KWh subsidies (was PVUSA rating vs. CEC rating) [RE-wrenches]

[Joel Davidson]

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John,

Thank you for pointing out the differences between U.S. and German PV system
design and PV subsidies. PV in the U.S. will continue to lag far behind
Germany because the U.S. does not have a PV feed-in tariff that rewards
people for producing non-polluting, renewable energy. It is a real
eye-opener to travel around Germany and see lots of PV in places with 900
kWh/m2/year insolation. Germany is like a PV showroom where people visiting
from other European countries can pick and choose PV applications for their
countries when (not if) they get a feed-in tariff.

It all comes down to politics. Since the U.S. federal government will not
encourage PV (where the hell is the solar tax credit that Republicans
promised back before Bush got into office?), then it is up to California and
other states to implement PV feed-in tariffs. It's election year. Get your
favorite candidate to support in writing a PV feed-in tariff. Vote for PV.

Joel Davidson

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Berdner" <jberdner at sma-america.com>
To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2004 3:34 PM
Subject: RE: PVUSA rating vs. CEC rating [RE-wrenches]




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Jay/Wrenches:

I want to echo Bill's frustration and cynicism over undocumented
performance claims.
In a nameplate based ($/kW) rebate program, use of undocumented numbers
to calulate reabate is an open invitation for abuse.
As BIll pointed out, this system penalizes accuracy and honesty in
favor of exageration and lies.
In the California program the formula is based on module power rating
and inverter efficiency.
IMHO, it is essential for these two metrics to be evaluated and
certified by an independent third party (NRTL).
You can't have the foxes guarding the hen house - it is that simple.
At the ASES show in Portland I spoke to a number of the inverter
manufacturers and there seems to be broad support for independent
testing.
Endecon and Sandia have been working on a test protocol that we may be
able to adopt soon.
Then we can take the protocol to the NRTL's, have them run the tests
and certify the results.
Hopefully we can get the module guys to follow suit if inverters take
the lead.
Better yet, the module companies could leap frog us and we will follow
suit.


Switching topics:

I firmly believe production based credits ($/kWh) coupled with long
term financing are ultimately the only way.
In a production based program people can get on with the business of
improving system performance and reducing system cost instead of trying
to figure out how to game the programs.
We may have a ways to go (politically) here in the US before we move to
a production based system but I am optimistic.
Production based credits provide all the right drivers to the market
for improved >> system << performance.
With production credits the market should quickly weed out under
performing equipment, poor system design, and shody installation
practices.
We have pretty good data to show that all of these things reduce kWh
production and therefore revenue.

The other great thing about $/kWh rebates is they let the customer
decide if they want to have an east facing array, to put it behind a
tree, etc.
It is totally up to the customer since the rebate is based on
production not nameplate rating.
A production based rebate program also solves the 90% warranty issue
rather nicely.
It does require 2 revenue meters but net metering with a single meter
hides a multitude of sins.
With 2 meters you can easily see production in month one and compare it
to the production in month 60.
Yes, weather patterns will have an impact but we have good weather data
to compensate for macro level weather effects.

To use Bill's model, the equation for warranty in month 60 is: X60 >=
(0.9*X1*weather factor)


Best Regards,

John Berdner



>>> billb at endecon.com 7/29/2004 12:10:22 PM >>>


Jay,

It has always been based on manufacturers data alone (just like
inverter
efficiency), which provides an additional disincentive for the
manufacturers
to tell the truth (as if they needed one--my cynicism showing through).
As
long as the module meets the minimum spec, or nobody is looking, it
gets the
rating. With the amount of money that is exchanging hands on these
issues,
it is unlikely that "nobody is looking" for much longer.

As systems reach their 5-year end of warranty mark, we are going to see
a
big interest from consumers to verify that their system is still
within
warranty. The CEC warranty requires 90% of initial performance--if you
have
no idea what initial performance is, how do you know what 90% is???
You
can't use the CEC rating, we have already shown that it is at least 5%
too
high to start with.

Equations of the day:System performance = X (an unknown)

min. sys. performance = 0.9X = Y (another unknown)

Solve for Y without X -- impossible.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jay Peltz, Peltz Power [mailto:jay at asis.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2004 11:48 AM
To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
Subject: Re: PVUSA rating vs. CEC rating [RE-wrenches]

Hi Bill,

The CEC rating is done using manufactures numbers, there is no actual
testing correct?

jay
Peltz Power



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