Our military will transform the USA from fossil fuel to renewable energy & Caln Township’s planned solar array.

I don’t know if KEARES Electrical Contracting, INC developers of the planned solar array in Caln that will power the Veteran’s hospital planned it that way or if it is a sort of serendipity but a mostly solar powered military hospital (Coatesville VA Medical Center) is a perfect fit for our new military.

Some people are already aware that the satellite driven communications like streaming video and GPS mapping that are now a part of everyday life were developed more than a decade ago by our Department of Defense. Several everyday ceramic materials and computer systems were developed by NASA. Before that the internet was developed, again by the Department of Defense, as an assured communication system in the event of a nuclear war. New technologies that grew into “can’t live without” products and enormously profitable industries grew out of our military’s and NASA’s technological need.

Right now our military is poised to make a permanent and wide ranging transformation from fossil fuel dependence to renewable energy. Our entire society, our industries, our corporations and infrastructure will follow in their footsteps.

The US Marine Corps has transformed its forward operating bases from fossil fuel dependent to renewable on site energy generating systems. Our US Navy is planning a “Great Green Fleet”.

“The energy risks and challenges facing DoD are evident in its energy profile.  It is the single largest consumer of energy in the United States and one of the largest institutional energy users in the world, having consumed 819 trillion BTUs of energy in 2010. Oil products accounted for 80 percent of DoD’s final energy consumption. In 2009, DoD used more than 375,000 barrels of oil per day, more than all but 35 countries. 

Another 11 percent of DoD’s energy is delivered in the form of electricity. DoD’s oil and electricity use are reflected in the department’s emerging organizational structure for advancing energy innovation.   Fuel is primarily used for operational energy requirements and is in the purview of the newly created position of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs, currently held by Sharon Burke.  Operational energy has been referenced by DoD as the “energy required for training, moving, and sustaining military forces and weapons platforms for military operations.” The energy risks and challenges facing DoD are evident in its energy profile.  It is the single largest consumer of energy in the United States and one of the largest institutional energy users in the world, having consumed 819 trillion BTUs of energy in 2010. Oil products accounted for 80 percent of DoD’s final energy consumption. In 2009, DoD used more than 375,000 barrels of oil per day, more than all but 35 countries. 

Electricity is primarily needed to fulfill the energy requirements of fixed installations and bases.  Installation energy management is overseen at DoD by the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Installations and Environment, Dorothy Robyn.”

FROM:

A tremendous wide open market for solar & wind power

BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
August 19, 2011
Solar Entrepreneurs’ New Sales Pitch
Having seen well-intentioned but unsuccessful attempts to bring alternative energy to the developing world, several NGO founders suggest a more collaborative approach.
By Esha Chhabra

Solar Sister eradicates energy poverty by empowering women with economic opportunity. We combine the breakthrough potential of solar technology with a deliberately woman-centered direct sales network to bring light, hope and opportunity to even the most remote communities in rural Africa.
mobile phones are the great leapfrog story of the past decade distributed solar is next.

simpanetworks radical affordability

From USA Today:

For the environmentally conscious who think driving an electric car isn't doing enough, there'll be a chance to go solar at the same time.

Ford is announcing that it is teaming with an established solar provider, SunPower, to sell a solar energy system through Ford dealers in conjunction with the Focus electric sedan that goes on sale later this year.

MORE AT:

Ford Focus Electric to come with home solar option

Nissian Leaf will provide emergency power for homes

Nissan unveils system to provide household electricity from all-electric LEAF

By Darren Quick

19:41 August 2, 2011

Nissan has unveiled a new power supply system that allows electricity stored in the lithium-ion batteries of the all-electric Nissan LEAF to be supplied to a house. With the LEAF's batteries able to store up to 24 kWh of electricity, Nissan says the system could supply the average Japanese household with electricity for about two days. This would be enough to provide a stable electricity supply in the event of power outages or to allow consumers to store cheaper off-peak power for use in high demand periods.

Pssst. It’s a secret; the Solar panel home market is exploding

I guess that Rupert Murdoch forbids publicizing the boom in solar electric generation. You have to search for articles like this:

Solar Leasing Companies Head Eastward. Popsicle, Anyone?

Backup power for power outages

With this heat wave and other extreme weather becoming the “New Normal” power outages may become a regular occurrence.

