The solar hot water system pictured here will offset 500 gallons of oil usage each year

ReVision Energy worked with Duvall Design of Rockland, Maine to design and install a 7.56 kW grid tied solar power system as well as a 300 tube solar hot water system.

The solar electric, or PV system, consists of (36) 210 watt panels and is utilizing one inverter to produce approximately 10,000 kilowatt hours of clean electricity every year.

The system is connected to the utility grid, a second meter tracks the electrical consumption provided by the solar panels. If the system is producing more electricity than the company is able to use at any given time, they will receive a credit on their next bill. That credit will carry forward for up to 12 months or until it is used.

This grid-tied solar electric system feeds clean, renewable power back into the electric grid

The solar thermal system generates 55,000 BTUs of clean energy annually, offsetting approximately 500 gallons of oil. The solar thermal system provides heat for the domestic hot water used in the sinks, and also provides hot water for the radiant heat distribution PV awning of the building. Both systems combined will offset approximately 20,500 pounds of CO2 on an annual basis. This is equivalent to the emissions released driving 50,000 miles in a medium sized car, or making 9 trips from Maine to California and back.

Duvall Design creates unique fabric structures inspired by natural forms, fabricating and installing structures for architectural, retail and exhibit applications.

Charles Duvall is the owner and artistic vision behind Duvall Design. His decision to incorporate sustainable energy systems into his buildings was an environmental and an economical one. As a business owner he is eligible to take 30% of the cost of both systems as a federal tax credit.

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On Tuesday February 17th, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This 787 billion dollar bill, devoted to tax cuts and infrastructure projects, will allocate 40.75 billion dollars toward clean energy applications.

According to the New York Times ‘the Obama administration is poised to start a huge program to develop renewable energy sources – and at the same time, it hopes, create jobs, limit pollution and narrow our trade imbalance’.

The stimulus package includes efforts to support loans for renewable energy and electric transmission technologies, provide funds to convert federal buildings into high performance green buildings, and provide greater tax credits for clean energy projects at both the residential and commercial levels. According to the magazine Renewable Energy World ‘for residential renewable energy systems, the act removes all caps on the tax credits, which equal 30% of the cost of qualified solar energy systems, geothermal heat pumps, small wind turbines and fuel cell systems. The act also eliminates a reduction in credits for installations with subsidized financing.’ The Solar Energy Industries Association includes that not only does the new provision lift the $2,000 cap, providing a full 30 percent credit for qualified solar water heating properties, the credit may also be claimed against the alternative minimum tax.

Eliminating the cap for solar hot water systems will help make an investment more affordable and decreases the amount of time it takes for these systems pay for themselves through energy and fuel savings. Solar hot water systems are often considered the lower hanging fruit when compared to other renewable energy technologies. Solar thermal systems are generally less expensive than other renewable energy options and are an efficient and effective way to reduce the amount of energy you use. Referring to reducing energy usage, a recent New York Times editorial says that ‘after conservation, one of the most effective and efficient steps the government can take is to encourage the use of solar hot-water systems — a well-developed and relatively low-tech method for using the sun’s energy.

‘Solar hot water systems are not as well known as the electricity-generating solar panels that use photovoltaic cells to gather energy. But hot water systems are more efficient than photovoltaic systems and can create the same amount of useful energy with fewer panels. Water heating accounts for a large share of a home’s energy use — typically the largest share after heating and cooling.’

The changes to the tax credit for solar hot water in the stimulus bill match the federal tax credit already in place for solar electric (PV) systems. At the start of 2009 the $2,000 cap was lifted for residential solar electric installations, making the available tax credit 30% of the installed cost of system, after any applicable state incentives.

If you missed our latest Getting off Oil presentation do not worry because we are going to be holding this event again! We had such a great turnout to our first Wood Boiler Seminar we decided to hold the next Getting off Oil: Making the Switch to a High Efficiency Wood or Wood Pellet Central Heating System on Tuesday March 3rd from 5-7pm. The event will be held in our Liberty shop located at 91 W Main Street, Liberty, ME 04949. The event is free and all are welcome. If you have questions regarding this event, please call Holly at 589-4171.

An event such as this is a wonderful opportunity to learn how you can implement a sustainable heating system into your home. As oil prices are becoming increasingly unstable many people are looking towards renewable energy as a solution. In Maine what better abundance of renewable energy do we have accessible than the woods that surround us. The wood boilers that we sell and install are gasification wood boilers; these are different than a typcial outdoor wood boiler. Because they run at such high temperatures, these gasification wood boilers are producing heat at 80-90% efficiencies. This means there is very little waste in your heat product and very little smoke emittance. We sell a number of different gasification wood boilers. Most of our wood boilers are indoor boilers. All of our wood boilers require a dedicated flue and a conventional back up heat source. You can purchase just the wood or wood pellet boiler on its own, or you can integrate a thermal storage unit to increase its efficiency and to decrease the number of times you will have to feed your boiler. The wood boiler you see pictured in this article is called the Greenwood Aspen. This is actually one of the only gasification outdoor wood boilers on the market today. The Aspen runs better than 2xs the efficiency of a regular outdoor wood boiler. The benefit to keeping your boiler outdoors is that you don’t have to run an additional flue in your home. These boilers keep you nice and toasty all winter long. You can feel good about heating your home with wood and knowing that when its cold outside, your wood boiler will be keeping you nice and warm inside.

The Tipton House uses solar hot water and solar power systems to reduce fossil fuel energy use

Homeowners in Woolwich recently moved from Vermont to Maine and built their home integrating energy conservation methods to ensure long term energy savings with little dependence on fossil fuels. The Tipton family’s home was built by the Shelter Institute, also located in Woolwich.

ReVision Energy installed a combination solar system comprised of a 60 tube solar hot water array mounted on the roof and a 1.6kW solar power array mounted in an awning style on the south facing wall of the home.

The solar electric awning is strategically sized and placed to provide both active and passive solar design for this building allowing full sun exposure to the interior space in the winter months, and cool shade during the summer months.

The solar hot water system is providing this family of four with most of their domestic hot water with an additional zone provided to send any excess heat into their radiant floor heat distribution system. The heat and hot water is backed up by a Seisco Electric Boiler.

A wood cook stove provides central heating and cooking for this 1200 square foot home. Propane is only used for cooking when the fire is not burning. The Tipton’s estimate they will use on average 25 gallons of propane each year and one cord of wood to meet most of their heating and cooking needs.

Other sustainability factors that provide this home with energy efficiencies are:

• All the wood used was provided by the Forest Stewardship Council
• Minimal sheetrock was used
• All the windows are wood
• The roof is standing seam metal

The house was built small in size on purpose, so there is less house to heat.

There is one bathroom, and utilities are kept to a minimum. Ben Tipton says that “the small size of the house limited our use of natural resources, provides for a way to reconnect the family unit and greatly decreased maintenance costs.”

When asked how the system is working for him so far, Ben reports “Yesterday I was out cutting some siding; when I triggered my saw I noticed my meter stopped.  I thought it was odd, went over to check it out and noticed that the electric meter was running backward. That moment was worth every penny spent on this house. Thank you all.”

UPDATE: After a year of living in their house, the Tipton’s posted extremely low use of fossil fuels in their energy-efficient Woolwich, Maine home.