Arizona is known for having more sunshine than 99% of the United States, why not utilize all that heat as a power source? Below are a few of the best ways to cut your electricity costs, produce your own energy and make a few dollars.
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Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) is a solar incentive that lets homeowners sell the energy their home produces back to the utility company. State laws require a percentage of energy produced by utility companies to be renewable, to prove they are reaching the required amount companies must get renewable energy certificates or SRECs.
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Arizona’s renewable energy portfolio standard, states that the utility companies must obtain 15% of their electricity from renewable energy of that 30% must come from distributed generations like homes and businesses by 2015. Many utility companies offer a rebate or payback program to customers who install solar or wind generating equipment on their property.
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SolarWorld is the largest US manufacturer and has been producing panels for over 40 years. They have a wide variety of panels producing solar efficiency ratings between 17% and 21%. If you are looking for efficiency Centrosolar uses PERC technology to provide maximum efficiency.
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Purchasing and installing solar panels can be a big investment, which is why Solar City and Vivint offer power purchase agreements (PPA). They install the panels for free, then you buy the power from them at a lower rate than the utility company. SolarCity offers, leasing and purchasing options while Vivint does not. The upside to a PPA is that you are locked into a set price per kilowatt hour and no upfront costs. Leasing the panels is just like leasing a car your paying monthly for something you will never own. If you are looking to cash in on the government incentives, then buying the panels outright is the only way you can plus you own the power it produces.