Tag: solar panels

A Green Hardware Store on Every Corner? It’s Not As Far-Fetched As You May Think

Posted on by robbie

The house in Boulder, Colo., was beautiful. The floors were cork, the carpets were made of recycled plastic bottles — the whole place was being redone on sustainable, environmental principles. “It was mind-expanding,” says Jason Ballard, the co-founder and CEO of eco-friendly home improvement retailer TreeHouse. The house belonged to Ballard’s instructor in a wilderness EMT program. Ballard was staying there shortly after college, and he was inspired by his instructor’s efforts to remodel his home to make it more environmentally friendly. “It was such a lovely vision of what was possible,” he says.
But the more Ballard learned about sustainable home improvement, the more he realized how difficult it was to find attractive, well-designed products. That insight — and that vision of what was possible in the home — led Ballard to create TreeHouse, a company that’s aimed at transforming the home improvement market and, with it, the home itself. Among the wares and services available are recycled glass countertops, electric lawn tools and solar-panel installation. Ballard says customers often call his company “the Whole Foods of home improvement  —  and it’s not too far from the truth.”
Ballard has always had an eco-conscious mindset. His grandfather was an early role model. “He wouldn’t have called himself a conservationist,” Ballard says, “but he gave me both a conservation ethic and a tremendous sense of wonder about the natural world.” He studied conservation biology in college, where he started to learn about the enormous impact our homes have on the environment. “All we hear about on TV is gas-guzzling SUVs,” he says, “but the real problem is the buildings we’re living in every day.”
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Private residences are the biggest users of energy, the biggest users of renewable and nonrenewable materials, the biggest producers of landfill waste and the second-biggest users of water. Most exposure to toxins also takes place in the home. “I realized that if I wanted to make an impact with regard to these existentially challenging issues, then the best area for me to focus on was, in fact, the home,” says Ballard, who’s currently completing a Social Impact Fellowship with GLG, a membership-based learning platform. Through GLG, Jason and his team have learned about inventory management, retail strategy, in-store user experience and customer data management to help the company implement best practices across multiple locations.

Learn more about the GLG Social Impact Fellowship, including information on applying.

After college, Ballard worked in green building for a while, learning all he could about the market. “What I noticed was that everyone had the same set of problems,” he says. It was hard to find sustainable products, and when he did find them, they were expensive, and only available from a few boutique companies. “The obvious blocker to the whole industry moving forward is access to products at a decent rate, and with some level of curation and education around those products,” Ballard says.
TreeHouse is built on a few core ideas. First, Ballard says, most home improvement products are terrible — poor quality, toxic and unsustainable. Second, most home improvement services aren’t very good, either. Anyone who’s ever embarked on such a project knows that they’re often delayed and routinely run over budget. The industry also hasn’t gone digital yet, making it difficult to get information on the status of your project when you want it. “The whole experience around home improvement needs to be reimagined,” Ballard says. “We are now trying to make not just the products great, but the technology great and the service great.”
TreeHouse aims to make sustainable options appeal to more than just die-hard environmentalists. “If we want healthy and sustainable homes to be the norm, they have to be better than conventional homes. And everything around the process has to be better,” Ballard emphasizes. That’s part of why he decided to start a for-profit company to accomplish his environmental goals. “If you’re in a for-profit business, all of your assumptions are tested all the time,” he says. “It forces you to very quickly arrive at what works to affect change.”
Ballard has ambitious goals for TreeHouse. Today, the company has one brick-and-mortar store in Austin, Texas, and is opening two more this year, including one in Dallas. Within the next two years, he plans on opening still more stores, and expanding beyond Texas. Right now, TreeHouse touches only a tiny fraction of the 80 to 100 million homes in the country, Ballard says. He believes 20 stores — a benchmark he hopes to hit in five years — would drive that figure up to 10 percent. The ultimate goal: Launch 300 stores nationwide to reach 80 percent of all the homes in the U.S.
“Our plan is to run hard at those milestones,” Ballard says. “We don’t have a thousand years to figure this out. We are making decisions in the next hundred years as a species that we will have to live with for the next two thousand years.”

