Above is a 60-tube solar hot water collector array recently installed by
ReVision Energy in Cumberland. Solar hot water systems qualify for
a $1,000 state rebate and 30% federal tax credit, making your solar investment cash flow positive from day one.

Efficiency Maine is still accepting rebate applications for solar hot water and solar electric system installations. The program officially began accepting rebates on June 29, 2009 and will continue to do so until the funds are depleted.

This is a great opportunity for people who are considering a solar hot water or solar electric installation in 2009.

Solar hot water rebates, both commercial and residential, will be awarded in the amount of $1,000, and buildings that are Energy Star or Maine Home Performance rated may be eligible for a $1,500 rebate. For all solar electric systems the rebate is $2,000.

This program won’t last long, so get your application in now!

Sending in a pre-application form holds a rebate reservation if you decided to install a system in 2009. If you would like to receive a rebate application please contact ReVision Energy and we will gladly assist you.

SunPower solar electric panels on a boathouse
overlooking Casco Bay in Falmouth

Efficiency Maine, a subset of the Maine Public Utilities Commission, reopened its rebate program on Monday June 29, 2009.

This is a great opportunity for people who are considering a solar hot water or solar electric installation.

UPDATE: The rebate program has continued into 2010!  See Efficiency Maine’s website for more details.

Solar hot water rebates, both commercial and residential, will be awarded in the amount of $1,000, and buildings that are Energy Star or Maine Home Performance rated may be eligible for a $1,500 rebate.

For all solar electric systems, the rebate amount awarded is $2,000.

In addition to the state rebates, you can receive up to 30% off a solar power or solar hot water installation thanks to federal tax credits.

The rebates will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis. If you think you are going to purchase a solar hot water or solar electric system and have it installed in 2009 or 2010 please contact our office to receive help in filling out the state rebate application.

Solar electric panels sit a top a home in Portland’s Back Bay area.

The Maine Renewable Energy Sources Act is important legislation designed to stimulate the rapid growth of renewable energy in Maine. Developed by the Midcoast Green Collaborative, the Act closely models Germany’s renowned ‘feed-in tariff’ law, which financially incentivizes home and business owners to install renewable energy-based power generation.

The law will require Maine’s utilities to pay a premium to residential and commercial renewable energy generators for the clean solar power that they produce. The funds to do this come from a small utility rate increase that affects all rate payers.

The price paid to clean electricity generators is locked in by a long term contract between grid operators and qualified generators such that renewable energy generators can expect a return on investment of at least 8% per year.

Germany pioneered the feed-in tariff concept in 1999, embarking the country on an incredible renewable energy growth spurt that has made it the worldwide leader in solar installations. Since implementation, the law has resulted in more than 2,000,000 renewable energy system installations and more than 239,000 new jobs. Grid reliability has also increased as a result, making the country’s incidence of blackouts the lowest in the world.

If passed, the Maine Renewable Energy Sources Act will rouse rapid growth of the state’s renewable energy economy, resulting in thousands of new jobs, reduced reliance on fossil fuel energy and greatly reduced CO2 emissions. Maine relies heavily on natural gas to produce electricity, which is part of the reason that Maine has the highest per capita CO2 emissions of all the New England states.

The Maine Renewable Energy Sources Act is currently being considered by the legislature and needs your support. Please contact your local state Senator and tell them that you want to see The Maine Renewable Energy Resources Program passed for a sustainable future.

People are always asking, Is there really enough sun in Maine for solar to offset my energy needs?

The answer is absolutely yes! Here’s why…

Insolation is the amount of solar energy hitting the earth’s surface and is measured in kW-hr/m2/day. The National Renewable Energy Lab has assembled worldwide insolation data to learn how much sun falls in a particular location so that one can draw a reasonably accurate conclusion as to the amount of solar energy that can be harvested on an annual basis. Below is an insolation map that has been cropped to show the relationship between Maine’s insolation versus eastern Europe’s.

Germany is the world leader when it comes to solar, yet Maine receives more sun!

Maine receives significantly more annual sunshine than Germany, the world leader in solar energy installations, yet is far behind to implement available renewable technology.

Germany has a powerful government incentive program that financially rewards people and businesses who invest in renewable energy. The ‘Feed-in Tariff’ law requires utilities to pay a premium to any home or business that generates clean renewable energy

The great news is that Feed-in Tariff legislation is currently under consideration in Maine. To support this legislation contact your local representative or senator and say that you support the Maine Renewable Energy Sources Act.

Although the US is generally far behind Europe in terms of renewable energy, we are seeing some hopeful signs of momentum building in favor of sustainable energy sources.

Currently, there is a 30% federal tax credit available for solar hot water and solar electric systems. In some states, like California, New Jersey, and Connecticut, there is also a sizable state rebate to help defray the upfront costs of a renewable energy investment. We are hopeful that Maine will be able to jump start its suspended rebate program in the near future with recent stimulus money (UPDATE: A $1000 state rebate is now available for solar hot water, and a $2000 rebate is available for solar power, thanks to Efficiency Maine)

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.