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Friday, November 30, 2012

Arrow Furniture Hits the Mark with Cost-Cutting In-Store LED Lamps from GE Lighting, Saving $23,000 Annually

GE Press Release:


Arrow Furniture Hits the Mark with Cost-Cutting In-Store LED Lamps from GE Lighting, Saving $23,000 Annually

November 29, 2012
EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — November 29, 2012— (NYSE:GE) — With four fine furniture stores in Toronto and more than 40 years of experience, family owned Arrow Furniture is dedicated to shopping the world over to bring customers the best traditional and contemporary furnishings. To ensure that dining room sets, area rugs, office décor and accents for every room in the house are beautifully but economically lit, the retailer recently selected energy-efficient LED lamps from GE Lighting to replace halogen bulbs in its stores. After all four installations are finished early next year, Arrow will stand to save $23,000 annually as the result of using 232,000 fewer kilowatt hours (kWhs) of electricity to illuminate its locations.
“We looked at different types of energy-saving lighting including LED options for about three years,” said Israel Adud, operations manager for Arrow Furniture. “Many products were offered to us by many vendors, but none of the bulbs were sufficient to light the merchandise on the floor.
“Of course it’s great to save money, but if I can’t sell furniture, I don’t care how much less I’m paying.”
Toronto-based distributor Mercor Lighting introduced Adud to new LED retail lighting from GE Lighting. GE’s energy smart® LED Retail PAR38 lamp consumes just 17 watts of electricity compared to the 90 watts used by Arrow Furniture’s old halogen bulbs. More important, the lamps’ light output, color consistency and uniformity met Adud’s exacting standards for in-store illumination.
“After looking into GE’s vast LED repertoire we found the new Retail PAR38 lamp best served the requirements set out by Arrow Furniture,” explained Eric Tordjman of Mercor Lighting. “When sampling product at the store level, the crisp, white light emphasized the true color of merchandise better than competing lamps our customer had previously evaluated.”
With assistance from Mercor, Arrow Furniture has already retrofit 345 GE ecomagination℠ LED PAR38 lamps at one of its Greater Toronto Area (GTA) stores. Installations at a second same-size location, as well as two larger stores housing 550 fixtures each, are to be completed by spring 2013.
“Mercor came to us with a great solution,” Adud said. “The overall response has been very positive. The new LED lighting gave our store a fresh look that we’re excited to continue with at our other locations.”
Arrow Furniture’s smaller stores will each reduce their annual electricity use by 44,746 kWhs thanks to the new lighting, a nearly $4,500 savings based on 12 hours of operation a day and $.10 kWh rate. The company’s larger stores, meanwhile, will save approximately 71,000 kWhs and $7,100 each after retrofitting of all in-store lamps.
Totaling its four GTA locations, Arrow Furniture’s switch to energy-efficient LED lighting soon will yield a $23,000 annual cost benefit.
Mercor Lighting also helped qualify Arrow Furniture to receive a $20 return from the Canadian Lighting Rebate Office for every LED lamp installed. As part of its turnkey solution, Mercor applies rebate incentive programs from all power utility service providers across Canada (http://www.bchydrorebates.com/ for information).
“Including combined utility savings and rebates, the cost of our complete lighting update will be recouped in about two years,” noted Adud. “To provide our customers with a brighter shopping experience while spending less is a win-win proposition, certainly.”
For more information about the GE Lighting products used in this project, visit www.gelighting.com. To learn more about GE’s commitment to innovative solutions to today’s environmental challenges while driving economic growth, visit www.ecomagination.com.
About Arrow FurnitureWith a strong family heritage of hard work and honest value, Arrow Furniture is dedicated to delivering the best to its customers. Since 1969, the company’s commitment has been to make each customer's home look its best and now, Arrow Furniture is proud to celebrate more than 40 years of serving the Greater Toronto Area. Visit www.arrowfurniture.com to learn more.
About Mercor LightingMercor Lighting's reputation for service and cost competitiveness has made it Canada's leading independent supplier of lighting. Mercor supplies a wide range of fixtures, consumables and lighting design services. Learn more about project management consulting, energy-saving retrofits and effective retail-store lighting atwww.mercor-lighting.com.
About GE Lighting
GE Lighting invents with the vigor of its founder Thomas Edison to develop energy-efficient solutions that change the way people light their world in commercial, industrial, municipal and residential settings. The business about 15,000 people in more than 100 countries, and sells products under the Reveal® and Energy Smart® consumer brands, and Evolve™, GTx™, Immersion™, Infusion™, Lumination™ and Tetra®commercial brands, all trademarks of GE. General Electric (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter to build a world that works better. For more information, visit www.gelighting.com.
50 Years of LED Innovation
Oct. 9, 1962, GE scientist Dr. Nick Holonyak, Jr., invented the first practical visible-spectrum light-emitting diode (LED). In the 50 years since, GE has been on the forefront of LED innovation. The company has released inspired LED products for both residential and commercial settings, from the first ENERGY STAR®-qualified A19-shaped LED bulb to LED street lighting that illuminates cityscapes the world over.

