My employer had quite a few rebate applicants lined up for solar electric systems. I decided before the rebate website went live that I wouldn’t post the results or my reaction in a knee-jerk manner. While I was angry and disappointed, I wasn’t surprised. Now that the dust has settled, I can respond effectively.

We did secure rebates for some of our customers, but any process that rewards rebate applicants for being able to type fast is just silly. I have criticized the process and the program before, but now I am more convinced than ever that it needs revamping. Its not good for consumers or contractors, and it fails to effectively reach the stated goal of increasing adoption of distributed solar energy in Florida.

I’ve recommended a lottery approach in the past, but that is hardly fair either. I truly believe that the only way to fix the program is to significantly reduce the rebate amount (per watt), or the maximum rebate per customer.

Florida has a sad history of overly-generous solar rebates with unintended consequences. The press from these botched programs feeds two beliefs that are severely damaging to the industry:

1. Solar electricity is only viable with a state or utility rebate. While free money certainly helps, the unintended consequence is that few people are willing to go solar, or even contemplate an investment in solar if the handout is not available. With prices so much lower than just a year or two ago, this is no longer the case!

2. Rebates are not guaranteed. This is the sad result of the Florida Legislature’s failure to fully fund an incentive program that was passed into law and was clearly intended to be funded. The FPL rebate is “guaranteed” to the extent that you follow through with some basic obligations, and to its credit the company has been lenient and helpful toward rebate applicants and contractors.

I applaud FPL’s willingness to implement a solar incentive program. I wish they would make it so much better by reducing the rebate amount, allowing more consumers to participate, helping contractors develop a sustainable industry, and maximizing the amount of installed distributed solar energy with the limited availability of rebate funding.

FSU Solar Sausage

It seems like a completely silly concept – using Ziploc bags to concentrate solar on a tube to heat liquids. Can this really be efficient? What about storms, vandalism, and other physical/structural perils? And, plastics are not exactly the green product of the century.

However, there may be something to this. Most importantly, the cost of this technology could be very low, benefiting countries and societies that cannot afford the raw materials required for relatively complex solar thermal systems. People have been heating water with darkly colored vessels for millenia. Although science and technology has improved solar thermal heating quite a bit over the last several decades, there isn’t much magic to heating water with the sun. This could be simple and effective enough for some circumstances.

If you want to learn more, here is some more information:

http://www.research.fsu.edu/techtransfer/technologyopportunity/documents/energy/winger2.pdf

If you want any chance of getting in on the best solar rebate in Florida history, you need to act NOW. Call your favorite solar contractor (hopefully Fafco Solar) and they will walk you through the application process. Because the rebates are highly competitive and the amount available will be very limited, it is likely that the funding will run out in the first 10 minutes. The online application process requires advance planning and detailed information about the system you intend to install.

FPL Solar Rebates can cover over 30% of the cost of a solar electric installation up to $20,000 for residential and $50,000 for commercial systems. Paired with a 30% Federal Tax Credit and the lowest component costs in history, the total installed cost of a solar energy system has never been lower.

What you will find is that the effective rate for LCEC is higher for typical residential customers because of the higher fixed customer charge. Another interesting fact is that LCEC netmetered customers with solar electric generation pay more that regular LCEC customers until they consume at least 1,342 kilowatt hours (net). Again, this is because of a higher customer charge.

The rates are current as of April 16, 2012 and include all charges, fees, and taxes.

Note: The Franchise Fee will vary by municipality. I have used 3% to provide a reasonable approximation and comparison. For example, the Lee County fee is 3% and the Cape Coral fee is 3.173%.

SWFL Utility Rate Comparison

Southwest Florida Utility Electric Rate Spreadsheet (Requires Excel 2007 or greater)

Fafco Solar Video on Pentair Variable Speed Pump

Fafco Solar just released a short promotional video on the Pentair Variable Speed pool pump.

The variable speed pump is a perfect match for solar pool heating systems, especially when an automatic controller is used. Without a controller the pump can be scheduled to run at optimum solar circulation speed when solar energy is most likely to be available. Adding a controller adds the capability of changing the pump speed based on the availability and demand for solar heating.

With or without solar energy, the variable speed pump will pay for itself with energy savings. You can cut pumping costs up to 90% with this great technology while getting a far quieter and longer lasting pool pump.

It has always been difficult to appraise the value of a solar electric system. The purchase price is not a good indicator because of varying rebates and tax credits. The energy output alone does not take into account all relevant factors. The property appraiser does not include solar energy products in the taxable appraised value. The true value of these systems is somewhat abstract.

