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Southern Tier Solar Works Pilot: Solar Up! Broome and Tioga. Brought to you by: The Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition The Susquehanna Chapter of the Sierra Club Catskill Mountainkeeper Natural Resources Defense Council ETM Solar Works. About the Binghamton
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Southern Tier Solar Works Pilot: Solar Up! Broome and Tioga Brought to you by: The Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition The Susquehanna Chapter of the Sierra Club Catskill Mountainkeeper Natural Resources Defense Council ETM Solar Works
About the Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition (BRSC) • • BRSC is a 501 c 3 not for profit grassroots community organization • Current programs include: • Southern Tier Solar Works • Many Hands Food Co-op • Be Local Broome • Go Local, Grow Local!
STSW Program Goals • rapidly expand solar deployment • make energy efficiency and renewable energy key economic drivers and local job creators
The Solar Industry is doubling each year in the US. We want in on this economic boon! Solar installing jobs are LOCAL jobs
Why go solar NOW? 1) The cost of solar hasdropped dramatically. In just the past 4 years, the installed cost of systems has gone down by more than 2x 2) State and Federal incentives are at an all-time high! State incentives are falling. Act now!
Why go solar NOW? My Big Picture PROTECT: Our air, water, and food supply. REDUCE carbon emissions that lead to climate change. LIVE my values.
Why go solar NOW? Solar power can replace fossil fuel use Now… And it’s EASY! X ✔
So, Let’s Act and get off fossil fuel STEP 1 • Reduce • Your • Load STEP 2 • Use • Solar • Power
A Friendly Reminder about Energy Efficiency = Heat Loss = Dollars Lost
Energy Efficiency: the low hanging fruit • Energy Efficiency improvements are the most cost effective. • Improve your home’s comfort and safety, save energy dollars and create good local jobs. • Free or reduced cost home energy assessments available to most New Yorkers through NYSERDA. * No up front costs, low interest financing and income eligible grants available.
Green Jobs Green New York & NYSERDA’s Home Performance program Enroll for a free/reduced cost home energy assessment Schedule the assessment with at BPI certified contractor. Get your energy assessment Review your energy report & choose your improvements. Apply for financing & assisted home performance grants Get the work done. • Energy Efficiency improvements are the most cost effective measures you can take
It is Really BIG !! YEARLY solar energy supply (5 billion years left!) Yearly World Energy Consumption FOREVER supply of fossil fuel
30 Years of Solar Data NREL.gov: 30 year average of kWh/m2 per year San Diego, Ca……….. 2044 kWh/m2/year Binghamton, NY …….1496 Seattle, Wa …………..1387 Sunniest place in Germany: 1250 World leader in use of solar power The Southern Tier gets 73% of the amount of sun that San Diego gets
Wide-Spread Use of Solar Power is Inevitable 0.07% of land area, covered with solar cells, can power the entire planet !
How Do I Collect and Use SOLAR energy?
Two Ways to Use Solar Energy Solar Electric System Solar Hot Water Heater Tech Talk Solar Electricity is made with “photovoltaic” (PV) panels. Solar hot water collectors are boxes with copper tubing, aluminum frame and glass cover
PV modules are made into “solar arrays” or solar electric systems. photovoltaic modules switch inverter Inverter converts DC to AC
Is solar energy for me? Do you have roof space facing south? If not, do you have yard space for ground-mounted panels? Is your sunny roof space unobstructed by trees or buildings most of the day? Is your current electric bill higher than you’d like? Tech Talk An East or West facing roof will work if the slope is less than 30 degrees Our primary concern is that shading is minimal
Send us your electric bill (all pages) showing yearly use graph
Where Do I Put my Solar Panels? Roof-mount in Binghamton, NY (makes 4500 kWh per year) Pole-Top Ground-Mount Roof-mount
What Is the Southern Tier SOLAR Works program all about?
Southern Tier Solar Works: Making Solar Power Simple Get Educated (attend a workshop, visit the website) Sign up (at workshop, on web-site, call BRSC!) Get Others to Join (talk to your friends and neighbors) Get Evaluated (We check out your site) Sign Contract (Easy financing or leasing available!) Get System Installed Go Solar Today!
