View the PowerPoint on the Red Mountain Wind Turbine Development Project

Take a 3D tour of the turbine project!

The Nevada State Office of Energy (NSOE) has offered small towns and cities help through their Energy Efficiency and Community Block Grant (EECBG) Program. The Clean Energy Center (CEC) is proud to have recently provided clean energy solutions to the towns of Ely and Carlin thanks to the EECBG program.

Ely

The firehouse in Ely is receiving most of the benefits from their allocation. A 41-kilowatt solar thermal system and a 24-kilowatt PV solar array will soon be complete. The solar thermal system is expected to provide a 99.8 percent offset of their hot water heating costs and roughly half of their overall propane usage at the firehouse. The solar PV will save the city approximately 62 percent of the firehouse’s electricity costs.

Carlin

Carlin added a 25.5-kilowatt solar PV system to their senior center; new lighting in their Public Works shop, police station and city hall; and solar panels to power their sewer lift and pump stations.

Learn more about the EECBG Program and the NSOE at www.energy.nv.gov and more about CEC’s solutions here.

Related material: NSOE Press Release “Energy Projects Have a Huge Impact in Small Nevada Town“

Licata Hansen Associates Architecture (LHAA) together with Clean Energy Center have created an outstanding example of cost effective, energy efficient and attractive office space. 650 S. Rock Blvd is sunlit and shaded  and solar powered. Architect Ric Licata, FAIA and Residential Designer Matt Hansen, AAIA created a building lit with 11 TUBULAR SKY LIGHTS,  and shaded with 52 PV panels capable of producing 10.5 Kw of what will be free energy in 3 years.

Licata Hansen was recently involved in the solar decathalon in Washington DC, and is leader in renewable energy and green design in Nevada.

In tough economic times owners, Ric and Matt, feel investing in their own building by lowering their long term overhead is the smart way to be competitive now and for years to come.

Ric’s Caughlin Ranch home, designed and built 30 years ago, has a south facing atrium space that heats and light the interior with soft indirect sunlight year round.

Matt recently had Clean Energy Center install a 36 panel array at his Fieldcreek home that will also power his next purchase; a plug in hybrid 4 wheel drive.

Ric & Matt have lowered their overhead, reduced their dependence on fossil fuels while making their own built environment more comfortable and attractive. That’s what good design should do.

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Most homes and businesses in Nevada have enough solar power shining on them daily to meet all of their electricity needs. For 99% of us, it is currently wasting away as heat instead of producing renewable energy. Sure you may be thinking about that house remodel with that brand-new granite counter top, gas range stove, stainless steel refrigerator and fresh tile or hard-wood floor, but did you know that renewable energy does more for the value of your home than any other remodel or addition?

An investment in renewable energy increases your property’s value on the spot. There’s a definite out of pocket cost and many people have been blown away with sticker shock over the past decade, but much has changed in the world of renewable energy. Today the average household can reach a 100% offset of electricity with a $20k – $30k investment. The problem is that most people look only at the simple payback and total cost of a clean energy system without considering all of the real benefits.

Increased Property Value without Increased Taxes

A study[1] by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory published in April 2011 shows that homes with Photovoltaic systems sell for a premium over comparable homes without PV systems. Berkeley Lab’s statistical results showed that homes with PV systems (which accounted for 90% of PV systems installed) sold for premiums “comparable to the investment that homeowners have made to install PV systems.” Generally this correlated to a $5-6/watt cost to install and increase in property value.

The Berkeley Lab study[2] also validated a study by the US Department of HUD and the EPA published in October 1999 which demonstrated that savings on your utility bill, whether by energy efficiency or renewable energy generation, significantly increases home values. Their statistical findings said that $1 (one dollar) in annual electricity savings for a standard residence amounted in $20 (twenty dollars) in increased property value. So a 5kW solar photovoltaic system that costs say $28,000 to install would produce about 8,700kWh’s (kilowatt-hours) annually valued at $1,130 (at $0.13/kWh). That annual savings of $1,130 in electricity equates to increased home value of at least $22,600, but usually equal to the cost for PV systems (so around $28,000).

What makes this deal even sweeter in Nevada is that according to Nevada State Law and the Nevada Attorney General, renewable energy systems “must not be included in the assessed value of a building.”[3] No other residential add-ons that we know of give you so many perks like clean energy; increased property value without having to fork over extra property taxes. Behold the power of the sun (and wind)!

Increased Property Sellability

Solar Powered homes sell twice as fast as conventional homes according to US Department of Energy[4]. With economic hardships more prominent in Nevada than any other state in the Union, who wouldn’t want the increased ability to get away from your current mortgage if the opportunity presented itself? “Although the best data to date is from California, solar-equipped homes are proving popular…even in depressed housing markets.”

