NOPNA Newsletter: Will NoPa go solar?

By Dan Barahona

Last summer I wrote an article about how attractive solar energy generation has become, especially for Californians, thanks to federal rebates and the generous California Solar Initiative. We had solar panels installed on our own home on Central Avenue and haven’t paid an electric bill since!

I’ve been amazed at how efficient the panels are, even in the winter months when we have shorter days. With the long summer days we easily produce more electricity than we need, and we use the extra energy to offset the lower winter production.

The very best time to ‘go solar’ is right now, during 2008. There are several reasons for this. First, the federal solar rebate is expiring at the end of the year (with luck and sufficient public pressure, it will be renewed by the next administration). Second, the California rebates, now at $1.90 per watt, are steadily declining and will soon drop to $1.50 per watt. Third, San Francisco has just passed a very generous rebate, ranging from $3,000 to $6,000 per installation, for the city’s residents.

If you’ve got an average electric bill of, say, $100 per month, you’ll probably need a 2.5 kilowatt solar system (about 14 solar panels). The price of such a system, including installation, is around $25,000. The federal incentive offers a $2,000 tax rebate. The State of California will kick in about $4,000 more, which you’ll receive right away. And now San Francisco, too, will cover about $4,000 of the cost.

Do the math: your net cost is about $15,000. If you put this on a home equity line, the monthly cost probably amounts to less than you are paying PG&E today.

Still, $15,000 is not a small investment. So we have launched a San Francisco solar challenge to take “One Block Off the Grid.” In other words, we are forming “solar communities” - groups of neighbors who want to go solar - and then negotiating volume discounts with solar panel installers.

By applying the power of the community, we will make solar energy even more attractive and attainable. Please visit our site at www.1BOG.org to learn more.