Southern Tier Solar Works Pricing Tiers Options and Adders Ground-mounts: +$0.60/Watt Made in USA PV: + $0.15/W High efficiency PV (SunPower): +$1/W • Loans: • 5 to 20 year terms • Rates: 3.5 to 6.5% • Lease: • 20 year. All maintenance covered, performance guarantee, transferable Go Solar Today!
4.5 kW on Gay’s south roof ABOUT Dr. Gay E. Canough, President and founder ETM Solar Works 300 North St. Endicott, NY 13760 607-785-6499 www.etmsolar.com PV on ETM Shop 2014: 26th year in business
So, for example… If you want a 7 kilowatt system (28 Trina 250 Modules) You sign up first at 3.75/watt $26250 Cost at $3.75/W = $3.75 x 7000 W -$7000 NYSERDA incentive ($1/W) $19250 Amount to pay or finance -$5775 Federal Tax Credit (30%) -$4812 State Tax Credit (25% $8663 Net Cost to you Ask a tax professional or your accountant to make sure you qualify for the tax credits.
Financing Options • Loans up to 20 years • Banks • NYSERDA • 20 year lease • SunPower
Leasing • Even if you cannot take the federal tax • credit, you still get its effective value • We do all the system maintenance • The system performance is guaranteed • If you sell your house, the lease is transferable.
LEASE Example • 6.87 kW (21) SunPower 327 W modules, • 6000 W PowerOne inverter • 8484 kWh per year • South facing, no shade • $0 down, $0 escalator: $95/month • (About the same as smartphone) • Be advised that SunPower PV produces 21% MORE kWhs than other types and takes up 37% LESS space!
The Process In the first 2 to 3 weeks: We check your Site We give you a Quote We do NYSERDA paperwork Then we wait for NYSERDA grant approval (8 weeks) Meanwhile, we get building permit and interconnection paperwork done Installation (2-4 days) If Financing or leasing: Credit check Lease or loan document Your first payment is not due until install is complete Solar Power to the People
Enjoy Growing Your Own Electricity! When there is a HUGE solar energy spill, we just call it a “NICE DAY”! Find out more about solar power at www.southerntiersolarworks.org
SNOW Yes, Snow shuts down your solar array (blocks light) BUT There is very little sun in the winter to miss out on. December = 5% of yearly sun January = 5% of yearly sun February = 6% of yearly sun So if you have snow sitting for 3 weeks, you are missing very little production! Stay off your roof in the winter.
Loans • Local Bank • Citizen’s bank, Energy Loan, 607-766-9120 • Admirals Bank • Terms of 5,7,10,15 or 20 years • Rates in 6% range • Option to refinance in 12, 18 or 24 months • Enerbank • 12 months same as cash for tax credits • 2.99% for 12 years for remainder • NYSERDA On-bill and Smart Energy loans • Low rates, 3.5% • Can use for energy efficiency and solar
Power Purchase Agreement • In a PPA, all you do is agree to buy the electricity for a certain length of time at a certain rate. This is ideal for commercial and municipal systems. • The third-party system owner (usually a team made of the solar company and the financing company) does the following: • Installs the system • Obtains long-term financing • Does all the maintenance • Takes the tax credits • Gets grant money if available to reduce kWh rate • Sells you kWhs at a rate less than you are paying now • For a system less than 200 kW, we are partnering with RER. They offer a community-financed PPA, which leads to a smaller kWh cost to the end user and investment returns go back to the local economy because the investors or banks are HERE.
Closed-loop solar hot water heating External heat exchanger
4’ x 8’ 4’ x 8’ Flat-plate solar hot water collectors
Photovoltaics (PV): The Mighty Solar cell Photo ------- Light Voltaic ------Electricity • P-type: • 1) Boron dopant • 2) About 250 microns thick • N-type: • Phosphorous dopant • About 0.3 microns thick
Solar Energy Systems are… Pole-Top Solar Deck
Commercial… Guilderland School 50 kW Westport Water Treatment 20 kW
Commercial Residential $2 to $4/Watt $4 to $6/Watt $7/Watt (OMG!)
BE ADVISED THAT: Ground-mounts are more expensive than roof-mounts If NYSERDA incentives go down, the end cost to you goes up. Systems larger than 10 kW may be less than $3.25/W Financing and leasing adds finance charges. Tax credits depend upon after-NYSERDA and after STSW rebate cost AND your tax situation. We do incentive paperwork, permit paperwork, utility paperwork and help you get financing that works best for you!