Green Energy

Written by Andy Karstensen, NEI Electric, Wisconsin

In today’s volatile energy market, alternative energy sources have become practical and necessary, moving alternative energy production high on the priority list. There are many factors creating the demand for renewable energy, such as the nations overloaded and aging infrastructures and the decline in oil production.

The recent BP Macondo Oil Well disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and the possibility of reaching peak oil production, mean the laws of supply and demand will force the prices of oil even higher. The threat of gas reaching $4.00 per gallon by the end of summer and with the demand of the buying public, the auto manufacturers have finally been encouraged to start producing energy efficient cars. Some of these vehicles are designed to run on electricity alone and when they hit the market they will need a source to charge them. What better way to charge a “green car” than with “green energy”!

Wind and solar energy produce no harmful waste so their carbon footprint is limited to the production and installation of the components themselves. Given the high probability of the sun rising and the wind blowing, these energy sources are not likely to run out.

With solar energy, the near zero maintenance makes it an “install it-forget it” system. Panel warrantees are approaching 30 years meaning some customers may never have to worry about them again. Advances in panel and inverter technology have made solar systems very scalable allowing customers to easily add to their systems as their budgets allow.

Energy independence is something we as individuals and as a nation should be working towards. Incentives put in place by our government and the utilities have reduced “pay-back” periods to as little as five years, meaning some incentives can reduce the initial costs by as much as 50% to 70%. Now is a great time to become an alternative energy producer. The United States is just now starting to see the benefits of “green energy” already being utilized throughout Europe.

NEI Electric can offer energy and cost savings to our customers through a number of different ways, including: