New Hampshire [RenewableEnergyWorld.com] Vertical-axis wind turbines have been around for thousands of years, yet we still haven’t seen modern turbine producers make a dent in the wind market. Why is that so?

Listen to Renewable Energy World’s Podcast

Most wind experts say that VAWTs are simply inferior to traditional three-bladed horizontal-axis turbines. That’s why the technologies only make up one percent of the small wind market. The industry has also been historically dominated by sketchy companies and “inventors” who pushed fraudulent or under-performing technologies to unsuspecting consumers.

With today’s renewed interest in renewables, consumers have forgotten about many of the past problems and are again fascinated by such machines. Just go to youtube and type in “vertical axis wind turbine” to see the dozens – if not hundreds – of technologies that folks are touting as the revolution in wind.

“There’s nothing new here,” says Small-Wind Expert Ian Woofenden. “We see people coming up with the same old ideas” for harvesting wind on rooftops and within neighborhoods.

Woofenden is one of a number of wind experts who loath vertical axis technologies for both residential and utility applications. He sees them as a threat to consumer and investor confidence in wind.

However, along with what small-wind veteran Mike Bergey calls the “Bozos and Scheisters,” there are also a handful of companies in the space that are being a bit more cautious and transparent in their approach.

For example, Nevada-based Windspire Energy recently opened itself up to testing by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Another company, New York-based Urban Green Energy, had its power curve third party verified by China’s largest wind certification body. (The company manufactures products in China). Historically, VAWT companies commonly presented theoretical power curves as “proof” of how great their technology is.

The American Wind Energy Association also set up a small wind certification council this year that will help consumers make better choices. Many of the leading VAWT companies support the move, saying that it will help filter out much of the noise in the market.

“We believe in testing. As time goes, certification will be more prevalent and we’ll be right there with everyone else,” says WindSpire CEO Walt Borland.

With that said, many of the “leading” VAWT companies are tiny compared to other small wind companies. The performance of these products will determine whether or not companies move beyond experimentation and curiosity. Even the most anti-VAWT folks agree: A more rigorous testing and certification process will be good for everyone involved.

Well, good for everyone except the Bozos and Scheisters.

To hear from Ian Woofenden, WindSpire and Urban Green Energy, check out this week’s podcast, linked above.

Via RenewableEnergyWorld.com

In general, DIY projects are a good thing, from hacking IKEA furniture to making bento boxes. But solar panel installation is something that’s best left to professionals, both for your own safety and to protect your home.

1. You could hurt yourself.

Whenever you’re working with electrical wiring, there’s a very real risk of electric shock. As soon as you attach wiring to a solar panel on your roof, it’s immediately live. If you don’t truly know what you’re doing, you could be seriously injured. When you wire your inverters, you could come in direct contact with electrical energy; worst-case scenario, this could cause electrocution. Even a minor shock can cause an involuntary muscle reaction as you jerk away from the the electricity, and if you’re on your roof, this could cause you to fall. Which brings us to our second point: it’s also dangerous to work on steep roofs, high above the ground, especially if you’re not experienced.

2. You could damage your house.

Although it’s rare, you could put holes in your roof when you install solar panels, which is another reason why it’s important to choose someone with the right skills– and avoid going the DIY route. If installed incorrectly, there’s also a small risk that the solar panels could later cause a fire. Experienced installers, like those we select after careful vetting at 1BOG, can give you peace of mind.

3. You might not install the panels optimally for best performance.

Unless you’ve done a lot of research, you won’t know how to find the best location for your solar panels in order to get the most power from them. Professional installers know how to assess your home and determine where to put the solar panels based on direction and shading, with a consideration of how the position of the sun will change throughout the year.

4. You might be breaking the law.

If you’re not a certified electrician, you can’t legally connect the wiring for your installation. There are very good reasons that a professional is required, as listed above. Even if someone has an electrical contractor license, that doesn’t mean they have the right skills to safely and correctly install solar panels, so it’s really necessary to work with someone who’s well-qualified and experienced in the specifics of solar power.

5. Figuring out how to install solar panels takes a long time.

Aside from the time it takes to figure out where to locate the panels and how to install them, you’d also need to research the number of panels you need for your electricity consumption, the type of panels to choose, the correct inverter to choose, and more details about the equipment itself. Actually performing the installation of solar panels also takes time, and usually happens with a full crew of installers. Using professional installers ensures that you’re getting the best equipment for your home, installed safely and properly (with a multi-year warranty from the installer to boot).

Sign up for One Block Off the Grid to let us do the research for you and choose a company with high-quality panels, high-quality installation practices, and stability as an organization. And keep yourself safe and sound, and off the roof.

Photo Credit

Via 1bog.org

Here is some more info from Dsire USA on solar in New Jersey.

