gw solar institute annual report 2010

THE GW SOLAR INSTITUTE 2009-2010 ANNUAL REPORT

THE SOLAR REPORT

October 2010

The George Washington University Solar Institute

609 22nd Street, NW, Suite 301

Washington, DC 20052

http://solar.gwu.edu

GW Solar Institute Annual Report 2010

THE SOLAR REPORT THE GW SOLAR INSTITUTE 2009-2010 ANNUAL REPORT

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OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................... 6 MAKING AN IMPACT IN WASHINGTON AND THE STATES ..................................................................... 8

Advising the U.S. Department of Energy and Other Executive Branch Agencies ............................................ 8

DOE Grand Challenge for $1/Watt Electricity from Solar Energy ................................................................. 8

DOE Solar Vision .................................................................................................................................... 9

Energy Information Administration ........................................................................................................ 10

...................................................................................................... 11

Energy (ARPA-E) ................................................................ 11

Office of Science and Technology Policy .................................................................................................. 12

Assisting the U.S. Congress ....................................................................................................................... 12

Assisting State Officials ............................................................................................................................. 13

RESEARCHING AND ANALYZING CRITICAL ISSUES .............................................................................. 14

Research by the Institute and its Faculty Partners ...................................................................................... 14

Analyzing the Cost and Performance of Photovoltaic Technologies ............................................................ 14

Defining the Impact of Tellurium Supply on Cadmium Telluride Photovoltaics .......................................... 14

Researching Improved Processes for Hydrogen Conversion ...................................................................... 16

Evaluating the Solar Energy Potential of the Department of Defense .......................................................... 17

Improving the Assessment of the Air Emissions Reduction Benefits of Solar Energy .................................... 17

Revaluating the Economics of Photovoltaics ............................................................................................. 18

Analyzing Current Economic Models for Solar Electric Generation ............................................................ 19

Researching Key Legal Issues to Support Solar Expansion ......................................................................... 19

Assessing the Design, Adoption, and Impact of State Solar Financial Incentives .......................................... 20

Modeling the Solar Grand Plan to Facilitate Deployment .......................................................................... 20

Assessing Policies to Expand Investment in and Use of Solar Power in the U.S. ........................................... 22

Student Research ...................................................................................................................................... 23

Analyzing the Endangered Species Act and Utility-Scale Solar Development in the Southwest ...................... 23

Researching Solar Real Estate Investment Trusts ...................................................................................... 23

Researching Restrictive Covenants .......................................................................................................... 24

RAISING AWARENESS ............................................................................................................................... 26

Educating the Next Generation of Solar Leaders ........................................................................................ 26

Hosting the Second Annual Symposium .................................................................................................... 26

Educating Stakeholders Through the News Media, Presentations, and Other Outreach ............................... 30

News Media .......................................................................................................................................... 30

Presentations and Other Outreach .......................................................................................................... 31

Internet and Social Media ....................................................................................................................... 32

MOVING FORWARD .................................................................................................................................. 35

APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................................. 36

TABLE OF CONTENTS

In its second year, the GW Solar Institute expanded its

multi-faceted work in addressing the major technical,

economic, legal and policy challenges associated with

the deployment of solar energy. We substantially

increased our assistance to Federal agencies,

particularly the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE),

completed and published significant research work,

broadened our research work with students, and

intensified our public outreach and education.

distinguished group of 100 experts from academia,

national laboratories, industry and government to

participate in an August 2010 workshop focused on a

grand challenge for $1/Watt electricity from solar

energy. Representatives of several DOE offices also

during the past year, including the Office of Energy

Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Office of Basic

Energy Sciences, the Energy Information

Administration, and the Advanced Research Projects

Agency

of Science and Technology Policy and the Congress

also sought technical assistance from the Institute and

its researchers.

findings in a broad range of disciplines, ranging from

science and technology to economics, law, and policy.

To cite just a few examples:

Research published in the May 7, 2010 issue of

Science Magazine analyzed how potential

reductions in the thickness of the cadmium

telluride (CdTe) layer in CdTe cells and enhanced

tellurium recovery could substantially boost

projected energy production from thin film CdTe

solar cells. These research results are very

significant in setting forth key elements of a path

to maintain international market share for this

important U.S. solar technology.

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OVERVIEW

computer code and revealed that the solar energy

cost estimates contained in the critical energy

model used by the Energy Information

Administration (EIA) are not up-to-date. The

Institute has provided extensive information to the

EIA and engaged in an in-depth dialogue to

address these deficiencies.

A law review article published in the inaugural

edition of the GW Journal of Energy and

Environmental Law reveals that the methodology

that has been used by most states for compiling

state inventories of greenhouse gas (GHG)

emissions has generally been misapplied so as to

substantially understate the GHG emission

reduction benefits of solar photovoltaics (PV) and

four other energy efficiency and renewable energy

technologies in most regions of the country.

outreach efforts also reached an expanded audience.

over the Internet for the first time. In addition, the

significant traction when the Institute won support for

its syndication at RenewableEnergyWorld.com, one of

the largest websites devoted to renewable energy news

and information.

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Figure 1. Pictured above: (left) Ken Zweibel, Institute Director, speaking at EmTech09, an annual conference hosted by Technology Review, a publication of the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology; (right) Debra Jacobson, Institute Co-

ADVISING THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

AND OTHER EXECUTIVE BRANCH AGENCIES

During the past year, the Solar Institute substantially

expanded its work in providing advice and assistance

to Federal agencies, particularly the U.S. Department

of Energy (DOE). Our efforts increased with the

Energy, and they expanded to include the Office of

Science, the Advanced Research Projects Agency

Energy, and the Energy Information Administration.

Since DOE is the lead Federal Department on solar

energy technology and policy, this expanded role is

very significant.

DOE Grand Challenge for $1/Watt Electricity

from Solar Energy

The Secretary of Energy, Stephen Chu, invited the

August 2010 focused on a grand challenge for $1/Watt

(W) electricity from solar PV. He was selected among

a distinguished group of about 100 experts from

academia, National/Federal laboratories, industry, and

government to participate in the event. The workshop

Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and the

Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy

(ARPA-E).

The goal of the workshop was to assist DOE in

determining whether the proposed grand challenge

should be undertaken, and if so, how the program

energy system equivalent to 5-6 cents per kilowatt-

hour (kWh) would be fully competitive with electric

generating systems using fossil fuels without

additional subsidies in most parts of the country

greenhouse gas reduction and clean energy

transformation.

The workshop focused on an initial target program

that would demonstrate pilot installation of fully

installed systems by 2017. The workshop participants

also focused on a white paper drafted by EERE and

ARPA-E that discussed the following paths to

solutions:

Module innovations that will permit achieving

~50 ¢/W and 20%+ efficient modules with a focus on

manufacturing strategies and improved efficiency in

multiple technologies;

Innovations in installation and non-module

aspects that will permit low-cost (~40 ¢/W), highly

automated or simplified systems that can be readily

deployed over large areas; and

Power electronics innovations that create modular

inverters or centralized inverters at a significantly

reduced cost (~10 ¢/W) using novel materials and

circuit architectures.

Secretary Chu began the workshop with an address

about the science supporting global climate change,

the need for rapid adoption of clean energy solutions,

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MAKING AN IMPACT

IN WASHINGTON AND

THE STATES

and the need to accelerate PV deployment. Assistant

Secretary Cathy Zoi added her voice in support of

these goals and stated that the Administration would

seek significant, multi-year support for the $1/W

initiative. The workshop resulted in a positive

outcome in terms of program balance, direction, and

aggressiveness to meet the stated $1/W installed

system goal.

