New Solar PV Leases for your Home

We did our homework, and looked into over dozen lease programs, until we found the ones that most benefit you, the homeowner. 

California Green Designs is very excited to announce that we have partnered up with two innovative lease programs, designed to accelerate the widespread adoption of Solar PV Systems.

Both leases allow the homeowners to protect themselves against future electricity rate hikes. The financial benefit of leasing a solar systems is its tremendous affordability, thus removing the major obstacle faced by homeowners in their decision to adopt solar.

Pay as little as $0 Down for a Solar Lease Program, & monthly payments less than your current electric bill

With these leases, the combined cost of the lease payment and new electric bill would be substantially less than what a homeonwer without solar pays currently.

We’ve partened up with BriteLease, the solar lease program created by Suntech – the world’s largest solar panel manufacturer andSunEdison – an owner and operator of solar energy power plants. They aim to make solar pv systems affordable and accessible to most homeowners.  A solar lease is the ideal way for homeowners to adopt solar pv technology, without an up-front capital investment.

The leases are a turn key solution that includes bumper to bumper warranty and system performance assurance. Simple monthly payments include everything: product, installation, warranty, monitoring. So let California Green Designs help you take advantage of these great lease programs.

If you’re paying more than $100 per month for electricity, call us!

Solar energy is a proven, reliable energy source that is saving money for many smart homeowners today. And as the cost of electricity increases, homeowners will be satisfied knowing that their electricity costs are locked in over the term of the lease, and the savings start immediately. There is no pay-off period during which homeowners recover their initial investment. Since solar is a major equipment purchase, leasing it makes sense. For this reason, leasing is the method used by most businesses for major equipment purchases. A solar lease maximizes cash flow for the homeowner by spreading payments over long term. During the lease, and at its end, the homeonwer has the option to purchase the system which is a great idea as investment in principal residence has been a longstanding good investment. If the homeowner decides to sell the home, the lease is transferrable to the new buyer.

The Solar Blackout Solution – Solar Electric Battery Backup Systems

There are two main reason why most installations are connected to the grid.

1. There is no additional cost to being attached to the grid, whereas a battery system does mean buying large batteries.
2. The solar rebate comes from the electric company, who will only give you a rebate if you are still connected to the electrical grid.

There are advantages to being grid-tied, you can have a smaller solar system and still have access to any additional electricity needs you may have, on the opposite end of the spectrum if you have more production than you’re using, the additional power is stored on the grid, and in California with net-metering, when your solar panels are not working (i.e. when its dark) you use the stored energy at no additional cost.

There is one main downside to grid tied solar electric systems: Blackouts.

When the electrical grid goes down, your inverter goes down. (The inverter is what transforms the type of energy your system produces DC into the kind used in homes AC)

There is a solution, the no downside solar electric system has a backup battery system. It requires an additional inverter and some batteries. The other inverter comes to center stage really only when there is a power outage. When the power goes out, this inverter allows you to still use your solar generation, if the outage occurs when its dark, the batteries that are connected to the second inverter can be used to keep the power on.

Would like a quote on a solar battery backup system for your home or business? If you’re in the Southern California area Fill out a form for a free estimate, or call us at (818) 705 3474.

Here’s a close up of the system.

The Solar Battery backup system is essentially the hybrid solar electric system.

Reduce High Electric Bills. Part 2: What Size Solar Electric System do You Actually Need?

A couple weeks ago we covered how much solar you could have on your roof, today we thought we’d talk about how much you actually need on your roof (or property), to cover you usage, or at least drastically reduce your electric bill.

The size of the solar electric system that you would need to cover 100% of your energy use isn’t practical for everyone. In fact for some people living in places with tiered electric bills (for example if you live in an area serviced by Southern California Edison) it actually makes a lot of sense to cover a smaller portion of your use. Just install a system large enough to take care of the higher tiers you fall into, which happens especially when you use electricity during peak hours, which are also often the sunniest hours.By taking off just that bit, your electric bill doesn’t go down to $5 month (although that is common for larger installations) it could cut your bill in half or more, depending on your usage habits.

Want to know what size solar power system you need to cover 100%, get out your electric bill and follow this link to the Solar Electric Calculator.

If you think a smaller system would make more sense for your home, then you need a solar installer to quote you number. This is a free service many companies provide. They will need to see your electric bill and take a look at your roof. If your in the Los Angeles Area you can fill out a form to get a free estimate here.

