity needs o 46,500 American

households. These solar leaders

include some o Americas most iconic

brands and biggest businesses.

In addition to installed capacity,

this report also ranks companies by

the number o operating installations as

well as the geographic diversity o their solar

deployment.

Solar Value Proposition

Energy can make up a signicant portion

o a businesss operating costs. Companies

are installing solar at record rates because

it reduces operational expenses, improves

their bottom lines and allows them to ocus

resources on their core business strategies.

The price o solar-energy systems hasdropped rapidly over the past 5 years. In

some places, it is more cost-efective to

deploy solar than buy electricity rom thelocal utility. No matter where the company

is located, solar provides predictably priced

electricity or 20 to 30 years. This hedge

against utility price volatility is highly

valuable to businesses that are ocused on

managing long-term budgets. Combined

with innovative nancing options that

urther reduce upront costs, solar has a new

value proposition that makes business senseor major companies nationwide.

3 6 SOLAR POWER WORLD 1 1 2012 www.solarpowerworldonli ne.com

Companies across the country have

made enormous investments in solar

to manage their operating costs. The

list at let ranks the Top 20 o these

companies by the installed capacity o

all o their onsite solar installations.

Some companies have high energy

demand at a single acility and build

one or two large systems to meet that need.

Others have dozens or hundreds o storesand acilities that could benet rom solar.

The rankings (opposite, below) list the

Top 20 companies by the number o solar

installations at company locations. Those

at the top o this list have made repeated

decisions to go solar, building of o earlier

successes.

Solar Leaders by Percent of StoresThe data demonstrates the percentage o

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Tracking is important in solarenergy collection systems thatoperate under concentratedsunlight.

SIKO is specialized in positionfeedback and offers a wide rangeof encoders for sun tracking systems.Our benefits: Non-contact, wear-free,

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SIKO MagLine

Precise Sun Tracking Feedback

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Th lctrocramic matrial coats

arts in about six sts. Convntional

coatings rquir as many as 16.

Study MethodologyMacys 5%Solar Leaders byPercent of Stores

Th data at lft dmonstrats

h f U S


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U.S. company stores with solar or a ew

notable companies. It is not a ull ranking,

but a comparison between some o the top

solar users that were already part o this

reports analysis. It should be noted that

smaller companies could well have solarat all o their company locations or could

even be net exporters to the grid, meaning

companies generate more solar energy

onsite than is consumed by their acility.

Top Companies by

Geographic Diversity

While companies with acilities in Caliornia

and the Southwest have certainly takenadvantage o the ample solar resources

and eective solar policies, corporations

have gone beyond those well-known solar

markets with installations all across the

country. Many corporations have solar

energy systems in diverse states including

Michigan, Wisconsin and Massachusetts,

which is a strong indication that solar energy

can make business sense in all U.S. climates.

This list (above) ranks the top companies

by the number o states in which they have

deployed PV at their acilities.

Big Plans

The companies ranked here and

many more continue to expand their

investments in solar energy at a rapid

pace. Companies such as Apple,

which has a 20-MW system under

construction at a datacenter in North

Carolina, have announced plans or

major solar deployment. Others such

as General Motors have decided to

enter the solar business themselves.

Businesses as well as other large

energy consumers like nonprofts,

schools and public agencies are

expected to add 7,000 MW oadditional PV systems over the next

fve years. Thats enough to replace

seven retiring coal power plants. SPW

y gy

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)

and the Vote Solar Initiative (Vote Solar) set out

to rank the top corporate users o solar energy inthe United States. To do this, SEIA and Vote Solar

combed public databases and contacted company

representatives to collect data on their use o PV

systems.

While researchers made every eort to collect

detailed, complete and accurate data, not every

company responded to surveys, and public

databases do not capture all installations.Furthermore, new systems are installed every day.

In the frst hal o 2012 alone, more than 3,600

individual non-residential systems came online in

the United States. Ultimately, SEIA and Vote Solar

believe this is an accurate portrayal o the leading

corporate users o solar energy in the United

States but reserve the right to make adjustments

as new data becomes available.

SEIA and Vote Solar only counted on-site PV

systems that supplied power directly to company

acilities. This does not include utility PV power

plants that sell wholesale electricity. While some

companies buy solar renewable energy credits

(SRECs) rom solar power generated o-site,

this report does not consider such transactions

because o the limitations in data collection and

verifcation.

