Solar Water Heating Incentives May Be On The Way

Ninety percent of the hot water that pours from Californians’ bathroom and kitchen taps is warmed with natural gas, but all those hot showers come with a cost. Burning natural gas pumps out hundreds of thousands of tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year — and that’s in the state of California alone.

Capitalizing upon the state’s goals to reduce greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020, the California Solar Energy Industries Assn. recently released a study to demonstrate the environmental and financial values of replacing natural-gas water heaters with those that are powered with solar energy in the hopes its study will greenlight a potential $250-million consumer rebate program in the state.

The consumer rebate program is part of AB 1470 — a 2007 law that charged the California Public Utilities Commission with conducting a pilot project to determine if solar water heating is cost effective enough to implement the rebate program, which would provide financial incentives for the installation of as many as 200,000 solar water heaters. A typical residential solar water heating system costs $6,500. Read more

With Aid From the State, Californians Warm to Rooftop Solar Power

Rebates and new financing models spur adoption despite the recession.

At a time when many investors are sticking money in their mattresses, Californians are putting it on their roofs.

Applications for state rebates to install solar panels hit their highest level ever in December, one of the few bright spots in an otherwise gloomy economy.

Residents filed a record 1,215 applications seeking solar subsidies this month, according to the California Public Utilities Commission. That’s the best showing in the program’s 24-month history, and December isn’t even finished. More than 18,000 California homeowners and businesses have applied for rebates over the last two years. Although not everyone who files this paperwork actually ends up installing solar, the figures are viewed as a reliable barometer of future demand.

A record 133 megawatts of solar photovoltaics have been installed in California so far this year, even as the state’s economy has stumbled.

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Executives Of The Year: SolarCity’s Rive Brothers Are Bright Lights Of Silicon Valley

FOSTER CITY - Siblings Lyndon and Pete Rive run their company SolarCity Corp. like coaches of a football team.

On offense, Lyndon’s areas of expertise - business development, finance, sales and marketing - are located downstairs at the company’s 28,000-square-foot Foster City headquarters. Upstairs, Pete operates the defense - heavy on the technology, operations, engineering and analytical components.

“Lyndon is more of the extrovert, and I’m more of the introvert,” Pete said.

The brothers, both under 40, have taken their opposite skill sets and split up responsibilities often held by one chief executive.

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P. G. & E. Bright Ideas Grants for California Solar Schools Program

The PG&E Solar Schools Program will award up to $250,000 in grants to schools with Bright Ideas. The program is designed to support the understanding of renewable energy in public schools throughout northern and central California.

• Qualifying schools may apply for grants of $2,500 or $5,000 to be used for innovative classroom and extracurricular programs that further the universe of solar science.

• Past winners have explored solar cooking projects and created solar gardens to harness the sun’s energy. This grant is limited only by one’s imagination!

Who Should Apply

• K-12 public schools in underserved communities, or those in rural communities that have limited access to solar curriculum.

• Community colleges are eligible to apply for Bright Ideas Grants.-new

Requirements

• Schools chosen to receive a “Bright Ideas Grant” are asked to designate who they would like to attend the solar teacher training workshop provided by the PG&E Solar Schools Program.
• A final report of grant activities, including photos and documentation, is due one year after the receipt of the grant.

Reports should be sent to:
Mary Spruill
NEED Project
8408 Kao Circle
Manassas, Virginia 20110

Grant Application

Register and submit grant application online

Or print and send application (.pdf 390k)

• Spring Entries: Applications are due March 20. Winners will be announced in April.
• Fall Entries: Applications are due September 20. Winners will be announced in October.

PG&E Bright Ideas Grant