I just put a three kilowatt solar panel system on my roof and you helped pay for it. Is that fair? There a lot of opinions about whether solar and wind rebates are a good use of taxpayer money but one thing is for sure, that the cost of fuel that powers our conventional power plants is rising fast. Coal has doubled in the last two years and utilities are having to pass that cost on to homeowners.
The sun and wind are always there but do not occur 27 - 7 when we need them. It is likely that we will always need a mix of power sources to supply our electricity.
Overseas there are much higher subsidies for wind and solar and counties like Denmark, home to Vestas, a large manufacturer of wind turbines have used this government subsidy to all but take over the market for wind turbines. Many of the wind turbines that are being installed across the West are made by Vestas. Had the US had similar subsidies for this growing industry it could be that they would have "Made In USA" stamped on them.
In a similar manner the German company Siemens has taken a lions share of the solar panel market thanks to heavy support from the German government.
We subsidize our farmers including dairy and wool growers to keep a vital domestic food production asset from vanishing due to competition from overseas. Our government has decided that it is in our strategic interest to support these industries.
In a similar manner Congress has so far helped the domestic wind and solar industry at a time that we need energy independence more than ever.
Part of the cost of my personal system, $2000 was paid for by Uncle Sam, the other part, $13,500 by my local power company.
My local power company has no agenda in saving US solar companies but instead did an in depth cost analysis using an independent accounting firm to determine that if they paid for that much of the cost, had the homeowners pay part, then they could delay or even abandon building a multi million dollar natural gas powered plant on expensive real estate that also would use ever expensive fuel. The life of the solar panel system, that produces about half my energy, is 25 to 30 years. Over that time the city power company will more than get its money back and no greenhouse gas will be burned generating the power it will make, quietly on top of my roof.
Unfortunately the federal government is ending the $2000 rebate at the end of 2008. While being a small portion of the cost of a rooftop solar system it could be the tipping point that puts some new solar installers out of business and keeps some homeowners from installing a system.
Just imagine what if, for a minute, if for the cost of the Iraq war, which one new book http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0310/p16s01-wmgn.html says might cost as much as 3 trillion, had been spent on renewable energy? At $21,000 per system we could have put rooftop solar on every single family home in the nation, freeing up natural gas for use as a motor fuel.
Urge your representatives by dropping them a phone call or email to renew the solar energy rebate for 2009 and beyond.
It makes good sense for our future as a strong, self reliant nation.