~ Solar Farm to produce back-up electricity for area’s emergency needs
~ Battery-storage of energy, noted as key
~ Locally produced, locally distributed energy in a natural disaster

 
Exton, PA June 20, 2016 The closed Knickerbocker Sanitary Landfill could be the first
Microgrid in Chester County.The group projects to have system operational by 2nd Quarter 2017. A “Microgrid” is essentially an island of energy distribution tied into the main grid, which is capable of operating independently should the need arise. The grids can be switched on and off manually or automatically, and can be used to ensure essential services like hospitals and fire stations remain functional during an outage.

 
Bob Keares, of Microgrid Energy Partners of Great Valley, LLP and Managing Partner of
Coatesville Solar Initiative (CSI) have proposed building a 6-7MW Facility on the
Knickerbocker landfill on Rt 29 & Rt 202. “Think of it like we think of locally-grown
produce, ” says Bob Keares. “When the East Whiteland Solar Farm goes live, it will, by
regulation, become a microgrid for part of the area literally harvesting electricity, on a
local basis.”

 
The benefit (and strength) of the solar farm is not only illustrated in the production of
total renewable energy for local Business. It will also be demonstrated in the case of an
“event”, for example, Hurricane Sandy or even a Storm that just hits the county, with our
microgrid in place, power (reserved in batteries) will be available for local use. Our
microgrid will be on call 365 days a year, and 24 hours a day, ready with the clean,
renewable power the solar farm produces.
This has become a very viable solution to redundancy for Emergency Services
preparedness as well as corporate redundancy for computer rooms or ability to maintain
“normal” business. Our East Whiteland Project is very synergistic in what we are doing in
Coatesville said Keares. “We are building a niche for the County with real viable job
creation”. Keares’ group has worked on a projects in Caln Township, City of Coatesville,
and Berks County. These (4) projects represent approximately 30 MW of solar power
generation.

 
The power is not yet committed for the East Whiteland plant, we remain hopeful that one
of the many great companies in Great Valley will want to buy discounted renewable
electric generated in their backyard.

Ed Simpson, development partner in the project, believes solar & Microgrids are a solution to our energy needs not only locally but also globally. “Projects like this will benefit my grandchildren for generations to come,” said Simpson.

David Ferris, of Forbes Magazine (July, 31, 2013) explains it in this way, “A microgrid is a
lot more than just backup power… It is a system that blends power from the utilities with
local power whether there is an outage or not. Few large-scale examples of microgrids yet
exist, but here is what one is intended to do. It reduces emissions by scaling down the
power arriving from faraway, carbon-spewing coal or natural-gas plants, while adding in
local sources like fuel cells, biomass plants, and solar and wind power installations. It
prioritizes power needs so that during a blackout, the most crucial elements stay on (like
data centers) while the less important ones (like coat closets) are let go. It gives a user
some control over the power supply instead of just begging to the power company. And it
does all this autonomously and without a flicker in the lights.”

In addition to serving as a microgrid, the Microgrid Energy Partners of the Great Valley
project, is hopeful in attracting even more business to the County by building this type of
system. “Our County, Chester County is the best” said Keares “we bring so much value to
our residents from history, jobs to shopping to entertainment why not give our residents
the cleanest power source known to mankind.”

The project will bring about $15MM of Construction to the
Landfill site and potentially attract other like uses that would complement the great use of
Solar.

Keares is part of the SEI Board and this project brings great news for renewable energy advocates and also  for job creation and energy industry sector business growth in the region.

For information on this project, kindly contact the Coatesville Solar Initiative at
Keares Electrical Contracting at 610-363-8160 or visit http://www.gogreencsi.com/

The Energy Department (DOE) announced $22 million to support research, development, and demonstration of innovative plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) and direct injection propane engine technologies, as well as community-based projects to accelerate the adoption of light, medium, and heavy duty vehicles that operate on fuels such as biodiesel, electricity, E85, hydrogen, natural gas, and propane.

DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy seeks cost-shared projects across three areas of sustainable transportation technologies. A new “plug-in electric drive vehicle program” focuses on research, development, and demonstration of medium and heavy duty PEVs, from class 3 to 7, including vehicles that can use their onboard energy storage to provide power to electrical loads external to the vehicle. Once adopted by the market, these vehicles will significantly reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Also, DOE seeks cost-shared projects for the research, development, and demonstration of direct injection propane engines for on-highway vehicles that could result in substantial reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.

Lastly, as part of this funding opportunity, DOE seeks highly leveraged Alternative Fuel Vehicle Community Partner Projects that will significantly accelerate the use of light, medium, and heavy duty vehicles that operate on fuels such as biodiesel, electricity, E85, hydrogen, natural gas, and propane as well as the fueling infrastructure needed to support them. Led by community-based partnerships between state and local governments and key private sector stakeholders, these projects will help catalyze alternative fuel use nationwide through the collection and sharing of best practices and lessons learned.

Learn more about this funding opportunity. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy accelerates development and deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and market-based solutions that strengthen U.S. energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality.

The Department of Licenses and Inspections (L+I) is growing! Committed to making Philadelphia the nation’s leader in building safety, L+I is improving and evolving internally with the addition of 25+ building inspector jobs.

Now through July 1, 2016, L+I is accepting applications for building inspectors. In this role, individuals will be responsible for conducting building site inspections for conformance with all construction and zoning codes and applicable ordinances, keeping with L+I’s mission of helping to keep building projects on track, up to code and safe for all concerned.

Below you will find additional information about the position, as well as a link to the online application.

We encourage you to share this opportunity with your members, and assist us in making strides to strengthen the City of Philadelphia.

If you have any other questions about the position, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Position: L+I Building Inspector

Salary Range: $46,500 – $55,985 with opportunities for further advancement

Benefits: Vacation, Sick and Administrative Leave; Generous Pension Program; Comprehensive Health Benefits; Paid Life Insurance

Minimum Requirements: Six years of building trades experience in one of the following recognized trades: Boilermaker, HVAC mechanic, carpenter, electrician, glazier, ironworker, skilled construction laborer (skilled in using pneumatic tools, hand tools, blasting, and smaller heavy equipment), mason (brick, block, stone, concrete), pile driver, plumber, pipefitter/steamfitter, sheet metal worker, fire sprinkler installer, water proofer or welder.

Philadelphia residency required within six (6) months of hire.

URL: https://phila.peopleadmin.com/postings/30988

Harrisburg, PA – Governor Wolf released the following statement after he was notified by Shell that they would build their ethane cracker plant in Pennsylvania:

“Over the past four years, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has worked with Royal Dutch Shell to finalize plans to construct an ethane cracker plant in Western Pennsylvania, and this morning I was notified that Shell has taken the final step to move ahead with this game-changing plant and create thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania.

“The commonwealth began its efforts on this project in 2012, and I would like to thank former Governor Tom Corbett and his Secretary of Community and Economic Development C. Alan Walker for all of their efforts to bring the plant to Western Pennsylvania.

“Since first taking office, I have worked in close collaboration with my Secretary of Community and Economic Development Dennis Davin, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, local officials in Western Pennsylvania, and Royal Dutch Shell to make the proposed plant a reality. The commonwealth engaged the company with the goal of creating jobs, spurring economic development, and taking the next steps to connect the energy industry with long-term, sustainable economic growth.

“My administration is committed to creating jobs in the energy industry through responsible, well-regulated extraction and long-term, creative industrial growth. We have worked to develop strategies for safe and responsible pipeline development that brings resources to markets and facilities and we have prioritized the Shell plant to show the world that Pennsylvania is a leader in energy manufacturing and downstream production.

“The success of this project is part of a much-needed, longer term plan to translate our abundant resources to make Pennsylvania a leader in downstream production. The commitment of the Shell cracker plant in Western Pennsylvania is an important step toward this goal.

