This photovoltaic array will offset roughly 3,473 lbs. of CO2 emissions annually.

Joe Persechino had wanted to invest in solar energy for years, but the economics were challenging due to system costs and a lack of incentives in northern New England.

Things changed in July 2009 when the NHPUC introduced a $6,000 solar rebate for homeowners to complement the existing 30% federal tax credit. In response to the incentives, Joe contacted ReVision Energy in late 2009 and recently had us install a 3.2 kilowatt grid-tied photovoltaic system on his home.

When it was all said and done, the system benefited from about $10,000 in federal and state incentives. Joe’s system will generate roughly 4,300 kilowatt hours of clean electricity per year, or about 70% of the household’s total electric demand. This system will also eliminate more than 5,700 lbs. of CO2 emissions per year.

From an investment standpoint, Joe will achieve simple payback in less than 10 years, assuming today’s electricity rates, which are set to increase as Maine and NH ratepayers will be paying for CMP’s recently approved $1.4 billion transmission upgrade project for years to come (in fact, this is already happening – on June 1, Bangor Hydro announced an immediate 4% rate hike).

The great news is that the solar electric panels come with a 25-year warranty and 40-year expected useful lifespan. This means that Joe has effectively locked in his own clean power rate for the next four decades, thereby deriving both economic and environmental benefits that are unobtainable through any other investment strategy available in the world today.

In addition to the high quality system installation, Joe appreciated the extensive paperwork assistance provided by Jen Hatch and Will Kessler of ReVision Energy – two people who know more about NH’s rebate applications than just about anyone. According to local building inspector Dan Vincent, this was the first photovoltaic system installed in Newmarket.

“We are now proud and happy owners of a sun powered electrical plant right in our own home!” Persechino said, “I would recommend Revision Energy to anyone. In fact my wife’s parents are having a PV system installed at their house.”

From our Residential Solar Photo Gallery:

For more installations, see our Solar Projects Map

ReVision has another busy weekend ahead as we appear for several events this Saturday, May 8. We hope that you’re able to come up and see us talk about the road off of oil and renewable energy options for your home!

You can join us at one of three events:

Belfast, Maine – Good Life Fest

The Good Life Fest, presented by Bangor Savings Bank, celebrates the best of the good life – local foods, good health, and the green home – for an exciting day of samples, workshops, demos and shopping at the Belfast Armory on May 8 from 10 am to 5 pm, on Route 1 in Belfast.

Over 50 exhibitors will offer products, services, and samples of the Maine green lifestyle. Workshops are planned all day on topics ranging from Ayurveda Yoga to the future of farming in Maine. Admission is $5/person with no fee for children 12 and under.

ReVision will be exhibiting to show how solar hot water and solar electric systems work, and how renewable energy is truly a part of the good life!

More information and a full listing of events and exhibitors is available at www.goodlifefest.com.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire – Portsmouth Sustainability Fair

Joining together as community partners, Portsmouth Listens, Piscataqua Sustainability Initiative, The City of Portsmouth, and the Portsmouth School District announce the third annual Portsmouth Sustainability Fair.

Sustainability entrepreneurs will exhibit their ideas, products and projects. There will be an emphasis on slow and local food along with engaging environmental education for kids. Come enjoy, celebrate and learn. The Fair is an invitation to participate and contribute to the next steps we can take as individuals and collectively in making sustainability a reality.

The theme of the Fair will be The Natural Step Four System Conditions, as adopted in Portsmouth’s resolution to become an eco-municipality. Come experience and learn how The System Conditions give us a compass to guide us into a sustainable future.

More information at http://portsmouthsustainabilityfair.org/

Wiscasset, Maine – Chewonki’s 10th Annual Sustainable Energy Conference

Chewonki’s 10th annual Sustainable Energy Conference will take place on May 10th on the Chewonki campus. The daylong conference will feature experts and academic leaders in the field of sustainability and renewable energy, and will showcase the latest technologies and vendors from New England.