A new spreadsheet tool named PV Value™ has been released by Sandia National Laboratories for real estate appraisers, mortgage underwriters, credit analysts, real property assessors, insurance claims adjusters and PV industry sales staff. The model uses future income and expenses to capitalize the current value of a solar electric system. By plugging in facts and assumptions, we can get a reasonable appraisal value.

My initial observations of the tool are positive. It is flexible enough to enter a variety of factors that influence the value of a solar electric installation. Since there are quite a few assumptions are made, it nice that it calculates a low, average, and high appraisal value to provide a reasonable range. In most cases the appraised value exceeds the purchase price for new systems when rebates and tax incentives are taken into account.

I would like to see some additional graphical representations. It would also be helpful to show the future expected value of the system, not just the current appraisal value. A PV system is not necessarily a depreciating asset – it can increase in value for a period of time due to escalating energy rates. Because some systems now come with 25 year warranties on all major components, the expected maintenance costs can be next to nothing. Fortunately the inputs allow for adjustments to the default settings.

If you are a real estate or mortgage professional, I highly recommend that you take a look at this new tool. The solar energy industry needs the real estate industry to be familiar with and accepting of solar energy system appraisals, and this tool should add legitimacy to valuations.

More information is available on the Sandia National Labs page here.

Pentair SolarTouch Solar Controller

Pentair has released a new solar pool heating controller called the SolarTouch. This great controller fills a gap between a simple analog solar controller and the Pentair SunTouch pool automation system.

A simple analog solar controller uses a dial and an on-off-auto switch to control the operation of a solar pool heating system. The SunTouch is a digital controller that has advance pool heating control for a pool/spa combination and with multiple heating sources (solar and auxiliary heater). It can also control additional relays for features and lighting and has an optional remote control.

The SolarTouch does everything that the analog controller does except it has precise control with a digital readout. It can also control Pentair’s Variable Speed and Variable Flow IntelliPro pumps. That means you can increase the pump speed when solar pool heating is required and drop the speed back down to normal filtration speed when no solar heating is required or available.

Our first SolarTouch controllers will be installed soon and I will report back with the verdict. I am quite certain that this will become our “go-to” controller, particularly because of the attractive price, digital control, and ability to control a variable speed pump.

Here is the marketing information from Pentair and a SolarTouch Brochure:

Announcing the new SolarTouch™ swimming pool solar controller, which offers full digital control for the most precise, efficient swimming pool heating possible!

Now pool owners can control their pool temperature with the touch of a button. Just set the digital thermostat and SolarTouch will monitor the temperature of the pool water and solar collectors. SolarTouch also integrates with IntelliFlo® and IntelliPro® Variable Speed Pumps, so customers can enjoy unparalleled efficiency, unbeatable digital precision and ease of use. SolarTouch is the smart, easy, efficient way to go solar.

SolarTouch features include:

• Digital calibration of water and solar temperature sensors allow more precise measuring. Temperature control can be set in one degree increments.
• Digital touch controls eliminate the imprecise settings and moving parts of mechanical dials.
• Customers can set their pool temperature and solar temperature differentials with the touch of a button.
• Solar valve automatically drains the solar collectors when the pump shuts off. Durable PTFE seal is maintenance-free for years of dependable service.
• Savings up to $1,500 on your energy bills when you combine SolarTouch with an IntelliFlo® or IntelliPro® Variable Speed Pump.
• LCD display gives sharp, clear readings of air and solar collector temperatures.
• LED indicator lights confirm that SolarTouch automation is working. Service indicator LED indicates when attention is needed.
• Motorized valve actuator is built to last with sturdy steel gears, a highly efficient low-voltage motor, service switch for flow direction and a weatherproof composite enclosure.
• Includes nocturnal cooling and recirculation freeze protection, with filter-pump timer override. 3-year warranty.

My first 3D computer model just came out with the new SunPower modules. They look great!

SunPower E20 327W Photovoltaic Module 3D Drawing

Here is an example of an energy production report from a solar photovoltaic (electric) system in Fort Myers:

March solar electric performance is typically 30% higher than February output in Southwest Florida.

If you are looking at your solar output comparison for the last two months, you might be surprised at how much better March was. This is normal, and you will continue to see increases as we approach summer, especially for solar panels with low tilt angles.

If you have questions about your solar energy system’s performance, contact Fafco Solar or me directly!

Enphase’s microinverters are very popular in Southwest Florida. Fafco Solar has installed thousands of microinverters in systems ranging from 690 watts to over 50 kilowatts. The unique per-module monitoring and shade tolerant design makes Enphase a great choice for many Southwest Florida homes and businesses. Solar panels perform better with Enphase – simple as that!

Congratulations to our friends at Enphase. I wish you the best of luck!

The answer is not so simple. In fact, I can’t even give you a rule of thumb. Some industries can tell people a reasonable range for sizing equipment, and often building codes dictate sizing of appliances. For example, an A/C company might tell you that on average you need one ton of air conditioning for every 600 square feet of living area for a Southwest Florida home. A plumber might tell you that you need a minimum 50 gallon water heater for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home. There is no such approximation with solar energy.

The energy used by a home, and more specifically a homeowner, can vary tremendously (note: homes don’t use energy – people do). My 3,000 square foot home uses about 2,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity each month. I’ve been at a customer’s 2,500 square foot home that uses 3,500 kWh of energy! That would be a range of 0.67 – 1.4 kWh per square foot per month – hardly a useful range to use as a rule of thumb.

Energy use is complicated. People have very different habits, standards of living, and luxuries.

I was at a customer’s home where they had two refrigerators in the garage. That is the worst place to put a refrigerator in Florida (because of the ambient temperature). But two?! They were wondering why their electric bill was so high despite the installation of solar products. I think I have an idea…

Pool homes consume more energy generally. Old air conditioners and poor insulation cause poor efficiency for cooling. Some people run incandescent lights in their yard 12 hours a day. And many times, habits are the cause.

Even the utility company averages have little value. LCEC and FPL report about 1,100 kWh per residential account. However, that includes small condos, separately metered buildings, manufactured homes, and seasonal residents. It’s not a good metric to use – just about every customer we visit consumes more than the “average.”

What we need to know is how much energy you use. Fortunately, that’s easy to find out. Both utilities in Southwest Florida have online account history that shows you energy use by month. Fafco Solar’s solar advisers can help you figure out how much energy you are using and how many solar panels you need to power your house!

With three different panel lengths in two banks of panels, there is complex plumbing, but it gets the job done – the pool is warm!

The specialist that arrived (on time) was very professional. She set up the equipment to create negative pressure in the whole house and asked me what I knew about the duct system and the home. She took pressure drop readings at every register and return in the home. I volunteered to walk around and write the readings down since I was interested in the process.

She explained in detail what high and low readings meant, and what levels indicate a problem. We identified about 6 registers that presented worrisome readings where there may be duct leaks. I thought that was the end of the evaluation. Again, I was wrong.

She got up in the attic and carefully inspected and identified all of the places where duct leaks were occurring, prioritizing the search based on the readings taken earlier. Then she put her equipment away and brought out her laptop. She made a detailed drawing of my ducts and registers, and identified locations of each leak. She printed out the results on her portable printer along with rebate certificates and a list of FPL authorized A/C companies that accept the program certificates.

What really impressed me was her prior knowledge of my home. She came prepared with my monthly energy use and knew quite a bit about my bill. We discussed my variable speed pool pump and the FPL On-Call load management program. She made recommendations about the duct repairs and generally about energy efficiency. She took her time and ensured that I was satisfied with the work.

Overall, she was at my home for almost three hours (I have two air handlers). It was a very thorough inspection, and I am sure I will save money in the long term as a result of the evaluation. I received the maximum $154 in certificates to go toward duct repairs.

The cost of the evaluation is $30 for the first A/C and $15 for each additional. More information is available  here: http://www.fpl.com/residential/energy_saving/programs/ac_duct.shtml

Typical efficiency vs. flow curve for solar pool heating panels (FAFCO Sunsaver shown).

Most solar pool heating panel manufacturers recommend a flow rate of 4 gallons per minute per panel. If you have seven panels, you need a flow rate of 28 gallons per minute. Anything less and the efficiency drops off quite rapidly. Anything more and you are wasting money on  your pumping costs, pumping water at a rate higher than required for solar pool heating to be efficient.

When we have a solar pool heater installed, we insist that every job gets a flow meter installed (at least temporarily).  The pump can be programmed to operate at the proper speed when solar pool heating is likely to be required. With an automatic controller, the pump can be set to go to optimum speed whenever solar pool heating is required, but reduce the speed when heating is not active.

There are lots of other variable speed pump resources on my Solar Southwest Florida blog. I have also assembled some Pentair variable speed pump marketing videos below. Enjoy!

