(Please click on red links below)
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Updates on our Solar-FIT For Sunshine State petition: 165 signatures strong. We need more! Please help us to spread more sunshine by signing this petition and sharing it with others. It is our shared responsibility to move toward the renewable energy age and Sunshine is the cleanest, healthiest, and least war-prone way to go!
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I’ve been asked by quite a few people, since starting Sun Is The Future, why I would bother spending so much time working on this project. My response: there are many of us on this planet, who are concerned about the impact of climate change issue, who are worried about the stability and safety of our future generations. Case in point, I would like to bring you an interview of a nature photographer, James Balog, on a long-term project, documenting the visual impact of climate change even more effectively than scientists’ data or graphs. This amazing body of work is also known as the “Chasing Ice” that I highly recommend
“Chasing Ice” (some call it The Inconvenient Truth) (directed by Jeff Orlowski, photographed by James Balog), capturing melting glaciers
. Below is the interview with the photographer James Balog and Jeff Orlowski (Chasingice.com) and multiple links that will help to demonstrate the impact of global warming and why we need to GO RENWABLES and GO SOLAR QUICKLY:
We need to realize that this is not a partisan issue and needs to be addressed quickly before more coastal cities would disappear or extreme climate conditions appear.
Due to my applied math and engineering background, my natural inclination is always to look for solutions when a problem arises. As indicated in several previous posts where talks were given by Professor Mark Jacobson (you can find it by typing his name in the search box in upper right hand), the need to transition into renewable (Solar-Wind-Water) quickly is the solution. This is the purpose of existence for Sun Is The Future, for it brings not only the sharing of information on solar energy at www.sunisthefuture.net, interviews and visual information at sunisthefuture Youtube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture , assistance for entrepreneurs throughout the planet to establish and maintain small businesses in solar energy/renewable energy/energy efficiency/recycling via micro-finance at www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture , a petition for Solar-FIT For Sunshine State at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=7424 to help encourage more solar installations in state of Florida. And most recently, because some of the meetup groups would not permit me to talk/spread the idea of solar energy use unless I am selling a product, I’ve started online Sunisthefuture stores (aka Sunshine Online Store & Sunisthefuture Logosportswear).
The exciting thing about being alive now is the fact that existence of all the projects at Sun Is The Future would not have been possible few decades ago. Through collaborations of various internet organizations and social networks, readers/visitors/viewers have come from more than 160 countries. That is why, despite the rate at which our global warming has increased, I am still hopeful that we can reach out to every corner of the planet earth to speed up the transition into renewable/solar energy. But we do need to hurry, for we have been warned by the IEA (International Energy Agency), that our world is headed for irreversible climate change in five years, the world will lose forever the chance to avoid dangerous climate change. What does that mean? Explained below in italicized 2 paragraphs taken from Nov. 2011 post of Guardian :
Anything built from now on that produces carbon will do so for decades, and this “lock-in” effect will be the single factor most likely to produce irreversible climate change, the world’s foremost authority on energy economics has found. If this is not rapidly changed within the next five years, the results are likely to be disastrous.
“The door is closing,” Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency, said. “I am very worried – if we don’t change direction now on how we use energy, we will end up beyond what scientists tell us is the minimum [for safety]. The door will be closed forever.”
Let’s all try to do what we can to transition into the renewable and solar energy age!
~may we all try to reach for the bright and sunny day~
any of your comments or suggestions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
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Our updates for the Solar-FIT For Sunshine State petition: we’re now 162 signatures strong. We need your help in spreading the sunshine!
