HelioPower commercial installation for Dos Molson in Poway, CA

The United States Senate on Tuesday voted by an overwhelming majority to extend the Production (PTC) and Investment Tax Credits (ITC). The tax measure was passed by a vote of 93-2. Now it goes back to the U.S. House of Representatives where it could be approved later this week.

Under the legislation, the PTC will be extended for one year and the ITC will be extended for eight years. The extensions would be at least partially paid for by a change in the tax code for the oil and gas industry. The bill also contains removal of the US $2,000 cap for residential solar installations. The US $18 billion package is part of a larger tax bill worth approximately US $148 billion.

Speakers that span the political spectrum, representing the Clean Energy NOW coalition of more than 200 organizations, joined forces today to call for Congressional action to extend the renewable energy and energy efficiency tax credits before the conclusion of the September legislative session. While the credits are set to expire at the end of the year, this week the Senate Finance Committee announced an energy tax deal–agreeing to an $18 billion package which includes clean energy tax incentives. The full Senate is expected to vote on the measure in the next several days.

"Today, the wind industry is experiencing record growth, and hiring new workers every day," said Randall Swisher, Executive Director of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). "Unfortunately, many of those newly created jobs are now at risk, and urgent bipartisan action by Congress is needed to sustain the momentum of this growing clean energy industry." According to a recent study by Navigant Consulting, failure to promptly extend the renewable energy tax incentives places at risk 116,000 jobs in the wind and solar industries and more than $19 billion in clean energy investment.

Moynier Vineyards, HelioPower installation using Mitsubishi 185 modules in Winchester, CA

Late last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6899, a bill that contains extensions for the Production and Investment Tax Credits (PTC and ITC) for renewable energy, by a vote of 236-189.

H.R. 6899 which reportedly will not receive any consideration in the U.S. Senate, contains a one-year extension of the production tax credit for wind energy, a three-year extension of the production tax credit for biomass, geothermal, hydropower, landfill gas and waste-to-energy systems. It also contains an eight-year extension of the commercial ITC for solar energy and fuel cells and raises the cap for the residential energy-efficient property credit from US $2,000 to US $4,000.

According to sources close to the legislative process, the Senate has reached consensus on a different bill that also includes extensions to the PTC and ITC and could vote to pass the Senate version of the bill later this week. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) made the announcement yesterday.
 
The agreement includes ITC and PTC extensions with a total value of approximately US $17 billion, paid for in part by freezing the tax deduction for the domestic manufacturing activities of American oil and gas companies and tightening the rules by which oil and gas companies pay taxes on income earned overseas and freeing general fund monies with increased payments into the oil spill liability trust fund as new drilling is considered.  Other pay-fors include a one-year extension of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act surtax at the current level and increasing reporting requirements for brokers on sales of stock.
 
This agreement, which has been under development for the last week includes an 8-year extension of the commercial ITC, a 2-year extension of the residential ITC, removal of the cap for the residential energy-efficient property credit, a one-year extension of the wind energy PTC and a three-year extension of PTCs for all other qualifying facilities.

SAN FRANCISCO -(Dow Jones)- Renewable power companies could take a hit if crucial federal tax credits set to expire Dec. 31 aren't renewed before Congress adjourns next week for elections.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved an energy bill late Tuesday that includes a one-year renewable tax credit extension for wind power and an eight- year extension for solar power. The measure includes provisions for expanded offshore drilling for oil and natural gas and a tax hike for oil and gas production that would pay for the renewable tax credits.

In the Senate, Democrats and Republicans reached a deal Tuesday on tax legislation that would extend the renewable tax credits. The credits would be partially paid for by increased taxes for oil and natural gas production. Due to scheduling of other bills, the Senate is unlikely to vote on the measure until next week.

Congress adjourns on Sept. 26. It may not reconvene this year.

From the PR Newswire today, 9.15.08: "If Congress Passes Bill, 440,000 permanent jobs will be supported by the U.S. solar energy industry by 2016."

Palm Desert’s City Council is has passed a program to put the bill into effect locally as quickly and simply as possible, and has already heard from more than 275 residents who are interested in participating.  The Council approved the Energy Independence Program at its regular meeting on August 28. The city plans to provide loans for as little as $5,000, with no upper limit, for improvements such as efficient air-conditioning, dual-pane windows, pool pumps, solar panels, or white roofs—anything that will reduce electricity consumption and is considered a permanent fixture. The city will provide low-interest loans requiring no credit checks or other qualifications other than the title to improved property. The loans will be paid back as part of the property tax bill—meaning if the home or business is sold, the loan stays with the property.

“Three years ago, we set a lofty goal of reducing our energy use by 30 percent, and now we have the means to accomplish it,” said Councilman Jim Ferguson, who spearheaded the passage of the Energy Independence Program. “During the summer months, when temperatures regularly reach over 100 degrees, Palm Desert residents can pay over $1000 a month for electricity. This program will empower them to explore renewable energy sources and make meaningful changes for the environment as well as their own finances.” 

