The main way for homes to harness solar power has been through bulky panels added to the rooftop or mounted on the ground.
But companies are now offering alternatives to these installations, in the less conspicuous form of shingles, tiles and other building materials that have photovoltaic cells sealed within them.
“The new materials are part of the building itself, not an addition, and they are taking photovoltaics to the next level, an aesthetic one,” said Alfonso Velosa III, a research director at Gartner Inc and co-author of a coming report on the market for the new field, called building-integrated photovoltaics.
Companies are creating solar tiles and shingles in colours and shapes that fit in, for example, with the terracotta tile roofing popular in the Southwest, or with the gray shingles of coastal saltbox cottages.
SRS Energy of Philadelphia is making curved solar roofing tiles designed to blend in with Southern California’s traditional clay tiles, said Martin R Low, the chief executive of SRS. A solar tile system that met half the power needs of a typical California home would cost roughly $20,000 to install after rebates, he estimated, or about 10 to 20 percent more than solar panels providing comparable power.
A different solar material for the roofs and sides of buildings is being produced by Global Solar Energy of Tucson, Arizona. Atomized layers of a photovoltaic coating called CIGS are deposited in layers on a thin sheet. “We provide the film, and other companies like Dow take it and design it into a product,” said Timothy Teich, vice president for sales and marketing. Akhil Sivanandan, a research analyst in Chennai, India, for the consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, said government subsidies would speed adoption of building-integrated photovoltaics in the United States, as they already have in Europe.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Things to Know Before Buying Property
Below are few of the important things, one should know before he/she planning to buy/purchase a new property.
1) Check for rate of property currently going on in that location by asking few people/agents etc so that you will not land up putting up more money in the deal.
2) Check if the home you purchasing has well maintained society registered properly so that most of the legal matters are taken care and you are at lower risk of being cheated.
3) Check both Original documents and also previous sale docs (if any) before giving token money for the deal.
4) Check if that property can get Loan from banks, if not why ?
5) If property is very old (exa: 10 to 12 years) you can benefit and save money during paying stamp duty payment to be given. So pull out assessment letter for Municipal Corporation for same.
6) Check if the space area for Carpet, built up OR super built up.
7) Check if it CIDCO approved, or alternately if property is old then proper CC, Plan Copy and saat bara utara (7-12 utara) documents there with seller.
8) Check if all previous dues has been paid like (electric bill, yearly municipal charges for property, society charges) and get society NOC (No objection certificate) from society.
9) Ask your advocate to calculate required Stamp Duty and Registration Fees with advocate fees and be ready.
1) Check for rate of property currently going on in that location by asking few people/agents etc so that you will not land up putting up more money in the deal.
2) Check if the home you purchasing has well maintained society registered properly so that most of the legal matters are taken care and you are at lower risk of being cheated.
3) Check both Original documents and also previous sale docs (if any) before giving token money for the deal.
4) Check if that property can get Loan from banks, if not why ?
5) If property is very old (exa: 10 to 12 years) you can benefit and save money during paying stamp duty payment to be given. So pull out assessment letter for Municipal Corporation for same.
6) Check if the space area for Carpet, built up OR super built up.
7) Check if it CIDCO approved, or alternately if property is old then proper CC, Plan Copy and saat bara utara (7-12 utara) documents there with seller.
8) Check if all previous dues has been paid like (electric bill, yearly municipal charges for property, society charges) and get society NOC (No objection certificate) from society.
9) Ask your advocate to calculate required Stamp Duty and Registration Fees with advocate fees and be ready.
Property:Q & A
Property Sale
I sold an old ancestral property in March this year. Where should I invest the sale proceeds to save the capital gains tax? How much capital gains tax do I have to pay if I don’t reinvest the money?
You can save your capital gains tax by investing in specified bonds of Rural Electrification Corporation or National Highway Authority of India. However, you cannot invest more than Rs 50 lakh in a financial year in these capital gains tax exemption bonds. Check out the websites of these two institutions for availability of these bonds. Your capital gains will be the difference between the sale price and total cost of acquisition, improvement and other expenditures such as stamp duty, registration of the property. You can pay capital gains tax at the rate of a flat 10 per cent or at 20 per cent with indexation benefit. The central government notifies the cost inflation index for each financial year.
