Sunrock Solar

Interview with Harvey P., SunRock Customer

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:48:42 EST

Harvey P. of Yellow Springs Ohio hired SunRock Solar to install a photovoltaic system in his backyard using a pole mount system. The panels were installed May 3, 2011 so have been in production about a year. We interviewed Harvey about his panels and the pole mount system.

How big is your system? 15 modules for nameplate rating of 3.45 kW.

What percentage of your utility is being covered? How much have you utility bills gone down? I am covering 100% of usage, but we were not big users. Our electric bill is now $10.00 per month, covering the first 100 kWh, which I never use.

Now that it has been running for awhile, have you figured out how long it will take to pay it off? Very uncertain, as it depends on electricity rates, SREC values, and the value of my power uses (e.g. the use of solar to power my plug-in Prius displaces gasoline charges)

How many SRECs have you produced? Slightly less than 4 MWh at this point.

You decided to use a pole mount system. Why didn’t you put the panels on your roof? More shading from neighbors trees than was the case with the pole mount.

Why didn’t you use just a regular ground mount system? I wanted the option of “following” the sun during the seasons, and also the pole mount left more gardening space than a ground mount would have.

Do you think the pole mount system has helped your production? Yes, based on a comparison with a roof-mount array in the Village, and it also helps the snow fall off with the winter setting vs. the summer setting.

Are you satisfied with the production? Yes.

Is it easy to crank? Yes, very easy.

How often do you need to crank it? I usually change the setting twice a month, and sometimes more often if I am showing the installation to someone.

Have any issues or problems developed? No.

Have you had any major storms hit your area? Hail, or high winds? There has been some small hail and fairly high winds. The hail caused no visible damage and the wind caused the array to shake a bit, but not enough to cause worry or damage.

Are you satisfied with the work that was performed? Very much.

What other things do you do at your house to reduce your energy costs? We have new appliances, all energy star, and most of our lighting is with CFLs. We are replacing our windows to decrease air conditioning load, the only possible use that would exceed our production enough to use our “banked” production.

Are the panels producing enough energy to handle your house and charge up your electric car? We have a plug-in Prius, and easily have the capacity to cover it. (about 4 kWh for a full charge. It is not used every day.)

Do you monitor your usage more now that you have panels installed? Has it made you more aware of what you are using? No, I have kept a spreadsheet of usage for several years. But I do enjoy following the production on the Enphase website.

Are you glad that you installed solar panels at your house? Yes, indeed.

tags: Prius, Photovoltaic panels, Pole mount System

SREC Data Collected from SunRock Solar Customers

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:12:02 EST

The following data has been collected from current SunRock Solar customers to show what each has made by selling their SRECs produced by their installed systems.

We were able to collect information from 13 out of 21 of our residential PV customers. Four systems are still waiting for state certification, and data is not available for the others at this time.

It does not reflect the SRECs that our commercial customers have sold, nor does it reflect those that have contracts for their solar hot water systems. Contracts are no longer available for SHW customers.

The SolSytems customers have all signed contracts so they have received the same amount for each SREC. SREC prices range from $200.00 to $303.00.

The SRECTrade customers put their SRECs up for auction when they are produced and their sale prices vary. SREC prices range from $265.05 to $372.93.

Customer 8 puts their SRECs for sale on the GATS billboard and companies deal directly with them to buy the SRECs. These SREC prices range from $325.00 to $385.00, which is the most anyone has received.

Data was collected through the end of February 2012.

	Array size -KW	KWh expected	Installation Date	In production	Market	Total SRECs sold	Average Price /SREC	Total $ from SRECs
Customer 1	3240	3649	6/18/10	20 months	SolSystems	6	$303.00	$1818
Customer 2	4836	4643	8/6/2009	42 months	SolSystems	13	$200.00	$2600
Customer 3	2760	2804	5/15/2010	21 months	SolSystems	5	$270.00	$1350
Customer 4	4620	4974	1/25/2011	12 months	SRECTrade	4	$265.05	$1060.20
Customer 5	4600	4978	12/31/2009	37 months	SolSystems	10	$303.00	$3030
Customer 6	3450	3809	5/3/2011	10 months	SRECTrade	2	$358.52	$717.03
Customer 7	3220	2707	2/17/2011	12 months	SRECTrade	1	$353.40	$353.40
Customer 8	8800	9822	10/26/2010	15 months	GATS billboard	7*	$375.00	$2635
Customer 9	6300		7/17/2009	31 months	Duke	18	$325.00	$5850
Customer 10	9680	11616	3/30/2010	20 months	SolSystems	24	$303.00	$7272
Customer 11	2272	2491	10/2/2009	40 months	SolSystems	5	$303.00	$1515
Customer 12	5280	5735	2/15/2011	13 months	SRECTrade	3	$265.05	$795.15
Customer 13	4950	5211	12/31/2010	14 months	SRECTrade	5	$369.02	$1845.12

*Customer 8 has produced four additional SRECs but has not put them up for auction yet.

tags: SREC, Photovoltaic System

Installation of Solar Panels using a Pole mount System

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:44:16 EST

SunRock Solar has started using pole mounts to install photovoltaic systems for some of our customers. Pole mounts are a valid option when there is a small amount of roof space to install an adequate number of panels, the roof line is east/west, or there is too much shading to justify an installation. The poles consist of a single pole with a crossbar where the solar panels are mounted. There are two different sizes of poles that can hold either ten or fifteen panels each. Because everything is mounted on a single pole, the footprint of each pole is minimal.