Rebates

The language often gets mixed and confusing when talking about tax credits and rebates, so let’s set the record straight. Rebates are State-level incentives that are mandated by the Public Utilities Commission and distributed by NV Energy. We are currently debating the revised rebate structure with Nevada State Legislators, the Public Utilities Commission and NV Energy daily in Caron City, but it is looking promising that we will have solar photovoltaic and wind energy rebates back in place in Nevada starting this summer. Depending upon the structure that we iron out with legislators, homeowners and businesses alike will either get money back immediately for their installations or over time in the form of payments from the utility company for clean energy power generated. You can always keep up-to-speed with clean energy incentives by visiting dsireusa.org (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency USA) or by calling a knowledgeable clean energy professional.

Federal Tax Credits

Tax credits relate only to the Federal Government and those taxes you square away with Uncle Sam on the 15th of April. They ARE NOT going away any time soon, so you have time to make the right decision. Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credits will be in effect through 2016. Tax credits allow you to get 30% of the installed cost of a system back in the form of a credit on your taxes. In the case of the $28,000 system we spoke about earlier, that would be $8,400. You do need to have the tax appetite to use the credit, so speak with your tax advisor, but you don’t have to use it all in one year; you have until 2016 to use the entire tax credit.

Decreased Environmental Impact

Of course we all know that going solar or using wind energy is better for the environment, but what does that really mean? According to CARMA[5], Northern Nevada is currently supplied by 76% Burning of Fossil Fuels. In 2009 the State of Nevada alone burned through 981 Million Tons of Coal, 89 Million Barrels of Oil, and 60 Trillion gallons of Natural Gas[6]. By powering one house with 5kW of solar PV you invest in the promise of a brighter tomorrow and reduce CO2 emissions by over 12,250 pounds per year, the equivalent of driving your SUV 16,000 additional miles (six five day trips across the US) every year.

Of course any respectable clean energy contractor should be able to answer any and all of your questions about rebates and incentives on the phone or in person. Our hope is that with better informed communities in Northern Nevada, you will have all the knowledge about incentive in-hand when the time is right for you to install a renewable energy system at your home or business.

Clean Energy Center provides renewable energy solutions for residential, commercial, and utility-scale markets. Our clean-tech capabilities include design, engineering, and installation of electric vehicle chargers, wind, solar electricity, solar hot water, hydro, and geothermal energy systems. Clean Energy Center is a member of the American Wind Energy Association, Better Business Bureau Accredited, and certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners as a Photovoltaic installer and a PV Technical Sales Professional. More information about the Clean Energy Center is available on the web at CleanEnergyCenter.com.

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Footnotes
[1] Hoen, Wiser, Cappers, and Thayer, “An Analysis of the Effects of Residential Photovoltaic Energy Systems on Home Sales Prices in California.” Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, April 2011, Report Summary & Full Report.
[2] Nevin, Rick, Christopher Bender, and Heather Gazan. “More Evidence of Rational Market Values for Home Energy Efficiency.” The Appraisal Journal, 10.99 (Oct 1999): 454
[3] Nevada Revised Statutes 701A.200 – “Exemption from certain property taxes for qualified energy systems; requirements and limitations; regulations,” State of Nevada 2009, http://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-701A.html.
[4] National Renewable Energy Lab, “Homebuilder’s Guide to Going Solar.” U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 2008.
[5] Carma.org, “Reno Metroarea Region Overview” Carbon Monitoring For Action. 2007, http://carma.org/region/detail/3272. 14-April-2011.
[6] U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Receipt of Fossil Fuels by Type of Fuel.” U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2010, http://www.eia.gov/cneaf/electricity/cq/cq_sum.html, 14-April-2011.

Grab your shopping list and your list of questions about Clean Renewable Energy and join us this week at Whole Foods in Reno. We’ll have a cup of solar hot chocolate or tea waiting for you..

Location: Whole Foods – Reno branch

Time & Date: This Wednesday (12-7pm) and Friday (5-8pm)

We at the Clean Energy Center are passionate about Renewable Energy do whatever we can to increase its adoption here in Nevada. This is why we take the time to come to you and address each and every one of your concerns. It’s our pleasure to see you excited about your new Clean Energy system.

Starting this week, the Clean Energy Center in Reno has vowed to make Renewable Energy even stronger in Northern Nevada by offering $500 dollars to anyone that helps in the purchase of new energy systems through their company.