New investor
I am a new investor in equity mutual funds. I invest through systematic investment plans. What should be the ideal period of investment — three or five years? What will be the tax liability on the withdrawn money?
Unlike bank fixed deposits, there is no fixed time limit for investment in equity. What you should have in mind while investing in equity is a reasonable return, say 20 per cent, which suits your financial goals. You can sell the investment when you get the targeted return and reinvest the proceeds in another fund depending on the market situation. The tax liability will depend on how soon you sell the units after purchasing them. If you sell them within 12 months from their purchase, you will have to pay a tax on the gain amount at the rate of 15 per cent beginning the current financial year. But if you sell the units after 12 months of purchasing them, you don't have to pay any tax.
Inheritance laws
I am an NRI. I inherited money and a share in my late father’s estate in India. I want professional help regarding the RBI rules on inheritance repatriation and steps to be taken. Can a chartered accountant help me?
Practising tax planners or certified financial advisers, including chartered accountants and income tax lawyers, will be able to help you.
I sold an old ancestral property in March this year. Where should I invest the sale proceeds to save the capital gains tax? How much capital gains tax do I have to pay if I don’t reinvest the money?
You can save your capital gains tax by investing in specified bonds of Rural Electrification Corporation or National Highway Authority of India. However, you cannot invest more than Rs 50 lakh in a financial year in these capital gains tax exemption bonds. Check out the websites of these two institutions for availability of these bonds. Your capital gains will be the difference between the sale price and total cost of acquisition, improvement and other expenditures such as stamp duty, registration of the property. You can pay capital gains tax at the rate of a flat 10 per cent or at 20 per cent with indexation benefit. The central government notifies the cost inflation index for each financial year.
New investor
I am a new investor in equity mutual funds. I invest through systematic investment plans. What should be the ideal period of investment — three or five years? What will be the tax liability on the withdrawn money?
Unlike bank fixed deposits, there is no fixed time limit for investment in equity. What you should have in mind while investing in equity is a reasonable return, say 20 per cent, which suits your financial goals. You can sell the investment when you get the targeted return and reinvest the proceeds in another fund depending on the market situation. The tax liability will depend on how soon you sell the units after purchasing them. If you sell them within 12 months from their purchase, you will have to pay a tax on the gain amount at the rate of 15 per cent beginning the current financial year. But if you sell the units after 12 months of purchasing them, you don't have to pay any tax.
Inheritance laws
I am an NRI. I inherited money and a share in my late father’s estate in India. I want professional help regarding the RBI rules on inheritance repatriation and steps to be taken. Can a chartered accountant help me?
Practising tax planners or certified financial advisers, including chartered accountants and income tax lawyers, will be able to help you.
Energy efficiency in buildings
Ensuring energy efficiency is important especially in the context of upgrading informal settlements in India, according to a report titled, ‘The energy efficiency impacts of upgrading informal settlements in developing countries: An exploration of urban areas in India’.
The report is from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). It states that although energy consumption in India is below the world average, it still lacks implementation of effective energy efficiency measures in buildings here, resulting in significant energy wastage.
In addition, the report also assesses the inter-play between two factors – rapid urbanisation and climate change. With huge projections of population growth in the developing world, it is important that this growth is managed in such a way that it addresses energy issues as well as provides a decent level of housing.
Authors Anil Kashyap, Prof Jim Berry, Prof Stanley McGreal and Prof Alistair Adair have collectively cited the impact of planning policies in reducing energy use, through the course of this study. In addition, they have emphasised that there is pressure to reduce the amount of energy used in buildings, which can be achieved through better design, orientation and planning of built space.
The research explores the actual and potential energy impacts of policy measures to formalise informal settlements in the developing world. The contention being that, while such policies could deliver substantial social benefits, it may well come at the expense of increased energy use.
Based on an in-depth analysis of Sonipat, it involved a detailed energy audit of housing development in both informal and formal settlements. It examines the influence of urban form characteristics on energy use in buildings in both planned and unplanned neighbourhoods.
Based on a detailed survey of 240 buildings in each of the two study areas (representing about 24 per cent of the total buildings), key characteristics such as orientation, street width, opening size, height and length to breadth ratio have been
studied.
Various measures such as fiscal policies, new sustainable technologies, educational awareness and regulation for tackling the environmental impacts resulting from mobility and emissions from buildings have also been recommended.
