30% Solar Investment Tax Credit remains until December 31, 2016?

Hello solar friends! This is Channel from PurePoint Energy. The 30% Solar Investment Tax Credit will expire December 31, 2015 for homeowners and will go from 30% to 10% for business owners. Why is this important you might ask? The Solar Investment Tax Credit has created many opportunities for the people of Connecticut to use their natural energy and save big bucks on becoming solar. On average, PurePoint's residential customers will save over $10,000 because of this tax credit. Since it has become so popular to go solar, this has given opportunities for many solar energy companies, like PurePoint Energy, to open the doors for people interested in becoming employed within the Solar Energy industry.

What is the Solar Investment Tax Credit?

The Solar Energy Industries Association states that the Investment Tax Credit or "ITC" is a 30% federal tax credit for solar systems on residential and commercial properties that, under current law, remains in effect through December 31, 2016. Companies use this tax credit for projects that they have installed, developed or financed. Residential tax credits are used towards residential sized projects and homeowners can apply this tax to their income taxes. The credit is used when homeowners purchase solar systems and have them installed on their homes.

How has this affected Connecticut residents and solar companies?

How has this effected Connecticut residents and solar companies?

Ikea in New Haven, Connecticut

"In 2014, Connecticut homeowners and businesses installed 45 Megawatts of solar electricity capacity, making the state the 17th most solarized state out of 50..." according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Connecticut offers incentives that are based on system capacity, like the Connecticut Green Bank. The Connecticut Green Bank calculate their incentive amount by measuring how much energy the house uses on average over a period of 12 months. If the capacity is up to the average; homeowners will expect a generous rebate, if the capacity is lower than the average; they can expect a lower rebate. These incentive programs have helped with the growth of installing solar systems in Connecticut. Connecticut has taken action in becoming more solar, IKEA in New Haven is one of the largest corporate photo-voltaic systems in the state, it has 940 kilowatts of solar capacity in New Haven.

Solar tax credits and incentive programs have helped with Connecticut residents and companies to become more solar and it also has created more jobs. "The Solar power industry has created 31,000 new jobs last year..." according to Solar Jobs Census. Also, more than 170,000 jobs are supported by the installment and maintenance of solar power and there are also over 700,000 jobs in relation to the solar power industry. The growing popularity of solar jobs, account for almost 2% of all new jobs created in the U.S. in 2014. Tax policies have played an important role in creating jobs in Connecticut and the U.S. as a whole.

Why should the Investment Tax Credit be extended?

The Solar Energy Industries Association state three important points as to why the Investment Tax Credit is so important.

1. The ITC has helped annual solar installation grow by over 1,600 percent since the ITC was implemented in 2006 - a compound annual growth rate of 76 percent.
2. Solar employment has grown by 86% in the last four years and is creating jobs at a rate nearly 20 times higher than employment growth in the overall economy.
3. The existence of the ITC through 2016 provides market certainty for companies to develop long-term investments that drive competition and technological innovation, which in turn lower costs for consumers.

Solar energy is one of the best ways to help the world become a better place to live in. It is a great investment . Take advantage of the Solar Investment Tax Credit and schedule an appointment with PurePoint Energy, before time runs out. Visit our website at www.purepointenergy.com for a free consultation. To see what we've been up to, like us on Facebook and visit our Twitter and Instagram.

References: http://www.seia.org/policy/finance-tax/solar-investment-tax-credit http://www.seia.org/research-resources/extend-residential-solar-investment-tax-credit http://www.computerworld.com/article/2870954/solar-industry-jobs-are-growing-at-20-times-the-national-rate.html http://www.theridgefieldpress.com/49405/ridgefield-growing-solar/

Solar PV Array: Orientation and Tilt

A common misconception when it comes to the placement of your solar PV panels is that you can put them anywhere that there is sun light. While it is true that a solar panel will generate electricity when there is sun light, the amount of electricity can vary greatly based on its tilt and orientation. 

Orientation:

In the northern hemisphere the general rule of thumb is that, when possible, you should face your panels "true" south. When using a compass it will point you to magnetic south. True south is about 14° west of magnetic south in CT. So if you are purchasing/ building a ground mounted solar array you will want to make sure that it is facing true south. 

Tilt:

Once you have the proper orientation the next step would be to determine the optimal tilt. A panel will produce most effectively when it is perpendicular to the sun. The suns elevation changes throughout the year so you should take the average elevation/ the latitude for your arrays specific location to use as the tilt. Something to keep in mind is that you may be limited to the engineering specifications. Here in CT we have winds that cause most ground mounted arrays to be restricted to a tilt of ~35° or less. In this case you should tilt the array to that 35° when possible. 

Example: The following will be based on a project in CT at a 41° lattitude

We have a project in New Milford CT that is a top-of-pole mounted solar array. With this type of mount you are able to adjust the tilt of the panels.

