Month: October 2015

Breakthroughs in Solar Energy

Solar panel costWith the world’s energy crisis becoming increasingly widely-discussed, scientists, investors and innovators are rapidly developing ways to utilize and improve existing methods of generating renewable energy. While wind power is one of the most promising in terms of large scale implementation, solar power is among the easiest and most inexpensive to utilize on the local level. Even private individuals and small companies are relying more heavily on electricity generated by solar power systems. Furthermore, as the reliance on these technologies increases, so does the need for efficient solar power systems. Gone are the days of solar power being an experimental source of energy strictly for conservation enthusiasts. It is now a viable and efficient means of generating power, not to mention the fact that it may be key to saving the planet. One of the most critical advancements in solar power is the ability to store it for longer periods of time without losing energy. According to Popular Mechanics, fuel cells to convert solar power back into stored chemical energy are in development and may be the key to storing large amounts of solar power effectively. This would solve the problem of how to keep energy generated from solar panels around for long periods of time, efficiently and inexpensively. As of right now, traditional batteries are still used. These can store the energy, but they are somewhat costly and inefficient. In fact, today energy storage systems are the most costly aspect of implementing a solar power system. The panels themselves have gotten far more affordable, without an effective storage method to accompany them. Another advancement that is in the works for solar power systems is a way to increase the efficiency of the panels themselves. If more energy could be generated per panel, more energy will be stored, which will put us one step closer to ending the world’s fossil fuel dependence and solving the energy crisis as a whole. According to Phys.org, there may just be a way to do this, and the solution is quite simple. By installing reflectors around all solar panels, light is able to bounce back into the panels, instead of being wasted. By implementing such a simple concept, the efficiency of every solar panel farm in the world could be improved dramatically.
The Intermountain Rural Electric Association (IREA), Colorado’s largest rural energy co-op, recently announced that they will institute a new charge for residential customers using solar panels on their homes. The co-op serves about 145,000 customers spread across parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert, and Park counties, which accounts for a large swath of the Denver metropolitan area. The new charge is described as a form of demand charge and has significant implications for solar panel customers within the service area. So, what exactly is this new charge? IREA describes it as a “Load Factor Adjustment (LFA)”, which is similar to demand charges that are commonly used with large users of electricity. Demand charges are often applied to large users of electricity, which mostly include commercial and industrial interests. Because these entities sometimes require additional energy for their operations, the electric utility must maintain the capacity to provide electricity to them at all times. Often, this requires the utility to maintain capacity above the base demand, which necessitates additional infrastructure and maintenance. Demand charges allow the utility to share the costs of this infrastructure with the companies that require the additional capacity. The recently adopted LFA is designed to apply the principle of a demand charge to solar customers. Utilities across the country have been struggling to cover the costs of service as solar power gains popularity. Solar power customers usually have a low average power usage because the solar array is able to generate a large proportion of the home’s energy. However, when the panels are not producing sufficient electricity the homes require power from the grid. When this happens, usage levels spike nine or 10 times above their average levels. This spike can severely strain the utility’s infrastructure. The new LFA is designed to help cover the stand-by capacity the utility needs to meet peak power demand for its customers. Unfortunately, many in the solar industry feel that the new charge is overly confusing and will limit the adoption of new solar systems beyond the end of the year. Because the LFA is a demand-based rate, it will be much more difficult for solar installers to accurately estimate cost savings for solar customers. Because the cost savings from solar are a major selling point for new customers, some industry experts believe the difficulty in describing the savings will negatively affect sales of solar panels in IREA’s service area. The new charge is believed to be the first of its kind in the country and will be effective beginning on December 31, 2015. The charge could add between $20 and $24 to the monthly utility bill for IREA’s solar customers. IREA currently has about 650 solar customers, about two percent of the total customer base, but projections anticipate the number of solar systems to approach 1,000 by the end of 2015. The charge will apply to all new residential customers, but will mostly affect those who install solar panels after December 31. The LFA is intended to help cover the costs of supplying electricity to solar customers at night, but is being interpreted by some as anti-solar. It will be interesting to see how the new charge affects new installations and if similar charges are adopted by other utilities both in Colorado and around the country.
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