Apr 22, 2009 5:15 pm US/Eastern
Solar Panels & The Sun Could Save You Big Bucks
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Happy Earth Day! Thinking of getting more "Earth friendly" -- ever considered going solar?
Big solar panels on the roof must be expensive and time consuming to install, right? Well thanks to efforts by the government and new opportunities in the industry, the sun could save you cash.
Take
Lakeview Nurseries in Lunenburg. To celebrate Earth Day, the garden center unveiled a new array of solar panels sited on their roof. Able to power 70 to 80 percent of operations, the amount of energy generated will pay for the project in the next four to five years. After that, the electricity tab is on our favorite star--the sun--and it will be completely free!
According to solar installer John Carroll, President of Moss Hollow, LLC, state funding made the project affordable. "The solar array was just under $70,000 to install. Lakeview Nurseries got $25,000 from Mass Technology Collaborative to help offset the cost. They got another $25,000 in grant money from the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture and the business is now eligible for a 30 percent federal tax credit. This all makes this alternative energy option doable for small businesses and it can really give them a competitive edge," said Carroll.
"The hardest part of the entire project was writing the grant proposal. We are growers, not writers, but the effort has already paid off and our cost savings are only beginning," said Michelle Harvey, owner of Lakeview Nurseries.
Changes in the industry will make solar more affordable too.
SunRun, one of the leading providers of residential solar power in the country, has just started doing business in the Bay State.
The company offers homeowners a cost-effective and simple alternative to purchasing solar panels. According to reps, homeowners who could not otherwise afford solar will be able to have it for as low as $1,000 down. The idea is that the homeowner pays SunRun for the solar electricity produced by the system at a lower price than what the utility charges.
And get this, even on cloudy days the panels still produce. "The solar panels still generate about 1/4 to 30 percent of the energy that they normally would on a bright, sunny day," promised Carroll.
And given our changeable weather, that's the real sales pitch!
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Kennedy: I'm Barred From Communion Due To Abortion 41 mins ago
Woman Killed In Sumer Tunnel Crash 37 mins ago 
Stumble It!
Comments