Below is repost from one of our sister publications, Windermere Sun.
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Central Florida (photo of: Susan Sun Nunamaker, presented at:WindermereSun.com)
Florida sunset (photo of: Susan Sun Nunamaker, presented at: WindermereSun.com)
Florida blocked by the cloud (photo of: Susan Sun Nunamaker, presented at: WindermereSun.com)
Florida sunset (photo of: Susan Sun Nunamaker, presented at: WindermereSun.com)
map of location of Florida Climate Summit 2017 (presented at: WindermereSun.com)
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Central Floridians/Floridians, if you believe that Americans/Floridians should take part in the earthly movement in slowing down climate change or global warming, despite the Trump administration’s attitude toward the Paris Climate Agreement or Paris Accord, you need to know about this upcoming event.
I’ve just received a message/invitation from Laura Betts (Laura is the Environmental Project Auditor at Walt Disney World and Presentor and Mentor at Climate Reality) of Central Florida, about an event that will take place on Sat., Aug. 12, 2017, between 10:00 am to 4:00 pm EDT, at East End Market, 3201 Corrine Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, as part of The Climate Reality Project, the Florida Climate Summit-Beyond Paris: Taking Local Action in Florida (by Monica Mayotte, Laura Betts, Susan Nugent, and Pakita Leone). Description of this event (taken from this web site), in italics, shared below:
Description
Now that the Trump Administration has pulled out of the Paris Accord, it is up to the states, cities and businesses to continue the efforts to solve the climate crisis. This summit will be an opportunity to bring together various environmental groups across Florida to share their projects so we can assist one another.
Topics of discussion will be:
How to move cities to taking the 100% renewable pledge
Banning Fracking
Pricing Carbon at the national level
Rooftop Solar Power in Florida
The speakers and organizations that are currently involved are:
Chris Castro, Keynote Speaker and Sustainability Director, City of Orlando
Deidre McNab – FL League of Women Voters, FL-SUN, Solar Co-ops in FL
Tony Buscemi – Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Orlando Chapter Leader
Eric Rollings – Chair, Orange Soil and Water Conservation District, FL Fracking Ban
George Cavros – Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Michelle Suarez – Organize Florida
Each speaker will participate in an interactive panel discussion and provide updates on their projects. Afterwards, each panelist will hold breakout sessions for those interested in assisting with their projects.
It will be a great opportunity to network and project share with other environmental leaders in the state and expand your knowledge on how other organizations are working to solve the climate crisis. If we all work together for a common goal, we can collectively make great progress.
There is no charge to attend the all-day meeting. Lunch will be on your own. We look forward to seeing everyone in Orlando.
This is a repost from our sister publication, Windermere Sun, below:
Tesla’s Solar Roof (credit: Tesla)
Tesla’s Solar Roof (credit: Tesla)
Solar Energy
Solar Panels by Neville Mecallef, brought to you by WindermereSun.com
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Following the election and defeat of Amendment 1, Tesla’s Solar City has announced its expansion to Florida in December of 2016, now that it would be economically viable for a lot more households to install solar arrays. In the December press release of Tesla’s Solar City:
The Amendment was disguised as pro-solar policy in what amounted to a cynical attempt by solar opponents to slow down solar development in the state. Thanks to this vote, solar customers in Florida will continue to receive full retail credit for any excess solar electricity they provide to the grid when they aren’t at home.
Co-founder and CEO of Solar City, Lyndon R. Rive commented, it “was meant to kill solar.” “We are fortunate enough that the residents of Florida were smart enough to figure out it was a tactic that would take their choice away and limit competition,” he said.
Though the “Sunshine State” doesn’t get quite as much sun as the southwestern U.S., it consistently ranks among the nation’s ten sunniest states (the Orlando area, where we’re initially launching service, enjoys more than 230 sunny days each year).
Tesla’s Solar City is opening a local installation center in Clermont (West of Orlando), to serve customers of Duke Energy and Orlando Utilities Commission of the greater Orlando area. It is currently employing more than 50 people (in both sales and installation jobs) and plans to expand to other areas of the state in the coming months. In 2017, Tesla’s Solar City will phase into the Tesla conglomerate and continue to sell residential and commercial solar installations under leases and power purchase agreements. Tesla also plans to keep increasing the share of systems directly sold to customers. It has recently begun making loans to help pay for the systems and installations available to any homeowners. Since last year, Tesla has been installing systems in new homes and military family housing from its Florida headquarters in Clermont. What is so exciting about Tesla’s Solar City’s presence in Florida is their last month’s announcement about the integrated Tesla’s Solar Roof, in our December 7, 2016 post and our Oct.29, 2016 post.
