MakeHeat

The Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners approved modifications to the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power’s (LADWP) solar incentive program. The modifications are intended to sustain the program under approved budgets through 2016 while supporting the greatest number of solar installations as possible, according to the LADWP.

The modifications were proposed as a means to manage the pace of applications received for the Residential Solar Incentive Program. Interest in the program has skyrocketed since early 2009, when the federal government removed the ,000 cap on tax credits. The program has also seen an increased demand as solar prices have declined.

The new incentive levels, which take effect on Jan. 1, 2011, will provide funding for an additional 20 MW in solar incentives.

The board says it is also committed to reviewing the impact of the new rebate and will consider making adjustments if the change causes a negative impact on new solar installations.

More information on the new solar incentive levels can be found here.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Department of Water & Power

Roth extends UK presence

An extended product portfolio, continued investment into manufacturing facilities and new recruits to the Roth UK team have strengthened the company’s position in the solar thermal and multilayer pipe markets. Supported by nine manufacturing plants in Europe, and 1,100 employees worldwide, the UK company draws on the Roth group’s technical resources to support residential, commercial and industrial applications.

Mike Darvill, former Managing Director for Hydrotec and SOPHE Industrial Chairman, has successfully championed development of Roth UK with a strong in-house technical team.

The Roth range of ready-to-install thermal solar solutions includes standard installations and solar service water heating, through to complex installations designed to support heating systems. Coordinated solar collectors, roof installation kit, solar station, storage and control units are designed to provide optimal performance and can be used in combination with Roth’s heat distribution and drinking water systems.

Multilayer pipe and solar solutions The Roth portfolio also includes interchangeable multilayer polymer pipe and aluminium/polymer pipe ranges together with unique fittings systems based on plastic or brass which meet the needs of cold/hot water supply and heating/cooling pipework applications. Underfloor heating systems featured in the range are the Duopex S5, a multi-layer co-extruded polymer construction designed for the most demanding installations and X-Pert S5 which support the low temperature market. Roth’s extensive portfolio provides customers with the industry’s most comprehensive range of pipework solutions.

Roth selected for Hamworthy commercial solar solution

On the strength of product performance and expertise in the solar market, Roth UK has been selected by Hamworthy Heating to provide solar panels as a renewables option for commercial heating and hot water systems.

Hamworthy cite dedicated technical support, established R&D facilities and a track record providing solar thermal solutions as key reasons for the partnership with Roth. The Roth Heliostar 252 collector selected by Hamworthy Heating features a polycarbonate base that is robust yet lightweight and suitable for production on Roth’s newly installed fully automated production line for flat plate collectors.

Even Small Improvements over the Next 20 Years Could Wipe Out Emissions and Deliver Electricity Savings Equivalent to 2010’s Entire Energy Output

The evolution of a smarter power grid in the United States and the resulting impact it could have on the economy and environment were highlighted in a keynote address by GE’s  Bob Gilligan at the Advanced Energy 2010 Conference today. Gilligan explained how even conservative adoptions of technology solutions could enable Americans to sustain and improve their energy-dependent lifestyles.

“While revolutionary energy technologies are developed each day, the way we apply them to modernize and nurture our electrical infrastructure is really more of an evolution than a revolution,” said Bob Gilligan, vice president—digital energy for GE Energy Services. “What’s important is taking steps today to lay the foundation for our growing energy appetite.

We can then sustain ongoing efforts to improve our energy landscape.”

Using conservative technology growth estimates, Gilligan laid out a scenario where the total U.S. energy consumption and emissions saved between 2010 and 2030 could exceed the entire electrical consumption and electrical CO2 output for all of 2010.i “The net result would be like 2010 never happened,” he explained.

In addition to the energy and pollution savings, Gilligan’s scenario saw the creation of 140,000 sustainable new jobs and an electrical landscape that includes 3.3 billion fewer customer outage minutes. These power reliability improvements could result in savings of .7 billion from reduced power interruptions by 2030i.

Gilligan supported his call for an energy evolution with a bevy of facts about the future of energy, including:

* Growing cities that will house more than 60 percent of the world’s population and consume a vast majority of its power by 2030 cannot rely on an infrastructure designed a century ago1

* Global electricity demand is forecasted to increase 75 percent by 20302

* Energy costs are increasing worldwide; US rates increased an average of 42 percent between 2000 and 20073

* More than 40 percent of current environmental emissions are from electric generation4

* Approximately half of the transformer assets in the U.S. electrical infrastructure are at or approaching the end of their design life5

“The good news is that we are not talking gloom and doom,” Gilligan said. “Our electrical future can be a story of potential, opportunity and global competitive advantage. With increased reliability, efficiency and sustainability, we’ll be able to power traditional economic growth and be ready for the next generation of life-changing technology. We can do it by taking measured, affordable evolutionary steps. However, we, as a country, must act today.”

Gilligan cited electric cars, along with increasing levels of wind and solar energy, as examples of technology-enabled advances on the not-too-distant horizon. A copy of his presentation is available on www.itsyoursmartgrid.com

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified infrastructure, finance and media company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, health care solutions and television programming, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ge.com.

GE serves the energy sector by developing and deploying technology that helps make efficient use of natural resources. With nearly 85,000 global employees and 2009 revenues of billion, GE Energy www.ge.com/energy is one of the world’s leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies. The businesses that comprise GE Energy—GE Power & Water, GE Energy Services and GE Oil & Gas—work together to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels.

“Ben Franklin’s saying, “Out of adversity comes opportunity” seems to characterize the energy sector in US Northeast. Electricity rates are among the nation’s highest. Population density leaves scant room for new power plants and transmission lines. And the region has little indigenous generation fuel.

So what’s the good news?

“This is why a very large and well spent push for energy efficiency and energy conservation has taken place in the Northeast,” says Ron Tabroff member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and former chairman of its Power & Energy Society, Boston Chapter. …”
via RenewableEnergyWorld

We may be getting close to negotiations between the U.S., Israel and the Palestinians. While we wait for those talks to begin, we can at least partner on other, less politically volatile things, right?