If you want to be an informed and engaged citizen, keep reading. According to information supplied to Renewable Energy World by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Californians pay much more up to 30 percent more per kWh of solar power compared to Germans. Why? Likely causes include inefficient federal tax credits that artificially inflate the cost of the US dollar; banks offering financing for solar leasing at overstated prices; complex state and federal incentives and a lack of guaranteed interconnection with the grid, making taking on solar projects risky; and by inconsistent local...

Think youll be so busy installing your solar panel and applying for associated rebates and exemptions that you wont have time to even BREATHE??? Relax. Take a deep breath. Then throw a solar cookout for friends and neighbors to share your stories of rooftop triumph and grid integration glory. 

Okay, well admit it installing a solar energy system on your home takes a bit of patience. You will need to figure out if your house has a good spot to put the panels (highly likely), what kinds of incentives your state and/or city offer for homeowners going solar (we can help with that, just...

People often ask me what the magic Payback number is for residential solar.  I used to make what I thought were educated guesses, but after talking to hundreds of homeowners interested in going solar, I am convinced that the answer doesn't actually matter.  In fact, I'd say the question doesn't even matter.  I think Brian Keane knows what I'm talking about.  I recently found one of his articles titled "Policies that advocate for solar consumers will create jobs".  In the article, he points out that "without national policies that benefit these solar consumers, their...

It is common knowledge that solar still has a way to go before it can compete against utility-scale coal. Even if you take into account the social costs (pollution and other environmental affects) and the fact that the existing energy infrastructure is heavily subsized in account, most experts will say that coal is still better than solar (the differences of opinion generally have to do with how much value experts assign to pollution, i.e. being able to breathe clean air).

Most people also recognize that for innovation to occur in an unproven industry, proper incentives must be put in place...