750 kw of Residential Solar Rebates Obligated in just 11 Minutes

As was mentioned in the previous post, LIPA made rebates of $1.75/watt available for 750kW of Residential Solar for the rest of 2010 as part of the Solar Pioneer Program.  Rebate applications were accepted beginning at 8:00am on October 1, 2010, and were fully subscribed 11 minutes later, at 8:11am!  Contractors across Long Island waited at their computers to press “send” right at 8, and those applications that were received first will be processed in the coming weeks and months.  All other rebate applications will have to wait until January 1, when the 2011 Solar Pioneer Program will re-start.

It may seem as though solar on Long Island is doomed for the rest of the year.  But we at EmPower see it as quite the opposite.  Just for reference: it used to take almost a whole year for 750kW to go, and now it’s going in less than a quarter of an hour!  This is great news for the clean energy industry.  Demand is high, which means Long Island is on its way to achieving energy independence, reduced energy costs, and a cleaner, greener environment.  We are excited to continue working with LIPA in 2011 and beyond to further these goals.  In the mean time, feel free to contact us as we are still doing site visits and proposals, and stay tuned for an announcement regarding the 2011 Solar Pioneer Program rebate details.

Important note: LIPA rebates are still available for commercial and non-profit projects.

LIPA REBATE CHANGE

We are pleased to announce that LIPA has extended the 2010 solar rebate program.  Here are the program details:

1. Solar Pioneer (Residential):

There will be one (1) additional 750 kW block at $1.75/Watt for the Solar Pioneer Program. The 750 kW block will become effective 8:00 AM EST on October 1, 2010. Once the block is fully subscribed no further applications will be accepted until January 1, 2011.

For up-to-date information on the Residential Solar Pioneer Program, please refer to LIPA’s website at http://www.lipower.org/residential/efficiency/renewables/solar.html

2. Solar-Entrepreneur (Commercial/Munis/NFPs/Schools)

There will be one (1) additional 750 kW block at $1.75/Watt For Profit, $2.75/Watt Non-Profit, for the Solar Entrepreneur Program. The 750 kW block will become effective 8:00 AM EST on October 1, 2010. Once the block is fully subscribed no further applications will be accepted until January 1, 2011.

For up-to-date information Commercial and Non-Profit Solar Entrepreneur Program can be found here:            http://www.lipower.org/commercial/efficiency/solar.html

If you would like to proceed with a solar electric system this year we encourage you to contact us soon.  Please call our Sales Manager Joe Cordes at (516) 286-1477 at your earliest convenience to get started.

Long Island Homes Featured on National Solar Tour on Oct. 2, 2010

Every fall, the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) hosts a National Solar Tour, a grassroots event offering an opportunity for the general public to learn about solar energy.  Renewable Energy Long Island (reLI) is hosting the 7^th Long Island tour on Saturday, October 2 from 10am-4pm.  More than 160,000 participants will visit some 5,500 buildings across the United States, over 25 of which are located on Long Island.  EmPower is proud to showcase two of our installations on this tour; one in Hicksville and one in Island Park.

We invite you to see for yourself what solar is all about by speaking with homeowners, watching their electric meters run backwards, and seeing the actual savings on utility bills. Tours provide helpful, real-world examples of costs and how to save money with federal, state, and local incentives. Ultimately the tour inspires people across the nation to make sustainable energy choices that help lower costs, support energy independence, protect against power outages, and reduce carbon emissions.

The tour is self-guided and free of charge, but visitors need to obtain a free Visitors Pass from reLI.  Every visitor will receive a free copy of the LI GreenGuide, a 64-page publication with articles on green jobs, energy audits, solar and wind energy, green technology, local farming, and “The Green Yellow Pages,” a directory of over 350 LI green businesses and organization.  To obtain a Visitors Pass and learn about sites near you, please visit www.RenewableEnergyLongIsland.org or call (631) 329-8888.

Below is a press release by reLI which contains more details about the benefits of the tour.

LONG ISLAND HOMES FEATURED on NATIONAL SOLAR TOUR on October 2, 2010

September, 25, 2010
Gordian Raacke, 631-329-8888

Over 25 solar, wind and geothermal-powered green homes will be open to the public for free visits on Saturday, October 2nd from 10 AM to 4 PM as part of the National Solar Tour & Green Buildings Open House on Long Island. Tour visitors can learn about solar and other forms of clean energy and energy efficiency directly from the people in their community, watch electric meters run backwards, and see the actual savings on utility bills.

These island-wide open houses feature solar energy or have other green building features. The National Solar Tour & Green Buildings Open House is organized on Long Island by the non-profit Renewable Energy Long Island (reLI) with support from LIPA and by the American Solar Energy Society at the national level. Last year’s tour attracted 150,000 visitors nationwide and has been billed as the largest public renewable energy education event in the world.

“Whether you want to lower your electric or heating bills, make your home more comfortable, or just do the right thing and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, the best way to find out what you can do is to talk directly to home owners who have already done it”, said Gordian Raacke, Executive Director of Renewable Energy Long Island (reLI). “It’s your once-a-year chance to see dozens of green building features in action and get straight answers directly from fellow homeowners – that’s what our self-guided tour is all about.”

One home available to tour, the Dalglish residence in East Patchogue, was custom built and features a 1.8 kW solar electric system, a geothermal heat pump, passive solar heating, air radiant floors and structurally insulated panels (SIPs), which together have cut the owners’ energy bills considerably.

“We made up seven challenges when building our home, and we stuck to them,” said Campbell Dalglish of East Patchogue. “Our challenges were for the home to be energy efficient, environmentally friendly, sustainable, small but spacious, have a healthy home interior, be of mass appeal and be affordable. The design that came out of these challenges has changed our way of living and thinking and we love it.”

