Comments on: I Wanna Be a Solar Empowerment Zone! http://sustainableflatbush.org/2008/08/07/i-wanna-be-a-solar-empowerment-zone/ Promoting sustainable living in our Brooklyn neighborhood. Wed, 14 Mar 2012 21:09:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: anne http://sustainableflatbush.org/2008/08/07/i-wanna-be-a-solar-empowerment-zone/comment-page-1/#comment-3473 anne Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:44:35 +0000 http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=454#comment-3473 Aaron, I haven't heard of any program like that but you would need to investigate the specific incentives available in your state, in addition to the Federal tax credits. Here are some resources: http://www.dsireusa.org/ (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency) http://www.energytaxincentives.org/ (info on Federal incentives) Good luck and let us know what you find out! Aaron, I haven’t heard of any program like that but you would need to investigate the specific incentives available in your state, in addition to the Federal tax credits.

Here are some resources:

http://www.dsireusa.org/
(Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency)

http://www.energytaxincentives.org/
(info on Federal incentives)

Good luck and let us know what you find out!

]]> By: Aaron Carter http://sustainableflatbush.org/2008/08/07/i-wanna-be-a-solar-empowerment-zone/comment-page-1/#comment-3464 Aaron Carter Sun, 22 Feb 2009 01:12:51 +0000 http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=454#comment-3464 I am very new to solar, so my guestion is that if all the parts of the system are built in my home state does the tax credit go way up? I am very new to solar, so my guestion is that if all the parts of the system are built in my home state does the tax credit go way up?

]]> By: anne http://sustainableflatbush.org/2008/08/07/i-wanna-be-a-solar-empowerment-zone/comment-page-1/#comment-3429 anne Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:30:12 +0000 http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=454#comment-3429 @jim, this article lays out some of the issues for installing solar panels on the roof of a co-op building: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/nyregion/23about.html?scp=2&sq=jim%20dwyer%20+%20solar&st=cse I heard the writer speak about this at last year's NYC Solar Forum, and it actually gave me some hope. There are some real hurdles, first and foremost getting a quorum of shareholders to agree to making the building the electricity customer, who then bills the residents (as opposed to the situation you mention where everyone pays their own Con Ed bill). This is necessary to deal with financing the installation and billing that against the electricity the panels generate... it's complicated but this building did it and came out ahead, even before the additional solar incentives were put into place in the middle of last year. I agree with you that improving the efficiency of current systems would probably be the biggest and easiest win for most buildings. This is the low-hanging fruit that hardly anyone is looking up and seeing. @jim, this article lays out some of the issues for installing solar panels on the roof of a co-op building:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/nyregion/23about.html?scp=2&sq=jim%20dwyer%20+%20solar&st=cse

I heard the writer speak about this at last year’s NYC Solar Forum, and it actually gave me some hope. There are some real hurdles, first and foremost getting a quorum of shareholders to agree to making the building the electricity customer, who then bills the residents (as opposed to the situation you mention where everyone pays their own Con Ed bill). This is necessary to deal with financing the installation and billing that against the electricity the panels generate… it’s complicated but this building did it and came out ahead, even before the additional solar incentives were put into place in the middle of last year.

I agree with you that improving the efficiency of current systems would probably be the biggest and easiest win for most buildings. This is the low-hanging fruit that hardly anyone is looking up and seeing.

]]> By: anne http://sustainableflatbush.org/2008/08/07/i-wanna-be-a-solar-empowerment-zone/comment-page-1/#comment-3428 anne Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:17:45 +0000 http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=454#comment-3428 @Erika, we were actually in discussions with 1bog to make Flatbush (and Brooklyn in general) one of their next markets. They are going through some structural changes so the collaboration is stalled for the moment, but their model seems to have worked well in San Francisco. As anyone familiar with the NYC solar scene will tell you, it comes with its own particular set of challenges, but there are some really great minds working on it! Solar One (solar1.org) is always at the forefront of these efforts and they have been a great resource for Sustainable Flatbush. Chris Neidl leads their I [Heart] PV campaign and shared his wealth of knowledge with us at last year's Neighborhood Solar Forum. As for wind conditions I don't know of any resources, but for green roofs there is a Google listserv where lots of info is being shared: http://groups.google.com/group/greenroofnyc and the New York Botanic Garden is hosting a series of courses on everything from plant selection to regulations and incentives: http://www.nybg.org/edu/conted/conted.php?cat_id=10019&level_id=ALL @Erika, we were actually in discussions with 1bog to make Flatbush (and Brooklyn in general) one of their next markets. They are going through some structural changes so the collaboration is stalled for the moment, but their model seems to have worked well in San Francisco. As anyone familiar with the NYC solar scene will tell you, it comes with its own particular set of challenges, but there are some really great minds working on it! Solar One (solar1.org) is always at the forefront of these efforts and they have been a great resource for Sustainable Flatbush. Chris Neidl leads their I [Heart] PV campaign and shared his wealth of knowledge with us at last year’s Neighborhood Solar Forum.

