[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Did you know that attempts to harness the sun’s power through the development of solar cells dates back to the late 1800’s? I am sure that this, and other information, may be new to our readers. This article will provide you with some basic facts about solar power and solar energy. That way, you can join the conversation, and the renewable energy movement!

• The first successful solar cell was developed in the early 1950s. It was made of silicon, and able to power small electronic devices. This was hailed as the beginning of a new era of energy resources, even then being acknowledged as having the potential to offer a limitless supply of electricity.
• The first true application of solar cells could be found in the space program at NASA and in Russia. They were the only ones who could afford this technology in the 1960s.
• The cost of solar cells continued to decline incrementally, but not so significantly that solar was a common source of energy through the 1970s. But, as the 1980s dawned, and ever since, solar power has insinuated itself into all aspects of life, commercially and residentially.
• The first solar panels for buildings were developed in the early 1970s. In truth, this initial foray into the potential for large scale residential solar power was actually a solar array built into a rooftop. Panel development followed, as the cost and manufacturing efficiency increased.
• President Jimmy Carter had solar panels placed on the roof of the White House in 1979. Everyone was getting into the act!
• Welcome to 2018. Today it is common to find solar-powered cars, solar-powered telecommunications, and even solar-powered aircraft. One car company, renowned for their progressiveness, has incorporated solar panels into the roofs of their vehicles!

But, there’s more! Technology continues to expand the horizons of solar energy, making it affordable and applicable in new ways and new places. For example, it is possible that eventually solar panels on rooftops will be replaced with solar shingles!

Or, consider this, a solar fabric is being finalized that can be attached to houses as a cooling device!

We here at Solar Energy Services are excited about the future applications of this renewable source of energy for personal and commercial uses. You can count on us to utilize our superior knowledge and expertise to your advantage. We look forward to serving you!

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Should we be concerned about the new Republican Administration and the future of Solar Power?

Due to its tremendous growth, popular appeal, and ever improving economics, solar power enjoys increasingly bi-partisan support on the Hill and in Governors offices around the country.  Due to this, we predict very little, if any, impact on solar growth from the current Administration and/or a Republican Congress.  To help explain this, let’s look at the three main drivers of successful solar economics for the typical solar consumer – Federal Tax Credit, SRECs, and cost of solar equipment:

Federal Tax Credit:  30% of system cost.  This has been an enormously successful tax incentive enabling wide scale deployment of solar on both a utility and distributed scale.  Economies of scale have helped to drive the cost of solar; while further increasing demand – allowing the solar industry to grow exponentially.  This has been applauded by both major political parties for the private capital investment opportunities and huge job growth in the solar sector.   In fact, the US solar industry currently employs more people than the US oil, gas, and coal industries combined.

The 30% solar investment tax credit (ITC) was extended by Congress (many of whom were Republican) in late 2015 and is designed to decline in future years to eventually fall back to a permanent 10%.  The ITC schedule from the December 2015 legislation is as follows:

2016 – 2019: The tax credit remains at 30 percent of the cost of the system. This means that in 2017, you can still get a major discounted price for your solar panel system.

2020: Owners of new residential and commercial solar can deduct 26 percent of the cost of the system from their taxes.

2021: Owners of new residential and commercial solar can deduct 22 percent of the cost of the system from their taxes.

2022 onwards: Owners of new commercial solar energy systems can deduct 10 percent of the cost of the system from their taxes. There is no federal credit for residential solar energy systems.

In a nutshell, most in the solar industry believe it would be political suicide for the majority of congressional representatives to vote for a repeal of this enormously successful Investment Tax Credit that is scheduled to decline anyway.  There are too many solar jobs and solar projects in Republican districts for the majority of Republicans to consider advocating for repeal.  The horse is out of the barn and solar is winning!

SRECs: Maryland and Washington DC offer Solar Renewable Energy Credits to solarized homes and businesses.  This is a State/District-mandated incentive that, if anything, shows signs of expanding among the 29 States that have currently adopted an RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard).  This is largely due to the fact that State Houses wish to support the exponential renewable energy sector job growth amidst the scheduled, declining Federal Support.

