RALEIGH, NC - Homeowners seeking lower utility bills in the Triangle have an intriguing new option: solar powered electricity and hot water, along with efficient thermostat controls, are all being wrapped into a single package, thanks to a new partnership between three companies. Meritage Homes is now building houses that offer the Echo® solar system installed by Morrisville-based Southern Energy Management (SEM). Echo, from EchoFirst®, is sold across the Southwestern U.S. and Texas; this is the first time Echo technology has been deployed in the Eastern U.S.
 

NCSEA's Miriam Makhyoun and Randy Lucas will present at the World Renewable Energy Forum on May 16, 2012 in Denver, Colorado.

Lucas is a CPA and the Principal Consultant of Lucas Tax + Energy Consulting in Charlotte, NC. He also serves as on the NCSEA Board of Directors. Miriam serves as the Solar and Renewable Energy Industry Specialist for NCSEA. They will discuss the "Evaluation of Incentives for Renewable Energy in Today's Market".  

The World Renewable Energy Forum 2012 includes over 200 sessions including presentations of technical papers, forum sessions and panel discussions. 

Andy Griffith never imagined that his hometown of Mt. Airy NC would generate more solar electricity per person than almost any other city in the U.S. Mount Airy, the inspiration of the fictional town of Mayberry in the Andy Griffith show, has just over 10,000 residents located in the North West part of North Carolina. Last year the 1.2 Megawatt Mayberry Solar farm was completed just 3 miles from the historic main street.  This year, another 4.5 Megawatts of solar energy generation will be installed as part of the Ararat Rock Solar farm near Mount Airy.

O2 Energies is the developer, owner and operator of the Ararat Rock Solar farm which is being constructed on a 25 acre plot about a mile south of their Mayberry Solar Farm.

Kennedy/Jenks Consultants and Gehrlicher Solar America Corp. announced a strategic joint-development agreement focused on providing solar energy to water and wastewater treatment facilities in California, Arizona and Nevada. Since 1919, Kennedy/Jenks Consultants has specialized in the planning, evaluation and design of water and wastewater treatment facilities. With a significant client network in the western US, including 250 facilities in California, Kennedy/Jenks is uniquely positioned to introduce renewable energy solutions to this energy intensive industry.

A 4.5 MW solar farm is coming to Fairmont, NC. Progress Solar II, a project developed by O2 energies, will be located near Fairmont High school. The 28 acre solar farm will be one of the largest in the state and will provide work for local citizens and generate clean energy for the surrounding community of Fairmont.

O2 energies recently completed the Mayberry Solar farm in Andy Griffith’s home town of Mount Airy, and the Avery solar farm near Grandfather Mountain, and are working on several other installations across the state. O2 energies is the developer and will be the owner and operator of the Fairmont Solar Farm, which will sell power to Progress Energy.

FLS Energy, a solar utility headquartered in Asheville, is about to complete the nation’s largest solar thermal farm at Prestage Foods in St. Pauls. The solar energy system, six-times larger than any solar thermal system currently in operation, will produce an average 100,000 gallons of hot water a day for use in the turkey processor’s operations. 

SOURCE: Don Lee and Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times

Ratcheting up the battle over a vital energy industry, the U.S. Commerce Department decided to impose tariffs on solar panels imported from China after concluding that manufacturers there received illegal government subsidies.

The Commerce Department, in its preliminary finding over illegal subsidies, said solar panels imported from China — now dominating the U.S. market — would face a duty of 2.9% to 4.73%.

The tariff is considerably smaller than what some had hoped for but nonetheless marks another step by the Obama administration to get tougher on trade with China. It also highlights efforts aimed at supporting U.S jobs and a renewable energy future.

Additional tariffs could be imposed in mid-May when the Commerce Department is expected to determine whether China has been dumping the panels in the U.S. at below-cost prices.

Some American lawmakers and solar firms hailed the finding on illegal subsidies, saying the new tariffs will help create a more-level playing field for the domestic solar market, which has been growing rapidly despite the bankruptcy of some panel makers. The high-profile failure of solar equipment maker Solyndra of Fremont, Calif., was attributed in part to a sudden influx of low-cost Chinese panels.

The Commerce Department decision "is a signal that China's unfair trade practices in the solar energy industry may soon be remedied," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who heads a Senate Finance subcommittee on international trade.

Click here to read the LA Times full report.

Solar Decathlon (UNCC)

PI, Mona Azarbayjani, Assistant Professor, School of Architecture

UNC Charlotte will be among the competitors for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon in 2013. This worldwide contest will showcase efforts to build solar-powered, highly energy-efficient homes that combine affordability, consumer appeal and design excellence.

“The UNC Charlotte team is thrilled to be selected once againto compete in the Solar Decathlon,” said Chris Jarrett, director of the School of Architecture in the College of Arts + Architecture. He added that many lessons were learned from UNC Charlotte's collaboration with the DOE in the first Solar Decathlon in 2002. “A decade later, we have new expertise, new technology and new partnerships. We’re looking forward to the challenge of rethinking the next generation of solar housing."

 

Cape Fear Solar Systems, along with the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, is presenting "Solar For Your Home 101 and Open Solar House" from 2-5 p.m. March 10 at the Dye Clubhouse, Country Club of Landfall in Wilmington. The seminar will cover solar power's advantages and how homeowners can benefit from the latest technology and the current structure of tax incentives and other financial rebates. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register, please call (910) 202-4028 or email pr@CapeFearSolarSystems.com. Registration closes on Wednesday, March 7.

Speakers will include Miriam Makhyoun, NCSEA's Solar and Renewable Energy Industry Specialist, Suzanne Gooding, NCSEA’s Community Education and Relations Specialist and John Donoghue, President of Cape Fear Solar Systems and one of four people in the U.S. that achieved triple NABCEP Certification in Solar PV, Solar Thermal and Solar PV Technical Sales. Recently, Cape Fear Solar Systems installed a 4.8 kW solar electric system along with Alganomics at Oak Island’s Wastewater Treatment Facility. NCSEA spoke with Donoghue about the solar seminar, the Alganomics project and
his company.

Tell us about your company. How did you all get started?

Returning in 2006 to Wilmington after 15 years working abroad in the aerospace industry, I realized that the area I grew up in while abundant with solar resources had almost no renewable energy systems installed. My background in mechanical engineering and interest in alternative energy led me to search for solar businesses, only to find out that there were no companies to work with. The idea to start a company in order to develop the solar market in the Greater Wilmington area to raise awareness of the many benefits of alternative energy was born.

Most of 2007 was fulfilled with extensive training dedicated to alternative energy as one of the biggest challenges to start and run a solar business was to find qualified people. Consequently, in the end of 2007, I founded Cape Fear Solar Systems with the goal to empower homes and businesses with alternative energy to ultimately empower the country itself. Soon after that we designed and installed our first solar system and the business process began.

FLS Energy installed a 250kW photovoltaic solar energy system above the Green Square Complex parking garage in downtown Raleigh.  The system was developed in partnership with the NC Department of Administration to enhance the sustainable features of the garage. FLS Energy designed a custom racking system that is integrated into the structure of the parking garage positioning the 960 solar modules nine stories above street level.  

“FLS Energy congratulates the NC Department of Administration for using typically forgotten space above a parking deck for solar energy development,” said Michael Shore, CEO of FLS Energy. “The system will not only produce clean renewable energy for North Carolina, but it will also provide partial shade and shelter to the vehicles that park on the roof, ultimately reducing those vehicles’ carbon emissions.”