It is within this framework we develop our Energy Master Plans for our customers. We review every aspect about your business and how/when/where its uses energy and power. Our comprehensive, vendor-neutral approach ensures our Energy Master Plan produces the maximum possible savings

Our products and solutions reduce our clients energy expenses and also their: 

Carbon Emissions (www.CarbonEmissions.com)

Carbon Dioxide Emissions (www.CarbonDioxideEmissions.com)

and Greenhouse Gas Emissions (www.GreenhouseGasEmissions.com)

through our Carbon Free Energy and Pollution Free Power solutions.  

Peak shaving is one of the demand side management solutions that reduces the use peak demand and amount of electricity by commercial and utility customers. Peak-shaving may significantly reduce the peak demand as well as the energy expenses for clients that have implemented a peak-shaving solution.  

One of the preferred technologies for peak-shaving is an onsite power generation system, which could be a cogeneration or trigeneration energy system 

We provide Automated Demand Response, Bulk Energy Storage, Demand Side Management, and packaged Cogeneration and Trigeneration energy systems. 

Also now in our product offerings is a complete line of solar energy systems, including; Evacuated Tube Collectors, Solar Cogeneration, Solar Trigeneration and Solar Water Heating Systems.  We can transform your facility into a "Net Zero Energy Building™ and eliminate your greenhouse gas emissions!

We start your company's Energy Master Plan with a "kick-off" meeting and review your facility's past and present power and energy consumption (kWh's and btu's), we then analyze the real cost of power and energy patterns, we develop a baseline, we review your future power and energy requirements, identify power and energy savings opportunities as well as demand side management and energy conservation measures. After your acceptance and agreement with our Energy Master Plan, we can help implement those specific projects and opportunities we discovered to insure the implementation and success of our Energy Master Plan's suggestions. Afterward, our solutions will incorporate an energy and power software/energy management system that tracks and continually monitors "our" success in reducing your power and energy expenses. 

What is a Net Zero Energy Building?

A Net Zero Energy Building produces as much energy as it uses over the course of a year. Net Zero Energy Buildings are very energy efficient. The remaining low energy needs are typically met with on-site renewable energy. 

There is no such thing as a "zero energy building."

EVERY building uses energy.  

The important considerations are, 

1.  How efficient is the building?  

2.  How much energy does the building use?  

3.  How much "carbon free energy" or "pollution free power" is generated by the buildings' own onsite renewable energy system?

4.  What are the utility company's prices for the excess power generated and sent to the grid? 
(see: Net Energy Metering)

5.  How difficult is it to interconnect the renewable energy system of the building with the utility company's powerlines/electric grid?   

At the heart of Net Zero Energy Buildings is the idea that buildings can meet energy requirements from low-cost, locally available, nonpolluting, renewable sources.


Our Solar Trigeneration™ Energy System
provides "Cooling, Heating & Power" for your business,
or home with the power of the sun!

What is "Net Zero Energy?"

Net Zero Energy - when applied to a home or commercial building, simply means that they generate as much power and energy as they consume, when measured on a monthly or annual basis. 

What is "Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide?"

Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CuInSe2) is a material that provides an extremely high absorption of light ( 99%) to be absorbed in the first micron of the material. Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide is projected to be the revolutionary material that some are saying, could put typical "central" power plants and some electric utilities, out of business, as it will be much cheaper for customers to generate their own onsite power with Thin Film Photovoltaics made from these materials.   

When additional small amounts of Gallium is added to Copper Indium diSelenide, this increases its' light-absorbing band gap, thereby making the solar panel more closely match the solar spectrum of the sun.  This, in turn, increases the voltage and the efficiency of the Thin Film Photovoltaics solar panel. 

Solar panels produced with Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide cells have reached efficiencies of more than 20% - which is much higher than the other Thin Film Photovoltaics. 

Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide solar panels create more electricity from the same amount of sunlight than other Thin Film Photovoltaics panels.  This translates into a higher conversion efficiency. 

The conversion efficiency of Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide PV technologies is very stable over time, meaning its power output remains stable over many years, while the power output of many other PV materials can rapidly decline with time. 

What are "Building Integrated Photovoltaics?"

Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) are solar energy systems that are integrated into a part of the building, that serve as the building's exterior or the building's skin. 

Commercial buildings and facilities (including houses) that integrate their own solar power systems into the building's exteriors, are referred to as "power buildings."

The technology that makes this possible is "Thin Film Photovoltaics."

What are Thin Film Photovoltaics?

Without a doubt, the most exciting technology in the solar power industry is "Thin Film Photovoltaics."  Thin Film Photovoltaics technology represents the next big thing in renewable energy and solar power as it integrates nanotechnologies into the production of solar photovoltaics. 

