August 2009

By Scott Gordon

Vice President Sales, Residential, HelioPower

If you read the first part of this series, you were exposed to the aesthetically ugly side of solar – literally solar that looks unattractive up on the roof and detracts from a home’s curb appeal.  Such solar installations can have a negative impact on a community’s perception of solar technology.  After all, who wants to live in an ugly house?  Not many folks as far as I can tell.  Yet there is an uglier side; a side you can’t see.   It is an improperly installed system.    

Improperly installed systems can often look great up on the roof.  They may even encourage neighbors to not only go solar, but to use the very same company that performed the first shoddy install.  These badly installed systems may perform well for years before exposing their dark underbelly in the form of galvanic action (think rusting panel frames, rails, bolts, etc); leaky roofs, deck rot, short circuits, and even fires.  

In this article, I will cover many of the things that can happen if you choose an inexperienced contractor to install your solar project, how you can avoid signing up with the wrong company and online resources to allow you to gauge a company’s experience in the field.

First, let’s delve into the nitty-gritty of shoddy solar installations.  There are hundreds of little details that go into any solar installation.  These need to be well understood by the procurement manager buying the equipment, the warehouseman loading the truck, the project manager and finally the installation team.  For example, if the procurement manager decides to save money and buys substandard equipment (think non galvanized steel, cheap mastic, etc), then there will be repercussions down the road regardless of how well the installation team does its job.  On the other hand, the best materials in world won’t spare a roof from the ravages of an inexperienced installation crew.

This photo shows a lag bolt (that thing that holds the solar foot and thus the panel on one’s roof), from the underside – the attic/crawlspace.

This lag bolt very obviously misses the roof truss.  It was one of seven I found on a recent botched installation my company rebid and fixed for a distressed customer left high and dry by an unscrupulous contractor.  You may be asking yourself why this matters.  Few people understand the harsh conditions their roofs endure day in and day out, season to season, year after year.  Extreme heat, cold, wind, rain, sleet, snow, and other elements beat on your roof, and consequently, your solar system.  Solar racking systems, like those offered by ProSolar, are engineered to withstand wind gusts up to 120 mph.  That’s some serious live load!!  But the racking systems only work if they are properly installed.

The installation sitting above this attic will be in serious jeopardy over time.  Wind (whether gusty or not) causes lift when it’s funneled under a solar array.  In most cases, this is a good thing.  The wind can help keep the solar array cool on a hot day, and thus result in higher energy yield.  However, if roof trusses are missed, the aggregate effect of this lift over time (especially from intensely gusty wind) is a gradual loosening of the feet holding the rails to the roof.  In some cases, the feet could detach from the roof altogether.  The most common result is roof leakage. If cheap components were used the result will often be rusty leakage (think of orange stains on your living room ceiling).

In this next example, roof leaks are inevitable.  This inexperienced crew was exceptionally bad at locating studs.  They left the roof littered with these unsightly holes as they poked around trying to locate rafters.  When we took the job over and removed the old feet, our crew discovered up to four penetrations per foot! The roof damage was so acute that we had to bring in a licensed roofer to repair it all.

Where the installers eventually decided to set their feet, they left the penetrations unflashed (we double flash everything) and messy.  Also notice the rusty bolt in the center of the rail.  While it may seem harmless enough now, galvanic action of dissimilar metals ensures that the corrosion will spread to the nut, the rail, and eventually the frames of your solar panels.  If the roof truss was missed underneath the attachment, you have the perfect recipe for rusty roof leaks.  Insist that your contractor uses only stainless, galvanized and extruded aluminum components for all roof attachments.

While avoiding roof leaks is of paramount concern, so is proper electrical etiquette.  Rather than use proper galvanized steel conduit for his electrical runs, the contractor used cheap flexible plastic and fastened it to a rusty lag bolt with a cheap indoor rated plastic tie wrap (which the sun will turn to dust in a matter of months). 

Obviously satisfied with the cheap tie wraps’ ability to hold things together on the roof, the inexperienced crew then used the same tie wraps to affix the electric conduit to the customer’s thermal pool system.  Notice also the exposed green ground wire running across the roof in clear violation of electrical code.  Exposure and corrosion virtually guarantee a future of annoying and system crippling ground faults.

