Comments on: California Regulators Trip Magic 3-Year-Payback Tipping Point for Solar Hot Water

By: Captain Obvious

Captain Obvious — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:57:47 +0000

Someday people will do this without tax subsidies.

By: Captain Obvious

Captain Obvious — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:57:00 +0000

Someday people will do this without tax subsidies.

By: Susan Kraemer

Susan Kraemer — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:26:00 +0000

Agree about KISS, but using fire to boil water to make steam to turn turbines is a simple 18th century tech too – what coal power stations use to make electricity from coal (after destroying mountains and states to get at it, that is).

Re 3rd world, yeah, and China now dominates the market for solar hot water manufacturers per Renewable Energy World. But it is widespread in Israel and Australia, too, that have been 1st world nations longer than China.

By: Susan Kraemer

Susan Kraemer — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:26:47 +0000

By: MD

MD — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:19:08 +0000

Most of the research for these heaters came from people heating their pools… silly yes.

We make fun of people in 3rd world countries yet most heat their water this way…

None of this stuff has to be hard, KISS rule wins every time.

By: MD

MD — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:19:00 +0000

Most of the research for these heaters came from people heating their pools… silly yes.

We make fun of people in 3rd world countries yet most heat their water this way…

None of this stuff has to be hard, KISS rule wins every time.

By: Susan Kraemer

Susan Kraemer — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 21:01:00 +0000

Apartments and commercial buildings (and homeowners) qualified as of last Fall for the Federal 30% tax credit, which (for businesses)would be an upfront cash grant if you had no taxes owed (was snuck into the bailout bill) and as long as you did not use it for the apartment swimming pool (the pool exclusion is dumb. Pools use half the gas, and it goes to waste. Most are ornamental.)

However at the state level, except for a little pilot program in LA, solar hot water got no California Solar Initiative rebate, like solar PV does, through your utility.

By: Charles

Charles — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:47:22 +0000

This sounds great. I would love to see more solar thermal in this country.

I’m not sure most apartments qualify for the federal credit. At least they didn’t before, but I haven’t followed all the changes recently. I’m glad to see California explicitly includes them.

By: Charles

Charles — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:47:00 +0000

This sounds great. I would love to see more solar thermal in this country.

I’m not sure most apartments qualify for the federal credit. At least they didn’t before, but I haven’t followed all the changes recently. I’m glad to see California explicitly includes them.

By: Susan Kraemer

Susan Kraemer — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:01:12 +0000

However at the state level, except for a little pilot program in LA, solar hot water got no California Solar Initiative rebate, like solar PV does, through your utility.

By: John

John — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 03:22:00 +0000

Fantastic news. It sounds as though California is heading down the path of taking solar hot water and solar electricity generation seriously.

By: MD

MD — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:42:21 +0000

“Everything old is new again” – Right back to square one for California.

Do an online search for “Climax Solar Water Heaters”

Better yet, look for:

The Integral Passive Solar Water Heater Book

Breadboxes, batchers, and other types of simple solar water heaters. By David A. Bainbridge – The Passive Solar Institute.

ISBN 0-933490-03-8

Have fun!

By: MD

MD — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:42:00 +0000

“Everything old is new again” – Right back to square one for California.

Do an online search for “Climax Solar Water Heaters”

Better yet, look for:

The Integral Passive Solar Water Heater Book

Breadboxes, batchers, and other types of simple solar water heaters. By David A. Bainbridge – The Passive Solar Institute.

ISBN 0-933490-03-8

Have fun!

By: John

John — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:22:50 +0000

Fantastic news. It sounds as though California is heading down the path of taking solar hot water and solar electricity generation seriously.

By: Steve A.

Steve A. — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:26:22 +0000

“Californian customers of the state’s three biggest utilities can now get a 30% rebate for solar hot water. If they add the rebate to the new 30% Federal tax credit (signed into law with the Obama administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009) they are looking at 60% off a technology that is not only very effective, but is not that expensive to begin with.”

Now correct me if I’m wrong, but typically utility rebates are applied at time of purchase, reducing expense directly and the 30% federal tax rebate is usually taken from the out of pocket expense. If it is calculated that way, it would not be a combined value of 60% – more like 51%. Good, yes, but not as good.

[Hasty post – Fixed that mistake, thanks for catching it! Susan]

By: Steve A.

Steve A. — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:26:00 +0000

[Hasty post – Fixed that mistake, thanks for catching it! Susan]