Install solar panels without the headaches

You want to install solar panels on your home or business, but where do you start?  In addition to the growth in the number of solar manufacturers, new businesses are springing up to help you go solar without the headaches.

When considering renewable energy options like solar panels, factors including the number of kilowatts, price, design, rebates, incentives and tax credits all come into play.  And – when we’re talking credits and incentives, there is an array of options from the federal, state and even local governments.

Do you know how many solar panels you’ll need?  How much will they cost?  Where should they be placed?  Do you need a permit?  How do you get a tax credit or rebate?

If you could have someone help you get through all the options and considerations that may be acting as a hurdle to going solar, would you do so?

A recent New York Times article examined how to go solar without the headaches with the help of a company called One Block Off the Grid.  In fact, we’ve blogged about 1BOG before.

Brad Burton, 1BOG’s vice president of product and strategy explained:

The way that solar is sold in the U.S. today is lengthy, complicated, and often a stressful process for an individual homeowner to go through.  There aren’t very many sources of information you can turn to with accurate, reliable info.”

One Block Off the Grid helps negotiate group discounts on solar panels, as well as navigating the array of regulations and red tape.  With the help of 1BOG, homeowners in California can expect to recoup the investment of a solar panel system in a mere 6-9 years.  No – I didn’t type 69 years.  Its well less than 10 years to break even when you install solar panels in the Golden State!

Yet 1BOG can help you in many states across the country.  It has operations in 17 states (as of the date of this publication).  And it probably could have helped Tania Reuben, of Los Angeles, a green blogger who operates PureNaturalDiva.com.  She has been spending numerous hours crunching numbers to determine whether and how to pay for a 17-kilowatt solar panel array on her home that will generate clean electricity to power 80% of her needs.  According to the New York Times article, she has spent hours since Spring 2010 to pencil it out, making calls to her bank, the solar panel installer and her accountant.

She remarked:

“If this is how hard I’m feeling it is, and I have that extra reason to be committed, it makes me really concerned that the average consumer is going to run into a couple of roadblocks and then go, ‘You know what? This is too complicated.’”

Bottom line – if you want to go solar without the headaches, call in the professionals.  Not only can organizations like 1BOG help you save time and frustration, they may even be able to negotiate a discount on the solar panels’ price.

The Zephyr Solar Powered Plane

2010 has been a great year for solar power!  Among technological advancements, lower prices for solar panels and continued governmental incentives, this week news broke regarding an official record for a solar powered plane flight.  Sure, there have been other solar powered plane flights this year (the Solar Impulse among the most notable).

The Zephyr is an unmanned air vehicle (UAV), fitted with solar panels, that took off this summer for a non-stop, 2 week flight over the United States.  Taking off on July 9, 2010 from Yuma, Arizona, the plane flew nearly 14 days without stopping to refuel, landing on July 23.  The plane was built in the U.K. and the record-breaking flight was confirmed by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI).

Wondering what potential uses there are for a solar powered plane?  While these type of aircraft may not be in the near future for passenger flights, the Zephyr could be helpful in the near future for military, as well as search and rescue operations.  Because it can fly both day and night without having to refuel (and without the added weight of carrying fuel), it can help advance long term strategy more efficiently.

Silicon PV panels on the plane’s wings are thin and lightweight.  Solar energy absorbed from sunlight during the day recharge lithium-sulfur batteries for operations overnight.  Its no wonder that the Zephyr solar powered plane has bee nicknamed the “Eternal” plane, since it can stay aloft when other types of aircrafts must return to refuel.