Valuing Distributed Generation

The Texas State Energy Conservation Office released a report in December 2008 titled, "Texas Renewable Energy Resource Assessment"(pdf version of full report). Below is an excerpt [bracketed by asterisks] from the "Summary and Conclusions" chapter, in the subsection "Valuing Distributed Generation" that remains relevant today. It describes the importance and strategy for valuing distributed generation.

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Valuing Distributed Generation

Small renewable energy generation systems located at the point of use capture the benefits of renewable energy while reducing utility costs. One study identified 19 key values of distributed generation, including values associated with energy generation, available capacity, transmission and distribution cost deferrals, reduction in system losses, reactive power, improved system resiliency, increased reliability, electricity price protection, and pollutant and greenhouse gas emission reductions. (Reference)

Examples of distributed renewable generation include rooftop solar water heaters and solar electric systems, small wind energy generating systems, and ground-source heat pumping systems. Most distributed generation systems produce enough energy to meet a portion of a home’s or business’ energy needs, reducing the amount of electricity purchased from the utility. Such reductions are equivalent to reductions in consumption derived from efficiency or conservation measures. Some technologies at times produce more than enough energy to meet a home’s or business’ energy needs, and during those periods export electricity to the grid. Capacity, exported energy and other key values provided by distributed generation should earn the generation owner compensation at a fair value. If efficient, transparent markets are unavailable or impractical to enable distributed generation owners to be compensated for the value they create, then that value should be made available.

Strategies for Valuing Distributed Generation

• Incentive programs. Policies and programs supporting adoption of distributed renewable generation, including the efficiency programs offered by Texas electric utilities, should recognize and account for the total value of distributed renewable energy delivered to the utility and its ratepayers.
• Interconnection policies. Policy makers should encourage adoptions of consistent interconnection requirements and processes by all Texas electric utilities.
• Net metering. All customers with distributed renewable generation should have the opportunity to earn a fair price for energy outflows without having to switch retail electric providers or renegotiate the terms of existing retail energy purchase contracts.

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(Updated Jan 26, 2016)
Other useful references:
Distributed Generation Ratemaking resources from 21st Century Power Partnership
Locational Benefits of Distributed Generation from the Clean Coalition

Shine On!

Plano Solar Advocate (LH)

Solar Ready Homes in Texas - Getting on the Radar!

Small steps can begin to make a BIG difference!

Back in July of this year, we had a blog posting titled, "Build Solar Ready Homes in Solar Rich Texas".  The objective was to recommend that local jurisdictions (and Texas at the state level) consider adopting residential building codes that require new homes to be designed and built "solar ready". 

Recently, the Texas A&M Energy Systems Lab (ESL) completed their mandated technical review and recommendations of the 2015 IECC and IRC energy codes for the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO).   Their letter of recommendation included a review and summary of the comments that SECO received regarding the 2015 codes.  (See section labeled "Comments in Favor of the Adoption of the 2015 IRC Appendix U: Solar-Ready Residences".) While "solar ready" provisions were not specifically recommended by ESL, it was great to see in this summary report that "solar ready" provisions are finally getting some visibility.  

Small steps can lead to BIGGER steps!  Let's keep promoting residential rooftop solar PV in Plano and all across Solar Rich Texas!

Shine On!
Plano Solar Advocates (LH)

Energy Literacy - in Plano and North Texas

As students in Plano and many districts across North Texas head back to school today, let's take some time for all of us to increase our literacy about our energy consumption and its impacts.

When first learning about rooftop solar, it is important to do some homework to understand how much electricity your home or business uses on an annual basis in total kilowatt-hours (kWh). While most of us know about how much we spend in dollars on our monthly electric bill, we need to better understand our total average annual kWh usage before taking the next steps for investing in rooftop solar (or similar energy efficiency investment).  Improving our understanding of how much electricity energy we consume is an important first step to improving our overall "energy literacy".  

