The TFS grant program is funded by 1% of our revenue to help non-profit groups install renewable energy systems.  This program includes both matching grants as well as full grants.  The matching grant calculates the retail cost of the system, subtracts the utility rebate, and then TFS pays for 50% of the remaining amount.  The full grant calculates the retail cost of the system, subtracts the utility rebate, and then TFS pays for 100% of the remaining amount.

The grant is open to nonprofits in Tucson, AZ who qualify as 501(c)(3) and who share our values of sustainability.  You can find more information about the solar grant itself, past grant recipients and the application materials on our website: www.tfssolar.com/about-us/community-involvement/.

About Technicians For Sustainability:

Technicians For Sustainability (TFS) is a locally owned, mission-driven business, committed to walking their talk.  They provide businesses, public institutions, and residential homeowners with high quality, clean, renewable energy systems, helping to translate environmental values into practical reality.  The company employs proven technologies to meet customers’ specific needs, including solar electricity, solar hot water heating, and water harvesting.  TFS has installed over a megawatt of solar power in southern Arizona.  For more information about Technicians For Sustainability visit www.tfssolar.com.

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Is there still money for solar?  The incentive for solar electric (photovoltaic) systems in Tucson Electric Power (TEP) service territory has been reduced from $0.75 to $0.60/watt due to high demand. In just the first month of this year, 25% of TEP’s annual solar incentive budget has already been reserved.  This reflects the fact that over 375 systems have been reserved so far in 2012, most of which are solar electric systems.
Where will TEP’s incentive go from here?  The new $0.60/watt incentive will remain until 50% of the annual budget is reserved.  If this happens within 30 days of the latest drop (January 27, 2012), the incentive will drop to $0.40/watt. If it happens within 60 days, the incentive will drop to $0.50/watt, and if it happens after 60 days, but before June 30th, the incentive will drop to $0.55/watt.
What does this tell us? The incentive drop indicates that there was pent up demand from the fall, when no incentives were available, and that at the $0.75/watt incentive level, solar was a good enough deal that many people were motivated to install systems. We expect it to remain a good opportunity at the $0.60/watt level under the leasing model, with systems paying for themselves in less than 10 years. The customer-owned systems will take between 10 and 13 years to pay themselves off at this current incentive level.
More questions? Call us at 520.740.0736

The addition of this solar system at TriSports.com reaffirms the company’s dedication to sustainable practices.  The 128 kW solar system saves 18,560 lbs of coal from being burned each month and 41,400 lbs of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.  Perhaps most importantly, the TriSports.com solar array will save approximately 9,280 gal of water each month as compared to traditional electricity generation. This fact is often overlooked but is extremely significant in the Sonoran Desert where we live.

Sustainability has always been a goal of TriSports.com and solar is just the latest addition to a larger integration of sustainable practices.  Seton Claggett, CEO of TriSports.com, shared this, “Three years ago I told our staff and our vendors that we would be on solar within the next 5 years, and here we are.  This is a large investment for us but it is the right thing to do for our environment, our staff, our customers, our  vendors and for our future generations.” TriSports.com has two large rainwater cisterns that collect and store up to 36,000 gallons of water at a time, which is then used to irrigate the landscaping. The company also made the switch to energy efficient lighting with their latest  renovations, which significantly reduces their electricity consumption.

Not only was installing their solar system an environmentally-conscious decision, but it also makes sense from a financial standpoint.  The  TriSports.com system will offer a four and a half year payback period, a 10% rate of return, and for the first twenty years the solar system will  save the company over $467,000.

Bruce Plenk, the City of Tucson’s Solar Coordinator, congratulates TriSports.com on their new solar system.  “I am impressed with the foresight and leadership of Tucson businesses like TriSports.com who have chosen to be leaders in installing solar using their sunny rooftops as well as their parking areas to generate electricity, reduce our urban heat island and save their business money. This is a wonderful example that I hope other Tucson businesses will see and follow. Thanks to TriSports.com for showing the way to a solar future in our Solar America City!”

