Only 10 Days Left, 5 Families Going Solar!

We're in the last days of the Foster City Solar Community Program, after March 31st it will cost more to go solar. I'm happy to say that 5 families have signed up to make a difference towards energy sustainability--that's more than half of all the people who went solar in Foster City in all of last year!

If you've been thinking about owning your electric power instead of renting it your whole life, if you want to do something that helps our future starting today, if you want to help protect yourself from rising energy costs, be ready when plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars arrive, and enhance the value of your home, this is the time to Go Solar!

Solar power is the only major home improvement item that makes money every day, it helps give you control of your own energy self-sufficiency and it just plain makes you feel good! Be part of the solution, Go Solar!!

Last Month for Solar Discounts!

We are less than a month away from the end of the Foster City Solar Community Program, the state rebate is going down soon and the solar purchase discount program will be over on March 31 for our city.

We just received our PG&E electric statement, the fourth month of going solar at our house. November through February electric charges have averaged $85 per month, that's down from an average of $222 per month prior to going solar. So, we have saved $137 per month in the worst winter months for sun! I'm really looking forward to the spring and summer months of sun, where we expect to save well over $150 per month, or a total of $2000 a year.....that's every year for the next 40 years or more, and only if electric rates stay the same as today--which of course won't happen. The reality is, we're going to save more and more money every year, this decade, the next decade and the next decade and beyond, because solar panels keep going and going and going, just like the Energizer Bunny makes power!

If you're spending $150 or more per month on electricity, you owe it to yourself, and your family to attend one of the last two free solar seminars, Wednesday, March 5 and Thursday, March 20. What have you got to lose, except our planet?

Only 45 Days Left!

Today's date means that there are only six weeks left for the Foster City solar purchase program discount. Furthermore, the state rebate is expected to be lowered sometime in March and this is the last year of the federal 30% ITC, which is why businesses are jumping on the solar bandwagon in 2008. I was just checking out the eBay campus--rooftop after rooftop of solar panels have just been installed there.

To date, only two FC homes have signed up to go solar, which isn't much, but to put it into perspective, there were only nine solar permits issued in Foster City in all of 2007. I've been monitoring other Bay Area solar community programs going on right now and am happy to say that they are doing very well with sign ups.

There are two dozen site evaluations scheduled in Foster City, many have already been completed, so I am hopeful of a more positive result for our city in the weeks ahead.

There are a couple of things we should all keep in mind--first, the time is past to be worried about aesthetics, our planet needs our help and solar panels look a lot better than wind turbines on our roofs. Second, comparing the cost of solar power to today's dirty energy rates from PG&E has little to do with the energy rate levels in the next three to five years and beyond. Power goes up every year, especially the higher tiers, which is a huge profit center for PG&E. The PUC seems to let them get away with charging whatever they want as a way to punish higher electric energy home users.

The cost for solar amortized by lifetime kWh generated is around 20 cents per. This compares favorably to the higher tiers that PG&E charges, which is more like 30 cents per kWh. The latter number will only be going up and historically, much faster than inflation. Solar power rates are locked in for 30 or more years, perfect for those expecting to be on a fixed income at retirement age.

If solar power didn't make longterm economic sense, it wouldn't be used in new, low income housing developments in cities such as Oakland. Or at the Oakland Zoo. Or at more and more schools and government buildings and factories.

I do not want to look a child in the eyes and tell them that I didn't give much thought to their time on our planet after I'm gone. Please consider solar power for their future.

Dirty Houses!

When people think about causes of pollution, usually the first thing that comes to mind is emissions from our cars. We know that burning gasoline is a big source of C02, but what about our homes?

Well, it turns out that our homes account for about half of our carbon footprint. Our electricity needs account for a large part of the C02 emissions in the air. 70% of U.S. electricity produced is derived from the burning of fossil fuels. Only 12% of the energy we get from PG&E comes from clean, renewable sources that don't impact the environment severely. Every time we turn on the coffee maker, flick on the light switch, watch the big plasma TV or run the microwave, we are using dirty power.

