Time to change your perception of alternative energy

Solar and wind power are not the only answers to our need for new energy sources, but they are an important part of the equation. Ultimately, the solution may lay in smaller power plants located closer to energy consumers.

Although reports vary slightly, the general consensus is that the photovoltaic market grew 139 percent in 2010, with 18.2 gigawatts of new solar PV capacity installed globally during the year. Europe accounts for 81 percent of 2010 PV demand, while the U.S. accounts for only 5 percent.

California, New Jersey, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado led the states in 2010 installations. Because reporting is voluntary, it is difficult to determine where Washington ranks.

The U.S. wind industry had 40,181 megawatts of wind power capacity installed at the end of 2010, with 5,116 megawatts installed last year alone. The U.S. wind industry has added more than 35 percent of all new generating capacity over the past four years, second only to natural gas, and more than nuclear and coal combined.

Today, U.S. wind power capacity represents more than 20 percent of the world’s installed wind power.

The small wind industry is still in its infancy. Western Washington is not an ideal area to generate wind power but Eastern Washington has a growing number of wind farms and individual installations that are rated for 2,105 megawatts, ranking it fifth in the states producing electricity from wind.

Unlikely as it may seem, Western Washington is a viable climate for solar power generation. On an annual basis, we receive 70 percent as much solar energy as many of the best locations in the U.S. With no limitations on the types of systems that can be installed here, property owners can choose systems based on their overall goals and the physical characteristics of where the system will be located.

In the Seattle area, we see that the amount of electricity produced annually by a PV system is about equal to the system size. For example, if you had a 4-kilowatt system on your home or business, you could expect to produce approximately 4,000 to 4,500 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

The evolution of the solar industry is in some ways predictable and in other ways not.

Predictably, module prices have declined substantially over the past two years — in large part due to both increased competition in the marketplace and efficiencies in the manufacturing process. New types of systems including thin-film have been developed and are constantly being refined to increase efficiency.

General Electric recently announced that it will invest $600 million to build the largest solar panel production facility in the U.S. The company says that its full-sized thin-film solar panel has been independently certified to be the world’s most efficient thin-film solar panel at 12.8 percent aperture area efficiency. This compares to approximately 16 percent efficiency found in most traditional silicon modules.

The development of micro-inverters, while obvious in hindsight, was not so evident a few years ago. This significant development improves PV system performance in situations where there is some marginal shading. It is odd that more manufacturers have not yet begun production in Washington. With increased local production, costs would go down and make solar more affordable here.