BRANFORD, Conn., Oct. 11, 2011 – Aegis Solar Energy Inc., a solar-energy solutions provider serving the northeastern U.S., announced today that it hired Claude Colp as Director of Engineering Services and head of its Project & Engineering Office in Sudbury, MA.

Mr. Colp, 31, came to Aegis Solar from Solar Design Associates, a renewable energy design firm in Harvard, Mass. There he was responsible for overseeing major solar-power construction projects from both a design engineering perspective and during construction in the field. Prior to Solar Design Associates, Mr. Colp, held an engineering position with Spinnaker Contract Manufacturing, a contract electronics manufacturer based in Tilton, N.H.

“Claude’s knowledge and abilities are extensive, and his talent and energy complement the ‘can-do’ culture we have at the company,” Chris Lenda, Aegis Solar’s CEO said. “We look forward to the role Claude will play in helping Aegis meet fast-growing demand for clean solar energy in non-residential markets.”

Aegis Solar Energy is in the business of owning and operating commercial-scale, solar-power stations located on rooftops and acreage leased from commercial enterprises and selling clean solar energy under power-provider agreements at rates that are equal to or less than those of the local utility. For more information about Aegis Solar, please visit www.aegis-solar.com.

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Aegis Solar Energy, a subsidiary of Soltas Energy Corp., delivers solar-energy solutions to residential and non-residential customers located in the northeastern U.S. Headquartered in Branford, Conn., Aegis Solar Energy has over 20 years’ experience designing, installing and maintaining solar power systems.

Contact:
Tom Bonura, VP Sales and Marketing
Aegis Solar Energy
203.208.1856

BRANFORD, Conn., Oct. 03, 2011 – Aegis Solar Energy Inc., a developer, builder and operator of commercial and residential scale solar power systems, announced today that the large-scale, solar-panel array it designed for the roof of Brownell Hall, a dormitory on the campus of Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) in New Haven, Conn., is complete and ready for operation.

Locating a solar-panel array on the building’s roof for optimal performance without degrading or compromising the performance of the structure was of concern. Aegis Solar’s design and engineering expertise, in consultation with the building’s architect and general contractor, was instrumental in arriving at a methodology that brought the solar system on-line on schedule.

David Secondino of A. Secondino & Son, Inc., general contractor for the Brownell Hall project, said Aegis Solar’s impressive knowledge of solar-panel systems and its professionalism is what landed the company the job initially. “At the start and through to completion of the SCSU project, [Aegis’s] leadership was paramount in the success of the project,” he said.

“The standard of performance that we bring to every solar-power project is the result of more than 20-years of experience designing and installing solar-power systems for commercial and residential applications,” Aegis Solar President and CEO Chris Lenda said. “Aegis maintains a long list of customers who benefit from renewable energy systems installed on their homes and business.”

The Brownell Hall project included the installation of 150 High efficiency solar panels. The installation was part of a related project which included replacing the 15,000 square-foot roof of the 27-year-old building. The electricity from the solar-panel array will help offset the building’s electric power consumption.

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Aegis Solar Energy, a subsidiary of Soltas Energy Corp., is a solar-energy solutions provider that delivers clean, renewable solar energy to commercial enterprises through it REPOWER™ program or direct system purchase. Aegis Solar Energy serves customers located in the northeastern U.S. For more information about Aegis Solar Energy, visit www.aegis-solar.com.

Media contact:

Tom Bonura, VP Sales and Marketing
Aegis Solar Energy
203.208.1856

A collapse in the price of panels used to collect power from the sun’s rays is driving down the price of installing the systems at homes and businesses.

The average pre-incentive cost of residential and commercial solar systems in the United States declined by 11 percent in the first half of 2011, according to a report recently released by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. That decline comes following a 17 percent price drop in 2010.

Thanks to a reworking of funding mechanisms for renewable energy projects approved by Connecticut lawmakers in the last session, $8 million a year is being made available in each of the next 10 years to provide incentives to homeowners who want to install solar power systems at their homes, said Michael Trahan, executive director of a Higganum trade group, Solar Connecticut.

“The decrease in price is all a matter of supply,” said Trahan. “Some European countries have pulled back incentives for solar panels and the ones that would have been installed overseas are now being diverted to the United States.”

