Top 5: Best selling EVs - YouTube

Video (4:23)

Published on Feb 16, 2015

Brian Cooley ranks the top five best selling electric vehicles in the U.S. for 2014.

Top 5: Best selling EVs - YouTube

From NREL:

Testing at NREL Aids Solar Power in Hawaii

Utility poised to double solar rooftop capacity based on tests of inverter reliability

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Inverter load rejection overvoltage (LRO) tests completed by the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory as part of a cooperative research agreement with SolarCity have proven so successful that a testing partner, Hawaiian Electric Companies (HECO), has proposed to double its hosting capacity for solar energy.

The inverter testing at NREL's Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) examined ways to quantify transient LRO, which is one of the main technical barriers to allowing more distributed energy, such as solar and wind, onto the grid. Results of the testing are discussed in the report, "Inverter Load Rejection Over-Voltage Testing: SolarCity CRADA Task 1a Final Report." 

Based on the results of these tests, HECO announced in a Jan. 20 filing with the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission its intention to increase its penetration limits for rooftop solar - from the current limit of 120 percent of minimum daytime load (MDL) to 250 percent of MDL. If those increases are implemented, they will represent the highest threshold for solar penetration on distribution circuits in United States.

LRO conditions can occur when a local feeder or breaker opens and the power output from a distributed energy resource exceeds the local load. These LRO issues have been driving HECO's current limitations on high penetration of distributed generation on the utility's feeders. Results from NREL testing helped to mitigate some of HECO's LRO challenges generated from advanced photovoltaic inverters.

"ESIF enables NREL and DOE to leverage strong partnerships with manufacturers and utilities to help integrate renewable energy into a smarter, more resilient energy system," NREL's Associate Laboratory Director for Energy Systems Integration Bryan Hannegan said. "NREL and its partners use state-of-the art capabilities to develop advanced PV inverter technology and successfully integrate that with plug-in electric vehicles, hybrid power systems, hydrogen fuel cells, microgrid controls and several other advanced energy technologies".

NREL's ESIF is a 182,500-square-foot user facility that is helping transform how the nation generates, delivers and uses energy by modernizing the interplay among energy sources, infrastructure, and data. ESIF offers partners access to some of the most advanced testing, research, and development capabilities in the country and was named 2014 Lab of the Year by R&D Magazine.

The collaboration among NREL, HECO and SolarCity continues, with testing on the ability of advanced inverters to mitigate ground fault overvoltage issues. Later this year, tests at ESIF will examine the capability of advanced inverters to support distribution voltage regulation, address challenges related to bi-directional power flow, and measure the effectiveness of multiple inverter islanding during faults.

This research is supported by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; funding to NREL is provided by SolarCity, as well as by DOE's SunShot Initiative, which aims to lower the cost of solar energy so it can compete directly with fossil fuels without subsidies.

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 the Energy Department by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

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Green Employment Looking Good

February 15, 2015

Clean #energy is rapidly living up to its promised potential with U.S. #solar #employment growing more than 85% since 2010. A recent report from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) shows reduced carbon emissions from the current installed#US wind capacity is equivalent to taking 28 million cars off the road. Earlier this week, The White Houseannounced a new Clean Energy Investment Initiative at the Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) Summit. The goal of the initiative is catalyze $2 billion of expanded private-sector investment in solutions to address climate change and increase investment in clean energy technologies. Learn more: http://go.usa.gov/3qztG.

Solar Jobs

From the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy:

With a workforce of nearly 175,000 strong, solar is one of the fastest growing industries in the #US. This growth represents a tremendous opportunity for America's #military #veterans, who have the leadership and talent needed to move the clean #energy#economy forward. To help service members transition from the military to the private sector, our #SunShot Initiative has a new program that provides veterans with the necessary skills to quickly gain employment in the solar industry. Learn more: http://go.usa.gov/3quNG

Photos courtesy of Solar Energy International (SEI) andThe Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC)

Homeowner's Guide to Solar Financing

From the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy:

Interested in purchasing or leasing a #solar #energy system, but don’t know where to start? Our #SunShot Initiative funded a new Homeowner's Guide to Solar Financing. The guide is part of our Rooftop Solar Challenge 2 project with the Clean Energy States Alliance project to empower local governments across the #US to make it faster, easier and more affordable to choose solar energy. Learn more about how to#GoSolar: http://bit.ly/SolarLiving.

NREL Aids Solar Power in Hawaii

From NREL:

Testing at NREL Aids Solar Power in Hawaii - Utility poised to double solar rooftop capacity based on tests of inverter reliability

Inverter load rejection overvoltage (LRO) tests completed by the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory as part of a cooperative research agreement with SolarCity have proven so successful that a testing partner, Hawaiian Electric Companies (HECO), has proposed to double its hosting capacity for solar energy.http://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2015/16458.html

From NREL:

NREL Takes First In-Depth Look at Solar Project Completion Timelines

Report examines new data to show how long the PV interconnection process takes in the U.S.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has gathered and analyzed data for more than 30,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) installations across the United States to better understand how interconnection regulations align with actual project completion timelines. The findings indicate thatinterconnection process delays are common, and can range from several days to months. Streamlining the application review and final authorization processes can ultimately benefit utilities and solar consumers by reducing the time and cost associated with going solar.

"We now have a clearer understanding of the different process elements associated with connecting a PV system to the grid, such as how long it takes to review and approve an application for interconnection, how long it takes to construct and inspect a system, and how long it takes to get final authorization from the utility," said the report's lead author, Kristen Ardani, a solar technology markets and policy analyst at NREL. "This report represents the first data-driven evaluation of how PV deployment time frames compare to state regulations in key solar markets."

The authors of the report, "Understanding Processes and Timelines for Distributed Photovoltaic Interconnection in the United States," examined PV project data across 87 utility territories and 16 states. NREL found that for the residential and small commercial (less than 50 kilowatts) systems sampled, it took an average of 63 total business days (median 53) from the date a PV installer submits an interconnection application to when the utility grants permission to operate. However, there is wide variation around these values, ranging from less than one week to more than six months. System construction represents the fastest part of the process, taking an average of four business days (median two days). Interconnection application review and approval accounted for the most time of any single process examined in this analysis, requiring an average of 27 business days (median of 18 days) to complete.

The report also provides state-level findings based on an analysis of five states with active solar markets-Arizona, California, Colorado, New Jersey, and New York. The research suggests that states with more stringent interconnection time frame regulations might reduce overall project length. However, such regulations do not necessarily limit time frames to the targets specified by interconnection standards. Additional insights on the research effort and report findings are available through a STAT Chat podcast and an educational webinar.

The impetus and data for this project were identified through stakeholder discussions facilitated through the Distributed Generation Interconnection Collaborative (DGIC), a working-group consortium of more than 100 members. NREL facilitates the DGIC with support from the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) to foster knowledge sharing on distributed PV interconnection practices, research, and innovation.

This body of work is supported by the Energy Department's SunShot Initiative, which is a national effort to make solar energy cost-competitive with traditional energy sources by the end of the decade. Through SunShot, the Energy Department supports private companies, universities, and national laboratories working to drive down the cost of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour. Learn more atenergy.gov/sunshot.

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 the Energy Department by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

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