DOE Solar Vision

In late 2009 and 2010, the Institute continued to play a

provides an in-depth assessment of the

potential for solar energy technologies

to meet a significant share of electricity

demand in the United States by 2030,

and its findings and recommendations

are expected to inform key decisions

by policymakers. The study has

explored two scenarios for solar

deployment by 2030: one in which

solar electricity provides 10% of total

demand and another in which solar

electricity provides 20% of total

demand.

served on the Steering Committee for

the entire study and led the drafting of

a key chapter on PV technologies, cost,

and performance. The draft chapter

circulated for public review in May 2010 emphasized

that the vast expansion in deployment needed to

support the 20% solar goal in 2030 is achievable

without PV technology breakthroughs but that

development (R&D) investments will be essential to

research was critical in analyzing two major cost

issues: (1) current costs and prices of PV module

technologies at the system level (See Figure 2); and (2)

the non-module costs of PV systems (so-called

balance of system or BOS costs, such as installation

9


Figure 2. Best-PV-System Prices (Using Representative PV-Module Prices) for Residential,

Commercial, and Utility-Scale Markets for Several Technologies (from the draft DOE Solar Vision Study,

based on GW Solar Institute research)

the

results of the workshop and how it might shape our thinking and the programs that we may develop around it. As a leader

E-mail from Mihn Le, Chief Engineer, Solar Energy Technologies Program, U.S. Department of Energy,

to Ken Zweibel, Institute Director - July 7, 2010

labor, trackers, and permitting and regulatory costs)

shown as a function of module efficiency for several

different PV technologies. These technologies

included: cadmium telluride thin film (CdTe),

amorphous silicon (a-Si), copper indium gallium

(di)selenide thin film (CIGS), multicrystalline silicon

(multi-Si), and monocrystalline silicon

(mono-Si) (see Figure 3).

In addition, the Institute made another important

analytical contribution to the PV technology chapter.

This contribution involved research on feedstock

supply issues for several key PV materials: indium,

tellurium, silver, selenium and gallium. These data are

summarized in Figure 4. The DOE is expected to

release the final Solar Vision Study in the fall of 2010.

Energy Information Administration

In the course of researching the National Energy

Modeling System (NEMS) last year, researchers from

the GW Economics Department had found that some

of the primary technological and cost assumptions

underlying its solar sub-module needed to be

re-evaluated and updated. This conclusion is

important because NEMS is the primary energy-

economy model developed and maintained by the U.S.

Energy Information Administration (EIA) to generate

projections, currently through 2035, for the

production, importation, conversion, consumption,

and prices of energy.

Director and Co-Director, Debra Jacobson, the

researchers initiated a dialogue with the EIA staff

member responsible for the NEMS solar sub-module

to assist in a reevaluation of the technological and cost

assumptions. The EIA staff member also attended the

included extensive discussion of current cost data and

trends for solar energy.

As a result of these interactions, the EIA staff member

major report developed for EIA on national and

region-specific installed costs for solar technology.

This requested involvement is significant because

NEMS is relied upon by the EIA in the analysis of

various legislative proposals for the U.S. Congress, and

the assumptions that are used in NEMS form the

background to most U.S. debate about alternative

energy options.

The Director and EIA staff have engaged in an

in-depth dialogue about the most appropriate price

assumptions for large, utility-scale PV systems. The

10


Figure 3. Balance of System Costs (Before Installer Profit) for Several PV

Multiple Applications and a Range of Module Efficiencies (from the draft DOE

Solar Vision Study, based on Institute research)

Figure 4. Key PV Material Availability Forecast Annual Potential GW/yr

Output (from the draft DOE Solar Vision Study, based on Institute research)

Director has provided information from several solar

installers and manufacturers as well data from the PV

cost chapter of the draft DOE Solar Vision. It is

expected that this dialogue will result in much more

realistic assumptions by this crucial data source within

the U.S. Department of Energy.

group of six technical experts advising the Office on a

redirection of its solar energy research program. The

goal of this expert review was to increase the relevance

of the program to industry needs and national

priorities and to increase the near-term research

impact. The other members of the panel included

officials from Applied Solar, DuPont, the National

Renewable Energy Laboratory, GE Global Research,

and Columbia University. This effort involved

Advisory Committee in January 2010 as well as

participation in the drafting of a report chapter

The report concluded that the widespread penetration

of photovoltaic solar electricity requires advances to

increase performance, lower costs and increase

reliability. Moreover, the report highlighted three

priority areas for basic science research: (1)

fundamental properties of photovoltaic interfaces;

(2) advanced photovoltaic analysis and computational

modeling for scale-up; and (3) better control of

photovoltaic lifetime and degradation processes. The

Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee

highlighted these three priority research areas in its

for Energy Technology: Strengthening the Link 1

The solar advisory panel made a particularly

important contribution by emphasizing the need to

build scientific understanding of existing photovoltaic

technologies rather than focusing undue emphasis on

the discovery and exploration of completely new and

revolutionary materials and approaches. Both areas

are valuable but the panel emphasized existing PV

technologies because the DOE Basic Energy Sciences

Program had not previously given sufficient

consideration to the value and opportunities for

progress in those technologies. The Institute also

facilitated cross-fertilization between DOE programs

since some of the recommendations developed by the

review panel for the Office of Basic Energy Sciences

were included in the draft Solar Vision PV cost

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Agency Energy (ARPA-E)

The Institute also provided a presentation on solar

energy technologies in February 2010, as part of a

ARPA-E. At the request of the Agency, the

presentation focused on the role of government

film cadmium telluride technology. The goal of the

effectiveness in future solar research and development.

ARPA-E is important because it is a new entity

researching alternative energy technologies. It was

modeled on the well-known Defense Advanced

Research Projects Agency (DARPA), an Agency that

claims responsibility for various technological

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innovations, such as the Internet. ARPA-E is charged

with several key goals, including the creation of new

tools to bridge the gap between basic energy research

and development and industrial innovation and the

-of-

Office of Science and Technology Policy

During the past year, the Institute built a strong

working relationship with the renewable energy group

of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)

in the Executive Office of the President. Interaction

with this Office is important because of its role in

advising the President and his senior staff on scientific

and technical matters and in coordinating scientific

and technical issues across the Federal government.

One of the areas of Institute assistance to OSTP

involved a briefing to the Science & Technology Policy

Institute, an OSTP support organization, in June 2010.

This briefing focused on various challenges and

opportunities in siting solar energy facilities and

related cost implications. For example, siting issues

have included challenges and delays related to

endangered species and habitat impacts, water use by

certain solar thermal technologies, and concerns of

adjacent property owners about impacts on real estate

values. The briefing explained that siting issues related

to utility-scale solar facilities in the Southwest U.S. are

particularly important because large systems in these

sunny areas are about one-third the cost per kilowatt-

hour as small systems in the Mid-Atlantic region. This

fact has important implications for meeting terawatt-

scale energy needs and is often overlooked by policy-

economics.

ASSISTING THE U.S. CONGRESS

During the past year, the Institute and its researchers

continued to assist the U.S. Congress by providing

valuable technical information. This work

Washington, D.C..

One area of assistance involved technical support to

the staff of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

relating to the development of the Department of

Defense Energy Security Act. The legislation provides

the first DoD requirements for on-site renewable

energy, including a mandate by FY2021 for on-site

renewable electricity generation to offset 20% of

energy consumption by all facilities constructed in

each fiscal year. The legislation also strengthens

overall renewable energy requirements.

12


Figure 5. The 14 MW PV array above provides Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada

with nearly 25 percent of its annual power use.

The Institute also provided background information

to Congressional staff members on the issue of feed-in

tariffs (FITs), an important financial incentive

approach. FITs are a renewable energy policy that

typically offers a guarantee of: (1) payments to project

owners for renewable energy produced; (2) access to

the electric grid; and (3) stable, long-term contracts

(e.g., 15 to 20 years). One of the major goals of energy

and climate legislation is to accelerate the deployment

of clean energy technologies, including solar energy,

and experience in many countries, most notably in

Germany, has highlighted the benefit of FITs in

achieving this goal. However, a report on solar energy

legal issues prepared for the Solar Institute (as well as

another report prepared by researchers for the

National Renewable Energy Laboratory) highlighted

substantial legal constraints impeding states interested

in adopting FITs.

In addition, it should be noted that the U.S. House of

Representatives approved H.R. 3585, the Solar

Technology Roadmap Act, in October 2009. As

Director was one of the witnesses who testified at a

hearing before the House Science and Technology

Committee on this legislation in July 2009. The

legislation creates a strategic roadmap to advance

solar energy technologies through prioritized research

and development activities.