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GLG Social Impact is an initiative of GLG to advance learning and decision-making among distinguished nonprofit and social enterprise leaders. The GLG Social Impact Fellowship provides learning resources to a select group of nonprofits and social enterprises, at no cost.
Homepage photo by Kirsten Kaiser

Who Needs Gasoline When You Have the Sun?

Posted on by robbie

What’s greener than an owning an electric vehicle (EV)? Owning one that’s powered with your home’s solar panels.
There’s a growing number of these extra eco-conscious do-gooders. The Associated Press reports that more people own both panels and an electric car, based upon findings on the growth of electric and plug-in hybrid car sales (97,563 were sold in the U.S. last year, up 83 percent from the prior year), as well as the sharp increase in residential solar installations (up 21 percent in the second quarter of this year).
This new trend is encouraging because it might convince more people to make the switch to solar or purchase an EV, or both. The biggest reason why people don’t buy electric cars or install panels is because it’s expensive. But as the AP illustrates with the story of Chevrolet Volt owner Kevin Tofel, having solar on his roof and also an EV in his garage pays for itself over time.
MORE: This Amazing Home Creates More Energy Than It Uses
Tofel, a Telford, Penn. resident, powers his plug-in hybrid with his home’s 41 solar panels. He tells the AP that he paid $51,865 for his solar array, but that expense was reduced to $29,205 after state and federal tax credits. He found that his panels can generate 13.8 megawatt hours of electricity, but since he only needed 7.59 megawatt hours for his household, he decided to trade his gas guzzling Acura RDX for a Volt to help suck up that excess solar power. The $250 he used to spend each month on gasoline for his Acura is now down to only $50, which he only buys when he’s not near a charging station for his EV. Tofel adds (we imagine very happily) that his Volt will help reduce his break-even point on his solar investment from 11.7 years to only six years.
Naturally, he says he and his family “will never go back to an all-gas car.”
We’ve said before that home solar systems have hit the mainstream: the number of homes and businesses in the United States that are powered by the sun’s rays is now more than 500,000. And now that more consumers are open to eco-friendly cars (and the fact they’re about to get much cheaper), the future looks brighter than ever.
DON’T MISS: Going Solar Is Cheaper Than Ever. Here’s What You Need to Know About Getting Your Power From the Sun

Going Solar Is Cheaper Than Ever. Here’s What You Need to Know About Getting Your Power From the Sun

