SOLAR POWER WORLD - November 2017

November 2017 www.solarpowerworldonline.com

Technology • Development • Installation

2017

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THE FIRST WORD

A tale of two tours Most days, my work as a solar editor is a desk job with a hot cup of coffee and a computer. But even with the World Wide Web and my extensive list of industry contacts, I think I learn the most when I get outside the office and see solar in person.

On top of this year’s solar trade shows, I had the opportunity to attend two tours. They were quite different from each other—one was an overseas adventure and the other a local trip in a senior center shuttle. Nevertheless, both helped shape my understanding of solar.

I had the opportunity to travel to Germany as a guest of igus, a manufacturer of plastic components used in motion applications, such as the bearings used in solar trackers. I have to commend its unique technology, and thank its team for being such gracious hosts—they didn’t have to take us to the Nürburgring race track or indulge us with so much Kölsch, but they did.

Along with the brilliant fall leaves, I saw lots of solar from the bus windows.

Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel and the German public staunchly support renewable development. This year the country has hit record days, during which 40 to 85% of all the electricity consumed was produced from renewables.

The crazy thing is that Ohio (location of SPW’s national HQ) receives 20% more sunlight than Germany over the course of the year, but you have to look pretty hard to find solar panels!

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Our team did just that when we crashed a solar tour for a local suburb’s senior citizens. Nonprofit organization Green Energy Ohio put on the tour to help residents learn more about solar, and I thank them for letting us tag along. Even with Ohio’s relatively weak RPS, we saw a handful of homes and one business with solar during the tour. Although we were familiar with the technology, it was fascinating to hear the questions consumers had about solar, something many of you experience each day. We got a good idea of the work you do to educate consumers and earn every sale.

By immersing myself in markets big and small, I was able to see the way solar can blossom with the right policies, technology and public support. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to get out and explore other solar markets, talk to professionals in other countries or even in other states or cities, and bring what you learn back to your hometown so solar can continue to grow. SPW

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CONTENTS

N ove mb e r 2 0 1 7 • vol 7 n o 6 w w w. so l ar po w e r w o rl do nl in e .co m

34

ON THE COVER ON THE COVER In our annual Top Products section, discover how solar

10 24 49 60 BUSINESS

10 ELECTRIC CO-OPS

With ratepayer support, co-ops are growing community solar

to allow contractors to do

PV3.0 will bring a return to high-yield, reliable monocrystalline solar

38 INVERTERS

20 Resource value of solar

41 STORAGE

RVOS can help states determine solar’s value—but it’s not a simple process

more projects with less

34 PANELS

18 SECTION 201

Here’s the timeline of the latest tariff case—and what happens next

equipment is advancing

TECHNOLOGY

time and effort.

Inverters adjust to SunSpec’s new rapid shutdown communication standard Why flow batteries are well-suited for long-duration storage

44 MOUNTING

Learn how soil conditions influence solar foundation designs

PROJECTS

Photo courtesy Longi Solar

24 CASE STUDY

Sustainable Wisconsin farm naturally transitions to solar

2 FIRST WORD 8 NEWS BRIEFS

6

30 SOFTWARE

60 CONTRACTORS CORNER 62 ASK A VET 64 AD INDEX

SOLAR POWER WORLD

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Customer insight into electricity data can help them see benefits of solar

49 2017 TOP PRODUCTS

Explore the products of the future

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[NEWS BRIEFS]

1

Solar policy snapshots

Tampa Electric’s rate settlement paves path for more solar Tampa, Florida

A guide to recent legislation and research throughout the country.

Tampa Electric’s settlement with the Florida PUC was meant to increase its solar portfolio and give some rate certainty to customers, and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is pleased with the result.

The agreement provides for the construction of 600 MW of new solar projects over the next four years.

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Hawaii reaches solar incentive cap, adds new programs Honolulu, Hawaii The Big Island reached its 5-MW limit for grid-supply connections in September, and Hawaii’s PUC approved two new rebate programs.

The Smart Export program allows solar+storage customers to get rebates when exporting electricity during nighttime. Conversely, the CGS+ program rewards electricity sent to the grid during the day.

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7 2 Hawaii reached its incentive cap and added two new programs in its place.

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Utah’s net-metering program ends Salt Lake City, Utah Rocky Mountain Power and solar advocates reached an agreement to slightly reduce the net-metering rate, and in exchange allow the utility to recover some of the net-metering costs by charging all Utah customers’ power bills, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

The new plan is in effect as of Nov. 15.

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Massachusetts net-metering cap hinders solar growth Boston, Massachusetts

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Oregon adopts new way to value solar Salem, Oregon Oregon’s PUC approved the methodology for the resource value of solar after stakeholders came together from the solar industry, energy sector, investor-owned utilities (IOUs) and more to devise the equation. In the next phase, the three IOUs in Oregon will submit their calculations using that equation.

U.S. Senators introduce Advancing Grid Storage Act Washington, D.C. Democratic Senators Al Franklin (Minnesota) and Martin Heinrich (New Mexico), members of the Senate Energy Committee, introduced an act to boost the growth of energy storage in the country. The bill would require the Department of Energy to create programs for advancing energy storage research and development through grants, loans and technical assistance.

SEIA found that 120 solar projects are on hold in Massachusetts due to net-metering caps, so the organization has proposed raising the state’s netmetering cap by 5%. SEIA and other partner organizations are supporting two bills that would do just that.

Under the current policy, only a certain percentage of a utility’s total distribution load can use net metering.

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JEA board approves major solar program for Jacksonville Jacksonville, Florida JEA approved a plan that will create five new 50-MW utilityscale solar farms in the city, according to The Florida TimesUnion. However, the policy also reduces the previous net-metering rate and ties the new rate to JEA’s fuel rate, which will be less than the previous net-metering rate.

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Holy Cross Energy’s IQ Solar Array.

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KELSEY MISBRENER ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Electric cooperatives

the way toward more community solar

hen discussing areas of utility-scale solar growth during a panel at Solar Power International, Mathew Ricci with national utility contractor Arraycon mentioned the Midwest getting a boost in construction thanks to electric cooperatives. According to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the service organization for America's electric cooperatives, ratepayers that belong to cooperatives are voting to add solar to the mix, and it seems like this type of utility is growing community solar in a big way.

There are around 900 co-ops in 47 states serving around 42 million customers, according to NRECA. Co-ops are established in rural areas that don’t have an investor-owned or municipal utility nearby to supply electric power. A number of them are based in rural Texas and Alaska.

“We are not accountable to shareholders or local governments. We are accountable to our members," said Tracy Warren, senior communications manager for NRECA. This freedom opens them up to experiment with new technologies much more quickly than the more bureaucratic, public or investor-owned utilities.

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By the end of 2017, the total solar capacity of rural electric co-ops will be five times the amount just two years ago, according to NRECA. In the past two years, co-ops have expanded their solar footprint from 34 to 44 states.

“Electric Holy Cross Energy’s low-income IQ cooperatives continue to Solar Array in Gypsum, Colorado. aggressively pursue solar Photo courtesy of GRID Alternatives. as an energy source and are the leaders in the community solar,” said NRECA CEO Jim Matheson in a statement.

Mission-focused Co-ops are leading in solar because of a multitude of reasons, with the main one being that co-ops have a mission to serve their members. And many members want renewables.

LEFT: CoServ Electric’s solar installation in Texas.

Photo courtesy of NRECA. RIGHT: Great River Energy did this installation on behalf of the Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association in Minnesota.

Photo courtesy of NRECA.

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NRECA surveyed its co-op members in December 2016 and January 2017 to identify the factors driving their decision to offer or support solar programs, including community solar, utility-owned solar and rooftop solar. It found 68% were motivated by a desire to increase consumer satisfaction; 59% were motivated by consumer demand for solar offerings and 43% were driven by the decline in the cost of solar development.

One such co-op is Holy Cross Energy, which serves the Western Colorado counties of Eagle, Pitkin, Garfield, Mesa and Gunnison. Lisa Reed, power supply analyst for HCE, said the co-op sent out surveys to its members in the early 2000s and found they wanted more green, environmentally responsible power. So in 2004, it added a rider to customers’ energy bills where 2% of the members’ electricity charges were collected into a “We Care” fund. That fund now helps to pay for customer solar rebates, currently at 75 cents per watt.

Holy Cross’s membership sits at opposite ends of the income spectrum— from rural ranchers in Rifle and Parachute to wealthy residents of resort towns Vail and Aspen. Reed says both groups value solar—albeit for slightly different reasons.

Wealthier residents often install solar to offset high permitting fees—and in the town of Basalt, residents are required to offset any exterior energy uses (like melting snow or heating garages) with 100% renewable energy. Ranchers, on the other hand, support solar primarily for environmental reasons, Reed said.

"Solar still is not the cheapest power.

It's still being paid at a premium,” Reed said. “And I think because we are a cooperative and we had listened to our members and that’s what our members want, they as a majority are willing to pay that extra premium to get the solar in."

Reed said it’s very important for coops to find ways to add solar that don’t harm the membership by increasing rates to prohibitive costs.

Although co-ops may be leading in community solar, according to NRECA, 62% of co-op-owned generation is still coal-fired, while natural gas accounts for 26%, nuclear power 10% and renewables just 2%.

Geographic freedom Another reason solar can work well for co-ops is their geography. Co-ops were

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This innovative installation dramatically reduces the cost of construction of the solar panel field, but most important, allows rainwater to seep back into the soil. The HydroBlox Planks are installed along the drip line of each row of solar panels. The water then travels to a swale and is returned back to the soil.

made to serve rural populations, which inherently come with lots of space.

"If you’re working in a rural electric co-op service territory, you are more likely to have land available that would be appropriate or optimal for solar project development, particularly pollinator-friendly PV," said Michelle Moore, CEO of non-profit solar developer Groundswell, which works with many electric co-ops.

NRECA’s SUNDA (Solar Utility Network Deployment Acceleration) co-project manager Deb Roepke said sometimes the co-op already owns the land it will use for solar, and thus already has the property zoned for co-oprelated business. However, siting is still the biggest variable in terms of time, and siting and permitting can take weeks to years to get done.

“If the utility doesn't already own land that is appropriately zoned, the best rule of thumb is to develop a good list of criteria for what would make a good site and work with a good real estate broker that can identify multiple options,” Roepke said.

