Solar Energy Installations

By Derek Girling, HelioPower Energy Consultant

This past year’s tremendous growth in residential solar installations hasn’t gone unnoticed and new solar companies are hanging their shingles out every day!  Contractors that up until last year were busy installing aluminum windows and garage doors or wiring parking lot lights are now touting themselves as solar power experts. California alone has over 1,500 solar installers operating in the state. More than a few of these companies are very small operations run out of the owners’ garage.

Designing and installing a reliable and efficient solar power system requires expertise in engineering, roofing techniques, and electrical systems. Another overlooked skill is the ability to accurately submit your permitting and rebate application paperwork in a timely manner.

Selecting a contractor can be stressful! This is a significant investment and you’ll have to live with the results for decades. Some questions a homeowner should ask include:

Does the contractor have more than one crew? If not, managing your installation along with inspections and follow up visits will be challenging.

What is the likelihood of this contractor being around in ten years to back up their warranty? The California Solar Initiative requires all installers to warranty their workmanship for 10 years but if your contractors is out of business, you’re out of luck.

How does this contractor manage their cash flow? This is very important considering they may be floating literally tens of thousands of dollars in rebates. Cash flow problems can result in delays or substandard materials used on your home. Make sure your contractor is well capitalized. Evidence of a financially strong contractor can include direct relationships with their industry partners. Larger contractors are able to leverage their size to get the best pricing and availability of components from their vendors as well as offer residential solar financing services from companies that trust their installation abilities.

Fortunately for homeowners there are several on-line tools to help answer these questions and steer you to an experienced professional.

The first place to start is at the California Contractors Board website to check their license. Just type in the contractor’s license number (if they don’t provide you with a license number be suspicious!) and this website will verify that their license is current and in good standing. Confirm that the license number they gave you corresponds with their company name. You can also check the contractor’s bonding and workmen’s compensation policy information as well as if there are any complaints against them.

Next go to the California Solar Initiative website to find out a little more about your potential installer. This webpage has a search function so you can see how many, where, and what size installations they’ve done. The data is compiled from reservation requests filed within the last three years with Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas and Electric, or Pacific Gas and Electric. (Municipal utilities like LADWP or SMUD are not included in this database.) Many solar water-heating installers with limited solar electric experience inflate their installation number claims - this is where you’ll see just how many installs they’ve done. Another red flag is an inordinate amount of withdrawn or cancelled applications.

One of the best features of this site is the ability to determine if your installer is actually the one doing their installations! Many new solar marketing companies function as a middleman and are not the actual contractor on the job. Note the two different fields “Seller” and “Contractor” in the search tool. If they aren’t the same, this may be the case.

Two other useful resources are Angie’s List and the Better Business Bureau. You can see if anyone else has experience with your contractor. Of course, a potential contractor should be able to provide you with a few customers as references.

It’s a fact that a well-engineered and properly installed solar system will deliver you clean low-cost power for decades. Spending a little time researching your solar power contractor is the best way to avoid headaches and ensure that you get your money’s worth out of your investment!

Contact Derek Girling at DGirling@HelioPower.com

HelioPower, a leading solar power design and installation firm since 2001, today announced that it is partnering with SunRun to bring affordable solar financing and service to its California residential customers.  SunRun is the nation’s #1 provider of home solar service. The company provides a smart, affordable alternative to traditional electricity.  HelioPower, through its California offices, will offer SunRun to homeowners in the state.

"Our team is already moving homeowners to solar power through the HelioPower-offered SunRun financing plans,” said Scott Gordon, Vice President, Residential Sales for HelioPower. “For as little as $1,000 out of pocket, our customers can lock in a low electricity rate for the next 18 years and save money every month. Imagine if you could have locked in your gasoline costs at $1 gallon or even $2 gallon? How much money you would be saving today?  HelioPower’s offering of SunRun empowers us to accomplish this kind of energy savings with your electricity costs. We are very pleased to be working with SunRun to offer our customers an affordable means to go solar.”

SunRun purchases home solar systems designed and installed by HelioPower for its customers, who pay only a low one-time installation fee, and then a low fixed rate for the solar electricity produced by their system. All SunRun customers receive money-back annual performance guarantees in addition to professional-grade monitoring, maintenance, repairs, and insurance, which remove the complexity and risk from going solar.

“In a very short time, HelioPower has inspired customers to go solar with SunRun, said SunRun President Lynn Jurich.  “Working with HelioPower, we look forward to helping even more California homeowners power their homes with clean energy and take control of their electricity costs.”

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.

“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.

Today San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) marked over 1 megawatt of solar power they have installed in the region

High Tech High Chula Vista installed by HelioPower

at the grand opening of “green” charter school, High Tech High Chula Vista.

High Tech High Chula Vista and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) showcased how the sustainable design of the school itself will be used as a living classroom on renewable energy.   SDG&E owns the school’s rooftop solar panels, installed by HelioPower, which provide locally generated power to the school and the community. 