About TriSports.com

TriSports.com is an industry leader in triathlon, swim, bike and run retail, starting out of the home of Seton and Debbie Claggett in April 2000.  Eleven years and two moves later, TriSports.com occupies 32,000 square feet of retail, warehouse and office space with 50+ employees.  TriSports.com is more than just a retail presence, however; the company is also very involved with growing the sport through partnerships with races, clubs, teams and other endeavors, like being a founding member of Triathlon America, as well as being actively involved in the local Arizona community. TriSports.com also has a non-profit company, TriSports Racing, which puts on the Deuces Wild Triathlon Festival, certified as a silver-level green event through the Council for Responsible Sport, and is a founding member of their Community of Practice, an effort to ensure the future of sports in a sustainable way. TriSports.com has been recognized as one of Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work (2009 & 2010); by Triathlete Magazine as one of Triathlete’s Best Places to Work (2010); as one of the top 100 bike shops in the US by the National Bicycle Dealers Association (2010 & 2011); as a top 10 triathlon store by Triathlon America (2011); by Comerica Bank as one of Arizona’s 50 Companies to Watch (October 2008); as one of BizAZ’s Top 35 Entrepreneurs Under 35 (June 2008); by Wells Fargo with their Copper Cactus Award for Business Growth (October 2005); and as Arizona’s Greenest Workplace by Mrs. Green’s World (October 2011).  Learn more about TriSports.com online at www.TriSports.com/info.html.

About Technicians For Sustainability

Technicians For Sustainability (TFS) is a locally owned, mission-driven business, committed to walking their talk.  They provide businesses,  public institutions, and residential homeowners with high quality, clean, renewable energy systems, helping to translate environmental values into practical reality.  The company employs proven technologies to meet customers’ specific needs, including solar electricity, solar hot water heating, and water harvesting.  TFS has installed over a megawatt of solar power in southern Arizona.  For more information about Technicians For Sustainability visit www.tfssolar.com.

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The solar array which sits on the roof is helping them become more sustainable and to reach their goals.  According to Lindsay Nohl the Southwest Director of NOLS, “the school has a lofty sustainability goal to reach 30% reduction of carbon emissions by 2020.” Installing a solar array was an obvious way for them to reduce their carbon footprint and work towards that goal.

Apart from photovoltaic or electric solar panels, the school also employs solar hot water collectors to provide hot water to the shower houses on the premises.  They also use a variety of rain catchment systems to collect water for irrigation around the school’s property.

As some of you may know, achieving compliance in 2012 would have required no additional commercial installations. In addition, the tax advantages of residential leased systems have driven the utility incentive levels down so low that customer owned systems are impractical. Below are some details and anticipated consequences from the ACC’s decision.

1.       The TEP’s renewable energy budget for new distributed generation systems was cut from approximately $18.5 million in 2011 to approximately $8 million in 2012. The maximum surcharge residential customers will pay dropped from $4.5 to approximately $3.15 per month.

2.       Commercial solar incentives have been reduced. The ACC did authorize funds beyond what is required by the REST rules for 2012, which theoretically may be enough to cover a similar number of installations as 2011. However, the reductions in incentive levels are so aggressive that they risk stalling the commercial market in 2012, which would likely result in lost jobs and lost brain trust. The rationale put forward by Chairman Pierce was that installations which are not required by compliance should be at a great deal to the ratepayer. In contrast, we would have liked to see full funding for a robust commercial market employing a competitive bidding process to harness competition and give the ratepayer a good deal. We also would have preferred funding for up front incentives (UFI) for the commercial market rather than performance based incentives (PBI), as the latter have legacy costs totaling as much as $17 million dollars, whereas up front incentives could have been used to fund the entire amount at $6 million or less.