We buy the mounting system from a company called True South. The company is located in Ohio and the poles are also manufactured here.

Another feature of these poles is that each pole has a hand crank, at the ground level, that can tilt the panels. In this way, the panels can be adjusted to give an ideal tilt for each month of the year.

To see pictures of the installation of a pole mount system in our gallery, click here.

tags: Pole Mount, Solar Panels, True South, Photovoltaic Array

Great Loans for Solar Installations

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:04:20 EST

There are two loan programs that are available to our customers to help offset the cost of installing solar panels. One is a HIP loan and is available for Hamilton County residents and one is the EcoLink program which is available for Ohio residents.

HIP Loan (Hamilton County’s Property Improvement Program)

This program allows Hamilton County residents to borrow money to repair or remodel their homes or rental property at interest rates 3% below the lowest rate a bank would normally offer

Solar Panels qualify for the program.

-Loans at 3% below market rate, 5 year term - only one outstanding loan at any given time

-Available in participating Hamilton County communities. Milford City does not participate.

-No Income Restrictions or limits (must be able to meet bank's credit requirements)

-Loans are capped at $50,000

-For one-family, or two-family, and commercial properties valued up to $350,000 (based on Hamilton County Auditor's appraisal)

-All Property taxes must be current

-Owner-occupied and investment dwellings qualify for the program

-There is no property value limit on multi-family dwellings (three or more units)

-Most types of permanent repairs or improvements are allowable. The HIP loan is structured as a home equity loan, secured by a second mortgage on the property.

-Most of the banks are unwilling to approve the loan if they cannot obtain a secondary lien on the property. However, you should discuss your options with a participating lender.

Five banks participate in the program-Fifth Third, First Safety, Key Bank, North Side bank, and US Bank. Rates vary from bank to bank. Closing costs vary from bank to bank. It is worth it to shop around.

Traditionally, the lowest interest rates have been given by Key Bank and US Bank. Shelley Cummings(513-533-7716) at Key Bank is very knowledgeable about the program.

To find out more, check out the website at http://www.hamilton-co.org/hc/hc_hip.asp

Contact Information
Jay Springer, "HIP" Coordinator
Hamilton County Department of Planning and Development
138 East Court Street, Room 807
Cincinnati, OH 45202

Phone: 513.946.4459

Fax: 513.946.4475

EcoLink Program

ECO-Link offers a reduced interest rate on qualifying loans to homeowners completing energy-efficient upgrades, installing renewable energy products or weatherizing their homes

Solar panels qualify for this Loan

-ECO-Link is a partnership between the State Treasurer of Ohio and participating state banks. Find a list of the participating banks on the website

-Provides a 3% interest rate reduction for five or seven years on bank loans

-Must be used to complete energy-efficient upgrades in your home.

-Must be an Ohio Resident

-The maximum loan amount is $50,000.

-There is no limit on property value to qualify for the loan

-A homeowner can opt for a seven-year rate reduction if the loan is for more than $25,000.

-The homeowner must use at least 50% of the loan proceeds for the installation of qualifying energy-efficient products; the other 50% of the loan can relate to other home improvement projects.

-There are no fees for the preparation, processing, reporting or monitoring of any ECO-Link application to the Treasury.

Eligible products and projects include, but are not limited to:
washing machines, dishwashers, furnaces, hot water heaters, freezers, refrigerators, heat pumps, air conditioners, windows, doors, roofing, insulation, septic tanks, boilers, programmable thermostats, geothermal units, solar panels and small scale wind turbines.

To find out more visit their website at http://ohiotreasurer.gov/ecolink

Contact the Ohio Treasury, Department of Economic Development via e-mail at ecolink@tos.ohio.gov call (614) 466-6546 or toll free at (800) 228-1102

tags: HIP Loan, Ecolink Loan

The 9th Annual Green Energy Ohio Tour

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 11:49:49 EST

Mark your calendars for the Green Energy Ohio Tour which is taking place this year on Saturday October 1st and Sunday October 2nd. This year they have changed the name from the Solar Tour to the Green Energy Ohio Tour. The new name more accurately describes the tour which features not only solar but tour sites with wind, energy efficiency, biomass, and other green energy technologies. This is a free statewide event organized by Green Energy Ohio. The 2010 tour was the largest in the nation.

SunRock Solar is well represented this year with 12 of our installations on the tour. The website to build your own tour is up and running although new sites may still be added. It is pretty slick. Just put in the region that you would like to visit and the time, and it will build a custom tour for you including directions and pictures of each of the installations. Click here to build your custom tour.

If you are thinking about adding solar to your life this is a unique opportunity to talk with owners who are living and working with green energy technologies. Come learn how friends and neighbors are combating rising energy costs, slashing utility bills, utilizing incentives and tax credits.

tags: Green Energy Ohio Tour, Solar Tour