Solar Decathlon: Spotlighting American innovation

If the US Department of energy its first Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in 2002 instead of American energy issues grew nervous for the first time in decades. Natural gas prices had skyrocketed, California had recovered just from rolling blackouts and the events of 9/11 and our continued dependence on foreign sources of energy were foremost in our minds.

In the meantime as America his drop in rankings in mathematics and the sciences, request for stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skilled workers increased to the point that the STALK grew three times faster than other positions jobs. While we lag behind many Asian and European countries stem areas, there were advance studies in the fields of STEM a growing movement in education policy and curriculum elementary school and college-level, to improve the competitiveness of the United States in these areas intended.

Energy and education met in this timed Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C., culminating in more than a dozen solar 2002 apartments temporarily erected in front of the Capitol and toured driven by thousands of visitors from all over the world. Office of energy efficiency and renewable energy solar technology program made possible, reinforced this new, experimental program outside the traditional work of the DOE through the initiative of Dr. Richard King, and together moved to college students from different academic fields of architecture, engineering, natural sciences, communications, interior design and others - the most cost effective, attractive, and energy efficient solar-powered home.

Decathlon used a "If you build it, they will come" - bring strategy, the solar energy as a viable solution for our energy and education challenges in the foreground: when you train and encourage innovative thinkers to the students, the students will turn in educating the public about affordable renewable energy systems available today. The program encourages innovation while driving product awareness, promotes growth in new markets; In the meantime require promoting STEM skills in our students, the creative integration with other areas. The most important physics had to work hand in hand to make the landscape gardener, the home function as a system.

The prosperity and the Solar Decathlon to reach over the past decade (there are programs in China and Europe the Solar Decathlon now), as well as larger programs such as the SunShot initiative that 2011 has funded since the beginning, more than 150 solar technology work to leverage private dollars and innovations. Leaving alive their birthplace of Washington, for the first time, biennial Solar Decathlon will start in California this year with a bevy of collegiate teams from around the nation - and worldwide - presented like solar's role in the diversification of the energy mix of the country and growing.

With 120,000 Americans at more than 5,600 enterprises builds the U.S. solar industry helps our houses and shops makes; and presented by the new technologies and designs on the Solar Decathlon, it is clear that the United States is a global competitors - both in education and solar deployment.

Ask the way, as she and her team their solar house for this competition planned every hard-working students at the Solar Decathlon in Orange County, and between the talk of blinds you hear a themed panels, LEDs, light, and water treatment,: it is built to win. And this is good news for all of us.

Two way Americans receive more responsibility of their energy future

Three years ago, the prospects for Americans to own the future their energy seemed relatively bleak. There was almost no replicable to do models municipal energy projects or investments, despite decreasing unit costs and technology - solar and wind-, which are suitable for local development.

But thanks to the recent opportunities in community solar and Crowdfunding, maybe we will see a market for renewable energy in America, where everyone wins.

We start with solar. It's the ultimate distributed renewable energy sunshine is everywhere – and its cost falls so quickly that within a decade 300 gigawatt solar unsubsidized competitive with local prices in communities in the country. In 2010, only one model for the development of community had proven solar easily replicable and there was no way, is a Community collective capital to invest in local energy (except maybe one Stadtwerke, story for another time) to combine. Since almost three quarters which residential roofs not suitable for solar, it was hard to see how most Americans take advantage of the Sun might brighten their energy future.

But in the year 2013, community solar are rising fast. Colorado Community-solar garden program - selling off his 9-megawatt limit in half an hour - shows a powerful model for people to go, even if their own roof is their money, solar, you don't or bundle not sunny let. Their model to other countries, such as the clean energy brought some companies in Colorado already have collective solar joint venture with the Wright Hennepin electric cooperative in Minnesota, and legislation consider to expand the possibility of other States (including Minnesota).

Remember in the year 2013, possibly opening the floodgates of Crowdfunding.

At the end of 2012, mosaic California (solar) launched their first joint project for solar investments, so that 51 California investors 6.38 percent profits to invest in a 47 kilowatt (kW) solar plant on the roof of the youth employment partnership in Oakland earn. Their subsequent 235 kW project of ups the ante and was open to ordinary people in California and New York (and accredited investors in all 50 States). It sold out in only 24 hours more than 400 investors with an average share of only $700. The investment used a common securities law exemption (rule 506 of Regulation D) and investors get an annual yield of 4.5 percent (minus the fees) within nine years, greening the economy and their budgets.

The key advantage of solar mosaic is the investment. Solar projects have sometimes called net virtual shared energy savings for participants, metering leave. Potential investors in the same utility service area is limited, and the savings can not be made to a property outside of this range. The mosaic model community solar transforms a simple investment, potential investors, to invest a given mosaic project, to elect cash in a Treasury or savings account with significantly higher yields than parking. Because now it is limited to broad participation in only two States, New York and California, but mosaic "works", to expand the possibility.

Mosaic can be renewable only the first salvo in a firestorm of community investment. JOBS Federal 2012 intends to create a new segment of investment security with much lower advance and legal costs, the mass pool would allow up to $1 million for solar and other renewable Energieprojekte.Der only "downside" in the mosaic model is that it explicitly not geography investments to connect. New York City resident, can invest in a project in California, but not in Manhattan or the Bronx. If this model successfully to remain, but it is likely that will change.

Crowdfunding isn't either on renewable energies, be restricted. People could their resources in block by block is energy efficiency retrofit, reduce their own and their neighbours of energy costs and share with the energy savings other local investors to invest together. Crowdfunding for energy efficiency could be combined with commercial building energy reviews your choice (only MN adopt in Minneapolis, for example) the least efficient buildings with the greatest potential for savings. Local joint investment would not only knock, and additional energy savings to share, but idle would boost the local economy by workers, it was make to work building more cost-effective and less climate damage.

Community solar and Crowdfunding are still in their infancy, but they represent two powerful tools for the Americans their energy take over future.

This post originally appeared on ILSRs self-reliant energy status blog.

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