Federal Tax Credits extended

In the midst of the financial crisis that is plaguing our economy, legislation was passed to extend the federal tax credit for solar for another 8 years. In addition, the law provides a 30% tax credit for residential as well as commercial customers with no cap. Your utility sweetens the deal with a rebate of 20 to 40%. When you go solar for your home the payback is down to as little as 5 years. You know its the right thing to do for the environment .... now its the right thing to do financially.

Commercial Solar Energy - Great for the environment .... greater for the bottom line

I am amazed that anyone with a business that owns their own building or has a lease of 7 years or more does not have a solar electric system. I have developed a financing plan that allows for a commercial system to be installed with a 20% deposit which is returned to you in the form of a positive cash flow in THE FIST YEAR. Your cash flow remains positive for the first 3 years and then goes negative for the next 3 years (but much less than your current electric bills). In the sixth year you are in positive cash flow territory for the life of the system (25, 30 or 35 years).

Let me show you how you can take advantage of creative financing to go green; both for the environment and your bottom line.
www.solarchoicesolutions.com

I will provide you with a no obligation system design and cash flow analysis.

Solar Sales Job

Business is really amazing at Solar Choice Solutions Inc. and we are looking for people who can be part of our team.

We are looking for highly motivated individuals to work full time to qualify leads and close sales on residential and industrial solar electricity generation installations. You must be self directed with prior proven sales experience. Knowledge of Microsoft Excel and Word are essential. Knowledge of solar is a plus, however, we will provide training. We supply the engineering know-how and technical support ... you close the sales and provide customer sales support. There is no limit to your earnings potential.

Since this is a commission only position, your performance directs your compensation. Attach resume with past job experience and salary history and e-mail to Personnel Department Visit our website and submit your resume with past job experience and salary history: http://www.solarchoicesolutions.com/jobs-solar-electric.html

Net Metering

When you install a solar electric system to your utility company's wiring, any surplus energy produced by your photovoltaic (pv) system will be used by your electric company and you will receive a credit to be used during periods when the PV system is not producing enough to meet your needs. This means that the electric meter actually spins "backward" when power is flowing from the PV panels to the utility and spins "forward" when electricity is flowing from the utility into the building. At the end of the month, only the net consumption is billed. It is the amount of electricity consumed, less the amount of electricity produced. The electric company acts much the same as a battery, crediting the energy account for later use if you produce more than you use. This process is called "Net Metering".

As it stands right now, the utility companies won't pay you for excess electricity. Your solar electric system should be sized to provide you with about 90 to 95% of your electric usage if your budget for the system permits. When sizing a PV system, don't exceed your electric usage because you won't get any money back.

For more information about states with net metering legislation and incentives for renewable energy systems, refer to the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) located at www.dsireusa.org.

Solar Energy Basics

People see those panels on the roof of homes and ask me "How does the hot water turn into electricity?" Well it doesn't. You see, the solar panels you see today that are generating electricity use silicon cells to do the job. There is no water involved. Years ago, the big application for solar was heating hot water which is still around today. I'd rather use my precious roof space for photovoltaic (PV) panels to replace my expensive electric bill. The PV panels change the sunlight directly to electricity using solar cells.

Solar cells or PV cells for short can be found on many small appliances, like calculators, and even on spacecraft. They were first developed in the 1950s for use on U.S. space satellites. They are made of silicon, a special type of melted sand.

When sunlight strikes the solar cell, electrons (red circles) are knocked loose. They move toward the treated front surface (dark blue color). An electron imbalance is created between the front and back. When the two surfaces are joined by a connector, like a wire, a current of electricity occurs between the negative and positive sides.

These individual solar cells are arranged together in a PV module and the modules are grouped together in an array. Some of the arrays are set on special tracking devices to follow sunlight all day long but these are usually mounted on the ground.

The electrical energy from solar cells can then be used directly. It can be used in a home for lights and appliances. It can be used in a business. Solar energy can be stored in batteries to light a roadside billboard at night. Or the energy can be stored in a battery for an emergency roadside cellular telephone when no telephone wires are around. Your home or business doesn't know the difference between the electricity that comes from the utility company or from your solar panels. Effectively, its the same (except the solar electricity is free and clean).

Some experimental cars also use PV cells. They convert sunlight directly into energy to power electric motors on the car.

For more information on the benefits, both financial and environmental, of converting the sun's energy into electricity check the solar energy guru's website.

The big secret

Whenever I'm at a cocktail party discussing solar energy, I'm amazed (and I guess I shouldn't be by now) how little people know about solar energy. Everyone is talking about going green. People are aware of the climatic changes the world has experienced in the last few years and we know that's because of global warming, yet what are we doing about it?

A simple act like changing your light bulbs to compact fluorescent can make a difference. They use about 25% of the energy used by incandescent bulbs and they last six times longer.

Many people don't realize that the electricity that you use is generated by the burning of coal and natural gas. This process is a major contributor to the greenhouse gases causing global warming. If we can reduce the electric company's load, then we are reducing the noxious fumes that are damaging the planet.

If you own a home or business, you can make a significant difference both environmentally and financially by installing solar energy. Now what does that mean? You can put panels on your roof that convert the energy of the sun into electricity that can power your entire home or office. A properly designed system will generate a little less than your total years use of electricity. Since you can't generate more than you use and sell the difference to the utility company it makes sense to generate about 95% of your yearly usage. During the day, your solar electric system is generating all the electricity you need and more. Any excess electricity spins your meter backwards and adds additional power to the utility grid thereby reducing the need during peak energy consumption periods for the utility company to initiate rolling blackouts or increase capacity (and increase pollution). At night, when your solar panels are not generating electricity, you draw the power from the utility and use the extra energy that was generated during the day. Another benefit is that by converting to "time of use" billing where peak usage is more expensive and off-peak is cheaper, you are "selling" power to the utility company at peak periods and at a higher rate and using the cheaper off-peak energy in the evening.

Another issue that you think you have no control over is the rising cost of electricity. Where I live in southern California, my electric company raised my rates several times last year for a total of 15% increase. When you use the analogy of installing solar energy is like the difference between renting and buying a house, you realize that it makes financial sense to go solar. The landlord (the electric company) keeps raising the rent with no end in site. When I go solar, I've locked in the cost for electricity for as long as I own the house. Solar panels have a life expectancy of 30 to 40 years. If I sell my home, the solar system adds to the resale value of my home and I may possibly get most of the cost of the system back when I sell. In any event I'm making a significant environmental impact.

As an added incentive, many states are offering rebates for solar energy. In California, the state is giving about 30% of the cost back as a rebate. For the incentives in your state, check out this website http://www.dsireusa.org/. The federal government is kicking in an additional $2,000. It may not be a lot, but every little bit helps.

I look forward to the day when I see solar panels on everyone's rooftops.