Renewable Energy Technologies

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Major Benefits of Renewable Energy

There has never been a better time to consider renewable energy technologies, and Standard Renewable Energy offers complete solutions to make your decision easy. With rising energy costs, environmental concerns, power outages, and overdependence on imported fossil fuels, renewable energy is a financially intelligent investment that addresses both environmental and energy security issues.

ECONOMICAL

• Savings on your electricity bills every month »more
• Hedge against rising electricity rates »more
• Potential savings from offset of highest rates during time-of-use pricing »more
• Increased home value and an investment that appreciates over time »more
• Exemption from property tax for amount of added value due to system installation »more
• Ability to deduct loan interest from tax returns on financed systems »more
• Federal, state, and local rebates and incentives available in certain locations »more

ENVIRONMENTAL

• Environmental and health benefits due to decreases in polluting emissions »more
• Preservation of Earth's limited fossil-fuel resources »more

SECURITY & RELIABILITY

• Reduced dependence on foreign energy sources (oil and natural gas) »more
• Reliable and low-maintenance »more
• Protection from utility power outages (with environmentally safe backup power options) »more

ECONOMICAL

Renewable energy systems can provide financial benefits both now and in the future. A renewable energy system will provide you with immediate utility savings and protect you from future electric rate increases for the portion of your electricity that you generate with your system.

Savings on your electric bill every month and potential to sell excess electricity

From the first day you begin producing your own power with a renewable energy system, you will start to see savings on your utility bill (proportional to the amount of electricity usage offset by your system). As rates rise, so will the value of your savings. Not only do you save on the amount of electricity that you produce and use, but if you produce more energy than you use, the utility buys that energy from you.

Hedge against rising electric rates

While you will see immediate savings on your electricity bills as soon as you start generating your own electricity, the value of your savings will continue to increase every year as you are protected from rate increases on the amount of electricity that your renewable energy system provides. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, electricity prices have risen, on average, 4.6% per year over the last 30 years. Some areas have seen even more dramatic increases, especially in recent years. Prices are affected by rising natural gas costs, capacity and distribution issues, a growing population, and increasing electrical demand.

Time-of-Use (TOU) Pricing

The Energy Bill of 2005 requires that all utilities begin implementing plans for a "time-of-use" billing structure for their electricity rates beginning in 2007 to encourage reductions and offset higher costs during peak demand periods. During peak periods, rates are higher, while off-peak periods have lower rates. One of the main benefits of a solar electric system is that it typically produces the most power during the peak demand periods, especially in warmer months. This offsets a greater portion of your electricity usage during the time periods when rates are highest, saving you even more.

Increased Home Value

Renewable energy systems provide an excellent payback on the cost invested in the system. In fact, they appreciate in value over time as savings increase with increased costs of electricity. In a recent article, Wells Fargo says that "a solar power system may be your best 'remodel' option when it comes to home value."1 A study from the Appraisal Institute estimates that the selling price of homes increased by $20.73 for every $1 decrease in annual utility bills. An average-sized system would add over $20,000 to the value of your home, just at today's electric rates.

Exemption from Property Taxes

Although the value of your home may increase from the addition of a renewable energy system, most states have laws exempting taxes on the increased home value.

Interest Deductions

If you finance your system as part of a home mortgage or a home equity loan, you can receive the added savings from the option to deduct the interest from your loan on your income tax returns. That alone can save you an amount equal to your tax rate on a portion of your investment each year.

Federal, State, and Local Rebates and Incentives

To support of private installation of renewable energy systems by individuals and business owners, there are rebates and incentives provided by governments and utilities in certain locations. The federal Energy Bill of 2005 currently provides a 30% (up to $2,000) tax credit for homeowners who install a renewable energy system at their home. For commercial applications, federal incentives for renewable energy include a 30% credit of the basis for solar energy systems (10% for wind turbines), a modified accelerated cost-recovery system (MACRS) that allows depreciation deductions to be taken over five years, and a franchise tax deduction for the cost of a solar energy system.

