Easy Solar Power
(Page 3 of 4)
October/November 2006
By Cheryl Long
In nearby Colorado, for example, some utilities are paying rebates of up to $6 per watt to homeowners who install PV systems, thanks to a state law requiring utilities to generate 10 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2015. So in Colorado and dozens of other states that offer generous rebates and credits, solar power has become a very attractive option.
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It's hard to predict exactly how fast a PV system will pay for itself, since nobody really knows how high the cost of grid electricity will climb as oil and gas prices rise (along with growing concerns about global warming) and how much the prices for PV will shift as demand and production capacity increase. But in the dozens of states that have decided it's wise to offer generous renewable energy incentives, investing in solar power already makes great sense. To find out what incentives are available in your state, visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency. For more about how to calculate the payback period, see You Can Afford Solar Power.
A straight cost/benefit analysis is not the only factor to consider. If you choose to go solar, you will be supporting an industry that is poised to make a major contribution to the looming energy crisis and our global warming predicament. Buying a solar-electric system is one of the best things you can do to help protect our environment and to give your family some protection from skyrocketing energy prices and the uncertainties caused by climate change. Every homeowner who opts for clean, renewable solar power is taking us one more step toward a wiser, more sustainable human presence on Earth.
Cheryl Long is the editor in chief of Mother Earth News. She lives south of Topeka, Kan., on an eight-acre homestead and loves hearing her PV inverter hum every time she walks into her barn.
Check out the Related Content box to watch a video of solar expert Steve Heckeroth explaining how building-integrated thin-film solar power works. Heckeroth is a MOTHER EARTH NEWS contributing editor and the former director of building-integrated photovoltaics for ECD Ovonics.
