Energy Investments
Are home solar panels a good investment? If you live in Massachusetts, the answer may be a resounding yes. MA already contains an unusual number of home solar panel installations, thanks to the stellar incentives it offers. Since 2007, MA has offered a series of rebates for homeowners installing solar panels, defraying the sometimes intimidating installation costs and proving that it recognizes that residents using such installations benefit the whole state by lowering local emissions and funding companies that have invested in renewable energy. The rebates have spurred many in the state to make a choice that otherwise would likely have been more difficult and set up a sustainable power system not only for their own homes, but one that feeds back into the grid to create a sustainable power system for the entire state.
The rebates have probably had the most direct effect on home solar panel installments, especially since homeowners can take advantage of both the state rebates and additional rebates that individual cities may hand out- Boston, for example, has developed its own additional incentives. However, the overall program that MA has launched to promote solar panels is much further reaching than simple rebates from the state. On the simplest level, they have created a system that allows power to be stored with the power company, thereby reducing the cost of initial installation even more as homeowners no longer have to buy batteries to store their generated power for after dark.
They have also issued proclamations that affect the power companies and this quickly trickles down to home solar panels as well. In urban areas, power companies cannot afford the space to create their own large solar panel installations, meaning that when they are forced to get some of their power from renewable sources, they depend on home solar panel installations that produce more than the home uses and feed back into their electric grid. MA has issued a credit system that takes the energy that home solar panels produce and guarantees payments from the electric companies, meaning that not only will the state pay back some of the immediate cost of installing home solar panels, it also ensures that the panels will continue to generate money for the homeowners.
Home solar panels have taken off in MA and it is easy to see why. The wide-reaching programs that the state has implemented create many immediate and recurring advantages for homeowners investing in solar panels. By reducing setup costs, both through rebates and a more intelligent storage system, and by forcing power companies to buy the power produced by home solar panels MA has created the perfect environment for homeowners considering investing in their own solar panel setup.
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