The New American Dream
Energy Independence
This website strives to be a solar energy information clearinghouse for American homeowners, business owners and investors. The founders of this site believe that there is a new "American Dream"...Energy Independence. Investing in and using Solar energy has become a matter of economics, a matter of pride, a matter of National Security, a matter of Readiness, a matter of Enviromental responsibility. To those ends our goal is to provide links to the rebates and tax credits homeowners and business owners can get for installing solar electric systems and solar hot water systems. This is a site focused on solar energy uses, solar powered products and investments in solar power industries.
Top Administration and Business Leaders Convene to Advance New Clean Energy Technology; Clifford Champions Distributed Generation
Standard Solar, Inc. CEO Tony Clifford addressed top Administration officials, including Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, during the White House's Clean Energy Economy Forum held today in the nation's capital. Clifford joined business leaders and experts from the Federal government to develop strategies that grow clean energy manufacturing and services to create jobs and build the economy. "Policies that support Distributed Generation will create green jobs more quickly; and those jobs will be distributed throughout the country. It is imperative that we recognize that cost competitiveness with the grid will create an enormous number of new green jobs; and our policies should be focused on the quickest way to get to cost competitiveness."
Clifford urged policymakers not to fall victim to conventional thinking that the best place for wind farms is in the northern Great Plains and the best place for solar is in the Southwest.
"Photovoltaics and solar thermal are inherently distributed sources of power that can be used anywhere in the United States, not just the sunny Southwest. Since panels can be installed on rooftops, parking lots and ground-mounted, they provide power where it is being consumed – without the need to build expensive, long lead time transmission and distribution (T & D) systems," he stated.
Clifford said this on-site production of power, known as "Distributed Generation" will emerge as a prominent energy source that competes at the customer’s retail cost of power, not the utility’s cost of generation. "Distributed Generation systems in net-metered applications will be cost-competitive far sooner than huge centralized systems that rely on new T & D infrastructure," he continued.
"Policies that support Distributed Generation will create green jobs more quickly; and those jobs will be distributed throughout the country. It is imperative that we recognize that cost competitiveness with the grid will create an enormous number of new green jobs; and our policies should be focused on the quickest way to get to cost competitiveness," he concluded.
The Forum was held to discuss strategies to advance the development and commercialization of new clean energy technologies, supporting the creation and growth of emerging industries and small and medium enterprises, promoting exports, and training workers for the clean energy economy. Administration officials also discussed the need for comprehensive energy and climate legislation that will help the nation transition to a clean energy economy, create jobs and enhance America’s competitiveness.
About Standard Solar
Standard Solar is a full-service developer, integrator and installer of solar electric systems for academic, commercial, government and residential customers throughout Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.StandardSolar.com.
California PUC Approves Use of RECs for RPS
March 2010 - The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the use of unbundled tradable renewable energy credits (TRECs) to meet the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS). The CPUC determined that the use of TRECs for RPS compliance will provide more options and flexibility for RPS-obligated electricity sellers to comply with RPS mandates in both the near and longer term. Previously, compliance with the RPS had to be met exclusively with energy bundled with RECs. California's RPS requires investor-owned utilities, energy service providers, and community choice aggregators operating in California to obtain 20 percent of their retail sales from renewable energy sources by 2010. In September 2009, California Governor Schwarzenegger signed an Executive Order increasing and extending the RPS to 33% by 2020.
CPUC News Release.
New Jersey offers a full exemption from the state's sales tax (currently 7%) for all solar energy equipment.
(Reviewed Feb, 2010.) This exemption is available to all taxpayers. All major types solar energy equipment, including equipment for passive solar design, are considered eligible for the exemption as described by the New Jersey Division of Taxation Publication S&U-6 (Sales Tax Exemption Administration). According to S&U-6, the exemption includes all solar energy "devices or systems specifically approved by the Board of Public Utilities, Division of Energy and designed to provide heating or cooling or electrical or mechanical power by converting solar energy to some other usable energy source, including devices for storing solar-generated energy." The exemption does not apply to devices that would be required regardless of the energy source being utilized. In order to claim the exemption, the purchaser must fill out and submit
Form ST-4 (Exempt Use Certificate) to the seller instead of paying sales tax.
Can I Buy Green Power in My State?
To find out how to purchase renewable energy in your State you can click on your state to find out which organizations offer green power. The results will include utility green pricing programs, retail green power products offered in competitive electricity markets, and renewable energy certificate (REC) products sold separate from electricity.
The Kyocera PV Calculator, is a tool available on the Kyocera website to help you determine the variable costs and benefits of installing a photovoltaic (PV) power system at your home or business. By entering your zip code and estimated annual energy usage, you can view estimated calculations of the following:
- PV system's monthly/daily energy output
- Pollution prevention with your use of solar energy
- Money savings each month on electricity
- Cost of the PV system after rebates and incentives
Kyocera is one of the world's largest vertically-integrated producers and suppliers of solar energy products. Their American solar division is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, with regional sales affiliates in the Americas and Australia. Kyocera Solar, Inc. (KSI), their North American solar products subsidiary, serves thousands of customers in both the developed and developing worlds.
DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Choose databases to search for information on Renewable Energy or Energy Efficiency.
The Tax Incentives Assistance Project (TIAP), sponsored by a coalition of public interest nonprofit groups, government agencies, and other organizations in the energy efficiency field, is designed to give consumers and businesses information they need to make use of the federal income tax incentives for energy efficient products and technologies passed by Congress as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and subsequently amended several times.
GreenPower! 
All of the latest news and information on green power marketing and renewable electricity, incl. utility green pricing programs, renewable energy certificates, state policies, financial opportunities... brought to you by the US. Department of Energy. Updated weekly.
Federal Tax Credits for Solar are Extended and Raised - October 14th, 2008 - The federal bail out bill included legistlation to extend the federal investment tax credit for solar energy. It also removed the $2000 cap, and so it is now 30% of the price of the system.
What does this mean for you? Well, it means solar pencils out better for everyone $ wise.If you are getting solar installed this year, you can possibly talk to your installer about holding on to the interconnection paperwork until 2009 so you can claim the beefier credit, although they may ask you to float the state rebate for a bit since they canÕt get the state rebate money for their company until they file the interconnection paperworkÉ. this will probably be way worth it in most cases.The most important thing is that it was extended for 8 years, which means we can actually build industry around it instead of having wishy-washy incentives that get patched or revoted on every year.