And here are some thoughts about going solar in New Jersey from our friends at 1Bog.org:

$5,000 – that’s how much you could be getting paid in New Jersey this year, just for having solar panels on your roof.

It may come as a surprise, but New Jersey has the best financial incentives in the country forhome solar power. The combination of high electricity rates, the federal tax credit, and solar renewable energy credits (which pay you for producing renewable energy) means a typical solar array will pay for itself in just 4 years. After that it’s free electricity and, thanks to the renewable energy credit market, a viable source of income for the next 11 years.

Even without a solar rebate, NJ beats every other state, even sunny California (where solar is immensely popular):

The two left columns show New Jersey solar payback time with and without a state rebate. No rebate = no problem.

Why is the payback time so fast? Here are the 5 reasons why New Jersey is the best place in the country to go solar:

1. Electricity in NJ is expensive

The typical cost of electricity in NJ is $0.19 / kWh, compared to the US average of $0.11 / kWh. That means that the average electricity bill in New Jersey is around $190-$228 per month. An average-sized solar array will cover most of this, knocking about $175 / month off of that bill.

2. The Federal Solar Tax Credit puts 30% back in your pocket*

The Federal solar tax credit is a tax credit for 30% of the total system cost. While you’ll have to shell out the money up front, at the end of the year you will get a tax credit of $11,000 for a $35,000 system (assuming you have tax liability for that year–otherwise it will rollover into another next tax year). Confusing? Yes. But don’t worry – your solar installer can help you with the right forms, and you can always consult your accountant.

3. SRECs turn your roof into an ATM*

Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECS) are credits you get for producing renewable energy. A home accrues 1 credit for every 1,000 kWh of solar energy produced, and each credit is currently worth around $650. We’ve estimated that the average home will produce about$5,000 worth of SRECs on average per year. A new solar energy system is eligible to produce SRECs for 15 years, meaning that an average roof could earn over $75,000 by selling credits over that time period.

4. You’re getting a 15-30% discount on panels and installation with group discounts

Although we can’t disclose our south New Jersey 1BOG rate for solar just yet**, we can tell you the price for our last New Jersey solar campaign: $5.54 / DC watt. If you went to a local big box store for solar today you would see prices around $8 per DC watt–or $17,958 more for an average sized system. Our group discount is typically around 15% off competitive market rates, although in New Jersey we anticipate it will be considerably more than that.

5. If you don’t want to purchase, you can go solar for $0 down.

Our local installation partner offers PPA-financing through SunRun, which means that you can install a system for $0 out of pocket.

Even though it’s our job to bring you good deals, we’re blown away by how good solar in New Jersey looks right now. There’s no better time to make the investment, especially since you can start generating SRECs as soon as the system is installed.

Want to evaluate the numbers for yourself? Use our calculator to estimate the cost of solar panels for your home. Want access to the 1BOG group discounts on solar? Sign up now! It’s free.

Stay tuned, as we’ll be writing more about solar in New Jersey soon. You can also learn more about our Southern NJ Solar Campaign.

* We are not tax professionals, so please make sure to consult your accountant on the tax implications of a solar installation. Additionally, please be aware that these calculations are based on several assumptions, including the future cost of electricity and value of SRECs. Yearly SREC payments have been updated in this post based on the most up-to-date information we have.

**1BOG discounted member pricing for southern New Jersey will be announced on Monday (June 14). Sign up here to be among the first to get 1BOG exclusive pricing details.

Here is a video update on the Bamboo Bike Project.

If you’re like us (and millions of other people around the world), and got up at odd hours and, in some cases, even skipped work to watch the World Cup this year, you saw something new: solar power! This year Chinese solar panel manufacturer Yingli Green Energy was one of the World Cup sponsors, along with the usual suspects like Adidas and Coca-Cola.

The first solar company ever to sponsor the World Cup, Yingli said they wanted to reach new customers. They’ll also get attention from those who already know something about solar power, like soccer-crazed fans in Germany and Spain, two of the countries with the most solar panels in the world.

If you were lucky enough to go to a game at the Johannesburg Soccer City stadium, you might have seen something more than just an ad– Yingli also powered an exhibition for sponsors at the stadium that’s completely carbon neutral. The commercial display uses solar panels along with locally-produced materials, and Yingli bought carbon offsets to cover the remaining carbon emissions. The solar array pumps out 1.2 kilowatts of power, and if it stayed up at the stadium over the course of a year, it would eliminate around 1.5 tons of coal-equivalent CO2 emissions.

GOOOAAALLL!!

Photo Credit

Via 1bog.org

I have long promised to write about a backup power system for small electrical loads, including the Neuton Lawn Mower (On Amazon Here). Here is the promised post, outlining the installation of the XPower and Kyocera Solar panel. This system will keep the XPower (Also on Amazon) nicely charged using the sun, without a need for shore power.

