Who? How? When? Is Solar ever going to be really affordable?

October 5, 2012 Kelsey Jones

Recently I checked out how much it would cost me to put solar on my house. To my surprise, it was much more than I wanted to spend, especially since I’m not convinced that I really want to stay there for more than five more years. The economics of it just didn't add up. I had question like: Who would pay for the remaining balance if I decided to sell the house before the solar units were paid for? Would the house actually meet an appraisal value that would include the cost of solar in the sales price?

Unfortunately, the financing options for me weren't exactly attractive and leasing didn't appeal to me either. Lucky for me and you, the Department of Energy (DOE) has just launched a new competition that could solve my problem.

The DOE has developed the SunShot Initiative, a collaborative national initiative to make solar energy cost competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade. The first step in this aggressive endeavor focuses on removing municipal barriers such as permitting and structural engineering cost (which SJVCEO is a named partner with Optony, Inc.under The Solar Roadmap).

Now, the DOE is going one step further by launching the SunShot prize competition, a very unique competition. This competition is working to install solar energy systems at a fraction of today’s price. The SunShot Initiative is reducing the installed cost of solar energy systems by about 75% and will drive widespread, large-scale adoption of this renewable energy technology while restoring U.S. leadership in the global clean energy race.

Check out the details at: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/news_detail.cfm/news_id=18628

-Dee

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cocreatr/5387532886/

GIS Map credit: http://www.eere.energy.gov/solarchallenge/pdfs/challenge_team_map.pdf