Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you know that there is a total eclipse of the sun set to cross the United States from Oregon to South Carolina on August 21st. This is a Really Big Deal as the next total eclipse to come to the U.S. won’t be until 2045!
So there is a great deal of excitement around this event, but might there also be a “dark side"? (Sorry, couldn’t resist the pun.) Here’s our take…
The eclipse in California will not be total (unlike for our friend and former colleague, Laurel Hamilton, who is now up in Bend), with coverage ranging from roughly 76% in Northern California to 62% here in SoCal during the hours of roughly 9 to Noon. But that will still have an impact on solar energy production in the state, and that could mean that the California Independent System Operator (CalISO) might have to rely on more fossil fuels during the two-plus hour eclipse window.
How big an impact will this have? It is 10:30 as I write this and according to the CalISO website, at this moment, solar is producing 9,119 MW (at utility-scale plants - that total does not count rooftop solar) which amounts to 27% of the total load being served. That means that on the 21st, solar production could be reduced by as much as 6,930 MW, leaving it up to gas-fired plants to fill that gap. Unless…
Unless we find a way to cut our usage by a similar amount during that period. Given that we are talking about an August day, that might be tough, but every bit helps. That is why the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has set up a pledge page to encourage Californians to take steps both before and during the eclipse to lower their demand. (We just made our pledge - we are shutting off unneeded lights and the A/C during, and swapping out to more LEDs before.)
As of now, we are the 259th pledge to be made. Let’s drive that number up, shall we? It’s easy, just click on the button below!
Take the Pledge!
Ten years ago this month we founded Run on Sun—which, to paraphrase Vice President Biden, “was a pretty big [freaking] deal." Think about it: when we started in 2006, the California Solar Initiative didn’t exist, the federal tax credit was capped at $2,000, and looming in the near future was the Great Recession.
Despite that inauspicious start, we have gone on to install solar at major schools like Westridge and Chandler, ditto at countless homes around SoCal, and we have been honored to make Solar Power World’s list of the Top Solar Contractors four years in a row! It has been quite a ride and we are ready to celebrate!
We are planning a party to share our achievement with our wonderful clients in the coming weeks (watch your email for an invite soon!), but today we want to invite our neighbors to join us in greening their energy. For all new clients who sign contracts with us during the month of September we will be offering a Birthday discount of $500 off the proposal price! This applies both to folks who already have proposals in their hands as well as those who get a proposal during the month.
But September is a short and busy month so you need to act now!
Click on this link to request a free solar site evaluation, or just give us a call at 626-793-6025 or 310-584-7755.
Let’s party!
Its been a week since we returned from the most epic solar event of the year - Intersolar North America in San Francisco. Now that we are caught up on the backlog of emails and calls we can take a moment to reflect on key highlights from the event.
Energy Toolbase - These guys are the kings of data. We have been working with them since last year’s Intersolar to help us show our clients how solar will offset their electric bills with the greatest confidence possible. They are constantly adding more of the dozens of complex rate models around the country to their system. And now they’ve built in net metering 2.0 in anticipation of this huge change to California rates coming next year as well as storage into their models. Staying ahead of all the rate changes nation-wide is a huge undertaking but these guys are on top of it!
Kendra Hubbard, Jim Jenal, Jeff Spies, and me at BotB
It is official! One million solar systems have been installed across the United States providing more than 27 gigagwatts (GW) of clean energy over the past 40 years! This incredible milestone becomes even more impressive when you consider that projections have us reaching 2 million installations in just 2 years.
Every day at Run on Sun we are proud to be part of the solar movement helping our communities access clean renewable energy. Solar is no longer a fringe technology, nor is it a solution for the future. It is powering homes and businesses nationwide today, and the more solar we install, the more jobs and economic growth we support.
On Tuesday, May 3rd at 10AM EDT solar supporters across the nation are participating in a social media “thunderclap". Join us in celebrating and sharing this historic achievement and what it means for our energy future by spreading the word across your networks. Working together to raise our voice in unity shows our business leaders and lawmakers that solar is here to stay. We are #MillionSolarStrong! Join the SEIA organized movement and thunderclap here.
Longtime readers of this blog will know that we have been following the progress of the Solar Impulse team for many years. Headed by adventurers/pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, the Solar Impulse project was about building an airplane that could fly around the world powered only by solar power!
The original craft, Solar Impulse 1, flew across the United States back in 2013 as a proof-of-concept design that could set the stage for the around-the-world attempt. That audacious enterprise begin in March of 2015 as Solar Impulse 2 launched from Abu Dhabi on its way around the world. Last summer, SI2 made it to Hawaii, but the effort needed for that extended non-stop flight from Japan damaged the batteries and required some redesign and retrofitting before the mission could proceed. But this Thursday, April 21, was finally the day, and SI2 departed from Hawaii, headed for a landing at Moffet Airfield outside of San Francisco - a 62 hour flight!
For those who haven’t been following the mission, since there is only one pilot on-board, he can never really sleep during the flight. Instead he takes power naps of 20 minutes at a time, assisted by self-hypnosis to quickly bring about a state of relaxation. In addition, the pilot does yoga and the limited exercises afforded by his incredibly small and cramped cabin.
But how does the plane itself - which is only powered by sunlight - manage to fly at night? By an ingenious combination of electric and potential energy storage. During the day, SI2 follows a flight profile of climbing from 5,000 to approximately 28,000 feet. Sunlight charges the batteries through a collection of more than 17,000 monocrystalline silicon solar cells. Then at night, SI2 begins a gentle descent, mostly gliding from its lofty height, to begin the process all over again.
So how did it turn out? As these great images make clear, pilot Bertrand Piccard, made it safe and sound. The revised systems performed with out a hitch, and SI2 cruised past the Golden Gate Bridge on its way to a successful landing.
Ah to have been in the San Francisco Bay area yesterday! What a beautiful and inspiring sight!
The Solar Impulse team still has a great deal of work ahead of them including crossing the United States (they will be flying into New York City which should be something!) before crossing the Atlantic as they complete their mission of showing the world the true capability of clean energy.