Reed pointed out that Colorado’s HCE doesn’t have the population mass in some locations to install largescale solar. In those spots, smaller community solar installations serving

Eau Claire Energy Cooperative’s solar installation in Wisconsin.

Photo courtesy of NRECA.

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BUSINESS

multiple customers make the most sense. HCE chooses locations where the types of lines and loads won’t be problematic for the grid.

Large-scale solar isn’t out of the question for co-ops, though: One stellar co-op, Ouachita Electric Cooperative Corporation, won SEPA’s Electric Cooperative Utility of the Year in 2017 for constructing a 12-MW solar array in Camden, Arkansas—the first utilityscale solar array built in the state. The project provides approximately 6 MW of solar energy to Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Corporation while simultaneously reducing the peak demand for OECC, according to a press release. The peak-demand cost reduction has lowered the cost of power for OECC’s 7,000+ members.

Collaborative success Co-ops often work together to bring new solar onto their grids.

"All the rural electric co-ops have a lot in common, and they all have access to the same financial tools and the same opportunities as it relates to available USDA programs," Moore said.

Great River Energy’s solar installation in Minnesota.

Photo courtesy of Joe Miller, Dakota Electric Association.

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Roepke said collaboration with other organizations is crucial to making community and low-income solar happen.

NRECA is putting co-op collaboration to good use—it has partnered with the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation, PowerSecure and 17 cooperatives on the SUNDA project to develop a standardized “photovoltaic system package” that includes engineering designs, business models, financing and insurance options, and optimized procurement that can reduce the cost of utility-scale solar projects. The project’s goal is to bring the cost of installed solar down to $1.60/Wp and help co-ops develop solar at minimal cost.

One early example of a collaborative, low-cost project was HCE’s 145-kW lowincome solar installation in the Roaring Fork Valley in Colorado.

The co-op worked with GRID Alternatives Colorado for the installation, and the Colorado Energy Office for financial assistance.

Fronius also donated some equipment and helped with the installation. The low-income solar array benefits co-op members who spend more than 4% of income on utility bills.

"Moving into low-income community solar was just kind of a natural transition for us,” Reed said. “To bring what we'd been doing with solar and now combining it with our low-income programs that we already have [allows us] to kind of reach out and do a little bit more."

Electric cooperatives are paving the way for innovative community solar projects in unexpected places.

If NRECA’s estimates are right, their member-driven solar leadership will only keep growing. SPW

Electric cooperatives continue to aggressively pursue solar as an energy source and are the leaders in the community solar.

Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation’s solar installation.

Photo courtesy of NRECA.

RIGHT: Snapping Shoals Electric Membership Corporation’s installation in Georgia.

Photo courtesy of NRECA.

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KELLY PICKEREL

BUSINESS

MANAGING EDITOR

The state of the U.S. solar panel market The U.S. solar industry has felt kind of weird these last few months. A quiet Q1 was disrupted after U.S.-based panel manufacturer Suniva first filed for bankruptcy and then filed a Section 201 petition with the federal government for tariffs on foreign solar panels. It was difficult to have any conversation over the summer that didn’t involve these tariffs or the companies behind their suggestion.

How do you plan for next year when you don’t know what the rules will be?

The feeling is familiar in solar. Just two years ago, the industry was preparing for the worst when in late December 2015 the U.S. Congress agreed to an investment tax credit extension of five years. The industry was immediately forecasted to grow by more than 72 GW through 2020 (as opposed to only a 25-

March 2017 Suniva, with manufacturing facilities in Georgia and Michigan, begins laying off workers.

April 26, 2017 Now officially bankrupt, Suniva files a Section 201 trade petition, designed to “protect American jobs in the rapidly deteriorating U.S. solar manufacturing industry.” Section 201 permits the President of the United States to grant temporary import relief by raising tariffs on goods entering the United States that injure domestic production.

Suniva asks for tariffs of 40 cents per watt for crystalline silicon solar cells produced outside the United States and a floor price of 78 cents per watt for panels.

May 10, 2017 SolarWorld AG, the parent company of SolarWorld Americas, files for bankruptcy in Germany, citing the “ongoing price erosion and the development of the business.” The American division says it is shielded from the German bankruptcy filings.

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GW growth without the extension). We planned for the worst and were instead pleasantly surprised by an extension.

Industry groups have estimated major job losses if tariffs are passed, while proponents say U.S. manufacturing will thrive. Here’s a refresher on what has happened with this latest tariff case. We hope to get some answers before the end of the year so 2018 plans aren’t up in the air.

May 24, 2017 The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) takes up Suniva’s Section 201 filing. The group will investigate “to determine whether crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) cells (whether partially or fully assembled into other products) are being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious injury, or the threat thereof, to the domestic industry producing an article like or directly competitive with the imported articles.”

May 25, 2017 SolarWorld Americas joins Suniva’s Section 201 petition.

Aug. 15, 2017 The ITC holds an injury hearing. U.S. solar installers, manufacturers and trading partners flock to Washington, D.C., to argue against the tariffs. SEIA says Suniva’s proposed tariffs will double the cost of solar panels and cause the U.S. industry to lose 88,000 jobs in 2018.

www.solarpowerworldonline.com

Photo courtesy of istockphoto.com

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BUSINESS

Sept. 22, 2017 The ITC votes 4-0, finding that Suniva, SolarWorld and other U.S. panel manufacturers did suffer injury from imported CSPV products.

China, Mexico and South Korea are included as countries causing harm, while imports from Singapore and Canada are excluded.

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Sept. 27, 2017 Suniva and SolarWorld update their remedy requests. Suniva asks for 25 cents per watt for solar cells, 32 cents per watt for panels and a floor price on all imported solar products of 74 cents per watt. SolarWorld agrees to these requests and proposes an import quota of 220 MW for cells and 5,700 MW for modules. The pair also asks for a “Buy American” policy on all solar cells and modules purchased by federal agencies.

Oct. 31, 2017 The ITC released its remedy recommendation, with different suggestions from the committee’s four members. Two members suggested a 30% tariff on cells and modules. Another commissioner recommended a 30% tariff on solar cells that exceed 500 MW imported and a 35% tariff on modules. Finally, a fourth commissioner didn’t suggest tariffs but instead an 8.9-GW quota on module and cell imports, and she recommended 1-cent-per-watt import licenses that would generate $89 million in government revenue its first year.

All of the suggestions are significantly lower than what Suniva and SolarWorld requested. A 30% tariff on modules would be in the range of 10 to 15 cents per watt.

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KELSEY MISBRENER

BUSINESS

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

What is the RESOURCE VALUE of solar?

Utilities typically think solar is a cost to them because solar customers aren’t paying as much as traditional customers are for grid maintenance. Solar customers think it should be seen as a benefit to utilities because they’re using less of the grid’s power and even feeding energy into the grid in some cases. So who’s right?

One way states have tried to answer that question is by finding a resource value of solar, or RVOS. What is RVOS? The resource value of solar, or RVOS, is a number value that can help states determine the net cost or benefit of solar on a utility-by-utility basis. They can use that number to see if the net metering policies in place accurately reflect the value of solar they’ve found, or create a new value of solar tariff. During the RVOS process, industry stakeholders choose different parameters like generation capacity, transmission and distribution capacity and administration to create a mathematical equation into which utilities plug different numbers. Out of the equation come the numbers that equal the value of solar for a given state’s investor-owned utilities, which are governed by the state’s public utilities commission (RVOS processes can be initiated by municipal utilities as

well, like in the case of Austin Energy).

But what states choose to do with those new values varies widely.

“What is the value of solar? It’s going to either be three cents, or it’s going to be 12 cents. And the difference is absolutely incredibly important to everything,” said OSEIA president Jon Miller. He’s been in in the solar industry for 15 years and became the executive director of OSEIA in September 2017.

Oregon just completed Phase 1 of the RVOS process, where it defined the

subjective thoughts but no objective processes for valuing it. Usually the entity with the most lawyers wins the battle of valuing solar. Setting an RVOS can change that.

“This number pops out, so we don’t have arguments anymore,” Miller said.

He thinks all 50 states should define an RVOS. “It shouldn’t be set by rhetoric and opinion. It should be set by an agreedupon calculation just like it’s done in the 14 or 15 states,” Miller said.

We don’t expect utilities to necessarily get it perfect straight off of the bat, and I don’t think they do either.

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parameters of the RVOS equation. In the next step, the state’s IOUs plug their unique numbers into the equation and then present their findings back to the PUC and stakeholders.

“We don’t expect utilities to necessarily get it perfect straight off of the bat, and I don’t think they do either,” said Michael O’Brien, research director at Renewable Northwest, a clean energy nonprofit organization based in Oregon that has been a part of Oregon’s RVOS process since the start.

Miller said until an RVOS methodology is chosen, valuing solar is more like a shouting match, full of

What was the origin of Oregon’s RVOS? Several years ago, Renewable Northwest was working to change the net metering capacity limits in the state to allow for more solar, O’Brien said.

Utilities were concerned that netmetering customers would be receiving cross subsidization—charging higher prices to one group of consumers to subsidize lower prices for another group—so together with solar advocates in the state thay decided the best way to determine if cross subsidizing was happening was by starting an RVOS process.

The original intent of Oregon’s RVOS process was not to come up with

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I think the commission staff in Oregon did a really good job of just making sure that the language that we were using wasn’t inhibiting constructive conversation.

a value-of-solar tariff. The only explicit intent came out of SB1547—a bill that said the compensation for people to participate in community solar should reflect the RVOS findings.

“That’s the only explicit one, but there will be workshops to try and think about how it might or may not be applied,” O’Brien said.

Erica McConnell, an attorney for the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, said Minnesota is the only other state that has gone through a VOS methodology proceeding and came out with a tariff.

In that state, IOUs can apply to the PUC for a VOS tariff as an alternative to net metering, but O’Brien said he didn’t think any utilities have taken them up on it yet.

Austin Energy, a municipal utility in Texas, also has a VOS tariff and underlying methodology.

