The PV system was installed on a sunny shed where Alpacas live. The 4.2 kw system will offset nearly four tons of C02 annually.

Cecilia Pinto Lord, proprietor of Santa Maria Alpacas, a small alpaca farm in Madbury, New Hampshire, contacted ReVision Energy’s New Hampshire office asking how she could use solar to stabilize her long term energy costs.

Lord said she thought that there was phenomenal solar gain in an open field that the Alpacas inhabit, which we confirmed after a site evaluation.

We then designed a system that would provide renewable solar electricity for the entire property – a 4.2 kilowatt grid-tied Sunpower photovoltaic system we installed right on the sunniest of the Alpaca’s sheds.

This grid-tied solar electric system has no maintenance requirements, and produces around 5,600 kWh each year, offsetting about 7,500 pounds of CO2 emission that would have otherwise been purchased from the utility.

Cecilia recently called us and said: “I got my electric bill for April the other day, and it was zero!”

More Photos from Our Commercial Solar Photo Gallery:

For more installations, see our Solar Projects Map

This solar electric system will offset nearly 15,000 lbs of C02 emissions each year. Thomas College will use the system as an educational tool in the community as well as enjoying energy savings.

Last week ReVision completed installation of a new 8.28kw solar electric system on Thomas College in Waterville, Maine. The system will produce roughly 11,170 kilowatt hours of clean electricity each year, saving roughly $1,600 each year and offseting more than 14,700 lbs. of CO2 annually.

Directing the project on behalf of Thomas College was Chris Rhoda, a ReVision Energy customer who happens to have solar electric and solar hot water installed on his home! We featured his family in our blog last year.

In addition to saving money and reducing emissions, Thomas College hopes to use the system as a springboard for sharing information about renewable energy to the Kennebec Valley area, and plans to develop an interactive website. The website will include background about the project, technical information, and system output data that will be available to the public.

According to Rhoda, “It is important to demonstrate for our community our [Thomas College's] long history of environmental stewardship. This project is just the beginning as other projects are planned that will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and provide lower cost options for our campus. For us, solar and other newer energy sources are great complements to buildings that are well insulated, lighting systems that are energy efficient, responsible heating and cooling… it is all part of a bigger picture.”

The project was made possible in part by a grant from Efficiency Maine, which awarded a $50,000 grant to the college for the grid-tied PV solar power panel installation.

More information about the system is available in Thomas College’s press release.

From our Schools and Nonprofits Solar Photo Gallery:

See more installations in our Solar Projects Map

This photovoltaic array will offset roughly 3,473 lbs. of CO2 emissions annually.

Joe Persechino had wanted to invest in solar energy for years, but the economics were challenging due to system costs and a lack of incentives in northern New England.

Things changed in July 2009 when the NHPUC introduced a $6,000 solar rebate for homeowners to complement the existing 30% federal tax credit. In response to the incentives, Joe contacted ReVision Energy in late 2009 and recently had us install a 3.2 kilowatt grid-tied photovoltaic system on his home.

When it was all said and done, the system benefited from about $10,000 in federal and state incentives. Joe’s system will generate roughly 4,300 kilowatt hours of clean electricity per year, or about 70% of the household’s total electric demand. This system will also eliminate more than 5,700 lbs. of CO2 emissions per year.

From an investment standpoint, Joe will achieve simple payback in less than 10 years, assuming today’s electricity rates, which are set to increase as Maine and NH ratepayers will be paying for CMP’s recently approved $1.4 billion transmission upgrade project for years to come (in fact, this is already happening – on June 1, Bangor Hydro announced an immediate 4% rate hike).

The great news is that the solar electric panels come with a 25-year warranty and 40-year expected useful lifespan. This means that Joe has effectively locked in his own clean power rate for the next four decades, thereby deriving both economic and environmental benefits that are unobtainable through any other investment strategy available in the world today.

In addition to the high quality system installation, Joe appreciated the extensive paperwork assistance provided by Jen Hatch and Will Kessler of ReVision Energy – two people who know more about NH’s rebate applications than just about anyone. According to local building inspector Dan Vincent, this was the first photovoltaic system installed in Newmarket.

“We are now proud and happy owners of a sun powered electrical plant right in our own home!” Persechino said, “I would recommend Revision Energy to anyone. In fact my wife’s parents are having a PV system installed at their house.”