Solar Technology Costs:  Advancing technology, manufacturing scale, high adoption rates, and investor confidence in solar technology continue to drive down solar project costs.  We don’t see this momentum changing anytime soon.

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PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, January 10^th 2017

 

Father/Daughter Team Up for DC’s First Community Solar Project

WASHINGTON DC:  January 10^th, 2017.  DC Resident Rebecca Mann and her father Neal Mann are poised to be the FIRST two PEPCO customers to take advantage of Washington DC’s newly revised and adopted Community Renewable Energy Facilities of 2016 (CREF).  After a process lasting three years, the District has finally worked out all of the kinks that enable D.C. residents to benefit from solar, even if they can’t put panels on their own roof.  Community solar offers the benefit of solar to community members (subscribers) who can’t, or prefer not to, install solar panels on their homes. This also gives renters an option to purchase solar power.

For the flagship project, Rebecca Mann is unable to install a solar power system due to limited roof space and shading constraints.  Located one mile away – her father, Neal Mann, is currently having a 16.24kW grid-tied solar power system installed.  This will generate enough power to offset a good portion of both his own, as well as his subscribing daughter’s, PEPCO utility bill —  at full retail price.

The project is currently under construction and is poised to be interconnected and officially net-metered by the end of January 2017.

Solar Energy Services, Inc. is one of the region’s longest running solar installation companies.  Founder Roger Perry has been in the solar energy industry for over 35 years.  His partner, Rick Peters, is a current Board member and past President of MDV-SEIA.  Locally owned and operated, SES installs both residential and commercial solar PV (electric), as well as solar thermal (hot water) systems in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia.

Useful Links

PEPCO’s Green Power Connection and CREF

History of Washington DC’s Community Solar

For further information, contact:

Lisa Walsh 

Solar Energy Services, Inc. 

410-923-6090 X304

443-253-6941 Direct

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Before we dive into this conversation – let’s be clear that SRECs (Solar Renewable Energy Credits) can be the most confusing part of figuring out the economics of a solar project.  Let’s also be clear that – as with anything confusing, (as well as possibly boring) – the temptation is to remove the confusion as quickly as possible.   In the world of solar installation and selling SRECs this sometimes translates to simply selling up to 15yrs of SRECs all at once to a solar installation company, who then installs the system at a bargain price.  Buyer beware – the immediate gratification of selling all of your SRECs in one fell swoop could be misleading.   When it comes to How and When you get paid for your SRECs “…the Sooner the Better”  may not be a sound financial strategy.

That said…Let’s talk Solar Renewable Energy Credits in Washington DC.

Both Maryland and Washington DC, along with eight other states have enacted the Renewable Portfolio Standards which specify that a certain amount of the renewable energy generated within that state must come from solar.   Whether residential, commercial, or institutional, each time a solar system generates 1 Megawatt hour of energy – the solar system owner generates 1 SREC.  This SREC is then sold via aggregators to an  SREC market where it is bought by Power Companies to allow them to meet their share of the compliance obligation, or else pay a legislated fine (Alternative Compliance Payment, or ACP) for every SREC they are short.  Washington DC currently generates the highest SREC values in the country largely due to the fact that the District does not have the real estate to install large solar farms which can oversupply the market and drive down SREC prices.

How Much is an SREC worth?

The value of an SREC in a particular market is dynamic due to two primary factors

1. by design, SRECs values are intended  to decline over time.  The legislated ACP which serves as a ceiling to the SREC price is usually scheduled to decline in future years. Among other factors, increased installations should lead to decreased system costs and less need for SRECs to help finance a solar system.
2. The other reason for variations is due to market mechanisms.  Brokers buy and sell SRECs in order to help make a market for them.  When the market is undersupplied, SRECs trade high, at a price close to the penalty (ACP).  This is good for those selling SRECs.  If the market is oversupplied (like Maryland is currently), then SREC prices in that market will decline well below the penalty – not so good for those selling SRECs. Varying SREC payment options are intended to allow system owners to buy down their SREC price risk. The difference between an Upfront Payment option and a Brokerage Payment option (market price) can be many thousands of dollars to a solar system owner.  In an undersupplied market like DC, where there is very little price risk for SRECs, that upfront payment option leaves a lot of money on the table.

