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"Shell Oil predicts that 50% of the world's energy will come from renewable sources by 2040."

"A system as small as 50 kilowatts, which can fit on a medium-sized office building roof, can produce enough electricity to eliminate 86,388 lbs of CO2 pollution annually, equivalent to planting over 6.5 acres of trees!"

"The number 2 state in the U.S. for solar electric power, and number 1 in total solar installations on a per capita basis, is New Jersey. Abundant state and federal incentive programs have caused the number of solar installations to skyrocket from just six installations seven years ago to over 4,340 today." LEARN MORE

In one hour, the planet Earth receives more energy from the sun than the entire world uses during a whole year.

In most states, you are allowed to feed the electricity produced by your solar power system back into the power grid.

Known as "net metering," this allows you to sell your solar power to the local utility, reducing or eliminating your electric bill.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), passed in response to the worldwide economic crisis of 2008-2009, contains more than than $50 billion in direct spending programs, tax incentives, grants, loans, loan guarantees, and bond programs devoted to clean and renewable energy.

Even during the recession, the solar industry grew by 37 percent in 2009 and created 17,000 new American jobs. One industry association projects 10 gigawatts of new installations annually by 2015, powering two million households with clean, safe solar energy and supporting 440,000 domestic jobs.

2009 marked the second year of major price declines for photovoltaic solar modules. Prices have fallen over 40 percent since the beginning of 2008.

Since module prices account for up to half of the installed cost of a PV system, overall installed system prices are trending significantly downward as well.

Benefits

Solar power systems create no pollution and generate no waste products when operating. However, benefits to solar power extend beyond simple environmental responsibility.

In fact, Neuwing firmly believes that the best way to ensure continued sustainable development of energy projects is ensuring financial benefit accrues to investors and end-users of power systems. Our team works to identify all revenue streams and economic benefits available at the federal, state, and local levels to ensure that your project delivers real impact to the bottom line as well as tangible environmental benefits.

Many of the numerous benefits provided by solar systems are outlined below:

Economic

  • Federal grants and tax incentives. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 contains a number of tax incentives designed to encourage both individuals and businesses to make investments in solar energy. A 30% investment tax credit (ITC) was created that may be carried forward 15 years. In addition, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allows taxpayers eligible for the federal business energy investment tax credit (ITC) to receive the 30% ITC as a one-time grant payment 60 days after the system goes live.
  • Depreciation benefits. All system costs, including both equipment and installation costs, may be depreciated on a 5-year accelerated schedule (MACRS). Faster depreciation translates to faster recognition of the depreciation tax benefits. Time frame and depreciation amounts allowed each year are summarized below:
    years 1 2 3 4 5 6
    depreciation 20.00% 32.00% 19.20% 11.52% 11.52% 5.76%
  • Renewable Energy Credits. Many states have enacted programs allowing solar system owners to sell Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECS) to utility companies serving the state. These utilities must buy increasing quantities of SRECS over a pre-determined period of time (based on renewable energy goals legislated by the state) or face stiff financial penalties. Each SREC is equivalent to one megawatt-hour of electricity generated by a solar power system, and they are currently trade for hundreds of dollars in most states.
  • Reduced volatility in energy costs. With solar power, at least a portion of energy costs can be locked in over a period of 15, 20, or even 25 years. Customers can choose to own the system or simply sign a power purchase agreement (PPA) which requires no capital outlay. In almost all cases, the cost of power from the renewable system is lower than power from the local utility provider.

Environmental

  • Reduced carbon footprint. As an example, a 100-kilowatt solar system permanently eliminates the following harmful emissions from the Earth's atmosphere over the course of 25 years of electric generation:
    • - 5,110,000 pounds of CO2. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that traps the sun's energy in the earth's atmosphere rather than allowing the heat to radiate back into space, leading to global warming.
    • - 18,250 pounds of NOx. Nitrogen oxides combine with organic compounds on warm, still days to form ozone. Ozone causes respiratory problems and irritates eyes and mucous membranes.
    • - 29,200 pounds of SOx. Sulfur dioxide contributes to acid rain that damages soil and water ecosystems and corrodes building materials.
  • Increased conservation of water. Each kilowatt of solar electricity installed results in an annual conservation of 1776 gallons of water, which would otherwise be used to cool non-hydroelectric power generators.
  • LEED points. Up to 4 LEED points can be earned towards the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certification program. LEED is a rating system for buildings that promotes environmental responsibility, and numerous studies have demonstrated that sustainable building results in higher property values.

Thought Leadership

  • Establishes your organization as a thought leader in the community
  • Promotes your company as forward-thinking and progressive
  • Creates interest from customers who want to be associated with environmentally responsible vendors
  • Assists in our national effort to achieve energy independence
  • Builds employee morale

For more information on our solar energy development services, contact us today!