NJ Solar Deal Causes Shares to Jump - Forbes

Forbes.com is reporting that Ascent Solar's shares jumped yesterday on news the company signed a multi-year agreement with TurtleEnergy LLC, the New Jersey-based solar integrator.

The company's projects include a solar installation on the NJ Institute of Technology Student Center, pictured below. TurtleEnergy's website even has an interactive real-time data meter showing how much energy the site is producing.

NJ Pilot Program Reportedly Offers $1200 Rebate for Solar Hot Water Heating in Single Family Residences

Alternative Energy is reporting on a New Jersey Office of Clean Energy program which offers a flat $1200 rebate for certain Solar Hot Water Heating Systems purchased between now and December 31, 2009.

Here is the link to the story....

State residents who are electric customers of Atlantic City Electric, Jersey Central Power & Light, Public Service Electric & Gas and Rockland Electric Co. are eligible for the program. The rebate is set at a flat rate of $1,200 per system and will be available only for systems purchased between Sept. 9 and Dec. 31.

Furthermore, all systems and components must be new and have an OG-300 rating from the Solar Rating and Certification Corp. All installations must be performed by program participating contractors with a New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor's License and certification from the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners.

SOURCE: New Jersey Office of Clean Energy

Solar? BRAVO NEW JERSEY!

Reuters reports September 18,2009, in an article posted by Laura Isensee, that New Jersey has the best payback for Residential Solar Installations. Read on in this interesting article to see why New Jersey is again in the forefront! The article goes on to say “California may be the Golden State, but it’s New Jersey where U.S. residents get the best deal on their solar power systems, new research shows”.

A survey by Global Solar Centertried to give an “apples to apples” comparison for the cost of solar power in all 50 states, the center’s chairman Jack Hidary told Reuters.

The common denominator turned out to be the cash payback, or how many years it would take a residential or commercial customer to recoup their investment and start seeing real savings, Hidary said.

“That takes into account the cost of the system, the sun at that spot, the incentives of that region, utility rates. It blends in everything all together,” Hidary said. The center analyzed the data using new software and found that New Jersey had the fastest payback — 1.5 years — for residential systems, followed by New York and Delaware with paybacks of three and six years, respectively. California tied for fourth place with Maryland, Massachusetts and Wisconsin, all with payback hitting seven years.

Underground Solar? Only in New Jersey

While New Jersey is fast becoming a sunshine state in its own right, second only to California in the number of solar installations, the state is also making itself known as a hotbed of innovation. ABC-7 in Los Angeles is reporting on NJ solar entrepreneur, Ray Saluccio of EarthSure, who has patents pending on a system that collects solar energy from a small roof-mounted disk, which focuses the sun's rays and carries them via fiber-optics to where the sun's energy is collected in an underground solar array. What the system loses in energy on its way underground is reputed to be made up by efficiencies in collection. Plus, the buried panels won't get weathered, knocked down, or blown away in storms. Meanwhile, the small solar focusing module tracks the sun, unlike fixed-panel systems.

The Woodbridge, N.J., entrepreneur, who operates a commercial garbage collection company using automated sweepers, has not yet obtained funding to build a prototype. He says he has received a lot of positive feedback from colleges and others interested in exploring his model and he believes that his new buried energy generators will generate interest among forward-thinking builders and architects.

The SubSolar system (patent pending) would have just a small rooftop presence, employing a solar collection disk that’s about three feet in diameter to capture and magnify the sun’s rays, which would be transferred via fiber optics to the underground storage panels.

Company tests show that the light can be transferred successfully, and while some is lost to diffusion, the Subsolar system can make up for that loss with collection efficiencies. Unlike a flat panel roof solar installation that can only capture a portion of the day’s sunlight (when the angle of the light hitting the panel is right) the Subsolar’s smaller mounted collection disk tracks the sun, collecting rays all day long, Saluccio says.

Furthermore, the underground chambers would keep the panels cool and dry, making them more productive and longer lasting, he says. Rooftop solar panels, by comparison, get baked in the sun and can be harmed by storms.

NJ Meadowlands Solar Project Wins $8.5 Million in Stimulus

NJBiz.com is reporting that a proposed Meadowlands solar project has won the largest NJ stimulus award to build what will be the largest solar installation in the state when it is completed. The new site will be even larger than New Jersey's current solar behemoth, a massive installation on the roof of the Atlantic City Convention Center (pictured below).