Solar Connecticut has organized an Oct. 1st showcase homes and businesses that have installed solar power systems. The tours, which will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and are free of charge to the public, will be Hamden, New Haven, Branford and Madison, Trahan said.

“The current average cost of installing solar panels to provide power for a 2,000 square foot home has homeowners paying $15,000 on a $30,000 system,” he said. “This time last year, the homeowner’s share would have been $20,000 of a $40,000 system.”

The money comes from funds paid by Connecticut ratepayers into a fund managed by the Connecticut Energy Finance and Investment Authority, Trahan said. The money had formally been managed by the Authority’s predecessor, the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, he said.

To make it even more attractive install residential solar power systems, Trahan said state officials are working on developing a so-called “green bank” which would provide low cost financing for homeowners.

Call Luther Turmelle at 203-789-5706 or follow him on Twitter @LutherTurmelle. To receive breaking news first, simply text the word nhnews to 22700. Standard message + data rates apply

To view the original article, click the following URL: newhavenregister.com
© 2011 nhregister.com, a Journal Register Property

WEST HARTFORD, CT – Saint Joseph College has partnered with Aegis Electrical Systems of Branford, CT to install a substantial solar energy system that will benefit students in environmental studies programs, while at the same time reduce the College’s non-renewable energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The College’s Strategic Plan includes the goal of “implementing programs and policies that encourage environmental sustainability.” In support of this commitment, two systems are planned for The O’Connell Athletic Center site.

The first will use solar thermal collectors to capture the sun’s energy and use it to heat the water for the indoor swimming pool and the Center’s domestic hot water. The other uses solar electric collectors to provide electricity to the Center.

Pictured here (left to right) at the recent ground-breaking ceremony are: Everett Barber, Consultant on Solar-Thermal and Solar-Electric Systems; Chris Lenda, Owner of Aegis Electrical Systems; Peter Markow, Ph.D., Saint Joseph College Professor of Chemistry; Saint Joseph College President Pamela Trotman Reid, Ph.D.; The Honorable Scott Slifka, Mayor,Town of West Hartford; and Charles Mann, B.B.A., Saint Joseph College Vice President for Finance and Administration.

To view the original article visit: solarthermalmagazine.com

For proponents of solar thermal power systems in Connecticut, which are typically used to provide hot water for homes, the best of times changed into the worst of times mighty fast.

At the beginning of April, 75 percent of a $3.8 million cache of federal stimulus money that was set aside by Connecticut officials 18 months ago to provide incentives for installation of the solar thermal systems was still unspent. Advocacy groups like Solar Connecticut were looking to promote interest in residential solar thermal installations.

But because of an unexpected, pent-up demand for the technology since then, the entire funding pool for the solar thermal incentives has virtually dried up, said Michael Trahan, executive director for Solar Connecticut of Haddam, a nonprofit advocacy group for the industry.

And state lawmakers have shown no inclination to ante up any state money for the incentives to continue, Trahan said.

“We’re working with legislators every day to include some definite funding in S.B. 1, but so far, there has been nothing,” he said, referring to wide-ranging Senate bill that addresses a number of energy issues. “The latest version of S.B. 1 that I saw says there should be an energy program, but it does not identify a funding source.”

But any suggestion that there is no money available for solar thermal incentives in the bill is not entirely true, according to Dave Steuber, a spokesman for state Sen. John Fonfara, D-Hartford, who is co-chairman of the General Assembly’s Energy & Technology Committee.

“The administration is not big on picking winners among the renewable energy sources,” Steuber said. “But money that solar thermal systems are eligible for is in the legislation. It’s just in a broader category, under funding for technologies with zero carbon emissions, which would include wind energy and other renewable resources.”

Steuber said $8 million will be allocated annually for the next six years to provide 15-year contracts with declining incentives for zero emission renewable energy projects, including solar thermal. The projects will be selected from those that apply by the new Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority, he said.

Trahan said that he’s concerned a majority of the funding will go toward incentives for solar photovoltaic systems, the better-known sister technology of the sun-powered thermal systems. But he acknowledges that the language contained in S.B. 1 “is constantly changing.”

