Recently, I was the guest on “Construyendo tu Futuro”, a construction and lifestyle show produced by the Hispanic Contractors of Colorado on Spanish-language radio station Radio TriColor, KXPX 96.5 FM.  It was a good chance to reach out about renewable energy to an audience new to us.

Download MP3 file of Radio Interview

Interview is translated below, or download translation here.

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“Construyendo Tu Futuro” con Jesus Fuentes en Radio Tricolor.   Una entrevista con Robert Quist representando a Vibrant Solar, Inc., una empresa de energia solar.

Bienvenido, Robert.

Buenos días.  ¿Qué tal, todos?

Gracias por estar con nosotros. El tema de hoy va relacionado con la energía solar, Mucha gente que nos escucha  va a tener dudas, preguntas, como ¿qué es? y ¿cómo funciona? no? La tendencia de hoy va hacia la energíá solar, hacia la energia de viento, a todo lo que se llama la energía removable.  Vamos….

Estoy para servirles.

Bueno, esta muy bien.  Vamos a hacer varias preguntas aqui a Robert que nos acompaña el día de hoy.  Robert, nos platiquemos sobre el beneficio de la energia solar  …

Yo creo que el acercamiento que algunas personas hemos tenido con la energia solar had sido con la calculadora que tiene las celdas solares que es lo que la mantiene.  Es una tecnologia que se viene inovando, que aun no esta al alcance de mucha gente.

Me gustaria que nos dieras un tema sobre que es la energía solar, como funciona, y que tipos de energia solar hay.

Si, claro.  Bueno, de hecho es cierto que hablamos mucho de las finanzas porque hay muchos incentivos en este momento para poner energia solar en su facilidad, en su hogar, en su negocio. Basicamente, es una industria bien joven, y por so, requiere un apoyo del gobierno y de Xcel, por ejemplo, que esta encargado de suministrar elelctricidad en esta area.  Nosotros trabajamos basicamente en tres tipos de energia renovable, dos son solares, y el otro tiene que ver con la tierra, se llama energia geothermal. Comenzamos con energia solar fotovoltáico, donde generamos electricidad para suministrar generalmente al medidor para dar electricidad de vuelta al Xcel.  Ellos entonces dan credito a un dueno de casa para lo que está generando, y después  sacan débitos para lo que está utilizando.

Vamos a ponerlo en terminos un poquito menos rebuscados para la gente que nos esta escuchando.  Esto podría funcionar como, por ejemplo, si yo tengo mis celdas solares, eso acumula cierta cantidad de energía, y Xcel no me cobra esa parte porque se ahorró essa parte.  ¿Lo dije bien?

De hecho uno esta generando electricidad para Xcel, esta dando de vuelta/regresando  electricidad a la compania.  Y ellos pueden medir a traves del medidor que cada uno tenemos en nuestras casas lo que uno esta generando, y lo que uno esta utilizando, y sacan sus cuentas y al final del día, le cobran a uno solamente el neto.  Me entiende?

- Si, nosotros, no estamos ahorrando sino que estamos regresando energía . . .

- Exactamente.

- . . . estamos siendo generadores de energía también.

- Exactamente, un mini generador.

- Entonces, esa es la primera rama.  ¿Cuál es la segunda rama?

- Solar termal.  Donde coleccionamos el calor del sol en un líquido, puede ser agua, puede ser  varios quimicos.  Pero transferimos este calor a un coleccioonador.  Generalmente utilizamos este calor para el agua caliente de la casa.  Un sistema más grande puede ser para calentar la casa en sí.  Usualmente es uno o el otro, o pequeno o grande.  En el caso de solar termal uno está ahorrando gas.

- Me ha llamado la atención el sistema que pusieron en el aeropuerto., por ejemplo, varias celdas solares. ¿Para qué las pusieron? ¿Para qué son?

- Esas también – es un generador más grande.  Ese es un tipo de  ‘ground mount’ (instalación montado sobre la tierra).  Un una manera de poner un sistema grande sobre la tierra (más grande de lo que se puede instalar sobre el techo de una casa). Aquí los paneles ‘rastrean’ el sol durante el día. Los paneles en la manana tienen sus caras hacia el este, y durante el día van siguiendo el sol hacia el oeste.  Esto saca más eficiencia, más utilidad, de los paneles en comparación a una instalación que está fijo.

- Claro, porque tiene más horario, porque se va dando la vuelta.

- Y va coleccionando los rayos de sol en un angulo muy directo y eso saca más provecho del los rayos para generar electricidad.