And improving our "energy literacy" is significant for two broad reasons.  First - it appears that the North Texas area annually uses more electricity than any other region of the state. (More about this in the next paragraph.) And second, most of the electricity we consume in North Central Texas is generated by central power plants outside the area we live.  Therefore, the impacts of this electricity generation delivered to our region - good or bad - we don't seem to know, or care about. Over time, we can dramatically shift this second point, by taking advantage of clean local energy available to us almost every day - from the sun! With technology available today, we can grow and enrich our community by combining the use of this local solar resource with expanding our energy literacy and energy efficiency.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power to 24 million Texas customers - representing 85 percent of the state's electric load.  Their website (www.ercot.com) provides a wealth of information about electricity use across Texas.  Much of this data is grouped in eight zones across the state. Plano and the DFW area are in the North Central Texas zone. Annually this zone is the highest consumer of electricity of all the eight ERCOT zones, consuming one-third of all the electricity of Texas. By doing a bit more math on some additional data from ERCOT, it can be calculated that the average residential customer in the North Central zone used 16,220 kWh in 2013.  This is about 10% higher than the average across all the zones and almost 20% higher than the zone with the least annual usage. 

Plano consumes over 4 Billion (with a capital B) kilowatt-hours of electricity every year. With today’s available solar photovoltaic technology, about 40% of this demand could be met with about three percent of the city’s 72 square miles of surface area.  Think residential and business rooftops!  Local CLEAN energy, that uses no water for generation, and is generated where it is consumed so no energy waste in transmission. 

As Texas, and especially the North Texas area continues to grow, it seems that improving our "energy literacy" and taking advantage of clean local solar energy might help us in the long term save money, reduce our water consumption, improve our air quality, and improve our overall quality of life.  

To help us in the journey of improving our "energy literacy", we wanted to let our blog readers know about a very informative webinar held by the US Department of Energy on August 5 titled "National Energy Literacy Virtual Town Hall".  Links to the webcast information, presentation, and additional information are available at this link - www.energy.gov/eere/education/downloads/webcast-national-energy-literacy-virtual-town-hall

Points of interest from the webinar:

• Currently Plano has four elementary schools (Dooley, Mendenhall, Wells, Wyatt) and two senior high schools (Plano, Plano West) participating in the Green Ribbon Schools Program.  See www.greenribbonschools.org to learn more.
• Check out this video : from the Webber Energy Group at UT Austin about Energy 101 - youtu.be/O37bW8sxLF8
• Watch this fun movie online (~50 minutes) titled - Energy at the Movies - www.klru.org/episode/energy-at-the-movies/episode-details-2/
• KQED & Stanford University Energy iBooks and iTunesU Course
• Energy: The Basics - itunes.apple.com/us/book/energy/id826157199?mt=13
• Energy: Use and Efficiency - itunes.apple.com/us/book/energy/id884353155?mt=13
• iTunesU Energy Course - itunes.apple.com/us/course/energy/id830977778
• Written instruments (surveys) to measure energy and climate literacy (Middle School, High School, Adult) - see www.clarkson.edu/cses/research/energylitproj.html
• National Energy Education Development - K-12 curriculum resources on the science of energy, energy sources, electricity, transportation fuels, efficiency & conservation - see www.need.org/curriculum
• ECO DADs - exploring the nexus of energy, technology, and education - see ecodads.org

Please take a look at some of this information and let us know what we can do to help improve Energy Literacy in Plano!

Shine On!

Plano Solar Advocates (LH)

Texas HOAs generally CANNOT block south street facing solar installations

BRIEF UPDATE:
Texas HB-362 passed in the 82nd Legislative session (2011), limits HOAs and POAs from restricting solar devices outright.  While working with a few Solarize Plano participants and other residents in Plano, we have encounter a few instances were HOAs have initially denied placement of street facing southern exposure solar panels. 

Under the Texas solar legislation, an HOA cannot prevent you from installing solar panels on your south facing roof if it faces the street.  You just have to work with the solar installation company to show that any alternate location proposed by the HOA that doesn't use the south facing roof will decrease efficiency (annual production) by 10% or more. This is generally not a problem when comparing south facing roof placed solar panels vs solar panels facing east or west. 

It is recommended that persons installing solar PV and that live in an HOA governed area, and that need to install panels on their south facing street facing roof, to have their solar company include upfront in their submission to the HOA review committee the necessary calculations for their planned solar PV system that show that not using the south facing roof will decrease annual production by 10% or greater.  Including this in the initial submission should help reduce the overall HOA review cycle time.

