tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16730550661486266202024-03-12T22:15:44.662-07:00OC Renewables blogJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078669807196972604noreply@blogger.comBlogger161125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-81167575731866449932017-04-04T12:33:00.001-07:002017-04-04T12:37:42.451-07:00OCR teaming with PickMySolar on a OC solar group buy opportunityWant to go solar but also want a good deal? This is your chance! OCR has teamed with PickMySolar.com on a group buy opportunity for solar in the OC. If you spend more than ~$80 / month on electricity, or are planning on getting an electric car, ect .. this is your chance to get solar at a discount price in the OC. Check out the information below for all you need to know!<br />
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Enrollment for the Orange County Solar Group Buy is Now Open!
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<span style="color: dimgrey;"><span style="font-size: 22px;"><em>Enrollment for the Saddleback Valley Group Buy Is Officially Open!</em></span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue,helvetica,arial,verdana,sans-serif;">Pick My Solar’s Group Buy is this year’s best opportunity to go solar. Add value to your home, reduce your energy bills, and promote sustainable energy in your community. Enroll to access a no-obligation consultation, free workshops, and pricing starting at 30% below market rates.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px;">Why Saddleback Valley? Watch the Video Now to Find Out Why We're So Excited!</span></div>
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<br />
<strong><u>Pick My Solar is Teaming Up With OC Renewables!</u></strong><br />
Pick My Solar will make a donation to OC Renewables for every member who goes solar during our Group Buy in Saddleback Valley.
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<span style="color: navy;"><strong><span style="font-size: 13px;">Discount Secured</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13px;">Our Group Buy has secured a 30% group purchase discount with high quality installers<br />
in your neighborhood</span></div>
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<span style="color: navy;"><strong><span style="font-size: 13px;">Enrollment Period</span></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 13px;">Community outreach<br />
and enrollment period<br />
has begun. Enroll by<br />
<strong>April 9th, 2017 </strong>to qualify for discounts.</span></div>
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<span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><strong>Your Installation</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13px;">Your selected installer will begin the permitting and installation of your system. Let's save money while saving our neighborhood!</span><br />
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<a class="mcnButton " href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/saddleback-group-buy-free-electric-bill-evaluations-for-all-attendees-tickets-32172624185?aff=renewableOC" style="color: white; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Register Now For A Free Electric Bill Evaluation on March 11th!">Register Now For A Free Electric Bill Evaluation on March 11th!</a>
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</html>Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-34525060580764242772016-11-16T23:35:00.001-08:002016-11-16T23:35:18.815-08:00STOP the “Natural Gas Smell” plaguing Huntington Beach ResidentsSometimes the issues literally come right to your doorstep. Huntington Beach residents have been subjected more and more often in the last several months to city sized fumes of a "natural gas odor" coming in with the ocean breeze. The smell and concentration is paralyzing, bring on headaches, respiratory issues and sending you running to close up all the windows. <br />
<br />
After another one of these "gas attacks" yesterday (the third in two weeks), my neighbors and I were fed up. And apparently I'm not alone. Since early this AM, the <a href="https://www.change.org/p/city-leaders-stop-the-natural-gas-smell-plaguing-huntington-beach-residents">change.org</a> petition I created on the topic has received over 280 signatures, mostly from HB residents who are commenting about the effect the "attacks" has had on them and their families.<br />
<br />
On social media some are commenting this is a natural phenomenon. To that I say natural gas is an odorless, colorless substance until a vile sulfur based agent called mercaptan is added by gas processors, which is exactly what it smells like when one of these attacks come on. So, if you still think it is a natural phenomenon, prove it. My evidence suggests otherwise.<br />
<br />
The goal of this petition is to get as many signatures and emails attached to it as possible over the next several weeks. I will then present this to the Huntington Beach City Council, the HB Environmental Board and other stakeholders such as AQMD in an organized effort to (1) understand where these attacks are coming from (2) understand who is responsible and (3) stop them.<br />
<br />
Please please please support this petition if you can. There is power in numbers:<br />
<div class="change-embed-petition" data-petition-id="8876339">
</div>
<script src="https://static.change.org/product/embeds/v1/change-embeds.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-42200463973869787782016-11-04T23:46:00.000-07:002016-11-04T23:46:39.495-07:00Monday, Nov 7th, 6 PM, Come voice support for an important Huntington Beach Energy Efficiency Project!!
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0nRghkCb3zaxInu_o0bSRAMdxcxTX80aKbCVjZ8zYtFW1seujgRqdDHvrqanRAb4gfs4glJal5imtx0lx7aMN4yrAI7kJzGLixE8lrSyhLIU8au1iyukkaIuNqU34Kaxa4PtLeLeOWw/s1600/Huntington-Beach-city-seal-20150701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0nRghkCb3zaxInu_o0bSRAMdxcxTX80aKbCVjZ8zYtFW1seujgRqdDHvrqanRAb4gfs4glJal5imtx0lx7aMN4yrAI7kJzGLixE8lrSyhLIU8au1iyukkaIuNqU34Kaxa4PtLeLeOWw/s200/Huntington-Beach-city-seal-20150701.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<b>If you live in the Huntington Beach, CA area, please come to the city council chambers at 6:00 PM Monday November 7, 2016</b> to hear comments and support for a very exciting energy efficiency project opportunity currently in front of the city. <br />
<br />
Below is the full text of the opportunity, but let me summarize for those of us short on time. The California Public Utilities Commission established a grant program in 2012 called EPIC. HB neighborhood of Oak View has the opportunity to be a direct BENEFACTOR of this funding through a consortium team including UCI, NREL, SCE and So. Cal gas. The grant will fund a two phase approach to turning the neighborhood into a "advanced energy community", trialing different approaches to zero net energy implementation, easier grid integration and perhaps most importantly serve as a model to provide affordable access to renewable energy generation, energy efficiency and water efficiency upgrades. <br />
<br />
Long story short, this is a great opportunity for HB, so please come voice your support to convince the council to include HB in this project!!<br />
<br />
<i>Full Text:</i><br />
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The City of Huntington Beach has been a leader in energy efficiency, leading the way for many neighboring municipalities. The City’s efficiency efforts have received awards from the Association of California Cities- Orange County, Sustain OC, Orange County Business Council, and Southern California Edison. Additionally, these efforts have garnered attention from the Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and local universities. The success of many of our efficiency initiatives is what led the team at UCI to contact the City and seek a partnership on the EPIC Challenge.<br />
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The EPIC program was established in 2012 by the California Public Utilities Commission and provides funding for applied research and development, technology, demonstration and deployment, and market facilitation for clean energy technologies. The specific funding opportunity through the EPIC Program that the City was successful in obtaining was through the EPIC Challenge: Accelerating the Deployment of Advanced Energy Communities. The purpose of the solicitation is to fund a competition that will challenge project teams to develop innovative and replicable approaches for accelerating the deployment of Advanced Energy Communities (AEC). The City was one of four communities chosen from Southern California. <br />
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The City is part of a diverse and well-respected team comprised of world renowned leading faculty from UCI, a built environment technology developer (Altura Associates, Inc.), the investor owned utilities (SCE and Southern California Gas Company), and a national laboratory (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) to address the EPIC Challenge to develop innovative and replicable approaches for accelerating the deployment of AEC in SCE and Southern California Gas Company service territories. The project teams that develop the best approaches will then be eligible to compete for the second phase of additional funding to fully realize their vision of an AEC.<br />
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For purposes of this solicitation, Advanced Energy Communities are communities that:<br />
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· Minimize the need for new energy infrastructure costs such as transmission and distribution upgrades.<br />
· Provide energy savings by achieving and maintaining zero net energy community status (accounting for behavior and increasing loads from vehicle and appliance electrification).<br />
· Support grid reliability and resiliency by incorporating technologies such as energy storage.<br />
· Provide easier grid integration and alignment with the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) Long-Term Procurement Plan, and the California Independent System Operator’s local capacity requirements process.<br />
· Can be replicated and scaled-up to further drive down costs.<br />
· Are financially attractive from a market standpoint (developers, home buyers, renters).<br />
· Provide affordable access to renewable energy generation, energy efficiency upgrades, and water efficiency and reuse technologies that reduce electricity consumption for all electric ratepayers within the community.<br />
· Makes use of smart-grid technologies throughout the community.<br />
· Align with other state energy goals.<br />
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Projects will be funded in two phases. Phase I focuses on the development of innovative planning, permitting, and financing approaches for Advanced Energy Communities, as well as the development of a real world conceptual design of an Advanced Energy Community. Recipients of Phase I funding will be eligible to compete for Phase II funding, which will support the build-out of an Advanced Energy Community that was proposed during Phase I.<br />
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Together with funding and support from Southern California Edison and Southern California Gas Company the team will receive a total of $1.9 million to develop and apply master community design tools and to integrate innovative, high efficiency and sustainable energy technologies into Huntington Beach’s Oak View neighborhood.<br />
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The City will work closely with the Oak View Renewal Partnership (OVRP), the neighborhoods longstanding non-profit place based service organization and CIELO the business incubator based at Golden West College. The City and the UCI team has received widespread support for this project from OVRP, CIELO, state and local legislators, non-profit providers (GRID Alternatives), and the non-profit housing partners.<br />
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The City will receive $90,000 to coordinate collaboration with community groups, residents, and will provide detailed information on existing community energy usage, provide information on energy infrastructure, and activities that occur in the community.<br />
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This project will enable the City to study community scale energy usage and test emerging technologies to determine the highest and best use of the City’s energy resources. The research from this project will enable the City to take the findings and apply for Phase II of the Challenge but also seek funding from other federal, state, and local agencies like the South Coast Air Quality Management District to apply for projects throughout the City.Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-8998181219345918682016-10-30T21:20:00.002-07:002016-10-30T21:20:33.018-07:00Watch "Before the Flood" 100% FREE on YouTubeIn an effort to give the largest distribution of this film as possible, the producers, financiers, publishers and all involved are distributing for free. Free. Enjoy.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/90CkXVF-Q8M" width="480"></iframe>Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-13040731233866518052016-08-03T14:36:00.000-07:002016-08-03T14:42:30.128-07:00Mr. Trump, if your going to lie about Renewable energy, at least make it realistic<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqFLBiQdSQDuWY8ZCzcTF1pxdMpMWiNEa-vsZsTli4htUfQ4JHh6rrrBkcrVVo0S1qdDC93D1g3e4ao9kti3BAITNHMg_d5xw11T0TQdundZt2WqQyUe9u7v8Miw9ldodZ6KkGI2rG_Q/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqFLBiQdSQDuWY8ZCzcTF1pxdMpMWiNEa-vsZsTli4htUfQ4JHh6rrrBkcrVVo0S1qdDC93D1g3e4ao9kti3BAITNHMg_d5xw11T0TQdundZt2WqQyUe9u7v8Miw9ldodZ6KkGI2rG_Q/s200/download.jpg" width="187" /></a>
