Green and Renewable Peer Discussion Topics

      In discussions with other Peers involved in the Construction Industry about the building and remodeling of homes and business in the St Louis Area.  I keep a mental log of the conversations and what I noticed was a re-occurring theme in something we all did agree on ( and it didn't matter if I was speaking to a Democrat, Republican, Independent- Young or Old).  
     They all agree that:  

1. Material prices have skyrocketed in the past few years.  
2. A Building shouldn't be drafty and have air leaks.  
3. Heat and Cool Buildings Efficiently and Afford-ably.

Material Prices  (using a simple 2x4x10 Wall Framing Stud as an Example)-

• Supply and Demand is Driving the Material Costs Higher.  World Wide Population growth coupled with what seems like some form of Natural Disaster Somewhere in the World every Month or Two.  It doesn't matter if the home or business was destroyed by the Flood, Hurricane, Tornado, Tsunami, or whatever it was.  The End Results are the Same: Cities and Towns left Completely in Ruins.  And we simply can't get trees to grow as fast as whats needed to rebuild the damage.

Air Leaks and Drafty Homes

• Whether its your home or office:  Everyone wants to be comfortable.  With the Advent of the different types of Air and Vapor Barriers, Insulation, Advanced Framing Techniques, Windows, and Doors.  (As Required by current building codes) Buildings are now constructed and or remodeled using progressive building techniques that eliminate over 90% of these Air Leaks.

Heat and Cool Buildings Efficiently and Affordably

• We've came along ways in providing heat for the home over the years.  Long past is the time we spent sitting around the campfire for warmth.  Our warmth in the winter and cold air in the summer; now comes from the switch on the wall. (I enjoy the modern convenience of a climate controlled room.)  And any business owner will state that their employees productivity is greater when the staff isn't too hot or cold.  In times long since past the costs for turning up or town the temp didn't make too big of a bill at the end of the month.  Nowadays it seems that every notch on the dial leads to higher bills at months end.

Its obvious to me that: Green and Sustainable Buildings is the Answer for today's Construction Needs.  I would venture to say that 90% of today's builders and re-modelers (worth their Salt) adhere to Energy Efficient Building Guidelines.

Which always leads me to ask:

"What is wrong with making your own Electricity?"

A new re-occurring theme appeared and they asked these three main questions:  Is it affordable-Aren't they expensive to install? Is Solar Reliable?

Zero $00.00 Down Solar Lease

• I then start telling them about the: Zero Down Solar Lease, which makes solar affordable on most every budget.  (for every home I have figured- Solar either eliminates or cuts the Electricity Bill in half.) What could be better than a Non-Polluting Solar Electric System that generates its own electricity for less than your current Ameren UE Utility Bill?

Installation Is Covered

• With the $00.00 Down Solar Lease- Any Permits, Inspections, Installation, and Maintenance is included in the Solar Lease. 
  

That means that you will not have to come out of pocket for a Dime to install a Solar System at your Home or Business.  Installation and Maintenance is covered in the Solar Lease

20+ Year Guaranty

• The various Solar Systems I sell, lease, and install all have guaranties for 20+ years.  These warranties come from Field Tested Systems; where the electrical output is so predictable that the "Yearly" electrical outputs are guaranteed as well.  As long as the sun is shining they will produce electricity for your home for many many years into the Future.  And Unlike the rising costs of electricity- an Owner of a Solar system costs decrease as the Solar System pays for itself.
  

I can't spell it out any clearer.  Solar is Affordable Now. 

It will decrease your High Energy Bills leaving more $Money$ for you and your household.  And it will last 20+ years and still produce electricity in its old age.  What is there not to like about a Free Solar Lease System?  - as always Scotts Contracting provides a Free Estimate for any job.  What have you got to lose?  Use the contact info below to contact Scotty for a "Free Solar Lease Quote".

Build a Green St Louis
Scotts Contracting, St Louis Renewable Energy

Twitter          (314) 669-5598          Facebook

Web Site: http://stlouisrenewableenergy.com
scottscontracting@gmail.com
Job Site Photo Album 
Green Blog

St Louis-Recycle your Old Christmas Tree Lights

Holiday Light Recycling Drive bigger and better than ever!

The Holiday Light Recycling Drive has officially kicked off, and is off to a great start -- several locations are filling up their collection bins and the program has already collected 10,000 pounds!  If you are still intererested in collecting lights this year, it's not too late!  Visit our website for more information about participating. If you already have a bin and need a pick-up please email us at Lights@StLouisGreen.com

Our goal for 2012 is to collect 128,000 pounds of lights!  Help us reach that goal by spreading the word and don't forget to drop-off your old lights for recycling! 

