Everybody knows that if you live in Colorado you’re going to endure a few hail storms each year. At ARE, the solar panels we provide are manufacturer-tested to ensure that they are capable of withstanding Colorado hail storms. In most cases, solar panels are tested and certified to withstand hail of up to 25 mm [...]
Solar panels don’t work when it’s cloudy - Solar panels will very rarely stop generating during cloudy weather and the reason is quite simple - clouds don’t completely block sunlight. The amount of solar energy generated during cloudy weather is reduced due to solar radiation being absorbed or reflected by the clouds. How much radiation [...]
Applying for the Solar Tax Credit doesn’t need to be hard! If you’re considering a new solar system, you’ve probably heard about the federal solar tax credit, also known as the Investment Tax Credit (ITC). The Federal ITC makes solar more affordable for homeowners and businesses by granting a dollar-for-dollar tax reduction equal to 26% [...]
Congress has passed, and the President has signed, the new appropriation bill into law that also extended the 26% Investment Tax Credit (ITC) through the end of 2022. The Federal ITC has been in place since 2005 and has played a major role in the adoption of solar energy across the country. The credit has [...]
In early 2021 we will have a new administration in Washington DC that has pledged to be more involved in advancing renewable energy systems around the country. The question that I often get is how will this play out here in Colorado? While no one has a crystal ball, I believe it is very [...]
The federal earned income tax credit ITC has been in place since 2005 and has played a major roll in the adoption of solar energy across the country. The credit has allowed homeowners and commercial entities to deduct a significant portion of the cost of their solar system installation from their income taxes, which made [...]
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BID/CONTRACT 1. Is this bid an estimate or a fixed price? What is the process you will follow if you find unexpected problems with this installation and want to charge extra to fix the problems? 2. Does the bid include the total cost of the project, including components, materials and labor? 3. [...]
With financing, like with the Solar Photovoltaic system itself, their is no one size fits all. The financing package that you pick is custom designed to meet your needs, your expectations, and perhaps your equity position in your home. In general, solar financing falls into 3 basic categories: 100% of the cost wrapped into your [...]
How does a Photovoltaic Solar system investment make you money? 1.Free Electricity - Once the solar system is paid off, in about 8-10 years, it will save you tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the system. (25-40 year system life) 2.Federal Tax Credit - Refunding 26% of every dollar investing in building [...]
Xcel makes it very confusing to understand the electric bill once you install a Photovoltaic system, so you are not alone in feeling baffled by how it is represented. Let me trying to help put the pieces together, and explain how they do the billing. Xcel’s labeling is a misnomer so lets decode that first:“Total [...]
