Solar panels go up on a roof in San Francisco (Photo: Flickr)

When it comes to harvesting sun power, the Golden State is indisputably number one according to a recent assessment from Environment California. A longtime leader in energy efficiency and renewable energy, California currently has a solar capacity of more than 500 megawatts, the equivalent of a major power plant, and boasts two-thirds of the national total. For comparison, New Jersey, the runner up, claims only 70 megawatts.

Perhaps even more impressive is the rate at which solar is catching on. The number of California rooftops sporting solar panels has skyrocketed from 500 to nearly 50,000 in just a decade, while total solar capacity in the State increased by a third from 2007 to 2008.

Nationally, the states in which solar is growing the fastest are those that provide the most generous subsidies, say industry experts. In California, the statewide California Solar Initiative has helped spur solar installations with rebates and financial incentives, while municipalities like Berkeley are also beginning to offer programs.

But even with the increases of the last decade, solar power still has a long way to go, representing about one-quarter of 1 percent of California’s total energy capacity according to the California Energy Commission. The world leader, Germany, produces about 1 percent of their energy from solar with a total 5,400 megawatts. The miniscule numbers serve as a reminder that while renewables may be growing, they are only one slice of the clean energy pie, a slice that pales in comparison to the potential gains of efficiency and conservation.

• Visit the California Public Utility Commission’s Go Solar California page, part of the California Solar Initiative
• Read background: “With Push Toward Renewable Energy, California Sets Pace for Solar Power,” by Felicity Barringer, The New York Times (7/15/09)
• Related: “Rooftop Solar Grows with Reduced Prices” (e-Newswire 1/26/09)

San Francisco’s first solar powered bus shelter (Photo: Mike Chino)

It’s up, it’s running, and it’s looking really cool. It’s the first of 1,100 solar powered bus stops to be installed throughout the city of San Francisco. Situated at Geary and Arguello boulevards, it sports a wavy red roof lined with solar panels and will use the sun’s rays to power an intercom, LED lighting, and a wireless router which is part of an effort to provide city-wide WiFi. The shelter is also expected to feed energy back into the city’s electrical grid.

The shelter itself was built with sustainable materials including the roof which was made from 40% post-industrial recycled polycarbonate embedded with thin-film photovoltaic cells, and a steel support structure composed of 75% recycled material.

The fact that these shelters are being installed in one of the most notoriously foggy cities in California shows just how feasible solar technology can be, and underscores the potential for similar efforts in sunnier cities like Los Angeles or San Diego.

“Transit shelters that use photovoltaics, LEDs, and WiFi are going to be standard in the future and I’m proud that San Francisco is once again acting like the pace car for other cities by trying and implementing these technologies,” noted San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsom.

Designed by Lundberg Design and contracted through Clear Channel, the project is set to be completed by 2013.

San Francisco’s first solar powered bus shelter, located at Geary and Arguello Boulevards, features PV panels, LED lighting, and a wireless router (Photo: Mike Chino)

• Related: “San Francisco Considering Solar-Powered, LED Bus Shelters” (e-Newswire,
  6/1/07)
• Read background: “Solar Powered Bus Shelter Unveiled in San Francisco,” by Mike Chino (Inhabitat.com, 6/1/09)
  

  
  

(Photo: BrightSource)

Oakland’s BrightSource Energy has expanded its contract with PG&E again and increased its proposed desert solar plants to a whopping 1,310 megawatts of solar thermal electricity, enough to power 530,000 homes.

This new deal is the largest solar power contract in the world, although in reality it is just an expansion of the 900 MW contract signed last year between BrightSource and PG&E. BrightSource also inked a 1,300 MW deal with SCE in February.

These projects will utilize solar thermal technology – using fields of mirrors to focus the sun’s energy and drive a tower mounted steam turbine – and will be located in the deserts of California, Arizona and Nevada.

These deals show that California’s major utilities are taking every opportunity to expand renewable energy production to meet the state’s requirement that they produce 20% of their electricity from renewables by 2010.

• Read more about SCE’s solar energy plans
• Learn about solar for your home and the state and federal tax benefits

(Photo: ©Mafic Studios, Inc.

Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has agreed to purchase power from Solaren Corp., a startup that plans to harvest solar energy in space. Solaren plans to launch an orbiting solar farm that would take advantage of sunlight that is 8 to 10 times more powerful than on earth and shines 24/7. The power would be transmitted back to earth via a beam of electromagnetic waves to a receiving station in Fresno County.

While the ultimate cost and feasibility has yet to be determined, PG&E has agreed to purchase 200 megawatts from the project if and when it’s built. Representatives from Solaren see this as the next challenging direction for the space industry.

• Visit www.gosolarcalifornia.org, California’s solar information web site
• Read background: “California’s New Power Source a Solar Farm,” by David Baker (San Francisco Chronicle, 4/14/09)

In February we wrote about a new online map from FirstLook that conveniently displays wind and solar potential across the globe. Now, thanks to a collaboration between Google Earth, the National Audubon Society, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, renewable developers can also see where to build and where not to build according to environmental regulations. The recently launched map, called the Path to Green Energy tool, shows prohibited areas, restricted areas, and areas which should be avoided. The tool is publicly available at no cost and covers the Western states and the Dakotas.