Solar photovoltaic systems typically are used to generate electricity, while solar thermal systems typically are used to heat water.

Even if money for solar thermal energy incentives is included in S.B. 1 under a broader category like zero carbon emission, the competition for funding will be fierce. And that’s not good news for the roughly 30 companies statewide that are licensed to install solar thermal energy systems.

Trahan said the majority of the installers are plumbing and heating companies that count solar thermal installations as a portion of their overall business. But some installers only do solar power installations, which makes solar thermal installations a larger chunk of their business, he said.

“It’s terribly disappointing for the companies that do this kind of work,” Trahan said.

Chris Lenda, managing director of Aegis Solar Energy in Branford, said a significant decline in funding for solar thermal installations could result in 50 and 70 percent of the state’s licensed solar thermal installers going out of business.

“It’s been quite a roller coaster ride,” Lenda said. “Fortunately, we’ve been doing this for 20 years, so it won’t put us out of business. But it makes it difficult for us to keep a good work force when you’re having these cycles where you have to lay people off because there just isn’t enough work.”

Before the state got the federal stimulus money to offer incentives for solar thermal system installations 18 months ago, Lenda said Aegis Solar was averaging about one solar thermal system installation per week. While the incentive money was still available, he said the number of solar thermal installations the company did per week was about equal with the amount of photovoltaic systems Aegis was doing.

There is certain irony to the fact that it seems to take incentive money to pique the public’s interest in installing solar thermal systems. The typical price range for a residential installation of a photovoltaic solar power system is between $30,000 and $60,000, Lenda said, compared with $12,000 to $14,000 for a solar thermal unit.

“I think for most people, there’s just something sexy about using the sun to generate electricity and sell what you’ve generated back onto the grid,” he said. “There’s nothing sexy about a system that heats your water.”

But some people are sold on the wisdom of using the solar thermal units.

Franklin Enterprises, which owns nine apartment buildings in Hamden and New Haven, outfitted all of the buildings with solar thermal systems, said Louis Tagliatela Jr., co-owner of the company.

Tagliatela said his company was planning to install the solar thermal units even before the state incentives were announced. But he said getting $50,000 rebate for each of the units installed means that the capital improvement will be paid for in less than four years.

“PV (photovoltaic solar power systems) take a huge footprint on a roof and with our elevator equipment up there, we just didn’t have the room,” Tagliatela said. “Hot water benefits everyone and the money we save enables us to hold the line on rent increases, which I think the tenants appreciate.”

Solar thermal systems may not have the curb appeal of photovoltaic units, but because they are cheaper to install, Trahan said, they can save homeowners a lot of money.

“Hot water is a serious part of most people’s energy bills,” he said. “The typical solar thermal system pays for itself in five or six years and solar thermal systems have a 20-year life span.”

To view the original article visit: NHRegister.com

Forty new solar panels were recently installed on the MacMillan-Owen home thanks to homeowner Stacy Owen’s research into the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund’s solar rebate program. The solar-powered home will also send excess clean energy back to the grid for use by Stacy’s neighbors. She wants to encourage other homeowners to look into the cost-effective, clean energy program. Photo by Pam Johnson/The Courier

East Lyme – One local family is the first in the region to take advantage of federal stimulus funds to install a solar thermal system to heat their home.

Just a few weeks ago, Aegis-Solar Energy installed a solar thermal system at Bill and Kathleen Derry’s home on Pennsylvania Avenue. The “green” system works by generating heat from sunlight and reduces fuel bills significantly. Though the cost of installing a solar thermal system is higher than that of installing a conventional water heater, the fuel savings can pay back the cost of the system in a few years, with federal and state incentives.

“Ultimately it’s a savings,” Bill Derry said, “but it’s a neat thing to do for the environment. It’s the first step towards a little more energy independence.”

At the back of the Derrys’ home, mounted on the roof are three Alternative Energy Technology flat plate collectors, 4 feet wide by 10 feet tall, that look like skylights from the outside. Attached to the collectors is piping that carries heated liquid, usually antifreeze solution, from the collectors to a heat exchanger, which generates hot water or warmed air.

The 120-gallon tank for the solar thermal system is located in a 3- by 4-foot space in the basement, next to the existing hot water heater. It works automatically, transferring hot water to a storage tank that acts as a pre-heater for the existing hot water tank.