GE’s Grid IQ™ ‘Solutions as a Service’ is Key Internet Technology Helping Utilities to Develop Modern Grid

GE Press Release:


GE’s Grid IQ™ ‘Solutions as a Service’ is Key Internet Technology Helping Utilities to Develop Modern Grid

November 29, 2012
  • Grid IQ™ “Solutions as a Service” to Create More Interconnected Businesses
  • Growing Use of Cloud-Based Computing Empowers Utilities to Modernize Infrastructure with Grid Data Management Tools
  • GE’s Subscription Service is Cost-Effective Option for Utilities to Modernize Grid Systems
ATLANTA — Nov. 29, 2012 — Highlighting the utility industry’s growing use of Internet-based data management tools to develop modern grid networks, GE (NYSE: GE) Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt today cited GE’s Grid IQ™ “Solutions as a Service” (SaaS) offering as one of nine industrial service technologies that are creating more modern, interconnected businesses in a 21st century economy, during an event held in San Francisco.

Grid IQ SaaS is a cloud-based grid management fee-for-service system aimed at meeting the operational technology needs of smaller and mid-market utilities that want to avoid the overhead expenses involved with developing their own smart grid management networks.

With the world’s electricity demand expected to increase by more than 70 percent by 2035, GE’s Grid IQ SaaS and other solutions are being deployed to help utilities around the world modernize their grid networks to more effectively meet their growing capacity, environmental and security needs.

In stressing the importance of Grid IQ SaaS as one of nine GE digital technologies that are helping to revolutionize vital industrial sectors, Immelt said, “The internet has changed the way we consume information and talk with each other, but now it can do more. By connecting intelligent machines to each other and ultimately to people and by combining software and big data analytics, we can push the boundaries of physical and material sciences to change the way the world works.”

Grid IQ SaaS allows utilities to monitor, manage and control their grid more intelligently. Using a cloud-computing services model, these capabilities can be deployed in 50 percent less time than traditional turnkey project models and 10 percent of the estimated implementation cost. This empowers utilities to embark upon grid modernization projects without worrying about the financial impact of ongoing IT operations.

Already, cities in Georgia are partnering with GE and utilities to utilize the Grid IQ SaaS tools to improve energy efficiency and to reduce cost.

“We are proud to offer this new service to our member communities as they pioneer the future of energy in Georgia. To offer the best service, we have teamed with GE — a trusted industry leader — to implement low-cost, effective solutions and to improve the use and delivery of energy to the cities’ customers,” said Keith Bass, CEO of Electric Cities of Georgia. “The City of Norcross is the first municipality in Georgia to take advantage of our Grid Modernization service, which provides a low-risk improvement of utility operations and ultimately benefits their customers.”

Grid modernization projects are capital intensive, but GE’s SaaS offering allows the utility to modernize its operations on an OPEX basis versus a CAPEX basis. This change can minimize the utilities’ initial project expenses, and smaller utilities and cooperatives supporting municipalities can expect benefits that could increase their net income. Grid IQ SaaS replaces the utilities’ IT infrastructure requirements with cloud-based computing and helps utilities manage risks associated with long-term technology investment decisions. SaaS transfers the investment need from the utility to GE by deploying a standard system.

“GE’s Grid IQ SaaS offers utilities a new method for monitoring, managing and controlling their grids more intelligently,” said Mike Carlson, general manager of smart grid solutions for GE’s Digital Energy business. “The menu of services available under our hosted SaaS server program offers utilities a cost-effective alternative for meeting their data management challenges.”

The SaaS technology combines the benefits of advanced metering infrastructure, outage management systems, interactive voice response, demand optimization systems and geospatial information systems into simple, hosted, subscription-based packages. Integrated services also offer utilities greater grid modernization capabilities by better managing electricity loads. Consumers benefit by engaging through a Web portal, allowing them to make smarter decisions and better manage their electricity, water and gas use.

GE’s Digital Energy business is a global leader in protection and control, communications, power sensing and power quality solutions. Its products and services increase the reliability of electrical power networks and critical equipment for utility, industrial and large commercial customers. From protecting and optimizing assets such as generators, transmission lines and motors, to ensuring secure wireless data transmission and providing uninterruptible power, GE’s Digital Energy business delivers industry-leading technologies to solve the unique challenges of each customer. For more information, visit http://www.gedigitalenergy.com.