Though VOS tariffs are few, many states have done RVOS studies of some kind, as Miller mentioned. And going through the process doesn’t guarantee that the numbers generated will be turned into a tariff or other consumer credit. It’s all about the intent of the particular PUC. “So while these states haven’t necessarily undertaken a ‘(R)VOS proceeding’ like Oregon or Minnesota, their studies have necessarily relied on underlying methodologies looking 22

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at similar benefit/cost/valuation considerations,” McConnell said.

In those other states, the VOS studies have been used generally as analytical or policy tools rather than to inform VOS tariff development. They can “demonstrate whether or not distributed solar presents a net cost or net benefit, and inform whether or not changes to policies like net metering may be appropriate,” McConnell said.

“I’m not aware of anyone then taking that next step that Minnesota, for example, has taken to say, ‘OK, we’re going to use our value of solar methodology to come up with tariffs and then we’re going to implement that in our community solar garden program,’” McConnell said.

How can you reach a fair number for all stakeholders?

The RVOS process is usually launched by the PUC authorities in the state. The PUC then assembles a group of stakeholders to determine the skeleton of the equation.

In Oregon, the stakeholders at the table included representatives from the three IOUs, Renewable Northwest, the Oregon Citizen’s Utility Board, the Oregon Department of Energy, the Alliance for Solar Choice, Industrial Customers of Northwest Utilities, the PUC commissioners and their staff, and the engineering consulting firm E3, hired by the PUC. E3 collected all the input from the stakeholders and submitted a report to the PUC. Miller said it’s crucial the solar industry is fully engaged in the process, or fewer criteria may be included in the equation and the value of solar will be less.

“The solar industry has to be there,” Miller said. “The utilities don’t represent our interests and they don’t accurately represent what we believe should be included in those calculations.”

It’s imperative all stakeholders have equal input in the process.

“The utilities are experts in the PUC realm,” Miller said. “They are extremely good with all their lawyers to be effective in that space. And we don’t have those kinds of resources.”

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BUSINESS

O’Brien said what can potentially be a divisive process was quite collaborative thanks to good leadership from the PUC staff.

“I think the commission staff in Oregon did a really good job of just making sure that the language that we were using wasn’t inhibiting constructive conversation,” O’Brien said. The group found that when they talked about costs and benefits, they often disagreed. But when they just talked about the RVOS elements without attaching positives or negatives to them, they agreed.

The group looked at the elements from four different points of view: participating customers, non-participating customers, the utility and society.

“If everyone’s conscious of who’s holding what lens and who’s looking

through it, then again it becomes easier to just discuss things,” O’Brien said.

For example, they discussed whether the element of solar bringing local jobs should be included in the methodology.

They came to the agreement that it was more of a societal benefit than one that directly affects the utility regulation.

Is RVOS the best solution for valuing solar in the U.S.? McConnell said it’s a hard question to answer, and a lot of states are struggling with it. Starting an RVOS process is difficult and time-intensive. And officials can’t exactly import the methodologies from other states that have done it, because the parameters can be vastly different.

But if a state has the time and resources to go through an RVOS proceeding, it can potentially find the

most accurate and substantiated value at which to compensate consumers for solar energy. Whether that number is used in the abstract to inform state policy decisions or explicitly in a VOS tariff, it’s one step closer to a more equitable conversation about solar for all sides. SPW

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Sustainable Wisconsin farm

naturally transitions to

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KELSEY MISBRENER ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Jeff Lutsey, chief engineer and farm administrator for his family’s farm—Waseda Farms in Bailey’s Harbor, Wisconsin—met Jordan Kaiser, design consultant and installer at North Wind Renewable Energy, at a sustainability fair in Wisconsin a few years ago. Lutsey’s family had been thinking about adding solar to their farm for some time and, after speaking with Kaiser, decided they wouldn’t delay any longer. They added a 50-kW ground-mount system.

Lutsey wasn’t always working on the farm, though—for most of his career after graduating from Northwestern University, he designed nuclear reactors. Solar Power World talked to Lutsey and Kaiser about Lutsey’s path to the farm and Kaiser’s help adding renewable energy to the sustainable operation.

Solar Power World: As an engineer, did you have more of a hand in the project than a farmer without that experience might have?

Jeff Lutsey: I think so. I cared about the details and probably asked more questions than normal, but I will say those guys at North Wind are the experts.

SPW: It's interesting that you worked in nuclear before landing here on the family farm. Can you talk a little bit about that journey?

Lutsey: I had one of my favorite jobs—one of the best jobs I'll ever have—working with a great design team on the next nuclear reactor. And I loved it, but I knew it was… there were things that I wanted that I just knew I had to kind of move away from.

Being closer to the earth, with my family, in a place that I love, made it pretty easy to make the jump, even though it was a big jump.

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SPW: Do you have any native plants around the array?

Lutsey: We don't yet, but I have seen some of those designs and we're brainstorming the right kind of flowers—Midwest pollinator species—around there. We're going to end up planting a row of flowers in front of the array.

SPW: Having that background in nuclear, how did you start thinking about solar?

Lutsey: Me and my brothers have been kind of tossing around the idea for a couple of years. It was always a natural fit with our farm—we're a pasture-raised farm here with our cattle, pigs and chickens.

Our whole job is really to work around both the water and the sun cycles of Earth the best we can for raising our animals as well as our produce. Every year, we go to the MOSES Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse. Two years ago at that conference, we had discussions with the North Wind folks that have a real high emphasis and focus and desire to help the agricultural industry and all the farmers in the Midwest.

We really made that commitment at the beginning of this year when we figured out all the details and how we'd get the project started.

SPW: Can you talk about any specific challenges and successes you had on this project?

Jordan Kaiser: It always helps when a client has as much of a general understanding of solar and PV that Jeff and Waseda Farms had. I was able to come in and fill in the blanks with some of the more technical information about system sizing and how the process with the utility works.

I think the biggest challenges were with the system design and siting of the array—it's a fairly large ground-mount structure—and with where the farm is located.

The soil makeup and the land itself offered many challenges.

There’s a lot of bedrock up in that area. With a ground structure, usually we're digging into the ground to set concrete piers and then obviously digging a trench to put in buried conduit.

SPW: Is the ground-mount array separate from your livestock?

Lutsey: The pastures are probably another 50 yards away—[the array is] right across from our animal handling system. We have a cool corral system that was designed and installed for the most humane handling method that we can have, and that's right across from the panels.

Aesthetically, it's cool to have them kind of side by side—our commitment to our animals and our commitment to the environment right next to one another.

Just kind of happened that way.

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PROJECTS

Solar Power at Waseda Farms Smartly using the sun’s power is our mission  Our pasture-based organic farm is fueled by the sun  More power collected and generated from the sun results in  Less power needed from burning coal and natural gas  Less carbon dioxide emitted into our atmosphere

Purpose: to power major farm electrical loads 1. Farm store cooler and freezer storage for fresh dairy, fruits, veggies, meats 2. Farm house power, supporting farm team members living in the house 3. Animal stewardship/management, including electric fences and water pumps * The power generated will cover over 50% of our farm’s electrical needs

Array designed to maximize sunlight throughout the year

Between Winter and Summer

Summer

kW

kW

kW

6 am

800

12 pm

6 am

7 pm

600

6 am

7 pm

12 pm

7 pm

A great day: 330 kWh Sunny all day

Partially cloudy

Good Sunlight

Spring & Fall

Optimal Sunlight

400

12 pm

A good day: 250kWh

An okay day: 150 kWh

Summer

Rainy in the morning Altitude angle above horizon

Winter

Daily Power Production

Monthly Energy Production

Good Sunlight

8000 Winter

200

6000 kWh

4000 2000

Lake Michigan

East 900

South 1800

West 2700

Bay of Green Bay

0

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Facing South

Design and Specifications - 145 solar panels, each one sized 6 ft by 3 ft (190 ft long, 15 ft tall) - Angle: 350 based on being at 450 N latitude and optimized for times of year (1) with greater sunlight and (2) with greater farm power needs - 50 kW peak power, 68,000 kWh energy produced per year

Projected Savings and Benefits  Energy savings: 3500 - 7000 kWh per month (50% of total annual need)  Investment break-even payback period: 8 - 10 years  Reduced power from grid, less coal use : 30 tons of coal equivalent per year  Reduced contribution to global temperature rise : 75 tons of CO2 per year

Gratitude: We are thankful for the ingenuity and hard work of North Wind Renewable Energy (Stevens Point, WI), Harbor Construction, the Waseda Farms team… and for our Earth and the Sun, the source of all our energy

Working With nature For the long-term.

But because of the makeup of the ground and the rocks buried—some of them weren't even buried, you could see them protruding up through the ground—we couldn’t do those things.

So we had to change the design, and we went with a ballasted structure where the concrete ballasts are actually aboveground and can weigh the array down.

In addition to that, in the original site for the array, we basically needed more room. So Jeff and his team had to clear the array location of trees, stumps, rocks and other debris to make room for the array. The communication Jeff and I had prior to that sort of work really paved the way for the installation to be successful.

Thank you for visiting us!

For more information: www.wasedafarms.com

Then, the array itself was quite a big distance from the interconnection point, so sizing the conductors properly and then integrating into an old farmhouse isn't always the easiest thing, but in addition to that, the connection with the utility was somewhat challenging.

Our company is 2.5 hours away from their farm, so it was really critical to get some of these things figured out [in advance] so that my crew doesn't go up there and there are all these issues and challenges. Jeff did a great job of asking the right questions, and we got things clarified as best we could prior to the crew even getting there, and I think it made for a fairly smooth installation.

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SPW: What inverters, racking and panels did you use?

Kaiser: The modules are Canadian Solar 345-W monocrystalline modules.

The inverters are SolarEdge 10,000-W inverters. Along with the inverters, each of the panels have DC power optimizers.

The site itself doesn't have any shading really. But I think the true offering this particular inverter system has is the ease of design.

The optimizers play a part— especially what we'll see in winter time. If there is snow accumulation on the array that's maybe scattered, we're still going to be able to harvest as much power as we can to optimize the system properly.

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The racking is from S:FLEX. It's a steel and aluminum structure—very sound, very durable, hurricane-rated. As long as the farm's there, that array will be there.

SPW: Why should agriculture and livestock farms go solar?

Lutsey: I think it's a natural connection to what we do as farmers, and that's adapting and working with nature the best we can, no matter what kind of farmer you are—if you're raising produce or if you’re raising animals that are based on pasture. No matter what you’re doing, you’re working with sun and you’re working with water the best you can.

