Clean energy firms choose summer solstice to promote solar power

The summer solstice this year as a transition in the seasons, could be a turning point for the solar energy industry as well. The summer solstice on June 21, the longest day of the year, was chosen by a California utility company to announce a $ 100 million campaign to promote installation of residential solar power systems. As Congress debates climate and energy legislation, the summer solstice is also being used by clean energy companies to inform the public about the benefits of solar energy.

Source for this article: Clean energy firms choose summer solstice to promote solar power by Personal Money Store

Summer solstice fuels solar energy

In PG & E's summer solstice announcement, the company said the $ 100 million tax equity fund is the largest solar leasing pool yet. The New York Times reports that a growing interest in clean energy financing is underscored by PG &E's summer solstice fund announcement. In January, PG & E created a $ 60 million tax-equity fund for a Silicon Valley company called SolarCity that also leases residential solar power systems. Also, Solyndra, a clean energy company in northern California, was the location for a speech by President Obama about the climate and energy bill.

Lease solar panels for your home

Solar energy systems financed by the $ 100 million dollar fund will be installed in up to 3,500 homes in Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts and New Jersey. The program is set up to provide homeowners with hassle-free solar energy. Instead of paying for the solar energy system, which can cost more than $ 30,000, homeowners sign a power purchase agreement with SunRun that fixes the cost of their monthly electricity payments for as many as 18 years. SunRun handles installation, retains ownership of the system and keeps it running.

Solar energy in the public eye

The summer solstice was also appropriate for the clean energy company Applied Materiasl to publish a survey on solar power attitudes. It found that two-thirds of American's say solar power needs to be used more for U.S. energy needs. MarketWatch reports that three-quarters of those interviewed in the survey said more renewable energy and less foreign oil should be top priorities for the U.S.. The representative sample of 1,000 American adults also found that 67 percent of Americans would be willing to pay more for their monthly utility bill if their utility company increased its use of renewable energy, and 49 percent would be willing to pay $ 5 or more each month for an increased amount of renewable energy.

Citations

green.blogs.nytimes.com

www.marketwatch.com