Showing posts with label solar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label solar. Show all posts
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Toward Community Solar?
California may be moving toward simplifying community ownership and benefits from a PV solar power. Netmetering works great if PV is on your own roof and you sell the excess power to the grid. The next step, virtual netmetering, allows the financial benefits of power sales to be shared by several, such as by reducing tenants's utility bills; i.e. netmetering across several meters.
But what about sharing the benefits from sales of PV on the ground? Or sales of power from PV on someone else's roof - a church or community center (because your own roof is under a tree or otherwise unusable)?
California Senate bill (CA SB 843 , here, good article )
if enacted, would open up a new range of options to finance and benefit from PV solar in a neighborhood or community - even if the PV is not on your property.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Metro applies for $71 MM in grants
Very pleased to read that Santa Cruz Metro District is applying for $71 million in stimulus funds, since the state has made severe cuts to transit funding.
If awarded, the District will use the money for new CNG buses and new bus storage area. Of particular interest is the use of solar panels on canopy of storage area, which should reduce commercial electricity by 65% over expected 20-year lifetime; and rainwater collection system, which should reduce use of city's water by 80%.
Grant proposal is due by September 15 and US Department of Transportation TIGER awards will be made in November.
Full article in San Jose Business Journal.
If awarded, the District will use the money for new CNG buses and new bus storage area. Of particular interest is the use of solar panels on canopy of storage area, which should reduce commercial electricity by 65% over expected 20-year lifetime; and rainwater collection system, which should reduce use of city's water by 80%.
Grant proposal is due by September 15 and US Department of Transportation TIGER awards will be made in November.
Full article in San Jose Business Journal.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Santa Cruz - Solar compactor; Land Use meeting
Solar Compactor
Do you use the Solar Compactor (also known as BigBelly TM ?) There are a couple in downtown Santa Cruz and Capitola and one at UCSC.
What's a Solar Compactor? It is a self-contained trash barrel that also uses solar power to compact the trash contents when the weight reaches a pre-set number. (UCSC has it sent at 70 pounds.) The idea is to reduce frequency and labor needed to cart away trash, especially useful in busy areas.
One unit is near the Del Mar Theater; it has no special label, except "Pitch In." The solar panel is on the back, under a tree with no problem, but on a Sunday morning I found the the front trash bin full of trash, with red light flashing (meaning time for compacting).
A nearby downtown merchant said the nearby unit worked very, very well, but added it has been a target of vandalism.
UCSC has one, near the Bay Tree Bookstore. It compacts when the total weight is 70 pounds. UCSC paid for its unit, about $3-4k, with grants, and has had few maintenance problems.
Background:
Land Use and Transportation
When it comes to sustainability, the two - Land Use and Transportation - are very closely tied together.
Rick Longinotti has organized a working group through Transition Santa Cruz to study the issues related to land use, transportation, affordable housing and to study current legislation or initiate new legislation that will improve the sustainability of our neighborhoods.
Here are the details:
Sept 9 Agenda
http://www.scribd.com/doc/19473653/Agenda-Sept-9-Land-Use-Transportation-Transition-Santa-Cruz
Transition Santa Cruz
http://transitionsc.org/
Do you use the Solar Compactor (also known as BigBelly TM ?) There are a couple in downtown Santa Cruz and Capitola and one at UCSC.
What's a Solar Compactor? It is a self-contained trash barrel that also uses solar power to compact the trash contents when the weight reaches a pre-set number. (UCSC has it sent at 70 pounds.) The idea is to reduce frequency and labor needed to cart away trash, especially useful in busy areas.
One unit is near the Del Mar Theater; it has no special label, except "Pitch In." The solar panel is on the back, under a tree with no problem, but on a Sunday morning I found the the front trash bin full of trash, with red light flashing (meaning time for compacting).
A nearby downtown merchant said the nearby unit worked very, very well, but added it has been a target of vandalism.
UCSC has one, near the Bay Tree Bookstore. It compacts when the total weight is 70 pounds. UCSC paid for its unit, about $3-4k, with grants, and has had few maintenance problems.
Background:
- http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/gobbling-up-trash-with-suns-power/
- (Santa Cruz) http://wasteage.com/mag/waste_crunch_time_2/
- http://blogs.zdnet.com/emergingtech/?p=636
Land Use and Transportation
When it comes to sustainability, the two - Land Use and Transportation - are very closely tied together.
Rick Longinotti has organized a working group through Transition Santa Cruz to study the issues related to land use, transportation, affordable housing and to study current legislation or initiate new legislation that will improve the sustainability of our neighborhoods.
Here are the details:
Sept 9 Agenda
http://www.scribd.com/doc/19473653/Agenda-Sept-9-Land-Use-Transportation-Transition-Santa-Cruz
Transition Santa Cruz
http://transitionsc.org/
Monday, August 10, 2009
Solar Technologies, Inc - seminar
Had a chance to attend 2-hour seminar on August 1 offered by Solar Technologies, Inc., a solar installer on Soquel across from the Buttery. Focus was on financing and benefits of adding solar to your home under the California Solar Initiative, which is a state project to create a solar market, i.e. enough buyers and sellers so that solar will be competitive without use of current tax subsidies.
The seminar worked through a spreadsheet to see how those subsidies, together with financing, for typical small and typical large home solar installation. I found this quite helpful.
The idea behind the state subsidies is to reduce the subsidies as solar use increases, i.e. an incentive for homeowners to act sooner rather than later. A home solar unit typical creates 5 kilowatts of power, enough to cover most electric use during sunny hours. Current solar in state adds up to about 160 Megawatts (MW) now and will the state subsidy will vanish when the state total reaches 250 MW. At present solar can be installed for about $1,000 down and annula cost of loan payments, expenses and any electric bills etc. will be below your current annual electric bill.
Remark: Solar is gaining more quickly in China and Asia for a couple of reasons. One is lower expectations. Americans expect a temperature set at say, 72 F, will stay there and not move around. People in developing countries are more tolerant and happy to have low-cost electricity.
The seminar worked through a spreadsheet to see how those subsidies, together with financing, for typical small and typical large home solar installation. I found this quite helpful.
The idea behind the state subsidies is to reduce the subsidies as solar use increases, i.e. an incentive for homeowners to act sooner rather than later. A home solar unit typical creates 5 kilowatts of power, enough to cover most electric use during sunny hours. Current solar in state adds up to about 160 Megawatts (MW) now and will the state subsidy will vanish when the state total reaches 250 MW. At present solar can be installed for about $1,000 down and annula cost of loan payments, expenses and any electric bills etc. will be below your current annual electric bill.
Remark: Solar is gaining more quickly in China and Asia for a couple of reasons. One is lower expectations. Americans expect a temperature set at say, 72 F, will stay there and not move around. People in developing countries are more tolerant and happy to have low-cost electricity.
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