Solar power can make a big difference. We know that we need electricity, but why not harvest it right from our roofs? It's clean, local, low maintenance and even costs less per kilowatt hour than PG&E power when we are spending $150 per month or more on our power.

Many speak of energy sources such as coal and other fossil fuels as being inexpensive and plentiful. That sort of statement doesn't take into account the health costs of dirty air, the resources expended to mine and drill, refine, burn, generate and deliver these nonrenewable, polluting energy sources.

Our home's solar power system(see picture above) is expected to generate 8,300 kWh of electric power and provide a reduction of 6,700 lbs. of C02 emissions every year. That's just one house, one family. Imagine how much we could do if we all went solar!

Solar Goals for Our City

The Solar Community Program special purchase opportunity makes it more affordable for every Foster City home and business to go solar. SolarCity is only looking for 12-15 homes to go solar which represents about 50kW of installed solar power.

There are around 6,000 single family homes in our city. If 1% of these homes were to go solar, that would represent 60 homes. I think this is a very attainable goal. To put this into perspective, Mountain View has a 2% residential solar installation success rate after their popular solar community program completion last year.

Additionally, it is time for the City of Foster City to embrace solar power to set a positive example. The City would be making a great statement by simply having City Hall or the library go solar.

I also think that any new residential and business development should include some percentage of solar power. Now is the time for the new mixed-use residential/business re-development at the Lincoln Properties industrial park to go solar as well as our new downtown development, which include green building initiatives as part of its proposed plan.

If you think these goals make sense and are worth working towards, please let our city leaders know how you feel. You could also contact me and we could start a petition for the greening of city buildings and new developments. What do you say?

Does Solar Make Sense With Low Power Usage?

I am often asked how high one's electric bill should be before solar power starts to pay for itself. Typically, power consumption totaling $100 or more per month helps to speed up the return on investment and a solar system can actually make its monthly loan payment if financed due to the power generated and sent to the grid at peak time. As an example, I financed my solar system and pay around $150 per month to service the loan, which is how much on average I would be paying PG&E for renting my electricity. I'd rather invest in clean solar energy, get the tax breaks and protect myself from utility rate increases and add value to my home at resale. So, this means I am spending nothing more for having a solar system than I would already be spending to rent my power from PG&E--it's cash flow neutral.

What if your electric bill is only $50 per month? Congratulations! It will be harder for a solar system to pay for itself in the short term, but consider the following:

You will get state and federal tax incentives.

You will protect yourself from electric power rate increases.

You will be ready for the not too distant day when plug-in hybrid and electric cars arrive. If you were to purchase a car that requires battery charging, your power usage will go up, but your solar system will keep your electric bill down.

You will be able to consider going to a solar electric water heater and save money on natural gas, even electric heating will make more sense.

You will be helping your neighbors lower their carbon footprint with the unused power that you send to the grid.

Now is the best time to consider clean solar energy, rebates are still high from the state, but will be diminishing in a few months, the federal tax credit will be going away after this year and purchasing through the Solar Community Program, combined with the city, state and federal rebates/incentives, could yield a 35% + discount!

Solar Kids!

On Thursday, SolarCity presented a plaque to Mrs. Wong's third grade class for helping to persuade the city council to drop the solar permit fee, which was one of the highest in the state, a savings of several hundred dollars.

I was able to videotape the ceremony as well as interview some of the children from last year's third grade Foster City school's class. The experience was very fulfilling. Hearing the students talk about global warming and the benefits of solar power was very moving. The kids get it, whereas many adults are in denial. I feel blessed to be able to tell these kids story on videotape. Starting at the next free solar seminar, you will be able to see what these kids have to say about their future on this planet. Join us on Tuesday, January 22 at 7pm for this five minute video and the SolarCity presentation on the advantages of Solar Power. You can't afford not to!