Forecast for local solar industry: sunny

Forecast for local solar industry: sunny Article date: Jul 31 2012 Given increases in both the number of solar energy systems and businesses installing them in Mesa County, the outlook for the industry appears as bright as the sun from which a growing amount of electricity is produced. Financial incentives and technological advances — not to mention all that sunshine — are expected to drive additional growth, said Lou Villaire, founder of the Grand Valley Solar Center and sales manager at Atlasta Solar Center in Grand Junction. Lou Villaire, sales manager at Atlasta Solar Center in Grand Junction, expects third-party financing and technological advances to continue to bolster growth in the solar energy industyr in Mesa County. (Business Times photo by Phil Castle) The trends bode well not only for solar energy companies, but also the overall economy, Villaire said. “It’s making a modest, but significant, impact on the local economy, and we’d like to see that continue.” Villaire detailed some of the results of a study conducted by the Grand Valley Solar Center, a market research entity, in conjunction with the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association and Colorado Mesa University. The complete results of the study should be released within a month. Since 2006, more than 1,200 residential and commercial photovoltaic systems have been installed in Mesa County. The pace of installations has quickened to a total of between five and 10 residential and commercial systems a week, Villaire said. Ten to 15 companies are directly engaged in the solar energy industry in the county. Those companies collectively employ 40 to 50 people and indirectly account for another 25 to 30 jobs, he said. The numbers point to what’s estimated as an industry worth between $10 million and $15 million annually, Villaire said. Business similarly has increased at Atlasta Solar over the past five years, as has staffing, Villaire said. Mesa County constitutes something of a hot spot for solar energy in one of the top states for growth in the industry, Villaire said. Customers enjoy a sense of self-sufficiency from their solar systems as well as satisfaction from doing their part to generate electricity from a clean and renewable source, he said. But Villaire also attributes growth in the local solar industry in large part to financial incentives and technological advances that have made solar systems more widely available at a lower cost. A state law requiring utilities to generate an increasing proportion of power from renewable energy sources led to rebates for the installation of solar systems. Federal tax credits also are available, he said. At the same time, technological advances have made it possible to connect photovoltaic systems into the power grid and eliminate the need for battery storage. Mass production and imported solar energy panels have brought down prices, he added. One of the most significant developments of all has been the emergence of third-party arrangements in which companies and organizations pay for the purchase and installation of solar systems, then lease the electricity generated by those systems to home owners, businesses and other end users, Villaire said. The companies and organizations take advantage of the rebates and tax credits, while end users purchase solar power at what are usually lower rates and without any upfront costs. That makes solar energy available to to just about anyone with a home or building and good credit, he added. Although utility rebates have decreased and tax credits are scheduled to expire in 2016, Villaire expects the solar energy industry to continue to grow on the basis of cost. Even as the price of solar panels decreases, the price of electricity purchased from utilities increases, he said. Given the combination of recent growth and what’s expected to be continued growth, Villaire said the outlook for the solar industry appears, in a word, well … “sunny.”

Local solar energy market growing

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo (KKCO) The industry is not only booming on the Western Slope, but worldwide. A new study by Colorado Mesa University and the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association show that solar energy is now the single fastest growing energy source in the world. Since 2006, the U.S. solar market has grown by 110% per year. Experts say more affordable options are leading to increased demand. Solar used to be too expensive for many people, but times have changed. "The availability of the solar lease," says Dr. Lou Villaire with the Grand Valley Solar Center. That's one of the reasons for the huge increase in solar sales. "Now, so many more people can get into solar for their home without outlaying any capital, and immediately begin to save money on their bills," explains Villaire, also a salesman at Atlasta Solar Center in Grand Juncton. Since 2006, more than 1,200 residential and commercial solar electric systems have been installed in the Grand Valley. "We've had no problems with the panels at all," says Ladonna Ishida. Ishida bought and installed solar panels on her Orchard Mesa home in 2009 for $26,000, but saved $17,000 in rebates and tax credits. "You see your meter going backwards, and you have a 9 or 10 dollar electric bill, and it's like I can live with that," adds Ishida, who plans to recoup the costs in no time. "We're really energy conscious so we don't have lights on all the time, and don't run computers needlessly, so I think we'll recoup it before 12 years." Mesa county now represents a 15 million dollar annual solar industry. "We started as a company in 2005 with two people, myself as one of them, and my husband; and we've grown to 20 employees," says Heidi Ihrke, owner of High Noon Solar in Grand Junction. Now, over a dozen residential and commercial solar systems are being installed in the Grand Valley every week. "All of this has been very much a collective effort in making a real positive impact on the local economy," says Villaire. There are currently over a dozen solar companies in the Grand Valley, employing nearly 100 people. Colorado is also among the top five states in solar energy growth. Installing solar panels also makes you eligible for rebates, and state and federal tax credits. However, officials say you'd better hurry, because as demand increases, rebates and tax incentives are decreasing.

