Four More Standard Solar Employees Receive Industry’s Installer Certification

For Immediate Release
Four Standard Solar Employees Receive Industry’s Installer Certification

The number of certified photovoltaic installers at Standard Solar now totals six

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Nov. 23 – Affirming the company’s growing commitment to leading-by-example the growth of solar energy throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, four Standard Solar employees have been certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, or NABCEP, bringing to six the number of certified photovoltaic (PV) solar installers on staff.

“We are proud to employ each of these six individuals, each of whom personifies how we are helping expand solar energy solutions in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia and the District of Columbia,” said Standard Solar President Scott Wiater. “Homeowners, businesses, colleges and government agencies who choose Standard Solar should know that no company brings as much bench strength thereby ensuring they receive the maximum return on their solar investment backed by the very best in customer service.”

Participating in the September 12 administration of the NABCEP Photovoltaic and Solar Thermal Installer Exam and now certified are:

• Nick Abrash,
• C.J. Colavito,
• Matt Griffiths, and
• Nathan Stumpff.

They join Chief Technology Officer Lee Bristol, the company’s first employee, and Director of Residential Construction and Engineering Andrew Truitt, as certified by NABCEP. Together, they are six of the 1,048 individuals who hold this professional distinction throughout the U.S.

“The number of Certified Solar Installers has risen by 38% in the last year – over 22% just in this round of exams,” NABCEP Chairman Don Warfield stated recently in a press release. “These numbers reflect our industry’s appetite for experienced and well-trained solar professionals who have completed a rigorous application and examination process.”

Nick Abrash is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University who studied graphic arts and worked in publishing before studying to become a journeyman electrician in the Fairfax, Virginia adult education program. Since joining Standard Solar in 2007, he has helped install more than 100 residential and small commercial solar systems.

C.J. Colavito joined the company upon completing a year of volunteer work in Nicaragua where he worked on renewable energy applications in rural communities. C.J. obtained his mechanical engineering degree from Virginia Tech, and as if his NABCEP certification is not enough, C.J. is also pursing a Master’s of Engineering degree in Sustainable Energy from the University of Maryland at College Park. You can read about C.J.’s work to develop sustainable communities in rural Nicaragua in the Spring / Summer 2009 issue of the company’s newsletter, The Solar Standard.

Matt Griffiths is a graduate of the University of Vermont where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts. He is one of Standard Solar’s first five employees and helped install the system for the company’s first customer. Since then, he has logged more than 200 residential installations and has earned a variety of other certifications.

Nathan Stumpff is a graduate of Brown University, holds a Masters degree in classical composition from the Manhattan School of Music, and was a Fulbright Fellow in Reykjavík, Iceland. He has worked in many facets of the construction industry from light electrical to plumbing to roofing and this month is working with C.J. Colavito in completing a 293 kilowatt solar system for the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. (See accompanying photo.)


About Standard Solar
Standard Solar is a full-service developer, integrator and installer of solar electric systems for academic, commercial, government and residential customers throughout Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. It serves more than 500 customers throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and has created more than 50 green jobs since the summer 2008. For more information, visit http://www.standardsolar.com/.

Two of Standard Solar’s six NABCEP-certified installers – C. J. Colavito (left) and Nathan Stumpff – complete a solar photovoltaic array atop Flather Hall at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jim Pierobon)

Catholic University of America Partners with Washington Gas Energy Services and Standard Solar to Create Washington’s Largest Solar-Energy System

Catholic University to Announce Solar Panel Installation

WHEN: 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 21

WHERE: The Catholic University of America

Flather Hall rooftop
620 Michigan Ave., N.E.
Washington, D.C.

MEDIA: Reporters and photographers who would like to cover the event must contact Katie Lee or Mary McCarthy at 202-319-5600. Video from the event can be seen at http://live.cua.edu/live-solar.cfm.

STORY DETAILS: See release below.

Panels to Provide Electricity to Four Catholic University Buildings

CUA Partners with Washington Gas Energy Services and Standard Solar to Create Washington’s Largest Solar-Energy System

More than 1,000 solar panels will be installed on four Catholic University buildings this fall, creating the largest solar-energy system in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

CUA has signed a 20-year agreement with Washington Gas Energy Services Inc. (WGES) to purchase electricity generated by the solar panels at guaranteed prices.