CAGD Solar is in Thousand Oaks this Weekend for Earth Day

We’re continuing our city-wide participation in Earth Day events throughout Southern California with one of the best events in town!

Don’t miss California Green Designs at the 12th Annual Arbor/Earth Day event at Conejo Creek Park North at the 23 Freeway and Janss, behind the Thousand Oaks Library, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 25th. Price of admission: FREE!  Event hosted by the City of Thousand Oaks and Conejo Recreation and Park District.

GO GREEN! Saturday, April 25, 2009 11 am – 4 pm Conejo Creek Park North (23 Fwy and Janss Rd., behind the Library) Free Environmental Fun For the Whole Family. More than 100 vendors and exhibitors, animal shows, children’s hands-on activities, Marine Tidepool, entertainment, alternative fuel vehicles and tree and plant giveaway & more.

The organizers of the event hope to promote a healthy, prosperous and sustainable environment by highlighting planet-friendly activities, services and products. Learn to “Go Green” and “Go Solar” in a fun family atmosphere.

Solar at Earth Day 2009 in Pasadena

California Green Designs Solar is in Pasadena this weekend for the first annual Green Valley Expo, organized by Lookin’ Green Magazine. The event takes place Saturday, April 18, 2009, from 9 am to 3 pm at Victory Park Community Center,  (just north of the 210 Freeway and San Gabriel Boulevard)

The show welcomes residents from Pasadena, San Marino, Altadena, Sierra Madre, Alhambra, San Gabriel, Arcadia, Rosemead and surrounding neighborhoods to this free event.  The 2009 theme is “Our actions today impact our options tomorrow”. A stroll down “Green Street” in the exhibition hall gives attendees a peek at the latest gadgets, products and services for energy-efficiency and environmentally-friendly options,  with a fabulous lineup of experts on solar technology for homes and businesses, hybrid vehicles, and energy-efficient buildings, not to mention ideas for transitioning to safer household goods and personal care goods.

To learn more about solar energy, and the benefits of installing in 2009, visit our booth, in the center of the exhibit hall for more information.

Earth Day LA 2009 – Where to go for Earth Day in Los Angeles this year?

Believe or not, we started researching our Earth Day plans over two months ago. Los Angeles is host to literally dozens of great Earth Day events every year. There are a wide assortment of events, quite a few that concentrated on an Earthly topic, some that sound great for kids, and even some California Green Designs plans to attend, we hope to see you there.

April 4th

Earth Day Celebration in Calabasas next to Las Virgenes Creek. The celebration will feature exhibits, entertainment, learning booths, informational speakers and activities that focus on the environment.

April 18th – 19th

Santa Clarita’s Earth Day Festival & 20th Annual Arbor Day Celebration on April 18th, the event is organized by zones, including an Energy Zone, an Eco Zone, Community Zone, Green Car Zone, Children’s Zone and a Water Conservation Zone. CAGD will be there in the Energy Zone.

Topanga Earth Day will be in Topanga on April 18th and 19th, although we wont have a booth at the event, a few CAGDers will be there, enjoying the festivites. Feature at this event is lots of music on three different stages, lots of artists exhibiting their work, organic food, and a kid’s area.

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium celebrates Earth Day on April 18th by caring for our Earth. The day begins with a beach cleanup. Then it’s over the CMA for an hands-on inquiry and exploration. Local environmental groups, community resources and agencies will distribute helpful information and materials.

Earth Day Expo at the Los Angeles Zoo Enjoy a fun family weekend, April 18th and 19th with K-EARTH 101 featuring music, exhibits about recycling, shirt tie dying, arts & crafts, entertainment and more.

Lookin’ Green Magazine’s 2009 Green Valley Expo on April 18th, with the theme “Our actions today impact our options tomorrow”.. A stroll down “Green Street” in the exhibition hall gives attendees a peek at the latest gadgets, products and services for energy-efficiency and environmentally-friendly options.CAGD plans to exhibit there.

Green Apple in LA again this year with a slightly different take, they are organizing opportunities to volunteer and help the Earth, in order to say thank you to those who give their time, they are giving a free concert on April 19th at the Roxy in West Hollywood.

LACSD’s Earth Day 2009 on April 18th in Whitter, features lots of Family Fun with eco-magic and puppet show, green exhibitors, Earth-friendly arts and crafts, West African Drumming, train rides and environmental workshops.