 LEARN MORE HERE.

Volunteers are needed for the 2012 Holiday Light Recycling Drive

St. Louis Green needs volunteers to help sort holiday lights

When: 9 - 12 most Saturdays now through January 26th

Where: 11721 Dunlap Induatrial Drive
             Maryland Heights, MO 63043

For more information please email lights@stlouisgreen.com

LEARN MORE HERE. 

Thinkin' Green!

Craig Jung, Cindy Breth and Erin McAllister
St. Louis Green Staff

Twitter          (314) 669-5598          Facebook

Web Site: http://stlouisrenewableenergy.com
scottscontracting@gmail.com
Job Site Photo Album 
Green Blog

Tell Congress to Expedite Renewable Energy

Sign this petition to tell Congress to expedite renewable energy. We can transition to a cleaner, renewable energy future, but Congress needs to pass the legislation to get us there.



Tell Congress to Expedite Renewable Energy





 Thank you for stopping by St Louis Renewable Energy. Feel free to comment in the section below or contact Scotty for any Home Improvement Projects or Energy Reducing Needs and Scotty, Scotts Contracting will respond ASAP. Company Web Address: http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com

The North American PPA Market Is Recovering and Getting Ready for Massive Changes | PVGroup

The North American PPA Market Is Recovering and Getting Ready for Massive Changes

By Al Velosa & Jim Hines, Gartner

Introduction

The power purchase agreement (PPA) has become a popular acquisition model for photovoltaic (PV) solar energy in North America. Utility, enterprise and residential customers are increasingly turning to PPAs as a way to obtain the benefits of PV-generated electricity without the capital investment and operational requirements associated with ownership of the generating asset. PV vendors targeting the North American market must understand how the PPA landscape is evolving if they are to develop effective go-to-market and partnering strategies.

 The North American PPA Market Is Recovering and Getting Ready for Massive Changes | PVGroup

Overview

In a solar PPA, utilities, commercial and non-profit enterprises and residential end users buy solar PV-generated electricity from a third party, normally not a utility, in contracts that last up to 25 years. The key services that the solar PPA firms provide are financing, designing and building and operating a PV system for the user. Renewable energy credits normally belong to the owner of the PV system, but may be bought by the end user.

The feed-in tariff (FIT), which is popular in Europe, has led many solar PPA firms there to sell energy directly to local utilities. In North America, solar PPA providers have focused on residential and enterprise users, and are just starting to sell to utilities. The main benefit of a solar PPA for North American enterprises is saving money relative to utility rates, without a large capital expenditure for a PV system. The electricity rates from solar PPA vendors are comparable to the rates from utilities — from all sources.

Gartner estimates that major North American solar PPA vendors have over 400 megawatts (MW) of PV systems under management. This market is still evolving, and the relative positions of the vendors will continue to change. SunEdison is currently the largest PPA vendor in North America. Gartner forecasts the North American market for PV solar systems under a PPA contract or a FIT contract will reach 2.9 gigawatts (GW) in PV generation capacity in 2013, for an estimated $8 billion in capital expenditure.

The PPA market and the key players have naturally divided into the three main market segments of utility, enterprise and residential. Each of these segments has different requirements for the solar PPA vendors serving them with respect to the sales and financing process. Due to the relatively high cost of PV systems, these markets and their solar PPA vendors are dependent upon incentives from the federal, state or provincial, local governments as well as from individual utilities.

No one business model has yet to prove itself in the market, with PPA providers experimenting with full service offerings and going all the way to completely outsourced models. However, there is a trend toward outsourcing more and more activities.

North American Market Place

Gartner estimates that major solar PPA vendors have over 400 megawatts of PV systems under management in North America, as of June 2010. Figure 1 shows the top 5 PPA contract vendors account for half of the fleet of PV systems under management. The market is still evolving and thus continues to show volatility in the rankings; so we expect to see this evolve significantly over the next year.

Figure 1. Top 5 Solar PPA Vendors, North American PV Energy Contracts Under Management (Megawatts)

Source: Gartner (June 2010)

Challenges and Opportunities

In the near to midterm, Gartner expects the solar PPA market to remain extremely competitive and volatile. After obtaining financing, execution will be the most critical issue for most solar PPA firms. Key differentiators include:

• Finance — The most critical differentiator.
• Project Development and Sales — Since no solar PPA firm can have a sales force that covers all opportunities, this requires a clear direct sales and channel management strategy.
• Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) — An effective EPC arm or set of partners will become an increasingly important factor as pricing becomes even more competitive.
• Operations & Maintenance (O&M) — Will determine the profitability of projects in the long term
• Technology — Once a firm has a set of bankable PV partners, the focus here turns to how to ensure that the long term performance of their systems meets stated goals.

