[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

WASHINGTON, DC:  Earlier this week Solar Energy Services, Inc. completed the installation of a solar water heating system on Capital Manor Cooperative’s residence building on the 1400 block of W Street in Northwest Washington, DC.

SES was engaged by third party solar developer, Skyline Innovations, earlier this year to design and install the solar water heating system consisting of 48 evacuted tube solar arrays and three, 1,500 gallon solar storage tanks.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Homeowners can see how their daily sunshine dollar is spent

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV4btuipPfw” align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Most homeowners who have invested a tidy 20 – 30K in a whole-house solar electric system want some idea of exactly how much, and when, their solar system is generating energy. This is true especially given the fact that most solar systems in Maryland, DC, Virginia and surrounding area are grid-tied. The solar electric system provides a large portion, though generally not ALL of a home’s electricity, with the balance coming from the traditional energy provider (BGE, PEPCO, etc.) during periods of high usage and/or low sunshine levels. So most customers still receive an electric bill, albeit greatly reduced. An online solar monitoring system keeps the homeowner plugged in to how much energy they are receiving from the sun versus their utility “back-up”.

The monitoring system is tied to the Inverter… (An inverter, by the way, converts DC power to usable AC power.)

SES often uses Enphase Microinverters in residential solar electric systems. This is our preferred monitoring system for a variety of reasons, including simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and customer support. With this system, each panel has its own inverter and associated monitoring. In contrast, solar systems that use only one inverter for the whole array do not have the ability to monitor performance of individual panels; just the entire as a whole. Microinverters, convert, quantify, and record the DC to AC energy conversion on each individual panel, independent of the other panels. These microinverters come with the Envoy Enlighten monitoring system. The homeowner simply clicks on a link from on their computer or Smartphone to see live readout of their current system power generation along with a robust record of historical data. Both the homeowner and system installer are notified when Enphase detects issues such as a panel or inverter failure (a rare occurrence), communication issues or shading (due to tree growth etc.), enabling a speedy remediation. Fortunately, true solar panel/inverter issues are few and far between, if at all, keeping the monitoring system employed at its optimum job: counting the rays of sunshine that power your home.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

SES gives the skinny on going sunny

1. 1. Cut your Energy Losses
   In most homes, heating and cooling accounts for the most energy usage. Regardless of where your energy is coming from; gas, coal, solar, electric, wind, etc. a homeowner’s first consideration is to reduce the loss of incoming energy:
   • Replace old windows and doors with Energy Star products. This can reduce energy consumption by 7 – 15%.
   • Seal up any air leaks throughout the house, attic and basement.
   • Insulate! This blocks air loss in the winter and preserves cool air in the summer.
2. Consider those Big Appliances
   Refrigerator: Keep the condenser coils clean. Keep refrigerator away from oven/washer/dryer and other heat producing appliances. Place with consideration to air circulation.
   Stove: Remember that gas is generally a more cost-effective choice than electric.
   Attic Fan: An excellent way of pushing hot air outside in the day, and drawing cool air at night.
3. Need a new roof?
   If you think your roof may need repairing or replacing within the next 5 or so years –it may be worth replacing before the solar panels are installed. If you’re on the fence about replacing your roof prematurely, remember that installers such as SES do provide a Remove and Reinstall service where, for a reasonable fee, the panels will be safely removed then re-installed after re-roofing.
4. Small Bite or Full Monty?
   Just about every solar energy company sells and installs Solar Electric (Photovoltaic) systems. However, solar water heaters are an entirely different type of solar panel and not every solar company installs them. Thus, not every solar company is likely to tout the cost-effectiveness of this mature technology. Solar water heaters require only a fraction of the roof space (and often a third of the cost) that a solar PV system requires. For a family of four, currently using electric to heat their home’s water – solar water heating may provide the biggest bang for your solar buck, providing around 75% of a home’s annual hot water. However, a family of two heating their water with gas may consider investing in a solar electric (PV) system sized for their usage. Insofar as solar electric (PV), many homeowners cover 60 – 100% of their electrical needs from solar. Some choose to offset as little as 25% and opt to add panels as their budget allows.
5. READ your Energy Bill
   For electricity, your energy bill should tell you how many kilowatt hours you use per year. This is an important number as you generally do not want to install a system that will exceed your annual consumption. Experienced installers can help you assess this, but a good rule of thumb is to divide that number by 1200kwH and that will tell you the approximate max sized PV system you should consider. That will be represented in kW – probably something like 8 to 10 kW if you are an average consumer. If you heat your water with electric, then solar water heating should absolutely be considered first.
6. Best way to pay for your solar system
   The beauty of an increased popularity in solar is that there are a number of ways a homeowner can finance their project. Without question, whether immediately or over time, Solar Power is far cheaper than your Utility bill.

Payment plans range from No-Money-Down leasing options to initial investments ranging from $2000 – $50,000 depending on your energy usage and type of solar system. Thanks to current financial incentives, many Marylanders receive over 50% of their upfront investment back the first year. Some of our customers have transferred funds from low yield CDs and even borrowed from 401ks in order to fund their higher-return solar investment. Other homeowners have no interest in ROI’s and fund-juggling and simply want a lowered electric bill/carbon footprint. Thankfully there is a wide variety of financing options available.

• Know YOUR solar energy tax credits, grants and incentives
  Any solar salesperson worth his/her salt will visit your home with full knowledge of the available financial incentives for your state and county. For example, an Anne Arundel County resident has the good fortune of FOUR different financial incentives (for both PV AND solar water heating) that combine to offer a huge discount on their system. Acclimating yourself to current incentives for your county will help the sales process be much more informative for you. Every solar homeowner is eligible for a 30% Federal Tax Credit. Then SRECs (solar renewable energy credits), state grants, county tax credits differ across the region.
• Solar Panel Placement
  Whether solar water heating or solar electric (PV), a south facing shade-free roof provides optimum conditions for solar panel placement. However, any shade-free roof – including East and West orientations provide excellent rooftops for solar panels. The number of panels installed depends upon system size, roof space and budget. Homeowners with a good amount of spare land may also consider ground-mounted systems, some of which offer solar tracking options where panels are mounted to motorized pole that literally follow the sun, improving solar efficiency by 40 – 45%.
• How many solar panels on the roof?
  Insofar as solar water heating, a shade-free area of 64 square feet is typical to house two 4′ x 8′ solar thermal panels (sized to provide a family of four with around 75% of their annual hot water load). Most solar electric (PV) panels measure 3′ 6″ x 5′ 6″. So, a roof that is 30′ wide by 14′ from gutter to ridge will fit two rows of 9 panels. An experienced solar designer will get precise roof measurements and ensure the panels are placed in the most space-efficient and visually appealing design.
• Choosing a solar energy installer
  Of course, the author of this blog would like to gleefully exclaim, “Choose Solar Energy Services!”. However, most educated consumers know that the best way of finding the best fit for an installer comes from shopping around for the popular 3 proposals/estimates. There are a lot of solar installers our there in today’s market. Some considerations:

 

Time in the Business: This matters. Obviously the more systems a licensed installer has installed – the more experience they’ve gained – and the more they’ve refined their installation technique. Just as important, however, is the question of whether the installer will be around in 5, 10 or 15 yrs when perhaps the incentives for solar have declined. An older company is likely to have deeper roots in the industry regardless of current solar trends and incentives. You want your installer to be around for the life of your system, 25 – 35 yrs plus. This narrows the field considerably.

Service Department: Solar Water Heaters require a 3 – 5 yr simple service visit. Does the installer provide this service?

All Options on the Table: A company who offers both leasing AND upfront purchase will likely lay ALL your options out on the table. This also goes for installers who offer both solar water heating AND solar electric.

There should not be a charge associated with a site evaluation of your home for solar energy. This is a necessary part of the sales process and should take place before the cost estimate/proposal is presented.

Happy Solar Shopping![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Listen to NPR’s January 2012 Interview with Rick Peters

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]ESSEX, MD:  Earlier this week NABCEF-certified Solar Energy Services, Inc. was engaged by Amber Enterprises, Inc. to provide the DC wiring installation at the newly installed 1MW solar application at Back River Waste Water Treatment Plant.

Johnson Controls, Inc. is the project manager of this 1MW solar photovoltaic system which has 4,116 ground-mounted, southerly-facing solar panels.  The 4,200 American-made panels, installed in the past three months at a cost of about $4 million, have begun to supply about 5 percent of the energy — up to 1,000 kilowatts per hour — needed to run the plant on Eastern Avenue.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]HUGHESVILLE, MD:  Millersville, MD – based Solar Energy Services, Inc. completed the installation of ground-mounted solar photovoltaic system on a commercial nursery greenhouse complex.

The 19.9 kW solar electric system includes 72 solar power panels in two arrays of 36 modules.  The system is expected to offset a substantial portion of the greenhouse’s conventional electrical load.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

WASHINGTON, DC:  Solar Energy Services, Inc. installed and commissioned a solar thermal system at Tiber Island, a waterfront condomimium community in Washington, DC.

SES was contracted by Skyline Innovations, a third party solar developer, to design and install the solar water heating system that acts as a pre-heat to the facility’s natural gas water heating system.

The solar system consists of 76 solar arrays mounted to the building’s roof.  Each array has 30 evacuated tube collectors that are closed-loop plumbed to a 5,000 gallon solar storage tank.

The system is expected to offset a large portion of the facility’s conventional utility bill.

The cost of the residential solar system has come down dramatically in the past five years. With 4 separate grants and incentives, Anne Arundel County residents are catching on.

