North Carolina Among Leaders in Solar Energy Production

By Evan Matsumoto, HickoryRecord.com

HICKORY — Here comes the sun.

Once it arrives, that sunlight will be converted from photons to voltage, via photovoltaic panels baking in neat rows throughout the Catawba County countryside. Those solar-paneled fields have the capacity to power thousands of homes.

The county’s newest solar addition will come sometime in the next five years after Claremont City Council approved Monday night an agreement with Apple Inc. to start work on a new 100-acre, 17.5 megawatt farm. Apple, the California-based tech behemoth, already owns two other farms in the county. A solar array at the Sigmon Catawba Farm. Photo: Robert C. Reed

But the trio of Apple farms adds to the already waxing solar industry cooking across Catawba County and the state.

Strata Solar powered up its newest farm in early June. The 6.4 megawatt farm was built on the Sigmon Catawba Farm in Newton. Like Apple, the June ribbon-cutting marked the Chapel Hill provider’s third solar farm in the county.

North Carolina law entices massive companies like Apple, and smaller ones likes Strata, to build solar farms in the state because it excludes certain property from the tax base. In the case of solar energy, the government eliminates 80 percent of the taxable appraised value of the systems.

Chris Gaither, a spokesman for Apple, said in a phone interview Tuesday the company doesn’t disclose site decisions, so he couldn’t comment on the exact reasons for the location. But he did offer the addition of the Claremont solar farm was because of the company’s big data center in Maiden.

The Carolinas’ biggest utility is also getting into the renewable energy game. A Green Source Rider filed by Duke Energy allows big energy users, like data centers, to offset all or a portion of their energy consumption with renewable power, which helps Apple toward its goal of being powered entirely by renewable energy.

But it’s not purely environmental sustainability concerns driving the Duke program.

Greenpeace, an independent environmental organization, wrote in a 2014 report the Duke program is “geared to prevent losing additional business to increased solar investments from customers like Apple.” The report said the Duke program was also pushed by Facebook and Google, owners of their own data centers in N.C.

Gary Cook, a senior IT analyst with Greenpeace, said Duke is actually slowing down the solar market in the state, but companies like Apple have found ways to move toward a 100 percent renewable energy model anyway.

“For companies who are aggressive about it – and Apple is definitely one of them – they have been taking advantage of the solar resource in North Carolina,” Cook said.

Regardless of motive, the state is emerging as one of the top producers of solar energy in the country through public and private work.

The Solar Energy Industries Association ranks North Carolina third in the country based on solar capacity installed in 2013. California and Arizona outranked the Tar Heel State, but the SEIA noted N.C. added enough capacity to power more than 31,000 homes — 335.4 megawatts — though most of that power is used in the commercial sector.

Cook said the future of solar in North Carolina will be a push into residential areas. He said third-party companies could lease solar panels to residents to help offset their bills from Duke and at the same time use a cleaner source of electricity. Efforts like Solarize Charlotte are already aiming to lead cleaner and cheaper electricity to select communities around the city.

“Solar is ready for prime time in North Carolina,” Cook said.

Reprinted with permission

Government Report Forecasts Big Gains for U.S. Solar

By Solar Industry

The Solar Industries Association (SEIA) says a new U.S. federal study forecasts that solar energy will play a big role in the coming years. Citing a report from the U.S. Energy (EIA), SEIA notes that the government agency predicts most new electric generation agency predicts most new electric generation capacity in the U.S. through 2040 will come from natural gas and renewable energy. Of the 832 GW of renewable capacity additions being forecast, nearly half is expected to come from solar photovoltaic systems.

“Solar is fastest-growing source of renewable energy today – and, as this report bears out, it will continue to be for years and years to come,” says Rhone Resch, president and CEO of SEIA. “The continued, rapid deployment of solar nationwide will create thousands of new American jobs, pump hundreds of billions of dollars into the U.S. economy and help to significantly reduce pollution. Just as importantly, it will also provide Americans with the freedom to decide how to power their homes, businesses, schools and government facilities in the future. “This report predicts that 60 percent of all new PV installation in the years ahead will be rooftop solar, creating significant savings when it comes to future energy costs,” continue Resch. “But this progress could be jeopardized if smart public policies, such as the solar investment tax credit (ITC), net energy metering and renewable portfolio standards, come under renewed attack by entrenched fossil fuel interests.

“Of immediate concern, we are strongly urging Congress to adopt ‘commence construction’ language this year, allowing project developers to take full advantage of the highly-successful solar ITC and giving Americans access to new, affordable clean energy sources.”

Top Five Job Sectors to Benefit from EPA's Proposed Clean Power Plan

By Camille H. Davis, Solar Industry

On June 2, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of President Obama's Climate Action Plan, proposed an initial set of rules to cut carbon dioxide emissions from existing coal plants by as much as 30 percent by 2030. Because the proposal is state specific, each state can decide how it will go about reaching the requirements. States should not have to choose between a strong economy and healthy environment, and provided they come up with a successful mix, there is no reason why they will ever need to make that decision.

