| By
harnessing the power of the sun, wind or water,
people all over the world produce their own
pollution-free reliable electricity. Technological
advances, government assistance, the need for reliable
power, and the desire to reduce the use of fossil
fuels have made renewable energy systems attractive to
people in the United States and worldwide. Solar
technology makes it possible for home and business
owners to have dependable power from renewable
sources. Mass production has significantly reduced the
price of renewable energy systems and their
components. Solar and battery-based backup power
systems can ensure reliable power even when the
utility grid is down. When the utility grid is
working, systems feed solar-generated electrons back
into the utility grid.
The use of renewable sources such as wind,
water and sun, increases our energy self-sufficiency
and fosters economic and national security. As more
families, individuals and businesses generate their
own renewable electricity we will reduce pollution,
provide more electricity for all to use, reduce the
use of fossil fuels, and make the electricity on the
grid "greener".
Deregulation has created an atmosphere of change
in the United States. We are experiencing higher
electricity rates and electricity shortages. Laws,
referred to as "Net Metering", allow
solar-energy-system owners to feed their generated
electricity back to the utility. The system owner
receives a credit or payment for solar electrons fed
into the grid. In other words, you pay only for the
net electricity you consume - the amount of
electricity you take from the utility minus the amount
you generate and feed back from your solar system.
With a solar electric system, you can provide yourself
with some protection from the fluctuating prices of
fuel, because your system’s fuel is the sun.
Additionally, state, local and federal tax incentives
and rebates have made obtaining a system more
economical.
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| Types of Power Systems
Power systems vary in design depending on what
energy sources are used and what purpose they must
fulfill. The next few pages have information to help
you design the systems listed below.
Utility-Intertie Solar Systems
Sometimes called "gridtie", these systems
can be used anywhere that the electric utility allows
"net metering," where a solar or wind powered system
turns your electric meter backwards when it is
producing more power than you are using. This type of
system provides no back-up power when utility power
fails.
Utility-Intertie Solar Systems with Backup
A utility-intertie system with battery
backup feeds excess solar electricity to the grid and
provide back up power when the utility grid is down.
With this type of system you sacrifice some power
generation efficiency in exchange for power whenever
there is a power failure. The amount of backup power
depends on the size of the battery and electrical
loads.
Off-Grid Power Systems
This type of power system is independent of
the utility grid. It can use solar electric modules, a
wind generator or a micro-hydroelectric generator or a
combination of any or all of them to produce your
electric power. The owner of this type of system often
uses a gas or diesel generator for backup when the
power system does not meet all of the user’s needs.
Determine What System Meets Your Needs
Use the charts and worksheets on this Web
Site to become familiar with the design of these
systems and consult your solar power system
professional installer to pick out the exact
components. |
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Federal Incentives
There is a federal tax incentive called the
"Energy Credit" that allows businesses to take a 30%
credit for renewable energy equipment (solar electric,
solar thermal and wind powered systems). The same
incentive is available for residential customers, but
a cap of $2,000 applies.
In addition, there is an accelerated 5-year
depreciation schedule that allows businesses to
write 100% of the systems cost off their taxable
income over the first five years.
State and Local Incentives
The states of California, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Washington and others, as well as
municipalities like Austin, Texas and Bend, Oregon
offer a rebate or similar payment based on the
generating capacity of the system installed. These
incentives range from $2.80 per installed watt of a
solar system in California to $4.95 per watt in New
Jersey. New Mexico offers incentives based on system
performance, paying the system owner for every
kilowatt hour (kWh) of solar electricity generated.
California offers performance based payments as an
alternative to a rebate.
Many other states offer rebates and tax
incentives to home owners to lower the installed
cost of a utility connected power system.
Look at
http://www.dsireusa.org for more information
about incentives in your area.
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If you
experience any problems on this site, please help us out by
e-mailing us as to
what kind of problem you may have experienced. Please let
us know on what pages the problem occurred.
OUR POLICY ABOUT YOUR ORDER
Prices have
been unsteady, since the Iraq War and in most cases we have been
able to absorb the difference.
Should there be a price increase, you will be notified
before we ship so you can make a decision as to keep the
purchase or not.
Once we receive your additional payment, we will fulfill your
order.
Should you decide that you do not want to keep the purchase, you
will need to let us know via eMail.
When making a
purchase from this site, shipping charges are normally included
when placing your order..
On some large items such as appliances, batteries, etc. the shipping and
possibly crating fees may be
extra.
These items are noted by an * at the end of the Part Number.
In such case, you will be notified of the extra charges, which
need to be
paid prior to shipping.
ALL WARRANTIES ARE PROVIDED BY THE PRODUCT MANUFACTURERS, WE DO NOT ISSUE THE WARRANTIES.
This
Web Site is Maintained by Taos Artist, Terry Wolff - Artes del
Lobo
Last up-dated on
14 January 2008 |