Solar power in so many different scenarios is going to be a great way to reduce your electrical power that you’re going to need from the grid and be more sustainable to power whatever needs you have.

The fact that it's passive and it's the gift that keeps on giving and it's reliable, [that means] it's going to be good for the long-term. [It’s a] great fit for our farm and for our mission and I think it is for really any farm.

sustainable agriculture, solar and clean energy really align with those ideals. I think that's important, especially in this day and age, to show and represent what your values are as a business, as a farm, as a CSA, as an organic farm. I think it's important to especially demonstrate that with investments, monetarily. And solar is a good representation of those values.

The economic benefits that it provides as well, certainly being able to control costs long-term are important, being a small business and even more so being a farm. There are a lot of

costs, and in some years, a lot of loss along with that, so if you can really reign in one of your biggest variable costs—the cost of energy—it really gives you the versatility to be able to do things down the road.

Six to seven years from now, they’re going to be free and clear of 55,000 kWh that they have to pay for the utility now.

So they can do a lot with that money on an annual basis: Reinvest back into themselves to strengthen their business, thereby providing their services to their community. SPW

Kaiser: I would just echo a lot of that too. I think specifically smaller CSA (community supported agriculture) or organic farms who, just through their practices of farming, focus on 28

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PROJECTS

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

SOFTWARE SPOTLIGHT: Giving customers insight into electricity data can help them see benefits of solar OhmConnect is consumer-facing software, but the open data access that makes it work can benefit solar contractors too by giving customers more insight into their electricity use.

OhmConnect pays electric customers for using less energy or using energyefficient appliances.

Customers can sign up for free by either downloading an app or signing up online. They provide their phone numbers and email addresses and start receiving notifications about when they can get paid to reduce their energy. The application is still in its early stages, only able to work with three California utilities as well as Texas users part of Smart Meter Texas and Toronto users with Toronto Hydro. The company says it has hundreds of thousands of users, though.

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They get paid behaviorally, by unplugging devices and turning off lights, and by connecting automated devices to the platform, like smart thermostats and smart plugs. OhmConnect then accesses customers’ smart meter data with their permission, and uses that data to sell their energy reductions into wholesale electricity markets like the California ISO. “We take hundreds of thousands of households, each of which is too small by itself to participate in the wholesale market. We add them up into basically a virtual power plant, and we behave in the market just as though we were a physical power plant, but instead of supplying electrical power to the grid, we reduce load, which has the same net impact,” said John Anderson, director of energy markets at OhmConnect.

How OhmConnect works Three things are required for customers to be able to use OhmConnect.

First, the utility must have smart metering infrastructure in place.

“You need to be able to measure customers’ electricity usage at the interval level, at least on an hourly basis,” Anderson said. Large companies may have the money and resources to install their own smart meters, but residential customers, which are OhmConnect’s specialty, almost certainly do not. And OhmConnect doesn’t either.

“If you would imagine OhmConnect having to go to every single household in California and place a dedicated metering device at that household, that would very quickly become a prohibitive cost,” Anderson said.

The next crucial step necessary for OhmConnect to work in a service territory is a pathway for third parties to be able to access the data.

“In many instances, the smart meters that are out there, the utilities are using them for their own purposes for billing customers, for detecting outages and so forth,” Anderson said. “But there isn’t a nice tidy pathway for a customer to authorize access to their data through a third-party service provider.”

In order for data access to be opened up, typically the public utility commission authorizes the data flow in the first place. Retail electricity is generally under

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state jurisdiction, so the utilities are usually responsible for managing customers’ meter data. The utilities are subject to privacy and confidentiality regulations made by either the public utilities commissions or state legislatures.

When OhmConnect got started in 2014, customers would download and print a paper form, fill it out with information like account number and address, sign it by hand and send it back to the utility to authorize OhmConnect to access their energy data. The process took time and effort.

Anderson said the cumbersome process was largely meant to legally protect the utilities and included many obscure legal terms.

The utility could reject applications if the file size was too big or if a customer only sent in the signature page without the rest of the form.

what consumers see when they want to provide another app like The New York Times with access to their Facebook data. Anderson expects the transition to be finished in early 2018.

“It protects customer privacy, it follows established best practices from other industries and it provides a good customer experience,” Anderson said.

The third aspect that must be in place to allow third-party services like OhmConnect to function is the ability for third parties to monetize customers in the electric market, independent of an electricity retailer. This step is the lifeblood of OhmConnect and allows them to pay customers for being part of the wholesale market.

Right now, only three California utilities provide all three necessary steps of the data pathway and allows customers to benefit from OhmConnect. The California Public Utilities Commission compels the three investor-owned utilities to make customer data available to third parties with the customer’s consent, so the customer can participate directly in the wholesale market. OhmConnect could expand to other states if they shift toward more open utility data access.

How solar contractors can benefit Opening a path to consumer and third-party data access wouldn’t just benefit demand response services like OhmConnect. It could also benefit other third-party service providers—including solar contractors.

We take hundreds of thousands of households, each of which is too small by itself to participate in the wholesale market. We add them up into basically a virtual power plant, and we behave in the market just as though we were a physical power plant.

“This was having a very tangible negative effect on the number of customers that were seeking to participate,” Anderson said.

California is moving toward an allelectronic process that looks similar to 32

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“They could offer to analyze your data and determine—would you be a good candidate for putting solar on your roof?” Anderson said. The best way to gauge how much solar could help a particular customer is by analyzing the

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PROJECTS

customer’s historical consumption data, then calculating how their consumption and their bills could change with the addition of solar, Anderson said.

“If a customer has an easy way to provide you with access to that data, you can do something of an energy audit or an energy assessment, and perhaps customize a quote or an offer for a customer at relatively low cost,” Anderson said. “So you get access to the data, you run it through your algorithms and you say to the customer, ‘Here’s how much money I think I could save you if you were to get a solar system from my company.’”

In order for solar contractors to get that valuable data now, consumers will typically have to log on to their utility’s

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website, sign in to their account, then navigate to the place where they can download a file with meter data and send it to the prospective solar contractor.

“That’s asking a lot of many customers. Many people don’t know how to do that, or they can’t be bothered to do that,” Anderson said. “And they’d much prefer to click a few buttons and provide a quick online authorization that would allow the data to be automatically sent directly from the utility to the service provider so that the customer doesn’t have to take that series of actions.”

Though data access clearly benefits this solar-startup, applications across the solar industry can make both solar contractors and solar customers’ lives easier. SPW

11/21/17 12:12 PM

WENXUE LI

PRESIDENT, LONGI SOLAR

PV3.0 A return to high-yield, reliable monocrystalline solar The photovoltaic industry is undoubtedly at a turning point.

High margins and low costs have made solar module technology cost-competitive in the energy economy and created a race-to-the-bottom phenomenon among panel manufacturers. While low costs are great for shortterm market expansion, this focus on cheap materials compromises the quality and long-term reliability of modern solar assets, and the future viability of the industry as a whole.

In the United States, the pending Section 201 trade case has many buyers and sellers in the solar market confused as to what panel manufacturing will look like in the years ahead. The goals of the solar energy industry remain the same: to reduce carbon emissions, achieve grid parity for renewable resources and create resilient clean energy infrastructure. This point in solar history offers an opportunity for technology providers, project developers and asset owners to evaluate and understand strategies for deriving the largest value from solar projects. The highest energy yield and long-term resiliency of technologies are once again defining success in the new PV era: PV3.0, the era of the high-efficiency module.

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PANEL TECHNOLOGY

Wenxue Li

The specific technology employed during different times of the PV evolution provides key insight into the historical transformation of the solar energy industry.

In order for the solar industry to maintain its impressive worldwide growth and gain a foothold in emerging markets, the industry must understand these stages of evolution, including both their successes and setbacks.

There have been three key eras: PV1.0, marked by the birth of the silicon PV cell and exploration around the application of clean energy; PV2.0, which brought about the global mass commercialization of solar and more affordable, yet lower-quality module technologies; and PV3.0, the era we are just now entering. Building on the technical and market knowledge gained during previous stages of PV development, PV3.0 realigns the industry using quality materials to achieve lasting high energy yields. To understand the future of solar panel technology, it is essential that we also reflect on all three stages of historical PV development.

Bell Labs created the first silicon photovoltaic cell in 1954, marking the beginning of the PV industry and first PV era, which would extend until 2000. Engineers and scientists discovered new applications for solar, from using PV technologies as the primary power source for earth-orbiting satellites to building panels into communication infrastructure

PV1.0 1954-2000

First solar manufacturing defaults to monocrystalline modules with perfect crystal structures that make for high-performing solar cells.

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systems. Then, in 1982, the first grid-connected photovoltaic project was established in Switzerland, which consisted of a 10-kW roof array using monocrystalline modules.

During this era, monocrystalline modules were largely the technology of choice.

Defined by nearly perfect crystal structure and a homogenous crystalline framework, monocrystalline cells are single, continuous silicon crystals. This crystal purity results in high performance technology. For example, monocrystalline PV power plants built in the 1980s in Europe, the United States and Japan are still running today, well over 30 years later.

A central characteristic of the next era in solar panel technology development, PV2.0, is the feed-in tariff (FIT) program that powered photovoltaic markets in Germany and Europe.

Policy makers across the world began creating new models to compensate solar developers and energy generators for the value they added to the grid, incentivizing the mass deployment of solar. The cumulative global installed PV capacity increased from 1,000 MW in PV1.0 to 300,000 MW throughout PV2.0.

Due to the increased market demand throughout PV2.0, more affordable polycrystalline modules took center stage and became the technology of choice for new installations. However, gradually there appeared to be several problems with this rapid development fixated on low-cost

PV2.0 2000-2017

New policies encourage rapid solar growth worldwide, and an increased market demand leads to more affordable (but less efficient) polycrystalline market dominance.

PV3.0 2017-beyond

Mature solar markets look for long-term value and the return of high-quality, high-efficiency monocrystalline modules.

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TECHNOLOGY

modules. Specifically, minimal product differentiation, low material reliability and serious system degradation threaten the health of the PV industry. The next stage of PV development must address these issues.