If you, or anyone you know, has been holding off installing solar PV because of this, we can help them through the process.  To reach us for assistance, please use our "Contact Us" form.

For additional information, please see our "Useful Links" page and scroll down to the section titled "Policy & References related to HOAs (Home Owners Associations)"

Thoughts and feedback on this topic would be appreciated!

Shine On!

Plano Solar Advocates (LH)

Build Solar Ready Homes in Solar Rich Texas

Pursuant to 34 TAC §19.52, the Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) is accepting written comments through August 4, 2014 on the energy efficiency provisions of the 2015 International Residential Code (IRC) for single-family residential construction and the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for all commercial and residential construction. These written comments can be provided by email.

(See - http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/TXCOMPT/bulletins/c29371?reqfrom=share)

Included in the 2015 IRC is "Appendix U-Solar-Ready Provisions", an appendix describing provisions for building new homes solar ready.

Readers are requested to email SECO (at 2015CodeComments@cpa.texas.gov) no later than August 4, 2014 to encourage the state and local jurisdictions to adopt Appendix U as a requirement for new homes built across Texas.

Some background: 50-60 years ago, new homes being built began to widely adopt the new technology of residential central air conditioning.  The designs and building codes for homes were adapted to accommodate the changes necessary to add this new major home appliance technology. It was a wonderful technology greatly increasing the comfort and livability for Texas citizens.  So much so, the population of Texas began to grow dramatically.  Also at the same time, undoubtedly the electricity demand began to grow across the state, and in particular the peak demand began to grow with heavy air conditioning use during our long sunny summer afternoons. Not only because more people came to live in Texas, but because each home was using more electricity to power the air conditioning systems that were keeping us cool.

Fast forward to today. Peak demand electricity usage is becoming more and more of a challenge for the Texas electricity grid.  More people are continuing to move to Texas.  More new homes are being built.

Today, 50+ years after the wide spread adoption of residential central air conditioning, there is a new technology beginning to be widely deployed called rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV). Finally, each home can include technology that can generate local electricity to help power central air conditioning and other home comforts. Electricity that is generated where it is consumed, reducing the strain on the statewide electric grid. Electricity that is generated from local clean sunshine, not requiring our precious water resources like traditional centrally generated power plants. Electricity that is produced without air, water, or noise pollution.

Solar-ready provisions include relatively simple items such as including a chase that goes to the roof for solar service lines, and a roof design that provides an area of unobstructed south facing roof surface where solar panels could be installed. When included in the original design requirements and done when the home is constructed, these solar-ready provisions should add little or no cost to the overall price of new homes. See ICC Approves Changes to Energy Code for additional information.

So please take the time to generate a brief email to SECO at 2015CodeComments@cpa.texas.gov and ask them to adopt "Appendix U - Solar-Ready Provisions" of the 2015 IRC as a requirement for new homes built in Texas. And ask others you know to do the same!

Shine On!
Plano Solar Energy Advocates (LH)

Additional thought - If you hear from a homebuilder that building a home solar-ready costs too much, ask them how much cost is added to homes to include fireplaces? How much time per year do you spend in front of the fireplace vs hours of sunshine?

Learn about Solar in Texas, North Texas, and Plano (in 5 minutes)

Watch these three short informational videos. Spread the word and help them go internet viral in Texas, North Texas, and Plano!

1. Solar Energy in Texas - Don't You Wonder? (Plano Solar Advocates)
2. Solar Ready II Initiative (North Central Texas Council of Governments)
3. Solarize Plano 2014 (Plano Television Network)

(Play All Three Videos)

Video 1 - Let's set the stage. Imagine you are watching commercials during the Superbowl. :-). Maybe you have just watched a neat multi-million dollar commercial from an energy company (oil, natural gas, etc.), and then this short (1 minute), zero dollar commercial plays...... anyway, just imagine..... Don't you wonder?

