GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida Solar Decathlon team will hold several events this week to showcase its project: a student-designed solar home that will compete internationally this summer.

The events culminate in an open house Friday where the public can tour the home that will compete in Solar Decathlon Europe, an international competition designed to advance innovation and research in solar, sustainable and industrialized housing.

The Project: RE: FOCUS team will encourage the UF community to “Make a Change, Not a Footprint” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Plaza of the Americas with an expo featuring solar panels, renderings of the home, the home’s floor plan staked out to scale, and other information on the project.

On Thursday morning, Project RE:FOCUS will take over the 34th Street wall to inspire the Gainesville community members to make a small change in their lives to reduce their carbon footprint.

Friday’s open house will feature tours of the home, information about the project and presentations by College of Design, Construction and Planning Dean Christopher Silver, team leader and building construction professor Robert Ries and student team leader and doctoral student Dereck Winning.

“The Solar Decathlon gives students from across the university the opportunity to work together on a real-world project, and Friday will be the first opportunity for the team to present their work to the sponsors and the community,” Ries said.

The open house will take place at the UF Solar Energy Park, 2610 S.W. 23rd Terrace, from 3 to 6 p.m., with the presentations delivered at 3:15 p.m. Those who attend are encouraged to carpool to promote sustainability and due to limited parking.

The UF team, comprised of more than 125 students from four colleges and eight disciplines, will compete in Madrid this June in 10 categories that include solar power, innovation, sustainability and communication. The team’s entry fuses innovation with the design of the historic Florida Cracker House to further the field of solar energy and inspire solutions for sustainable living that fit market needs.

For updates on the house, visit http://www.floridasolardecathlon.org/

Writing Credits: Kathryn Watson

Solar FIT program was the first of its kind in the US

November 6, 2009

The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) announced Gainesville Regional Utilities as the winner of the SEPA Award for Solar Business Achievement in the area of Community Outreach and Public Awareness last week. GRU was recognized during SEPA’s Annual Membership Meeting in Anaheim, Calif.

SEPA selected GRU and the other award nominees from the 700 SEPA member utilities and solar companies. SEPA Executive Director Julia Hamm applauded GRU’s tireless work in raising awareness of the solar feed-in-tariff program locally and among the utility and solar industries.

GRU’s Solar FIT program was the first of its kind in the US. Based on highly successful models in Europe, it offers GRU electric customers a chance to invest in solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and sell electricity directly to the utility under a contract for 20 years at a fixed price.

“Gainesville Regional Utilities has moved itself to the forefront of photovoltaic development in the Southeast with its new feed-in-tariff program, which required both customer and solar industry involvement and ‘learning while doing’ as part of its development,” Hamm said.

GRU’s Solar FIT program will add 20 megawatts of solar electricity to GRU’s power supply within 5 years. GRU has received enough completed applications to reach the utility’s annual target of 4 megawatts through 2016.

The main measure of solar system performance is energy production. Understanding what factors affect the solar array energy production may be helpful in determining optimum performance. The factors include: Amount of Sunlight, Ambient Temperature, Orientation of Solar Array Surface, Tilt Angle of Solar Array, Voltage Drop in Wiring, Inverter Efficiency in Power Conversion, Obstructions Which Shade Solar Array, Dust, Dirt, Leaves etc. on Solar Array Surface. If you have any questions regarding these factors please feel free to use this blog as an avenue to post and discuss these topics. I will do my best to provide you with accurate information in a timely manner.
Pure Energy Solar,
Director of Engineering

The GRU feed-in tariff program has the potential to attract major new renewable energy investments and provide a vital boost to the local economy. More than 220 companies currently produce, sell or install solar PV products in Florida alone. While the program does not require that solar PV equipment be sourced from or installed by local or in-state companies, products and service providers must meet all applicable national and local standards and be licensed to operate in Florida.

Indeed, solar companies in the Gainesville area reported that the initial implementation of the feed-in tariff program was good for business. Wayne Irwin, president of Pure Energy Solar, a contractor based in the city, says the program will “grow the industry.” Mike Antheil, executive director of the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy, agreed that investments could amount to as much as $50 million in the long run. However, because preference for local solar companies was not written into the program, it may also attract solar companies from out-of-state who aim to capitalize on the expected growth.

For more information please visit Pure Energy Solar or click here.

The Gainesville City Commission made some important changes yesterday to improve the popular FIT program in Gainesville.

Gainesvilles-solar-feed-in-tariff-is-now-booked-until-2016

At the start of the 20^th century, the city of Gainesville, Fla., installed modern municipal water, electricity and sewer systems, which made it an attractive location for the University of Florida and helped it become a major educational and cultural hub in the state. Now, more than 100 years later, Gainesville is once again taking bold steps, this time to become a clean energy pioneer in the United States.

for more information please see our website http://www.pureenergysolar.com

Gainesville, Fla. is the first city in the country to adopt a new solar incentive program, making it profitable for an average person or business to put up solar panels and begin feeding power back to the grid. Jennifer Collins reports….

For more information, please click here or visit Pure Energy Solar.