While I could show you photos ad nauseum, I’ll wrap Part II with the scariest photo of all:

The system pictured here was so badly put together (from an electrical standpoint), that the fuse terminals continued to burn AFTER the fuse blew.  Fortunately, this problem was discovered before it caused a house fire, but it underscores the importance of choosing a qualified installer.

So, how can you check up on those clamoring for your solar business?  First, start with the standard protocol:

1.       Get at least three bids

2.       Check your state’s state licensing board and the Better Business Bureau for suspension and complaints

3.       If you live in California visit: http://www.californiasolarstatistics.ca.gov/application/search/

Select the solar contractor(s) you’re considering from the list and see how many and what types of systems they’ve installed.  If a contractor is not listed, precede NO FURTHER.  Cross them off of your list.  If a contractor has less than 10 installations, they may still be learning.  Ask yourself if you want them learning on your house.

4.       Ask for their solar certification credentials. NABCEP is the gold standard in the industry.  A NABCEP certified installer has years of experience and several difficult tests under his belt.

5.       Look at the other businesses they may be involved in.  Today scores of companies and individuals are flooding into the solar marketplace.  These include window companies, flooring companies and even food companies (it’s scary, but true).  Your best bet for a quality installation is to go with a company that specializes in solar (specifically photovoltaics, PV) and is dedicated industry specialist.  They will be the most knowledgeable and best overall value.

6.       Ask for references and to see local installations in your area

Well, that’s it for Part II.  Stay tuned for Part III where I’ll explore the final frontier of ugly solar, the true ‘dark side’:  Shade.

The September issue of National Geographic has a terrific set of articles on solar. "Plugging Into the Sun. Sunlight bathes us in far more energy than we could ever need—if we could just catch enough"  by George Johnson is an in-depth look at the capabilities of solar to light up the world, historic and scientific information and why Europe is so far ahead of the U.S. "Can Solar Save Us?" by Chris Carroll is an essay worth visiting. The articles are supplemented by an excellent photo gallery and several renewable energy graphs.

Excerpts:
With a new administration in Washington promising to take on global warming and loosen the grip of foreign oil, solar energy finally may be coming of age. Last year oil prices spiked to more than $140 a barrel before plunging along with the economy—a reminder of the dangers of tying the future to something as unpredictable as oil. Washington, confronting the worst recession since the 1930s, is underwriting massive projects to overhaul the country's infrastructure, including its energy supply. In his inaugural address President Barack Obama promised to "harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories." His 2010 budget called for doubling the country's renewable energy capacity in three years. Wind turbines and biofuels will be important contributors. But no form of energy is more abundant than the sun.

"If we talk about geothermal or wind, all these other sources of renewable energy are limited in their quantity," Eicke Weber, director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, in Freiburg, Germany, told me last fall. "The total power needs of the humans on Earth is approximately 16 terawatts," he said. (A terawatt is a trillion watts.) "In the year 2020 it is expected to grow to 20 terawatts. The sunshine on the solid part of the Earth is 120,000 terawatts. From this perspective, energy from the sun is virtually unlimited."

A recent Harris Poll shows only 1 in 10 Americans knows much about the source(s) of their electricity. While Congress debates the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, much education is needed to enhance public knowledge, understanding and interest in various sources of electrical power, their associated benefits and risks and the value of becoming more energy efficient.

According to a Reuters report the poll said, "When it comes to renewable sources of energy and natural gas, the public overwhelmingly indicates that the benefit of the source outweigh the risks. At least two-thirds of Americans believe that when used, the benefits of solar (82%), wind/turbine (78%), hydroelectric (water) (73%) and natural gas (66%)outweigh any risks associated with the different sources.

Coal, which provides approximately half (49%) of electrical power production in the United States and is the most heavily used source of energy, is perceived differently. Two in five Americans (42%) say the risks of using coal outweigh the benefits while 36% believe the benefits outweigh the risks.

So What?

With limited knowledge and interest in the topic, as the debate over the Energy bill rages on, public opinion can be based on incomplete or inaccurate information about the various sources of energy and their perceived benefits and risks. Significant room exists to educate the public on the pros and cons of
each source of energy, including factors such as; current and future use of each source, reliability, cost, environmental impacts and ways to become more energy efficient. Much work is needed by Congress, energy companies and communities to engage consumers in the dialogue around this new energy economy.