On August 2, 2016 this happened, as reported by many outlets and reference here from <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/290093-trump-wind-power-kills-all-your-birds">
The Hill.com</a>,<br />
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"“It’s so expensive,” Trump said of alternative energy at a rally in Pennsylvania.<br />
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“And honestly, it’s not working so good. I know a lot about solar. I love solar. But the payback is what, 18 years? Oh great, let me do it. Eighteen years,” he said, turning to wind power. “The wind kills all your birds. All your birds, killed. You know, the environmentalists never talk about that.”"<br />
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Ladies and gentlemen, the Republican candidate for President. The fact at a Republican candidate decides to tell lies about renewable energy is not a surprise. The real surprise is how LAZY these lies are. They are cartoon level lazy. "Kill all the birds"? As I sit here typing on this keyboard I see 3 birds out my window. I can hear another 3-4 because the window is open. I guess wind power hasn't got to them yet.<br />
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Billionare Mark Cuban, who once said a Trump presidency was a good idea, recently <a href="http://www.vox.com/2016/7/21/12246860/mark-cuban-trump-shade-rnc">changed his tone drastically</a>, saying that the opportunity Trump has was squandered because he was "lazy" and "didn't do the work". I am a rabid support of renewable energy and action on climate change, but there are certainly criticisms. He was just too lazy to find actual criticisms, so he gave caricatures of criticisms. <br />
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Well, a rebuke is not really needed, but in true Trump fashion I'll give it with as little work as possible.. <a href="http://www.seia.org/sites/default/files/2-7-9-ModeledUtilityTurnkeyFixedTiltandOneAxisPVSystemPricingwithCostBreakdownQ12014-Q12015.jpg">here it is for the solar</a>..<a href="https://www.fws.gov/birds/bird-enthusiasts/threats-to-birds.php"> here it is for the wind</a>.. you're welcome...enjoy.</div>
Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-12558781511024965362016-06-10T14:16:00.000-07:002016-06-10T14:20:57.986-07:00Size of Energy Storage Market Explained<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOG7hR3ofP9zJg3tCo8qp6soKuRoKGF8YY8zcY49EzNK_vkpKL1rfx5dac5oshTTD67gQQUwd65DI3rEykF3pSJwuhE34oEUBgPIR0IN42kGMEKQRWfnIz19DoVcG09qcSdJgbrGMTglw/s1600/battery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOG7hR3ofP9zJg3tCo8qp6soKuRoKGF8YY8zcY49EzNK_vkpKL1rfx5dac5oshTTD67gQQUwd65DI3rEykF3pSJwuhE34oEUBgPIR0IN42kGMEKQRWfnIz19DoVcG09qcSdJgbrGMTglw/s200/battery.jpg" width="180" /></a>
<span id="goog_1747605697"></span><span id="goog_1747605698"></span>With ASES Solar 2016 / Intersolar Conference coming up fast (have you registered? Are you going? You probably should!), much focus will be on the Intersolar exhibit floor. Last year there were three floors, one for PV generation products (modules), one for Balance-of-System products (trackers, racking) and one for emerging energy storage products (batteries, PowerWall, ect). With each floor taking up about the same amount of space and with hundreds of players, it makes sense to look at these three prongs of the renewable power industry from a market size point of view. The results may surprise you! For consistency we will focus on Q1 2016 results in the US.<br />
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<b>PV Modules: </b>Lets first focus on the bellwether: PV modules. <a href="http://www.seia.org/research-resources/solar-market-insight-report-2016-q2">SEIA reports</a> 1,665 MWdc of modules sold in the US in Q1. Lets say average sale price of a module is $0.65 / W, this amounts to $1,082,250,000 in sales (a lil over $1 BILLION) in the first quarter of this year.<br />
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<b>PV Balance of System</b>: <a href="http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/ihs--global-single-axis-tracker-revenues-to-reach-2-billion-in-2019_100018728/#axzz4BDBzWNjy">IHS reported</a> last year the 2014 annual global market size for balance of system product was ~$3.1 Billion, with the US accounting for ~36% of the total market. Doing some rough math, this projects a quarterly US market size of $279,000,000, which is likely an underestimate because these numbers are already 1.5 years old. Either way it is a line in the sand for the point of discussion at the moment.<br />
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<b>Energy Storage: </b>Now what you've all been waiting for. Energy storage has been the hot new thing in renewables for awhile now, but just how big is the market today? Just how much can your "batteries in a box" company make? <a href="http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/the-u.s.-deployed-18.3-mw-of-energy-storage-in-q1-2016-grew-127-year-over-y">Greentech Media reported</a> this month that a total of 18.3 MW, more aptly described as 21.1 MWh, of storage was deployed Q1, 2016 in the US. With Tesla claiming prices of $300 / kWh, lets be generous and say these systems had a total value of about $800 / kWh. With that, the total value of the market is $14,600,000. The batteries alone (at $300 / kWh) is less than $6,000,000. At a compound annual growth rate of 50% (which some claim is too low), it would take 12 years for storage to reach the same size as PV modules today, and 8 years to reach the same size as the US PV BOS market. Meanwhile those markets are growing aggressively as well.<br />
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For a visual comparison of these three markets, click on the picture below. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9unCrspBbSw_Dkf0CVcvWvZum1xraD2Yf5STooNSvf7ba9gukHf6k0asu5Uu6Nom-E0fo0NQ4KB2PsAHlLZi_HiPToJbWmzbd_tZikJHoVWKagBXEuVzHFDb0i5uC-MWI9rxCH6IXj0/s1600/Untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9unCrspBbSw_Dkf0CVcvWvZum1xraD2Yf5STooNSvf7ba9gukHf6k0asu5Uu6Nom-E0fo0NQ4KB2PsAHlLZi_HiPToJbWmzbd_tZikJHoVWKagBXEuVzHFDb0i5uC-MWI9rxCH6IXj0/s400/Untitled.png" width="400" /></a>
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So what are the reasons to be cautious about storage? First, despite being a tiny market there are already hundreds of players, from big names like Tesla and Lockeed Martin, to dozens of smaller me-too players. Second, there is already a fairly good, yet embattled in some areas, competitor to storage: net metering. If you have solar on the roof and an agreement with the utility to give you credit for energy you put back on the grid, then guess what, you already have a great (and free) storage system. Third, there are really no reasons why this developing industry will be a "high margin" endeavor, much like PV modules.
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<br />
Reasons to be bullish on storage abound, but it is a good bet that storage will have more shakeout than opportunity for most players in the next 5 - 10 years.
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<br />Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-18321335633818098282016-04-21T15:26:00.002-07:002016-04-21T15:26:33.655-07:00SunEdison is Bankrupt<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVYf1je6RYJzpKQcHfs2LQ8H3gGmVy4g7NP-a7XzfyaCAzBfFfdMoTYGyyhxqYzEzOGaa_-E3Ji56X3p6kxsKLUuhcYntrlbiO1CPPuI5iNTzGtZwEQ_JA084KXw8c8s3_fii_01ujX9Q/s1600/burning-oil-rig-explosion-fire-photo12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVYf1je6RYJzpKQcHfs2LQ8H3gGmVy4g7NP-a7XzfyaCAzBfFfdMoTYGyyhxqYzEzOGaa_-E3Ji56X3p6kxsKLUuhcYntrlbiO1CPPuI5iNTzGtZwEQ_JA084KXw8c8s3_fii_01ujX9Q/s200/burning-oil-rig-explosion-fire-photo12.jpg" width="200" /></a>Less than a year ago in July, 2015 SunEdison was a wall street darling. Trading at $31 / share and worth $8 Billion, what a difference 9 months makes. Today the embattled, deeply debt laden and deeply misguided solar developer / manufacturer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as covered by <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-sunedison-inc-bankruptcy-idUSKCN0XI1TC">many major news outlets</a>. <br />
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The stock sits as a market cap of $0.115 billion, an erosion of about $28 million / day since last July. Just to put this in context, Solyndra lost (the tax payers albeit) $535 million, so the collapse of SunEdison is basically 16x Solyndras in size.<br />
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It seems that "work capital" was secured in order to keep operations moving during this period, but in all likelihood the "new" SunEdison will be a much smaller, less abitious enterprise after emerging from restructing, which could take a very long time.<br />
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All in all, this is another black eye for the solar business that it doesn't really need. With the ITC extension in December, it seems to always be two steps forward, one step back for the solar business. On the other hand, companies which relied less on Financial Engineering to pump their value are still doing quite well in solar for the foreseeable future.<br />
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<br />Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-27618988052453072372016-04-20T13:25:00.003-07:002016-04-20T13:26:12.531-07:00OCR / ASES Participating in CSU Fullerton Earth Week Tomorrow!
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqWtvZoqrgyv89ZXq9s5QbVnxzzZtCPQNr1TO29ipQQw_GQkk5vyqGc6x4wMPLiXHNSSvl8-JTLultyFOcuVrcHZlOh8MjdbpCNj92aF4G-zuvtVSEZetlafOGN7OsYH5mE4Kjnj67dI/s1600/images.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqWtvZoqrgyv89ZXq9s5QbVnxzzZtCPQNr1TO29ipQQw_GQkk5vyqGc6x4wMPLiXHNSSvl8-JTLultyFOcuVrcHZlOh8MjdbpCNj92aF4G-zuvtVSEZetlafOGN7OsYH5mE4Kjnj67dI/s1600/images.png" /></a>
Happy to announce (a little last minute, but better than never!) that OC Renewables and ASES will have a booth at tomorrow's Cal State University Fullerton campus as part of their Green Expo. I will be there with the latest issue of <a href="http://www.ases.org/">Solar Today</a> hoping to sign up many young and exciting students to the local OCR network of clean energy enthusiasts as well as the ASES national organization. <br />
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If you are in the area please stop by and say hi! Event runs from 10 AM to 1 PM on the Cal Sate Fullerton Campus. Check out a report on the school newspaper for more information <a href="http://www.dailytitan.com/2016/04/csuf-prepares-events-and-activities-for-this-years-earth-week/">at this link</a>, or the school's earth week website <a href="http://sustainability.fullerton.edu/earthweek/">at this link here</a>.<br />
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See you there ~ AdamAdam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-2340227405403360622016-02-12T12:25:00.002-08:002016-02-12T12:32:22.457-08:00Renewable Energy Networking Event hosted by OCR / PickMySolar / ASES
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tB_8g4CrG3x2RelWIiXIkeR5618ydQBJRHrKbyM3qwWJOdxo3fGdNHhimbDM7jJDcpeYawOgMcFCB34nyPv_X21Klxh16u0-yrORhOxzBSyno5tSzCqQZIM42-vjPc0gzvYQoiQn2PY/s1600/SCREEN_Visit4_1920_lkic_front_1-1500x630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tB_8g4CrG3x2RelWIiXIkeR5618ydQBJRHrKbyM3qwWJOdxo3fGdNHhimbDM7jJDcpeYawOgMcFCB34nyPv_X21Klxh16u0-yrORhOxzBSyno5tSzCqQZIM42-vjPc0gzvYQoiQn2PY/s320/SCREEN_Visit4_1920_lkic_front_1-1500x630.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">I get a lot of emails asking why OCR doesn't do regular meetings anymore. We prefer to hold off on asking to donate your time to an event until it is really something special... and this </span><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">EVENT</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"> is that something special!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><br /><span style="line-height: 20px;">Please join </span><a href="http://www.ocrenewables.org/" style="color: maroon; line-height: 20px;" target="_blank">OC Renewables</a><span style="line-height: 20px;">, the </span><a href="http://www.ases.org/" style="color: maroon; line-height: 20px;" target="_blank">American Solar Energy Society</a><span style="line-height: 20px;"> and </span><a href="https://pickmysolar.com/" style="color: maroon; line-height: 20px;" target="_blank">PickMySolar.com</a><span style="line-height: 20px;"> for a limited attendance open house at the recently finished </span><a href="http://laincubator.org/la-kretz-innovation-campus/" style="color: maroon; line-height: 20px;" target="_blank">La Kretz Clean Tech Innovation Campus</a><span style="line-height: 20px;"> in Los Angeles on Feb 18 at 6pm. </span><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 20px;">You will be hosted to a tour of the center, a short presentation about ASES / OCR and PickMySolar and then open it to networking and refreshments. Come and talk to some of the most well connected clean tech entrepreneurs in LA! We also expect some guests from the press and the public sector. </span><br /><br />Please RSVP by registering at <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/renewable-energy-networking-event-tickets-20022655301">EventBrite at this link</a>. <b>It is absolutely free, but attendance is limited to 60x guests</b>. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">A PDF flyer of the event <a href="http://www.ocrenewables.org/lkeventflyer.pdf" style="color: maroon;" target="_blank">is at this link</a>. Simo and I (and Max from PickMySolar) can't wait to see you there!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">~ Adam</span></div>
Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-7843514605236967272016-02-04T22:53:00.002-08:002016-02-04T22:53:42.934-08:00SOLAR 2016 Conference Call For Abstracts!