Fortunately, PV3.0 is now upon us. The solar market is maturing—the industry as a whole is no longer looking for quick fixes and, with 60 years of experience, now has the vantage point to appreciate the long-term value of solar assets. Low-cost solutions and the lower efficiency associated with them are unable to compete with the multiplying returns that high-quality technology offers. PV3.0 will be marked by a return to the high-yielding and reliable monocrystalline cell technology. Due to the higher efficiency associated with monocrystalline modules, developers can also pack the same amount of generating power into a smaller footprint. This translates into cost savings during project development, as high-quality modules

allow for less labor, fewer materials and much less overall maintenance. There is also less degradation associated with monocrystalline technology, ensuring the longevity of projects and savings from delaying system replacements.

Research and development has played a central role to the technology advancements in each PV era, and continued investment in R&D will be essential to the solar industry’s competitiveness.

Companies around the world are already seeing returns on these research and development investments and are producing high-efficiency, high-reliability and high-energyyield solar modules. Global policies are also changing in favor of monocrystalline; for example, under China’s 2017 “Top Runner Program,” feed-in-tariffs will favor high-efficiency projects. PV3.0 will seek to build upon and combine lessons learned in the past two solar

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technology eras to create win-win scenarios for all parties involved.

The solar industry’s continual evolution distinguishes it from other power generation industries. While photovoltaics have made great strides since their initial deployment more than five decades ago, there is still work to be done. A new era focused on the commercialization of high-efficiency modules promises to ensure the continued viability of solar power as a global power source. SPW

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INVERTER TECHNOLOGY

KATHIE ZIPP

MANAGING EDITOR

Communicating to get the job done: INVERTERS AND SUNSPEC’S rapid shutdown standard An abundance of inverter headlines were released around Solar Power International this year, many revolving around the SunSpec Alliance’s new rapid-shutdown communication standard.

The “communication signal for rapid shutdown interoperability specification” may seem like a mouthful, but it addresses a key, and somewhat controversial, part of the 2017 NEC code that requires all rooftop PV modules installed after December 2018 to stop electricity generation within 30 seconds.

Supporters say the move will increase safety for first responders.

However debatable, NEC 2017 rapid-shutdown requirements have been published but won’t be enforced until January 2019, giving the industry time to develop technology to meet them. The new SunSpec standard is part of this development.

SunSpec is a trade alliance that develops and publishes free, open interoperability specifications that software developers and hardware manufacturers use to ensure their solutions communicate. This takes the guesswork out of a project and makes it easier and

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cheaper to build projects, therefore accelerating the deployment of solar.

SunSpec’s rapid-shutdown specification is a communication protocol that defines how the modules, inverters and other control systems interact to get the job done. In more technical terms, modules and a master control device (sold through the inverter manufacturer) use solar array cabling to transmit messages over DC power lines. Module manufacturers

standard, they know the components will be able to work together to comply with NEC 2017 rapid-shutdown. This plugand-play interoperability makes it simple to meet requirements at a low cost.

“After nearly two years of intense technical collaboration amongst competitors and business partners within the Alliance, the SunSpec communication signal for rapid shutdown specification is now ready for implementation,” said Tom Tansy, chairman of the SunSpec Alliance, in

The solar industry is experiencing significant growth with new requirements, so we welcome the vendor coordination efforts and the wide adoption by many vendors. implement the protocol within the junction box of each panel. The inverter’s master control device (often referred to as a rapid-shutdown “box”) then communicates with the PV modules.

So if contractors see that a module or inverter is compliant to the SunSpec

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a news release. “This open standard delivers multiple benefits to the distributed energy industry, most notably lower integration costs and the freedom to choose from an array of interoperable products.”

Many manufacturers—including ABB, Fronius, Maxim Integrated, Omron, Outback, SMA and Texas Instruments—

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11/21/17 12:27 PM

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TECHNOLOGY

announced plans at SPI to incorporate the protocol. Microinverters inherently meet rapid-shutdown codes because they attach to each panel, and string inverter manufacturers are starting to offer SunSpec-certified solutions to also achieve module-level rapid shutdown.

Fronius announced its new Symo Advanced string inverter actually integrates communications compliant with the SunSpec protocol directly inside the inverter, so no extra box is needed. It also offers a box solution for the rest of its inverters.

“Fronius strongly believes in industry standards and innovation to drive down cost and allow customer choice,” said Michael Mendik, head of Fronius solution management USA, in a news release. “We strive to provide our customers state-ofthe-art open systems that offer freedom

of choice in components. There will be a lot of SunSpec-based smart modules in the future.”

SMA achieves module-level shutdown with its string inverters through a partnership with Tigo. Both SMA and Tigo will incorporate the SunSpec communication protocol into their technology, saying that SMA’s partnership with Tigo, and Tigo’s relationships with most module suppliers, maximizes system safety and reliability.

“The solar industry is experiencing significant growth with new requirements, so we welcome the vendor coordination efforts and the wide adoption by many vendors working to improve the safety of clean energy production,” said Danny Eizips, VP of engineering at Tigo, in a press release. “This is a great opportunity for multi-vendor support.”

Like all SunSpec standards, the communications protocol was established by a working group of manufacturers and other industry participants.

It’s a beautiful example of how competing companies can come together to further the industry. SPW

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KATHIE ZIPP

MANAGING EDITOR

STORAGE TECHNOLOGY

Go with the flow when it comes to LONG-DURATION storage Lithium ion may dominate the commercial storage market now, but other types of batteries may actually be more cost-effective and reliable in applications that require longer duration storage. One of those alternatives is flow batteries.

How flow batteries work Most conventional flow batteries use two electrolyte liquids: one with a negatively charged cathode, and one with a positively charged anode. The cathode and anode are separated into two tanks by a membrane, because if they come into contact with each other the battery will short and require replacement. This is often what happens with lithiumion batteries; the membrane degrades over time. But the exchange of negatively and positively charged fluids in flow batteries produces electrical current without degradation, providing a longer cycle life and quick response times.

Conventional flow batteries contain two electrolyte solutions in two separate tanks, circulated through two independent loops, separated by a membrane. Energy is stored chemically in the electrolyte tank.

Source: Primus Power

Applications “We think lithium ion is a great technology for certain applications,” said Paul Ferrera, business development manager at flow battery manufacturer Primus Power. “It’s energy-dense, high-power and lightweight. Flow batteries are never going to power your laptop, cell phone or electric car—it wouldn’t be cost effective. However, we do think that flow has the ability to quickly leapfrog lithium ion in applications that demand long-duration power.”

An installation at the Marine Corps Air Station Mirama in San Diego, California integrates Primus Power flow battery technology and microgrid control to provide energy security and reduced costs. The demonstration connects the MCAS public works building to the energy storage and solar system, enabling the building to receive power while disconnected or islanded from the grid.

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Another flow battery manufacturer, ESS, also sees opportunities in markets with a high penetration of renewables, as well as off-grid and microgrid projects.

“Looking at off-grid applications with expensive diesel generators, installing solar+storage can really drive down the cost per kWh of electricity—primarily with the low cost of renewables, but also using storage to utilize those renewables efficiently,” said ESS CEO and founder Craig Evans. “In addition, adding storage to microgrids can help perform peak shaving, bulk shifting, demand response and energy arbitrage. These are the markets we feel flow batteries can really dominate.”

Graph courtesy of Rocky Mountain Institute

ESS flow battery cut-out and installation.

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Flow batteries are able to store power for four hours or longer and don’t need much O&M. While lithium-ion batteries typically last five to ten years in commercial applications, flow batteries can last for decades before needing replacement. However, flow batteries are large units, ranging from 2-meter cubes to the size of a shipping container.

Primus has found its sweet spot in large renewable utility applications that are not spaceconstrained.

“Utilities who are used to upgrading substations and transmission lines and replacing gas peaker plants talk in decades,” Ferrera said.

“You don’t say, ‘Oh yeah, you’re going to replace a major part ten years later’—these things need to last for decades. When you talk about an asset that can perform for 20, 30, 40 years, their ears perk up. Utilities are still a hard nut to crack, but that’s the market we’re going after.”

Primus also has systems installed at military bases and data centers including Microsoft.

“Microsoft has plans to be 100% renewable,” Ferrera said. “It’s looking to implement storage at much larger data centers where land is cheap and there’s plenty of room to add turbines or solar panels and have a net-zero data center.”

Chemistries Though vanadium-based chemistries have been known to be used in flow batteries, there are many chemistries available.

When DOE-backed ESS was founded in 2011, the company used vanadium before eventually switching to iron, salt and water.

“They are abundant, low-cost materials—basically a water battery with salt,” Evans said. “The move from vanadium to iron really came down to cost, then secondly the environmental factor of it being widely available, non-toxic and easily disposable, so it’s cheaper and cleaner.”

Primus Power was formed in Silicon Valley in 2009 and also received DOE funding for its zinc bromine chemistry.

Ferrera said that because most zinc bromine is from the Dead Sea in the Middle East, it partnered with Israel Chemicals (ICL)—the largest global producer of zinc bromine—to develop an additive that increases the density difference between the two electrolytes.

This allows the liquids to self-separate in one tank, similar to oil and water. Energy is stored in a plated metal on the surface of titanium electrodes.

“The advantage of having one tank is that you eliminate the membrane, which is an expensive part of a traditional flow

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TECHNOLOGY

battery, lowering initial capital cost and extending cycle life,” Ferrera said. “Then there’s no need for two of everything— pumps, pipes, tanks. Cutting that in half makes it easier and cheaper from a manufacturing perspective, and from an O&M perspective the less parts you have, the less parts can break.”

ViZn Energy also offers a zinciron flow battery. Lockheed Martin is planning to bring a metal complex model to market in 2018. And scientists with the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, a research consortium lead by Argonne National Laboratory (led by the DOE), have also developed an aqueous oxygen sulfur flow battery cell that could store energy for a month or more.

Safety and disposal Though it depends on the chemistry, flow batteries tend to be less reactive and easy to dispose, with no fire risk.

Primus’s battery contains a fire suppressant—bromine is the same substance as the red powder that planes spew onto forest fires to put them out.

Since it isn’t flammable, it doesn’t have the thermal runaway issues associated with lithium-ion batteries.

“Our chemical is actually a natural fire retardant,” he said.

There are also no fumes to inhale.

Fire suppression and

HVAC requirements aren’t a concern with ESS’s battery either.