Solar power spreads in valley

By Matthew Berger Thursday, July 26, 2012 Solar power installation is accelerating in Mesa County, according to an upcoming report from industry groups. Residential and commercial systems are being installed at a rate of 10 to 15 each week, they said, more than double the weekly rate last year. The pace means installations in 2012 are expected to roughly double the total from last year. That has brought the cumulative total of residential and commercial solar systems installed in Mesa County since 2006 to more than 1,200 and given rise to a local solar industry that supports around 80 jobs and does around $15 million in annual sales. Those installations are now also offsetting eight to 10 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, according to Lou Villaire of Grand Valley Solar Center and Atlasta Solar. Villaire spoke to the annual Western Slope stakeholders meeting of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association Wednesday afternoon at Colorado Mesa University. The report on the growth of solar in Mesa County is being produced by Grand Valley Solar Center, COSEIA and CMU’s Natural Resource Center and is expected to be released this fall. The report is an update of one released several years ago, Villaire said, and shows that since then growth of the solar industry on the Western Slope and Mesa County in particular has accelerated. One big driver of that trend is a leasing program through which residential customers can pay a monthly rate to lease the solar equipment rather than buy the expensive equipment all at once at the start, Villaire said. He called the program a game-changer, comparing it to the way in which cellphones were able to replace many landline phones. “You can now get the same amount of electricity (from solar) and pay less for it,” he said, noting that a lease agreement can typically involve paying nothing down and $60 to $75 a month to a third-party solar leasing company over a 20-year contract. Neil Lurie, executive director of COSEIA, said installing solar is already cost-effective and will only become more so if those costs go down a little bit more. “Today, it’s economically attractive. Tomorrow, it could be a no-brainer,” he said Wednesday. Speaking of the state as a whole, Lurie said Colorado is now the top state in the country in solar jobs per capita and that over the past four years the number of solar businesses in Colorado has jumped from 40 to 400. Solar in Colorado may get another boost in the coming years after the U.S. Department of the Interior announced Tuesday it had identified 17 tracts of public land across the southwestern U.S. on which utility-scale solar projects could be feasible. Four of those sites are in Colorado, all around the San Luis Valley area. The sites were chosen because solar development there would have fewer impacts on wildlife or other resources than elsewhere and the identification of these sites allows development of large solar projects there to be streamlined, the agency said.

New Report Shows Fast Growing Solar Market in Grand Junction and Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (COSEIA) visits Western Slope for Annual Solar Industry Stakeholder Meeting.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New Report Shows Fast Growing Solar Market in Grand Junction and Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (COSEIA) visits Western Slope for Annual Solar Industry Stakeholder Meeting. Grand Junction, Mesa County, Wednesday 25 July 2012, 2-5 PM, Colorado Mesa University, University Center, West Ballroom, 2nd Floor. Solar Energy is now the single fastest growing energy source in the world. Since 2006, the U.S. solar market is growing by 110% percent per year. Colorado is among the top five (5) US states in solar growth. Colorado now has a growing solar energy market spurring nearly $1 billion in clean tech investment, deploying 200 megawatts of solar, and creating thousands of quality jobs at more than 400 Colorado solar companies. And according to a new report from the Grand Valley Solar Center and the Colorado Mesa University (CMU) Natural Resource Center, The Western Slope of Colorado, specifically Mesa County, is experiencing tremendous solar growth that has a large local economic impact. Since 2006, there have been over 1200 residential and commercial solar electric systems installed in the Grand Valley. In Mesa County, this now represents a $10-15 million annual industry. In the Grand Valley, there are 10-15 companies directly engaged in the solar industry. Initial estimates indicate that the industry in the Grand Valley now directly employs 40-50 people, and indirectly employs another 25-30. The pace of solar installations in Mesa County has increased so much in 2012, that 5-10 residential and commercial solar electric systems are now being installed in Mesa County every week! The full Report “Residential and Commercial Customer Sited Solar In Grand Junction, CO” will be released in the Fall of 2012 by the Grand Valley Solar Center and the CMU Natural Resource Center. CMU Business Department student interns contributed to the New GJ Solar Market Report in 2012. The New GJ Solar Market Report Press Conference, offering highlights of the upcoming report, will take place from 2-2:30PM, and then the COSEIA Western Slope Annual Stakeholder Meeting will take place from 3-5PM. Contacts: Dr. Lou Villaire, Grand Valley Solar Center, lvillaire@yahoo.com, 970.314.4413, http://grandvalleysolarcenter.blogspot.com/ Rebecca Cantwell, Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association, 1536 Wynkoop Suite 300, Denver CO 80202, 720-209-6000, rcantwell@coseia.org, www.coseia.org

