In mid-September, 19 teams of talented university students traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the fifth U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon at the National Mall's West Potomac Park. The teams represent 13 U.S. states, five countries and four continents. Competing in 10 categories over nine days, the Solar Decathlon challenges each team to design, build and operate the most attractive, functional and energy-efficient solar-powered home. Teams accrue points based on how well their houses perform in the 10 categories, each worth 100 points. Once teams are scored in all ten categories, the team with the highest total number of points is declared the winner of the Solar Decathlon and receives the championship trophy.

Competition categories:
1.    Architecture
2.    Market Appeal
3.    Engineering
4.    Communications
5.    Affordability
6.    Comfort Zone
7.    Hot Water
8.    Appliances
9.    Home Entertainment
10.  Energy Balance

The final results for Architecture and Affordability were announced this week. Congratulations to two of the teams using SunPower panels - Middlebury College for placing 4^th in Architecture and Purdue University for tying for 1^st place in Affordability! 

Long-term planning and determination is key to participating in the competition. Teams started preparing more than two years in advance. Check it out - their work is impressive and inspiring. 

With homes designed for the energy needs of the average household, the Solar Decathlon aims to help visitors learn about the benefits of applying sustainable, energy efficient and cost-saving features to their own homes.

The public is invited to tour the houses for free through Oct. 2. If you haven’t had a chance to tour the 2011 Solar Decathlon homes at West Potomac Park, make time for it this week or over the weekend. 

For those of you who live too far away to go in person, we are happy to bring the Solar Decathlon to you. Take a look at our Solar Decathlon 2011 Facebook album to see photos of this year’s innovative and sustainable homes and follow us on Twitter for updates.

Six Solar Decathlon 2011 teams selected our high efficiency, high reliability SunPower solar systems for their homes:

• Team Florida International University (Florida International University) with perFORM[D]ance  House, selected the SunPower^® E19 / 320 Solar Panels
• Team Illinois (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) with Re_home, chose the SunPower^® E18 / 230 Solar Panels
• Team Massachusetts (University of Massachusetts at Lowell and Massachusetts College of Art and Design) with 4D Home, featuring the SunPower^® E19 / 240 Solar Panels
• Team Middlebury College (Middlebury College) with Self-Reliance, using the SunPower^® E18 / 225 Solar Panels
• Team New York (City College of New York) with Solar RoofPod, selected the SunPower^® E19 / 240 Solar Panels
• Team Purdue (Purdue University) with INhome, will install the SunPower^® E19 / 238 Solar Panels

On May 25^th, 2011, San Francisco Interim Mayor Edwin Lee and Supervisor David Chiu joined One Atmosphere, Luminalt and SunPower to dedicate a 28-kilowatt AC SunPower solar rooftop system at Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center in San Francisco. With collective efforts from artists, businesses, environmentalists, government workers and more than 100 community volunteers, the new 28 kWh AC SunPower system provides a great example of how government, local business, artists, and the community can come together to accomplish something truly meaningful.

This solar installation will not only reduce Tel-Hi Neighborhood Center’s energy consumption by more than 85% but also offer the opportunity to educate children and others on the benefits of solar energy through an interpretive greenhouse.

Check out the interview below with Nestor Fernandez, the Executive Director of Tel-Hi Neighborhood Center, to find out why he believes this green initiative is a big step for the entire community.

If you’d like to receive latest solar PV technology updates, please join the discussion on our Facebook community or follow us on Twitter (@SunPower).

 

SunPower continues to change the way the world is powered…  On April 21st 2011, SunPower, Tucson Water Department and Trico Electric dedicated a 1-MW ground mounted solar power system in Tucson, Arizona. The project doubles the solar power system capacity used by the city. This means Tucson Water is now enjoying a reduction in its monthly electricity costs. And, this also means the agency is able to reduce its CO2 emissions annually by more than 1,300 tons; equivalent to removing 240 cars from the road each year!  SunPower is proud to be a part of Tucson Water’s commitment to energy conservation and environmental protection efforts.

Meeting renewable energy goals while the demand for energy is high or growing is not easy for agencies like Tucson Water Department. The agency provides services to approximately 80 percent of the population in the Tucson metropolitan area. Processing, pumping and storing the water needed for approximately 775,000 residents require a substantial amount of electricity. With the installation of a SunPower Serengeti T0 Tracking solar power system the agency will reliably receive clean energy for years to come.