About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

Follow GE Energy Management and the Digital Energy business on Twitter @GE_EnergyMgmt and@YourSmartGrid.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

54.5 MPG and Beyond: Fueling Energy-Efficient Vehicles


This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.

November 28, 2012

54.5 MPG and Beyond: Fueling Energy-Efficient Vehicles

For many, refueling their vehicle can be disappointing. It's the only activity where consumers watch the cost add up, dollar by dollar, quickly eating up disposable income. And much of that money goes right out the tail pipe—only 14-26% of the energy from fuel is used to move a vehicle down the road.
Fortunately, the Obama Administration's new national fuel economy standards for passenger vehicles will improve vehicle efficiency and save Americans money at the pump, all while reducing our dependence on foreign oil and growing the U.S. economy.
Finalized in August, the new standards build on the Obama Administration's first set of fuel economy increases—the first increase since 1985—that raised the average fuel economy of passenger vehicles to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. Under the new rules, cars and light-duty trucks built for model years 2017-2025 are expected to achieve industry-average fuel efficiency equivalents of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025—nearly double the efficiency of cars on the road today. For the complete story, see theEnergy Blog.

EV Charging Stations Take Off Across America


This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.

November 28, 2012

EV Charging Stations Take Off Across America

Three years ago, the Energy Department announced an unprecedented series of Transportation Electrification projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Since that time, we have seen an acceleration of the manufacturing and deployment of plug-in electric vehicles, batteries, and components in America. And because of advancements in technology and increased manufacturing, battery costs have shrunk by 50%. More recently, the Department launched the EV-Everywhere Grand Challenge, a national initiative to reduce the cost and increase the convenience of electric vehicles. Easy access to charging stations will be key to meeting these goals, and thanks to companies like ChargePoint, finding a charging station is getting more convenient than ever.
ChargePoint recently finished installing 4,600 U.S.-manufactured Level 2 charging stations in residential and commercial locations across the United States as part of its ChargePoint America Program, which was supported with a $15 million grant from the Energy Department and dollar-for-dollar matches by ChargePoint. Level 2 chargers typically add 10-20 miles to the range of the electric vehicle per hour of charging. The company also worked with vehicle manufacturers Chevrolet, Ford, BMW, and Nissan to provide home charging station hardware at no cost to their customers in exchange for collecting operational data from the charging station. For the complete story, see the Energy Blog.

Largest Texas Grid Operator Sets Wind Power Record


This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.

November 28, 2012

Largest Texas Grid Operator Sets Wind Power Record

Wind  turbines in a grassy field.
The major Texas grid operator reported a record for wind energy generation this month.
Credit: Todd Spink
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state's largest grid operator, set a new state record for wind energy production on November 10. Wind power output reached 8,521 megawatts (MW), representing nearly 26% of system load at the time, surpassing the previous instantaneous record by more than 150 MW. ERCOT manages the flow of electric power to 23 million Texas customers, totaling 85% of the state's electric load.
Nearly 7,000 MW of the new record included wind power from West Texas wind farms, followed by more than 1,100 MW from wind farms along the Texas coast. ERCOT has more than 10,000 MW of wind power capacity, with nearly 21,000 MW of additional wind generation under review for development. The completion of high-voltage transmission projects by the end of 2013 will improve ERCOT's ability to move wind power from West Texas to the metropolitan areas, where demand on the grid is highest. See the ERCOT press release.

U.N. Report: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Gap Widening


This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.

November 28, 2012

U.N. Report: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Gap Widening

Greenhouse gas emissions could rise to 58 gigatonnes (Gt) by 2020—far above the level that many scientists say is needed to keep the global temperature rise they predict to less than 2°C this century. A new study, The Emissions Gap Report 2012, says that if the world stays on a business-as-usual trajectory, more drastic and expensive cuts will be needed after 2020. The report, released on November 21, was coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the European Climate Foundation.
Previous scenario-based assessments have concluded that ambitious early action would keep the costs of meeting the two-degree target as low as possible. In such scenarios, emissions are projected to reach about 44 Gt or less in 2020 on average. However, emissions of warming gases like carbon dioxide are actually increasing each year worldwide. Total greenhouse gas emissions have risen from around 40 Gt in 2000 to an estimated 50.1 Gt in 2010. Delaying action also implies a greater risk of temperature rise exceeding two degrees, beyond which irreversible damage to the environment could occur, according to the report's authors.
The report noted that that bridging the emissions gap remains possible and efforts to do so should include increased energy efficiency in buildings, improved vehicle emissions standards, and continued growth of renewable energy. See the UNEP press release and the The Emissions Gap Report 2012 Web page.

