Hard Times Hit Large Scale Solar Energy

[longknife]

By Institute for Energy Research Saturday, January 18, 2014

The economics and environmental consequences of solar energy are finally hitting home to developers, with many more cancellations than construction of large solar facilities. Since 2009, there have been 365 federal applications for solar facilities, but of those, only 20 plants are on track to be built and only 3 large scale solar plants have gone on line—2 in California and one in Nevada.

Warning, link takes to site with annoying popups @ Hard Times Hit Large Scale Solar Energy

UK and Europeans countries are cutting back on “Green” energy sources as being uneconomical so this shouldn't surprise us here in the US. The idea might be good but the technology just hasn't reached the level of being useful. But, certain elements are certainly pushing it. Painfully watched the first episode of Helix on TV and the first thing I noticed was the giant windmills surround it. They trying to tell us that the huge facility inside is solely powered by them?

 

[waltky]

Solar energy increases 10-fold under Obama...

Solar Provides 0.2% of Electric Supply--Up From 0.02% Before Obama
January 29, 2014 -- Solar power, which President Barack Obama promoted in his State of the Union Address, accounted for 0.2 percent of the U.S. electricity supply in the first nine months of 2013, according to data published by the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration.

That is up from the 0.02 percent of the total electricity supply that solar power sources provided in 2008, the last calendar year before Obama took office. “Now, one of the biggest factors in bringing more jobs back is our commitment to American energy,” Obama said in the State of the Union. “The all-of-the-above energy strategy I announced a few years ago is working, and today, America is closer to energy independence than we've been in decades.”

“It's not just oil and natural gas production that's booming; we're becoming a global leader in solar, too,” he said. “Every four minutes, another American home or business goes solar; every panel pounded into place by a worker whose job can't be outsourced. Let's continue that progress with a smarter tax policy that stops giving $4 billion a year to fossil fuel industries that don't need it, so that we can invest more in fuels of the future that do.” According to the U.S. government’s Energy Information Administration, the United States is producing less electricity now than it did when Obama took office. (See Table 7.2.a.)

In 2008, according to EIA, the U.S. generated a net of 4,119,388 million kilowatthours of electricity. In 2012, the last full calendar year for which data has been collected, the U.S. generated a net of 4,047,765 million kilowatthours of electricity. From 2008 to 2012, U.S. electricity production declined by 1.7 percent. In the first nine months of 2013, according to the latest data from EIA, U.S. electricity production continued to decline. In those nine months, the U.S. produced 3,078,460 million kilowatthours of electricity compared to 3,095,504 in the first nine months of 2012. Coal remains the largest source of electricity in the United States, even though coal-produced electricity has been declining in the Obama years.

In 2008, the U.S. generated 1,985,801 million kilowatthours—or 48.2 percent--of its total of 4,119,388 million kilowatthours of electricity from coal. In 2012, the U.S. generated 1,514,043 million kilowatthours---or 37.4 percent--of its total of 4,047,765 million kilowatthours from coal. Solar-generated electricity did not make up the slack. In 2008, according to EIA, the U.S. got 864 million kilowatthours—or 0.02 percent--of its 4,119,388 million kilowatthours of electricity from solar thermal and photovoltaic energy. By 2012, the U.S. got 4,327 million kilowatthours—or 0.1 percent--of its 4,047,765 million kilowatthours from solar.

MORE

 

[Politico]

They should have been pushing solar where it's practical.

 

[House]

Weather report for solar energy: Outlook cloudy.

 

[Old Rocks]

On January 27, 2014, the Solar Foundation (TSF), a non-profit research organization, released the 2013 National Solar Jobs Census, its fourth annual report on U.S. solar industry employment and projected growth. The report shows the U.S. solar industry continues to grow at a faster pace than the overall economy, supporting 142,698 jobs as of November 2013. Between September 2012 and November 2013, the solar industry added 23,682 jobs – an increase of 19.9 percent over TSF’s 2012 findings – at approximately 10 times the national average job growth rate of 1.9 percent.

2013 US Solar Industry Jobs Increased by 19.9 Percent « Breaking Energy - Energy industry news, analysis, and commentary

TSF highlights solar industry employment grew by 53 percent – equivalent to approximately 50,000 new solar jobs – since its first census in 2010, with the solar installation sector accounting for more than 25,000 jobs. Over the past year, installation sector jobs witnessed the highest growth rate of 22 percent, adding 12, 500 employees. Drawing on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ employment survey, the census report notes conventional energy sector jobs grew at a much slower pace or declined over the same period.

 

[Old Rocks]

U.S. Solar Market Insight | SEIA

Released December 10, 2013
2013 Q3 is the second largest quarter in the history of the U.S. solar market and the largest quarter ever for residential PV installations. Even more importantly, 2013 is likely to be the first time in more than 15 years that the U.S. installs more solar capacity than world leader Germany.

 

[Old Rocks]

Solar in the Spotlight - US News

Aside from the high-profile bankruptcy of Solyndra—the solar panel maker that defaulted on a $528 million federal loan in 2011—the industry has been on a tear over the last couple of years. Solar installations are up more than 75 percent, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, which projects another 65 percent increase in 2013. The industry's rapid expansion has made solar the fastest growing energy source in the United States, according to the SEIA.

Much of those gains are thanks to a combination of tumbling installation and equipment costs—photovoltaic solar costs dropped almost 30 percent in 2012, the SEIA reported—and the rise of an innovative approach to financing expensive rooftop solar panels called third-party-owned solar.

