California Houses Go Solar
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 6.07
Noah Berger, New York Times
The main picture in the New York Times article is of a jazzy mansion covered in solar panels, and the article leads off with usual the list of solar-celebs: Leonardo DiCaprio, Alicia Silverstone, Carlos Santana and Tom Seaver, who have installed solar systems. However the real impact of the 3.2 billion dollar California Solar Initiative is in the mainstream, where teacher Gonzales Yuen can install systems on his 100 year old Berkeley duplex and knocks 3 kilowatts off his meter. If he uses less than it generates then it goes back into the grid. He was the first on the block: “In my circle I’m the eco-nut,” he said. But, he said, less than a year later they are quite common in his neighborhood. “A lot of people are really paying attention and beginning to think about the whole environmental cycle,” he added.::New York Times
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Let There Be Solar Panels...And There Were: Vatican Completes Rooftop Solar Array
- Saying Goodbye to Oscar Grimm, Leonardo Di Caprio Asks You to Vote, Green Thing Wallchart, and More
- Pink is the New Green
- 25% Efficiency: SolFocus Introduces New Concentrating Solar PV Product
I'm surprised solar isn't more popular down there in the SW. I was looking at the economics recently. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we don't get much light and our electricity is pretty cheap, so the payback period is really long. However, down there in California, they have expensive power and lots of sunlight, so it is very economical (assuming you can afford the upfront cost). Hopefully the price of cells will come down as new technology (CIGS) comes online and ramps up production.