Sunday, June 8th Voice Show

Great job!

Now we get commercials in posts too!

Loser

I could only listen to about 15 minutes of the show and the guest was speaking to the tax credits both state and federal.

I have a couple questions maybe someone could address.

First, back in the mid 80's, quite a few people were using solar for water heating etc. Why didn't this trend continue? Or did it?

Second I looked on the internet and there was a solar grid kit for 21,999.99 on sale for 16,999.99

Now for the ole Postman this seems like a lot of money so my guess is this is a tax break for the rich. Those who can afford 17k can get a tax break while those who can't will pay higher taxes to subsidise the tax break.

Sounds an awful lot like tax cuts for the rich to me.

By thunder postman you are making a lot of sense.  You're not pulling our legs, are you?       

You seem to be saying that there is something fishy in AZVille.  We should be developing Solar?  We should be subsidizing it until it becomes competitive?  Tax breaks for the rich?? 

Am I misreading you?  

Keep it coming!!

If we would just bite the bullet seriously, we could be exporting power to the world!!  We have a corner on star power.  Our star burns bright around the calendar, and we are missing the opportunity.  Go figure.  You have to look under the covers to find out who’s bottom line this foolishness is fattening. 

And the jobs cannot be offshored, although our ‘captains of industry ’ have to be watched veerry closely or they will outsource research and development using our tax dollars.    

We could be leaders within a decade in one of the dimensions of our renewable energy solution.  Hell, the Germans are ahead of us, and the sun shines there how many days a year?!? 

And the Chinese are leaving the starting gate with determination on this solar power development. 

Gawd, we will be a third world country in a generation under this ‘leadership’.  And make no mistake (phew –that’s a Bushism) we are being led, but where???

Second I looked on the internet and there was a solar grid kit for 21,999.99 on sale for 16,999.99

[link:www.americanpv.com]

This is a price list from American Solar Electric (ASE) for different size systems.  It's important to pick the right one for you particular energy needs and use patterns.  I don't about this $22K/$17K kit that you found, but  in general the current rebates and tax credits cut the price of a solar system in half.  I thought that I might need a 10kW system for my house ($35K after rebate), and I was pleasantly surprised when ASE's analysis of my APS bills came back and they recommended the smaller 5.7kW system ($18K).  My mistake was in picking a system that would meet all my electricity needs throughout the year.  The best way to optimize the bang for the buck in installing solar panels, however, is to try to eliminate you peak-demand electricity usage, because that's the power you buy from APS at 15 cents/kW instead of the relatively cheap 5 cents/kW for electricity off-peak. (That's assuming your using one of APS's Combined Advantage pricing plans.)

Anyway, the point is that it's an expensive investment that will take 12 years on average to recoup with savings on your utility bills, but the rebates make them more doable for homeowners (and businesses).  If you factor in the likelihood that electricity prices are probably going to steeply rise in the next few years, these solar panels will pay for themselves a lot sooner.  Another point we brought out during the show is that solar panels actually add equity to your house, often more than the cost of the panels themselves because it's one less thing a new home-owner will have to deal with when they move in, so they are willing to pay more for a house with solar pre-installed.  To me, taking all things into account, solar panels make a lot more sense economically than a kitchen remodel.

But I agree with you: you have to have a significant chunk of money on hand -- or be willing to finance the project -- if you are serious about putting solar PVs on your house.  Some states actually have incentives and rebates in place that almost completely pay for the entire install, and that makes it feasible for everybody.  Since we facing perhaps our most severe energy crisis yet, I would have no problem if my tax dollars came back to me in the form of entirely paid-for solar panels.  Yes, it's not exactly fair to tax payers who are not home-owners or own a business that could benefit from solar panels, but in the long run having strong incentives to encourage solar across the nation will be a huge economic and security benefit to all Americans.