ReVision has commissioned our latest educational solar project – a 15.4kw grid-tied solar electric array installed on Winthrop High School, a system that will offset roughly 28,149lbs. of CO2 emissions annually.

The project, which was funded in large part thanks to an Efficiency Maine Block Grant, will save the school more than $3,000 a year for several decades.

Carl Swanson, a retired electrician and Winthrop Green Committee member who helped oversee the project, said this of the work:

[ReVision has] very knowledgeable, clever, capable workers who seem to know their stuff. Even though they are electricians they have had to learn the intricacies of solar power, which I can see is quite a field all its own. I have developed a great admiration for their work, having watched them work for the past 2 weeks. [This is] a first-rate job that will last many years that we can be proud of.

The system was also featured in the Kennebec Journal and on the Winthrop town website.

As with all educational installations, the system has been outfitted with a data monitoring system so that students can learn how the system works and monitor usage historically and in real-time.

From our Schools and Nonprofits Solar Photo Gallery:

See more installations in our Solar Projects Map

Today in the US Edition of the Wall Street Journal, an article about how appliances can be both energy efficient and good-looking.

Gwendolyn Bounds writes:

Say goodbye to the scary room, that dank, dark spot where boilers and water heaters work among the spiders, with human visits taking place only when something—”Honey, there’s no hot water!”—goes wrong. As a vanguard of homeowners invests in renewable energy and other high-efficiency equipment, they’re spiffing up the mechanical room and, in some cases, trying to make the air conditioner a showpiece.

… “The mechanical room is now like the wine room or the library,” says Stephen Bohner, owner of Alchemy Construction Inc. in Bayside’s Northern California neighbor, Arcata. He installed some of the Starrs’ equipment. Mr. Bohner says all of his new construction projects include renewable-energy equipment, such as solar. “If you are spending money on that stuff, you want to show it off.”

Gwendolyn goes on to confess that’s she a boiler junkie – as evidenced in this video:

Well, Bounds is in good company here at ReVision! Here are some examples of the mechanical work we do that marries form and function:

Join ReVision Energy project manager John Luft on Thursday, July 15th from 1-2pm to learn about the grid-tied solar electric system installed at Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified office building at 1049 Main Street in Somesville.

The discussion will focus on the 6 kilowatt grid-tied solar electric system installed by ReVision Energy at MCHT, including information regarding its annual electrical production, carbon offsets, and the pole-mount design that can be seasonally adjusted for optimum solar gain.

In addition to learning about the solar electric system, guests will hear about current historically low solar electric panel prices, solar hot water systems for domestic hot water and supplementary space heat, state and federal incentives, lowering utility bills, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, and current solar technology in Maine.

Guests are encouraged to come by with questions and to sign up for a free site evaluation while at the open house; light refreshments to be served.

Maine Green Building Supply invites you to Portland GreenDrinks for July, held at their showroom and building supply store at 111 Fox Street, Portland.

Portland GreenDrinks is part of the international Greendrinks network — an informal, volunteer-managed social networking group built around a common interest in the natural environment. It occurs on the second Tuesday of every month, starting around 5:30 pm. The goal of Greendrinks is pretty simple: good times shared among people working in, or interested in, environmental and sustainability issues.

WMTW (ABC affiliate in Portland and Lewiston, Maine) featured two of ReVision’s customers in a featured called Incentives, Rebates Help Homeowners Go Green.

They featured Terry McIlveen, a customer in Waterboro who has sliced his oil use in half thanks to a solar hot water and space heating system, and Deb McDonough, who has solar for domestic hot water and grid-tied electric (which locks in her electric rate locked in for 40+ years).

Here’s the clip, courtesy of WMTW:

McIlveen recently sent us this update on his system:

This last heating season from May 2009 through May 2010 my oil consumption was down 850 gallons – 50 percent from previous years.

Thank you Deb and Terry for rave testimonials – and for showcasing how solar isn’t just good for the environment, but for the wallet, too.

There’s a common misconception that solar electric is unaffordable and expensive compared to traditional, fossil-fuel based electricity. That’s not true!