- Hemos entendido que esto es una prioridad para nuestro gobierno.  Hemos hablado en varios programas que el gobierno de Colorado está muy, muy metido en programas de energía . . .. .

- Sí, el gobierno del estado de Colorado, tambien el gobierno federal, tiene fondos especiales en sus presupuestos para incentivizar todo tipo de energía renovable.  En el lado nacional tiene un crédito en sus impuestos de 30%.  Esto es un crédito, no es un rebajo de sus ingresos.  Se puede contra un 30% del valor del sistema que uno instala en su hogar o en su negocio.

- Roberto, mucha gente puede pensar que esta tecnología es muy cara, que no está al alcance de cualqueira de nosotros que podemos estar esuchando este show.  ¿Qué nos podría decir al respeto?

- Bueno, en general, la verdad es que es cierto.  Es generalmente muy cara.  Pero, con los incentivos que ofrece el gobierno, y las companías como Xcel que suministran la energía, esto pone la tecnología al alcance de uno.  Ahora hay tratos muy buenos con estos incentivos.  Además es una inversion para sacar ahorros hacia adelante.

- ¿Será más fácil que una empresa haga esa inversion que alquien en su casa convierte todo a  sistema solar, que  todo el techo de su casa lo tenga con celdas solares?

- De hecho por el tratamiento de los impuestos, es un poco más atractivo para negocios que para casas en este momento.  A pesar de eso es atractivo para duenos de casa también.

- Robert, para la gente que nos está sintonizando en este momento, ¿cuál es la diferencia entre la energía solar térmica y los sistemas solares electricos?

- Uno colecciona calor, y suministra ese calor en el momento indicado.  El otro, con los paneles fotovoltáicos, genera una corriente de electricidad que coleccionamos en una caja que se llama una invertidor para luego devolverla a la companía de electricidad, para dar electricidad a Xcel.

- Robert, el petroleo se va a acabar.  Eso es un hecho.

- Y el carbon.

- Y el carbon también.  Entonces esto no sólo es el futuro sino que es de las últimas alterativas que tenemos para poder generar energía.  ¿Estoy en lo correcto?

- Bueno, es cierto.  No va a pasar mañana pero sí uno tiene que tomar medidas, ¿verdad?, para cuidar al futuro.  De hecho, en este momento ya es mandatorio, a cierto nivel, para los grandes generadores de electricidad.  Por ejemplo, no es mandatorio para los pequenos generadores, para las casas, los negocios.  Eso vendrá algún día.  Lo que encontramos nosotros con los clientes nuestros es que generalmente tienen la mente en el lado verde ya.  Lo que nosotros (en Vibrant Solar) podemos suministrar o enseñar es que lo verde también genera “verde”.  Es una inversión muy bueno.  (Invertir en la tecnología verde produce ahorros en los presupuestos futuros que es como dinero ingresando a su bolso.)  Y generalmente uno no tiene que esperar mucho tiempo par realizar ingresos.  Para un comercio puede ser tan corto como dos años.  Para una casa particular, vemos un ingreso dentro de diez anos.

- Literalmente, ¿se paga solo la inversion?

- Sí.  Es una inversion que genera ahorros, que es plata.

- ¿Cuánto tiempo dura un equipo de estos, más o menos?

- Bueno, hablando de fotovoltáico, porque esa es mi especialidad, tenemos una garantía de 25 anos para la electricidad en si.  Pero los paneles pueden durar 50, 60 anos.

- Entonces, estamos pensando que si vamos a poner una planta de algo, necesitamos un terreno específicamente para los paneles solares, ¿no?  ¿O pueden estar en las azoteas como en el caso del edificio aquí en el centro?

- Hay muchos estilos.  Pueden ir montado sobre un techo, en una instalación sobre la tierra, o como un sombrero (sobre una azotea o sobre un parqueo), por ejemplo.  Hay muchos estilos.

- Puede ser un poco tonto mi pregunta, pero ¿qué pasa cuando está nublado?  ¿Qué pasa cuando está nevando, que aquí pasa muy seguido?   Aquí está nevando dos, tres días, y de repente, piii . . . . .

- Bueno, aqui cerca en Golden tenemos el Laboratorio Nacional de Energías Renovables (NREL).  Ellos han sacado datos para todo el país, y en varias partes por codigo postal, por ejemplo, y ellos dicen que, para Denver en sí, recibimos un promedio de 5.5 horas por día de energía solar todos los días del ano.  Y Eso cuenta con días nublados, cuenta con las noches, cuenta con todo eso.