ASSISTING STATE OFFICIALS

-Director was

appointed by the Director of the Virginia Department

on Environmental Quality (VA DEQ) to serve on a

Regulatory Advisory Panel to assist the Department in

the development of new regulations relating to solar

energy facilities. These new regulations will

implement legislation enacted by the Virginia General

Assembly in 2009 that was designed to streamline

permitting for small renewable energy facilities

(defined as facilities up to 100MW), including solar

energy facilities. The legislation required the

regulation rather than being developed on a case-by-

case basis. The solar-specific rulemaking is likely to be

precedent-setting since it is an innovative effort to

streamline the consideration of wildlife and historic

resource issues in conjunction with the siting of

stand-alone solar facilities in the East.

In addition, the Institute sponsored a student project

to develop background information to assist the

Regulatory Advisory Panel in its deliberations. The

Institute recruited five students completing their

Public Policy and Public Administration to focus their

final capstone project on this issue, and VA DEQ

utilized the project results.

13


for PV,

must

move another notch. Simply put, there are places and PV systems today that can sell electricity at 13 ¢/kWh, or even 10 ¢/kWh, and

make an adequate return. They are cost-effective at those prices without a cent of incentives, no carbon price, and not even traditional

depreciation. And there is a potential for billions of watts of these systems and, as the years go by, a diffusion of their locations from the

- - June 24, 2010

In its second year, the Solar Institute pursued a

number of new research projects, increased its

engagement with students on research projects, and

completed a variety of research projects begun during

its first year. This research work covered a wide range

of disciplines, including science and technology,

economics, law and policy, and it achieved some very

significant outcomes.

RESEARCH BY INSTITUTE AND ITS FACULTY

PARTNERS

Analyzing the Cost and Performance of

Photovoltaic Technologies

involved the drafting and the coordination of peer

was conducted under a subcontract to the National

Renewable Energy Laboratory. The significance of

this work is discussed earlier in this report.

improved module efficiency and balance of system

costs (see Figure 3) has been particularly helpful in

highlighting productive future R&D directions for PV

technologies. Clearly, as module efficiency increases,

some components of the rest of a PV system can be

reduced (per watt of output), including the amount of

land area, the size of support structures; the length of

wires; and the amount of installation labor. Some

module technologies, such as low-cost thin films (e.g.,

approximately $0.76/watt to produce) actually can

reduce system cost effectively by gaining improved

efficiency. This improvement slightly reduces their

module costs, and it also reduces their balance of

system costs. In contrast, technologies, such as single-

crystal silicon, already have very high efficiencies (over

20%) that are difficult to improve, and their balance of

system costs are already low. For these technologies, a

different R&D focus is more valuable, including

research to reduce module manufacturing costs, which

can result in reduced feedstock costs, larger modules,

and less capital intensive manufacturing.

Defining the Impact of Tellurium Supply on

Cadmium Telluride Photovoltaics

Another significant research project involved an

analysis of how potential reductions in the thickness of

the cadmium telluride layer in CdTe modules and

enhanced tellurium (Te) recovery could substantially

boost projected energy production of thin film CdTe

solar cells. This research was stimulated by the needs

of the DOE Solar Vision (see Figure 4) and was

published in the May 7, 2010 issue of Science

magazine.2

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Figure 6. Table from Science article: The Impact of Tellurium Supply on Cadmium Telluride Photovoltaics

RESEARCHING AND

ANALYZING CRITICAL

ISSUES

After many years of development, CdTe PV modules

have become the lowest-cost producer of solar

electricity (even though these modules work at a lower

efficiency than crystalline silicon cells), and sales have

increased rapidly. However, concern has been

expressed about projecting hundredfold increases in

power production relative to current production with

CdTe. These concerns have been raised because Te is

one of the

crust, and the current technology now uses Te at rates

that are substantial fractions of its documented supply.

Zweibel, concludes that the long-term potential for

CdTe PV modules need not be bleak, given realistic

developments in cell technology and Te recovery.

The article emphasizes that the need for tellurium can

be reduced from about 100 metric tons per gigawatt

(GW) to about 4.4 metric tons per GW by increasing

module efficiency from 10% to 15% and by thinning

layers of CdTe from 3 microns to 0.2 micron. With

these improvements, maximum annual cadmium

telluride module production from currently identified

ores (about 1500 metric tons/yr of tellurium as a by-

product of copper extraction) could allow CdTe

modules to achieve nearly 100% market share for PV

sales reaching 10% or even 25% of world electricity use

in 2030. These are huge global markets of about 3000

to 7500 terawatt-hours per year (TWh/yr) (all U.S.

electricity this year is about 4000 TWh/yr).

15


Figure 7. Marketshare (%) Potential of CdTe for 10% and 25% of Future World Electricity Use (from Science Magazine;

Zweibel, May 7, 2010)

Researching Improved Processes for

Hydrogen Conversion

During the past year, Professor Stuart Licht of the GW

Department of Chemistry completed his research

exploring the economics of a novel hybrid method

(called Solar Thermal Electrochemical Photo or STEP)

for the centralized production of hydrogen gas using

concentrating PV electricity and solar thermal energy.

The STEP method captures more sunlight than any

individual technology by making use of both the

visible and thermal portions of solar energy.

The final research results demonstrate even greater

benefits than the preliminary results reported in last

STEP process could cut the cost of producing

hydrogen by 55% compared to traditional PV

approaches to generate hydrogen. The land area to

produce hydrogen is reduced by a factor of seven and

capital costs are reduced significantly, greatly lowering

the production costs. An article describing the

foundation for this work was published in the Journal

of Physical Chemistry,3 and the results of this research

are in press in the International Journal of Hydrogen

Energy.4

This important research provides evidence that the

STEP system is an economically viable solution for the

production of hydrogen. It can produce hydrogen at a

cost equivalent to that of gasoline at $2.60 per gallon.

The STEP process has continued to receive attention

from the private sector, and the process is now also

being investigated for chemical processes to use solar

energy to efficiently synthesize fuels, including

synthetic jet fuel and diesel fuel,5,6 and for carbon

dioxide free processes to produce metals, such as iron.7

A publication detailing advances in this research is in

press in the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters.8

On another front, an impetus to drive a transition

from fossil fuels to solar generation of electricity is the

growing use of electric vehicles. An obstacle to the im-

plementation of electric cars is the low driving range

imposed by the high weight and volume of

contemporary lithium batteries (lithium batteries have

only one-fifth the volumetric energy density of

field of multi-electron storage to increase battery

storage capacity, including the new vanadium boride

air battery, which discharges eleven electrons per

molecule and delivers twice the energy capacity of

gasoline,9 and the super-iron battery.10 The National

Science Foundation has awarded GW a new three-year

grant for research of these multi-electron batteries.

16


Figure 8.

by Stuart Licht, published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry - Letters : Coiled

platinum before (left), and after (right), carbon capture at 750° C in molten

carbonate. Carbon dioxide fed into the electrolysis chamber is converted to solid

carbon in a single step.

Evaluating the Solar Energy Potential of the

Department of Defense

School of Engineering and Applied Science have made

substantial progress in advancing their project to

evaluate the solar potential of Department of Defense

(DoD) facilities and non-tactical vehicles. Moreover,

the research has resulted in important technical

guidance in the development of Federal legislation.

This project is the focus of the doctoral dissertation

research of Ariel Castillo and his co-investigator,

Professor Jonathan Deason.

Research conducted during the second year of this

project confirmed that the DoD only would need to set

total energy needs for facilities and non-tactical

vehicles with solar energy. In addition to their

research on solar energy potential, the researchers

have completed an analysis of other key parameters,

including facility energy requirements, carbon dioxide

emissions, and the cost of implementing solar energy

at 200 major DoD bases in the continental U.S. They

also are evaluating the mission considerations of these

bases. The goal of the project is to complete by the

end of the year an evaluation of all of the listed

parameters to support the development of a

framework for a solar energy transition across the 200

bases. In addition, the researchers plan to develop an

optimization model identifying the most promising

candidate bases for solar energy implementation. As

discussed earlier in this report, the research has

resulted in important technical guidance during the

past year to the staff of Congresswoman Gabrielle

Giffords in support of the development of the

Department of Defense Energy Security Act.