How many SRECs will my system generate?

The number of SRECs any given system will generate depends upon the output of your system.  For example, an optimized (as in good and sunny) 5.0 kW system in Washington DC would generate close to 6.0 SRECs/year.

How and When would I receive my SREC income?

SRECs are most commonly sold through an SREC aggregator/broker such as Washington DC-based SolSystems.  However, SRECs here in the District are so valuable – as well as stable – that solar panel contractors are also offering to buy your SRECs and simply deduct the upfront payment off the cost of your solar installation.  So THIS is the heart of this article:  Solar owners have 3 choices for how to get paid for their SRECs:

1. Upfront Payment (all SRECs are forfeited for a 5yr or 15yr period)
2. 3yr, 7yr or 10yr Annuity Contract (SREC prices Locked-in for a specific term)
3. Brokerage (Current market price less broker commission).

Sticking with the aforementioned 5kW system example, the following table illustrates projected SREC values for the system, using current SREC prices (November 2016) offered by a competitive SREC aggregator).

System Size = 5kW                            SREC per Year = 6

So, reviewing the column above, this Washington DC Homeowner with a 5.0kW system has these financial options to choose from:

$$$$$:  Brokerage = $32,101.85 over 25yr life of systems (as warrantied)

$$$:  *Annuity =  $18,690 guaranteed then sign-up for another annuity or go Brokerage

$:  Upfront = $8025.60  SRECs cannot be sold again until 2032.

*Annuity is also available in 3 or 5 yr increments, as well as the 10yr

The Brokerage price is exponentially higher than the other prices, does that mean there’s a lot of risk?

Some risk – yes, because you’re not locked-in to a static price.   But remember – historically DC SREC pricing has remained stable (the geography does not accommodate  huge solar farms that can flood the DC SREC market).  You can receive an email monthly that allows you to check on current pricing AND should the price start to decline – you can, at any point in time, switch to an Annuity.  .

If I choose the 10yr Annuity Option and lock-in my SREC pricing, what happens at the end of that time period?

You simply choose another payment option being offered at the time of contract experation.  Maybe you’ll opt for brokerage – or another annuity, up to you.  Same with the Upfront Payment, after 15 years.

How do I receive my SREC income?

Via check from the SREC aggregator which most pay quarterly (except with the Upfront Payment option which would be one-time).   This generally starts around two months after your system has been interconnected by your Utility and the SREC contract set-up.   We do advise that the contractual SREC relationship be kept between a professional broker/aggregator and the solar system owner.  Third parties, such as the solar panel installation company, may find themselves in a conflict of interest.

If the solar system installer is not buying my SRECs, who sets up the contract?

Most reputable solar panel installation companies will coordinate the initial set-up of your SREC contract with an SREC aggregator, as they have immediate access to the documents required for the initial set-up (Passed Building Permit, Interconnection Approval etc.).  Many installers have one or two aggregators they’re used to dealing with – or you may choose your own.

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SOLAR OPEN HO– USE with Kirk Cummings

WHEN:  Sat, Sept 17^th 2016   |   2pm – 5pm

WHERE:  4919 Windpower Way, Ellicott City  MD  21403

Nothing says Sunshine’s a Wastin! like a freshly installed solar power system.  Join Kirk at this Howard County residence to get up-close-and-personal with an active solar system.  The homeowner will be on hand to answer questions about their decision-making process as well as working with SES.

Kirk will be on hand to tour the system with you and answer all of your questions onsite at the home of the Syed Family where Kirk designed and SES recently installed an 8.55k Solar power system including(30) Suniva 285 watt Solar panels and a Solar Edge Inverter System.

Solar Open House – $250 Discount!

