The New Normal

A funny thing seems to be happening all around us in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Our neighborhoods and businesses seem to be sprouting more and more solar power arrays on their roofs.  Neighbors are driving EV's and plug-in hybrids.  The morning and evening freeway commute has Leafs, Volts, Plug-In Prius's, Tesla Model S's, driving quietly and cleanly, mostly in the commute lanes.

When I go to various Silicon Valley corporations for my work, I see special parking areas for EV and plug-in hybrid charging stations, and these spots are normally in use.  Same with parking garages, airports, government buildings, and downtown streets.

These things started happening in the late '90's in California, but waned.  This time, the wheels are literally in motion and seemingly unstoppable.

Solar panel costs have been cut in half, many homes and businesses are leasing their PV arrays for less than their utility bill used to cost.  EV's can be leased for the same payment as the monthly cost of gas for a typical commute.  Car companies like Tesla, Chevy, and Nissan are building their EV's and plug-in hybrids in the US.

Sure, we're just at the beginning of this new paradigm, it will be slow and difficult to get people to open their minds to changing the status quo.  These big kinds of shifts often are.  But changing it is.  Going forward, most cars sold will be hybrids.  Many new construction projects will include solar power arrays.  There are already more people employed in the solar power industry than the coal industry.

I'm proud that my wife and I have had an effect on some of our neighbors and friends who have gone solar and bought EV's.  This is how revolutions happen!  This is the new normal!

Change Starts At Home

Here we go again, fuel prices are over $4.00 per gallon, due to arbitrary world market speculative pricing. Every day, our country spends a BILLION dollars on foreign oil. We have seemingly no control over gasoline prices, heating costs and electricity rates. We're stuck in a cyclic rut, at the mercy of big oil, big utilities and foreign countries who don't like us.

What if we could change the status quo? Wouldn't that be worth considering? The definition of insanity is repeating the same actions and expecting a different result. Isn't that what we are doing when it comes to our energy usage? Why not try something different? Yes, change is scary, but if you look around, you'll see neighbors who have made a change. Neighbors that have installed solar power on their roofs, even some who are driving electric cars. We have two neighbors who went solar in part due to our efforts promoting solar in our neighborhood. Our street has two Nissan Leaf EV's. Friends of ours bought a Nissan Leaf in part due to our doing it first.

Sure, many people will tell you that "solar power isn't practical", "EV's aren't a viable transportation solution", "solar is expensive"(PV panel costs have gone down about 50% in the past few years, zero dollar down leases are very popular), "EV's are too expensive and run on coal"(Nissan Leaf costs the same as an average ICE car after incentives, and can be leased for not much more than the monthly cost of gas, California uses coal for a small percentage of its power, solar is clean), "range is limited"(current EV's have enough range for the majority of people for normal daily driving). There are always exceptions that prove the rule.

Here's what we have proven to ourselves:

Solar power works, it's clean, almost maintenance free, lasts for 30 years, saves money everyday and our neighbors get to use our clean power as well.

EV's, even these early models, work for most people. We have over 10,000 miles of clean, FREE solar fueled miles. Our EV is our primary car for my wife's commute and for our evening and weekend driving. Maintenance costs less. In a few years, EV prices will be lower, range will be higher. Every mile is smog free.

A single year of solar power and EV driving saves us $4,000.00 in gas and electricity!

Yes, change is scary, but so is NOT making a change. We really can't afford the status quo. With solar and EV's, YOU have the Power!

Solar Year 4--This Time PG&E Owes Us!

Our annual "True-Up" period with PG&E just occured, and for the first time in four years since going solar, we ended up being -$8.54 for electricity usage for the entire year! Not bad for people who used to pay $2664.00 per year just for our electric power. This milestone occurred even while charging our Nissan Leaf EV every night since late April!

