The Clearly Solar Power Blog

It seems like a pretty far-fetched idea: solar PV cells costing as little as coal? The ramifications of such a surge forward for solar technology would be immeasurable. Solar would become the gold standard in energy production worldwide, and as a solar company, that's exactly the direction we want to go.

According to this article from Renewable Energy World, the fellas over at 1366 Technologies say that that shining future isn't as far away as you'd think.

The article discusses how Frank van Mierlo and Emanuel Sachs, founders of the Cambridge-based company, believe solar can be cost-competitive within 10 years, and that the "solar revolution" that is beginning right now in 2010 will be obvious "in hindsight". An interesting tidbit: as explained in the article, 1366 Technologies' name "acknowledges the fact that sunlight falls on the earth at the rate of 1,366 Watts per square meter. That means 130,000 TW of solar energy reaches the Earth each year. The company also figures that humans consume coal, nuclear and natural gas at the rate of around 15 TW a year, a fraction of the sun’s delivered energy potential".

Their engineers, technicians and scientists are working hard to develop what they call "potentially disruptive technology", which is fancy-talk for groundbreaking new ways to make PV more efficient and more cost-effective.

An interesting article, and one that shines a ray of hope for solar's future. Drop us a line and let us know what you think! Will solar see the meteoric rise predicted by van Mierlo and Sachs, or will the fight for renewable energy rage on?

Think Clearly!

Clearly Solar is proud to announce our next Solar Seminar! On Wednesday September 15th, from 7-9 PM, we will be hosting an information evening and open house at our office.

Interested in attending? Not sure what to expect? Anyone interested in green energy, the MicroFIT & FIT programs, and solar energy systems, small or large, residential or commercial - it doesn't matter! Everyone is welcome, and our specialists will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.

Admission is FREE but please contact us to let us know how many people you'd like to bring.

We look forward to seeing you there! Think Clearly!

In today's Ottawa Citizen, Don Butler writes about increasing hydro rates in Ontario, and how these hikes may be due in large part to the Green Energy Act and more specifically, the FIT and microFIT programs.

In the article, which you can read here, he quotes a consultant named Tom Adams who is "livid" about the price increases, and that people "should be outraged". Adams views the Green Energy Act as the main culprit, calling it "outrageous".

But Tom Carpenter, a research associate at Queen's University's Institute for Energy and the Environment, feels differently. He disregards these claims and believes that renewable energy represents a tiny fraction of the province's generating capacity, and that prices will drop and economies of scale will kick in as the program takes shape.

Full details are available at the link above. It's hard to judge who is right or wrong in this ever-changing industry, but we like to believe that time will show renewable energy, the Green Energy Act, and the FIT programs in a favourable light - not as the villains in Ontario's energy fairytale, but as the pioneers and heroes.

Think Clearly!

Howdy folks! We wanted to make sure that the week's most monumental news didn't pass you by: after several months of controversy and uncertainty, the OPA has announced their final pricing structure for microFIT solar systems.

As explained by the Toronto Sun, the "owners of eligible projects who applied before July 2, 2010, will get the original price offer of 80.2¢ per kilowatt-hour", while applications signed after July 2nd will receive a new price of 64.2¢ per kilowatt-hour (up from the originally-proposed 58.8¢ per kilowatt-hour).

The government has listened and responded, reversing their initial position, and grandfathering all application before July 2, 2010 at 80.2 cents. This is good news for farmers and rural landowners who had been waiting patiently for many months. Going forward, 64.3 cents is not at all bad, and with manual tracking, our customers should be able to get a 12 to 14% return on their money – not bad at all! The OPA has also extended the date for Ontario Content Compliance to May 31, 2011. This is good news, as it will allow many more people to take advantage of well-priced currently available product.

Additionally, the OPA is no longer allowing aggregators to participate in the MicroFIT program. They are, however, preparing a program specifically for aggregators, that will allow all Ontario property owners an opportunity to profit-share with us, and gain revenue from their vacant land, or rooftops. Anyone interesting in partnering with Clearly Solar should contact us for more information.

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On August 4th, if you had submitted an application to the OPA for a ground-mounted solar system, you should have received an email outlining the latest news from the solar front lines. Put simply, the OPA is giving you until early September to re-submit your applications. Read the full message below:

"Thank you to all microFIT applicants who submitted feedback during the recent 30-day consultation period on the new price category for ground-mounted solar PV projects. The microFIT team will make an announcement about the new price category as soon as possible following review of the materials and information received.

On July 2, you received a notice advising you that your microFIT application had been unlocked, with instructions to resubmit your application with additional information.

This is to notify you that the deadline to resubmit your microFIT application has been extended to Tuesday, September 7 at 5 p.m. This extension will provide you with more time, if needed, to assess your project under the new category for ground-mounted solar PV projects.

If you have already resubmitted your application, thank you for doing so. Resubmitted applications for ground-mounted projects will be offered the price that is to be finalized after the consultation period.

In the meantime, we are processing resubmitted applications so that we are ready to make conditional offers for ground-mounted solar PV projects as quickly as possible following the announcement. If you have decided to proceed with your project and you have not yet resubmitted your application, you are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.