The installation is located on city-owned land located within Tucson Water Department’s underground water storage and recovery facility, approximately 20 miles south of downtown Tucson. The SunPower team was there for the dedication. Today, we’d like to share some photos our team took from the dedication. Enjoy!

If you are interested in more business and government customer success stories, check out our website.

 

 With Tax Day looming, let’s talk about one of the key benefits of owning a residential solar system: the Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC).  The Federal ITC for residential solar systems is an integral way for owners to lower the overall cost of the system and increase return on investment. In exchange for purchasing a qualifying residential solar system and making a commitment to renewable energy, homeowners can receive a tax credit against their federal tax liability.

When considering solar purchase options, it’s important to realize the Federal ITC can only be claimed by the owner of the solar system. Homeowners who engage in solar leases and power purchase agreements (PPAs) cannot claim the federal tax credit. In these instances, the credit goes to the leasing company, who may or may not pass it along to the owner via lower prices or additional services.

The Federal Solar ITC is calculated as 30% of qualifying costs, and SunPower has certified that our solar panels meet the criteria for qualifying solar property eligible for the Solar ITC.  In addition, many US states offer incentives that further reduce the cost of ownership of residential solar systems. The Federal credit was extended through 2016, whereas state benefits can and will expire at different times.

While SunPower certifies that our solar panels meet the definition of qualifying solar property, we cannot warranty a specific individual tax result or outcome.  The information provided above is for informational purposes only, and you should consult your individual tax advisor to determine how the Federal Solar ITC might benefit you given your individual facts and circumstances.

Want more information?
These qualified sources can provide more information about the ITC and other financial benefits (federal, state or municipal) associated with a solar purchase:

• Solar Energy Industry Association. As the national trade association for the solar energy industry, SEIA strives to educate the public on solar benefits and issues. Here’s a link to the SEIA page on the Federal ITC: http://www.seia.org/cs/federal_issues/solar_investment_tax_credit
• The Internal Revenue Service. The IRS website contains several resources about residential solar investment tax credits and other benefits associated with energy efficiency investments. Start with this ‘Tax Tip’: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=237190,00.html
•  Local tax professionals. Tax professionals can provide in-depth guidance on residential solar purchases and Federal ITC eligibility. They are a great resource for any customer planning to purchase solar or other energy efficiency products.

Today, we have a story of solar for elephants, along with many other animals, at the Perth Zoo in Western Australia.



Earlier this month, the Perth Zoo unveiled the city’s largest solar site installation: a 91 kW SunPower system spanning the zoo’s elephant barn and seven additional structures. This 303-panel installation is the first of two stages in a $2.7 million renewable generation project at the zoo. With over 300 sunny days each year, this installation will provide the lion’s share of energy to several zoo buildings.



Perth Zoo went solar to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and conservation. The installations around the zoo and accompanying educational materials will serve as an ideal teaching tool for the 630,000 visitors who pass through each year. Many young children and their families will learn about the environmental benefits of solar energy while checking out the elephant den.

The Perth Zoo’s solar investment was made possible through joint funding by the state and federal governments. It is part of the Perth Solar City program, a $73.5 million initiative aimed at making solar power a viable alternative for local communities and encouraging local residents and businesses to consider solar energy solutions.

Government solar installations like that at the Perth Zoo are incredibly valuable in influencing the uptake of solar energy. Not only do these installations make financial sense for local governments looking to diminish costs and protect themselves against energy volatility, they also show others that solar investments are possible. That’s a lesson the resident of Perth, and the elephants, won’t forget.

This week’s post is the second installment of our utility-scale solar blog series featuring Matt Campbell, Director of Utility Products and Market Development at SunPower.

In this installment, Campbell discusses the advantages of the Oasis Power Plant solution for utilities, solar power plant developers and investors. He describes how Oasis streamlines the utility-scale power plant construction and development process by providing pre-engineered modules for quicker installation.

According to Campbell, “The first [way that Oasis streamlines the construction process] is, by having a pre-engineered block. What that means is, when you have a new piece of land, it becomes a very simple matter to overlay the pre-engineered power blocks over the terrain… So again, a standard kit of designs that enable a very fast preliminary design development process.”

He goes on to discuss the benefits of pre-qualification by investors, and highlights how SunPower’s Oasis technology enhances energy production at its peak:

“The Oasis system has been designed from the bottom up to optimize production when the utility is used the most, which is at peak demand. Now if you look at a place like California, the peak demand for energy is the summer in the afternoon, when on a hot day, most people have their air conditioning systems running, which creates an enormous strain on the grid and on their power plants. So what Oasis does is by using an optimized tracking system design, it’s producing up to forty percent more power during that summer afternoon peak period, which in the southwest of the United States is the peak of demand.”