So, in addition to our lights, electric appliances, computers, printers, LCD TV's, home theater projection system with multi-channel sound, battery chargers, garage door opener, electric barbecue, and electric boat, we have driven 6,000 miles in our EV for FREE! That's a savings of $1000.00 in gasoline, compared to the internal combustion engine car we traded in for the Leaf, in a little over 5 months of EV ownership!

The combination of solar power and electric vehicle commuting saves us around $400 per month. The PV array has cost us nothing in maintenance, and we expect the EV to have very low maintenance costs compared to ICE cars.

The best part of all is that these savings come while lowering our carbon footprint substantially at our home and on the road. Just being more aware of how we use power and how we drive has literally paid dividends and will continue to do so for many years to come.

EV + PV = the Way Forward!

On April 26 we took delivery of a Nissan Leaf electric vehicle! This is one of the main reasons we went solar in 2007--our hope was for electric cars and solar power to be a symbiotic relationship.

Our hopes have come true! The Leaf EV serves as my wife's commuter car, taking her 27 miles round trip daily, as well as weekend use and daily errands. The Leaf has now been driven over 2000 miles and charged every night at midnight via the car's timer. We could charge during the day using solar power, since my wife's job is part time, but with PG&E paying us 33 cents per Kwh at peak time for solar production in the spring and summer months and off-peak power cost of 11 cents per Kwh, we charge at night, typically requiring just a couple of hours.

We have received our PG&E electric statement for May and June, with the costs being $-34.30 and $-36.03, respectively. It is clear that driving an EV daily has not had much impact on our electric costs at this time of year. In the winter months, I expect to pay around $20 per month to charge our Leaf. When all the months electric costs are combined, I expect the cost of driving the Leaf to be around $100 or so for the year. Compare this to the over $2500 per year it used to cost in gas for my wife to drive her previous car!

Over eight years, the life of the Leaf battery warranty, we will have saved $20,000 in gas costs, if prices remain where they are currently(unlikely). The question mark will be what the cost of a new battery pack will be in eight years for the Leaf? I would expect costs to be lower than today and capacity to be higher. I further expect maintenance on the Leaf to be lower than an internal combustion engine car.

I've heard every reason why solar power and electric cars supposedly don't make sense-- meanwhile our PV array and EV are doing exactly what I'd hoped for, cleanly and quietly! Just say no to the status quo!!

Three Years of Solar, No Sacrifices!

Yesterday marked our third "true-up" period with PG&E. That's three years of solar power, and it's time to pay PG&E for the last year of power consumption. We owe $68.00!! That's for the year, even less than the year before or before that. A long way from the $2600 per year we used to pay before solar! We don't do anything out of the ordinary except not use our clothes dryer or dishwasher during peak times in the summer. We do try to turn off lights that aren't needed. No real sacrificing to speak of, no maintenance of any kind, no having to think about it. Just clean, silent, pure power coming from our roof daily.

Last month we ordered our Nissan Leaf electric car and look forward to having our solar power system provide power for it next year. Normal driving patterns will require no sacrifice either with an electric car with 100 mile range. Solar power for the home and car isn't a far fetched concept or dream, it will soon be our reality. After rebates and incentives, both a residential solar power system and an electric car like the Nissan Leaf cost somewhere in the low $20,000 range each. Leasing can be an affordable option as well with both. These aren't technologies meant for the rich, they are well within the grasp of normal families.

The sun CAN power our transportation and living needs! We aim to keep proving it next year.

Driving with the Sun

Today we reserved a Nissan Leaf electric car for delivery by the end of the year, hopefully. Owning an electric car is one of the reasons we went solar in the first place. We hope to power our electric car like we do our electric boat, with the help of solar!

Solar power and electric vehicles(EV's) are truly a sustainable way to guarantee freedom of mobility without worrying about polluting, high fuel prices or high maintenance costs. Being green and self-sufficient is a good feeling--and that feeling will only get better when our solar system helps to provide up to 100 miles of clean driving pleasure in our Leaf.