- A mí me inquieta mucho el caso de Xcel que actuó muy al tiempo, porque en vez de decir ”No, no, no, yo sigo haciendo lo mío,” luego, luego entró el cambio, entró la la evolución, entró muy a tiempo, no como, por ejemplo, el caso de Kodak,  que entraron las cámaras digitales y no quería trabajar con las cámaras digitales, quería seguir en ‘film’.  Aquí creo que Xcel hizo un buen movimiento.  ¿Cuál es tu perspectiva . . . en unos diez anos, cómo ves a Colorado con este tipo de energía?

- En unos diez anos . . . es una pregunta bien interesante.  Xcel está trabajando bajo unas reglas, nuevas hace tres, cuatro anos ya, que dicn que , en el ano 2020, tiene que suministrar el 20% de todo su energía de fuentes renovables.  Por eso están ellos incentivizados (motivados) en incentivizar a nosotros a los clientes pequeños para ayudarlos en comprar e inverttir en esos tipos de tecnologías.  Han hecho un muy buen trabajo en ese sentido.  No sé que va a pasar en 10 anos, pero en este momento el estado dice que quiere que el 20% de toda nuestra energía en Colorado venga de fuentes renovables.

- Esto es interesante.  Esperemos que podamos llegar a ese punto.  Vamos a cerrar el programa.  Nos quedan cuatro minutos, nada más para algunas conclusiones sobre la energía removable.  Es la energía que hemos estado hablando a lo largo del programa.  Nos hemos enfocado en los paneles solares, que son con agua, que pueden estar en la tierra, hemos estado hablando de varias cosas.  Robert, ¿Cuál sería una buena conclusión de tu parte?  ¿Algo que la gente quiere y necesita saber sobre  esta tema?

- Bueno, (Hay) una cosa nueva para nosotros, bien interesante, para desarrolladores grandes, y también para dueños de casas que pueden estar constuyendo en este momento.

Ahora estamos ofreciendo un sistema lo que decimos (llamamos) un sistema cero-carbón.  Ese ofrece basicamente una combinacón de tres tecnologías: solar fotovoltáico, solar térmico, y geotérmico.  (Este ultimo) saca el calor o el frío de la tierra para enfriar en el verano o calentar en el invierno.  Y eso, toda la combinación viene con esos incentivos de impuestos.  Y la parte fotovoltáico también tiene otros incentivos de parte de la companía Xcel, y sale relativamente barata, alcanzable para uno que está constuyendo su propia casa.

- Robert, muchos CEOs de companias, gerentes de companies, nos están escuchando en este momento.  ¿Dónde se pueden comunicar contigo en caso de que quieren alguna cotización, orientación, algo que ellos quisieran renovar, cambiar su companía, ¿Por que no nos hacemos un gol aquí?

- Bueno, gracias.  Mi celular es 720 519 6376.  Yo con mucho gusto contesto lo que puedo.

- Bueno, llamarle, y preguntar.  Pues, ¿cómo lo hacemos?  Porque tal vez estamos pensando que está muy caro, pero tal vez está dentro del plan, dentro de la estratégia, dentro de un presupuesto, y estamos viendo hacia un futuro. Entonces, nada más antes de pasar con Mireya, para finalizar . . . Colorado es uno de los estados que va más adelantado en esto . . . .

- ¡Tiene mucho sol! (Se rien.)

- También Arizona.  No, pero a lo que me refiero es que Colorado está muy preocupado, desde el gobernador hasta las companias están muy preocupados en evolucionar a la parte verde, ¿no?

- Sí es cierto.

- Y bueno, pues, creo que este es el camino adecuado.  Y, Robert, muchas gracias por haber estado en el show de hoy.

- Muchas gracias a Uds.

- Y, por favor, no eches a corroto esta información porque es fundamental.  Ahorita es una opción para muchos de nosotros, y es obligatorio para unas empresas.  En un futuro va a ser obligatorio para todos para poder sobrevivir.  Muchas gracias a Robert Quist que nos acompañó en este programa.  Y muchas gracias por sus aportaciones muy, muy interesantes.

- Gracias.

It’s always good to freshen up a web site. Our web master Khamryn Matthews did a bang-up job of making the site navigation easier and providing a brighter look.

Vibrant Solar has evolved tremendously over the past year and is in the process of achieving some very big things. We have about 45 projects going at present, along Colorado’s Front Range, totaling over 800 kilowatts.

