http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/10/05/americans-face-double-digit-hikes-in-electricity-bills-to-fund-upgrades.html

"Already weary of high gas prices and 9.1 percent unemployment, many Americans are about to get another kick in the wallet thanks to large increases in their electricity bills. ..."

There is a way to lock in your rates, now. Install solar PV!

"How Solyndra's Failure Promises a Brighter Future for Solar Power"


As you will see, the solar industry is thriving quite well. The future is bright - for a number of reasons!

Almost done!

(CNN) -- Carbon emissions from energy use reached a record level last year, up 5% from the previous record in 2008, the International Energy Agency said.

The Paris-based agency called the findings a "serious setback" to limit global temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 F), which was set at the U.N. climate change talks in Cancun, Mexico, last year.

"Our latest estimates are another wake-up call," said Fatih Birol, chief economist at the IEA. "The world has edged incredibly close to the level of emissions that should not be reached until 2020 ... it will be extremely challenging to succeed in achieving this global goal agreed in Cancun.


...Go to the CNN site to read the rest of the article.

Clearly efforts to put renewable energy in place need to be increased...and quickly!

"Rick Marshall, president of paper machinery manufacturer Kirk-Rudy, thanked Russell Seifert (to his right in the photo) of Creative Solar USA May 25 at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for his work in installing a solar car canopy in the Woodstock company’s parking lot.

In the six days since the 100 kilowatt solar array’s been in operation, the company has saved an estimated $1,000 and projects to save $22,000 in energy costs this year, with an added benefit of providing shaded parking spots for employees.

Along with the car canopy was the installation of an electric car charger by Metro Plugin (owner Greg Crittenden is seen at the far right).

Marshall said he expects the panels to create enough electricity to equal one-third of the company’s current energy usage, and has future plans to add more solar arrays, tripling the current output. He added that since the canopy was installed, he’s seen some of his employees become more interested in solar technology."

(You may view the photograph referenced in the article on the Ledger News' site via the link above.)

1. The Federal 30% tax incentive;
2. The Georgia 35% state tax incentive;
3. The Federal Accelerated Depreciation Program;
4. Georgia Power’s Feed-In Tariff.

One final note of interest: all of the labor, materials (with exception for the inverters), design, and construction for this project were completed by people and companies located right here in Georgia!

As you know, there's an EV charging station installed underneath the solar canopy. Here's more information:

ClipperCreek model CS-40 provided by

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By the way, we had a successful and an enjoyable ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday! We'll post photos, shortly.

This is excellent news for everyone located here in Georgia, and it means the growth Georgia has seen during recent years in the solar and renewable energy sector will continue!

Furthermore, the increase for the tax credit limit allows even more individuals, manufacturers, agriculture farms, and commercial entities to see the quicker payback when they choose renewable energy to reduce their monthly bills.

Read more about the tax credit increase.

At the moment, Georgia is one of the best places in the nation to take advantage of solar technologies thanks to the various incentives and programs, such as the state's tax incentive, the federal tax incentive, the USDA REAP grant (for certain farms and businesses located specific areas), rebates offered by some utility companies, as well as net metering, and/or feed-in tarrif programs and more! DSIRE's web site has more information.

We, at Creative Solar USA, are very excited about the tax credit and what it means for our clients.

(We captured this photo of a Tesla Roadster after its charge had been completed.)

Rick Marshall, President of Kirk-Rudy, installed the solar panels to reduce the company’s energy costs. “Even though the upfront capital cost of such a system is high, the federal and state incentives, combined with the benefits of Georgia Power’s Solar Purchase Program, give this investment a quick payback. We expect this first array of solar panels to create enough electricity to equal approximately one third of our current energy usage. After the initial period of assessment, we plan to install additional solar arrays, tripling our current output, assuming all existing incentives remain in place.”

As part of the construction project, Kirk-Rudy decided to install the charging station as a benefit for their employees. Only one charging station is being installed at this time, but the design and construction allow for a second or third charging station to be easily installed in the future, as demand dictates.

Creative Solar USA, Inc., headquartered in Woodstock, Georgia, designed, engineered, and installed the 100 kW solar canopy. Creative Solar USA has been designing and installing solar photovoltaic systems since 2008. In addition to reducing the long-term cost of electricity and providing beneficial shade for parked cars, Russell Seifert, the CEO of Creative Solar USA, believes solar parking canopies and EV Charging Stations are a natural progression in our nation’s quest for energy sustainability.

“We are honored and proud to work with Kirk-Rudy on such a monumental project,” said Mr. Seifert. “All of our labor and subcontracting was sourced locally and 85% of our materials were purchased from Georgia based companies. Solar power not only helps our country with energy independence on a global scale but is also a benefit to our local economic community.”

