A few weeks back I had talked about how residential solar panels would become less expensive for some in California, especially those in Santa Cruz. Well, now its large neighbor to the north, San Francisco seeks to become the first solar megalopolis in the United States.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has just passed a 10-year solar rebate incentive program to help the residents acquire cheap solar energy for their rooftops. Local residents will receive $3,000 – $6,000 in rebates and non-profits $10,000. Residents or businesses that hire solar installers trained by San Francisco’s workforce development program receive the largest rebates.
This kind of incentive program works on two fronts. First, it makes residential solar panels more affordable to the masses. Second, this will create more green collar jobs immediately and incentives for others considering going into this industry.
Earth2Tech talks about a company called Sungevity that is already preparing to market residential solar panels in San Francisco using satellite imaging of citizen’s rooftops. Once the roof is imaged digitally the company will send out customized quotes for solar installations based upon those images.
If you’re not quite ready to jump into the residential solar market yet, there’s an eBook called Solar Power Secrets that will help you get up-to-speed. But, just know this. San Francisco solar is here to stay and there will a lot of shiny little rooftops in the not too distant future there.