PETALUMA, Calif., Mar 27, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Enphase Energy, Inc., today announced the installation of its Microinverter System on a 346kW solar array located in the Town of Brewster, Mass. Constructed by My Generation Energy^®, the system combines the output of 1,440 Enphase M215 microinverters paired with Sharp 240 watt solar modules, generating over 450 kWh of energy annually or enough to power 50 homes and businesses. The Brewster Community Solar Garden^® Cooperative provides local residents and businesses restricted from installing solar on their own properties the opportunity to benefit from solar energy by joining the cooperative.

“Our partners continue to find innovative ways to advance solar energy adoption at both the residential and commercial level, and the Brewster Community Solar Garden^® project is one of the most unique we’ve seen so far,” said Bill Rossi, CMO of Enphase Energy. “Our Enlighten® monitoring and analysis software streamlines commercial site management for our customers, like My Generation Energy, as they can easily the track the performance and overall health of their installed systems remotely.”

Community solar projects are gaining momentum as state congressional bills in Colorado, California (SB843) and Maryland (SB595) are proposed or approved. John Farrell, a senior researcher at the Institute for Local Self Reliance wrote last September, “Community solar power can offer unique benefits in the expansion of solar power, from greater participation and ownership of solar to a greater dispersion of the economic benefits of harnessing the sun’s energy.”

“We’ve mastered installing the Enphase Microinverter System in residential and commercial applications. We’re excited to now bring its benefits to our Community Solar Garden^® project and other large commercial-scale projects as well,” said Luke Hinkle, President and CEO of My Generation Energy.

Continuing this trend, My Generation Energy is currently constructing a 475kW rooftop system in Hyannis, Mass., on Cape Cod, with the Enphase Microinverter System.

Further site details about the Brewster Community Solar Garden® Project, and other Enphase Featured Arrays, can be found on the Enphase blog: enphase.com/eblog.

About Enphase Energy, Inc.

Enphase Energy delivers microinverter technology for the solar industry that increases energy production, simplifies design and installation, improves system uptime and reliability, reduces fire safety risk and provides a platform for intelligent energy management. Our semiconductor-based microinverter system converts energy at the individual solar module level and brings a systems-based, high technology approach to solar energy generation. Connect with Enphase on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. www.enphase.com

About My Generation Energy, Inc.

My Generation Energy is a privately held Brewster, Massachusetts-based company that provides extensive and professional solar PV development and installation services. The company is currently the largest PV provider on Cape Cod and growing rapidly. www.mygenerationenergy.com

Community Solar Garden is a registered trademark of Community Solar Gardens, LLC, used with permission. My Generation Energy is a registered trademark of My Generation Energy, Inc. used with permission. Enphase Energy®, the Enphase logo and other trademarks or service names are the trademarks of Enphase Energy, Inc.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50219564&lang=en

SOURCE: Enphase Energy, Inc.

Enphase Energy
Christine Bennett, +1-707-763-4784
PR Manager
pr@enphaseenergy.com
or
My Generation Energy
Mike Thonus, +1-508-694-6884
Operations Manager
mike.thonus@MyGenerationEnergy.com

Power On at the Brewster Community Solar Garden^® Project

Cooperative Members to Begin Receiving Net Metering Credits

BREWSTER, Mass., February 13, 2012 — The Brewster Community Solar Garden^® Project is now operational. In its first week converting sunshine into electricity, the facility generated 10,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. The value of the electricity will show up as a credit on the electric bills of the Cooperative members.

“It’s one of the most innovative concepts for the production of renewable energy,” observed Jillian Douglass, Brewster’s Assistant Town Manager. “It makes it accessible to regular folks. Anybody can buy into it, even if they don’t have a site at their home they can participate in solar energy by purchasing a share.”

After completing construction and receiving final inspection approvals, the 345.6 kilowatt photovoltaic electricity generation facility, located on Town of Brewster land, was interconnected to the electric transmission grid on February 3, 2012.

The system was built by My Generation Energy, Inc. after being awarded a bid to lease the town land and develop the solar facility. The company also created the non profit Brewster Community Solar Garden^® Cooperative to allow local residents and businesses to benefit from the project’s electricity. Through “virtual net metering” the credit from the Community Solar Garden^® utility account is transferred to the accounts of the Brewster Community Solar Garden^® Cooperative members. Each member’s SunShare^TM entitles them to the equivalent of 28 panels of energy each month. The facility provides enough locally grown solar energy to power dozens of businesses and households in Brewster. Membership inquiries may be directed to (508) 694-6884.

“It took some time to resolve the legal, financial and logistical issues to develop this first Community Solar Garden^® Project,” said Luke Hinkle, President and CEO of My Generation Energy. “The support of the town and residents has been tremendous. Brewster now serves as our proof-of-concept for multiple, larger Community Solar Garden Projects planned in other Massachusetts communities.”

About My Generation Energy, Inc.

My Generation Energy is a privately held Brewster, Massachusetts-based company that provides extensive and professional solar PV development and installation services. The company is currently the largest PV provider on Cape Cod and growing rapidly.

About Brewster Community Solar Garden^® Cooperative, Inc.

The Brewster Community Solar Garden^® Cooperative, Inc. is a cooperative organization for Brewster residents and businesses coming together to achieve energy independence. Our mission focuses on local responsibility and benefits–economic, sustainability, and environmental. For many wanting to go solar but frustrated by shading, limited roof space, not owning their home, or the cost of system ownership, becoming a member of the Brewster Community Solar Garden^® Cooperative may be just the thing.

