http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/03/california-net-metering-bill-signed-by-governor-schwarzenegger

Assembly Bill 510, authored by Assembly member Nancy Skinner (D–Berkeley), which increased California’s net metering cap passed with bipartisan support by votes of 27-5 in the Senate and 61-4 in the Assembly and was signed late last week by Governor Schwarzenegger.

California public agencies have already installed at least 51 megawatts (MW) of solar, saving taxpayers more than US $270 million in avoided utility payments.

Current law caps the amount of electricity that can be generated under the net metering program to 2.5% of a utility’s peak demand. AB 510 raises the net metering cap to 5% and will help meet projected demands received under the California Solar Initiative program.

“The Governor’s signature signals to the over one thousand solar contractors and companies doing business in California that our solar market is stable and ready for investment,” said Assembly member Skinner. “California is continuing to let the sunshine in to produce affordable, local power for our businesses, schools and public facilities and homes.”

Skinner also said out that with more than 30 job years per megawatt installed, solar energy is helping California create thousands of jobs including solar equipment manufacturing, engineering facilities, and construction jobs associated with the installation of and on-going maintenance of these systems.

Net metering has no direct impact on the state’s general fund and allows government agencies and schools to have an incentive to install solar. California public agencies have already installed at least 51 megawatts (MW) of solar, saving taxpayers more than US $270 million in avoided utility payments.

“Net metering makes solar more affordable for those who want to make the investment in clean energy. And because solar produces reliable power during peak hours when we all need it most, that same investment in solar helps lower costs for all ratepayers. Today, Assembly member Skinner and the legislature took a bold step to make solar a significant part of our energy future,” said Adam Browning, executive director of the Vote Solar Initiative.

Martifer Solar sees feed-in-tariffs as necessary to continue the growth of the Solar PV sector. Feed-in-tariffs give consumers the incentive to install solar power because they are guaranteed to obtain a reasonable return on solar investments. There have been questions as to whether feed-in-tariffs are legal under U.S. law, but paraphrasing the National Renewable Energy Laboratory report on the legality of feed in tariffs: “Yes, we can implement feed-in tariffs in the U.S. under existing law, we just have to do it differently than everywhere else in the world.” The legality of the feed-in-tariffs has been questioned because of the many different federal stipulations that deal with the feed-in-tariffs. Through the NREL report, the federal law is clarified and feed-in-tariffs are deemed legal if they meet the requirements of PURPA or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Daniel Ithurburn, an engineer for Martifer Solar, sums up the importance of the feed-in-tariffs for the solar industry: “Looking forward, feed-in-tariffs will continue to boost the growth of the solar industry and will help the United States reach our sustainable energy goals.”

Source: www.RenewableEnergyWorld.com

By: Paul Gipe

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has issued a long-awaited legal analysis of how states could implement feed-in tariffs and still comply with federal law.

The January 2010 report, Renewable Energy Prices in State-Level Feed-in Tariffs: Federal Law Constraints and Possible Solutions, was written principally by Scott Hempling with the National Regulatory Research Institute (NRRI) under contract to NREL.

Hempling treads ground that others have tread before him, including California’s Attorney General, Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown. The Attorney General filed comments on who has jurisdiction to set feed-in tariffs with California’s Public Utility Commission in August of 2009. Brown concluded that the state could set feed-in tariffs sufficient to pay for renewable energy development while complying with federal law.

NRRI’s Hempling, like Brown, concludes that states can offer feed-in tariffs, but the programs creating the feed-in tariffs must be structured in a way that meets federal requirements.

There’s ample ammunition in the Hempling report to stoke either side in the feed-in tariff debate.

Opponents have long argued that feed-in tariffs are illegal in the U.S. They will find ample solace in the report that the European or Canadian approach of setting specific tariffs directly won’t comply with current federal law or its interpretation. Hempling says, in essence, that states can’t set specific tariffs above “avoided cost” under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) of 1978.

However, Hempling goes on to chart a path to implementing feed-in tariffs that avoids the regulatory minefield under PURPA and the Federal Power Act. Hempling describes how states can set total payments, or equivalent feed-in tariffs, above avoided cost in compliance with federal law. The path may appear more circuitous, in comparison to that in other countries, but it is, nevertheless, clear.

Proponents of FITs argue that feed-in tariff programs work best (spur the development of significant amounts of renewable energy) when the tariffs are based on the cost of generation plus a reasonable profit. In these programs, there are a suite of tariffs for solar PV, another set for wind energy, and so on. The tariffs for solar PV in these programs are much higher than the “avoided cost” of a conventional natural gas-fired power plant in the U.S.

California’s largely ineffective feed-in tariff introduced at the end of 2008 pays US $0.096/kWh for projects installed in 2010. The tariff, there is only one tariff, is based on the Market Price Referent, California’s term of art for the avoided cost of a natural gas-fired plant. By mid-2009 the tariff had resulted in only 17 MW of generation. Even with generous federal subsidies, FIT proponents say that this tariff is insufficient for most technologies, but especially for solar PV, the most expensive of the new renewable energy technologies.

There are two paths to lawful feed-in tariffs argues Hempling: the PURPA path, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) path.

To continue reading: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/02/nrel-feed-in-tariffs-legal-in-us-when-certain-conditions-met

“Reps. Jay Inslee of Washington and Bill Delahunt of Massachusetts are preparing a bill that would require utilities to purchase small-scale renewable energy from developers at rates equal to the cost of production plus a premium. The so-called feed-in tariffs proposal would set European-style guarantees for investors that many credit for a recent boom in solar energy in Germany.

“We have some brilliant Americans with brilliant business plans with brilliant technologies, but they don’t have financing,” Inslee said at a briefing last week on Capitol Hill. “The charm of the feed-in tariff is solid, take-it-to-the-bank security and confidence for the investing community.”

Proponents say feed-in tariffs can be more effective than renewable-energy standards, such as the one included in the House climate bill by Democrats Henry Waxman of California and Ed Markey of Massachusetts, because they offer staggered rate incentives for each energy source based on current production costs. The initial rate that utilities would pay for solar energy, for example, would be higher than payments for less-expensive wind energy.”

Rise In 2Q Cleantech Investment Bodes Well For 3Q

Source: Wall Street Journal

By Mara Lemos-Stein

After an anemic first quarter, venture capital investments in clean technology rose 73% in the second quarter to a total of $572.1 million, suggesting there is momentum for an industry expected to gain steam from government stimulus funding.

The number of deals in the quarter doubled from the first quarter to 48, according to data from Dow Jones VentureSource, which like VentureWire and The Wall Street Journal is owned by Dow Jones & Co. The latest figures are still below the $1.41 billion spread across 57 deals in last year’s second quarter. (See chart at the bottom.)

Click here to continue reading the article.

Martifer Solar will build the plant, although it will be operated by the private developer, Amplio Solar, part of a large international group based in London. The managing director of Amplio Solar, Alberto Dalla Rosa, said: “the 3 MW of Casteltermini constitute the first successful development of a portfolio of about 100 MW by 2010.” The operation is supported by Project Financing Centrobanca, the corporate and investment banking division of the Uni Banca Group.

The plant will use single-axis solar tracker technology, which is much more efficient than fixed structures, and will be the largest solar plant with trackers in Sicily and one of the largest in Italy.

Martifer Solar will build the solar system in the municipality of Casteltermini in the province of Agrigento, Sicily, and it will occupy an area of 13 hectares of agricultural land. The work is due to last six months and, on completion, will position Martifer Solar as one of the leading installers in the Italian market.

Martifer Solar is proud to be a major contributor to California’s top billing as the country’s highest solar generating state. Check out the article below and join us in the solar revolution!

Source: The San Francisco Herald

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/23/BAP518PJEB.DTL

According to SMUD, the FIT will be aimed at systems up to 5 MW connected to SMUD’s local distribution system, and is capped at 100 MW system-wide. The SMUD FIT will apply to both renewable and fossil-fuel generation technologies, and the utility states that it will set higher prices for power produced from renewable sources like solar and biogas.

