[Watchdogs] Solar power as cheap as from the grid- new panels achieve "grid parity"

Sat Jul 2 19:12:14 CDT 2011

Milton, my desire for solar energy (my house only, not a whole network) is because I live on a fixed income.  
I only worked for the State for six years so my retirement check is only $548.  My light bill this month is half
of that.  My friend that had the solar panels installed by Austin Energy broke even on the cost for his system
three years ago.  Now his electric bill is $40 to $50 a month.  I would be willing to go in debt now to know
that in four or five years I'd have a light bill like that.  With PEC I'll never have that option.  We'll all be paying
for Bernie's $16,000 retirement check forever!!

Ray Lambing

________________________________
From: Milton Hawkins <milton.hawkins at gmail.com>
To: Merle Moden <mlmoden at gmail.com>
Cc: R.B. Sloan <rbsloan.ceo at peci.com>; Watchdogs <watchdogs at pec4u.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 2, 2011 5:42 PM
Subject: [Watchdogs] Solar power as cheap as from the grid- new panels achieve "grid parity"

I'm eager to hear Andy's response to your assumption, Merle.  Are we being set up to bear the expense of even more incentives and rebates, plus the expense of running a loan operation and absorbing bad loans?

("I assume that you meant that these lower
    costs for solar panels will provide the impetus for the PEC to subsidize these costs, or provide low-interest loans for member-owners choosing to install solar panels." - Merle's assumption, with my emphasis on the suggested use of member-owners' money)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Merle L. Moden <mlmoden at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Jul 2, 2011 at 5:14 PM
Subject: Re: [Watchdogs] Solar power as cheap as from the grid- new panels achieve "grid parity"
To: Andy Wilson <andy.citizen at gmail.com>
Cc: Watchdogs <watchdogs at pec4u.org>

Andy:

Although a few provisions of the LCRA contract have become known,
    the payments amounts in the LCRA contract regarding demand charges
    remain a secret, as far as I know.  Do you have information about
    the prices we pay for peak energy?  If so, please share those
    numbers with the Watchdogs.  I have requested and have been refused
    any information about the terms of the LCRA contract.

This secrecy has been an impediment to any meaningful cost
    comparisons among the various energy sources.

You say that this development will allow PEC member-owners to own
    their own power.  PEC member-owners have always had the opportunity
    to own their own power.  I assume that you meant that these lower
    costs for solar panels will provide the impetus for the PEC to
    subsidize these costs, or provide low-interest loans for
    member-owners choosing to install solar panels. 

Thanks. 

Mr. Merle L. Moden
1111 Thompson Ranch Road
Wimberley, Texas 78676-6129 512 847-1335 
On 7/1/2011 1:25 PM, Andy Wilson wrote: 
Solar power has long been assailed as "too expensive", but QSolar will begin shipping panels to California later this month that achieve "grid parity"-- meaning they will produce electricity for as cheap as the average market cost. Now, in this case it's the average market cost in California, which is more expensive. The point is that for less than what we pay LCRA for our peak energy, co-op member-owners can truly own their own power.  
>
>
>To get to that cost, PEC would probably have to buy quite a few panels to get the bulk discount.  However, with San Antonio and Austin's solar programs, and everyone from Bluebonnet to San Marcos to Georgetown looking at alternatives, this might be something where all of the public power entities up and down the I-35 corridor work together to buy in bulk from the same supplier to bring costs down.  This is an example of the "cooperation among cooperatives" principle I think that is worth exploring. 
>
>
>~~Andy
>
>
>http://www.electroiq.com/photovoltaics/2011/06/1443360111/qsolar-will-achieve-grid-parity-on-a-commercial-scale-with-crystalline-silicon-and-plans-to-start-sh.html?cmpid=ENLPVTimesJune302011
>
>
>QSolar Will Achieve Grid Parity on a Commercial Scale with Crystalline Silicon and Plans to Start Shipments of Kruciwatt PV Panels in Q4 2011
>QSolar Limited ("QSolar" or the "Company")(CNSX: QSL) is pleased to announce that it will be the first solar company in the world to achieve grid parity in the manufacturing of high efficiency crystalline silicon solar panels on a commercial scale. ... The initial production run that will achieve grid parity status will be to fulfil the $75.4 million order that was previously announced for Commercial Solar Design Inc. of California (April 21, 2011).
>Andreas Tapakoudes, President & CEO of QSolar commented, "The ultimate objective for solar industry participants is to achieve grid parity, which means that they can produce electricity from the sun at the same overall cost as the commercially available cost of electricity produced by fossil fuels. Until now this objective has not been achieved on a commercial scale of production. With QSolar's proprietary Kruciwatt wafer manufacturing process, the Company has already achieved grid parity in the laboratory and is now working on scaling up its production to commercial quantities. The Company believes this grid parity status will be achieved in Q4 this year. With the manufacturing cost of our Kruciwatt panels below $0.74/W, and in view of the fact that commercially available panels are selling at around $1.50/W in volume quantities, QSolar will be in an extremely strong position in terms of market penetration and operating profits."
>
>
>
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-- 
Milton Hawkins  milton.hawkins at gmail.com
P.O. Box 1502
Johnson City, Texas 78636-1502
830-868-9075

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