Brett Humble, Project Officer, US Dept of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Bill Gabler, ARRA Project Manager, Joanne Morin, Director of the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning, Dr. Scott Kalicki, President of LRCC., Phil Coupe, co-founder, ReVision Energy, Scott Osgood, Director of Capital Planning at Community College System of New Hampshire gathered to a cut a power cord at LRCC’s new dual-axis tracking solar array.

Sun greeted a crowd of 10-20 attendees at Lake Region Community College‘s (LRCC) ribbon cutting ceremony for their new 3.7kw dual-axis tracker installed by ReVision Energy using equipment from Vermont-based AllEarth Renewables.

The event was MC’ed by LRCC President Dr. Scott Kalicki, and featured words from ReVision Energy co-founder Phil Coupe and Joanne Morin, Director of the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning.

The tracker moved right on cue as Phil took stage! His brief speech touched on the importance of solar in the transition to a renewable energy economy, energy independence, and the growth of green jobs:

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After the ceremony, attending guests asked questions to ReVision Staff and were taken on a tour by ReVision’s Fred Greenhalgh to see the 12.4kw rooftop solar photovoltaic array as well as the 43″ data monitoring display in the college lobby.

Thanks again to LRCC for hosting the event, and for great support from Bill Gabler, ARRA Project Manager, and Laura Richardson, ARRA Coordinator for SEP.

More Photos from Our Solar Events Gallery:

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.

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

As BP continues to struggle to contain the oil pouring into the Gulf of Mexico, many of us are wondering: how can we help?

We can all take steps to reduce our oil consumption, which we believe is a critical part of the long-term solution to preventing future catastrophes. Reducing our dependence on fossil fuels starts with one person, one household at a time.

Save How You Get There

A humbling 80% of petroleum consumed in the United States goes toward transportation. Time to take a bike!

1. Get Efficient – Trade in your gas guzzler for a smaller, more efficient vehicle. Switching from a light-duty SUV that runs at 20mpg to a 50mpg hybrid will save, in the average household, 450 gallons of gasoline a year.

   Soon, electric cars like the Chevy Volt will be available, providing an option to have a “net-zero” car by offsetting your charge time with grid-tied solar power!

2. Drive Less – Even better than driving more efficiently is to drive less altogether. Consolidate shopping trips. See if your employer is willing to switch to a 4-day work week. Telecommute if possible. Could video-conferencing avoid the need to travel out of town for a business meeting?
3. Alternative Commuting – Consider non-motorized options when you do need to get out of the house.  Biking is one of the healthiest things you can do, for yourself and for the environment. Walk. Use public transport if it is available.

Save What You Consume

4. Buy less – Avoid products with excessive plastic packaging – and recycle what you do buy. Bring your own shopping bags and lobby stores you buy from to use biodegradable plastics derived from plant matter. Many of the businesses in the Green Alliance have already made this switch.
5. Buy local – It’s a simple equation: the fewer miles a product has to travel, the fewer gallons of oil burned to bring it to your table. And there are myriad other benefits – see the Portland Buy Local campaign and the Seacoast Local campaign for ideas and inspiration.
6. Buy organic – According to the Sustainable Table, “As much as forty percent of energy used in the food system goes towards the production of artificial fertilizers and pesticides.” Organic food avoids petroleum-derived pesticides and other chemicals, which have adverse environmental effects of their own. MOFGA has a great resource list of local food retailers, farms, and CSAs. In New Hampshire, try the NH Farmer’s Market Association.

Save on Energy

7. Plug the holes – Much of the old housing stock in Maine and New Hampshire is literally losing heat out the window. You can start down the road of weatherization with a professional energy audit, and take advantage of great incentives.  This year, instead of cleaning your boiler, have it optimized to burn less fuel.
8. Save the juice -  Many homes are “leaking” electricity as well as heat, simply by leaving gadgets or other appliances plugged in when they don’t have to be, or running them at non-optimal times.  You can test this theory with a Kill-A-Watt meter, which will help you identify which appliances are using a lot of electricity (you might be surprised how many gadgets use electricity even while they’re “off”).

   For more robust electric use monitoring we recommend installing a TED (The Energy Detective), which provides tracking and graphs of electric use over time. Once you’ve optimized your consumption, off-set the rest with grid-tied solar power!

9. Heat smarter – A properly sized solar hot water system in Maine or New Hampshire can save 300 gallons of oil per year. Want to go even further? Rip out your oil boiler and replace it with a clean-burning wood or pellet boiler, or with a condensing gas boiler.

Everyone can do something to reduce our perilous dependence on oil. Take whatever step you can today and plan for the next step when able.

Photo by woodleywonderworks

Today is Earth Day, which means a lot of attention to planting trees, cleaning up trash, recycling, and – more than ever before – working to make the energy we consume more sustainable.

We hope that means more people will be looking to the sun for a solution!

