challenges and successes on the path solar in action · 2013. 10. 1. · challenges and successes...
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Challenges and Successes on the Path toward a Solar-Powered Community
San Francisco, California Includes case studies on:• UsingaWeb-basedSolarMaptoProvideSolarInformation tothePublic• TargetingCommercialPropertyOwnersthroughtheMayor’s SolarFounders’Circle• FacilitatingResidentialSolarGroupPurchases• AddressingMulti-TenantBarrierstoGoingSolar October2011
Solar in Action
SanFranciscowasdesignatedbytheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy(DOE)onJune20,2007,asaSolarAmericaCity.SanFranciscowasmakingrelativelysignificantprogresspromotingandenablingsolarpriortoreceivingassistancethroughtheSolarAmericaCitiespartnership.Atthetimeofthedesignation,SanFranciscobenefitedfrom:
• 2001voter-approved$100millionbondinitiativetopayforsolarsystems,energyefficiencyimprovements,andwindturbinesforpublicfacilities
• 2002ElectricityResourcePlanwithambitiousgoals,including50megawatts(MW)ofrenewableenergycapacityby2012with31MWprovidedbysolar
• Prioritypermittingforsolarinstallationsinstitutedin2004,withupdatedstreamlinedproceduresadoptedin2007
• 2004ClimateActionPlangoaltoreduceoverallgreenhousegasemissionsto20%below1990levelsbytheyear2012
• SanFranciscoSolarTaskForceestablishedin2007todeveloppolicyrecommendationstoacceleratethenumberofsolarinstallationsonresidentialandcommercialrooftopsinthecity
• Threemunicipalsolarinstallationswith1.2MWcapacity,includingthe675kilowatt(kW)systemontheMosconeConventionCenter,whichwasthelargestmunicipalinstallationinthecountryatthetime
• Morethan500residentialandcommercialsolarinstallationswithapproximately1.8MWincapacity.
SanFranciscohasverygoodsolarresourcepotential.SanFrancisco’sclearestweatherisduringcoolermonthsinthespring,fall,andwinter,meaningthatthesolarcellsremaincoolandoperatemoreefficientlythaninhotterclimates.
Building Partnerships and Setting Goals SanFranciscosetagoaltobothinstall31MWofsolarandtoreduceoverallgreenhousegasemissionsto20%below1990levelsby2012.Tohelpreachthesegoals,theSanFranciscoDepartmentoftheEnvironment(SFEnvironment)focusedeffortsonseveralapproachestospursolarmarketgrowth:
SanFranciscopromotessolarinthecommunitythroughhigh-profileinstallationsoncity-ownedbuildingssuchastheMosconeConventionCenter,thecity’sfirstlarge-scalesolarinstallationandthelargestmunicipalsystem(675kW)intheUnitedStateswhencompletedin2004.Photo from The City of San Francisco, NREL/PIX 18417
Cover photos from iStock/8809122, View of San Francisco
San Francisco’s Starting Point
About the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar America Communities program: TheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy(DOE)designated13SolarAmericaCitiesin2007andanadditional12citiesin2008todevelopcomprehensiveapproachestourbansolarenergyusethatcanserveasamodelforcitiesaroundthenation.DOErecognized thatcities,ascentersofpopulationandelectricityloads,haveanimportantroletoplayinacceleratingsolarenergyadoption. Asaresultofwidespreadsuccessinthe25SolarAmericaCities,DOEexpandedtheprogramin2010bylaunchinganationaloutreacheffort,theSolarAmericaCommunitiesOutreachPartnership.AstheSolarAmericaCitiesprogramevolvedtoincludethisnewoutreacheffort,theprogramwasrenamedSolarAmericaCommunitiestoreflectDOE’scommitmenttosupporting solarinitiativesinalltypesoflocaljurisdictions,includingcitiesandcounties.VisitSolarAmericaCommunitiesonlineat www.solaramericacommunities.energy.gov.