“This critical effort spanned four years, and two administrations, and today I want to congratulate all of those involved, including both Republican and Democratic officials, and thank Royal Dutch Shell for providing this unique and exciting economic development opportunity to the people of Western Pennsylvania.”

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jeff Sheridan, 717.783.1116

From PIVOT Today:

PECO is planning to solve the issue of frequent power outages in Concord Township by installing a self-sustaining ‘microgrid’, writes Andrew Maykuth for Philly.com.

PECO Energy Co. has already asked the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for authorization to invest close to $35 million in an experimental microgrid, along the Route 1 corridor in Concordville.

The microgrid would work independently of the regional power grid to ensure that the area, which includes the Concord Township Municipal Complex, the fire station, a sewage-treatment plant, two medical facilities, and a retirement community, would still get power during an outage.

The newly installed system would consist of five two-megawatt natural-gas power generators, a 500-kilowatt solar array and two 100-kilowatt lithium-ion battery arrays. These would be placed at the township building and Concordville Fire Station with plans to also include an electric-vehicle charging station.

In addition to the microgrid, the utility will also upgrade the local distribution network to insure the grid can operate independently. As part of the project, existing power lines will be hardened to make them more resistant to storm damage.

Concord Township was selected for the pilot project due to its diverse customer base. PECO plans to recover the estimated $35 million cost through an increase of around 29 cents a month for residential electrical customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours.

Read more about the proposed microgrid at Philly.com by clicking here.

SEI recently attended the “Zero Waste Presentation & Clean Energy Tour” hosted by the Delaware Valley Green Building Council and Delaware Nature Society. The group toured two of the Delaware Nature Society’s four locations: the Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin and Coverdale Farm Preserve in Greenville, Delaware.

The tour started at Ashland Nature Center with a presentation on “zero waste.”  Eric Long, a Wilmington Charter High School student, presented his recent project exploring the concept of converting food waste to energy. A few years ago, Eric successfully collected food waste within his own neighborhood and transported it to the Peninsula Compost Facility in Wilmington, Delaware. Unfortunately, this facility was closed in January 2015. There were many reasons for the closure; time needed to produce finished compost taking longer than originally planned, waste or finished compost having been stored onsite above approved quantities, and frequent odor complaints. In order to find another solution, Eric researched methods of anaerobic digestion. Eric described the basics utilizing a biodigestor system to produce energy in the form of biogas.  He spoke with managers of both Canadian and U.S. biodigestor facilities and developed a proposal for the concept in Delaware. The proposal was presented and submitted this past March to members of Delaware legislature in Dover.

To learn more, check out the following articles on food waste and digestor technology:

“So Much Wasted Energy – Rethinking food waste” by Philip Ackerman-Leist

“Food Waste Factors” by Christine McKiernan

Delaware Nature Society’s Ashland Nature Center utilizes a geothermal system for heating and cooling. In addition, all of the buildings on site are powered through a rooftop solar system.  Excess energy is sold to Delmarva Power. Coverdale Farm also utilizes solar energy in a variety of ways on the farm. While the farm has one rooftop solar installation, it also has a separate field installation site. The field location was specifically selected because the area was lower lying and hence too wet to be suitable for farming. As you can see from the photos, the sheep provide the maintenance to the site through rotational grazing. The solar panels also provide much needed shade throughout the spring and early summer when grazing is the best.   The solar power also supports electric fencing on some of the property for additional livestock and is also utilized by the mobile chicken wagon to open and close the entry doors, keeping the chickens safe from ground predators at night!

Pictured above: Scott Heck, Facilities Manager (left) talking to the group about geothermal and solar applications at Ashland Nature Center.

Pictured above: Sheep grazing in solar panel field at Coverdale Farm.

For more information on Ashland Nature Center or Coverdale Farm, please visit http://www.delawarenaturesociety.org/

An Editorial Article: A Marriage of Convenience – Electric Vehicles and Solar Energy

By: Anthony Cotton, Energy Conscious, LLC, Connecting the Dots…

Visit Energy Conscious on Facebook!