SMUD adds that it sees the FIT as a way to provide a new opportunity for customers to own or host efficient small-scale generation plants, and that it will help the utility meet its renewable portfolio standard and greenhouse gas reduction goals.

SOURCE: SMUD

Source: Alternative Energy Retailer

http://www.aer-online.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.2627

Spire’s 50MW Automated Line is One of the Most Advanced in the World.

BEDFORD, Massachusetts, USA and OLIVEIRA DE FRADES, Portugal - July 15, 2009 - Martifer Solar, located in Portugal, and Spire Corporation (Nasdaq: SPIR), located in Bedford, Massachusetts, jointly announced that Martifer Solar accepted last month Spire’s 50 megawatt (MW) per year automated module production. Both Spire and Martifer are fully satisfied with the performance of the Portuguese company’s photovoltaic (PV) factory. The fully automated turnkey module manufacturing line uses robotic systems for material handling and processing.

Mr. Leandro Bento, Factory Manager of Martifer Solar, said, “It is complex to establish a high-tech automated factory. We are pleased with the support that we received from Spire to reach our designated goals and to achieve unequivocal acceptance. This line makes Martifer Solar one of the most efficient manufacturers in the solar industry and we are proud to have completed our first two megawatts of PV module production.”

Mr. Roger G. Little, Chairman and CEO of Spire Corporation, stated, “This line is completely automated, making it one of the most advanced module factories in the world. We combined Spire’s process knowledge with our state‑of‑the-art manufacturing equipment and the latest in robotics and automation. The result is a high speed, high yield cost effective production line producing top quality PV modules.”

Spire has successfully automated the steps that are typically done manually. These included automation of string bussing, encapsulate trimming, module framing, junction box attachment, hi-pot testing and module simulation characterization. For this project, Spire subcontracted with KUKA Systems GmbH in Germany. The quality robots and engineering expertise provided by KUKA were critical in the success of the program.

About Martifer Solar

The Martifer Group is composed of 120 companies spread across 18 countries; its activity is divided into four areas: metallic construction, energy systems, electricity generation and agriculture and bio fuels. Martifer has been listed on the Lisbon Stock Exchange since 2007. Martifer Solar is a division of solar energy of the Martifer Group, established in Italy, Greece, Belgium, France, Portugal, Spain and the United States. During 2007, the company participated in the implementation of over 35MW of PV solar energy throughout Europe.

About Spire Corporation

Spire Corporation is a global solar company providing turnkey production lines and capital equipment to manufacture PV modules and solar systems worldwide. Spire Semiconductor provides processing technology for Spire’s silicon solar cell manufacturing lines and produces and sells custom gallium arsenide cells for solar concentrator systems. For corporate or product information, contact Spire Corporation, “The Turnkey Solar Factory Company,” at 781.275.6000, or visit www.spirecorp.com.

Contacts

Spire Corporation                                                                                                                      Martifer Solar

Rodger W. LaFavre                                                                                                                    Tomás Gaviro

Chief Operating Officer                                                                                                              PR Manager

Tel. +1.781.275.6000                                                                                                                 Tel. +34 91 637 82 82

Certain matters described in this news release may be forward-looking statements subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk of dependence on market growth, competition and dependence on government agencies and other third parties for funding contract research and services, as well as other factors described in the Company’s Form 10‑K and other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

# # #

The Martifer Solar photovoltaic modules factory contains the world’s leading automization and robotic technology. The production line, manufactured by Spire, and the robotics, manufactured by KUKA, ensures that the manufacturing process is highly efficient, which directly impacts the quality of the final product. The factory occupies over 10.000sqm of the Martifer Group facilities in Oliveira de Frades, North Portugal and boasts a production capacity of 50 MW per year with the capability to expand to 100 MW.

From their web site:

“The mayor called the “Solar L.A.” plan “a commitment to Angelenos that the Department of Water and Power will install over 1200 megawatts of solar power over the next five years, ensuring that we become a solar powerhouse.”

