According to Kelley Blue Book, electric vehicle (EV) sales are growing at historic levels: they’ve jumped 72 percent year-over-year to a record 147,799 EVs sold in Q4 2021. With more EVs hitting the market, it might be even harder to decide which one’s right for you! We cover some of the best-selling EVs, what’s coming in 2022, and other factors to consider when going electric.
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Solar news: March 11th, 2022
In this week’s news round up, we discuss two important updates in local solar incentives.
Continue readingWhat’s happening with net metering in Florida? Breaking down House Bill 741
Colloquially referred to as the “Sunshine State,” Florida doesn’t disappoint: on average, about two-thirds of Florida days are sunny! Florida has risen to the top of solar states with its ample sunshine, coming in at third in the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)’s list of top 10 states with cumulative solar electric capacity installed through 2021.
However, the Florida House and Senate just passed House Bill (HB) 741, which has the potential to damage Florida’s solar industry significantly. In this article, we’ll explain what you need to know about HB 741 and what it could mean for you if you’re a Florida resident.
Continue readingSolar panels for home: what to know about residential solar panels
Over the past decade, home rooftop solar use has exploded around the country as home solar becomes a very popular investment. Homes and businesses across the country are transitioning away from a fossil-fueled electricity grid towards a clean energy economy, driven by a need to reduce emissions in a time of global climate change. Amidst this period of energy reform, rooftop solar panel systems for houses are taking off at a remarkable rate. It’s time to give residential solar the credit it deserves.
Continue readingNew Jersey’s new solar incentive program: SuSI
New Jersey is no stranger to solar incentives, thanks in part to having one of the most ambitious renewable portfolio standards (RPS) in the country. The clean energy targets laid out here–and more specifically, the solar carve-out portion–prompted the state to implement one of the country’s most successful solar renewable energy certificate (SREC) programs as early as 2004.
But the incentive landscape has been shifting in New Jersey, and change is finally here; beginning in late August, the Garden State will launch its new Successor Solar Incentive (SuSI) program. Below, we’ll give an overview of the new incentive program, and discuss what it means for New Jerseyans going solar.
Continue readingNJ TRECs: the Garden State’s transition solar incentive
New Jersey has always been one of the best states for solar: higher-than-average electricity rates and strong solar incentives have helped thousands of New Jerseyans achieve quick payback periods on their solar investments. Above all, the state’s renewable portfolio standard and associated solar renewable energy certificate (SREC) market have been instrumental towards growing solar throughout the state. However, in June 2018, the state decided to phase out SRECs in favor of a new, yet-to-be-established successor solar program. In an effort to bridge the gap between SRECs and the next phase of solar incentives, the Garden State decided to implement an intermediate transition solar incentive, known as TRECs.
Continue readingSRECs in D.C.: prices, projections, and program status
If you’re considering installing solar in Washington D.C., the most important solar incentive to be aware of are solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs). D.C. is one of the few governments that offers this performance-based incentive to people generating solar electricity. Even better, the District’s program is the most lucrative one in the country: when you buy and install a solar panel system in D.C., you can earn thousands of dollars each year just from selling the certificates your system generates.
This article describes how the District’s SREC program works, explores current prices for SRECs, and discusses the future of the SREC program so that you can make a well-informed decision about going solar.
Continue readingSRECs: understanding solar renewable energy credits
Of all the incentives for installing solar panel systems, solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs) are some of the most beneficial, yet most complicated to understand. However, SRECs can provide sizable income to owners of solar power systems that live in eligible markets.
Continue readingBring your own battery programs: what you need to know in 2021
As solar batteries become more and more popular, individual utilities are beginning to offer rebate and incentive programs to make the economics of adding storage to your solar panel system more favorable. Given that solar batteries are a new product, utilities have begun experimenting with new program designs specific to solar batteries. One of the newest, increasingly common program types is a bring your own battery, or bring your own device, program.
Continue readingWhat is MACRS? All you need to know for your commercial solar installation
If you’re a homeowner looking to go solar, the incentives you have available to you are pretty straightforward: from net metering to the federal investment tax credit, and to any local utility or government rebates and incentives. Between the incentives and the declining cost of solar, the average homeowner on EnergySage sees a payback period for solar of eight years. Easy!
If, on the other hand, you’re a business owner considering solar, there are additional tax incentives that help decrease the time it takes for your solar investment to payoff. The most widely-known of them is the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System, also known as MACRS.
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