Even if most of the EV charging is done at night during non-peak times, the solar system is still making an impact by keeping the electric consumption costs way down. Last year we only paid $159 for our power consumption. Adding an EV should cost no more than $2.75 for a full charge. If charged during daylight hours, it could be free with our PV array providing the charging power, assuming a sunny day.

Imagine, no need to send money to the middle east for dirty, depleting fossil fuel. No more gas stations, oil changes, tune ups, smog checks, oil leaks, no tailpipe! Solar power proves that the cost of freedom doesn't require wars over oil or unhealthy air from coal or oil--lives saved, a good feeling indeed.

Solar Power and the New Localized Economy

The era of cheap energy is coming to a close. Due to higher and higher fuel costs, it will no longer make sense to mine iron ore from South America and ship it to Japan in order to mill steel and then ship it to the U.S, versus using steel made in our country. Nor will it make sense to ship refrigerated food from China, or fruits and vegetables from other far flung parts of the world for our consumption. Oil prices, even if from domestic or Canadian sources, reflect world market costs and pressures, making the geographic location of the oil wells irrelevant.

The future will be more about a localized economy, not cheap products from China that used to be viable due to cheap fuel, nor electricity that is carried over a grid from hundreds or thousands of miles away, even if sourced from cheap coal--the reality of pollution from coal and huge container ships is that they harm our environment and our health, making them anything but cheap or efficient. A localized economy will mean new, alternative energy sources, locally grown food, a return to domestic manufacturing and jobs that left our shores.

Solar power is a great example in a new, localized economy. Clean, renewable power, sourced from domestic solar panels, will be located right where the power is needed most--on top of large factories and warehouses and on the roofs of our homes. We will have the option of driving electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles that will be charged from our local, homegrown power source. Solar power fits the model of the new way forward, just as manufacturing, farming and distribution on a localized level will be the most efficient approach in a world of expensive, dirty and dwindling non-renewable energy sources. Solar power is the right way for today and tomorrow, for us and for our children.

30% ITC Now For Homes!

The Federal Government has extended the 30% Investment Tax Credit and starting in 2009, homes will not be capped at $2,000. That means a $20,000 solar system, and this is on top of the California State rebate, will be eligible for a $6,000 Federal Tax Credit!

Previously, only businesses could take advantage of a full 30% Federal ITC without the $2,000 cap that residences were subject to. So, if the California State rebate amounts to close to 20%, and the 30% Federal ITC is added onto that, that's close to a 50% solar system rebate for any California home that has good sun exposure! That $20,000 solar system now costs closer to $10,000!!

Suddenly the return on investment is years less than it used to be, ie; twelve years becomes closer to eight years. That's a big difference! If you were to get a home equity loan for a solar system, the monthly payments would be significantly less.

Thomas Edison once said, "I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that."

First Year of Solar!

We just received our PG&E bill showing how much we owe for our one year "true-up" period. The previous year, we paid $2664 for our electric power, or $222 per month. Our first year with solar shows a total electric consumption bill of $186! That's just $15.50 per month! There is an $8.00 monthly connection/net metering/Climate Smart(the latter is optional) fee, but that's still just $23.50 per month. Oh yeah, and I hear there is an environmental reason to go solar as well.

PG&E just raised rates for the higher electric power tiers(those families paying over $150 per month) by 6% today. That means Solar power just got less expensive than yesterday.

I am happy to say that our Solar power system has delivered everything we had hoped for. Everything our Solar power installer promised was true, and now with Solar lease plans, there is no reason why every family shouldn't go Solar! Our only regret is not doing it years ago!

Electric Rates to Go Up 15%!

I knew PG&E was planning to raise our electric rates by 5% in October, but now it turns out that is just part one. Part two is another 10% increase in January! That is a significant increase by any standard, but an unfortunate byproduct of the dependence upon natural gas and oil to generate electricity for those without clean solar power.