This is something I haven’t tried but looks interesting. I think I could add this to my existing power set up. 

SmartBox Plug-in Solar SmartBox Wind SmartBox Backup Clarian Power

CLIMATE REALITY

Climate Reality Project 

Continuing “Ferocious Cost Reductions” for Solar Energy

Sometime in the next 5 years photovoltaic power generation will be less expensive than most coal powered electric generation. Add the hidden health and environmental cost of coal and solar is dramatically lower in cost.

SEE:
Climate Progress

Anatomy of a Solar PV System: How to Continue “Ferocious Cost Reductions” for Solar Electricity

By Stephen Lacey on Jul 6, 2011 at 11:52 am

Most everyone knows the pace of products in digital technology. It was only 10 years ago that going to all digital photography was unthinkable for professional photographers now film is hard to find. IPhones do more than a desktop computer of a decade ago. The rate of change in photovoltaic technology has a pace similar digital technology.

The cost of photovoltaic manufacturing has dropped so dramatically that Balance of Systems Costs; labor, structure, wiring, design, financing and permitting costs are where the cost savings are.

Rocky Mountain Institute

Solar PV Balance of System

Next Steps and Key Recommendations

With a relatively young industry and no silver-bullet technology solution, reducing BoS costs is a challenge. Each PV system has unique characteristics, must be individually designed, and is regulated by one of nearly 30,000 local jurisdictions.Yet many near-term opportunities for cost reduction do exist, primarily related to improving technology, more appropriate regulations, better information and economies of skill and scale.

Fossil fuel energy is near extinction. Long term investing in fossil fuel is insane.

Investing at least long term investing in fossil fuel by individuals in this 21^st Century is much like investing in whaling in the late 19^th Century, very, very risky.

 

Imagine if back in the 1890s the Federal Government had a long term program to invest billions to prop up the failing whaling industry. Goofy, right?

 

Investing in energy projects by governments are by their nature long term and government investments in a doomed industry such as fossil fuel production is insane.

 

“Google, a leader of innovation in the digital economy, says that without a private and public focus on innovation in renewables, storage and electric vehicles, the cost of delaying the clean energy economy could be in the trillions of dollars to the U.S.”

 

Google: Delaying Clean Energy Transition “Only 5 Years Could Leave Trillions on the Table”

By Stephen Lacey on Jun 28, 2011 at 11:42 am

President Clinton cut energy use 20% by 2020

Cutting Building Energy Use 20% by 2020: Clinton Global Initiative Launches Major Efficiency Program

By Climate Guest Blogger on Jul 2, 2011 at 8:40 am

“Pres. Clinton:  If we change the way we produce and consume energy to fight global warming in the right way we will open up a whole new explosive era of American economic opportunity by saving the planet for our grandchildren. The idea that this is bad for us is nuts. We just have to do it in a smart way.  And [Sec. Chu] has determined to figure out what the smart ways are.”

Could Coatesville develop a “Smart Grid”

$43.10

That's what our electric bill was this month. I'm not sure exactly why it's $43.10. The bill last year for the about same 30 day time period was $179.38. The average temperature for the about the same 30 day time period in 2010 was 76 degrees and the average temperature for about the same time period this year was also 76 degrees.

The air conditioners ran almost the entire period this year.

Its' the usage that confuses me the usage in the 30 day 2010 period was 1020 kWh and this year it was 892 kWh  128 kWh less. Or in today's charges $12.81difference.

In other words the kWh used may be reflecting the additional insulation that I put in. And maybe the $179.38 bill of last year compaired to the $43.10 bill of this year or a -$136.28 difference may reflect power generated by the solar panels. But that power does not seem to appear on the usage.

Maybe when I am finally hooked up to the SAEC Solar Alternative Energy Credits program and officially recognized as a power generating facility it will be more clear.

Anyway a $43.10 electric bill is much better than a $179.38 electric bill.

Solar or Fracking?

The upfront drilling costs of fracking are high. Wells dry up and new wells constantly need to be drilled. So the operating cost of fracking is also high. The data is hidden just like Enron’s but from what is public the productive wells are just barely profitable and most lose money.

The entire gas drilling industry’s future profitability forecast is based on the cost of gas going up. Without government incentives every well would be guaranteed to be unprofitable. And some think the entire Fracking industry is just another giant sized way to scam investors.

