The latest solar news in the Bay Area is that the federal government just announced they have increased the federal solar tax credit from 26% back to 30% – Which means when you go solar, 30% of your system will be covered! Trust us, that can make a HUGE difference! Add that to any PG&E solar incentives you may be eligible for and you could end up with almost zero out-of-pocket costs!
And guess what? In the state of California, you can actually MAKE MONEY via Net Energy Metering with solar panels.
When your solar system generates extra electricity, it is then transferred back to the power company to be purchased. This is how solar allows homeowners to live
“energy independent.”
Why is that so important?
The benefits of solar go further than just locking in your energy rate – solar power means you no longer have to rely on unpredictable and untrustworthy power companies. Certain companies will actually shut down the electrical grid at random due to their own negligence and “high wind” during fire season.
These companies have been responsible for countless natural disasters and instead of fixing the problem, they would rather just shut down the grid. It could be shut down on holidays, during business hours, or even during the sweltering California summers. No power means no A/C and no A/C gets very dangerous very quickly.
You could say that Bay Area residents have a moral obligation to take control of their home energy.
In October 2017, an unrelenting siege of fires broke out in 8 northern California wine country counties. Over 170 fires burned for over two weeks through Mendocino, Yuba, Humboldt, Butte, Sonoma, Lake, Napa, and Solano Counties. The fire destroyed over 200,000 acres and hundreds of homes, causing over $14 billion in damages and $1.5 billion to fight the fire, and worst of all Californians lost their lives. The cause? PGE transmission lines, sagging power lines, conductors, power poles, and neglected tree maintenance.
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