Improving Assessment of the Air Emissions

Reduction Benefits of Solar Energy

-Director,

Debra Jacobson, published an article in the inaugural

edition of the George Washington University Journal

of Energy and Environmental Law, and the Yale

School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

republished this article in a report of the work of the

REIL Project, a leading international renewable energy

network. This article, which was co-authored with

Colin High of Resources Systems Group, was titled

Assessment of the Air Emissions Reduction Benefits of

Increased Use of Energy Efficiency and Renewable 11 Although most of the

underlying research work for the article was funded by

the Clean Energy/Air Quality Integration Initiative of

the U.S. DOE, the GW Solar Institute provided

important additional support during the final stages of

the research and the drafting of the law review article.

The publication analyzes three common

methodologies used for quantifying air emission

reductions from increased use of energy efficiency and

renewable energy technologies, including solar PV.

Two of these methodologies are based on information

in the Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated

Database (eGRID), and the third methodology was

developed by Resource Systems Group (RSG).

The law review article finds that the eGRID system

average methodology that has been applied by the

Climate Registry and hundreds of other entities

understates the carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide

emission reduction benefits of PV in two regional

power markets by approximately 65% to 165%

compared to a methodology based on calculations of

emission reductions from marginal generating units

17


on an hourly basis (RSG methodology). The eGRID

system average methodology also underestimates the

emission reduction benefits of increased use of EERE

technologies when compared to the eGRID non-

baseload methodology. More recent work undertaken

across all regions of the country confirms that these

findings are not isolated results but are indicative of

widespread misapplication of the eGRID system

average methodology.

This publication is significant because 40 States have

adopted the Climate Registry protocols as their

approach for measuring direct and indirect emissions

in their greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories. These

protocols rely on the eGRID system average

methodology in the typical case where utility-specific

data is not available. Moreover, the major climate

legislation in the House of Representatives and Senate

references the Climate Registry protocols. The law

review highlights cost-effective recommendations to

address this serious problem, including an

enhancement of the eGRID Database.

The research results were provided to the Climate

Registry, the U.S.

Environmental Protection

Agency, and the DOE to

underscore these serious

issues. In addition, the

co-authors provided the

article to the Council of

Environmental Quality to

assist in the development of

a GHG reporting protocol

for Federal agencies.

Reevaluating the Economics of Photovoltaics

other sources of electric power over their typically long

operating lives of up to a century. His research

of its long operating period might change the way we

deploy it to meet societal challenges like climate

change and energy security. The Energy Policy

journal has accepted this paper for publication.

According to the paper, the electricity costs of fossil

fuel plants remain fairly high after initial capital

expenses are paid because fuel price dominates plant

economics, and fuel continues to be burned. In

comparison, for power plants that use little or no fuel,

such as PV, wind, and hydro, operating costs after loan

payments cease are much smaller (see Figure 9 for a

case with 3% fuel price escalation). PV is unique in

having the lowest operating costs and requiring little

or no capital expenses during its operating life.

18


Figure 9. The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of these options assuming a 3% fuel escalation and a 0% discount rate.

years, and periods of 40 years are being considered.

With proper design, PV might last a century at

negligible operating or refurbishing costs.

Figure 9 shows a case where PV has a dominating cost

advantage assuming a zero discount rate. After a

remains less expensive than conventional sources up

to a discount rate of about 2%. There is an ongoing

debate about the appropriate discount rate for

government-funded infrastructure, and a 2% rate is

not out of the question. At present, society and

decision-

operating cost into account when examining PV

deployment strategies.

Analyzing Current Economic Models for Solar

Electric Generation

During the past year, additional work on this project -

involving the solar energy sub-module of the 2009

National Energy Modeling System (NEMS) - was

conducted by professors in the GW Economics

Department, including Frederick Joutz, Arun Malik,

and Robert Trost, and a graduate student, Mark

Hutson. This work also involved the interactions of

the solar sub-module with the rest of the NEMS

model.

In the course of working with NEMS last year, the

researchers had found that some of the primary

technological and cost assumptions underlying its

solar sub-module needed to be re-evaluated and

updated. This conclusion is very important because

NEMS is the primary energy-economy model

developed and maintained by the U.S. EIA. As

discussed earlier, this research work resulted an

important dialogue with the EIA (see section on

Researching Key Legal Issues to Support

Solar Expansion

In 2010, research teams led by Lee Paddock, Associate

Dean for Environmental Studies at the GW Law

School, and David Grinlinton, a Visiting Professor

from the University of Auckland, completed a major

report on solar energy legal issues funded by the Solar

Institute. The report highlighted how the legal

framework for solar energy has a major impact on the

viability of solar electric generation facilities of all

sizes. It analyzed the following critical legal questions

related to solar energy deployment: the value of feed-

in tariffs and issues that may complicate the ability of

states in the United States to adopt such tariffs; the

role that Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards play in

supporting solar energy development; public utility

regulatory barriers impacting certain types of solar

energy providers; the nature of the steps that can be

taken to expedite siting of transmission lines; the effect

that land use and zoning regulations may have on

solar facility deployment; and the value of government

procurement provisions in increasing solar energy

production. The study reviewed all of these issues in

the United States and for several of the issues, in other

countries Germany, Spain, Japan, China, and

Australia.

Dean Paddock presented the results of his research on

feed-in tariffs at an energy symposium sponsored by

the University of Toledo Law School in March 2010.

In addition, the University of Toledo Law Review has

accepted a related law review article co-authored by

Dean Paddock and David Grinlinton for publication.

19


Assessing the Design, Adoption, and Impact

of State Solar Financial Incentives

In 2009, researchers from the GW Institute of Public

Policy completed important research that should be

valuable in contributing to improved design of state

financial incentives for solar energy. This research

project, conducted by Andrea Sarzynski and Gary

Young, sought to fill major information gaps about:

(1) the level of state expenditures on incentive

programs; (2) program results; and (3) the nature of

the design or implementation features that worked

best to promote the use of solar energy technology.

This project addressed the information gaps through

three research phases. The first phase catalogued and

assessed the design and variation of state-level

incentives for solar power (as of December 2008). The

second phase compiled evidence regarding the impact

of incentive programs in ten states on consumer

adoption of solar technology, reduction in energy

demand, and reduction in the environmental impact

of energy production. The third phase of the project

evaluated the factors that influenced the adoption of

state solar financial incentives within states. Three

work products were produced: a technical report on

the design and variation of solar energy incentives; a

technical report on the impact of state incentive

programs in ten states; and a working paper on the

factors influencing state adoption of solar energy

incentives.

Several high-level findings emerged from this project.

First, nearly all state financial incentive programs are

oriented toward consumer adoption of small-scale

solar energy technology, rather than utility-scale solar

projects. Second, the actual design of incentives varied

widely across states, and only a limited number of the

10 states reviewed appear to provide effective

incentives for small-scale solar technology adoption.

Solar energy incentives appear to work better in

certain contexts than others (i.e., where conventional

electricity is costly and carbon-intensive, where

installation costs are low-to-moderate). The

researchers also found that solar incentive programs,

particularly rebates for residential PV systems in

certain States, appear quite expensive as tools for

greenhouse gas reduction compared to other

alternatives.

The research reveals that a state-financed incentive

program does not appear to be a necessary condition

for solar market development in some states. For

instance, market conditions already may provide

sufficient inducement to invest in solar energy

technology (e.g., Hawaii) or non-state incentive

programs already may be successfully stimulating

markets (e.g., Arizona). In many other states,

however, small-scale solar facilities remain quite

expensive to install, and financial incentives may be

necessary to stimulate market development.

Modeling the Solar Grand Plan to Facilitate

Deployment

School of Engineering and Applied Science have made

substantial progress in advancing their project to

construct buildout scenarios associated with

transitioning the United States to an electric power

generating platform consisting primarily of renewable

energy, as described in the Solar Grand Plan.12 This

project is the focus of the doctoral dissertation

research of Steven Burns and his co-investigator,

Professor Jonathan Deason. They have engaged

professionals throughout the energy industry in

documenting the current status of the U.S. electric

20


generating system and the technical steps necessary to

transition to large-scale renewable energy generation.