Likewise, SRECs produced by many onsite PV

systems are sold to utilities or other buyers, while

companies that sell their SRECs do not retain

the environmental attributes o the system, such

systems are still counted or the purposes o

this report as the decision to deploy an onsite

solar system is an essential step in solar energy

development.

Many important companies have made massive

investments in helping others go solar. Bank o

America, Merrill Lynch, Google and others have

provided billions o dollars in fnancing or solar

energy systems in the United States. While these

investments are big business and central to the

development o the solar energy industry, they are

not the ocus o this report. These rankings only

include PV systems that were operational as o

mid-August 2012.


COSTCO 14%

IKEA 79%

REI 20%

th rcntag of U.S. comany

stors ith solar for a f notablcomanis. It is not a full ranking,

but rathr a comarison btn

som of th to solar usrs that

r alrady art of this rortsanalysis. It should b notd that

smallr comanis could ll

hav solar at all of thir comanylocations or could vn b ntxortrs to th grid, maning

comanis gnrat mor solar

nrgy onsit than is consumd by

thir facility.

Kohls 11%


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Image:dreamstime.c

om

Takin

gSolar

Prod

ucts

From

Concept

ToProd

uction


42/65


With volatile demand for solarenergy products across the world,

successfully bringing a solar

product from concept to reliable

volume production is one of the

solar industrys biggest challenges. The drumbeat to make

the product cost less by using fewer parts and materials,

design it so it assembles in half the time, fabricate and

assemble it anywhere and everywhere places pressure in an

industry that is faced with potential commoditization.

Going into volume production on a global basis means

leveraging the assets and expertise of a manufacturing

partner when your company doesnt have the in-house

capability and capacity and resources. Market forces require

a new approach and mindset to meet time to market and

competitive pressures.

Josh Chien/Sr. Director of New Product Introduction at Sanmina-SCI

>

M A N U F A C T U R I N G P R O C E S S E S


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M A N U F A C T U R I N G P R O C E S S E S

Design is Job 1A study by Ford Motor Co. showed that

although product design non-recurring

engineering (NRE) and development

comprise only about 5% o the product cost,

design can inuence the nal cost up to 70%,

whereas the combination o materials, labor

and overhead together only inuence the

remaining 30%. The most eective way to

manage quality and cost is to start with the

products design.

When you look at the dierent elements

o a solar products lie cycle, there are many

challenges:

Product design issues such as:

1) Energy collector obstacles with optics

alignment and silicon quality;

2) Designing efciency into Balance

o Systems (BOS) mechanical support

structures, inverters, control systems, etc. Manuacturability issues such as element

proong and coating (i.e. plating) large

support structures;

Parts abrication process selection

e.g. cold orging vs. machining o

complex high-precision components,

sand casting vs. pressure casting,

stamping vs. orging, etc.;

Sourcing and supplier t assuming the

supplier can handle prototypes well, will

they also be able to handle scale and

sizing? (i.e. equipment, process);

Deployment and launch challenges,

i.e. documentation in multiple languages,

organizing multiple sites, orchestrating

material delivery and ulllment

worldwide, completing regulatory

requirements (to just name a ew); and

Volume scaling and global production.


O all the elements, design represents thegreatest opportunity or cost reduction and

quality improvement in each one o these

areas.

The Value Chain

Solving these dilemmas is the raison dtre

o the value chain the entire team o

people who are responsible or ensuring the

product gets to market. This includes design

engineers, manuacturing engineers, quality

engineers, logistics specialists, procurement

specialists, test engineering, assemblers,

machinists, inspectors, application engineers,

sales reps, nancial analysts, supply-chain

managers, marketing managers and thats

not even a complete list. Each o them has

a role to play in the success o the product,

and each can contribute (to a greater or less

degree) at various stages to reducing costs,


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increasing quality and speeding the delivery

o the product. The key to success is getting

them all involved, right at the start, when

the product is in the concept stage.

The products design process

signicantly afects each o the value chain

members unctions. As an example, insteado designing a BOSs 20-oot structural

member which requires hot-dipped

galvanization where only a handul o

suppliers have large enough plating tanks

that can handle such a size (based on the

ndings rom the m

Solar Power World-November 2012

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