New York and Solar Energy?

           Owens Corning, the Fortune 500 buildings materials company, is probably best known for its pink fiberglass insulation. Now it's got another claim to fame: the company's Bethlehem, New York manufacturing plant, already the winner of a New York State Governor's Award for pollution prevention, is, as of [recently], home to one of the largest industrial solar arrays in the Empire State.
          The company had flipped the switch on the 2.7 megawatt installation [on October 15] at noon--just as sunshine broke through the clouds, as if on cue. The solar array was approximately 9,000 ground-mounted photovoltaic panels located on more than 9 acres, on a former cornfield close to the plant. The array demonstrates the benefits of pollution-free electricity, producing enough clean power from the sun to supply some 6% of the plant's electricity needs.
          It also demonstrates the benefits of Governor Cuomo's NY-Sun Initiative, without which this solar array would not have come into being. The initiative is currently funded through 2015, but we hope that with one last push from the Governor, NY-Sun will live on as a 10-year, $150-million-a-year effort to finally make New York a solar leader.
          Sunny states like California, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico are, of course, early leaders in installed solar capacity, but Northeastern states also have a high potential for solar power. Currently, the great state of New York lags behind New Jersey and Massachusetts in total solar power installed. However, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, New York is catching up, thanks to NY-Sun and is now #8 in the country for installed solar power, up from #13 at the beginning of 2013.

Crowdfunding Helps Military Conversion to Solar Energy

U.S. Army's solar array at White Sands, New Mexico

      The U.S. military has ambitious plans ($7 billion worth) to install renewable energy at bases and other facilities across the nation. American taxpayers, of course, are footing the bill. But now they can choose to put their money into a military solar project and make a return, thanks to the crowdfunding craze.
      Mosaic, a California startup that earlier this year began letting ordinary investors put in as little as $25 to help finance commercial rooftop photovoltaic arrays, today announced its first military-related project, a 12.3-megawatt installation that will put 55,189 panels on housing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. The panels will be installed on 547 homes and are expected to supply 30% of their electricity demand.
     The deal is significant on two fronts. Military bases represent a huge market that will help drive down the cost of solar energy through economies of scale. Silicon Valley's SolarCity, for instance, scored a $1 billion deal in 2011 to finance and install 371 megawatts of photovoltaic panels on military housing in 30 states. Second, the deal marks a new way to finance solar energy. As lucrative U.S. tax breaks for solar and wind projects fall from 30% to 10% at the end of 2016, they will become less attractive to big banks and corporate investors currently bankrolling commercial and residential solar projects. Enter the ordinary investors, not the high-roller ones but the ordinary ones.

In Newark, NJ, "Solstice" Built on Campus

       In Newark, New Jersey, the "Solstice," a charging station powered by the sun, is ready to renew the energy of the cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices used at Essex County College thanks to the efforts of a group of ECC students.
       Members of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and Solar Training class erected the station, mounted on a 9-foot pole outside the college's Center for Technology. It has one AC and two USB ports that allow charging of devices completely through solar energy. "We are primarily using it as a hands-on learning tool for both our students and area high school students," said professor Ravi Manimaran. He noted that the 14 students who participated in the installation had the chance to receive green industry-based training from professions as part of the hands-on project.

Solar Mosaic Raising Crowdfunding for Solar Panels on Military Base

         Solar Mosaic, a solar crowdfunding service, has announced that they have a project on its site that offers to fund solar energy for the U.S. Military Housing in Fort Dix, New Jersey. The project, which calls for 12,270 kilowatts, is said to be more substantial than the others currently listed. Most projects usually range from 1.5 kilowatts to 662 kilowatts. Therefore, Solar Mosaic is seeking to raise $500,000 to invest in this large project, which is being financed in partnership with CIT Group, Inc. In effect, Solar Mosaic and its investors will be funding a small portion of the $35 million project. 

         According to Mosaic's site: "The project will be installed across 547 homes, providing approximately 30% of the electricity needs to military service members and their families." This includes 55,189 solar panels. 

         The Department of Defense is actually the largest consumer of energy in the world, with an annual energy budget of $20 billion. Whether it is experimenting with renewable fuel for jets, or powering bases with solar energy, they are constantly looking for new ways to reduce fossil use. 

          In November 2011, SolarCity has created a project known as SolarStrong, which hopes to supply solar power to 120,000 military homes. Earlier this summer as well, SolarCity had announced plans to put solar panels on 7,500 military homes in Hawaii. 

          By participating in these efforts, the military is currently helping to build a market for solar power. In a May report, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) called the U.S. Department of Defense "the world's largest energy consumer and one of the greatest catalysts of technological innovation." The trade association went on to note the efficiency of renewable energy for the military: "In most cases, the military can sign on long-term contracts for solar energy that are below local retail rates for electricity." 

