Many businesses are putting the sun to work for them and saving a bundle on utility bills. While much of the country is experiencing increasing energy costs, some are looking to the sun as a solution.

Although nearly all solar applications will eventually save money, a large upfront investment is required. Some businesses are in the position to save a lot more money than others. Let’s explore which businesses can benefit the most from solar energy.

Use Large Quantities of Hot Water

Solar thermal technology is utilized to heat water and is frequently an impressive 70-90% efficient. Restaurants, gyms, apartment buildings, and laundromats are examples of ideal applications. Exactly the opposite of a gas or electric hot water heater, the more use the solar system gets, the larger the energy and cost savings.

Businesses Paying High Tax Rates

Two federal incentives exist to encourage solar installations. One is a federal tax credit of 30% that is set to expire at the end of the year (link). The tax credit is not affected by the tax rate. Businesses can also take an accelerated 5 year depreciation of the solar system. Businesses that pay a higher tax rate, will enjoy greater the tax savings from an accelerated depreciation, while businesses that don’t need additional write-offs won’t save a penny.

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Outdoor advertising might not sound very green — after all, who wouldn’t rather see a row of flowers along the sidewalk than a row of billboards? — but most realists have to accept that ad-driven media aren’t going away anytime soon. So if you have to stare at an electronic fashion ad or fragrance promo while waiting for the bus, wouldn’t you at least like to know the hype doesn’t come with carbon emissions?

That’s the plus that Fuel Outdoor Holdings LLC is bringing to Miami. Through its subsidiary, Fuel Miami LLC, the New York-based OOH media (that’s “out-of-home” advertising) company is installing 600 solar-powered bus shelters throughout the city. Under the 20-year arrangement, Miami gets the shelters for free and Fuel gets a place to display its customers’ ads, no electrical outlets required.

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Here’s another reason (as if one needs a reason!) to enjoy California wines: Napa Valley wineries are adopting solar power faster than any other business sector in the state.

Among the wine-makers using solar power: Far Niente, Frog’s Leap, Fetzer, Domaine Carneros, Ridge and St. Francis, among others. According to one solar company executive, the region’s wineries are going solar 40-plus times faster than any other type of business in California.

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There have been several stories about companies and nonprofits donating solar energy systems this holiday season and I think that’s a measure of renewable energy’s success and the awareness of energy issues as a whole. Here are a few examples that might make you a little warmer and fuzzier this week:

The Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) in Washington, DC received a $1 million donation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels from BP America. The solar system is expected to save the food bank about $71,000 a year on energy costs, or 2o percent of its annual electric bill. CAFB distributes 20 million pounds of food to 700 member agencies annually. They told Renewable Energy Access that the amount of money they’ll save with the solar power is enough to serve an extra 200,000 meals next year.

Over on the West Coast, the San Francisco Food Bank received $215,000 in solar PV panels from PG&E and system installation from the San Francisco Environment Department. The solar power should generate about 115,000 kWh of energy and save the food bank $15,000 in electricity costs each year. That’s more than 70,000 extra meals.

More Nevada neighborhoods may see solar power systems, courtesy of Black Rock Solar, a nonprofit organization started by the Burning Man community (an art and music experience held each year in the Black Rock Desert). Their mission is to give away low cost or no cost solar power. Or, as executive director Tom Price explained, “We see ourselves as a Habitat for Humanity of renewable energy.” MMA Renewables Ventures and Sierra Pacific Power are partnering with Black Rock to install the systems. Their projects so far include a 30-kW array for a hospital in Lovelock and a school in Gerlach got a 90-kW system that could provide up to $20,000 annually in clean, free energy.

CNETNews.com
San Francisco Sentinel
Renewable Energy Access

Some environmentalists feel strongly that companies should reduce their impact on the environment because it’s the right thing to do - going green because it benefits the bottom line somehow doesn’t count. Personally (and paraphrasing Oleta Adams) I don’t care how you get there, just get there if you can.

Business events like the AeA soponsored, “How Does Going Green Affect the Bottom Line?” further the cause. Held on March 20th at UCLA, technology companies discussed their successes along the journey to sustainability, and shared lessons learned related to different areas of greening.

A few key takeaways for companies interested in going green: (more…)

The News & Observer reports that software company SAS is investigating whether to build a solar energy farm at the firm’s headquarters in Cary, North Carolina.

The proposed installation would be able to generate 1 megawatt of electricity, nearly 10 times as much as the next-largest solar farm in the state. That facility, located at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, produces about 105 kilowatts of electricity.

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