News In Numbers: In Sunny San Diego, Few Install Solar Hot Water

By By Ingrid Lobet, KPBS

Nearly 40 years after California began offering inducements to people to heat their shower water using the sun, Brad Heavner of the California Solar Energy Industries Associationstill has to remind them the technology even exists.

When most people think about solar energy, they think about solar photovoltaic panels that make electricity. “But there’s also solar water heating systems that are very effective at using energy from the sun,” Heavner said.

Panels that heat water are not sparkle blue. Instead, they are often a dull black inside. It’s all about absorption. And they are larger than panels for electricity. 

This map shows just how few San Diego County residents are opting to install the systems, even if they are cheaper than solar electricity.

A data set obtained from the state shows fewer than 500 solar hot water systems installed since 2010. The systems vary, but here is one scenario for how they work on a single-family house:

Say you have a gas water heater. A contractor will install one or two water heating panels on the roof, plus an 80-gallon tank next to your water heater. Now the sun will preheat the water on the roof before it flows into your existing water heater. That means the gas doesn’t turn on nearly as often.

Chris Wilder is president of Solar Services of San Diego Inc., which the data indicates has installed more residential systems locally than any other company in the past six years. He said the average total cost for a house installation is $6,000 to $8,000. California rebates $1,500 to $3,000 on the cost of each system. Wilder said his own summer gas bill dropped to $5 to $12 a month when he installed his.

If instead of gas you have an electric hot water heater, the solar setup can be simpler. Your existing water heater is removed altogether, and a tank of solar hot water, assisted by an electric coil, is installed on the roof. Currently there are no rebates for people with that sort of system, so homeowners pay full cost.

Cost is no doubt one deterrent hurting sales, but Wilder, like Heavner, said many people are just unaware of the possibility. “There are more people marketing solar electricity than marketing solar hot water,” he said.

Many of the solar hot water installations in San Diego County sit on apartment buildings and condos. The data show Adroit Energy Inc. did the largest number of those installations. People may be more familiar with solar pool heating. The data set shows California Solar Thermal Inc. was the most prolific installer of those.

The state data comes from the California Solar Initiative. Building owners who installed systems but didn’t request a rebate might not show up in the data. Heavner, however, said he thinks most owners do pursue the rebate.

Source: http://www.kpbs.org/news/2016/may/02/news-numbers-sunny-san-diego-few-install-solar-hot/

KYOCERA Recognized as “Top Performer” in 2016 PV Solar Module Reliability Scorecard

Only solar manufacturer to be named as a “Top Performer” across all tests in both editions of the Scorecard

Kyoto, Japan – Kyocera has been recognized as a “top performer” across all test categories for its solar modules by DNV GL (formerly PV Evolution Labs), an international provider of independent expert advisory and certification services, in its 2016 PV Module Reliability Scorecardreleased this month in collaboration with GTM Research. 

Amid the dramatic increase in both business and residential solar installations over the past five years, DNV GL created its third-party Scorecard to provide insights into the expected reliability of various brands of solar modules by subjecting them to unparalleled technical comparisons. Kyocera is the only manufacturer to appear as a “top performer” in all categories of both the 2014 and 2016 PV Module Reliability Scorecards, the only two published to date.

The five test categories in the 2016 Scorecard cover each of the major sources of performance degradation over the lifespan of a solar module — repeated Thermal Cycling, Dynamic Mechanical Load stress, Humidity-Freeze conditions, Damp Heat exposure, and Potential-Induced Degradation. The number of manufacturers participating in each testing category ranged between 17 and 22. 

With the recent solar boom, 85% of the world’s total installed solar capacity has been in the field for less than five years, according to GTM Research. This makes assessing long-term performance and reliability difficult for users. Additionally, the influx of new industry players means that many of today’s producers have been manufacturing solar panels for fewer than 10 years, even those offering 25-year warranties. These factors underscore the need for an independent, third-party source of performance and reliability data. 

“Kyocera is one of the only companies in the world with more than 40 years of experience in researching, developing and manufacturing solar modules,” said Hitoshi Atari, President of Kyocera Solar Inc. “The industry-leading reliability of Kyocera modules is documented not only by third-party testing, but by the real-world performance of Kyocera modules operating in the field continuously for decades.”

DNV GL specifically designed its tests to surpass traditional methodologies represented by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61215 and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 1703 tests. While the IEC tests provide a minimum baseline assessment and the UL tests address product safety, DNV GL’s Scorecard incorporates other stringent protocols to replicate real-world operating conditions over time, while measuring the relative degradation in power output among the various brands of solar modules.

“Solar continues to grow in popularity, but it’s crucial to select equipment that performs successfully over the long term,” said Jenya Meydbray, Vice President of Strategy and Development at DNV GL. “Developing an understanding of how modules perform as they age in the field will highlight technology risks and enable the implementation of an effective procurement quality assurance strategy.”