2009 SouthLA EarthFest at Leimert Park Village on April 18th 2009. Events begin at 10am till 5pm. Demonstrations on eco-homes, gardening, green cars, healthy cooking shows, eco lectures, screen of the movie Fuel and much more. Plus many exciting youth activities and fun for the entire family.

April 25th

City of Thousand Oaks Arbour / Earth Day 2009 Which features Free Environmental Fun For the Whole Family. More than 100 vendors and exhibitors, animal shows, children’s hands-on activities, Marine Tidepool, entertainment, alternative fuel vehicles and tree and plant giveaway & more. CAGD will be there.

Greening the Earth & Family Arts Festival in Pasadena held at the Armory and across the street in Memorial Park features music, performers, art workshops plus booths on how to live greener, including CAGD’s booth.

May

WorldFest 2009 Earth Day Festival in Encino, a stone’s throw from our office, we plan on being there, but its not til May so more detaiils will come later.

Events with a  CAGD plans to attend.

Do Solar Panels go on the Roof of Homes?

Solar Panels are more often than not, installed on the homeowner’s roof. Especially if the roof meets a few basic criteria, i.e. they are not facing north, and are relatively unshaded. However there are homeowners who prefer to install a system somewhere else. For example CAGD has created solar paneled shade structures. Such as the installations below.

 

Also various solar ground mounts like these.

And finally pole mounted systems.

(These are bigger than than appear to be.)

Solar Power in the Winter

Out here in Los Angeles our winters are considered mild, there are two basic realities that make this true, one is the natural wind patterns that bring warm air up from the tropics, and the other is our location on the globe, we’re relatively close to the equator, which means we get a good number of hours of sunlight even near the winter solstice. Which means two benfits for solar in the winter in LA, one, fair weather means enough light to still power the panels during the day, and the sun’s high noon is still somewhere above us, which means if we simple tilt the panels just a little we get decent production all year round.

So which way do we tilt? Seeing as how we’re in the Northern Hemisphere, we tilt to the south.

The smaller tilt means that panels in LA prefer to be on top of buildings, rather than on the sides of buildings, and here’s where LA’s sprawl comes in handy, and again the good weather. LA has large roofs thanks to sprawl and flat ones, thanks to good weather, in short, if you where going to put up a solar system anywhere in the world that would have a good return year round, Southern Californis, is the place to be.

Clouds and Solar Power

So how do solar panels perform in cloudy weather? Well you could go outside to your meter and see if it is indeed spinning backwards, but there are a couple basic guidelines.

Overcast Days.

Solar Photovoltaic (PV) panels use light or “photo” to generate electricity or “volts”, so ample supplies of light are need for maximum performance. If the day is overcast, the general rule is if you can generate a shadow, solar panels can perform.

There is a perk though, if you regularly have overcast mornings, which is usually the case for beach communities, the clouds refract the sun’s light before sunrise, and you actually get a jump on production and start generating early.

Big Fluffy Clouds

Solar panels could potential perform better with big fluffy clouds, however if one of those clouds casts a shadow over a panel, the entire string of panels (which would be a portion of your system, not the entire system) would reduce to the generation of that one panel. As soon as the clouds move though, your system would pick right back up again and the shading could cool down the panels enough to up production as well.

Go Green Expo & Solar in Los Angeles 2009

Come visit California Green Designs and see our recent installations at the Go Green Expo on Jan 23-25 at the LA Convention Center, the expo dedicated to making communities greener, one city at a time.

A new show for the new year. New York’s Go Green Expo makes its way to California this January with what is expected to be a great show. California Green Designs will be there South Hall J Booth # 113

The show starts this Friday,  January 23rd with a day long program for businesses interested in going green. Buyers get in Free on Friday with their Business Card, followed by a weekend long program for Angelenos  looking for a more green lifestyle.

Lined up among the speakers at the show, include celebrities Ed Begley Jr., Mariel Hemingway, best selling authors Josh Dorfman “The Lazy Environmentalist”, Julie Edelman “The Accidental Housewife,”, Bryan Au “Raw in 10 Minutes”, and stars from Discovery Channel Planet Green’s TV show “Alter-Eco” Boise Thomas and Darren Moore.

*A special screening of Sundance Winner “FUEL” will be shown Friday evening, at 5.*