Here is the complete system. We have a Kyocera 130W solar module, a Morning Star charge controller (Of Course, on Amazon), 20′ of cable to connect the solar panel to the XPower, some different adapters for connecting the charge controller to the XPower, and a tension relief connector to keep the cable snug in the junction box on the solar panel.

The first thing you are going to need to do is unpack the solar module.

Then you are going to find the Junction box on the back of the module and open it up.

Notice the hole in the side of the junction box. This is where the wire will fit through.

Then we’re going to strip the main cable. You have to remove the outer sheath, and then strip both the red and black wires inside. This cable is a 2-wire, 12AWG THHN cable.

Slip the bushing into the hole in the junction box, and unscrew the head of the bushing. Slip the head of the bushing onto the cable, and insert the cable into the junction box.

Land the red wire to the outside screw on the positive side of the module, and the black to the negative side.

Then land the red wire to the positive side of the “Solar” pair of screws, and the black wire to the negative. Also cut the DC plug cable, and strip the wires. Land the wire that has bumps or a white line on the negative side of the pair of “Battery” screws, and the smooth, unmarked wire to the positive.

Then you can plug the DC plug into the side of the XPower and…

…push the battery status button. If the panel is out in full sun, and there is no load, you should see all the lights light up. Now you can connect a load to the AC plug in the XPower, and turn on the “AC Outlets” button. There will be a beep. If you have a load that is bigger than 130W, you will see fewer lights lit on the Battery Status. This means that the load is not only using all the solar power, but it is also using the battery. The same is true if there is less than full sun, and a 130W load, because the solar panel will be producing less than 130W.

So now you have your XPower up and running. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. The XPower and Charge Controller are on Amazon, but not the Solar panel or Cable. If you would like to buy those items, feel free to order them as a kit off of our online store (with PayPal or Google Checkout) here: http://www.in2solar.com/store/index.php/solar-battery-charging-kit.html

Hi all,

I just found out that the Voltaic Backpack is available highly discounted on Amazon.com!

I would very highly recommend this backpack for charging small things like cellphones, iPods, iPads and the like.

Here is a video review of the backpack.

Here is the link for the Voltaic Generator, which can charge your laptop: Voltaic Generator

Hey there.

I am getting really close to finished with my post about the XPower for Portable Power. I just have a few more things to add, and then it will go public.

I have been using the XPower extensively over the past few weeks. I have been running my laptop, a boombox, iPod and fan all day, as well as a vacuum from time to time. It has been working very well, and with the solar charging, it could go on indefinitely until either the sun stopped shining or the battery reached the end of its life (5 to 7 years is the expected battery life).

XPower and Kyocera solar panel

So, thank you for your patience, and I will have the full post to you all shortly.

Isaac

[Via the Official Google Blog]

On Friday we made our first direct investment in a utility-scale renewable energy project — two wind farms that generate 169.5 megawatts of power, enough to power more than 55,000 homes. These wind farms, developed by NextEra Energy Resources, harness power from one of the world’s richest wind resources in the North Dakota plains and use existing transmission capacity to deliver clean energy to the region, reducing the use of fossil fuels. Through this $38.8 million investment, we’re aiming to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy — in a way that makes good business sense, too.

A clear windy day at the Ashtabula II wind farm

To reach a clean energy future, we need three things: effective policy, innovative technology and smart capital. Through our philanthropic arm Google.org, we’ve been pushing for energy policies that strengthen the innovation pipeline, and we’ve been dedicating resources to developing new technologies, including making investments in early-stage renewable energy companies such as eSolar and AltaRock. Smart capital includes not only these early-stage company investments, but also dedicated funding for utility-scale projects. To tackle this need, we’ve been looking at investments in renewable energy projects, like the one we just signed, that can accelerate the deployment of the latest clean energy technology while providing attractive returns to Google and more capital for developers to build additional projects.

We’re excited about this first project investment because it uses some of the latest wind turbine technology and control systems to provide one of the lowest-cost sources of renewable energy to the local grid. The turbines can continuously adjust the individual blade pitch angles to achieve optimal efficiency and use larger blades with 15 percent more swept area than earlier generations, allowing capture of even more wind energy for each turbine. The control systems for these wind farms are also advanced and dynamic, allowing for remote 24/7 monitoring and operation to ensure maximum turbine up-time and power production. A couple of us got a chance to climb 80 meters up one of the 113 turbines to see firsthand how the rotating blade motion goes through a gearbox to turn the generator that makes the electricity. The climb to the top also provided a great view of the entire wind farm (don’t worry — we all had harnesses and turned the turbine off!).

My colleague Matt takes a rest after the 80-meter climb

We look forward to finding more opportunities to invest in renewable energy projects that use the latest technologies to push the envelope for delivering low cost clean energy. We’ll let you know what we find.