Today he has at least 100 of them still on his house all working the same as the day he got them. You can call him. He also has a friend who has modules from Bell Labs, Henry Forbs, who has some that are even older that still work.

Today Mike has 6.5 KW off grid systems using SUN modules and a 1 KW grid tie systems using surplus Global Solar unframed modules.

37 years and they are still putting out their exact rated power says Mike.

The payback of any solar systems without incentives is probably 35 years. With a 30% federal incentive it brings it down to 25 years. Most of the good state incentives allow you to take around another 35 to 50% off, but many have a limit.  If you go pass that limit, your payback can go to around 15 years instead of 5 years or less.

Stay within the limit. Thats the size of your system.

-John Kimball

There are hundreds of State, Federal & Utility incentives available. We at Sunelec.com will gladly assist you in finding the incentives available to you.

During the first leg of the trip, we flew over a huge wind farm in Texas. As we flew westward we saw hundreds of commercial wind mills and large areas set up with new service roads awaiting more wind generators. The good news is, it looks like many more wind generators will be coming on line soon!

After a short layover in Phoenix, we headed north for San Francisco. From an aerial view of 30,000 feet, we spied a multiple mega-watt solar farm with a new section still under construction, located somewhere in California. I was hoping the GPS on my IPhone could grab a quick fix next to the airplane window, but no luck!

After landing in San Francisco, walking toward the baggage claim, I noticed an airport kiosk, welcoming us to the Intersolar 2009! We arrived early the next day at the Moscone Expo center with thousands of other solar enthusiasts, at 10:00 am.

With an almost rock-concert-like-atmosphere we made our way through the gates to check out the latest offering in the solar industry. Professional large and small displays were on three floors. There were a large number of tracker systems on display, both full size and desk top models. For the next large PV system, there were a number of 100KW+ inverters, some the size of a minivan. If starting your own panel manufacturing plant was in your plans, there were a number of robotic solar panel assembly line solutions to check out.

If panel theft might be a problem in your area, two solar panel anti-theft devices were shown. One was an alarm system that can send a text message to you cell phone, the other, a little less high tech, was a key like mounting screw that would make removing your panels very difficult.

The number of new panels manufacturers, (many from China), was surprising addition to industry insiders that have attended the show in past years. New names in thin film manufacturing were there, too, and Sun Electronics has ordered samples for testing and review by our sales staff and installers.

Even in this challenging economy, the mood was positive and the long-term outlook looks very bright for the solar industry. Another bit of good news from the show, indicated lower prices on solar panels and some of the related equipment. As always, Sun Electronics will be your price leader in the alternative energy industry!

We look forward to passing along the new discounts we receive from our suppliers, check back to our website often for the latest updates and specials!

Looking forward to Sunny Days Ahead!

Bob Everhard, Sun Electronics Sales Engineer

The vote was 219-212, capping months of negotiations and days of intense bargaining among Democrats. Republicans were overwhelmingly against the measure, arguing it would destroy jobs in the midst of a recession while burdening consumers with a new tax in the form of higher energy costs.

At the White House, Obama praised the bill.

The Bill seeks to:

There was plenty to work on in a House-passed measure that pointed toward higher electricity bills for the middle class, particularly in the Midwest and South, as well as steps to ease the way for construction of new nuclear reactors, the first to be built since the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979.

Supporters and opponents agreed the result would be higher energy costs but disagreed vigorously on the impact on consumers. Democrats pointed to two reports, one from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and the other from the Environmental Protection Agency, that suggested average increases would be limited after tax credits and rebates were taken into account. The CBO estimated the bill would cost an average household $175 a year, the EPA $80 to $110 a year

The election to claim the ITC in lieu of the PTC applies to the following types of alternative energy facilities:

*Solar

*Wind;
*Biomass (both closed- and open-loop);
*Geothermal;
*Landfill gas;
*Trash facilities;

*Qualified hydropower; and

*Marine and hydrokinetic.

To qualify, a taxpayer must claim the ITC with respect to qualified property that is an integral part of the facility on a completed Form 3468. Form 3468 must be filed with the taxpayer’s income tax return for the year in which the property is placed in service.

A separate election must be made for each qualifying facility. At this time; however, there is no guidance on how to define a  qualifying facility.

People were amazed by our Solar Panel display at the MiaGreen Expo. Our Staff really helped out novices in Solar energy and gave out pamphlets and information booklets on how to make their own renewable energy system

Companies represented at the PV America solar conference in Philadelphia said the volume of their installations as much as tripled in 2008 and they see further gains this year as more people recognize that they can cut their electricity bills by at least 15 percent with an array of solar panels installed on the roof of their homes.

Faced with a cost of about $50,000 for installation of a 7-kilowatt system on a typical 2,500-square-foot house, a New Jersey homeowner can defray the expense with a $12,500 rebate from the state and a federal tax credit of $11,000.

According to industry trade group the Solar Energy Industries Association, there was an overall 16 percent increase in solar capacity, including commercial installations, in 2008.

The industry is benefiting from a cultural change that is more accepting of the need to find alternatives to fossil fuels, in part because of last year’s surge in gasoline prices to more than $4 a gallon.