With this approach—also known as solar service—homeowners no longer have to pony up tens of thousands of dollars to enjoy the long-term cost savings of solar power. Instead, a solar service company purchases the rooftop solar panels—which run about $30,000 on average—and installs and maintains them. The homeowner then purchases power generated by the panels from the solar service company at about a 20 percent discount of what they would pay for power from a utility, according to some estimates. At night or when it's cloudy, the homeowner is still hooked up to their local utility and purchases power from there.

 

[Indeependent]

Solar in the Spotlight - US News

Aside from the high-profile bankruptcy of Solyndra—the solar panel maker that defaulted on a $528 million federal loan in 2011—the industry has been on a tear over the last couple of years. Solar installations are up more than 75 percent, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, which projects another 65 percent increase in 2013. The industry's rapid expansion has made solar the fastest growing energy source in the United States, according to the SEIA.

Much of those gains are thanks to a combination of tumbling installation and equipment costs—photovoltaic solar costs dropped almost 30 percent in 2012, the SEIA reported—and the rise of an innovative approach to financing expensive rooftop solar panels called third-party-owned solar.

With this approach—also known as solar service—homeowners no longer have to pony up tens of thousands of dollars to enjoy the long-term cost savings of solar power. Instead, a solar service company purchases the rooftop solar panels—which run about $30,000 on average—and installs and maintains them. The homeowner then purchases power generated by the panels from the solar service company at about a 20 percent discount of what they would pay for power from a utility, according to some estimates. At night or when it's cloudy, the homeowner is still hooked up to their local utility and purchases power from there.

It can't be...We have a Democrat in the White House.

 

[Old Rocks]

Global Solar PV Demand at 31GW in 2013: Report

While traditional solar markets have been the backbone for solar PV markets, future growth could come from emerging regions, including Latin America, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia.

Emerging markets in 2013 only make up 8% of the total PV market. However, that is expected to reach 16% by 2017.

To give you an example of further potential of emerging market PV potential, in 2011, Mexico had just 37 MW of total installed PV capacity. However, laws passed in the Mexican legislature aim to have energy generation from renewables reach 35% by 2024. With 70% of the nation having insolation values more than 4.5 kWh/m2 /day, higher than most parts of solar giants Germany and Spain, Mexico could certainly be a future powerhouse in solar energy.

Overall, the trend seen with the NPD report shows continued strong growth in solar demand, despite weakness in Europe. If the trend of future growth of potential emerging markets like Mexico hold their ground, those 31 GW installed of solar energy this year are a sign of things to come


Read more at Global Solar PV Demand at 31GW in 2013: Report

 

[Delta4Embassy]

By Institute for Energy Research Saturday, January 18, 2014

The economics and environmental consequences of solar energy are finally hitting home to developers, with many more cancellations than construction of large solar facilities. Since 2009, there have been 365 federal applications for solar facilities, but of those, only 20 plants are on track to be built and only 3 large scale solar plants have gone on line—2 in California and one in Nevada.

Warning, link takes to site with annoying popups @ Hard Times Hit Large Scale Solar Energy

UK and Europeans countries are cutting back on “Green” energy sources as being uneconomical so this shouldn't surprise us here in the US. The idea might be good but the technology just hasn't reached the level of being useful. But, certain elements are certainly pushing it. Painfully watched the first episode of Helix on TV and the first thing I noticed was the giant windmills surround it. They trying to tell us that the huge facility inside is solely powered by them?

First automobiles weren't practical either, but most would agree without them things would be difficult now (though better not having the pollution.) Green tech will become more efficient and practical and cheaper with time. Long as someone's researching it and improving it I'm good. Sheer necessity for it ensures it'll come to be eventually.

 

[RollingThunder]

By Institute for Energy Research Saturday, January 18, 2014

The economics and environmental consequences of solar energy are finally hitting home to developers, with many more cancellations than construction of large solar facilities. Since 2009, there have been 365 federal applications for solar facilities, but of those, only 20 plants are on track to be built and only 3 large scale solar plants have gone on line—2 in California and one in Nevada.

Warning, link takes to site with annoying popups @ /canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/Hard Times Hit Large Scale Solar Energy[/url]

UK and Europeans countries are cutting back on “Green” energy sources as being uneconomical so this shouldn't surprise us here in the US. The idea might be good but the technology just hasn't reached the level of being useful. But, certain elements are certainly pushing it. Painfully watched the first episode of Helix on TV and the first thing I noticed was the giant windmills surround it. They trying to tell us that the huge facility inside is solely powered by them?

Deniers are so gullible....so willing to swallow whatever fraudulent BS their corporate puppet masters feed them....

Institute for Energy Research
The Institute for Energy Research (IER), founded in 1989 from a predecessor non-profit organisation, advocates positions on environmental issues including deregulation of utilities, climate change denial, and claims that conventional energy sources are virtually limitless.

It is a member of the Sustainable Development Network. The IER's President was formerly Director of Public Relations Policy at Enron.

IER has been established as a 501(c)(3) non-profit group. It is a "partner" organization of the American Energy Alliance[1], a 501c4 organization which states that it is the "grassroots arm" of IER.[2] AEA states that, by "communicating IER’s decades of scholarly research to the grassroots, AEA will empower citizens with facts so that people who believe in freedom can reclaim the moral high ground in the national public policy debates in the energy and environmental arena."[2] AEA states that its aim is to "create a climate that encourages the advancement of free market energy policies" and in particular ensure drilling for oil is allowed in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and in US coastal waters.[2]

Funding

EIN: 76-0149778
This is a 501(c)(03) public charity [1]
According to the ExxonMobil's Corporate Giving Reports the IER received $307,000 US$ from the oil company or its foundation between 2003 and 2007.[9] The institute also received $175,000 US$ from Koch Industries according to a Greenpeace report.[10]

 

[ScienceRocks]

More republicans rooting for the failure of America!