According to the Department of Energy, the recent technological advances in thin film photovoltaics make this a very exciting time to be in the solar energy industry.  These advances have led to many new developments in the components and manufacturing of thin film photovoltaics. This has made thin film photovoltaics cheaper to manufacture as they are also now easier to install since they are extremely versatile, flexible, bendable, and much lighter.

Thin film photovoltaics  have led many to believe that as much as 50% of our nation's future power will be generated by "power buildings" that integrate "building integrated photovoltaics" or "BIPV" into the building's skin or exterior surfaces, that convert sunlight into "pollution free power" for use in the building.  This also designates these buildings (and homes) as "Net Zero Energy Buildings" and make the option for going grid-free, or not connecting to the grid, a real possibility.

According to the Department of Energy, the market potential for printed electronics will grow into a $47 billion market by 2018.  Thin film photovoltaics represents a significant portion of this market - and based on this heavily researched solar technology, thin film photovoltaics now represents a $20 billion/year industry in the U.S.

The solar PV panels produced under the thin film photovoltaics umbrella have the potential to produce power significantly cheaper power than today’s typical silicon-based PV panels.  The panels are usually made in the form of a monolithic piece of glass, upon which various thin films are deposited, although a number of firms are working on depositing the materials on a substrate, such as stainless steel or plastic.

Types of Thin Film Photovoltaics – there are primarily three types of thin film photovoltaics and include:

1. Amorphous Silicon

2. Cadmium Telluride

3. Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide

Amorphous Silicon had the largest share of the thin film photovoltaics market through 2006. It has been researched for the longest period of time, may be the best understood material of the three and has been commercial for the longest. Cadmium Telluride has the remaining share and is growing. 

Thin Film Photovoltaics Advantages over Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaics

• Lower cost of production of the 

• Lower production facility cost per watt - CapEx

• Uses as little as 1/500 of the amount used in standard silicon cells

• Lower energy payback – amount of time until the product produces more energy than was utilized in its manufacture.

• Produces more power/watt

• Superior performance in hot and cloudy climates

• Integrates seemlessly in homes and buildings – see Building Integrated Photovoltaics 

• Produces the lowest cost power

What is Net Energy Metering?

Net energy metering is used to measure a customer's total electric consumption against that customer's total on-site electric generation.  When a customer's onsite generation of power exceeds the amount that they use, the customer's solar energy system (or other renewable energy system) exports the extra electricity to the grid.  When the power requirements of the customer exceeds their onsite generation of power, the customer imports the electricity they need from electric grid. The customer pays the electric company for any extra power they use over the amount they generate - OR -  the customer receives a credit or refund from the electric company if they exported more power to the grid, than what they consumed.  

Renewable Energy Is Necessary for Net Zero Energy Buildings

Much focus is placed on energy efficiency as the most cost-effective way to reduce energy use in commercial buildings. However, consumption can be reduced only so much. There is a point at which the cost of adding efficiency measures is higher than that of using renewable energy such as thin film photovoltaics and other solar energy systems. 

Aggressive energy efficiency strategies can reduce a building's energy consumption by 50% to 70%. Renewable energy technologies must be used to reach the goal of a net-zero energy building (NZEB).

Supply-Side Technologies

Various supply-side renewable energy technologies are available for Net Zero Energy Buildings. Supply-side technologies, often called energy producers, collect natural energy and transform it into a useful form. Examples of these technologies include PV, solar hot water, wind, hydroelectric, and biofuels.

Ranking of Energy Options

All renewable sources are favorable over conventional energy sources such as coal and natural gas; however, the U.S. Department of Energy recommends the following ranking for these options (the lower numbers are preferable):

This hierarchy is weighted toward renewable technologies within the building footprint and site. Rooftop PV and solar water heating are the most applicable supply-side technologies for Net Zero Energy Buildings. Other supply-side technologies such as parking lot-based wind or solar energy systems may be available.

The goal in developing the ranking was to encourage technologies that:

• Minimize overall environmental impact by encouraging energy-efficient building designs and reducing transportation and conversion losses

• Will be available over the lifetime of the building

• Are widely available and have high replication potential for future Net Zero Energy Buildings.

Through an affiliated partner company, we are now installing *Free Solar Power Systems for qualified commercial businesses in California and Texas.

To qualify for our Free Solar Power Systems, businesses must:

• Have a good credit rating

• Agree to buy all of the power generated from the Free Solar Power Systems under a 20 year Power Purchase Agreement

We expect ALL of our customers will be very happy knowing that the clean, green, renewable power they are using is: 

• More reliable than the electricity from the power company.

• Saving the environment by reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and helping reverse Climate Change and Global Warming.

• Generated from their own reliable Solar Power System on their roofs.

