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Electric vehicles and plug-in models like the Chevy Volt, Tesla Model S, Nissan Leaf and BMW i3 are becoming much more viable options for customers looking to save money on gasoline and energy costs. EV technology used be to very expensive, and though it still remains on the high end of the price spectrum for many drivers, it’s quickly moving in the direction of being more affordable for many families.

At the same time, solar power is rapidly bringing renewable energy to a wider market of customers in Southern California.

So, this begs the question: Can energy users who want to capitalize on these trends take advantage of the economic and environmental benefits of both? Does having an all-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle increase the value of a rooftop solar energy system?

In an article on GigaOM, a technology news site, writer Kevin C. Tofel, wrote about how he had installed solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on his home and bought a Chevrolet Volt. He claimed that the purchase of the car had shortened the solar payback period on his PV system by half.

Tofel figured that three-quarters of the family’s driving was powered by electricity from the solar panels, saving roughly $2,400 a year in gasoline costs. At the same time, Tofel was spending $2,500 less on electricity for his home annually, for a combined savings of $4,900. While he had originally projected the break-even point on his PV system to be about 11 years before buying the Volt, the gasoline savings after the purchase meant he would hit that point at about 6 years after buying the solar panels.

It’s worth mentioning that the results for solar customers in Orange County and Los Angeles could vary from Tofel’s. He purchased a relatively oversized system for his house, plus he lives in Pennsylvania, which has different incentives than California. But, it wouldn’t be very difficult for California customers to outpace these results, as electric rates and gasoline prices in the Golden State are much higher than those in Pennsylvania.

If you are interested in purchasing a solar system to offset electricity costs of your home and electric vehicle, contact AMECO Solar today. One of our solar consultants will be able to run the numbers to figure out the size of the solar system that you will need and how long it will take to hit the break-even point.

The Brightsource Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, in the Mojave Desert of California, is ready to go online, and pending approval by the California Public Utilities Commission should begin generating electricity very soon.

Located off the Interstate-15 near the Nevada border, the Ivanpah solar project is one of the largest ever completed. Using 170,000 mirrors, sunlight is concentrated and focused on three 450-foot tall towers. Water in the towers is heated to boiling temperatures, where it converts to steam and spins a turbine that generates electricity.

The total power capacity of the Ivanpah project is 392 megawatts (MW), enough to light 140,000 homes. The process produces no carbon emissions and qualifies as a renewable energy source.

The technology involved is very different from the photovoltaic panels that AMECO installs on rooftops, but the goal is the same: To provide a clean, affordable energy source to California residents that will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and stabilize long term energy costs. The project is funded by Brightsource Energy, along with support from Google and NRG and a federal loan.

The completion of Ivanpah will help the state of California meet its renewable portfolio standard (RPS) goal of 33 percent by 2020. It has drawn some criticism for the impact the project has had on desert tortoise populations, but biologists hired by Brightsource have relocated the animals to alternative locations where they can thrive.

By integrating more California solar energy into the state’s electrical grid, plants like the one at Ivanpah allow more Californians to reap the financial, economic and environmental benefits of solar power.

Whether the state of California and the country as a whole can move away from fossil fuels depends largely on the growth of renewable energy sources such as solar power, as these are the only solution that provides the electricity we need affordably without the pollution of coal and oil or the dangers of nuclear power.

Although much more progress needs to be made, two recent reports highlight the fact that things are moving in the right direction.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration has published a study showing that renewables, along with nuclear power, will be the fastest growing sources of energy over the next several decades, expanding at a rate of about 2.5 percent per year. In terms of renewable energy (RE) sources, much of the increase will come from wind, hydropower and solar.

In addition, NPD Solarbuzz, a market research company for the solar industry, put out a new paper that states the U.S. has passed the 10 gigawatt (GW) benchmark for solar generating capacity, trailing only Germany, Italy and China. The same report predicted that the industry would grow by 80 percent and reach 17 GW in total solar PV installations by 2014.

“The US has now joined an elite group of maturing solar PV markets that have accumulated more than 10 GW of installed capacity,” said Christopher Sunsong, analyst at NPD Solarbuzz, in a news release. “The United States is only the fourth country to reach the 10 GW milestone of installed PV capacity.”

The new head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Gina McCarthy, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate last week after an unexpected delay due to political gridlock over the role of the EPA in regulating environmental impact. McCarthy’s position will see her in charge of one of the most powerful agencies in the country in terms of regulating business, and it appears she will continue to focus on issues related to energy consumption, as did her predecessor, outgoing EPA chief Lisa Jackson.

Because of a 2007 Supreme Court ruling, the EPA was given jurisdiction over regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, meaning that the Obama administration could pursue an agenda of limiting production of carbon dioxide and other GHGs without rule-by-rule approval from Congress. As such, it could be the case that the regulatory environment will continue to favor renewable energy sources over fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas, particularly in the realm of electrical generation.

There are many ways that the EPA could shift the country’s energy infrastructure in the general direction of renewable sources, including levying penalties for companies that emit too many GHGs, requiring higher fuel efficiency standards and providing more streamlined permitting processes for the construction of new solar energy and wind projects.

Businesses that are looking to improve their long term financial stability and avoid potential penalties for fossil fuel consumption should consider switching to a solar electric system constructed by Los Angeles area solar installers. AMECO Solar can design and install a solar PV system that will meet your energy needs. Contact us today for more information.