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• IncreasingpublicawarenessthroughinstallationofsolarenergysystemsonmunicipalbuildingsandbyconductingoutreachandeducationtoincreaseknowledgeoftheavailabilityandopportunitiesforsolarinSanFrancisco
• Creatingasolarmaptoprovideresidentsandbusinesseswithacomprehensivesolarinformationresource
• Identifyingsitesforlargeinstallationsandmarketingtothosebuildingowners
• Providingtechnicalassistanceforconsumerswantingindependentthird-partyhelpwithproposedsolarprojects.Inparticular,developingaprogramtogroupsolarcustomersintoaggregatedpurchasingpoolstobemarketedtosolarinstallers
• Addressingcostandfinancingissuesthroughsolar-friendlypolicydevelopment,suchasexpeditingpermittingprocessesandexploringwaysthecitycanhelpattractpreferentialpricesandreduceup-frontcosts
• Developingalocalsolarincentiveprogram
• Identifyingandaddressingbarrierstosolaronmulti-tenantbuildings,whichmakeup68%ofresidentialunitsinthecity.
SFEnvironmentidentifiedthefollowingkeyactivitiestomeetoverallsolargoals:
• Developaprogramtogroupsolarcustomersintoaggregatedpurchasingpoolstobemarketedtosolarinstallers
• Identifysitesforlargeinstallationsandmarkettothosebuildingowners
• Identifyandaddressbarrierstoinstallingsolaronmulti-tenantbuildings
• Createasolarmaptoprovideresidentsandbusinesseswithacomprehensivesolarinformationresource
• Developalocalsolarincentiveprogram.
SanFranciscosetagoaltobothinstall31MWofsolarandtoreduceoverallgreenhousegasemissionsto20%below1990levelsby2012.Photo from The City of San Francisco, NREL/PIX 18416
InstalledPVcapacityincreasefromDecember31,2007, toDecember31,2010
Installed PV (kW)
Installed CapacitySan Francisco
0
10,000
5,000
15,000
20,000
PV Capacity (Residential)PV Capacity (Non-residential)
2007 2008 2009 2010
kW
Year End
3Solar in Action
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Accomplishments and HighlightsTheSolarAmericaCitiesprogramenabledSanFranciscotoexpandthescopeofitssolareffortstoincreasetheamountofinformationandtechnicalassistanceavailabletothepublic.
Thecityalsoworkedtoaddressbarriersposedbythehighupfrontcostofsolaranddifficultiesformulti-tenantsolarprojects.
HighlightsofSanFrancisco’saccomplishmentsincludethefollowing:
• DevelopedtheSanFranciscoSolarMap,whichisthego-toresourceforsolarinformationforcitypropertyowners,receiving1,300visitspermonth.Itservesasa“one-stopshop”Webportalforresidentsandbusinessesinterestedinfindingtheirsolarrooftoppotentialandtheinformationtheyneedtosuccessfullygosolar
• CompletedthreeneighborhoodgrouppurchaseswithsupportfromSFEnvironment,with134residentialsystemstotalingmorethan300kW
• AssistedOneBlockOfftheGrid(1BOG)withthedevelopmentoftheirfirstgrouppurchaserequestforproposal(RFP);1BOGhassincefacilitatedSanFranciscogrouppurchasesof115residentialsystemstotaling300kW
• CreatedtheGoSolarSFlocalincentiveprogram,reaching$10Minreservationsfor4.3MWinthefirst2years,aswellassupporting40newjobsinthelocalsolarindustry
• Installedeightmunicipalsystemswith2-MWcapacityandanother5.4MWinprogress
• LaunchedtheGreenFinanceSFPACE(PropertyAssessedCleanEnergy)financingprogramforrenewableenergy,energyefficiency,andwaterconservationprojectsinApril2010.
