Residential Solar Power

     The residential solar energy business continues to change to make it more affordable to install and operate solar energy systems in single-family homes.  Federal, state and local governments must do much more to encourage, and financially support, home owners to add solar energy to their homes.  First, there should me more federal and state tax incentives to lower the initial out-of-pocket cost to the home owner.  Second, legislation should be passed requiring power companies to purchase solar power back from the home owners at a much higher rate than they currently do.  It’s my understanding power companies purchase power back at a fraction of the rate they charge.

     Battery technology has advanced in the last 5 to 10 years such that almost every car manufacturer is building battery powered vehicles.  This new technology should be further advanced with federal research dollars to create in-home battery technology to store energy from solar systems.  One such company, Generac Power Systems, has created such a system with Generac’s PWRcell.  Additional research should be conducted, and shared, through federal government grants/financial assistance to speed-up the adoption of solar energy in residential homes.