This weekend you can catch us at two events to talk about solar – one in New Hampshire, and another in southern Maine.

2nd Annual Earth Awareness Fair! – Apr 24 10AM – 2PM in Hampton, NH

Held at the Hampton Academy School, 29 Academy Avenue, Hampton, NH (Map and Directions), the purpose of the Fair is to draw attention to the 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, energy conservation, and sustainability.

Money raised will go to the Recycling Education Committee to further promote recycling education. Additionally, as part of the effort to “Reuse”, we are encouraging neighborhood “yard sales”. The event is sponsored by the Hampton Recycling Education Committee.

We’ll be there to talk about clean energy solutions for homes and businesses, and the available rebates and incentives in New Hampshire.

In addition to a 30% uncapped federal tax credit, solar electricity is eligible for a $6,000 rebate from the state of New Hampshire, and New Hampshire’s PUC recently launched a rebate that averages $1,250 for solar hot water systems. Furthermore, NH residents within the New Hampshire Electrical Co-op may be eligible for an additional $1,500 rebate.

Kittery Earth Day – Apr 24 10AM – 3PM in Kittery, ME

Held at Kittery’s Autoworks, (Map and Directions)

This event is being hosted by the Kittery Energy Advisory Committee in conjunction with Spruce Creek Association and the Kittery Land Trust. There will be mini-workshops with speakers to talk about energy saving ideas and information about the recent award of the $500,000 regional block grant.

If you weren’t already aware, residents of the KEYS area (Kittery, Eliot, York, South Berwick – as well as Ogunquit and North Berwick) will be eligible for low-interested loans of up to $10,000 for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects (see an article in The Green Alliance newsletter).

ReVision will there to discuss solar hot water and solar electric options for the home and business, and how these proven renewable energy systems can decrease your energy bills and help the environment.

Every Day is Earth Day?

The phrase “Every Day is Earth Day” may sound like a cliche, but it’s not if you’re running a renewable energy system on your house. With solar hot water or solar power, you’ll be offsetting fossil fuel use and enjoying the benefits of a clean energy system that will operate trouble-free for years to come.

Come join us this weekend to learn more!

The GO Home in Belfast, Maine is slated to be the first “Passive House” in Maine. ReVision designed and installed the solar electric and solar hot water systems.

Come see the new super-efficient GO Home — at a Talk-and-Tour at the Belfast Free Library on Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 7 p.m.

On track to become the first Passive House certified home in Maine, The GO Home is the affordable and super-energy efficient model for the 36-home Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage slated to begin construction in the Spring of 2010.

Why Build A Passive House?

The GO Home is designed to solve the problems of energy consumption and greenhouse gases resulting from poorly built, drafty homes, which are increasingly more costly to heat and hazardous to the environment.

Among the energy efficient building elements of this remarkable home are triple glazed windows, doors with three air seals, foundation insulation and comprehensive air sealing – including sealing underneath the foundation and on the building envelope.

To offset what energy the GO Home does consume, GO Logic called in ReVision Energy to install solar electric and solar hot water systems. The solar electric system consists of 2.7KW of Canadian Solar panels, which will offset roughly 4,900 lbs. of CO2 emissions annually. The 60-tube Apricus solar hot water array is sized to meet the needs of a family of four, and will produce an estimated 14,200,000 BTUs of clean, renewable heat energy annually.

So far, we have received a report that in March the prototype has produced more energy than it has used. According to CMP we used 137KWH, and made 184KWH, with a surplus of 47KWH!

This Thursday’s event will feature an unveiling and discussion of The GO Home at the Belfast Free Library followed by a preview Tour at 83 Crocker Road, Belfast, on Saturday, April 10 at 11 a.m.

For more information, please contact Matt O’Malia or Alan Gibson at (207) 338-1566 or visit their website: www.gologichomes.com. To track construction and development on The GO Home, visit the prototype blog at: http://www.gologichomes.com/blog/category/prototype/.

What is a Passive House?

Similar to the LEED program, a Passive House (also known as the German “Passivhaus”) meets very strict requirements for building efficiency and performance, specifically regarding insulation values and energy consumption requirements.

More details of these requirements on the Passive House website.

A grid-tied solar electric system recently installed on a barn in Woolwich, Maine

There is a common misconception than being “off the grid” is the ultimate goal is sustainability and that off-grid homes are, by their nature, greener and more energy efficient than conventional “on the grid” homes.

Many people say they want to get “off the grid,” when really what they mean is that they want to reduce their energy usage and switch to renewable forms of energy.

The good news – you don’t have to be “off the grid” to enjoy the benefits of renewable energy!

In fact, your conventional home is only a few smart steps away from dramatically shrinking its carbon footprint. We’ll talk about this in a moment – first, let’s demystify “off the grid” versus “grid tied.”

What Does Off-Grid Really Mean?

“Off grid” just means a home that is not connected to the utility grid. While these homes are often designed to be more energy-efficient and sustainable than conventional homes, there is no requirement in the term “off grid” that makes them so.