Why the big decrease? It’s my contention that the FPL rebate program is stifling the market. That’s right – a rebate intended to encourage solar energy installation had the opposite effect!

The interesting thing is that solar prices have never been lower, even without a rebate involved. The perception about solar needing rebates to be successful is an outdated notion. Getting this message out is on the shoulders of the solar industry, but our reliance on rebates over the years has misplaced our focus.

Let’s hope that we can make a better showing in 2012!

FPL is offering $2 per watt of installed system rating with a residential limit of $20,000 (for a 10 kilowatt system). Smaller systems qualify for the same $2 per watt rebate amount. Most homeowners install around 5kW and receive a $10,000 rebate. How can this be improved? REDUCE the rebate amount!

What?! Huh?! No – don’t say that!!! You’re in the solar business!

Stay with me here as I explain. The first round of rebate funding ran out in under 15 minutes. That’s how much demand there was. That’s how unbelievable this deal is. That’s great, but there are some serious downsides to the program as it stands:

• Only 310 lucky people received a rebate reservation in the first round of funding.
• The first-come first-served system isn’t really fair – it benefits mainly people who can type their application fast on the FPL website. With this level of demand, a lottery would be a more fair distribution of funds. (Note: a lottery could have negative consequences for solar dealers who would not be able to predict future business.)
• Solar contractors must race to get all of their sold systems installed in a 90 day window to have the rebate paid, then there is almost no work for the next 9 months. Who is going to buy solar without a rebate if they know one is right around the corner. This makes it very difficult for qualified solar installers to stay in business and employee people year-round.

If the rebate program can “sell out” in under 15 minutes to 310 customers, how long would it take to sell out at $1 per watt? 50 cents? 25 cents? How many more people would install systems?

If FPL’s goal is truly to get more installed solar capacity in Florida, they would get the best bang for their buck by reducing the rebate amount to maximize the amount of solar electricity installed! Under the current scenario, FPL actually reduces the amount of solar energy installed in Florida, and essentially controls the market. They can predict quite well how much solar will be installed in a given year, and maybe that is their intention. The math is quite simple – if they devote half of the $15.5M annual program budget to photovoltaics, somewhere around 3.75 megawatts per year would be installed and interconnected to the utility.

Imagine the impact if the rebate amount were reduced. I’m willing to bet that if the rebate amount were cut to 50 cents per watt, 1/4 of the current amount, that four times the number of systems would be installed, especially if the installation window were increased to 9-12 months. This would help bring much more solar power to the utility’s system, and would keep solar dealers humming along installing systems year-round, employing more people and creating a greener future for everyone in Florida.

What is FPL’s motivation? What constraints exist from the Public Service Commission approved program? I don’t know all of the answers, but I’d sure like to hear from FPL about my proposal!

NBC-2 Story Here

Here is what you need to know:

Homeowners and Business Owners

• Your homeowners insurance normally covers solar panels that are properly permitted and installed on your home or business. They become part of the structure and property, and are every bit as insurable as the air conditioning unit and other parts of your home.
• It isn’t easy to steal solar panels. While basic hand tools or battery operated tools are all that’s required, the panels weigh almost 50 pounds, and maneuvering them on the roof is not for the faint of heart.
• This is the first incident of solar photovoltaic panel theft that I have heard of in Southwest Florida.
• There are theft mitigation options like security bolts and cables, but these are easily thwarted with cutting tools. I would generally not recommend these options unless there is a serious risk of theft due to location or the location is unattended and isolated.
• The solar panels represent a small fraction of the total cost of the system in today’s market. The other components, services, and labor represent a far greater share of the cost.
• In most solar electric systems, a suitable replacement panel must be found. Because the industry changes quickly, this can be a challenge. Not only is the same size solar module important, but the electrical characteristics must match. If you are lucky, the same module is still available. If not, there are options. You will need an experienced solar dealer to help you through the replacement.

Thieves

• You are nuts. You risk electrocution by up to 600V exposed electrical wires on the roof.
• If the electricity does not kill you, the fall probably will.
• The value of a solar panel is about 1/4 what it was just a few years ago. It only represents 25%-33% of the total cost of a solar energy system. It is silly to steal the panels, because without “everything else,” you aren’t going to be able to use it in your home. You can’t steal “everything else.”
• There is essentially no scrap value for the panel.

The risk of solar panel theft is low based on the historical record. If you do experience a loss, call your insurance carrier immediately, then call Fafco Solar to get a replacement quote!