Video 2 - The North Central Texas Council of Governments currently has an initiative underway called Solar Ready II. Check out this 2 minute video to learn about it.  It features one of our 2013 Solarize Plano participants. Also see www.nctcog.org/solar

Video 3 - The Plano Television Network prepared this 2 minute video about the 2014 Solarize Plano Project.  Watch it to learn more.  If you don't live in Plano, we encourage you to start a "solarize" group purchase in your neighborhood.  See DFW Solarize Projects. Don't live in the North Texas area, check out www.SolarizeTexas.org to learn about other solarize projects starting to shine all across Texas

Shine On!

Plano Solar Energy Advocates (LH)

Solarize YOUR Neighborhood

What IS a "solarize" event??

Let's explain by asking .. are you ready to generate some or all of the electricity you need right at home? Are you ready to go solar, but not sure where to start? Are you ready to tap that untapped local energy resource – the SUN?

On January 11, from 10am to Noon, join the North Texas Renewable Energy Group and Plano Solar Advocates to discuss the "Solarize" concept. "Solarize" is a group bulk-purchase process that can help neighborhoods and cities install rooftop solar photovoltaics at reduced cost. Come join us (and bring your neighbor!) to learn how you can start a Solarize program in your neighborhood! 

Topics for discussion: Program setup. Outreach and Education. Selecting a Solar Company. Install Solar!

The goal of the meeting will be to begin creating a network of people across the DFW area that are interested in launching projects in their own communities.  For example, a group in Garland has already started getting together. If you live in Garland, check out Solarize Garland and reach out to this group using their contact us form.

For more meeting details and logistics, check out the NTREG Events page - http://www.ntreg.org/events.shtml - and scroll down to the section titled NTREG Monthly Meeting, Saturday, January 11, 2014.

For some background before you attend, check out:

1. This great - short - 3 minute video - Purchasing Solar Collectively with Solarize
2. These recent articles about Solarize Plano:
1. "Solarize Plano" Initiative Exceeds Installation Expectations in Energy-Rich Texas
2. Grass-roots group hopes to make Plano a solar power leader

Also, if you know of any DFW area solarize projects being launched or groups that are considering to start projects, please share information in the comments to this posting.

Solarize Plano Awarded "Local Initiative of the Year" by the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association

The Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association (TREIA) is a non-profit trade association of companies and individuals engaged in renewable energy in Texas.  TREIA has been an advocate for clean energy, energy security, energy independence, and Texas jobs since 1984.  (For more background, see www.treia.org)

Every year, TREIA organizes an annual conference called the Texas Renewables Conference (see www.texasrenewables.org).  This year's conference was held in San Antonio, Nov 11-13. The conference program covered four important topical areas:

• Renewable Energy Opportunities Related to Fossil Fuels
• Market Opportunities and Economic Development in Rural Texas
• Renewable Energy Opportunities with the Defense Community
• Innovative Renewable Energy Policies and Projects Across the State

Also, on an annual basis, TREIA's Award Committee identifies organizations, projects, and individuals to honor at the conference for their contributions to renewable energy in Texas.  This year's awards included:

• Project of the Decade
• Local Advocate of the Year
• Local Initiative of the Year
• Statewide Collaborative of the Year
• Community Project of the Year
• Community of the Year
• Individual Member of the Year

Plano Solar Advocates was very excited and honored to be recognized as the award recipient for the "Local Initiative of the Year".  When introducing this award, Mark Begert of the TREIA Awards Committee, gave this introduction.

"TREIA's 2013 Local Initiative of the Year, recognizes an outstanding, promising, and replicable effort that can serve as a model to grow renewable energy in Texas. This year’s Local Initiative of the Year is the Solarize Plano Project, organized by Plano Solar Advocates.

The Solarize Plano Project demonstrates how great things can come in small packages. The program connects residential homeowners that are ready to install solar, with local, qualified installers and available incentives via a group purchase process that benefits both customers and installers.

For customers, the process gets questions answered up front, provides a means of self-screening, and increases customer satisfaction throughout the quote and installation process. By purchasing as a group, customers receive a standard system design at the lowest possible cost.

