Posts Tagged ‘residential solar power’
INVERTER RECALL: NON-ISSUE FOR EMPOWERED CLIENTS
Last week LIPA sent a letter to all solar owners on Long Island about a Schneider Electric inverter recall that impacted products under the brand names Xantrex GT, SunPower, and General Electric.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS RECALL DOES NOT APPLY TO ANY EQUIPMENT INSTALLED BY EMPOWER
Rest assured the inverter(s) that EmPower installed at your home or business is in great shape. The recalled inverters are made by a company called Xantrex that was recently acquired by Schneider Electric. While Xantrex was once a market leader, EmPower had several bad experiences with them between 2005 and 2007 and has since never used them.
Please know that you would certainly receive notice from us right away if a product recall affected your system.
Of course, do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Thank you as always for your commitment to EmPower and to solar energy.
We are honored to have you as our client.
David G. Schieren
Chief Executive Officer
Call (516) 837-3459 for further information
www.empowerces.com
Keep The Solar Decathlon On The National Mall
It was recently announced that the US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon competition would be moved at the last minute from the National Mall in Washington DC to a different location that has yet to be announced. Since 2002, four Solar Decathlons have been held on the Mall, and the 2011 teams have been planning for over a year to compete at the venue. See the January 14 New York Times Article for more background information.
As leaders of the Solar Decathlon Alumni Association (SDAA), we are supporting the student led initiative to keep the competition on the Mall. Towards that end, we are endorsing an online petition created by the students that can be found here: http://www.petition2congress.com/3973/. We are also directly requesting support from our political representatives. The current participants are doing an incredible job at generating support. For example, Senator Menendez of New Jersey has issued a press release in support of this effort: http://menendez.senate.gov/newsroom/press/.
We believe that the Solar Decathlon competition is vital to the success of clean energy in the United States and all over the world. It is our position that the National Mall is essential to the competition’s value and prestige. Students and sponsors from the US and international teams are inspired to compete in such an historic location. The Solar Decathlon is about inspiring students – the leaders of the next generation, faculty – the educators of future leaders, and entire university communities to embrace renewable energy.
As a former decathletes and a member of the Solar Decathlon Alumni Association, we know first-hand the influence and deep impact of the competition. Having it at the Mall, the most prominent location in our country, the “front-lawn” of the United States of America, is instrumental to its success.
For information about this year’s event please visit www.solardecathlon.com.
David Schieren, CEO
2005 Solar Decathlon NYIT/USMMA Team Leader, 2007 Advisor.
Gregory Sachs, COO
2005 Solar Decathlon NYIT/USMMA Lead Engineer, 2007 Advisor
Matthew Mathosian, Commercial Project Manager
2007 Solar Decathlon NYIT Lead Architect, 2011 CUNY Advisor
EmPower is the lead sponsor and solar advisor of the 2011 Solar Decathlon CUNY Team
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.
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 7th 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
