Coupled with the economic climate and its recent effects on Commercial Real Estate, going green is just one of the choices available in an effort to cut costs in building and maintaining office buildings, retail stores, manufacturing facilities and malls. There can be significant savings in utility costs and there are many choices in the marketplace with regards to heating and cooling.
Now, new thin solar films are available that cover windows of office buildings all around the country. They reduce the temperature inside the buildings as well as cut cooling costs. Earlier versions of solar film reduced heat getting through but the tint created a darker environment, more noticeable in northern parts of the country.
This new thin solar film is placed over the buildings glass, is crystal clear but cuts ultraviolet and infrared light while allowing the visible spectrum through. The reflection reduces 55% of the suns heat and increases the comfort Technology Industry Jobs of indoor environments. It is so clear it promotes natural light and reduces the need for indoor lighting. Tenants notice a significant heat increase in areas that are not filmed as opposed to those that have been covered.
The clarity of the new film allows in maximum light and decreases energy use. Some tenants Manufactured Goods Definition Economics have reported that they did not need to put any lighting in perimeter offices.
New technology has also allowed some films to not only block light, but actually produce energy. These new films contain ultra-thin photovoltaics which generate electricity during daytime hours. Depending on the geographic location of the building, the payback on this investment can range from six months to three years.
Since the inception of the October 2008 Emergency Economic Stabilization Act residential owners who install energy efficient improvements in 2009 can qualify for special tax credits, helping to defray the cost of installation.
However, interest within the Commercial Real Estate community has heightened with the recent spikes in the price of oil and decreases in average rents. Commercial property owners face greater economic challenges because of property size, but can also potentially get significant State and Federal tax deductions. Go to for more information on tax incentives in your state.…
Tag: solar
BP Solar Closes Maryland Plant Due to Market Competition
Though BP Solar is a big name in the renewable energy industry and maintains steady investment in wind energy technology, its efforts in solar development have endured a significant blow.
In March 2010, the company announced that it would be ceasing operations at their Frederick, Maryland manufacturing facility. BP Solar opened the facility just three and a half Stuart Cinema Nyc years ago. With lower cost solar materials and equipment being imported from China and even India, BP Solar simply determined the move to be the most financially practical.
Out of 430 employees at the Frederick plant, 320 were laid off. Production involved with silicon casting, wafering, and cell manufacturing was ceased and all workers associated with these departments lost their jobs. BP Solar plans to shift all the remaining in-house manufacturing to other low-cost joint ventures to ultimately become more affordable to their market. Sales and marketing, research and technology, project development and other business support functions will remain.
Reyad Fezzani, CEO of BP Solar, stated “Solar prices declined between 40 and 50 percent since the onset of the financial and economic crisis, compressing Tools Used In Industry margins and driving solar power towards grid competitive pricing.” To combat this decrease in pricing, solar companies have looked to decrease costs. One of the ways to decrease costs is to hire cheaper labor in foreign countries, which is what BP has done.
Beginning in the first quarter of 2009, BP Solar also closed several other high-cost manufacturing locations and consequentially reduced their prices by 45%. Most solar companies have found themselves drastically lowering their inventory values due to strong international competition and depressed silicon prices.…
Can Solar and Decentralized Generation Save California?
Rooftops may not be the final frontier, but they do provide ample fields for cultivating solar panels.
So says Al Weinrub, who has penned “Community Power: Decentralized Renewable Energy in California.” Weinrub is a member of the Sierra Club California Energy-Climate Committee and serves on the Steering Committee of the Bay Area’s Local Clean Energy Alliance. He said he relied extensively on work from both.
“Decentralized generation means that local residences, businesses, and communities become electric power producers,” he writes. “Businesses with large rooftops or parking lots can become small power companies that feed electricity into the grid.”
The beauty is that these buildings are already connected to the electrical grid and have an existing footprint, benefits that a remote solar installation doesn’t always have. Industrial solar on empty land requires extensive permitting, studies and review of environmental impact, especially if its federal. Those panels definitely can change a picturesque landscape.
