Renewable and “green” energy, such as electric generation from solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, are hot topics today. Public policy discussions revolve around energy policies, Renewable Portfolio Standards, tax incentives, and subsidies. But from a business owner’s perspective, the decision to “Go Solar” is usually an economic decision - does a commercial solar project make economic sense and how does one determine if it is worth investigating further? We will examine a simple site specific test. read article here

As an independent solar consultant, I am often asked by foreign and U.S. financiers and companies to help them evaluate land and develop it for large-scale solar projects of 1 MW or larger. The primary purpose is to sell the generation to electric utilities, which are mandated to generate and buy more renewable energy. The U.S.A. seems to be the ideal location for large scale solar development and eager solar champions envision a modern day Gold Rush - and why not? There is an abundance of solar radiation, there is a robust national transmission grid to distribute the power, there are many nearby load centers, and the U.S.A. is an entrepreneurial nation. Enthusiasm soon turns to frustration, however. What seems to be a perfect location actually can be an exceptionally difficult one, where only the 'brave dare to venture'. read article here

Reclamation District 108 (RD 108) procured this project to power its irrigation pumps at Sycamore Slough, 5.5 miles northwest of Knights Landing in Yolo County, California. The location and its associated environmental limitations, along with avoided-cost considerations, substantially challenged the project’s designers. read full article