The charging station is manufactured by ClipperCreek in Auburn, CA. Metro Plug-In, also of Woodstock, provided the charging station to Creative Solar USA. Creative Solar USA and Metro Plug-In find their two products to be a natural fit and both companies look forward to more joint endeavors.

“We, here at Kirk-Rudy, are proud to be on the leading edge in energy sustainability,” says Mr. Marshall.

The ceremony will take place at 11:00 a.m., May 25th, at Kirk-Rudy’s office located at 125 Lorraine Parkway (near the intersection of Rope Mill Road & Ridgewalk Parkway) in Woodstock, GA to be followed by a BBQ luncheon. It will be attended by a number of elected and governmental officials.

To read about it, here is the article:

http://woodstock.11alive.com/news/business/woodstock-welcomes-you/60083

Here, folks, is our fearless and very Creative leader, Russell Seifert. He came up with the concept of the solar car port and even designed it in its initial stages. Then, he had his engineer experts take it from there.

Stay tuned! More updates coming soon.

To learn more, you may read a longer article on the Green Building Chronicle's website.

Learn more about the project and see a concept photo of the carport.

Those panels look small, don't they? Yes, it can be difficult to gauge a perspective on their size. So, we thought we'd add a picture we took (just prior to having the landscaping touch-ups done) to give you a better indication on just how large this installation really is!

See what we mean? Pole-mounts are a great option for residential, commercial, industrial, agriculture or even government uses. Limitations of roof types, ages or styles are eliminated with this type of installation. If your roof is giving you an issue, there are even more alternatives than the pole-mounted installation. Ask us for details or keep checking our blog as we'll be posting another example option soon.

Here's one of the interesting quotes from that article: "...Renewable energy now contributes a quarter of the world's electricity capacity and is responsible for 18 percent of global power production...."

Here's another: ‎"One of the upsides of the downturn of last year was that it did lead to a significant decease in the cost of some these [renewable] technologies, particularly in solar," Eric Usher, manager the UN's Sustainable Energy Finance Initiative, told CNN."

As you can see, solar is growing and is here to stay. There are vast potentials that solar holds for us!

The photos are deceiving; those panels are enormous! (Approximately 5 1/2 feet tall.) We used well over 100 panels for this particular installation.

Winder, GA – Cantsink Manufacturing, Inc. in Winder, GA announced today that it has completed a solar power installation that will cover the power needs of their entire manufacturing site, said company President, Mr. Patrick Hutchinson. The company, which is located at 105 Manufacturers Court, is a manufacturer of helical piles.

“We began this installation in early June,” stated Russell Seifert, President of Creative Solar USA, the company hired to design and install the state-of-the-art solar power system. “We were very excited to work with Cantsink. They were able to get both federal and state tax credits that covered 65% of their installation costs. We are also awaiting final approval on a 25% USDA grant, which will make the final expenditure to our client only 10% of the cost to install the system.”

“We looked at the numbers and decided this was a great time to proceed with our plans to make our building a ‘net-zero’ facility,” stated Hutchinson. “The payback is fast, especially with the federal and state incentives.”

The solar electric (PV) system covers 100% of the energy needs of the manufacturing facility and sends any additional power back into the grid for re-sale by the power company. Solar installations, such as this one, are gaining in popularity in the United States. The state of Georgia is fast gaining traction towards being more solar-friendly by pushing to give alternate energy systems the support needed to place our fine state squarely at the center of the renewable energy scene in the southern US.

Creative Solar USA www.creativesolarusa.com 770-378-9668
Cantsink Manufacturing www.cantsink.com 678-280-7453

"Thanks again for your work putting up the solar system. Sometimes you can experience all kinds of situations with contractors, and believe me, we have been there! This was how it should be. You and your team were as professional as can be, you know your stuff, you went out of your way to get things done in our extreme tight timeframe, we worked through the usual quirks that come up in every job, and everything is working fine now. And on top of it, you and your team were fun to have around."

Look for more annoucements coming soon!

The discussion was, originally, scheduled to last about 30 minutes. However, interest swelled, and Mr. Seifert was pleased to stay an extra hour discussing these topics in detail and answering questions.

This is the second time the regional EPA office has asked him to speak, and he looks forward to other opportunities to educate regarding renewable energy.

"We have been working with rural and agricultural clients over the past few years that need to have their wireless and electric installations in very remote locations to create contiguous coverage," stated Digitel Wireless VP of Sales & Business Development, John Overley. "Not only is it expensive to run power lines from the power grid into these remote locations, but in some cases it's a deterrent to optimal deployment."

"Creative Solar USA has been working with us to come up with an integrated solution that uses solar panels or wind energy to power the WiMAX radios and pivots for remote locations. We think that this is a good model for many reasons; including its cost effectiveness as well as creating a 'no grid-footprint scenario' for the environment, saving money for both farmers and producers," said Overley.

"Digitel has a number of clients that are interested in solar powered solutions. One municipality wants to power their Cisco routers in some of their more remote deployments for public safety applications," stated Russell Seifert, President of Creative Solar USA, a Georgia-based company.

"We are also working with universities to trial alternative energy solutions to power remote soil and moisture probes all integrated with the soon to be deployed Wi-MAX network in South Georgia. The WiMax network will be utilized as the delivery mechanism for delivering the data to I-Linc, the premier decision support Portal tool for small, medium, and larger sized farms," stated Seifert. "The Obama administration has made it clear that America must re-visit their energy strategy to develop and deploy both alternative and renewable energy solutions to supply our energy needs. We are really excited to be able to work with Digitel to help farmers and rural communities become more economically and environmentally successful when it comes to their energy decisions, helping all of us to get away from our addiction and dependence on fossil fuels."

Creative Solar USA, Inc. specializes in alternative energy solutions and is located at 3760 Sixes Road, Suite 126-199, Canton, GA 30114. Creative Solar has also been working with Bill Boone, Director of the Georgia AG Innovation Center in Tifton, GA. www.CreativeSolarUsa.com; phone 770-89SOLAR.

Digitel Wireless, a division of the Digitel Corporation delivers state of the art broadband and wireless infrastructure equipment and services for the rapidly expanding municipal wireless broadband market, in both the Rural and Metro Municipal areas. Contact Mr. John Overley (770) 451-111. www.digitel.net

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This conference is sponsored by U.S. EPA Region 4,
Office of Pollution Prevention and Innovation.

Here is the description from their web site for the time slot: Green Technologies in the Southeast for Sustainable Design. Learn about the true costs of sustainable design and construction and realistic time frames for a return on the investment!

http://www.lifecycleconstruction.net/index.html

Mr. Seifert's specific topic is "Versatility with Solar Technologies".

Stop by and say "hello"!

"To go from the 1 gigawatt of generation capacity that we have now [in the United States] to the 170 to 200 gigawatts called for by 2030 amounts to a 26 percent compounded annual growth rate over the next 20 years," John Lushetsky explained. "That's a higher sustained growth rate than any industry has ever been asked to do before."

If you'd like to read the entire story, you may do so by clicking here.

Local Business Owner Brings Solar, Renewable Energy to Georgia

     There’s a new business in town. Creative Solar USA of Canton, Georgia is bringing renewable energy to their clients in order to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels.

     The company, which was founded in June 2008 by Russell Seifert, consults, designs and installs solar power, direct solar, solar thermal and wind power to homes, farms, businesses, educational institutions and government projects in the state of Georgia.

     “The state has very low utility rates, which will be rising at double-digits over the next seven to 15 years,” said Seifert, during his presentation at the Georgia Energy and Agriculture Division of Energy Innovation in Macon, Georgia, in December. “Georgia has one of the best renewable energy tax incentive programs in the country, and we have an opportunity to be a leader and set an example for other states to follow.”

     Seifert to spoke to representatives from state and federal agencies, including the agriculture liaison for Governor Sonny Perdue about the various applications that natural energy can be produced by the sun and wind without stripping natural resources, reducing dependence on overseas fuel resources, and creative and innovative ways that these energy systems can be utilized.

     “What is surprising is that some states in New England have been moving toward solar and wind at very aggressive rates,” said Seifert. “Here in Georgia, we have an average of 90 minutes of more peak sun time per day than they do, and we are not using this terrific, free resource. We have the ability to be proactive and get ahead of these rising costs and free ourselves from the dependence on foreign and carbon-producing fuels. The financial benefits extend beyond the ability utility savings by creating new jobs and helping to secure a solid foundation for Georgia’s growing economy.”

     Seifert started the company with a vision of balancing and reducing the above-average carbon imprint he helped to create in his former profession.

     For more information about Creative Solar USA, contact Mr. Seifert at (770)720–8998, or you may visit the company web site www.CreativeSolarUSA.com.

http://www.solartoday-digital.org/solartoday/20081112/

This is the digital version of the magazine "Solar Today". To see the article "Real Estate Value of Solar Power", click on the "pages" link. Then, scroll down and click on page 78 which is the page at the very lower left hand portion of the page. The title of this page is "Energy-Saving Q&A's" with Ken Sheinkopf.

As always, please visit our main web site in order to learn more about us, the services and products we offer and how to get started with your own renewable energy installation!