In March of 2010, Solar Leasing of California debuted their new ten year lease. Most leases like Solar City, REC & Real Goods (Sun Run Lease) do not allow customers to buy their solar system at the end of 20 years.
They usually do not offset all of a customers electric bill and do not use high end solar equipment.
Solar Leasing of California is different in that it offers Schuco (GERMAN MADE) solar panels and SMA (GERMAN) inverters. Schuco makes all of the major components for the solar system with the exception of SMA inverters. However, being SMA's largest customer, they are allowed to brand name the SMA inverters "Schuco"
Solar Leasing of California's lease allows customers to purchase the system at the end of ten years for a very affordable price.
Payments are typically less than a customers electric bill.
No equity is required, just good credit.
Monitoring and maintenance is included.
Nova West Solar Inc. has won the exclusive rights to the lease in the Central Valley of California.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Solar Design, Quality, and Performance Part 2
Solar Design and System Performance
Solar Energy is becoming more common in the United States and especially in the central valley of California. If you are considering a solar energy system for your home, there are some design considerations that will help make your system cost effective, reliable and safe.
Cost Effective Solar Energy
The first and most important consideration for a solar array is to make sure it has sun on it. Although this seems obvious at first glance, there are many examples of installation of solar panels behind a chimney or under a tree. There will always be trade offs, as you can’t cut down all the trees or remove chimneys just for the sake of a little more energy.
IV Curve for Maximum Power Point Tracking
Solar cells are extremely sensitive to shading. If a single cell is shaded, it will affect all of the cells wired in series in the solar panel by acting as a resistor. Solar panels have a number of bypass diodes which will bypass a series of shaded cells and will mitigate the problem to a certain extent. The easiest way to illustrate this is by wiring in a 12 volt RV fan directly to a lower voltage panel. When placed directly in the sun, the fan runs extremely fast. When casting a shadow over a number of cells, the fan speed drops significantly. Another more expensive method is to use a clamp on DC current meter. When casting a shadow, the DC current will drop off quickly.
Shade Analysis Tool
There are design methods that can reduce the impact of shading. One of the more important tools is a Solmetric Suneye. The Suneye is a great tool for Solar Companies because it provides an indication of how much shading will occur on an array at different times of the day and different times of the year. It also predicts, however crudely, what affect the shading will have on energy generation. As the shade tool only predicts gross reductions in sunlight striking the surface of the module and doesn’t model individual solar cell characteristics or array IV curves, a little interpretation by by good solar designer is still required. Minimizing shading or eliminating it are the still best courses of action.
Array Orientation for Best Energy Production
Generally, if you want the best energy production out of a solar array, you would orient it to the South. A 10 degree tilt would give you the best summer production and, in California, a 30-35 degree tilt would give you the best year round production if the array is facing South. The further East or West the array is oriented, in general, the flatter the array should be for best production. The Azimuth and Roof pitch chart illustrates this concept. Note that, in general, most residential roofs are 4:12 pitch to 6:12 pitch. Anything steeper than this is pretty tough to walk around on.
PVWatts is another tool that will output the solar energy predicted per day, based on 30 years of flat plat data and simulates the predicted energy output per month and year for your solar energy system.
Many solar designers, sales persons and even solar energy companies do not fully understand how IV curves and Maximum Power Point Tracking work nor do they understand the ramifications of poor design on the solar energy output of a system. A good designer can squeeze the last few kWhs out of a system. System design is almost always a trade off between the space available, shading from objects including inter-row spacing, and the budget for the system.
Solar Energy is becoming more common in the United States and especially in the central valley of California. If you are considering a solar energy system for your home, there are some design considerations that will help make your system cost effective, reliable and safe.
Cost Effective Solar Energy
The first and most important consideration for a solar array is to make sure it has sun on it. Although this seems obvious at first glance, there are many examples of installation of solar panels behind a chimney or under a tree. There will always be trade offs, as you can’t cut down all the trees or remove chimneys just for the sake of a little more energy.
IV Curve for Maximum Power Point Tracking
Solar cells are extremely sensitive to shading. If a single cell is shaded, it will affect all of the cells wired in series in the solar panel by acting as a resistor. Solar panels have a number of bypass diodes which will bypass a series of shaded cells and will mitigate the problem to a certain extent. The easiest way to illustrate this is by wiring in a 12 volt RV fan directly to a lower voltage panel. When placed directly in the sun, the fan runs extremely fast. When casting a shadow over a number of cells, the fan speed drops significantly. Another more expensive method is to use a clamp on DC current meter. When casting a shadow, the DC current will drop off quickly.