All open house attendees who sign up for a proposal and sign their contract within 30 days will receive a $250 discount on their PV system installation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Press Statement
6-15-15

CBF Merrill Center to Install 106 kW Solar System

(ANNAPOLIS, MD) The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and Solar Energy Services, Inc. (SES) announced an agreement today for SES to design and build a 106 kW, grid-tied solar photovoltaic system at the Philip Merrill Environmental Center, CBF’s headquarters.

The Merrill Center rooftop solar system will include more than 370 solar panels from US manufacturer SolarWorld, as well as inverter systems from Solar Edge. The panels will be installed primarily on the available roof tops, but the design also calls for some unique solar shade structures to provide additional benefits to the facility and its occupants.

SES president Rick Peters shared that SES is pleased to participate in this marquee project. “I know personally that CBF has led the way on sustainable initiatives in our region for a very long time. It is an honor to be selected to construct this project, which will help advance CBF’s message and their environmental stewardship.”

The solar system is projected to produce more than 133 MWh of electricity annually, enough to power more than 10 average Maryland homes. This will significantly offset the facility’s consumption of traditional electricity.

“While we have had solar panels at the Merrill Center in the past, we are adding this new capacity because it is now more affordable as well as more efficient,” said CBF Vice President Mary Tod Winchester. “The new array will generate enough electricity to provide one third of the power for heating, cooling, and other needs of the more than 100 staff who work here. As a non-profit, we will not benefit from the many tax incentives available, but we encourage other individuals and businesses to closely examine the costs and benefits of adding solar generation.”

The project is expected to be completed before the end of this summer.

About Solar Energy Services, Inc.

Solar Energy Services, Inc. (solarsaves.net) designs, builds and services solar power systems for institutional, commercial, and residential customers. The firm was founded by 37 year solar industry veteran Roger Perry who has longstanding ties to the communities served by SES. Based in Millersville Maryland, the 21 person firm operates in Maryland, DC, and Virginia.

About Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Founded in 1967, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (www.cbf.org) is the largest independent conservation organization dedicated solely to saving the Bay. Serving as a watchdog, we fight for effective, science-based solutions to the pollution degrading the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams. Our motto, “Save the Bay,” is a regional rallying cry for pollution reduction throughout the Chesapeake’s six-state, 64,000-square-mile watershed, which is home to more than 17 million people and 3,000 species of plants and animals.With offices in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia and 15 field centers, CBF leads the way in restoring the Bay and its rivers and streams. Over the last four decades, we have created broad understanding of the Bay’s poor health, engaged public leaders in making commitments to restore the Chesapeake, and fought successfully to create a new approach to cleanup that features real accountability-the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint

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Offset Those Oil-Fired Water Heaters with SOLAR

Why oil-fired water heaters?  In many parts of the country there are no local gas lines for residential distribution.   In the Chesapeake Bay region where we operate, this issue is very common in the many river communities that are close to our world famous estuary.  The reason for this is primarily because there are so many peninsulas that don’t offer the high density to justify pipeline expenses.  In these areas, customers are forced to use other fuels like electricity, propane, and oil to heat their homes and domestic hot water.  This article will focus on the oil-fired boilers that are common in this region as well as in the Northeast US.

Cost of Gas Alternatives:  Many homes have heating boilers that run on fuel oil.  These boilers have tremendous heating power and can recover loads quickly.  They also tend to be relatively inefficient, dirty, and expensive to run.  Many of these boilers also have an on-demand water heating feature that adequately satisfies the household’s water heating load without the need for a standby tank.  This all sounds great except the price of home heating oil continues to climb with recent prices around $4/gallon on in our area.  To put that in perspective, the equivalent price for natural gas on an energy density basis would be about $1.00/gallon.  When oil users are paying 4 times the rate of those who have access to natural gas, they can hardly afford to be wasteful in how they operate their boilers.