This project entails the application of manufacturing,

cost, resource, development, and regulatory

limitations through a linear optimization model that

outputs an optimized project plan detailing a

recommended phased buildout schedule of solar PV

and other renewable energy-based generation and

associated transmission infrastructure in the United

States over the next 40 years. This model will enable

planners to develop a realistic deployment schedule

balancing power price increases and construction

timeframes with growth in installed solar and other

renewable energy capacity.

The strength of the model that is under development is

that it focuses on one of the primary technical

limitations associated with large-scale renewable

energy deployment: the issue of transmission capacity

available to intermittent power generation resources.

The model incorporates available data with respect to

power grid stability and transmission capacity to and

from each region two items that ultimately will

limit renewable energy buildout. Consequently, the

-scale

renewable energy integration and provide an

optimized year-by-year plan for upgraded

transmission to these areas to minimize total time to

implement the Solar Grand Plan or other proposed

renewable energy buildout plans while observing cost

and regulatory constraints. The model currently is in

the final testing phase and is projected be completed

this year.

In addition, a second project to assist in the planning

of large-scale solar deployment is also moving

forward. This project, led by Professors Denis Cioffi

and Homayoun Khamooshi in the GW Department of

Decision Sciences, provides a different set of tools to

assist in the planning of large-scale solar deployment.

This research uses a systems dynamic approach to

model how PV, wind energy, and traditional electric

generation sources will compete and be deployed as

the costs of solar electric generation decrease over a

period of 40 years.

A major advantage of this systems dynamic model is

that it provides a user-friendly, flexible tool. At any

layer of the model itself, one can view the parameters

in an influence diagram that, while complicated

because of the large number of elements, shows clearly

how they affect one another. The model needs only

seconds of time to run, with output that can be shown

directly in tables and graphs. The parameters that one

wishes to study can be changed by turning a knob on

the screen. Thus, results of different strategic options

can be viewed quickly.

proprietary models are not user-friendly. More

importantly, such models are not readily transparent,

requiring the understanding of thousands of lines of

code to view their inner workings.

At the other end of the spectrum, complicated

spreadsheet models also do not show easily the paths

of their calculations. Furthermore, they are mostly

static, i.e., often unable to capture the interaction of

variables and changing conditions. Thus, the system

dynamics approach employed by the researchers offers

significant potential benefits.

21


Assessing Policies to Expand Investment in

and Use of Solar Power in the U.S.

of Public Policy and Public Administration completed

the development of a solar policy framework that:

summarizes the case for public intervention to

promote the use of solar power (based on the best and

most recent evidence on benefits of solar power that

are not reflected in market prices and costs); develops

a typology of different legal, regulatory, and fiscal

options available for encouraging wider and more

rapid use of solar energy technologies; and evaluates

illustrative policies, benchmarked against accepted

criteria of policy effectiveness. Joseph Cordes,

Associate Director of the Trachtenberg School of

Public Policy and Public Administration, led this

research with assistance from Peter Linquiti, a

graduate student.

The categories of public policy responses identified in

this research are organized along a continuum from

those that entail minimal public intervention, to those

requiring more activist policies to address market

failures, and they include the following: (1) policies to

level the playing field by eliminating legal and

regulatory barriers; (2) policies that affect relative

production cost, such as investment tax credits and

regulatory/tax treatment of fossil fuels (e.g. cap-and-

trade); (3) policies that affect production through

capital costs and investment risk, such as interest rate

subsidies, loan guarantees and tax treatment of the

financial return to solar capital supplied by individual

investors; and (4) policies that affect the prices and

revenues received by providers of solar power, such as

Renewable Portfolio Standards and feed-in tariffs.

From the standpoint of traditional economic analysis,

subsidies for solar power are justified when the total

value of the external benefits from deploying solar

power equal or exceed the cost differential between

producing electricity from solar power vs. other

means. Earlier assessments of solar subsidies have

suggested that the external benefits were not sufficient

draft report identifies and discusses several factors that

strengthen the case for public subsidies for solar

power: (1) political obstacles to enacting policies that

would put prices on what the National Academy of

fossil fuels; (2) new estimates of these hidden costs,

which suggest significant savings in hidden social costs

from greater deployment of solar power; (3)

continued reductions in the cost of solar power; and

deployment of solar technologies.

The draft report also analyzes recently released

Treasury Department data on the volume and

geographic distribution of Section 1603 cash grants.

which is a standard framework for evaluating invest-

ment tax incentives, along with the Solar Advisor

Model, developed by the National Renewable Energy

Laboratory, to compare the incentive effects of

production tax credits and investment tax credits.

Based on this analysis, the draft report discusses the

comparative economic, financial and political

advantages and disadvantages of the two types of tax

credits. The report will be completed for posting on

22


STUDENT RESEARCH

Several law students conducted important research on

solar energy issues as part of a course on

Environmental Issues in Energy Law co-taught by the

-Director at the GW Law School in the

spring of 2010. Three of these projects are discussed

below, and all three research papers are posted on the

Analyzing the Endangered Species Act and

Utility-Scale Solar Development in the

Southwest

One research paper, prepared by LLM candidate Jay

Donohue, shows the significant impact that legal

issues involving the Endangered Species Act (ESA) can

have on the development of utility-scale solar power

facilities in the Southwest region of the United States.

The paper focuses on a case study of BrightSource

System (Ivanpah Project), the issue of the threatened

mitigation plan for the tortoise under the ESA.

The research revealed the impact on the project of the

discovery of the desert tortoise in 2007 during the

development of the BrightSource project. Following

this discovery, BrightSource developed and issued a

mitigation plan to relevant Federal agencies (pursuant

to its responsibilities under the National

Environmental Policy Act and the ESA). BrightSource

agreed to reduce the size of the Ivanpah Project by

23% (reducing the capacity of the facility to 392

megawatts). The proposed modification eliminated

the land area where the project would have had the

greatest impact on the desert tortoise (even though the

land is not in a critical habitat and the tortoise is

classified as a threatened species rather than an

endangered species). In addition, the mitigation plan

proposed the relocation of the desert tortoise off the

Ivanpah Project site following detailed scientific study

and consultation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

The research indicated that BrightSource has not only

complied with the requirements of the ESA, but it also

had taken additional measures to protect the desert

tortoise. Therefore, the paper concluded that the

relevant Federal and State agencies should issue the

relevant approvals to the Ivanpah Project under the

ESA.

The Donohue paper also examines the ramifications of

the Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact

environmental permitting process for future projects

located within Solar Energy Zones in the Southwest.

Lastly, the research evaluates legislation proposed by

Senator Feinstein from California entitled the

substantially limit solar development in the Mojave

Desert, including the Ivanpah Project.

Researching Solar Real Estate Investment

Trusts

In 2010, another student involved in the GW Law

School energy law course, Joshua Sturtevant,

conducted extensive research to advance the concept

of Solar Real Estate Investment Trusts (Solar REITs).

The Institute Director had suggested this general

concept last year, and the student research helped to

develop important details.

The general concept proposed by the Director was to

extend a tax structure, which already exists and

benefits the commercial real estate market, to

stimulate large-scale solar energy development. Just as

23


real estate investment trusts (REITs) have spurred

investment into commercial real estate, it was argued

that Solar REITs could bring solar development to the

masses and would increase capital flows into solar

energy markets. The REIT concept is especially

applicable to solar PV because of the nature of this

technology, particularly its dependable output

independent of most market risks (e.g, fuel price

increases, risks related to new greenhouse gas

regulation) and its long useful life.

code must be clarified in order to make this vision of

solar investment a reality. For utility-scale solar

facilities, it is necessary to clarify that proceeds from

§ 856 of the Internal Revenue Code. Such a

clarification could be achieved by securing a favorable

revenue ruling or private letter ruling from the

Internal Revenue Service. Alternatively, Congress

could enact legislation amending the Internal Revenue

Code to achieve this objective. The effectiveness of the

REIT structure in the solar energy context also would

require the restructuring of some of the current

financial incentives for large-scale solar projects as

well as their clear integration with the REIT structure.

Researching Restrictive Covenants

A third GW Law student research project by Katherine

Ramsey sought to respond to a request for research

assistance by a member of the Board of Directors of

the MD-DC-VA Solar Energy Industries Association.