3.       The Commission chose not to address differences between leased systems and customer owned systems, in effect making it impractical for Tucsonans to own their own PV systems going forward. We expect almost all new systems to be leased this year. The Commission denied a request to provide higher incentives for customer owned systems than for leased systems, thereby effectively shifting the subsidization of solar from the ratepayer to the federal tax payer, and ultimately increasing the cost of solar with all funding sources accounted for. This is due to the fact that leased systems take advantage of depreciation, and they typically use a higher value for calculating the basis for the 30% tax credit. Each of these practices reduces federal tax revenue as compared to a residential solar purchase.

4.       Incentive levels will likely drop throughout this year. The Commission adopted a “smart trigger” which will cause reductions in relation to the rate of reservations for residential incentives. Incentives will start at $0.75 per watt, and will drop to $0.60 if 25% of the budget is reserved before March 31. We support the smart trigger system, and hope that it will result in incentives which track the market better than in previous years. We do have concerns about the potential for the incentives to adjust should the cost of solar increase due to higher cost modules, higher cost capital for the leases, or other unforeseen market dynamics.

5.       For all new reservations, customers adopting solar will continue to pay the REST surcharge, even if they have a net zero bill in any given month. The surcharge customers pay will be equal to what they would have paid if they had not installed a solar system. Customers who previously installed systems will not be affected by this decision.

The end result is that opportunities for Tucsonans to install solar systems on their homes continue to exist. In fact, the lease option not only allows for a 100% prepaid option, which is very similar to the customer owned system purchase, but it also offers an option to pay monthly for a solar system, with the saving on the electric bill exceeding the payments into the lease. As long as incentives remain at a reasonable level, install costs remain low, and financing (and investors) remain available, the residential solar market should be robust this year.

And for profitable businesses with significant federal tax liability and straightforward installations, the commercial market will continue to be a good investment.

The Montgomery & Associates solar system consists of photovoltaic solar panels resting on a custom-made steel structure.  The array also acts as shading for employees’ cars.  This particular array has a very high capacity and fits entirely on the parking canopy, which is a great alternative for businesses with restricted roof space. 

In addition to the technical design and installation expertise, the company was thrilled and surprised by how easy the installation was.  Jeffrey Meyer, a Hydrologist and Principal for Montgomery & Associates stated, “this process has been a great overall experience – the entire TFS staff has been very helpful and enjoyable – made this project surprisingly easy!”

The organization was chosen to receive the TFS 2011 solar grant because of their wonderful involvement and unfailing assistance in the Tucson community.  At their Free Kitchen, Casa Maria volunteers serve lunch to 600 single persons, many of whom are homeless and they provide a family food bag to more than 200 families who are on the edge of poverty.  They also have a free Medical Mobile Clinic twice every week, a program for Vaccines for Cats and Dogs, and offer American Citizenship Lessons in Spanish and leadership and Community Organizer Training also in Spanish.

According to Casa Maria volunteer, Jerry Gill, “This solar system gives us an opportunity to extend our commitment to serving the poor with justice and in harmony with the earth. We already participate in recycling day old food donated by various food stores and restaurants, as well as used clothing from different private donors. We also grow some food of our own. Now, not only will we be able to save a considerable sum of money, but we will lessen our carbon footprint at the same time”.

There will be times of the year (e.g. during the spring) when your solar electric system is pumping out more energy than your business is using. When this happens, the excess energy is sent back to the utility grid, and the utility company gives you a credit for the electricity it received.

For those times of the year, when your solar electricity system may not cover all of your energy needs (e.g. during the winter when there are shorter days, or when it’s cloudy for several days in a row), you will pull additional electricity from the utility grid. You don’t have to switch anything on or keep track of anything.  No extra steps need to be taken on your part. This electricity you’re using from the grid is sent to your business exactly like it was prior to you installing solar.  You will never notice a difference between electricity produced by your solar panels or utility-produced electricity.