From our Residential Solar Photo Gallery:

For more installations, see our Solar Projects Map

ReVision recently worked with Cumberland County to install a 10.2kw solar electric system on a 9-11 communications center.

Enphase offers robust web-based data monitoring. Features include time lapse view of system performance, historical data performance download, and carbon-offset information such as equivalent # of cars not driven based on system performance.

ReVision recently worked with Cumberland County to install a 10.2kw solar electric system on a 9-11 communications center. The photovoltaic system, paid for in large part by a state grant, will offset energy use at this mission-critical facility in Southern Maine.

While the southern exposure of the building was perfect, the site did have one challenge – two large communication poles on the south side of the roof. These poles cast a shadow that tracks across the roof at different times during the day.

This is a problem for a solar array with a typical string inverter because this small amount of shading would bring down the production of the entire array, even though just a small portion of the roof is shaded.

To overcome this challenge, ReVision used Enphase micro-inverters. Enphase is a unique product which allows each module to in a sense act as its own individual array – so that shading of one module will not bring down the performance of others.

How String Inverters Work

Usually, all of the panels on an array are linked and wired so that the direct current (DC) that is generated is delivered to a single inverter that converts the DC into usable and familiar AC power. This inverter typically lives near the building’s regular electrical panel.

In the case of Enphase, each solar module acts as its own inverter – so AC is passed downstream from the array directly to the electrical panel. And when one solar panel is shaded, rather than compromising the production of the entire array, only the production of that affected solar panel is reduced.

Enphase also includes robust data monitoring software that generates a time lapse picture of the day’s solar performance. This information will be used by Cumberland County to better understand the performance of the system and its impact on their energy usage.

The 10.2 kw array will generate an estimated 14,000kw/hr each year, enough energy to power two ordinary homes, and offsetting nearly 10,000 lbs. of C02 emissions. So far, the system has displaced enough C02 to take 90 cars off the road for a day.

This 4.3KW solar array will offset roughly 7,700 lbs. of CO2 emissions annually.

ReVision recently completed the installation of a 4.3KW solar array onto the historic Hope General Store in Hope, Maine. A nice writeup of the project was featured in the The Herald Gazette.

A few things they had to say:

Andrew Stewart, owner of the Hope General Store … said the price for the panels was so good that he couldn’t pass it up. Besides the environmental benefits, one can also receive state and federal credits for using solar power, he said.

Stewart will still rely on Central Maine Power but expects to save 20 to 30 percent on his bill. He hopes to see a payback on his solar power venture in about eight years.

Besides record low prices for solar panels, there are a number of tax and credit incentives for businesses considering solar power. There remains an uncapped 30% federal tax credit for system costs, and businesses can choose to accelerate depreciation on solar installations for further tax benefits. There is also a $2,000 State of Maine rebate for solar electricity.

All told, incentives can come close to 50% of the system cost, dramatically reducing the payback time for a system that will last 25+ years.

Meanwhile, the solar system will offset roughly 7,700 lbs. of CO2 emissions annually, or the equivalent of taking 3-4 commuter vehicles off the road!

More Photos from Our Commercial Solar Photo Gallery:

For more installations, see our Solar Projects Map

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.

In today’s Bangor Daily News, an article titled
“Small-scale windmills generate mixed reviews” documents the unimpressive results that some Mainers have received from residential windmill installations.

In the article, as well as in the particularly lively comments section, there is a lot of discussion about site and design being key to a successful wind installation. We agree, and add this: very few areas have the potential to be a successful and economically viable site for wind.

Maine’s Limited Wind Resources

A glance at Maine’s 50-Meter Wind Resource Map shows that most of the state of Maine is a poor or marginal wind resource.

A US-DOE wind map confirms this, by showing most of the state of Maine being in “Zone 2″ for wind, meaning roughly 10mph wind speeds under ideal conditions at 33 feet – barely the minimum speed require to turn most wind turbines.

Even if your home sits in a windy spot, you need to account for trees, neighboring homes, hills, etc., not to mention the building code challenges and aesthetics of erecting a windmill.

Compare this to solar, which is basically ubiquitous. Provided you have a clear space that receives sunlight from 9AM – 3PM, you can enjoy the benefits of a solar electric or solar hot water system.

And unlike wind, if your site is initially too shady, you can add to your solar resource just by doing some tree work!

Wind Vs. Solar: The Fine Print

An average small-scale windmill costs about $15,000, prior to any rebates and incentives. This windmill, if we go by the optimistic specifications provided by the manufacturer, will produce 4,800 kWh a year.

