New Hampshire currently burns over 37,000,000 pounds of coal each year, contributing to over 1,000,000 pounds of C02 emissions.
Photo By Arnold Paul, via Wikimedia Commons

We laud the activism of citizens who showed up in force on Tuesday to oppose Bill HB302, which would have dealt a severe blow to the burgeoning solar industry in New Hampshire. The bill has been filed as “Inexpedient to Legislate,” effectively killing it in committee.

On Thursday, a second bill, HB519, was brought before public hearing, which aims to withdraw New Hampshire’s support for RGGI, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative which has been an important tool in promotion New Hampshire’s transition away from unsustainable fossil fuel energy sources.

Opposition among residents and businesses is strong for this bill, as well, but it looks like it will go further than HB302, and will likely be voted on in the New Hampshire legislature. Governor John Lynch has come out to oppose the bill, on grounds that it will “cost ratepayers millions in higher electric costs” (from the Governor’s website).

Below is a letter from ReVision Energy co-founder Phil Coupe urging lawmakers to continue support of RGGI and RPS, two important, economy boosting and environment preserving pieces of legislation:

There are currently 26 states with renewable portfolio standards. New Hampshire joined this group of forward-thinking states in 2007 with strong bipartisan support, evidenced by the passing vote of 253-37.

In the three years since, the renewable energy industry in New Hampshire has grown exponentially. Based on the state’s commitment to clean energy, ReVision Energy has leased a 7,000-square-foot building in Exeter and we have opened what will become a carbon neutral facility to house our growing business. We have begun hiring New Hampshire residents to help us launch this enterprise and expect to add many more jobs in the months/years ahead, assuming that the renewable energy market remains viable in NH.

The RGGI legislation is critical to the state’s future on many different levels. Currently, NH is the second most oil dependent state in New England—14,000,000 gallons of oil are burned annually statewide for electricity generation, along with 2,500,000 lbs. of coal and 38,000,000 cubic feet of natural gas. These activities generate more than 5,500,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually (or 12,141,000,000 lbs. per year). As a result, NH has the second highest per capita CO2 emissions in New England.

This level of fossil fuel consumption and emissions is wholly unsustainable, regardless of the impact on climate.

The good news is that New Hampshire’s current RGGI legislation is helping to reduce the state’s over-reliance on finite, polluting fossil fuel energy. In the past year, ReVision Energy has installed more than 1,000,000 watts of clean, renewable solar energy generation capacity in northern New England, while reducing annual regional oil consumption by more than 200,000 gallons per year. I cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of the RPS legislation in helping just one renewable energy company achieve these worthy results.

Please take a moment to reflect on the long-term benefits of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative because the future depends on what we do today as leaders. It is irresponsible to inflict continued dependence on fossil fuel energy, and the associated emissions, upon present and future generations.

Sincerely,

Phil Coupe
Co-founder

If you’d like to add your voice to the mix, or read up on the latest happenings in New Hampshire renewable energy legislation, a great summary of the is available at: http://www.nhsea.org/public-policy.php

Seacoastonline.com posted a recent interview between reporter Kelly Hearn and Kate Epsen, an analyst for the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission.

In the interview, Ms. Epsen recaps the new incentives available for businesses in New Hampshire, as well as other financing models and talking generally about the advantages of distributed electrical generation.

In response to the question, “Can you help us understand distributed form of electrical generations as opposed to the fossil-fueled power plant model?”

KE: Traditionally our model of getting electricity involves a central power plant that creates electricity by combusting coal or natural gas. Of course there are large hydroelectric facilities, but there are fewer of those. The electricity gets transported through transmission lines into a distribution grid that then comes to our home or business.

Distributed generated includes solar electric, small wind turbines, or perhaps a co-generation plant that involves a turbine that is fired by natural gas. These are usually located at the source of the electrical load. So power gets generated and used at the same point, which alleviates the need to transmit the energy, which in turns means less load loss. Generating energy at the point of use also allows the user or owner of the system to protect himself or herself against future price increases in energy if the fuel source is a renewable one, such as wind or solar.

Ms. Epsen closes by stating that “the system design and installation phase of the solar industry is the strongest segment right now in New Hampshire,” noting the “dozens of entities, designing, planning, selling at retail and installing systems across the state.”

You read the full interview here. Or visit our page for a recap of the available New Hampshire solar incentives!

Some new additions to our solar project gallery this week:

7.5kw photovoltaic array installed for Black Dog Car Wash in Dover, New Hampshire.

4.6kw grid tied array for emg3, an events marketing company in Falmouth, Maine.

Up in Rockport, Maine, a 27.6kw grid tied solar electric array for Rockport Marine, builders and restoration experts of classic wooden boats.

These businesses have been able to take advantage of the excellent federal rebates available to make solar electricity sound investments in a more secure energy future.