At the end of the monthly billing cycle the utility company will check your meter to determine how much you owe (or don’t owe) them. Throughout the month the NET meter has recorded the amount of excess energy you’ve sent back to the grid and how much energy you have pulled from the grid. If you sent more electricity back to the utility grid than you have received, a credit will appear on your bill that will be applied to your next month’s electricity usage. On the other hand, if you have pulled more electricity from the grid that you have sent back to it, you will owe the utility for the electricity that you used.

Now that you understand the concept of net metering, you still may be wondering why you wouldn’t want to install a system that provides more electricity than you need. After all, you can make money on the excess electricity that you send back to the grid, right? Unfortunately, in Arizona it doesn’t work quite like that.

Once a year at the end of the October billing cycle, TEP will give you a final credit for the balance of any excess energy you sent back to the grid. Although, it’s nice to receive this credit, it’s not exactly ‘apples to apples’. The utility company pays you wholesale (about 3-4 cents per kWh) for your electricity even though you paid retail prices (about 8-10 cents per kWh) for the electricity when you used it. The result is a very small credit that will not increase your return on investment faster than simply sizing your system to meet your business’ energy needs. An appropriately sized system is the best way to get the full financial benefits from your PV system, and the best return on investment.

Adding solar power to the sanctuary roof and two solar parking structure arrays allows them to more fully take advantage of God’s gifts.  Anne Marie King, the Our Mother of Sorrows Parish business manager said that they ultimately chose to install solar “to become better, more faithful stewards of God’s creation and to set an example and be a leader for other parishes in the Diocese of Tucson in promoting solar energy.”

The environmental and social benefits to Our Mother of Sorrow’s photovoltaic system are dramatic.  The solar array will offset 425,488 lbs of CO2 annually, and prevent other toxic chemicals from entering the air.  In addition to the photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, the facility also has three solar hot water heaters which allow the church to use water heated by the sun.  These systems allow the church to reach its goals by being good stewards and preserving the earth for future generations.  “Solar power is a gift from God to be used wisely to help protect our environment for future generations.”

The parishioners at Our Mother of Sorrows believe that their solar arrays and dedication to the planet is setting a good example.  The solar shading structures are very visible to the community and are helping to encourage other churches and parishioners to make the move to solar power.

The electricity produced by Our Mother of Sorrows’ solar array will be approximately 191,000 kWh annually and this will cover 60% of their total usage.  This offers the church significant energy savings of up to $2,000 a month and the savings can now be put towards other church activities and charities.

Their access to solar was made possible through loans by parishioners who financed the operation.  The church will receive the energy and utility bill savings and will have the opportunity to purchase the system outright in 10 years.  This unique system is allowing churches and nonprofits to make a move towards solar that would have been financially out of reach in the past.

“Having solar power has significantly reduced my energy expenditures,” says Dr. Kipp Metzger, the director and owner of the Animal Health Hospital.  The solar panels will cover 75-80% of the hospital’s electricity needs, saving the business thousands of dollars in utility expenses every year.  “My energy savings will completely pay for the system in about 4.5 years.”

While the financial benefits are great, the main reason Dr. Metzger chose to install a solar array on his business was to reduce its impact on the environment.  “I believe strongly that we need to take care of our earth and a huge way that I can do that is to significantly lessen my carbon footprint.”  Metzger lives with solar power that covers 100% of his home’s electricity needs, and by making his business just as efficient he has taken a huge step in reducing his footprint.

The striking system array is set up on a custom-made steel shading structure that allows the 60 SunPower panels to catch the sun’s rays, supply electricity to the hospital and help shade the building.  This last feature is important as the shade provided by the panels helps the building maintain its temperature in the summer, thus reducing its electricity usage, a technique called passive solar.

The new photovoltaic (PV) panels allow the Animal Health Hospital to get most of its electricity from the sun, so they can continue to focus their energies on helping Tucson’s beloved pets.  “At Animal Health Hospital we understand the impact a pet can have on one’s life. Whether to lounge on the couch with, to play catch with after school or to take on a challenging weekend hike – your pet is a valued family member and we give them the care that they deserve.”