Pat Coon, a co-founder of ReVision Energy, and now founder of sister company reVision Heat, will be presenting “The Road Off of Oil,” a talk that will explore simple, cost effective boiler controls upgrades that can be made today at very little cost, weatherization and insulation, on demand water heaters, solar hot water, pellet and wood heat in boilers and stoves. The road off of oil will be a long one – mapping it out is the first step.

In addition to Pat Coon’s talk, the Chewonki event features a host of different renewable technologies, including geothermal designs, solar heating, residential wind turbines, green building construction, and energy efficiency seminars.

The conference is open to the public by reservation. Registration fee includes the workshops and keynote speaker, interactive exhibits, a tour of Chewonki’s renewable energy systems, a continental breakfast, and a hearty lunch.

ReVision recently worked with Cumberland County to install a 10.2kw solar electric system on a 9-11 communications center.

Enphase offers robust web-based data monitoring. Features include time lapse view of system performance, historical data performance download, and carbon-offset information such as equivalent # of cars not driven based on system performance.

ReVision recently worked with Cumberland County to install a 10.2kw solar electric system on a 9-11 communications center. The photovoltaic system, paid for in large part by a state grant, will offset energy use at this mission-critical facility in Southern Maine.

While the southern exposure of the building was perfect, the site did have one challenge – two large communication poles on the south side of the roof. These poles cast a shadow that tracks across the roof at different times during the day.

This is a problem for a solar array with a typical string inverter because this small amount of shading would bring down the production of the entire array, even though just a small portion of the roof is shaded.

To overcome this challenge, ReVision used Enphase micro-inverters. Enphase is a unique product which allows each module to in a sense act as its own individual array – so that shading of one module will not bring down the performance of others.

How String Inverters Work

Usually, all of the panels on an array are linked and wired so that the direct current (DC) that is generated is delivered to a single inverter that converts the DC into usable and familiar AC power. This inverter typically lives near the building’s regular electrical panel.

In the case of Enphase, each solar module acts as its own inverter – so AC is passed downstream from the array directly to the electrical panel. And when one solar panel is shaded, rather than compromising the production of the entire array, only the production of that affected solar panel is reduced.

Enphase also includes robust data monitoring software that generates a time lapse picture of the day’s solar performance. This information will be used by Cumberland County to better understand the performance of the system and its impact on their energy usage.

The 10.2 kw array will generate an estimated 14,000kw/hr each year, enough energy to power two ordinary homes, and offsetting nearly 10,000 lbs. of C02 emissions. So far, the system has displaced enough C02 to take 90 cars off the road for a day.

As of Earth Day 2010, New Hampshire now offers a state solar hot water rebate program, which averages $1,500 for a typical residential solar hot water system.

This program is comparable to Maine’s existing $1,500 rebate – now it doesn’t matter which side of the mighty Piscataqua you’re on – renewable energy makes more sense than ever!

How the Rebate Works

The rebate is on a sliding scale based on BTU output of the system under peak solar conditions. The average rebate of $1,500 is for a typical family of four – larger systems qualify for up to $1,650 towards a system.

A few piece of fine print – the rebate can only be used for a primary residence in New Hampshire and can only be used for retrofits (no new homes – however, solar hot water for a new home is still a great investment because of the incredible life of the energy efficiency upgrades).

What Does a System Cost?

This new state rebate is in addition to a 30% uncapped federal tax credit. The net system budget for a typical 4-person household looks like this:

$11,000 gross installed cost
-($3,300) fed tax credit
-($1,500) state rebate
$6,200 net investment

Here are estimated payback periods for a 4-person system at different prices for heating oil:

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Compared to electric water heating, a solar hot water system will save roughly 3,540 lbs of C02 from entering the atmosphere each year.

Get Started

Curious whether solar hot water is a good match for your New Hampshire home? ReVision is happy to offer a free solar site evaluation is the first step towards securing the state rebate.

In addition to answering any of your questions about solar, we review your home and site and help determine where a solar energy system would fit in. Several pieces of site data are required to qualify for the state rebate and we’ll collect all of those while we’re at your home.

Contact us or call our New Hampshire office (603) 501-1822 for more information.