A 15% rise in electric rates translates to $20 or more for many families per month. Conversely, a family with solar power will be nowhere near as affected by utility company rate increases because of their decision to own rather than rent the majority of their power needs.

As electric rates climb, solar power becomes more and more practical and provides a higher, faster, return on investment. Families who currently use enough electricity to qualify for the higher rate tiers-pretty much anybody paying $150 or more per month-are actually paying more per kilowatt hour for a good percentage of their power than if they had invested in solar power. These higher rate tiers will continue to increase while solar system owners will have locked in their electric power costs for decades to come. For my wife and I, it's good to know there's one monthly expense we have some control over longterm.

Living With Solar--PG&E Owes Me Money

It's been a couple of months since I last blogged. Summer is here and so are peak time power rates. This means that PG&E pays three times as much for the power generated on our roof. May's electric bill was -$33.00, June, -$44.00! Yes, that's minus 33 and 44 dollars and this will continue throughout the summer!

We had estimated that at the end of our first year "true up" period with PG&E, we would owe about $600.00, based upon using 1000Kwh per month. However, after changing to CFL bulbs and being more aware of conserving electricity due to going solar, we have reduced our power consumption to 700Kwh hours per month. Bottom line is we expect to pay around $200 or less to PG&E for the whole year's electric bill! $200 is a whole lot better than the $2664.00 we used to pay annually to rent our electricity instead of own it. Multiply that savings over 30 or more years that our solar system will be generating clean power, even if utility rates stayed the same, and this adds up to serious savings!

Natural gas prices have climbed from $1.10 to $1.61 per therm from January to June, this is where most people's electricity comes from, so PG&E will be raising electric rates in October. We've already seen natural gas bills rise, just like gasoline keeps doing almost daily.

Electric rate hikes will have very little impact on our bill for the next 30+ years. When we buy our first electric car in a couple of years, charged by our solar system, we won't have to worry about ridiculous gas prices as much either. (Our solar system already recharges our Duffy electric boat.)

Meanwhile, in my neighborhood, besides one neighbor who went solar during our community program, I keep seeing people put in expensive paver driveways, new grass, fancy front doors and copper rain gutters, all of which look great, but these are often the same folks whose first question about solar power is, "what is the ROI?" I think I can safely say a lot better than that new driveway!

Solar For Free!!

SolarCity, our solar community program partner, has just announced a No Money Down lease program right on the heals of their new lease program that required a $2000 down payment. Now there is no upfront cost and the lease payment could be covered by the savings on your electricity from the clean solar power generated on your roof.

So, let's review, no money down, your lease payment is covered by your electric bill savings from day one. All maintenance is covered. Oh yeah, there are still two weeks left in the Foster City Solar Community Program to get in on the community discount. The only question left is, why wouldn't you go solar? By the way, my March electric bill was only $25--a long way down from the $222 I used to pay before going solar!

Click here for a San Jose Mercury News story about the no money down lease program.

Big News! Community Program Extended Due to New Lease Program!! Now Everybody Can Afford to Go Solar!!!

The Foster City Solar Community Program has been extended until April 30, due to a new solar lease program being announced today by SolarCity! The lease program offers Foster City residents the opportunity to go solar without the high up front costs of purchasing the equipment.

Now it is possible to go solar for a small down payment of $2000 and low monthly lease payment with the option to buy the equipment at the end of the lease, transfer it to the new owners of your home if you were to move, or just give back the equipment at the end of the lease.

The savings on your PG&E electric bill could pay for the lease payment, making your solar system cash flow neutral. Any maintenance is covered for the duration of the lease.

Please click on this link, SolarCity Lease Program, for more details.

Going solar in the month of April means taking advantage of the community program discount and being able to lease your solar system--energy independence is easier than ever before!

Only 10 Days Left, 5 Families Going Solar!

