US joins 10-GW solar PV club

The United States now has more than 10 gigawatts (GW) of installed solar PV capacity, joining Germany, Italy, and China — and it's just getting warmed up, according to new calculations from NPD SolarBuzz. And watch for the next 10-GW Club member that's fast approaching.



Regional distribution of the U.S.' 10 GW of installed solar PV. (Credit: SolarBuzz)


Solar PV installations in the U.S. totaled 1.8 GW through the first six months of 2013. That isn't quite at the midpoint of SolarBuzz's forecasted 4.3 GW for the entire year, but that's still the expectation because the majority of the U.S. solar market should be realized in the second half of the year.

With the 10-GW milestone in hand, the U.S. solar PV market isn't looking back. SolarBuzz expects the market to hit 17 GW by the end of 2014, representing 80 percent growth over 18 months.


What's driving the U.S. solar market

• Individual state support schemes
• U.S. residential solar demand continues to surge, and third-party-owned solar residential in particular
• System pricing declines, especially driving the utility segment
• System price-points for utility-scale solar at $2.14/W and residential systems at $4.93/W

Worldwide outlook

Worldwide solar PV demand reached 15 GW through the first six months of this year, roughly a 9% increase from a year ago, and cumulative solar PV installations are about 116.5 GW, according to SolarBuzz. In each scenario, more than 60% comes from four countries: Germany, China, Japan, and the U.S.

In cumulative capacity only Japan is close to them, and Spain and France are distant at around 4.5 GW and 4 GW respectively. In the second half of this year, China and Japan should account for nearly half of the solar PV demand all by themselves.

Japan, which is having a stellar 2013 for solar PV, is catching up fast behind the U.S. in solar PV capacity and could top 10 GW cumulative in the next couple of months.

What's driving the Japanese market these days is the non-residential feed-in tariff, which is helping the utility segment really take off.


Further readings: Renewable Energy World

8 energy hogs in your home - What are they?

While I don't necessarily agree with the use of the term 'hog' here, it is necessary to illustrate the miscellaneous energy loads (MELs) in your home. These are the electrical appliances that use up way more than their fair share of energy.

I read the article and it surprises me that fan is one of the identified energy hogs. I thought leaving 10 fans switched on the whole day uses less energy than turning a single  2.5HP air-conditioner on for 8 hours.

*Size of bubble represents annual energy consumption (AEC) in TWh/year. Source: GTMedia

Surprising 8 energy hogs

GreenTech Media reported a finding by American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, which listed the following eight technologies in the home that are due for an energy efficiency makeover:-

Televisions. Even though your television has gotten slimmer, it is a growing part of energy use in your house. More than half of homes have at least three televisions. New TVs, such as LCD and LED models, are more efficient, but they are also usually larger, which offsets efficiency gains.

Set-top boxes for cable or satellite TV service. The energy use continues to climb with the popularity of DVRs, which require the box to be active for more times of the day.

Personal computers. More efficient active and sleep modes as part of Energy Star standards have made some gains, but increasing numbers of laptops and tablets mean that many of us are more plugged in more often.

Video game consoles. Like personal computers, video game consoles have gotten more efficient over the years, but they have also gained in popularity and are used for a lot more, and many are left on all the time.

Ceiling fans. Overall ceiling fan energy use is going up and is expected to increase through 2030. ACEEE estimates savings of 84% are possible if current fans were all replaced with the best available technology.

Microwaves. Even if you only use the microwave for popcorn, it can still suck up a lot of energy in standby mode.

Monitors. Standalone computer monitors have gotten more efficient in recent years, but usage has outstripped the gains. Since 2006, computer monitor usage has increased about 35%.

Cordless phones. This includes all rechargeable electronics -- including everything from cordless and cellular phones to electric toothbrushes and power tools. The cordless phone continues to be responsible for about half the energy consumption amongst rechargeable electronics in homes.


Read more at GTM (link provided above)

New EPF members may only withdraw at age 60

If you are working in the private sector, or if you are contributing to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), this would be of interest to you.

The Borneo Post, Thursday, 20-6-2013

To all new contributors, nothing has been decided yet; this is just a proposal if it worries you. But personally, I think the withdrawal should be made flexible once a contributor reaches age 55. He/she has been planning all his/her working life for things to 'happen' at 55 so, let him/her have it her way for once.


New members may only withdraw at age 60

The Employee Provident Fun is considering new ruling that new contributors only be allowed to withdraw their savings after the age of 60 instead of the current 55.

Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan said this was one of the proposal being mulled over in light of the minimum retirement age being increased to 60 effective July 1.

Currently, contributors can still withdraw their EPF savings at 55, either as a lump sum, monthly amounts or a combination of both options.

This flexible withdrawal scheme would enable contributors to obtain a fixed and consistent income for a long period amidst worries that their money would be exhausted within few years.

"However, no decision has been made on this proposal yet," Ahmad said after a working visit to EFP the day before.

EPF chief executive officer Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan said any change would only take place after th EPF Act had been amended. He said members could still contribute to the fund despite the retirement age being extended to 60.

He said contributions for employees remains at 11% and 12% (13% for those earning less than RM5,000) until the employee reached 60. As of March 31 this year, EPF has 13.69 million members and 509,139 employers. - The Borneo Post