Situation

Solar has been gaining ground at an accelerating pace. Electric Vehicles (EV’s) are poised to do the same. Utilities and other change adverse entities are starting to push back hard.

One significant battlefront is net metering… a mechanism where the grid acts as a balancing agent for intermittent Solar production.

Although in the past the grid was for many considered the source of power, the grid also acts as a very important balancing agent. This balancing operates across a number of time scales;

• immediate (minutes)… balancing thousands of devices switching on and off
• daily (hours)… balancing typical peaks in morning and evening with very low loads late at night
• seasonal (months)… balancing seasonal shifts between winter heating load transitioning to summer air-conditioning (AC) load

Now the grid has to balance both variable loads AND variable sources. They have a very real and legitimate concern.

We all need to be “good grid citizens”… but how?

Solar (Photovoltaic PV) Limitation

Market penetration for unmanaged solar is” guesstimated” to be about 15% due to the grid instability impacts of intermittent production. Sun is out= full production,  clouds appear = full production can drop off significantly. This is not an issue when Solar installations are few and far between.  But what if they start to take off, like in mature markets such as California and Hawaii?

If only there was a way to economically buffer this free intermittent resource.

Electric Vehicle (EV) Limitation

Electric Vehicle adoption is currently minimal, but signs of material growth are on the near term horizon (i.e., Tesla’s recent 400,000 sight unseen orders for the Model 3). Some utilities have a program where they will pay you $50 to “register” your new EV with them. They are watching for a situation known as “clustering”… multiple neighbors getting EVs in quick succession. That can represent a significant new load in one specific location.

Moving this charging load to the quiet early morning hours can help significantly. But as adoption levels increase there may be a point where a capacity upgrade (transformers or residential lines to support them) is needed… but then the question is . . .  who will pay?

If only there was a way to adopt this much cleaner mode of transport without costly facilities upgrades.

A Systems Approach…”A Marriage of Convenience”

Photovoltaic (PV) and Electric Vehicles (EV) not only need each other… they were made for each other. Only together, can they move past their individual market penetration limits.

Consider:

1. PV growth needs a way to buffer the intermittency of local production…. but it can’t add expense without value (i.e., it cannot negatively impact its current ROI)
2. EV growth needs a way to support substantial increasing loads without materially impacting the existing distribution network.

It is generally accepted that local storage is the answer to item #1 above. The closer to the source of production, the better.

Some have made the connection that distributed production (local) can address item #2. Again, the closer the source of PV production is to the EV load, the better.

But here is something that is not generally recognized:

“Re-purposed” EV packs (i.e. after they have achieved their ROI in the vehicle, they are now candidates for hanging on a wall in your garage (a.k.a Tesla Powerwall). They are now fully recovered (economically) resources serving a second and substantial economic life in buffering Solar AND storing local production to charge the EV rather than having to pull that load thru the distribution network… a Marriage of Convenience!

Vision

Looking forward we see PV and EV tightly coupled both physically and economically.

PV is locally deployed along with EV’s and their second life packs now hanging on the garage wall. The re-purposed packs are buffering the intermittent solar and load shifting the daily peaks to the later night time loads (primarily recharging the EV for the next day’s travel). This stable and predictable load profile, paves the way for unlimited PV adoption moving forward.

At the same time, people start to recognize the significantly stronger value proposition of PV offsetting $2.50-$3.00/gal gasoline rather than $0.15/kWh electricity.

The final piece is the intelligent power electronics needed to orchestrate all these major new power flows in the home. The emerging IoT (Internet of Things) promises to organize these new power producers and consumers into autonomous and resilient “Enernet” nodes.

Clean energy AND grid stability will grow in from the edges by entrepreneurial entities with the vision to “…connect the dots”.

Note: Since this article was drafted, there have been several significant announcements establishing re-purposed EV packs as a target for supporting growing levels of intermittent renewables.