We are thrilled with the response to our Residential Leasing Program. This program uses local funding and all local workers to install systems on homes with no up front cost to the home owner. The monthly lease payments are 20% less than you would have paid Xcel Energy for the power. It’s a win-win.

Vibrant Solar has been selected as one of the winners of Colorado Companies To Watch. Jeff Holwell of the Colorado Office of Economic Development was gracious to nominate us. The big announcement is coming soon, with an event in Denver on June 18^th, 2010.

We recently added three new sales staff and I don’t have to train them!  Tom is doing an excellent job in his new position as Manager for the small array sales staff.  This has allowed me to take on five out of state Representatives, the start of our nationwide force for the SunCube CPV module.

By next Tuesday we should have final approvals for 235KW at Hertz DIA, the massive Hertz Rent A Car facility at Denver International Airport. The City of Denver has facilitated this project including getting FAA approval.  The staff at Hertz DIA and Corporate have been enthusiastic since the start.  With KVAR Energy Controllers and solar we are knocking out 15% of their massive 3.4 mWh per year usage, and 591 tons of carbon emissions per year.

Mark Simmons
Vice President of Marketing & Sales

Vibrant Solar just completed a week exhibiting at the Colorado Home & Garden Show.  The show was well attended and the interest in solar has never been higher.  We were able to present our new Vibrant Solar Residential Lease Program which proved to be a very strong attraction for attendees at the show.  In order to help our many customers who were having trouble financing their solar panel systems in the down economy, Vibrant came up with our own Residential Lease Program.  The program, funded by J&A Leasing, requires no up-front payment, no down-payment and then lessees pay 80% of their utility electric bill instead of paying the utility for 15 years.  They save 20% off their electric bill immediately and throughout the term of the lease.  The lease runs for 15 years, but lessees can buy out the lease after 6 or 10 years if they choose.  Attendees at the show liked the multiple buy-out options and the fact that their money stays in Colorado.  The other lease options in the Colorado market are financed by California companies.  Vibrant Solar is the only lease program financed and installed by Colorado companies.

Also on display at the Vibrant booth was the revolutionary, new SunCube.  Vibrant Solar is the only licensed company able to sell SunCubes in the southwestern United States.  SunCubes represent the next wave of photovoltaic (PV) solar energy, concentrated photovoltaic’s (CPV).

The SunCube is rated at 31% efficiency, whereas the standard PV thin film and flat panels have a 10% to 18.5% efficiency range.  This means that fewer solar modules are required, with a lot lower cost, to produce enough electricity to power a home, commercial business, factory or large power user.   Needless to say, the SunCube was a very popular exhibit at the show.

Tom Schwing
Director, Small Array Sales

Mark Simmons
Vice President, Marketing & Sales
mark.simmons@vibrantsolar.com

Denver, CO, September 30, 2008…During the three years since Colorado’s Amendment 37 passed, mandating power company rebates on solar electric systems, the local solar industry has taken off.  There are now over 150 companies installing systems in Colorado– most very small operations.  A couple of locally owned companies have become major players, while some national companies have moved into this ripe market.

One of the leading local companies is Vibrant Solar, Inc.  Vibrant Solar started business in the second quarter 2006, and had two employees and some contractors at end of that year.  Today they have 38 employees, numerous contractors, a statewide operation, strategic partnerships, annual sales approaching $6 million, and plans to double revenue again next year.  

Mark Simmons, Marketing and Sales Director for Vibrant Solar, said that the primary reason for such growth is Xcel Energy.  “Xcel launched and built one of the best rebate programs in the country,” explained Simmons.  Xcel’s Solar Rewards program is available to their 1.3 million Colorado electricity customers.  The program pays out the $2 per watt rebate that Amendment 37 mandates, plus pre-purchases the Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) produced by a solar electric system for its first 20 years of operation at $2.50 per watt.  “Xcel sends the rebate and REC payment about 60 days after installation,” Simmons continued.  “Vibrant Solar, as well as most local installers, carry the rebate, allowing the homeowner to pay only the after-rebate price.  This means an average home system, which costs roughly $40,000, only costs the homeowner $14,000 out of pocket.”  

Simmons continued to explain that, as of May, 2008, all power companies in Colorado must install a “net meter” when a homeowner or business installs a solar system.  “The net meter can accept the electricity produced, running the meter backward. The power companies must purchase electricity produced by a solar electric system for retail, the price they charge per kilowatt hour.  The right-sized system can therefore zero out the electricity bill, aside from a couple of flat fees.”