Community Solar Garden is a registered trademark of Community Solar Gardens, LLC and used with permission.

Beth Draper at Yellowstone in September…

Ten years ago, Beth Draper had a vision of a magazine which did not exist and which she had to make happen. Now her invention, CHA Magazine (formerly Cape Healing Arts), is closing.

In an interview this week, Draper said the magazine has accomplished its goal of “sharing the stories, passions and commitments of the community” to strengthen the connections “to ourselves, each other, and this magical land, sea and sky.”

Of her reasons for closing, Draper said, “I am an artist before I am a business person, so I didn’t always run the numbers.” The magazine broke even but did not pay staff and herself enough for all the time put in.

As with many media outlets on the Cape a dwindling economy means fewer resources. “In a nutshell, publishing takes deeper pockets to weather a tough quarter or two,” Draper said. “With a small staff and a tight budget, any changes in personal or professional lives can throw you off course.”

Draper has nothing but praise for her staff. She said she is “filled with gratitude” for community liaison Ginia Pati, who helped to manage, distribute copies, and care for the advertisers; Darren Wotherspoon, her graphics man, who gave so much in time and detail to put it together; her sales rep. Jeff Tavares; contributing writers, editors and photographers; and to the Cape community in which CHA became a cult classic, known for pioneering a template combining the green with the spiritual, the local with the cosmic.

“Personal transformation could become community transformation,” Draper said. One of her co-workers said that “CHA has been a wonderful vehicle for both individuals and businesses, to not only highlight their own unique contributions, but also to inspire the dovetailing of shared community goals.”

Printed on chlorine-free recycled paper the magazine was a tactile delight, filled with graphics and layouts both sophisticated and eye-catching, yet keeping the Cape gestalt.

Some issues were themed, some were not, in four issues a year, one compatible with each season. Articles could inform the public about conservation, solstice, green business, or local artisans. One special accomplishment: the magazine provided a place where health providers, the healers, could network out of their many disciplines with each other and with the readers.

“When the time was right, themes just developed, issues came together,” Draper said, citing the spring 2010 edition’s articles on NSTAR, ponds, fertilizers, the health of the water and re-nourishing the earth. “We put it all together to use as a catalyst. We had no fear about saying how things really are, or of driving away the tourists, because the point was to say something that needs to be heard in the community.” Another recent source of pride: a winter issue that talked about why writers write and showcased some of the Cape’s best books. Local booksellers had a terrific season in a bad economy, selling many of CHA’s picks. Coincidence? Or Influence?

Recently, CHA retooled with a new media kit and strategy. The magazine, which is supported by advertising revenues, could publish two times a year and turn a larger profit. Its brand-new on-line presence at www.chamagazine.com, which archives issues back to 2003, could be enlarged. Now a giveaway, it could be turned into a subscription-based or pay-per-issue venture, or even changed to non-profit status. Someone with like vision and funds for a modest investment could take what has been nurtured to a circulation of 20,000 (with an estimated readership of 45,000) onwards.

If Draper cannot find a buyer for the magazine and website as a package, she would still like to find someone to continue the website. She is not sure how to accomplish this, but desires it for the sake of the readers, artistic contributors, and the advertisers. There is really no other source she knows of which provides the kind of local holistic information emphasizing the connection between mind, body, spirit and earth that readers accessed through CHA.

Draper is first and foremost an experienced graphic artist, the head of Open Eye Communications in Brewster on Millstone Road, which will continue to work with clients old and new.

CHA took “a lot of energy to hold on to, and then to let it go takes a lot of energy, which will be released, directed at something new and very powerful, too,” Draper said. “It’s like losing a love,” but she is “ready to move on.”

Go to www.chamagazine.com for resources, green scene, health and wellness, conscious living and more. Readers, writers, buyers or advertisers can get in touch with Draper, et al. through the website.

Where: Truro Public Library  7 Standish Way   North Truro MA

PDF Version: Your Solar Options Truro Feb 2012

For the Brewster Community Solar Garden Project Website, click here.

Solar incentive programs started making PV an attractive investment in 2009. But the Massachusetts state rebate for solar will eventually phase out. Until recently, no one was sure if the state rebateprogram would continue in 2012. But now we know, it will be around for at least one more year.

2012 brings a few changes to the Photovoltaic (PV) incentive programs. The current incentives combine with the lower cost of PV, making it a great time to invest in this renewable energy source.

Below is a quick snapshot of the incentives available for solar in 2012:

State Rebate: The current rebate of $0.40 per watt installed is cash back incentive for new residential and small commercial solar arrays. Those who qualify for a moderate home value or moderate income adder can double this rebate to $0.80 per watt installed. The rebate has a cap at 5000 watts so the maximum state rebate is $2,000 ($4,000 with an adder).

Tax Credits: The federal and state tax credits remain in effect for 2012. The federal credit provides an impressive 30% of the cost of the system with no cap. The state credit is set at $1,000.00 per primary residence.

Solar Renewable Energy Certificates: The Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC) program is continuing strong into 2012. The prices of SRECs remain high as supply is short relative to the demand. Installing a solar array before July of 2012 will lock you into the SREC program for a 10 year term.

Contact My Generation Energy for an in depth explanation of how you can take advantage of this year’s incentives.