Solar Tidbits from Colorado
Solar and Wind Power are catching on in Colorado which has become somewhat of a greentech or "green technology" hub. Boulder, which was at one point going to be the capital city of Colorado instead of Denver, has always been known as an entrepreneurial hub or hot spot ranked right up there with Silicon Valley, but with new discounts, rebates, and incentive programs including an Xcel energy Smart Grid test, Boulder is really taking off.
By some reports, the US solar industry has grown by nearly 50% over the past two and a half years since 2007. In many countries this increase has been even more substantial. Colorado has certainly experienced enormous growth in sustainable energy, including solar, over the past five years as new companies have relocated or sprung up to leverage the tax advantages that Boulder shares with it's citizens. A big part of these rewards come directly from Xcel energy and their Solar*Rewards program. The dream and goal of many Xcel Solar Rewards program members is to actually receive a check from Xcel at the end of the year based on their own electricity generation. To date, Xcel has paid out nearly twenty million dollars to homeowners using solar energy!
It's great that incentives exist to encourage solar adoption, rebates and rewards help to soften the blow of an initial fifteen thousand dollar system... The high end systems can cost as much as fifty thousand dollars. In Colorado homeowners who use solar can often recoup as much as fifty percent of their solar costs through local and federal rebates, but it isn't guaranteed and in many cases it depends on exactly where your home is located. Being outside Boulder Cit limits might mean that you don't qualify for the same incentive program.
By some reports, the US solar industry has grown by nearly 50% over the past two and a half years since 2007. In many countries this increase has been even more substantial. Colorado has certainly experienced enormous growth in sustainable energy, including solar, over the past five years as new companies have relocated or sprung up to leverage the tax advantages that Boulder shares with it's citizens. A big part of these rewards come directly from Xcel energy and their Solar*Rewards program. The dream and goal of many Xcel Solar Rewards program members is to actually receive a check from Xcel at the end of the year based on their own electricity generation. To date, Xcel has paid out nearly twenty million dollars to homeowners using solar energy!
It's great that incentives exist to encourage solar adoption, rebates and rewards help to soften the blow of an initial fifteen thousand dollar system... The high end systems can cost as much as fifty thousand dollars. In Colorado homeowners who use solar can often recoup as much as fifty percent of their solar costs through local and federal rebates, but it isn't guaranteed and in many cases it depends on exactly where your home is located. Being outside Boulder Cit limits might mean that you don't qualify for the same incentive program.
DIY Solar Pool Heater
This morning one of our readers sent us a little do it yourself tip for heating a swimming pool based on what one of her friends is doing. The full comment follows: "Not a question, but a little info: Knowing how hot the water gets in a garden hose, a friend with a swimming pool bought a bunch, I do not know how much, of black garden hose. She spread it out in big curls on top of a nearby flat roofed building. She then fixed up a small recirculating pump, ran the water to the swimming pool to warm...Headlines:
Solar Resources
State Programs
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