“Silicon Energy” to begin Manufacturing in Minnesota

Silicon Energy’s CEO Gary Shaver presented at the Minnesota AFL-CIO building at the Minnesota state fair on Thursday, August 26th.  Silicon Energy is a Photovoltaic module manufacture based out of  Marysville, Washington.  Mr. Shaver out lined the advantages of their product.  Such as concealed wiring and no frame on the top and bottom of the module to trap dirt.  The single biggest difference of this module over others, is they use glass on both sides of the module, this allows you to see right through the module, in certain areas of the module.  This module design is to look good and integrate in to architectural shading on a building.    In the picture provided here you can see the lines make neat little squares that allow light to pass through the module in the spaces between the pv cells.  This picture taken at the Minnesota State Fair’s “Eco Experience” a show by the Minnesota Environmental Protection Agency.

The great interest in Silicon Energy in Minnesota is due to the announcement  of ground breaking in Mount Iron, MN.  Silicon Energy will be manufacturing produce by spring in Northern Minnesota.  This will help build the Minnesota economy.    This product will also qualify for the made in Minnesota incentive program that will be released soon.

My interest in this produce is limited.  This is a high quality and high cost module.  I don’t know what the list price for this product, but it seems to be over kill for most solar installations here in Minnesota.  Most installations will need a high wattage module.  It is my understanding the highest wattage provided by “Silicon Energy” it 180 watts.  As this industry has progressed, 230 watts has become more of an industry standard.  When I am selecting modules for a project,  I like to see a module that is at least 200 watts.  The time it takes to install a 180 watt module is exactly the same as installing a 230 watt module.  To install about a 3,000 watt solar system it takes 13 - 230 watt modules.  To get a similar wattage from a 180 watt module we have to install 17 modules.  Adding four more modules will add more labor cost.  The second concern about a using a lower wattage module is the limit site sizes.   If we have only room on a home to fit 13 modules,  my choice is to install the highest wattage module possible.

In conclusion,  I am glad we have a new manufacturer in Minnesota.  Silicon Energy makes a handsome solar module.

JOBS, we need JOBS!

For years now the construction industry has been in a down cycle.  When I first came into this industry as a Vocational student at Anoka Technical College in 1998, the industry was strong.  The Administration at every school were trying everything possible to bring more students into the trades.  The good times seemed to not have an end.  The up cycle was longer than any up cycle that any of the old timers could remember.  Eventually something would change and it did. 

Many people in the trades marked the finish of the “Best Buy” headquarters in Bloomington as the end of the up swing in the construction industry.  When this change in momentum happened is also the time when I was finishing up trade school and applying to the Minneapolis, IBEW local 292.  In my group of  applicants  I ranked number 36.  I couldn’t understand how I could be ranked so low.  Then I realized that there were 500 more behind me.  In the group of apprentices hired that spring, I remember 40 something being hired.  I was in but just by the skin of my teeth.  The year was 2004 and our second child was born, just a month and a half after my indenture.  The union health insurance paid for our new-born and we were on the road to prosperity.  My thinking alway was,  this low point can’t last very long.  Most people who I talked with always sited that there are low points in the construction industry, there alway has been.  Most don’t last much more than a year.  Using this logic, I expected when I came out of my apprenticeship times would be better again.  They got worse.  We at this time have over a thousand electricians out of work in Minneapolis, over 30 percent unemployment.  I am sure that St. Paul is down several hundreds as well.  The Minnesota Twins have a new stadium.  As “Target Field”  was being built, there was some hiring for the stadium, but that was off set by the lay offs coming into the hall daily from other contractors.  Tough times. 

As I looked at this unfolding scenario within my apprenticeship.  As an apprentice, I had some sort of grace to my job.  As a lower paid electrical worker,  apprentices were often kept, as extra journeyman on the jobs got sent back to the hall.  Apprentices found work sooner than Journeyman and kept longer.  I didn’t worry when the separation notice came as an apprentice.  A new job was right around the corner.  Like all others my days were numbered.  When my sand had drained out from the hour-glass, I was determined to have a skill that few had.  I took Journeyman night classes in addition to my day  apprentice classes.  Classes like “Leadership”, “Estimation” and “Solar Installer”.  I submersed my self into the trade as much as possible to help myself become the most marketable electrician possible.  I now have a portfolio full of Certificates that show my effort to learn as much as possible.  I now have an Electrical License for the states of North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.  NABCEP certified in Photovoltaic Solar and ready to work now.

