No Point in Adding Solar Photovoltaic Panels or High Efficiency Heating Ventilation or Air Conditioning Until You Tackle Inefficiencies

Dr. Energy Saver has done more to inform the public for free on You Tube through their great videos explaining building science than anyone else I know outside the Building Performance Institute.  If you aren't yet familiar with the great how to videos on you tube, I highly recommend you view them.

You can always find a local dealer in your area if you want to see how efficient your home's air and insulation actually is.

If in Maryland call 301-892-0207 and we'll set you up with a Dr. Energy Saver audit, inspection and free estimate if you want them to insulate and seal your space.

Are you ready for an energy evaluation that includes solar?

Click on the graphic to request the confidential energy solutions evaluation that can determine if solar energy is a good fit for your building and can eliminate your current grid based energy costs, or whether a new energy supplier contract can reduce your current energy costs.
The request is confidential, no spam is allowed on our system, and all requests are professionally backed with satisfaction guarantees that you pay nothing to get an objective building analysis that can save you 15% to 125% off your current energy costs with smart engineered solutions including digital switches, circuit load monitors, solar photovoltaic grid-tie solutions (that provide SREC revenues and tax incentives), off-grid solar and mechanical generators with emergency circuit backup and monitoring for mission critical circuits.  

What is energy independence worth to all you energy voters?

NREL Study shows US has enough renewable energy potential to be energy independent now

I draw two conclusions from this NREL report and the Green Party's agenda on renewable clean energy which make a lot of sense to me and should to most conservative (tea party types who want fiscal reform) as well:

ONE: 
Solar photovoltaic energy is easily abundant and doable to cover all our use and then some.  In MD alone, where I live, 23% of the entire state's consumption could come from existing rooftops, and 43% could come from utilities scaling up solar development projects on parking lots and other larger scale infrastructure.  There is enough rural land to provide 10 times the current usage, and could easily make up the remaining 34% of demand.  The cost of distributed rooftop solar is still $5.00/watt in the US vs around $2.25/watt in Germany.  That has to change through further competition and demand.

TWO:

A national  "Hoover Dam" type approach to build out renewable energy on every rooftop, parking lot and corner of America in every state could be paid for by the existing fossil fuel energy suppliers and public service utility companies by incenting them to shift focus from fossil fuels (by banning their use) to renewable energy and incenting them to hire every unemployed American or subcontract to companies that agree to hire unemployed Americans.  If the US signs a treaty and joins the rest of the world in making it illegal to sell fossil fuels altogether by the year 2032, these companies could very quickly implement this new national agenda and make a profit without the US having to go into debt to make this happen.  Give the fossil fuel companies the same tax incentives they have had for exploration and development in renewables with a ban on fossil fuels usage worldwide and watch what kind of competition emerges and what happens to the cost of energy and national debts.  My guess is the debt clock would be gone because such a worldwide scale of industrial development would provide jobs for everyone without having to go to war with everyone which historically follows such an economic slump and depression type conditions we're seeing with lack of spending by companies and uncertainty. 

It might lead to wars over cheaters that use fossil fuels or make land grabs for natural resources like China did against India in the 1960's Himalayan war (which was grabbing hyrdoelectric resources) and against Tibet, but countries like them would quickly be isolated by the world.  This would also make the entire world more stable if there was no dependence on oil from the middle east.

Breakthrough Reached in Spinach-Silicon Powered Solar Panels

Spinach Protein Boosts Photovoltaic Output

A grant from the National Science Foundation is partly responsible for breakthroughs in solar renewable biohybrid energy research like this one at Vanderbilt Univ.  Researchers published a study in Advanced Materials this month documenting their findings that the photosystem 1 (PS1)protein originally discovered 40 or 50 years ago as the photosynthetic protein that generates energy when exposed to photons from sunlight can be  enhanced some 2.5 times more than previously known when combined with doped silicon film used in manufacturing solar panels (moving closer to rivaling current solar panel output efficiencies). Research like this could have far reaching practical applications in the solar photovoltaic module manufacturing business with cheaper solar panel modules made available from readily available materials like green leaves from evergreens or spinach leaves.  It moves us another step closer to the day when solar energy wins the cost/benefit analysis over fossil fuels without any need for arithmetic to compare costs. 

The evidence will be seen in lower cost per watt coming from readily available renewable material such as the PS1 photosynthetic protein from plants.  This should work to eliminate doubts even from Republicans who have been bashing solar renewable energy as a threat to their fossil fuel industry over-lords.  The American Petroleum Industry has spent a lot of money on ads this election about how energy voters can create new jobs and unleash an economic boom in the US if only they could extract more natural gas and oil from the ground rather than let the government invest in funding research like this study.  The funding for research like this is exactly what Barack Obama was talking about when he said "you didn't build that" implying that the solar panel manufacturer or integrator that installs panels and is successful wouldn't be able to do that with research like this that was originally funded by government.  The far right has gone so far as to  denigrate renewable energy solutions as impractical and a waste of government funding that needs to be cut.  The O'Reilly Factor went so far as to let guests bash the Chevrolet Volt (possibly the best vehicle engineering achievement of our modern generation since the space shuttle) with claims that it wasn't successful because it was dangerous and other nonsense that comes from Rush Limbaugh or Fox News.  That vehicle has been on the drawing board for a long time, and if that co had gone bankrupt, we would not be where we are today, and that car by the way has won car of the year for 2011 and continues to receive award after award for achievements as well as the highest highway safety ratings (but hey don't let facts get in the way of pushing a message sponsored by the fossil fuel industry).   We need more achievements in research like these spinach power solar cells or the Volt power plant which might lead to the first production model solar powered rechargeable vehicle with integrated solar module arrays built into the skin that becomes available in the US for  $25,000.  That kind of advancement comes from investment in research like the kind done here on spinach-silicon powered solar cells.

The Real Cost of Utility Based Power vs Solar Power

What internal rate of return do you need to invest in your own future?
How much power do you use or plan to use?
What value to you place on independent clean, renewable energy?
What message does your brand convey?
What would you do if you didn't have to invest your own funds up front to get solar?

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Nonprofits cut energy costs, generate new revenues from SRECs and demonstrate responsible stewardship

The cost of doing nothing costs something when it comes to solar energy today

To Nonprofits Interested in Investor Funded Solar PV Construction:

·         The cost (opportunity cost) of not choosing a solar power solution in the month of July went up by $44,000 in rebate dollars lost to those nonprofits who did not execute their agreements and get their grant application paperwork in to the Maryland Energy Administration.  Effectively the state of MD capped rebates to $6k from $50k as of July 1, 2012.

·         Investors who had purchased solar panels last year (under 1603 tax incentives) and were looking for nonprofit addresses to place them (through an extension granted until Sep 2012) and who were willing to put up all of the up-front construction capital to build on the nonprofits’ sites (and give the SREC revenues to the nonprofit to keep) will no longer be eligible after Sep 30.  Solar integration and financing companies are no longer offering this option to nonprofits after this month.

·         All nonprofits that are or were interested in investor funded construction of solar power plants and have not executed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreements (or received one need to let their solar integrators know).  I have been communicating with over 900 people over the last 90 days about this and have sent out many EPC agreements and proposal offers and received many responses, but possibly not one from all nonprofits that were interested. 

·         We have until this month to get these EPC agreements executed if still interested.

·         We have until this month to get financing approved by investor co.’s offering up front capital for construction. 

·         If you have not already been asked to submit financials (last two years financial statements for approval) or have not been given specific lease financing term agreements to execute, please let your solar integrator contact know.  As you can imagine, people have become very busy and cannot predict availability.