North Carolina - HOME ENERGY AUDITS, ASSESSMENTS & DIAGNOSTICS

HOME ENERGY AUDITS, ASSESSMENTS & DIAGNOSTICS

YOUR HOME AS A SYSTEM
Your home is more than a collection of windows, doors, walls and appliances – it’s a system, and it should be treated as such. You can put efficient windows on an inefficient home, and the benefits will be negligible. Likewise new AC on a leaky building will do little to lower your bills.

Whether you need to diagnose a specific problem area or get a game plan for whole house efficiency, Green Horizon has the experts you need for home energy audits and assessments.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR INVESTMENT
Without a home energy audit, you can spend time and money on expensive energy measures without fixing the real problem. Our building science experts analyze every aspect of your home’s performance – from duct sealing to HVAC systems to your building envelope – and they map out the most cost effective route to a greener, more efficient home.

A TRULY COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH

As the only Building Performance Institute certified energy auditor in the state of North Carolina, we believe that a comprehensive energy audit or assessment should indeed be comprehensive. To get a complete picture of how a building performs, every Energy Audit should include the following as standard:

• Pre-Inspection Interview
• Blower Door Test
• Pressure Pan Test of Duct Work
• InfraRed Exploration and Photography
• Insulation / Thermal Barrier Assessment
• Detailed Report of Findings
• Research and Identification of Incentive Programs Available

If you are shopping around for a home energy audit, we highly recommend ensuring that all of the above items are included in the fee.

GREEN FOR ALL
High energy prices aren’t going anywhere, and with increasing concern about climate change and energy independence, more and more people are looking for greener homes. An energy audit will show you the best way to add value to your home and save you money in the process. Our energy experts can also identify relevant federal and state incentives or utility rebates for efficiency and renewable energy measures.

PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY
Indoor air quality is often impacted by the quality of your ventilation and HVAC systems. Beyond saving you money, a home energy audit can help identify unknown problem areas and potential for improving your environment.

FIXING SPECIFIC PROBLEMS
High energy bills, mold and moisture issues, drafts, poor ventilation or bad indoor air quality – any of these issues can indicate building performance problems. Whether they are caused by mistakes in design or construction; or caused by inadequate maintenance, to fix them, you first have to identify the root cause. Schedule a diagnostic assessment with one of our building forensics experts, and we'll take an in-depth look into whatever problem you're experiencing.

WHAT’S THE NEXT STEP?
Call Green Horizon or contact us online to schedule a comprehensive energy audit and/or a diagnostic assessment of a specific issue with your home or building located in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, or Greensboro area.

http://www.greenhorizon.com/home_energy_audits_assessments_and_diagnostics.php

North Carolina - Duke Energy Renewables

About Duke Energy Renewables Duke Energy Renewables, part of Duke Energy’s Commercial Businesses, is a leader in developing innovative wind and solar energy generation projects for customers throughout the United States. The company’s growing portfolio of commercial renewable assets includes 15 wind farms and 14 solar farms in operation in nine states, totaling more than 1,700 megawatts in electric-generating capacity. Learn more at www.duke-energy.com/renewables. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com.

http://www.duke-energy.com/news/releases/2013012301.asp

North Carolina - McAlpine Circuit CES System

McAlpine Circuit CES System

This data is preliminary as we are still verifying the entry with the equity owner of the project. If you or someone you know is associated with this project and can provide confirmation of the existing data, or additional data, please email storage.exchange@strategen.com.

Technology Type

Sodium Nickel Chloride Battery

Rated Power (kW)

24

Duration at Rated Power (HH:MM)

1:00

Description

Duke Energy's Smart Grid Demonstration activities include work in the Envision Energy pilot in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Envision Energy project consists of two substation scale energy storage installations, a one MW solar installation, two community energy storage locations, communication nodes, distribution devices, metering, home energy management systems, residential PV, intelligent EVSE and plug-in vehicles. The residential systems (PV, PEV, EVSE, CES, HEM, and smart appliances) will be installed at five employee homes.