This research project addressed the important issue of

-Director

supervised this research. This student project should

be valuable in supporting the constitutionality of the

legislation, expected to be introduced in the 2011

Session of the Virginia General Assembly, to invalidate

existing homeowner association covenants that

unreasonably restrict the installation of solar collection

devices.

During the 2010 Session of the Virginia General

Assembly, legislation was introduced to invalidate

existing homeowner association covenants that

unreasonably restrict the installation of solar collection

devices. Of particular concern to opponents was the

fact that the legislation was retroactive in effect and

addressed restrictive covenants that became effective

before July 1, 2008. Opponents of the legislation

contracts in violation of the contracts clauses in both

the federal and Virginia Constitutions, and the

sponsor of the legislation (House Bill 881) deferred the

bill to the 2011 Session to review this objection.

The purpose of the student research was to provide

background information relevant to reconsideration of

this legislation in the 2011 Session of the General

Assembly. The paper explains why the legislation is

likely to survive challenges under the contracts clauses,

compares the bill to legislation in other States, and

enactment.

24


25


EDUCATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF

SOLAR LEADERS

Another major role of the Solar Institute is educating

the next generation of solar energy leaders through

lectures and other opportunities. A major initiative in

this area was launched in April with the creation of the

Solar Institute-Lockheed Martin Fellows program.

Under this partnership, a graduate student from the

selected to conduct research under the supervision of

the Solar Institute during the 2010 to 2011 academic

year. The research will focus on solar policy and legal

matters related to large-scale solar energy projects. As

a complement to the Fellows program, Lockheed

Martin committed to hire the Fellow to work on

energy issues, including solar energy, in a summer

internship program.

HOSTING THE SECOND ANNUAL

A LEADING SOLUTION TO CLIMATE AND

On April 19, 2010, the Solar Institute hosted its

Second Annual Solar Symposium examining

-long symposium

featured a keynote speaker as well as four panels: Solar

Vision Forum, Solar PV Electricity, Solar Thermal

Electricity, and Solar Transportation - Electricity or

ability to convene high-level officials from the solar

energy community. Speakers included senior

executives from First Solar and SunPower, which

represent approximately 90 percent of U.S.-owned

manufacturing in solar PV; senior executives from

BrightSource Energy, SolarReserve, and Abengoa

Solar, which represent about half of the planned solar

thermal deployment in the world; senior executives

from leading companies in the solar industry supply

chain, DuPont and Lockheed Martin, and the

President of the major U.S. solar trade association.

Other presenters included Ambassador Stuart

Eizenstat, who held senior executive branch positions

under three presidents, and John Lushetsky, Director

Other prominent solar energy experts from

government, non-profit organizations and academia

also delivered remarks.

Attendance at the symposium included more than 200

attendees from government, the private sector, non-

profit organizations and academia. In addition, more

than 100 individuals viewed the symposium live as it

was streamed over the Internet, and the presentations

and associated video also have been made available for

The symposium keynote speech by Ambassador

Eizenstat provided an important historical perspective

26


RAISING AWARENESS

on solar energy policy dating back to the Carter

Administration as well as highlighting current issues.

He underscored the competitive challenges in solar

manufacturing posed by China, which is expected to

manufacture two-thirds of the solar panels in the

world by the end of 2010. At the same time, he

stressed concern about the lack of continuing Federal

incentive funds available to spur solar manufacturing

in the U.S. and the scheduled expiration of the

Treasury cash grant incentive program for solar

energy at the end of 2010.

Significant attention was focused on the vision for

solar energy, and John Lushetsky discussed the goals

Study. This study was designed to evaluate the

technical, economic and environmental feasibility of

meeting 10% to 20% of electricity demand from solar

energy technologies by 2030. Julie Blunden, Vice

President for Public Policy at SunPower, predicted

that solar energy would become the #1 or #2 resource

for new electric generation in North America and

Europe by 2015.

Rhone Resch, President of the Solar Energy Industries

Association, emphasized the growth already occurring

in the solar industry. He stressed that 85 MW of

utility-scale PV was in operation but more than 6500

MW was under development at the time of the

conference.

The symposium presentations from solar PV experts

emphasized the dramatic price reductions in solar

modules that have occurred in recent years.

According to Rhone Resch, average PV module prices

fell approximately 40% between mid-2008 and the end

of 2009, and speakers emphasized the continuing cost

reductions anticipated in coming years. Moreover,

Institute Director, Ken Zweibel, highlighted the

favorable long-term comparative economics for solar

PV compared to other non-CO2 electric generating

low operating costs are considered beyond a 20-year

time horizon.

Maja Wessels, Executive Vice President of First Solar,

manufacturer (using a CdTe thin film technology),

reduction in module costs in five years, declining from

$2.94 per Watt (W) in 2004 to $0.84/W in the fourth

quarter of 2009. (In July 2010, First Solar announced

it had reduced these module costs to $0.76/W).

capacity skyrocketed from 10 Megawatts (MW) to

roadmap projects a further reduction to $0.52 to

$0.63/W by 2014.

Substantial discussion also focused on approaches to

achieving further cost reductions and product

efficiencies. Several speakers emphasized that

increased attention has been directed at addressing

so-

cells and modules) have declined. These soft costs

include project management and installation costs as

well as the costs of regulatory delays. SunPower

underscored substantial cost reductions that they have

27


achieved in the past three years in this area supported

by a contract with the Department of Energy.

David Miller, President of Electronics and

Communications for DuPont, provided insights into

the critical role of continuing improvements in

materials in increasing the future competitiveness of

the solar PV industry. These materials include items

such as encapsulants to protect the modules,

metallization pastes and junction boxes. Miller

emphasized that the cost of materials represents a

greater percentage of total PV costs (30%) compared

to other electronic products (e.g., displays and semi-

conductors), thereby increasing the significance of

developments in this area. DuPont is ranked first in

the world in PV materials manufacturing, and Miller

innovations will enhance PV competitiveness by

reducing module costs, increasing cell efficiency, and

increasing the lifetime of PV systems to deliver lower-

cost power.

A number of speakers underscored that one of the

capital, and they stressed the critical need for

long-term, consistent incentive policies to overcome

this constraint. Among the key financing needs cited

were the extension of the Treasury grant program

(established in 2009 and slated to expire at the end of

2010), improvements in the DOE loan guarantee

program, reinstating a 30% solar manufacturing tax

credit, establishing a Federal clean energy bank to

provide access to low-cost financing, and broadening

the investor base through a Solar Real Estate

Investment Trust concept. Other speakers highlighted

the need for improved access to land and transmission

as well as issues involved in integrating solar energy

into the electric utility grid. Streamlining the

environmental review process for projects on Federal

lands and for projects receiving Federal loan

guarantees also was cited as an area of concern.

28


Figure 10. Elaine Ulrich (left), Senior Legislative Aide for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and Cyrus Wadia (right), Senior Renewables Analyst for the Office of

Science and Technology Policy, part of the Executive Office of the President, discuss solar energy issues between sessions at th nd Annual Symposium.

Many speakers also highlighted increasing

opportunities for solar energy. For example, Julie

Blunden stressed that electric utilities across the

country were now at an inflection point in the use of

solar enrgy. She cited contracts with Pacific Gas &

Electric for a 210 MW central station generating plant

and own 200 MW of distributed rooftop generation.

She stressed that utilities have been influenced by the

fact that the levelized cost of energy for solar PV is

now competitive with natural gas peaking plants, the

reduced risks associated with solar PV, and other

factors.

William Gould, the Chief Technical Officer of Solar

Reserve, and Scott Frier, the Chief Operating Officer

of Abengoa Solar, provided a detailed review of the

advances in solar thermal technologies that have

moved these technologies into commercial use in the

Southwest U.S. Frier emphasized that 430 MW of

concentrated solar power projects are already in

operation in the United States and that an additional

8,280 MW of projects are under signed contracts with

utilities.

The presentations on solar thermal technologies

emphasized that the increased interest of electric

utilities in these technologies has been driven by

several factors, including the need to diversify

generation portfolios to hedge against fuel price risks

and volatility and the risks of carbon regulation.

