GE CEO: Solar-Panel Sales to Exceed
$1 Billion by 2020
Posted By admin On November 4, 2011 @ 2:35 pm In ARCHIVES, Feature Articles | No Comments
General Electric Co. (GE) [1] expects sales of its solar power panels to exceed $1 billion annually by 2020, Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Immelt said at Columbia University event in New York with Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Staff-Updated
“I know that by 2020 this is going to be at least a $1 billion product line. We’re going to invest what it takes,” Immelt said. ”We did this with no government funding.”
If his optimistic projection becomes a reality, it will be good news for Colorado workers. The company recently selected Aurora [2]for the site of its new $300 million thin-film solar panel manufacturing plant.
The Fairfield, Connecticut-based company said the new facility will make enough panels using cadmium telluride annually for about 80,000 U.S. homes, or 400 megawatts. The panels be more efficient, lighter weight and larger than conventional thin film panels.
Colorado beat out 10 other states to land the investment, including New York, because of its strong workforce, proximity to one of GE’s existing “centers of excellence” and availability of needed infrastructure.
Victor Abate, head of GE’s renewable energy business said that the work the company has done with its Colorado-based solar team allowed them to “achieve efficiencies in our solar panels in record time.”
In addition, “The Colorado location will allow us to deliver our technology roadmap faster and commercialize industry-leading panel efficiencies sooner,” Abate said.
“We also look forward to continuing to build our relationships with Colorado’s local, state and federal officials who have been extremely helpful as we moved through the site selection process,” Abate added in the release.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Colorado's future in renewable energy dims after years of growth
Colorado's future in renewable energy dims after years of growth
The Denver Post
Jerry Marizza, new-new energy coordinator for United Power, stands at Colorado's first "solar farm" in Brighton last week. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)
About 1,200 wind turbines are spinning on Colorado's Eastern Plains, hundreds of acres of solar arrays are tilted skyward in the San Luis Valley and the roofs of more than 10,000 homes and businesses sport solar panels.
Since voters in 2004 passed Amendment 37 — which set a state renewable-energy standard — Colorado has built or committed to about 2.5 gigawatts of renewable generation.
That's enough energy to power between 500,000 and 650,000 homes, based on estimates from the wind and solar industries.
The standard, however, is close to being met, and the future for renewable-energy incentives is uncertain. So, the question is: What is renewable energy's future in Colorado?
"Are we going to see the billion dollars in renewable investment that was made in the last five years repeated in the next few years?" asked TJ Deora, director of the Governor's Energy Office.
United Power has started operating a plant in Erie that uses methane gas from landfills to generate electricity. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)to see the billion dollars in renewable investment that was made in the last five years repeated in the next few years?" asked TJ Deora, director of the Governor's Energy Office.
"We aren't going to see a lot of local growth," Deora said.
The last seven years have seen the creation of more than 11,000 renewable- energy-related jobs in the state, according to industry trade groups that warn the growth might stall or reverse.
To be sure, some utilities are pushing ahead with renewable-energy projects, and leasing companies are making it possible for homeowners to install solar panels on their roofs.
"Customers want renewable energy," said Jerry Marizza, new-energy coordinator for United Power, a Brighton-based electric cooperative serving 120,000 people.
United developed the state's first "solar farm" and last year started using landfill gas to make electricity.
Still, Colorado is at a renewable-energy "plateau," said James Newcombe, director of the electricity practice at the Rocky Mountain Institute, an energy-consulting group based in Snowmass. "The landscape will be more challenging for renewables."
Much of the push came from the state renewable-energy standard, which requires investor-owner utilities to generate 30 percent of their power from renewable sources, and municipal utilities and cooperatives to generate 10 percent by 2020.
Those goals are now close to being met.
After creating or contracting for 2.4 gigawatts of wind, solar and roof-top solar generation, Xcel Energy, the state's largest utility, said it will meet the standard ahead of schedule, and with small additions, it will be in compliance through 2028.
Black Hills Energy, which serves Pueblo and southeastern Colorado, also has to meet the 30 percent standard.
The Rapid City, S.D.-based utility is generating 12 percent of its power from renewable sources, said Chris Burke, vice president of Colorado operations.
Black Hills has announced a 29-megawatt wind project and will likely add another 125 to 150 megawatts of wind, Burke said.
Utilities' progress mixed
Two municipal utilities — in Colorado Springs and Fort Collins — have to meet the 10 percent target.
Colorado Springs Utilities is planning to add 50 megawatts of wind and already has 2 megawatts of rooftop solar through its own incentive program.