Stay tuned - in two weeks, Matt Campbell will discuss Levelized Cost of Energy, or LCOE, a way to compare the cost of generation over the life of the system for differing generation technologies.

Check out the video below to learn more about SunPower Oasis advantages, and please join the discussion on our Facebook community at www.facebook.com/sunpower or follow us on Twitter (@SunPower) for the latest solar PV technology updates.

Many commenters on Facebook, Twitter and this blog have asked for an update on the 'Make an Impact' campaign from summer 2010, so today we’re providing news on the SunPower Foundation’s work with Winrock International and the AMORE program in the Philippines.

As part of SunPower’s initial Facebook kick-off on Earth Day 2010, we conducted the "Make an Impact" campaign in which SunPower donated $1 to the SunPower Foundation on behalf of each new Facebook user that liked SunPower. Over the final two weeks of the campaign in November 2010, SunPower upped the donation to $10 for each new "like." In turn, the SunPower Foundation would contribute that money to one of three non-profit organizations aligned with our environmental and community improvement goals. Thanks to fan enthusiasm in spreading the word and joining with SunPower. By the end of the campaign, 3,570 new fans were responsible for an $8,500 donation!



The SunPower Foundation directed a portion of this money to AMORE, a rural electrification program that leverages renewable technologies such as solar installations to deliver lighting services and electricity to remote, off-grid areas on the Philippines island of Mindanao. AMORE, which stands for Alliance for Mindanao and Multi-Regional Rural/Renewable Off-Grid Renewable Energy, is a partnership between the SunPower Foundation, Winrock International, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Philippines Department of Energy and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).



SunPower joined AMORE in the early phases and expanded our contributions significantly for Phase 3. A major tenet of AMORE Phase 3 is providing electricity to rural schools to improve the educational experience and enable distance learning. Over the life of the AMORE program, 224 schools have already been energized (including 119 with SunPower panels), providing educational improvements to roughly 44,000 local students. In Phase 3, 150 new schools will be added benefiting at least 35,000 students. In 2010 alone, 20 schools were solarized.



These installations provide enormous benefits to the Mindanao communities, many of which are racked by poverty, years of local conflict and a lack of infrastructure. Beyond the educational improvements and what that represents for the economic productivity of future generations, there are significant environmental and health benefits associated with cutting down CO2 output and removing the need to burn wood and other fuels. AMORE solar projects also provide economic opportunities such as job creation and workforce training. All of this leads to an improve standard of living for local residents.



To all of our followers who made this donation possible, thank you for joining with SunPower and the SunPower Foundation. If you’re interested in learning more about the mission of the SunPower Foundation, projects it’s funding or how to get involved, please visit the SunPower Foundation web site. If you have any questions or comments regarding current projects, please share below.

When SunPower announced the SunPower Oasis Power Plant in May 2010, we made a commitment to develop the industry’s most cost-optimized and scalable solar power plant solution. Now, as we’ve begun our first deployment of a U.S. Oasis power plant in Arizona and have recently contracted with Southern California Edison to deliver 711 MW of power by 2016 (enough to power nearly half a million California homes), we want to share additional details about Oasis and how it simplifies PV power plant development.

In the following two-part video blog series, Matt Campbell, Director of Utility Products and Market Development at SunPower, shares a general overview behind the concept of the Oasis Power Plant, detailing the benefits and advantages for utilities, developers and investors, and discussing how SunPower technology can streamline the deployment process for a solar power plant from the ground to the grid.

In this first segment, Campbell outlines the reasoning behind Oasis plants, claiming:

“The core focus of Oasis is scalability. So when we conceived of this program, and we looked at the future of photovoltaic power plants, what we saw is that the current approach to building PV power plants wasn’t scalable in the size and scale of the market.”

Campbell goes on to say, "Every power plant is different. And we really wanted to get to the next level of cost reduction, long-term operation and maintenance, and overall speed and construction. We believe that you need a modular approach to the problem. And that’s what Oasis provides.”

Next week, Campbell will explain the advantages of the Oasis Power Plant solution for utilities, solar power plant developers and investors. If you have questions or would like more information, please join the discussion in our community on Facebook (www.facebook.com/sunpower) and follow us on Twitter (@SunPower) for the latest solar PV technology updates.