Energy Department, NREL Launch Alternative Transportation Web Tools


This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.

November 28, 2012

Energy Department, NREL Launch Alternative Transportation Web Tools

The Energy Department and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently launched a new tool to help fleet managers choose from a wide variety of alternative fuels and energy efficiency strategies for reducing petroleum use, vehicle emissions, and operating costs. The Petroleum Reduction Planning Tool is an interactive Web application that allows fleet managers to evaluate the benefits associated with five alternative fuels—biodiesel, electricity, ethanol, natural gas, and propane—along with a variety of efficiency measures, such as idle reduction and fuel economy improvements. The tool is part of the redesigned Alternative Fuels Data Center, recognized as the go-to source for sustainable transportation decision makers. See the Alternative Fuels Data Center website.
Users of the Petroleum Reduction Planning Tool can also explore options for fleet improvements by creating "what-if" scenarios based on solid data. Once a user or fleet manager establishes a set of measurable objectives to meet desired goals, the user can save the plan, make adjustments as needed, or continue to investigate different scenarios. Easy-to-read charts and tables display annual reductions in emissions, petroleum use, and fuel costs. Additionally, each section of the tool links to educational resources that provide background information about each efficiency strategy and alternative fuel. See the NREL press release.

Energy Department Announces $10 Million for Solar Projects


This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.

November 28, 2012

Energy Department Announces $10 Million for Solar Projects

The Energy Department on November 19 announced a $10 million investment in 10 small business-led projects to speed solar energy innovation. The funding through the Department's SunShot Initiative will go to projects in Arizona, California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The projects will help reduce the total installed cost of solar energy systems and strengthen U.S. leadership in the solar energy industry.
The projects selected will advance a range of solutions, including improvements in photovoltaics, energy storage, balance of system hardware and power electronics, as well as streamlined connection to the power grid. For example, New Jersey-based Qado Energy is leading a project to commercialize a computing platform that reduces the costs of connecting to the utility grid, decreases wait times for connection, and lowers developer financing costs. And California-based QBotix is building an advanced robotic controller that can travel between solar trackers and automatically adjust them to follow the sun. The SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort to make solar energy cost-competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade. See theEnergy Department press release and the list of awardeesPDF.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Largest Wind Farm in Canada Commissioned in Québec

GE Press Release:


Largest Wind Farm in Canada Commissioned in Québec

November 28, 2012
  • Cartier’s Gros-Morne Wind Farm Powered by GE 1.5-77 Turbines
  • GE’s Local Content Fulfillment Critical to Project Success
  • Advanced Services Technology Bringing Clean Power to the Gaspésie Region
GASPÉ, QUÉBEC—November 28, 2012—Cartier Wind Energy announced the operation of its Gros-Morne Phase II wind project, powered by 74 GE (NYSE: GE) 1.5-77 wind turbines and located in the Gaspésie region of Québec. The amount of energy generated by the Gros-Morne wind farm can power approximately 20,000 homes in the province of Québec. Gros-Morne I and II combined is the largest wind farm in Canada with a total output of 211.5 megawatts (MW).

GE is supplying 593, 1.5-77 wind turbines and associated services for wind energy projects in Québec, including Gros-Morne. The projects were awarded as part of Hydro-Québec’s 2004 request for proposals (RFP) to supply the province with 1,000 MW of new wind power capacity by 2012. GE’s local supply chain manufacturing and supplier partners have been integral to the fulfillment of the province’s local content requirements.

Hydro-Québec has purchased the energy under a 20-year power purchase agreement. Cartier Wind Energy is a joint venture between TransCanada and Innergex.

“Cartier énergie éolienne wishes to acknowledge the exemplary work by the GE technicians in the success of the Gros-Morne-Sainte-Madeleine wind farm. You have played an important role in order to deliver the wind farm around 25 days before the date of the commissioning contract with Hydro-Québec. This result demonstrates your professionalism and your commitment," said Robert Guillemette, CEO of Cartier Wind Energy.

The Gros-Morne project includes a four-year GE operations and maintenance service contract with Cartier. GE has more than 50 wind technicians and engineers in Canada providing expertise on parts, maintenance, upgrades and long-term service contracts for a fleet of more than 1,400 units. The company’s regional wind services parts warehouse is located in Toronto for fast and reliable distribution throughout the country.

“We have proven our ability to execute major projects with local content requirements in Québec and are positioned for the upcoming 700-MW RFP expected to be launched in 2013,” said Guy Crepeau, region sales manager for GE’s renewable energy business in Canada. “We are committed to working with developers, including Cartier, as we continue to develop advanced technology to harness Canada’s abundant wind resources.”

Canada is among the world leaders in the production and use of renewable energy. The country’s installed wind base is set to nearly double by 2014, to an expected 10 gigawatts of capacity.

About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ge.com.

About GE Power & Water
GE Power & Water provides customers with a broad array of power generation, energy delivery and water process technologies to solve their challenges locally. Power & Water works in all areas of the energy industry including renewable resources such as wind and solar; biogas and alternative fuels; and coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy. The business also develops advanced technologies to help solve the world’s most complex challenges related to water availability and quality. Numerous products are qualified under ecomagination, GE’s commitment to providing innovative solutions that maximize resources, drive efficiencies and help make the world work better. Power & Water’s seven business units include Aeroderivative Gas Turbines; Gas Engines; Nuclear Energy; Power Generation Services; Renewable Energy; Thermal Products and Water & Process Technologies. Headquartered in Schenectady, N.Y., Power & Water is GE’s largest industrial business.

Follow GE Power & Water and GE’s renewables business on Twitter @GE_PowerWater and @GErenewables.

Sandia helps DOE bring large-scale solar systems to market


Sandia Labs News Releases

Sandia helps DOE bring large-scale solar systems to market

RTC site
This artist-enhanced photo shows the locations of future Regional Test Center sites at Sandia's National Solar Thermal Test Facility where industry can test large-scale photovoltaic systems. Site 0 will be the first completed site. (Image by Vicente R. Garcia) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories is advancing viable, low-carbon power through collaborating on five U.S. Regional Test Centers (RTCs) where industry can assess the performance, reliability and bankability of large-scale photovoltaic energy systems.
“With the trend in the solar industry toward larger systems and greater capital investment – substantial amounts of money are going into this field – the financial community is increasingly scrutinizing how well these systems operate,” said Charles Hanley, manager of Photovoltaic and Distributed Systems Integration at Sandia. “The RTCs will provide enhanced monitoring and improved performance prediction capabilities for new technologies being introduced to the market.”
Photovoltaic (PV) modules convert solar radiation into electrical current using solar cells containing semiconductor material. Demand for renewable energy has produced an industry around the manufacture and installation of solar cells, photovoltaic arrays and other components, such as inverters, trackers and racking systems. Demand has also produced a need to build investor confidence in larger PV systems by assessing performance over time in different climates.
Sandia has a long history of measuring and modeling performance of PV systems, from single panels to multi-megawatt arrays, the kinds of systems found on residential rooftops and small businesses. “Sandia works in partnership with the U.S. solar industry to advance the state of the art in system integration and system optimization,” Hanley said.
Sandia researchers a few years ago developed the idea of an incubator for commercial-scale PV systems up to 500 kilowatts or a megawatt, the size found on big-box stores or schools. The Labs’ National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) was quickly identified as a perfect site for such a PV testbed.
At the same time, the U.S. Department of Energy was working with industry and stakeholders to determine their most pressing needs. The agency hosted a workshop in Berkeley, Calif., on PV manufacturing attended by the CEOs of module manufacturers and members of the financial community.
“It was clear from the workshop that the broad community wants better ways to quantify technical aspects to support the bankability of PV systems,” said Jennifer Granata of Sandia’s solar group.
Bankability is a measure of a project’s risk to an investor. The lower the risk the more bankable it is, thereby lowering associated financing costs. The technical risk must be quantified to make PV systems more commercially viable.
“The RTCs will develop protocols and conduct testing and analysis on the systems that can give investors some concrete data with which to assess the risk,” Granata said.
She said the PV world until now did not have full and independent standardized processes for monitoring and evaluating large systems. The country’s few other PV test sites accommodate only small systems.
The workshop attendees asked DOE to develop test locations for large arrays where PV manufacturers could try out new designs and systems and get reliable data. “It fit with the Sandia idea on system incubators,” Granata said. “We had ideas on how this could work.”
Sandia and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., were asked by DOE for proposals for what the agency named Regional Test Centers. Granata led a team effort to develop a Sandia proposal for testing infrastructure and a validation plan to measure and evaluate performance and reliability.
DOE decided to fund physical and data monitoring infrastructures and validation plans at five locations in different climates, with Sandia and NREL working together on the overall project management. Sandia manages four of the five locations with local partners: Albuquerque; Orlando, Fla., Burlington, Vt.; and Las Vegas, Nev. The fifth location is Denver, managed by NREL.
In the SunShot Summit video, researchers involved in the Regional Test Centers project talk about how it will advance the goals of the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot initiative. (Video courtesy of DOE)
The sites are in varying stages of development, from early planning to ready-to-go. Each will put in infrastructure up to one megawatt, so multiple different-sized systems can be tested. At Sandia, the project has started on eight acres at the NSTTF with an option to expand by another 30 acres. Infrastructure includes a road, communications equipment and the electrical lines for monitoring systems, transformers and switches.
“Most of the work is underground,” Granata said. “Companies can come in and put a PV system in place. AC goes right to the grid.”
Granata said key components of the RTCs are the processes, standards and guidelines for validating large PV systems. Experts from the participating sites have developed a validation plan with step-by-step processes to assess and quantify system performance.
“The Regional Test Centers, with lab expertise, can provide an independent, third-party perspective, and test beyond the standard protocols to improve our understanding,” Granata said.
RTCs are a part of the DOE’s SunShot Initiative, a collaborative national effort to make solar energy cost competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade. The DOE wants to encourage widespread, large-scale adoption of renewable solar energy technology and restore U.S. leadership in the global clean-energy race.
Hanley said the RTCs are an important part of the effort. “This will produce improvements in performance monitoring that can greatly reduce the uncertainty around investing in large-scale projects and therefore help keep the dramatic growth in this market on track,” he said.
For more information, view the RTC fact sheet.

Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin company, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. With main facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif., Sandia has major R&D responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies and economic competitiveness.
Sandia news media contact: Nancy Salem, mnsalem@sandia.gov, (505) 844-2739

The Installed Price of Solar Photovoltaic Systems in the U.S. Continues to Decline at a Rapid Pace

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Press Release:


NOVEMBER 27, 2012
Allan Chen 510.486.4210  a_chen@lbl.gov
 29 
 
 
   
News Release
Berkeley, CA — The installed price of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the United States fell substantially in 2011 and through the first half of 2012, according to the latest edition of Tracking the Sun, an annual PV cost-tracking report produced by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).

TrackSunThe median installed price of residential and commercial PV systems completed in 2011 fell by roughly 11 to 14 percent from the year before, depending on system size, and, in California, prices fell by an additional 3 to 7 percent within the first six months of 2012. These recent installed price reductions are attributable, in large part, to dramatic reductions in PV module prices, which have been falling precipitously since 2008.

The report indicates that non-module costs—such as installation labor, marketing, overhead, inverters, and the balance of systems—have also fallen significantly over time.  “The drop in non-module costs is especially important,” notes report co-author Ryan Wiser of Berkeley Lab’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division, “as these costs can be most readily influenced by local, state, and national policies aimed at accelerating deployment and removing market barriers.” According to the report, average non-module costs for residential and commercial systems declined by roughly 30 percent from 1998 to 2011, but have not declined as rapidly as module prices in recent years. As a result, non-module costs now represent a sizable fraction of the installed price of PV systems, and continued deep reduction in the price of PV will require concerted emphasis on lowering the portion of non-module costs associated with so-called “business process” or “soft” costs.

The report indicates that the median installed price of PV systems installed in 2011 was $6.10 per watt (W) for residential and small commercial systems smaller than 10 kilowatts (kW) in size and was $4.90/W for larger commercial systems of 100 kW or more in size.  Utility-sector PV systems larger than 2,000 kW in size averaged $3.40/W in 2011.  Report co-author Galen Barbose, also of Berkeley Lab, stresses the importance of keeping these numbers in context, noting that “these data provide a reliable benchmark for systems installed in the recent past, but prices have continued to decline over time, and PV systems being sold today are being offered at lower prices.”
Ryan Wiser (Photo: Roy Kaltschmidt)
Ryan Wiser (Photo: Roy Kaltschmidt)
Based on these data and on installed price data from other major international PV markets, the authors suggest that PV prices in the United States may be driven lower through large-scale deployment programs, but that other factors are also important in achieving installed price reductions.

The market for solar PV systems in the United States has grown rapidly over the past decade, as national, state and local governments offered various incentives to expand the solar market and accelerate cost reductions.  This fifth edition in Berkeley Lab’s Tracking the Sunreport series describes historical trends in the installed price of PV in the United States, and examines more than 150,000 residential, commercial, and utility-sector PV systems installed between 1998 and 2011 across 27 states, representing roughly 76 percent of all grid-connected PV capacity installed in the United States. Naïm Darghouth, also with Berkeley Lab, explains that “the study is intended to provide policy makers and industry observers with a reliable and detailed set of historical benchmarks for tracking and understanding past trends in the installed price of PV.”

Prices Differ by Region and by Size and Type of System

The study also highlights the significant variability in PV system pricing, some of which is associated with differences in installed prices by region and by system size and installation type. Comparing across U.S. states, for example, the median installed price of PV systems less than 10 kW in size that were completed in 2011 and ranged from $4.90/W to $7.60/W, depending on the state.