Buildings offer many acres of alternative energy opportunity. Just check out John Majoris’ work at for a King Kong view of some pretty amazing projects.
My co-worker Sandy Nax and I came to a similar conclusion over the past year or so. Actually our former governor said the same thing and we agreed: The otherwise unused rooftops of the acres of warehouses in Fresno/San Joaquin Valley provide a great place for easy-to-permit solar and a cheap additional crop to be farmed on those rather ugly asphalt-topped fields.
I apologize in advance to any owners of said structures who have added white What Is Dagmar In Advertising “cool roofs,” that drastically lower cooling costs by reflecting sunlight.
Some companies in California already are moving ahead with industrial solar on commercial warehouses. IKEA, for example, plans to install 7,980 panels on its Tejon distribution center just off Interstate 5 at the foot of the Grapevine south of Bakersfield. The installation will generate 2.8 million kilowatt hours annually, enough to power 251 houses. The retailer also plans solar systems at stores in Burbank, Costa Mesa, Covina, East Palo Alto, Emeryville, West Sacramento and San Diego.
At the San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization, we also discussed the concept of acting as an informational conduit between municipalities and private business owners to get solar on their buildings to defray energy costs.
How the service would be provided is unclear, but the concept entails providing general costs, explaining options and facilitating projects in our sun-drenched region. We started the debate after several of our client cities, Delano, Atwater and Corcoran, asked what we knew about getting solar into cut their electricity costs.
At a recent Atwater City Council meeting, the concept was raised of using solar panels to defray the intensive costs of pumping water to meet summertime demands. All small jurisdictions in the San Joaquin Valley, like many across the nation, are hard-hit due to reduced revenues from dramatic declines in real estate values.
For instance my house in Clovis is now worth $120,000 on a good day. I bought it in 2005 …
What Can I Use Solar Power for in My Home or Office?
If you’re thinking of solar power as an option for your home, then congratulations. Taking steps towards renewable energy is a worthy cause. There are many options with solar electricity in terms of how much you want to use, how you want to combine it with other sources and installation options. Solar power is expensive to install in homes and offices and must be done by an electrician, but once installed, there is only the negligible cost of maintenance to worry about, and the savings attached with the use of this power source. It’s worthwhile thinking about the energy that you use and whether solar power can realistically meet your demand.
Ratio of energy usage – how often do you use what?
Being connected to the national power grid means you can use as much energy as you need (or want) to use. The only danger is the potential epic bill you may receive. Relying on solar power alone means you will have a limited amount of energy available to you. Think about how often you use electricity around your home and whether solar power alone can power your home. Usually it is used in combination with wind-power or the grid. More about that later.
Capabilities.
Solar power’s capabilities, in terms of your home or office, will depend on whether or not the building is appropriately built and located to support the installations required. You will need to consider the following things:
Is your roof sufficiently unshaded and North-facing to gain the maximum benefit?
What size and scope is right for you? You will need to talk to your electrician or installer about this.
Can your roof support the panels Packaging Business Ideas required for power generation?
Many buildings will not meet the criteria for complete solar power support but a partial installation is a good option and will still save you money.
Installation What Is Industry Competition options.
Solar power is an intermittent energy source, meaning it is only available when the sun is shining directly on whatever collection method being used, whether through photovoltaic solar panels (PV) or the mirrors and lenses of concentrated solar power (CSP). The effectiveness of solar power relies on it being stored when not being immediately used. There are two main solutions to this problem. Rechargeable batteries are the traditional way of storing power, and are usually installed in systems where solar power is used conjunction with other alternate energy sources such as wind power. The other option is to use a Solar Bonus Scheme. This means that the energy you produce is fed into the national grid, gaining you credits with the power company. Effectively you are using the grid as a storage unit for your electricity. This has the added benefit of guaranteeing you power at all times, but means you are still connected to the grid. Talk to an electrical services company about what is best for you, your home or business.
Possible sacrifices you’ll have to make.
If you’re …