Read the full story here:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/06/villaraigosa-sheds-light-on-secondterm-plan-as-he-talks-to-business-group-of-a-solar-la.html

Last week Martifer Solar completed an innovative, ground-mount system for a residential homeowner in Malibu, California.  The 7 kW system, composed of 30 Sunpower panels, will displace a large portion of the homeowner’s electric bill. The site was chosen after our engineers determined there was not enough roof space for the system and determined that a large, south-facing site on the homeowner’s lot would be an ideal location for a system.

System size: 7 kW

Completion date: 2009

System type: Roof-mount

# of trees planted yearly: 15

CO2 reduction yearly: 3 tons

]]> http://www.martifersolarusa.com/blog/installation-for-santa-monica-blue-bus-progresses/feed/ http://www.martifersolarusa.com/projects/government/santa-monica-ca/ http://www.martifersolarusa.com/projects/government/santa-monica-ca/#comments Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:45:27 +0000 andrew http://www.martifersolarusa.com/?p=537

Completion date: 2008

System type: Roof-mount

# of trees planted yearly: 311

CO2 reduction yearly: 50 tons

Martifer Attends three major PV industry events:  SolarExpo in Verona; Genera in Madrid; and InterSolar in Munich.

Martifer Solar will be participating in the three most important fairs for the European PV industry: SolarExpo from May 6-9 in Verona, Italy; Genera between the 12th and the 14th of May in Madrid, and InterSolar in Munich from the 27-29 of May. The company will utilize these events  to present the public its own solar photovoltaic module developed and produced entirely by the company at its factory in Oliveira de Frades. It will also showcase its pv solution for outdoor parking, an innovative product that offers an incredibly versatile PV application.

MTS-220-P

One of the product stars that Martifer Solar is showing in Europe is its solar photovoltaic module. A polycrystalline module commercialized under the name MTS-220-P, which has a high quality and a guarantee of potency of 90% in the first 10 years and 80% in 25 years, and a guarantee on the product of 5 years . The module is produced at its factory in Oliveira de Frades, northern Portugal, a high-tech facility that occupies an area of 10,000 m2 and is fully automated by the German company KUKA.

System size: 6 kW

Completion date: 2008

System type: Roof-mount

# of trees planted yearly: 15

CO2 reduction yearly: 3 tons

System size: 5 kW

Completion date: 2009

System type: Building-integrated

# of trees planted yearly: 19

CO2 reductions yearly: 3 tons

Audobon Center at Debs Park

System size: 18 kW

Completion date: 2004

System type: Roof-mount

CO2 reduction yearly: 11.61 tons

# of trees planted yearly: 70

Glendale Community College

System size: 15 kW

Completion date: 2003

System type: Roof-mount

# of trees planted yearly: 58

CO2 reduction yearly: 10 tons

Apogee Electronics

System Size: 15 kW

Completion date: 2007

System type: Roof-mount

# 0f trees planted yearly: 58

CO2 reduction yearly: 10 tons

System size: 6 kW

Completion date: 2008

System type: Roof-mount

# of trees planted yearly: 15

CO2 reduction yearly: 3 tons

System Size: 3 kW

Completion date: 2005

System type: Roof-mount

# of trees planted yearly: 12

CO2 reduction yearly: 2 tons

West End Hotel

Size:24 kW

Completion date: 2004

# of trees planted yearly: 93

CO2 reduction yearly: 15.5 tons

Lee & Associates

Size: 15 kW

Completion date: 2007

System type: Roof-mount

# of trees planted yearly: 58

CO2 reduction yearly: 10 tons

T:    415 874 3654
F:    415 874 3001

Santa Monica Public Library

Size: 10 kW

System Type: Roof-mounted

Los Angeles, California

Size: 22 kW

System type: Roof-mount

# of trees planted yearly: 12

CO2 reduction yearly: 2 tons

Size: 2 MW

Completion date: 2008

System type: Ground-mount

# of trees planted yearly: 7740

Reduction in CO2 emissions yearly: 1290 tons

The Metallic Constructions business area fully achieved its objectives for 2008, with €323,6 Mn revenues and an EBITDA growth of 20% to €34,7 Mn. This performance is the result of a geographical expansion strategy (Romania, Ireland and Angola) and the focus of more complex and added value projects.

