| 2008 was a bumper year for solar energy, despite the | | | | available for solar installations. |
| recession sinking its teeth deeply into most areas of | | | | Rebates And Incentives |
| the global economy, but what about solar energy | | | | One of the things that kept small to medium-sized |
| 2009? It seems like the recession may have caught up | | | | solar projects ticking along in the US was the |
| with solar energy as well, because 2009 was a bit of | | | | continued availability of federal tax incentives and |
| a down year. Not drastically so, but, still, it was the first | | | | rebates and rebates and incentives at the State level. |
| no growth year of the decade. Here's a look at Solar | | | | California offers rebates via its California Solar Initiative, |
| Energy 2009 and what we might expect from 2010. | | | | which rewards customers with various types of |
| That Was The Year That Was | | | | rebates, such as the Expected Performance Based |
| In 2008, it appeared that the solar energy industry was | | | | Buydown (EPBB), which provides up-front cash |
| immune to the vagaries of the economic recession | | | | rebates based on the calculated performance of new |
| that was causing such grief and suffering to just about | | | | solar electric systems of 50 kilowatts or less. This is |
| all the rest of the economy. And it was expected that | | | | part of Governor Schwarzenegger's "Million Solar |
| that trend would continue in 2009. But, it was not to be, | | | | Roofs" initiative, which is supposed to provide an |
| as capacity outstripped demand and manufacturing | | | | additional 3,000 megawatts of solar electricity. |
| had to be slowed down to allow demand to catch up | | | | Looking Into The Solar Crystal Ball |
| with supply and reduce the amount of surplus capacity. | | | | As the economy's financing woes continue to ease, it's |
| The consumer was the big winner in all this as the | | | | expected that solar investment will increase, and, as a |
| price of solar panels and related equipment was | | | | result, so will solar installations. Solar equipment prices |
| slashed in many cases, making solar much more | | | | are expected to stabilize, but, overall, the price should |
| affordable. But, as with much of the rest of the | | | | continue to decrease as the efficiency of the |
| economy. one of the main obstacles to solar | | | | manufacturing process increases. The cost of |
| investment was the availability of financing. Financing | | | | manufacturing solar panels has broken the $1 per watt |
| for any type of sizable investment was almost frozen | | | | barrier for the first time, so everything points to further, |
| for a while, although the situation has gradually eased, | | | | more dramatic cost efficiencies in years to come. Can |
| with the financial institutions starting to feel more | | | | you say, "Fifty cents a watt"? Maybe not yet, but it |
| comfortable about lending money and making more | | | | probably won't be too long before you can. |