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Dec 08 2016
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Clean Air at Home: Interview with Moms Clean Air Force

By 5 Ways That Solar Energy Benefits the Environment No Comments

Solar.com joins with nonprofits across the nation committed to cleaning up our air, our energy grid, and our communities.  Here on the blog we are reaching out to leaders of the environmental and sustainability movements to hear their first hand takes on pressing topics like policy trends, how to get involved, and how to make an impact yourself.

Today’s guest is Ronnie Citron-Fink, Editorial Director for Moms Clean Air Force.  Moms Clean Air Force is a community of hundreds of thousands of moms—and dads!—working together to combat air pollution, including the urgent crisis of our changing climate.

Kyle Cherrick            Ronnie Citron-Fink

Kyle Cherrick of Solar.com and Ronnie Citron-Fink, Editorial Director for Moms Clean Air Force

Kyle Cherrick: Thanks so much for joining Solar.com for an interview Ronnie.  What prompted the formation of Moms Clean Air Force and what is its driving motivation today?

Ronnie Citron-Fink: We decided to reach out to parents to make a difference in the health of their children. When we started we explained the importance of clean air by talking about mercury. Moms are told when they’re pregnant, not to eat tuna. Many of us didn’t know why. So we explained how coal-fired power plants are the most significant source of mercury pollution. This airborne mercury is converted to methlymercury when it falls to the ground and into water. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that is particularly dangerous to pregnant women and children.

We continue to be driven by science as we work help parents connect the dots between pollution and health – the asthma connection, the food connection and the politics of supporting strong EPA rules and renewables that protect our families.

KC: As an organized voice in the community, how are Mothers (and Parents) received with community leaders and politicians as compared with workers groups or industry-supported organizations?  In some ways, you are the voice of the independent citizen, right?

RCF: Parents are passionate about the health of their children. So, whether you’re a republican or democrat, everyone can agree that children deserve clean air to breathe. This is a core shared family value. Parents from across country carry our message that to protect our children’s health, we must address the urgent crisis of our changing climate. This passion is powerful, so we like to say, “We are harnessing the strength of mother love to fight back against polluters.”

KC: How do you see this issue cutting across party lines with your constituents, and what type of actions do you expect to take during the coming Trump administration?

RCF: Clean air and clean water are basic human rights. President-elect Trump told the New York Times last week, “Crystal clean water is vitally important?”

So, we’ll continue our work by arming our members with trusted, reliable science and solutions through our online resources, articles, action tools and in-the-field events.

When the administration lies about internationally respected climate science, and threatens to cripple our health protections – like a mama bear protecting her cubs, we will fiercely resist. More than ever, being a loving parent will mean being a committed citizen.

Trump seems to care deeply about has children and grandchildren. Do you think he would want Ivanka’s babies to be exposed to mercury, chromium, benzene, or some of the other nasties his people want to welcome back into our air in the name of fossil fuel profits. Our challenge will be holding Trump and his team accountable.

Moms_Clean_Air_Force.png

KC: How does Moms Clean Air Force call on members to support the cause?  What community impact efforts are members able to join?

RCF: On our website, we post everything for parents to understand what is at stake: nothing less than the health of their children, as well as future generations. We explain how pollution connects to disease. We believe in Naptime Activism. With our online action center, we make it easy and fast for busy parents to make their voices heard – while baby naps. We also have Moms Clean Air Force chapters across the country. Through on-the-ground events, and legislative visits, our moms talk with politicians and tell them to vote for what is right – clean air for kids.

KC: What are some of the most common things that parents can do at their home to improve their communities’ clean air and impact the environment positively?

RCF: Beyond becoming active in their community, and advocating for local environmental protections, parents can learn everything they can about asthma. Over 7 million children live with asthma! We can control many of the asthma triggers in our homes and schools. We can also protect our children from toxic chemicals at home by using safer cleaning products. And of course, ditching dangerous, dirty fossil fuels and switching to clean renewable energy.

Our website provides all the resources – the latest science, suggestions, events and actions to help protect families.

KC: Thank you for the discussion.  It’s great to hear all the great work happening around the country with grassroots environmental organizations like yours.  We look forward to hearing more from your team in the future.

RCF: Thank you!

Solar.com is an online marketplace where homeowner’s can receive a dedicated energy consultant who will assist them in collecting 6-12 bids to go solar for their home. Additionally, Solar.com provides independent advice and consultation on financing options, equipment selection, and vendor choice. To receive a no cost, no obligation custom home solar design, visit Solar.com.

Dec 06 2016
Love0

Driving on Sunshine: Comparing the Economics of Gas and Electric Vehicles

By Charging Your EV With Solar Panels No Comments

Driving an electric car charged by solar panels on your roof sounds like the dream – you are now driving to work in a vehicle powered (at least in part) by the Sun, independent of fossil fuels and the business and environmental stigma attached to them. But how do the economics of charging your electric vehicle (EV) from rooftop solar PV work?

Is it financially advantageous over the alternatives? We’ll break it down in this article, by first reviewing the financial aspects of solar PV, then discussing the economics of solar + EVs versus traditional gas-powered cars.