GE Suspends Solar Factory Plans

General Electric Co. (GE) has stopped construction of a solar-panel factory in Colorado in the latest sign of the U.S. solar manufacturing industry's decline. GE initially planned to make thin-film solar panels at a factory in Aurora, Colo., using a cadmium telluride technology developed by PrimeStar, which GE acquired in 2011. GE planned to use the panels in solar farms that it would develop, or sell them to other developers. GE now plans to continue its solar power-plant development business, but the company has put the solar-panel factory on hold, said Lindsay Theile, a GE spokeswoman. Ms. Theile cited steep price declines and a global oversupply of panels as factors in GE's change of plan. Plunging solar-panel prices amid an influx of cheap Chinese panels and a global oversupply of solar manufacturing capacity have driven smaller solar firms out of business, while larger companies have struggled against falling profits and stock prices. The difficulties prompted SolarWorld AG's (SWV.XE) U.S. unit and other U.S. firms to file a trade case against Chinese rivals. The competition and lower prices have benefited developers and investors in solar projects, which are eligible for federal tax credits and other incentives. The U.S. Department of Commerce has slapped preliminary antidumping duties of 31% to 250% on panels made with Chinese solar cells. While that case has been pending, U.S. solar-panel makers have continued to struggle. Solar-panel maker Abound Solar, of Colorado, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection last week after taking more than $68 million in federal loans to expand manufacturing. California solar-panel maker Solyndra LLC filed for bankruptcy last September after accepting more than $500 million in federal loans, triggering criticism of the Obama administration's clean-energy policies. Other companies have decided to curtail production or stop making solar panels. U.S. solar-power giant First Solar Inc. (FSLR) said earlier this year it would shut its German factory by the end of the year, cut 2,000 jobs and halt work on a new factory it had planned to open in Arizona. First Solar, which also builds solar farms, has seen its market capitalization fall by more than 85% to $1.26 billion. In June, Germany-based glass maker Schott Glas AG said it would stop making solar panels at its Albuquerque factory as part of a larger effort to end production of solar panels made with silicon. Developing and owning solar-power projects have been more lucrative than making the panels, thanks to federal subsidies and state renewable-energy requirements. The MidAmerican Energy Holdings unit of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRKA, BRKB) started a renewable-energy company earlier this year after it bought a large California solar farm from First Solar. Other power companies, such as NextEra Energy Inc. (NEE) and NRG Energy Inc. (NRG) also own solar farms. In January, GE said it would provide the solar equipment for a 23-megawatt solar farm in Illinois being built by Invenergy. The solar panels are being supplied by Showa Shell Sekiyu's (5002.TO) Solar Frontier unit. GE also is supplying the inverters and racking equipment. Although GE is putting its Colorado solar-panel factory on hold for at least 18 months, company researchers will continue working to improve the company's thin-film technology, Ms. Theile said

Bankruptcy of Colorado's Abound Solar could cost taxpayers $60 million

The bankruptcy of Abound Solar, the solar panel maker with facilities in Longmont, Loveland and Fort Collins, will cost taxpayers $40 million to $60 million, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The company will close its doors next week and file for liquidation, according to a company statement. The closing will affect about 125 workers. In July 2010, Abound received a $400 million loan guarantee from the DOE to build an Indiana factory and expand its Longmont plant. The company has used about $70 million of the loan guarantee, and after bankruptcy liquidation the loss to taxpayers is estimated to be $40 million to $60 million, Damien Lavera, a DOE spokesman, said in a statement. Abound has been struggling with the falling price of solar panels. The company's technology made a solar cell out of a piece of glass by applying a thin chemical film. It was supposed to be cheaper than traditional silicon panels, but since 2009 the price of those panels has dropped from $2.79 a watt to less than $1, according to industry consultant Solarbuzz. In February, Abound cut its workforce by about 70 percent, firing about 180 full-time workers and 100 part-time employees. It also put on hold plans to build the Indiana factory. California-based Solyndra, another thin-film solar panel maker, went bankrupt in 2011, leaving taxpayers responsible for a $535 million loan guarantee. After the Solyndra failure the DOE tightened its loan guarantee process and Abound appears to have gotten caught in the middle. "The firm awaited $10 million from the DOE and $10 million from its investors but had a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem," Eric Wesoff, a GreentechMedia analyst, wrote in his blog. "The DOE was waiting for the investors and the investors were waiting for the DOE," Wesoff wrote.