It also shows that PV installed prices exhibit significant economies of scale. Among systems installed in 2011, the median price for systems smaller than 2 kW was $7.70/W, while the median price for large commercial systems greater than 1,000 kW in size was $4.50/W.  Utility-scale systems installed in 2011 registered even lower prices, with most systems larger than 10,000 kW ranging from $2.80/W to $3.50/W.

Galen Barbose (Photo: Roy Kaltschmidt)
Galen Barbose (Photo: Roy Kaltschmidt)
The report also finds that the installed price of residential PV systems on new homes has generally been significantly lower than the price of similarly sized systems installed as retrofits to existing homes, that building integrated PV systems have generally been higher priced than rack-mounted systems, and that systems installed on tax-exempt customer sites have generally been priced higher than those installed at residential and for-profit commercial customer sites.

Price Declines for PV System Owners in 2011 Were Offset by Falling Incentives

State agencies and utilities in many regions offer rebates or other forms of cash incentives for residential and commercial PV systems.  According to the report, the median pre-tax value of such cash incentives ranged from $0.90/W to $1.20/W for systems installed in 2011, depending on system size.   These incentives have declined significantly over time, falling by roughly 80 percent over the past decade, and by 21 percent to 43 percent from just 2010 to 2011.  Rather than a direct cash incentive, some states with renewables portfolio standards provide financial incentives for solar PV by creating a market for solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs), and SREC prices have also fallen dramatically in recent years.  These declines in cash incentives and SREC prices have, to a significant degree, offset recent installed price reductions, dampening any overall improvement in the customer economics of solar PV.

The report Tracking the Sun V: An Historical Summary of the Installed Price of Photovoltaics in the United States from 1998 to 2011, by Galen Barbose, Naïm Darghouth, and Ryan Wiser, may be downloaded from: http://emp.lbl.gov/sites/all/files/LBNL-5919e-REPORT.pdf.

In conjunction with this report, LBNL and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have also issued a jointly authored summary report that provides a high-level overview of historical, recent, and projected near-term PV pricing trends in the United States.  That report summarizes findings on historical price trends from LBNL’s Tracking the Sun V, along with several ongoing NREL research activities to benchmark recent and current PV prices and to track industry projections for near-term PV pricing trends.  The summary report documents further installed price reductions for systems installed and quoted in 2012.
The joint NREL/LBNL report, Photovoltaic (PV) Pricing Trends: Historical, Recent, and Near-Term Projections, may be downloaded from:

http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy13osti/56776.pdf

The research was supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Program of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
Technical Contacts: Galen Barbose (510) 495-2593, GLBarbose@lbl.gov; Ryan Wiser (510) 486-5474, RHWiser@lbl.gov
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Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world’s most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab’s scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. For more, visit www.lbl.gov.

The UK Ministry of Defence Uses IBM Technology to Create Smarter, Greener Buildings

IBM Press Release:


The UK Ministry of Defence Uses IBM Technology to Create Smarter, Greener Buildings

IBM smarter building solutions to provide the right information to support decisions on an estate valued at about $36 billion
Armonk, N.Y. - 28 Nov 2012: The United Kingdom’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has awarded IBM (NYSE: IBM) with a contract that will help it gain greater insight and intelligence in relation to its entire property portfolio. DIO, an operational arm of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), is responsible for the management of some 4,000 separate sites and includes military barracks; land, air and naval bases; and military training grounds. Using IBM’s smarter buildings software and services, DIO expects to reduce building operating costs and find ways to better utilize its existing real estate.
The MoD is one of the United Kingdom’s largest landowners, covering some 900 square miles and around 45,000 buildings, 55,000 houses and 135,000 Single Living bedspaces. It has real estate in Germany, Cyprus and the Falkland Islands, along with facilities in Norway, Poland, Kenya, Canada, Belize, Nepal and Oman. Charged with managing all of these physical assets and infrastructure, DIO’s goal is to drive greater efficiency and operations of these buildings to support an estates rationalization program that will deliver significant efficiencies over the next decade and beyond.

Defence in the United Kingdom is undergoing a major period of transformation as the government is requiring its agencies to better utilize resources, including real estate assets. With buildings accounting for 45 percent of all carbon emissions in the UK, this is a natural area to start. DIO will use IBM technology to meet these Defence needs by replacing its outdated legacy IT environment and create a new centralized information management system, allowing faster analysis and more informed decision-making to better manage its vast network of real estate.