In November, Standard Solar Inc. of Gaithersburg, Md., will install 1,088 3-by-6-foot solar panels on the roofs of the Raymond A. DuFour Center and Aquinas, Flather and Gibbons halls. Collectively, the panels will comprise the largest photovoltaic system in the Washington area, in terms of electricity that will be produced.

The solar-panel system, which will be installed at no cost to CUA and be owned and operated by WGES, will produce about 340,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year. The projected solar-generated electricity represents about three-quarters of 1 percent of the 44 million kilowatt hours used annually by the university. The electricity will be used by the buildings where it is produced.

By the end of the year, installation of 30,233 square feet of solar panels will be completed and the panels will be producing electricity. The four buildings were chosen for their southern exposure, among other criteria, after an evaluation of 20 campus buildings.

“As part of our Catholic faith, we strive to be good environmental stewards,” said Very Rev. David M. O’Connell, C.M., president of Catholic University. “Including solar ­ a ‘clean’ energy that doesn’t pollute or create greenhouse gases ­ among Catholic University’s resources is a perfect fit for the university’s mission.”

The agreement is the latest accomplishment in CUA’s commitment to being environmentally friendly. In 2002, CUA was the first university in the Washington area to purchase a portion of its electricity through wind power. In 2008, the university received an Award of Excellence from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its recycling efforts. In January 2009, CUA opened the first new LEED-compliant student residence hall in Washington, D.C.

“The price of electricity, as we see it right now, is going to rise,” said Brian Alexander, director of energy and utilities management at CUA. “With this 20-year agreement, we will save money on our energy costs.”

“By hosting this project, CUA is also helping the District of Columbia achieve its citywide solar energy goals,” said Harry Warren, president of WGES of Herndon, Va. “The Clean and Affordable Energy Act of 2008 calls for a growing contribution from solar energy each year through 2020, and CUA’s project will contribute about 10 percent of the city’s total solar power production goal for 2010.”

CUA has incorporated teaching moments in the project. Students, faculty and staff will have access via the CUA Web site to real-time data on the campus’ solar energy production. Engineering and architectural students will get a first-hand look at the installation. And a solar-energy design competition for students is being planned by the School of Engineering, which this year added an alternative and renewable energy concentration to its curriculum.

“Solar energy produces no carbon-dioxide emissions. Soon, almost 1 percent of the power we use will be climate beneficial,” Alexander said. With the use of solar-generated electricity, CUA will produce 332 fewer tons of carbon emissions annually. “This project shows our students, faculty and staff that solar power is one option as we all seek to make a greater contribution to solving the climate-warming issue,” he said.

“The Catholic University of America and Washington Gas Energy Systems are setting an example all colleges and universities should follow for the valuable role they serve in educating ­ and demonstrating ­ to the next generation of leaders throughout society how we all need to think and act more sustainably,” said Tony Clifford, chief executive officer of Standard Solar.

“Universities are uniquely positioned to deploy solar electric systems similar to Catholic’s,” Clifford added. “And they can do so with capital provided not by their operating budgets or endowments, but by investors who, like Washington Gas Energy Systems, purchase and own the panel systems and benefit from available tax incentives.”

The Catholic University of America, located near the heart of Washington, D.C., is unique as the national university of the Catholic Church in America. Founded in 1887 and chartered by Congress, the university opened as a graduate and research institution. Undergraduate programs were introduced in 1904. Today the private and coeducational campus has approximately 6,770 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in 12 schools of architecture and planning, arts and sciences, canon law, engineering, law, library and information science, music, nursing, philosophy, professional studies, social service, and theology and religious studies. For more information, visit http://www.cua.edu/.

Washington Gas Energy Services, Inc. is one of the largest competitive providers of electricity and natural gas in the mid-Atlantic region, and supplies over 250,000 customers in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia. Headquartered in Herndon, Va., Washington Gas Energy Services is an affiliate of Washington Gas and a subsidiary of WGL Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: WGL). For more information, visit http://www.wges.com/.