The most discussed issue seems to be the feared job loss that would occur as a result of the implementation of this rule. However, in growing industries such as solar technology and biofuel, jobs are available for those with the necessary training and certification.

It looks as if a sustainable workforce boom is on the horizon.

CleanEdison was founded with the intention of providing education and training for a growing renewable workforce. Here are the top five job sectors that we expect to benefit the most from the EPA's proposed plan:

1. Construction
The EPA projects natural gas to account for 32 percent of U.S. power by 2030. The construction sector could gain a total of 62,500 jobs from the construction of new natural gas plants alone. This is without counting the hundreds of thousands of construction jobs that will be required to upgrade our electric grid and build new transmission lines.

2. Manufacturing
In 2011, the solar industry employed over 100,000 workers, with an expected growth rate of 27,000 net new solar manufacturing jobs the next year, and this was before the EPA proposed the carbon cut rule.

While solar manufacturing has taken a hit as production of photovoltaic components moved offshore, increasing demand and new technologies hold out the promise of bringing some of these jobs back. Moreover, the EPA rules may also spur manufacturing job creation in other cleantech sectors as well, including the following:

• Wind power: Domestically manufactured equipment used in wind turbines 70 percent in 2011, with 560 factories directly employing 75,000 full-time employees. This number can be expected to grow substantially;
• Hydroelectricity: If the U.S. utilized just 6 percent to 15 percent of its untapped hydropower resources, the total number of jobs required to meet that target could generate as many as 700,000 jobs; and
• Geothermal: According to the U.S. Department of Energy, geothermal systems are the most efficient of all heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems. Geothermal energy provides more jobs on a per-megawatt basis than natural gas. Approximately 248.7 million acres of public lands in the western U.S. are areas of identified geothermal potential, and a single geothermal plant generates about 860 jobs.

3. Solar installation and sales
Solar energy is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the nation. Sales and distribution employed about 23,910 people in 2012, and installation employed 65,571 people. With respective growth rates of 22 percent and 35 percent, that's an additional 5,260 and 22,950 jobs.

As the solar sector continues to grow, a steadily growing supply of qualified installers will be needed to support the build-out.

4. Workforce training providers
People need to be trained on how to make, install and maintain a solar panel or build green buildings. This educational workforce can expect to grow in parallel with the demand for a sustainable, qualified workforce.

5. Engineering
Every renewable project will necessitate a variety of engineers and technical specialists in a wide array of fields: electrical, civil, information technology, systems management, waste management, simulation modeling, operations, structural, energy analysis. The list goes on. These engineers and certified specialists will all need to design specific solutions for the wave of new clients that will be generated by the EPA's clean power plan.

As conventional energy sources become more costly in both economic and environmental terms, the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries are accelerating. In particular, things are looking up for the solar energy industry, which means less dependence on fossil fuels, a greener environment and more jobs.

Although many of these jobs require specific technical skills, harnessing the opportunity in this booming industry is not as intimidating as it may seem.

Camille H. Davis handles business development and public relations at CleanEdison, a New York-based provider of cleantech sector employment education.

D.C. Universities Strike Deal to Buy Solar from North Carolina

Three Washington, D.C. academic institutions have joined the ever-growing list of businesses going solar.

George Washington University, American University and the George Washington University Hospital will receive up to 52 MW of output from a trio of solar photovoltaic plants in North Carolina, which are being developed and managed by Duke Energy Renewables. The Capital Partners Solar Project includes three separate power purchase agreements (PPA) between Duke and the three academic institutions.

The three entities indicate that purchasing solar PV provides cost savings and emissions reductions while demonstrating environmental responsibilities. For instance, the 20-year agreement provides fixed pricing at a lower total price than current power alternatives. And as the prices of those alternatives likely increase, the savings will be even greater in the future.

“Thanks to this innovative partnership, George Washington University will now derive more than half of its electricity from solar energy,” according to Steve Knapp, university president. “This will greatly accelerate our progress toward the carbon neutrality target we had earlier set for 2025.”

Under the agreement, George Washington University will receive about 86.6 million kW, American University will get 30 million kW and George Washington University Hospital will receive about 6 million kW annually.

The 20-year deal will provide fixed pricing for solar energy for a lower price than the schools pay currently for power, due in part to its large scale. George Washington University spent about $13 million on electricity last year and American University, about $5 million.

Duke Energy Renewables President Greg Wolf said the first of three solar plants needed for the agreement; a 20 MW PV solar project in Pasquotank County, N.C.; will be finished at the end of this year.

The remaining 32 MW will also be built in North Carolina and will be configured to meet the terms of the PPA, Wolf said.

Duke currently owns 170 MW of generating capacity at 21 solar plants, 14 of which are located in North Carolina.

