Solar is Proven Job Creation
It has many names; photovoltaic, solar energy, solar power, solar electricity, but today it means something more than the sun beating on shiny metal frames, it means JOBS. According to Sacramento Bee’s Fred Keeley, the clean energy industry is supplying the state [California] with more than 35,000 high-paying jobs.” And you may ask what is propelling this influx of solar demand in the golden state…net metering. This is the technical term for “spin your meter backwards” or what Keeley calls “roll-over minutes”. Net-metering is moving homeowners and businesses alike to invest in a renewables and in turn, creating jobs.
More than Solar Electricity
Q: How did Aztec Solar get started?
A: Aztec Solar started 35 years ago. Ed Murray founded the business. He was an advocate for solar technology and worked with a company called Murray & Sun. From there he branched off and started Aztec Solar a solar electric and solar heating and cooling installation company serving commercial and residential customers throughout Northern California for 30 years
Q: What kinds of services does Aztec Solar offer?
A: We offer solar water heating, solar electric and solar pool heating solutions to homeowners. Solar water heating is a great technology and it's going to reduce your natural gas or your water electric heating bill. Natural gas uses up to about 40% of your cost in heating water. So, with a simple investment that is now covered with 50% incentives through the California Solar Initiative and through a federal tax credit, you can install a new water heating system in your home for under $4,000.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit more about these programs and the financial incentives that they offer?
A: Sure, installing a solar water heating system is a simple one day installation. Currently, there is a rebate program whether you’re with SMUD or PG&E. They both offer a cash rebate that we extend directly to the customer and in addition to that you have a tax write off of 30% of the installed system cost. Aztec solar wants to help homeowners become more energy efficient and achieve independence in their energy solutions, so we’re offering $800 off a solar energy system that's good through February 29, 2012.
Q: Aside from the big cost savings benefits, are there any other advantages of going solar?
A: Yes, when you support local businesses, you help create more jobs, which is great for the community. You're helping the future of our planet, which is great for our children and our grandchildren. Ultimately, you’re saving in your pocket book every month.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit more about the solar electric program?
A: Solar electric technology is going to reduce the electric portion of your bill and it's a good idea to install all year around. It’s an especially good time to install solar electric when you're using your heater a lot, when you have a lot of guests in the home and you’re using more appliances. There are financial incentives available right now and Aztec Solar has a special lease program that can get you into a brand-new system with no money down.
Cheaper Solar Panels
Cheaper Solar Panels
Solar Water Heating for Propane Users is the Most Affordable Solar Panel
A NEW rebate program helps homeowners save big with solar replacement for your propane tank. Aztec Solar has been installing Solar Water Heating Systems in the Sacramento area for over 30 years. In fact, President Ed Murray has been installing solar for so long he is considered an expert in the industry. Ed recently offered his expertise to CALSEIA (California Solar Energy Industry Association) addressing the urgency for a Solar Propane rebate program. Upon his recommendations the solar rebate program for solar water heating has rolled out for propane homes.
Aztec Solar wants to share our experience with you; we are excited to offer a rebate program that will bring you immediate savings. If you are a homeowner that heats your water with propane, you could save upwards of $13,000* over the next 25 year lifespan of your solar system. Image what you could do with money saved just from heating your water.
Here are some facts about Solar Water Heating and how you can benefit from this time-tested technology.
1. Solar Water Heating (also called solar thermal) is the single fastest way to cut your propane expense.
2. Propane prices are anticipated to continue to increase.
3. Aztec Solar Water Heating Systems are between 60-75% efficient. That equates to about $450-550 in savings for propane homeowners/year.
4. The NEW rebate and the current cost of propane will allow solar to pay for itself in about 6-7 years.
5. Aztec installs only the highest quality systems and has been in business for over 30 years.
Stop paying TOO MUCH to heat your water. Let the SUN DO IT!