Another site that visitors can tour is the DeCarlo residence in West Islip. This home features a 10kW photovoltaic system, EnergyStar appliances, and high efficiency central A/C units.

“I have had my system since March 2004,” said Joseph DeCarlo of West Islip. “In my case the solar electric system paid for itself in just over 4 years. The best part is that there is virtually zero maintenance on the system. How many products can you buy that have that kind of track record? “

“LIPA is proud to be working in partnership with reLI and the generous homeowners who make this solar tour possible every year for our customers,” said LIPA’s VP of environmental affairs Michael J. Deering. ” LIPA’s nationally–recognized Solar Pioneer and Entrepreneur program continues to help our customers reduce energy consumption and lower electric bills, diversify Long Island’s energy portfolio and strengthen the local economy with the creation of high quality clean energy jobs.

“Solar energy technology has made great strides over the years as evidenced by the number on installations on Long Island, around New York State and countrywide,” said New York Power Authority President and CEO Richard M. Kessel. “Through concerted efforts among, utilities, the solar industry and the public, today’s solar systems are truly accepted as a sure way to save energy and money while helping to improve our environment. I’m very pleased that NYPA continues to lead the way in securing even greater utilization of PV technology through individual projects and our 100 Megawatt statewide solar initiative.”

“Action Long Island’s Energy and Environment Task Force is delighted to be a part of this extraordinary event which is vital in promoting clean and renewable energy on LI. In today’s economic climate, brochures and websites simply aren’t enough. Nothing is more awe inspiring than seeing yourself in one of these innovative homes and talking one-on-one with the leaders of Long Island’s green movement.”

The self-guided tour is free of charge but visitors will need to obtain a free Visitors Pass from reLI. Every visitor will receive a free copy of the LI GreenGuide, a 64-page publication with articles on green jobs, energy audits, solar and wind energy, green technology, local farming and “The Green Yellow Pages,” a directory of over 350 Long Island green businesses and organizations.

The Visitors Pass and more information on the tour and clean energy technologies & incentives are available at RenewableEnergyLongIsland.org or by calling (631)329-8888.

Long Island Power Authority Reduces Solar Rebates Once Again

When I first came to EmPower Solar as a lowly intern in June of 2009 (don’t worry, now I’m full time, with a degree), the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) was paying solar system owners $3.50 per watt of electric power capacity installed as part of its Solar Pioneer Program.  That means the utility could literally pay you $35,000 – half the total cost – for a typical 10kw residential system.  This is not including federal and state tax credits, which can further reduce the cost to owners.

I came back to EmPower full time upon completing my degree earlier this summer, when rebates were down to $2.00.  After a few weeks, we got word that the rebates were going down even further, and might even dry up for the rest of the year! Luckily that didn’t happen, but rebates have officially been lowered to $1.75 per watt for up to 10kw or $17,500.

What does this mean for homeowners who want to go solar? Well, fortunately system costs have gone down as well.  It’s a typical effect of supply and demand: demand for solar panels have skyrocketed in the past few years nationwide, so industry kicked up production and took advantage of economies of scale.  It’s still a great time to go solar, as rebates tend to stay somewhat proportional to system cost.  But it is likely that utility rebate funding will indeed dry up in the near future.  This is a tribute to the success of the program – and the awesome fact that Long Islanders are supporting the clean energy mission – but the money won’t be available forever.  If you are at all considering going solar, now is the time.  Solar panels are cost effective anyway, but you don’t want to miss the chance to have LIPA pay a large chunk of your system cost and reduce the payback by a few years.  Given the speed at which rebates have been dropping, there is no predicting how long they’ll last.

See for yourself a rebate update on LIPA’s Solar Pioneer Rebate Block Guidelines Site website.  If you follow some links to the rebate block graph, you can see the rate at which the rebates are being dispersed.

And to read a Newsday article on LIPA’s rebate status, click here



Energy Stimulus Money Slow to Spend, But Making Strides for Solar on Long Island and New York State

Of the $3.2 billion that the economic stimulus package of 2009 allocated towards energy efficiency and conservation, only 8.4% had been spent as of the beginning of this month.  An Audit Report was released by the Department of Energy last week examining the status of funds granted to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program under the Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  The DOE disbursed most of the available funds for projects that would increase energy efficiency and reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions.  However, after a year only $269.7 million had been spent, producing or saving just 2,265 jobs.

http://www.ig.energy.gov/documents/OAS-RA-10-16.pdf

Why the delays in spending?  Low levels of spending and job creation were clearly not the desired outcome of this program.  But the one-year analysis found impediments to implementation including administrative and regulatory issues at the federal, state, and local levels.  A shortage of Department staff and abundance of federal controls have made it difficult for local governments to spend money as planned.  More details on these issues can be found in the status report.

The Department of Energy had the chance to respond to this audit and argued that the program was more successful than made to appear by this report; much of the money has actually been committed to projects so there is promise of spending in the near future.

What does this mean for solar? Although most stimulus grants for renewable energy technologies are given through other areas, like the State Energy Program leg of the Recovery Act, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block includes solar power on government buildings.  According to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Governor Paterson back in March 2010, $24 million of this block funding was awarded for clean energy projects in small municipalities across New York state.  Plans for this money included both solar photovoltaic and thermal systems on various facilities including fire stations, libraries, and town halls.  Here is the breakdown of funds for Long Island:

http://www.nyserda.org/economicrecovery/documents/rfp10_awardees.pdf

It’s great to see that New York municipalities are on board and in many cases leading the mission of spreading solar energy and efficiency!