In March of this year, both of our federal Senators Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye voted in favor of the Stabenow amendment, which would have extended the 1603 Treasury Program and further encouraged and funded renewable incentives and legislation.

Though the amendment did not pass into law, properties placed in service during 2012 are still eligible for the 1603 Treasury Program if they are placed in service before October 1, 2012.

Furthermore, the budget request release by President Barack Obama in February of 2013 for the coming Fiscal Year 2013 includes a proposal to extend the 1603 Program to projects that begin construction in 2012. (For property placed in service after 2012, the 1603 Treasury grant would be replaced with a refundable tax credit.)

This is good news, and shows that efforts and insight of our representatives has paid off. Renewable energy incentive programs spur sustainable investment by both home- and business-owners alike, stimulate the economy, and create and maintain jobs (an estimated 86,000 jobs in the solar industry alone this year[1]). Armed with this knowledge, our representatives’ consideration and support for solar will guide us all toward a brighter future.

We sincerely appreciate the efforts of Senator Akaka, Senator Inouye, and others in the legislature and look forward to forthcoming progress on these fronts.

In particular we would like to extend a special mahalo to Senator Akaka, who is retiring this year after 30 years of distinguished service. We hope that whoever fills his seat shares his values and support for renewable energy.

In just the first quarter of 2012, Hawaii’s installations of solar energy systems are up 45% over the same time period last year. This is according to a report just released by the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA). The report also showed that the systems installed in Hawaii’s homes and businesses represent 14.8 megawatts of generating capacity. This is the sixth largest increase of any state in the nation and brings Hawaii’s cumulative PV generating capacity to 97 megawatts.[1]

Solar is a critical part of Hawaii’s statewide goal to achieve 70% clean energy by the year 2030 as stated in the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative. With status as the most fossil fuel dependent state in the nation and the fact that most cities in Hawaii enjoy over 200 days of sunshine each year, investment in solar energy is a perfect way to decrease our dependence on imported oil.

Get your free hawaii solar evaluation today and see how much you can save.

Every month, Sunetric introduces you to a member of the Sunetric family. The Sunetric commitment to top-notch service is a value shared by every member of our company, and each of our employees has something special to offer our customers and all of Hawaii. As a full-service solar integrator, our expertise spans every part of the consultation, design, and installation process.

Meet Emily Drury, Residential Project Coordinator

As Residential Project Coordinator, Emily guides customers though their installation process from the day they sign their contract with an energy consultant, to the day their system is actually activated. It’s her job to make sure that every customer has an excellent experience working with Sunetric and that any questions or concerns are answered by the right expert within the company. With a background in software, she has helped to streamline the communication process with customers. Her goal is always to improve the customer experience while making a positive impact on our community and the environment.

“On a daily basis, I interact with our residential customers to communicate the status of their installation and schedule each step within the process. My goal is to manage the installation for our customers so they have complete peace of mind throughout the entire process and feel 100% confident with their decision to go solar with Sunetric.”

A Future Change-maker

Having been with Sunetric about six months, Emily is already creating positive change within the company and with her customers. Her goal is to pursue a life-long career in renewable energy and really make a difference in the islands.

Born and raised in For du Lac, Wisconsin, she went to the Michigan Technological University and graduated with a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering. Always furthering her learning, she also recently earned a LEED Green Associate accreditation.

Emily explains that when she moved to Hawaii, “my interest in the renewable energy industry was raised due to its relevance to our state. I think solar in Hawaii is awesome! It’s exciting to see so many homes and businesses taking advantage of this great opportunity to save money and improve our environment.”

Outside of work, she loves enjoying the outdoors by running and hiking. With so many beautiful photos of Hawaii in her collections, she’s also taken up scrapbooking as a hobby.

Image Solar Power courtesy Till Westermayer under CC BY-SA 2.0

Germany is not a land known for its sunshine. On average, Germany gets 1,738 hours of sunlight per year, compared to 3,041 hours annually in Honolulu. Yet on the 25th and 26th of May, The Guardian reports that Germany was able to meet one third of its peak energy demand with solar alone.

German solar power plants produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity–equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity–through the midday hours of May 25th and 26th. The record-breaking amount of solar power shows one of the world’s leading industrial nations was able to meet a third of its electricity needs on a work day, Friday, and nearly half on Saturday when factories and offices were closed. Germany has nearly as much installed solar power generation capacity as the rest of the world combined and gets about four percent of its overall annual electricity needs from the sun alone. It aims to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 1990 levels by 2020.

The record was broken due in part to an unusually sunny May, but also to a continued boom in installations country-wide. There are now over one million solar systems installed across Germany. In 2011, solar accounted for 3% of the country’s total electricity generation–a 60% increase over 2010.

If Germany can break world records with 1,738 days of sun, imagine what Hawaii can do!

We are extremely proud and excited to announce that our CEO Alex Tiller won the Business Executive of the Year Award at Pacific Edge Magazine’s second annual Business Achievement Awards. Alex was joined by some of the Sunetric team at the red carpet gala event on Thursday, May 31.

See Facebook for more photos!