Santa is coming to town early this year for a very special mission: renewable energy. This holiday season Santa will be partnering with local energy solutions company, Elemental Energy, to install solar throughout Portland! Elemental Energy reached out to Santa knowing he had substantial experience working on roofs. “It’s not everyday that I get to enjoy being on a roof in daylight - installing solar is going to be my new off-season hobby!” exclaimed Santa.
Splitting time between the North Pole and Portland, Santa will be joining Elemental Energy for a solar installation on December 10, 2015 at the Laraway Residence: 4915 NW 186th Ave, Portland, OR 97229 (9:30 AM). Installation date pending extreme weather forecast. Stop by and join Santa and the Elemental Energy crew for a cup of hot cocoa and Santa's favorite cookies! Follow Elemental Energy on social channels @ElementalSolar or Santa via #SantaSolar hashtag for updates on his location and progress.
In addition to installing solar, Santa will be spreading holiday cheer in the form of tax credits right before the new year. “The incentives for going solar in Oregon are currently very generous,” noted Elemental Energy owner, John Grieser. “With the federal tax credit [30% of total installation cost] set to expire at the end of 2016, more and more Oregon residents are seeing both the environmental and financial benefits of putting solar on their property.” Additional information on commercial and residential solar systems as well as the current local, state and federal incentives can be found online: www.ElementalEnergy.net
Solar Facts:
- A study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that average-sized 3.6-kW PV systems increased home values by $4/W or $15,000 (Selling into the Sun).
- Oregon’s sunniest cities have as much sun as Miami, and Portland gets more sun than Germany, which leads the world in solar energy investments (Energy Trust of Oregon).
- As of the second quarter (Q2) of 2014, solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems have been installed on more than a half million homes in the United States (Selling into the Sun).
- Solar, not just for roofs anymore The flexibility of today’s panel design offers opportunities to integrate solar into covered walkways, parking structures and other building features (Energy Trust of Oregon).