INSTALL BY DECEMBER 20th
TO RECEIVE YOUR 2011 TAX CREDIT
*According to the average annual propane expense of $489/year
Sacramento Solar Company Offers $0 Down Solar Systems
Aztec Solar announces affordable solar energy for your home with hassle-free leasing. We offer 3 lease options to meet your financial objectives. Solar leasing can help prevent the unexpected, as your utility bills becomes more expensive, similar to gas for the car, you will save more by installing solar now, hedging against future utility spikes.
Think of some of the benefits of solar leasing:
Solar with affordable payment options
System Performance Guarantee
Utility bill savings today and in the future
Worry-free maintenance and monitoring
Insurance and system warranty
Why Lease? Leasing eliminates the burden of ownership by covering all installation and equipment servicing costs, warranties, and guarantees an annual energy generation for the entire term of the lease. All leases come with a Performance Guarantee which promises that if the system does not produce the minimum amount of kilowatts (power) predicted; we will pay you for the difference. And if your system produces more kilowatts than promised, the power is yours at no additional cost.
Your solar installation is monitored and therefore ensured to work properly by sending the system's power production data on the internet using our Smart Monitoring System. This is how we guarantee the system's performance at no charge to the homeowner.
Homeowners who lease enjoy all the benefits of solar with the added comfort of a money-back Power Production Guarantee, full system insurance and warranty, and less money out of pocket when compared to purchasing. With little-to-no down payment options, solar leasing offers affordable payment options to free up household operating capital for other needs.
Contact Aztec Solar today for a no obligation free estimate. Our energy experts will provide you with a detailed proposal showing you the best solar system to meet your power needs and your financial goals.
Sacramento Solar Company Lists Top 3 Reasons to Go Solar
Sacramento Solar Company Lists Top 3 Reasons to Go Solar
Have you ever wondered if home solar panels are the right investment? Certainly solar seems like the new energy, but does it make sense to buy now? Aztec Solar, a Sacramento Solar Company, explains the top 3 reasons it makes sense to invest in solar thermal now:
Natural Gas is Going Up
Experts in energy have been forecasting spikes in both natural gas and coal in the years to come. As summarized in Fortnightly's Spark, “with growing demand across the United States power markets and significant environmental regulation likely, natural gas prices are expected to rise over the next one to two years – a significant upswing in current price trends.”
2) Solar Water Heating – The Other Solar
Most of us have seen solar electric (photovoltaic) systems either on rooftops or in a large open space off the freeway. Fewer, however, are aware of Solar Water Heating <link to: http://www.aztecsolar.com/solar-water-faq>, the solar energy system that heats your water and offsets your natural gas, propane or electric bill. Solar electric systems are more well-known because they were the first to receive incentives and have been helping utility customers significantly reduce their bills due to the high cost of coal, but now solar water heating can do the same.
3) Solar Water Heating Rebates are at their Peak
In 2010, solar water heating became incentivized for the main California utilities, with a hefty rebate and generous tax credits totaling more than $3,500. Most solar water heating installations cost around $8,000, equating to about a $4,500 investment (after rebates and tax credits) now making solar water heating more affordable. The technology is up to 80% efficient and presents many environmental benefits such as fewer emissions, reduced greenhouse gases and clean energy.
Solar Water Heating is an advanced solar technology that has been tested around the world. California is one of the few states to offer incentives and we suspect many states, like Hawaii, will soon get onboard.
How Much Solar?
How much open roof space does a family of four require to power their electricity needs? Recently, blogger Jetson Green investigated just that topic. As the name states, Green is interested in empowering Americans to lead more independent and sustainable lifestyles. In previous articles he has shown that adding solar upgrades into your home increases the resale value of your property up to $33,000 for a 6kW system, effectively recouping most of your cost at the time of sale. He came up with an estimate in square feet to meet the average home’s energy consumption. The verdict: 2,000 square feet of sunny roof space to meet the 11,640kWh consumption per year. How can the homeowner justify the investment during this housing market? Today solar is showing higher returns on investment than most CD’s, while also hedging against future utility spikes prevalent in an energy crisis. Pollution-free energy is here to stay and with new financing options and support from your local utilities, solar is a safe investment.
