What would a solar system cost?
A minimum cost is somewhere around $10,000 after rebate. Say the system starts off at $20,000 and the state will pay about 30 percent (about $6,000), so now you’d pay about $14,000. Then you get a $2,000 federal tax credit. The state incentive has been around since 1998 and the federal tax credit was just signed in the energy bill last year. What are the benefits to solar energy? What most people have realized is that solar allows them to own something. It’s not a question of whether they’re going to spend money on electricity, because they will, but will it be to SDG&E or to their bank where they’re building equity? It’s energy independence. Where do you purchase the solar panels? Our main supplier is Sun Power. But we do use a number of vendors because there is a huge module (panel) shortage. That’s actually one of the biggest barriers to entry of this market and for companies like us who want to expand. Solar electricity manufacturers are now competing with semi-conductor manufactur
