CA rebate rule chills sales of solar

[Barrett808]

Source: LA Times

Rebate rule chills sales of solar
By Marc Lifsher, Times Staff Writer

SACRAMENTO — California homeowners are rejecting new rebates for solar power equipment, saying the state has made installing the rooftop panels far more costly than expected.

As a result, Public Utilities Commission reports show a decline of 78% in rebate requests in the first three months of this year, compared with last year, and the solar installation industry says it is threatened with collapse across much of California.

At issue is a requirement the state added Jan. 1 for getting a rebate under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Million Solar Roofs program. Applicants must first sign up for costly pricing plans offered by utilities that charge more for their electricity during hours of peak demand.

Alfred Cellier had plans to install a $17,000 solar system at his Rancho Palos Verdes home until he penciled out the cost of the new state requirements and decided against it.

The retired electronics engineer said he was all for solar power "because it's green and the right thing to do, but I don't want to be treated unfairly."

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-solar8may08,0,3494064.story

[Duer 157099]

1. Um. WTF?

Wait, let me guess: they want the power companies to be subsidized by people who install solar panels, because they will be losing business?

What is this, Enron-redux?

What bullshit.

[Trillo]

2. This may be slightly off-topic

The year was sometime in the 1980s (If I recall the timeline correctly), I was watching a show on, I believe, Discovery channel. A professor from one of the universities was detailing a discovery involving a laser in the manufacturing of solar panels. He claimed the new laser process would reduce the cost of manufacturing solar panels to "pennies per square foot".

I've believed, since then, that the reason solar isn't affordable is because it is now market priced based upon the cost for equivalent energy. Restating, the retail price has been decoupled from the cost of production.

The last price I saw, several years ago, for solar panels in the 6 square foot range was $300-$500. That's a huge difference from "pennies per square foot". Either some corporations are getting rich or the professor I saw interviewed on TV lied, and I believe the former is likely the truth.

[zbdent]

3. Oh, come on ... it's because the solar panels are being manufactured

by American labor where unions are the rule, not the exception ...

:sarcasm:

[ljm2002]

4. Gotta love it...

..."Applicants must first sign up for costly pricing plans offered by utilities that charge more for their electricity during hours of peak demand."

Amazing. So you only get the rebate if you sign up for a service that will cost you as much or (probably) more than the rebate gives back. Yeppers, that'll encourage people to install solar...

Of course we know that it's the Guv's job to ensure that utilities squeeze every last dime out of a captive populace. Just shove that broomstick up Granny's a** (to paraphrase an infamous recording of one of the energy traders during the Energy Rape of California)

[One_Life_To_Give]

5. Pay more like a buisiness if the panels aren't working

OK so they wouldw be charged more for electricity during peak hours like major buisinesses are. Which in effect means they shouldn't care since with the panels installed, they wouldn't be using any power during peak demand but rather selling it back. And presumably the cost of power off peak is lower under such a system.

[natrat]

6. fuck you arnold

[truthisfreedom]

7. Hopefully Nano Solar will be online later this year with massive production...

check out http://www.nanosolar.com

[Le Taz Hot]

8. Thank you for this link!

Very interesting.