Posted on by robbie

Thanks to solar panels being more affordable than ever, tax breaks and incentives, home solar systems have hit the mainstream. In fact, one is installed every 3.2 minutes — bringing the number of homes and businesses in the United States powered by the sun’s rays to more than 500,000. So are you ready to tap this eco-friendly form of energy? Here is everything under the sun to know about solar panels.
The possibilities aren’t endless.
In an ideal world, everyone would have solar-powered homes. But solar panels are only available to property owners. (Apartment dwellers, you’re out of luck.) The good news, however, is that photovoltaics (the scientific word for panels that generate electricity from sunlight) can be mounted to just about any type of roof, from slanted to flat, and just about any material — metal, gravel, composite, wood, clay or slate. Since solar panels can last for more than 30 years, the roof must be in good condition, so any cracks or leaks must be repaired prior to installation.
The general rule of thumb is that you’ll need about 100 square feet of unobstructed, shade-free roof space for every kilowatt (kW) generated. For example, a medium-sized 4kW solar system requires roughly 400 square feet. Objects such as trees, chimneys or other buildings can significantly reduce the performance of a solar system, and since you want the panels to absorb as much sunlight as possible, the ideal solar array should face south; eastern or western orientations will also work, but might not be as efficient.
Think power, not panels.  
When considering the size of your solar system, it seems logical to inquire about how many panels you will need. But instead, ask yourself, “How much energy do I want to generate?” The average American home uses 903kWh (kilowatt hours) of energy per month (or 32.25kWh per day), according to The Week. Running a 5kW solar system between six and seven hours each day could meet that energy demand. To get an idea of the appropriate system size for your household, check your most recent energy bill to see how much electricity (kWh) you have consumed. Then use this simple solar calculator to roughly estimate how many kilowatts of panels you’ll need to fit your energy requirements.
Your neighbors don’t have to like it.
But you must check with your local government, utility company and, if necessary, homeowners association to see if you can actually put panels on your roof. In some instances, a solar array might need to be arranged a certain way or it could be considered a fire hazard. (Click here to find out your state’s building codes and standards.) If panels aren’t an option for you, there are several other ways to capture the sun’s rays — personal solar chargers, solar pathway lights or buying solar power from your utility are just a few of the possibilities.
You won’t go bankrupt.
It’s cheaper than ever to live off the energy of the sun. Based on trends, the average cost of solar panels has dropped from $76.67 per watt in 1977 to about $0.613 per watt today, CleanTechnica writes. That’s even less than the cost of retail electricity in most cases. Based upon that price, a 5kW system should only set you back around $3,000. However, it’s likely that you’ll end up paying $18,000 to $40,000.
Why the extreme markup? Simply put, it’s because the total retail price of a solar installation includes not just the price per watt, but also installation fees, permits, monitoring equipment, overhead fees and more. (Click here for a complete price breakdown.) Additionally, the cost can jump tens of thousands of dollars if you live in a rainy city like Seattle or New Orleans and need extra panels in order to generate the amount of energy you require. In that case, solar might not be as cost-efficient as other means of power.
However, even if you don’t live in a particularly sunny area, solar could still be the way to go. As we previously reported, eastern states such as New Jersey, Massachusetts and Delaware are having solar booms due to aging power lines and rising prices of conventional electricity. At Geostellar you can check your home’s solar potential based upon its location, and you’ll also find a list of solar companies in your area.
Be ready to navigate multiple purchasing options.
Similar to car shopping, you’ll need to decide whether to buy or lease. An upfront purchase means you’ll have the full benefits of ownership, including tax benefits and any increase in your home’s value (in California, for example, a small 3kW system can add an average of $18,324 to the value of a medium-sized home). However, you’ll be responsible for your solar system’s maintenance — from ensuring that your panels remain clean (here are some helpful cleaning tips) to monitoring its performance in case any component fails. Panels are highly durable and require little upkeep, plus solar manufacturers usually include a 25-year warranty, so owning them is usually worry-free.
If you want to defray the high sticker price, there are two types of third-party financing: a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) or a solar lease. Both require good to excellent credit in order to qualify and involve monthly payments to the solar company that owns, takes care of the installation and provides maintenance on the system. With a PPA, the harvested energy goes to the developer who then sells it back to you at a fixed rate (usually cheaper than your local power company). A solar lease, on the other hand, enables you to rent the equipment for a monthly fee and keep any power that’s produced.
Yes, there are some incentives.
By purchasing a solar or other renewable energy system, you are an environmental patron and therefore entitled to a 30 percent solar Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) until 2016. (You are not eligible if you lease or PPA.) There are also additional rebates, tax credits and other incentives, depending upon where you live. Learn more here.
Don’t try to DIY.
While installing a solar system yourself could save you about $3,000 in installation costs, it’s usually best to hire a reputable professional to do the work instead. To figure out which manufacturer to go with, opt for a large reliable company with lots of installation experience, advises Dr. Rajendra Singh, the D. Houser Banks professor of electrical and computer engineering at Clemson University in South Carolina. Look into SunPower, SolarCity, SunEdison and First Solar, or go to EnergySage for prices and reviews of local, regional and national installers in your area. Once you decide on a provider, be sure to ask these 10 questions.
 
 
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This App From MIT Tells You How Much Solar Energy Your House Can Produce

Posted on by robbie

As solar energy continues to become more available, more Americans are getting on board with the idea of taking their power off the grid and embracing more sustainable sources like solar panels.
But with that decision comes a lot of research. Individuals must find out just how expensive it might be and how much money installing solar panels actually saves, which can be a costly process if it involves seeking professional consultation.
Enter, Mapdwell.
Mapdwell, born out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), helps individuals determine solar potential of their properties using massive data sets across cities including Washington, D.C., Boston and Cambridge, Mass.
The company taps into LIDAR data from aerial mapping flights to produce one-by-one meter resolution 3D models of landscape including the shape of a roof and surrounding greenery.
With up to 8,600 data points to illustrate, the maps then provide a rating of solar potential based on analysis and historical weather data. Users can also share visual components of the data with a systems installer.
“We had to show you all the information, which can be overwhelming, but you need to have it if you really want to make a decision,” CEO Eduardo Berlin tells Fast Company. “Many times designers want to communicate the minimum amount of information to get you interested. But in this case, it’s different.”