“This solar system marks a milestone for SDG&E, because, with its installation, we now have more than 1 megawatt of solar-generating capability on the rooftops of 10 highly energy-efficient commercial buildings throughout San Diego County,” said Hal D. Snyder, vice president of customer solutions for SDG&E.  “The project at High Tech High is the third largest solar system in Chula Vista and will support nearly two-thirds of the school’s own energy use.”

Dignitaries scheduled to speak at the grand opening include Colleen Green, Director, High Tech High; Cheryl Cox, Mayor, City of Chula Vista; Greg Cox, Supervisor, County of San Diego; Tyree Dillingham, Deputy Director, Office of Governor Schwarzenegger; Dave Geier, VP, SDG&E and Steve LoRusso, Vice President of Sales, HelioPower.

“We are very proud to have participated in the High Tech High solar electricity system with SDG&E,” said Steve LoRusso, vice president of sales for HelioPower. “SDG&E is a forward-thinking utility with a great commitment to green energy.  This project is a stand-out example of how solar photovoltaic technology fits into a larger, green building program.  In teaching students now about the benefits of renewable energy it also contributes to solar awareness in future generations.”

With 640 solar modules from Mitsubishi, the solar power system will produce 172,114 kilowatt hours (kWh) of renewable electricity per year.  For more project specifications, click here.

Featuring Patrick Conlon of the Palm Desert Energy Independence Program, HelioPower will host a

Patrick Conlon at Bright Ideas Expo, this past Saturday, March 14

free Solar Financing Q&A session, Tuesday, March 24 at 6pm.  The event will be held in Conference rooms 1 & 2 of the Henderson Community Building, 72559 Hwy 111 Palm Desert, CA  92260-3306. Financing solar power systems for residential and commercial properties will be the focus of the free seminar.

Palm Desert’s Energy Independence Program is a model initiative for cities in California.  Based on AB 811 legislation, the program works to support energy efficiency and renewable energy installations financed through city loans which are paid back through property tax assessments.  For more information, click here. 

"Solar in our community is becoming more and more affordable with the help of Palm Desert's Assembly Bill 811 which will cover their costs of their system and is paid back though their property taxes at a low interest rate,” said HelioPower Energy Consultant, Matt Rifkin.  "We want every single homeowner in the city of Palm Desert to realize the opportunity that their community is offering them," he explained.

Rifkin and his “Team Desert” partner, Matt McPherson, are hosting the event on behalf of HelioPower.  They most recently participated in the “Bright Ideas Expo” held by the city on March 14.

HelioPower's "Team Desert" supporting Bright Ideas Expo

“Team Desert is excited to host the event on March 24^th at the Henderson Building. We are hoping to get a great turnout from Palm Desert residents and commercial building owners,” said Matt McPherson.  “HelioPower would like to educate the residents of Palm Desert on the amazing program that their city is providing, which allows residents to install solar for almost no money down. By educating homeowners and business owners we hope to help the city of Palm Desert reach its goal of reducing city wide energy consumption by 30% by 2011.”

Palm Desert continues to participate in pushing initiatives that further solar deployment, not only in their city, but statewide.  Area newspaper, The Desert Sun, quoted Mr. Conlon on March 12 concerning his efforts to get AB 432 addressing utility feed in tariffs passed.  For K. Kaufman’s article, “Palm Desert eyes new solar plan,” click here.

For information to attend the March 24 event or on solar in general call, 1-87-SOLAR-888.

Out on the wires this morning, comes a major announcement from Citi and Helio Micro Utility…

Citi and Helio Micro Utility Announce

the Green Energy Community Investment Fund ^™

Initial Phase of new Fund will Power up to Four Megawatts of Commercial and Public Sector

Solar Energy System Installations

New York, NY and Berkeley, CA, August 14, 2008/ Citi Community Capital, a division of Citi, and Helio Micro Utility today announced the creation of the Green Energy Community Investment Fund to initially finance up to four megawatts of solar electricity production this year.  Through this new initiative, solar power systems will be installed on qualifying commercial and public sector facilities throughout the U.S., with an emphasis on underserved communities.   Helio mU, headquartered in Berkeley, CA, provides solar electricity to commercial, residential and not-for-profit customers with little or no initial capital outlay through long term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).

The first of its kind in the clean energy sector, the Green Energy Community Investment Fund™ puts a special focus on commercial, non-profit and public entities in low and moderate income areas.  The Fund will follow the same model as the established Helio Green Energy Plan™, enabling qualifying entities to buy the power generated from a solar installation rather than the panels themselves, thus providing upfront savings and smoothing the path to solar adoption. 