To fully appreciate the real affordability of grid-tied solar, we need to throw out the notion that solar should be evaluated like other household appliances, and not for the worry-free 40 year investments that they are.

PV prices have dropped by 40% or more in the last few years and are warranteed for 25 years (there is ample evidence that they perform for 40+ years). So as a reasonable comparison, the cost of a PV installation should be compared to the cost of pre-buying electricity over a minimum 25 year period.

Let’s look at an example of 5kw array for a homeowner:

Even taking the conservative estimate of 25 years of system performance, for someone who can take advantage of the existing incentives, the average price per delivered kw/hr from a solar system is roughly half of what a kw/hr costs from the grid today!

In an uncertain economy, clean energy may just be the most reliable investment available – contact us to learn how you can lock in your energy rate for decades and reduce your carbon footprint in the process.

ReVision Energy will be at the Farmers Fare for the Rockport Maine Green Drinks.

We will be one of two presenters – at 1:30pm The Sunrise Guide‘s Patty Montana will tell us about their mission: a resource for learning about, supporting and living in a healthy and sustainable way.

At 2:00pm we will lead a focused discussion about solar energy and will bring some real examples of solar equipment for your perusal.

Via Farmers Fare:

Please join us to socialize, network and discuss your thoughts and ideas about the environment and bring along ideas, information, enthusiasm and a smile. Check out the Green Drinks website for more info on this fun new way to connect with like minded people in your neighborhood!! These events are very simple and unstructured, but many people have found employment, made friends, developed new ideas, done deals and had moments of serendipity.

We will also be having a solar oven demo, weather permitting.

CMP, a subsidiary of Spanish-owned Iberdrola USA, raised electric rates by 2.5% this month to pay for a $1.4 billion grid upgrade project

Three things in life are now certain: death, taxes, and increased costs for energy.

In mid-May, the Maine Public Utilities Commission approved CMP’s proposal for a $1.4 billion improvement project on the electric grid.

Called the Maine Power Reliability Program (MPRP), the project will “build a new 345,000-volt transmission line from Orrington to Eliot, doubling the capacity of the grid’s backbone. CMP contends the improvements, the first major upgrade since 1971, are needed to keep the power grid stable beyond 2012.” (Source: Bangor Daily News).

Just about a month later, on June 24, CMP announced their first rate hike, a 2.5% increase that raises the average rate of electricity from 6.39 cents per kilowatt hour to 6.54 cents per kilowatt hour.

According to PUC Chair Sharon Reishus, “Transmission rates will likely increase as we upgrade and build new transmission infrastructure to meet the region’s demand for reliable electricity.” (Source: PUC Statement)

How Far will Maine’s Rates Go Up?

Maine is part of a group called ISO New England, which means that Mainers are responsible for 8% of the price tag of the massive project (and consequently, we are also responsible for 8% of the cost of projects developed in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut). That leaves $120,000,000 to be picked up by Maine residents, or roughly $100 per person, for a project which smart-grid advocates had argued was unnecessary.

Indeed, even during this year’s hot, traveler-packed Fourth of July weekend, Maine’s peak energy use was no higher than it was four years ago.

An Alternative Vision

GridSolar envisions a Maine that looks more like Germany – where solar panels are a common sight on homes, businesses, and open fields.

On the – ahem – sunny side, the MPRP includes several stipulations, one of which is to build two pilot utility-scale solar projects – one in Portland and another in Midcoast Maine. This effort will be lead by GridSolar.

GridSolar is a strong advocate of the smart grid and plans to demonstrate how small-scale solar generating plants can offset the need for massive transmission lines.

These pilot plants will be performing at their peak when extra electricity is most needed – during the hot, sunny days of the summer.

And since the power will be produced locally, it can be transmitted to energy consumers without the massive transmission lines needed by out of state, fossil-fuel burning facilities.

If you are irritated about rising energy costs but think that solar is still too expensive, read our follow-up post that demonstrates that solar is cheaper than grid electric, even at today’s prices!