The offer follows increasing demand in our area for outlets where the public can get involved. Companies in the industry often encounter people that want to help bring more clean energy to Nevada, but don’t see how they can assist in its progress. The Clean Energy Center announced the desire to give back to those that care, by offering incentive opportunities where the public can get involved.

“We believe in Renewable Energy and will do whatever we can to increase its adoption in Nevada,” says Cary Crites, Director of Marketing for the Clean Energy Center. “This is why we’re willing to give up this kind of money on each system. When your heart is dedicated to something like this, the breadth of return extends beyond money.”

The buzz on renewable energy has been on the rise recently, with much attention on Nevada’s contribution to the industry. With over three hundred days of sunshine each year, and much cooler temperatures than Las Vegas, Northern Nevada is known as one of the best locations for solar development. Properties that incorporate solar systems here naturally have the potential to get much more return for their money than almost any other place in the world.

For these and other reasons, public support for renewable energy in Nevada is growing rapidly. From college students to concerned cowboys, interest in clean energy spans from a number of hot topics including significant creation of jobs, energy independence, avoidance of Middle East conflict, and release of harmful toxins into our air from traditional coal and nuclear energy production methods.

“Our commitment to the environment is strong,” adds Daniel Herr, VP of Engineering and Operations for the Clean Energy Center. “Renewable energy allows us to harness natural resources for clean energy generation and thereby dramatically reduce the negative impact that modern lifestyles have on our land and personal health. It’s an honor to offer incentives for positive development in this area.”

For those that know someone that has interested in or could benefit from renewable energy, direct them to the Clean Energy Center website. More information and details on this offer can be found at http://www.cleanenergycenter.com/referrals

Patrick Baldwin, VP of Sales and Engineering of the local business Clean Energy Center, is one of the first solar professionals in the country to pass the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) Photovoltaic (PV) Technical Sales Exam. This achievement sets Mr. Baldwin at the top of his profession. NACBEP’s new certification has been developed to ensure quality assurance throughout the entire sales process and, as such, offer consumers a new level of confidence when they seek quotations, proposals, and energy and financial production estimates for potential solar electric projects.

NABCEP is the most respected and well-established national certification organization for renewable energy professionals. Designation as a NABCEP-Certified PV Technical Sales Professional is an important and meaningful certification in the renewable energy industry.
“A lot of consumers have been running into issues where they’re being misled about the performance and cost benefits of solar energy, which is why this certification is so important,” said Baldwin. “The renewable energy industry is seeing tremendous growth, and consumers need to feel confident in the sales person’s technical ability and ethical standard.”

To earn his NABCEP certification, Patrick was required to demonstrate his knowledge on subjects as diverse as qualifying the customer; site analysis; conceptual design; financial costs, incentives, and savings; financial benefit analysis and financing; non-financial benefit analysis; performance analysis; and proposal preparation.

In addition to passing the exam, NABCEP-Certified Technical Sales Professionals are required to show that they have real-world experience as a lead person on a sales team as well as have a minimum number of hours of advanced training.

“One thing you can be assured of with NABCEP-Certified PV Technical Sales Professionals is that your sale won’t be their first,” said Ezra Auerbach, executive director of NABCEP. “Anyone who makes the considerable effort required to earn NABCEP PV Technical Sales Certification has been required to document his/her experience and education as part of the eligibility process. They have also made a very real commitment to upholding high standards of ethical and professional practice. We are delighted to welcome Patrick Baldwin from the Clean Energy Center to the ranks of the industry’s new standard for sales professionals.”

For more information, contact Patrick Baldwin, at patrick@cleanenergycenter.com or 775-284-8692.

Thank you! We hope you enjoyed last week’s open house.

As you know, we truly believe in Renewable Energy and do whatever we can to inspire our country to adopt it. This is why we do what we do and dedicate ourselves to events that show how you can use the natural energy at your home or property to save money on utilities, every single day.

Every property is fit for a unique energy solution, whether in solar electricity, solar hot water, wind, geothermal, or a combination of these. Your property has so much potential, and we invite you to see what will save you as much in utilities as possible.

Contact us today to get an idea of what works best for you!
Simply click reply, or call 775-284-8692.

Join us tonight for green drinks, snacks and food at the Clean Energy Center office. We’ll be hosting this month’s Reno Green Drinks, and we’d love for you to join us! Here’s your invitation…

Bring a friend!

Clean Energy Center’s Facebook page unfortunately disappeared last week (Feb 10th) during a page merge/unmerge…. We are conducting a social experiment to see if we can get back our 318 Likes by the time we have our open house event next week! Come on people, lets see how powerful facebook and social media really is!

Like Us on Our New Facebook Page!