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguEy89SDvFEcoNMV3IqQTqW7QlTzIn4PHImbpYeLpwNSzfBmQRK1hLPmP2Hs1hCNdC1lIdWMA0eSkpx5_P17kgKyFFRiiWdWbTC1wp6ZIzDYkxKcHiYdkdKeB32yGHJNaFKJlt_HW9Hks/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguEy89SDvFEcoNMV3IqQTqW7QlTzIn4PHImbpYeLpwNSzfBmQRK1hLPmP2Hs1hCNdC1lIdWMA0eSkpx5_P17kgKyFFRiiWdWbTC1wp6ZIzDYkxKcHiYdkdKeB32yGHJNaFKJlt_HW9Hks/s200/download.jpg" width="133" /></a>
If you are in the solar biz, then you know the two main industry conference every year are <a href="https://www.intersolar.us/en/home.html">Intersolar </a>held in San Francisco, and <a href="http://www.solarpowerinternational.com/">Solar Power International</a> which is held in a different city every year.<br />
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What you might not know is that OC Renewables parent organization, ASES, is having their <a href="http://www.ases.org/solar-2016-will-be-held-in-conjunction-with-intersolar-north-america-at-the-intercontinental-hotel-in-san-franscisco-ca-july-11-13-2016/">2016 SOLAR conference</a> IN PARTNERSHIP with Intersolar this year from July 11-13, 2016 at the Intercontinental Hotel in San Franciso, the same time and place as Intersolar. This means you get access to two fantastic conference experiences in one place, at one time. <br />
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While Intersolar is more focused on the business end, ASES SOLAR 2016 is focused on the technical, the practical and the interesting facets of solar / renewable energy. Abstract submission for speakers at the conference is now open and closes Feb 22, so if you are working on something interesting, please do <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ENnCJHfwbbuVRtzpdYNns14AcIa2Sg12nXQD8jzsw7U/viewform">drop an abstract</a> for a chance to present a poster or a talk at the show this July. <br />
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Topics of specific interest at the conference for ASES include:<br />
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<b>Technology Advances:</b><br />
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Renewable Heat<br />
Renewable Electricity<br />
Clean Transportation<br />
Energy Efficiency<br />
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<b>Managing a Grid with High Penetration Renewables:</b><br />
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Renewables Working Together<br />
Electrical and Thermal Storage<br />
Renewable Energy Resource Forecasting<br />
Resource Assessment<br />
Load Management<br />
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<b>Energy Economics, Public Involvement and Participation:</b><br />
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Resource Conservation<br />
Public Education Innovations<br />
Policy and Financing<br />
Solar Decathlon and Related Competitions<br />
Community Solar<br />
Solar on Native Lands<br />
Community-based Actions<br />
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<b>Zero and Low Energy Buildings:</b><br />
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Resilient/Regenerative/Low-energy/Low-carbon architecture<br />
Building Simulation Tools and Monitoring<br />
Daylighting Methods and Case Studies<br />
Embodied Energy and Life Cycle Assessment<br />
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I'll definitely see you there!<br />
<br />Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-52521068725745954182016-01-27T16:41:00.002-08:002016-01-27T16:41:28.775-08:00Art + Renewable Energy = LAGI, are you ready to compete?!
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuXE-snRlLlQgFOay6tOoqG2li6OgT39wuKCqRqmHE8X538qE8A-VGUEyDQl-ZK5adIEQ_hyd_enP56dBzRftWDzqsPXK9C2yzu4fSHni2D7-iNEZwYLv8GNA-XJd8Ot12rVqaYyw4Ag/s1600/BookCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuXE-snRlLlQgFOay6tOoqG2li6OgT39wuKCqRqmHE8X538qE8A-VGUEyDQl-ZK5adIEQ_hyd_enP56dBzRftWDzqsPXK9C2yzu4fSHni2D7-iNEZwYLv8GNA-XJd8Ot12rVqaYyw4Ag/s200/BookCover.jpg" width="200" /></a>
Simo takes a minute to explain in depth what the Land Art Generator Initiative Competition (LAGI), going on right now (applications due in May) and focused in Santa Monica for this year is all about. Could you be the next big winner in this the-mother-of-all-clean-tech-architecture-design-competitions?:<br />
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The LAGI 2016, Land Art Generator Initiative, is a landmark initiative that has brought together artists, architects, scientists, landscape architects, and engineers in a first of its kind collaboration. The goal of the Land Art Generator Initiative is to design and (perhaps) construct a series of public art installation that uniquely combine aesthetics with clean energy generation. The works serve to inspire and educate while providing renewable power to thousands of homes around the world.<br />
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The idea for LAGI first came from Elizabeth Monoian and Robert Ferry in 2009 during a trip to Dubai. After leaving Pittsburg, the LAGI founders were impressed by the plenitude of energy resources in the United Arab Emirates even if this city relies essentially on fossil fuels and is among the least sustainable cities in the world.<br />
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By fusing art and energy, the LAGI main’s goal was to come up with new forms of public arts that would solve today’s most pressing problems, global warming and pollution, in an artistically relevant way. Art has an important role here as it can contribute to the aesthetic of the renewable energy installations which are often not considered terribly appealing. Aesthetics is a big deal for some potential renewable generation owners. A recent Dallas Morning News article characterizes a resistance movement to “ugly” solar panels as visual pollution. (<a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20150204-solar-energy-faces-cloudy-future-in-texas-suburbs.ece">Source</a>).<br />
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For 2016, Ms. Monoian and Mr. Ferry encourage creative people to submit their ideas and projects for large-scale and site-specific public art installations that generate carbon-neutral electricity and drinking water for the City of Santa Monica, California. LAGI jurors have been consistently impressed by the innovation and the creativity that the participants show to the public and this year is shaping to be no different.<br />
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In previous years the competition has focused on cities such as Dubai/Abu Dhabi, New York & Copenhagen. Entries to the competition has been growing since 2010, registration is free and the best two teams are rewarded with cash prizes. The requirements and guidelines for every team include the fact that the installation should be a three dimensional form that has the ability to stimulate and challenge the mind of the viewer and attract him on every level. In addition to this, the installation must not exceed 80 meters in height and has to be safe to people who view it on the Santa Monica Pier. More guidelines and specifications can be found on the <a href="http://landartgenerator.org/designcomp/">LAGI website here</a>.<br />
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LAGI is excited this year to have an expert and interdisciplinary panel of jurors including Senator Ben Allen, Mr Kevin McKeown (Mayor of the City of Santa Monica), Mr Craig Watson (Director of California Arts Council) in addition to many qualified people. They will judge each team on their adherence to the design brief, the integration and sensitivity of their work and how efficient their installation is.<br />
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~ Simo, Associate @ OCR<br />
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Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-90970800268468888502016-01-12T20:48:00.003-08:002016-01-12T20:48:35.538-08:00Oil at $30/barrel, $20/barrel totally possible
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyCCmsymkzudxJpRER1obHc_L-h7GVdxRKO9oadfNWMwEYpDI3LVI2jMCbhjBynDvcjYhfMBrK5UHPgdSlwgUPKtY6EX4yn5SP-KnhOwwA9vBEVux9UKJhBlJHJcvErMG5YDyRfq9kWc/s1600/sfezco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyCCmsymkzudxJpRER1obHc_L-h7GVdxRKO9oadfNWMwEYpDI3LVI2jMCbhjBynDvcjYhfMBrK5UHPgdSlwgUPKtY6EX4yn5SP-KnhOwwA9vBEVux9UKJhBlJHJcvErMG5YDyRfq9kWc/s200/sfezco.jpg" width="175" /></a>
Back on March 19, 2015, we posted an <a href="http://ocrenewables.blogspot.com/2015/03/price-of-oil-has-collapsed-along-with.html">OCR blog post</a> on the unprecedented price erosion in oil. It closed that day at $43/barrel.<br />
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Fast forward a little less than a year, and oil producers are begging for $43/barrel oil as the price closed today just a hair above $30, with <a href="http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/dollar20-oil-no-longer-mirage-as-world-confronts-12-year-low/ar-CCrU6z?li=BBnbfcL">some analysts betting it could get as low as $20</a>!<br />
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So why is this happening? The short of it is that no one who plays in the global oil business is willing to give up market share. Many are more willing to draw oil out of the ground and sell it at a loss then risk losing their chunk of the market. <br />
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This is doubly true for nation-state producers with no other notable economics activity, like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. In these places the stability of their entire political system depends on selling oil and using the proceeds to subsidize everything for their citizens. OPEC (which is largely run by Saudi) has <a href="http://www.investmenteurope.net/opinion/oil-price-opec-prepared-to-fight-until-2018/">basically stated it is ready to hold production</a> (thereby keeping a glut of supply, unless demand somehow magically ramps up) until 2018. By then many of the US producers wont have a choice but to declare bankruptcy.<br />
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How does this all affect solar you might ask? It really doesn't. Solar is much closer tied to natural gas prices and policy. Natural gas is already basically free in most of the country, and solar is competing quite nicely. And on the policy front solar got a big gift from the Feds in December when the ITC was extended and clarified until 2022.<br />
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So what business would you rather own right now? A solar installation company, or an oil production company? Time to go start that solar installation company.Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-53165895739920319332016-01-04T17:13:00.002-08:002016-01-04T18:04:37.479-08:002016 California Solar Incentives - What you need to know<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10NBK6pJqlt396JLjSx2HsPHyIwfj7DbRbB1VcL7B3lkBmo1v9kiRUye3P1DxbiGoqT-ow_-GkicrN8SD_Vdo0LryAARhvgxj_ejDtHI7VHUl-Ga_0SkCvt9hpy8OVoHRRNlSLgCoEMg/s1600/Happy-new-year-cartoon-wallpapers-images-photos-2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10NBK6pJqlt396JLjSx2HsPHyIwfj7DbRbB1VcL7B3lkBmo1v9kiRUye3P1DxbiGoqT-ow_-GkicrN8SD_Vdo0LryAARhvgxj_ejDtHI7VHUl-Ga_0SkCvt9hpy8OVoHRRNlSLgCoEMg/s200/Happy-new-year-cartoon-wallpapers-images-photos-2016.jpg" width="200" /></a>
With another year come and gone, the time is now to focus on the future! 2016! And with changes abound in the incentives structures for solar, OCR felt it a great first assignment for our new Associate Simo Yezrour was to publish an article concerning what you need to know about going solar in California in 2016. Without further delay!:<br />
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Today, power from the sun is the fastest growing source of energy in the US. The country already has enough installed solar capacity to power nearly 4 million homes (out of about 85 million total in the US) and progress continues as there are still many incentive programs helping lower the cost of solar systems for consumers.<br />
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In California, the solar business continues to show strength. How so? The combination of yearlong sunshine with layers of supportive solar policy continues to encourage more business and consumers to go solar.<br />
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Furthermore, the CA carbon reduction plan is expanding, the average photovoltaic system price continues to fall and incentives continue to allow businesses and homeowners to save on their bill with solar. It is projected that 2016 will see an additional 1,940 MW of solar installed in California, which is by far the largest installed capacity in a single year, growing the total capacity by about 20% (from ~ 10 GW today to an estimated 12 GW)<br />
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<i>What does this mean for YOU?:</i><br />
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At the Federal level, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (<a href="http://www.dsireusa.org/">DSIRE</a>) contains many grant and loan programs for the residential sector in California. The most known of them all is the Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit incentive also known as the ITC, that has recently been extended by the congress, with a gradual step down of the credits between 2019 and 2022. The solar system must be placed in service before December 31, 2021 to be eligible.<br />
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The ITC states that a taxpayer, either a professional or individual, may claim a credit of 30% of qualified expenditures for a solar photovoltaics or a solar water heating system that serves as a dwelling unit, located in the United States to be owned and used as a residence by the taxpayer.<br />
