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.

In an effort to save resources and save the environment, California has emerged the recent state in the country to hit a new renewable energy generation record. This is in tandem with a bill signed into law in 2015 by the Governor of California Jerry Brown requiring that 33 percent of all state regulated amenities be powered from solar and renewable energy by the year 2020. A set target expected to up by 50 percent by 2050.

New Record Hit

According to a report by the California Independent System Operator, which runs most of California’s power grid, a massive 8,030 megawatts of power were generated on July 12 at 1306 hours, marking a whooping 2,000 megawatts higher than the amount of solar energy generated in May 2015. According to SF Gate, the energy generated during the July 12th heat wave was sufficient to muscle 6 million households in the Golden state. In a statement by the ISO President , Steve Berberich, “The recent solar production record  was a clear revelation that the state of California was devoted in leading the country in adding low carbon resources to the grid while achieving its goal or attaining 33 percent renewable energy by the year 2020”. ISO also noted that, on July 12 at 1754 hours, approximately 29 percent of electricity demands had been met by the state’s huge renewable energy collection that includes solar, hydro, wind, bio-fuel, geothermal and energy storage. Important to note is that the energy demand was met solely by large solar plants and did not include the more than 537,637 smaller roof top solar panels installed on private homes and businesses across the state. This new record was proof that renewables have enormous potential in the state and in the nation at large. However, when it comes to solar energy, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has constantly positioned California as the country’s solar-spoiled state. In fact, in a report published by SEIA in April 2016, California had more solar jobs than any other state and had more megawatts of solar capacity installed. In support to SEIA, the US-Department of Energy (DOE) has also pointed out that California has a huge capacity for both solar power generations than the rest of the nation combined.

The Slight Drawback

With the demand for solar energy growing astronomically, the shift has not always been easy. This is because the sun does not shine 24 hours a day. In addition, the wind is not always blowing. Therefore, when solar energy is in great supply (midday) there is little demand of electricity. Conversely, wind power picks up night but usually when it is too late. This creates a drift particularly because the largest demand for power supply is around 7pm when families are returning home. Also, during the sunny days, the state’s energy sources generate enough energy than it requires, which results in the grid operator asking the solar farms to shut down. Stay tuned to Golden Solar for more industry and company news.

It’s a deal that could see two companies merge on an unstable financial ground as they seek to reinvest into relatively new markets. The deal, which involves Tesla Motors Inc. and SolarCity will see the electric car manufacturer, Tesla spend 2.6 billion dollars to buy the solar panel maker SolarCity in an all stock deal. The deal, which is awaiting approval from the shareholders and government, will see Elton Musk, a polarizing billionaire, chair, and the biggest shareholder of both companies achieve the “second part” of his master plan that entails creating electric, self-driven vehicles that obtain their energy from solar powered batteries. An idea that was first brought into the lime light in a July 20th blog post on Tesla’s website. If all goes as planned, Musk could be putting down the foundation for a brilliant long-term strategy. However, the entrepreneur’s motives have been met with fueling concerns and criticism ever since his proposal came out in late June. The criticism mainly comes from the fact that Musk is the co-founder and President of Tesla and a co-founder of SolarCity that is presently run by his cousin Lyndon Rive. With both companies unprofitable, criticism has ranged and termed the deal as a conflict of interest to “a blatant Tesla rescue of SolarCity.”

A Blatant Rescue?

In his part, the billionaire entrepreneur in his blog post writes that, it is largely by accident of history that the two companies were ever separate. Musk adds that his main intention has been to have both companies operate as one, in a common undertaking that entails providing sustainable energy. Further, Musk points out that having both Tesla and SolarCity run as a unit will make the entire mission more efficient. In a joint post, both companies agreed that it was the perfect time for Tesla to unite with SolarCity since Tesla was gearing up to scale its Powerwall and Powerball home battery packs that pull energy from solar panels and the power grid and storing it for use. Tesla’s idea is to make car batteries that function in a similar manner. Both companies believe that the merger will help them save around 150 million dollars in operating expenses within the first year of operation. Although some investors are not yet convinced, a number of analysts have indicated that Tesla’s brand recognition could give the solar panel maker a major boost. The deal, which is anticipated to close in the fourth quarter, will see SolarCity take on Tesla’s name and market its solar panels and batteries under Musk’s plan. In his discernment, the billionaire entrepreneur believes that most of the people who will have a particular interest in driving electric cars will have a natural interest in creating clean energy systems in their homes and businesses. If Elton’s big dream sails through, this could be a new dawn for solar energy and its applications. For more industry news and trends stay tune to our blog!