Summertime Blues:  Here’s the dirty little secret about that on-demand oil-fired water heater on your boiler.  It is typically programmed to keep that big hunk of metal hot, all summer, waiting for you to call for hot water.  So a premium for your oil (compared to gas) is not the only thing you are paying for.  During summertime your air conditioner is competing with your heat-radiating oil-fired water heater.   So, here’s the way I – a not-so-proud owner of an oil heater – circumnavigated this issue:

My Solution:  I have solar photovoltaic (PV) on my home, but when I got into the solar business in 2008 the first thing I did was deploy solar water heating in my family’s home which allowed me to shut down our boiler for about half the year.  We also did some other control modifications for efficiency.  The first simple control is used to automatically reduce the boiler target temperature as the outside air temperature increases – for example, you don’t need 180 degree water to heat the house when its only 50 degrees outside.  Secondly, we converted the boiler to “cold start”, so it no longer wastefully heats on standby when we have a big tank of solar-heated water waiting to be used.  My family’s solar thermal system is slightly oversized (there are 3 forty square foot panels instead of 2) so that it could be integrated with our hydronic space heating system to give us a little space heating help from the sun.  [See our recent blog on combi-systems (hyperlink)].

So that’s the good news.  The GREAT news is that there has been absolutely no convenience impact on how we use hot water or space heating.  The system has saved us about $800/year in oil       expenses, the majority from offsetting our inefficient water heating, and the remainder from space heating.

Furthermore, the solar heating system is optimized in the summertime, all-but-negating the use of the oil-fired water heater.  The air conditioner has to work far less without having that heat-radiating boiler inside the home – like most are.

People are learning that different homes and circumstances often can benefit substantially more than others when you consider various renewable or energy efficiency technologies.  Oil fired water heaters are some of the sweetest low hanging fruit in solar.  In fact, I joke with my residential oil supplier that we should team up so he can get out in front of this trend that is eating into his oil sales.  He said, “no thanks – I’ll ride this as long as I can”.

If you forgot to make a new year’s resolution this year and you heat your home and your water with oil, then plant your flag!  If you’ve got some solar exposure, you must commit to get a free solar thermal assessment in 2014 and stop pouring money and finite resources down the drain.

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Solar water heating has quite a long history. In the United States alone, the industry has boomed and busted 3 times in the last 130 years – each time displaced by cheap energy. Many are surprised to know that the first US patent for a residential solar water heater was issued in 1891 to Clarence Kemp, a Baltimore inventor. That’s right, 1891.  In the 1920’s, 30% of the homes in Pasadena, CA had solar water heaters.  With the discovery of natural gas resources in the region, the industry evaporated almost overnight.  Solar thermal technology is mature and efficient; the problem lies with allowing our commitment to solar to dissolve in favor of decreasing natural gas prices.

In these previous industry “busts”, energy became cheap and we were lulled into a false expectation of stable prices. Each time, not long after the industry was dismantled, energy prices began to creep back up, making us long for that clean and cheap solar energy again. So today Solar Water Heating is on the rise again. Will it be different in the 21^st century or are we doomed to repeat the same cycle? What was it that Winston Churchill said about failing to learn from history….?

The recent surge in US solar water heating deployments began in 2008. This resurgence, especially at the commercial scale, has helped to drive up adoption rates while scaling down installation costs. Several factors are converging in recent years to bring about this renaissance:

• Engineers, architects, and contractors are becoming increasingly familiar with this mature technology – improving costs with increasing experience
• Regional incentives are bolstering the existing federal incentives to reduce the capital investment.
• The federal government has mandated that a minimum of 30% of water heating must come from solar for new construction or major renovations on federal buildings.
• Project Developers like Skyline Innovations (http://www.nextility.com/) have introduced new business models to help deploy these systems for those without available capital.
• Property owners increasingly want to have more control over their energy budget
• Various societal pressures continue to reward solar adoption
• An improving economy has allowed property owners finally to reinvest in their buildings