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The Investment Tax Credit has been the main Federal policy mechanism supporting deployment of solar systems all over the US. Before the recent policy decisions for the future of the ITC, modeling conducted by IHS Technology, a global energy analyst, prior to the extension of the ITC, forecasted that U.S. solar installations would have reached nearly 17 gigawatts in 2016 driven by the rush from developers to finish projects ahead of the December deadline. This would then lead to a drop to just 6.5 GW in 2017. The jury is still out on the effect of new ITC legislation on planned 2016 projects, but it is safe to say the pressure is off to get projects completed in 2016. <br />
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The Federal ITC provides tax credit for expenditures on newly installed solar systems. Expenditures include labor costs for on-site preparation, assembly or original system installation and piping-wiring to interconnect a system to the home. If the federal tax credit exceeds your 2016 tax liability, the excess amount may be carried forward to the succeeding taxable year.<br />
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Advantages of installing these systems include a non-limit credit if your system is installed before December 31st, 2021. In addition to this, the home served by the solar installation doesn’t need to be the taxpayer’s principal residence. However, heating swimming pools and hot tubs using water-heating systems won’t provide you extra tax credit as well as some other conditions that apply to these properties.<br />
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Other DSIRE Federal programs are expiring by the end of 2016. Most of these incentives are Energy Rebate programs that provides a cash rebate for customers planning to install new solar systems. They are all provided by local utility companies like SoCalGas, SCE, PG&E, SDG&E and depend on the solar capacity installed on your roof.<br />
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All these rebates can be found on the Database of State Incentives for Renewables at: <a href="http://www.dsireusa.org/">http://www.dsireusa.org/</a><br />
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Benefits at the state level are led by the California Solar Initiative(CSI), a solar rebate program for California consumers, provides upfront cash incentives. In aggregate, these incentives are worth more than $2 billion to customers installing photovoltaic and electricity displacing solar thermal systems. CSI benefits are available within the service areas of the three major California investor-Owned Utilities service territories: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, based in the Bay Area, California Center for Sustainable Energy, based in San Diego and finally Southern California Edison Company, based in Rosemead. CSI incentives, combined with federal tax incentives, could cover up to 50% of the total cost of a solar system.<br />
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Depending if you have a single-family or multi-family house, the incentives amounts differ. The Affordable Solar Housing Program offers rebates based on the size and performance of the system installed. The incentives range from $1.90 – $2.80 per watt depending on whether common area load or tenant load is offset for multi-family house. On the other hand, the single-family house incentives amount depends on your income level and your program eligibility. The DSIRE page has all the information you will need about CSI as well. CSI is also running until the end of the 2021.<br />
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On the municipal / local level, green building incentives and rebate programs exist for many cities including high profile programs in Santa Monica, San Diego, San Francisco & Los Angeles. For example, the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing program allows homeowners in SoCal and the Bay Area to borrow money for energy improvement projects which are repaid through their property taxes. It is administered by the FIGTREE Energy Financing that also finances a variety of renewable energy and energy efficiency products. Click <a href="http://www.figtreefinancing.com/government-member-agencies/">the link here</a> to see if your city is participating.<br />
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Overall, the ITC has been largely responsible for the over 1,600% YoY growth in CA solar installations since it was implemented in 2006. <a href="http://www.pv-tech.org/news/breaking-solar-itc-extended-till-2022">The Dec, 2015 decision to clarify the ITC for solar until 2022</a> will no doubt has a very positive effect on the stability of the industry in the US and, by proxy, the world.<br />
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~Simo, Associate @ OCR<br />
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Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-15322916561092341512015-12-30T14:16:00.002-08:002015-12-30T14:17:33.290-08:00Welcome Simo to OCR!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIQqw5eQK7ivtVQv3yrC1m2ErQ0WM2kQG4xkvB2xPtNvsTT3ZrDHV36HJmie1MIntiv702pu2RnXlBlhM0o0eQ58URzu6R64HKn0c6DBoG5HKK-BvZRzyidK0r3JnPG3E_60r9jBYtSw/s1600/simo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIQqw5eQK7ivtVQv3yrC1m2ErQ0WM2kQG4xkvB2xPtNvsTT3ZrDHV36HJmie1MIntiv702pu2RnXlBlhM0o0eQ58URzu6R64HKn0c6DBoG5HKK-BvZRzyidK0r3JnPG3E_60r9jBYtSw/s200/simo.jpg" width="172" /></a>
OCR is very pleased to have Simo Yezrour joining our staff as an Associate until March, 2016. Simo recently spent 4 months at ASES headquarters in Boulder, CO helping the mother ship. <br />
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After visiting SoCal during the 2015 Solar Decathlon in October (where, if you remember, we had record temps and full on beach weather), Simo decided to spend his last two months in the states in the OC helping OCR to better connect with local SoCal solar installers, help grow OCR & ASES membership, contribute his own blog article series and help organize a late Feb, 2016 meet up, which we will have more information on shortly. We may have neglected to tell him about the 40 deg temps we've been having recently. Our mistake.<br />
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After his time here Simo will return to France to finish his degree in Power Engineering before starting a Masters program in the same course of study. Simo can be reached via email at <a href="mailto:syezrour@ases.org">syezrour@ases.org</a>.<br />
<br />Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-47502988893120378952015-12-06T16:53:00.003-08:002015-12-30T13:59:17.092-08:00Young Women Pioneering STEM: A profile of Eden Full Goh<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TCPSsSFWJnUmhtB3sZWrWLw5McypE4zJE2B7sP77Xa_MJLhOAoZ7qwtFAy3XGlPeXzwtupeeGO3iXdnhwrU7ZM6-1kwXHNUEIfDYUxIW2d8gQPCO2xuKZwXC_Gqb5zoP3xgQzWY2QXE/s1600/Photo+Eden+Full+Goh+Wonder+Woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TCPSsSFWJnUmhtB3sZWrWLw5McypE4zJE2B7sP77Xa_MJLhOAoZ7qwtFAy3XGlPeXzwtupeeGO3iXdnhwrU7ZM6-1kwXHNUEIfDYUxIW2d8gQPCO2xuKZwXC_Gqb5zoP3xgQzWY2QXE/s320/Photo+Eden+Full+Goh+Wonder+Woman.jpg" width="258" /></a>
<i>Written by guest author <a href="http://wonderwomentech.com/team/simmone-park/">Simmone Park</a> of <a href="http://wonderwomentech.com/">Wonder Women Tech</a></i><br />
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On November 17th 2015, I had the honor of discussing the gender gap and the under-representation of minorities in STEM at CSULB’s Department of Engineering, after screening the documentary CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap. For those who have never heard of this film, I say run, don’t walk to the nearest screening! In my opinion, Director/Producer Robin Hauser Reynolds and her team did an incredible job of exposing the current realities of women and minorities in STEM fields while offering ways to facilitate change, without “preaching” or making anyone wrong in the process. <br />
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Viewing this film affected me deeply, as it exposed how I too had bought into the ideology that I could not pursue a career in STEM, or that certain fields were designated for men. I too had been excluded by my guidance counselors. I did not even know that Computer Science was an option. This opened my eyes to the hard and painful truths behind my extreme competitive nature while growing up, striving to be “as good as a son” to my father and looking into my own experience as a young Korean Canadian. Divine synchronicity brought Eden Full Goh to my attention and being a feminist and optimist for humanity, prompted this article, the first of a blog series highlighting and commemorating the fearless, modern-day, trailblazing women in STEM who have acted "in spite of any odds" or expectations.<br />
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Eden Full Goh, a young Asian-Canadian inventor, mentor and entrepreneur, has been fearless since a young age. At 10 (in the days and age when a school research project would actually require a trip to the library), a young Full Goh borrowed a book that would change her life forever. It was a book that taught her how to build a small solar-powered car. After building that car, she starting off on a journey that would challenge the status quo. Despite growing up in Calgary, a Canadian city entrenched in the Oil and Gas industry, Full Goh staying true to her values, dared to be different and continued exploring practical ways that solar energy could change the world for the better. She developed a non-electrical mechanism to rotate solar panels – called solar panel tracking – for a 11th grade high school science fair project, which received grants, an internships and provided opportunities to work directly with elite professors. Inspired by this initial success, she decided to continue her research into low-cost solar trackers. <br />
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In part because of her solar research, Full Goh was admitted to Princeton. While at Princeton, she recognized the call of entrepreneurship and that helping to solve the most pressing problems the world is faced with would require her full attention. She opted to leave Princeton and become a member of the prestigious Thiel Fellowship’s inaugural class to focus on her research, which eventually culminated in a low-cost solar tracker called the <a href="http://www.sunsaluter.com/">SunSaluter</a>. Education, especially from an Ivy League institution, is one of the greatest achievements for traditional Asian parents. It acts as arsenal to prove their child is the smartest of them all. I say this because it is important to stress how much courage it took for Full Goh to make this choice, a choice that has since led to many achievements including being named Forbes 30 under 30 (Energy Category) for three years running, a US Chamber of Commerce IP Champion and Ashoka’s Youth Social Entrepreneur of the Year, just to name a few. <br />
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Fast forward to today, where SunSaluter is a full-fledged not-for-profit organization with numerous highly acclaimed awards and prizes under its belt, a presence in 16 countries around the world and has already impacted over 8,000 people to date. Recently, SunSaluter chose to open-source the technology behind the SunSaluter, as Eden and her team recognized that the impact across the developing world would increase exponentially by doing so.<br />
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Eden Full Goh is my modern day “Mulan”, unabashedly brilliant and courageous, with the drive, passion and intelligence to transform the future of humanity as we know it utilizing renewable energy. Her strength and ingenuity allowed her to contest the disappointing fall-out rate of women in STEM and acts as an ambassador of inspiration to young women around the world.<br />
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Whether you are a solar energy company, budding philanthropist or VC/angel investor, I encourage you to check out <a href="http://www.sunsaluter.com/">www.sunsaluter.com</a> and lend your support to a company that is fostering economic progress by bringing solar energy to the developing world and providing entrepreneurial opportunities to individuals in these countries at the same time.<br />
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~<a href="http://wonderwomentech.com/team/simmone-park/">Simmone Park</a>, Wonder Women Tech</div>
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Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-90538801715175264442015-11-13T15:53:00.001-08:002015-11-13T16:12:11.138-08:00SunEdison, Enphase, SolarCity.. what in the world is going on here?!?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7L_2pQeAQPjMP55t5sZYwkQmtyXYmHMbR3zCrHy9sLGb-VhQglq_wjLzTJ975zr_T8OX6fGgdFSyQsoigYv48EXN39KmAq1JbO3CU1Om80vXpML4tS5nvSBJLUHMAuSDOTcGd_cmszc/s1600/27968632-Simple-cartoon-of-a-businessman-falling-down-from-graphic-chart-Stock-Vector.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7L_2pQeAQPjMP55t5sZYwkQmtyXYmHMbR3zCrHy9sLGb-VhQglq_wjLzTJ975zr_T8OX6fGgdFSyQsoigYv48EXN39KmAq1JbO3CU1Om80vXpML4tS5nvSBJLUHMAuSDOTcGd_cmszc/s200/27968632-Simple-cartoon-of-a-businessman-falling-down-from-graphic-chart-Stock-Vector.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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For those who like to keep tabs on the larger / publically
traded companies in the solar business, you may have noticed some really
strange goings on over the last several months.
