Pictured: Jobin Michael and Vidyadhar Rangojoo

NABCEP is the national certification organization for professional installers in the field of renewable energy. It provides educational resources and standards of practice to its members and promotes consumer confidence. The NABCEP PV Installer Certification exam is a rigorous, 4-hour test which assesses knowledge of PV electrical system components, design, project management and troubleshooting. Although the certification is not required to work in the PV industry, it is certainly a hallmark of a high level of proficiency.

Standard Solar encourages and supports our staff members who strive for certification, and we applaud the efforts of these most recent additions to the NABCEP community.

The New Mexico Sangre de Cristo Mountains serve as the backdrop to the site of Standard Solar’s first solar photovoltaic installation west of the Mississippi, the RCCLA Amalia Solar Array. Tuesday’s dedication ceremony saw more than 75 people in attendance – representing local, state and national government, local Rio Costilla Cooperative Livestock Association (RCCLA) members, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative (KCEC) executives and customers as well as those of Standard Solar and our partner, Washington Gas Energy Systems (WGES).

Congressman Ben Ray Luján along with representatives of the Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, the Rio Costilla Cooperative Livestock Association, Standard Solar, Washington Gas Energy Systems, and other officials

The history of this install is deep and rich. Nearly 30 years ago the members of the RCCLA came together with a mission to boost the economy and prominence of the small town of Amalia; local ranchers have been working to make this kind of project a reality ever since. Although many of the original members have since passed away, the entire group was overjoyed to see it come to fruition. Neville Williams, one of Standard Solar’s original founders, became involved several years ago through local rancher Tom Tatum, but plans stalled when financing could not be secured. Years later, that hurdle was overcome with the help of federal tax incentives. As incentives became available, Standard Solar took on the project and partnered with WGES and KCEC to develop the project. KCEC signed a 25 year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) (not sure what a PPA is…check out our recent blog on the basics of PPAs) with WGES to purchase all of the system’s electricity, which at certain times of the year will supply the entire north central region of New Mexico with solar power.

Solar array on tracking system

In constructing the 1.5 MW single-tracking solar system, local businesses Paradise Power Company/PPC Solar and Amalia Construction were tapped to provide the labor, many of whom are members of the RCCLA and all are local residents. During the ceremony, several of the speakers, including U.S. Congressman Ben Ray Luján and Jon Barela, New Mexico’s Secretary of Economic Development, mentioned the project’s benefit to the local economy, providing much-needed employment through quality clean energy jobs.

Jon Barela, Secretary of Economic Development

Standard Solar president Scott Wiater addressed the crowd, introducing his mom in the audience and sharing that although he currently lives outside Washington, DC that his family has lived in New Mexico since 1916, when his great grandparents arrived via horse and buggy and settled near Albuquerque. His connection to the state, he said, gives the project special meaning.

Scott Wiater, President of Standard Solar

This project is a major victory for the residents of northern New Mexico, the RCCLA and the members of KCEC. They have worked hard to bring this project to fruition with a lot of collaboration and determination, and it should serve as inspiration for other communities interested in the benefits of solar energy. We are honored to be their partner in this achievement.

Tony Clifford, Standard Solar; New Mexico Congressman Ben Ray Luhán; Scott Wiater, Standard Solar; Nate Greenberg, Washington Gas Energy Systems

Be sure to check back with us in the coming weeks – we’ll be posting a video of the dedication ceremony.

The Tech Council of Maryland is the largest technology trade association in the state and its signature Annual Tech Awards Celebration, being held April 26^th, is one of Maryland’s largest and most prestigious award ceremonies. The evening is expected to bring together more than 900 technology, biotechnology, government, academia and supporting businesses.

Winners will be announced during the event.

Good luck Tony!

The project is a 1.5 MW single-axis tracking solar electric system that will generate in excess of 2.9 million kWh of clean, renewable electricity annually, enough to power 376 average New Mexico homes for a year. A single-axis tracking array moves the solar panels throughout the day to ensure they are always absorbing as much of the sun’s energy as possible. The solar array, consisting of 5,280 panels, will also offset approximately 1,500 tons of greenhouse gases per year, the equivalent of planting a 221-acre forest. Washington Gas Energy Systems will own and operate the system.

