A big congrats to Riding To The Top Therapeutic Riding Center, who earn $500 this month after we successfully reached our 500 “Check in” goal this March. Thanks for helping out!

For April, we are pleased to be supporting New Hampshire Coastal Protection Partnership, a nonprofit dedicated to combining sound science with education, collaboration and advocacy to protect the natural resources of the coastal watershed and effect long-term visible change.

NH Coastal Protection Partnership (NH Coast)

Little known facts:

• New Hampshire has over 220 miles of shoreline comprised of bays, harbors, and tidal rivers – including Great Bay, an “inland sea.”
• New Hampshire’s offshore waters are home to the endangered fin whale, which, at an average of 70 feet in length, is the second largest animal on earth!
• New Hampshire’s coastal land area drains 990 square miles, including the land area in all or part of 46 New Hampshire towns. Forests, wetlands and other natural areas give us water quality, wildlife habitat, recreation, and scenic views.

NH Coast’s initial program focus is to work with its watershed partners to develop a multi-faceted and phased approach to address the problem of excessive nitrogen loading in this coastal watershed’s Great Bay Estuary.

As a result of excessive nitrogen loading, the water quality of the Great Bay Estuary is in decline. During the past 25 years, nitrogen concentrations in Great Bay have increased by 59%. Dramatic increases in Nitrogen have negative impacts on drinking water, fish, animals and plant life. For example, the Great Bay has already seen a 49% loss of total eelgrass coverage area, which serves as a natural filter that cleans pollutants from our coastal waters and helps to sustain our fisheries.

Join Us May 7 for Rain Barrel Workshop at ReVision Energy’s Exeter Office

Among NH Coast’s many educational and outreach efforts are hands-on rain barrel workshops, where participants learn about the benefits of rainwater harvesting and come home with a functioning, food-grade recycled plastic rain barrel.

ReVision Energy is hosting a workshop in collaboration with NH Coast on May 7, see: http://rainbarrelnh.eventbrite.com/ for details and to sign up!

Check in Now!

As usual, just enter your name and email (optional) below to earn $1 towards NH Coast’s watershed protection efforts.

Nominate Your Cause

Have a nonprofit you think should benefit from our program? Simply use our nominate form and you’ll get them in the running. We support all of the many worthy organizations sent our way and will make our finest efforts to get yours on the ballot!

Voting starts the 15th of each month, and you can vote once from each computer. Unlike a “Check in,” when you vote you don’t need to provide your name.

Fine print: Each person can “Check in” once each month using the widget you can find on our blog, website, and Facebook page. In addition we count all new “Likes” to our Facebook page as Check-ins so be sure to share us with your friends!

With just two days left in the month, we’re less than 100 shy of all the “Check ins” needed to raise $500 for Riding to the Top Therapeutic Riding Center in Windham, Maine.

Use the form below to “Check in” (just your name is needed but if you share your email we’ll keep you up to date with solar news and details on the program) – and below is a video by a RTT parent showing what their programs are all about:

Left to Right: ReVision co-founder Phil Coupe, NH Branch Manager Dan Clapp, NH Office Manager Heather Fournier, and NH Solar Hot Water Installer Matt Boucher

Marking our commitment to helping New Hampshire homeowners use clean solar energy to reduce their carbon footprint and save money, ReVision Energy is pleased to announce the official opening of our New Hampshire office located at 7 Commercial Drive, Exeter, NH.

Starting April 4, we will have a full-time solar hot water crew operating out of the office, as well as full time office and support staff.

Since completing our first solar hot water system in the Granite State in 2007, we’ve seen tremendous demand in New Hampshire for cost-effective renewable energy. In two short years we’ve installed over 178 KW of grid-tied solar electric panels and enough solar hot water systems to eliminate the need for 7,000 gallons of heating oil annually!

Still, this is just the beginning – with oil prices on the rise and solar energy being one of the few truly guaranteed investments in a volatile economy, we expect to help at least twice as many homeowners, business owners, municipalities and institutions go solar in 2011 as we did last year.

A Growing New Hampshire Team

Helping us realize this mission is a new New Hampshire-based crew. Joining operations manager Dan Clapp (who has been onboard since mid-2010) is Heather Fournier, Matt Boucher, and Alex Greenhalgh.

Heather comes to us with a rich project management background earned as Installed Sales Manager Lowe’s, and grounding in renewable energy and sustainable design from her work at NHTI and Northeastern University. Matt and Alex start our growing hot water crew – Matt is a licensed NH Master Plumber with a deep passion for renewable energy, and Alex comes from a strong trades background to join the renewable energy industry. Both will be supported by John Capron from our Portland office as new operations get off the ground.

