Tag: solar

UW, Seattle City Light Partner on Solar Testbed Installation

The University of Washington is installing solar panels on three residence halls in partnership with Seattle City Light’s Green Up program to support research on clean energy and smart grid technology.

“This project will put our students in the middle of a quiet revolution, the digitization of energy,” said UW Clean Energy Institute Director Daniel Schwartz. “Setting up a major new testbed facility takes vision and partners, so we truly appreciate the way local industry, the state, and federal funders came together to support the UW team.”

Seattle City Light’s Green Up program is contributing $225,000 toward the purchase of the solar panels. This contribution enabled the UW to compete for the Washington State Department of Commerce Solar Grant Program, which is also giving $225,000 in matching funds.

The panels will be placed on Elm, Alder and Maple halls this fall, and the combined installation will act as a testbed for research on how solar energy can be combined with other demand-side resources such as battery systems, in order to provide controllable power and voltage support. In addition to the solar panels, the project will include advanced meters, communications equipment, a battery system and control center.

The student group UW Solar has been involved from the beginning, working closely with UW staff and faculty to analyze the buildings for viability, drawing up necessary plans, selecting appropriate technology, writing up requests for proposals and identifying the most competitive bid.

“An exciting aspect of this project, in addition to the number of people who helped make it happen, is the number of people who benefit from it,” said Marilyn Ostergren, UW’s renewable energy liaison. “Students gain experience they can use to promote solar installations elsewhere, faculty further their research into integrating renewable energy into the grid, and Housing & Food Services get the power.”

The solar panels are estimated to generate about 100,000 kWh per year. Once it is operational in the fall of 2016, the “control center” will give undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to observe and analyze the energy consumption of campus buildings and how the solar production affects the profile of the overall campus demand.

“Seattle City Light is excited to partner with the UW and the State of Washington on this innovative project, which utilizes solar energy to augment the utility’s clean energy supply, provides ‘learn by doing’ educational opportunities for students, and enables the UW to further its cutting-edge  grid management research that will be shared with the utility and the region,” said Craig Smith, Director of Seattle City Light’s Customer Energy Solutions Division.

Another $115,000 for the project’s smart inverters will be provided from another grant from the US Department of Energy and WA Department of Commerce. This grant supports a large joint research project by the UW, Washington State University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on transactive energy campuses, which create communication and coordinated control links among these campuses.  These links could be used to provide local or regional operating support to the power grid.

Once the solar installations are in place, UW Solar will oversee the data collection. Housing and Food Services and UW Facility Services will be responsible for system maintenance while Dr. Miguel Ortega-Vazquez of the Department of Electrical Engineering will lead the research.

“This testbed will help not only to offset the energy requirements at the University of Washington, but it will also enable opportunities to operate the campus in a smart manner, enhancing power quality and grid reliability,” said Ortega-Vazquez. “This is a new paradigm in power system operation, in which the demand-side is taking a more active role in power system management. Furthermore, it will also unlock new opportunities for applied cutting-edge research, as well as opportunities for students to directly interact with onsite renewable energy sources and smart grid technologies.”

This is an extension of the UW’s existing Green Up Program partnership with Seattle City Light, which has provided funding for renewable energy work at UW, allowing the university to develop renewable energy projects, produce educational outreach materials and create opportunities for faculty and student collaboration. The University of Washington is the single largest participant of the Green Up program.

About Green Up
Green Up is Seattle City Light’s voluntary green power program for residential and business customers. By enrolling in Green Up, customers demonstrate their support for wind power and other new renewable energy projects in the Northwest. Seattle City Light purchases Green-E Certified renewable energy credits (RECs) on participants’ behalf.  In addition, Seattle City Light invests in local education and renewable energy projects through direct grants to community non-profits, schools and public institutions.

About Seattle City Light
Seattle City Light is the 10th largest public electric utility in the United States. It has some of the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to nearly 1 million Seattle area residents. City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.

Seattle City Light Expected to Hit State’s Solar Incentive Cap

With the increased demand and popularity of solar generation, Seattle City Light estimates that the state annual incentive payment to each of its solar customers will be reduced by approximately 35 percent for the 2015-2016 fiscal year, which ends today.

City Light is expected to reach its solar incentive cap set by the Washington state Legislature due to various factors, including the increase in average solar system size installed, greater solar resources and decreasing retail sales. The cap determines how much money in state incentives each utility can distribute to its customers who own solar panels.

City Light will not know the actual reduction amount until all production reads have been collected. Solar customers will be notified in September 2016.

Solar customers receive a variety of additional benefits for engaging in solar generation, including the federal solar investment Tax Credit, a Washington state sales tax exemption for systems less than 10 kilowatts and net metering. These benefits will not be affected by the incentive payment reduction.

To stay updated on the solar incentive cap, visit the City Light solar incentive  cap web page at: http://www.seattle.gov/light/solarenergy/incentivecap.asp .

Seattle City Light is the 10th largest public electric utility in the United States. It has some of the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to about 750,000 Seattle area residents. City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.

Seattle City Light Nears Incentive Cap as Solar Generation Increases

As more people install solar panels on their homes, Seattle City Light is approaching the state-set limit for payments of solar energy production incentives.

 

Rapid growth in the installation of solar energy systems is pushing Seattle City Light to the state-imposed cap for solar production incentives.