Mandated renewable energy targets and financial

incentives also were cited as key drivers. Both

presenters also highlighted the advantages of solar

thermal technology in allowing utilities to store solar

energy produced at various times of the day to help

address the intermittency of solar energy and to

provide power during peak demand periods, thereby

commanding the highest prices. Cost declines in solar

thermal technologies were projected as a result of

further research and development, larger plants, global

market growth, and the associated learning curve

effects.

In the presentations on solar energy in the

transportation sector, Dr. Stuart Licht of the GW

Chemistry Department detailed an innovative

approach to use solar energy to produce both

hydrogen and synthetic diesel for transportation. Don

Paul, the Executive Director of the University of

Southern California Energy Institute, compared the

nature of the challenges involved in the various fuel

and transport supply chains. For example, he stressed

the high cost of the new production infrastructure

needed for synthetic fuels but the benefits of reliance

on existing vehicles and distribution and supply

infrastructure for such fuels. Both Don Paul and Sam

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,

underscored the need for research and development

on a diverse portfolio of energy options in the

transportation sector, including solar energy sources.

In summary, the Second Annual Symposium

highlighted both the opportunities for solar energy as

well as many significant challenges. It also

underscored the importance of technical and policy

advances to meet these challenges.

29


the #1 or #2 new generation resource in North America

Julie Blunden, Vice President for Public Policy, SunPower,

GW Solar Institute Symposium, April 19, 2010

EDUCATING STAKEHOLDERS THROUGH THE

NEWS MEDIA, PRESENTATIONS, AND OTHER

OUTREACH

Public education is critical in achieving the market

transformation necessary for solar energy

development, and therefore, the Institute continued to

place a significant emphasis on its work with the news

media and other outreach efforts.

News Media

The Solar Institute built on the success of its first year

by continuing a positive relationship with the news

media. In addition to in-person interviews - on the

radio, on camera, or on the record for a story -

reporters have turned to Institute staff for important

background and analysis in preparing articles for

publication. The Institute has established itself as a

place for reporters to receive un-biased and factual

insight on the latest solar issues.

In the last year, reporters from the following news

outlets have contacted the Institute for interviews and

analysis or have published articles by its staff:

AOL News

ARD German Television

American Forces Network

Carbon Control News

CNet

Consumer Energy Report

Energy Washington

Fox News

GW Today

Habitat Media

IEEE Spectrum

InfoX

Land Letter

MIT Technology Review

MSNBC

Progressive Radio Network

Puglia Live

Science Magazine

SNL Financial

The Christian Science Monitor

The Columbus Dispatch

The GW Hatchet

The New York Times

Voice of America

The impact of these interviews can be highlighted with

a few examples. For instance, after conversations with

absence of a comprehensive national solar policy and

its impact on the U.S. solar market. The New York

how the impact of transient clouds can be limited on

the electricity output of large-scale solar facilities. In

30


another press report, the Director critiqued the

tendency of government research agencies to focus

undue emphasis on funding high-risk solar energy

technologies instead of advancing foundational

knowledge of established technologies. Thus, the

to maintain U.S. competitiveness in established solar

technologies in which U.S. companies currently

possess a competitive edge.

Presentations and Other Outreach

Presentations also are an important component of the

Directors provided nearly two dozen presentations

last year on an array of solar energy issues to a wide

range of solar energy stakeholders. Audiences ranged

from highly sophisticated solar energy professionals,

such as the attendees of the 2009 International

Semiconductor Device Research Symposium at the

University of Maryland and those attending the

Intersolar North America Conference, to audiences

seeking an introduction to the solar energy field. In

October 2009, the Director also addressed the Solar

Power International Conference, the largest solar

conference in North America. The presentations

focused on a variety of topics, such as solar energy

technology and economic trends, technical challenges,

and solar energy policy issues.

One of the areas of focus in the past year involved

presentations to the legal community a key player

in the efforts to expand solar energy deployment. In

February 2010, the Director delivered a talk on a

webcast sponsored by the American Bar Association

(ABA) and the American Council on Renewable

Energy (ACORE) on the topic of "Solar: The Future

King of Renewables?" The event was streamed to

numerous law firms across the country, and more than

300 individuals participated directly in the event. The

Director discussed the special characteristics of large-

scale PV and concentrated solar power facilities,

technical and economic opportunities and challenges,

and siting issues.

In February, the Director participated in a conference

also focused on large-scale solar facilities, and it

highlighted the current costs, land use characteristics,

and the long-life potential of such facilities in the

Southwest U.S. The impact of "soft costs," particularly

Federal and state regulatory hurdles, also was

discussed. The panel discussion with environmental

and agency officials underscored the need to strike an

appropriate balance between renewable energy goals

and wildlife protection concerns in the solar energy

development process.

The Institute also provided seminars to business

leaders during the past year. For example,

presentations to Lockheed Martin and DuPont

executives on technical and policy issues provided

valuable updates to these industry leaders on key

issues.

-Director delivered

a presentation at Yale University sponsored by the

REIL Project. The presentation summarized her

collaborative research that critiques the methodology

used by the 40-State Climate Registry for calculating

the emission reduction benefits of renewable energy

and energy efficiency.

meetings with various key stakeholders throughout the

year. These meetings ranged from one with the

31


Executive Director of the Solar Electric Power

associations, to a meeting with the Team Leader for

Climate and Chemicals of the Global Environment

Facility, the largest public sector renewable energy

technology transfer mechanism in the world.

Internet and Social Media

The GW Solar Institute made significant progress in

expanding its Internet presence in the last year. In

addition to the hundreds of followers on Facebook and

Twitter, the Institute has an e-mail listserv of more

than 2,000 significant solar energy stakeholders,

including industry professionals, energy lawyers,

Federal officials, and legislative staff. The listserv and

social networking sites allow the Institute to quickly

distribute important solar news and educational

information and to keep pace with the quickly

changing solar market and national conversation. The

visited by more than 10,000 individuals from 93

countries.

significant traction within the last year, when the

Institute won support for its syndication at

RenewableEnergyWorld.com, one of the most visited

websites dedicated to renewable energy news and

information. Through these sites, the Institute has

sought to highlight critical issues in the solar energy

field and address misstatements that often occur. In

addition, the Institute has engaged in many healthy

dialogues with readers of the blog.

2009, explains in detail the key metrics driving solar

energy adoption.

-

resolution map of the solar resource in the U.S. and

the simple calculations necessary to determine their

local solar resource. With that number, individuals

annual output in kWh per installed Watt. The blog

further explains the metric of dollar per Watt, and

coupled with the output calculation, one can then

make a reasonable estimation of the cost of energy in

cents per kWh. This information is useful to not only

solar neophytes but also to policymakers because it

allows one to understand the impact of solar policies

on affordability and to compare the cost of electricity

other similar blog posts that help visitors understand

solar economics and land use issues are proving to be

an important output of the Institute as the national

energy dialogue becomes more sophisticated.

The main Solar Institute website continues to improve

the resources available to visitors. In addition to a

growing document library and catalog of the

other solar energy events. In short, the GW Solar

Institute is making full use of the Internet as a means

of disseminating knowledge.

32


electricity and uses 100,000 km2 for lakes behind the dams.

This is about 1% of US land area. So in comparison,

Our Electricity with Solar - January 28, 2010

33


Is Bad News Better than No News?

We Love Our Cheap Modules

Does It Matter that Something Can Be

Cheap a Long Time from Now?

Cinch

Land Needed To Make All Our Electricity

with Solar Photovoltaics

(and Why They Do)

How Much Could We Save If We Harness

Solar and Wind with Electric Vehicles to

End Oil Dependence and Eliminate

Carbon Dioxide as a Problem?

CO2, Oil, Electric Vehicles, Wind

and Solar

Blog posts at TheSolarReview.org:

Postponed Gratification

Science Fiction Dream

The Illusion of a Level Playing Field

More Silliness from California

Should US Coal be Phased Out in Favor of

Wind and Solar?