So, how would you like to own your own business, make extra money, make this world a better place by believing in a better way?
Below is a repost from one of our sister publications, Windermere Sun:
Sun Rays (credit: Windermere Sun-Susan Sun Nunamaker)
December 19, 2011- Kyle Travis, left and Jon Jackson, with Lighthouse Solar, install microcrystalline PV modules on top of Kevin Donovan’s town home. (Photo by Dennis Schroeder)
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The stage is set. The time is ripe. With the cost of both solar and wind having dropped tremendously in the past three years, solar technology having enabled greater efficiency, the incoming Tesla’s Powerwall, Powerpack solving the storage problem, and Tesla’s integrated and cost effective solar roof… the inevitable Solar-Renewable Tsunami is knocking on our door. Astute green investors and lenders could all hear the knock and are ready to finance solar energy projects and fund power developments of renewable-sustainable energy resources. In the U.S., a mix of federal production tax credits and individual state renewable portfolio standards (RPS) are definitely pushing the market. To better understand various policies and incentives for renewables and efficiency by states, please click HERE. For example, state of CA has 187 such policies and incentives whereas state of FL has 77. Of course the incentives of some of the E.U. nations are also fueling the market. But most importantly, it is the simple fact that the cost of solar have dropped so much that it is now a more secure investment than putting one’s money in the bank (bank has a rate of return of about 0.8%-1.1% without inflation protection whereas investing in solar provides a rate of return ranging from about 3% (in AK without any tax credit or incentive, it is 4.4% with tax credit and incentives) to 24.4% (in HI with tax credit and incentives, location-climate-incentive dependent, and this is with inflation protection).
For a simple Solar Investment Payback Formula:
Total System Cost/Value of Electricity Generated/Your Annual Electricity Usage = Payback Time
1/Payback Time = Rate of Return on Investment
This means:
a 6 kW grid-tied system that costs about $10,000 (subject to market fluctuation, excluding fees and incentives)
The average American household uses 10,932 kWh of electricity per year (source: EIA)
They pay an average of $0.12 per kWh for it
Therefore, using American national averages: $10,000 system price/$0.12 per kWh/10932 kWh per year = 7.62 years = Payback Time
Therefore, 1/Payback Time = 1/7.62 =0.13 1 or 13.1% = Rate of Return on Solar Investment, keep in mind that this is with inflation protection (utility bills are always going up).
At this point, I’d like to share with you all a site that had already done the work for you, state by state, Solar Power Rocks., in figuring out the Investment Return (IRR), with consideration of respective state’s tax credits and incentives.
As a result, there are much opportunities for high yielding rates of return on investment in solar as well as other green renewable sources. In the coming decades, there will be so much transformational developments waiting to be planned out and completed. If you have a project ($multi-million project) in mind, with a plan but insufficient funding, please contact me via: info.WindermereSun@gmail.com so Windermere Sun may be able to introduce you and your plan/project to potential investors/lenders. If you are an angel investor, potential investor or lender for solar projects, please feel free to contact me at: info.WindermereSun@gmail.com so we can spread the sunshine globally while saving our planet earth!
Investment Criteria for Joint Venture Financing: financing for all types of commercial real estate and alternative energy projects. In general, they must meet the following criteria: • The project 5% down or more; • The project must be shovel-ready–defined as ready to break ground in 90 days or less; • The project must be sponsored by an experienced developer with a significant financial stake. • Asset-based loans, including In-Ground Assets; • Corporate expansion loans; • International Funding; and • Hard money loans. Joint Venture Financing Project Types: (NEW DEVELOPMENT ONLY) • Hotel Resorts and Casinos • Assisted Living/Senior Housing • Apartment Buildings/Multifamily Housing • Alternative/Renewable Energy (i.e., solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, etc.) • Green Energy (i.e., biofuel/biodiesel, biomass, waste-to-energy, etc.) • Hospitals and Health Care Facilities • Infrastructure (roads, highways, rail, etc.) • College and University Buildings • Public-Use and Recreational Facilities • Industrial Projects • Other Related Types Locations: USA and International, Joint Venture Financing Terms: • 95% equity financing • Typically three to five year term • Non-recourse financing • No interest payments during term of investment • Minority equity stake in lieu of interest • Take out with permanent financing or sale Time to Closing: 90 to 120 days.
