Has residential solar power gone mainstream?

Has residential solar energy crossed the chasm into an “early adopters” marketplace?   Or is solar equipment only popular with solar equipment enthusiast?  There’s strong evidence that supports the benefits of solar power, but has adding solar equipment to your residence gained enough popularity to get over the financial outlays of adding a system to your house? Will increased market penetration of solar equipment or rising energy cost make residential solar-systems more feasible?

It could be argued that spending the same money on residential energy efficiencies will give you a better ROI on your investment like adding more insulation, higher quality windows and door, more efficient heating/ cooling equipment, and Energy Star appliances.

This is a tough question to answer; perhaps the answers are in what are your current costs of energy? What kinds of incentives and credits are available for energy efficient upgrades in your state?

Where I live, Washington State, one could make a good argument that solar power makes sense, particularly with the incentives available if you purchase solar equipment that is made within Washington State higher incentives are available.

What Incentives Are in Place for Solar Energy Systems?

Homeowner’s can take advantage of a variety of federal, state, and local incentives to help make solar more affordable. Here is a breakdown of the most current federal and state incentives

Federal – Applicable to Solar Electric (PV) and Solar Hot Water (SHW) Systems:

Homeowner’s will receive a Residential Income Tax Credit of 30% of the total installed system cost. This incentive is available until 2016 and can be “carried over” each year until it is completely used up, or until 2016, whichever comes first.

Washington State – Applicable to Solar Electric (PV) Systems Only:

There is no sales tax on any of the equipment or labor associated with solar electric systems

In addition to offsetting CO2 emissions from traditional power and lowering your utility bills, Washington State will pay you $0.15 for every kWh that your system produces. Additionally, if you are using Silicon Energy (Washington-made) solar panels, the production incentive jumps to $0.36/kWh. Throw in an OutBack (made in Washington) inverter and the incentive maxes out at $0.54/kWh!

You can also sell Renewable Energy Certificate (RECs) during the lifetime of your system.

 

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Adrian specializes in green home marketing utilizing traditional and social media marketing to create the widest exposure of your property.