Standard Solar is a full-service developer, integrator and installer of solar electric systems for academic, commercial, government and residential customers throughout Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. It serves more than 400 customers throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and has created more than 50 green jobs since the summer 2008. For more information, visit http://www.standardsolar.com/.


MEDIA: For more information, contact Katie Lee or Mary McCarthy in Catholic University’s Office of Public Affairs at 202-319-5600; or Leah Gibbons, Washington Gas Energy Services, Inc., at 703-793-7565, 301-509-1508 or lgibbons@wges.com.

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Maryland Energy Administration Releases ARRA Compliant Maryland Solar Grant Forms

http://www.energy.state.md.us/incentives/business/solargrants/index.asp

Solar Energy Grant Program
Program Note October 19, 2009:

The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) is pleased to announce that it has reopened the Solar Energy Grant Program as result of funds made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Public Law 111-5 (ARRA or Recovery Act). Limited funding is still available to Maryland residents and small businesses who intend to install qualified solar photovoltaic, or solar hot water systems.

Program Structure:

Solar Photovoltaic:
$1.25/ watt for the first 2,000 watts of capacity
$0.75/ watt for watts 2,001 - 8,000
$0.25/ watt for watts 8,001 - 20,000
System must be under 20kW to be eligible; maximum grant amount is $10,000.

View the revised application forms at http://www.energy.state.md.us/incentives/business/solargrants/index.asp.

To see if your home or business is an ideal solar candidate, receive a no-cost solar evaluation from Standard Solar by visiting http://www.standardsolar.com/Solar-Evaluation.aspx.

Virginia Renewable Energy Rebate Program Announced 10/6/09

7 October 2009:

Standard Solar Urges Virginia Homeowners and Businesses Interested In the State’s New Solar Rebate To Move Quickly

Homeowners Can Earn Rebates Up To $20,000; Businesses Even More

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Oct. 7 – Under Virginia’s first-ever renewable energy rebate program, homeowners and businesses in the Commonwealth can receive a rebate of $2,000 per kilowatt for solar panel systems up to 10 kilowatts in size and Standard Solar today urged interested parties to move quickly before the money runs out.

Standard Solar, the Mid-Atlantic region’s largest solar developer and installer, commended Virginia Governor Tim Kaine for allocating $15 million of Federal stimulus money to launch the rebate program.

“In setting up this program, Governor Kaine is going to unleash the pent-up demand for solar that we have been seeing in the Commonwealth for the past three years,” said Tony Clifford, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Solar, which already has installed solar electric (photovoltaic or “PV”) systems for 33 homeowners throughout the state. Standard Solar has more than 400 residential and numerous business, government and academic customers throughout Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Delaware and the District of Columbia. Each of these other states already has a renewable rebate or grant program and some are expanding their programs to help a growing number of their constituents go solar.

A typical residential system of 5 kilowatts earns the homeowner a rebate of $10,000. Businesses can receive a rebate for solar electric systems up to 200 kilowatts. The rebate amount for businesses starts at $2,000 per kilowatt (kW) for the first 10 kW installed, with a reduced amount for larger systems.

“Virginians who have long wanted solar now have the opportunity better manage their electricity costs and lower their own carbon footprints,” Clifford added. “We look forward to working with both residents and businesses throughout the Virginia. This is the best way yet to save money and improve our environment.”

Because this initial rebate program is working with a finite sum of money and rebates are to be issued on a first-come, first-served basis, Standard Solar recommends that homeowners and businesses in Alexandria, as well, as Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun, Fauquier, Prince William and Stafford counties interested in assessing their properties for solar sign up quickly for an evaluation at http://www.standardsolar.com/Solar-Evaluation.aspx. There one can also find more information about Standard Solar, founded in 2004. Interested parties can also call Standard Solar at 301-944-5222 to speak with a solar consultant.

The new Virginia rebate, combined with the 30% solar Federal Investment Tax Credit now in effect, annual electricity savings and the sale of Renewable Energy Credits that solar systems earn for their owners, an investment in solar electric system can pay for itself in a matter of years.

For Virginians interested in receiving updates about the rebate program, Standard Solar urges them to sign up at: http://www.virginia.gov/eerebates.