• Saving Money!  At today's published electric rates at Southern California Edison, TXU, Reliant and Centerpoint, most of our customers will also enjoy a SAVINGS on their present electric bills by as much as 10% from what they are now paying for their electricity from the electric utility.

• Under warranty.

• At the end of the Power Purchase Agreement, the Free Solar Power Systems is then owned by our customers and the savings really start to add up as the power and electricity generated from their Free Solar Power Systems is now free!

To find out if your business qualifies for one of our Free Solar Power Systems, call (832) 758 - 0027 today!

Our "Solar Trigeneration™" Power and Energy Systems
Generate Carbon Free Energy and Pollution Free Power
Which is Sustainable, Clean, Renewable and Affordable

Solar Energy Systems provides cooler, cleaner, greener power and energy project development services. Our Solar Energy Systems are an environmentally-friendly and economically-superior choice to expensive natural gas and electricity. Additionally, our renewable energy technologies generate "green tags" or a Renewable Energy Credit.  

We provide Solar Power and Energy systems that we refer to as "ecogeneration" solutions that produce cooler, cleaner, greener power and energy for our customers and our environment. Unlike most companies, we are equipment supplier/vendor neutral. This means we help our clients select the best equipment for their specific application. This approach provides our customers with superior performance, decreased operating expenses and increased return on investment. 

• Engineering and Economic Feasibility Studies 

• Project Design, Engineering & Permitting

• Project Construction

• Project Funding & Financing Options

• Shared/Guaranteed Savings program with no capital requirements. 

• Project Commissioning 

• Operations & Maintenance 

• Green Tag/Renewable Energy Credit Application, and Marketing

For more information: call us at: 832-758-0027

Net Zero Energy Buildings
www.NetZeroEnergyBuildings.com

The Audubon Nature Center Installs Solar Trigeneration  System
Making this one of the World's First "Net Zero Energy Buildings"
at Their New Facility in Los Angeles, California

NO CONNECTION TO THE ELECTRIC UTILITY!

The Solar Trigeneration  Provides All of their Facility's (5000 sq.ft.)
Cooling, Heating and Power Requirements, Even After the Sun Sets
And WITHOUT ANY CONNECTION to the Electric Utility
with out Solar Trigeneration System!

By:  Monty Goodell, M.B.A.
www.SolarTrigeneration.com
Los Angeles, California

There is now a better, more efficient, “pollution free power” solution for cooling, heating and powering homes and commercial buildings where solar energy is available. It's called Solar Trigeneration

Solar Trigeneration is defined as the simultaneous generation of cooling, heating and power with only the free solar energy from the sun providing the "fuel". Solar Trigeneration is now a reality at the Audubon Center at Debs Park several miles from downtown Los Angeles and is one of the world's first "Net Zero Energy Buildings."

The Audubon Nature Center is totally powered by the sun’s energy and the building operates entirely “grid-free” and without any electric connections to the electric grid, or natural gas connections – a truly sustainable power and energy solution. Best of all, the Audubon Center doesn’t rely on the over-burdened electric grid or even natural gas.  Therefore, the Audubon Nature Center NEVER receives an electric bill or natural gas bill.... ever!

The Audubon Nature Center's 5,000 square foot office and conference facility is powered by a Solar Trigeneration system that features a 25-kilowatt solar electric power system where the energy is stored in a bank of batteries. The Center is cooled by a 10-ton solar absorption cooling system powered by an array of very efficient solar heat pipe vacuum tube thermal collectors.  The collectors heat the water to temperatures of 200+ degree F stored in a 1,200 gallon insulated tank, another type of inexpensive battery. The Solar Trigeneration system at the Audubon not only provides the air-conditioning in the summer but also heats the building in the winter, and provides the hot water for the kitchen and bathrooms. 

Absorption chillers, and cooling with solar energy with an absorption chiller are not new technologies.  In fact, absorption chiller technology is over 70 years old.  The first refrigerators were powered by propane gas to run the absorption chillers that used ammonia as a refrigerant.  Electricity and the electric compression chiller gained popularity only because of the convenient “plug and play” appliance and relatively cheap electric rates.  Electricity is no longer economically, or environmentally “cheap.”

Cogeneration refers to the simultaneous production of heat and power. Cogeneration plants are much more efficient as compared with typical power plants.  Cogeneration is usually about 55% to 70% efficient in terms of overall system efficiency, or about 200% more efficient than typical power plants.  However, cogeneration power plants are fueled by natural gas, which is a limited resource, and whose price has exploded as a result of all the new cogeneration plants that have been built and fueled by natural gas. Even in early 2001, the price of natural gas was only $2.75 - $3.25 per mmbtu. However, with all of the new cogeneration power plants, limited supply of natural gas, and the huge demand placed on natural gas for fueling the new cogeneration plants, the price of natural gas is now around $7.50 - $8.50 per mmbtu.