For installers, much of the up-front work of educating and qualifying customers is already complete, so they are able to more efficiently serve those who ultimately choose to contract for solar. Installers were asked to submit pricing in tiers depending on the total capacity contracted, the more solar contracted, the lower the price.

Solarize Plano initially targeted 20 enrollees in their community, and in their first pilot this year they achieved enrollment of over 200. The project selected a contractor, Axium Solar, who has completed over 52 site assessments resulting in commitments 25 contracts for 120 kW of new solar, a volume that has entitled all enrollees to the lowest cost pricing tier.

Solarize Plano is replicable model and demonstrates how the initiative of just a few individuals can make a lasting change for the better."

To learn more about the awards and award recipients, see the photographs section of  TEXAS RENEWABLES 2013 Wrap-Up. At this website, you can also check out all the presentations from the conference speakers, including Plano Solar Advocates' presentation, Solarize Plano - Educating the Community, Facilitating Installations.

And great news for the DFW area, the 2014 conference will be held in Dallas.  Learn more at Texas Renewables 2014. 

Plano Solar Advocates would like to thank TREIA for this award, and strongly encourages neighborhoods and communities across the state to join together to initiate SOLARIZE projects in their communities, and to take advantage of that locally available untapped energy resource - energy from the SUN!

The "Real" Power to Choose!

The Texas Public Utility Commission has created and maintains a very good website tool to help Texas consumers shop, compare, and choose a Retail Electric Provider (REP) and electricity rate plan. See - http://powertochoose.org/

However, doesn’t the REAL “Power To Choose” include the consumer choice option to generate some or all of your own electricity?

And what better way to do that than using local energy from the sun! Local energy that isn’t wasted by being transmitted over transmission lines for long distances. And local energy that doesn’t require our precious water resources for electricity generation like that of our existing central generation thermal power plants.

To help distributed generation PV solar become more mainstream in Texas, we are asking our readers to take a few steps to help improve the PowerToChoose website and provide consumer pressure on Texas REPs.  These steps are:

1. Request upgrades to the PowerToChoose website to enable net metering type rate plan searching and comparing alongside the existing search features.
2. Contact your REP to apply pressure on them to offer competitive net metering type rate plans.
3. Contact Texas policy makers and instruct them to insure that REPs are offering competitive net metering type rate plans.

Let’s expand on each of these items.

1. Request upgrades to the power to choose website to enable net metering type rate plan searching and comparing alongside the existing search features.

The current PowerToChoose website offers a separate search for renewable energy buyback plans here - http://powertochoose.org/en-us/Content/Resource/Selling-Renewable-Power. (Note you must read down the page a bit to actually find the link to another page that then allows a search for a REP.) While this provides some useful information to the electricity consumer, it lacks the rate plan comparison feature that is provided for all the other options on the website.  It is important that the website be modified so that the sell back and net metering type rate plans are searchable with actual price/kWh posted like all the other rate plans.  Doing this would allow consumers to find and compare the "competitive" net metering type rate plans, or identify the absence of them. If competitive plans are absent, then consumers can further apply pressure to REPs and the Public Utility Commission as required.  

Our request then to our readers is this. Go to this website - http://powertochoose.org/en-us/Content/ContactUs - and submit a request/complaint similar to this:

Reason for Contact: Complaint

Email address: <enter your email address>

Subject: Distributed Generation sell back or net metering type rate plans

As more distributed generation PV solar is being deployed across Texas, we need the powertochoose website to provide a search/filter alongside the other search/filters so that net metering type rate plans can be found and easily compared to other rate plans.  When will you have this feature available?

Thanks,

<provide your name>

2. Contact your REP to apply pressure on them to offer competitive net metering type rate plans.

It will be VERY IMPORTANT for CONSUMERS to provide the necessary influence on REPs to provide competitive net metering type rate plans.   Our research into why there are not state policies requiring all REPs to offer competitive net metering type rate plans is because of the position of Texas policy makers (i.e. the Texas Legislature and the Public Utility Commission).  Their position is that as more people install PV solar systems, the market will drive the REPs to offer net metering rate plans to stay competitive.  Therefore, unless the policy makers have their positions changed by the voters, it must be the consumers who ultimately drive the REPs to offer competitive net metering type plans.