Case Studies: Successes and ChallengesUsing a Web-based Solar Map to Provide Solar Information to the Public PriortotheSolarAmericaCitiesSanFranciscoSolarInitiative,SFEnvironmentidentifiedalackofpublicawarenessandinformationaboutsolarenergyuseinthecityasabarriertosolarmarketpenetration.Itisimportantthatpropertyownersmakedecisionsaboutsolarenergyusebasedonthecorrectinformation.
ManyresidentswereunawarethatSanFranciscoactuallyhasverygoodsolarpotential.SanFranciscoreceivessolarradiationequivalentto93%ofthatseeninSanDiego,and
coolertemperaturesduringclearmonthsallowformoreefficientenergyproductionthaninhotterareas,becausePVsystemsoperatemoreefficientlyatlowertemperatures.Thecity’smicro-climates,wheresomeneighborhoodsexperiencemorefoggydaysthanothers,contributetoamisperceptionthatsolarwon’tworkwellhere.
Misperceptionsaboutthetimeandcostrequiredforsolarpermittingpersistedeventhoughthepermittingprocessbecameeasierandcheaper.Itwasunclearwheretofindinformationforreputableinstallers,whatquestionstoaskthem,andhowtocomparedifferingbids.
Rebatesandtaxincentivescouldalsobedifficulttoidentifyandunderstand.
Withtheseconcernsinmind,SFEnvironmentdevelopedresourcestoprovideeasyaccesstoalltheinformationnecessarytounderstandwhatittakestopursueandcompleteasuccessfulprojectinthecity,andtopromotethevalueinchoosingtodoso.
TheSunsetReservoir’s5-MWPVsystem,financedthrough aPowerPurchaseAgreement,significantlyboostedsolargenerationinSanFrancisco.Photo from The City of San Francisco, NREL/PIX 18419
Many residents
were unaware that
San Francisco has very
good solar potential.
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TheSanFranciscoSolarMapoffersacentralizedwebsitewhereuserscanobtainthisinformation.ThemapwasdevelopedinpartnershipwiththeengineeringconsultingfirmCH2MHILL’ssustainabilitysolutionsgroup.Usingnewsoftwaretechnology,themapallowsuserstofindthesolarpotentialofanyrooftopinthecity.Userscanevaluatetheeconomicsofusingsolarataparticularsiteandfindinformationandguidanceforallthestepsalongthepathtosolarinstallationanduse.Themapalsoincludesmarkersandinformationforinstalledsystemsandisupdatedregularlywithrelevantlocalsolarnews.
Targeting Commercial Property Owners through the Mayor’s Solar Founders’ CircleTheMayor’sSolarFounders’Circlewascreatedtotargetownersofthelargestroofs,offeringfreepersonalizedtechnicalanalysisoftheirestimatedsolarpotentialandfinancialanalysisoftheestimatedsystemcostsandbenefits.InSeptember2008,SanFranciscotargetedthe1,500largestrooftopsinthecitywhenthen-MayorGavinNewsomchallengedtheirownerstojointheMayor’sSolarFounders’CirclebyinstallingasolarenergysystembySeptember2009.Thisoutreachcampaignsentlettersnotifyingbuildingownersoftheirsolarpotentialandthesolarbenefitstheycouldenjoybasedoninitialestimates.BusinessesthatrespondedreceivedfreeenergyefficiencyauditsandsolarsiteassessmentsfromSFEnvironmentinadditiontoanextra$1.50perwattGoSolarSFincentive,uptoacapof$10,000.
BetweenOctober2008andMay2009,morethan100buildingownersrespondedwithrequestsforassessments.Siteassessorsvisitedthesepropertiestogathermoredetailedinformation.Theythenanalyzedtheavailableroofareaandsolarexposure,andestimatedthepotentialsize,energyproduction,cost,andpaybackforasolarsystemoneachbuilding.Thisinformationhelpedbuildingownersdecidewhethertomoveforwardwithasolarenergysystem.
Ninety-threebuildingownersfollowedthroughwithprerequisiteenergyaudits,providedtheirutilitybillsforuseintheanalysis,andreceivedfinalsolarassessmentreports.