City Light anticipates reaching the limit for incentives, which is set as a percentage of the utility’s revenue, during the state’s 2016 fiscal year (July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2016). Solar customers should expect to see a proportional reduction in incentive payments.

Among the reasons City Light is about to reach its cap are:

  • A trend toward the installation of larger solar systems
  • Sunnier weather that has increased solar production
  • And decreasing retail electricity sales for the utility.

At this time, City Light estimates that the proportional reduction in incentive payments for solar customers will be 31 percent for the state’s 2016 fiscal year.

Solar customers receive a variety of additional benefits for engaging in solar generation. Benefits include federal solar investment Tax Credit, Washington State sales tax exemption for systems less than 10 kilowatts and net metering benefits. These benefits will not be affected by the incentive payment reduction.

To stay updated on details of the solar incentive cap, visit the City Light Solar Incentive Website at  http://www.seattle.gov/light/solarenergy/incentivecap.asp .

Seattle City Light is the 10th largest public electric utility in the United States. It has some of the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to about 750,000 Seattle area residents. City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.

Seattle City Light’s Community Solar Project Helps Utility Customers Get the Biggest Bang for their Buck

Seattle City Light is celebrating full-enrollment for the Community Solar project in Capitol Hill, located on the roof of an affordable housing complex managed by the non-profit organization Capitol Hill Housing.

Community Solar is an innovative program that provides Utility customers with the opportunity to participate in Washington State’s burgeoning solar industry, without having to install an array on one’s own roof. The program is designed as an affordable pathway for Seattle renters, homeowners and business owners who want to ‘Go Solar’, but at a size and cost that works for them. This is one of the many reasons City Light’s program has been replicated by electric utilities throughout the Pacific Northwest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

While many customers opted-in to a single share of the latest Community Solar project (above), Seattle City Light would like to recognize a few of the many Solar Sponsors who went above-and-beyond.

 

     

 

 

Here is some feedback we received from a few of our Solar Sponsors explaining why Community Solar was a great fit for their business:

Rhein Haus Seattle & Poquitos

“We couldn’t have been more excited when we learned about the Community Solar program. Being able to invest in renewable clean energy is fantastic in and of itself; to be able to do so while additionally supporting Capitol Hill Housing, our favorite neighborhood non-profit, makes this program a perfect fit for us. We can only hope that such a unique and relevant program continues to grow and provide further opportunities for Seattle citizens to join.” – Rich Fox, Operating Owner of Rhein Haus Seattle & Poquitos

Capitol Hill EcoDistrict

“The EcoDistrict is supported by Capitol Hill Housing and the Community Solar array is installed on one of our affordable apartment buildings, the Holiday. Capitol Hill Housing will benefit from the program long term, as ownership of the solar array will transfer to us in 2020. We really believed in this project and thought it made good sense to invest in it ourselves.” – Amy Allsopp, Communications Manager at Capitol Hill Housing

Rainbow Natural Remedies

“Our decision to participate in the Community Solar program was an easy one. We wanted to help our community succeed in this project by our being a participating member and we also wanted to increase the overall awareness of the practicality for solar powered systems. As owner of Rainbow Natural Remedies I enjoy living in my Seattle home that is, itself, net-zero energy due to my home’s solar panels. So I know and live first-hand the benefits of a solar photovoltaic system.” – Ross Kling, Owner of Rainbow Natural Remedies

A&R Solar

“A&R Solar is proud to be a participant in the Seattle City Light community solar program as a “Solar Sponsor.” We loved that this particular project not only benefits our local community by increasing the amount of solar in Seattle’s energy mix, but that it also directly reduces operating costs for low-income housing provider Capitol Hill Housing.” – Ryan Ceurvorst, Marketing Director at A&R Solar

Molly Moon

“Here at Molly Moon’s, we love being on the cutting edge of ideas that are good for the community and good for the environment! We are excited to support Community Solar because it benefits us and our neighbors by making and using more solar energy.” – Emilia Arnold, Project Manager at Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream

Additional sponsors include Eagle Rock Ventures LLC, Rock Box, Capitol Hill Cider, and Central Co-Op.

 

Thank you again to our Solar Sponsors, and to all Community Solar participants!

Please feel free to check out the Community Solar website for more information about this program.

Seattle City Light administers the Washington State Production Incentive for customers who generate renewable energy like solar, as well as provide generous net-metering benefits. Paired with the 30 percent federal tax credit for purchasing a solar array and the decreasing cost of solar modules, many of our customers have enjoyed a 4- to 6-year payback on their home solar projects and/or Community Solar participation. Find out how much energy the Capitol Hill system is generating by visiting our solar energy monitoring dashboard, and feel free to contact an Energy Advisor with any renewable energy and conservation related questions about you may have: (206) 684-3800 – SCLEnergyAdvisor@seattle.gov

SolarWISE Workshops Share Information on Solar Pricing, Technology, Financing

Solarize helped local communities utilize the power of solar energy together. Now, another program is continuing the same education and action-oriented spirit. Solar Works in Seattle, Everyone – also known as SolarWISE – is a series of educational workshops hosted by Northwest SEED and Seattle City Light that is committed to solar education.

Home and business owners interested in installing solar electric systems can attend SolarWISE workshops to get information on the latest on pricing, technology, financing options. Additionally, these free workshops will provide steps to going solar, and referrals to qualified installers.

Register online today to learn more about powering your home or business with solar energy and a chance to win door prizes. Workshops are free, now through October.