So the request to our readers to help provide this consumer influence is in these two parts:

• If you find, select, and use a REP that offers a net metering type plan, but you feel it is not competitive, then contact them and tell them that the next time your plan is up for renewal, you will switch to a REP that offers a more competitive plan.  Whether you actually do it or not is not significant when you call to tell them - just start applying some consumer pressure.
• If you are using a REP that has a more competitive rate plan, but does not offer a competitive net metering rate plan, then contact them with these questions and statements:
• Ask them where does the excess electricity go that you are occasionally providing to the grid? Who uses it? Who gets paid for it?  (See NOTES at the end of this posting.)
• Then indicate to them that since you don’t really want to provide free electricity to them or someone else on the grid, you will be switching to another REP that offers a net metering type rate plan when your plan is up for renewal. Again, whether you actually do it or not is not significant when you call to tell them - just start applying some consumer pressure.
• Note - It is not necessary to immediately switch to a net metering type plan for a newly installed PV solar system to operate. However, if you do plan to immediately switch, some of our Solarize Plano participants have had the cancellation fees of their current rate plan waived by asking and making the point that they wouldn’t be switching if their current REP provided a net metering type plan.

3. Contact Texas policy makers and instruct them to insure that REPs are offering competitive net metering type rate plans.

So far, what we have been able to find when searching all across the state using the PowerToChoose website is that there are only three of the 112 REPs that are offering net metering type rate plans.  So now would be a good time to start contacting the Texas policy makers to get them to address this electricity “market design” change.

Additionally, when you contact your state legislators and PUC commissioners be sure to ask them while they are wrestling with ways to tweak the state electricity “market design” to get more peak power generated across Texas to address our peak demand challenges, why they just don’t go outside on a bright sunny summer day and look UP at one of the best solutions available!

For additional information on the significance and importance of distributed generation (DG) and net metering, see this link - Additional Information on Distributed Generation and Net Metering

Thanks in advance for your participation to help improve the competitive landscape in Texas for net metering type rate plans.

Best Regards and Shine On!

Plano Solar Energy Advocates (LH)

NOTES: (added 9/10/13)
1. For all you tax experts out there - if your REP doesn't pay you for your excess production, shouldn't you be able to deduct the value of the excess production on your taxes as a donation to the REP?
2. Or alternatively, how about starting a movement that REPs that are getting free electricity from your excess production be
A. required to account for the total amount of electricity from their customers that is being put into the grid for free,
B. required to put that total amount into a fund,
C. the fund must be used to assist people having trouble paying their electricity bill. 
Thoughts?

Does Georgia have more solar resources than Texas?

Does Georgia have more solar resources than Texas?  Are Georgia officials going to outshine Texas solar resources?  Let's make sure that in Texas we are good stewards of our natural energy resources and do more to add solar energy into our electricity mix.
 

Tapping our untapped natural energy resource in Texas is a bipartisan opportunity. In Georgia, it appears they are taking steps to take advantage of this opportunity. Check out these recent articles, and then contact your Texas state legislators and Public Utility Commissioners and ask for their support for a vision for today and for our future generations that includes a strong contribution of distributed solar energy for electricity generation in Texas!  Like prudent financial diversification, energy source diversification is important, and the competition provided by consumers being able to generate some of their own electricity helps keep electric utilities competitive - maybe something they are not used to, but should be!
 

In Georgia, solar power finds a respected place in the GOP vocabulary (July 6, 2013)

• see the last paragraph - “I don’t know what gas prices will be in six years. But I know the sun will come up, and it’s free. It’s not owned by Georgia Power, it’s not owned by Bubba McDonald, it’s not owned by the Public Service Commission,” McDonald said. “It’s free. And to deprive people of the opportunity to take advantage of technology, to me, is wrong.”

Solar in your community – important Georgia Power ruling this week (July 9, 2013)

• see the section about water - Solar PV uses less water than any other energy resource.

