By Roy L Hales
Though many believe the lifetime of a solar panel is twenty-five years, a number of older models have exceeded this. When Kyocera tested a 30-year-old module, last year, they discovered it was still operating at 90.4% of capacity. There are 37-year-old Arco Solar (now SolarWorld USA) panels in operation. So How long do solar panels Last?
By Roy L Hales
He does not believe this project will make a meaningful long-term contribution to America’s economy, lower gas prices or increase America’s energy security. What it could do is undercut the nation’s global leadership in the fight against Climate Change. This morning, President Barack Obama Rejected the Keystone XL Pipeline.
By Roy L Hales
Two and a half hours were allotted for this meeting, but there was not enough time for everyone to testify. More than a hundred signed up to speak. The crowd spilled into two overflow rooms. Only one of the two proposed fossil fuel resolutions was voted on. Commissioner Amanda Fritz proposed adopting policy opposing any increase in the amount of crude oil being transported by rail through the city of Portland and the city of Vancouver, Washington. Portland’s Oil-by-rail Resolution Passed 4-0 .
Continue reading Portland’s Oil-By-Rail Resolution Passed 4-0By Roy L Hales
Many hoped California’s net-metering war was ending two years ago, when Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 327. The state’s Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) was given to the end of this year to create a new tariff that will kick in once the state’s big three investor owned utilities (PG&E, SCE and SDG&E) reach 5% nameplate generation capacity under net metering. With the deadline approaching, the “big three” went on the offensive. One of the California Public Utilities Commission hearings was in San Diego, on Oct. 28, 2015. That was where County Supervisor Dianne Jacob Defends Rooftop Solar.
Continue reading Supervisor Dianne Jacob Defends Rooftop SolarBy Roy L Hales
On any given day, half a million North Americans go through a blackout that lasts 2 to 4 hours. The US economy loses $150 billion a year through these incidents. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, the average Western European loses minutes, rather than hours, through annual power loses. The average German hasn’t experienced 20 minutes of per customer annual power losses for years and, in 2014, Germany broke the 12 minute barrier.
Continue reading Germany Broke The 12 Minute Per Year Barrier
