Good News for Businesses--The Stimulus and Solar

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of February 2009 made a major improvement in the solar tax credit program for commercial installations. The Investment Tax Credit (ITC) of 30% of the total cost of the installation of a solar system remains unchanged for the next seven years. But now, a business owner can elect to receive a cash payment from the Department of Treasury in lieu of the ITC. A quick refund of 30% makes a lot of sense for business taxpayers who may happen to be carrying losses in these tough economic times, or for other reasons, would prefer to receive a cash payment rather than a reduction in taxes. This cash grant arrives from the Treasury 60 days after your system is placed in service. Information on the Treasury Department payment is available at the DOT's recovery website.

Of course, if you are able to take advantage of the ITC itself, the possibility exists that you can monetize the incentive even sooner, by withholding the full amount of your ITC from your next quarterly income tax prepayment.

Clark Howard, Money Guru on CNN, HLN Got Scammed on Solar

On Clark Howard's show on CNN & HLN, he did a piece last week about installing a solar thermal system in his home in Atlanta for JUST heating his domestic water. He paid $12,000.00 for it. He got two cheap, Chinese flat-plate collectors. I did notice that the solar company installed the most expensive tanks, controls, etc. They had to have sold the equipment to him at more than double the wholesale price. Times are tough and business is poor but that kind of pricing is criminal!

For $12,000, Mirasol Solar could have heated his domestic water AND HIS HOUSE in the winter AND HIS SWIMMING POOL in the summer. I was one of several people who wrote to Clark to tell him that he should have paid less than $5,000 for his system.

Clark calculated that his payback would take nine years. He thought that was a good deal, especially since savings and investments are paying so little. We would have had his ROI down to less than five years!

I hope that people will take this as a cautionary tale. We run into a lot of people who think they know all about solar and tell us how they think it should be designed. They've read an article or two online and they are sure solar thermal is easy to do. Maybe if they can just weasel out some information from us on the specific parts they need, they can do it themselves? (It's like going to the doctor, giving him your diagnosis and your instructions on how to treat your condition with OTC drugs and then wondering why you don't get better.) Those are the people who are most likely to get scammed in the end. I wonder if Clark wasn't one of those people.

See the story about Clark's solar system at:
http://clarkhoward.com/liveweb/shownotes/2010/06/24/18697/

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Where is the Democracy for Clean Energy?

I grew up in a family with five children. We didn't have much. Popcorn and Kool-Aid were the only treats we could afford. There was always a discussion among us children as to which flavor of Kool-Aid we should choose. If some wanted grape and others wanted cherry, my mother would have us vote for the flavor. "OK," she would say, " Three for grape and two for cherry. The majority rules--so grape it is!" This is how we learned about democracy. There was no whining. There was no discussion. And, certainly, there was never a suggestion that we should have lemonade instead! The majority always ruled.

Today, democracy in our government does not seem to work that way. The rules for the Property-Assessed Clean Energy program were set up in a legal and democratic process. Suddenly, FannieMae and FreddieMac don't like it and they are allowed to derail the whole program. How can this be?

Write or call our elected representatives in Washington, DC and let them know you want them to get PACE moving. There are people in this state who are struggling with energy bills, especially propane users. Many families can barely afford to heat their homes and really want solar! There are a lot of other people in this state who need jobs. Many jobs would be created in New Mexico and other states through the PACE program.

Call or email Sen. Jeff Bingamin, Sen. Tom Udall, Rep. Marty Heinrich, Rep. Harry Teague and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan today and let them know you support PACE!

Click to send email to our elected representatives.

Senator Tom Udall
Senator Jeff Bingaman
Congressman Ben Lujan
Congressman Martin Heinrich

Update on Pace from Renew SantaFe

Joe Pasalodos, Aug 04 15:13 (PDT):

On May 5, 2010, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac released statements to the banking community on PACE programs, indicating that Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac mortgages must retain their first lien position. These letters caused confusion and concern that PACE participants may be ineligible for conforming mortgages. The FHFA (Federal Housing Finance Authority), which regulates FNMA and Freddie Mac, has since issued clarification that they would not support the senior lien position of PACE financing. In spite of pledge provided by the Department of Energy (DOE) that the Federal Government would guarantee against any defaults suffered by FNMA and Freddie Mac, FHFA and the Administration were not able to come to an agreement. 
As a result of the aforementioned, program launch activities have been suspended. 
We have seen wide spread support at the local, state and federal levels from elected officials. New legislation is being introduced to re-animate PACE programs across the country. How can you help? Email your elected representatives both in the House of Representatives and the Senate urging their support and the support of their peers around PACE and the new legislation. 
You can find regular updates on the legislative progress of the PACE initiative at www.PACENOW.org 
Thank you for your inquiry. 
Regards, 
Joe

---

Daniel Etra, Jul 30 15:01 (PDT):

A new inquiry from the Renew Santa Fe website has been received.