All of this effort and experiences and I am still sitting at home with time to write a blog.  I have alway believed that people are usually their own enemy.  The bad choices they make usually put themselves into a bad place.  If you make good choices then you put your self into a good place.  I look into my past and see good decisions, hard work and effort.  It would be easy to make a conclusion that it doesn’t matter, I don’t have the ability to change my own circumstances.  Despite of all the factors against me, I still have more control over where I’m going than the world does.  It is time to double down again.  Time to look deeper than deep.  Know that God is still in control of the world.  We as a nation will emerge from this stronger than ever before.

Solar Skies Success!

The Starbuck, Minnesota based “Solar Skies” http://solarskies.com/ manufacturer of Solar thermal panels, yesterday February 11th, 2010 held an installation class on Solar thermal panels.  The class taught by Kurt Koegel, a plumber by trade, I found interesting and very informative.  Kurt’s power point presentations were well-developed.  He provided incite on the different types of systems and the advantages and disadvantages of  each system. 

After lunch we were escourted out to the manufacturing floor, where we put on our safety glasses and kept distance away from the assembling workers.  It was clear to me that even though the production floor was under whelming,  the product being produced was of the highest quality.  They use extruded aluminum frames.  Precision saws and punches for cutting out the frames and holes for the frames.  The heat collectors are made of all copper, a huge advantage over products that use a combination of aluminum and copper for the internal collector.  Each material has an expansion coefficient and over time in a solar heat collectors with aluminum and copper will have breaking issues.  Solar Skies has put together a quality product.  Another example is the tempered glass used to protect the internal heat collectors.  High strength and low iron content so that the sun’s radiation is allowed entry to the collector.  The quality of the product and the willing ness of the company to listen to the needs of its customers is impressive.

Kurt told of a customer that called and asked if they manufactured in the color white.  As a standard color, white is not on the product list.  Solar Skies was willing to send their frames out to an auto body shop locally and have them painted with a high quality white paint before the assembly began.  Now, can you find a manufacturing company in China to do that for you and have it manufactured, received, ready for installation in a couple weeks.  Never.  Buying local and buying American made has a real advantage. 

Convincing Kurt that I should be allowed to take pictures of the facility, now that may take some doing.  Allowing pictures would help to promote Solar Skies.  (I know Kurt will read this because he will get a link via email.)

By the way Kurt if electrons flow thought it is electrical work and should be done by an electrician.  If poop or pee flows though it, then it is plumbing work and should be done by a plumber.  The controls installed on any system are required by Minnesota state law to be installed by a Minnesota Licensed Journeyman Electrician or a Limit Energy licensed person.  If you don’t have this license, call some one who does.  The excuse that electricians don’t want this work or don’t know how to is “bull shit”.  Completely untrue and just an excuse to go a head and do the work without complying with state law.   Just remember if electrons flow, electrical work.  Poop or pee, plumbing work.  The customer deserves the project to be done right and by the right trade.

The next posting will be on the difference between Solar Thermal (water) done by a plumber and Solar Photovoltaic (electric) done by an electrician.

Minnesota Rebates now available!

Recently the State of Minnesota has opened the state renewable energy rebate program for new applications.  For Photovoltaic Solar systems (electric) the rebate is up to $10,000 for residential systems.  The rebate money  is based on the DC output of the solar system at $1.75/watt and $2.00/watt for a NABCEP certified installation.  So a 5,000 watt electrical system will get  the $10,000 maximum rebate.  The same qualified system using a non certified installer would only get $8750 for there rebate.  Giving the qualified installer a $1250 rebate advantage. 

The state rebate fund has just received Federal ARRA funding in the about of $3 million.  In the past the funds in this program have been from Excel Renewable Energy Fund (RDF) and have never had this level of funding.  Traditionally the fund has run out in a short time period  and this funding will likely spark a large number of applications.  With applications come more work for the unemployed people of the USA.  Finally we are seeing an impact on the economic issues of today.  Along with allowing our economic need to co-exist with the planet. 

Always remember that NABCEP (North American Board of Certified Energy practitioners) certify individual installers. Not the installation it’s self nor the contractor doing the install. Certification can only be claimed by an individual such as “Ray Zeran”.