This morning New Hampshire Branch Manager, Dan Clapp, appeared on the WYNC/PRI show The Takeway, in a segment about the slow job growth in the private sector.

Despite unemployment figures which remain gloomy, the renewables industry is faring well and may be a leading indicator for the rest of the economy. Dan Clapp was invited to speak about his experience moving from being un/self-employed to a new job in the renewable energy sector.

Listen live:

One of the best parts of a solar job is getting to work to preserve vistas like this mountain view in Carroll, New Hampshire

After previously reporting a “Boom in Solar Jobs” after the first-ever US Solar Jobs Census reported that solar jobs are growing almost 13x more quickly than the rest of the economy, Foster’s Daily Democrat has followed up to report “Solar energy jobs growing quickly.”

In the article, Vicky Guay interviews several local solar firms to see if the national trend is mirrored in New Hampshire. In ReVision’s case, our growth is on certainly on track with the sunny trend!

State Rep. David Borden, D-New Castle, a member of the state’s Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Energy Board recently said if all homes with south-facing roofs in the state — which represents 30 percent of all homes — were to install solar hot water or photovoltaic systems, it would put more than $2 billion dollars into the economy and create some 28,000 full-time jobs … Many solar industry employers in the state are mirroring the national trend by continuing to hire more workers.

Dan Clapp, manager of ReVision Energy in Dover and Exeter, said they recently hired six new employees in Maine and New Hampshire, bringing their number of employees up to more than 35.

… He added that their recent growth is evidence of an increased demand for solar energy systems.

“That’s due to a combination of a few things,” Clapp said. “First there is federal tax credits and state incentives such as rebates. Second, the price of solar energy systems is coming down, and third, the economy is starting to recover.”

… Frederick Greenhalgh, online marketing manager and sales associate with ReVision, estimates that, by the end of this year, the company will have installed twice as many systems as it installed last year.

“So it’s a significant increase,” Greenhalgh said.

Read more about the exciting movement in the world of solar jobs on the Foster’s website.

The economics for solar energy systems continues to improve, especially as the true cost of fossil fuel dependency becomes evident. Thanks to new state rebates, residential solar hot water in New Hampshire is eligible for a rebate package of up to $5,750!

Clean energy advocates in New Hampshire have two big reasons to be thankful this season – the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission has announced an expansion of the solar hot water rebate available to homeowners and has released the application for their commercial solar hot water and solar electric rebate (PDF).

Here are some details on both programs:

Residential Solar Thermal is Hot

The solar hot water rebate in New Hampshire is tiered based on the performance of the system, which is expressed in MMBTU / year. This consists of a state rebate that ranges from $600-900 and a federal rebate which has been raised from $750 to $2,000.

Here’s what the rebate program looks like for different kinds of systems:

For a typical residential project (2 flat plate collectors which produce ~18.25MMBTU/yr) installed at a cost of around $10,500, the incentives amount to $5,750, well over half the cost of the system!

The rebates are retroactive, as well, so if you recently installed a solar hot water system and qualified for the New Hampshire state rebate, you can expect a holiday gift from the PUC soon.

Rebates Arrive for Business

The solar hot water system for Moat Mountain Brewpub will save the brewery an estimate 520 gallons of oil a year

Equally exciting is the arrival of the much anticipated commercial solar hot water and solar electric rebate.

This program makes $1,000,000 available to solar thermal and solar electric projects for businesses, schools, municipalities, apartment buildings – basically any structure not eligible under the residential program.

The rebates are pretty straightforward:

• Photovoltaic (Solar Electric): $1/Watt up to $50,000 (or 25% of the project cost, whatever is less)
• Solar Thermal rebate: $0.07 per kBTU/year up to $50,000 (or 25% of the project cost, whatever is less)

Like the residential solar hot water program, a RETScreen modeling analysis is used to calculate the kBTU/year performance of the solar hot water systems.  Solar electric is fixed based on the nominal wattage.

Solar Economics are Amazing

The generous rebate makes it extremely attractive to invest in solar if you’re a business.  Let’s take, for example, a medium scale solar thermal project for a business that uses a lot of hot water – a hotel or retirement home, perhaps – and is currently heating that water with oil.

We’ll propose a system of 20 flat plate hot water collectors and several super-insulated tanks that will produce over 182,500,000 BTUs/year of clean thermal energy.  We’ll imagine that the system will save 2,300 gallons of #2 oil per year, a result of both reduced oil use and greatly reducing standby losses of the oil boiler in the summertime.

Assuming this hot water system costs around $100,000 gross to install, the fuel savings alone will pay for the cost of the system within its first decade of operation.

However, now there is an exciting suite of rebates to apply:

$100,000 gross installed cost
($30,000) federal tax credit
($28,900) accelerated depreciation – avoided taxes over 5 years thanks to lowered net income, assumes 34% marginal tax bracket
($12,775) state rebate – $0.07/modeled kBtu/year
$28,325 net investment – less than a third of the total cost of the project!