From The Daily Transcript, writer Monica Unhold, "Ocean Beach offices county's first net zero building."

An Ocean Beach architecture firm’s new offices will be the first commercial building in San Diego County to qualify as net zero — meaning it generates as much energy as it consumes.

Architects Hanna Gabriel Wells converted the 54-year-old Ocean Beach Auto Repair shop into a modern office building expected to enjoy no monthly energy costs, said Jim Gabriel, principal at Architects Hanna Gabriel Wells.

The firm has called Ocean Beach home for the past 12 years and jumped at the chance of ownership when the auto repair property became available. The location at 1955 Bacon Ave. is ideal; situated near to the small beach community’s shops and restaurants, and just one block from the beach, Gabriel said.

In converting the building, architects added modern details while keeping 90 percent of the original building intact. Still visible are the steel beams used by mechanics for lifting engines, cinder block walls and polished concrete floors.

“The big auto repair bays they use for automotive work are actually perfect for what we do because we need a lot of space too,” Gabriel said.

The interior of the building is simplistic with large open space bounded by floor-to-ceiling windows on one side. The workspace exhibits obvious remnants of the building’s former use while offering creative modern details such as LED bar lamps hung at intersecting angles and window frames of varying-sized rectangles pieced together in a seemingly geometric yet asymmetrical fashion.

Now completed, the building is 49 percent more efficient than required by code and is expected to receive a Leadership in Energy Efficiency (LEED) Gold rating — the second-highest designation for sustainable design awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council. To achieve the rating, architects incorporated solar thermal water heating, low-flow plumbing fixtures, natural ventilation, a cool roof and took care to recycle 86 percent of construction waste. The building’s orientation will help to provide 90 percent natural light within the building.

Outdoors, pavement was replaced with drought-tolerant landscaping and a low-water irrigation drip.
The building’s greatest energy-saving component is its natural ventilation system that eliminates the need for air-conditioning, Gabriel said. Heating and cooling costs are typically the greatest source of energy consumption for commercial buildings.

The cost of the building was supplemented with $36,000 in grants from San Diego Gas & Electric meant to offset the greater cost of designing highly efficient buildings. The utility has $40 million in rebates available this year to local business customers for construction of energy-efficient buildings and renovations that increase efficiency.

Since 2004, SDG&E has provided incentives to 11 projects through its new construction programs, said Alex Kim, director of customer innovations for SDG&E. Buildings designed to be at least 10 percent more efficient than required by state building code are eligible for the incentive program.

The utility also leases space atop commercial rooftops where it installs and operates solar panels. SDG&E leases space surrounding a 16-megawatt photovoltaic solar panel system atop Architects Hanna Gabriel Wells’ offices. The system was installed by Escondido-based solar provider, HelioPower.

SDG&E also installed free of charge, a state-of-the-art monitoring system for the offices. The system will collect data relating to the building’s energy consumption, production and efficiency under different conditions. The system will help SDG&E better understand the performance of net-zero buildings, Kim said.

“We think this will help our other customers see the benefits of net-zero buildings,” Kim said. “Energy efficiency is definitely the future of buildings.”

For more information and project photos, click here.

By Scott Gordon

Vice President Sales, Residential, HelioPower

Have you ever driven by a solar installation that was so ugly you wondered what the owners of the house were thinking when they decided to install their system?

Have you found stories on the internet about leaky roofs, fly-by-night solar companies or other tales of solar despair?

If you answered yes to any of these questions you’ve stumbled upon a little talked about topic in our happy industry:  the ugly side of solar.

Most solar installers shy away from the topic of ugly solar for fear of scaring off their potential customers.  After all, who wants to ruin their home’s curb appeal or wind up with a leaky roof?  The reason for this article is to arm consumers with the knowledge they need to avoid falling into either type of botched installation.

"Aesthetically Challenged" Solar Installation

First I’ll cover solar installations I would describe as “aesthetically challenged.”  The above photo is an extreme example of just how ugly solar can get.  As a person with nearly three years of solar sales and design experience, I can hardly wrap my brain around how the above installation was permitted in the first place.  I can only imagine how the neighbors feel when they drive by this house.  Unfortunately, I see ugly installs like this one far too often.