Mapdwell lets users simply enter their address to access the information, as well as helping design custom solar systems based on metrics such as price, energy and environmental impact.

“The challenge is: How can you get people interested? How can you get people informed and excited with all these little things that we can do. If I do it, and you do it, and your neighbor does it, it could really have a huge effect,” Berlin says. “…You can really empower change within a community by people having all this information — if you manage to get it to them.”

The technology is only available for a select few cities right now, but the company is planning to expand, as well as design similar systems for rainwater collection, small wind energy installations and green roofs at a city level.

While solar energy still only accounts for less than 1 percent of the country’s electricity,  the potential of transitioning more people off environmentally harmful fossil fuels is evident. With the help of companies like Mapdwell, the process can move more quickly.

MORE: How Utah Stopped a Power Company’s Ridiculous Bid to Tax the Sun

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How Utah Stopped a Power Company’s Ridiculous Bid to Tax the Sun

Posted on by robbie

When it comes to embracing the power of the sun, some companies can act like they’re living under a cloud.
That’s what happened in Utah, when utility provider Rocky Mountain Power (RMP) tried to propose a $4.65 monthly fee on homeowners who have solar panels on their roofs to help cover the “fixed” costs of maintaining the power system.
The Deseret News pointed out that Utah could have become the third state — after Arizona and Georgia — to levy this “sun tax” on solar users, even though their homes use less power and even put excess power into to the grid with the energy generated by their panels. The fee would have impacted 2,500 households in the state.
Thankfully, common sense prevailed. After thousands of angry comments and a six-hour public hearing, the Utah Public Service Commission (the state’s utility regulator) rejected RMP’s bid, saying that the power company failed to prove why the fee was reasonable or justified.
MORE: These 10 States Are Leading the Way in Solar Power. What’s Their Secret?
“What a bright day for Utah’s future,” says Sarah Wright, executive director of Utah Clean Energy. “This order protects energy choice in Utah, and recognizes the potential solar has to benefit all Utahns.”
As the Deseret News reports, it’s a win for residents such as Jim French, who invested $21,000 (an amount that was significantly reduced after federal and state tax credits and rebates from RMP) to install solar panels on his Salt Lake City home.
“When we moved to Utah, we became aware that the great majority of power is generated from coal-fired power plants,” French tells the publication. “I wanted to do what little I could to contribute to clean energy.”
ALSO: So Meta: Using the Power of the Sun to Create Solar Devices
However, the fight is definitely not over yet. The AP reports that the utility hopes the commission will revisit the issue. Additionally, everyone else in the state will see their rates go up. On the same day of the commission’s ruling in favor of solar, they also approved a 1.9 percent increase on all residential customers — upping power bills by an average of $1.76 a month. The price hike, will net the utility an astounding $35 million in the next year.
If anything, it’s likely that this increased fee will make more people want to make the switch to renewable energy. With America trying to ditch its reliance on fossil fuels, the forecast for solar looks sunny.
DON’T MISS: This Is What Happens When a County Bands Together to Get Cleaner Power

