US Power Solutions

Solar and Social Securtiy

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:58:11 -0400

[ Jack and Carole Robinson]

So much commotion about Social Security and whether the entitled shall receive it’s fair to say planning for the future is key. Currently more than 65 million individuals receive Social Security. The normal amount taxed from the first $110,000 of workers earnings is 6.25 percent. Even with the government knowing that the fund was low there was still a decision made for 2011 and 2012 to temporarily only tax at a 4.2 margin leaving the rest of the deficit to be barrowed.

The average monthly benefit for a retired individual is $ 1,232 and about $150 less for disabled workers. So what does all this have to do with sustainable energy?

If by now one has home and auto paid off there still are many monthly re-occurring fees ; Gas, prescriptions, family expenses, home & auto maintenance and much more. With renewable energy, even if you have to finance your system you still will eventually pay it off leaving you with NO PAYMENT and NO POWER BILL.

There are great financing options available through green lenders who can offer same as cash options and deferred payments allowing one to take advantage of the tax credits and different incentives from local utilities.

The great thing about solar is it can add value to your home. The ability to prove and document the bill cycle and your production amount can be very useful for the buyers. US Power Solutions offers Bosch, Sharp and Canadian Solar modules so every buyer has several options to suit their budget and production needs. We also offer lifetime monitoring that automatically documents and graphs you’re solar on a day by minute’s production. This allows you to easily track your solar and provided to future buyers. .

Solar in many markets offer extra value with S-REC’s. These are basically like stocks, energy credits that one can sell. The home owner is rewarded with these certificates based off production. Utilities must comply with regulation that forces a certain amount of power produced to be renewable. If the utility does not meet these requirements they are than fined. Needless to say utilities will pay anything under the fine amount to meet regulations.

The initial investment may seem steep but we spend this much on cars that never hold a value or eliminate bills. Both state and federal governments are still offering tax credits. Renewable energy is an eco safe investment that allows one to eliminate utility bills. Planning for the future includes being ready for the increase in natural gas prices and setting yourself up for a sustained future!

Making Mailbox Money (by jokah86)

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:34:08 -0400

Making Mailbox Money (by jokah86)

Brown liquor and solar cells to provide sustainable electricity

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:37:40 -0400

Brown liquor and solar cells to provide sustainable electricity:

We have all the links they just need to be assembled properly.

First Solar takes over 20 MW Maryland Solar Project

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:15:40 -0400

First Solar takes over 20 MW Maryland Solar Project:

Solar can be integrated into design from the beginning stages to...

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:31:26 -0400

Solar can be integrated into design from the beginning stages to help aesthetics ….This roof was formed from bamboo .

"Georgia Solar Power Rebate, Tax Credits, and Incentives"

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:36:35 -0400

“EXAMPLE RESIDENTIAL SOLAR INSTALLATION

Georgia’s thriving population center of Atlanta had very humble beginnings. It was originally the 0-mile marker of a railroad that became a trade route from Georgia to the Midwestern U.S., and was known simply as “Terminus”. In the early 1840s, the fledgling community had about three dozen residents who felt a more appropriate name was required. Atlantica-Pacifica was chosen, but later shortened to Atlanta when the town was incorporated in 1847. Today, Atlanta embraces both Fulton and parts of Dekalb counties, and currently has nearly a half million people; the metro Atlanta area has about five million people, or nearly half the state’s population.

The principal electric supplier is Georgia Power, serving about half of the state’s electrical customers. Georgia’s average usage is 13,776 kWh/year at an average rate of 8.64 cents per kWh. An Atlanta resident can replace 50% of that energy use with a solar power system at an estimated net cost of $37,000 (that’s a mid-range projection for both the system and installation costs after a $2,000 federal tax credit and a $10,500 state tax credit), and 550 square feet of roof area. You may think to yourself, “My goodness, that still seems like a lot of cash I have to fork out to do the right thing for my checkbook eventually and the environment”. However, there are some great financing options available which will probably add up to the total amount you were paying before on energy usage per month anyway. To explore some of those options, request contact with one of the installers in our network by clicking the link below.