New Jersey Approves $446 Million Solar Investment

        New Jersey state regulators had approved a proposal brought up by the utility company, Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G), which the plan triggered permission granted to go ahead on two projects increasing the involvement and usage of solar power. The two projects will both be financed by an incremental increase in customers' utility bills.
         According to Associated Press reports, the first project consists of offering nearly $200 million in loans to commercial and residential areas to install solar power systems in their buildings. The second project will help finance an extension of the utility's Solar4All program through 2016 that helps to develop solar installations primarily on unused landfills and former industrial sites, known as brownfields.
          However, the state-appointed advocate for utility customers has criticized the landfill decision as creating an unfair market advantage for PSE&G since the company is expected to recover its costs through rate increases. In return, New Jersey had, instead, approved the proposal under the conditions that adjustments be made in PSE&G's utility rates such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, raising electric bills for residential customers by $11.45 a year and costs to the same gas customers by $2.18 annually.

Elementary School Solar Power Field -- $1 Million?

      Located in Warren County, New Jersey, Pohatcong Township Elementary School's officials have been discussing and reviewing bids for a $1.05 million solar field that could possibly save the school more than $90,000 annually on electric costs. According to Superintendent Diane Mandry, the ground-mounted photovoltaic field will help provide nearly all of the school's electricity and result in approximately $96,000 in annual savings. "The Pohatcong School District is excited about being able to incorporate a solar field that will produce a significant portion of the district's electric needs for the next 25 years, thus saving a substantial amount in operating expenses," said Mandry.
      The district had went out to bid for the project last month and had received a total of eight proposals from contractors, with bids ranging as high as $1.72 million. The lowest bid, however, was of $1,048,434 from Flemington-based Advanced Solar Products, Inc., although the school board is still in the process of formally accepting the bid. "The project will be funded through the school's district's capital reserve fund," Mandry said.
      "The solar field would be constructed on 2 acres in a field just north of the school and would include 1,694 solar panels on ground-mounted arrays," said Mandry. According to Advanced Solar Products President Lyle Rawlings, those panels will generate approximately 625,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year. "In addition to the electricity cost-savings, the district stands to gain additional money by selling solar energy certificates to electricity suppliers," Rawlings said. Such suppliers are required to secure a portion of their electricity from solar generators. However, they also have the option of buying certificates to use as credits towards those requirements.
        "The school will be able to sell them and get substantial revenue," Rawlings said. "In fact, the revenue it would generate probably would be on the same order of magnitude as the power itself." Mandry had also noted that based on the average value of those certificates  last year, this project would have generated about $57,000 in revenue.

Pohatcong Township Elementary School

Saving Energy also means Save Money on Taxes

      In early January, it has been claimed that Congress had extended a policy of federal tax credits for energy efficiency users. In other words, it means that homeowners can earn as much as $500 per year for investments in energy-saving windows, water heaters, air conditioners, and a variety of other home improvements. "Rest assured, if you're doing something that's uniquely beneficial for the environment, there's likely a tax credit there," says Mark Steber, chief tax officer at Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, a tax-return preparation firm headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey.
     According to Steber, insulation, windows, and furnaces are known as being the most commonly used home improvement that qualifies for tax credits. Air-conditioning, water heaters and roofing also are accountable for the tax credits. These home improvements must have been made by 2012 but Steber notes that it's possible to amend tax filings as early as 2009 for earlier purchases.
    For simpler items, homeowners are able to receive a tax credit for 10% of the cost up to $500 or a specific amount from $50 to $300. Solar power systems, geothermal pumps, and other more advanced items are eligible for a tax credit of 30% of the cost with no upper limit until December 31, 2016.
    To be applicable for tax credits, homeowners are required to submit a 5695 Form with their 2012 taxes to receive such tax credits. No receipts? "No problem," says Steber. "Credit card statements, bills, and other evidence of the purchase can serve as adequate documentation."

UPS, the delivery giant, gets involved with solar!

      

      Within these past few year, many companies have been getting involved with solar-powered technology as it is impacting the world on a global level. They have mostly been focusing on producing and installing solar panels to obtain electricity in a healthy cost-efficient way. One major corporation, known as the UPS, realized its benefits in this expanding time and has made it official by announcing its latest project, in installing solar energy installations in its locations in Parsippany and Secaucus, New Jersey.
      The project that was constructed in Parsippany, New Jersey, was a 1.2 megawatt installation that was completed last Fall in the year of 2012. The project in Secaucus is said to also produce a 1.2 megawatt installation that will be completed at the end of Spring this year. In a public statement, Steve Leffin, whom is the director of global sustainability at UPS, claimed that he and his team will be overseeing every aspect of the design and installations, which he believes to be extremely beneficial.
      "Federal and state government incentives and state government incentives encouraged our investments in solar energy sources," said Steve Leffin. "We develop, engineer, own and operate our solar capacity, which is a departure from contracted power-purchase agreements in which a company pays a solar power provider for a set price of electricity for 20 years. Under this arrangement, we not only benefit at UPS, but can also help community power grids by providing a hedge against possible energy price hikes during peak usage times."

Source : UPS pressroom