(Image: Google Earth)

(Photo: Flickr)

In 2006, Planet Ark reported that at least 30 million Chinese households now have a solar water heater, according to Eric Martinot, visiting scholar at Beijing’s Tsinghua University. According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), there are only about 1.5 million solar water heaters in use in U.S. homes and businesses, but 40% of all U.S. homes have sufficient access to sunlight and 29 million additional solar water heaters could be installed right now.

While many Americans dream about someday putting solar panels on the rooftops, we are missing an opportunity for a highly efficient device that can deliver hot water, and energy and money savings right now.

Cutting Carbon
According to Larry West of About.com’s Guide to Environmental Issues, mechanical engineers at the University of Wisconsin’s Solar Energy Laboratory claim an average four-person household with an electric water heater needs about 6,400 kilowatt hours of electricity per year to heat their water. Assuming the electricity is generated by a typical power plant with an efficiency of around 30%, it means that the average electric water heater is responsible for about eight tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually, which is almost double that emitted by a typical modern automobile. The same family of four using either a natural gas or oil-fired water heater will contribute about two tons of CO2 emissions annually in heating their water.

Money Savings
According to the EESI, if you install a solar water heater, your water heating bills should drop 50% - 80%, and because the sun is free, you’re protected from future fuel shortages and price hikes. If you’re building a new home or refinancing, the economics are even more attractive. The cost of a solar water heater in a new 30-year mortgage is typically between $13 and $20 per month. With a federal income tax deduction on mortgage interest for the solar system, the payment is about $3 - $5 per month less, so if your fuel savings are about $15 per month, the solar investment is profitable immediately and on a monthly basis, you’re saving more than you’re paying.

Incentives
In 2005 the U.S. began offering homeowners tax credits of up to 30% (capped at $2,000) of the cost of installing a solar water heater. The credit is not available for swimming pool or hot tub heaters, and the system must be certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation.

With online publications offering instructions on how to make a solar water heater for under $5, there are few excuses left not to take a fresh look at this handy device.

• Learn more about solar water heaters
• Estimate the Cost of a Solar Water Heater
• Energy Star Solar Water Heaters
• Related: “Happy Tax Season: Tax Breaks for Green Home Upgrades,” (e-Newswire, 3/10/09)
• Related: “New Heat-Pump Retrofit Gives Homeowners Option to Save Energy With Existing Water Heaters,” (e-Newswire, 7/23/08)

The California Energy Commission’s program, “The Power Content Label,” creates transparency for Californians who are concerned about climate change and want to know where their power comes from. California utilities are taking a variety of approaches to the issue of climate change, and the power content label is a great way to measure these programs against how much renewable energy the utility is actually using to meet demand.

Here are a few of the programs out there:

Alameda Municipal Power’s Clean Future Fund offers customers a choice of future green power products. For an additional penny per kilowatt-hour (kWh), or about $3.75 a month for the typical household, customers can invest in the Clean Future Fund. Fully 100% of the contributions go to fund new resources. Alameda Municipal Power’s power content label boasts 84% of their power derived from renewable energy sources when counting large hydroelectric, and customers do not pay more on their bills to get this renewable power.

While Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has a power content label indicating about 20% renewable energy sources in their energy mix, through their Greenergy® program, SMUD matches up to 100% of customer electric needs with purchases of renewable resources (primarily wind, biomass and waste) for use on the SMUD power system. SMUD matches 40% of the Greenergy® premium customers pay to help secure new power plants fueled by renewable resources. Customers can purchase 100% renewable energy for $6/month extra or 50% renewable energy for $3/month extra.

Southern California Edison (SCE) currently has about a 16% renewable energy mix, and SCE has no programs that allow their customers to buy more renewable energy. While SCE only produces 1% of their power from solar, in 2007 SCE bought more than 80% of the solar energy produced in the United States, showing what a huge customer base they have.

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) uses approximately 12% renewable energy. While PG&E does not have any programs that allow their customers to buy cleaner power, they do offer a carbon offset program. The ClimateSmart program offsets customer’s emissions through environmental conservation, restoration and protection projects for $5 a month for the typical home. These projects include forest conservation and the capture of methane gas from dairy farms and landfills. PG&E plans to increase their solar capacity with a five-year program to develop up 500 MW of solar power. (As of 2007, 473 MW of grid-connected solar existed in the U.S., according to the Solar Electric Power Association, and currently the largest PV farm in the U.S. is 14 MW).

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has an 8% renewable energy mix on their power content label. It is worth noting that according to the label, their percentage of coal has actually increased from 29% in 2006 to 44% in 2008. This is surprising, considering their stated commitment to fight global warming. The Green Power for a Green LA Program allows LADWP customers to pay 3 cents extra per kWh on their bill in order to bring more renewable power to LA in an unspecified combination of wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass and solar power.

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) uses about 7% renewable energy (less than 1% solar), according to their power content label. SDG&E doesn’t have any green energy or carbon offset programs, but the utility is proposing a solar project that would produce enough energy to power up to 50,000 homes (80 MW), or about 4% of San Diego County’s residential space (according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2007, there were about 1,133,000 households in San Diego County).

• If you know of a utility in California that is leading the way in establishing a high mix of renewable energy production, please let us know by emailing enewswire@fypower.org.