Energy Efficiency • Alternative Solar Technologies • Solar Resources and Much More Solar ENERGY RESOURCE GUIDE 9Th Edition
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Solar Electricity • Solar Education• Solar Cooking • Solar Hot Water • Solar Financing • Passive Solar Solar Careers • Energy Efficiency • Alternative Solar Technologies • Solar Resources and much more Solar ENERGY RESOURCE GUIDE 9th Edition Quick Mounts are higher quality, more “ “ cost e ective, and easier to install than any brand we’ve ever used. Darren Malvin American Solar THE WORLD’S ™ He’s not taking any chances with roof leaks. Are you? STANDARD FOR SOLAR DARREN MALVIN KNOWS THAT EVERY SOLAR SYSTEM he puts INDUSTRY LEADING TECHNOLOGY on a customer’s roof puts his reputation on the line. And he sleeps a whole lot easier on rainy nights knowing Quick Mount Highest Efficiency Highest Reliability Guaranteed Performance PV has his customers’ roofs sealed safe and watertight. Quick Mounts cost a little more out of the box but the value is clear when you consider everything you get in return. Lower labor costs for one. 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Guaranteed. ■ 100% IBC compliant ■ Patented elevated water seal ■ All aluminum ashing sunpowercorp.com ■ All hardware included LOW SLOPE UNIVERSAL TILE ■ Works with all leading racks ■ 10-year warranty; 50-year expected life ■ Live tech support, year-round training N TH E I E U D S A A M 925-478-8269 [email protected] www.quickmountpv.com Solar Electricity • Solar Education• Solar Cooking • Solar Hot Water • Solar Financing • Passive Solar Solar Careers • Energy Efficiency • Alternative Solar Technologies • Solar Resources and much more SOLAR SOLAR ENERGY RESOURCE GUIDE (SERG) Solar ENERGY RESOURCE GUIDE 9th Edition Welcome but there’s so much more than what could fit within these pages! to the 9th edition There’s also a bit of overlap, of the Solar Energy especially in the areas where solar Resource Guide! and energy efficiency come 9th EDITION together: zero net energy build- We are the Northern California ings, passive solar/Passive House, Solar Energy Association (NorCal retrofitting existing homes … Solar), a chapter of the American Where we’ve repeated the same Solar Energy Society, founded in information in separate articles, 1974 with a mission to foster the development and appli- we hope that’s helpful as you pick up and put down this cation of solar energy through the exchange of informa- Guide over time. We’re trying something new with this tion. With this guide that we affectionately call the SERG, 9th edition — putting some of these articles online we aim to offer information in the form of a primer (www.norcalsolar.org) and keeping them up-to-date as on all things solar. Whether you are completely new to the solar world continues to evolve. the energy world, considering solar or energy upgrades We haven’t included an article on climate change for your home or business, designing a home, seeking a — so much is already written on that topic. Know that “green” career, already employed in solar, creating energy what drives many of us to keep up our efforts in pro- regulations, volunteering in solar, reporting on energy for moting and using clean renewable energy and efficiency the media, or simply a solar energy supporter, we hope is the science showing increasing changes to the global you will find the discussions within these pages useful. natural environment, unprecedented in history, and most We invite you to join the discussion as we revise our likely caused by humans’ combustion of fossil fuels for website (www.norcalsolar.org), expand our outreach and energy. We believe that the magnitude of what we’re doing dialogs on social media, and organize networking events to the planet is so great that our minds cannot fully compre - for furthering those dialogs. hend it. The younger generations are experiencing a differ- Four years have passed since the SERG 8th edition, ent natural environment than that of their parents and and the world of solar has changed. We’ve expanded the grandparents. Please join us in continuing to work for a 9th edition’s content to capture some of those changes, future (and a present) that’s fueled by clean energy options. ELAINE