Georgia PSC Calls for 525 MW of Solar (July 11, 2013)

• like "local" food initiatives, let's make sure Texas leverages "local" energy resources - distributed PV solar generation on people's homes and businesses takes advantage of local energy resources and reduces stresses and losses on our electric grid!
• The Georgia PSC voted in favor of adding 525 megawatts of solar energy to Georgia Power’s 20-year resources plan during an afternoon meeting. Of that new solar generation, 125 megawatts will be reserved for smaller projects.

Best Regards,
Plano Solar Energy Advocates (LH)

Solar Energy for Texas!

(including a simple guide for contacting your Texas Legislator)

With a growing population and economy, our state has reached a critical point for securing our energy needs for the future, and Texas has taken steps to minimize the amount of disruption in the availability of energy with the explosive growth of gas drilling.  The Barnett Shale, which underlies 17 counties in North Texas, is thought by many to contain the largest producible reserves of onshore natural gas in the country.  Texas is also leading the nation in wind power generation, producing approximately 10% of the state’s needs from that renewable source of energy.

However, we have one of the greatest available sources of energy at our fingertips, and one that is becoming more critical in maintaining our electrical reliability in the years ahead: the SUN.  Our state has been identified as having the highest potential for both urban and rural utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) development, an amazing 154 gigawatt and 20,000 gigawatt power capacity, respectively.  And even more significant for individuals - it is estimated that there is 60 gigawatts of distributed renewable generation potential from residential and business rooftops! This is more compelling when one factors in how water-intensive our energy production is from non-renewable sources such as gas and oil.  Hydraulic fracturing of a typical deep shale natural gas or oil well requires 4.5 million gallons, or the amount that is consumed in New York City in 6 minutes.  As North Texas continues to face restrictions in the availability of water for the foreseeable future, taking steps now to increase the area’s PV footprint will pay off in tremendous dividends in the future.

To do this, we are encouraging all residents in the area to call on the Texas Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to fully implement the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS).  The RPS is a mandate from the Texas Legislature in 2005 to direct the PUC to develop 500 megawatt of non-wind renewable energy by 2015, which, to date, has not been addressed.  In 2012, Texas surpassed 10,000 megawatts of wind generated energy, while solar energy production in the state continues to lag, at just slightly above 100 megawatts.   Contrast Texas with Germany, which currently has a solar PV power capacity of 25 gigawatts (25,000 megawatts).  For a country that is half the size of the Lone Star State and only receives 1/4^th of the solar radiation we receive in North Texas, this is quite impressive.

This year, the Plano Solar Advocates are encouraging all in our community to reach out to our legislators to increase our solar investment in the state.  Talking points and an example letter to share with your legislator are available at the Texas Solar Energy Society website – see Solar and the 83rd Legislature (http://www.txses.org/solar/content/solar-and-83rd-legislature). A brief letter to your legislator will send a positive message that Texans support policies that encourage and expand the use of solar energy. Let’s all make 2013 the year that our area becomes noticed for its commitment to solar energy for our future.

The Sustainability Steward (JR)

The Texas Solar Energy Math Challenge

Let’s diffuse the old news that solar energy is too costly and is only competitive with subsidies and take a more current look at some simple data that indicate that we have a great opportunity in Texas to tap the untapped natural resource.

Which is better for Texas residential and small business energy consumers - $9.00/kWh peak wholesale electricity from centralized power plants that must be transmitted over long distances with the associated energy losses, or $0.07/kWh from distributed photovoltaic (PV) solar power generated where it is consumed with no transmission losses and which is generally aligned with the peak energy demand time periods in Texas?

The Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) recently raised the price cap on wholesale electricity prices to $9,000/MWh, which is $9.00/kWh, and then denied a petition to have more public discussion about increasing the emphasis on using a huge, untapped natural resource in Texas – the SUN!

(See http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-10-26/texas-electric-prices-cap-to-double-over-3-years and http://greenmountainsummit.com/2012/11/texas-puc-denies-rps-petition-from-the-environmental-renewable-groups/.)

A September 25th article in Renewable Energy World comparing the cost of a residential-sized PV system (4kW) between the US and Germany indicated that the unsubsidized total installed cost in Germany is approximately $2/Watt.  With the sunshine we have in Texas, this is equivalent to decades of electricity at less than $0.07/kWh.

(See http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/09/why-we-pay-double-for-solar-in-america-but-wont-forever.)