This is a repost from one of our sister publication, Windermere Sun, below:
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Tesla Solar Roof (credit: Tesla/Solar City)
Tesla Solar Roof (credit: Tesla/Solar City)
Tesla Solar Roof (credit: Tesla/Solar City)
Tesla Solar Roof single held up by CEO Elon Musk (credit: Tesla/Solar City)
Tesla Solar Roof (credit: Tesla/Solar City)
Tesla Solar Roof single held up by CEO Elon Musk (credit: Tesla/Solar City)
Tesla Solar Roof (credit: Tesla/Solar City)
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Just weeks after our previous reporting of Tesla/Solar City’s Solar roof, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that their Tesla/Solar City solar roof will be cheaper than the conventional/traditional roofing material. Previously Elon Musk said their solar roof would be cheaper, when taking into consideration of the fact that power would be generated from these solar roofs. But now he believes that the cost of manufacturing and installing their solar roofs will be less than the traditional roofs even before taking into consideration of its power generation. Solar City is the largest solar manufacturer and installer in USA. In November of this year, the share holders approved the merger of Tesla and Solar City. Tesla’s solar roofs are expected to hit the market in Summer of 2017.
It’s a no brainer: Tesla/Solar City solar roofs will cost lower, are stronger and last longer, better insulated, and generate power! So when it’s time for you to replace your existing roof or building your roof for the first time, think about Tesla-Solar City Solar Roof!!!
Talk about revolution! Elon Musk continues to lead the charge of this revolution for our Renewable Future!
This is a repost from one of our sister publication, Windermere Sun, below:
Sun Rays (credit: Windermere Sun-Susan Sun Nunamaker)
Sunshine Through Globe of Epcot (credit: Susan Sun Nunamaker)
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Here is an update of a very meaningful project/campaign of one of our own Central Floridians, Marshall Pitcairn, owner of ZEAL (Zero Energy Apartment Living) apartment. Mr. Pitcairn is a Renaissance Man with background and experience in both computer science and entertainment. He is a single parent, juggling his time between parenthood and starting up a project initially near UCF campus and hopefully to spread to rest of the Florida and USA, during our transition toward the Clean and Renewable Future. The idea of reducing the cost of utility bills as much as possible for apartment tenants (via solar energy) is brilliant and definitely the right direction for our renewable future.
“ZEAL Apartments are fully powered by renewable energy, with enough to cover everybody’s normal usage for today, so you don’t have to skimp on your amenities,” Marshall Pitcairn comments, “The electricity is included in the rent, and the rent will be comparable to other apartments in the area. ZEAL Apartments offer to hassle sustainable living to renters and a better ROI for investors.”
This Indiegogo campaign will help to raise the funds for starting building the first ZEAL Apartments. Any of solar supporters, clean/renewable energy enthusiasts, or community supporters, this is your chance to help to participate in a meaningful project in spreading the sunshine. In exchange for pledging to the project, backers can gain access to a variety of rewards, including a spot on the waiting list to live in a ZEAL Apartment for $20, a spot on the waiting list and the choice of a ZEAL logo t-shirt, coffee mug, or tote bag, and more. Backers can also pledge $100 for a spot on the waiting list and personal thank you phone or skype call from the owner of the ZEAL Apartments. To find out more about this campaign or ZEAL Apartments, please contact Marshall Pitcairn via: 321-960-2630, marshall@zealapartments.com .
Taiwain (the island at right), Taiwan Strait (Public Domain)
First Solar Powered Stadium in the World: Dragon-shaped Solar Stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (credit:http://imgur.com/a/duB8w )
Dragon-shaped Solar Stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (credit: Peellden)
The First Solar Powered Stadium in the World: Dragon-shaped Solar Stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (credit: Peellden)
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Positioned with People’s Republic of China to the West, Japan to the Northeast, and the Philippines to the South, Taiwan is the most populus non-UN state and the largest economy outside of the UN.