See ReVision’s New Hampshire Solar Showroom!

Our first event welcoming the public to the new location will be a rain barrel workshop held in partnership with New Hampshire Coastal Protection Partnership on May 7. Participants, led by NHCPP’s Dave Anderson, will be building their own rain barrel from recycled food grade plastic drums. Then, in June, we will be having an official grand opening celebration with food, music, and more – details and save the date coming soon!

ReVision’s new 7 Commercial Dr. Exeter, NH location boasts a full solar showroom, with examples of solar energy equipment and photos of completed installations

A 2kw ground mount photovoltaic system installed in Wells, Maine

ReVision Energy, in tandem with trade group MABEP and other partners in Maine’s renewable energy industry, is working hard for enactment of LD 761, An Act To Provide Rebates for the Purchase of Certain Solar and Wind Power Equipment.

The bill would extend Maine’s solar rebate program, which was inadvertently scheduled for termination in legislation passed last year due to a clerical error. But even though the termination was due to an error, our industry has to argue the merits of the solar energy program all over again.

If you’re a Maine resident, please contact your State representative and senator TODAY to request that they support LD 761, “An Act To Provide Rebates for the Purchase of Certain Solar and Wind Power Equipment.” You can click here to look up your legislators and their contact information. You can also see the specific legislators on Maine’s Energy, Utilities and Technology committee.

Action on this bill is expected as early as Thursday 3/24, so time is of the essence!

Here are some of the key talking points about the efficacy of the solar rebate program:

• Support for energy independence and small scale renewable renewable rebates has been unanimous and bipartisan in the past.
• The solar industry creates stable, good paying jobs in Maine.  A reliable rebate program is essential to creating a business-friendly climate. Businesses suffer when legislative snafus cause programs to end abruptly.
• The solar rebate program has distributed $600,000 in rebates, spurring $6,000,000 in private investments in solar energy systems. This 10:1 private/public funding ratio is good for all Mainers because it reduces statewide fossil fuel dependence and keeps money in the local economy.
• 40% of the cost of electricity is to pay for power lines used for transmission/distribution. Distributed generation options – i.e. grid-tied PV – are an important way to reduce the need to invest in expensive line upgrades over time.

One of the things we treasure about Maine is that politics are still local, and a few voices of support on this issue will make a tremendous difference when Maine’s legislature convenes to discuss the future of a state rebate program in Maine.

Please act today, and thank you!

A recently installed solar hot water system in Gardiner, Maine

Great news for Mainers ready to start kicking their oil habits – Biddeford Savings Bank is now offering a 7.99% APR loan program for financing solar energy projects and other efficiency upgrades.

With home heating oil averaging $3.67/gallon in Maine, financing a solar hot water system makes it possible for many homeowners to save more money in fuel costs than they spend on the loan note.

Why Financing Solar Hot Water Makes Fiscal Sense

More than 400,000 homes in Maine heat with oil, and many of these homes get their domestic hot water supply off of a high mass oil boiler. While this solution makes some sense in the wintertime, when the boiler is already running for space heat, in the summertime boiler efficiency is terrible – as low as 20% – leading to unnecessary waste from poor boiler efficiency and standby losses.

Solar hot water systems allow these homes to heat their water nearly entirely with solar energy from May through September (yes, even in Maine). With the boiler now largely dormant in these months, these homes will see a fuel oil savings of roughly 350 gallons of oil a year. That’s a savings of $1,284 a year and set to increase as oil prices continue climbing.

Now, with a solar hot water system averaging $12,500 gross, and around $7,750 after state and federal incentives, by paying cash the payback is less than 7 years. With financing that payback can be nearly instantaneous.

By putting down not quite half of the cost of the system, which is largely reimbursed by federal and state rebates, a homeowner can make a cash flow positive investment in solar hot water starting year one.

Financing Solar Hot Water Systems by the Numbers

Below posits a $6,500 loan with a $6,000 downpayment on a solar hot water system. The initial $6,000 outlay is largely reimbursed by state and federal incentives, and ultimately completely recovered by energy savings.

After the 10 year payback on the loan, you’ll experience many years of free hot water! Contact us with any questions about solar hot water system financials or for a complimentary site evaluation. You can call Biddeford Savings for loan details at: 207-284-5906.

Download program flyer

ReVision Energy co-founder Phil Coupe speaks at a press conference held to announce a new report on the efficacy of solar hot water in Maine.

In a press conference last Thursday Environment Maine released a report finding that Mainers can save millions of gallons of oil a year with solar hot water.