For more on rebates and incentives for renewable energy and efficiency go to www.dsireusa.org for a complete state to state listing.

Log in often as posting will happen on a near daily basis.  Next adventure will be a trip to Starbuck, MN to visit “SolarSkies”.  A manufacture of solar thermal collectors.   Hot water anyone?

Minnesota Solar Potential

It has been stated that Minnesota has the same solar potential as Houston, Texas. One of the best things we have going for the northern latitudes is the reduced overall temperatures. Much like electronics, solar panels do better when the temperatures drop. In fact, the size of the electrical devices and overloads need to be calculated for the coldest day.

The best way to make a solar system pay off is to first reduce YOUR demands. Get your house to be more energy efficient by replacing old appliances, installing occupancy sensors to reduce the lighting load, and installing new windows to reduce the cooling load. An added benefit of reducing your load is a smaller required solar system to support your living needs!

micro inverter

I was not sold on the micro inverter “Enphase” as they first were first marketed. Being concerned about the reliability and long-term effects of being installed in a site that is exposed to extreme temperatures.  My first thought was of having to get up on a roof and replace an inverter when it goes bad and the fact that you may have to come back and do this several times causing repeat call backs to a customer’s home.  The other option would be a central inverter placed in the utility room of the building that could be replaced in the matter of  about an hour.  This seamed to be the logic that was winning out in my mind.  Then as I looked more at the product.  Finding that the inverter comes with a 15 year warranty and they use an electrolytic capacitor set my mind at ease with this new product.  Like any other produce on the market it has its place.  For a small array that has some shading issues, the Enphase can harvest as much as 50% more energy.  With a central inverter,  the entire array performance is limited to the worst performing module or even just a few cells within the module.  Allowing for more power harvest in a huge advantage for the “Enphase inverter”.http://www.enphaseenergy.com/products/moreinfo/howitworks.cfm

Solar fish house?

Last week I happened into “Northern Tool”  a store devoted to cheap tools and equipment.  It has very few brand name tools that I recognize.  As I looked around the store I noticed that  they were selling small wind machines and a few low powered solar panels along with an assortment of job site and back up generators, nothing very note worthy.  I had a lot of time to spend so I went down every aisle and examined every deal in the store.  I found a couple low-cost items that I wanted to buy.  I proceeded to the check out counter and was in line behind a man who was returning a solar charge controller.  The cashier asked,”Is there anything wrong with it?”  The man replied that he had 24 volts in and 14 volts out so there must be something wrong with it.  The next thing he asked gave me a green light to but into the conversation.  He asked the cashier, “Whats the difference between amps and watts anyway?”  I couldn’t let that go without a comment.  “Watts is a unit of power, you multiply volts times amps to get watts.  Amps is a unit of current, the amount of current flow.”  The man stepped back as though I had just discovered Ohm’s Law.  I explained to him that I was a certified solar installer and an electrician.  And so the conversation continued.  The man was installing solar panels on his fish house and explained that he had plans to add a wind generator that he bought ”on the computer”.  I explained to him that his PV modules were of too little wattage to really do what he wanted them to do. He wanted to charge his battery at the same time that he had his lights on in the fish house.  He must not have any windows in his fish house was my first thought.  I have never met anyone who was so excited about the knowledge that I had just shared with the man.  He asked me if I had a card and he was impressed that I indeed had a card to give him.  I have found a new friend.

This situation got me to think about the ice houses on the winter lakes of Minnesota and just how many run generators to run things.  I have a friend that likes to run a pizza oven and a have the Viking’s game on the television along with running the electronic fish finder.   I could easily design a stand-alone solar /wind system known as a “Hybrid system”.  The cost would certainly be greater that running a gas-fired Honda generator.

The people who by Solar, buy for the same reasons that people who buy a Hybrid car.  They could get more bang for the buck if they just buy a Ford Festiva instead of a Pyrus.  They buy because they want to impact the environment in a positive way.  Not because it is the best financial decision.  Doing things for the right reason alway is worth the extra cost.

Class begins

This weekend,  my solar mentor Darryl Thayer asked me to step into his class room and substitute teach his solar installer class for him.  This is the fourth time D.T. has asked me to help him out in a pinch.  He sometimes over books him self and he ends up needing someone to take his class at the Minneapolis Electrical JATC, “Charles “Chuck” Lindberg”.  “The Chucker” as it could be nick named,  named after a WWII war hero that raised the first flag over Japan.  He was also a IBEW local 292 member that was finally recognized for his heroism just a few months before his death.