The Purpose of CES Systems is to perform transformer-level peak shaving by integrating with residential level distributed resources and loads. The CES units were reportedly shipped to Duke Energy in July 2011and installed at two utility employee properties in mid-September 2011. The units were previously observed being tested at a Milwaukee plant.

System components include:
-24 kWh, 24 kW Superior Lithium Polymer battery
-System integration module (S&C)
-Interconnection to customer side of distribution transformer.

Source: "Energy Storage and Project Demos" Electric Power Energy Research (EPRI)

Web Link

http://origin.library.constantcontact...

http://www.energystorageexchange.org/projects/258

North Carolina - Renewable Energy Tax Credit (Personal)

Renewable Energy Tax Credit (Personal)   

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Last DSIRE Review: 07/30/2012

Program Overview:

State:	North Carolina
Incentive Type:	Personal Tax Credit
Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies:	Passive Solar Space Heat, Solar Water Heat, Solar Space Heat, Solar Thermal Electric, Solar Thermal Process Heat, Photovoltaics, Landfill Gas, Wind, Biomass, Hydroelectric, Geothermal Heat Pumps, CHP/Cogeneration, Spent pulping liquor, Solar Pool Heating, Daylighting, Anaerobic Digestion, Small Hydroelectric, Ethanol, Methanol, Biodiesel, Geothermal Direct-Use
Applicable Sectors:	Commercial, Residential, Multi-Family Residential
Amount:	35%
Maximum Incentive:	$1,400 - $10,500 (varies by technology); $2.5 million* for systems used for a business purpose
Eligible System Size:	No stated size limits for systems. Maximum of 50 kWh battery storage capacity per kW of hydro generator capacity (DC rated); maximum of 35 kWh battery storage capacity per kW for other technologies
Equipment Requirements:	System must be new and in compliance with all applicable performance and safety standards. Specific equipment and installation requirements vary by technology.
Carryover Provisions:	Single-family dwellings: excess credit may be carried forward five years; all other property: credit must be taken in five equal installments; allowable credit may not exceed 50% of a taxpayer's state tax liability for the year, reduced by the sum of all other state tax credits.
Expiration Date:	12/31/2015
Authority 1: Date Enacted: Date Effective: Expiration Date:	N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-129.15 et seq. 1977 (subsequently amended) 1977 12/31/2015
Authority 2:	NC Tax Credit Guidelines

Summary:

North Carolina offers a tax credit equal to 35% of the cost of eligible renewable energy property constructed, purchased or leased by a taxpayer and placed into service in North Carolina during the taxable year. The credit has been amended several times since its original inception. House Bill 512 of 2009 extended the eligibility to geothermal equipment, extended the expiration date to December 31, 2015, and allowed the credit to be taken against the Gross Premiums Tax. HB 1829 of 2010 further extended this credit to combined heat and power systems. The credit is subject to various ceilings depending on sector and the type of renewable-energy system. The following credit limits for various technologies and sectors apply:

• A maximum of $3,500 per dwelling unit for active solar space heating, combined active solar space and domestic water-heating systems, and passive solar space heating used for a non-business purpose;
• A maximum of $1,400 per installation for solar water-heating systems, including solar pool-heating systems used for anon-business purpose;
• A maximum of $8,400 for geothermal heat pumps and geothermal equipment that uses geothermal energy for water heating or active space heating or cooling used for a non-business purpose;
• A maximum of $10,500 per installation for photovoltaic systems (also known as PV systems or solar-electric systems), wind-energy systems, combined heat and power systems, or certain other renewable-energy systems used for a non-business purpose
• A maximum of $2.5 million* per installation for all solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, combined heat and power (as defined by Section 48 of the U.S. Tax Code), and biomass applications** used for a business purpose***, including PV, daylighting, solar water-heating and space-heating technologies.