Basedonfollow-upconversations,therehavebeennoinstallsbyprogramparticipants,withmostcitingtheinabilitytoprovideorsecuretheupfrontcapitalnecessarytoinstall.
However,13sitesfollowedrecommendationsfromtheenergyauditstomakeenergyefficiencyupgradesestimatedtosave770,000kilowatthoursperyear(kWh/yr),equivalenttoabout450kWofsolar.
Throughthisprocess,SanFranciscoidentifiedalackoffinancingoptionsforsmall-tomid-sizecommercialsolarprojectsasanadditionalbarrier.ThisissueisbeingaddressedwithSanFrancisco’sSolarAmericaCitiesSpecialProject,launchedin2010.
Facilitating Residential Solar Group PurchasesTheinstalledcostforsmallersolarsystemsistypicallyhigherwhenapproachedone-by-onethroughindividualpurchasesbecauseofthetimerequiredbyinstallerstomarket,pursue
Aerialviewofthe675-kWPVinstallationattheMosconeConventionCenterinSanFrancisco.Photo from The City of San Francisco, NREL/PIX 18417
Then-MayorGavinNewsomandJohnLushetsky,DOE’sSolarEnergyTechnologiesprogrammanager,celebrateSanFrancisco’sdesignationasaSolarAmericaCity.Photo from The City of San Francisco, NREL/PIX 18421
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leads,assessthesolarfeasibilityofsites,andcompletethesale.Thecustomerpaysforhighertransactioncostsrelatedtothisinvestedtime.
Groupingindividualsintolarger,aggregatedpurchasingpoolsisoneapproachthathasbeenproventoallowcustomerstoreceivethebestprice.Organizedgroupshavetheadvantageofprovidinginstallerswithalargepoolofalreadyinterestedleads,reducingtheindividualtransactioncosts,andachievinggreaterpurchasingpowerthroughaneconomyofscale.
Withthisinmind,SanFranciscoidentifiedneighborhoodgroupsinterestedinorganizingsolargrouppurchasesandprovidedthemwithassistancetoreachthisgoal.
SFEnvironmentworkedwiththeseneighborhoodgroupstoeducatethemonthedetailsofsolarenergyuse,assesstheirsolarpotential,anddevelopdocumentstheyneededtofacilitatethisprocess.WithhelpfromtechnicaladvisorsattheNationalRenewableEnergyLaboratory(NREL),grouppurchaseRFPsandcontracttemplateswerecreatedandmadeavailabletotheseresidents.
ThreegrouppurchasesweresupportedbySFEnvironment,leadingtoatotalof134residentialinstallationswithacombinedcapacityofmorethan300kW.Participatingresidentswereabletoinstallsolaratpricesdiscountedby20%ormore.
Alongwiththesupportofcommunity-ledsolarpurchasinggroups,SanFranciscoalsoprovidedassistanceto1BOG.Thisnewlyformedorganizationofferedtogatherprospectivecustomersintosolarpurchasingpoolsandmanagetheentireprocessforthem.SFEnvironmentandNRELtechnicaladvisorsworkedwith1BOGtodeveloptheirfirstRFP.
1BOGhasbeensuccessfulinSanFrancisco,with115membersinstallingresidentialsystemswithacombinedcapacityof300kW.FollowinginitialsuccesswiththismodelinSanFrancisco,1BOGexpandeditscampaignsto16citiesinninestates,andplanstomoveintomorecitiesinthefuture.
IntheirmostrecentSanFranciscocampaign,1BOGobtainedabasepriceof$5.39perwattfortheirmembers,whichwasmorethan30%belowtheaveragemarketpriceforindividualresidentialsystemsinstalledinthecity.
Addressing Multi-Tenant Barriers to Going SolarOfSanFrancisco’s346,000housingunits,68%arewithinmulti-tenantbuildings,withnearly35%oftheseinbuildingshavingbetweentwoandnineunitsandtheother33%inbuildingshaving10unitsormore.Therearenumerouscomplexissuesassociatedwithgettingsolarontothesebuildings.Barrierstosolarexistformostmulti-tenantrentalhousing,aswellasowner-occupiedunits,suchascondominiums.