"The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission’s project has won the biggest of the stimulus awards, at $8.5 million; it also plans to install the largest solar farm in the state, with a capacity of 5 megawatts, said Brian Aberback, spokesman. Requests for proposals to build the project will be out later this month, he said.

The Meadowlands project is expected to create about 80 jobs during its construction, save $389,000 annually from displacing fossil fuel generation and avoid 4,000 tons of harmful emissions per year, according to the governor’s office.

The project will come up on a 35-acre former landfill in Kearny that has been closed for 30 years, Aberback said, and the energy savings will go towards the agency’s target of producing 20 megawatts of renewable energy by 2020 — also the state energy master plan’s target year to meet 30 percent of the state’s energy needs through alternative energy sources."

Which NJ Clean Energy Programs Should Gov. Candidates Support?

Newjerseynewsroom.com is reporting on a town hall meeting held in Westfield, NJ, packed with potential voters urging candidates for governor to support further clean energy initiatives in the state. (Which initiatives do you support? Take our poll on the right-> and comment below)

Members of the public pressed the candidates and their surrogates to detail their plans for New Jersey's energy future. Citizens asked the candidates to take a stand on a host of issues, including:

• Promoting clean energy solutions, including solar and wind power, toward a goal of generating 30 percent of the state's electricity with clean energy by 2020.
• Promoting electric vehicles that will slash air pollution and move New Jerseyans around the state without producing any tail pipe emissions.
• Rejecting any plans that would bring more fossil fuels to New Jersey, including offshore liquefied natural gas facilities, new coal-fired power plants, and mega power lines that would import power from coal country in Pennsylvania.
• Supporting strong federal legislation that would curb global warming pollution.

NJ Startup Using Compressed Air to Store Green Energy

Philly.com is reporting that central New Jersey venture, Energy Storage and Power LLC, is using technology common in the oil and gas industry to store electricity in compressed air inside large underground caverns, abandoned mines, and other spaces. The air is then released at key times to produce energy.

Mass energy-storage systems will become increasingly critical as the nation's energy markets shift to comply with laws favoring renewable power over greenhouse-gas-emitting fossil fuels. Among several alternatives - ice-storage systems, pumped-storage hydroelectric plants, massive battery arrays - the compressed-air systems are considered the most cost-effective.

If renewable power is to constitute 20 percent of the nation's electrical supply - about 9 percent now comes from renewables, mostly hydroelectric - the nation will need 114,000 megawatts of electrical-storage capacity, according to a study published last year by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

"That's about a $342 billion market," Byrd said.

Though compressed-air storage sounds exotic, the process employs technology and equipment already extensively used by oil and gas developers to force hydrocarbons to the surface by pumping high-pressure gas and liquids underground.

And Byrd said storing compressed air in depleted salt mines or gas fields was no different than the technique utilities use to store high-pressure natural gas underground ahead of the heating season.

"We're just storing air. We're not storing hydrocarbons," he said. "So it's much more straightforward."

As the compressed air is released and expands, it becomes very cold and must be mixed with natural gas to drive a conventional turbine generator. The mixture saves about 65 percent of the gas used by a fossil-fuel turbine.

New Jersey Solar Installations Pass 4000, Second After California

Ecohome is reporting that New Jersey is now second only to California in solar installations, with over 4000 solar setups in the state, ranging from just a few panels to thousands of panels in large installations like one at Rutgers University. The report claims that 7 years ago New Jersey had only 6 solar installations.

"We have had really good policies and have made an effort to work with the solar industry and the utilities," said Jeanne M. Fox, president of the state's Board of Public Utilities. "Within three or four years we expect to have solar installations generating 400 megawatts. We already have more per capita than California."

To mark the 4,000-installation milestone, officials highlighted the variety of buildings that now have solar power.

Fox was on hand at the Birch Arms in Paterson, a $5.7 million, 15- unit apartment building opened in February 2008 for homeless people with special needs.

The building, constructed by the non-profit New Jersey Community Development Corp., has about 90 solar panels on the roof to generate 18 kilowatts of power. The $165,000 system cost the corporation about half that after state rebates.

The solar installation has cut electric costs for the common rooms in half, said Bob Guarasci, the corporation's president. In addition, the state's system of credits for those who own solar installations will provide the center up to $15,000 each year. "That lets us put more money into social services for our residents," Guarasci said.

