Solar power

Just curious, I know there are a few washes that have converted to solar power, one I remember reading about in Southern California, is anyone looking into this? Know of any gov. grants available to assist in cost, rebates... A solar power rep. stopped by a few days ago and wants to give me a quote on installing it...

Tell us what his quote is please!

I got an e-mail the other day about a lease program:

{Gail & Doug,

I thought you both would be interested in this information.

On February 13, President Bush signed the 2008 Economic Stimulus Act (ESA) into law. It includes significant incentives to stimulate equipment purchasing in 2008. With the return of the 50% Bonus Depreciation and the increased Section 179 threshold, the benefits are significant for equipment acquisitions of up to approximately $800,000 (phase out at $1,050,000). Leasing can further enhance these incentives with capital conservation and 100% financing. In many cases, the tax savings will cover the first year of lease payments on the equipment.

Attached is a summary of the Economic Stimulus Act as well as a Carlton Automotive Care Equipment flyer which highlights the cash flow and capital conservation benefits of leasing. If this is something you are interested in, I can work with you and your accountant to set up the appropriate structure to help maximize your benefits for the 2008 tax year.

Warm Regards, }

This got me thinking; "what if I got a guote to go install solar pannels on both car washes"? My power bills on both washes combined run from $1200 in the summer to $2200 in the winter or an average of about $1700 a month. I wonder what benifit with a rebate, depreciation and lease payments if that would reduce my payments below what I pay for power while "going green".

The SS would be easy to power. The tunnel... not so easy!

The numbers i have seen indicate for me that it is too early for efficient PV solar for "pratical" commercial use (decent ROI). It would be much like spending 100K on a huge mainframe computer in 1989. Huge leaps in solar technology are expected over the next decade, and the cost should come down dramatically. Using solar to supplement water heating is another story and could pencil out easier.

Let us know what you guys find out.