Solar Southwest Florida

SunPower is just getting ready to ship the first E20 series panels to dealers in about a week. There is a lot of hype around the most efficient and best performing solar module in the industry for residential and commercial applications. The new E20 Series modules are currently rated at 327W and boast a 20.1% efficiency, an improvement from the 19& efficient E19 series.

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

SunPower E20 327W Photovoltaic Module 3D Drawing

It’s pretty obvious that longer days and the sun higher in the sky would make solar energy production better. Did you know that March typically shows the best improvement over the previous month in Southwest Florida?

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!

For those of you who don’t know, the largest utility in Southwest Florida, FPL, is giving away money – lots of money! If you ever had an interest in solar panels, NOW is the time to act. There is money available for solar electric systems and solar water heating systems, and combined with record low prices on solar panels, this is an amazing opportunity. The program is a huge success, but I want to talk about how FPL can improve the Solar Rebate Program, especially the rebate for solar electric panels.

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!

I was just notified that some solar photovoltaic (electric) panels were stolen from a doctor’s office in Naples, FL yesterday. NBC 2 News asked me to comment on the story. Although we did not install the panels, I appeared on the evening news giving my take on stolen solar panels.

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!

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.

My colleagues will tell you that I am rarely wrong, and my wife will tell you that I rarely admit to being wrong. Well, here it goes. I was wrong!

A while back I wrote that all that matters for making a solar electric purchase decision is dollars per watt. I recently attended a Sunpower sales meeting. Fafco Solar is becoming a Sunpower authorized dealer through Abacus Energy Partners. I was very surprised and excited about what I learned. Sunpower offers some unique technologies that make the total output of its solar modules greater over their lifetime then competitive technologies. Sun power modules result in lower degradation over time and produce more kilowatt hours then competitive modules.

Although sun power modules cost more than lower-priced competitors the increase in total lifetime energy output makes up for the increase in power/energy.

What really matters is dollars per kilowatt-hour not dollars per watt.

My previous article was somewhat accurate, in that dollars per watt is all that matters in a class of module where deficiencies are generally the same and manufacturing methods are similar. In the case of similar solar module manufacturing technologies, dollars per watt is in fact a good indicator of what you should purchase because generally speaking all module manufacturers use a similar process, similar materials, and have similar energy densities per unit of area.

I was pleasantly surprised that the premium for the Sunpower brand is only around 20% in today’s retail solar market. Between the extra energy produced over the lifetime of a Sunpower panel and the peace of mind gained by having a superior product, I can now recommend this brand despite the higher dollar per watt price of the PV module.

Take a look at these videos from Sunpower that demonstrate the Sunpower Advantage. Once you see the quality and technology that goes into this manufacturer’s products you will understand the rationale for the premium price.

NOTE: See UPDATE at the bottom of this post.

Southwest Florida is starting to see all Lamar Advertising’s Billboards getting solar panel upgrades. My frustration level with this project is quite high already, first because I believe it was ill-conceived greenwashing, but also because it was poorly implemented. Here is a picture of a billboard in Fort Myers (which thankfully does not host Fafco Solar’s advertisement). Can you spot anything wrong?

Lamar Advertising Solar Billboard in Fort Myers on US41

Lamar used cookie-cutter prefabricated steel racks on their billboards. It would have been far more efficient to install all of these 12 solar panels on a single rack system, purpose-built for the billboard. But that is not the main problem here.

This system was installed by an electrician, whose name I will not mention. Electricians are authorized by Florida Statute to install solar electric systems. That does not make them experts, and here is a prime example. Still looking for the reason that this was done wrong?

A rack mounted solar array at optimal tilt and orientation has all solar panels facing the same direction.

There is only one ideal tilt angle and compass orientation for grid-connected solar photovoltaic systems in Southwest Florida. This tilt angle and orientation will harness the maximum amount of solar energy over the course of a year. Unless there are other cost, aesthetic, or technical reasons for an alternate orientation, solar panels should always be installed in manner that maximizes solar output. All six of the solar arrays are installed with different tilt angles and different compass directions. Although they are generally pointing south, and at a reasonable tilt angle, there is no physical constraint that would cause someone to design the system this way. Plus, it looks terrible.

The optimum tilt and orientation for solar modules can be found using publicly available resources that use a long history of local weather and solar radiation. It’s no secret where to find this information. The National Renewable Energy Labs is the preeminent source used in the U.S. to help solar installers maximize performance under given circumstances.

I would love to give Lamar and the installer the benefit of the doubt, thinking that this would be a test system to see what orientation works out best. After all, each of the six arrays features it’s own microinverter (the now obsolete Enphase D380). It would be easy to monitor each array to determine which produces the most energy over time. However, I can’t imagine this was the intention. I believe it is just a sloppy installation, bordering on complete incompetence.

The lesson: hire a solar professional, preferably someone local.

UPDATE February 29, 2012:

I have been having a lively discussion with Lamar’s Director of Sustainability and Product Research both in the comments below and by email. I am happy to report that the solar panels were askew in the picture above at the time of an upgrade to a digital billboard. It certainly makes sense that more solar capacity is present on this billboard than others, as the electrical draw will by significantly greater. I’m not sure how “sustainable” it is to use an electronic billboard, but it does look great and at least it is powered in part by solar energy.

It’s clear to me now that Lamar does take this project very seriously. After all, just having a Director of Sustainability shows significant commitment. We have a legitimate and passionate disagreement about how the money was spent on this project, and that’s fine with me. My position is borne out of financial reason. His position is that I am being short-sighted.

To be clear, I acknowledge that Lamar is vigorously and sincerely trying to encourage people to use solar energy, and that they are dedicated to a prominent sustainability program. I also appreciate the Director of Sustainability’s passion in defending the program.

There’s no perfect way to spend money to encourage people to “go solar.” Case in point is FPL’s $15.5M per year funding of its solar rebate program. Of this money, $5.6M was allocated to residential solar electric projects in the first round of financing for 2011, resulting in 2.8 megawatts of solar electric capacity (estimated based on the $2/w rebate amount). That’s a much better bang-for-the-buck than Lamar got with it’s spending to encourage solar energy. By the way – the funds for the rebate were exhausted in about 15 minutes after the rebate windows was opened. But, there have been negative consequences of the program. Primarily, the funding strategy limits the number of  ”lucky winners” in a very short window and discourages adoption of solar energy by those that cannot access a rebate because of the perception that solar energy needs rebates to be viable.

I have to ask – how much solar capacity has been installed in Florida as a result of the $2.5M of Federal grant money and $10.0M investment made by Lamar? Unfortunately, unlike the FPL rebate program, Lamar’s advertising campaign does not have people banging down the doors of solar dealers in Florida. I should probably be saying “thank you” for the free advertising, but I still contend that it’s solar done wrong.

One of our solar installers, Cory, took these great pictures of a Solar PV (Electric) System that Fafco Solar is installing in Fort Myers. on a new home in Town & River. This is a super looking system using Canadian Solar CS6P-235P solar modules at 235W each, Enphase microinverters, Unirac mounting system, and non-penetrating S-5! clamps on a standing seam metal roof.

This customer will enjoy the best product installed by the best company installing solar energy products in Fort Myers. Call Fafco Solar for your solar energy needs today!

A couple of years ago we had a thriving Florida state incentive program that paid $4 per watt to buyers of solar electric systems in the form of a rebate. At the time, that covered between 40% and 50% of the cost to install solar electric for your home or business. Two things happened with the rebate program: the incentive was shut down due to lack of funding/desire by legislators to spend taxpayer money, and the existing rebate applicants were hung out to dry, many collecting only 52 cents on the dollar. That was the end of state rebates for Florida property owners.

So why should you buy solar electric now in Florida without a state rebate?

Fast forward two years to the beginning of 2012. The bottom dropped out of the Photovoltaic panel market, with wholesale prices dropping by over 75%. This resulted in almost a $4 per watt decrease in wholesale price for a big part of the cost to install solar electric. Other fixed and variable costs remained the same or decreased slightly. Today, solar electric systems are sold for almost $4 less at the retail level.

In short, if you were lucky enough to get the state rebate, you would have paid about the same two years ago with a state rebate as you will pay today without a state rebate. If you had purchased two years ago and not received all of your rebate money like thousands of Floridians, you would be better off buying today to the tune of $2 per watt. That’s about $10,000 on a typical household system!

The point is that now there is no risk of failed rebate programs and legislative nonsense. Prices today are lower at regular retail rates, and you are no worse off than someone who purchased a couple of years ago with a promise of a fat rebate from the State of Florida that never came through.

So the next time someone asks me, “what incentives are available,” I can respond that they are no longer necessary to make solar energy economically viable!

What does the Acronym PV stand for?

PV = Photovoltaic

a.k.a Solar Electric Panel, Solar Photovoltaic Panel

PV is the term used in the solar industry to shorten the tongue-twisting word Photovoltaic, which describes a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect (Photovoltaics, 2012). The photovoltaic effect is how electricity (voltage and current) is generated from light. The term is often used in the context of PV Panels, PV Modules, or PV Systems.

PV Panels

References

“Photovoltaics.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 12 Jan 2012. Web. 22 Jan 2012.

Fafco Solar has installed lots of Canadian Solar photovoltaic modules, and now the company is improving its already great warranty. New solar panel buyers will get a 10 year workmanship warranty (up from 6) and a 25 year linear power guarantee.

Many module manufacturers offer a 10 year 80% power output guarantee and 25 year 90% guarantee. Canadian Solar was on par with this standard, but the linear warranty guarantees that you will now have at least 97% of rated output after one year, with only 0.7% degradation each year after that. This is a great upgrade that more and more companies are offering as the reliability of photovoltaic modules is proven in the field.

Canadian Solar takes the warranty one step further and has purchased insurance from an AM Best rated insurer to guarantee that the warranty will remain in place even if the company does not.

Since Canadian Solar is currently right in the sweet spot for “dollars-per-watt” efficiency, this new warranty makes the brand a great buy at this time.

UPDATE: Paul Coughlin from groSolar sent me this Comparison of top module manufacturer warranties. It highlights Canadian Solar’s pioneering insurance coverage.

http://www.solarsouthwestflorida.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/PV-Module-Warranty-and-Warranty-Insurance-Comparisons-White-Paper-Sept.-2011.pdf

In my previous post about plug-and-play solar panels, I discussed the realities of this technology in terms of current product offerings. The US Department of Energy just released a request for information from parties interested in developing plug-an-play technology.

The US government is about to spend up to $30M of taxpayer money to partially fund development to make this technology viable under the “SunShot Initiative.” The idea is to make solar electricity economically viable without incentives and make installation as easy as plugging in a TV. In other words, they want to put solar electric contractors out of business.

That last comment was a bit facetious, but it would have that effect. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on what side of the fence you are standing, I don’t see it happening. Solar electricity is no less dangerous than electricity from the utility company. In fact, it’s more dangerous to handle in some ways. The concept of an appliance that simply plugs in is very nice in theory, but in practice is much more complicated.

When household generator backup became more popular in Florida over the last few decades, there were many fires and deaths attributed to people trying to connect the generator output to their home using an electrical outlet. Similarly, connecting a generator to your circuit breaker panel is extremely dangerous without a proper transfer switch to protect both the household wiring and utility line workers that are repairing systems during an outage. The difficulties with the plug-and-play solar panel concept are similar in many ways, with the added complexity of physical mounting of panels on a roof or ground rack.

In any case, a licensed electrical contractor is going to be required to make a home ready for any future plug-and-play technology that is developed. The physics involved with a standard electrical outlet will not allow safe operation of parallel sources of power on existing wiring systems. It’s like trying to fit four lanes of traffic on a two lane highway. It’s not going to work – at least not safely!

The SunShot Initiative seeks to remove some of these barriers through new product design, standardized connectors, utility and building department cooperation, and building/electric code changes. Regardless of what innovations come out of this project, don’t expect solar panels to be available at your local retailer that you can take home and plug in without some sort of major upgrade to your existing electrical distribution system.

Hopefully there will be significant cost reducing technologies that come out of this initiative. We very well may be able to reach solar cost parity with the utility in the next decade, with or without this project, and without turning every homeowner into a solar installer.

The full text of the RFI can be found here:

DE-FOA-0000634: Plug and Play Technologies and Systems Request for Information (RFI)

Fafco Solar’s Naples Botanical Garden Photovoltaic System was chosen as the Array of the Week by Enphase Energy, manufacturer of the Enphase microinverter. Information on this accolade can be found at this link:

http://community.enphaseenergy.com/enphase_energy_community/topics/array_of_the_week_fafco_solar

I am proud to have been Project Manager on this job, which was completed on budget and ahead of schedule. Our team of professional solar installers did amazing work on this great looking solar energy system.

Installed at Florida Gulf Coast University owned Naples Botanical Garden, this system will put a nice dent into the facility’s operating costs. It was eligible for an FPL utility rebate, further reducing the installed cost.

Enphase Microinverter at Naples Botanical Garden

This is a picture of a house in Cape Coral that has long been used as a showpiece for Fafco Solar. It’s a solar photovoltaic (PV) job that was done before my time with the company, but I am very proud of it, nonetheless. Until now we didn’t have any great photos of this home because it is right along the Caloosahatchee River. This weekend I was on a boat and had the opportunity to get some great pictures.

This home is seen by thousands of people every day as they travel west over the Cape Coral Bridge into Cape Coral from Fort Myers. If you’ve every wondered about it, your curiosity is about to be satisfied!

Cape Coral PV System Seen from the Caloosahatchee River

This system contains 30 Evergreen 195 watt solar modules for a total system rating of 5.85kW. It converts sunlight to AC power using a SMA Sunny Boy 6000 inverter. The system is oriented toward the southeast with a roof pitch of 30 degrees. At this orientation, the system can be expected to produce over 8 megawatt-hours of electricity per year, or nearly 1/3 of a gigawatt-hour over its lifetime!

If you are coming over the Cape Coral bridge into Cape Coral, take a look to your right as you come down the bridge. If you catch this in the early morning, the sun’s reflection off the panels can be spectacular, especially in the spring and fall.

The 11kW ground rack solar electric project in Alva, FL is moving along well. Here are a couple pictures of the progress. The Canadian Solar CS6P-230P black frame modules are really nice looking.

The 61' wide array measures about 8' tall at the top of the modules.

The 6' ladder in the foreground puts the size into perspective.

There is just one or two more days of work left to get the system interconnected to the existing electrical service at the property. Fafco Solar‘s guys are working real hard, but having a good time working on solid ground for a change. It’s a nice change from the more typical roof mounted systems.

See my previous post on this project here.