Shade Analysis Tool
There are design methods that can reduce the impact of shading. One of the more important tools is a Solmetric Suneye. The Suneye is a great tool for Solar Companies because it provides an indication of how much shading will occur on an array at different times of the day and different times of the year. It also predicts, however crudely, what affect the shading will have on energy generation. As the shade tool only predicts gross reductions in sunlight striking the surface of the module and doesn’t model individual solar cell characteristics or array IV curves, a little interpretation by by good solar designer is still required. Minimizing shading or eliminating it are the still best courses of action.
Array Orientation for Best Energy Production
Generally, if you want the best energy production out of a solar array, you would orient it to the South. A 10 degree tilt would give you the best summer production and, in California, a 30-35 degree tilt would give you the best year round production if the array is facing South. The further East or West the array is oriented, in general, the flatter the array should be for best production. The Azimuth and Roof pitch chart illustrates this concept. Note that, in general, most residential roofs are 4:12 pitch to 6:12 pitch. Anything steeper than this is pretty tough to walk around on.
PVWatts is another tool that will output the solar energy predicted per day, based on 30 years of flat plat data and simulates the predicted energy output per month and year for your solar energy system.
Many solar designers, sales persons and even solar energy companies do not fully understand how IV curves and Maximum Power Point Tracking work nor do they understand the ramifications of poor design on the solar energy output of a system. A good designer can squeeze the last few kWhs out of a system. System design is almost always a trade off between the space available, shading from objects including inter-row spacing, and the budget for the system.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
INVERTER RECALL!
Xantrex announces inverter recall - Xantrex, Sunpower and GE brands
Unfortunately, we have learned about a fairly extensive product recall regarding Xantrex inverters that have been marketed under the Xantrex, Sunpower and General Electric brands.
We understand from the attached Recall Notice that this is a voluntary recall on the part of the manufacturer and that it covers Xantrex GT series grid-tie inverters that were manufactured between September 2005 and August 2010.
According to the recall notice:
A component of the inverter can degrade, causing out gassing within the wiring compartment of the inverter. Should arcing occur, gasses could build and force the compartment cover to be blown off. If the cover is blown off with sufficient force it can injure the user or person [sic], or cause damage to property in close proximity to the inverter.
NOVA WEST SOLAR HAS ALWAYS INSTALLED GERMAN MADE SMA INVERTERS! OUR CUSTOMERS ARE NOT AFFECTED OR ASSOCIATED IN ANY WAY WITH THIS RECALL!
XANTREX IS A CHINESE MANUFACTURER THAT IS ON THE CSI APPROVED LIST OF MANUFACTURERS. IF YOU SHOULD HAVE A XANTREX INVERTER, CALL THE SOLAR CONTRACTOR WHO INSTALLED YOUR SOLAR POWER SYSTEM. IF THEY ARE NO LONGER IN BUSINESS, YOU SHOULD CONTACT XANTREX AT 800-714-7176.
Unfortunately, we have learned about a fairly extensive product recall regarding Xantrex inverters that have been marketed under the Xantrex, Sunpower and General Electric brands.
We understand from the attached Recall Notice that this is a voluntary recall on the part of the manufacturer and that it covers Xantrex GT series grid-tie inverters that were manufactured between September 2005 and August 2010.
According to the recall notice:
A component of the inverter can degrade, causing out gassing within the wiring compartment of the inverter. Should arcing occur, gasses could build and force the compartment cover to be blown off. If the cover is blown off with sufficient force it can injure the user or person [sic], or cause damage to property in close proximity to the inverter.
NOVA WEST SOLAR HAS ALWAYS INSTALLED GERMAN MADE SMA INVERTERS! OUR CUSTOMERS ARE NOT AFFECTED OR ASSOCIATED IN ANY WAY WITH THIS RECALL!
XANTREX IS A CHINESE MANUFACTURER THAT IS ON THE CSI APPROVED LIST OF MANUFACTURERS. IF YOU SHOULD HAVE A XANTREX INVERTER, CALL THE SOLAR CONTRACTOR WHO INSTALLED YOUR SOLAR POWER SYSTEM. IF THEY ARE NO LONGER IN BUSINESS, YOU SHOULD CONTACT XANTREX AT 800-714-7176.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Solar Design, Quality, and Performance Part 1
Quality Matters
From the inception of the company, we wanted to offer a very personalized, custom approach to each client. That meant doing one project at a time, with an emphasis on high quality, outstanding products and complete follow through on everything promised. Our Sales Engineers work with each client to design a system that exceeds their expectations. We schedule permits, material delivery and installation to meet your needs. Our affiliation with Schuco, and SMA, allows us to maintain a large inventory of solar modules, inverters and mounting hardware in the local area. This equates to volume buying power, great prices and excellent customer service. Our installation employee crews have installed more than 300 systems in the past 5 years. Lead by degreed site (employee) managers along with Nova West Solar's C-10 electrical as well as General B, PV Solar, and c-39 Roofing licenses, we take every step to ensure a successful, trouble free installation. With 47 consecutive years in contracting, you can be assured that quality and customer service has been paramount in our success.