The credits are part of New Jersey's new Solar Renewable Energy Credit system, designed to create a vibrant solar market. One credit, or SREC, is issued for each 1,000 kilowatt hours that a solar system generates. The owners of the credits can then sell them on the open market, providing a source of revenue to offset the cost of installing the units.

In most cases SRECs will replace the state's earlier rebate program that helped subsidize the cost of installing solar panels. Rebates will remain for some residential installations.

The solar project at Birch Arms was a collaboration between the BPU's Clean Energy Program and the state Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency. The HMFA has already financed 39 multifamily housing projects statewide over the past three years that have solar energy components, said Marge DellaVecchia, the HMFA's executive director. Combined, the projects generate 1.7 megawatts of energy and account for $5 million in rebates.

Let The Sun Shine...In New Jersey

The Wall Street Journal had a very interesting article today highlighting many reasons to consider installing a Solar Electrical System for your home or business in New Jersey. Falling Silicon prices, rebates and savings are just a few of the reasons. We find this a very interesting article and hope you will too.

New Jersey Residents: PSE&G's Solar Loan Program

Interested in Solar Energy for your home or business? Here's some helpful information on Public Service Electric and Gas' Solar Loan Programs in New Jersey.

PUMPED UP: MAINTENANCE OF PUMPS FOR YOUR HOME AND BUSINESS

We've moved...View this blog post on our new blog!

It’s Almost Time to Winterize Your Outdoor Plumbing

The weather begins to change... the nights become cooler... the leaves start to fall ... and the day becomes shorter, we're reminded that fall is here and the New Jersey winter is just around the corner. It’s time to think about your outside water lines so that you prevent your outdoor pipes from freezing, bursting and splitting and the headache, aggravation, and possible damage to your home that won't reveal itslef until the warm weather arrives the next season. More often than not, we are too busy to remember to do this and it is not until the thaw of spring grabs our attention and we hear water ‘running’ only to find that , ooops....we've forgotten to winterize our outdoor plumbing.

Here are some Useful Tips:

• Locate the shutoff valve inside your home for any outdoor line and turn it off. Go to the hose faucet outside. If your garden hose is attached, remove it. (You may wish to bring the hose into your garage or shed so that it won’t split and freeze) Turn on the hose faucet outside. You may notice residual water draining from the ‘hose bib’. Leave this faucet ‘open’ so that the line won’t expand and ultimately split.


• Cabana and Pool Owners :
  Winterize any and all exterior lines. Likely the services of a professional may be required here. Any remaining water may cause damage over the winter to lines and/or fixtures. A compressor is recommended.


• Pond Owners:
  Be sure you have a pond heater to sustain your outdoor fish. This automatic device will maintain a suitable temperature for your pond and keep a ‘hole’ in any snow or ice so that toxins don’t build in the pond and cause the fish to die. It’s a horrible thing to find ‘fish-sicles” after the first freeze when you’ve forgotten to place the heater in the pond.


• Underground Sprinkler Systems:
  Call the company that maintains your system to winterize these fragile lines. As an extra layer of protection It is wise to use a compressor to ‘blow’ the water out of any outdoor lines
  
  Before you know it, spring will return and you can start the process over again..... Put it on your calendar today. We're contractors serving Homes and Businesses since 1928, in Northern and North Central New Jersey, and we'll be glad to handle this and all your other Plumbing needs....Heating and Air Conditioning too! Give us a call at 800.287.6651 or Visit Our Website for more information, and we'll take care of this for you! Peace of mind in our busy lives, that's what we're all about.

Fort Dix NJ Gets Solar Power from Honeywell

Honeywell says the installations are financed through guaranteed energy and operational savings.

Fort Dix will finance the entire program through energy and operational savings guaranteed by Honeywell under a performance contract with the Army, approximately $1.2 million per year for the next 20 years. This ensures the upgrades will not effect capital budgets or require additional taxpayer dollars. In addition, the program is expected to produce more than $20 million in excess savings for the post.

The work will also have a significant environmental impact, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 33 million pounds per year. According to figures from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this is equivalent to removing 3,200 cars from the road.

"Environmental compliance requirements in New Jersey are some of the toughest in the nation," Peckham said. "This program is helping us meet those requirements, and become more productive, efficient and sustainable."

Atlantic City Wins Big on Solar and Now Wind Power

The Atlantic City Convention Center, already home to the largest solar installation in the country, has been awarded $1.5 million, according to a report, for a wind turbine project that will generate additional electricity for the building.