Investors in the public markets seem to be giving solar companies a real
rough ride, and so today we’ll explore some of the reasons why:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>SunEdison</i>:<o:p></o:p></div>
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The short of it, SunEdison is worth 6 times LESS than it was
just 4 months ago. Stock closed at $31.66
on July 20, 2015. Today it closed at
$4.93. What on earth happened?!?<o:p></o:p></div>
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There were a few small problems at SunEdison that have now
turned into big BIG problems. First,
their business is too complicated for most investors to understand, and their
growth potential is too small for investors to take the time to
understand. Case in point, you can watch
this interview with SunEdison CFO Brian Wuebbels where he answers the question
of, “Why is your business so complicated” with <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-08-19/sunedison-tumbles-50-in-30-days-what-s-next-">a long, complicated answer</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And then there’s the problem that SunEdison needed to
maintain high valuations in their own stock to keep their financials appearing
stable. They were in effect leveraging
the success of their own stock (or stock of their holding companies) to power
their future momentum. This was best
described in detail in this Nov 11 article by author <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/11/11/why-sunedison-inc-has-dropped-22-today.aspx">Travis Hoium at Fool.com</a>.<br />
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Then there is the widely held view that their acquisition of Vivint was WAAAY overpriced, at $2.2 billion, which is now WAAY over the current market value of the entire company, at $1.4 billion. <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/antoinegara/2015/11/13/sunedisons-big-slide-when-financial-engineering-goes-wrong/">Talk about a rough few weeks at the office</a>!</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Enphase</i>:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Enphase IPO’ed to great fanfare in March of 2012 at a stock
price of $7.34/share and market cap north of $300 million. Today their market cap sits at $84 million. Even with the announcement that they are
moving towards becoming an “energy company”, working to integrate battery
storage into their product line, the issue is simply that the solar business is
a very tough business for equipment manufacturers. Their core micro-inverter business has
intense competition from the likes of SolarEdge which has an unreal valuation
of over $600 million with virtually the same 2014 annual revenue ($325 mil) to
Enphase ($343 mil), and everyone and their mother has announced a battery
storage product, so don’t expect ENPH to rake in the profits their either. Partner this with uncertainty over the future
of the US solar market post-2016, the small size of the current storage market
and you get a company that public investors just are not that hot on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>SolarCity</i>:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ahh, SolarCity, the largest US solar installer and largest
owner of green table cloths at Home Depot.
When you spend $1.50 to attract every $1.00 of new revenue, then you
have a problem similar to SolarCity right now.
They are a bit like the Groupon of solar, but at least they know it, announcing
recently that they will be <a href="http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/solarcity-to-slow-growth-and-focus-on-cost-reduction_100021788/">slowing the top line growth in order to show better cost contro</a>l.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Furthermore, the solar lease is simply becoming less popular
as costs continue to fall, and the reality of a 20 yr relationship in anything
starts to sink in. The precipitous drop
in oil prices (and likelihood to stay there) have no direct relationship to the
solar business, but it does have a psychological relationships, reminding
people that energy prices are volatile and it is not always true electricity costs
go up year over year (as projected in most solar lease sales materials). In the most recent ASES Solar Today issue,
EnergySage reports that 90% of online solar comparative shoppers are
opting to purchase their solar system over a 20 yr lease. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what companies are actually going to do well over the
next several years in solar?? Unfortunately,
for most investors, the opportunities lie in small, private companies which
have interesting growth, acquisition and exit opportunities in front of
them. These are companies chasing far
more strategic business than general market business, so they are smaller but
often more profitable (or less un-profitable) and with better value
appreciation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Case in point? Single
axis tracker manufacturer Nextracker, which formally started 21 months ago, was
<a href="http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Flextronics-Buys-NEXTracker-For-330-Million">sold to Flextronics earlier this year for $300 million</a>,
which will certainly be the exit of the year for the industry. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
~Adam, Managing Director, OC Renewables</div>
Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-87767299992414344442015-10-16T12:08:00.000-07:002015-10-16T12:09:34.580-07:00I visited California ISO. I saw the future. It was awesome. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJZ7ipn5M059m2VCom1qDaXYAyRAfHPrPrdfXjvTMdcYq1RvASg_beInYn1v0CcpGlvbjEh2GcOl800BYH3tQKB9eS1OuNR3C70KSzSNMKJfL3FYfaDTLijdjyylQ-Q9bb-xDQkuHhJQ/s1600/CAISOLogo_Ball_Only_400x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJZ7ipn5M059m2VCom1qDaXYAyRAfHPrPrdfXjvTMdcYq1RvASg_beInYn1v0CcpGlvbjEh2GcOl800BYH3tQKB9eS1OuNR3C70KSzSNMKJfL3FYfaDTLijdjyylQ-Q9bb-xDQkuHhJQ/s200/CAISOLogo_Ball_Only_400x400.jpg" width="200" /></a>
Do you know who <a href="http://www.caiso.com/Pages/default.aspx">California ISO</a> is? Its OK if you don't, but the truth be told, if you live in California then California ISO is a BIG part of your life.. every .. single ... day. <br />
<br />
California ISO is the California Independent System Operator, it is a mandated non-profit entity headquartered in Folsom, California with the specific purpose of managing the bulk of the California electricity grid. This means managing where electricity is being generated, where and how it is routed, what loads are serviced and the overall health of entire system, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is the brain center of the entire operation.<br />
<br />
For anyone who is interested in Energy, especially Renewable energy and how it is affecting the entire grid system, CAISO is a bit of a magical place. The incredibly bright staff at this facility are not only required to manage the day to day integration of all varieties of generation and loads, but also be a big part of the planning process for the future of the grid. My esteemed colleague Russ Jones (a thanks to him for setting up the visit) and I had a wonderful tour of CAISO and met with some of their top grid operators on Oct 2, 2015. Below are a few of most interesting parts of the visit.<br />
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<i>What is CAISO and what do they do?</i><br />
<br />
Formally, CAISO is a rate-payer funded, non-profit, public benefit corporation. Their "boss" is <a href="http://www.ferc.gov/default.asp">FERC</a> (...I guess everyone really does have a boss...:/) and CAISO has several responsibilities. CAISO runs the wholesale energy market here in California, which is basically split into two segments 1) the day-ahead market, and 2) the real time market. In aggregate, the total size of the California energy market is $10.2 - $10.4 billion / year, and the historically highest amount of power on the California grid was July, 2006, at 50,270 MW. 50 GW! That's a lot of juice!<br />
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<i>What is the Day - Ahead Market for energy?</i><br />
<br />
The day-ahead energy energy market sets prices for energy in California for the following day, and it is done through a "bid stack process" by which owners of generating assets quote CAISO what they are going to charge to use their generation for the next day. CAISO collects all of the bids, looks at their forecast and then sums / stacks the bid generation from lowest cost to highest cost until the entire day-ahead forecast is met, for some $/kWh price of X. Then, everyone who bid at or below X will receive the business for the following day, which then sets the market price and clears the bids. Everyone who bid > X loses out, and their generation will not work the next day. The day-ahead bidding ends at 10AM everyday, for generation the following day.<br />
<br />
A few other interesting facts, the smallest generation asset on the CAISO system is 10MW. Basically, you don't exist to them unless you are at least 10MW, which gives a real sense for the scale of the operation. Also, renewable energy providers in CA above 10 MW often bid a price of $0.00 for their generation, all but guaranteeing purchase of their energy. Why? Because the wind is going to blow, and the sun is going to shine, there a'int nuttin' to be gained by not using deployed renewable energy assets, so they will take it at any price. <br />
<br />
By far the biggest players in the CAISO process are the utility companies and the IPPs with generating assets in the State, which contract with other asset owners / operators through frameworks such as Power Purchase Agreements. <br />
<br />
<i>What is the Energy Imbalance Market / Real Time Market?</i><br />
<br />
CAISO's goal is to be so good at predicting energy needs day-ahead that the real-time market for energy is very very small. In actuality, the real time market is about 10% the size of the day-ahead, so it still a sizable chunk. <br />
<br />
The real time market exists to fill the hole in generation between forecast demand and actual demand, and the price for energy on this market is higher than in the day-ahead, because it is required to be very flexible. It needs to come on fast, stay on to service real time need, and then go off fast. Batteries in grid-sized energy projects look to be one of the newest players in this market, with resources that can react quicker than natural gas peaker plants and the like.<br />
<br />
<i>Where is CAISO?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
CAISO headquarters is in Folsom, CA. No cameras are allowed inside the facility, but here is a picture of your truly at the front, and a picture of the control room from the CAISO website. They have a very nice LEED Platinum office building with about 600 employees. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnKOhkQY0tV2rdkLsnveB5oMX5PXQE4SlvJaHki4OFJUsDIJxJ_414IY_pHrUuLnODrbioe-C2UjvPqvn2jtQtAAZXbI4CrXYja_brl1nu6VDALicfXIU5eKQH2H4IYRmGcm23893pnw/s1600/IMG_6478c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnKOhkQY0tV2rdkLsnveB5oMX5PXQE4SlvJaHki4OFJUsDIJxJ_414IY_pHrUuLnODrbioe-C2UjvPqvn2jtQtAAZXbI4CrXYja_brl1nu6VDALicfXIU5eKQH2H4IYRmGcm23893pnw/s400/IMG_6478c.jpg" width="400" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gJs5R9aFlO7N-cC9vdkfMvA-36pOi3PUjHFh0vFgou0b3lwnkiOyuzqqoa171_PTe0Xx9B4IIiuFaA9PmI8XZUM9it6rHX62u4CyYuC052NggjuZWbkrCg4KKFtBf1-7INLYaqlJwqM/s1600/ControlCenterFolsom1_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gJs5R9aFlO7N-cC9vdkfMvA-36pOi3PUjHFh0vFgou0b3lwnkiOyuzqqoa171_PTe0Xx9B4IIiuFaA9PmI8XZUM9it6rHX62u4CyYuC052NggjuZWbkrCg4KKFtBf1-7INLYaqlJwqM/s400/ControlCenterFolsom1_resized.jpg" width="400" /></a>