Link 1 – Nissan and Eaton introduce home energy storage system with second-life EV batteries

Link 2 – “We believe electric vehicles can become a mobile power unit,”

Pictured above: Bill Finch of Alternative Energy Inc. and West Chester University students

On Earth Day, April 22, 2016 the Smart Energy Initiative team participated in West Chester University’s Earth Fair.  The Earth Fair is an annual event on West Chester’s campus that promotes local sustainability.  The idea is to bring together campus clubs, local environmental groups, and eco-friendly businesses in the area to one place to celebrate all the good happening around West Chester.

Kayla Wilson was this year’s coordinator and she did a great job doing just that . . .  pulling over 25 exhibitors together and, at the last minute due to a threatening forecast, moving the event inside to the Hollinger Field House on campus.

Pictured above: Paul Spiegel, Practical Energy Solutions, and Lou Nazirides, Keares Electrical Contracting

The WCU Earth Club arranged for a way to engage the WCU student by doing give-aways (water bottles, collapsible canteens, Tshirts) for students who attended 5 booths during the event.  We’re happy to say that SEI was frequently chosen as a booth to visit – perhaps it was the intrigue of the solar panels on display by Bill Finch of Alternative Energy, or the knowledge and repertoire from Bill and our other partner companies (Lou Nazarides of Keares Electric, Paul Spiegel of Practical Energy Solutions, and Steve Krug of Krug Architects),  or maybe our informational flyers on energy related careers and fun flashlight give-away we had for our visitors.  In any case, we had the opportunity to spread the word about the mission of SEI and introduce some of our partnering companies at the same time.  All in all, a fun way to build a stronger network for the smart energy industry in the region!

Pictured above: Sharlee K. Van Tine, Tono Architects, and Steve Krug, Krug Architects

Thanks to our SEI partner companies who helped support our presence at the event:  Alternative Energy, Inc., Keares Electrical Contracting, Inc., Practical Energy Solutions, Brandywine Valley Heating and Air Conditioning, and Krug Architects. 

Meet Jon Costanza, President of SunPower Builders.   As part of our focus on Earth Day this month, we recently sat down with Jon for an exclusive Q&A about his company, his history and his passion.

Jon, for those not familiar with SunPower Builders, briefly talk about your history and what you are doing related to the solar energy and passive house technology?

We are a family run business that’s been in existence for over 40 years now.  We are a solar and green building design-build firm for residential and commercial clients.  Since we started in 1972 we’ve installed over 100 systems in SE PA; in fact, we’re the largest PA based solar system installers.  We are a bit unique and have carved out a niche in the market in that we restore historic structures as well as build newer solar efficiency into all types of structures, new and old.   In that regard, we call ourselves the “preservationists of yesteryear and tomorrow.”

That’s a long time to be in what was then an emerging industry.   You might be considered to be a visionary.  Tell us what prompted you to get involved in this industry?

During the solar “boom” years of the Carter Administration, I installed solar water heating systems.  During the Regan administration, the solar “bust” years, I had to switch to high end construction. It was during this time that my interest in historic restorations was piqued. Over time I recognized the similarities between the fields of restoration and solar: both required fine craftsmanship and a deep care for your product, but moreover, there was an essence of practicality and commonsense. It was in this that I discovered a profound common thread . . .We are helping people design and build the beautiful, efficient homes they always dreamed of while helping create a more sustainable future one project at a time.

You have projects that are a unique blend of historic structures merged with newer energy conservation techniques. 

Yes.  But solar and passive house building techniques really are not new.  And many aren’t even technologically advanced. The typical older farmhouse is a passive energy house.  Back in the day, builders of these houses did what we now call sustainable building out of necessity.  Some examples we see are southfacing structures with over 60% of the glass facing south; overhangs that keep out the summer sun; splayed window sills that throw light back into the building.  It was more about common sense practical approaches . . . owners didn’t want to have to chop as much fire wood to warm their homes!    Solar design goes way back. Consider the Greeks who built all of their courtyards to be south facing.  The difference is that today we have a means of adding solar technology to any type of structure with PV (Photovoltaic) systems and solar panels.