We are really excited to see the progress being made on the system. When it’s complete later this spring, all of the businesses and homes of north central New Mexico will be solar powered on sunny days!

From the East Coast to the West Coast and everywhere in-between, businesses and organizations of all types—universities, colleges, municipalities, government buildings, agricultural and farming operations and more—are realizing the benefits of solar power. One popular option available for financing commercial-scale installations is a power purchase agreement, or PPA. Many of the projects that we have worked on in the last few years or so have come to fruition as a result of this kind of partnership, from the Perdue installations in Delaware and Maryland to Washington, DC’s American University. If your organization is interested in benefiting from solar energy, this type of financing should most certainly be on your radar. So how does it work?

PPAs are arrangements through which a host customer agrees to provide the physical property on which a solar PV system is built, and purchases the resulting electricity at a stable price for a number of years. The system is owned and maintained by the developer, or solar service provider.

PPAs are attractive to organizations for several reasons. The arrangement allows an organization to fix the cost of electricity for many years, and do so without much of an upfront capital investment. The installation also increases the valueof the property on which it’s built. In addition, the organization can meet its own internal goals for sustainability while making a visible, tangible commitment to the environment.

For example, in June of last year, we installed a 753 kW system for Maryland’s Anne Arundel Community College (AACC). The entire photovoltaic (PV) system was installed on top of a covered parking structure – the largest such system in Maryland and one of the largest carport systems on the East Coast (pictured below). It is expected to generate approximately one million kilowatt hours of electricity in its first year of operations, enough to power about 100 average homes and the equivalent of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from more than 77,000 gallons of gasoline per year, or over 1 million gallons over the next 15 years. The system is projected to save the college more than $300,000 over the next 15 years.

AACC received a $750,000 grant from the Maryland Energy Administration via the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to contribute to the financing of the system. Washington Gas Energy Services (WGES) provided the financing for the balance of the project costs and owns and operates the PV system. WGES will sell the output of the solar panels to AACC through a 15-year PPA, enabling AACC to host the solar project without any capital outlay.

Prefer a visual of how a PPA works and all the parties involved? The image below (from the U.S. EPA) does a pretty good job (we think) of laying out the different entities and responsibilities involved.

Source: U.S. EPA

We’ve been in the position of both the installer and solar services provider for a wide variety of projects. Our experience has given us a wealth of knowledge to draw from, which we are happy to share with organizations that are considering adding solar power to their facilities. If that’s you, we are here to help.

During our visit, we walked around the property, admiring all the work we all put into the site. While watching solar panels “do their thing” isn’t action packed, this installation is pretty fascinating – there are more than 5,000 panels, stretching over an impressive 89,000 square feet – silently generating clean, renewable energy all day long.

Although solar panels do most of their work during the daytime, we wanted to capture the installation at sunset. The reflection of the sun setting off of a panel is something spectacular! Our photographer Matthew Borkoski thinks he got some great shots. We’ll share our favorites soon on our Facebook page.

For a variety of reasons the cost of photovoltaic panels has dropped over the last year or so, and as a result the average system costs have come down a lot, too. Today, the average upfront investment after incentives is around $15,000. Factoring in the avoided cost of utilities for the next 25 years, which have historically increased at approximately 5 percent per year, gives a clearer idea of when a system will  “pay for itself.” In many cases, it works out to fewer than ten years, which gives homeowners fifteen years or more to enjoy free solar energy.

Some have compared the purchase of a solar array with that of a car. There are some similarities, but one huge difference—once the array is paid off, the owner will still have many years of worry-free use. With a car, you will continue to pay increasingly for maintenance long after you own it. Since most solar systems are warranted for 25 years and provide residual value from avoided costs of energy among other financial benefits, solar is low risk and a great return on investment. And, with rising costs of electricity, it’s worth looking into…now.