Last Thursday, when the outside temperature was 38 degrees, the collectors were able to heat the water to 110 degrees. On sunny days in the winter, temperatures range from 90 to 100 degrees, 125 to 135 degrees in the spring and fall, and 160 degrees in the summer.

Tom Bonura, a salesman from Aegis Electrical Systems based in Branford, said a solar thermal system meets between 70 to 80 percent of the total demands. A family of four, like the Derrys, will save $1,200 a year on oil, or 80 gallons of oil per person a year.

The average system costs about $12,500; current rebates are available for about $2,500, and residents are eligible for a federal tax credit, which would lower the cost of the system to $7,000. The payback is between four to six years, Bonura said.

The lifespan of the Derrys’ system is 40 years, Bonura said. There is virtually no maintenance needed for 15 years, and after that it is minimal.

Bill said he first got interested in solar energy around the late 1970s, early ’80s. In high school, he took a course on solar energy and design. When he built his house four years ago, he constructed it facing south, away from the noisy street and with the ability to incorporate solar energy technology.

Derry, a teacher at Lyme-Old Lyme High School, applied this summer for the solar thermal incentive program established by the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund from money from the American Recovery Act.

The system was installed three and a half days before Christmas Eve, and they couldn’t be more excited.

“I’m mostly excited for our kids,” Kathleen Derry said, explaining that she can now show and teach their children, Jack, 6, and Eliza, 3, about “going green.”

All Connecticut homeowners, businesses, and organizations are eligible to apply for the incentive program to install solar domestic hot water heating systems. The funding is available until March 2012. For more information, visit www.ctcleanenergy.com.

Well this clean energy thing is really catching on! I heard it not only from the folks at the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund yesterday, during a dedication ceremony to unveil a 2-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) system that has been installed on the rooftop of the Essex Recycling Center, but from the very guy who did the installation.

Chris Lenda, owner of Aegis Electrical Systems in Branford (and an Essex resident), said he has installed about 60 or 70 clean energy systems on homes and businesses around Connecticut, as well as solar hot water systems. So not only are people switching over to cleaner power, but are supporting a Connecticut company to get the job done!

After the dedication ceremony, I chatted with Bob Wall of the CT Clean Energy Fund, who told me that about 35 communities, like Essex, have made the commitment to obtain 20% clean energy by the year 2010. And because more than 100 Essex residents have enrolled in the CTCleanEnergyOptionssm program, (its actually more than 140 families), the town earned the two free solar photovoltaic arrays, which were installed at the transfer station and officially dedicated Wednesday. If 70 more Essex residents sign up for the program, the town will be eligible to receive more free arrays. So how about it Essex?

Can you see the arrays? They are right on top of the transfer station in a neat, shiny row. Essex First Selectman Phil Miller, standing next to Sen. Eileen Daily in the picture, said this location was selected as the best place to put the arrays because they are so highly visible there and since so many residents use the transfer station, they will be sure to see them. The power generated from these arrays goes out to the regional power system, or grid, which provides power to to the town. So the arrays aren’t hooked to the transfer station, but contribute to the overall production of power for the town. Chris Lenda said a set of arrays like this could provide about 1/3 of the power for an average household.

Pictured from left are Bob Wall of the CT Clean Energy Fund, Chris Lenda of Aegis, Phil Miller, Sen . Eileen Daley Daily, Rep. James Spallone, Jenny Contois, the district director for Rep. Joseph Courtney and Frank Hall of the Essex Citizens for Clean Energy.
“This is so great, because the community earned it,” said Lise Dondy, president of the CT Clean Energy Fund. “So even if they can’t afford (the arrays) for their own homes, they were able to earn this for their community, it’s a win, win!”

Check out the town’s web site if you want to learn about all the other clean energy initatives that are going on in town. Mr. Miller said he and the board of selectmen are discussing the idea of installing a clean energy system at the middle school, which would require some initial spending to save future dollars on energy costs.

“What we may have to invest now can only be possible to save money later,” Miller said. “It will take some discipline!”

Want to know more about the CT Clean Energy Options program? Go to http://www.ctcleanenergyoptions.com/