"Colorado Springs doesn't need any new resources until 2024," said Mark James, the manager overseeing renewable energy for the utility.
In Fort Collins, the City Council has called for a strategic energy plan focusing on local projects, said Steve Catanach, manager of Fort Collins Power & Light.
The city will need between 80 megawatts and 135 megawatts of generation to meet the standard, Catanach said.
Another area where renewable-energy growth has cooled off is the installation of home and business rooftop solar, which was fueled by incentive programs offered by the utilities.
Xcel trims incentivesSince 2006, Xcel has through its SolarRewards program provided nearly $250 million in rebates and credits — from a fund created by adding a 2 percent charge on customer bills.
About 9,600 solar arrays have been installed, but the fund is $51 million in the red, and Xcel has cut back on incentives and capped the program.
"We've shifted our focus to other states, and we've had to trim staff," said Jim Welch, chief executive of Bella Energy, a Boulder-based solar installer.
Bella's current projects include a solar-panel installation on the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City. The company is also working in New Jersey, Delaware and New England.
About 6,100 people in the state are employed in solar energy, according to a study by the nonprofit Solar Foundation.
"Colorado is a leader in renewable-energy jobs, but that's going to change if these issues aren't addressed," said Neil Lurie, executive director of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association.
Compounding the loss of state incentives is uncertainty about the future of key federal subsidies — production tax credits for wind and solar, and a program that offered cash grants for projects.
The wind-production tax credit — equal to $22 for each megawatt a wind farm produces — is set to expire in December. The solar tax credit expires next year.
Also set to lapse this year is a federal program, known as Section 1603, that enabled energy developers to get a cash grant instead of tax credits.
The program was started in 2009 when few investors were looking for tax credits.
"The 1603 program made projects easier to develop," said Blake Jones, chief executive of Namaste Solar, a Boulder-based solar installer that is also doing more of its work from Kansas to New York.
"It is just very difficult to plan for the Colorado solar market," Jones said.
Growth opportunitiesDespite the headwinds, renewable-energy advocates say there are still opportunities for renewable energy in the state.
Xcel may soon reach the 30 percent renewable-energy standard, but the state average in 2009 was just 6.5 percent, said John Nielsen, energy-program director for the environmental-policy group Western Resource Advocates.
One of the places for growth is in rural electric cooperatives, another is in solar gardens, in which residents can buy shares, Nielsen said.
Cooperatives must also meet the 10 percent renewable-energy standard, and there are already 25 cooperative projects adding up to 35 megawatts, including the two by United Power.
United Power's "solar farm," begun in 2009, enables customers to pay $1,050 for a 210-watt panel with a 25-year lease — about enough time to pay off the investment.
"We did this as a service and did it grow-as-you-go," said United's Marizza. The farm started out as 10 kilowatts and has now doubled in size as customers joined.
In 2011, the legislature passed a law promoting solar gardens, and industry executives say they hope this will be a growth area.
Some advocate raising the renewable-energy standard above 30 percent.
"In October, Xcel hit a record 55 percent of the electricity on the system coming from wind," said Ron Lehr, western representative for the American Wind Energy Association, a trade group. "Let's keep it going."
Prices get competitiveThe biggest boost for renewables, however, may come as they become cheaper and more competitive with other energy sources.
Solar-panel prices have dropped 40 percent this year to about $4 a watt, and the price for a solar installation is expected to continue to drop, Namaste's Jones said.
The cost that Xcel is paying for wind power has been cut almost in half in the past 10 years to $32 a megawatt-hour, said Deora of the Governor's Energy Office.
That price is close to being competitive with coal and natural gas, according to the federal Energy Information Administration.
"The long-term goal is for renewables to compete without subsidies as part of a balanced energy portfolio," Deora said.
Mark Jaffe: 303-954-1912 or mjaffe@denverpost.com
The Denver Post
Jerry Marizza, new-new energy coordinator for United Power, stands at Colorado's first "solar farm" in Brighton last week. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)
About 1,200 wind turbines are spinning on Colorado's Eastern Plains, hundreds of acres of solar arrays are tilted skyward in the San Luis Valley and the roofs of more than 10,000 homes and businesses sport solar panels.
Since voters in 2004 passed Amendment 37 — which set a state renewable-energy standard — Colorado has built or committed to about 2.5 gigawatts of renewable generation.
That's enough energy to power between 500,000 and 650,000 homes, based on estimates from the wind and solar industries.