“So, at least for Xcel’s Colorado territory,”  Simmons continued, ”with the right system and only about 40% of the total price tag a homeowner can zero out their bill and most of their carbon emissions.”

 The Governor’s Energy Office also works with smaller power companies to help them offer rebates, though none comes near the Xcel Energy rebate… which is one of the best in the country.

In addition to the Colorado State government’s support and the Xcel rebate, Congress may initiate the true boom of solar within the next week or two.  Both the House and Senate have passed extensions of the federal tax credit program, one increasing the residential cap from $2,000 to $4,000, the other removing the cap entirely, making the residential credit the same as commercial, and 30% of total cost.  “The program would be extended six years or eight years,” Simmons explained,  “long enough for serious investment in the booming industry.  Either bill would cause residential solar electric systems to be very affordable, while commercial would have the chance to grow.”

Simmons then said that there are also negative forces at work in this boom industry.  “Manufacturing capacity is growing, but in late summer each year a shortage of panels hits,” he explained.  “This is due to summer being the busy installation season. This was exacerbated in 2008 by Europe’s, and particularly Spain’s high demand for solar photovoltaic panels.  The US dollar was weak, and massive government programs covered most of the cost.  European installers bought most of the worldwide supply this year.”

“Otherwise, as NPR reported last Thursday,” Simmons continued, “the industry is strapped for investment capital– most solar installation companies are undercapitalized.   They are growing faster than their original capitalization can tolerate.  Some consolidation is already happening, while some smaller companies are simply going out of business having not survived their startup, even in this booming industry.”

“Meanwhile, the federal tax credit program expires at end of 2008.  Commercial system sales have already dropped off, as the installers are past the point where they can write a new contract and guaranty the system would be online to take the text credit by year’s end,” Simmons said.  “Hopefully, Congress will come to agreement on the new bill and get it in place by year end.”

This is the state of the industry today.  Strong in some ways, shaky in others.  And all too temporary.
Then the challenges for solar companies will be maintaining supply, and handling meteoric growth.  It will be an exhilarating and dangerous time for this young industry.

Mark Simmons

Marketing & Sales Director

Vibrant Solar, Inc.

As I stated before, Colorado now has some of the best solar incentives in the entire nation. This was started when Colorado citizens passed amendment 37 which forces the large investor owned utilities like Xcel Energy and Aquila to offer a $2.00/watt rebate for on-site solar installations and requires them to get 10% of their energy from renewable sources by 2010. The legislation also has a set aside earmarked for solar of 4% of the 10% total. Just last year the Colorado legislature enacted and Governor Bill Ritter signed into law HB07-1281 which sets a new goal of 20% by 2020. Xcel Energy and Aquila quickly implemented programs to meet these goals. Xcel Energy currently offers incentives on small systems (10KW or less) of $4.50/watt rebate. $2 of this is the rebate mandated by amendment 37 and $2.5 represents the purchase of the Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) generated by the system over 20 years. Aquila is similar but currently offers $2.00/watt for the RECs.

At first glance, the 25% goal would seem to insure that the rebates will be available for many years to come. It turns out that this may not be the case, at least for Xcel Energy. The Solar Rewards program has been successful far beyond Xcel’s initial estimate. Amendment 37 allows the utilities to charge up to a 2% surcharge on everyone’s electric bill to pay for the program. Xcel Energy initially only charged .6% thinking that this would be plenty. Unfortunately for them, it was far too little. Xcel didn’t understand the drive people have to try and help the planet and to make some money from THEM for a change. The program received so many applications that by the fall of 2007 they were in the red for the program and losing money. In New Jersey when this happened, they shut the program down. Here they didn’t stop the program or even attempt to slow down the applications. Xcel deserves kudos for that. In the fall of 2007, they have applied to the PUC to raise their surcharge to the full 2%. That still has not happened, but the program is still going strong. Of course a lot of credit goes to people like Rick Gilliam who drafted amendment 37 in such a way that Xcel CAN continue the rebates.

Xcel’s continued funding was welcome news but in the fall of 07, Xcel delivered quite a shock to the solar installation community. They filed their 5 year plan (http://www.xcelenergy.com/docs/Volume1-Sections1-1through1-5.pdf) which showed their vision of the future. In that plan, they listed the kilowatts of on-site solar that they were planning on installing. For 2008 it was 16megawatts – about the same as was installed in 2007. For 2009 it dropped to 4. For 2010 it dropped to 2, then it started alternating year to year between 1 and 2. This galvanized the solar community. If these numbers were followed, it would kill the newly revitalized industry in Xcel’s territory.

