Archive for: Nate Hausman

While the costs of solar photovoltaics (PV) have decreased considerably over the last decade, many customers still need long-term, low-cost financing to make going solar affordable.

While the significant opportunities for gainful enterprise in the residential PV economy signal solar market health, they have also brought consumer-focused issues to the fore. Policymakers, regulators, advocacy groups, and the solar industry are giving increasing attention to ensuring that consumers receive accurate information and ultimately have good experiences with solar energy installation.

As community-shared solar has proliferated, a growing number of states have adopted community solar-enabling laws. This is clearly good news for solar, but one issue that has been less clear is whether an individual owner of solar panels installed in an offsite, community- shared array qualifies for one of the primary carrots offered to homeowners adopting solar—the 30% federal residential investment tax credit called the “residential ITC.”

States have been using group purchasing and special marketing initiatives to bring down the cost of solar. A wide range of campaigns, each called Solarize, have been launched with leadership from state agencies in Oregon, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and other states.