If you are looking for a cost effective solar power system using some of the best solar modules and inverters available, Nova West Solar is the right choice. Solar electric systems are our specialty. Our goal is to provide the best systems at a great price and we are always on time.
From the inception of the company, we wanted to offer a very personalized, custom approach to each client. That meant doing one project at a time, with an emphasis on high quality, outstanding products and complete follow through on everything promised. Our Sales Engineers work with each client to design a system that exceeds their expectations. We schedule permits, material delivery and installation to meet your needs. Our affiliation with Schuco, and SMA, allows us to maintain a large inventory of solar modules, inverters and mounting hardware in the local area. This equates to volume buying power, great prices and excellent customer service. Our installation employee crews have installed more than 300 systems in the past 5 years. Lead by degreed site (employee) managers along with Nova West Solar's C-10 electrical as well as General B, PV Solar, and c-39 Roofing licenses, we take every step to ensure a successful, trouble free installation. With 47 consecutive years in contracting, you can be assured that quality and customer service has been paramount in our success.
If you are looking for a cost effective solar power system using some of the best solar modules and inverters available, Nova West Solar is the right choice. Solar electric systems are our specialty. Our goal is to provide the best systems at a great price and we are always on time.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Does more efficiency actually pay
Paying Less and Getting More
Consumers have many different solar panels available to use under the CSI (California Solar Initiative). With so many different solar products available, it is easy to get confused on which panels to purchase. Several factors need to be incorporated into the final decision on which solar panels to use.
What is the efficiency of the panels? This is important because efficiency translates into more annual killowatt production versus a less efficient system.
This also translates into a higher rebate due to CSI's policy to base rebates on estimated energy production.
Do more efficient solar panels translate into higher overall pricing? Yes it does. However where it really increases in pricing is from panel efficiencies from 15% to 18%.
Do the extra costs incurred upfront pay additional benefits over a 5 to 7 year period. The answer is no. The following breakdown is of a Sanyo hybrid HIT210 watt panel (17.1% panel efficiency) and a very good Schuco 210 watt SMAU1 panel (14.9% panel efficiency).
The major deciding factor on the two panels is the pricing. Sanyo with its hybrid panels cost more than the Schuco panels. When the dust settles after pricing, rebates and annual KWH production, the customer's can realize the following:
Number of Panels 42 Sanyo 210 HIT versus Schuco 210 SMAU1
Internal Rate of Return 32% versus 39.7%
Pay back in years 6 years versus 4.8 years
Total Annual KWH 14,106 versus 13,970
Total CSI Rebate $5,108 versus $4,932
Total System Price $59,535 versus $48,510
Finally the warranties. When warranties are compared, Sanyo is less confident with their product as it only has a 20 yr warranty versus a 25 year warranty with Schuco. The tolerance rating for Sanyo is -0 to +10% which is excellent. However, after the first day on the roof, the warranty drops off to -5% to +10%. The -5% now makes this warranty less than average. Schuco has a -0% to +5% tolerance. Their warranties start at the panel rating while Sanyo starts at -5% (after day 1)from the panel rating. Sanyo guarantees 90% output up to 10 years from installation while Schuco offers 90% up to 12 years from installation.
Based on the internal rate of return, the payback, the small differenct in overall KWH production and rebates, and the much smaller price and better warranties, it is easy to see why most people would choose a very efficient panel like Schuco versus a super high efficient Sanyo panel.
The bottom line is more efficiency is a good thing to have, but if pricing is not competitive and or the warranties are not as good as most other panels, then the extra efficiency may very well not equate into a better "value".
Consumers have many different solar panels available to use under the CSI (California Solar Initiative). With so many different solar products available, it is easy to get confused on which panels to purchase. Several factors need to be incorporated into the final decision on which solar panels to use.
What is the efficiency of the panels? This is important because efficiency translates into more annual killowatt production versus a less efficient system.
This also translates into a higher rebate due to CSI's policy to base rebates on estimated energy production.
Do more efficient solar panels translate into higher overall pricing? Yes it does. However where it really increases in pricing is from panel efficiencies from 15% to 18%.
Do the extra costs incurred upfront pay additional benefits over a 5 to 7 year period. The answer is no. The following breakdown is of a Sanyo hybrid HIT210 watt panel (17.1% panel efficiency) and a very good Schuco 210 watt SMAU1 panel (14.9% panel efficiency).