This Coal Capital is Going Solar

Posted on by robbie

West Virginia is one of top coal producers in the United States, but it’s a distinction that just cannot continue following last February’s devastating coal slurry leak — and especially if the country wants to solve its carbon crisis.
It’s clear that renewable energy is the way forward. In an incredible sign of promise, 100 residents in the small West Virginia town of Shepherdstown in Jefferson County decided to band together to spread some sunshine in a first-of-its-kind community-funded project.
As Think Progress reports, a local church was able to install 60 solar panels on its roof for a single dollar instead of the $55,000 it would have cost.
MORE: These 10 States Are Leading the Way in Solar Power. What’s Their Secret?
How did they do it? Well, it literally pays to be green. According to Think Progress, nearly 100 families and businesses installed demand response controllers (which act like a virtual power plant) from Mosaic Power on their water heaters. The Maryland-based company then sells the electricity created by the heaters back to the power grid. Mosaic also pays participants $100 a year for installing the controllers. Instead of keeping the $100, the Shepherdstown participants generously put that money toward solar panels for the church. The panels will reportedly generate half of the church’s annual energy needs.
This innovative idea was pioneered by nonprofit group Solar Holler, who aims to help “non-profits and municipalities can go solar with no cost — upfront or in the future.”
It appears that the Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church members had been interested in solar panels for several years, but didn’t know how to fund it until Solar Holler came along. “There’s certainly a common understanding that we’ve got to be good stewards of the environment — it’s a Christian value, but it’s really a human value,” Than Hitt, a member of the church who worked on the solar project, tells Think Progress. “It’s something that resonates with people, and it’s something that we know we need to do, especially in West Virginia.”
Encouragingly, the church project is only the first of many more crowd-funded solar installations at nonprofits in West Virginia. Solar Holler founder Dan Conant tells Think Progress that there are about seven more projects lined up with the goal of hitting each of the state’s 55 counties within five years.
If America’s coal heartland can go solar, so can the rest of the country.
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See What the Next Generation of Solar Panels Looks Like

Posted on by robbie

Here at NationSwell, we’ve ooh’d and ahh’d at the remarkable technology of solar panels several times. But regardless of how awesome and environmentally friendly they are, there are some people who are concerned about how “unsightly” they look on top of their neighbors’ houses.
Well, thanks to Michigan State University (MSU) researchers, the aesthetically-interested can keep their precious view.
According to a statement from the university, a team at MSU’s College of Engineering have invented a completely see-through solar panel that can be used on anything with a clear surface, such as windows and smart phones.
“It opens a lot of area to deploy solar energy in a non-intrusive way,” says Richard Lunt, assistant professor of chemical engineering who led the team. “It can be used on tall buildings with lots of windows or any kind of mobile device that demands high aesthetic quality like a phone or e-reader. Ultimately we want to make solar harvesting surfaces that you do not even know are there.”
MORE: These 10 States Are Leading the Way in Solar Power. What’s Their Secret?
The panel — called a “transparent luminescent solar concentrator” — uses small organic molecules that absorbs invisible wavelengths of sunlight and channels it to the photovoltaic solar cells on the panel’s edge, converting it into electricity.
It’s important to note that this current version is only about 1 percent efficient (whereas the most efficient panels can convert up to 40 percent) but the researchers are aiming for efficiencies beyond 5 percent.
But it’s clear (see what we did there?) that this is only just the beginning. As solar technology continues its rise and becomes less expensive, it’s helping our country shift away from its reliance on fossil fuels. And, yes, for those who are concerned, perhaps this future is one that isn’t clouded by those clunky panels.
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PowerCube: The Pop-up Power Station Revolutionizing Solar

Posted on by robbie

We’ve all been there. You know, that time your phone dies in the middle of nowhere and you don’t have a charger. In times like those we all wish we had a portable power source for whenever and wherever we need it. Well, the PowerCube, by Ecosphere Technologies may provide the solution we’ve been waiting for…. and then some.
The process is relatively simple, if not astonishing. At the push of a button, a shipping container-sized cube instantly transforms into a pop-up solar power station that churns out up to 15kW of electricity. It won’t be powering the SuperBowl anytime soon, but it does provide nearly five times the power an average household generates in a single day.
The company spent seven years developing the cube to ensure it packed the biggest electrical punch while remaining self-contained and versatile over land, air or sea. This led to its unique design of panels extending outwards from the structure in all directions; that added surface area helps the cube produce as much as 400 percent more electricity than would be possible with panels solely on top.
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Ecosphere touts the PowerCube’s possibilities to assist in disaster relief, military work and humanitarian efforts abroad, but for many Americans this could also be the first step towards living a life “off the grid,” without a carbon footprint. There’s plenty of space in the container underneath the panel for a school, hospital, home, or really “whatever you can come up with,” explains the company’s director of marketing, Corey McGuire.
With small, mobile and environmentally-conscious prefab homes increasing in popularity, PowerCube provides some interesting new possibilities for alternative living. And, of course, a fully charged phone whenever you need it.