We're in the last days of the Foster City Solar Community Program, after March 31st it will cost more to go solar. I'm happy to say that 5 families have signed up to make a difference towards energy sustainability--that's more than half of all the people who went solar in Foster City in all of last year!

If you've been thinking about owning your electric power instead of renting it your whole life, if you want to do something that helps our future starting today, if you want to help protect yourself from rising energy costs, be ready when plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars arrive, and enhance the value of your home, this is the time to Go Solar!

Solar power is the only major home improvement item that makes money every day, it helps give you control of your own energy self-sufficiency and it just plain makes you feel good! Be part of the solution, Go Solar!!

Last Month for Solar Discounts!

We are less than a month away from the end of the Foster City Solar Community Program, the state rebate is going down soon and the solar purchase discount program will be over on March 31 for our city.

We just received our PG&E electric statement, the fourth month of going solar at our house. November through February electric charges have averaged $85 per month, that's down from an average of $222 per month prior to going solar. So, we have saved $137 per month in the worst winter months for sun! I'm really looking forward to the spring and summer months of sun, where we expect to save well over $150 per month, or a total of $2000 a year.....that's every year for the next 40 years or more, and only if electric rates stay the same as today--which of course won't happen. The reality is, we're going to save more and more money every year, this decade, the next decade and the next decade and beyond, because solar panels keep going and going and going, just like the Energizer Bunny makes power!

If you're spending $150 or more per month on electricity, you owe it to yourself, and your family to attend one of the last two free solar seminars, Wednesday, March 5 and Thursday, March 20. What have you got to lose, except our planet?

Only 45 Days Left!

Today's date means that there are only six weeks left for the Foster City solar purchase program discount. Furthermore, the state rebate is expected to be lowered sometime in March and this is the last year of the federal 30% ITC, which is why businesses are jumping on the solar bandwagon in 2008. I was just checking out the eBay campus--rooftop after rooftop of solar panels have just been installed there.

To date, only two FC homes have signed up to go solar, which isn't much, but to put it into perspective, there were only nine solar permits issued in Foster City in all of 2007. I've been monitoring other Bay Area solar community programs going on right now and am happy to say that they are doing very well with sign ups.

There are two dozen site evaluations scheduled in Foster City, many have already been completed, so I am hopeful of a more positive result for our city in the weeks ahead.

There are a couple of things we should all keep in mind--first, the time is past to be worried about aesthetics, our planet needs our help and solar panels look a lot better than wind turbines on our roofs. Second, comparing the cost of solar power to today's dirty energy rates from PG&E has little to do with the energy rate levels in the next three to five years and beyond. Power goes up every year, especially the higher tiers, which is a huge profit center for PG&E. The PUC seems to let them get away with charging whatever they want as a way to punish higher electric energy home users.

The cost for solar amortized by lifetime kWh generated is around 20 cents per. This compares favorably to the higher tiers that PG&E charges, which is more like 30 cents per kWh. The latter number will only be going up and historically, much faster than inflation. Solar power rates are locked in for 30 or more years, perfect for those expecting to be on a fixed income at retirement age.

If solar power didn't make longterm economic sense, it wouldn't be used in new, low income housing developments in cities such as Oakland. Or at the Oakland Zoo. Or at more and more schools and government buildings and factories.

I do not want to look a child in the eyes and tell them that I didn't give much thought to their time on our planet after I'm gone. Please consider solar power for their future.

Dirty Houses!

When people think about causes of pollution, usually the first thing that comes to mind is emissions from our cars. We know that burning gasoline is a big source of C02, but what about our homes?

Well, it turns out that our homes account for about half of our carbon footprint. Our electricity needs account for a large part of the C02 emissions in the air. 70% of U.S. electricity produced is derived from the burning of fossil fuels. Only 12% of the energy we get from PG&E comes from clean, renewable sources that don't impact the environment severely. Every time we turn on the coffee maker, flick on the light switch, watch the big plasma TV or run the microwave, we are using dirty power.