Recommendations
When developing new settlements to re-house the existing inhabitants of unplanned settlements, specific planning policies need to be introduced to reduce travel distances by better allocation of land uses spatially. This promotes lower use of motorised transport and incorporates building design that uses renewable sources
of energy.
Mobility between areas of economic activity in neighbourhoods could be addressed through planning policy and the innovative design of new formal neighbourhoods. Transport management measures that can be used to support and enhance the effect of land use planning policies include parking charges, vehicle and fuel switching and a fuel surcharge, road user and congestion charges, public transport priority measures and restrictions in car access.
The impact of planning policies on reduction in energy use, identified in this study clearly demonstrates the key role that planners and the planning process can play in achieving sustainable development. It is therefore important that energy efficient neighbourhood design principles are integrated from the start of the development process.
On the release of the report, Sachin Sandhir, Managing Director and Country Head, RICS India, said, “This report is part of RICS’ global efforts to explore the contribution that the built environment profession can make in moving towards a low carbon society and economy. Given the enormous housing shortfall and the magnitude of infrastructural developments that are taking place in India, the anticipated growth in energy demand is projected to be high in the building construction sector.”
He further added that with the economy shifting towards services located in urban areas, it has been cited that approximately 40 per cent of the country’s population will inhabit cities by 2020 as compared to the present 28
per cent.
Considering the complexity of the issue, there is need for concerted action using a combination of economic and regulatory measures, skills training and awareness campaigns among the public as well as policy makers.
The report is from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). It states that although energy consumption in India is below the world average, it still lacks implementation of effective energy efficiency measures in buildings here, resulting in significant energy wastage.
In addition, the report also assesses the inter-play between two factors – rapid urbanisation and climate change. With huge projections of population growth in the developing world, it is important that this growth is managed in such a way that it addresses energy issues as well as provides a decent level of housing.
Authors Anil Kashyap, Prof Jim Berry, Prof Stanley McGreal and Prof Alistair Adair have collectively cited the impact of planning policies in reducing energy use, through the course of this study. In addition, they have emphasised that there is pressure to reduce the amount of energy used in buildings, which can be achieved through better design, orientation and planning of built space.
The research explores the actual and potential energy impacts of policy measures to formalise informal settlements in the developing world. The contention being that, while such policies could deliver substantial social benefits, it may well come at the expense of increased energy use.
Based on an in-depth analysis of Sonipat, it involved a detailed energy audit of housing development in both informal and formal settlements. It examines the influence of urban form characteristics on energy use in buildings in both planned and unplanned neighbourhoods.
Based on a detailed survey of 240 buildings in each of the two study areas (representing about 24 per cent of the total buildings), key characteristics such as orientation, street width, opening size, height and length to breadth ratio have been
studied.
Various measures such as fiscal policies, new sustainable technologies, educational awareness and regulation for tackling the environmental impacts resulting from mobility and emissions from buildings have also been recommended.
Recommendations
When developing new settlements to re-house the existing inhabitants of unplanned settlements, specific planning policies need to be introduced to reduce travel distances by better allocation of land uses spatially. This promotes lower use of motorised transport and incorporates building design that uses renewable sources
of energy.
Mobility between areas of economic activity in neighbourhoods could be addressed through planning policy and the innovative design of new formal neighbourhoods. Transport management measures that can be used to support and enhance the effect of land use planning policies include parking charges, vehicle and fuel switching and a fuel surcharge, road user and congestion charges, public transport priority measures and restrictions in car access.
The impact of planning policies on reduction in energy use, identified in this study clearly demonstrates the key role that planners and the planning process can play in achieving sustainable development. It is therefore important that energy efficient neighbourhood design principles are integrated from the start of the development process.
On the release of the report, Sachin Sandhir, Managing Director and Country Head, RICS India, said, “This report is part of RICS’ global efforts to explore the contribution that the built environment profession can make in moving towards a low carbon society and economy. Given the enormous housing shortfall and the magnitude of infrastructural developments that are taking place in India, the anticipated growth in energy demand is projected to be high in the building construction sector.”
He further added that with the economy shifting towards services located in urban areas, it has been cited that approximately 40 per cent of the country’s population will inhabit cities by 2020 as compared to the present 28
per cent.
Considering the complexity of the issue, there is need for concerted action using a combination of economic and regulatory measures, skills training and awareness campaigns among the public as well as policy makers.
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