Oregon Farms Choose Solar: Take Advantage of Vanishing Incentives & Obtain Community Scale Pricing

Feb. 3, 2011 - PRLog -- Portland, OR - Oregon farmers interested in renewable energy now have the same opportunity to save as their urban counterparts who have participated in Portland area Solarize projects. Synchro Solar is launching the Oregon Farms Solar Initiative to organize a group of farms interested in installing solar. The farms will be able to take advantage of bulk pricing and receive assistance to meet the application deadlines for the Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) and Oregon Feed-in-Tariff. With the Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) due to sunset at the end of June, now may be the last time to recover 50% of project costs through state incentives.

The next reservation period for the exciting Oregon Feed-in-Tariff is April 1st. The Oregon Feed-in-Tariff allows customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power and Idaho Power the opportunity to get paid each month for the solar energy they produce. The limited capacity is made available on a first come first served basis, during the last reservation period the available capacity was allocated within minutes. Synchro Solar has experience reserving and completing Oregon Feed-in-Tariff projects.

In addition to favorable Oregon state incentives, the Federal government voted to extend the 1603 cash grant program and 100% bonus depreciation through 2011. The Section 1603 program was established by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to allow renewable energy investors to receive a lump sum cash grant in lieu of the Business Energy Investment Tax Credit (ITC). The 100% bonus depreciation allows the full eligible cost of a renewable energy project to be written off in one year instead of over a 5-year period.

The combination of extended Federal incentives and the fact that the OR Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) is expiring in a few months makes 2011 the best time for Oregon farms to invest in solar energy. A leader in Oregon’s agricultural solar market, Synchro Solar provides custom system design, handles all incentive paperwork and works closely with local permitting agencies, sub-contractors and utilities to ensure each project runs smoothly. Synchro Solar’s Oregon Farms Solar Initiative allows farms access to bulk purchase pricing and the ability to take advantage of the current favorable incentives. The deadline to sign up is February 15, 2011. For more information visit http://www.SynchroSolarNW.com/go/OregonFarms

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About Synchro Solar: Synchro Solar is a full-service Oregon-based contractor that specializes in the design and installation of solar electric and solar hot water systems. Synchro Solar is an Energy Trust of Oregon Trade Ally and employs installers certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP). Whether you are considering solar for your farm, home or business, Synchro Solar makes the process of adopting solar easy. Please visit http://www.SynchroSolarNW.com