The standard, however, is close to being met, and the future for renewable-energy incentives is uncertain. So, the question is: What is renewable energy's future in Colorado?
"Are we going to see the billion dollars in renewable investment that was made in the last five years repeated in the next few years?" asked TJ Deora, director of the Governor's Energy Office.
United Power has started operating a plant in Erie that uses methane gas from landfills to generate electricity. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)to see the billion dollars in renewable investment that was made in the last five years repeated in the next few years?" asked TJ Deora, director of the Governor's Energy Office.
"We aren't going to see a lot of local growth," Deora said.
The last seven years have seen the creation of more than 11,000 renewable- energy-related jobs in the state, according to industry trade groups that warn the growth might stall or reverse.
To be sure, some utilities are pushing ahead with renewable-energy projects, and leasing companies are making it possible for homeowners to install solar panels on their roofs.
"Customers want renewable energy," said Jerry Marizza, new-energy coordinator for United Power, a Brighton-based electric cooperative serving 120,000 people.
United developed the state's first "solar farm" and last year started using landfill gas to make electricity.
Still, Colorado is at a renewable-energy "plateau," said James Newcombe, director of the electricity practice at the Rocky Mountain Institute, an energy-consulting group based in Snowmass. "The landscape will be more challenging for renewables."
Much of the push came from the state renewable-energy standard, which requires investor-owner utilities to generate 30 percent of their power from renewable sources, and municipal utilities and cooperatives to generate 10 percent by 2020.
Those goals are now close to being met.
After creating or contracting for 2.4 gigawatts of wind, solar and roof-top solar generation, Xcel Energy, the state's largest utility, said it will meet the standard ahead of schedule, and with small additions, it will be in compliance through 2028.
Black Hills Energy, which serves Pueblo and southeastern Colorado, also has to meet the 30 percent standard.
The Rapid City, S.D.-based utility is generating 12 percent of its power from renewable sources, said Chris Burke, vice president of Colorado operations.
Black Hills has announced a 29-megawatt wind project and will likely add another 125 to 150 megawatts of wind, Burke said.
Utilities' progress mixed
Two municipal utilities — in Colorado Springs and Fort Collins — have to meet the 10 percent target.
Colorado Springs Utilities is planning to add 50 megawatts of wind and already has 2 megawatts of rooftop solar through its own incentive program.
"Colorado Springs doesn't need any new resources until 2024," said Mark James, the manager overseeing renewable energy for the utility.
In Fort Collins, the City Council has called for a strategic energy plan focusing on local projects, said Steve Catanach, manager of Fort Collins Power & Light.
The city will need between 80 megawatts and 135 megawatts of generation to meet the standard, Catanach said.
Another area where renewable-energy growth has cooled off is the installation of home and business rooftop solar, which was fueled by incentive programs offered by the utilities.
Xcel trims incentivesSince 2006, Xcel has through its SolarRewards program provided nearly $250 million in rebates and credits — from a fund created by adding a 2 percent charge on customer bills.
About 9,600 solar arrays have been installed, but the fund is $51 million in the red, and Xcel has cut back on incentives and capped the program.
"We've shifted our focus to other states, and we've had to trim staff," said Jim Welch, chief executive of Bella Energy, a Boulder-based solar installer.
Bella's current projects include a solar-panel installation on the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City. The company is also working in New Jersey, Delaware and New England.
About 6,100 people in the state are employed in solar energy, according to a study by the nonprofit Solar Foundation.
"Colorado is a leader in renewable-energy jobs, but that's going to change if these issues aren't addressed," said Neil Lurie, executive director of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association.
Compounding the loss of state incentives is uncertainty about the future of key federal subsidies — production tax credits for wind and solar, and a program that offered cash grants for projects.
The wind-production tax credit — equal to $22 for each megawatt a wind farm produces — is set to expire in December. The solar tax credit expires next year.
Also set to lapse this year is a federal program, known as Section 1603, that enabled energy developers to get a cash grant instead of tax credits.
The program was started in 2009 when few investors were looking for tax credits.
"The 1603 program made projects easier to develop," said Blake Jones, chief executive of Namaste Solar, a Boulder-based solar installer that is also doing more of its work from Kansas to New York.
"It is just very difficult to plan for the Colorado solar market," Jones said.
Growth opportunitiesDespite the headwinds, renewable-energy advocates say there are still opportunities for renewable energy in the state.
Xcel may soon reach the 30 percent renewable-energy standard, but the state average in 2009 was just 6.5 percent, said John Nielsen, energy-program director for the environmental-policy group Western Resource Advocates.