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<i>What are the tools of the trade in grid management?</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The grid operators at CAISO exist to make sure all users are receiving high quality, stable electricity from the system. But when you process over 27,000 transactions a day and are managing an infinitely complicated mix of generation and load, there are several tools that operators depend upon for load and generation management. For example, CAISO has about 1400 MW of demand response, or loads which they can control as they see fit. They also have the real time energy market, to provide generation in short notice when needed. They also have more exotic options, such as a pumped hydro storage facility (pumping water up a hill) and a big resistor bank they call "the toaster" to burn off excess energy if needed. No comment from them on if it actually makes toast. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As explained, CAISO works hard to keep the frequency of the grid within a narrowly specified range. Too much generation on the grid pushes the frequency higher. Too much load will push it down. CAISO has the ability every 4 seconds to make an adjustment and keep things in control. Its like they can drop an oar in the water every 4 seconds to finely adjust the speed and direction of one of the world's largest aircraft carriers. </div>
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<br /></div>
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At a top level, the <a href="http://www.caiso.com/Pages/TodaysOutlook.aspx">CAISO website shows real time</a> the generation, load and renewables mix on the grid in California. It is beautiful. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>What is the current and future impact of renewables on the grid?</i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
In just PV alone, California has about 6,000 MW of solar in the form of utility scale / larger scale solar power plants. In behind-the-meter rooftop, CAISO estimates another 3,000 MW total. In aggregate, that is already 20% of the states generating assets! And the amount installed is only getting bigger. CAISO estimates another 3,000 MW of behind-the-meter rooftop installed by 2020.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Dealing with this much PV is already proving tricky. CAISO has doubled down on high tech weather forecasting efforts to help predict the availability of renewables. But in talking about the future, CAISO is far more excited about "smart inverter" technology to smooth the impact of renewables than other techniques, such as battery energy storage. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
PV inverters connected to the grid today are required to comply with "anti-islanding" regulations, which means if connection with the grid drops, then the inverter needs to stop generating and wait for the grid connection to return. This is primarily for the safety of line workers. But CAISO would prefer more dynamic inverters that can read the condition of the grid, such as an elevated frequency, and respond accordingly. Because individual nodes would help in stabilizing the system at many points, this would make it easier for CAISO to complete the overall mission. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I think this is a terrific bit of insight and I would expect leading inverter companies to respond accordingly over the next several years with dynamic frequency response and the like. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When asked about how their strategies for managing large renewable penetration compare to other operators / countries, such as Denmark, staff at CAISO made two great points. First, the CA grid is much larger and more complex than other grids with deep penetration. Second, the "quality" of the electricity CAISO is required to deliver is often much more stringent than other countries and grid operators. The frequency and voltage bands are often much tighter and require much finer control. Its an altogether different type of beast. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>What about battery energy storage?</i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
There are certainly places in the world where large amounts of battery storage makes great economic sense today. However, CAISO sees grid-connected battery storage as fairly small potatoes for the next 5 - 10 years, with only about ~20MW of experimental systems connected to the grid here in California, and maybe another 100 - 200 MW by 2020.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
A recent report from <a href="http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2015/03/f20/IEEE%20QER%20Draft%20Report%20Final%20July%207%202014.pdf">IEEE to the DOE</a> also echoes that other techniques in managing larger renewable penetration may be more cost effective than battery storage for the forseeable future.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>So whats the final word?</i></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
My big take away from the visit, other than just being totally impressed with the entire operation and every staff member we met, was that CAISO is fully prepared for the challenges of a renewable energy dominated future. They spend their time planning and strategizing about how and when renewables will dominate the CA grid, not if. They are actively involved and in many cases leading the discussion on deeper renewable energy penetration, and the CAISO staff is clearly up to the task.</div>
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I sleep a lil better at night knowing the precious electricity needed to keep my ice cream frozen is coming from a great group of 24/7 warriors at CAISO's energy castle nestled into the hills of Folsom, CA.<br />
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~ Adam, Managing Director, OC Renewables</div>
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Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-64438760767254341062015-10-08T17:12:00.003-07:002015-10-08T17:14:12.809-07:00Solar Decathlon 2015: Day 1
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhea3ndFeBLVLHGpZYYstaX9VIF3KF-OawdLi_qUHAYv6FRWqtGTDYL1sovTWArHMPr9NNMXbdIGXr5rXoZdVG4o8Brv4eFwFVw3RoKs79FSUaQENapA8DaOK6ygeTyGfzRsW1dQ6TTTn8/s1600/IMG_6528c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhea3ndFeBLVLHGpZYYstaX9VIF3KF-OawdLi_qUHAYv6FRWqtGTDYL1sovTWArHMPr9NNMXbdIGXr5rXoZdVG4o8Brv4eFwFVw3RoKs79FSUaQENapA8DaOK6ygeTyGfzRsW1dQ6TTTn8/s400/IMG_6528c.jpg" width="400" /></a>
Fun was had by all today at the official opening of the Solar Decathlon 2015 competition at the Great Park in Irvine, CA. The air tingled with excitement as US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz arrived with a pair of giant scissors to cut the ribbon signaling the beginning of the competition. <br />
<br />
The Decathlon is open to the public for free (although $10 for parking, so carpool if you can) from Thursday till Sunday for the next two weeks. More information is on the <a href="http://www.solardecathlon.gov/">DOE website for the event at this link</a>.<br />
<br />
There ended up being 14x competing teams, with 6x teams dropping out for various reasons. The teams that did make to the event have an array of wonderful houses, with few details left out. They each strive to capture special features of their respective regions, such as the team from Missouri making a Tornado-proof house (an F5 tornado at that!), and the team from New Jersey making a hurricane proof house (i.e. Hurricane Sandy). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3RJdG4kg8v5kV-bG_NVaVvYyiKIHN_GEogtTWu7gG8rnR1shfhJoDxwOTkCn6ezaKOwhpJlFDgLHiAFsw6mO59b3QMT7VvLpB3KKYCvg35xCNspQbypZQKuolNxseVZnHcvwzRB8zwk/s1600/IMG_6532c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3RJdG4kg8v5kV-bG_NVaVvYyiKIHN_GEogtTWu7gG8rnR1shfhJoDxwOTkCn6ezaKOwhpJlFDgLHiAFsw6mO59b3QMT7VvLpB3KKYCvg35xCNspQbypZQKuolNxseVZnHcvwzRB8zwk/s400/IMG_6532c.jpg" width="400" /></a>
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<br />
Another great feature is the "combination teams", with one team composed of University of Texas at Austin and a German University, and another team representing a partnership of West Virginia University and a University in Rome! Oh la la!<br />
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And, of course, on the side of the home team, please find below the awesome-ly done marketing video for the Team OC Casa Del Sol.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vLG8CjVW01w/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vLG8CjVW01w?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe>
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Please do make some time to visit the event or volunteer. It is on going through the next two weeks, as mentioned. OCR will keep you up-to-date with developments and also the winners as the judging comes to a close for the competition.<br />
<br />
I will also be back as a tour guide from 2-7 next Friday and Saturday! See you then!<br />
<br />
~ Adam, OCR Managing Director<br />
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<br />Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-86948440087866607632015-09-29T14:27:00.001-07:002015-09-29T14:57:23.997-07:00Fracking is Fracked: Chesapeake cuts 15% of workforceRe-posting this CNN piece (if you don't see it you need to disable ad block) on the recent turmoil in the world of oil. The interview with the last guy is the best, saying the Saudi's "have only made fracking / domestic production of oil stronger." The news today of massive <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/29/investing/chesapeake-job-cuts-oil-prices/index.html?section=money_latest">15% workforce layoff</a> from Chesapeake Energy, one of the nations largest energy exploration companies, suggests otherwise. <br />
<br />
One thing is clear, US oil producers are getting a fierce lesson in the Golden Rule: HE WHO HAS THE GOLD MAKES THE RULES. Right now, OPEC has the Gold: <br><br><script src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/money/.element/script/7.0/players/embed.js?videoid=/video/news/economy/2015/09/02/us-frackers-oil-prices.cnnmoney"></script>Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-26655702470511545472015-09-28T13:41:00.000-07:002015-09-28T13:41:53.870-07:00Utilities looking to expedite their own death / irrelivance
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7SHAOTM43vyNshlDTdZcFJv8Zpu-j8FoF0TGv4fv36XXA52NEifxFftyvC4bCOFyM0BLO7944QALpvbYIczlrfAnJkuYZ4P7gWoo7WTCCH1ABSW18EXoEFG5D5ZsG3TSgprR7gQct1s/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7SHAOTM43vyNshlDTdZcFJv8Zpu-j8FoF0TGv4fv36XXA52NEifxFftyvC4bCOFyM0BLO7944QALpvbYIczlrfAnJkuYZ4P7gWoo7WTCCH1ABSW18EXoEFG5D5ZsG3TSgprR7gQct1s/s200/download.jpg" width="200" /></a>
Oh California utilities, whoa is thee. This past Saturday saw this <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-solar-net-metering-20150927-story.html">LA Times article</a> hinting at the recent musings of California utilities on how to best preserve their antiquated business model through proposed changes to net metering and discussion of fixed monthly charges for customers with their own solar power systems. <br />
In summary, utilities are proposing to cut the current net metering rate by 50%, and start charging a fixed per kW installed "tax" on solar customers. This would be funny if it weren't so sad. Instead of finding ways to truly change their business model towards what is very clearly going to be a clean energy driven, distributed generation future, they are moving to try and "preserve" their comfort with centralized generation using fossil fuels, under the guise of "solar power adopting customers are not paying their fair share of grid upkeep costs." Whaan Whaan Whaa.<br />
<br />
Well, while utilities may have the "power" to do this today, it hardly seems like a good long term solution. In fact, since they are basically offering to pay over generators of solar energy a fraction of the market value of their electricity, generators will be well suited to look for other means of monetization for excess generation, such as home based / community based energy storage. <br />
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Need I remind people that the hottest product announcement of the year was the home battery storage system from Tesla. Now imagine the interest in such a product when you find out that your utility in basically insentivizing you through fees to integrate your own storage. How are they incentivizing? <br />
<br />
<b>Lets do a little math:</b><br />
<br />