SanFranciscoorganizedmeetingsamongsolarinstallers,landlords,tenants,andrelevantcitydepartmentstoidentifythebarrierstomulti-tenantsolar.Fromthesemeetings,a
numberofissuessurfaced.OneissuethatwasdealtwithrelativelyquicklyandeasilywaschangingtherequirementthatstipulatedtheGoSolarSFlocalincentivepaymentgotothehostcustomer(accountholder)ratherthanallowingittogotothelandlordwhopurchasedthesystem.
Amoredifficultissuetoaddresswasthatofnet-meteringinrentalproperties.Thevastmajorityofmulti-tenantbuildingsinSanFranciscoaresub-meteredforelectricityratherthanmaster-metered,meaningeachunithasitsownelectricaccountheldandpaidforbythetenant.Currentnet-meteringrulesrequireeachaccount(meter)beconnectedtoitsownsolarsystem,andcreditscanonlygotooffsettheelectricityusebythataccount.Inthissituation,theeconomiccaseforsolarishardtomaketolandlordswhomake
boththedecisionwhethertousesolarandthesystempurchase.
Sincethelandlorddoesn’tpaytheelectricbillfortenantunits,heorsheisunabletoreceivethebenefitofthesavingsprovidedbyoffsettingutilityusewithsolarenergy.
ItalsoisunclearwhetherlandlordscanreceiveapprovalfromtheSanFranciscoRentBoardtopasssolarsystemcoststhroughtotenantswhobenefit.
SFEnvironmentandtheRentBoardamendedtherentordinancetospecifysolarasa“qualifiedrenewableenergyimprovement,”buthavebeenunabletogetthislegislationthroughtheBoardofSupervisors.Itispossiblethatlandlordscouldgetpass-throughapproval,butitisuncertainbecause,todate,nolandlordhaspursuedthisandsetprecedent.
San Francisco met with installers, landlords,
and tenants to identify barriers to
multi-tenant solar.
TheGoSolarSFincentivehasprovidedsomeabilitytoovercometheeconomicbarriersbyallowingbuildingownerstotakearesidentialincentiveforeachmeterservedbysolar.
Additionalobstaclesidentifiedincludethedifficultylandlordsandinstallershaveobtainingtenants’electricalusagehistoryfromthelocalutility,whichisneededtosizesystemsappropriately;theamountofduplicatepaperworkrequiredtoapplyforasolarrebateforeachmeterservedunderboththestateCaliforniaSolarInitiative(CSI)andGoSolarSFprograms;andthelimitedamountofroofareaavailableforsolar,manytimesmakingitimpossibletoservemorethanthecommonarealoadsofthebuildings.
Mostbuildingsaremaster-meteredforgasuseandlandlordspaythebill.WiththenewCSI-Thermalstateincentiveprogramforsolarwaterheating(SWH),theabilitytomaketheeconomiccaseforSWHiseasierthanforphotovoltaics(PV)onthesebuildings.SWHalsoneedsmuchlessroofareathanPVtoproduceenoughenergyfortherelatedload.Forthesereasons,SanFranciscohasturneditsfocusonmulti-tenantsolartowaterheatingratherthanPVinstallations.
Top TakeawaysSanFranciscohasthefollowingrecommendationsforotherlocalgovernmentslookingtosupportsolarenergy:
• Provideeasyaccesstoacomprehensiveinformationresourceforresidentsexploringthesolaroptionandleadbyexamplewithhigh-profilemunicipalsolarprojects.
• Reducethecostofsolartobringmorecustomersintothemarketthroughorganizedgrouppurchasesandlocalincentiveprograms.
