Panel Shortgage Snags Solar System Sellers

[jpak]

http://www.energybulletin.net/9028.html

Southern Nevada has plenty of sunshine and solar power, but companies installing solar power systems are dealing with a shortage of photovoltaic panels.

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At the same time, Germany and Spain are offering their citizens financial incentives for installing solar systems, too, and that has created a shortage and driven up prices, said Chris Brooks, renewable energy director at Bombard Electric Co., a large electrical contracting company.

Spain has budgeted the equivalent of $832 million for its renewable-energy program and set a goal of increasing the renewable-energy use to 12.1 percent by 2010, up from 6.9 percent at the end of last year, reported Renewable Energy Access, an online renewable-energy news site.

"The demand is high and, as a result of high demand, there is a long lead time for this product," said Bob Balzar, renewable energy and conservation program director at Nevada Power and its sister company, Sierra Pacific Power Co. of Reno. "Manufacturers are working very hard to keep up with demand."

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[krkaufman]

1. Gee, so if we had focused massive effort at renewables back in 2001...

... we'd be reaping big economic rewards now. Wow. Who'd have predicted that.

[ret5hd]

2. Silver lining:

DEMAND will drive production, then production ramps up creating jobs, then as production meets demand, unit costs will fall.

Demand Side Economics at work, you repug MF'ers!

[skids]

3. This could reduce demand...

...for the cell part, while supplying the market:



This unit uses vanilla cells like you'd find in a large portion of flat panels. Little secret of the trade I guess -- if you actively cool them, normal solar cells can convert tens of suns worth of light, not just 1 sun.

http://www.energyinnovations.com/sunflower250.html

That unit should be coming out of independent product verification testing Arizona State University's Photovoltaic Testing Lab any day now. They plan to get assembly lines moving for year-end product availability.

In addition, they also have this on the back shelf:



http://www.energyinnovations.com/sunpod.html

...and the only reason they didn't bring it to market is because they couldn't find a manufacturer who would give them a decent price on the polycarbonate fresnel lense. As soon as they do, they may roll with it.

[ret5hd]

4. cool...really cool, especially the second one:

compact, modular, efficient. i'd buy them.

[rman]

7. ramps up jobs in China probably

[NNadir]

5. Gee, I'll bet this puts a dent in the plan to make PV 1% of US energy

The industry can't produce solar cells, even for the few rich people in sunny climates who can afford them.

This looks like a practical approach to global climate change, take orders and don't fill them.

Then there's this rich bit: "Residential customers of Nevada Power can qualify for up to $15,000 in rebates for installing solar panels. The maximum rebate would be for a typical $45,000 system capable of producing 5 kilowatts of electricity. Small businesses may receive up to a $90,000 rebate for a 30-kilowatt system, Brooks said."

Um. $30,000 out of pocket. Lot's of people have this kind of spare change.


Maybe some of these guys can take delivery by 2050, when coal apologists will have already put Bangladesh, the Netherlands, the rest of Louisiana and large parts of Florida under water.

In contrast, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station Unit No.6 (1356MWe) in Japan, which produces more energy than all of the world's PV solar power installations combined by itself, was completed in 39 months from the first pouring of concrete until the reactor went on line in 1996.

Imagine that. 39 months to exceed the entire solar PV world capacity (in physicist watts, not fraudulent magical solar "peak" on a bright sunny day "watts.")


http://www.toshiba.co.jp/product/abwr/english/products/reactor/pdf/ABWR.pdf

http://www.nrel.gov/ncpv/vision.html">Your government likes that "peak" word in parentheses too: Don't think they won't participate in fraud.

(The graphs in this government web page are a riot, all of those exponential curves showing what is predicted to happen, but, sigh, of course there is very little about what did happen in 40 years of empty promising. We know the code words for failure now, "our visions is..." "If the solar industry grows by 25%"...blah...blah...blah...year after year, decade after decade.)

Here's some news, by the way: The climate is collapsing now.

[Kolesar]

6. Weak writing

"demand is high", "lead times are long" Well, how high and how long?

This part is more encouraging (and actually has data in it):"If electric power rates continue escalating at their current pace, Brooks figures that a homeowner will be able to recover the cost of a system within 12 years. "

[jpak]

8. Boo frickin' hoo

When demand for a product outstrips supply - what DOES that mean???

That the industry is in a state of collapse????

:rofl:

Also - 5 kW PV systems are NOT typical. Most homes don't have the roof area to deploy that many modules.

...and no, most people are NOT going to shell out $45k for one.

Most domestic PV systems are <3 kW and most people don't pay more than ~$20k for them.

Why?

Because the vast majority of PV home owners don't need systems bigger than that - even "up North" where "solar don't work".

Why?

Because before they even consider buying a PV system, these people invest in energy efficient appliances and lighting and use other energy sources appropriately.

They buy Energy-Star or Sunfrost refrigerators...

http://www.sunfrost.com/refrigerator_specs.html

They use propane or natural gas (or wood) - not electric - cook-stoves

They use pellet or conventional wood-stoves, or attached greenhouses or sun-spaces for passive solar heating.

They use solar hot water systems backed up by on-demand propane or natural gas (or wood-fired) hot water heaters.

They use flat screen displays for their computers.

They don't buy mega-supersized home theater systems.

They do use compact fluorescent light lighting (AC or DC).

They do use Energy-Star rated ceiling and attic fans.

..and they insulate insulate insulate.

By reducing their electrical (and other energy) demand they can reduce the size of the PV system they require and save themselves a lot of $$$$$...

Energy efficiency is a prerequisite for a society based on renewable energy.

...and gee, if Japan can build reactors that fast, why does US nuclear industry need taxpayers to reimburse costs due to construction delays (see details in Cheney Energy Bill)...

http://www.cleveland.com/energy/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/isene/1124019036219000.xml&coll=2

<snip>

Major provisions of the landmark energy bill that President Bush signed include:

Federal loan construction guarantees for up to 80 percent of costs.

Compensation for utilities building the first new reactors if completion is delayed because of litigation or foot-dragging by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Production tax credits worth millions to a utility once its new reactor begins operating.

Renewal of the Price-Anderson Act for 20 years to limit utility liability and help insure new reactors by providing a larger secondary insurance pool.

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Could it be that they just want to take your money???

(yup)