Help Your Favorite Spot Go Solar With Just One Click

Posted on by robbie

In recent years, solar power has seen tremendous growth in the United States. Once a niche product for the rich and famous, prices for solar have dropped 80 percent since 2008.
Now, it’s easier and more affordable than ever to put planet-friendly sun-soakers on roofs that are near and dear to you.
Thanks to solar-investment financing company Mosaic, you can now nominate any one of 300,000 schools, churches, libraries and other public places across the country to go solar on its new Mosaic Places platform. And all you have to do is click a button.
MORE: How to Crowdfund Solar Power
Once a spot attracts 50 supporters, the Oakland-based start-up will offer $100 toward installing a solar rooftop, with donations maxing out at $14,000. There’s a total of $2 million or more up for grabs. If you don’t see a link for your favorite place, you can create its own page.
Brad Heavner, policy director for the California Solar Energy Industries Assn, told the Los Angeles Times, “the site could be a valuable way to see what spaces the public wants solar.”
Granted, even if a site gets a lot of funding, the building will still need to seek all the proper city permits to install the panels. But as Billy Parish, Mosaic’s chief executive told TakePart, “every building can go solar if the community is behind it.”
ALSO: How Burning Man Spawned a Solar ‘Gold Rush’
We previously reported that Mosaic works similarly to micro-loan site Kiva. The company collects online investments, some as small as $25, to fund solar panels for buildings that otherwise couldn’t afford them. The solar array makes money by selling electricity to the building and to the local utility; Mosaic takes a small cut and pays the rest to its online investors, typically yielding returns of 4 to 7 percent.
With the EPA’s Clean Power Plan setting carbon limits on electricity production by power plants, it makes a lot of sense to invest in renewable alternatives such as solar, especially if we want a cleaner, greener America.
Mosaic now lets you spread the sunshine and make a difference.
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An Idaho Couple Is Literally Paving the Way to America’s Solar-Powered Future

Posted on by robbie

If you’ve ever seen a raw egg sizzle on the sidewalk on a sunny day, then you probably know that our roads can collect a lot of heat. With 4.09 million miles of road and countless parking lots in the United States absorbing the sun’s rays all day long, clearly there’s a lot of solar energy that’s going to waste in this country.
With solar panels going on everything from cell phone chargers to the roof of the White House, an Idaho couple wondered, why not put them on America’s enormous stretches of asphalt as well?
Scott and Julie Brusaw are hoping to re-pave America’s roads and parking lots with their Solar Roadways project. These solar panels can generate enough juice to power our cities, plus withstand the heaviest of trucks (250,000 pounds), provide illumination for safer night-time driving, and defrost snow and capture water.
MORE: This Man’s Seriously Bright Idea is Giving People the Ability to Create Power Anywhere
As The Escaptist writes, the inventors claim that a nationwide system of Solar Roadways could produce enough clean, renewable energy that it could power the whole country and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent.
If you think this concept seems a little out-there, their project (now in its eighth year) has already received $750,000 in funding from the Federal Highway Administration. The Solar Roadways team is wrapping up the construction of their prototype parking lot that’s right outside their Idaho lab and are now seeking an additional $1 million on crowdfunding site Indiegogo for commercial production.
According to their website, the super strong glass-covered panels have been tested in civil engineering laboratories across the country for traction, load testing, and impact resistance — exceeding all requirements. There’s even a video demonstrating that these panels can support the weight of a tractor.
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Solar Roadways could help fight not just climate change, but unemployment, too. The Brusaws claim that the implementation of their concept on a grand scale could create thousands of jobs in the U.S. and around the world. “It could allow us all the ability to manufacture our way out of our current economic crisis,” their website boasts.
Currently, the cost of installation of the Solar Roadways is unknown (the hard numbers should be ready for announcement in July, Wired notes), but the Brusaws say their Solar Roadway — like many renewable energy sources — pays for itself over time.
Let’s hope there’s lots of sunny days ahead in the forecast.
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