Energy Systems presented €313,5 Mn revenues and €26,4 Mn EBITDA, representing a strong growth when compared to 2007 (respectively +176% and +168%). In 2008 it completed all industrial units as scheduled, both in the wind power cluster and the photovoltaic plant. Electricity Generation followed its investment plan in wind farms and solar parks as planned, with an investment of €140 Mn in 2008, namely in Spain, Poland, Romania, Brazil and Portugal.

With €268,3 Mn revenues and €5,4 Mn EBITDA, Agriculture and Biofuels performance was affected by external factors, namely biodiesel regulation in Portugal and strong volatility of raw materials prices, biodiesel prices and exchange rates.

Martifer Solar plants over 9,300 trees and shrubs.

Martifer Solar has started to reforest its solar installations, which are already working at full capacity. The company will plant over 9,300 plants at a total of 24,432 m² in its first action. Martifer Solar has a strong commitment to the Environment and attaches great importance to the planting; it will not only make the surroundings of the solar installation to regain its original appearance, but in many cases, will improve it, because the solar photovoltaic plants are often installed on wasteland or degraded land.

Martifer Solar CEO, Henrique Rodrigues, explains the importance of the reforestation for Martifer Solar, “a company dedicated to clean energy, such as ours, should never forget that is contributing to improving the Environment so, its obligation is to restore the areas that have been influenced by its works, giving an example of responsibility and respect for Nature. “

The first Martifer Solar action in reforestation is taking place at the solar photovoltaic installation of Villarrobledo in Albacete, South East Spain, this is a facility that occupies an area of 5.4 hectares and has a power of 2.2 MW, enough to supply over 1,200 homes.

Local Flora

All plants that Martifer Solar is using for reforestation are species of the local flora, that has many advantages and no disadvantage, among the advantages: they are species adapted to the climate of the area and their land, so they hold, much better, periods of drought and cold, and of course thrive better than introduced species and require no maintenance or irrigation.

In total Martifer Solar will plant over 9,300 plants from large trees like oaks and pines to shrubs and herbaceous plants as thyme, broom and white candytuft, all in an area of 24,423 m², 39% of the total. Both, the trees and shrubs will be planted, in a random, non-linear, to emulate the normal behavior of the Nature and the entire perimeter of the property will be surrounded by broom, which will minimize the visual impact of the fence, in addition will contribute to create corridors for wildlife.

Martifer Solar Greece participates in Ecotec, the country’s premier solar conference

Martifer Solar is unstoppable in Greece, it is near to start its first large photovoltaic plants in Greece (during 2008 it has implemented several kW of on-roof installations), and after the warm reception that the company had in its presentation to the media and investors in Greece last year, now participates in Ecotec, the Athens Renewable Energies Exhibition. Martifer Solar Hellas will be in Ecotec at the stand G4 located in Hall 4 of the Expo Athens.

Following the success of the Martifer Solar participation in the last year Ecotec, the company has not hesitate to be present in the country’s most important forum of solar PV, as Spiros Kopolas, its CEO, explains “for us is very important to participate in Ecotec because we want to show to investors and potential customers our ability and our experience, without any doubt our company is great, and it is intended to be one of the most important players in the PV Greek industry. We want to show here what we can do. “

Martifer Solar had a great reception last year in its first participation in an exhibition in Greece, now with one year of experience in the Hellenic territory, it is expected that its stand will be one of the most popular of the exhibition

System size: 11 kW

Completion date: 2008

System type: Roof-mount

# of trees planted yearly:43

Reduction in CO2 emissions yearly: 7 tons

Torre De Cristobal

Size: 37 kW

System type: Building integrated

Pasadena, California

Size: 3 kW

System type: Roof-mount

Wastewater Treatment Plant

Size: 600 kW

System type: Ground-mount

# of trees planted yearly: 2322

CO2 reduction yearly: 387 tons

Saddleback Church

Size: 250kW

System type: Roof-mount

# of trees planted yearly: 248

CO2 reduction yearly: 10 tons

Size: 64kW
System type: Roof-mount
# of trees planted yearly: 248

CO2 reduction yearly: 41 tons

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