The California Solar Rebate will drop 41% well before this summer, from $1.10/watt to $0.65/watt. If you do nothing to reserve your solar rebate, you will lose well over $1,000 in rebate money you could have saved to offset the cost of your solar system.

Now is the best time to go solar with the lowest prices and the highest rebate.

For example: if you act now you will save:

$1,240 rebate on a 3.5 kW system*
$1,845 rebate on a 5.2 kW system
$2,536 rebate on a 7.1 kW system

If you are considering solar contact one of our Solar Power Consultants to schedule a site visit or to update your solar proposal, and we will lock-in your rebate at $1.10 for 12 full-months! You can sign up for a free solar consultation by clicking HERE.

*Rebates vary based on system size, array tilt, orientation, equipment, and weather.

Have you checked your electricity bill lately? Did you know PG&E raised your electricity rates on January 1, 2010 and again on
March 4?

Tier 1 = now $.118 (up 3.0%)**
Tier 2 = now $.135 (up 3.0%)
Tier 3 = now $.286 (up 9.5%)
Tier 4 = now $.425 (up 11.6%)
Tier 5 = now $.497 (up 12.2%)

Simply put, electricity from PG&E is getting very expensive. If you install a solar system on your home or business today, you can take control of your cost for power. Solar system prices have decreased 49% over the last 18 months and incentives are at their highest level. With inflation on the horizon, the best time to go solar is now.

**Source: http://www.pge.com/tariffs/electric.shtml

SANTA CRUZ, CA—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors and the Santa Cruz City Council each voted unanimously yesterday to advance an Energy Independence & Economic Stimulus Initiative program to provide residential property owners with special financing options to install energy generation improvements, as well as provide economic stimulus for the region’s nascent green economy. The program will help the City and County of Santa Cruz to make significant progress toward needed reductions in greenhouse gas emissions while providing investment in the local economy, two goals that are consistent with the Climate Action Compact of 2008, a regional commitment initiated by the City and County of Santa Cruz and the University of California, Santa Cruz.

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Local participants in the Santa Cruz City Climate Action Program discussed strategies to finance and support a larger solar community, as well as share ideas on expanding the use of solar within Santa Cruz. Independent Energy Systems' Vice President, Joel Kauffman, took part in the discussion and the resulting ideas will be integrated into the Solar Section of the Santa Cruz Climate Action Plan. Visit www.30X20.org for more information.

Independent Energy Systems had a blast sponsoring Santa Cruz’ Earth Day celebration powered by the sun in downtown Santa Cruz. Our solar powered trailer provided enough solar energy to power the event stage, as well as a number of other booths, and the sun provided us all with solar-baked organic cookies from our sun ovens! IES staff members were present throughout the event to educate the public about the many benefits of Going Solar in the Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay region.

ES staff took place in yet another great and Green community event at Mount Madonna’s Earth Day Festival in the sunny Santa Cruz mountains, powering the stage and other vendor booths with our one of a kind IES solar powered event trailer. Along with solar power, IES contributed our famous solar baked cookies for the crowd as well as our solar powered water fountain for kids of all ages to enjoy. The event helped encourage community members to Go Solar in the Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay area with IES.

Dr. Wallace "J." Nichols, President of the International Sea Turtle Association, was so impressed with our solar powered trailer that he asked Independent Energy Systems' President, Bob Evans, if the solar trailer could power the International Sea Turtle Association's annual symposium in Loreto, Mexico. We gladly stepped up to the challenge! The solar trailer was driven down to Baja in January 2008 to power the event where over 1,000 sea turtle researchers and conservationists gathered to share the latest news and report their progress on sea turtle monitoring and conservation. Solar energy was a great hit, as event organizers made a huge effort to ensure the symposium was as eco-friendly as possible. Contact us if you have events you'd like to solar power using our mobile solar trailer.

Augusto Lima, one of the talented lead solar installers at Independent Energy Systems, was invited to take part in three solar installation projects on the Galapagos Islands this past spring and fall. Operating on a grant from the E8, an entity of the United Nations that manages energy resources, the project was part of a larger program to introduce renewable energies onto these remote, ecological islands. Augusto joined forces with other participants to install a 5 kW solar system at a local school, as well as 7.5 kW at their power plant on San Cristobal Island. He then lead a one-day training and lecture workshop for local electricians on solar installation. The team was honored in a ceremony with representatives from the United Nations.

