Page 44 - Green Builder September-October 2018 Issue

we build for,” says Whitsett—up to climate
zone 6; seismic design category E, which
includes most of California; and wind speeds
up to 150 miles per hour.
Complementing the robust construction,
features inside the home meet the lowered
demand as eciently as possible. An Energy COURTESY OF TABUCHI
Star-quali€ed mini-split system from Rheem
provides comfortable space heating and The Eco Intelligent
cooling, and the slim indoor cassette mounts Battery System (EIBS)
on the ceiling or in a framed enclosure—a from Tabuchi is an
perfect €t for small spaces. The Prestige hybrid all-in-one solution that
heat pump water heater, also from Rheem, includes a hybrid
boasts an eciency of up to 3.75 UEF, nearly inverter and 7.4-kW COURTESY OF JINKOSOLAR
300 percent higher than a standard electric lithium-ion storage
tank-type heater. battery. The DC-coupled
battery can be charged Sun powered. The Align
R IS FOR RENEWABLE without having to convert Project house features a
energy to alternating
CREDIT: STATISTICA brainer: Once deployed, it takes advantage of current (AC), making it system with solar PV array from
As an investment, renewable energy is a no-
complete renewable energy
more efficient. The EIBS
JinkoSolar, storage battery
“free” solar and wind resources and can lower
or even eliminate energy bills while reducing uses software from Geli from Tabuchi, and electric
to manage energy and
Charging ahead. A combination of mandates and incentives has placed the environmental impact—including water connect with other smart vehicle from Toyota. The solar
California among the leaders in electric vehicle sales and adoption.
demand—of conventional fossil fuel energy. home devices. array on The Align Project
But renewable energy has always been a long-term investment, house will feature JinkoSolar’s
and the upfront cost continues to be a real barrier to entry for most Eagle 60 mono PERC modules.
The State of Federal people. Incentives such as the federal solar Investment Tax Credit PERC, or passivated emitter
rear contact technology,
(ITC) and alternatives such as solar leasing—and more recently, com-
Incentives munity solar—have helped paved the way for solar renaissance in improves the efficiency of
cells by enabling unabsorbed
recent years (see sidebar, at left), but it will take incentives paired
light to pass back through the
Solar PV systems with progressive policies cell. The all-black modules
According to the Solar Energy Information Association (SEIA), the Solar to push renewables, in- have an efficiency rating of up
Incentive Tax Credit has helped boost a 1,600 percent increase in solar cluding electric vehicles, to 17.72 percent.
installations since it was rolled out in 2006. Since then, the ITC has provided fully into the mainstream.
a 30 percent tax credit for residential and commercial solar PV systems. California, the state with
The Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 extended the residential credit through COURTESY OF TOYOTA the highest deployment of
2021, with some caveats: solar, residential battery
■ Residential projects can enjoy 30 percent credit in 2018 and 2019. storage, and electric ve-
hicles, is the test case.
■ The ITC steps down to 26 percent for project that break ground in The Mirai hydrogen fuel cell electric
To help meet the state’s
2020 and 22 percent for those that start in 2021. vehicle from Toyota combines hydrogen
■ The credit sunsets in 2022. and oxygen to make electricity onboard. mandate that all new resi-

Water vapor is its only emission. It has an dential construction be net
Residential battery storage systems EPA estimated driving range of 312 miles zero by 2020, the Califor-
These systems do not qualify for the ITC unless they are charged and refuels in about five minutes. The nia Energy Commission
exclusively by solar energy. The Energy Storage Tax Incentive and small, lightweight fuel cell stack and passed a requirement
Deployment Act, introduced to Congress last year, would change the hydrogen tanks are located under the floor that, starting in 2020, all
Internal Revenue Code to allow the ITC to apply to energy storage of the vehicle, leaving plenty of room in new homes under three
technologies. Several states, including Maryland and California, offer the cabin for passengers. stories must include solar
incentives for battery storage systems. PV modules. Critics point to the added cost ($8,000 to $18,000, by
Electric vehicles one estimate) in what is already the nation’s most expensive housing
The federal tax incentive for EVs is being phased out. After this year, it market, but proponents argue that the monthly savings will more
will drop from $7,500 to $3,750, then in July 2019 it will halve again, to than make up for it.
$1,875. However, many states offer their own incentives. The Toyota Mirai, The state’s Self Generation Incentive Program has also helped
for example, qualifies for a $5,000 rebate from the State of California and California see a spike in residential battery storage installations.
three years (or $15,000) of free fuel. According to the Energy Storage Association, 36 megawatt-hours of

42 GREEN BUILDER September/October 2018 www.greenbuildermedia.com

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