The city has enlisted the expertise of EcoMotion, a consulting company that also advises cities such as Anaheim and Santa Monica on their environmental initiatives. Under the leadership of president Ted Flanigan, EcoMotion will coordinate and help facilitate the loan program. Flanigan will also work to document Palm Desert’s carbon footprint and suggest further improvements to the city’s already aggressive energy- and emissions-reduction programs.

For more information please see, http://www.cityofpalmdesert.org/.

Today, the Senate comes back from their summer vacation.  And today, we are visiting every Senator to remind them that unless they get the job done on extending the solar investment tax credit, America's clean energy workforce will be going on a 'vacation' of another sort.  We are going to deliver a green hard hat – symbolizing the more than 100,000 solar and wind jobs that could expire with the tax credits in December – to every office.

Will you contact your Senators to ask if they received the green hard hat, and ask them to work to end the stalemate and put clean energy to work?

Click here for directions to contact your Senators.

"Our Solar Special reflects the basic standards set by the California Solar Initiative," declared George Hanson, Moreno Valley Electric Utility Manager. "But we wanted to make our rebate more generous, and our process simpler, to encourage more participation."

Moreno Valley Utility customers who take advantage of the 2008 Solar Special can get a rebate of $4.00/AC Watt.  Like the program offered through Southern California Edison, solar installations must be on the customer's premises, and offset part of all of the customer's own electricity demand.  Systems must have a meter that measures how much electricity is generated and therefore how much credit the customer earns against the monthly utility bill.  Under California's net metering law, customers can only "zero out" their bill – they cannot earn credit for excess electricity production.

The minimum rebate of $4,000 is for an installation of 1 kW (1,000 watts); the maximum rebate for a residential installation is $25,000 (on a system size of 6.25 kW) and for commercial, industrial or governmental is $100,000 (system size of 25 kW).  The actual amount of the rebate will take into consideration solar panel output, inverter efficiency and design factors such as climate, azimuth, tilt and shading.  All incentives are base on available funds and verification of installation.

In 2008, you can also receive an income tax credit based on 30% of the cost of your new system, up to $2,000 for a residential install.  There is no cap on a commercial install.  This credit is scheduled to go away in 2009, so if you’re serious, don’t delay.

Michelle Pierce, MVU Program Coordinator, worked with consulting firm EcoMotion to design a straightforward application process.  "We have a seven-step process that is as simple as we could make it.  It starts with a completed Application that will reserve your rebate." 

For more information on this program, see the MVU site by clicking here; and call your HelioPower team based just near by in Murrieta to assist.  We are at Toll Free 87 SOLAR 888

So it seems clear that while recycling is ok and clearly better than tossing refuse into a landfill, it’s not exactly an environmental panacea and may in fact promote the very behavior it’s intended to eliminate – egregious wastefulness. A far superior alternative is Reuse. Why not take something in its present form and reuse it? This concept seems like common sense, but every year billions of pounds of perfectly good stuff ends up in landfills: kitchen cabinets, windows, doors, sinks, tubs, tile, paint, wood beams, countertops, paneling, office furniture & supplies, appliances, ad infinitum. This waste could build thousands of new homes and shelters without the costly energy input of ‘recycling’ it first. It’s this very niche that Materials Matter has carved out for itself, and is why to date Materials Matter has diverted over 75 million pounds of building materials destined for the landfill to construction projects benefiting other non-profits.

Keeping the material away from the landfill or recycling process is important, but equally important is the cost savings beneficiary organizations realize when they use recovered building materials in their construction projects. Unlike recycled products that often cost more than their ‘new’ counterparts, reused materials can often be had for pennies on the dollar thereby significantly reducing construction costs for cash strapped agencies. Often, these materials are reused in the very same communities where they are recovered further reducing the environmental impact.

Even more compelling is the fact that a lot of this recovered material is brand new. That’s right, brand spankin’ new. Let’s say, for example, that you order some custom blinds for your home, but the order is messed up so you send the blinds back. What do you think happens to those blinds you sent back while you wait for the factory to make you new and hopefully correct ones? Landfill? That used to be the case. Fortunately, more companies are teaming up with organizations like Materials Matter to find homes for their unwanted or mis-measured wares. In addition, more homeowners are deconstructing or eco-demoing their remodeling projects as they realize that a charitable tax deduction beats paying a contractor to rip out and throw away perfectly good kitchen cabinets and bathroom sinks.

Without Materials Matter and agencies like it, our society would miss out on a significant opportunity to reduce our collective ecological impact. Reuse trumps recycling at every turn, but we can do even better.

I mentioned earlier that one could make the argument that recycling encourages the wrong behavior, wastefulness, and while it’s good we’re conserving natural resources by recycling them over and over again, we’d be far better off if we recycled less – literally. Less packaging, fewer bottles, fewer bags. Imagine if everyone refilled the same water bottle or coffee cup every day. Imagine if everyone used canvass shopping bags, bought concentrated cleaning products (which use less packaging), cooked whole foods (again less packaging), and generally consumed less. Less consumption equals less recycling. Less recycling equals less waste (energy). Less waste equals less want.

My grandmother used to always tell me when I wouldn’t finish my dinner, “Waste not. Want not.” As we waste, there are multitudes that want. Materials Matter fills a crucial societal role by wanting the waste and wasting not.