Since the region’s solar rating is “good”, it’s about time the state legislators came through with a tax credit to encourage residential solar power installations in Atlanta or elsewhere in the state. The following advantages of installing a 3kW system should be considered (results shown are for Fulton County; DeKalb County provides slightly better financial benefits):

Estimated increase in property value – $9,920
Estimated 25-year utility savings – $20,813
Estimated reduction in greenhouse gases (CO2) – 141 tons

CONSENSUS

Georgia is one of the fastest growing states in the nation. Government and local utilities officials both have finally provided residential and business incentives for solar power and other renewable energy alternatives to mitigate demands on the state’s electrical capacity. Kudos! More can still be done. “

U.S. Sets Tariffs On Chinese Solar Panels

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:09:09 -0400

“The U.S. Commerce Department has imposed new import fees on solar panels made in China, finding that the Chinese government is improperly giving subsidies to manufacturers of the panels there.

The department said Tuesday it has found on a preliminary basis that Chinese solar panel makers have received government subsidies of 2.9 percent to 4.73 percent. Therefore the department said tariffs in the same proportions will be charged on Chinese panels imported into the U.S., depending on which company makes them.

The tariff amounts are considered small, but the decision could ratchet up trade tensions between the U.S. and China. Several U.S. solar panel makers had asked the government to impose steep tariffs on Chinese imports. They are struggling against stiff competition from China as well as weakening demand in Europe and other key markets, just as President Barack Obama is working to promote renewable energy.

“Today’s announcement affirms what U.S. manufacturers have long known: Chinese manufacturers have received unfair … subsidies,” Steve Ostrenga, CEO of Helios Solar Works in Milwaukee, Wis., said in a statement. The company is a member of a group called the Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing.

On the other side, some U.S. companies argue that low-priced Chinese imports have helped consumers and promote rapid growth of the industry.

The new tariffs are low, making the Commerce Department decision “a relatively positive outcome for the U.S. solar industry and its 100,000 employees,” said Jigar Shah, president of the Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy. “However, tariffs large or small will hurt American jobs and prolong our world’s reliance on fossil fuels. Fortunately, this decision will not significantly raise solar prices in the United States.”

Members of CASE include California-based SunEdison, Recurrent Energy, SolarCity and Westinghouse Solar, as well as China-based Suntech Power Holdings Co.

Commerce said it was putting off until May 17 a decision on whether Chinese companies are dumping the solar panels on world markets, selling them below cost.

Trade tensions with China are especially sensitive at a time when the U.S. and other Western economies want to boost technology exports to revive economic growth and reduce high unemployment.

The U.S. and China are two of the world’s biggest markets for solar, wind and other renewable energy technology. Both governments are promoting their own suppliers in hopes of generating higher-paid technology jobs.

The U.S. manufacturers’ complaints have been amplified by the controversy surrounding Solyndra Inc. a California-based solar panel maker that filed for bankruptcy protection after winning a $500 million federal loan from the Obama administration.

Solyndra’s failure embarrassed the administration and prompted a lengthy review by congressional Republicans who are critical of Obama’s green energy policies. Solyndra has cited Chinese competition as a key reason for its failure.

U.S. energy officials say China spent more than $30 billion last year to subsidize its solar industry. Obama said in November that China has “questionable competitive practices” in clean energy and that his administration has fought “these kinds of dumping activities.” The administration will act to enforce trade laws where appropriate, Obama said.

SolarWorld Industries America Inc., the largest U.S. maker of silicon solar cells and panels and a subsidiary of Germany-based SolarWorld, has led the U.S. manufacturers’ complaints.

China announced its own probe in November, saying it will investigate whether U.S. support for renewable energy companies improperly hurts foreign suppliers.”

As I passed through the Buckhead GA area last week I got stuck...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:54:47 -0400

As I passed through the Buckhead GA area last week I got stuck at a light . A middle aged man was riding a bike with a solar panel mounted to a attached cart. I had to ask what he was doing , not only because its not often you see solar on bikes but it was not your average cheap OTC panel. This was a nice monocrystiline panel with a charge control on it . This helped him on the tough terrain allowed him to go further distance. #goteamgreen

"Because we are now running out of gas and oil, we must prepare quickly for a third change, to strict..."

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:38:56 -0400

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Because we are now running out of gas and oil, we must prepare quickly for a third change, to strict conservation and to the use of coal and permanent renewable energy sources, like solar power.

JIMMY CARTER, televised speech, Apr. 18, 1977

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This was over 30 years ago and still we seem unconcerned .

New solar battery technology .....

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:15:46 -0400

New solar battery technology ..... :

Solar storm that seemed to fizzle gains new strength

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 12:41:00 -0500

Solar storm that seemed to fizzle gains new strength:

Making Green Go Fast ……….

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:49:00 -0500

Making Green Go Fast ……….

