AltEnToday

I picked up this week’s Wave magazine here in San Jose and found an interesting short article about a new SunPower solar installation that’s gone in to the Macy’s store at Oakridge Mall here in San Jose, CA. The article cites some interesting facts and figures, including:

• The installation will produce more than 400,000 kWh annually
• Eliminates 514,000 lbs of carbon dioxide emissions annually (presumably derived from the current makeup of current energy inputs from coal- and other fossil fuel fired power plants)
• The installation of the solar panels, over a 30-year lifetime will “eliminate more than 195 million pounds of CO2 emissions - the equivalent of 27,400 acres of trees or taking 19,500 cars off the highway”

The article also mentions a program called California Self Generation Incentive Program (SGIP), which provides “financial incentives to customers using distributed generation.” I found some information on PG&E’s SGIP website, and also their incentives page regarding California Solar Initiatives, but truth be told I don’t quite understand them yet. I’ll keep digging to see if I can get a clearer understanding of what all these incentives mean.

Handy Resources / Sources / Links etc.

SunPower Retail Case Studies

SunPower Home

Macy’s Turn Over a New Leaf Program