Solar across the Pond Part 1: Scotland!

March 27th, 2013


I finally returned after a nearly month-long expedition across Europe to find the tastiest foods, most delicious beers, and of course, see how solar and other renewable energies have developed in other countries It's been an amazing trip and although I miss it a ton, I'm glad to be back and happy to share my adventures with you all.  I will start by saying not only was everyone I spoke with very nice and helpful with me, the desire to bring more renewable energy to their homes and use more green technology is just as strong as ours. Perhaps knowing that even globally when we all have similar goals we can work together to achieve great things.

Fish and Chips....and a Pint, please :)

I was very surprised to see so many homes in England were outfitted with solar arrays. It is much more common there, even on the older homes, to have some solar panels set up, either solar thermal or photovoltaics. Even in Scotland, where the Sun shines less during the day than what we see in North Carolina, there was still a surprisingly large abundance of solar electricity supplying residential areas. It was a great example showing the world that you don't necessarily need to live in Arizona or Florida to take advantage of the Sun.

A rooftop solar array on a residential home in Anstruther, Fife, Scotland

One major reason why I did see so many solar homes was favorable government policy. They offered rebates, credits, and feed-in tariffs that would allow homeowners to collect income from their rooftops. A feed-in tariff is a guaranteed payment made to the customer per kilowatt of electricity generated. In the United Kingdom, this payment is nearly 20 cents per kWh produced! Because of these generation incentives and utility production payments, the payback period is quite short, and in some cases only 4-5 years to see a positive return on investment on your solar purchase. That allows British solar energy companies like Big Green Company (www.biggreencompany.co.uk) to work with homeowners on developing and managing residential solar arrays. Big Green has been in business since 2007 and has expanded to be one of Britain's largest residential solar developers, thanks to the government incentives that can guarantee payments of up to 1200GBP (~$1700) per year for 20 years. I can only imagine the number of residential solar systems in use if the US offered similar rates.

Visit www.biggreencompany.co.uk to see more on solar incentives offered in the United Kingdom

After seeing all the rooftop solar arrays and hearing about the great government incentives, I was completely overwhelmed and had to stop and have a nice cool refreshment. Nothing better than a Pint in Scotland!

Enjoying the day in Kilconquahar, Fife, Scotland

The beauty of England and Scotland was so nice, I just have to share a few photos with you. I hope you enjoy them!

Anstruther, along the eastern coast of Scotland near St. Andrews Golf Course

The Scottish Highlands, quite breathtaking views

Searching for 'Nessie :)

A hidden treasure! Solar Thermal panels in far north Loch Ness, Scotland!

Thanks for reading everyone, I'm glad I could share a bit of my adventures with you. My next article will be on my trips in Austria and Germany!

Have a Sunny Day!

Off to Europe! Solar Advances in England, Germany, Austria

February 26th, 2013


I hope everyone is staying warm during this harsh winter month. Spring is right around the corner, and will bring lots of sun for our homes, smiling faces, and roof-mounted PV panels!  I am about to embark on a wonderful three week journey to europe with my family, where I will use my time wisely to scout the solar communities there and see how popular they are compared to what we see in the good ole' USA.

I will post when I able to during the trip, and try to include as many photos as I can for your enjoyment. Take care and I will see all of you in three weeks!

The Big Push: What Drives Solar Markets?

February 11th, 2013

Let's start the day off with a brief educational lesson, shall we? The image shown below is a global insolation map.  What it describes is the total average amount of 'peak solar activity' that strikes any region of the world during a typical day. The lighter regions towards the earth's poles receive less sun per day, while the darker red regions near the equator receive on average the most amount of sun per day.  In other words, It gets really sunny around the middle, Africa, the Middle East, and Central America. Have you ever wondered why there isn't more solar electricity production in regions with the most sun? It would make sense, right? The reason why this is not the case goes beyond just a simple matter of placing panels where it's sunny. I'll explain below. :) 

World Insolation Map. (Source: www.oynot.com)

Do you know which country has the highest solar capacity in the world? The answer is Germany. They are the world's leader in newly installed solar panels, and have the highest amount of their nation's electrical needs come from solar electricity, among world solar leading countries. The United States, despite our enormous push over the last few years to build renewable resources, ranked only 5th in new installations by the end of 2011.  And the reason for this has nothing to do with how much sun is shining on Germany. In fact, our beer drinking buddies receive about the same amount of sun per year as typically seen in the pacific northwest states of Washington or Oregon. Germany's success in renewable solar electricity is a result of an aggressive and popular government policy.