Solar power generated in North Carolina will move to the Washington, D.C. region’s electrical grid for the universities and an equivalent amount of conventional electricity will be withdrawn from that grid.

“There is a significant amount of solar being built in North Carolina, and we’re glad to be part of that,” said Wolf.

New Energy Maps Show 4 Cool Things about Renewables

By Bobby Magill, Climate Central

When the U.S. Energy Information Administration launched its new U.S. Energy Mapping System last fall and upgraded it for use on mobile devices in early June, it powered a system allowing anyone to visualize some of the reams of data the EIA compiles on all things energy-related in the country.

That mapping system has a lot to show about renewables — critical to reducing climate change-driving greenhouse gas emissions — and the spread of renewables development across the continent. Here are four cool things the new Energy Mapping System can show you about where renewable energy is being produced and where it has the potential to be generated in the future:

1. Wind Turbines Are Being Built In Places You May Not Expect

The wind farms in the U.S. and the wind power production potential of each state. The darker the shade of brown, the lower the wind potential. The light blue signifies higher wind potential and the dark blue signifies the highest wind potential. Credit: EIA

Texas, Colorado, Wyoming and Oklahoma have huge wind power potential, and giant wind farms, too. Large swathes of the East have very low wind power potential. But because Appalachian ridge tops see high sustained winds, the EIA’s maps show the pattern of wind farms that have been built throughout the Northeast in regions that otherwise have little wind power potential.

This is especially true in Pennsylvania, where wind farms sprawl along ridge tops in regions that, at first blush, look like there is little wind potential at all. But Pennsylvania generated 2.1 million megawatt hours of wind power in 2012, about as much as windy New Mexico, EIA data show.

New York, another Northeast state shown on the EIA map as having little wind potential, generated even more wind power than Pennsylvania in 2012. New York produced nearly 3 million megawatt hours of wind power in 2012, about half that of Colorado.

The maps also show large areas of the U.S. with high wind power potential going untapped, especially in South Dakota and along the Colorado Front Range near Denver. These areas are highlighted in bright blue on the map.

2. The Cloudier Northeast Has Its Share Of Solar Power

The solar power potential of the contiguous U.S. and the sites of most of the nation's solar power generating facilities. The darker the shade of brown, the greater the solar power production potential of an area. Credit: EIA

The EIA’s map shows that many solar power plants are where you’d expect them to be — in Arizona, Nevada and California where sunny skies are the defining feature of the climate there. But solar power plants are also spread throughout New Jersey, New York and New England, where the solar power potential is fairly low.

Sure, some of the nation’s largest solar power plants are in Arizona and California, but the map shows that, though the solar power plants in the Northeast are generally small, solar can be done there, too.

New Jersey, for example, produced about twice as much solar power in 2012 as sunny Colorado did and nearly a third more solar power in 2012 as Florida, where the solar power potential is significantly greater than anywhere in the Northeast. EIA data show that New Jersey produced 304,000 megawatt hours of solar power that year, while Florida produced 194,000 megawatt hours and Colorado produced 165,000.

3. Biomass Power Production Is All Over, But Mainly In The East And Midwest

The biomass power production potential and biomass power plants scattered across the Lower 48 states. The darker the shade of green, the greater the biomass power production potential. Biomass power plants can be anything from solid waste incinerators to landfills generating power from burning methane emissions. Credit: EIA

Biomass energy comes from many different sources, primarily the burning of wood and wood products and capturing and burning landfill gas and other waste gases. Nationally, more than 57 million megawatt hours of electricity were produced from biomass sources in 2012, with Florida and California producing the most biomass energy.

But the EIA maps show that most facilities producing biomass electricity are concentrated in the Northeast, Upper Midwest and South, especially around Miami, Chicago, Detroit and New York City. The power plants shown on the EIA map use a wide range of sources of fuel to produce electricity. For example, The Covanta Essex Company’s 60 megawatt Covanta Essex resource recovery plant in Essex County, N.J., produces electricity by burning more than 2,800 tons of municipal solid waste each day. An irrigation district in Turlock, Calif., burns methane produced from the treatment of wastewater to generate 1.2 megawatts of electricity.

4. The U.S. Has Great Geothermal Potential; Most Of It Is Untapped

The geothermal power production potential across the country and the sites of current geothermal power plants in the U.S. The darker the shade of brown, the higher the geothermal power production potential of the area. Credit: EIA

Nevada, California, Utah, New Mexico, western Colorado are all places with large geothermal resources (heat from places where molten rock comes relatively close to the earth’s surface). But nationwide, there are only a handful of geothermal power plants, which in 2012 produced about 15.5 million megawatt hours of electricity, mostly in California, where geothermal accounts for roughly 5 percent of the state’s power generation, according to EIA data.

Geothermal power generation has been slow, according to EIA data, mainly because of the cost and risk involved in building new geothermal power plants, which can take up to eight years longer to complete than wind and solar power generating facilities.

Reprinted with permission from Climate Central