Welcome to the first issue of SUN-Enews, the latest email newsletter to be launched by Santa Fe-based ConnectPress, Ltd., which boasts more than 190,000 readers for its family of free email digests. At SUN-Enews, our mission is to provide connections for the solar community—linking the readers to a forum for news and information, creating a meeting place for users and providers and offering a starting point for beginners and a venue for advanced users in which to share their experience.

As anyone will guess, SUN-Enews is a work in progress. We want to serve people interested in all aspects of solar energy. We can do this more effectively with your participation and feedback. We hope you'll join us, and encourage your friends to join us, on this journey.
--Kate McGraw, Electronic Editor, ConnectPress, Ltd.

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A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain.
-- Mark Twain, 1835-1910

Q1
I live in a townhouse that is connected to the townhouses on either side of me. Would it be possible to install active solar-electric panels to power my house?
-- Mary Louise Stuart, homeowner, Santa Fe, NM

A1
Good for you! There may be administrative issues to consider (restrictive covenants, a need for neighbors' approval), but as long as your home is metered separately there are no technical obstacles to installing photovoltaic (PV) panels on your roof and garnering the sun's energy to power your home.

You will want to make sure that you have no or very little daytime shading on the section of your roof where your solar array will be located. Your array should face to the south (in the northern hemisphere), but some deviation usually is acceptable. A good local PV installer can do a solar site analysis for you to determine what may be possible on your roof.

We recommend that you remain "grid-tied"; i.e., connected to the electric utility's power source. That way, you can use electricity from the grid if you need it, and when your solar panels are providing more electricity than your home is using, your meter will run backward. The grid essentially becomes your "power bank."
-- Allan Sindelar, president, Positive Energy, Inc., Santa Fe, NM, www.positiveenergysolar.com

Editor's note: See more on net metering under SUN-E politics.

Q2
My Trace inverter is discharging my batteries. What do I do?
-- Michael Purifoy, Lubbock, TX
Do you have an answer? Send it to SUN-Enews here.

'Schools with Sol' Begins in New Mexico
The New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, at the urging of Gov. Bill Richardson, has started a program to install photovoltaic hot water systems in at least 10 of the state's public schools each year. Rio Grande High School in Albuquerque will be the first school in the "Schools with Sol" project.

The solar systems are available to public schools at the request of the local superintendents. The goal is to educate students about renewable energy while reducing depletable resource consumption in New Mexico. The program is under the auspices of the Energy Conservation and Management Division. For more on the division, go to www.emnrd.state.nm.us/ECMD.

'Solar Sebastopol' Power Program Started
In California, Cooperative Community Energy (CCEnergy) has signed an agreement with the city of Sebastopol to provide 1 megawatt (MW) of solar power within city limits over the next two years.

The "Solar Sebastopol" program is designed to make the purchase and installation of solar-electric equipment easy and affordable for residential, commercial and municipal customers. CCEnergy is administering the program by conducting outreach and education, arranging multiple financing options, building a network of local, qualified suppliers and contractors and facilitating the purchase of solar equipment at bulk prices. For more information, visit www.ccenergy.com.

To submit news items for the weekly newsletter, click here.

California Court Repeals Exit Fees
On April 3, the California Public Utilities Commission exempted utility customers who generate their own power through small solar, wind and fuel cell systems from a utility-imposed "exit fee."

Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric Company had asked to charge a 2 to 5 percent/kilowatt-hours "exit" or "departing load" fee to customers who generate their own power (and often return power to the grid), in order to offset what the utilities called a loss due to the self-generation. The administrative law judge hearing the request agreed, but the commission overruled that decision.

The utilities commission in essence ruled that the benefits to the state of increased solar energy use outweigh the revenues that would have been collected from the exit fees. Commissioners noted that California's solar electric industry is one of the largest in the state, adding thousands of skilled jobs each year. Since 2000, the installation of large-scale PV systems has increased a thousand-fold in California, and the sale of residential systems has grown exponentially.

The ruling does put a 3000-megawatt (MW) cap on solar generation; a customer producing 3000 MW or more will be taxed.

Net Metering
When you convert to solar energy and remain hooked to the larger electric utility, you have an automatic backup if your solar system does not generate as much electric power as you need to use on any given day. On the other hand, most of the time your solar system will generate more power than you are using, and will let that generation flow into the larger electric "grid." Most states now have "net metering" laws that allow you to connect your renewable energy system to the grid and bank your electrons there, literally making your meter spin backward and reducing your electric bill, often to a credit, rather than a debit charge.