“We need to do everything we can to get Maine off oil, and installing solar hot water systems is one of the no-brainers. We have long had the technology and know-how to harness the zero-cost heat of the sun to produce hot water, while at the same time cutting pollution and putting people to work in our communities. And more than ever we have a workforce that is ready to install these affordable solar systems on roofs across the state,” said Environment Maine Field Associate Nathaniel Meyer, speaking in front of Senator Justin Alfond’s East End home, which has a rooftop solar hot water system.

ReVision Energy co-founder Phil Coupe continued. “Solar hot water is one of the safest investments you can make – with relatively small upfront investments, the financial and environmental return is guaranteed,” he said. “Maine is ripe for this technology. We get 33% more sun than Germany, the world leader in solar installations. On a sunny 20-degree day, a solar hot water system can generate water that’s 130 degrees – water that’s too hot to shower in.”

See video coverage from NECN:

Video also provided by WCSH:

And several news articles on this important story!

• Bloomberg Businessweek
• Bangor Daily News
• Portland Press Herald
• Solar Thermal Magazine
• Forbes

From our photo gallery:

Our second month of Check in for Charity netted over 500 “check ins” again and a $500 check is coming to WERU community radio. Thanks for helping out!

In March, your check-in goes to support Riding To The Top Therapeutic Riding Center.

About Riding to the Top (RTT)

RTT is a unique local resource for people with disabilites and their families. They are Maine’s only year round therapeutic riding center solely dedicated to serving adults and children with disabilities. They get people, who never dreamed it possible, into the saddle to experience the healing power of horses.

Riding To The Top has served hundreds of children and adults in the greater Portland area ranging in age from 3 to 70+ years.   Their clients are referred by teachers, doctors, therapists, social workers, family members and friends.

The benefits of horseback riding are helpful to individuals with many types of disabilities, including:

• Cerebral Palsy
• Stroke
• Brain Injuries
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Learning Disabilities
• Developmental Delays
• Spinal Injuries
• Down Syndrome
• Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

For more information, visit: Riding To The Top Therapeutic Riding Center… and “check in” below!

Share With Your Friends

Nominate Your Cause

Have a nonprofit you think should benefit from our program? Simply use our nominate form and you’ll get them in the running – Note: we are looking for NH-based nonprofits this month.  But feel free to nominate those from Maine for consideration in May!

Voting starts the 15th of each month, and you can vote once from each computer. Unlike a “Check in,” when you vote you don’t need to provide your name.

Fine print: Each person can “Check in” once each month using the widget you can find on our blog, website, and Facebook page.  In addition we count all new “Likes” to our Facebook page as Check-ins so be sure to share us with your friends!

This rendering shows how the proposed Northern Pass tranmission line expansion project would affect the view of a stretch of Rte 125 that faces Clarksville, NH.

The road to a renewable grid is not always a pretty one. The northern pass transmission project, a brainchild of PSNH and HydroQuebec, is the latest example.

The current plan calls for building out a tall transmission line through New Hampshire’s north country, including 40 miles of wild, unspoiled terrain in Coös County, and roughly five miles in the White Mountain National Forest.  The idea is to transmit low-cost hydroelectric power to satisfy the growing requirement for renewable generation in southern New England.

Opposition to the project from residents and local businesses has been unequivocal. A blog titled Bury the Northern Pass contains interesting information about the claimed benefits and impacts of the project. The Town of Easton will be voting on full-on municipal opposition to the project in March.

Why are people opposed to the Northern Pass?

• There is not demonstrable need for the project in the state, since New Hampshire is already a net exporter of electricity.  Benefits of this project would mostly go to residents of Massachusetts, Connecticut, etc. who’d see their peak grid supply increase, and to the energy provider (i.e. Hydro Quebec), who would gain access to the market through a widened conduit.
• The regional economies of Grafton and Coös Counties largely rely on the wild natural character of the land, for example tourism, hospitality, and other outdoor pursuits.   Part of this character would be lost with the construction of 100-foot tall transmission towers over the 180-mile route.
• There are alternatives to the project.  Distributed generation such as solar photovoltaic arrays represent a more rational and gradual way to build out grid capacity, and directly benefit the localities where it is installed by locking in electricity rates though decades of future production.  Although we agree that renewable resources should play a fatter role in the Northeast’s power supply, running Big Wires though pristine mountain passes in the north woods is not a good “plan A.”

A recent letter to the Union Leader provides a good summary of the arguments against the Northern Pass, and notes the amount and intensity of local opposition.  There was also a vigorous public debate about RPS, which dovetailed into a debate about Northern Pass, two weeks back.

As promoters of smart solutions to our energy problems, and lovers of the rugged outdoors which gives New England its character, we hope to see alternatives to the Northern Pass gain steam and a healthy debate in Concord follow.