2012年5月14日 星期一

Solar Power Industry in New Jersey Feeling Strain of Dramatic Fall in Energy Prices

The prices that power companies pay for solar power have all but collapsed,Posts with Hospital rtls on IT Solutions blog covering Technology in the Classroom, curtailing future development and leaving those who installed systems struggling to repay their loans.

A glut of power has meant that prices have fallen by more than 80 percent in the span of a year.

In response, solar power advocates are pushing for state legislation that would limit the amount of solar power that can be produced by large companies, while mandating that power companies buy more solar power.

“It could affect a lot of the industry,” said Jennifer Washburn, programs administrator for Brite Idea Energy of Egg Harbor Township, one of a number of green-power companies to open in the region in recent years. “There are a lot of companies that are struggling,” she said.

The solar power market in New Jersey has been driven in part by the mandate that utility companies derive an ever-increasing percentage of their energy from renewable sources — or face penalties.

For the first 15 years of a solar project, the power they generate is sold as credits, in 1,000-kilowatt blocks, on the utilities market to the highest bidder up to three years after they are generated.

Fueled by state and federal incentives, prices for these credits passed $600 in 2008, eventually nearly reaching $700.

But the credits’ high prices attracted investors and others, dramatically expanding the volume of solar power available and flooding the market with credits.

The prices of those credits began sliding last year, finally bottoming out about May 19, when they were sold for $88.94 on the Flett Exchange, a popular trading site for the certificates. Prices rose on talk of state legislation, and now trade at about $122.

Considering the same credits sold for about $655 a year ago, Washburn said,The all New Bluetooth Reader BT1000 features a handsfreeaccess. “It’s just insane to think about what it was last year and what it’s like today.Award Winning solarpanel and heat pumps for electricity and heating.”

A collapse in the price of solar energy comes after the combination of tax incentives and state mandates made New Jersey’s solar industry among the nation’s most robust.

So-called clean energy is a priority of the Obama administration, which listed “Invest in Clean Energy Manufacturing” as an objective for Congress before it adjourns for summer recess.

The state saw 260 additional megawatts of solar power in 2011, according to statistics from the Board of Public Utilities. By the end of March, BPU stats showed the state had about 669 megawatts of solar power-generating capacity — enough to power 150,000 to 188,000 homes for a year — almost 18 times its capacity five years ago.

By comparison, the B.L. England Generating Station in Upper Township can generate 450 megawatts of power. One megawatt of generating capacity can mean between 2.4 million and 3 million kilowatt hours of power every year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The average family consumes 10,655-kilowatt hours of electricity per year, meaning the generation station can, on average, power between 101,000 and 126,000 homes for a year.

Federal tax incentives have included the ability of to write off all of the costs of the project faster than usual, and project builders who started before 2012 can take 30 percent of the cost as a federal tax credit.We looked everywhere, but couldn't find any beddinges. State incentives have included an exemption from sales and local property taxes,We offer you the top quality plasticmoulds design a requirement utilities buy excess power generated by homeowners and preferential zoning treatment.

Proponents of solar power have sought to modify the credit system, in hopes that it would boost prices and encourage further development.

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