About Standard Solar, Inc.

Standard Solar is a full-service developer, integrator and installer of solar electric systems for commercial, academic, government and residential customers throughout Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.standardsolar.com.

For more information, contact Jim Pierobon either at jim.pierobon [at] standardsolar.com or 301-944-5133.

Standard Solar Expands into Delaware

Mid-Atlantic’s Leading Solar Developer and Integrator Welcomed by State, Newark and University of Delaware Officials

NEWARK, Del., Sept. 30 – Standard Solar Inc., the Mid-Atlantic’s leading developer and integrator of solar electric systems, has expanded its footprint into Delaware and is looking to create green jobs and a portfolio of solar capacity serving businesses, academic institutions, homeowners, utilities and government agencies throughout the First State.

Standard Solar Chief Executive Officer Tony Clifford told a recent gathering of state, local and University of Delaware officials at the company’s new office in the Delaware Technology Park that Standard Solar and its partner, Pace Global Energy Services LLC, will provide access to “tax equity” financing, comprehensive project management and engineering services and a proven track record of efficiently adding value to the integration, design and installation of solar electric systems.

“We expect our Newark, Delaware office to grow and become largely self-sustaining with most major business activities staffed out of this office,” Clifford said. He added that solar energy stands to play a large role in the state’s economic and sustainability plans in part because of the state’s leadership in solar research and its efforts to create a public-private Sustainable Energy Utility. Delaware Gov. Jack Markell has consistently emphasized how important clean energy initiatives are to his administration.

Clifford added: “Delaware has a pro-solar vision, a vibe and an atmosphere that we want to be a part of. We are committed to the state; creating jobs here and growing a sustainable business that will contribute to the economy and foster a cleaner environment.”

Welcoming Standard Solar to Delaware were Alan Levin, Director of the state’s Department of Economic Development; Philip Cherry, Policy Director of Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control; Newark Mayor Vance Funk; Steve Hegedus, Senior Scientist at the University and Policy Fellow at its Center for Energy and Environmental Policy; and Joyce Henderson from the University’s Career Services Center. Four students accompanied Henderson inquiring about Standard Solar’s internship plans and future employment opportunities, which were outlined by Standard Solar President Scott Wiater.

Tax equity financing is enabled by the reliability of solar revenue streams created by power purchase agreements and solar renewable energy certificates. Production tax credits enable investors to own solar electric systems and capture tax incentives. Consumers receive the benefits of lower cost clean power making it possible for electricity users to purchase electricity at predictable cost by hosting, but not necessarily owning, the solar panels and other equipment that generate the electricity. Accessing tax equity financing is one of the many ways that Standard Solar is working with Pace Global Energy Services LLC.

For more information, please contact: Jim Pierobon at jim.pierobon [at]standardsolar.com; 301-944-1533.

NYT Tom Friedman: Have a Nice Day

Have a Nice Day
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: September 15, 2009

Applied Materials is one of the most important U.S. companies you’ve probably never heard of. It makes the machines that make the microchips that go inside your computer. The chip business, though, is volatile, so in 2004 Mike Splinter, Applied Materials’s C.E.O., decided to add a new business line to take advantage of the company’s nanotechnology capabilities — making the machines that make solar panels. The other day, Splinter gave me a tour of the company’s Silicon Valley facility, culminating with a visit to its “war room,” where Applied maintains a real-time global interaction with all 14 solar panel factories it’s built around the world in the last two years. I could only laugh because crying would have been too embarrassing.

read the full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/opinion/16friedman.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

Maryland Solar Energy Grant Program Update - September 1, 2009

The Maryland Energy Administration announced revisions to the FY2010 Maryland Solar Energy Grant Program on http://www.energy.state.md.us/incentives/residential/solargrants/index.asp.

The revised FY10 MD Solar Grant structure is as follows:

Program Structure:

(a) $1.25/ watt for the first 2,000 watts of capacity

(b) $0.75/ watt for watts 2,001 - 8,000

(c) $0.25/ watt for watts 8,001 - 20,000


To apply for the FY2010 Maryland Solar Grant, please contact us at info [at] standardsolar.com and toll free at 1-888-474-3843.