Is it personal for you?

Yes, beyond my passion for my business and the environment, I live in a 1708 farmhouse that is 100% utility free and has been for 20 years.  Our house has been on tour for local schools and universities. Too often people think that solar buildings have to look different with pipes and metal sticking out and ruining the aesthetics.  Opening my home to tours helps prove that that there’s nothing weird about a solar house.

Can you tell us about some of SunPower Builders’ projects? 

We install about 2 megawatts of solar each year within 20 miles of our office in Collegeville, PA.  Our projects are small to medium sized residential buildings and also commercial buildings.

We worked with Victory Brewing Company on their building in Downingtown, PA where we installed a solar energy system on the roof. 345 solar panels were installed that provide 82,000 kWh of clean, renewable energy every year.  If you visit the restaurant, you’ll see an educational video on the TV in the bar area that we created with Victory to let people know about the carbon offset from their solar system.

We built our first solar house in 1974 in Haverford, PA.  At that time people were talking about and concerned about ecology, not global warming; it was a time when the Earth Day movement was getting started.  This house was a residence for a professor and we designed an interesting system.  The entire roof collected hot air that was then circulated to the basement area with a layer of stone that acted as a heat storage.  The heat could then be distributed back through the entire house as needed.

One of our most interesting projects was in the mid 1990’s.  We built a solar house in Myerstown, PA for an owner that worked for a pickle company.  We designed a hot air collector using over 1,000 glass pickle jars that were filled with water and located in the floor joists.  Heat was stored up in the jars and at night was radiated up throughout the house.  It’s still in existence and working today!

What’s the biggest challenge of passive house or solar projects?  

The misconception about solar is with cost and payback.  Contrary to many impressions, solar is affordable.   PA has lost or is losing it’s incentives around solar, but today it’s more economical than ever before.  Most projects have a 4-7year payback.  And with the income stream on a typical residence over a 25 year period you can realize a $100K – $250K profit.  That outperforms most retirement plans!

Solar is the only utility system where you can talk about payback; you can’t do that with your heater or air conditioner.  Solar pays for itself and generates a cash flow.  In brief, once installed, you become an owner of SREC’s (Solar Renewable Energy Certificates) that are a tradeable commodity.  Every 1 GW of PV that you generate annually, you earn 1 SREC and those SRECs can be traded on the East Coast Power Grid.

I have a small house Jon, on a small lot, would solar make sense for me?

Well, it depends.  Even small houses are candidates.  First you need to address reducing loads in the house with more efficient appliances and lighting.  That way, if you go solar you can add a much smaller system because your load is reduced.   Solar modules can be installed on the roof or in the yard.  It’s important to maintain the aesthetics of the house so as not to impact the market value negatively.  Solar isn’t “ugly” but I will sometimes tell clients that it won’t work if we can’t make it look right.

In your opinion, can solar continue to have a positive impact on the energy production in this country?

Yes!  Consider this:  In 2015, 60% of all new electric generation was from solar; that’s more than wind.  And Nuclear power plans take 20 years to build.  So solar can definitely fill a gap.  There is enough sunlight that hits the surface of the US in 1 day to power the country for 1 year.  So we have a lot more we can do!

So, what’s next for you and SunPower Builders?

We are strong advocates.  In fact, we put our advocacy and belief in solar ahead of profit margins.  We are branching out and getting into the development of products and components that aid our first responders in life saving events.  We’ve developed a patented product to turn off solar modules on roof tops.  This is important because when fire fighters arrive on the scene of a building fire where solar panels are on the roof, there isn’t much they can do because there isn’t any easy way to turn off the system.  With our new module this will be possible.  We’re hoping soon to partner with businesses in Chester County to bring this device to production.  We’re working with SEI and CCEDC on supplier and manufacturing options.

For more about Jon and SunPower Builders visit their website at:  http://www.sunpowerbuilders.com/