Solar Cells Info

Santa Rosa, Calif., July 26, 2007
Source: Earthtimes.org
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/87140.html

Hugh Futrell and SunPower have announced the opening of Sonoma County, Calif.’s first solar-electric new home community. California-based homebuilder Hugh Futrell Corp. and solar technology manufacturer SunPower teamed up to open the Bridge Trail at The North Village in Sonoma County. Each of Bridge Trail’s 43 homes feature a 1.9 kilowatt SunPower rooftop solar panel system, which qualifies homebuyers for a one-time federal tax credit of up to $2,000.

SunPower officials say the homeowners will save 50 percent to 75 percent on their monthly electric bills, and over 30 years the solar homes will offset the production of 39,500 pounds of carbon dioxide. “Solar power is good for the environment and our communities. It’s reliable and produces no greenhouse gases or noise,” Hugh Futrell, president of Hugh Futrell Corp., said in a statement. “Including solar power in these new homes is the right thing to do for the environment, and we are pleased to offer solar as a standard feature to the new homebuyers in Sonoma County with our Bridge Trail new home community.”

The Bridge Trail homes are also equipped with natural-gas-powered tankless hot water heaters. With the tankless hot water heating system, officials estimate homeowners can save up to 50 percent of the energy normally required to heat the same amount of water with a storage tank water heater.

“The Hugh Futrell Corporation has chosen the most efficient solar technology in the world to power these homes,” Bill Kelly, general manager of the New Homes Division at SunPower, said in a company statement. “As a result, Bridge Trail homeowners will achieve significant savings on their utility bills while generating their own clean, renewable power.”