Solar Trigeneration is an EcoGeneration solution.  EcoGeneration refers to a power and energy system that uses the “natural” energy or fuel that is available for a specific site or location. Such energy or fuel includes, solar, wind, BioMethane, geothermal, and ocean power, including ocean tidal and ocean thermal energy conversion. For example, in the desert areas of the Southwestern U.S. , there is an abundance of solar energy. Therefore, home-owners and business owners in this part of the country should seriously consider an EcoGeneration system (“ecogen system”) that optimizes the opportunities available through solar energy

Today, the cause of the summer peak electric demand, electric supply problems, and black-outs, are the result of the energy crisis in California , primarily attributed to the air conditioning load. Over 40 percent of the electricity generated every day goes is used for air conditioning.  At this time of year, the electric utilities are forced to turn on all of their power plants to generate the “peak” demands required by the customers, primarily for air-conditioning.  This means that all of the efficient power plants, the inefficient power plants, along with all of the “peaking” power plants have to run to generate the electricity needed. The high cost of meeting the peak demand is passed on to the consumers with rates of $.20+ per kWh during the summer months.   For fixed income seniors living in desert communities, they are already forced to conserve on energy, food, water, and other necessities of life. 

Greater Demands on California’s Limited Electric Supply, Lack of New Electric Power Supplies, and This Summer’s Heat Wave are Compounding the Problem Leading to the “Perfect Electric Storm”

Many people will remember the movie “The Perfect Storm” from several years ago, when several storms came together in the northeastern part of the U.S. to produce a deadly and catastrophic “perfect” storm. Today, a different type of “perfect storm” is brewing in California . The storm that’s looming on the horizon in California is a “perfect electric storm” wherein the supply of electricity from the electric utility company’s power plants are unable to keep-up with the demand – meaning a black-out, or loss of electricity, like the black-outs from previous years, and like the northeastern black-out from 2003.

The most likely time of year for a black-out in California , unfortunately, is the summer, when air-conditioners are running at the maximum, and placing the maximum load on California ’s electricity supply.  Should such a black-out occur in the desert areas of California, where daily high temperatures routinely reach 110 degrees and higher, and where a significant percentage of the population is comprised of retired and senior citizens, and should the black-out be prolonged, a number of deaths will be the likely outcome. People, and especially the elderly, simply cannot tolerate prolonged high temperatures

How Do We Prevent the “Perfect Electric Storm” from Occurring in California and Other Regions in the U.S.?

Another major concern is how do we prevent the “Perfect Electric Storm” from happening, like the Northeast Blackout several summers ago, especially for people living in the desert?  California ’s energy authorities are warning of a possible energy crisis during the hot summer months, due to the excessive and prolonged summer temperatures where demand increases by over 40 percent.  Compounding the problem is the rising demand for electricity due to population growth and the limited transmission capacity in some areas in the region.  According to the California Energy Commission, the State must build three natural gas-fired 500-megawatt peaking power plants, every year, just to keep up with the growing demands of electricity. Failure to keep up with demand means The problem is getting worse due to the population growth in the Inland Empire , Coachella Valley and Antelope Valley. The projected power gap for the coming summers of 2006, 2007, and 2008 is very bleak.

Governor Schwarzenegger’s “Million Solar Roofs” program and the passage of the 2005 Federal Energy Act will be the foundation to create a “Perfect Solar Storm” to trigger the Solar Economy throughout California. 

With the threat of California’s seniors and elderly dying from heat exhaustion due to power outages, black-outs, rolling black-outs and the rising costs of electricity and natural gas, combined with the continuing impact of global warming, the perfect solution is to create a Solar Revolution by cooling, heating and powering the desert with solar energy and technologies like Solar Cogeneration or Solar Trigeneration.

To find our more about the new Solar Trigeneration system at the Audubon Center in Los Angeles, or arrange for a tour of the Audubon Center, or discuss your Solar CHP, Solar Cogeneration or EcoGeneration requirements, call Monty Goodell at 832-758-0027

The Audubon Center's new Solar Trigeneration power and energy system
makes this building a "Net Zero Energy Building"

The Audubon's Roof showing the Solar Thermal Collectors, part of the 
Solar Trigeneration power and energy system

The heart of the Audubon's Solar Trigeneration power and energy system
provides "free heating, cooling and domestic hot water," a "net zero energy building."

The hot water from the Solar Thermal Collectors on the roof of the Audubon is pumped here for producing the building's heating, cooling and domestic hot water.
Hot water is stored in the tank on the left for overnight.