This beautiful island of what used to be called Formosa, is progressive in many ways. In May of 2016, Taiwan has elected its first female president, Tsai Ing-Wen, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Soon after the election, the new government formed by the DPP announced its ambitious plans to install 20GW of solar, while phasing out nuclear. Installing 20 GW of solar would mean using land on the island or in a country where land is an expensive commodity. The new government is tackling this issue by releasing 10,000 hectares of government controlled agricultural land for utility scale PV installations and dual use systems. Its policies also enable water-based solar installations.
Early in October of this year, Taiwan’s Bureau of Energy issued its plan for Feed-in-Tariffs (FIT) in 2017.Within this plan:
the residential rooftops (1 kW to below 20 kW) would receive a FIT of NT$6.103/kWh (US$0.193/kWh)
the ground-mounted PV power plant would receive a FIT of US$0.144/kWh
the floating solar power plants would receive a FIT of US$0.156/kWh
As some of the solar companies in USA such as First Solar and Sun Power, many Taiwanese formerly dedicated solar cell producers are shifting their attentions or businesses to also include manufacturing modules and PV project developers. One can imagine that such a shift will pick up its speed as the new FIT system becomes implemented in 2017.
To better understand such a group/country of wonderfully resilient people, I will share some videos about this beautiful island, Formosa or Taiwan, below, with you:
In one surprisingly bold critique, Felix Mormann has incisively slaughtered two sacred cows of US renewable energy policy in the journal Environmental Law: Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) and tax credits.
Make no mistake, the innocuous sounding title of this academic paper harbors an intellectual assault on public policy created by long-held beliefs in neoliberal ideology. Mormann certainly will not endear himself to AWEA, SEIA, SEPA and the alphabet soup of K Street lobbyists with his unambiguous call to end tax credits: “In light of the conceptual superiority of a feed-in tariff over the current tax credit regime, tax incentive support for US renewables should be phased out as the feed-in tariff goes online.”
Mormann, an associate professor of Law at the University of Miami and fellow at the Center for Energy Policy and Finance at Stanford University, isn’t content to antagonize only industry lobbyists, he takes aim at the principle policies favored by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF-US), two En-NGOs influential in US energy policy.
Using IEA deployment data, Mormann explains the superior performance of feed-in tariffs in mitigating market and investment risk relative to RPS and tax credit policies in the US. Feed-in tariffs are the clear winner. They are the superior market instrument.
Though Mormann is not the first to explore the inequality of using tax credits to subsidize renewable energy in the US, his analysis is one of the few in a law journal. He notes for example, that tax credits have created the reasonable perception that they are a “rich man’s” policies by enabling the wealthy—those with a tax liability–to enrich themselves at the taxpayer’s expense.
Mormann skewers both tendering and RPS programs that are sold to Americans—and their politicians–as more “market-oriented” than feed-in tariffs. Under closer scrutiny, however, RPS and tendering programs–because they rely on trading of renewable energy certificates—entail “considerable transaction costs,” earning them the reputation of policies designed by and for big corporations. These policies, charges Mormann, provide little opportunity for local investors to profit from renewable energy. The lack of transparency in tendering awards and in trading of renewable energy certificates further fuels suspicion that renewable energy in the US was never intended to benefit common citizens.
FITs in contrast, because of their transparency, can improve public perception of renewable energy by enabling greater participation than tendering, RPS policies, or tax credits. Mormann cites Danish and German success with feed-in tariffs at eliciting investment from community groups and local citizens to make his point. Both countries have a much higher percentage of their electricity generated by new renewables than the US.
Mormann doesn’t waffle or go soft in the knees as he reaches his conclusion with an unusually strong recommendation for an academic paper on public policy.
“It is time, indeed, that the United States make the same commitment and adopt the very policy that has propelled its competitors to become leaders in the Race to Renewables. It is time to adopt a feed-in tariff that has the ability to cost-effectively enhance the investor appeal of renewable energy in the United States.”
Now only if President Obama would call Mormann for advice on renewable energy policy–or better yet–a conference call from President Obama and Speaker of the House John Boehner maybe something concrete would come of Mormann’s research. . .
This feed-in tariff news update is made in cooperation with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. The views expressed are those of Paul Gipe and are not necessarily those of ILSR.