The major deciding factor on the two panels is the pricing. Sanyo with its hybrid panels cost more than the Schuco panels. When the dust settles after pricing, rebates and annual KWH production, the customer's can realize the following:
Number of Panels 42 Sanyo 210 HIT versus Schuco 210 SMAU1
Internal Rate of Return 32% versus 39.7%
Pay back in years 6 years versus 4.8 years
Total Annual KWH 14,106 versus 13,970
Total CSI Rebate $5,108 versus $4,932
Total System Price $59,535 versus $48,510
Finally the warranties. When warranties are compared, Sanyo is less confident with their product as it only has a 20 yr warranty versus a 25 year warranty with Schuco. The tolerance rating for Sanyo is -0 to +10% which is excellent. However, after the first day on the roof, the warranty drops off to -5% to +10%. The -5% now makes this warranty less than average. Schuco has a -0% to +5% tolerance. Their warranties start at the panel rating while Sanyo starts at -5% (after day 1)from the panel rating. Sanyo guarantees 90% output up to 10 years from installation while Schuco offers 90% up to 12 years from installation.
Based on the internal rate of return, the payback, the small differenct in overall KWH production and rebates, and the much smaller price and better warranties, it is easy to see why most people would choose a very efficient panel like Schuco versus a super high efficient Sanyo panel.
The bottom line is more efficiency is a good thing to have, but if pricing is not competitive and or the warranties are not as good as most other panels, then the extra efficiency may very well not equate into a better "value".
Friday, February 11, 2011
Solar Power can be a lifestyle decision
Quality of Life and Energy
People want to run their air conditioners when it is hot. People want to keep their lights on when it is dark. People want to run their computers and other household electronics when they need to work or be entertained. Eventually people will want to charge their electric cars or generate hydrogen, using electricity, for their hydrogen cars. Buying a solar power system is just like putting money in your 401k for retirement. If you buy solar now you will be able to run your air conditioner when energy prices go up and yet maintain your lifestyle at a much lower cost. The image of an older man and his wife eating dog food out of a can is enough to entice me to invest in the future. The thought of that same couple sweating out a hot summer and not being able to drive or keep the lights on is enough for me to invest in solar.
Most people believe that the cost of electriicty will increase over time. When you look at the cost of oil and gas, the increased difficulty mining coal and nuclear material, it is pretty obvious that costs will go up. Increasing demand across the world will also apply pressure to the cost of energy.
Some of our customers want to run the air conditioner so cool that they can see their breath, but they don’t want their friends and family to think they are energy hogs. Solar electricity is a great way to maintain or improve you lifestyle and you can feel good about it.
People want to run their air conditioners when it is hot. People want to keep their lights on when it is dark. People want to run their computers and other household electronics when they need to work or be entertained. Eventually people will want to charge their electric cars or generate hydrogen, using electricity, for their hydrogen cars. Buying a solar power system is just like putting money in your 401k for retirement. If you buy solar now you will be able to run your air conditioner when energy prices go up and yet maintain your lifestyle at a much lower cost. The image of an older man and his wife eating dog food out of a can is enough to entice me to invest in the future. The thought of that same couple sweating out a hot summer and not being able to drive or keep the lights on is enough for me to invest in solar.
Most people believe that the cost of electriicty will increase over time. When you look at the cost of oil and gas, the increased difficulty mining coal and nuclear material, it is pretty obvious that costs will go up. Increasing demand across the world will also apply pressure to the cost of energy.
Some of our customers want to run the air conditioner so cool that they can see their breath, but they don’t want their friends and family to think they are energy hogs. Solar electricity is a great way to maintain or improve you lifestyle and you can feel good about it.
Solar hot water act (S.2993 &HR 4597)
Solar Hot Water
The 10 Million Solar Roofs & 10 Million Gallons of Solar Hot Water Act would address rising energy costs, global warming and America’s dependence on foreign energy sources and create tens of thousands of new green-collar jobs and billions of dollars in new investment. The legislation would spur the installation of photovoltaic (PV) and solar water heating (SWH) technology across the country by providing direct rebates to consumers. Analysis by SEIA shows that there is sufficient roof space in the United States to provide 20% of total electricity demand using PV panels. A report by the New Rules Project shows that 38 U.S. states could generate 20% or more of their electricity from in-state resources using rooftop PV alone.
Key Provisions
Provides a direct rebate to the purchasers of solar PV or solar thermal systems in the United States. The maximum rebate for PV systems would begin at $1.75/watt and would decline to $0.50/watt in 2018. The maximum solar thermal rebate would be $1/watt.
The Secretary of Energy determines the actual rebate level, with the goal of deploying 10 million new distributed PV systems and 200,000 new solar hot water systems over the next ten years.
Eligible recipients include homeowners, businesses, non-profit entities and state or local governments. The properties on which the solar systems are installed must be located within the United States and must meet energy efficiency criteria designated by the Secretary of Energy. The solar systems must also be no larger than 2 megawatts.
The total rebate may not exceed 50% of the net installed system cost after factoring in other rebates, tax credits and incentives.
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