So, how do you avoid such a fate as you embark on your solar journey?  

Asking your installer for a roof plan BEFORE signing a contract is a great first step.  This will allow you to review and compare various plans from all bidders involved in order to see who’s come up with the best design for your roof.

For example, if you have a smallish roof, you may be limited to solar panels with high power density like those made by SunPower.  Panels with high power densities often obviate the need for tilt kits on the roof.  While you may not object to the ‘look’ of the tilt kits in the above photo, you need to consider the wind profile of the area in which you live.  Mounting solar panels on your roof so they resemble sails is never a good idea because sails are what they will become during high wind conditions (like tornados, hurricanes, Santa Ana winds, etc).  While there is little chance the panels will blow off your roof if properly attached, high gusty winds may loosen “sail mounted” panels over the course of several years resulting in roof leaks, deck rot, and other collateral damage.

HelioPower Installation of SunPower Solar Modules

If your best roof happens to be above your front door, you’ll want to get black framed panels, with a black backsheet, and back contacts (if you have the budget).  The second photo shows a recent HelioPower installation using SunPower 225 panels.

First notice how the panels look more like skylights than panels.  Notice how you don’t see any white diamonds or electrical contacts (black back sheet/back contact).  Notice how the solar array is contiguous and well organized on the roof. Such a roof layout takes planning. I tried four configurations before I found one I liked enough to present to this customer.  Think the folks in this neighborhood have a slightly different opinion about solar aesthetics than the previous example? You becha!!

What are some other ways you can be sure that your solar system will look as good as it performs? Again, make sure you get some roof plans.  

Once you’ve reviewed those, ask if there are any systems in your area you can drive by (this is far better than a phone reference).  Also ask to see photos of installed systems that will be similar to what the installer is proposing for your home.  Ask to see the same panels on the same roof type.  For example, if you’re interested in Evergreen panels for your Spanish tile roof, ask to see a photo of Evergreen panels on a Spanish tile roof.  A reputable installer with enough installations under his belt should be able to easily provide you with these and may already have examples you can reference on their website. If you've heard of the high efficiency of the Canadian Solar panels, then ask for installation photos showing these modules. There are many options. At HelioPower we offer all these panel options and more!

If tilt kits are required for one brand of panel, ask if they would be required if you instead bought high efficiency SunPower modules.  In solar, size matters, but in this case smaller is better.  High efficiency and smaller panels go hand in hand, but be prepared to pay a little extra for the efficiency.  It will be well worth it down the road when you have a sweet looking solar installation that doesn’t leak and is the envy of your neighborhood.

Finally, you may not have a good solar home.  That’s right, I said it.  Rare is the solar salesperson who will tell you that your home is not ideal for solar photovoltaics (electric), even if that is the case. You may not like it, but you need to listen.  Remember, these folks are mostly commissioned salespeople; they want to sell you a system.  That’s how they make their living. If one of the bidders declines to bid for this reason, put your feelings aside and consider strongly what he/she is telling you.  Fact is that the top photo is of a house that should NOT have solar panels on it. It’s not a good solar house.  Period.  Of course, the salesman that sold the job would disagree as his/her creativity with tilt kits suggests.  But facts are facts.  Which system would you rather have on your largest investment – A or B? HelioPower Energy Consultants are trained to provide you with the second option or no option at all.

While aesthetically ugly solar will scare off its fair share of customers, often times it’s what you can’t see that matters most of all.  In part two, I’ll get into the gory details of a truly botched solar installation.  It’s the type that keeps most home owners up at night.  Curious?  Stay tuned…

Today from the Contra Costa Times, reporter HEATHER HACKING

The world is poised for the third industrial revolution, said economist Woodrow Clark, a keynote speaker at Butte College's third annual Sustainability Conference, which continues today.

Clark was among members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore.

That effort, which included members from 130 countries, created greater understanding of man-made climate change and shared information about what remedies are needed.

Before the report to the United Nations, there was not consensus that climate change was due to human activity, and the United States (then under the Clinton Administration) provided the most vocal opposition to that idea.

