 Why I Solarized Marc Karell Mamaroneck, NY Solarize Westchester 2015

 Why Is Solar Good?  Sunlight is there, it’s plentiful, and the source is free!  Isn’t it better to develop electricity from solar instead of from Middle Eastern or other oil or from nuclear?  Pollution (from solar, there is none)  Politics  Risks (exploration, refining, transportation, nuclear)  And it’s American and local companies who manage installation and upgrades.

 Oh, Come On, Is This Real or a Dream? Can Solar Really Help Me and the U.S.?  The amount of sunlight hitting the U.S. equals over 20,000 quadrillion Btus of energy. Total U.S. annual energy consumption in 2007 was less than half of 1% of this. What a source of free energy to capture!  Who’s No. 1 in solar? Germany. And the average area in Germany has less sunlight than Seattle! If they can do it, we can do it right here in Westchester!

 Case Study. Our home!  We installed solar PV on our home: early  Steps involved:  Shading, tilting evaluations (Google Earth)  On-site inspection  One year of previous electricity bills  Design, contract, permits, inspections  27 panels, 6.7 kW system, 80% of usage.  Net cost, after tax credit: $8,400.

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 Economics  Gross cost of solar panel: $11,700  Net cost after NYS tax credit: $8,400  Electricity savings:  1 st 12 months: $1,538  Savings in calendar year: $1,934  Simple payback: 4.3 years

 “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.” - Abraham Lincoln

 Solarize Westchester Learn more about the program at: