SWT Energy Summer Newsletter (402) Copper- Tim s long-time trusted companion

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1 FINANCING AVAILABLE Residential Loans- 18 Months Same As Cash- Up To $25, %- 12 Years- Up To $40,000 Commercial Leases- $500,000- $5 Million Up To 10 Years Most programs designed to net-zero utility costs over the lease period- FREE POWER after lease is paid with years performance with minimal maintenance. USDA Grants Available Copper- Tim s long-time trusted companion Farms and rural businesses need to take advantage of USDA grants available for solar projects. 25% of project costs can be paid. The maximum grant would be $500,000. This can be combined with tax credits and depreciation deductions to greatly reduce project costs and payback periods. Projects larger than the 25 kilowatt net-metering limit can be negotiated with local utilities as a power purchase agreement to offset business energy costs while providing the utility with a locked-in rate for energy. This will also help them meet clean energy standards and/or goals. Non-profit utilities CAN NOT take advantage of the grants or tax credits. With a power purchase agreement contracted with a for-profit business, they can benefit to help the entire community. Large industry in small towns (towns that manage their own utility system) can do the community a huge favor by investing in themselves. It will stabilize rates for decades to come. SWT Energy can help with the initial engineering to properly size and price the system to meet the energy needs or budget. There is no need to spend thousands of dollars on these services when SWT Energy has the resources to provide them for FREE.

2 Tim & Coral Hinkle Install A 10 Kilowatt Ground-Mount System Tim and Carol Hinkle decided to install a ground-mount system in an open area southwest of their home just east of Lincoln. To reduce complexity and costs, the system utilizes two string-inverters installed at the array and AC power is routed directly to the meter. Again, we used our Sunmodo helical-anchored system. After weeks of rainy weather, it was decided to use horizontal boring instead of trenching to speed up the project and reduce site cleanup. A communication cable was routed directly to the home to provide online monitoring. A cable puller was used to install the conduit for this run. The system is projected to provide over 15,000 Kilowatt-hours of power per year, or around 70% of the home s electrical requirements. The solar modules are Axitec 250 watt poly with black frames. We have two ABB PVI6000 string inverters installed at the array. Power is fed to a 100 amp panel. This leaves room for future expansion if desired. Surge protection is also provided. What makes this project interesting is Tom and Carol s son and his connection with NASA and the space shuttle program. Jason Hinkle is an engineer for Sierra Nevada Corporation out of Colorado. This company is working with NASA to build the new Dream Chaser transport plane that will replace the shuttle. Jason is chief structural engineer on the Dream Chaser project. Some of the details of our solar project were discussed with Jason prior to accepting our proposal. Anyone that reads my newsletter knows I appreciate new technology and high-tech stuff. The Dream Chaser program is a huge engineering endeavor. It will revitalize NASA s space station program. Good luck to Jason and his coworkers.

3 Linda Schantell Purchases a Chevy Volt After driving her 18 mpg (city) Equinox for seven years and 85,000 miles, Linda Schantellmy beautiful wife of 27 years, decided to trade in her vehicle for something new. After weighing options and a little advice from you know who, the Chevy Volt made perfect sense. Linda liked her Equinox. The only thing she was giving up was all-wheel-drive and an extra passenger seat. With both daughters out on their own, the extra passenger seat was not a problem. The ability to get around in the snow and ice could be an issue. I told her I would drive her to work on the days we need to deal with that. I still have my E85 burning Silverado 4 x 4 to make these treks. Linda compared the Volt to a Chevy Trax which had similar size and features as her Equinox. The price was about the same. After figuring out the bottom-line, the figures were considerably different. The Volt comes with a $7,500 tax credit. The Trax still requires fuel to get around. Between gas savings and bottom-line costs, the Volt fit the budget better. With solar on the home, we figured she would be driving for free as long as she maintained her daily commute to work and back. With a gas generator for backup power, she would never be searching for a place to recharge the vehicle. We could still take it on long trips and keep the cobs out of the generator. With the gas savings, environmental benefits, lower budget costs and technology that virtually blows your mind, the Chevy Volt is a winner. Linda even lets me drive it once in awhile. Linda is in good company. Robert & Lori Fairchild have PV on their home and a Nissan Leaf in the garage. Also, Robert & Linda Kraft recently installed PV and now have a new Tesla in the garage. John and Cynthia Tiedeman also have a Chevy Volt and roof covered with solar panels. Why would you want to charge your electric car with COAL? Side note- I saw a personalized license plate on a Tesla the other day- OIL LOL