With the report and stronger consensus among leaders across the globe, those protests have waned.

The second industrial revolution relied on fossil fuels and has lasted 100 years, Clark said during an afternoon presentation.

The third industrial revolution will involve renewable resources and "leveraging resources in a way that doesn't keep violating our environment," he said.

"We live in a world where what we do here impacts other parts of the world," and vice versa, he said.

And the way that developed countries use resources is affecting the world climate.

But things can change.

He used the example of Mongolia. The area is rich in coal, a resource used throughout the world for energy production. Clark said that current discussions are about "clean coal," which he said is an oxymoron.
Mongolia is intriguing because the area does not need to transition from coal to fossil fuels, he said.

Mongolia, with natural resources including wind, geothermal and sun, has the opportunity to leap-frog past the fossil fuel era and go right into what Clark envisions as the third industrial revolution.

He cited Germany, which most Americans do not realize is the leader in solar energy.

The country is cold and rainy, but the nation's willpower to use solar has put it at the top of the solar list.

He said the rest of the world should not wait to shift over to renewable resources merely because existing energy sources are cheaper right now.

The hybrid car is nothing new, Clark continued. However, as the use of automobiles grew there was a decision that fossil fuels would be the route taken.

"We have now reached the peak of oil and gas" supplies, Clark said, showing charts of current dwindling supplies.

Some people argue that nuclear power generation is the next step, but there, too, known supplies are dwindling. Clark's slides stated that uranium supplies would only last another 61 years.

The current state of resources "allows us to all have a paradigm change," he continued.

Recent history has shown us that supply-side economics does not work, Clark said. If it did, the current economic recession would not have hit world leaders by surprise.

Another recent economic disaster was California's energy reform, which was, in theory, to increase competition and lower prices. Instead, profits for energy suppliers skyrocketed, Clark noted.

He lauded the community colleges, including Butte, that have invested in renewable energy and have not waited for the rest of the world to lead the way.

Businesses, such as the car industry, have failed to capitalize on new innovations. As an example, Clark pointed to technology used in the Toyota Prius. The car has a regenerative braking system, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, which allows the battery to be recharged through the vehicle's braking system.

The U.S. auto industry was given first right of refusal on the technology, he said.

Now, Japan is selling the Prius to consumers in the United States.

"We have to stop this," he said.

He predicted China will soon become the biggest producer of electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Clark also said that the current energy grid system, with central production and mass distribution, should become history.

For renewable energy, different technologies should not be isolated, but can be considered as a whole, he said. Each building can be considered for how it can be self-sustaining — solar panels on roofs, wind generators along freeways.

Other options, not yet fully developed, could include anaerobic digesters that create fuel from waste products.

He also said in California, water districts could be working with the energy sector on how to move water while generating power.

Clark also criticized the state government leadership. Four years ago, the state had Proposition 98 on the ballot, which narrowly failed in a state vote. The measure would have taxed oil and gasoline in ways similar to what is done in Texas and Oklahoma.

If that had been done, the state would have an estimated $4 billion to $6 billion in tax revenue, he said.

Instead, the state is now bankrupt, Clark continued. "Chevron funded the opposition."

He also was critical of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's actions to lower automobile licensing fees, which would have generated billions in revenue.

For a national approach to a new energy path, Clark said he would like to see the president create a new department of sustainability. This would take an overall look at things such as energy, agriculture, transportation, defense, economics and the environment, so that these issues do not overlap, and all have a sustainable goal.

Clark's book "Qualitative Economics: Toward a Science of Economics," was published in 2008. His next work "Sustainable Communities" will be published in November.

Reporting from Environmental Leader and Bloomberg, "$500B Plan for U.S. Green Building Retrofits Touted."

The United States can build a low-carbon economy by retrofitting existing homes and businesses for energy efficiency, which would reduce waste and pollution, jumpstart an economic recovery, create good jobs and deliver energy cost savings, while reducing global warming, according to a new report. The report is calling on Congress and the Obama administration to ensure that investments will be made in weatherization and energy efficiency as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The $500-billion plan with public and private investment would retrofit 40 percent of the nation’s buildings within the next ten years, create about 625,000 full-time jobs, generate $32 billion to $64 billion in annual consumer energy cost savings, and reduce global warming pollution by 20 to 40 percent for 50 million homes and small businesses, according to a proposal released by the Center for American Progress and the Energy Future Coalition.