Solar Permitting Fees Cut 60%
The City of Sacramento has just gotten smart on solar. After much public dissatisfaction with the permitting process the city has decided to streamline their permitting for solar electric and solar water heating retrofits thereby saving the homeowner 60% in fees.
Simplifying the red tape can do wonders for the homeowner who wants to go solar as well as your local solar installation company. According to the Sacramento Bee “As California races to its goal of adding a million solar roofs by 2018, solar providers say their efforts are being bogged down by a lack of uniform permitting standards, cutbacks at city and county building departments, and costly and arbitrary fees.”
In response, the City of Sacramento has developed a flat fee for residential installations that are less than 4kW and solar water heating systems that are 50 gallons or less. This is great news for solar, coming just in time for homeowners who want to complete their solar installation and receive their 2011 tax credits and rebates.
For more information about Sacramento Streamline
www.cityofsacramento.org/sacramentostreamline
Solar Energy without the Sun?
When the words “photovoltaic” or “solar energy” are brought up, what’s the first thing that people think of? Not surprisingly, the answer is the sun. This is unsurprising, as anything solar-related needs sunlight to produce energy. The sun may be our greatest asset in solar energy, but it’s also the biggest obstacle as well, because there is only sunlight for half the day, and sometimes an overcast or stormy day prevents any solar energy from being produced.
Now, imagine solar panels that aren't reliant on the sun for power. The idea might sound farfetched, but that’s exactly what researchers at MIT have accomplished: sun-free photovoltaics. This new photovoltaic energy-conversion system can be powered solely by heat, generating electricity with no sunlight at all. It may come as a surprise to some people, but this concept is by no means new. More than half a century ago, researchers developed thermophotovoltaics (TPV), which couple a photovoltaic (PV) cell with any source of heat. While the idea was groundbreaking, the idea was impractical at the time due to insufficient technology.
However, with recent advances in solar technology, researchers at MIT have developed a novel way of engineering to allow for sun-free energy. Essentially, the surface of a material is specially modified so it converts heat into precisely tuned wavelengths of light, which are selected to match the wavelengths that photovoltaic cells can best convert to electricity, in order to maximize efficiency. What really makes this system effective is the surface of the material, which has billions of nanoscale pits etched on its surface, and when the material absorbs heat, the pitted surface radiates energy primarily at these carefully chosen wavelengths.
Researchers at MIT are not yet satisfied, and they have their sights set on making sun-free photovoltaics viable in everyday life. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 92 percent of all the energy we use involves converting heat into mechanical energy, and then often into electricity. One such example is using fuel to boil water to turn a turbine, which is attached to a generator. However, these mechanical systems have relatively low efficiency, and can't be scaled down to the small sizes needed for devices such as sensors, smartphones, or medical monitors.
"Being able to convert heat from various sources into electricity without moving parts would bring huge benefits, especially if we could do it efficiently, relatively inexpensively and on a small scale," says Ivan Celanovic, a research engineer involved in MIT’s ongoing quest for efficient solar energy.
Even despite this hurdle, the future of solar energy is as bright as ever. The possibilities of photovoltaics that do not rely on the sun are endless. No longer will geography and location limit the scope of the solar frontier. Instead, with the potential to succeed in all areas of the world, sun-free photovoltaics are the future of solar energy, and it will be the leading component in solar energy within the next decade.
Despite Challenges, Gov. Brown Remains Optimistic for Solar
While most pundits in the solar industry agree that solar is the future, questions remain on how they can get there. In California, at least, decisive action is being taken at the state level, as Governor Jerry Brown has charged solar leaders with finding a way to install 12,000 megawatts of distributed solar by 2020. While 12,000 megawatts of distributed solar would allow California to become the leader in distributed solar power, ahead of solar titans such as Germany and China, the 12,000 megawatts are only a part of a 20,000 megawatt solar capacity goal Brown has set for the coming decade.