“The ESS flow battery doesn’t require advanced battery management systems to ensure safety and longevity, like with lithium ion,” Evans said. “With our chemistry, the system lasts for 25 years. And at the end of life, you can reuse it in another battery. Or you can just dispose of it since the iron we use is the same iron used in wastewater treatment facilities or fortifying cereal” Evans said the upfront cost of ESS’s battery is similar to that of lithium-ion, except it’s going to last decades longer,

we do think that flow has the ability to quickly leapfrog lithium ion in applications that demand long-duration power. store more power and require less maintenance, on top of the recyclability.

Ferrera said Primus’s electrolyte is also recyclable, able to be reused or sold, and that looking at the levelized cost of storage, or the costs holistically throughout the life of the project, flow batteries definitely come out on top in long-duration applications.

“Flow is really a growing market,” Evans said. “The dropping price of renewables is really putting a huge demand on batteries. We see an increasing demand for four-plus-hour, long-duration storage as the industry became more aware of its unique applications. And when you have a lowcost, non-toxic option, that’s really going to enable growth.” SPW

Primus Power’s design uses a single tank, a single flow loop design and no membrane.

Energy is stored in a plated metal on the surface of titanium electrodes.

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MOUNTING TECHNOLOGY

JOSEPH W. HOUK, PG

ENGINEERING GEOLOGIST; SOLAR FLEXRACK

THOMAS J. BERGLIN, PE

COLD REGIONS GEOSTRUCTURAL ENGINEER; SOLAR FLEXRACK

Test yourself BEFORE YOU wreck yourself Geotechnical investigation and load testing are key to understanding how soil conditions influence solar foundation designs.

Understanding a potential solar projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ground conditions can influence many design considerations, most importantly what foundation to choose. The most economical foundation design can depend on geographical location, soil type, local building code requirements, groundwater levels, corrosion potential and topography.

Types of foundations Direct drive foundation posts: Perhaps the most common solar foundation design for both fixed-tilt and tracking projects, direct drive foundation posts include various sized W-section beams, C-channels, hat channels and round pipes.

Helical posts, earth screws: Popular in regions with weak granular soils, helical posts and earth screws rely on the torque axial relationship between the shaft and thread components of the helical/screw and frictional capacity developed within the soil regime or aggregate downhole.

Concrete ballast: Either precast or cast-in-place, concrete ballast is a practical 4 4 SOLAR POWER WORLD

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foundation solution on re-purposed brownfield sites, landfills with membrane caps, environmentally remediated/closure sites and also designated Class II wetland sites in some states where minimally invasive foundation designs are required.

A comprehensive geotechnical investigation can be beneficial in understanding how subsurface conditions may impact project design and long-term serviceability. Likewise, full-scale load testing can help validate a foundation design.

Geotechnical data Geotechnical investigations may employ test borings, in-situ field testing and/or test pit excavations.

A site investigation consisting of soil borings and laboratory testing will provide, in most cases, a representative cross sectional subsurface profile of the solar array site. The number of borings is usually dependent on site accessibility and size of the project.

Test borings include standard penetration testing (SPT) that provides standardized blow counts or N values.

The N values are a measure of the relative density of cohesionless soils (sands) and the relative consistency of cohesive soils (clays), and these values can be reliably correlated to axial and lateral post capacity for a given site.

Test pit excavations are also a valuable tool as an option to soil test borings.

Excavation characteristics of the soil can be evaluated, excavation sidewalls will expose soil stratification boundaries, soil penetration resistance readings can be obtained with a hand-held penetrometer instrument, perched seasonal ground water can be observed and representative bulk soil samples for laboratory testing can be collected from the excavation spoils.

Engineering software products can also provide help. The level of accuracy of the software product is a function of the number of specific soil engineering index inputs that are

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THE EVOLUTION OF RESIDENTIAL ROOF FLASHING TRADITIONAL FLASHING PROS

1900’s

•Aluminium flashing system for residential roofs •Redirects water runoff on pitched roofs

CONS

•Inserted underneath the Shingles, which requires the shingles to be separated and voids the roofing warranty •Secured to the roof by the roofing material or by nailing the flashing to the roof, creating more roof penetrations •Large, bulky size adds unnecessary costs

2008

1980’s

2012

MICROFLASHING WHY IS IT INNOVATIVE?

TODAY

•Smaller than traditional flashing •Reduces installation time and cost without sacrificing security •No lifting and removing nails from underneath the Shingles, which can void the roof warranty •Installed directly over the Shingles •EPDM bottom chemically bonds with the Asphalt Shingles, adding an additional layer of protection against leaks • The QuickBOLT is UL Listed, Code Compliant, and PE Certified

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TECHNOLOGY

loaded into the program model to simulate subsurface conditions. The model can predict the point of fixity of the structural section being considered in the foundation design as well as a conservative post embedment depth and subsequent overall post length.

The corrosion potential of the soil should also be evaluated to determine if any supplemental corrosion protection is required beyond the standard 3-mil galvanization coating, which is used to ensure the foundation posts will meet or exceed the design service life of the project.

Load testing Full-scale load testing performed in concert with a drivability survey is the most accurate methodology to fully validate a foundation design. Three test posts should be installed in nests. One of the posts should be installed to the target foundation embedment design depth, while one is driven deeper and another is driven shallower for performance comparison.

The static axial capacity of piles typically changes as time elapses after the test post installation, depending on soil/rock properties, pore water pressure and soil structure disturbance induced by installation. A soil rebound period between installation and load testing should be considered and range from three to 30 days.

Load testing loads are derived from the size and type of racking, number of foundation posts per rack and local building requirements for wind loads, snow loads and adfreeze bond stress (frost designs).

The test piles are loaded axially and laterally in five-load increments, held for a fourminute duration per increment. The first four increments represent 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of the design load. The fifth load is a factored design load representing 150% of the design load equivalent to a safety factor of 1.5.

Axial compression testing of test posts is normally performed in extreme cold weather climates where a bond break frost mitigation design has been incorporated into the foundation design, thus transferring the governing loads from axial uplift to compression down. An appropriately sized track excavator serves as the reaction beam testing axially in tension. The bucket is used to test laterally, and the counterweight of the machine is engaged to test axially in compression. A track excavator is ideal for load testing for its speed and mobility accessing difficult terrain, its ability to apply 50,000+ lbs of force and for test pile extraction at the completion of the load test.

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TECHNOLOGY

The drivability study is performed in concert with the test post nest installation. Drivability indicator posts are driven, usually in a grid pattern to various embedment depths, above and below the target foundation design depth to record drive times and to document subsurface obstructions, boulders and/or bedrock. The drivability survey data is valuable to estimating production drive times and budget purposes to quantify difficult driving or subsurface obstruction areas.

Adhering to ASTM standards in load testing is critical to both repeatability and transparency in design. Many solar racking companies conduct load testing using a range of independent methods, some of which may only be interpreted by the racking company itself.

Good racking manufacturers can help solar contractors choose the best foundation and racking for their project. For example, Solar FlexRack has experience designing solar foundations in climates from the Arctic Watershed area of Northern Ontario to the Hawaiian Islands. With proper help, solar installers can have confidence in the integrity of their solar systems. SPW

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2017

[ L E A D E R S H I P I N S O L A R EN ER G Y]

CONGRATULATIONS! Solar Power World

C O M P O N E N T S IXYS

is excited to release the winners of our sixth annual

I N S TA L L AT I O N

Leadership in Solar

Baja Construction

CARPORTS

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Program. Since we announced INVERTERS

the nominees in

Fronius USA

our January issue and online, our M E A S U R E M E N T Flex-Core

user community has voted on who they feel best exemplifies solar

PA N E L S

Axitec LLC

leadership in six categories. We are happy to celebrate

R A C K I N G & Unirac MOUNTING

the winners here.

Thank you for your innovation.

Your accomplishments are what drive gigawatts and create jobs.

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2017

Technology • Development • Installation

TOP PRODUCTS

IT SEEMS AS THOUGH the internet of things (IoT) movement is everywhere. It’s in your fridge, texting your smart phone when you’re out of milk. It’s in your suitcase, allowing you to track its location in case it's lost.

The solar industry is no exception. Wi-Fi-enabled inverters allow remote updates so contractors don’t have to visit a site to perform upgrades. Smart phone apps show consumers how their solar is performing or if their EV is charged.

These are some of the top product characteristics we found this year in the solar industry. We also found many innovations that reduce project soft costs, such as adhesive modules that eliminate roof penetrations, microinverters that convert power from more than one module and carports that quickly assemble on the ground. Contractors can do more projects in less time with less effort.

Enjoy exploring the other characteristics that define the products of the future in the following pages, and browse an even more extensive database in this year’s Top Products section online at solarpowerworldonline.com.

Photo courtesy of istockphoto.com

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TOP PRODUCTS

2017

MONITORING SOFTWARE GETS MORE GRANULAR AND USER-FRIENDLY As seen in PowerTrack

by AlsoEnergy Pinpointing module faults quickly and accurately is crucial to getting the best output from a solar array.

Testing performance of string inverters is normal procedure during commissioning of a project, but testing can often be required after commissioning too.

In the past, that’s meant onsite inspections that take time and money.

A partnership between AlsoEnergy and Huawai has solved this problem. AlsoEnergy’s PowerTrack software platform incorporates Huawai’s Smart I-V

Curve Diagnosis feature on its string inverters that allows for remote testing. Each inverter can execute an I-V curve scan that’s exported to an analytics engine.

O&M providers can launch and view the testing results directly on the PowerTrack interface, then download them into stakeholder reports.

Partnerships between inverter manufacturers and monitoring companies mean more accurate reporting tailored to specific products, and less lost production in the long run.

EARTH ANCHORS OFFER NEW CONCRETE-FREE GROUND-MOUNT SOLUTION As seen in Nuance Energy’s Osprey PowerPlatform Concrete is common on traditional ground-mount solar arrays, either used to set steel piles or in ballast blocks. To avoid the goopy stuff, one could turn to ground screws, but their need for heavy equipment to install can be equally as expensive and time-consuming. Switching to earth anchors allows ground-mount projects to be installed quickly, even with unexperienced crews, without concrete and using only hand-tools.

