SOLARIZE South Bend

TOPIC: SOLARIZE South Bend 
Getting Solar for your home before the discounts disappear
July 19, 2017, 6:30 pm, Near Northwest Neighborhood Center
Council Persons Present: Tim Scott
Sustainability Director: Therese Dorau
NOTE: This is NOT a City based program
SolSmart is part of the Department of Energy Solarize South Bend is a community-driven initiative to make it more affordable and easier to go solar.
Website: www.SolarizeNI.org
Contact: Leah Thill 574-287-1829 x801
[email protected]
The purpose of the program is to mobilize citizens to install solar by combining efforts.
They work on getting a discount up front, research the installers, help people understand the process.
Solar 101 with Vick Meyers:
* There was orginally Solar on the White House with President Carter, but President Regan removed it.
* You can put Solar panels on the roof, ground mount them and even create a pergola with them.
* Solar comes off the panels as DC (Direct Current) and it needs a converter to make it AC (Alternating Current)
* A kW is 1,000 Watts
* 3 335 Watt panels will produce 1 kW when unshaded or ~1,250kWh/Yr
* Northern Indiana sun gets about 1,550 kWh/m2/year, which is a lot more than Germany 
* Germany gets 7% or more from Solar
* Pricein Q3 2016 is $2.98/watt (SEIA)
Reasons to go Solar:
* Lower utility bills
* Return on Investment
* Increases home resale value
* Reduces carbon footprint
* Personal Values
* Improve local air quality
* Support the local economy
* Energy costs are rising
* Panels are rated to last over 25 years
* Net Metering and Federal Tax Credits are scheduled to phase out, so installing now will make yours grandfathered in
* Installing now means you get Net Metering for 30 years
* Tax Credits are 30% until 2019 and go to 0 by 2022
Financing Solar:
* Home equity line of credit - no closing fees, payment of interest only, tax deductible
* Home Improvement Loan
* If Indiana adopts RPS, we will be able to sell our Solar Credits to others - SREC Solar Renewable Energy Credits
Size of Installation:
* Average Indiana Residential Uses ~ 11,000 kW in a year
* Average Cost for Solar is ~ $12,500 (like a car cost) but it appreciates instead of depreciating
* ROI ~ 8.8% with payback at 11.4 years
* If you have a smaller area for panels, you can get higher density panels
* Good to add on "Optimizers" so if one panel goes down or is shaded, the other panels still keep working at 100%
* Some have IoT so the notify the installer by internet if a panel is having a problem
* If your system is tied to the Grid and the power goes down, you will lose power unless you have battery storage
* There are already 2 battery storage units similar to the Tesla one that will be coming out
Manufacturers Available:
* Mitubishi - High Density Panels
* Sonali Solar - Lower Cost
* Mission Solar - Made in the USA
Steps to Take Advantage of this Program:
* Contact Leah T. Hill (info at top)
* Attend one of the four information sessions
* Submit an Information form and Participant Survey
* Complete a Letter of Intent (non-binding)
* Agree on System Details
* Schedule a site visit with the vendor
* Complete the Survey
* Receive and review the quote
* Sign Contract
* Go Solar!
Approved Installer:
Solar Energy Systems LLC
1952 W. Market Street, Nappanee, IN 46550
574-773-0546
#MichianaObserver