Source: World Energy Outlook 2012

In the 1990's, there was a strong push in the German government to go green and produce more electricity from renewable sources. Laws were changed to make it easier for citizens and businesses to build solar on their rooftops, and feed-in tariffs were enacted so individuals could sell their electricity back to the utility at a set price for several years. The resulting effects from the law changes made it financially advantageous for people to use solar power. Other big moves like providing money for renewable energy research, and setting goals to eliminate nuclear power have driven up the solar market and dramatically reduced solar panel and installation prices within the country. Despite our recent successes in solar in the U.S., we are still in an infancy stage of growth, and therefore much more progress must be made to bring us to the next level of renewable energy capacity. New policies that favor growth in the renewable sector must be pushed forward, and soft costs like permitting restrictions, interconnection requirements, and legal paperwork must be made cheaper, streamlined, and more available to the public. These will all eventually happen, but the sooner they are put in place, the better it will be for the public.

Finally, there has been a great deal of skepticism as to the cost of solar, the feasibility, energy storage, and overall plausibility that it could be a major source of electrical power generation. Also that the role of government in driving solar should be limited, relying on free market policies to do the majority of the work. I believe the biggest evidence of proof that government can play a positive role in solar energy is the drop in price over the past few years. Since 2006 the cost of solar has dropped more than 50%. And experts suggest there is still much more room to lower costs in the future. The same certainly cannot be said about the price of gas, which has more than doubled in the last 4 years.  As for limited government roles in energy policy, the federal government is currently subsidizing an estimated $10-52 billion dollars annually for fossil fuels, an amount that far exceeds what is currently provided for solar and renewables. At current price trends, if solar were to be placed on a level playing field as fossil fuels, it would be cheaper for everyone to switch to solar electricity.

Tax Subsidies for Fossil Fuels far outweigh current Federal Solar Funding (Source: peswiki.com)

Thanks for visiting, I hope you enjoy the reads and continue to support our push for solar energy as a major player in global electricity production. For further news links and information, please visit www.risingphoenixsolar.com. Have a sunny weekend!

The Sunnier Side of Solar: Visit to Cabo San Lucas

January 30th, 2013


I recently returned from a family vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and I could think of no better opportunity to talk about foreign investment in solar than discuss my trip! I will warn you there, there is a ton of relaxing, sun soaking, delicious food, and entertainment! So sit back and enjoy! :)

The Baja Region of California receives nearly 5 peak sun hours per day (above top), making it an ideal region for taking advantage of solar. Not to mention the beautiful weather with few clouds to hinder solar output (above bottom)

My journey began early Wednesday morning, on January 16th, with a 5:20am flight to Philadelphia to meet my sister for our connection to Phoenix, and then San Jose Del Cabo. Unfortunately, bad weather slowed our departure, and after a long day of flying to Philly, Charlotte, then Ft. Lauderdale, we finally reach Phoenix only to be too late to make any Cabo flights, so we lost a day. But we weren't about to let it hinder our spirits. By mid afternoon the next day, we were already relaxing on the beach in Cabo!



Mexico currently leads Latin American nations in solar output, with a total capacity of 37MW as of 2011. Although this number is relatively small compared to the US, it does show that our neighbor to the south is proactively involved in renewable energy for their country. As I toured both towns of the cape (San Jose, and San Lucas) I made sure to keep my eyes peeled for any sign of renewable energy. Cabo has exploded over the past 10 years, almost exclusively due to the tourist industry, and the large resorts and hotels should be an example of clean energy in the region and invest in solar to subsidize their electricity usage, hot water for the swimming pools, washing linens, and open building designs to maximize sunlight during the day. Many of the beach side resorts already are built with an open feel in mind, but I was hoping to see more solar installed on buildings. While out in the bay of Cabo visiting the Arch of Cortez, I scanned the harbor and saw only one hotel that clearly had solar on their rooftops, Casa Dorado Resort and Spa Cabo San Lucas. That doesn't mean there aren't several other hotels that have invested in renewable energy, but in downtown Cabo, this was the only one visible from the water. I also did some investigation through google maps to see any rooftop arrays, but the most recent photos are outdated and do not accurately reflect what is potentially there today.