For roughly the same cost, we could install a 3KW grid-tied solar installation. Using real-world data (the PVWATTS tool for Maine’s solar insolation), we estimate that the solar array will produce 3,840 kWh a year of electricity.

So, why not choose wind and get an extra 1000 kWh/year?

The reality is: very rarely will wind live up to its expectations.

From the Bangor Daily News article cited above:

While wind may be the fastest-growing electric energy source, home windmills aren’t for everyone, according to Richard Hill, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering at the University of Maine.

“If you have a great deal of money, and you hate the public utility and if you think you live in a windy place, you’ll be very disappointed when you put up a windmill,” Hill said recently. “You may, however, be justified because you’re interested in principle.”

… his windmill hasn’t delivered more than 100 kilowatt-hours a month, although it was advertised as capable of generating 400 kilowatts-hours a month. “I can tell you it doesn’t generate anywhere near that,” he said. Arnold has found that the wind must blow at least 8 mph to get his windmill going.

We also got this testimonial from some Shelter Institute graduates who installed their own wind system as well as solar power:

I think the main lesson we have learned (and would like to pass along to others) is that PV panels (solar panels) are much more cost effective as a means of autonomous energy production than wind, unless the wind site is very unique …

We did our own informal wind survey and felt fairly confident we’d get at least 1 kWh of production daily in the winter months (but only when the prevailing winds shifted to northerlies), and we’ve met that.

However, many people we’ve spoken to have mistakenly used turbine specs rather than an integrated formula for wind speed and time to calculate what they will generate, only to be disappointed in the small amount of energy they actually are able to produce.

The bottom line? Dollar-per-dollar, a solar system will outperform a wind system in nearly all real-world applications.

A Word on Reliability

It’s also worth noting that the value of a long-term renewable energy is directly related to the reliability of that investment. Solar panels have no moving parts, are warranteed for 25 years, and are expected to last double that.

An average warranty for a wind power system, in contrast, is only five years.

The expected life of a wind mill, under the best of circumstances, is around 25 years, half that of a solar installation.

Over the life of the system, the solar array will generate roughly 200,000 kWh, nearly double that of the wind – should the wind system perform to optimistic specifications over an optimistic lifespan.

Reliability, Economics, and Aesthetics

While ultimately we want to encourage everyone to find their personal path off of oil, we also have a duty to ensure that we recommend reliable, economically smart choices for our customers – which is why ReVision chooses to recommend and install grid-tied solar electric and solar hot water systems, and not wind.

With superior life expectancy, more reliable performance, better aesthetics, and better rebates, solar is the clear choice for clean, renewable electricity.

April is here and the ample sun shining down is a great reminder that solar season is upon us!  Our solar hot water meter reads a toasty 147 degrees, reminding us that from now until September there will be little shortage of guilt-free hot water.

@SolarFred, AKA Tor Valenza, is kick-starting the solar industry by declaring that April is Solar Quote Month, and ReVision is here to support the effort.

If you aren’t in the process of getting a quote or installing a system, we encourage you to make April the month you choose to get started.

Here are three reasons why you should contact ReVision for a FREE solar evaluation (or have us refresh an existing quote!):

1. All Time Low Costs for Solar Tech – As we reported in January, costs for solar panels are at an all time low, which puts solar in the grasp of many more people.  If you’ve had us quote you a system a year or more ago, contact us again for a refreshed quote, you may be surprised at how much more affordable it is!
2. Great incentives are here – Federal tax credits and outstanding state rebates make it almost a no-brainer to go solar.  For both solar hot water and solar electric, you can expect an average $3,000 rebate from the federal government.  In Maine, additional incentives range from $1,000 (hot water) to $1,500 (PV).  In New Hampshire there is a $6,000 tax credit for PV, and up to $1,500 for hot water depending on where you live (contact us for details).  And last but not least, Sunpower is offering an additional $1,500 rebate of their own, valid only for the month of April!
3. The time is right! While incentives make solar financially viable for many more people, ultimately you’re investing in a better future for our planet.  We were staggered to realize that the last decade was the hottest on record, which reminds us how imperative it is that we change our relationship to energy NOW.

It’s never been a better time to invest in solar, and what better time than the present to get started?  You can be enjoying free hot water from the sun or offsetting your energy usage by the end of the summer!