Fantastic news! I just found out yesterday (April 26, 2013) that ADEME (The French Environment and Energy Management Agency) has recommended France to triple its solar PV target from 5.4 GW (gigawatt) to 15 GW by 2020. As study by ADEME indicated that solar PV has the potential to reach grid parity in the coming years and therefore is an essential component for sustainable energy policies. France celebrated the added 1.08GW of PV capacity in 2012, represented by over 34,500 plants, according to French Ministry of Energy, Ecology, and Sustainable Development. Solar PV has the potential to not only solve our energy problem, but also to fight against climate change, to help create local jobs, improve local industrial development and economic prosperity, according to ADEME. ADEME recommends that France concentrate on installing large rooftop PV systems to boost installed capacity and support the domestic solar industry. One can see that ADEME is on the right track toward developing economic and technological solutions to speed up the deployment of solar PV in France. Examples of rooftoop PV, below:
Rooftop photovoltaic power station at Googleplex, California
rooftop pv panels in Kreuzberg, Berlin
Rooftop from the Chicago Center for Green Technology
Rooftop Solar Panel array at the Kuppam i-Community Office
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your comments and/or suggestions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
In the coming two weeks, I’d like to share with you what other parts of the USA and/or world have done or are planning to do in the process of optimizing their solar and/or renewable energy potentials. For starter, I want to share a recent press release concerning Japanese PV market and Japan’s FIT (Feed-In-Tariff) from IHS-IMS Research, below:
Japan to Install More than 5 Gigawatts of PV Systems in 2013 – Overtaking Germany and the US
The Japanese photovoltaic (PV) market is set to grow by 120 percent in 2013 and install more than 5 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity, according to a new report, “The PV Market in Japan,” from IMS Research, now part of IHS Inc. (NYSE:IHS). Benefiting from the world’s most attractive PV incentive policy, Japan’s solar market is currently booming, with installations expected to exceed 1 GW in the first quarter alone, causing it to become the second largest market in 2013.
Overly Generous Incentives Spurs a Booming Market
Japan’s PV market currently benefits from a feed-in tariff (FIT) paying up to ¥42 per kilowatt hour, even though this is likely to be reduced by approximately 10 percent beginning April 1.
“At ¥42 Japan’s FIT is by far the most attractive globally—overly generous perhaps, which could lead to overheating of the market,” explained Ash Sharma, senior director of solar research at IHS.
“And while a 10 percent reduction in tariffs is widely expected by industry players, this will have little effect on both internal rates of return and market demand. Furthermore, many systems that have already applied for the higher FIT are able to benefit from this rate of ¥42 even if they are installed after April 1,”
The report reveals that installations are estimated at over 1 GW in the first quarter of 2013—the final quarter of Japan’s fiscal year—and forecast to exceed 5 GW for the whole of 2013. This would see Japan leapfrog ahead of Germany, Italy, and the U.S. to become the world’s second largest PV market.
A Lifeline for Japanese Manufacturers
IHS research found that domestic PV installations are proving to be a lifeline for struggling Japanese companies that are able to sell both modules and inverters at high margins, despite their competitiveness at an international level falling behind their overseas peers. Providers of residential ‘system kits,’ EPCs and project developers are also seemingly enjoying the high margins that come with a generous FIT and its resulting high system prices.
“Residential system prices in Japan are roughly double than those installed in Germany. The ability to sell modules and inverters at significant premium compared to the rest of the world, coupled with high demand and growth, provides a much-needed profit stream for Japanese suppliers,” commented Frank Xie, report co-author and IHS senior analyst for PV and solar research.
Although Japan has been reportedly attempting to attract foreign PV companies to its shores in order to help accelerate supply—and hence, installations—the report found that it remains a tough market for non-Japanese companies in which to compete.
“While many Chinese and even U.S. module suppliers are now serving the Japanese market, they remain the minority and have largely needed to resort to OEM agreements and partnerships with Japanese manufacturers, despite being highly regarded brands in the rest of the world. Simply put, Japanese customers want to buy Japanese modules. Non-Japanese inverter companies have found it even harder to serve this market as tough regulations from the certification board—JET—and even more stringent requirements from utilities have meant that substantial product redesigns are required before they are able to target this market effectively. As a result, the market is currently suffering from a bottleneck in inverter supply,” observed Sharma.
Mega Demand for ‘Mega Solar’ – But for How Long?
Projects more than 2 megawatts in size—or ‘mega solar’—in Japan are a major driving force behind the country’s triple-digit growth rate, but this is expected to be short-lived, according to the report, and the projects will face a decline after 2013.
“These so-called ‘mega-solar’ projects are being deployed at a rapid rate, and we expect they will account for approximately 25 percent of total demand in 2013,” Xie noted. “Government policy is in clear support of these projects while the country grapples with severe energy shortages following its shunning of nuclear power. However, this is likely to be short-lived and decline after 2014 once the current pipeline of approved projects is completed, largely because of a shortage of land in the country.”
