SOLAR TODAY - June 2011

inside ases | American Solar Energy Society news
ASeS Chapter Links Small-PV owners, SreC Payments
By Alex ABdAllAh

Alex Abdallah is an associate editor at SOLAR TODAY. To share your local ASES chapter or division news, contact her at aabdallah@ solartoday.org.

When the city of Naper- ville’s Renewable Energy Program was searching for a source of renewable energy certificates to satisfy its renewable energy portfolio requirements, the Illinois Solar Energy Association (ISEA) — an American Solar Energy Society (ASES) chapter — stepped up to the plate. By volunteering to create a Renewable Energy Credit Aggregation Program (RECAP), ISEA not only boosted its chapter membership, but it also provided a valuable service to its members.

ISEA launched RECAP in 2009 in partnership with Community Energy Inc., a for-profit solar and wind developer. Geared toward small-photo-voltaic (PV) system owners — 10 kilowatts (k W) or less — ISEA aggregates solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) and does a direct sale on behalf of its program members.

Do your part. Want to move the solar needle forward in your community? Join more than 160,000 solar enthusiasts on Oct. 1 in the largest grassroots solar event in the United States: the 15th Annual ASES National Solar Tour. For complete details visit nationalsolartour. org or contact Richard Burns, tour manager, at rburns@ases.org.

The program has grown each year: In 2009, it offered $65 per SREC to 20 program participants. In 2011, 40 members will receive $200 per SREC. In March, the 30 members of the 2010 program received checks from ISEA totaling $22,767.75.

Tom DeBates, ASES and ISEA member and owner of Habi-Tek Renewable Energy Systems, informs his customers of the various renewable energy programs offered at both the state and federal level. Richard Born and Albert Moriondo, both Habi-Tek customers and 2010 RECAP participants, joined ISEA upon DeBates’s recommendation.

In order to apply to RECAP, ISEA first requires applicants to be chapter members. So in 2010, 21 out of the 30 RECAP participants were also new ISEA members.

Members have been ecstatic about the program, said Michelle Hickey, program coordinator for ISEA and program manager at Community Energy. Considering how easy the application process is, it’s no surprise

Richard Born received a ReCAP check for $203.18 for his system, which became operational in late September. he expects to receive around $1,200 for his 2011 solar renewable energy credits.

GreGory Born

that the program for 2011 is already at membership capacity. ISEA hopes to continue to expand the program in upcoming years, especially because homeowners with PV systems larger than 10 k W have expressed a desire to participate as well.

According to Hickey, Illinois has fairly low utility rates, so RECAP allows homeowners to install a small system and still cut the payback time. “This certainly beats any incentive that is provided by my electric utility company, and I am on both net metering and real-time pricing,” said Born.

Since joining ISEA, Born has
become a PV system advocate. “I
need to do all that I can to build
interest in my hometown,” he said.
“I believe I may be the first resident
of DeKalb, Ill., to install a PV system,
so I look forward to participating in
the 2011 Solar Tour, during which I
will have the opportunity to promote
RECAP.”
Businesses are more likely to have
the time, knowledge and capacity
to trade their energy credits on the
market. But small-system owners
don’t always have those resources.
Together with the backing of a local
chapter, they become a reliable source
of energy credits for a buyer.

The cycle of benefits is clear, from
the local chapter to the customer to
the installer. But, as Born said, “the
most important thing is protecting
our planet, so that my grandchildren,
and their grandchildren, ad infini-
tum, can live happy, environmentally
friendly lives.”
Hickey believes this program can
be started through any ASES chapter
and she is happy to talk about it. If
your chapter is interested in starting
a similar program, contact Hickey at
michelle.hickey@illinoissolar.org.