Tag: solar batteries

Massive Discounts on Energy Storage for Qualified Customers

Written by goldensolar on . Posted in Energy Storage, Green Living, Rebates, Solar Panels, Solar Power.

 


Are you interested in getting discounts on your solar energy system and storage? XCEL’s Solar Rewards program is now offering significant discounts for Income qualified and disproportionately impacted communities program for both solar systems and energy storage systems.

The Program:

For batteries, Xcel will pay for $800 per kW of equipment installed, or up to 80% of the equipment cost. In combination with the 30% federal tax credit, our customers are saving over 80% of the installed cost to add batteries to their solar system.

Xcel also has a program for solar energy systems without batteries that is expected to reopen in 2025. This program offers a discount of one dollar per watt installed for systems up to 7 kW. This means a discount up to 7000$ dollars! This utility rebate could cover over a quarter of total costs in addition to the federal 30% tax credit.

The IQ/DIC program (Income Qualified or Disproportionately Impacted Community) is meant to offer access to clean renewable energy for both households that meet income requirements and communities that are most impacted by environmental health and social justice issues.

How to Qualify:

For the IQ/DIC program, customers must meet one of following criteria:
    1. The median household income is less than two times the federal poverty guideline
    2. The median household income is less than 80% of the area’s median income
    3. The customer may qualify under the income guidelines of Section 40-8.5-105, C.R.S. adopted by the Department of Human Services
    4. Live in a DIC community
The Disproportionately Impacted Communities criteria are defined by Colorado EnviroScreen: an environmental justice mapping tool. This program was developed for the Colorado Department of Public Health.  The map identifies geographic areas with poor quality of air and water, vulnerability to natural disasters increased by climate change, in close proximity to heavily polluting industries, and higher prevalence of certain diseases likely impacted by these factors.

To find out if you reside in a disproportionately impacted community, you can use the EnviroScreen mapping tool. All addresses located in areas with an EnviroScreen score in the top 20 percent are eligible for these discounts. You can simply type in your address and check if you live in an area with diagonal lines on the map. A significant portion of Xcel territory falls within these areas.

What To Know About Solar Panels, Batteries and Back-Up Generators

Written by goldensolar on . Posted in Solar Power. Leave a Comment

Most people are well aware of importance home backup generators and battery in case of problems like power outages. Which one to buy? Should solar panels be considered when picking one? – are the two questions that pops up in a homeowner’s mind. So, to help you make the right decision some questions have been answered for you better understanding.

What is the amount of electricity that an average American home use?

It was discovered with the help U.S. Energy Information Administration that the average electricity consumption annually for an American home was 10,908 kWh (kilowatt hours) in the year 2013. So, every day an American home uses about 30 kilowatt hours.

Due to rough weather, storms and, of course, old electrical grid, we face power outages a lot. So, what will be the right backup power to invest for this situation?

Home back generator is a very dependable power source for power outages. Also, the generator connected to a home’s gas line directly will supply constantly and will operate in long outages. If you are worrying about no supply of natural gas when there is an outage then you should know that generators with dedicated LP tank can also be fueled. Solar panels are very helpful in such a situation as with adequate sunlight a home backup power source can provide enough power.

Does generator and battery provide the same backup power?

No, the backup power support is different in case battery and generator. It is true that both of them can supply power but different appliances require different amount of power for a proper performance. Generator can supply power to every selected circuit at the same time with what they need. But, home batteries are not known for supplying full wattage that every appliances need.

Why most people invest in home backup generators?

There are lots of high-load appliances like air conditioner, running hot water and others that need a high capacity to start and perform and they also consume a lot of power thus they drain batteries quickly.

What are the ways to live “off-grid”?

There are many ways by which a person can enjoy all the appliances without the help of power grid. Solar panels are a great way to go “off-grid” only if a battery can get enough sunlight without any interruption.

Is it possible to ditch the power grid?

Backup generators and batteries for home can help n supplying power during an outage but they do not have the capacity to supply power all the time. So, it is impossible to go completely “off-grid”.

Is the use of home backup generator and battery limited in some places?

A home backup generator happens to work perfectly in any weather condition and in any place or region. Similarly solar panels powered batteries can also work in any place as long the adequate sunlight is received.

Is a generator able to produce good power output?

Many popular generators are known for producing about 22kW and can even help appliances like electric heater and kitchen appliances to run smoothly.

Is a battery able to produce good power output?

Batteries powered by solar panels can produce power about 2kW (average). Now, you have all the answers. So, all that is left to do is select the right home backup power source for you.
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