Solar power can make a big difference. We know that we need electricity, but why not harvest it right from our roofs? It's clean, local, low maintenance and even costs less per kilowatt hour than PG&E power when we are spending $150 per month or more on our power.

Many speak of energy sources such as coal and other fossil fuels as being inexpensive and plentiful. That sort of statement doesn't take into account the health costs of dirty air, the resources expended to mine and drill, refine, burn, generate and deliver these nonrenewable, polluting energy sources.

Our home's solar power system(see picture above) is expected to generate 8,300 kWh of electric power and provide a reduction of 6,700 lbs. of C02 emissions every year. That's just one house, one family. Imagine how much we could do if we all went solar!

Solar Goals for Our City

The Solar Community Program special purchase opportunity makes it more affordable for every Foster City home and business to go solar. SolarCity is only looking for 12-15 homes to go solar which represents about 50kW of installed solar power.

There are around 6,000 single family homes in our city. If 1% of these homes were to go solar, that would represent 60 homes. I think this is a very attainable goal. To put this into perspective, Mountain View has a 2% residential solar installation success rate after their popular solar community program completion last year.

Additionally, it is time for the City of Foster City to embrace solar power to set a positive example. The City would be making a great statement by simply having City Hall or the library go solar.

I also think that any new residential and business development should include some percentage of solar power. Now is the time for the new mixed-use residential/business re-development at the Lincoln Properties industrial park to go solar as well as our new downtown development, which include green building initiatives as part of its proposed plan.

If you think these goals make sense and are worth working towards, please let our city leaders know how you feel. You could also contact me and we could start a petition for the greening of city buildings and new developments. What do you say?

Does Solar Make Sense With Low Power Usage?

I am often asked how high one's electric bill should be before solar power starts to pay for itself. Typically, power consumption totaling $100 or more per month helps to speed up the return on investment and a solar system can actually make its monthly loan payment if financed due to the power generated and sent to the grid at peak time. As an example, I financed my solar system and pay around $150 per month to service the loan, which is how much on average I would be paying PG&E for renting my electricity. I'd rather invest in clean solar energy, get the tax breaks and protect myself from utility rate increases and add value to my home at resale. So, this means I am spending nothing more for having a solar system than I would already be spending to rent my power from PG&E--it's cash flow neutral.

What if your electric bill is only $50 per month? Congratulations! It will be harder for a solar system to pay for itself in the short term, but consider the following:

You will get state and federal tax incentives.

You will protect yourself from electric power rate increases.

You will be ready for the not too distant day when plug-in hybrid and electric cars arrive. If you were to purchase a car that requires battery charging, your power usage will go up, but your solar system will keep your electric bill down.

You will be able to consider going to a solar electric water heater and save money on natural gas, even electric heating will make more sense.

You will be helping your neighbors lower their carbon footprint with the unused power that you send to the grid.

Now is the best time to consider clean solar energy, rebates are still high from the state, but will be diminishing in a few months, the federal tax credit will be going away after this year and purchasing through the Solar Community Program, combined with the city, state and federal rebates/incentives, could yield a 35% + discount!

Solar Kids!

On Thursday, SolarCity presented a plaque to Mrs. Wong's third grade class for helping to persuade the city council to drop the solar permit fee, which was one of the highest in the state, a savings of several hundred dollars.

I was able to videotape the ceremony as well as interview some of the children from last year's third grade Foster City school's class. The experience was very fulfilling. Hearing the students talk about global warming and the benefits of solar power was very moving. The kids get it, whereas many adults are in denial. I feel blessed to be able to tell these kids story on videotape. Starting at the next free solar seminar, you will be able to see what these kids have to say about their future on this planet. Join us on Tuesday, January 22 at 7pm for this five minute video and the SolarCity presentation on the advantages of Solar Power. You can't afford not to!