Building Management Hawaii June/July 2013 - (Page 31)

Solar Stays Hot Hawaii property managers can still find great opportunities to save with solar. By Briand Achong are branching into new technologies centered around solar. New solar powered products are coming out on the market, including solar powered water heaters and solarpowered air conditioners. Looming on the horizon, the federal tax credit of 30 percent for solar energy is slated to sunset at the end of 2016. A 10 percent federal tax credit for commercial Material costs are stable-and as consolidation, mergers, acquisitions and operational efficiencies begin to take hold, soft costs are beginning to decline. In Hawaii, solar's first blip is mainly because of grid saturation, and the results have been both positive and negative for the industry. Companies have been closing, "right sizing" (as opposed to downsizing), fine-tuning processes and procedures, and outright selling to larger solar companies, such as the recent sale of Sunetric to publicly traded RGS Energy. Then there are those who www.buildingmanagementhawaii.com BMH June-July 2014 31 solAr /pV This is a challenging yet still exciting time for the photovoltaic (PV) industry in Hawaii. After years of exponential growth, the industry is experiencing its first contraction. Obstacles include politics, perception, "grid saturation," consolidation, bankruptcy and more. While these are daunting, there still is opportunity-and the industry is responding with innovative solutions. Around the world, demand for solar has been increasing daily. China, Japan, the U.S. and Germany were the top four countries in solar growth in 2013. Massive solar systems of up to 250 megawatts are unheard of in Hawaii, but these are being built regularly elsewhere, including in the U.S. Financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs, U.S. Bank, J.P. Morgan, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley are now investing heavily in the solar market. Consolidation is also taking place; not just in terms of manufacturer, installer or financial provider, but also those that provide turnkey service. Best Buy is now offering solar systems in select stores. PV carport system on open parking deck, Honolulu

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Building Management Hawaii June/July 2013

ASPHALT AND CONCRETE PAVING
RAILINGS
SOLAR AND PHOTOVOLTAIC
PAINTING
The Age Of IREM
On Site: Life Of A Property Manager

Building Management Hawaii June/July 2013