QUICK NEWS, November 9: SOLAR DOLLARS AND SENSE; CALIF PLANS FIRST OCEAN WIND; NEW VALUE FOR EV BATTERIES

SOLAR DOLLARS AND SENSE Determine Whether Solar Energy Makes Financial Sense for You

Simone Garneau, November 6, 2015 (Mother Earth News)

“…[Location] greatly impacts the cost of solar electricity, or LCOE…An average-sized residential solar panel installation with 5-kW capacity would cost about $14,000 ($20,000 minus the 30% federal investment tax credit)…[A]vailable rebates would decrease this cost further…[O]peration and maintenance costs over the expected 20-year lifetime of your panels would be about 20 percent of the initial installation cost before rebates — in this case, about $4,000…$14,000 + $4,000 = $18,000…In San Diego, the solar LCOE] equals about 11 cents/kWh…[I]n Portland, we are looking at about 16 cents/kWh…[C]ompare that number to what you are currently paying for electricity from your local utility…[and remember that while] the LCOE will remain the same over the lifetime of your panels, the cost of electricity from your utility is almost certain to rise…[Also remember the with] solar energy, you will save money AND help our planet…” click here for more

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CALIF PLANS FIRST OCEAN WIND California's first offshore wind farm proposed near Hearst Castle

Paul Rogers, November 9, 2015 San Jose Mercury News

“In a venture that could pit the state's commitment to green energy against its famed coastal environmental movement… Trident Winds has filed early paperwork with Morro Bay city officials [to build the first ocean wind farm 15 miles off California's central coast. Floating turbines] would generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 300,000 homes…California is already a national leader in wind energy on land, drawing 8 percent of its electricity from wind turbines…Texas is the only state that generates more electricity from wind…[To reach the state’s new 50 percent renewables by 2030 mandate, it] will need dozens of massive new solar arrays, wind farms and other projects…[Environmentalists are waiting to see the project’s location and how it will impact] migrating whales, night lighting and birds…Floating wind technology is still new…A recent study by the U.S. Department of Energy found that offshore wind in the United States could supply 4,150 gigawatts of electricity -- four times the electricity now produced by all U.S. power plants combined…” click here for more

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NEW VALUE FOR EV BATTERIES World’s Largest 2nd-Use Stationary Energy Storage Device Under Construction

Jake Richardson, November 6, 2015 (Clean Technica)

“Construction of an energy storage station made from vehicle batteries has begun…[at Germany’s] Remondis SE, a recycling service and water company…When completed, it will have a 13 MWh capacity…A different recent energy storage installation in Germany has a 10 MW/10MWH capacity — projects of this scale seem to be popping up quite often lately…[If EV batteries] can be used effectively outside of vehicles…their costs get spread out much more widely among value/benefit from multiple industries…” click here for more

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