Sigma Design and Renewable Energy

The world’s energy sources depend on numerous variables that change over time. As this abundance is lessened, the world’s interest in capturing renewable energy has heightened.

What exactly is renewable energy?

Renewable energy refers to inexhaustible sources for which there is, essentially, an infinite supply. For example, photovoltaic, solar thermal energy, hydro-motion, wind, geothermal, and waste. This is in contrast to more finite sources such as fossil fuel, which has created reliance on exploration as well as international relationships.

Renewable energy is coming to the forefront of the minds of government and industry leaders, as there is a definite interest in steering away from imported finite energy sources and more reliance on renewable sources.

Sigma Design’s experience in this arena is well positioned. Their experience in providing engineering consultation to expedite and enable firms who are engaged in renewable energy capture and cultivation is valuable.

Take solar power for instance. “The typical payback from solar energy equipment installations range from 4 to 5 years” says Jerry Lynch, President of Sigma Design. “This time frame varies according to the local incentives provided by state and local governments as well as the current federal policy for rebates, tax credits and incentives.”

The federal government has realized the potential of solar power and recently upped its Federal Tax Credit for solar power. Many energy analysts and authorities believe that things haven’t looked better to consider a solar power supplement in 20 years. The “sweetener” for federal solar tax credit was raised by Congress for two years: January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2007.

Under the new law, businesses that buy solar equipment can claim a federal tax credit equal to 30% of the equipment's cost, with no dollar limit on how big the credit can be. (In 2008, the credit reverts to 10% of cost level.)

Sigma Design orchestrates the permutations of tax credits and incentives with further engineering economic analysis, and take the specifics of energy consumption into consideration. The result is a recommendation on how a firm should best proceed and capitalize on these available incentives.

Electrical power is distributed throughout a region via tiered systems. A grid is a network of cabling, power lines and associated equipment used to transmit and distribute electricity over such a geographic region.