The charts on the Wattvision website are excellent. You can view real time, hourly, daily, and monthly data, and can download raw data to use in spreadsheets for further analysis. Take a look at this chart from last Monday.

What can you learn from the chart? Here is my analysis of what happened on Monday (list numbers correspond to numbers on the chart):

1. The baseline load for my home is around 400W at night when we are sleeping. This energy goes to digital video recorders, chargers, TVs, coffee maker, and other appliances that draw a small amount of energy constantly, plus some outdoor landscape and security lighting. The little bumps show the times when the refrigerator is running.
2. The water heater starts up about 4-5 times a day just to keep the water in the tank hot. Around 6:00 am we got up, took showers, and got ready for work. We used a substantial amount of hot water, and the water heater ran for a long period of time, costing us about 50 cents per hour of operation. Around dinner time the water heater worked during cooking and dish washing, and came back on as we got ready for bed.
3. My variable speed pool pump is scheduled to run at low speed from 9:00 am to noon, and again from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm.
4. The pool pump ramps up speed from noon to 2:30 pm to give the automatic cleaner time to work and get adequate pool filtration.
5. The baseline during the evening increases as we use lights, watch TV, and use computers. The fountain and outdoor lighting also comes on at dusk.

A Bonita Springs, FL home with BIPV

Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) describes solar panels that are integrated with a roof. The solar panels replace roofing tiles, and create a seamless appearance with the roof, other than the color, which is typically dark blue or black.

The benefit of BIPV is the appearance. That’s generally where the benefits end. The downsides are numerous:

• In most cases, it’s more expensive to integrate BIPV, even though the solar panels replace roof tiles.
• The energy produced is about one-fourth what is attainable using traditional solar modules (crystalline-silicon) in the given area.
• The return on investment is typically far lower.
• The 2010 Florida Building Code that goes into effect 3/15/12 places increased requirements on BIPV products, which may significantly increase the cost of a BIPV installation.
• BIPV installation requires special training that your average solar installer may not possess.

If your primary consideration is aesthetics and you prefer the look of BIPV, you might be a candidate for this technology. Hopefully the technology will advance to the point that it is economically competitive. For now, I do not recommend or sell the product, and I am not aware of any major local solar installer that does.

A system of valves and actuators control solar pool heat and a heat pump for a pool/spa combination.

Many thousands of heat pumps are installed in Florida, the result of aggressive advertising campaigns and irresponsible claims by manufacturers about how efficient heat pumps are. The fact of the matter is that heat pumps cost an arm-and-a-leg to operate. Heat pumps are important when the desired temperature is critical to attain and maintain at all times. For example, hotels, condos, and individuals with medical hydrotherapy needs often require a constant and elevated pool temperature. In these cases, the holy grail is a solar pool heater in conjunction with a heat pump.

Because gas prices are relatively high in Florida, the only reasonable application for a gas heater is in situations where raising the pool temperature quickly is required or where swimming is anticipated during cold ambient temperatures. Long-term constant heating with gas heaters is outrageously expensive.

If you choose to have a heat pump or gas heater, or you already have one installed, integrating solar pool heat is easy. An automatic controller can set the solar pool heater as the primary heat source and revert to auxiliary heating. In most cases, a solar pool heater is installed, and the auxiliary heater is only operated on-demand by the homeowner manually switching on the heater. This can be as easy as pushing a button on a controller or even using a remote control to switch on the auxiliary heater.

SunTouch Controller

The AquaLink RS, Aqua Logic, and other high-end pool controllers are very capable at controlling multiple heat sources. If you already have a pool automation system, it is likely that solar pool heat and a heat pump can already be controlled from it. If not, I have been recommending the affordable Pentair SunTouch with the optional Quicktouch II Remote. Once programmed, operating the pool equipment is as simple as pressing buttons on a remote. It can work with any combination of heat sources and can even control your spa and a variable speed pump. In some cases, pool lighting and landscape lighting control can also be integrated.

Fafco Solar installed a solar pool heat system this week at a home that already had a heat pump. Adding a SunTouch controller allowed the homeowner to optimize the operation of their solar pool heater, while providing the option of supplemental heat at the press of a button if desired. This time of year, solar pool heating alone typically gets a covered pool to around 85 degrees. The grandkids were coming in town this week, and he wanted the pool to be 88 degrees. The controller allows the pool to be heated by solar if possible, then switches on the heat pump to get the last couple of degrees needed at a reasonable operating cost.