Grandfathering Our Problems, Blocking

Our Solutions

Solar Photovoltaics (PV) is Cost-

Competitive Now

Photovoltaics Comes of Age

The Gulf Spill: Addiction Reaction

Solar for

The Arithmetic of Solar Royalty Trusts

We Are Replacing Current

Infrastructure and Incurring Added

Costs, Because That Is the Only Way We

Can Rapidly Turn Down Fossil Fuels

First Solar, Ordos, China, US

Is CIGS Turning the Corner?

Climate Change and Peak Oil?

Rule and Solar Energy

Buying PV Without Getting

Ripped Off

Solar PV Getting Cheaper, But Press

PV Fast Facts

Our Excellent Renewables Adventure

34


As the Institute expands its relationships throughout

the U.S. Federal government, opportunities abound

for research and outreach about key issues impacting

the future of solar energy. Some examples include the

following:

Reducing solar energy costs;

Sustaining market growth so that learning-driven

cost reductions continue;

Assuring continuing improvements in solar

energy technology;

Integrating variable solar resources into the power

grid;

Overcoming challenges to the siting and financing

of solar energy facilities;

Resolving barriers to new transmission facilities;

Finding a proper balance of societal investment in

solar energy (for CO2 reduction and energy

diversification, including recognizing the value of

long-lasting PV); and

Defining the opportunity for electric

transportation powered by solar energy.

The Institute will continue to take a leadership role in

pursuing these and other issues. We look forward to

working with interested parties on these efforts.

35


MOVING FORWARD

I: GOVERNANCE

Staff

Director Professor Ken Zweibel has led the Solar Institute and served as its Director since its formation in

September 2008. This position continues three decades of experience in the solar energy field. He led the

National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s successful Thin Film PV Partnership; was co-founder, the first

President and Chairman of the Board of PrimeStar Solar; authored two books on PV; and co-authored the

notable “A Solar Grand Plan,” published in Scientific American in 2008.

Co-Director Debra Jacobson joined the Solar Institute as its Co-Director and a Research Professor in

September 2009. She has worked on issues involving energy and environmental law and policy for more

than 30 years. Debra earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Rochester and a Juris

Doctor with honors from The George Washington University Law School.

Executive Coordinator Alexander Winn has been an integral member of the Solar Institute since its

formation. He has assisted in various research efforts, and has taken the lead in coordinating many important

projects, including the Annual Symposium, Institute communications, and the Institute’s website. Alex

earned his B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in Public Policy from The George Washington

University and has begun the second year of the Masters in Public Administration Program at GW’s

Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration.

Scientific Directors The Institute also has benefited from the advice of its two Scientific Directors selected

from among the GW faculty.

Denis F. Cioffi Associate Professor of Decision Sciences, GW School of Business

Randall K. Packer Associate Dean of Special Projects & Professor of Biology, GW Columbian College of

Arts & Sciences

Advisory Board Based on years of academic, industry, technical and policy experience, the Advisory Board

members provide the guidance necessary for the Institute to make an important impact in the field of solar

energy. These exceptional leaders are as follows:

Ted Turner, Chairman, Turner Enterprises, Inc.

John Gaffney, Vice President of Corporate Development & General Counsel, Solyndra, Inc.

Richard Perez, Senior Research Associate, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, State University of

New York (SUNY), Albany

LeRoy Paddock, Associate Dean for Environmental Studies and Professorial Lecturer in Law,

The George Washington University Law School

Jerry Bloom, Partner, Chair, Energy Practice, Winston & Strawn LLP

Robin Crawford, Senior Vice President, Ruder Finn, Inc.

36


APPENDICES

II: RESEARCH NETWORK

GW Solar Institute Researchers We thank our colleagues and those GW students who have aided in the

research efforts of the Solar Institute, both jointly and independently.

Faculty

Denis F. Cioffi , Project Investigator, School of Business, Decision Sciences

Joseph Cordes, Project Investigator, Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Administration

Jonathon Deason , Project Investigator, School of Engineering, Engineering Management

David Freestone (Visiting), Co-Project Investigator, Environmental Law, GW Law School

David Grinlinton (Visiting), Co-Project Investigator, Environmental Law, GW Law School

Frederick Joutz , Project Investigator, Columbian College of Arts & Sciences, Economics

Homayoun Khamooshi, Project Investigator, School of Business, Decision Sciences

Stuart Licht, Project Investigator, Columbian College of Arts & Sciences, Chemistry

Arun Malik , Project Investigator, Columbian College of Arts & Sciences, Economics

Lee Paddock, Project Investigator, Environmental Law, GW Law School

Andrea Sarzynski, Project Investigator, GW Institute of Public Policy

Robert Trost, Project Investigator, Columbian College of Arts & Sciences, Economics

Garry Young, Project Investigator, GW Institute of Public Policy

Graduate Students

Hina Ayub, Research Assistant, Chemistry, Columbian College of Arts & Sciences

Steven Burns, Co-Project Investigator, School of Engineering, Engineering Management

Ariel Castillo, Co-Project Investigator, School of Engineering, Engineering Management

Jay Donohue, Environmental Law, GW Law School

Tom Fitzgerald, Environmental Resource Policy, Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public

Administration

Geoffrey Heaven , Research Assistant, Environmental Law, GW Law School

Mark Hutson, Research Assistant, Columbian College of Arts & Sciences, Economics

Peter Linquiti, Co-Project Investigator, Public Policy, Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public

Administration

Scott Nuzum, Research Assistant, Environmental Law, GW Law School

Katherine Ramsey, Environmental Law, GW Law School

Tyler Ruthven, Research Assistant, Public Policy, Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public

Administration

Joshua Sturtevant, Environmental Law, GW Law School

37


Affiliates

Adele Ashkar, Associate Professor, Landscape Design Program, College of Professional Studies

Michael Duffey, Associate Professor of Engineering Management, School of Engineering

Lance Hoffman, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science, Columbian College of Arts & Sciences

Stephen Hsu, Professor of Engineering and Applied Science, School of Engineering

Melissa Keeley, Assistant Professor of Geography & Public Policy and Public Administration, Columbian

College of Arts & Sciences

Peter LaPuma, Associate Professor of Environmental & Occupational Health, School of Public Health

Stephen Pothier, Research Scientist, Columbian College of Arts & Sciences

David Rain, Director of the Environmental Studies Program, Associate Professor of Geography , Columbian

College of Arts & Sciences

Geralyn Schulz, Associate Dean of Research & Professor of Speech & Hearing, Columbian College of

Arts & Sciences

Mark Starik, Professor, Chair, Strategic Management and Public Policy, School of Business

III: ENDNOTES

1. See page 15 of the report, available at: http://www.science.doe.gov/bes/reports/files/SEI_rpt.pdf

2.

10.1126/science.1189690

3. S. Licht, "STEP (Solar Thermal Electrochemical Photo) Generation of Energetic Molecules: A Solar Chemical

Process to End Anthropogenic Global Warming," Phys. Chem. C., 113 (2009), 16283-1629.

4.

Electrochemical Photo) Production of Hydrogen

accepted (2010).

5.

61/254,943, filed Oct. 26, 2009.

6.

Carbon Dioxide: as an Example of a Process for the Generation of Energy Rich Chemicals at High Solar

7.

Disclosure, filed March 29, 2010.

8. S. Licht, B. Want, S. Ghosh, H. Ayub, J. Ganley, "A New Solar Carbon Capture Process: Solar Thermal

Electrochemical Photo (STEP) Carbon Capture," J. Phys. Chem. Lett. in press (2010).

38


9. -Air Multiple Electron High-

-

GWU Invention Disclosure, filed June 7, 2010.

10. -Capacity Li-ion Cathode: The Fe (III/VI) Super- -972 (2010).

11.

12. K. Zweibel, J. Mason, V. Fthenakis, A Solar Grand Plan, Scientific American, January 2008, available at:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=a-solar-grand-plan

39


Mission


researches the economic, technical, and public

policy issues associated with the development and

deployment of solar energy to meet global energy

needs and environmental challenges.

The GW Solar Institute

Contact Information

609 22nd Street, NW, Suite 301

Washington, DC 20052

T: 202-994-1965

F: 202-994-0854

research and public events at:

http://solar.gwu.edu


researches the economic, technical, and public

policy issues associated with the development

and deployment of solar energy to meet global

energy needs and environmental challenges.

gw solar institute annual report 2010

Documents