Category Archives: Renewables and Energy

Thinking of buying solar – Free Tools

Posted on October 26, 2016 | Leave a comment

If you’re beginning to educate yourself about the using solar energy in your home, it’s easy to become overloaded with information. Even veterans of the industry have to actively keep up with a variety of topics like state and federal regulations, utility policies, and changing technologies. If you’re excited about having solar panels installed on your roof, don’t be intimidated by the process.

Adopting solar power is a great way to invest funds, increase your property’s value, lower your electricity bill, and reduce your personal carbon footprint. Plus, with the recent and continued drop in solar panel costs, the return on investment is the most profitable it’s ever been. In other words, it’s definitely worth your time and research!

Depending on what state you live in, the type of property you own, whether you want to lease or own your solar panels, and other specifications, there are many aspects to consider during your purchasing process. Thankfully, there are several free tools available to make this process as easy as possible. Whether you’re looking to avoid energy cost fluctuations, make a financial investment, or to live a greener lifestyle, these resources will help clarify some frequently asked solar power questions you may have.

Solar savings calculator

One of the main advantages that you’re probably familiar with in regards to using solar power is that it will greatly reduce your electricity bill, saving you thousands of dollars at the end of each year. But how is this calculation made and how much can you be saving? There’s a solar savings calculator for that!

When you start generating your own electricity, the amount of power that you need to draw from the utility company will obviously decrease dramatically. However, the exact amount that you will save depends on the cost of utility power in your area, the size of your home, your region’s net-metering policy, and your energy needs.

It can be a headache to calculate all of this yourself. That’s why 123SolarPower created a free solar savings calculator that provides an instant estimate of your potential savings. Simply input a few criteria based on your household, and you’ll get an online savings estimate, which can give you a jumping off point on what to expect.

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5 Common Myths about residential solar

Posted on October 12, 2016 | Leave a comment

The Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative has been promoting the adoption of residential solar power, and as of May 2016, there are more than more than 1 million solar installations generating electricity in the United States.

Will solar add value to your home? Contact the appraisers at http://www.scappraisals.com for your home value questions.

On the DOE blog, Odette Mucha, Technology Manager for the SunShot Initiative, debunked the top five myths about residential solar power that may be keeping homeowners from moving forward.

1. SOLAR PANELS ARE TOO EXPENSIVE

In 42 of America’s 50 largest cities, financing a residential solar energy system actually costs less than purchasing electricity from a customer’s local utility. Studies show the cost of going solar has dropped every year since 2009. If you’d like to purchase your solar energy system, you don’t have to buy it in cash — there are a number of different financing options. Fannie Mae’s new HomeStyle® Energy mortgage is a mortgage option that gives borrowers the ability to complete clean energy upgrades up to 15 percent of the current appraised property value of the home. If you don’t want to take out a loan, third-party owned systems allow you to host solar energy systems that are owned by solar companies, then purchase back the electricity generated on your rooftop, while allowing you to lock in your electricity rate for years.

2. YOU CAN’T SAVE MONEY GOING SOLAR

Solar brings great potential to save money on your monthly utility bill. The amount you save depends upon how much electricity you consume, the size of your solar energy system, and how much power it is able to generate. The monthly amount owed on a solar loan is typically less than an average utility bill, and leased systems allow you to purchase the electricity back from a solar company at a discounted rate, which is often less than utilities charge customers. With utility bills trending upward, solar is likely to remain a good money-saving option for years to come.

Storage may be a game changer for the grid

Posted on August 24, 2016 | Leave a comment

In a fast-developing industry teeming with technologies that promise to be the next big thing, energy storage appears to be the biggest.

Its supporters not only sing its praises but also tout what they say is its inevitability.

“We’re going to have 10 times as much energy storage on the grid by the end of this decade and that is going to impact every facet of the energy industry,” said Matt Roberts, executive director of the Energy Storage Association, an industry trade group.

But the electrical grid is a harsh taskmaster.

What is it?

Energy storage technology takes on a lot of different forms.

The most prominent is pumped hydro, in which water is pumped uphill behind dams and then released, with the ensuing rush of water generating power.

Pumped hydro is the biggest source of energy storage in the U.S., accounting for 96 percent of the industry’s total storage capacity.

But chemical storage — as in batteries — may be the source people are most familiar with, especially given the media attention that inevitably accompanies any announcement by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.