Lets say I have a 5kW system, generating for 6hrs a day, or 30kWh. During the day I push 20kWh back to the grid, where I used to get fair credit (say $0.18/kWh). Now my utility wants to charge me $10 / month and only credit me $0.09/kWh. Well, looks like I'll have an extra $558 / yr incentive towards my own home battery storage system.<br />
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Has there ever been an example of an industry so blatantly signing its own death warrant?<br />
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While I have a little sentiment for the position utilities are finding themselves in, it is just that.. a little sentiment. These are big, powerful organizations who have unlimited resources at their disposal to find another way to exist in the new world order. While we should be seeing movements on par with "Nextflix moving from DVDs in the mail to streaming" level adjustment in utility business plans, we are instead seeing completely non-creative, totally expected moves to try and "tax and fee" their antiquated business plans back into relevance.<br />
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Its not going to work. The sooner we ALL realized that, the sooner we can work on building the RIGHT system of clean, distributed energy for all.<br />
<br />Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-5309052874304583282015-09-14T12:41:00.001-07:002015-09-17T22:45:11.544-07:00OCR Sneak Peak: Team OC Solar Decathlon House!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkoF2o5N5Jc5Flx8oZDH3NxFhHAuayHoF5BVXQVeASmKx4hzPj98A4pH79fjgM7okHAG4moXSyWcfIvHcKxR43GPzt14jAMm3OOIPTCyEayQeaWWlRW3va7GEMWV90s1eaWm0dnFu_jlo/s1600/South+Elevation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkoF2o5N5Jc5Flx8oZDH3NxFhHAuayHoF5BVXQVeASmKx4hzPj98A4pH79fjgM7okHAG4moXSyWcfIvHcKxR43GPzt14jAMm3OOIPTCyEayQeaWWlRW3va7GEMWV90s1eaWm0dnFu_jlo/s320/South+Elevation.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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I had the distinct privilege of stopping by 2 weeks ago to see the amazing progress on the <a href="http://teamoc2015.com/">Team OC</a> "Casa Del Sol" Solar Decathlon house under construction at Irvine Valley College in preparation for the DOE Solar <a href="http://www.solardecathlon.gov/">Decathlon</a> which is only 1 short month away!<br />
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There are many impressive details of the <i>OC home team</i> effort, but lets start at the top. As seen in the picture, Team OC is a consortium of four, that's right, four OC colleges (UCI, Chapman, IVC, Saddleback). When they were selected as an entrant in the 2015 Decathlon, they were given $50,000 to get them started. They have since raised over $1 million in donations and services beyond the DOE's $50,000. That in itself for this entirely volunteer team is an amazing accomplishment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEniiIDjnyJyqQmefDoQImoHikLmAL4tUHVDEBP6zRxTE_G01hg1buf7Thexel8yrBj2Qjz5VuPAwfc8Q2t_zLYcFXBeTK3al07SXceKBxGXGk44WwLg6cLdWtFrZaqAgY8IoY5CZPh4/s1600/IMG_6266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEniiIDjnyJyqQmefDoQImoHikLmAL4tUHVDEBP6zRxTE_G01hg1buf7Thexel8yrBj2Qjz5VuPAwfc8Q2t_zLYcFXBeTK3al07SXceKBxGXGk44WwLg6cLdWtFrZaqAgY8IoY5CZPh4/s320/IMG_6266.JPG" width="320" /></a>
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Design of the Casa Del Sol is inspired by the Poppy flower. Its diurnal and drought resistance characteristics make this California State flower the perfect theme for today's sunlight rich yet water poor California. Also in the spirit of the Poppy, the team built the house on a reinforced steel foundation which, per CA State permit laws, can be moved and installed anywhere in CA after the competition. This drastically increases the post-decathlon options for the future of the house. Check out the pictures of the house as of last week, with walls and floors nearing completion. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Porch and a good view of the steel foundation</td></tr>
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For solar panels / electrical power, the team is going with an array of LG MonoX Neon black trimmed panels. These are a great high performance panels that will be mounted out of sight on the roof for a nice clean look. As you may see, one of the panels was damaged in shipping. Always good to order extra, which this team had the foresight to do. The panels will work to provide electricity to the home as well as charge their electric car, a Nissan Leaf. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZyr6XeIMYZUPY9EgmlGPMuLblPct5GCZa1uWOciXqG8JvPPfy8ukP1D1XdMK9tNJIYqhv8aRtv0GSEue8yIbEFgx3__5FuXy4l2jtAC-8U2ITj2Ka9PRvF3ZvTDuSryjRjfqjm3jyWU/s1600/IMG_6277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZyr6XeIMYZUPY9EgmlGPMuLblPct5GCZa1uWOciXqG8JvPPfy8ukP1D1XdMK9tNJIYqhv8aRtv0GSEue8yIbEFgx3__5FuXy4l2jtAC-8U2ITj2Ka9PRvF3ZvTDuSryjRjfqjm3jyWU/s320/IMG_6277.JPG" width="320" /></a>
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The home's solar thermal system is truly innovative and one-of-a-kind, with the team trying many new novel ideas to win points in the competition. Beyond using a standard water heater and solar hot water reserve tank (see below),<br />
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they have implemented a huge water column tank in which they will hold a thermal gradient with custom temperature sensors (see below). This is a great tool, basically acting as a big thermal storage bank for various systems running through the house. The tank provides enough water storage area to really try some novel things, and the tank is mounted with a highly granular temperature measurement set up (the white "caps" on the side of the tank) such that the team can monitor the input / output to the storage system.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3-7UTg0DooPR62-wD0fZsstamrwhUEspAr0h_Tgv3Z_lR2KxpOSz5KyEPyUNbRXrvy37zMvLoJ1EzU-WLY80xP07Roz9VON-MEpQeIKUsLBj0mgu-PggfH-K7BaLI17Df1ErGVGM4w4/s1600/IMG_6269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3-7UTg0DooPR62-wD0fZsstamrwhUEspAr0h_Tgv3Z_lR2KxpOSz5KyEPyUNbRXrvy37zMvLoJ1EzU-WLY80xP07Roz9VON-MEpQeIKUsLBj0mgu-PggfH-K7BaLI17Df1ErGVGM4w4/s320/IMG_6269.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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For solar hot water heating, the team is using German manufactured Ritter Gruppe solar hot water heating, which uses a small parabolic reflector to guide sunlight to a evacuated solar tube.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96So7dfJDPhf8MNIYH6rvkXUkBr7zhV2iyYDa7otnIF5PYvEOt0HukyplpElZi6WWyytc5X_7vTEWu50xsnl0pBYCEaGoS5Oyfa0U_1oFNL-VJv3tU_7KWY8Rhl2zeOiJRUkVtxllOGI/s1600/IMG_6273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96So7dfJDPhf8MNIYH6rvkXUkBr7zhV2iyYDa7otnIF5PYvEOt0HukyplpElZi6WWyytc5X_7vTEWu50xsnl0pBYCEaGoS5Oyfa0U_1oFNL-VJv3tU_7KWY8Rhl2zeOiJRUkVtxllOGI/s320/IMG_6273.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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Other neat-o tools of the house include a semi-custom sub wetbulb evaporative chiller, which is a technology starting to gain use in commercial building systems. Basically, it is a very efficient way to cool air and this is one of the first examples of use of this technique on a small scale.
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Another "cool" feature of the house, the home will automate the opening and closing of standard Milguard windows as part of the climate control system. The automation features were not installed yet, but the windows were, as pictured. This is a great use of a typically human interfaced climate control tool (opening a window) by the home's computer. Imagine if you're own house knew it was nice enough outside to slide the windows open and turn down your AC. Brilliant!</div>
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The house will also include, although not finished yet, a "man cave of the future" room. This is something I very much look forward to seeing. My guides, engineer / Ph.D Dr. Moritz Limpinsel and team marketing lead Ms. Camryn Jun said it would include a 3D printer as well as a few other killer toys.</div>
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A huge thanks to Moritz and Camryn for the sneak peak and I am terribly eager to see the finished product in less than a month. Reflecting on their time as key team members with the effort, both Mortiz and Camryn said they were deeply affected by the work and struck by the passion everyone had for the project. As a member of the "home team" geography, I hopefully represent all OC / LA Clean Tech enthusiasts in saying, "THANK YOU" for such a strong entry! And with that we show a final pic of the team HARD AT WORK on getting this great entry to the finish line.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9TcCgXTZTxG_Pt6JKg_P4aWMR-mYaV1zShkTho17LO7D7eVEBk-EfcSzwTNgvgnxfXio9g-WbzBnVN-Wzsx-l1VHR7a1Aa3rVRqwQtaMJa_NI1KYYxeE7K9gkE2snCiYcgcaRAU0dXA/s1600/IMG_6278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9TcCgXTZTxG_Pt6JKg_P4aWMR-mYaV1zShkTho17LO7D7eVEBk-EfcSzwTNgvgnxfXio9g-WbzBnVN-Wzsx-l1VHR7a1Aa3rVRqwQtaMJa_NI1KYYxeE7K9gkE2snCiYcgcaRAU0dXA/s320/IMG_6278.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Some additional pictures from my visit are below. Feel free to browse and click on them for the larger version. See you at the Decathlon at the Great Park in Irvine starting Oct 8!</div>
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Best, Adam Plesniak - Managing Director, OC Renewables</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just so happened solar panels were being installed on the roof the day of my tour!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPSOcROpoT_jgaAKSxM_wK8QIrE9aOH8XlBtXldpg3VKosKGH1AAwvDdEeHM7rP9jtiYhrCJ2LGDLQ2AMM3flj6ORMncqzxf51sirfPFgoy-a5MENVeleYrT-uhYF-NjkqaqyFoWEHGo/s1600/IMG_6283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPSOcROpoT_jgaAKSxM_wK8QIrE9aOH8XlBtXldpg3VKosKGH1AAwvDdEeHM7rP9jtiYhrCJ2LGDLQ2AMM3flj6ORMncqzxf51sirfPFgoy-a5MENVeleYrT-uhYF-NjkqaqyFoWEHGo/s320/IMG_6283.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPjOfjGw7xe6sAm-GIKxztc41o3qli8d40_Bwaa29i5xBEESktQCYXPr26DsFXv7vn6SXETXbBWEUlonY0T7FXUeLW11noYsPDc-74aREJfEGFZ0Iw99qmVXypi1D-6xx5oKPxn-fL3Y/s1600/IMG_6284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPjOfjGw7xe6sAm-GIKxztc41o3qli8d40_Bwaa29i5xBEESktQCYXPr26DsFXv7vn6SXETXbBWEUlonY0T7FXUeLW11noYsPDc-74aREJfEGFZ0Iw99qmVXypi1D-6xx5oKPxn-fL3Y/s320/IMG_6284.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VX5bXySTZMKFAhyphenhyphenTHtfFx7UP1qqoHLhz3JP415S_cWU4RDVZG5PyKyLdJcSykXFSrSH18g7Bn1pxqI_KiPO6YDweUDfQcZIQQt3Sw7jQxDI7_DPFWxi4mGJZxU6CC83Q-lk1RDKNkpM/s1600/IMG_6285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VX5bXySTZMKFAhyphenhyphenTHtfFx7UP1qqoHLhz3JP415S_cWU4RDVZG5PyKyLdJcSykXFSrSH18g7Bn1pxqI_KiPO6YDweUDfQcZIQQt3Sw7jQxDI7_DPFWxi4mGJZxU6CC83Q-lk1RDKNkpM/s320/IMG_6285.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Nissan Leaf will park and charge in this area</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglt53lGcdwkCORExTYqpgeUdMh7o8LCzDi2B32pEqg3SXZjv4u0rGzpcAht-yZE3t97mt5duufwAu0cU3kk561DTMO-0Np3ZUzhg_YoBPRCkjSUUOLB3lFVrNJUcVGXyzge4phN8n3YA/s1600/IMG_6287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglt53lGcdwkCORExTYqpgeUdMh7o8LCzDi2B32pEqg3SXZjv4u0rGzpcAht-yZE3t97mt5duufwAu0cU3kk561DTMO-0Np3ZUzhg_YoBPRCkjSUUOLB3lFVrNJUcVGXyzge4phN8n3YA/s320/IMG_6287.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWDv983Ib8I3iKsNeb5qLYwUHvpi0qVcy5bwfYSbJRuEsjeTjeB6aBp_o4cTG7y7s1acHlZgylzn1v9IpZ2DHgiJVpun-cbDGoAm2ui7tIIZk4EajI1phavE0AIjTc_IVfRnzKrJ2Pm8U/s1600/East+Elevation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWDv983Ib8I3iKsNeb5qLYwUHvpi0qVcy5bwfYSbJRuEsjeTjeB6aBp_o4cTG7y7s1acHlZgylzn1v9IpZ2DHgiJVpun-cbDGoAm2ui7tIIZk4EajI1phavE0AIjTc_IVfRnzKrJ2Pm8U/s320/East+Elevation.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some final renderings of the outside and inside of the house (below)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOlg54QvZkqXTP4108VBfNVA1pk3IbxcS5wI7bYxTjiGhLsg1Oi30dpSj21yRbyuOPRwfbUowi1PiNlY5iZWhBixJFv98StLonLllW7TrzWhsTUzc4tKq79cLMCKWIGME3riAmTd6zcDE/s1600/Main+Kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOlg54QvZkqXTP4108VBfNVA1pk3IbxcS5wI7bYxTjiGhLsg1Oi30dpSj21yRbyuOPRwfbUowi1PiNlY5iZWhBixJFv98StLonLllW7TrzWhsTUzc4tKq79cLMCKWIGME3riAmTd6zcDE/s320/Main+Kitchen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-42286436549405731572015-09-10T23:19:00.001-07:002015-09-10T23:20:03.871-07:00DOE Solar Decathlon Volunteer sign up NOW OPEN
