Nov 30 2010
The rooftop solar systems, which once drove the customers due to the prohibitive costs, are slowly becoming affordable now. The systems that were normally costing thousands of dollars for installation and again were taking number of years to pay off the costs on electric bill savings has become a thing of the past.
Governor
The federal and state stimulus valued around $15 million, has brought in a change and encouraged a number of cost wary customers in Virginia to opt for renewable energy systems. The stimulus funding has allowed the home and business clients to receive a discount of around $2,000 per kilowatt of the installed solar power system and $1,000 per kilowatt for solar water heating systems. A typical 2 kW system costing around $15,000 received $ 4,000 as rebate. The state of Virginia has received over 1,600 applications for the stimulus funds. The rebate program also has brought in boom in sales of solar companies such as Solar Services, a Virginia Beach-based company, which is engaged in installing solar systems for over 20 years.
Ken Jurman, who works as specialist in Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and managing the program, said that the program has received a total of over 1,600 applications for funding and the department has stopped encouraging the applications after approving around 1,100 applicants and the other applicants are kept in the waiting list. The funding for them will be released on a first-come first-served basis on receipt of further funding. Most of the applicants and home owners of the state have requested the law makers to bring in amendments to continue with the rebate program to fuel up the generated renewable energy interest.