SmartPower & SmartHomes

Thursday, March 19, 2015

RESG
We've heard about the "Baby Boomers", generation "X", Yuppies, Buppies and the like. But what you're witnessing in the winter of 2015 is the beginning of the "Re-Generation". These are exciting times and we're embarking on a journey that brings us right back to the genesis of life. The wonder and majesty of God's creations have always pointed back to the source. The photons that drench our world daily, holds the potential to meet all the electrical power demands of the entire globe. That's no accident or coincidence. Remember, "All things work together . . ."

Official Notice
"You will never receive a bill for the amount of solar energy you use. Isn't God Awesome? Yes!"

So if you've been limited in your ability to provide electrical power for yourself, your family or your business, take heart! With the soon to be adoption of Grid-Tied legislation into law by the Bahamas Senate, you will be able to tap into the wonders of solar. Grid-tied solar will allow you to obtain credit for the amount of electrical power you produce on site by your solar or wind system. You will not receive a cash payment for the power you produce, as is the case in Washington State where "feed-in" tariffs are in effect. However, the ability to receive a credit for the power you produce towards your BEC billing is still an enormous benefit. You've just been given a gift. And what a timely gift it is.

The Learning Curve
The sun is an energy source that can be tapped into by "off-the-shelf" equipment to meet your individual electrical needs. Getting access to that equipment is the next hurdle to overcome. Making it affordable, and accessible for the majority of homeowners and businesses is the next race we're focused on. The retail cost of industry certified "Grid-tied" UL-1741 compliant renewable energy equipment has dropped dramatically in recent months due to competition in the marketplace. International professional installation certifications such as NABCEP, ensures system designers and installers are competent and highly skilled. Your investment in renewable energy should be backed by companies that guarantee every installation is done accurately and completely. Take time to learn more about renewable energy solutions for your home or business by attending workshops, expos and webinars before you commit to signing on the dotted line. Obtain at least 3 estimates to compare warranties, equipment costs, labor and system options. Ask lots of questions and request referrals from satisfied customers. .

Sun, Sand and Solar. Want to know more? There is a wealth of information and resources available online regarding renewable solutions at The International Renewable Energy Agency. It is an excellent source of data specific to the Bahamas, and maintains a dataset of valuable information including a Solar and Wind Map, that is used when designing a properly sized renewable energy systems. According to the data shown on the Global Atlas, the Bahamas has an average sun potential of 3.5 to 5.5 sun hours per day. More than enough daily sun hours to make solar power practical. Learn more about the Solar and Wind capacity of the Bahamas online at http://www.IRENA.org

Go Green Bahamas!

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Solar kWh Costs - News Archive

Having recently seen single module PV prices dropping to a low of $0.60/Watt, it's no surprise to also see associated solar electric kWh costs plummet.

Searching through online archives we find a related article posted February 12, 2014 on www.Energy.Gov, by Erin R. Pierce, "The U.S. solar industry is growing at a record-breaking pace, while becoming more affordable and accessible than ever before. The industry’s forward progress comes in part thanks to support from the Energy Department’s SunShot Initiative.

Set up in 2011 to re-establish U.S. leadership in the solar marketplace, SunShot partners with industry, universities, local communities and the Department’s National Laboratories to aggressively drive down the cost of solar-powered electricity generation across America.

To achieve this goal, SunShot works to lower the price of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt hour (KWh) -- a cost target that will make solar-generated power to be fully cost-competitive with traditional energy sources by the end of the decade."

Fast forward to 2015 and we read of a recent study by the Berlin-based Agora Energiewende, a leading German think tank. The lead author, and renewable energy specialist Daniel Fuerstenwerth says that one of the reasons for the study was the lack of recognition among policy makers and advisors about future cost falls in solar PV, and official forecasts which continued to downplay the potential role of the technology.

He goes on to say that "the cost reduction potential of large scale solar is still misunderstood, and predicts that solar PV will be the cheapest form of power within a decade, and cost less than $US0.02/kWh by 2050."

Originally published in RenewEconomy, we further read from the Angora report that “Our results indicate that solar power will become the cheapest source of electricity in many regions of the world, reaching costs of between Euro 1.6 and 3.7c/kWh in India and the Mena region (Middle East and North Africa) by 2050.

Cost competitiveness, we're told, with large scale conventional power plants will be reached in these regions already within the next decade, at a cost for solar power by 2025 ranging between 3.3 and 5.4 ct/kWh.

The article places emphasis on the fact that, "in UAE for instance, solar is already cost competitive, with a tender for 200MW of solar going at less than $US0.06/kWh, less than the prevailing cost of gas-fired generation at $US0.09/kwh."