The Cost of a Solar PV System

The main drawback of solar is the upfront cost – for a 5 kilowatt system (more than enough to power the average American home), if you were to purchase it with cash it would cost you around $20,000. However, this is before taking solar subsidies and rebates into account. The Consolidated Appropriations Act allows taxpayers who purchase a solar system to claim a 30% tax credit on the cost of their system.

The Federal tax credit essentially brings the upfront cost down to $14,000 assuming you are able to claim the credit. Although there are other ways to finance a solar system, let’s assume you decide to pay for yours in cash upfront. Once installed, your system will be producing clean, cost-free electricity for the remainder of its lifetime.

Electric Vehicles

Now let’s talk cars, specifically EVs. Electric vehicles and hybrids have been rising in prominence over the last few years, due largely in part by companies like Tesla, and other affordable EVs and hybrids like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt, as well as huge federal and state tax credits and rebates. But in the long run, are EVs more economical than traditional gas-powered cars? To test this question, let’s research the costs of a standard electric car with that of an average car powered by an internal combustion engine. We’ll use a 2016 Nissan Leaf as our example EV. The Leaf will be compared against a 2016 Honda Accord.

Here we can compare the total costs of an EV like the Nissan Leaf with a similarly priced conventional vehicle like the Honda Accord. Let’s run the estimate without solar initially for an example homeowner in Southern California. In this example, the homeowner resides in Pasadena, CA, and commutes 15,000 miles a year, or about 41 miles a day. They also spend $150/month on electricity (above average for a California household). A Honda Accord has an MSRP of just over $22,000. The base price for a Nissan Leaf, on the other hand, is $29,000, but federal and state tax credits and rebates* bring the cost down to $19,000 (a $10,000 reduction). This gives these two vehicles a comparable price tag, with the upfront cost of a Leaf being $3,000 less than that of the Accord.

Honda Accord Nissan Leaf
Yearly Mileage 15,000 15,000
Fuel Cost/Mile $0.09/mile $0.05/mile
Annual Fuel Cost $1,300 $780
Vehicle Maintenance $870 $710
Annual Electricity Cost $1,800 $2,580
Gross Vehicle Cost $22,300 $29,000
Federal Incentives N/A -$7,500
State Incentives N/A -$2,500
Net Upfront Cost $22,300 $19,300
Year 1 Savings N/A $3,680
Year 10 Savings N/A $9,800

In sum, having an EV raises the monthly electricity bill by $65, but the homeowner still has a net savings of around $680/year from not having a conventional gasoline-powered car. This is in addition to saving $3000 from the lower upfront cost of the Leaf, allowing for a first-year savings of $3680, breaking even from the get go.

*Federal tax credit for EVs: “Plug in Electric Drive Vehicle Credit” – allows up to $7,500 in tax credits. California state incentive for EVs: $2,500 rebate for battery-electric vehicles.

**Maintenance costs based on manufacturer-recommended maintenance times

Case Study – EV/PV Combination

Bringing solar into the equation, however, truly completes the picture. Let’s use the same conditions as above (homeowner resides in Pasadena, commutes 15,000 miles a year, and spends $215/month on electricity), but now including a solar system that offsets 100% of the utility bill installed on the homeowner’s roof. This system size is around 10.5 kW (well above average-sized).

Although the initial cost of the Leaf-PV combination is higher than just the Accord, the true savings are paid back over time. With the panels offsetting 100% of the utility bill, the annual cost for electricity after installing the panels is $0. The total savings over 10 years amounts to over $32,000:

Honda Accord, No Solar Nissan Leaf with Solar
Gross Cost (EV+PV System) $22,300 $61,300
Federal EV Incentives N/A -$7,500
State EV Incentives N/A -$2,500
Federal Solar Incentives N/A -$9,700
Net Cost After Incentives $22,300 $41,600
Annual Fuel Cost $1,300 N/A
Annual Utility Bill $1,800 N/A
Annual Maintenance $870 $710
Total Annual Costs $3,970 $710
Total Year 1 Savings N/A $3,260
Break Even Period N/A 5 Years, 11 Months
10 Year Savings N/A $32,600

Our projection estimates a yearly savings of $3,260, with a 10 year savings of $32,600. It should be noted that virtually all solar panels have a guaranteed performance of 25 years.

Conclusion

In conlusion, powering an electric vehicle from rooftop solar is economically advantageous compared to purchasing a gas-powered vehicle. Although the initial costs involved may be intimidating to some, these expenses are more than paid back in a relatively short amount of time. Plus, when you’re purchasing a solar system, the cost of the project is added on to your home’s value. There are also plenty of low interest financing options for solar systems that require $0 down. Not only is it clean and green, it simply makes financial sense to run on sunshine.

All calculations and estimations were done using data from the Energy Information Association, the U.S. Department of Energy, the California Solar Initiative WattPlan calculator, and Solar.com’s own solar estimate calculator. Interested in conducting your own cost-benefit analysis of driving an EV versus driving a conventional vehicle? Solar.com can help you decide how advantageous an EV can be for you.