Renewable-energy equipment expenditures eligible for the tax credit include the cost of the equipment and associated design; construction costs; and installation costs less any discounts, rebates, advertising, installation-assistance credits, name-referral allowances or other similar reductions provided by public funds. SB 388 of 2010 clarified that federal grants made available by Section 1603 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 do not constitute public funds.

The allowable credit may not exceed 50% of a taxpayer's state tax liability for the year, reduced by the sum of all other state tax credits. Qualifying renewable-energy systems used for a non-business purpose must take the maximum credit amount allowable for the tax year in which the system is installed. If the credit is not used entirely during the first year, the remaining amount may be carried over for the next five years.

For all other taxpayers, the credit is taken in five equal installments beginning with the year in which the property is placed in service. If the credit is not used entirely during these five years, the remaining amount may be carried over for the next five years. The credit can be taken against franchise tax, corporate tax, income tax, or in the case of insurance companies, against the gross premiums tax.

SB 3 of 2007 amended North Carolina's renewable energy tax credit statute to allow a taxpayer who donates money to a tax-exempt nonprofit to help fund a renewable energy project to claim a tax credit. The donor may claim a share of the credit -- proportional to the project costs donated -- that the nonprofit could claim if the organization were subject to tax.HB 2436 of 2008 applied this same mechanism to donations made to units of state and local governments.

Click the links below to access relevant 2012 tax forms and instructions from the N.C. Department of Revenue.

• NC-478G 2012
• NC-478 2012
• Instructions

* House Bill 1973 of 2010 specified that systems installed for business purposes at a site that has been certified as an eco-industrial park by the Secretary of Commerce are subject to a higher tax credit cap of $5 million. Section 5.1 of the bill describes the characteristics required to be deemed an eco-industrial park.

** The N.C. Tax Credit Guidelines and relevant North Carolina statutes provide a description of the types of biomass and biomass applications that are eligible for the tax credit. (See links above.) Note that residential wood burning stoves do not qualify for this tax credit. If they meet certain energy efficiency standards, however, they may qualify for a federal tax credit.

***HB 1829 of 2010 states "renewable energy property is placed in service for a business purpose if the useful energy generated by the property is offered for sale or is used on-site for a purpose other than providing energy to a residence."

Contact: Public Information  Department of Revenue Post Office Box 25000 Raleigh, NC 27640-0640 Phone: (877) 252-3052 Phone 2: (877) 252-4052 Web Site: http://www.dornc.com/

http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=NC20F

South Carolina - aegp

BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE FOR GRID STABILIZATION

Today’s and futures power grids are characterised by a high share of renewable energy sources. This leads to a massive fluctuating power injection, which needs to be balanced by battery energy storage. AEG PS has developed a new innovative Battery Energy Storage System for low voltage (LV) and medium voltage (MV), that provides grid stabilization and increased power quality: Four-Quadrant Operation (Active and Reactive Power Control), Peak Shaving and Load Balancing, day to night shifting of renewable PV Energy, reliable PV Power Supply by rolling clouds and provide control power to participate in this market. The further advantage of the AEG PS' new battery energy storage is the ability to control harmonic emissions of power electronic equipment connected to the same busbar, by the use of active damping or active filtering functionality.

http://www.aegps.com/en/smart-grids/battery-energy-storage/

South Carolina - Sony

Sony’s Energy Storage System Acquires World’s First U.S. Safety Standards Accreditation ‘UL Subject 1973’ from UL

 Category: Environment - Tags: Battery Association of Japan, Energy Storage, energy storage system, SBA, Sii,Sony, Sony Energy Storage System, Sustainable Open Innovation Initiative, UL, UL Subject 1973

