Largest Rooftop Array in the Midwest
comes online in Indianapolis
Green Alternatives part of media event
The Emmett Bean Federal Building in NE
Indianapolis recently hosted a media event to launch the largest rooftop solar
array in the Midwest. The medial event included a tour of the rooftop and
was followed with a discussion panel. The panel was moderated by
Martha N. Johnson, Administrator with the U.S. General Services Administration.
She was joined by representatives from Sandia National Laboratories, U.S.
General Services Administration, local engineering firms
responsible for the system implementation, IPL, and the Indiana Renewable Energy
Association (represented by president Chris Rohaly of Green Alternatives in
Kokomo).
The array consists of over 6,000 panels.
There is an additional section of the roof dedicated to a research plot.
There, several different solar technologies from different domestic
manufacturers will be closely monitored by Sandia labs to improve the solar
energy model presently in place for the Midwest. For photos of the roof,
see:
http://photos.indystar.com/galleries/13501-new-rooftop-solar-panels-at-the-major-general-emmett-j-bean-federal-center
GAI Achieves Nation's Most Prestigious
PV Installer Certification
[Kokomo, Indiana]
Neal Rhodes, co-owner & lead installer of Green Alternatives,
Inc, in Kokomo, has earned the solar industry’s leading recognition of
expertise as a certified installer of solar electric systems (aka
“photovoltaic” or “PV” systems) from the North American Board of Certified
Energy Practitioners (NABCEP). NABCEP is the most respected and
well--‐established national certification organization for renewable
energy professionals. Designation as a NABCEP certified solar PV installer
is widely recognized to be the most important and meaningful certification
of its kind in the renewable energy industry. “Receiving NABCEP’s
Certified Installer status is personally very satisfying, that was one of
the most challenging exams I've taken!” said Rhodes. “More important, it
gives us an independent way to assure our customers their installation
will be performed to the highest standards in the solar industry.”
To earn his NABCEP certification, Rhodes was required to
demonstrate his competence as a solar PV installer by passing a rigorous
exam that covers the multi--‐craft aspects of being a professional PV
installer. He needed to demonstrate knowledge on subjects as diverse as
system design, electrical and job safety, the National Electrical Code,
roofing and construction techniques, system commissioning, and
troubleshooting. In addition to passing the exam all certified NABCEP
installers are required to show that they have real--‐ world experience as
a senior person on the installation crew as well as a minimum number of
hours of advanced training.
“One thing you can be assured of with NABCEP Certified
Installers is that your job won’ be their first,” said Ezra Auerbach,
executive director of NABCEP. “Anyone who makes the considerable
effort required to earn NABCEP Installer Certification has been required
to document their experience and education as part of the eligibility
process. They have also made a very real commitment to upholding
high standards of ethical and professional practice. We are
delighted to welcome Neal Rhodes of Green Alternatives to the ranks
of the industry’s leading solar installers.”
For more
information, contact
Green Alternatives via the form on the "contact us" page at this website.
2011 Renewable Energy
Outlook
There are several reasons to be optimistic
about 2011 for renewable energy (RE) enthusiasts. At the end of 2010,
Congress voted to extend the 30% Federal Tax Credit for renewable installations
(including solar & small wind). While this was not a great surprise, there
was a slightly unexpected addition for business & commercial entities who can
take advantage of capital depreciation of equipment: your renewable installation
installed in 2011 can be written off 100% in its first year!
In addition to tax incentives, a big change
is coming to Indiana Net Metering. The current statute required
Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs) to allow residential customers and schools to
Net-Meter up to 10 kW of RE equipment. The IURC is now in process of
enacting a new Net Metering policy for the state of Indiana that expands that to
all IOU customers and raises the limit to 1 MegaWatt. This is a
significant improvement! Kudos to the Indiana Distributed Energy Advocates
(IDEA) who have pushed this issue to make it a reality.
The brightest financial news involves the
selling of SRECs (Solar Renewable Energy Certificates) into neighboring markets.
While the state of Indiana has no Renewable Energy Standard that gives value to
those certificates within the state, there is still monetary value in other
markets for the production out of your solar array. Call Green
Alternatives today and find out how it can work for your system!
Come
help us make 2011 the best year yet for RE in the Hoosier State!
GAi presents "Small Wind Energy Systems" Seminar
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GAi Leader
meets with Indiana Congressman & Senators
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We're on the
RePower America Wall!
Follow the link to
check out the wall, and the
testimonials of thousands of people who want to see a clean energy bill passed
in March 2010.
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CNN Interview with Anderson Cooper!
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Kokomo
Tribune article on Elkin Project.
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Click the photo for an article by Steve Hargreaves at CNN
Money.