(Above Top and Bottom) Solar hot water collectors on the rooftop of Casa Dorado Resort and Spa, Cabo San Lucas

I also spoke with the manager of the Grand Mayan Resort and Spa, in San Jose Del Cabo, to inquire about their renewable energy goals, as I had heard that they receive 30% of their electricity needs from renewable sources. They informed me that while that may be the case at some of the other Grand Mayan Resort locations, they did not currently meet this goal in San Jose. He did, however, mention that they do have a very strong recycling program to reduce waste. This is a great start, and I hope they continue to push for more green alternatives!


Needless to say, I had a wonderful time, but I was happy to be back home in North Carolina, despite the cold weather (it was 80 and sunny every day of my vacation).  I hope that if I do visit there again, I will see a much higher capacity of solar installed in the region. With so many of the large resorts being US-based, it is important that in business we represent a strong example of environmental responsibility to other countries. Investing in solar is EXACTLY the way we can do this! Stay warm everyone!

Beaufiful beaches and peaceful scenery make Cabo a great travel destination

The beautiful Arch of Cortez, A highlight marker of Cabo San Lucas

My family (sister, Carolyn, and mother, Shari) and I enjoying a walk around the harbor of downtown Cabo San Lucas

Farm Risk Management Through Renewable Energy

January 11th, 2013


Farm Development Now (http://www.farmdevnow.com/welcome.html) presented 'Risk Management Through Renewable Energy and Crop Insurance' today at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh, drawing a crowd of approximately 300 farmers, particularly African American and Native American farmers to participate in workshops for renewable energy, crop insurance, and farm financing. Several exhibitors were present to assist farmers, including NC Solar Now, Yes! Solar Solutions, Future Farmers of America, and several farm loan and financing agencies. The worskhop was free to attend.

The opening welcome session was chaired by Dr. Mark Little, Acting Program Director, Economic Development at the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Anthony Locklear, Executive Director of Native American Interfaith Ministries, and Rosalind Gray, Esq. Founder of the Sun Farmers Institute, also gave opening speeches. The room was then divided into groups and attended workshops for Renewable Energy Projects on the Farm, and Farm Loans and Crop Insurance. I attended both, but for the purposes of this blog will discuss only the Renewable Energy Workshop. 

NCSEA Director Paul Quinlan Addressing the Farmers at Todays Solar Workshop.

The Renewable Energy Workshop was presented by Dr. Reginald Parker, CEO and Founder of 510nano, a minority owned green solar development firm, and Time Webb, CFO of 510nano. The aim of the talk was to educate rural farmers of alternative methods of producing income through renewable energy use. Over the past few years solar farms have been experience an economic boom in North Carolina, thanks to the state's generous renewable energy tax credit program, and several farmers throughout the state have been able to reap the benefits of it, coming as much needed relief during past droughts, poor farming techniques, and the decline in demand of the tobacco crop. The basics of several renewable systems were presented, including solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass, and helpful and insightful ideas on how to monetize resources to create a stable income. At the end of the talk there was a Q&A session where attendees could ask several questions, some of the most common concerns were the profitability of solar farms, how to interconnect electricity to the grid, and how to obtain proper financing to build proper solar infrastructure onto their land.

A free luncheon was provided during the event for all attendees.

The day concluded with some last remarks by representatives from local finance companies, Melissa Malkin-Weber, Self Help Credit Union, Rick Larson, Natural Capital Invesment Fund, David Thigpen, USDA Rural Development, and closing remarks by Rosalind Gray, Sun Farmers Institute The workshop plans to meet again in April to provide more assistance for renewable energy for farms and further educate farmers in North Carolina.