The basic calculation to translate $2/watt into $0.07/kWh is as follows:

• 4,000W(DC) system at $2/Watt is $8,000.
• A south facing PV solar system installed in Texas is estimated to produce 1,400 watt-hours, or 1.4kWh(AC) per installed watt(DC) of PV solar. 
• Therefore, a 4kW(DC) installed system will generate 4000 times 1.4kWh which equals 5,600 kWh per year. (467 kWh average per month)
• For 20 years, 5,600 kWh times 20 equals 112,000 kWh.  The cost per kWh over the 20 year period is then $8,000 divided by 112,000 kWh which equals $0.07/kWh, and then FREE after that……

So, the use of solar energy in Texas can provide:

• More energy independence from unfriendly foreign countries;
• More energy diversification and security by including the unending power of the sun in our energy mix;
• More stewardship of our natural resources – by using the untapped energy of the sun, and also saving our precious water resources normally needed by centralized conventional power plants;
• More price stability by pre-paying for long term energy (the life of PV solar systems is at least 25-40 years); For PV solar systems, the total cost is the installed system cost. There are NO ongoing fuel costs. For conventional power plants, there is the installed cost of the power plant plus the ongoing cost of fuel. Can anyone even obtain a 10 year energy contract from their utility company vs a 25-40 year price contract?
• More consumer choice with the option to generate some of your own electricity versus being totally dependent on the utility company;
• More support for the local economy with sales, design, and installation jobs for solar systems;
• More pollution-free energy production;

And:

• Less energy wasted due to losses in the transmission and distribution systems by generating a portion of the electricity where it is used;
• Less peak energy demand and stress on the Texas electric grid because distributed solar electricity is generated where it is used and when we need it the most – on sunny summer days;
• Less financial risk due to uncontrolled and unpredictable future energy price spikes;
• Less air and water pollution.

Are we saying that Texans don’t have the innovation, technological drive, and the cost competitiveness to match what is already being done today in Germany with distributed PV solar energy?  Let’s check this math again and find a way to tap this untapped Texas resource of the SUN!

Plano Solar Energy Advocate (LH)

For more information about energy subsidies, see "The Renewable Energy (Actually All Energy Sources) Subsidy Topic", at http://planosolar.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-renewable-energy-actually-all.html.

Solar Energy in Texas

Did you know the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth in one hour is approximately the same as the total energy used by everyone on the planet for an entire year? Imagine the abundant amount of sunshine in Texas alone!

Texas continues to grow, and so is the demand for energy. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) recently released (Dec. 2011) their 10-year energy outlook which indicated the need for additional energy generation - in particular, the need for additional energy to handle peak demands in the summer.

See http://ercot.com/news/press_releases/show/459.

Wouldn't it be great to meet some of our growing energy needs by tapping the HUGE potential of energy from the sun? Generating electricity from solar panels (photovoltaic or PV panels) installed on homes and businesses have the following key benefits:

1. Electricity generation is generally aligned with the time of day demand. So, while our air conditioners are in heavy, almost continuous use during Texas summers, this is also when the sun shines brightest and solar panels generate the most electricity!

2. Solar energy installed costs are already lower than other existing peak demand generation sources.

3. Electricity generated by distributed solar panels on homes and businesses is located where the demand is consumed (our house/business), thus eliminating electricity transmission losses.

4. Electricity generated from solar panels does not require our scarce Texas water resources for electricity generation like other conventional electricity generation sources.

5. Distributed electricity generation from solar panels is generally a quick deployment - six months versus up to three years for conventional power plants.

For overview information about solar energy, please watch these short introductory videos (about 4 minutes each) at these URLs:

https://www.eeremultimedia.energy.gov/solar/videos/solar_power_basics

https://www.eeremultimedia.energy.gov/solar/videos/photovoltaics_diverse_technology

If you would like further information about what you could do to help promote the use of distributed solar power generation in Texas, please send your request to the email address given below:

planosolar@gmail.com

Plano Solar Energy Advocate (LH)

(original post - http://livegreeninplano.blogspot.com/2012/03/solar-energy-in-texas.html)