"Date: Friday, February 17, 2012, 6:00am EST Guest writer. Andrew J. Moore Founder/President of..."

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:55:36 -0500

“

Date: Friday, February 17, 2012, 6:00am EST

Guest writer.
Andrew J. Moore Founder/President of National Sales - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Georgia lawmakers are considering a bill aimed at boosting investment in renewableenergy production. A bill introduced into the Georgia Senate Feb. 7 would let businesses and other property owners finance the installation of solar panels and other types of renewable projects through third parties.

Current law allows such projects but only if the business puts up the money and owns and operates the system.

“I view it as personal property rights,” said Sen. Buddy Carter, R-Pooler, chief sponsor ofSenate Bill 401. “I have a philosophical problem with us telling people what they can and can’t do on their property.”

Most states already allow third-party financing of renewable energy projects. In fact, it has become the predominant method for financing solar panels, said Kerenia Cusick,senior director of government relations for SunEdison LLC, a California-based solar energy services company that has been providing third-party financing since 2004.

But in Georgia, third-party financing is being blocked by two laws. Georgia Power Co. has cited the 1973 Georgia Territorial Electric Service Act giving it the exclusive right to continue serving existing customers in sending cease-and-desist letters to customers, including schools, considering third-party solar panel installers.

“[Carter’s] legislation would certainly end that nonsense,” said Lee Peterson, a renewable energy real estate and tax incentives adviser at Reznick Group P.C. in Atlanta.

More recently, the Georgia Cogeneration and Distributed Generation Act of 2001, which first allowed businesses or other property owners to generate electricity from renewable sources on site, prohibited leasing, power purchase agreements or other forms of third party financing.

“Forty-five states have no issue with this,” Peterson said. “It’s sad to see Georgia living in this dark cave back in the 20th century. We need to get Georgia on pace with the rest of the country.”

Besides permitting third-party financing in Georgia, Carter’s bill would expand the types of renewable energy projects covered under the 2001 law to biomass, municipal solid waste,landfill gas and hydropower. The 2001 legislation is restricted to solar and wind projects. It also would remove caps in the current statute that limit generating capacities of renewable energy projects to 10 kilowatts for homeowners and 100 kilowatts for businesses.

A national survey by the Solar Electric Power Association found that as recently as 2008, most solar panels were being purchased with cash. But with the Great Recession, the upfront costs of the panels have become harder to afford.

Cusick said more and more businesses are turning to third-party financing both for ease of affordability and to give them a greater comfort level.

“The whole idea of … having to understand the technology and being responsible for the system [is daunting],” she said. “[With] third-party financing, the company is doing that for you.”

SunEdison’s clients include Staples Inc., Kohl’s Corp. and Whole Foods Market Inc. Those chains add up to a lot of solar panels and, thus, a lot of potential sales for solar companies in Georgia if Carter’s bill becomes law.

“We have companies here in Georgia that make these,” Peterson said. “The demand would go up and there would be increased activity in installation, operation and maintenance.”

But the legislation faces powerful opposition in Georgia Power. The Atlanta-based utility opposes third-party financing and installation of renewable energy projects as an unacceptable risk, spokeswoman Lynn Wallace said.

“Third parties are unregulated [by the Georgia Public Service Commission],” she said. “We believe [the bill] would … compromise reliability for all of our customers … and could potentially jeopardize the safety of our utility crews.”

Former PSC member Bobby Baker, now an energy lawyer with Freeman Mathis & GaryLLP, said such safety and reliability concerns might have been valid a decade ago but today are obsolete.

“With the new technology being developed, it’s not your brother-in-law doing the installation,” he said. “You’re going to get a professional.”

Wallace said Georgia Power believes the intermittent nature of electricity that comes fromthe sun is another risk.

“As a regulated utility, we have an obligation to serve our customers, even when solar is not generating,” she said.

But Baker predicted that increasing production of solar power in Georgia would exert downward pressure on costs rather than driving them higher. Solar power would be most available during the summer, when demand for power is at its highest, he said.

Carter’s bill has substantial backing in the Senate, with Senate President Pro TemporeTommie Williams, R-Lyons, and Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, listed as co-sponsors.

But Carter acknowledged it won’t be easy to overcome the opposition of the politically influential utility.

“I’m not naive enough to think I’m as powerful as Georgia Power,” he said. “Nevertheless, I’m hoping to be treated fairly.”

Dave Williams covers Government

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"Since I do not forsee that atomic energy is to be a great boon for a long time, I have to say that..."

