From 2011 to 2012, California's solar installations jumped 26%. Their goal is to reach 3,000 megawatts of solar power by 2017. The 26% jump took them 391 watts closer to their goal. The state can now produce 1,629 megawatts of solar energy, which is enough to power 150,000 homes. California is now 66% of the way toward meeting its 2017 goal, with an additional 19% in pending projects.
I think this is really cool and every state should do this. We could all use the sun to provide us with a lot of power for homes and businesses. If you read farther into the article, it says that it’s the largest program of its kind in the U.S., with a budget of nearly $2.4 billion. Most of that money is put into incentives such as per-watt rebates that have gradually declined as the solar industry grows. They also have Solar Investment Tax Credit which means 30% of the cost of each residential or commercial system is paid back to the owner of the home or business. So if you're receiving tax credit on top of the incentives, why wouldn't you want to build solar roof tops for your home or business? It's a power alternative that pays for itself plus the incentives and tax credit you receive from the government.
This is so cool! How much a single home have to pay to invest in this? I just hope people don't overuse power and cause the price to rise. When there's more supply in something, people intend to use it without a second thought.
ReplyDeleteSolar energy is a fantastic concept, but the only thing that the buyers would need to get past is the cost of installation and maintenance. Although there is a rather large budget for the state as a whole, the cost per house could get very high. This will more than likely turn buyers away until the cost goes down. Other than that, those who are willing to install and take advantage of the long-term benefits will benefit greatly.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to know that people are installing more solar panels because within the next few decades, there is going to be a really high demand for alternative energy and solar power and wind power are the only types of renewable energy that we have and if we are able to harness more energy using the wind and sun, it could save people tons of money that they would normally be spending on electronics and gas.
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