LET THE SUNSHINE IN – Residential solar energy systems are being installed every day in Anne Arundel County where local business owners Roger Perry and Rick Peters are working hard to keep up with rising demand. Their rapidly growing 18 person firm, Solar Energy Services, Inc. (SES) installs and services solar electric, solar water heating, and solar pool heating systems in Maryland and DC, with the majority of their residential customers located within AA County. When asked why he thinks solar has taken off even in these tough times, SES president Rick Peters said there are many drivers, but economics lead the way. “Rising utility bills, decreasing cost of solar panels and generous financial incentives all combine to give homeowners the opportunity to pay off 25yrs worth of BGE energy in about 6 years, not to mention the environmental and societal benefits.”

One House – two solar systems:

Most solar shoppers are unaware that there are two types of solar energy for the home. Whole house solar electric, commonly referred to as PV (Photovoltaic), is what most people think of as solar energy. However, a solar water heater can offset 75% of your annual hot water energy. Roger Perry quickly points out that if you have a large sunny roof, there is plenty of room for both systems. He and Peters both have solar water heating and solar electric on their homes.

The clock is ticking…

Each of the 4 different substantial incentives for a residential property owner in Anne Arundel County currently has a limited life-span, with the idea that solar can be competitive without them in the future. Peters notes that the current average payback on a solar electric system is about 6 years, for a system that lasts 25 – 30 years. With solar hot water, a 4 year average payback with a similar system lifespan. The payback is even faster if you have a large family (lots of hot water use) or if you need to replace your water heater anyway. Rick Peters leaves us with some food for thought, “You can invest your money in a lot of different places these days, but most are very uncertain, or producing a very low return. On an annual basis, the return on solar energy is quite predictable, and the economic return is hard to beat with any financial investment strategy.”

TYPICAL 5kW SOLAR ELECTRIC (PV) SYSTEM
Estimated System Cost	$27,500
Federal Tax Credit	$8,250
MD State Grant	$2,500
AA County Property Tax Credit @ 75%	$1,875
SREC Payments	$10,000
Total Incentives	$22,625
Net Cost to Homeowner	$4,875
Payback in Years	6.09 yrs
25 yr Annual Energy Savings	+800 per year
25 yr Lifetime Return on Investment	>250%

 

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

MARYLAND GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL TO INCLUDE SOLAR WATER HEATING IN ITS RENEWABLE ENERGY DIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS

Annapolis, MD – May 20, 2011. Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed into law yesterday a bill that makes solar water heating systems eligible to produce Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs), making the proven technology more affordable to homeowners, businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies.

Under the new provision, owners of solar water heating (SWH) systems will now be able to sell the SRECs or “green attributes” of the energy they produce, just like solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The new law will reduce system owners’ utility bills, improve the environment by reducing pollution from power plants, diversify our energy supply, and create additional green jobs in Maryland. Several other states and the District of Columbia already include solar water heating as a means to meet their renewable energy requirements.

“The passage and signing of the solar hot water bill brings great opportunity to the solar industry and to the residents of Maryland, ” said Delegate Sally Jameson, D-Charles County, who sponsored the bill. “Jobs will be created while helping to meet our energy needs and Maryland’s solar requirements under the Renewable Portfolio Standard. It’s a good thing for families and it’s a good thing for Maryland!”

Maryland utilities are required to buy an increasing amount of SRECs to meet their requirements under the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard. Businesses and homeowners with solar PV and solar water heaters generate SRECs that are sold to utilities, ultimately making solar technology more affordable. Maryland taxpayers do not fund SRECs, but utilities pay for these through very small surcharges in electric rates. The new law will substantially boost markets for solar water heating while creating much-needed jobs across the state.

The first patent for a device using solar energy to heat water was issued to a Baltimore inventor in 1891, and solar water heating is used extensively across Europe and China.

“By including solar water heating in the RPS, Maryland will increase access to this proven technology,” remarked Maryland Senator Rob Garagiola, D-Montgomery Co., another bill sponsor. “This law will help homeowners, small businesses, non-profits and government agencies alike finance solar water heating systems and in turn allow many more Marylanders to participate in the benefits of solar energy.”

Mike Healy, partner at Skyline Innovations and the head of MDV-SEIA’s solar thermal division commented: “This is an exciting time for the solar water heating industry. The Maryland legislation is already creating new solar installation jobs among firms in our membership. We are very grateful to Maryland legislators for acting on this enormous opportunity.”

Gov. O’Malley signed another solar energy bill into law, making changes to the state’s “net metering” rules allowing owners of photovoltaic systems to sell electricity back to their electric utility.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

COLLEGE PARK, MD:  Solar Energy Services, Inc. completed the installation of a 5 kW solar photovoltaic system at UMD’s Cole Field House at the College Park Campus.

The system consists of 30, 175-watt SolarWorld panels and a Sunnyboy string inverter.

On the same campus, at the Ellicott Dining Hall, SES also completed installation of a solar water heating system that will act as a pre-heat to the dining hall’s existing conventional system.  This system consists of 20, 4′ x 10′ flat plate AET thermal panels on the roof, closed-loop plumbed to three 120-gallon Vaughn Solar Sepco tanks.

See Post-Install Pics of Colefield House PV System

See Post-Install Pics of Ellicott Dining Hall