On this “National Day of Climate Action” in November of 2007, Independent Energy Systems further supported the movement to stop global warming by taking part in Santa Cruz’ own Step it Up event, one of 1400 events taking place across the nation uniting a common goal to decrease global warming. The IES solar powered trailer was on site to power the event using the world’s most renewable energy source – the sun, encouraging community members to Go Solar in the Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay area with IES.

Independent Energy Systems’ unveiled our new solar powered trailer at it’s first public event to power the festivities at Santa Cruz’ Race Against Global Warming event. IES staff educated the public about solar power at the all-day Climate Expo, as well as took part in the 5K run/walk, raising funds for local charities dedicated to the fight against global warming, as well as awareness about the benefits of Going Solar in the Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay area with IES. Go team!

Independent Energy Systems makes solar power mobile as we create our new self contained solar power trailer with a solar array of 1,260 Watts from 6 SunPower 210 Watt solar modules. The trailer will allow us to power local events around the Santa Cruz/Monterey region, and was completed just in time to solar power the stage for the Race Against Global Warming event held in Santa Cruz.

On Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007, IES president and owner Bob Evans rented out the Del Mar theatre for a private showing of Leonardo DiCaprio’s environmental film, The 11th Hour. As part of IES’ ongoing efforts to increase public awareness about environmental topics such as global warming, and solar energy’s place in the renewable energy movement, IES invited 500 of our closest friends and clients in the Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay community to share in the belief that education and awareness are critical tools in addressing environmental issues.

IES presented a number of seminars for the local Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay community relating to solar and renewable energy at the Greenspace location in Santa Cruz. The “Solar Incentives” seminar addressed the topic of government incentives and new legislation concerning solar energy and increased affordability, while the “Go Solar” seminar taught attendees about how to finance solar energy systems for your home or business project.

Bob Evans, President of Independent Energy Systems, was inspired to take action after seeing the new documentary film “An Inconvenient Truth” at the Nickelodeon theatre. Concerned that the movie was not getting enough attention, and moved to share its message, Bob decided to rent out the entire theatre for the 7pm show on June 29th and invite Independent Energy Systems’ customers and friends in the community to see it together. This event brought IES' environmental committment to the forefront of our local Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay community.

In the summer of 2005, IES volunteered their time to install a Solar PV System in the quad at Santa Cruz High, with a Santa Cruz High alumnus as part of the team! We chose to install this solar electric system in a high profile location to bring solar into the minds of our youth so they can help shape the future in a positive way. Total Array Power: 960 Watts; Solar Inverter Type: Sunny Boy 1800 Watt; Solar Module Type: 12 Kyocera KC80, 80-watt solar module, Multi-Crystalline

In October of 2005, Independent Energy Systems took part in the Norcal Solar "Solar and Green Home Tour." This Santa Cruz solar home has a 3,000 watt solar array, along with other green building features. IES spent the day on site talking with the community and educating them about Going Solar in the Santa Cruz/ Monterey Bay area.

Independent Energy Systems received much attention at San Lorenzo Park in Santa Cruz in April with two solar ovens cooking chocolate chip cookies for the community, a solar water pumping station, 500 watts of solar panels hooked up to an SMA Sunny Island Off-Grid Inverter with Battery Backup, and many solar toys that intrigued the Earth Day crowd. IES continually supports the Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay area's efforts to promote solar and renewable energy.

During the summer months, our teams set up booths about solar power and renewable energy in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay area at farmers markets such as the Farmer's Market in Live Oak in Santa Cruz. We generated considerable interest on behalf of earth-conscious consumers, while educating folks who stopped by to check out what IES solar power systems can do.

Biologist Bill Henry, from UC Santa Cruz, used Independent Energy Systems' solar equipment (120W panel, 2 Trojan L16s, and a Trace Charge Controller) to power two laptops, an inkjet printer, a satellite internet modem, a centrifuge (for spinning blood samples), DC low voltage lighting, and a dremmel at a field station on remote Isla Guadalupe some 150 miles off of Baja California, Mexico. Electrical support from IES was instrumental in allowing the team to maintain communications and coordinate field research for a Tagging of Pacific Pelagics Laysan Albatross tracking project and an island-wide goat removal project by nonprofit groups, Island Conservation and Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas. This work seeks to understand why, in contrast to most global albatross populations, this new albatross colony in Mexico is rapidly expanding. The goat removal project aims to help the unique plants of Guadalupe to recover from 150 years of relentless overgrazing.