There is a growing market for the electricity from solar sources under contract. Gartner forecasts the North American market for PV solar systems under a PPA contract or a feed-in-tariff contract will reach $7 billion to $8 billion in capital expenditure by 2013. Yet there are signs in the horizon about a change in character and direction of the market.

• The core utility market remains ambivalent about the purchasing model it will use for solar systems. The tendency currently appears to be a mix of purchase and energy contracts. Yet as the model expands across the USA, utilities may tend to buy PV systems to ensure they are under their utility commission’s asset rules.
• California has been the core market to date, but the incentive structure for large commercial PV systems from the California Solar Initiative has recently been reduced to the point where few firms will offer PPA contracts to commercial, municipal or non-profit entities. PPA contract vendors will focus their resources in other states or the utility market, since they can get better returns in those markets.
• Traditional energy industry firms, particularly independent power producers are increasing their presence in the market. Due to their scale of operations and access to internal funds, they may increasingly win projects on a national and international scale.

In this environment, vendors in the space are ramping up the competition with strong efforts to obtain financing while refining their competitive strategy on two core fronts. First, they are aligning themselves with the core market segmentation – which may require that the firms bulk up significantly to deal with large utility customers and large IPP competitors. Secondly, they will continue to hone their sales channel strategy. Firms focused on the utility market will need to bulk up in size. This is to ensure that their finances and their direct sales strategy align with the longer sales and project development cycles that we are encountering.
SEMI PV Group - The Grid, August 2010


 Thank you for stopping by St Louis Renewable Energy. Feel free to comment in the section below or contact Scotty for any Home Improvement Projects or Energy Reducing Needs and Scotty, Scotts Contracting will respond ASAP. Company Web Address: http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com

Solar Tax Credit Information provided by St Louis Renewable Energy

Tax Credits

Description

---

An investment tax credit provides a direct reduction in a taxpayer's tax liability for a portion of the cost of purchasing and installing a solar energy system. Historically, federal and state governments have used tax credits as one of the predominant tools to encourage renewable energy development. Although solar tax credits are typically federal- and state-level policies, municipal governments that impose income, franchise or other similar taxes can consider credits or exemptions to encourage solar adoption.

Tax credits are fairly easy to administer compared with other financial incentives and may be more politically viable than cash payments because they do not require an annual appropriation. If tax credits are successful in expanding markets, they can ultimately result in a net gain in public revenue. One of the weaknesses often attributed to tax incentive policies is that entities without tax liability, such as government agencies, non-profits and schools, are not eligible for the incentive despite their increasing interest in utilizing solar technologies. In addition, system owners or investors with limited state tax burdens may not be able to take full advantage of state tax credits. In recent years, third-party system ownership combined with power-purchase agreements[1] and other financing models have helped mitigate these obstacles.

Although state tax credits may not be the primary motivating factor influencing purchasing decisions, they may help "seal the deal". This policy option can be especially helpful in states where public benefits funds or other direct funding sources are not available.[2]  A few states also offer small production tax credits for solar, though these credits are typically very modest and are not major drivers of solar development.

Footnotes

---

[1]  A third-party business or investor installs and owns a solar system on a host customer's property and sells the power produced by the system to the host customer for a set period. The third-party investor utilizes the tax credits and benefits available for the solar system (e.g. tax credits, rebates). These power-purchase agreements are often used by entities that cannot utilize the tax credits, entities that prefer not to own and maintain a system , or entities that lack financial capital to purchase equipment.
[2]  Case Studies on the Effectiveness of State Financial Incentives for Renewable Energy, Susan Gouchoe, Valerie Everette, and Rusty Haynes (NC Solar Center). National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL/SR-620-32819. 2002.

Business Energy Investment Tax Credit (ITC)   

---

Last DSIRE Review: 11/13/2012

Program Overview:

State:	Federal
Incentive Type:	Corporate Tax Credit
Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies:	Solar Water Heat, Solar Space Heat, Solar Thermal Electric, Solar Thermal Process Heat, Photovoltaics, Landfill Gas, Wind, Biomass, Hydroelectric, Geothermal Electric, Fuel Cells, Geothermal Heat Pumps, Municipal Solid Waste, CHP/Cogeneration, Solar Hybrid Lighting, Hydrokinetic Power (i.e., Flowing Water), Anaerobic Digestion, Small Hydroelectric, Tidal Energy, Wave Energy, Ocean Thermal, Fuel Cells using Renewable Fuels, Microturbines, Geothermal Direct-Use
Applicable Sectors:	Commercial, Industrial, Utility, Agricultural
Amount:	30% for solar, fuel cells, small wind and PTC-eligible technologies;* 10% for geothermal, microturbines and CHP*
Maximum Incentive:	Fuel cells: $1,500 per 0.5 kW Microturbines: $200 per kW Small wind turbines placed in service 10/4/08 - 12/31/08: $4,000 Small wind turbines placed in service after 12/31/08: no limit All other eligible technologies: no limit
Eligible System Size:	Small wind turbines: 100 kW or less (except unlimited for PTC-eligible wind)* Fuel cells: 0.5 kW or greater Microturbines: 2 MW or less CHP: 50 MW or less* Marine and Hydrokinetic: 150 kW or greater (as defined by PTC eligibility)
Equipment Requirements:	Fuel cells, microturbines and CHP systems must meet specific energy-efficiency criteria
Authority 1:	26 USC § 48
Authority 2:	Instructions for IRS Form 3468
Authority 3:	IRS Form 3468

Summary:

Note: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allows taxpayers eligible for the federal renewable electricity production tax credit (PTC)* to take the federal business energy investment tax credit (ITC) instead of taking the PTC for new installations. The eligible technologies listed above reflect this allowance in that they include PTC-eligible technologies/resources such as landfill gas and wave power that are now eligible for the ITC. Please see the DSIRE PTC summary for further information regarding eligibility. 

The federal business energy investment tax credit available under 26 USC § 48 was expanded significantly by the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 (H.R. 1424), enacted in October 2008. This law extended the duration -- by eight years -- of the existing credits for solar energy, fuel cells and microturbines; increased the credit amount for fuel cells; established new credits for small wind-energy systems, geothermal heat pumps, and combined heat and power (CHP) systems; allowed utilities to use the credits; and allowed taxpayers to take the credit against the alternative minimum tax (AMT), subject to certain limitations. The credit was further expanded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, enacted in February 2009.

In general, credits are available for eligible systems placed in service on or before December 31, 2016:

• Solar. The credit is equal to 30% of expenditures, with no maximum credit. Eligible solar energy property includes equipment that uses solar energy to generate electricity, to heat or cool (or provide hot water for use in) a structure, or to provide solar process heat. Hybrid solar lighting systems, which use solar energy to illuminate the inside of a structure using fiber-optic distributed sunlight, are eligible. Passive solar systems and solar pool-heating systems are not eligible.

Twitter          (314) 669-5598          Facebook

Web Site: http://stlouisrenewableenergy.com
scottscontracting@gmail.com
Job Site Photo Album 
Green Blog

Solar Lease Systems Home or Business

Solar Lease Systems Home or Business Breaking News: St Louis Solar $00.00 Zero Money Down | St Louis Renewable Energy View or comment on Scotts Contracting's post » Google+ makes sharing on the web more like sharing in real life. Learn more. Join Google+

You received this message because Scotts Contracting shared it with Here is my first reply from the company using a friends house while I'm working we are determining what will work best on my warehouse/office building. "Scotty, Here is what it looks like for XXXXXX. The back of her roof can hold 27 panels. A 245 panels gives her a 6.615 kW system size. We could throw a few on the garage but that would require another inverter and might not make financial sense. On the 27 panels we have two lease options: No Money down with annual payment of $662 with savings of $744 a year. Purchase in 6 years for $2,000.00 Pre-Paid lease. Pay $1,654 when installed in 90 days. No annual payments for 5 years. Purchase in 6 years for $700.00. Either way it works great for her, but the pre-paid is a better deal. Again, she doesn’t have to have that money until it is built and ready to be turned on. That’s 90-120 days down the road. Let talk about it tomorrow morning when you can." Scotty Adds: In a nutshell: this will cut her electric payments to Ameren UE in half.

Breaking News: St Louis Solar $00.00 Zero Money Down

Breaking News: I now offer Solar Systems for your Home with $00.00 ZERO Costs to You.  It is called a Solar Lease Program and Available to Home Owners and Commercial Buildings for the St Louis Area!!!

Why Pay Ameren UE when you can get paid by the Sun?

Free Green Estimates with detailed Income Producing Financial Statements 

Email Link for Scotts Contracting, St Louis Renewable Energy- Solar Lease System information packet

or Call 314.669.5598

Thank you for stopping by St Louis Renewable Energy. Feel free to comment in the section below or contact Scotty for any Home Improvement Projects or Energy Reducing Needs and Scotty, Scotts Contracting will respond ASAP. Company Web Address: http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com