D.T. as he so affectionately called, left me to talk about Photovoltaic Solar for three hours this Saturday morning.  Having concerned that maybe the class that I was teaching was not the type that participates.  It often very hard to teach to a class that never asks questions or is interested in the subject matter.  This class has all the right making of a good class.

We went over some basic terms and just as basic systems.  Water pumping systems, stand alone systems and grid ties inverter based systems.  I gave out my famous crossword puzzle entitled, “Crazy Darryl Thayer”  This material took us up to the morning break time and soon after D.T. arrived to give us an up date on the industry.  He seemed very tired and not real interested in getting to the class content.  D.T. talked about the MTC bus garage in Minneapolis that is planning to put one MEGAWATT of Solar on the roof of the garage.  He also talked of the Minneapolis Convention Center getting 600 mega watts of solar.  He also talked about the St. Johns College project that is in the commissioning stages.  All of which adds up to a great deal of potential work right here in  the Twins Cities.  The hope would be for this green energy to lead the charge out of the recession that we are in currently.  We have just short of 1000 out of work electricians in Mpls and St Paul has hundreds more.

I have made a decision to start doing site surveys and get a number of proposals done.  Right now my first 10 evaluation will be done free and then I will need to start collecting fees for this work.

North Iowa wind power

Last weekend, on a trip to visit my parents in the great state of Iowa.  I kept notice that a number of wind towers were standing out in the fields.  Of course you might say they are all over the place.  The top of Iowa right off of I35, just south of the Diamond Jo Casino, there are wind towers as far as the eye can see.  They are obvious to anyone, but they are not the ones that I am noticing.  I’m see the old ones that were built decades ago for a different purpose.  These smaller towers stand only 40 to 50 feet off of the ground and were built to pump well water on the farmsteads of old.  They were the only power available to the farmer until rural electric cooperative came into existence.  In that day they were multi bladed machines that used a long push rod down the length of the tower and hooked to a pump.  As of the middle 1990′s I could recall one that was still in daily use.  These were well-built machines that did their job with great reliability.  Today these towers still exist all across the rural landscape.  I started counting and by the time my Dad had conducted his rural Sunday afternoon drive,  I had counted 8 existing towers and only one still had the blades in tact.  One was in the middle of a corn  field on the crest of a slightly rolling hill-side.  I thought of the house and barn that might have existed there next to that wind mill.  For a wind resource that was most likely the best site of them all.  Another, the one that still had all the functioning parts was in a split farm-yard.  That is that the gravel road that we were traveling on went right down the middle of the farm-yard.  The machine was on the opposite side of the yard as the house, but the same side as the barn.  For the vintage of the barn and adjacent wind mill, they were in really good shape.  As we crested the hill on our approach the first thing I notice was that the tree tops were with in 10 feet of the top elevation of the wind mill.  Experts agree that the best site has the tower height at  50 feet higher than anything else within a 500′ radius of the tower.  My mind wander to the thought of refitting these old towers with modern electrical generating units,  aka “wind turbines.”   I just love the idea of reusing and existing structure for a new application.  I think if they were out fitted with the right machine most of them would do well enough to pay for themselves with a reasonable return.

   Last winter I took a small wind development course offered by the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society and Great River Energy in Maple Grove Minnesota.  I enjoyed listening to Roy Butler the key-note speaker, talk of wind development and getting the right equipment, the right incentives and the right people to build the project.  Most of the incentives today do give a fair return on your investment.  But the last time you bought a car did you ask what is the return on this investment.  This type of machine allows for a different type of payback.  The promise that your children can breath easier,  the promise that global climate change can be curbed.  The promise of a better future for everybody.

Solar installer

The news of the day is that an unemployed electrician, me. Has just started a blog. I’m not even sure what a blog is, but I have one. This is my way of letting the world know that I am here and someone should listen to me. Today I have laid the ground work to start a solar installation business. I have the NABCEP PV solar installer certification and I’m ready to put my skills to the test. Here in Minneapolis we have a high unemployment rate, but that is just one reason to start my own, business. Now is the time for solar to move our economy into the winner’s column. Manufacturing and installing a green economy and a cleaner environment.