HEBERT, President, and JAMIE CUTLIP, Vice President Northern California Solar Energy Association (NorCal Solar) www.norcalsolar.org Acknowledgments NorCal Solar wishes to express our deepest gratitude to the following organizations and individuals for their support of and/or hard work on this Solar Energy Resource Guide: Our Sponsors Quick Mount PV Intersolar North America PG&E and the Pacific Energy Center www.quickmountpv.com www.intersolar.us www.pge.com and www.pge.pec Claudia and Stuart Wentworth Diana Doeppe Robert Marcial, Pete Shoemaker Redwood Alliance Backwoods Solar Silicon Valley Power www.redwoodalliance.org www.backwoodssolar.com www.siliconvalleypower.com Michael Welch Sequoya Cross Mary Medeiros McEnroe NorCal Solar Partners NorCal Solar Board of Advisors Don Aitken, Aitken & Associates American Solar Energy Society, Andy Black, OnGrid Solar of which NorCal Solar is a Chapter Tom Chatagnier, Retired, Diablo Valley College Bruce Lymburn, ClifBar Intersolar North America Joe McCabe, Solar Consulting Engineer Bay Area Climate Collaborative Gwen Rose, Vote Solar Dave Springer, Davis Energy Group Self-Sustaining Communities Tom Starrs, SunPower Sam Vanderhoof, Petra Solar/Solar Cowboyz Solar Cookers International Claudia Wentworth, Quick Mount PV © 2012 NorCal Solar Energy Association ISBN 978-0-615-64785-2 $15.00 Legal Disclaimer: Buyer Beware This guidebook has been compiled from a vast array of articles and data produced by nonprofit and government-related organizations. The information is provided solely for the users’ own interest and evaluation. We have attempted to make clear attribution of sources wherever text, graphics, or statistics were origi- nally created by other organizations; and we have attempted to avoid any copyright infringements. The Board of Directors and volunteers of NorCal Solar make no warranty or promise about the accuracy of the enclosed information. Additionally, NorCal Solar and its many volunteers make no endorsement or warranty regarding any commercial ad or business listing in this guidebook, nor do we accept any liability for their products or services. Cover art by Mazzarello Media, www.mazzarello.com • Design and layout by Barbara Nishi Graphic Design, [email protected] The Solar Energy Resource Guide was printed on recycled content paper with soy ink at Bacchus Press, a Certified Green Business in Emeryville, CA http://www.bacchuspress.com. Contents About NorCal Solar ................................4 Saving Lives with Solar Power.......................35 Membership ......................................4 Permitting of Solar Installations .....................36 Energy Efficiency — Don’t Go Solar Without It! ........5 Solar Permitting Fees Update .......................37 Solar Hot Water ...................................7 Photovoltaic Efficiency ............................38 Passive Solar Design: Solar: Creating Jobs for Everyone from PhD’s to GED’s..38 Heating, Cooling — and Retrofitting.................11 Hiring for Success: Selecting the ”Right Staff’ From Passive Solar to PassivHaus to Passive House .....14 Makes All the Difference ...........................39 Silicon Valley Power www.siliconvalleypower.com Transportation: A Solar Future ......................16 Finding and Choosing a Professional Solar Contractor ..41 Mary Medeiros McEnroe Passive House Fact Sheet ...........................17 Net-Zero Energy, Soup to Nuts......................44 Solar Cooking — Saving Lives, Creating Fun ..........19 The Solar Decathlon: Vision of Homes of the Future…Now ................46 Solar Electric System Basics.........................21 Community Solar.................................47 Fire Safety for Solar Electric Systems .................27 Tools for Consumers, Designers, Solar Estimators ......49 Back-of-the-Module Technology in Grid-Tied PV Systems ...........................28 Other Applications of Solar.........................50 Payback and Other Financial Tests What’s New and Coming...........................51 for Solar Electric Systems...........................29 Glossary of Solar and Energy Terms..................53 How to Pay for a Solar System.......................32 Solar Energy Resources ............................63 Making Solar Affordable