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:33:41 -0500

“Since I do not forsee that atomic energy is to be a great boon for a long time, I have to say that for the present it is a menace. Perhaps it is well that it should be. It may intimidate the human race into bringing order into its international affairs, which, without the presence of fear, it would not do.
— Albert Einstein”

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The Vampire Power Diaries

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:57:31 -0500

I grew up in a rural area with a father whose motto was “if its plugged in its using power” It would be years before I put thought into this and try to understand why this was a way of life in our household.

Today with so many electronics and technology pushing forward by the minute, its no wonder our use of power has increased and is producing a return affect of increasing the price of electricity.

According to U.S. Energy Information Administration report released Nov 2010 the average monthly consumption per household in Georgia is 1,148 kilowatts per month roughly $113.96 meaning that yearly $1500 is spent in just electricity.

Lets keep that number in mind as we investigate “standby power”. http://standby.lbl.gov/faq.html#what (this link is FAQ’s and charts about standby power)

We also refer to these wasted watts as “vampire power.”

The best way to describe vampire power is electricity used by appliances and adapters when turned off or not in use. Things such as clocks, stoves, microwaves, entertainment system ect. VAMPIRE POWER represents about 10% of your total yearly kilowatt usage. So based off the previous number, $150 a year goes to loss of unused electricity. Most people have to see to believe! Use the link below to see how much per year you’re paying to the vampire.

CALCULATE YOUR VAMPIRE LOSS

http://www.vampirepowersucks.com/Energy-Loss.aspx This site allows you to break down your home by room and add your appliances accordingly. You are able to input your run time on each device and calculate yearly and home specific.

Below is a link to tips and tricks to reduce standby power. http://www.vampirepowersucks.com/Tips-Tricks.aspx

So to finish up, I now see why my dad was so serious about unplugging and turning off lights when leaving rooms. It’s always the small things that add up, what we don’t pay as much attention to.

As we welcome spring into the air, we undeniable will become busier. This is when we start to spruce up the yard and spend a majority of time outside. It’s a great time to minimize your vampire power. Take that money and treat yourself!!

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER WHEN YOU ARE IN A BAD MOOD?

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:27:03 -0500

sun sun sun

"Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings. Salvador Dali"

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:55:57 -0500

““Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.
Salvador Dali”

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Incentives Still Available ......

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:50:00 -0500

http://www.motherearthnews.com/renewable-energy/solar-water-space-heating-zwfz1201zhun.aspx

The most common thing that I get asked on a daily basis about solar panels and solar hot water is …

“HOW MUCH?”

This seems like such an easy answer……However lets compare buying solar to buying a car. I can tell you that I want a white four door car, how much will it be? Depends are we talking Benz, Cadillac or base model Kia right ?

There are so many options and extras to add to your home systems, retro fitting water/heat pumps in your home, adding the solar hot water unit to heat your pool year round and pay for the pool pump out of your solar production. Its really a case by case price based off the needs and wants of the homeowner.

(above a customer that opted for a 1k system saving 15% of the utiltiy bill)

There have been so many advances in solar since 1838 when Edmund Becquerel observed natural material that could turn light into energy. This being the same technology that allows solar to work present day.

When stringing solar panels optimization is key !! There were issues in the past with shade in early solar technology. If your panel was covered by shade it would in return affect all the panels tied into this sting. Today’s advancements allow each panel to have an inverter that ensures individual panels to produce optimally even with other panels on their string shaded.

The way that one figures out the size of solar system needed to sustain their home is based off the homes annual kilowatt total from the prior year(s). With price still being the general topic , many people assume you can casually compare two home with similar square footage and family size.

WRONG !!!

Every persons home has its own issues: heating , cooling, insulation, positions, surroundings, access to a SW direction that effect your options …….

You get the point!

Keep in mind there are many other key items to factor in when decided on your solar. Do you want to remain tied to the grid and gain some “mail box money” incentive from your utility? Or would you like to get off the grid and have your entire home running off solar with battery backup? Do you want to power your extra workshop and camper ? Even the location of the panels affect the production and price.

The tax credits available that the linked article spoke about are still available and they make up for about 60% of a total project. They are trying to re-instate the grants that were available 2011 and prior for solar projects. There is a reason that China and other demographics have imposed laws for sustainable resources. Not only to lessen our carbon footprint but as supply and demand increases for electricity you will see this reflected in your rates to come.

Photo

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:22:00 -0500