• Identifyandunderstandbarriers,suchasthoseexperiencedbymulti-tenantbuildingownersinSanFrancisco.However,thisisonlyhalfthebattle.Mostsolutionsarefairlycomplex.Forexample,avirtualnetmeteringprogramrequiresacombinationoftechnical(metering),administrative(billing),andlegal/equity(determininghowcreditsareapportioned)considerations,tonameafew.Potentialsolutionsincludecreatingarobustfeed-in
tariffprogramthatdisconnectson-sitedemandfromsolargenerationpayments,or,barringthat,somesortofvirtualmeteringsolutionsimilartowhatSanDiegoispilotingfortheCSIprogram.
Next StepsSupportedinpartbytheSolarAmericaCitiesSpecialProjectsfunding,SanFranciscowillfocusonthefollowingactivities:
• Developinganinnovativesolarfinancingoptionforsmalltomid-sizecommercialsites
• Developinganinnovativesolarfinancingoptionforschools
• SupportingtheMayor’sOfficeofHousinginthedevelopmentofinnovativedebtfinancingforsolarwaterheatingonaffordablehousingbuildings.
SanFranciscowillcontinuewithsolareffortsoutsideoftheSolarAmericaCitiesSpecialProjects,including:
• Continuedplanninganddevelopmentofnewmunicipalsolarinstallations
• StreamlinedpermittingforSWH
• Optionsforprovidingadditionalincentivesforin-citysolargenerationincoordinationwithSanFrancisco’sCommunityChoiceAggregationprogram,CleanPowerSF
• Explorationoftheoptionsavailablefordevelopinga“communitysolar”program,suchasSacramentoMunicipalUtilityDistrict’sSolarShares,toallowresidentswhoareunabletoinstalltheirownsolarsystemstocontributetoandreceivebenefitfromanoff-sitesolarsystem.
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Additional Resources• SFEnvironment:www.sfenvironment.org/renewableenergy
• SanFranciscoSolarMap:sf.solarmap.org
• GoSolarSF:www.solarsf.org
• GreenFinanceSF:www.greenfinancesf.org
• CleanPowerSF:www.cleanpowersf.org
For more city information, contact: DepartmentoftheEnvironment,CityofSanFranciscoEmail:sfenvironment@sfgov.orgTelephone:415-355-3700 Formoreinformationongoingsolarinyourcommunity,visit Solar Powering Your Community: A Guide for Local Governments at http://solaramericacommunities.energy.gov/resources/guide_for_local_governments/
Formoreinformationonindividualcities’solaractivities,visitwww.solaramericacommunities.energy.gov/solaramericacities/action_areas/
EERE Information Center1-877-EERE-INFO(1-877-337-3463)www.eere.energy.gov/informationcenter
Printedwitharenewable-sourceinkonpapercontainingatleast50%wastepaper,including10%postconsumerwaste.
PreparedbytheNationalRenewableEnergyLaboratory(NREL)NRELisanationallaboratoryoftheU.S.DepartmentofEnergyOfficeofEnergyEfficiencyandRenewableEnergyOperatedbytheAllianceforSustainableEnergy,LLC
DOE/GO-102011-3220•October2011
AnnArbor AustinBerkeleyBostonDenverHoustonKnoxvilleMadisonMilwaukeeMinneapolis-SaintPaulNewOrleansNewYorkOrlandoPhiladelphia PittsburghPortlandSacramentoSaltLakeCitySanAntonioSanDiegoSan FranciscoSanJoséSantaRosaSeattleTucson
Clockwise from top left: Photovoltaic system in Philadelphia Center City district (photo from Mercury Solar Solutions); rooftop solar electric system at sunset (photo from SunPower, NREL/PIX 15279); Premier Homes development with building-integrated PV roofing, near Sacramento (photo from Premier Homes, NREL/PIX 15610); PV on Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City (photo from Utah Clean Energy); PV on the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (photo from Denver Museum of Nature & Science); and solar parking structure system at the Cal Expo in Sacramento, California (photo from Kyocera Solar, NREL/PIX 09435)
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