If you do not resubmit your application by September 7, it will be withdrawn from the program. You may submit a new application in the future if you decide to proceed with a microFIT project at a later date.

Thank you for your interest in the microFIT program.

The microFIT team"

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to hit up the Ontario Power Authority's website. And as always, Think Clearly!

As none of you will have forgotten, the OPA has announced a new pricing scheme for ground-mounted solar systems. As it represents a significant drop in the rate of return from the OPA's original promised pricing, many people are outraged at this lack of foresight and commitment on the part of the OPA and the Ontario government.

Since the new pricing was announced in early July, the OPA has allowed a period in which Ontarians may respond with their opinions on this change, which will expire on August 3rd. For those keeping track, that's two days from now - which means if you haven't already contacted the OPA at the above link and told them how this betrayal makes you feel, there's never been a better time. Heck, even if you have already told them, tell them again! You may not get a second chance to make a difference in Ontario's threatened solar market.

Think Clearly!

On Saturday, July 24th, members of the Green Party, their supporters, and solar industry leaders came together to hold a press conference and voice their opinions about the OPA's pricing change for ground-mounted solar systems.

Clearly Solar CEO Jim Cummings spoke alongside his peers about the OPA's abysmally slow processing times for FIT and microFIT applications, about the lack of commitment and integrity shown by McGuinty's government and the OPA, and about the solar industry's newly uncertain future.

Check out this website to watch Mr. Cummings and others express their concerns for what should be a flowering industry, and as always, be proactive in joining the rallying cry against this sudden and ill-advised change in legislation.

Think Clearly!

Two days ago, we received some important news from the Ontario Power Authority that we thought we'd pass along.

According to the OPA, the popularity of the FIT and microFIT programs has "vastly surpassed expectations", with more than 16,000 applications having been submitted since the introduction of the program. To compensate, the OPA is dropping the pricing for 10-kilowatt ground-mounted systems from 80.2 cents/kWh to 58.8 cents/kWh. Colin Andersen, CEO of the Ontario Power Authority, believes "the new price category is fair, reasonable, more accurately reflects the costs associated with ground-mounted projects and maintains the long-term stability of the program". He went on to say that the change enables the program "to continue to meet its original goals and provides proper value to both generators and ratepayers.”

If you have already received a contract from the OPA for a ground-mounted 10kW system, the old rate of 80.2 cents/kWh will not change. All other projects (including projects for which applications have been submitted but not yet approved) will fall under the new pricing.

The OPA are allowing 30 days for applicants to respond and comment on the change, so make your opinion heard! Visit their website for more information.

Think Clearly!

An interesting bit of news came our way earlier this week, and we thought we'd share it with you.

As you may know, the Ontario Power Authority, since the introduction of the FIT and microFIT programs, has instated what they call Domestic Content Regulations (DCR) on all solar PV projects sold in Ontario. As indicated on the OPA website, these requirements ensure that a portion of your project is produced or manufactured right here in Ontario. What percentage of your project must be Ontario-made depends on its size, and when the application was submitted.

Here's where it gets interesting: since the OPA has been flooded with applications for solar projects, they have extended the deadline by four months for certain sizes of installations (specifically, mid-size FIT projects of around 250kW). According to this article from the Wall Street Journal, the change means "developers of mid-sized projects now have until April 30, 2011 to reach the 50% threshold and April 30, 2012 to meet the 60% target". Our eagle-eyed readers will have noticed the conspicuous lack of deadline extensions for other projects (especially microFIT). There's no certainty, but it seems likely that - considering the popularity of the microFIT program - deadline extensions for smaller systems must also be on the way. After all, manufacturers are very reluctant to invest in a program with an uncertain future.

What's even more interesting is that some companies, who are installing large projects, are actually readying themselves to manufacture their own products. Once their applications have come through, they will build plants and produce their solar systems themselves.

Time, it seems, is running out. If the OPA does not make extensions to microFIT and other FIT projects, already-disenchanted manufacturers will leave solar installers and their clients up the proverbial creek. And that wouldn't be very good for anyone.

Think Clearly!

Over the past year, the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) has been working hard to establish their Feed-In Tariff Programs as the way forward for green energy in North America. As can well be imagined, this continues to be an exciting prospect for Ontarians, and as more and more people gain interest in the program, the OPA finds itself with more and more work on its hands.

The FIT and microFIT Programs, established last fall, provide a significant reimbursement to home or land-owners who install green energy production systems on their property and feed energy back into the grid. On June 1st, the OPA provided a timeline on their website for the amount of time they projected it would take for FIT applications to go through.

While this is certainly helpful information, what was more interesting to us here at Clearly Solar was the little note at the bottom of the page: "Contracts for capacity allocation exempt projects submitted after the launch period (after November 30, 2009) will begin in early June. Contracts will be offered on an ongoing basis as applications are deemed complete."

In plain English that means that applications for systems generating under 500kW - the kind of systems we sell and design - should be going through right now, and new contracts submitted from here on will have a bit of a wait ahead of them.

We can hear you asking: what does all this mean? The answer, friends, is simple. The OPA is having a tough time keeping up with the popularity of their own program, but contracts are finally starting to trickle through. In the words of the British government, keep calm and carry on. Your solar incentives are right around the corner.

Think Clearly!