See:

New York Times

June 25, 2011

Insiders Sound an Alarm Amid a Natural Gas Rush

By IAN URBINA

“Whales Were Considered to Be Swimming Oil Wells”; the whaling industry did not disappear because of a whales disappeared. It was because the whale population was diminished and ships had to go farther to bring back whale oil. Cheap oil and kerosene from oil wells killed the whaling industry.

We have reached peak oil and gas and solar fossil fuel cost are rocketing upwards, wind and wave power costs continue to plummet. Coal at least with present day technology is incredibly dirty and unhealthy. Anybody live through the “fogs” of the 1950s and the Donora smog? Coal power would cost a fortune to clean up so it stays dirty. Ask the Koch Brothers.

Sometime within the next decade fossil fuel will uncompetitive. The oil well business that put whaling out of business will be in turn put out of business by sunlight powered technology. Whale oil might be completive again. Car owners could brag about how many whales kill yearly.  

Maybe it’s time to send early condolences cards to the Princes of Saudi Arabia and the Koch Brothers. O, I almost forgot Vladimir Putin.

The upfront costs of Solar are high. The operating expenses are low. The Solar industry profitability is based on low operating cost.

The upfront costs of Solar are dropping and expected to plummet far into the future.

SEE:

CLIMATE PROGRESS

Where Renewables Stack Up: Comparative Chart on Levelized Cost of Energy and the “Value” of Clean Energy

By Stephen Lacey on Jun 24, 2011 at 2:56 pm

AND:

CLIMATE PROGRESS

Solar Panel Prices Continue Dropping, Grid Parity Not Magic Bullet for PV

By Energy Interns on Jun 23, 2011 at 8:06 am

I left out the Global Heating stuff, droughts, floods, tornadoes, fires and other extreme weather events that are caused in part by burning gas and are driving re-insurance companies out of business. If Global Heating goes unchecked those little infants you see now will be among the last humans to inhabit our earth.

SEE:

grist

GE’s ironic new slogan: ‘Natural gas. It’s hot stuff.’ 

BY JOSEPH ROMM

So which is the better investment? 

IT'S A SUBCOMPACT CAR PAYMENT

Solar Panels go up on my home on May 23, 2011

We recently made a commitment to solar power at our home in Coatesville, PA. 


Several things helped us to decide to "Go Solar"

Electric rates are going up.  

The Republicans are threatening to end all Solar and “Alternative Energy” rebates.  

The technology the installer is using, “Enphase” Microinverters and the “Enphase Envoy” monitoring system. It’s relatively inexpensive to add more solar panels and the cost of doing so appears to be getting lower month by month. 

And maybe most importantly the cost of installing solar panels has dropped significantly.  

 It’s a subcompact car payment

We were surprised that the cost was affordable, about $16,000. What is still unknown to us is how much electric power the 8 panels we have up on our roof now will generate. That is how of much the power generated by those 8 panels will replace what power we use. 

And if they do not make enough power to replace or significantly reduce our grid power use; what power savings or additional number of solar panels will be sufficient. Which is where the Enphase Microinverters come in.  You can basically put up more solar panels and plug them in to the rest of the solar panels. We have 8 and our roof will support about 20.  

So far the “Green Home Energy Solutions” lived up to their brochure promises to help us get set up on the grid as an electric power plant.

They helped us get a Coatesville Codes inspection. The City had no one qualified and Green Home Energy Solutions found the “COMMONEWEALTH CODE INSPECTION SERVICE, INC.” to do the inspection.

We have been producing electricity and connected to PECO's grid since May 23, 2011. Several weeks later we are still not recognized by PECO or on the SAEC Solar Alternative Energy Credits program. Their man has not been here to approve the hookup yet. 

You might think that certifying a customer to get what might be free electricity might be a low priority for power companies. But, my "power plant" produces power during the summer peak demand periods when everyone needs air conditioning. I think that knowing exactly how much power I am producing has got to be an asset. 

This spring the Chester County PA Solar Panels grew like weeds.

I don't have any hard data but just from casual drives around Chester County I think the PECO solar man is very busy. 

But and this is a big but:

New Jersey and Pennsylvania Solar Renewable Energy Credit Markets Choking to Death

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June 9, 2011 in Clean Energy, Policy, Solar Energy