Though the average person’s utility bill has steadily increased over the years, wages have not improved at anywhere near the same pace. The solution to our utility bill woes might be found in the form of solar power. Though solar power is often characterized as extremely costly and somewhat ineffective, it has the potential to wean humans off of our reliance on finite and highly polluting fossil fuels. Government initiatives to promote solar power like the one currently administered by the Colorado Energy Office just might be exactly what we need to make the transition from fossil fuels to the comparably green solar power. How Colorado is Using Solar Power to Decrease Utility Bills Some low-income households in Colorado are eligible for the installation of solar panels through a new initiative administered by the state’s Energy Office known as the Weatherization Program. This program is operated on the federal level by the United States Department of Energy and implemented through local energy offices on the state level. Solar panel installation is one component of the initiative. The Weatherization Program also provides LED light bulbs, “green” refrigerators that operate at a heightened efficiency, improved insulation and storm windows.

Solar Power’s Expansion Through the Weatherization Program

The Weatherization Program’s first rooftop solar panel was recently placed on a low-income home in Colorado Springs. Rooftop solar has the potential to double each low-income household’s energy savings. Representatives from Colorado’s Energy Office stated that their aim is to add solar panels to at least 100 low-income houses throughout Colorado every year. The addition of these solar panels is meant to shed light on the under-publicized benefits of solar power. At the moment, many homeowners and business owners do not even consider the purchase of solar panels as the technology has been stereotyped as absurdly expensive. Though the up-front cost of solar panels intimidates some prospective buyers, these amazing pieces of technology pay for themselves as time progresses. Government initiatives like the Weatherization Program are designed to heighten awareness of solar power’s extensive merits in terms of cost savings as well as reducing our negative impact on the environment. For one, the addition of solar panels to low-income homes lowers the total energy burden as it reduces the cost to power and heat living spaces. These solar panels also serve to boost opportunities to distribute any surplus of solar energy that is collected and not used by the residents of the low-income homes where the panels have been installed. Perhaps most importantly, the program’s solar panels are a highly publicized example of solar power’s viability as a power source.

Learn More About The Benefits of Solar Power

If you would like to learn more about the Weatherization Program, its guidelines and how the Colorado Energy Office is implementing the push for solar power, click the following link: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/energyoffice/weatherization-faqs

When the topic of solar power comes up, many quickly dismiss it as being too expensive. Yet the alternative to solar power is the continued burning of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are limited and their incineration is devastating our sensitive environment. We are at a crossroads: Find ways to make solar power more affordable or march forth with the poisoning of our planet through the burning of fossil fuels.

Can we put a Price Tag on Earth?

Building, selling and placing solar panels on rooftops is not a cheap endeavor. Yet we might not have any other choice as our finite fossil fuels continue to dwindle and we add even more nasty pollution to our air, water and land. Our engineers and physicists must figure out how to further lower the cost of solar panels. This will prove to be somewhat challenging as utility companies have united to lobby politicians against the continued expansion of rooftop solar initiatives. Making the push for solar power expansion even more difficult is the fact that solar panels often takes years to produce a pay-off. Although almost all photovoltaic systems do eventually pay back their cost and more.  Those who live in especially sunny areas of the world stand a much greater chance at profiting from solar power than those in areas with comparably overcast skies. Yet many individuals and organizations can’t even afford a single solar panel. Such a beleaguered financial situation makes it impossible to generate income from solar panels in the long-run. The question looms: Can we, in good conscience, put a price tag on our planet? It appears as though utility executives are buying and selling our politicians left and right. What are the odds that these politicians will support initiatives to reduce the cost of solar power or create solar power rebates/tax incentives? The odds are quite low at the moment.

Millennials are Renting and That’s Ominous News for the Solar Power Push

If the United States had a burgeoning middle class, plenty more homeowners would consider adding solar panels to their property. The economy never fully recovered from the recession of 2008. Though baby-boomers own their fair share of homes, most millennials rent. Saddled by crushing student debt and shaky employment prospects, millennials have become increasingly hesitant to take on a home mortgage. This fact does not bode well for the future of solar power. Renters cannot install solar panels on a landlord’s property. As a result, few millennials even ponder the notion of installing solar panels. Landlords have no incentive to install solar panels as the savings would go straight into tenants’ pockets.

An Increase in Solar Power Incentives is Necessary

In the long run, a continued reliance on fossil fuels does not benefit humanity or our delicate planet. Federal and state government officials must band together to craft far-reaching legislation that incentivizes the purchase of solar panels. These incentives will reduce solar panel costs for homeowners as well as businesses and even government agencies themselves. The alternative is to watch our planet melt one day at a time.