Rapidly improving the efficiency of existing buildings is essential to meeting clean energy and climate legislation recently passed by the House of Representatives for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 17 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050, according to the report.

The report also identifies five key areas where focused national policy leadership is required immediately to launch a nationwide energy efficiency retrofit industry. These include technical assistance and capacity building, retrofit financing and cost recovery mechanisms, retrofit performance standards and quality assurance, smart codes and regulations and workforce development programs and job quality standards.

The plan to retrofit buildings, which consume 70 percent of all U.S. electricity and emit 40 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gases, will be discussed at an energy conference in Las Vegas, which is co-sponsored by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and the Center for American Progress, reports Bloomberg.

“We’ve never seen solar module prices so low. With the rebates still relatively high and the federal tax credit at 30%, there’s never been a better time to go solar,” said Scott Gordon, Vice President of Residential Sales at HelioPower.

According to a Yahoo! Finance report yesterday, August 10, “Technology, Tenacity Drive Down Solar Power Costs,” solar photovoltaic (PV) technology has changed little since the energy crisis of the 1970s, but it's finally getting cheaper.

The report goes on to say:  Large-scale rollouts of solar farms in Europe in the past few years have virtually commoditized PV as an energy source, and huge installations on the way in the United States and China will cement that process.

Edison International (NYSE: eix) subsidiary Southern California Edison got the go-ahead last month from California's energy regulators to build and manage 250 megawatts of solar power generation and contract for another 250 MW from outside developers within the next five years, making it the largest solar PV program ever undertaken.

Independent solar industry consultants Solarbuzz estimates that worldwide solar PV installation hit almost 6,000 MW in 2008, nearly double the 3,000 MW of 2007.”

In its August review of solar photovoltaic modules, Solarbuzz states “This month we have good news for solar electricity consumers and also for the solar industry.

The first area of excitement for PV end-customers is the rapid fall in solar module prices. The August 2009 survey set two records – the largest number of price declines in one month and for the magnitude of the monthly decline in both the US and European price indices.

There were 176 price declines this month. In the eight years of this survey, there has never been anything close to this number of moves in a single month. The previous high was 126 declines in May of this year. In past times when prices were rising, the largest number of price rises in a single month was 142, back in August 2005.”

More from the Yahoo! Finance report: The economic downturn has lead to a collapse in the price of silicon, a key ingredient in the making of solar cells, and short-term drop in demand for modules.

State-level renewable portfolio standards (RPS) have mandated that an increasing amount of renewable energy be generated. There is also a national RPS-like mandate currently in the Markey-Waxman energy bill making its way through Congress. And an array of tax credits and renewable energy mandates have also subsidized solar PV to bring its cost per kilowatt hour more in line with that of "brown" power, usually coal-fired in the U.S.

Finally, the efficiency of the solar cells themselves has improved. Early this year, researchers at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems created a solar PV cell that's 41.4% efficient, beating the record held by the Colorado-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory by almost percent.

The cost of solar energy production on a kilowatt-hour (kwh) basis, with all government subsidies netted out, has dropped 8 percent from a peak of 22.04 cents/kwh in January 2002 to 20.40 cents/kwh in July 2009.

That efficiency is trickling down the supply chain to customers.

Solarbuzz estimates that the "customer price" of an average, flat-roof-installed, 500-kilowatt solar energy system – a size typically used by an industrial user that includes the panels, inverter and grid connection hardware – dropped by 0.7 percent alone from June 2009 to July 2009, to about $2.4 million.

Manufacturers and installers of solar modules are looking for new ways to decrease costs, lower prices and attract customers, at a time of rising demand; that race for profit could be seen at the second annual Intersolar 2009 trade show, was held in mid-July in San Francisco.

In addition to silicon ingot, wafer and solar cells makers like Canadian Solar, (NASDAQ: csiq) there were firms like Applied Materials (NASDAQ: amat ) and Alcatel (: aclu), which are intent on squeezing efficiency out of the process of making solar PV modules.