Please allow me to share our next sequence of designs at Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 at Madrid, Spain:
This is a composite of five designs of Solar Decathlon Europe 2012: Patio 2.12 of Andalucia Team of Universidades De Sevilla, Jaen, Granada Y Malaga of Spain;Eko House of Team Brazil of Universidade Federal De Santa Catarina Universidade de Sao Paulo of Brazil;CEM’ Casas Em Movimento of CEM+NEM Team of Universidade Do Porto of Portugal;Ekihouse of EHU Team of Universidad Del Country Vasco of Spain;and Astonyshine of Astonyshine Team of Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Architecture Paris-Malaquais Universita Di Ferrara Ecole Des Ponts Paristech Politecnico Di Bari of France-Italy.
In the first design of this clip, it is the Patio 2.12 of Andalucia Team. During winter, the patio becomes a greenhouse;its glass envelope captures solar radiation and the heated air is conducted to the conditioned rooms. At night the patio and room openings are closed, in order to decrease energy lost through the walls and to use the patio as a thermal transition between the conditioned inside and the open outside. During summer days, the solar radiation on the roof is controlled by the pergola, folding the glass panels and “opening” the patio, and letting the air flow through the vertical walls. Different wind pressures over the walls promote a continuous airflow through the patio. At night, the glass cover is extended and the airflow becomes horizontal through the opened walls of the patio. More details about this house at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKM9FylJGU4&feature=plcp
In the second segment, we welcome Team Brazil to Solar Decathlon Europe for the first time ever. Team Brazil is the only entrant from Americas (North & South Americas). Their Eko House construction is more concerned with the design and building process rather than high technology. The emphasis is in the human sustainability concept. Detailed description of this house will be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjJ-iViensQ
The third, “CEM’ CASAS EM MOVIMENTO”, House of Movement, is a house that tracks the sunlight;this enables its ability to optimize production of solar energy, reduction of heat consumption and reduction of interior lighting requirements. The house feeds itself from the sun following it as it rises and sets by a movement of approximately 180% from east to west. This sunflower effect, combining with movements of solar panels, maximizes solar gains. The production of energy from this house will be 2.5 times greater than the energy consumption needs of the house. Every movement of the house creates new interior and exterior spaces, adapting the house to one’s daily life throughout the day. More detailed description of this house is at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq5T3CjJznU
The fifth and last design of this clip, Astonyshine of France-Italy, aims at integrating energy efficient technology with solar powered architecture, by dealing with six key issues: use of freestones, concentrated solar power systems (combining solar PV and thermal), control of PV field with electronic systems embedded into each module to extract maximum energy, research new design, material, and technology, search for optimal illumination (natural and/or artificial), and integration of architectural and structural design. More details on this house at: http://inhabitat.com/swooping-astonyshine-solar-decathlon-house-boasts-a-bold…
There is always more on solar energy & sustainability athttp://www.sunisthefuture.net
Any comments/questions/suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
~have a bright and sunny day~
sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net
If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much.
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Greetings, my friends and readers,
Let’s not waste such plentiful and beautiful sunshine and surface area at FLORIDA ! Let’s ask for effective Feed-In-Tariff (more on effective Feed-In-Tariff may be found from May 8-Aug. 4, 2011 and Nov. 11, 2011 posts of http://sunisthefuture.net ).
In my recent visit to Legoland Florida, I had a pleasant find, quite unexpectedly, that took my breath away….so, without any of my words, I would like to share with you what I’ve seen, such marvelous work of Solar Energy/Nature! You be the judge….
photographed and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much.
Continuing on with our top three winning teams arriving at Victoria Square in Adelaide, Australia, Quantum team members of University of Michigan of USA presented us with Michigan’s eleventh generation car by completely revamping its design strategy. The team was able to take off 200 lbs from the previous vehicle weight and reduced the aerodynamic drag significantly. Combining the engineering improvements and smart driving strategy, with a strong family members’ support, it is no wonder that this team is widely recognized as the best team in North America and being able to come in as one of the top three winning teams in the Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E6yO30-5Q8 The positive energy of these three top teams’ members is palpable as they all hopped into the Victoria Fountain, in full exuberance. I even caught one of the University of Michigan team members’ successful attempt at reaching the top of the fountain on film, seen in one of the photos below, along with an interview with one of the female members and driver of the team, Rachel Kramer (yes, there are female drivers/pilots in Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011 !):
written & posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