Within this new context, that same solar hot water system will pay for itself within two years thanks to the fuel savings.

While the wasteful boiler imagined in this formula is a “best case” scenario for solar, the economics work out for businesses of all sizes who are ready to both take an enormous cut out of their carbon emissions and save money while doing it.

Contact us for more information about both the commercial and residential solar rebates or to schedule a free site evaluation.

Tim Gaudreau’s eco-friendly art studios now have half of their yearly electricity supplied by this 2.5kw grid tied solar electric system.

For Tim Gaudreau, being green is more than just a lifestyle choice – it’s a responsibility.

“I think that those of us that have the means to buy in on the earlier side of this green wave have a responsibility to, and by doing this will do a lot to advance the whole movement … To me, a potent manifestation of the possibilities becomes tangible when, less than six months after my solar pv system installation, two different friends are installing pv on their homes.”

Tim Gaudreau Studios is situated in an old barn re-purposed into a green studio that incorporates passive solar energy, wood pellet heat, solar hot water and a 2.5kw solar electric system.

“Over the recent years, I’ve worked to reduce my oil consumption for political and environmental reasons, and going solar was the next step,” he says, “As a New Englander, I think I’ve got a fierce independent streak and I absolutely love knowing that my hot water and over six months worth of annual electricity are generated right at home — I find that thrilling.”

The thrill comes from generating roughly 3,350 kilowatt hours of clean, renewable electricity each year, as well as over 10,000,000 Btus of clean solar thermal energy.

The Experience

The solar hot water system on Tim Gaudreau’s home will produce over 10,000,000 btus of thermal energy each year.

“I chose ReVision to do the work because it was clear that they knew what they’re doing,” Gaudreau says. “I have been thoroughly impressed the everyone’s professionalism, from taking the time to listen to my concerns to explaining the equipment and what to expect.

“Actually, most things exceeded my expectations — especially how much power my pv system puts out! Nothing beats watching the PSNH meter spin backwards. I also love the guilt-free feeling taking hot showers provided care of the sun.”

But it’s not just the personal benefits that interest Gaudreau.

Spurring the Green Energy Economy

“I feel these green technologies are really on the cusp of becoming mainstream between tech advances, growing public awareness and acceptance, and federal/state subsidy,” Gaudreau says.

Tim Gaudreau’s “Self Portrait in Trash” documented the things he threw out over the course of the year to both showcase the artist’s relationship to trash as well as the explore the meaning of the things we discard.

Tim Gaudreau’s commitment to ‘eco art’ has lead him to create numerous art projects that challenge the viewer. His “Self Portrait as Revealed by Trash” was featured in the popular Treehugger blog and his “Sprawl Viewer” snapshots dot the landscape of Southern New Hampshire, calling attention to development issues.

He is currently helping to head up the Zero Waste Portsmouth initiative, which aims to put attractive decorated single-sort recycling bins throughout Portsmouth. ReVision is among the dozen or so business partners who have signed on to provide fiscal support for the project.

“It has been the responsibility of artists to mirror society, to challenge accepted thinking and to provide a critical voice,” Gaudreau says of his work.

In life, as well as in art, Gaudreau is among those proving that a more sustainable way is possible for all of us with the will to pursue it.

This week the Union Leader reported on the growth of jobs in the solar industry and ReVision’s plans to open a new shop in the Granite State.

Good news for the economy of Maine and New Hampshire – both Environment Maine and Environment New Hampshire are promoting a first-ever US Solar Jobs Census (PDF) which shows that solar jobs have nearly doubled in the last year, and should grow by 26% over the next year.

Compared to the rest of the US economy, solar jobs are growing almost 13x more quickly!

Here are some other interesting figures:

• Over half of all solar employers expect to increase their number of solar jobs in the next 12 months
• Solar jobs exist in all 50 states.
• Employers from all of the studied subsectors expect significant employment growth over the next 12 months.
• The average solar installation firm employs 14 solar workers.

To go along with this great news, ReVision is happy to announce that we will have a new home in New Hampshire at 7 Commercial Drive, Brentwood, NH.

The Union Leader also took the opportunity to highlight this milestone in the growth of the solar market in New England.

Gretyl MacAlaster writes:

[ReVision Energy] is opening an office in Brentwood next week, and it expects to add 10-15 more New Hampshire jobs … Solar employers nationwide expect to the increase the number of solar workers by 26 percent, or nearly 24,000 net new jobs by next August.  The rate is higher than both the expected 3 percent loss in fossil fuel power generation and the economy-wide expectation of 2 percent growth over the same period, O’Hare [program associate with Environment New Hampshire] said.

Read the rest of the article (PDF)

There’s never been a better time for solar energy – with sound financial incentives and carbon reductions that help move us from a non-sustainable, fossil fuel economy to our clean energy future.