Kyocera PV modules have demonstrated outstanding reliability by other metrics as well:

• 2014: Kyocera PV modules pass TUV Rheinland’s rigorous Salt Mist Corrosion Tests. 
• 2012:  Kyocera modules are certified PID (Potential Induced Degradation) resistant, exhibiting no performance degradation after high-voltage stress testing by the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics.
• 2010: Kyocera modules are first in the world to be certified by TUV Rheinland’s Long-Term Sequential Test.

To learn more about Kyocera Solar solutions for both residential and commercial projects, please contact infosolar@kyocera.com or 800-223-9580.

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About KYOCERA
Kyocera is among the world’s leading producers of photovoltaic modules and systems, with a 41-year history of innovation in solar technology. The company is recognized as an industry pioneer with repeated world records in multicrystalline silicon cell efficiency.

Kyocera Solar, Inc. is headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., with regional sales affiliates in the Americas and solar module manufacturing facilities operated by Kyocera Mexicana, S.A. de C.V. of Tijuana, Mexico.

Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO) (TOKYO:6971), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of advanced ceramics. The company specializes in combining these engineered materials with other technologies to create solar power generating systems, printers, copiers, mobile phones, electronic components, semiconductor packages, cutting tools and industrial components. During the year ended March 31, 2015, Kyocera’s net sales totaled 1.53 trillion yen (approx. USD12.7 billion). Kyocera appears on the latest listing of the “Top 100 Global Innovators” by Thomson Reuters, and is ranked #552 on Forbes magazine’s 2015 “Global 2000” listing of the world’s largest publicly traded companies.

Net Metering Equal Access Bill 2339 Passes California Committee

By Glenn Meyers, Planetsave

Regardless of location, California state customers are soon expected to have more net metering equal access for rooftop solar.

Assembly bill 2339 has passed the State Assembly Utilities & Commerce Committee by a 10-2 vote and now awaits final ratification from the Assembly floor.  Essentially, this measure aims to even out the net metering policies across areas which are being serviced by investor-owned utilities and municipal utilities alike.

Prior to this legislative update, solar access in California was based on location and what particular utility was involved.

This bill aims to make rooftop solar systems equally available in all utilities across the state regardless of location. The bill aims to use consistent methodology to calculate caps on net metering in municipal utility territories and to calculate caps by the investor-owned utilities, to create a unified standard.

“At its core, this is a consumer protection bill,” said Assembly member Jacqui Irwin, the bill’s author. “Everyone in California should have equal access to solar energy regardless of what city they live in.” The bill was co-authored by Evan Low.

Under AB 2339, some 40 municipal utility-served districts will be able to offer net metering under far more favorable rules. The bill is regarded as a significant continuation to solar progress in the state. In January, the California Public Utilities Commission voted to protect net metering for consumers living in investor-owned utility territories around central, coastal and southern California.

In a statement, Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CalSEIA), said, “Protecting net metering for all consumers is key to tapping into California’s abundant and clean solar energy, creating jobs, and saving consumers money.”

Source: http://planetsave.com/2016/04/15/net-metering-equal-access-bill-2339-passes-california-committee/

Solar Thermal Legislation Advances In California

By SI Staff, Solar Industry Magazine

In a 10-2 vote on Wednesday, the California Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee passed A.B.2460, a bill that would expand consumer incentives for rooftop solar thermal technologies.

“I am pleased the committee took the important step of moving this bill forward,” says Assembly member Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks, author of the bill. “Using California’s abundant sunshine to do something as simple as heating water is sensible for our state and a key way to diversify our energy resources, protect public health and clean up our air.”

According to the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA), the bill would extend California Solar Initiative Thermal program funding for 10 years through 2027, providing certainty to the growing solar water heating market. Under the program, consumers would get an upfront rebate as well as be eligible for the 30% federal tax credit. A typical residential solar hot water system costs around $6,000 before rebates.

The bill would also target significant resources for solar thermal on low-income housing and buildings in disadvantaged communities. CALSEIA says demand for solar water heating in low-income multifamily housing buildings is high, accounting for nearly half of the applications in 2015. A.B.2460 would also ensure that the maximum rebate cap works for industrial customers, the group adds.

According to CALSEIA, the bill is part of a response to the massive natural gas leak at California’s Aliso Canyon and efforts to reduce natural gas use statewide, meet greenhouse-gas reduction goals and improve grid reliability. The organization says that solar thermal technologies can reduce natural gas demand within a building by up to 80%.

“To meet our statewide climate change goals and address the challenges posed by Aliso Canyon, we need consistent consumer access to the sun,” comments Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the CALSEIA. “We thank Assembly member Irwin for her leadership on this important issue.”

Source: http://solarindustrymag.com/solar-thermal-legislation-advances-in-california