One of the places for growth is in rural electric cooperatives, another is in solar gardens, in which residents can buy shares, Nielsen said.
Cooperatives must also meet the 10 percent renewable-energy standard, and there are already 25 cooperative projects adding up to 35 megawatts, including the two by United Power.
United Power's "solar farm," begun in 2009, enables customers to pay $1,050 for a 210-watt panel with a 25-year lease — about enough time to pay off the investment.
"We did this as a service and did it grow-as-you-go," said United's Marizza. The farm started out as 10 kilowatts and has now doubled in size as customers joined.
In 2011, the legislature passed a law promoting solar gardens, and industry executives say they hope this will be a growth area.
Some advocate raising the renewable-energy standard above 30 percent.
"In October, Xcel hit a record 55 percent of the electricity on the system coming from wind," said Ron Lehr, western representative for the American Wind Energy Association, a trade group. "Let's keep it going."
Prices get competitiveThe biggest boost for renewables, however, may come as they become cheaper and more competitive with other energy sources.
Solar-panel prices have dropped 40 percent this year to about $4 a watt, and the price for a solar installation is expected to continue to drop, Namaste's Jones said.
The cost that Xcel is paying for wind power has been cut almost in half in the past 10 years to $32 a megawatt-hour, said Deora of the Governor's Energy Office.
That price is close to being competitive with coal and natural gas, according to the federal Energy Information Administration.
"The long-term goal is for renewables to compete without subsidies as part of a balanced energy portfolio," Deora said.
Mark Jaffe: 303-954-1912 or mjaffe@denverpost.com
Monday, January 16, 2012
New solar field under construction in West Windsor
New solar field under construction in West Windsor
The University has begun installation of the new solar photovoltaic panel field in West Windsor Township after clearing 27 acres of land and obtaining the necessary local, county and state permits and utility company approvals.
The 5.3-megawatt solar field will annually generate 8 million kilowatt-hours of energy and could eventually reduce the University’s carbon dioxide emissions by 3,090 metric tons every year, according to University estimates. This reduction will contribute to the University’s 2008 Sustainability Plan, which aims to bring its carbon dioxide emissions down to the 1990 levels by 2020.
The system was designed by SunPower Corporation, and will be funded and owned by Key Equipment Finance, a Colorado-based firm. Princeton University will host the field and lease the equipment from Key Equipment Finance for about eight years, after which the University will have the option to purchase it at fair market value.
Construction teams first mobilized on the site in early October. In December, they began removing trees, weeds and debris from the field’s soil, which was composed largely of sediment and waste that had been dredged from Lake Carnegie back in the 1970s. The natural matter collected from the site will be resold for composting and animal bedding. “The pleasing thing is, it’s all being reused, it’s not being land-filled or wasted,” said Ted Borer, the Princeton Energy Plant Manager.
Most recently, workers planted the first vertical support piers, which are the steel columns designed to hold up the photovoltaic array. Long beams called “torque tubes” will later be added to these piers, and some will be outfitted with bearings capable of rotation. Of the panels to be installed, 80 percent will be new “SunPower T0 Trackers,” which use a GPS device to follow the sun throughout the day and thus maximize energy absorption. The remaining 20 percent will be fixed in place. As of January 13, over 500 of the 4,000 piers had been installed.
The conduit that will carry power from the field to the campus has been placed under the Delaware & Raritan Canal and Lake Carnegie. A gravel pathway is being built around the site for maintenance vehicles. The University has also held a kick-off meeting with local utilities representatives.
Several dozen people from SunPower and specialty subcontractors are currently working on the site. The peak anticipated staff for the project will be between 80 and 90 people, Borer estimated. “All the labor is union labor,” he added.
The project’s completion has been scheduled for the summer of 2012. “They [SunPower] have a pretty ambitious schedule laid out in front of them, but so far we’re tracking it,” Borer said.
Though the prospect of using solar panels to generate energy for the University has long been on the minds on those in the facilities department, the project became financially possible in 2010 due to a federal grant and various incentives offered under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, as well as the revenue-generating potential of New Jersey’s Solar Renewable Energy Certificate Program.
The West Windsor solar panel field will become the third major solar energy-producing site on campus, following the installations of solar panels on the Frick Chemistry Laboratory and the roof of the Research Collections and Preservation Consortium building.
The University has begun installation of the new solar photovoltaic panel field in West Windsor Township after clearing 27 acres of land and obtaining the necessary local, county and state permits and utility company approvals.