Sony today announced that it has acquired ‘UL Subject 1973’ safety standards accreditation in stationary storage batteries from UL (Underwriters Laboratories), an international third-party testing and accreditation institution, for its energy storage system comprised of an energy storage module launched in April 2011 and a controller that controls both charging and discharging in addition to storage battery conservation that was launched in January 2012. This is the world’s first energy storage system to obtain this accreditation under ‘UL Subject 1973’ from UL. The energy storage module itself was also granted this accreditation.
Until now, safety standards for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries were formulated primarily for mobile device applications. Conversely, market trends in recent years have seen an expansion in the large-sized stationary storage battery market for power source backup applications for offices and mobile phone base stations, or for smart grid applications for energy-conservation and peak shifting. It was under these circumstances that UL, a premier global independent safety science company in U.S., newly developed its ‘UL Subject 1973’ safety standard for stationary storage batteries that contain lithium-ion rechargeable batteries in October, 2010. Sony promptly applied for compliance testing of this new standard for its energy storage system and energy storage module, and the safety and performance compatibility of these products has been proven.
With its newly-acquired accreditation, Sony hopes that as many consumers as possible will acknowledge the safety and reliability of its storage batteries and energy storage systems. Sony will also work to promote activities that will contribute to the expansion of the stationary storage battery market.
In addition, the aforementioned energy storage system and energy storage module have also received accreditation for the Japanese domestic safety standard known as ‘SBA (standard established by ‘Battery Association of Japan’),’ and has also been acknowledged as a product eligible for subsidization under the ‘SII (Sustainable Open Innovation Initiative)’.

Via Sony

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Category ENVIRONMENT

                

http://en.akihabaranews.com/111019/environment/sonys-energy-storage-system-acquires-worlds-first-u-s-safety-standards-accreditation-%E2%80%98ul-subject-1973%E2%80%99-from-ul

South Carolina - why-home-energy-audit assessment

Why a Home Energy Audit/Assessment?

Home Energy Audits in Columbia SC & Charlotte, NC

     Whether you're doing the improvements yourself or looking to hire a contractor, Efficiency First can pinpoint common household issues that result in high utility bills and unhealthy indoor air quality. Once we've completed the assessment we will show you certain improvements and in some cases small behaviour adjustments that can save 20, 30, or even 50% of your monthly energy bill!. Saving money isn't the only benefit, you'll improve your homes comfort and indoor air quality through the most efficient HVAC systems, reduced drafts, and improved insulation while reducing your environmental impact.  Still not convinced? Here are five more reasons why you should seriously consider getting an energy and indoor air quality assessment:

1. The health of your loved ones - Indoor Air Quality should be a big concern for everyone; especially for those with allergies and even more so with threats like Radon and CO exposure from gas appliances. For more information, contact us!

2. You're literally throwing dollars away every month! As President Obama recently said, "If you saw $20 bills just sort of floating through the window up into the atmosphere, you'd try to figure out how you were going to keep them." Energy efficiency is the first step to controlling fluctuating utility bills and not lending yourself to rising utility costs.

3. Utility Rates are going up, up, up! - A recent survey of all the major utility company CEO's stated that most expect demand to go up and the extra added costs burden to fall onto the consumer. Fluctuating utility bills during summer and winter months can be a budget killer. Take control of your expenses! Click for information on rate inceases for SCEG customers, or here for information on rate increases for Duke Energy customers.

4. Less Emissions, including that CO2 stuff - We all have our opinions about climate change and we're certainly not here to sway you either way. Aside from carbon emissions, coal, a predominate source of energy production in SC and NC spews thousands of tons of sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide and mercury into our atmosphere every year, just so we can heat and cool our homes. Air Quality issues outside the home are becoming more of a concern each day in the Carolinas.

5. There's money being given to you to do it - Aside from generous financing terms there are over two dozen tax credits and utility rebate programs to help assist with energy efficient projects whether it is adding insulation, replacing HVAC equipment, or that old refrigerator your parents gave you. Fore more information on tax credits, financing programs, and utility and government rebate programs, check our page on rebates, tax credits and other incentives.

http://www.efficiencysc.com/why-home-energy-auditassessment