Remarkably, much of this has occurred despite a backdrop of rapidly falling natural gas prices (the primary heating fuel for commercial water heating), decreasing drastically from 2008 to 2012. However, in the last 18 months, natural gas prices are climbing again in a trend that is likely to continue: gas exportation; deployment of energy intensive manufacturing in the US; diversion of more natural gas to transportation (locomotives, trucks, fleet vehicles and eventually automobiles); conversion of more power plants and residential heating to natural gas.In light of these trends, property owners are rapidly moving forward to install solar water heating systems before the financial incentives expire. Business owners with substantial hot water loads in Washington DC and Maryland are able to achieve simple ROIs of 2-7 years. This approach requires them to take a slightly longer perspective, recognizing that they are buying 30+ years of energy up front for a fixed price (with generous subsidies). Whether financed independently or through the bank, building owners are able to lock in their energy prices and hedge the inevitable increase in fuel costs while leveraging all of the other benefits of renewable energy.

If you have any doubts about this trend, visit our commercial solar water heating page and take a look at the photos of just a subset of the projects we’ve been deploying in the region (https://solarsaves.net/commercial-solar-water-heating/).

If you want to know more about the history of solar water heating, check out this excellent book: The Golden Thread: 2500 Years of Solar Architecture and Technology, coauthored by Ken Butti and John Perlin.

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1. Why Heat My Pool?
   Private swimming pools are a significant investment. As with any investment, it’s all about payback. A fully sized solar pool heater can raise the pool temperature 10 – 15 degrees, so many of our solar pool heating customers are able to swim from May until October – doubling their swim season, and doubling the payback on their swimming pool investment.
2. How does a Solar Pool Heater work?
   Pool heating is the most fundamental use of solar energy. Much like when water is warmed in a garden hose, thin plastic solar pool collectors are custom-fitted to a nearby sunny roof. Automatically controlled pool water is pumped, using your existing pool pump, through the pool collectors and the heated water returns to the pool.
3. How much does a Solar Pool Heater cost?
   A site visit (provided at no cost) is needed to provide an accurate cost proposal, as all pools, roofs and solar exposure levels are different. However, based on experience – most systems have an installation cost of $13 – $16 per square foot of collector area. This area size is equal to at least HALF of the surface area of the pool. (i.e. a 18’ x 36’ pool has a surface area of 648’ sq. ft. Therefore the homeowner would need at least 324 sq. ft of solar pool collectors).
4. How does the cost of buying a solar pool heater compare with heat pumps?
   The upfront cost of installing a solar pool heater is much the same as installing a heat pump. However, with a heat pump the homeowner will continue to have elevated utility bills, whereas solar energy is free.
5. Can community pools be solar-heated?
   Yes. The main requirement is a large enough nearby roof to house the solar collectors. Collectors can also be ground mounted if the facility has a large enough, unused ground area nearby.
6. Can the solar collectors also be used to heat my home’s water tank?
   No. The solar collectors used for i) domestic water heating and   ii) solar electric are entirely different both from each other, as well as pool heating collectors. SES installs all three types of solar energy and can provide proposals for each.
7. What about maintenance? Do I have to hire anyone to open or close the pool heater?
   Solar pool heaters require no regular maintenance. They are simply opened and closed with your pool at the beginning and end of each season. The panels drain automatically.
8. Will the solar collectors hurt my roof?
   No. In fact, the collectors are made from a strong polymer compound that actually serves to protect your roof from the elements.
9. How long can I expect my solar pool heater to last?
   We use Solar Industries (Aquatherm) pool collectors which were tested and survived a grueling 23 year life expectancy test performed in the Arizona desert.   In addition, Solar Industries offers the strongest warranty in the industry.
10. How long does the installation take?
    Most installations take a single day, but sometimes two.

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FREDERICK, MD: Today SES was informed by the Frederick County’s Solarize Committee that they were chosen to be the official Solar Water Heater installer for the Solarize Frederick County initiative.

The pilot program aims to increase installations of solar water heaters, as well as solar electric (PV), systems in Frederick County County.  The financial incentives include County grants and volume purchase agreements, in addition to pre-existing state and federal grants.  Astrum Solar were selected as the solar electric (PV) installer.

While funds last, all Frederick County residents are eligible to apply for the incentives that reduce the cost of a solar water heater (or solar electric PV system) by up to 85%.

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