I recently had the opportunity to meet Senator Susan Collin’s energy policy expert, Amy Carroll. At the meeting was Richard Silkman of GridSolar. There I learned about what GridSolar is up to, and what it’s up against.

GridSolar has submitted an alternative proposal to CMP’s $1.4 billion dollar proposal to increase the transmission corridors in Maine.

Projections show that as demand increases for electricity, Maine will experience brownouts during periods of peak demand over the coming decade. To address this concern, CMP has proposed Bigger Wires to move electricity around the state and avoid problems like brownouts.

These bigger wires would come at a big cost, $1.4 billion on the backs of ratepayers, as well as much wider corridors than today. Perhaps the biggest cost of all is what it is we’re buying into. If we purchase these transmission corridors, we will be compelled to use them. This will result in much less incentive to conserve, to produce our own energy, or to implement smart grid technology.

GridSolar has offered a very interesting alternative. For less money, they’ll ensure that we don’t face rolling brownouts, AND, we’ll get clean, renewable solar electricity out of the deal. Rather than expand transmission facilities, they would install fields of solar electric arrays that would feed into the grid. The beauty of this concept is that maximum solar electricity production roughly matches peak demand (both occur on the sunniest days of the summer), so the solar electricity would not only avoid brownouts, but would also lessen our overall need for fossil fuel electricity.

No one doubts that GridSolar’s plan would result in grid dependability. No one doubts that it’s less expensive. The big challenge with the proposal is that CMP’s proposal would only cost the state 8% of the project total because it would be funded through ISO New England.

While that sounds like a great deal for Mainers, it is a serious problem. True, we only pay 8% of the cost for our transmission upgrades, but we also pay 8% of the cost of Massachusetts’ upgrades. We don’t get to vote on the MA decisions, and MA does not vote on ours. This communist era funding mechanism allows the people who decide to put in transmission capacity to only pay a fraction of the real cost, and it creates a huge incentive to make power lines that no one really needs. As Richard Silkman said; “If every school district were offered 92% funding to put up a Giraffe farm, there would be a Giraffe farm in every district.”

This is crazy. At a time when we need more than ever to invest in renewable energy, conservation, and smart grid technology, the cards are stacked in favor of even bigger wires. Wires that we pay for, ultimately, and that keep us from making the important investments that will keep the lights on AND save the planet. Tell your friends and your elected officials, particularly Snowe and Collins, that we don’t want bigger wires feeding an ever bigger habit, but that now is the time to start weaning ourselves from the habit, every way we can.

UPDATE: We had a chance to interview Dr. Richard Silkman at MABEP’s training conference, Jan 2010.  View the video!

Instead of waiting until tax time, business owners are now able to receive a cash grant for solar energy systems in lieu of the 30% tax credit.

The program is available for solar hot water and solar electric systems placed in service during 2009 or 2010, or after 2010 if construction began on the property during 2009 or 2010.

An online grant application is available at www.treasury.gov/recovery.

Applications can be submitted after the system is placed in service, or the building is under construction. All applications must be received before the statutory deadline of October 1, 2011. The Treasury will review the applications and make payments to qualified applicants within 60 days after the completed application is received.

To learn more go to Treasury Recovery. Please contact your local ReVision Energy office to learn how you can take advantage of this powerful renewable energy incentive and turn your roof space into a revenue stream!

Above is a 6 kilowatt grid-tied photovoltaic system recently installed by ReVision Energy. In addition to the 30% federal tax credit, The NHPUC is offering a $6,000 cash rebate for residential PV systems in NH.

The NH Public Utilities Commission (NHPUC) is currently accepting grid-tied solar electric system rebate applications. Systems are eligible if placed in service on or after July 1, 2008 and before September 30, 2009.

This rebate is for New Hampshire homeowners and is only for solar electric systems that are less than 5 kilowatts in size. Incentives are capped at $3.00 per watt, $6,000 or 50% of the total cost of the system, whichever is less. For more information regarding this rebate please contact ReVision Energy.

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.

Recently the President signed into action The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). This bill, devoted to tax cuts and infrastructure projects, lifted the cap on the federal tax credit for residential solar hot water systems! The federal tax credit, originally capped at $2,000 is now 30% the total cost of the job. The act allows one to take the full 30% regardless of state rebates or financing.

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 to pay for themselves through energy and fuel savings. The changes to the tax credit for solar hot water in the stimulus bill match the federal tax credit already in place for solar power (PV) systems.

Another great piece of news is that when the stimulus package was signed into action a tax credit became available for high efficiency wood boilers. The new tax credit is 30%, up to $1,500 per household, for the purchase in 2009 and 2010 of a 75% efficient biomass-burning appliance.

If you would like to know more about how you can take advantage of the new stimulus bill, please contact ReVision Energy to get a quote for a system today!

Spring is approaching and there is no better time than now to think about a renewable energy system; start saving, and start reducing your dependence on fossil fuels.

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.