Please visit the Database of State Incentives and Rebates (www.dsireusa.org) for a complete list state and local rebates and incentives available in your area. As an example of a local utility rebate, residential customers in Austin, Texas, can receive rebates of up to $13,500, while commercial customers can receive up to $100,000. "Solar Electric Power: A Bright Idea Whose Time Has Come," April 2003 Appraisal Journal, October 1998, "Evidence of Rational Market Valuations for Home Energy Efficiency" See www.dsireusa.org for complete information on rebates, incentives, and tax exemptions in your area

ENVIRONMENTAL - Renewable energy uses clean sources of power, cutting down on harmful emissions that contribute to environmental concerns such as global warming and pollution.

Increase the environmental and health benefits

Power plants in the United States have now surpassed transportation as the leading cause of air pollution. Some of the most detrimental emissions produced by fossil-fuel power production include CO2 (carbon dioxide), CH4 (methane), N2O (nitrous oxide), O3 (ozone), and SO2 (sulfur dioxide). Emissions from fossil-fuel-based electricity generation contribute to global warming, acid rain, smog, and air pollution. Renewable energy allows you to produce clean, renewable energy from some of the Earth's most abundant resources, and allows you to do something positive for the environment by decreasing the amount of harmful emissions.

Preserve the Earth's natural resources

The increased adoption of renewable energy technologies is critical to curtailing the rapid increase in polluting emissions. Renewable energy sources such as the sun and wind produce zero emissions and allow us to feel good about the air we breathe.

Every kilowatt of electricity produced from renewable resources rather than fossil fuels helps us create a cleaner, healthier environment. In fact, a single average Standard Renewable Energy renewable energy system can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 15,000 pounds per year. This is the equivalent of planting over 700 trees, or taking 500 cars off the road for a day.

SECURITY and RELIABILITY - Renewable energy systems use proven technologies that both help strained utility resources and reduce our national dependence on foreign energy sources.

Electricity Availability Issues

Utility providers across the nation are facing the challenge of increased growth in demand for electricity coupled with difficulty expanding generation capacity to keep pace. The North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) projects that by 2015, demand will be almost double supply capacity. In some regions of the country, demand is on pace to exceed generation in the next two to three years. Many parts of the country are already experiencing increased occurrences of rolling brownouts and other power interruptions due to rapidly rising demand.

The fuels that power renewable energy systems are available in endless supply, and the use of renewable energy helps to offset the need for more utility generation capacity. Also, systems are available with environmentally safe backup options that can provide greater stability during utility power interruptions.

Reduced Dependence on Foreign Energy Sources (Oil), and Investments in Domestic Economy

In addition to generation and transmission infrastructure challenges, fossil fuel resources are limited, and the United States relies heavily on imports from foreign countries to keep up with rising demand. Recent years have highlighted the security, political, and economic implications of our national dependence on foreign energy resources (such as oil). Shifting our reliance to freely available, renewable resources reduces our dependence on other countries to provide our sources for power. It protects us from the unpredictable and rapidly fluctuating costs of importing fuels from other countries.

Additionally, the use of renewable energy sources provides support to our domestic economy. Renewable biofuels such as biodiesel and ethanol are produced from domestically cultivated vegetable oils. The use of renewable energy sources provides jobs and an opportunity for growth in the future. According to the U.S. photovoltaics industry, "Every megawatt of solar power installed in the United States currently supports 32 jobs, with eight of those jobs in system design, distribution, installation, and service created in the location of the system installation." ("Our Solar Power Future," September 2004)

Reliable and low maintenance

Solar and wind technologies have been in use for over 50 years. In fact, most of the satellites now orbiting the Earth rely on solar power because of its dependability and lack of maintenance requirements. Because solar energy systems have no moving parts, they require virtually no maintenance except an occasional cleaning of the surface of the panels to ensure full production.

Most solar panels are warranted for at least 25 years, attesting to the confidence in the sustainability of the technology. In addition, solar panels are designed to withstand extreme weather conditions ranging from significant temperature variations to high winds and hail.