Earth anchors have been used in many other applications, and when used in solar foundations, they don’t require detailed geotechnical reports, extensive engineering effort or costly construction techniques.

It’s been estimated that using Nuance Energy’s Osprey PowerPlatform—a modular racking system that uses earth anchors—on a 2-MW project can save $130,000 due to lower field labor costs, no pile driving and no geotechnical reports.

Earth anchors work in a variety of soils, even capped landfills. The anchor and attached cable are driven into the ground using a handheld drive rod. As the rod is removed, uplift force is applied to the cable and this “inverted cone” of soil above the anchor provides incredibly strong holding power. Installation is faster, easier and cheaper than other foundation options and could be a real game-changer for groundmount installations big and small.

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More you More power power totoyou.

Introducing the Harbor Smart Battery™.

Powered by Panasonic Li-ion Battery Technology.

Now you can maximize your solar energy production and cost-savings.

A Pika Energy Island™ system with DC-coupled Harbor Smart Battery™ provides up to 15kWh of stored energy per battery and more usable power than other solar-plus-storage solutions.

Smart power on demand. Order today at business.panasonic.com/batterystorage More energy. More options.

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TOP PRODUCTS

2017

INVERTER-INTEGRATED EV CHARGER FUTURE-PROOFS SOLAR INSTALLATION As seen in SolarEdge HD-Wave inverter with EV charger Consumer interest in solar often coincides with interest in electric vehicles. With an EV comes more electrical load, so using solar and grid energy to charge an EV can make good economic sense. However, with traditional inverters, if a homeowner decides to purchase an EV later, adding an EV charger requires separate wiring and an upgrade to the main AC panel, which can be time consuming and costly.

SolarEdge has developed an inverter-integrated EV charger that reduces the hassle of installing a separate EV charger and PV inverter. Integrating the EV charger into the inverter eliminates the need for extra wiring and conduit. Also, no additional circuit breaker is needed, which saves space and eliminates any need for an upgrade to the main distribution panel. SolarEdge also provides monitoring that enables consumers to track solar, EV and grid consumption; smartly schedule charging around time of use rates and view charging duration, all through their smart phones.

An inverter-integrated EV charger can be a good choice for consumers wanting an EV along with their solar, or if they're looking to add one in the future. When the consumer is ready to add an EV, the upgrade can be rapidly completed using an accessory pack with minimal installation.

HIERARCHICAL ALARM ORGANIZATION CUTS BACK ON NUISANCE ALARMS As seen in Draker V7 software Monitoring software lets O&M providers know when problems are afoot. But O&M providers can end up spending lots of money visiting sites if alarms are triggered by unnecessary factors.

Draker’s V7 software makes it easier to decide which warning flags warrant truck rolls.

When an alarm goes off, users can quickly drill down to view the alarm by component and severity to decide if action is needed. And users can cut back on nuisance alarms by specifying what conditions must be met for the alarm to go off in the first place. “In other words, this alarm doesn’t run outside of the production day or if there’s really low irradiance,” said Alicia Fisk, Draker’s software success manager.

If users are getting nuisance alarms from something like morning shading, they can fine tune the system to exclude some of the nuisance alarms and get good, actionable information, not noise.

Alarms are important, but monitoring software that can give more information beyond a warning flag is crucial to saving money on O&M.

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Superior selection from source to socket.

Put the proven performance of T&B/ABB electrical components to work in your solar power systems.

Whether you’re working in solar OEM, as a contractor, or as the utility, the quality of essential electrical components is key to an optimum system.

T&B/ABB have provided the power industry with the highest quality electrical components for decades. Now you can take advantage of this experience by using T&B/ABB for integrated design solutions, or as a source for innovative components, to simplify installation, minimize parts and reduce maintenance.

Our capabilities and products cover wire management, grounding, shut-down devices, inverters, surge protection, circuit breakers, switches, and more.

To download the T&B/ABB “Electrical Solutions for Renewable Energy” brochure, visit www.tnb.com/TBSolar, or contact your authorized distributor or T&B/ABB representative.

tnb.com © 2017 Thomas & Betts Corporation. All rights reserved.

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TOP PRODUCTS

WATERPROOF COMPONENTS HELP PROTECT ALL SOLAR ASPECTS ON A ROOF As seen in Quick Mount PV’s QBox junction box

2017

When drilling holes into a roof, one should ensure a waterproof seal every time, no matter what the holes were drilled for. The industry has made great strides to properly seal holes for mounting systems. Shouldn’t the same care be paid to other BOS equipment?

Quick Mount PV took customer feedback seriously and released its QBox junction box a few months ago. More of a waterproof and watertight box to combine wires into one conduit to the attic, the QBox has a 12-in. by 12-in. aluminum flashing with Quick Mount PV’s patented Elevated Water Seal Technology. The box can install anywhere on a roof (except over a rafter, because then conduit can’t pass through) and is made of non-conductive material, which eliminates the need to ground.

The QBox secures to the roof without a pilot hole for fast installation, and a drill starter around the outside of the enclosure ensures an ideal hole location for the conduit attachment. The box comes with the required flashing, fasteners, fittings and waterproof wire nuts to transition or combine conductor strings. The watertight guarantee with all pieces and parts ensures every solar accessory has a leak-proof home on the roof.

CUSTOMIZABLE PROPOSALS HELP CONTRACTORS WOO ANY CUSTOMER As seen in Energy Toolbase Solar proposals are never one size fits all. Software companies understand this and now offer a multitude of templates contractors can choose to please any customer.

One such example is Energy Toolbase’s proposal and design software. The company calls its template builder “PowerPoint for solar proposals” because users can insert and format objects, images and content to create the best possible proposal for customers in the residential, commercial and emerging battery storage market.

The residential version can focus on company brand, project portfolio, rebates and incentives to show homeowners their potential energy savings in a visually pleasing way. Commercial proposal templates are longer with more numbers and statistics—the software can simulate the reduction of demand charges and show the long-form breakout of cash flow. And an energy storage proposal can display the benefits of storage for a given system along with the various value streams. Laying out the facts in the way that best suits each individual customer can help contractors sell solar in an honest, straightforward way.

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Hi APsystems, can you build me a microinverter?

Sure, what features would you like?

• Dual-module microinverter • Independent MPPT per panel • CA Rule 21, UL1741 SA and H14 compliance • Rapid Shutdown • DC Arc-Fault Protection • Work with 60 & 72 cell PV panels 250W-365W+ Wow. I’m not finished.

• Make it wireless • Intelligent mesh network • IP67/NEMA 6 • True MC4 connectors • 99.5% MPPT Efficiency

You asked, we delivered.

The groundbreaking YC600 with Reactive Power Control (RPC) technology. Includes everything but the kitchen sink.

Plus free monitoring for life.



Is that everything?

• Fast installation • Field upgradeable FPGA design • 25 year warranty Anything else?

How about free monitoring for life?

Done!

POWERFUL I N N OVAT I O N

usa.apsystems.com | 844-666-7035 | info.usa@apsystems.com

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Type 947D

High Density, DC Link Capacitors

DC link power film capacitors Next generation inverter designs for renewable energy demand reliable DC link capacitors with higher capacitance values, voltage, and current ratings.

Available in new case sizes and ratings, Cornell Dubilier’s Type 947D power film capacitors offer the highest bulk energy storage, ripple filtering and life expectancy for wind and solar power inverter designs, as well as electric vehicle applications. Select from hundreds of standard catalog listings, or connect with CDE engineers to develop special designs to your requirements.

TYPE 947D POWER FILM CAPACITORS 85, 90, 100 & 116 mm CASE SIZES CAPACITANCE VALUES TO 3600 µF APPLIED VOLTAGE TO 1500 Vdc RIPPLE CURRENT RATINGS >100 A rms

For technical information, visit cde.com/solutions/inverters

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2017

As seen in the Fronius Symo Advanced string inverter The SunSpec Alliance recently released a rapid-shutdown specification that serves as a communication protocol to define how solar modules, inverters and other control systems interact to power down in accordance with new NEC requirements, effective January 2019. Microinverters inherently meet rapid-shutdown codes because they attach to each panel, and module manufacturers implement the protocol within the junction box of each panel.

Most string inverter manufacturers incorporate the protocol in a separate master control device, often referred to as a rapid-shutdown “box.”

However, Fronius’s new Symo Advanced string inverter actually integrates communications compliant with the SunSpec protocol directly inside the inverter, so no extra box is needed. Communications with modules and other roof components are carried over system power lines, eliminating additional wiring needed with traditional shutdown boxes. This helps reduce equipment and installation costs. Fronius is also offering its second-generation rapidshutdown box to use with existing inverter models. The new box has a sleek design to fit underneath the panel and replace a standard junction box.

Integrating communications and limiting the number of system components and installation work can help reduce soft costs, while improving safety and compliance with standards.

TOP PRODUCTS

COMMUNICATION-COMPLIANT INVERTER ELIMINATES NEED FOR RAPID-SHUTDOWN BOX

TESTED. TRUSTED. THE RIGHT WAY!

Combining photovoltaic arrays with standing seam metal roofing is growing in popularity and for good reasons. Standing seam metal roofing has a life expectancy to exceed the life of the framed PV modules. Attaching a 30-year power source on a 40-year roof—using S-5!’s zeropenetration technology—creates the most sustainable roof system available with alternative energy generation, all without compromising the roof manufacturer’s limited warranty*!

Visit www.s-5.com to learn more! * Visit www.S-5.com for details about our limited warranties

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The Right Way! | www.s-5.com | 888-825-3432

11/21/17 1:04 PM

TOP PRODUCTS

2017

GROUND ASSEMBLY SAVES 50% OF LABOR COSTS ON SOLAR CARPORT INSTALLS As seen in Quest Renewables' QuadPod Solar carports are pretty straight forward. Steel posts are embedded in concrete, long support spans bolt to the posts and panels slide into place by installers on scissor lifts. A significant portion of assembly is done at a height, and installers go up and down to get more material.

Quest Renewables' QuadPod flips that thinking upside down. The large majority of assembly is done on the ground and the final design is lifted by one crane onto posts. No scissor-lifts to position

panels since tables come together at ground-level.

People work faster on the ground, especially when not moving around in fall arrest gear on a small platform full of solar panels.

