Solar Energy
Initiative – California approves $2.9 Billion Program
January 23rd, 2006
|
 |
|
Solar Panel
Shingles |
|
A new program
has been approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)
called the California Solar Initiative. This is a 10 year program
that will pay out $2.9 billion on rebates for solar power systems
installed on rooftops. It will further expand to solar hot water
and solar heating and cooling systems after time.
With shortages
of power available to California residents, solar power is just
another method to help make power for its residents. By the year of
2017, it is hoped that the state will increase the states power by
3,000 megawatts.
"California
has long been a leader on environmentally-sound approaches to the
provision of energy. We adopted formalized policies on renewable
power and energy efficiency in our Energy Action Plans," said PUC
President Michael R. Peevey. "The California Solar Initiative
continues that tradition with an aggressive new program to promote
solar development."
The solar
power system rebate will start at $2.80 per watt and will decrease
about 10 percent per year there-after. They will target the rebate
to new housing development, low-income customers, affordable
housing, research, development and demonstration activities.
Large-scale
power production from solar thermal energy is also underway. The
CPUC approved a contract for San Diego Gas & Electric Company to
purchase 300 megawatts of solar power from Stirling Energy Systems.
The goal for this project will be to cover three-square miles of
California’s Imperial Valley with solar dish-shaped array of mirrors
that harness the sun’s energy. There are future hopes for more
projects with this electric company to create an additional 600
megawatts from solar power.
"We are taking
an important step today to lay out a framework for an orderly,
10-year approach to creating a sustainable solar industry. Our hope
is that solar will become a major part of California's energy
portfolio, to provide clean and inexpensive distributed generation
to millions of California consumers," President Peevey said in a
statement, "Our plan is to offer a subsidy now to push the
deployment of an important part of our sustainable energy future in
the long-run. This solar program simply offers one of the many
emerging alternatives to consumers concerned about a clean energy
future."
By
Nicole Wilson
Best Syndication Staff Writer
common keywords and misspellings: soler
power savings sollar cells roof buy rebates purchase how to decide
incentive plan initiate |
RSS Feed to our Science Tech News