The 5.3-megawatt solar field will annually generate 8 million kilowatt-hours of energy and could eventually reduce the University’s carbon dioxide emissions by 3,090 metric tons every year, according to University estimates. This reduction will contribute to the University’s 2008 Sustainability Plan, which aims to bring its carbon dioxide emissions down to the 1990 levels by 2020.
The system was designed by SunPower Corporation, and will be funded and owned by Key Equipment Finance, a Colorado-based firm. Princeton University will host the field and lease the equipment from Key Equipment Finance for about eight years, after which the University will have the option to purchase it at fair market value.
Construction teams first mobilized on the site in early October. In December, they began removing trees, weeds and debris from the field’s soil, which was composed largely of sediment and waste that had been dredged from Lake Carnegie back in the 1970s. The natural matter collected from the site will be resold for composting and animal bedding. “The pleasing thing is, it’s all being reused, it’s not being land-filled or wasted,” said Ted Borer, the Princeton Energy Plant Manager.
Most recently, workers planted the first vertical support piers, which are the steel columns designed to hold up the photovoltaic array. Long beams called “torque tubes” will later be added to these piers, and some will be outfitted with bearings capable of rotation. Of the panels to be installed, 80 percent will be new “SunPower T0 Trackers,” which use a GPS device to follow the sun throughout the day and thus maximize energy absorption. The remaining 20 percent will be fixed in place. As of January 13, over 500 of the 4,000 piers had been installed.
The conduit that will carry power from the field to the campus has been placed under the Delaware & Raritan Canal and Lake Carnegie. A gravel pathway is being built around the site for maintenance vehicles. The University has also held a kick-off meeting with local utilities representatives.
Several dozen people from SunPower and specialty subcontractors are currently working on the site. The peak anticipated staff for the project will be between 80 and 90 people, Borer estimated. “All the labor is union labor,” he added.
The project’s completion has been scheduled for the summer of 2012. “They [SunPower] have a pretty ambitious schedule laid out in front of them, but so far we’re tracking it,” Borer said.
Though the prospect of using solar panels to generate energy for the University has long been on the minds on those in the facilities department, the project became financially possible in 2010 due to a federal grant and various incentives offered under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, as well as the revenue-generating potential of New Jersey’s Solar Renewable Energy Certificate Program.
The West Windsor solar panel field will become the third major solar energy-producing site on campus, following the installations of solar panels on the Frick Chemistry Laboratory and the roof of the Research Collections and Preservation Consortium building.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Former Xcel Energy CEO Dick Kelly is now Board Chairman At Solar Giant BrightSource
Former Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL) Chief Executive Richard Kelly has joined the board of California solar-power developer BrightSource Energy Inc. as chairman, succeeding John Bryson, the company said Wednesday.
Kelly retired last year from Minneapolis-based Xcel, which operates utilities in Minnesota, Colorado and other states.
Bryson was chairman of BrightSource's board before President Barack Obama tapped him last year to become Secretary of Commerce. Bryson was chairman and chief executive of Edison International (EIX) until 2008, when he retired.
Kelly said he was "extremely excited" to join BrightSource, adding that he sees the company as "uniquely positioned" to meet increasing global demand for clean energy.
BrightSource obtained a $1.6 billion govenment-loan guarantee last year to help finance construction of a 390-megawatt solar-thermal power plant in the California desert.
The privately held company plans to build additional solar-power plants to supply California utilities owned by Edison and PG&E Corp. (PCG).
BrightSource backers include VantagePoint Capital Partners, Morgan Stanley (MS), BP PLC (BP.LN, BP), Chevron Corp. (CVX) and Google Inc. (GOOG), among others.
Kelly retired last year from Minneapolis-based Xcel, which operates utilities in Minnesota, Colorado and other states.
Bryson was chairman of BrightSource's board before President Barack Obama tapped him last year to become Secretary of Commerce. Bryson was chairman and chief executive of Edison International (EIX) until 2008, when he retired.
Kelly said he was "extremely excited" to join BrightSource, adding that he sees the company as "uniquely positioned" to meet increasing global demand for clean energy.
BrightSource obtained a $1.6 billion govenment-loan guarantee last year to help finance construction of a 390-megawatt solar-thermal power plant in the California desert.
The privately held company plans to build additional solar-power plants to supply California utilities owned by Edison and PG&E Corp. (PCG).
BrightSource backers include VantagePoint Capital Partners, Morgan Stanley (MS), BP PLC (BP.LN, BP), Chevron Corp. (CVX) and Google Inc. (GOOG), among others.
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