“Energy is a major concern in the everyday operation of businesses and organizations across America,” said Andrew Ditton, Managing Director of Citi Community Capital.  “This Fund is an excellent opportunity for us to expand the mission of our community development efforts to bring affordable green energy solutions to facilities primarily in low and moderate income areas. It also supports Citi's 2007 announcement of $50 billion in investment and financing over 10 years to address global climate change. We are pleased to work with the Helio Micro Utility team on this vital environmental and economic initiative.”

Helio Micro Utility Chairman, Ian Rogoff, explained “we created Helio Micro Utility in order to introduce innovative renewable energy finance and supply chain offerings to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy solutions.  With the Green Energy Community Investment Fund, we have partnered with Citi to combine their environmental and community goals, and global financial strength, with our first-of-their-kind financial products for dramatically accelerated solar power adoption among traditionally under-served markets.”

“We are delighted with Citi’s support, and especially proud to work with them to expand the use of solar energy to help our planet while also serving local communities,” said Mo Rousso, President & CEO of Helio mU.   “With budget cuts, rising energy and gasoline prices and economic pressures, it is more crucial than ever for businesses, schools and non profit organizations of all types to receive assistance now.  With this support from Citi Community Capital, we are able to offer much needed help to reduce and stabilize energy costs and reduce dependence on brown energy.”

In 2007 Citi Community Capital (CCC), formerly Citibank Community Development, provided up to $5 billion for affordable housing and community revitalization projects in locations around the country.  The Green Energy Community Investment Fund is part of Citi’s U.S. initiative to support business and community improvement with programs that also include environmentally positive objectives.

The Green Energy Community Investment Fund was created to support the installation of solar electricity systems on commercial and public sector buildings. Ideal criteria for participation in this new program include:

• Solar projects that can be completed prior to the end of 2008 so that the benefits of the Federal Incentive Tax Credit (ITC) program can be applied to the solar power system installation cost.
• Customer sites that are owner occupied or have more than 10 years remaining on the building lease.
• Sites that have adequate roof space for a solar electricity system capable of generating at least 50 kW, or approximately 9,000 square feet of space.
• Sites that have unobstructed sun exposure year round.
• Sites that are paying over $2,000 per month in electricity bills.
• Sites in California, New Jersey, or other states with existing state-level solar incentive programs

Tom Millhoff, Vice President of Business Development for Helio mU will lead the qualification process of facilities for the fund.  “We will move quickly to evaluate building sites and install solar power systems this year. We encourage interested customers to contact us, particularly for projects that can be completed by the end of this year.  In addition to end customers, solar power integration firms who have non-residential projects which might qualify for support from the Green Energy Community Investment Fund™ should contact us immediately,” said Mr. Millhoff.

For more information:

Citi Community Capital

The community development division of Citi was created to fulfill the diverse community development lending and investment activity in one distinct business unit. The business, now called Citi Community Capital (CCC), was launched in 2000.  In 2007, CCC merged with the Affordable Housing unit of the Municipal Securities Division which made available an even wider array of financial products that can be structured to fit our clients’ objectives.

CCC helps community development financial institutions, real estate developers, national intermediaries and non-profit organizations achieve their goals through a broad, integrated platform of debt and equity offerings.  Within CCC is a dedicated investment team that specializes in renewable energy, New Markets, and other community development oriented investing.  For more information, please visit www.citi.com/citigroup/citizen/community or contact Danielle Romero-Apsilos at 212-816-2264.

Citi
Citi, the leading global financial services company, has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Citi's major brand names include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Citi Smith Barney and Banamex. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.com.  
 

Helio Micro Utility (Helio mU) 

Helio mU is a green power pioneer, selling solar energy without the upfront cost of panels.  The Company provides solar electricity to commercial, residential and not-for-profit customers with little or no initial capital outlay through its Green Energy Plan ^TM.  The Helio Green Energy Plan guarantees customers receive cost-effective and predictable energy pricing and maximum system performance over the life of the agreement. Helio mU is headquartered in Berkeley, CA.  For more information please visit: www.HeliomU.com and www.BuyPowerNotPanels.com or call toll free at 1.866.862.2806.

This message is brought to you by the group Environment California, an environmental advocacy organization.
Please consider filling out this questionnaire about Solar PV which is being requested by Environment California. California legislature may add more renewable energy incentives if huge numbers of Californians fill this survey out demonstrating the high value they place on solar and renewable energy. Here is the questionnaire:

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/energy/solar-survey?id4=ES

The survey is pretty quick and painless. It asks general questions about how you feel about solar power and what types of things might make you more or less likely to put PV on your home.

For more information on Environment California and their energy initiative, you can check them out online at: http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/energy/fact-sheet.

See you in the field!

One of our own team, Kristin Underwood, is an accomplished blog author. She also happens to be an excellent solar power installer. She wrote up her experiences in Treehugger. This is a fact filled and personal view into how a residential solar power system is installed including photos. Kristin demonstrates how the passion for doing "green" can yield great results!