Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Go Solar

This was on the news Friday night:

The State says they will pay anywhere from 40-60% of the cost to have Californian homes install solar cells to generate power. There is also some sort of Federal tax credit to homes and businesses that generate solar power.
There were also some figures on emissions, such as the fact that homes equipped with solar capabilities reduce carbon dioxide output by an average of about 5 tons per house per year. That sounds impressive. Modern solar cells are said to last 25 years and actually be able to generate a profit for average households in sunny climates for about 15 years. That’s what I hear.
Need another reason to go solar? How about those annoying blackouts that happen on hot, sunny summer afternoons? You remember them, don’t you? It’s like 110, 120, you’ve got the air conditioner straining to keep your house cool when the power suddenly goes out and you have to wait a few hours for it to come back on again. Solar power is one of the ways you can help avoid that because, coincidetally, those hot, sunny summer days are when the most light would hit your solar cells and generate the most electricity.