4 The Mollhoffs Install 10.6 Kilowatt Solar Wayne and Janece Mollhoff decided to install solar on their home in Ashland this winter. After waiting out cold weather and snow, the project was started the second week of March. The home was not the only roof space included. Along with the 22 modules installed on the home s roof, an additional 14 modules were installed on their shop roof just north of the home. A microinverter system was used to simplify the installation. Each array has its own disconnect but the entire system is monitored as one system. Copper- Tim s long-time trusted companion Wayne and Janece over-sized the system to allow excess power to be sold back to the Omaha Public Power District. Only about half the power produced by the system should net-zero their home. Wayne and Janece hope OPPD will step-up and match Lincoln Electric System s program and offer full retail for the excess power. The system utilizes a high-efficiency Silevo 295 watt monocrystalline solar module. The black panel and frame fit in well with the charcoal shingled roof. The inverters are a high voltage ABB Power One micro-inverters. Aurora Vison monitoring allows for complete system diagnostics and performance data. The monitoring is web-based which allows for remote viewing, sharing and product support.

5 Scott Otley and Ruth Ann Thompson Add 7 Kilowatt Now 25 Kilowatt!!! Scott and Ruth were so pleased with their 18 kilowatt system, they decided to add 7 kilowatt more to max-out the net-metering limit. With only about 10 kilowatt needed to net-zero their historic barn home, the excess power is sent back to the grid. With Lincoln Electric System offering full retail rate for this power, the system will be a nice profit center. The new array was oriented southwest to allow for a larger capacity payment from the LES rebate program. LES offers a rebate of $275 per kilowatt for south-facing solar arrays but offers $375 per kilowatt rebate for west-facing arrays. West-facing solar helps LES offset need to purchase power at higher rates during peak demand periods. Scott and Ruth will receive a $2,625 rebate to offset the cost of the installation. They can also expect between $2000-$2500 per year for the additional power they sell back to LES. They will also be powering their home for FREE. Unlike heating systems and air conditioners that need to be replaced every ten to fifteen years, the photovoltaic system will provide free power for four to five decades after the system has paid for itself. The 25 kilowatt system is the largest privately owned photovoltaic system on the LES grid. The helical-anchored system combined with the 30% federal tax credit on this ground-mount application is easily under ten years. Even quicker as the rates increase. Though the new technology stands in stark comparison to the 100 year old horse-barn home less than 100 feet away, it relates to days when farmers were more sustainable and less reliant on things like the grid and fossil fuels.

6 Solar Impulse Ready to Make History Swiss pilots will soon be attempting their longest leg of their round-the-world flight from Japan to Hawaii. Weather permitting, this should happen within the next couple months. Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg have been sharing the cockpit of the plane. The project is not intended to promote commercial airline development. It is more about promoting clean technologies, using energy more efficiently and conserving natural resources. The Solar Impulse is powered by 12,000 solar cells built into the wing. These charge the 881 pound lithium battery pack which powers four 10 horsepower motors. Much of the flying is done a night. The team partnered with ABB to provide the resources to get the plane engineered. ABB is a Swiss-based company and a leader in renewables, sustainable transportation and energy efficiency. Over half of the SWT Energy solar applications utilize ABB inverters or micro-inverter systems. ABB has techsupport offices in the USA to help with initial setup and trouble-shooting. I wish we could get a SWT Energy logo on the Solar Impulse. I feel we are part of this effort. GO TEAM!!