The UB GRoW (Garden, Relax or Work) Home has received second place in this year’s U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. This award-winning competition challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. This is the first Solar Decathlon for University at Buffalo and The State University of New York. Urban and community gardening has become widespread movement in Buffalo, all while revitalizing neighborhoods and vacant green…
Continue ReadingSunny days ahead for the solar industry
Yesterday Congress announced a huge budget extension for the federal solar tax credits, the solar industry here in Buffalo will see a five year extension. The legislation extends the 30 percent tax credit for three years, through 2019. It then will drop to 26 percent in 2020 and 22 percent in 2021. Ashley said she “breathes easy” now that the extension, approved in a vote by Congress…
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NYSERDA announces new Affordable Solar program
BUFFALO, NY – NY-Sun was an initiative that was launched by NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) that offered incentives for those looking to install solar panels on their home. The incentive is structured in Megawatt blocks. In each block, a dollar per watt incentive is offered and, as those Megawatt blocks are filled up by new customer installations, we move to…
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“Yeah, but does solar work in Buffalo???”
“Yeah, but does solar work in Buffalo???” That’s a question that we in the WNY Solar industry hear at least once a day. It is a very relevant question, at that. In a city known for its inclement weather, overcast skies, and snow storms that still manage to catch us off guard, how could we possibly believe that a solar panel could produce during those…
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Is Community Solar Right For You?
According to data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the primary US research and development center for renewable energy, only a quarter of commercial and residential rooftops are suitable for solar panels. If that’s the case, it provides an opportunity for community solar projects to drive the initiative of shared solar energy. But what is community solar? Community solar also known as Community Distributed Generation…
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Claiming Your NY State and Federal Tax Incentives
Tax season may be months away, but this year is different because it’s the year you installed solar panels on your home! It’s time to get that enormous 30% Federal and 25% State tax credits from your investment. If you’re reading this and haven’t installed Solar on your home yet—what are you waiting for? Click here to find out if solar is right for you. This lucrative opportunity…
Continue ReadingSolar power is gaining respect here in Buffalo
We were lucky enough to be featured in Solar Power World’s article regarding the stigma of solar in Buffalo. Even some of our own employees were once skeptical. Solar power is on the rise! “CIR Electric (No. 218 on the upcoming 2015 Top Solar Contractors list) has worked with electricity for nearly 40 years. Recently it won a GM contract to power robots in a…
Continue ReadingWind vs Solar: Which is the better technology?
When thinking about renewable, alternative forms of energy available for residential use two sources come to mind: wind and solar. Both forms offer immense promise for reducing the current rate at which we consume fossil fuel and could be the fastest growing power source over the next few decades; however, is one better than the other? In order to recognize which system is more cost…
Continue ReadingHow solar works
How Solar Works By: Ashley Regan NYS has made it increasingly attractive for home and business owners to go solar. Between the Federal and State Tax incentives as well as NYSERDA, incurred costs drop more than 65%. Every time an active solar system produces more energy than a house or business consumes, the owner receives credit from their utility company. So, on a day when…
Continue ReadingIntroducing CIR’s Summer Interns
CIR is thrilled to welcome Kevin, Joe, and Julianny to the company as interns for the summer! Kevin Weigel is a rising senior at the University at Buffalo, majoring in electrical engineering. He is interning with CIR for the summer. So far during his time at CIR, Kevin has worked in the warehouse and been exposed to CIR’s field work. Kevin is currently working as…
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