Quest Renewables estimates that assembling the bulk of the system on the ground saves 50% of typical carport labor costs. And while a crane is more expensive than a scissor lift, one crane might only cost about 10% of the amount of labor, so major savings are seen across the board.

ADHESIVE MODULES ELIMINATE NEED FOR ROOF PENETRATIONS, RACKING As seen in Lumeta Lynx modules Adhesive solar panels aren’t new, but non-thin-film adhesive modules are something to notice. Frameless, glassless monocrystalline 300-W modules with a sticky backside eliminate the need for bulky racking, grounding and roof penetrations, and they can compete with their glassed cousins in production and efficiency.

Lumeta released its LPP line of adhesive modules earlier this year for asphalt shingle and tile roofs, but their ~180-W output left much to be desired. Now the company has announced its Lynx line of modules ready for Q1 2018 shipment— Lumeta Lynx 60 (60 cells, 300 W, 18.1% efficiency) and Lumeta Lynx 72 (72 cells, 360 W, 18.3% efficiency).

Dupont plastic-based front sheets replace the glass, and a tapered-edge seal removes the need for grounding and lessens soiling. Time-proven butyl roofing adhesive secures the module to the roof and guarantees its adhesion for the system’s lifetime, but it is removable if required. No penetrations, no mounting equipment, wind tunnel tested, aesthetically marketable—Lumeta’s adhesive modules have a lot of benefits and have been tested to NREL’s Qualification Plus standard. Adhesive modules cut installation time significantly—and just think of the fewer BOS products needed.

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THE NEW HIGH DENSITY 5° RACKING SYSTEM

Small Footprint. Big Power.

ADVANCED, TWO-PANEL MICROINVERTERS CEMENT SPOT IN FUTURE, HIGH-OUTPUT PROJECTS

Dense 9.9" Inter-row Spacing 18.4% More Power than 10° Systems

As seen in the APsystems YC600 Demands for smart, grid-interactive inverters that support California’s Rule 21 and today’s high-output panels set the bar high for string inverters. But a microinverter that encompasses all of these capabilities is truly impressive.

The YC600 from APsystems was designed to accommodate highoutput PV panels and meet the latest grid compliance standards, including UL 1741 SA requirements for Rule 21.

The YC600 offers 300-VA peak power output per channel to accommodate 60- and 72-cell panels. Each unit serves two modules, which reduces the number of components and installation needed. Still, it maintains independent MPPT with a wide range to capture as much irradiance as possible even in low-light conditions. It also has a durable, NEMA 6/IP67, powder-coated aluminum enclosure, while other models use plastic casings. On top of all that, an integrated ZigBee antenna offers wireless communication for fast, accurate data monitoring.

Microinverters with advanced functions on par with or beyond the capabilities of string inverters will enable them to continue to be a viable option for projects.

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Self-Aligning Modular Base with Preassembled Clamps

It’s Simple to Max Out Your Roof Watch www.EcolibriumSolar.com/#videos BUILT ON THE INDUSTRY PREFERRED ECOFOOT PLATFORM Contact Sales@EcolibriumSolar.com or 740.249.1877

UNBEATABLE

59

Ecolibrium Solar is a registered trademark and EcoFoot5D is a trademark of Ecolibrium Solar, Inc. All rights reserved. ©2017 Ecolibrium Solar, Inc.

11/21/17 1:04 PM

KELLY PICKEREL

[CONTRACTORS CORNER]

MANAGING EDITOR

Kansas-based installer is a champion for solar in the Midwest Cromwell Solar Lawrence, Kansas Over the next few years, the Midwest has the potential to become a hotbed of solar growth, according to a SEIA news release. Kansas residential and commercial installer Cromwell Solar sees this opportunity and serves as a reliable resource for solar information and development in this area.

“We’re in a bit of an underserved market as far as people’s access to a renewable energy provider,” said Chris Rogge, director of solar services for Cromwell Solar, of the installer’s middle-of-the-country location. “There haven’t been a lot of resources for them to get new information or find out what’s current. We try to make our [social media] posts informative and interesting to read and worth sharing. Once people find out about us and like us and experience the work that we’ve done, it’s a good way for them to share our contact information with their friends.”

Cromwell Solar got its start in 1982 as an environmental company that worked on solar thermal projects before really transitioning to full-time PV around 2008. The company installs residential and commercial projects mainly in Kansas and Missouri. Rogge said that some areas of the Midwest still need basic solar education.

“We have a lot of municipal power companies and energy co-ops,” he said. “Solar is still pretty new in a lot of parts of [Kansas]. We find ourselves spending a lot of time in some of those markets explaining the technology and explaining what other locations have done to allow net metering to take place. Sometimes we’re leading the charge for solar in the area.”

Podcast Alert!

Listen to this and other Contractors Corner podcasts on solarpowerworldonline.com

Every project we do is really customdesigned specifically for their future needs.

Although kind of a stand-alone leader in some areas, Cromwell Solar takes no shortcuts when it comes to installation. Having four NABCEP-certified PV installers on staff is something in which the company takes great pride.

“We found the NABCEP Continuing Education Conference has been a great resource for us,” Rogge said. “It lets us reach out to other NABCEP-certified installers that we may not have access to in a smaller market like the Midwest.

“The more people hear about [certified installers], the more important it becomes,” he continued. “Some of our competitors have NABCEP-certified installers. Just having one or two of us is no longer an advantage. We get as many people NABCEP-certified [on staff] as we can.”

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[CONTRACTORS CORNER]

Having multiple employees working on NABCEP re-certification courses every three years ensures Cromwell Solar is up-to-date with the latest installation techniques, which helps when difficult projects arise.

“We really like stretching our legs on projects and encountering new challenges,” Rogge said. “It gives us an opportunity to work as a team, combine our experiences and figure out the right solutions we may not have thought of before.”

Cromwell Solar is currently working on a complex project for a local food co-op. In addition to rooftop and carport installations, Cromwell Solar is also designing a custom patio pergola that will hold 16 solar panels and offer shelter to diners below. With continuous operation of refrigeration systems and up to a 10% increase in conventional energy costs each year, Merc Co+op was hands-on with finding ways to reduce the store’s energy use.

“We’re not a one-call-close kind of company. Every project we do is really custom-designed specifically for their future needs,” Rogge said.

“When you have a customer that wants to take part in that process, it’s a big advantage to them and to us. It lets us know which way we should push the system, if we should go for economics or if they want to offset 100% of their carbon footprint.”

Above all, Cromwell Solar enjoys bringing solar to underserved communities.

“That’s what we enjoy, getting people the energy freedom that they want and letting them see it through to completion,” Rogge said. SPW

A rendering of the future Cromwell Solar project at Merc Co+op in Lawrence, Kansas.

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KATHIE ZIPP

[ASK A VET]

MANAGING EDITOR

Pursuing your passions with SEIA’s Abigail Ross Hopper As you probably know, Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of SEIA, came on board in her new position at the beginning of 2017, but you may not know that her background in energy goes back much further.

From riding in ambulances to prosecuting sex crimes to falling in love with tax law, divorce law and energy, Hopper has always let her passions guide her career. Learn more about SEIA’s new leader and how her diverse experiences have made her so wellsuited to lead the solar industry in this episode of Ask a Solar Vet. Here’s a glimpse of what Hopper said, but listen to the full interview to hear more.

Podcast Alert!

Listen to this podcast and other Ask a Solar Vet editions, in which we speak to people who have been in the solar industry for ten years or more, on solarpowerworldonline.com.

How’s the job been so far?

It has been, without a doubt, the most fun I’ve had in a very long time.

It is challenging, just in terms of the scope of the issues that we cover.

It’s been challenging in that the entire country is figuring out how our new president works and how best to work along side of him. It has been surprising that we find ourselves in the middle of a trade case—that was not something that I anticipated in January. It has been rewarding in that the industry has taken a position and we have had the privilege of representing it and fighting this case. It has been more fun, more challenging, harder, easier, than I ever thought it would be. I wouldn’t want to do anything unless it was fun and challenging.

It has been more fun, more challenging, harder, easier, than I ever thought it would be. I wouldn’t want to do anything unless it was fun and challenging.

You spent time learning about the oil and gas industry when you worked at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. What did you learn that impacted you the most?

The thing that was most impactful to me was understanding the level of expertise that has been developed in that industry over, literally, a century, and thinking how that expertise can be utilized in other parts of our economy. I spent time in Houston and Louisiana and other parts of our great country, understanding that the oil and gas sector really 62

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eGuage

[ASK A VET]

becomes part of the culture. So it is naive and disrespectful to assume that folks will just ignore that part of their culture.

If we’re thinking about how we’re going to transform the economy and our energy mix, we need to understand the values and ideas people in the oil and gas sector bring to the table, and make renewable energy, renewable energy careers and renewable energy technologies consistent and appealing, rather than threatening.

Is there anything in your past work in other industries you think solar could learn from?

As a divorce lawyer, one of the things I learned is you’ve got to find agreement on small things first. People aren’t going to come in and solve the biggest problems at the outset.

You have to build trust and relationships and accountability.

So I’m always looking with our members, or other industries, to see how we can build trust and create relationships so when we get to the really hard stuff, we’ll have the kind of communication where we can actually try to solve it. SPW

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[AD INDEX] ABB Solar.................................................................IBC AP Systems...............................................................55 Burndy-Wiley........................................................... 40 Chint Power Systems........................................... IFC Cornell Dubilier Electronics, Inc..........................56 Dunkermotoren.......................................................19 EcoFasten Solar....................................................... 15 Ecolibrium Solar......................................................59 eGuage......................................................................63 Fronius USA ...............................................................9 GameChange Solar...................................................3 HCS Renewable Energy........................................... 5 KACO new energy......................... cover/corner, 17 Kipp & Zonen............................................................33 Lee Supply Company, Inc...................................... 14 Megger......................................................................29 Panasonic Eco Solutions NA................................. 13 Phoenix Contact...................................................... 21 Pika............................................................................. 51 RBI Solar...................................................................... 7 S-5!.............................................................................57 Seaward Group........................................................ 31 SnakeTray..................................................................47 Solar Connections International..........................23 SolarEdge Technologies........................................39 SolarRoofHook........................................................45 Thomas & Betts.......................................................53 Unirac.......................................................................... 1 Yaskawa Solectria Renewables............................BC

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