The array was installed facing south/ south-west (as seen from Google maps screen shot below). In some cases true south isn't always the best option because of shading or obstructions. For this particular site we adjusted the orientation to avoid shading. 

With this design you are given six different tilt options:

As previously mentioned, our engineers recommend a tilt no greater than
35° for a ground mounted array in CT.

Now that you have installed an array facing true south with the ability to adjust the tilt, the next question is: When and how often should we change the tilt?

We'll first start with how often. Compared to an array that is constantly following the sun (solar tracker) a fixed tilt array will collect approximately 71% of the available energy (assuming ideal conditions). An adjustable array which you change twice a year will yield approximately 75.2%. Finally, if you were to adjust the array four times a year, or every season, you will be able to collect approximately 75.7% of the available sun. 

Given the small benefit increase of changing the tilt more than twice a year we recommend adjusting your array once in the spring in once in the fall. The best dates for a project in CT would be around March 30th and September 12th. 

For this specific project we recommend the 15° setting starting at the end of March through early September. For the fall and winter we recommend no greater than the 35°, again because of engineering loads. 

Solar Fun Fact with Chris

Solar Fun Fact with Greg

Monocrystalline vs. Polycrystalline: Which Solar Panel Is Right For Your Project

If you've been looking into investing in solar PV to help reduce your electricity bills or help the environement you have likely come across two common types of panels, monocrystalline and polycrystalline. We're going to briefly explain the difference and help guide you in your selection.

 

Monocrystalline

Monocrystalline solar panels are made with a single layer of silicon during the Czochralski method. They have a higher efficiency than polycrystalline panels and therefore do better in low light environments. When compared to a polycrystalline panel of the same same size, they are able to create a larger amount of energy out of the same footprint making them a better option for people looking to get as much energy as they can from a limited amount of space.

Polycrystalline

As the name implies polycrystalline panels are comprised of multiple silicon crystals. The processes used in making these panels is both quicker and less expensive to manufacture which translates to a lower cost to the consumer. However, the polycrystalline panels are less efficient than their mono counter parts. In order to get the same amount of energy as monocrystalline panels they would need a larger footprint. If you have a large amount of unobstructed roof space or land that is not being used these slightly lower priced panels may be a better option.

Farms Progressing with Solar

When people think of solar panels, more often than not, they think of them on residential roofs or maybe even spanning large commercial buildings. But with the cost of electricity going up there are other, less obvious structures that are incorporating solar electric systems. Century old farms are beginning to look for an alternative energy source which is both cost effective and safe for the environment.

This has led a number of local Connecticut farms to install solar electric systems on their property. While ground mounts are often a popular choice, some are choosing to use their existing barns as a way to progress with modern technology, without interfering with the valuable land they use to grow crops and feed their livestock. The Hickories of Ridgefield is an organic farm in Ridgefield, CT that has been growing crops for over 2 centuries. They decided they wanted to decrease their carbon foot print as well as their electricity bills and asked PurePoint Energy to make that happen. The end result was a 52 panel, 10.66kW solar array on their west facing barn. Stone Wall Dairy, another organic farm, decided they too wanted a way to offset their electricity usage and felt that solar technology was the way to go. PurePoint Energy designed and installed a 48 panel 10.56kW solar electric system on the barn roof.
Both systems provided a maintenance free, clean energy solution that was cost effective. They were able to take advantage of the available state and federal incentives making this investment decision a no-brainer. These farms will hopefully be the begging of a long list of farms that continue progressing by combining their historical infrastructure with modern technology to help both the agricultural industry as well as the environment.

New Building-Integrated PV: Solar Windows

Skyscrapers like Chicago’s Willis Tower consume huge amounts of energy but have so far been unable to install solar panels because of the comparably small amount of roof space they have. However, solar technology company Pythagoras Solar has now found a way of using the massive amount of sunlight that hits the tall building walls every day.

Pythagoras’s new solar windows are now being tested on a few buildings, including the Willis Tower. The product is the world’s first transparent photovoltaic glass unit, and is used in place of regular windows, which do nothing to offset energy use. The typical window is also a huge burden in the summer; all offices want natural lighting, but that invites more heat for which we then need more air conditioning. The solar window allows light to come in, but can also use it to generate electricity, all in the same product. The panel, like traditional solar panels, still has grids on it, but they resemble a set of open venetian blinds. Other than that, it is also clear, just like an ordinary window. Its silicon PV cells sit between two panes of glass.

Pythagoras Solar’s new product combines the ideas behind self-tinting windows and thin film solar windows, which also tried to control the amount of light let in and generate power. The added aesthetic value of not actually looking like solar panels makes the product more attractive to architects and homeowners, as well. Prices have not been revealed yet, so interested residential customers may have to wait to install them. However, Founder and CEO Gonen Fink estimates that the typical consumer will recoup the cost of the windows after three to five years.

The unit, which has already won GE’s Ecomagination Challenge, joins other BIPV products like solar shingles and solar façade modules in using buildings themselves to generate energy.