For all of you who’ve spent time in the last few weeks digging out driveways and walking through winter wonderlands, you probably have a newfound respect for the power of Mother Nature. At SunPower, we have the same respect, as we design and test our panels to maintain their high-efficiency production during the most extreme weather. In fact, a recent hailstorm at a customer installation in Phoenix, AZ demonstrated the importance of all-weather solar panel durability.

Back in October 2010, an afternoon hailstorm struck the Cowley Industrial Complex on the south side of Phoenix. The golf ball-sized hail was so large and ferocious that after the storm our local dealer, Don Herman of Empire Power Systems, said "It looked like someone had machine-gunned the complex with large bullets." However, the building’s southern end, which houses a 6.5 acre panel SunPower solar installation, was virtually spotless. More importantly, the solar panel’s continued to run at capacity producing 2.5 MW of electricity (enough to power 340 homes). In fact, out of the 8,000 panels that made up the installation, only three panels were damaged.

The tiles used in the Cowley installations were SunPower T5 tiles. Since the T5 panel is a non-penetrating model, it doesn’t require drilling holes in a building’s roof to hold the installation in place. This saved Cowley from melt water leaking through the ceiling of its distribution center and slowing operations. Facing the most extreme weather conditions, Cowley was able to maintain business as usual (and keep generating solar power)!

Next time you have to head out the door with shovel in hand, remember that your reliable SunPower panels should be in perfect operating condition. You’ll likely only need to brush the snow off of them to provide clear access to sunlight. Are your panels steadily pumping out power while surrounded by snow? If so, we’d love to see pictures of your installation braving the winter elements on our SunPower Facebook Wall.

In 2007, we began our partnership with Sierra Nevada when the brewing company commissioned the first phase of what would become one of the U.S.’s largest private solar installations. Hosting over 2,228 SunPower panels and producing over 1.9 MW of power for the brewery, the installation was a key leap forward in Sierra Nevada’s company goal to 100 percent sustainable energy production. Coupled with an existing 1 MW fuel plant, they are able to provide the majority of its electrical energy needs with clean power produced on-site - and share surplus electrical energy with the California power grid! We’re proud to partner with a company so dedicated to a clean energy future. If you have not had a chance to visit this sustainable yet fun brewing facility, you can learn more and take a virtual tour of the installation by watching the video below!

As we approach the holiday season, we want to share a recent solar project that demonstrates SunPower’s commitment to the local communities in which we conduct business - all over the world. Last weekend, the SunPower Korea team, joined by Edison Solitec (SunPower Authorized Installer), SMA Solar Technology Korea, and Habitat for Humanity Korea installed a residential installation in Yangpyeong, South Korea to benefit a local family.
The installation was a donation from SunPower, working through the SunPower Foundation, to Habitat for Humanity Korea’s 2010 New Hope Project, which aims to provide low-income families with homes. In addition, Edison Solitec donated construction services in building the installation, and SMA Solar Technology Korea donated a portion of the inverters used for the system. The entire project was a truly global effort well-aligned with the spirit of Habitat of Humanity. The install was completed in two days and will provide electricity for eight households living in these two buildings.
As Gi-Nam Jeong, team manager of the Habitat for Humanity’s project in Yangpyeong, pointed out, “Energy bills account for a large portion of the budgets of low-income families, so we hope this unique solar gift will shine a light on the issue of affordable housing and encourage other businesses to support this worthy cause.” Check out the Habitat for Humanity site to learn how to support projects like this around the globe by donating your time or your money. See below for photos of our SunPower Korea team installing the SunPower solar panels, and stay tuned for more photos coming to our Facebook page: 

In 1954, Bell Labs pioneered the development of solar power technology, creating solar panels able to provide enough power to support the telephone service to a 1950s farming family. Approximately 56 years later, SunPower, in conjunction with Alcatel-Lucent and ConEdison Development, will install a 1.2 MW ground-mounted solar power system at Bell Labs’ global headquarters in Murray Hill, New Jersey.

Occupying six acres of the 200-acre Bell Labs campus, the SunPower system will generate approximately $2.5 million in cost savings over the next 15 years, which is the equivalent to the amount of energy required to power more than 200 average New Jersey homes on an annual basis.

At SunPower, our president and founder Dr. Richard Swanson has studied up on the early days of the solar industry and is excited about the implications of this installation. Swanson said “SunPower is proud to install this system at Bell Labs, the birthplace of many seminal technologies such as the transistor. Bell Labs is also the birthplace of the first practical solar cell in 1954. Now, 56 years later, solar cells have become one of the fastest growing sources of clean electrical power, so it is fitting that this national treasure is turning to solar cell technology for its power.”