Brown firmly believes in the viability of a solar tomorrow, as he told solar leaders, “Find the path through the thicket, on the other side, we will have our solar future.” Furthermore, during a conference at UCLA on the sector’s opportunities and challenges, Brown noted that distributed solar is “resilient and secure because it is so distributed.” Brown also noted that energy is a huge part of modern economy, but recognized that there were still issues that need to be addressed, such as technical, financial, regulatory, and coordination problems.
A larger issue, perhaps, is simply the fact that people still don’t know that rooftop solar is viable and a legitimate energy solution, as well as that the solar industry provides local jobs in every community. While panel manufacturing can be outsourced, delivery of the panels cannot be outsourced. In fact, according to solar leaders, two to three times more jobs are actually created in delivery than in manufacturing.
In addition, there remain politicians in Washington who don’t see solar technology as viable. While action has been taken at the state level, the same cannot be at the federal level. Brown acknowledges that the 2008-09 stimulus programs were the largest renewable energy investment programs America has ever had, but remains unsatisfied with the inaction. Gov. Brown remarks that “It’s not enough just to not put up hurdles. … What about getting stuff done?”
While Governor Brown has always been an ardent supporter of solar energy, he realizes all of the challenges holding distributed solar back need to be resolved sooner than later. Brown stressed the need to streamline regulatory hurdles in California’s 58 counties and 400+ cities. "The system has evolved tens of thousands of laws, hundreds of thousands of regulations. You have to push,” he said, because “if we let the process unfold, we’re not going to get to the goal.” Brown believes that strong leadership is vital for success, as he says, “Somebody has to think long term, that somebody has to have authority, and they have to exercise it.”
Reaching for the Sun
Although solar interest has grown rapidly within the last several years, the movement is still in infancy, and as a result, costs are invariably high and it takes years to recoup the initial investment. Now, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced an ambitious plan that would lower installed solar costs by 75%, bringing installing utility-scale solar at $1 per watt by 2020 and drop solar power down to 6 cent per kilowatt-hour. If achieved, $1 per watt would represent a giant step towards commercial viability of solar energy, not to mention the likely acceleration of solar installation in residential areas. The plan, known as SunShot, is a play off President Kennedy’s 1961 pledge to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Amidst critics, Energy Secretary Steven Chu has devised a $27 million funding program, to be spread among nine companies. While the goal seems farfetched, some solar industry executives, such as Frank van Mierlo, CEO of Sunshot grant recipient 1366 Technologies, believe they’re well-positioned to succeed. Says van Mierlo, “We’ll get there. Look at the historical cost curve of solar. The production cost comes down 10 percent every year.” Even with cautious optimism, there is a lot of work to be done between now and 2020 if solar industries are to reach the goal of $1 per watt. As it stands now, the solar industry is a ways away from reaching the $1 per watt goal. In order to fulfill the DOE’s vision, the solar industry will have to streamline in a big way. Considerable module efficiency gains will have to be made, and costs for installation, operations, and maintenance and all other system components will have to be slashed dramatically. Most companies that received Sunshot grants are already exploring new possibilities of streamlining the solar process and reduce costs. Among these companies are PPG Industries, whose target is to develop better thin-film efficiency of their panels as well as increase the durability and sustainability of their products. Another grant recipient, 3M, is working to reduce the thin-film installation cost, as well as increase the versatility of their panels for all weather purposes. The solar energy industry has undergone dramatic improvements within the last decade. Now, the U.S. Department of Energy is optimistic that the field will take another big leap by 2020. For Kennedy and the Space Program, the Moon was the limit. For the solar industry, only the Sun stands in their way.
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