Name: Luis and Linda Martin

Email: MirasolSolarEnergy@gmail.com

Comment: We are a Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic design and retail company. We then help our customers hire a qualified installer. We have several customers in Santa Fe. Our customers there are mostly interested in advanced, integrated solar applications that are beyond the scope of a plumber and require engineering. We are very interested in information about Renew Santa Fe. Please contact us. Our phone number is 505-892-6406. Our Website is www.MirasolEnergySystems.com

Add me to the email list: Yes

Interest Type: Contractor

Dear Mr. Pasalodos and Mr. Etra:

Thank you for your update on PACE. I have been reading about the issues that have stalled PACE. We have begun taking action to encourage our elected representatives to resolve the issue. Furthermore, we are encouraging others to learn about PACE and to also contact them. I am also trying to find out what action is being taken to set up PACE in Sandoval and Bernalillio Counties. If you have an information regarding rhe status of PACE in those two counties or who is in charge, we would appreciate that information. 

As you know, most homeowners who desperately want and need solar systems installed on their homes are neither able to afford the investment nor are they able to finance it with traditional loans at this time. We would love to be able to hire lots of people to sell and install solar systems. If the business was there, we could add several jobs to the economy. Unfortunately, our business is just barely surviving. What is more sad is that there are many families who are struggling to pay high energy bills to keep their homes heated and the lights on. We are prepared to help in any way to get PACE moving in New Mexico once the FannieMae and FreddieMac issue has been resolved. Please let us know what else we can do to help. 

I will be posting your updates to our blog.

Thank you for responding so quickly.

Sincerel,

Linda Martin

Mirasol Solar Energy Systems

ANNOUNCING AWESOME SOLAR SYSTEM SPECIALS FROM MIRASOL SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS

BACK-TO-SCHOOL SOLAR THERMAL COLLECTOR SPECIAL– until October 15th, 2010.

SPP-30 Evacuated Tube Collectors -- $1299.00 + shipping with the purchase and installation of a complete Mirasol Solar System for heating space or domestic water.

(Suggested retail price of SPP-30 collector-- $1700.00)

These American-made Evacuated Tube collectors are the most advanced designed collector in solar thermal technology. They produce 43,000 BTUs of heat energy and have the highest rating for energy output by the SRCC. One SPP-30 collector replaces two flat plate collectors!

Get ready for winter heating and low energy bills with a Mirasol Solar System. Using the SPP-30 collectors, we can design our thermal systems to give you maximum heat output during the winter months. Flat plate collector systems are normally designed from the standpoint of reducing the risk of overheating during the summer so they produce less heat in the winter when you need it the most. A Mirasol system includes overheating protection and it is chemical-free and maintenance free!

PV SYSTEM SPECIALS FOR OUR SOLAR THERMAL CUSTOMERS

With the purchase of a Mirasol Solar Thermal system for heating space and/or hot water, Mirasol Solar will give you the option to add a one to two KWh Photovoltaic system to your home or business within 12 months of the installation of the Mirasol Solar Thermal system at OUR WHOLESALE COST + $200.00 for handling + shipping and/or delivery costs. The system can be grid-tie or off-grid. The special offer system will include all the parts and hardware you will need for your installation including mounting hardware* and batteries ** for off-grid systems.  It will not include installation, a system diagram, wire, conduit and grounding rod.  If you would like Mirasol Solar to provide you with a professional, cad drawing of your PV system design, there is an additional charge of $75.00. Normal manufacturer warranties will apply to the equipment.

For customers who have already installed a Mirasol Solar thermal system at any time, we will offer the PV system special for the next 12 months beginning from today, August 3, 2010.

*Mounting hardware is necessary to install the PV panels to your roof. The type of mounting hardware needed is determined by the number of solar panels, inclination of your roof and the roofing material.

**Batteries are normally drop-shipped from the manufacturer to the customer’s address. Shipping will always apply. MIrasol Solar will not provide any other batteries except those that are manufactured expressly for solar applications.