Sharma concluded: “Another segment of the market that gets fewer headlines, but should not be neglected, is commercial rooftops. Systems in the range of 10-50 kilowatts are in very high demand in Japan due to high incentives, high electricity prices, power shortages for commercial properties and relatively simple regulations for installations of this size.”
I’d like to share with you some of the highlights during the General Session of Monday, September 10, 2012, at Solar Power International (SPI) 2012, of the CEO Panel discussion: Growth In An Uncertain Market. Moderators & Panelists are:Julia Hamm, President & CEO of Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA); Rhone Resch, President & CEO of Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA); Tom Boyle, P.E., EVP, NRG Energy CEO of NRG Solar and President of West Region;Jurgen W. Krehnke, President and General Manager of SMA America, LLC and President of SMA Canada, Inc.;Peter H. Marte, President & CEO of Hannah Solar, LLC;Nancy E. Pfund, Found and Managing Partner of DBL Investors;Eric Silagy, President of Florida Power & Light;Tom Werner, CEO of SunPower Corporation.
Solar Power International 2012 began its four-day run in Orlando with a dynamic panel of industry thought leaders stressing that now is the time for collaboration and cooperation to establish a level playing field to create a marketplace where all energy can compete including solar. The wide ranging discussion explored renewable portfolio standards, net metering, regulation, storage, grassroots support for solar and the future of the investment tax credit. The executives agreed that it is imperative to create a partnership between the industry and utilities to create the necessary stability to make solar a larger share of our energy mix. Julia Hamm urged the “solar industry and the utility industry to invest in the development of a regulatory structure that allows for a new long-term, sustainable utility business model that encourages customers capable of installing solar to do so and rewards utilities that innovate and create a platform on which solar is fully leveraged for its strengths and which ensures the costs and benefits are fairly distributed.” Rhone Resch reported that the U.S. solar market had achieved its second best quarter in history having installed 742 megawatts of solar power, while the utility segment registered it best-ever quarter with 477 megawatts. Through Q22012, the U.S. now has 5,700 MWs of installed solar electric capacity, enough electricity to power nearly a million homes with a total projected 3.2 gigawatts of new installed solar for 2012.(Source:SPI2012 news release)
In the video clip below, you might hear a whispered comment about Feed-In-Tariff (FIT). Effective FIT is the perfect incentive policy for renewables/solar that would provide the certainty and weaning away from subsidies. If you would like to learn more about FIT, please check out sunisthefuture Youtube Channelor item F at right. Without further ado, this discussion is below:
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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Dear Friends & Readers,
Cooking with solar cookers have many advantages. As indicated in the video clip below, solar cookers sponsored by the Canada Fund, the German Embassy, and other Western donors, along with a substantial local contribution, have provided Tibetan residents (particularly Qinghai, Gansu,and Sichuan) an environmentally-friendly way of heating water and cooking. Often women from these regions are given the responsibility of collecting fuel, and in areas where dung and wood is scant, the solar cookers have been extremely helpful in giving women more time for other activities, in addition to less time spent in smoky kitchens (henceforth health benefit). Keep in mind that cooking outdoor is always helpful in reducing indoor pollution, regardless which part of the world you live in.
written and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net
Any comments and suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
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.
Despite his busy schedule during the Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011, Mr. Chris Selwood managed to squeeze in a terrific interview with Sun Is The Future, so to enable our readers to have a better understanding of the history and purpose behind Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011. Mr. Selwood is a man of positive energy, enthusiasm, and vision. He was previously seen in our footage as the Master of Ceremony on Oct. 16, 2011, at the Open Ceremony of Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011 in Darwin, Australia (in front of the Parliament House), and the voice behind the announcement as each and every one of the solar cars pulled in to the Victoria Square (the ceremonial finish line) of Adelaide, Australia. He deserves a great round of applause from all of us who have participated/viewed/reported in/on Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011 for he had brought energy and vision to all of our hopes in the future for solar energy. Without further ado, here we have Mr. Chris Selwood:
written, interviewed, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com, filmed by Michael Nunamaker
Homepage: http://sunisthefuture.net
Any comments and suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