Net metering has been an encouragement to the development and use of renewable energy sources, including solar and wind. It also has been opposed by some utilities, which see it as a threat to stable revenues. Some of the issues involved in net metering are which technologies are allowed, which customers are allowed (residential, commercial, etc.), whether there is a statewide limit on the amount of power that can be net-metered, how the net excess generation (NEG) is treated in accounting, who has authority over the program (utilities commissions or the state legislatures) and which utilities will participate. To download a table of state net metering programs, click here.

To submit solar political news or Letters to the Editor, click here.

Xantrex Technology Establishes Financial Aid
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Xantrex Technology, Inc. develops advanced power electronic and control products for renewable energy solutions such as solar, wind and fuel cells. The company's enabling technology converts raw electrical power from any central, distributed or backup power source into high-quality power required by electronic and electrical equipment. Privately owned with 600 employees and revenues of US$105 million in 2002, Xantrex is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with additional facilities in Arlington, WA; Livermore, CA; Miami, FL and Barcelona, Spain. The company started in 1983 as a provider of programmable power supplies with eight people on staff and revenues of CDN$300,000.

Recently, Xantrex completed its first financing deal in collaboration with Vermont Solar Engineering, a charter member in Xantrex' certified dealer network. Xantrex' Renewable Energy Financing Program made it possible for Vermont Solar Engineering's customers to purchase a solar electric system for a new rural home. The first of its kind in the renewable energy industry, the Xantrex Certified Dealer Renewable Energy Financing Program, is administered through Thalman Financial. Thalman was able to develop a customized payment schedule of monthly installments for Vermont Solar Engineering's customer at competitive rates. For more information about the program or Xantrex, go to www.xantrex.com.

Solar Glossary
A short list of common terms:
Passive solar—Harvesting the sun's radiant heat through greenhouse windows, Trombe walls, transpired solar walls, brick floors and other non-electric uses.

Solar hot water—Sometimes called solar thermal, usually involves storing solar energy in photovoltaic cells to heat water for household or commercial use. It also can be used to heat a home through baseboard radiators or embedded floor tubing.

Solar electric—Using the sun's energy to run electrical systems, excluding electric heating elements.

Grid—tied and off the grid-Remaining on the electric grid after converting the a solar-electric system is called "grid-tied." A solar electric system that stands alone, and is not connected to the electric utility is considered "off the grid."

Net metering (see SUN-E politics section)

To submit a news item or tip for people just exploring the world of solar energy, click here.

Sharp and Daihen Team on Commercial Inverter
Sharp Corp. and Daihen Corp. are jointly developing a solar inverter for large-scale (100 kilowatts (kW) photovoltaic (PV) power-generating systems. The large-scale generators will be used for commercial applications and electric utilities. Operational tests are beginning in May and Sharp/Daihen say the inverter will be available in July.

The inverter has been developed partly in response to Japan's new Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) law that requires power companies to generate a certain amount of "green" energy-from solar, wind, geothermal and other renewable sources. The law was passed as part of a worldwide effort to stem global warming.

With the Japanese RPS law, companies that use large amounts of electric power, particularly electric utilities, began to study the introduction of large-scale green systems. Sharp had control technology from developing PV residential systems. Daihen offered industrial inverter technology from manufacturing power transformers. The two companies have jointly developed a solar inverter for 100 kW PV generating systems, the first of its kind to be designated a standard model in the Japanese market.

The value of a standard model is that it does not have to be built on an "order-booked" basis, with the long lead time involved. Daihen will manufacture the solar inverters and Sharp will sell turn-key systems, including PV modules and ancillary equipment, beginning in July. Sales will concentrate initially on the Japanese market, but Sharp is expected to make the large-scale systems available in the United States in December, and in Europe in January 2004.

To submit a news item or tip for users or providers experienced in solar energy use, click here.

SUN-Enews has created four directories (with links) on our website, www.SUN-Enews.com. There is a nominal fee for listing, to cover costs of content management. These directories are always growing. To find out more about listing in one of our directories, click here.

• Employment

• Associations

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SUN-Enews is creating two calendars to run in monthly segments on the website, www.SUN-Enews.com. The two calendars will list (1) meetings of non-profit associations, and (2) trade shows.

To list your meeting, conference or trade show in the May 2003 calendars click here. Include the name of your association or trade show, date, meeting place (building), town and state/province/country. Also include an email contact, please. Submit May items by April 30.

FYI

The SUN-Enews archives are available on the website. Click here or just click on the Archives button at the top of the page.