In fact, a home that is “off grid” can be just as much of a power hog as a regular home, and use a gasoline-powered generator for all of their electric needs. Hardly green OR renewable!

The reality is that power generated off the grid is significantly more expensive, KW/hr to KW/hr, as power generated while tied to the grid. The grid has numerous efficiencies of scale – from generation to transmission – that isn’t achieved in an off-grid set-up.

Because electricity generated off the grid is so expensive, it only makes sense that these homes should use less power. It’s pure economics!

So Why Would Anyone Go Off-Grid in the First Place?

When people think of “off grid,” they probably think of images from the early days of solar power, when people were moving far out in the country to get back to the land and live a more sustainable existence.

Of course, moving far away from civilization brings its own share of challenges and environmental implications. Unless you’re planning to become a hermit, you still are going to need roads to get to your off-grid home, and won’t you want some sort of electricity?

Creating power lines is expensive and destructive. It can cost tens of thousands of dollars per mile to run power lines to a distant homestead.

In these situations, where connecting to the utility grid will easily outweigh the costs of a clean, renewable energy system, being off the grid can make economic and environmental sense.

Most People Don’t Live Far From Power Lines

Most people live near other people, which means that most people don’t need the hassles and expense of an off-grid renewable energy system.

Instead, we can install a solar power electrical system that interacts with the grid – offsetting our home’s energy use and providing surplus power to our neighbors. In effect, we are becoming our own miniature power plant!

This kind of system is called grid-tied solar power.

What Makes Grid-Tied Different than Off-grid?

Grid-tied solar electricity is a much simpler set-up than off grid. In both cases, you have photovoltaic (PV) panels which generate clean, renewable energy when exposed to sunshine.

However, in a grid-tied set-up this power goes straight to your utility meter while in an off-grid set-up there are a few more steps.

With a grid-tied system, any excess power generated from the solar panels goes back into the grid – helping your neighbors reduce their carbon footprint!

In essence, you are treating the grid as if it was one big battery, charging it when you have excess power, and taking energy when you need more.

If an off-grid setup, you also need somewhere to store your solar energy.  Without the grid nearby, you need to buy a large set of batteries.

Unfortunately, battery technology is not as clean and renewable as the electricity generated by the solar panels.

The batteries used in most off-grid installations are lead acid batteries – similar to what starts your car and powers forklifts. As you probably know from the explosion warning stickers on your car battery, the inside of these types of batteries are extremely toxic, and their production is an energy intensive and environmentally harmful process.

While those in an off-grid set-up are stuck using this non green technology, if we have access to the energy grid we can avoid this messy problem and appreciate more reliable service with a grid-tied set-up.

Not to mention – batteries are expensive!  The battery bank significantly adds to the cost of an off-grid solar system. In terms of cost per installed watt, off-grid usually ranges 3-4x the cost of grid-tied solar.

Fossil Fuels are Bad, Not the Grid Itself

While it may seem romantic to be “off grid” and not beholden to the utility companies, the reality is that most homes are connected to the grid already, and the efficiencies of the grid generally outweigh the independence of an off grid system.

The grid itself is not inherently bad – what is bad are the forms of electricity that powers most of the grid.

The way to make real, tangible improvement in the way we consume energy is not to distance ourselves from the grid, but to ensure that the power we consume is generated by clean, renewable solar electricity at home and at our place of work.

Contact us if you’re interested in solar for your Maine or New Hampshire home or business.

The climate magazine Grist reported that the past decade was the hottest on record. Not so cool.

Without going into doom and gloom scenarios, the reality is that the earth’s temperature is increasing in a real and very tangible way.  Despite fluctuations and bizarre weather patterns in the short term, evidence is showing that overall, the temperature is going up, up, up:

Much discussion has been made of temporal, and unusual weather patterns, but Grist reports that there’s much more to the story than that:

These natural cycles alone, however, fail to explain the temperature patterns of the last decade. While the strongest El Niño of the century pushed 1998 temperatures up to their then-record high, temperatures in the hottest year (2005) did not receive a boost from El Niño. And 2007 was tied for second hottest year on record, despite the development of a cooling La Niña. Furthermore, while global temperatures have been climbing to record heights, incoming solar energy has in fact been declining since the beginning of the decade. In early 2009, solar activity reached its lowest level in a century.

This trend is real and continuing.  As individuals, we may not be able to implement dramatic sweeping changes in legislation or the way big business is done, but we can make changes in our lifestyle which, in aggregate, results in big changes.

Of course, ReVision Energy strongly encourages a lifestyle that moves away from fossil fuel use and towards using clean renewable energy sources.

We also encourage everything else you can do to reduce your carbon footprint – drive less, reduce your energy use, support local businesses and energy responsible businesses.

While we don’t have much of it, there is still time to offset our years of environmental neglect and move towards a renewable energy economy.  We can all stay cool together!