All of these gains in efficiency could see solar energy reach the key goal of parity with coal within the next few years.

Right now, consumers, businesses and community building owners can purchase solar power systems at an all time low.

From the Burbank Leader, writer Michael J. Arvizu: "Bob’s celebrates with solar panels. As a California Point of Historical Interest, the restaurant with the Big Boy had to get approval for its green project."

1949.

It was the year the first Emmy Awards were given in Los Angeles.

It was the year the first Volkswagen Beetle arrived in the United States.

It was the year the People’s Republic of China was founded.

It was the year Bob’s Big Boy began flipping hamburgers, in what 60 years later is one of the most popular burger joints and oldest remaining Bob’s Big Boy restaurants in the country.

Bob’s Big Boy, at 4111 Riverside Drive in Burbank, began operations that year in a building designed by the late Wayne McAllister, a Los Angeles-based architect responsible for resorts and hotels from Las Vegas to California and Tijuana.

The Burbank restaurant is known for its signature Big Boy out front, where diners and tourists alike pose with the life-size, checkered-overalls- wearing, giant hamburger-carrying statue.

Bob’s Big Boy is touted as the home of the original double-deck hamburger, or Big Boy, made of two all-beef patties, grilled sesame seed bun, crisp lettuce and so on.

Aside from the burgers, one of the things that makes Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank unique is its ties with the community, said Bob’s co-owner Phil MacDonald. The restaurant maintains a hometown feel by sponsoring local teams and schools, and its walls are filled with plaques denoting the restaurant’s charitable efforts.

For its 50th anniversary celebrations in 1999, Bob’s Big Boy celebrated with three seasons’ worth of events. In March, the restaurant rolled back prices to 1949 levels, where diners could get a Big Boy, fries and Coke for 50 cents.

In July, the restaurant trucked in about 200 tons of sand and created a virtual beach in its parking lot, complete with sandcastle workshops, Frisbee contests and bathing suit, surfboard and surfing car exhibits.

In the fall, the restaurant held a Hollywood ’50s party.

It seemed fitting that to celebrate its 60th anniversary, MacDonald said, Bob’s should do something as memorable. In an effort to benefit the environment, 132 solar panels were installed on the roof of its carhop canopy and on the roof of the adjacent Starbucks — a building MacDonald also owns — in a campaign the restaurant calls “Sixty and Solar.”

The solar panels, which were activated in May after four weeks’ construction, are made by Canadian Solar, a Canada-based company founded in 2001 that manufactures wafers, cells and solar modules. The whole system was designed and installed by HelioPower, a solar power engineering and construction company. The system cost about $179,000, said HelioPower energy consultant Bret Pursuit. But with a $68,000 rebate from Burbank Water and Power and a $33,000 federal grant, the cost of the system would be around $78,000, Pursuit said.

It will take about six to eight years for the system to pay for itself in terms of energy costs to the restaurant, MacDonald said.

“We should have done this a long time ago,” said Mike Lopez, Bob’s Big Boy’s general manager. “I would love to see all of the businesses changed so that everybody benefits, even communities, houses, hospitals. The whole country needs to be changed, needs to go green. That’s the reality.”

The system is designed to provide about 25 kilowatt hours of electricity, which offsets about 10% of the restaurant’s electricity usage over the course of one year. About 90% still comes from the grid.

Bob’s Big Boy will have an official “flip the switch” ceremony Sept. 24, even though the panels have been active and providing electricity to the restaurant for two months.

“We’ve invited dignitaries,” MacDonald said. “We’ll see who comes. We just realized, oh my God, it’s 2009, it’s 10 years since then, we got to do something for the 60th [anniversary],” MacDonald said.

The MacDonald family has owned the Burbank location since it opened. It took over day-to-day operations of the eatery in 1993, the same year it was declared a California Point of Historical Interest, according to its website.

Because of the restaurant’s historical status, a review had to be conducted by the Burbank Heritage Commission to determine whether adding the solar panels would significantly alter the restaurant’s appearance.

They eventually got approval for the panels, but only after what Pursuit called a “flaming hoop we had to jump through via several meetings, business hours and evenings with the city planners and Heritage Commission.”

For more information on the “Sixty and Solar Project,” visit www.sixtyandsolar.com.