Since then, the Solar Rewards staff has met with COSEIA ( the Colorado Solar Energy Industry Association. http://www.coseia.org ) and possibly other groups to try and calm our fears. What they said was that Xcel viewed the numbers as MINIMUMS to meet their production goals as set by law. They were not MAXIMUMS. They also stated that they did not currently foresee pulling the plug on the small systems rebates – ever. Their feeling was that this program involved such small numbers that it would not impact their long term plan. They also have taken the stand that Amendment 37 requires them to continue to offer the $2/watt rebate forever, not just until their renewable energy goals were reached. They also pledged to give everyone 90 days notice when they plan to decrease the REC payment.

This has somewhat relieved the tension in the front range PV industry, but not completely. There is really nothing to stop Xcel from limiting the number of rebates they offer nor to keep up the $2.50/watt REC purchase price. COSEIA has filed protests against Xcel’s plans and is currently trying to work with the PUC to get some sort of assurances for the next several years. I would like to see the incentives somehow indexed to the cost of PV and have them go down as PV costs go down. Without this, it will be very perilous to be a PV designer/installer.

So what do I think will happen to the incentives? Its tough to know. Xcel would be perfectly happy to keep things as they are. Their costs will be covered by the 2% surcharge and they get to look good earning green karma points. Left to themselves, they might leave the incentives as they are or gradually reduce them to keep the program from losing money as more and more people install PV on their businesses or homes. The wild card here is the PUC and the legislature. It is the PUC’s job to keep the power providers in check and to look out for the financial well being of utility users. Once the on-site PV requirements are met by Xcel Energy and the other power providers. The PUC may decide it is their duty to step in and end or reduce them. A lot will depend on how people interpret amendment 37.

For now, the rate of applications to the Solar Rewards Program continues to grow. It is not hard to envision a future where the incentives are curtailed or removed all together. In fact, I would be surprised if 2009 doesn’t see a reduction in the REC payment.

My conclusion, understandably considering what I do for a living, is that people who are on the fence should jump and buy a PV system now before the prices go up.

Vibrant Solar Inc would like to thank the people who worked so hard to get the renewable energy standard passed in Colorado and who continue to that work today to make renewables a large part of our power grid. A special thanks goes to Rick Gilliam, representing Western Resource Advocates, and the other advocates who helped draft and pass Amendment 37 in Colorado. Their forethought and dedication have given us one of the best incentive programs in the country. I’d also like to call attention to the members and management of COSEIA, CRES and the other renewable energy groups who have been working tirelessly to make solar the long term future of Colorado. They have created an environment of cooperation and trust in the Colorado solar industry and their efforts have born amazing fruit.

Next, I would like to take a moment to thank Xcel Energy. “You mean Xcel Energy, the power company? The guys who are trying to build a bunch of new coal-fired plants in Colorado?” you may ask with surprise. Yes that Xcel Energy. Xcel Energy is like any other power company in that they exist as a business to make money for their shareholders, they have a monopoly in their service areas and everyone has to buy their energy from Xcel. This makes them a frequent target of peoples ire.

In spite of their seemingly cushy position, they have seen the writing on the wall and gone the extra mile to make renewable energy a part of their power production. They have the largest wind production of any utility in the country and, after a little initial resistance (OK, a lot of resistance), have heartily embraced PV through the Solar Rewards program. Through Solar Rewards, they have implemented some of the best policies in the nation to make this program run smoothly and easily.

The team at Solar Rewards has been seriously over-worked and underpaid, but they have risen to the challenge and have continued to be helpful and enthusiastic. After hearing horror story after horror story about other rebate programs in California and New Jersey, its amazing how painless the process is here.

I think few people appreciate what a difficult position these people are in. Because of Xcel’s government granted monopoly, they have a lot of serious constraints imposed on them by the PUC (Public Utilities Commission). This can make things very difficult. For example, by PUC rules, no one is allowed to produce electricity in Xcel’s territory and sell it to anyone but Xcel Energy. The Solar Rewards people had to work with the PUC to allow them to waive this restriction for on-site solar and we now have the option of third party financing for systems over 10 kilowatts. There are many other examples of this and a lot of the hitches in the system come from trying to work with the PUC rules.
The solar rebate process has not been without its snags and growing pains, but the people working on it have made it one of the best programs in the country and I thank them.

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