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How would you like a front row, no... BETTER than front row seat to the largest, most popular solar / energy efficiency / green living event in the country? Well, the <a href="http://www.solardecathlon.gov/">DOE Solar Decathlon 2015</a> is coming up quick and, just like in 2013, it is going to be right in our back yard, the Great Park in Irvine, CA.<br />
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Long story short, this world-recognized event runs not only on the tireless efforts of nearly 20x university teams building the best of the best in sustainable living homes, but also on an army of event volunteers, many of whom are from right here in the OC. <br />
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Organizers of the event sent out a notice earlier TODAY that volunteering shift slots are NOW OPEN and available for taking after you register to be a volunteer at <a href="http://www.solardecathlon.gov/volunteers.html">this link here</a>. I strongly encourage all that are interested to get over there and register right away, as the "best" volunteer slots are snapped up quickly.<br />
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I also suspect that like 2013, organizers will really be eager to sign up volunteers for the event when it is open during the work week (Monday - Friday), so for those who can volunteer at those times, your assistance is greatly appreciated.<br />
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As if you would need much of a carrot to be part of this terrific event, volunteers will be bestowed with a tee shirt in a size of your choosing! Now were talking!Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-48662885946041968202015-08-17T13:57:00.002-07:002015-08-17T14:04:20.336-07:00Google Sunroof wants to make solar easier and empower the consumer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXFzON0ooEwNb6XuVmHJQSTrOV-hWEO6bs6KkiN_NhSVevQorYQCcDvBTtczUPaCSoUrbMY8LZUBwB6kURF2fvXmrGfLCQ8U0BjJ-gXUznMQumBjIeOW7AZJTShGr21-A2zlqno2gqvI/s1600/project_sunroof-featured.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXFzON0ooEwNb6XuVmHJQSTrOV-hWEO6bs6KkiN_NhSVevQorYQCcDvBTtczUPaCSoUrbMY8LZUBwB6kURF2fvXmrGfLCQ8U0BjJ-gXUznMQumBjIeOW7AZJTShGr21-A2zlqno2gqvI/s200/project_sunroof-featured.png" width="200" /></a>
In solar news, Google today announced <a href="https://www.google.com/get/sunroof#p=0">Project Sunroof</a>, aimed at making the process of going solar easier through use of already existing data on rooftop layouts and solar resource. While some may look at this and say, "Sounds good, but meh..", I think there are several hidden reasons why this could be a very big deal for mass solar energy adoption and the solar energy business.<br />
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Lets discuss:<br />
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<i>Right now, the novice solar energy candidate consumer is not empowered: </i><br />
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What I mean by this is that there is no Amazon reviews system for the long term performance of rooftop installed solar projects for residential / non-commercial customers. If you are interested in going solar, you can go out and get a handful of bids, but other than competition on price and Yelp reviews of the installation company you choose, there is no great way to determine the "value of your roof". If you work in the solar industry, than you know you can use tools such as <a href="https://sam.nrel.gov/">SAM</a>, or <a href="http://www.pvsyst.com/en/">PVSYST</a>, or the <a href="http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/old_data/nsrdb/1991-2005/tmy3/">TMY3 databases</a>, but these are not tools generally used by the public. The customer is not in the driver seat here at a time when the customer is used to being in control.<br />
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But, if a company as well known as Google had an easy to use, data-driven tool available to the public for free, then the customer is empowered to know as much as Google does about their roof. This is a very powerful bit of leverage, if it is done correctly. Leverage means more competition, lower prices, deeper solar adoption.<br />
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<i>Some companies are already trying to use Google data to make money here, so why not just make it free (and make solar cheaper): </i><br />
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There are a host of new startups that are basically taking Google maps data and building applications on top of them to give the appearance of "automated" or "semi-automated" customer solar system designs. Firms such as <a href="http://www.aurorasolar.com/">Aurora</a>, <a href="http://www.folsomlabs.com/">HelioScope</a>, <a href="http://easysolar-app.com/">EasySolar</a> are attempting to "automate" the design process to save big bucks and make the installer more competitive. While this is interesting, it seems much more logical that the process just be fully automated by a company with the resources to tackle such a problem, like GOOGLE, and then be done with it. If the first step in anyone looking to go solar was to type their address into Google and let the app do the work, then lets just jump to that solution today. <br />
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<i>Google is Google, and they currently make their money doing other things: </i><br />
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In my dream scenario, I type my address into Google, type in my power usage, click "Go" and then print off my step by step instructions on going solar. It tells me where to buy my panels, where to buy my racking, the names of 5 electricians in my area that will connect it for me, and the names of 5x roofing companies willing to do the install. It helps me to understand my potential, give me the confidence I am not getting bamboozeld! Oh and it fills out my permit paperwork so I can take it right to city hall for signature. Please Google... make my dreams come true! Since Google currently makes money doing other things, I also hope that this process will be free, or close to free, since keeping down costs and widening accessibility is critical to deeper solar adoption.<br />
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<i>Solar should be as simple as buying a washing machine:</i><br />
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You can buy a 500W washing machine and plug it in at home without a signature from the government or your power company. But once the electricity goes the other direction, everyone wants to get involved. What is this silly-ness? The world needs to get comfortable with bi-directional electricity, and a company like Google helping to change the status quo can only help speed the process of making the installation of generation as simple as the installation of load.<br />
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Here is a YouTube video for Sunroof. I look forward to keeping tabs on this project and using it for my own house once it comes to Orange County / Los Angeles!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_BXf_h8tEes" width="560"></iframe>
Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-29238813673641418332015-08-05T10:31:00.000-07:002015-08-05T10:32:36.349-07:00ASES Talk: Why Now is the Best Time Ever to be a Solar Entreprenuer<a href="http://ocrenewables.org/ASES_Solar_2015_Plesniak.pdf" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnEzbi2765PMBEGdUDV27qjs-ODNQcjAQT6aZ9fOVVIi48ATu66rDY7A40_4y8i3tDp8NebafoiSC3fkEg1qHOz8AjZ0MLHtKnqWMmTDsiveaIBre_DjwFi1xHum6lAnv4KxmTuupu7g/s200/asessolar.jpg" width="200" /></a>
At the Penn State Conference Center last week, a large contingent of passionate solar folk and American Solar Energy Society leaders gathered to visit the annual ASES Solar Conference. I (Adam) stopped by for a day to talk about ASES, meet the people who make up such a great organization and give a talk titled "<a href="http://ocrenewables.org/ASES_Solar_2015_Plesniak.pdf">Why now is the best time ever to be a solar entrepreneur</a>". My goal was simply to point out the things I've seen happening in the industry lately that could be helpful to the budding entrepreneur.<br />
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The basic crux of the presentation is that now IS the best time for the budding solar entrepreneur, because solar is just recently gaining acceptance as a "real business". ITC uncertainty aside (for the US market at least), solar is positioned these days for the long haul, to be a major contender in the mix for global growth in demand for electricity. However at the same time, there are no shortage of problems (hidden opportunities really!) in solar that I feel entrepreneurs are distinctly positioned to capture.<br />
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I've posted my presentation in PDF format at the link below. I'd love for anyone who is interested to review it, leave your own thoughts or give feedback to me on the topic.<br />
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<a href="http://ocrenewables.org/ASES_Solar_2015_Plesniak.pdf">Download Why Now is the Best Time Ever to be a Solar Entrepreneur (PDF)</a>Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673055066148626620.post-56922219575231923732015-07-21T23:22:00.002-07:002015-07-21T23:30:52.216-07:00Another Electric Car Company, Faraday Future, Launches in Gardena, CA<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbV5eAm_-p-hsJTzv2Oj3Kaz-JvAgZ9ZqbUUwXoFQ3UJZFSYNkS7dJyCgKY6LNUOsG9rMgyNw5r7kp3jRctvu7_Tzv0LBIf2amOO-7n4snOIcwX1uVXgbhG8pMfHIIpShdfjZ3ifRyPG0/s1600/faraday-future-car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbV5eAm_-p-hsJTzv2Oj3Kaz-JvAgZ9ZqbUUwXoFQ3UJZFSYNkS7dJyCgKY6LNUOsG9rMgyNw5r7kp3jRctvu7_Tzv0LBIf2amOO-7n4snOIcwX1uVXgbhG8pMfHIIpShdfjZ3ifRyPG0/s200/faraday-future-car.jpg" width="200" /></a>
Last month the OCR blog post was about the re-launch of Fisker with headquarters in Costa Mesa and manufacturing plans for Moreno Valley. A new month, a new electric car company in the LA area!<br />
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<a href="http://faradayfuture.com/">Faraday Future</a>, a 2014 founded start up in "stealth mode" until just a few days ago and filled with ex-Tesla talent has opened the kimono a little on their plans to challenge Tesla and other established car makers in the race for the first long range affordable electric car.<br />
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Like Fisker, they have set up shop in SoCal (Gardena), likely hoping to draw on the what seems like a constant stream of aerospace layoffs and company relocations (<a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-boeing-layoffs-20141210-story.html">see this Boeing article from Dec, 2014</a>) and also the recent departure of <a href="http://www.dailybreeze.com/government-and-politics/20140507/state-official-blasts-torrance-for-complacency-in-losing-toyota">Toyota from nearby Torrance</a>. <br />
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Also like Fisker they have a bunch of openings on their <a href="http://faradayfuture.com/careers.html">careers page</a>. It is certainly very odd to see two electric car companies announce SoCal headquarters instead of the default Bay Area locale, however it is sometimes easier to attract non-rooted workers to SoCal rather than the Bay because of housing affordability. This is of course GREAT news for all us here in OC & surrounding area as OC + LA continues the real-time rise as a <a href="http://ocrenewables.org/index.php?id=1505785617468088499">clean tech power</a>, and the LA basin continues to attract tech talent, investment and employment!<br />
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Let's see if threes-a-charm and another electric car company announces LA plans in August!Adam P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15239351446839678481noreply@blogger.com0