As for wind conditions I don’t know of any resources, but for green roofs there is a Google listserv where lots of info is being shared:

http://groups.google.com/group/greenroofnyc

and the New York Botanic Garden is hosting a series of courses on everything from plant selection to regulations and incentives:

http://www.nybg.org/edu/conted/conted.php?cat_id=10019&level_id=ALL

]]> By: Erika http://sustainableflatbush.org/2008/08/07/i-wanna-be-a-solar-empowerment-zone/comment-page-1/#comment-3405 Erika Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:02:27 +0000 http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=454#comment-3405 I had been reading about folks doing group deals in other parts of the country. Here's the website to a group from and organization from the Bay Area that had caught my eye. http://1bog.org/ It's worth checking out. Every time I step out onto my roof and look around, I see a lot of potential. I see green roofs and solar. Anyone know a good place to find out what the typical wind conditions are in an area, and what values represent a good wind turbine site? erika I had been reading about folks doing group deals in other parts of the country. Here’s the website to a group from and organization from the Bay Area that had caught my eye.

http://1bog.org/

It’s worth checking out. Every time I step out onto my roof and look around, I see a lot of potential. I see green roofs and solar. Anyone know a good place to find out what the typical wind conditions are in an area, and what values represent a good wind turbine site?

erika

]]> By: jim http://sustainableflatbush.org/2008/08/07/i-wanna-be-a-solar-empowerment-zone/comment-page-1/#comment-3396 jim Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:06:04 +0000 http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=454#comment-3396 What would be the incentive for a building if most people pay for electric individually, particularly in buildings that are not majority owner-occupied? I guess at a minimum, solar could cover the electric for common areas. Figuring out a practical way to improve boiler efficiency and reducing oil use would be really useful for most buildings. What would be the incentive for a building if most people pay for electric individually, particularly in buildings that are not majority owner-occupied? I guess at a minimum, solar could cover the electric for common areas. Figuring out a practical way to improve boiler efficiency and reducing oil use would be really useful for most buildings.

]]> By: jay http://sustainableflatbush.org/2008/08/07/i-wanna-be-a-solar-empowerment-zone/comment-page-1/#comment-3353 jay Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:38:31 +0000 http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=454#comment-3353 yeah, lots of incentives! http://nyserdaweb.cleanpowerestimator.com/default.aspx and the federal incentives given in that site are inaccurate. as of last month, there is no 2000$ cap, the feds will cover 30% of any solar installation! yeah, lots of incentives!

http://nyserdaweb.cleanpowerestimator.com/default.aspx

and the federal incentives given in that site are inaccurate. as of last month, there is no 2000$ cap, the feds will cover 30% of any solar installation!

]]> By: Peter Kobel http://sustainableflatbush.org/2008/08/07/i-wanna-be-a-solar-empowerment-zone/comment-page-1/#comment-2860 Peter Kobel Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:46:15 +0000 http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=454#comment-2860 Okay, this sounds great. I live in a co-op on Ocean Ave. Does anyone know if there are tax incentives, etc., to make this attractive to the board? And what about wind power? Okay, this sounds great. I live in a co-op on Ocean Ave. Does anyone know if there are tax incentives, etc., to make this attractive to the board? And what about wind power?

]]> By: Ellen http://sustainableflatbush.org/2008/08/07/i-wanna-be-a-solar-empowerment-zone/comment-page-1/#comment-2636 Ellen Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:22:24 +0000 http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=454#comment-2636 I can! I can!

]]> By: anne http://sustainableflatbush.org/2008/08/07/i-wanna-be-a-solar-empowerment-zone/comment-page-1/#comment-2609 anne Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:21:19 +0000 http://sustainableflatbush.org/?p=454#comment-2609 Uh oh!!! Where?? Uh oh!!! Where??

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