“The award of this contract to IBM represents a major milestone in transforming the Defence Infrastructure Organisation since it will allow us to work smarter in providing a Defence estate, which meets military needs and supports our Armed Forces,” said Andrew Manley, DIO Chief Executive. “IBM analytics technology helps us continue our work in creating a world-class infrastructure to put DIO at the leading edge of the technology transformation process happening right now across the MoD.”

The IBM TRIRIGA solution will provide an integrated property management solution comprising of software and consultancy services. This will give DIO central visibility of its extensive global property holdings and data on how efficiently they are being used. Geospatial mapping capability, created by business partner Esri UK limited, provides the real-time visualization map that gives a complete scope of their infrastructure and assets.

For instance, with these new capabilities DIO can assess if buildings or bases are not being used at full capacity. They can then decide to consolidate resources to either free up space for other uses or eliminate the cost from their balance sheets.

The IBM solution will also enable processes to be streamlined across the MoD’s diverse organization by linking with the systems used by DIO’s Next Generation Estate Contracts team. This will reduce reliance on multiple outdated systems, and greatly speed up and improve the flow of information between the organization and its industrial partners. Overall, this will help to support an improved, more agile and strategic management of its estate.  

“Having the right data at the right time is essential for DIO,” said Dave Bartlett, vice president, Smarter Physical Infrastructure, IBM. “IBM’s analytics and smarter buildings software will help provide a new level of intelligence to how the MoD is managing its global real estate portfolio.”

The upgraded system will be launched in a number of capability releases through April 2014. These are based on analysis of future business needs, the current DIO technology landscape and engagement with industry through procurement.

IBM's strategy is to seamlessly integrate technology into the world around us to drive greater intelligence on this Smarter Planet.  The world around us is changing, and technology is no longer a siloed area, but a fundamental element to the growth and success of every business. Everything from buildings, to transportation systems, manufacturing, healthcare and to cities themselves are becoming smarter. Launched in 2008, IBM has been focused on driving this next era of information technology and its impact on business and society. 
For additional information on DIO, visit: www.mod.uk/dio/.

For more information on IBM Smarter Buildings and TRIRIGA, visit:www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/buildings

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

NREL Updates Solar Radiation Database

NREL Press Release:

NREL Updates Solar Radiation Database

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and collaborators released a 20-year updated version of the U.S. National Solar Radiation Database, a web-based technical report that provides critical information about solar and meteorological data for 1,454 locations in the U.S. and its territories.  
The updated database covers 1991-2010 and includes data from 2006-2010 for the first time. It also features improved cloud algorithms for modeling solar radiation data, and an improved State University of New York (SUNY) model for gridded data based on satellite observations.
 
The database, which tracks hourly solar and meteorological parameters, is widely used by solar system designers, building architects and engineers, renewable energy analysts and others to plan, size and site solar electric systems. 
 
The National Solar Radiation Database (NSRD) provides solar resource information to industry in support of central solar power plant and distributed rooftop feasibility studies, economic analyses and research. The database also underlies other industry data and tools, including NREL's Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) data sets, PVWattsTM calculator, Solar Power Prospector and System Advisor Model (SAM).
 
The project was completed in collaboration with Clean Power Research and the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). This update, which supersedes the 1961-1990 and 1991-2005 NSRDB releases, is available in three forms:
 
  • A station-based data set at the 1, 454 Weather Service stations (860 of the stations have serially complete data records). 
  • A 10 km gridded data set (the Clean Power Research SolarAnywhere® v2.2 product based on the SUNY model) for the continental U.S and Hawaii from 1998-2009 (solar radiation values only). NREL has filled gaps in this data set, and the NSRDB version is serially complete. 
  • A solar-only enhanced research data set for the 1,454 weather observing stations. 
A copy of the 1991-2010 report can be viewed and downloaded without cost on the NCDC website.
The revised National Solar Radiation Database 1991-2010 Update: User's Manual is available on the NREL Renewable Resource Data Center. 
 
The NSRDB solar data fields include global horizontal, direct normal, and diffuse horizontal irradiance. The NSRDB also features a 20-year summary with statistics (monthly/annual, diurnal, and persistence) for the 860 serially complete stations.
 
NREL has applied uncertainty estimates to each hourly data record to help users determine the suitability of data for each application. Station data are broadly classified based on uncertainty as Class I, II and III. The first two classifications segregate serially complete stations by data of higher and lower quality respectively; Class III stations have data gaps in the period of record, yet hold enough data in the time series to support many applications.
 
NREL is currently in the process of updating the Typical Meteorological Year data sets using data from the NSRDB update.
 
Contact:
Steve Wilcox, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Stephen Wilcox or 303-384-7785
 
NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC. 
 
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