Solar Panels

Details

Created on Monday, 17 November 2014 17:53

Written by Nick Aresco

AROUND THE NEK - Renewable energy is one of the most talked about topics of the 21st Century. However, can you really save hundreds of dollars on your electric bill when switching over to solar power at your house?

Solar power is a clean, renewable energy that harnesses the power of the sun into usable electrcity. Here in the Northeast Kingdom, there are many oppurtunities to go solar.

Dorothy Schnure, of GMP, explains the dollar value of solar energy. "The dollar value for a kilowatt of solar is actually very high, so we recognized that in 2008, when we proposed that we would give six cents per KWH incentive to solar, on top of the fourteen that it generally costs to buy a kilowatt hour.'

With the times changing, Green Mountain Power, after December 31st, any new net metering system on their grid will only recieve four cents above their rate for electric.

There are federal grants that allow you to claim a tax credit up to 30 percent of your cost to build a solar electric system, but there are some requirements.

One, your fuel cells must have a minimum of 0.5 Kilowatts per hour. Second, the fuel cells must have an Electricity Generation Efficiency of at least 30 percent. Thirdly, 50 percent of the home's heating energy must come from solar energy.

As for the Lyndonville Electric Department customers, there are a total of 32 residential net metering programs, with two more pending. As for one of the newest customers who just had solar panels installed in his house, it's saving his wallet in the long run.

"We've tried the best we can with our budget to be as efficient as possible. LED lights, high efficiency appliences, we do have all the things that a normal house has, but we also try to be really good about our use. If you leave a room, you turn the light off, just like your parents told you as a kid," Ben Mirkin says.

When Mirkin gets his bills in the mail from Lyndonville Electric, they're showing he owes $0. He plans to have his panels paid off within ten years and with at least a 25 year lifespan, that's 15 years of free electricty.

"Our bill gets paid first, and then above that is credit. We have it set up now so 20 percent of what's left goes to family members of ours, and it goes right off their bill." Mirkin says.

For more information on solar panel rebates and tax information, you can go to energy.gov.