The Urgency of Water Conservation in Renewable Energy

The following is a section of an article from UTNE Reader, an organization that provides "alternative coverage of politics, culture and new ideas."

“Increased implementation of renewable power sources is key to securing future water supplies, but when it comes to water use, not all renewables are created equal,” writes Sara Stroud, SI’s Bay Area correspondent.

Wind and solar photovoltics are among the lesser offenders; they require only one gallon of water for each megawatt hour of electricity produced (excluding water used in manufacturing). (A megawatt is one million watts, and one megawatt hour could power 400-900 homes for that hour.) Compare that to corn-derived ethanol, which sucks anywhere from 5 to 2,000 liters of water for each liter of fuel. That higher number comes courtesy of agriculture undertaken in arid states, like California and Colorado.

To read the full article go to UTNE This is just another reason to support renewable energy, especially wind and solar PV technologies. 

Higher Education and Solar Boats

As we have emphasized before, a core belief of Eastern Energy Systems, Inc. lies in education. E2Sys is dedicated to educating the community on renewable energy, and our contribution towards education does not stop there.

Our company likes to work with people who have the energy and drive to make things happen and colleges are usually a good place to find them. E2Sys is working with SUNY Farmingdale, Stony Brook University and Stony Brook's Southampton campus. The company's most recent involvement is with several of Stony Brook's School of Engineering students.

A student engineering team, led by Philip Haasnoot, is building a solar powered boat that will be entered into a competition between other universities. The boat is designed to compete in both endurance and speed events. The team requires several different engineers; mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering students have teamed up with the hopes of breaking records.

Three members of E2Sys; Jamie, Morgan and Adam, visited their shop, in the basement of the Light Engineering Building, to learn more about the project. With only ten weeks left from when we saw them until the competition, we made a donation to the team. E2Sys donated $500 towards the team and any materials we can provide.

The company's interest stems from our president, Jamie Minnick's interest in solar powered boats. When he found out about the project, he wanted to do all he could to help out.
The competition is closing in and the team seems confident in their work. We wish them luck and will alert everyone on their success.

Read more: Solar Boat Team Website

Solar Powered Electric Car

E2Sys has a solar powered electric car. We don't have solar panels on the roof (yet) but we do charge it from our solar and wind array.

This thing is excellent for getting around town. It cruises at 30-35 mph, and I can drive about 20 miles on a charge. More if I drive really slowly (20mph) and less if I really step on the accelerator. It takes around an hour to get a decent charge, but a full charge takes in the range of 6-8 hours.

The model is the E4, by Gem car. It was made in 2005 and has been modified to have larger wheels and a larger motor. (All the way up to 7.5 hp!)

Legally, these cars, known as Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) aren't allowed on roads with a speed limit of more than 35mph. That means I have to plan my route carefully to make sure I don't run out of battery or get pulled over somewhere I should be. Luckily, the north fork is ideal for getting around on the backroads and ducking in and out of town.

This will be the perfect addition to Team E2Sys for the summer. Hope to see you driving around town.

Solar Rebates Easier for All

Solar rebates are really good right now, but they're not simple or straightforward. Three different rebates combine to make solar pay for itself in 4 years and make you money after that. But those rebates are from 3 different places - and they don't work for everyone!

Two of the major rebates are tax credits. The federal government agreed to increase its tax credit from a cap of $2000 to a full 30% of the cost of the system. This can be over $20,000 for many homes. New York state, like many states, has a 25% tax credit which is still capped at $5000. Unfortunately, you need to pay income tax to get these.

While its great that the government is able to provide such a strong incentive, they rule out a large percentage of the population. Retired people typically don't pay income tax, and have no use for tax credits. And yet, Americans over 65 have the highest rate of home-ownership: 80% in 2008. Whey are we ignoring this large percentage of the population, effectively preventing them from making investments with their money and their homes that will benefit future generations and make them more secure against rising energy prices after they stop working?

The third rebate is the one that should be focused on. The Long Island Power Authority gives an up-front rebate of $3.5/watt, or about 40% of the installed system cost. This rebate is similar to how solar has developed as an industry in Germany and other parts of Europe.

The federal government should make rebates available to all people, regardless of age, and they should simplify the process by providing a single-source for rebates: through the utility companies. Then we can get in the business of installing solar on house after house, putting Americans to work and strengthening our clean energy future.

The Time is Now

What's the best phrase to use about solar energy? 'The time is now'

Objectively, solar has never been a better value. The federal, state and LIPA rebates all line up to make investing in solar more profitable and safe than its ever been. Systems pay themselves off in as little as 4 years, making a 25% return on investment, and is currently one of the only home improvements that pays for itself. (How long did the new bathroom take to pay for itself?)

But the cost to the homeowner is only one small part of this. Our economy is in a state of flux. We don't know where the stock market will go, or what the credit markets will do. Real estate seems to be starting to recover, but will remain shaken for a time to come. All of these things stem, at least in part, from our uncertainty over energy. This summer's oil shock jolted a lot of us into an unpleasant realization of how much we depend on cheap gas and heating oil. I've certainly been riding my bike a lot more since then. I think more and more of us are realizing that its time for a change.

The time is now to become a pioneer. Solar energy right now is the choice that you wish you could have made all those times before. Do it for every time you forgot to recycle a bottle or left your travel mug at home. Do it for all those fast food meals that you wish you hadn't eaten. Do it for the money that you should have put in your retirement fund. Do it for your children.

The time is now for the planet. I'm motivated to work for this company because the glaciers are melting. I'm working because coal companies poison entire communities to keep bringing us dirty electricity. I'm working to stop thousands of square miles of tundra from being scraped away in the Canadian tar sands. I'm working because I can make the biggest impact on climate change here, reducing home's demand on the electric grid to zero.

I hope you feel the same urgency to become part of the future. The time is now for solar energy.

Education Vs. Sales

I'm new to e2sys, and one thing stands out a lot at this company. We have a big focus on education.

Renewable energy is what everyone's talking about, but between the advances in technology, changing rules and occasional controversies, people don't always know what to think. It makes sense, after all, that there's so much education necessary. Our country has been behind Europe and other developed countries when it comes to renewable energy. We didn't learn about this stuff in school, and we don't have enough intelligent reporters who know how to inform us of what's going on.

With all the reasons why people don't know how renewable energy works, its no surprise that once people understand it better they're quick to sign up. Shoppers at Waldbaums the past couple Saturdays were often attracted by our large Skystream display turbine, which looks like an oversize fan. They come over and ask about getting wind on their property, thinking that it was a new and exciting technology for their home. In fact, wind technology for homes hasn't advanced nearly as fast as solar electric.



After a conversation, they would often become much more interested in the rate of return available on solar systems, sign up, and put e2sys Energy Experts to work producing an estimate for their house.

Most companies have a product that people are fairly familiar with, and the goal of marketing is to convince the customer that the product is more unique, a better value or more useful than the competition. Here at e2sys, we want to introduce people to renewable energy, because we're confident that they'll choose us once they know.

If you've been hearing about solar and wind energy recently, and never considered it because it was always for 'someone else', 'somewhere else'; think again. Let us educate you. Come take a solar tour at our residential office (Every Saturday at 11:00, 3305 Aldrich Lane, Laurel, NY), or call us up!