California Doubles Solar Power Installations in 2008
Californians installed 158 megawatts of solar power capacity in 2008, according to a state report released Wednesday. That’s double the amount installed in 2007.
California now has a total of 441 MW of solar power, the highest level of solar installations in the country, the California Public Utilities Commission reported.
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The commission attributes the rise in part to the California Solar Initiative, a ratepayer-funded program that provides incentives for solar system installations. The initiative has a budget of $2.17 billion over 10 years, and wants to reach a solar capacity of 1,940 MW by the end of 2016. The commission says more than $5 billion of private money has been invested in solar installations because of the initiative.
The state’s high energy costs also make solar power an attractive alternative for many homeowners and business.
Whether the installations are inspired by the state incentives, community coalitions, or a higher authority, California remains a national leader in solar. The trend show no signs of stopping. The commission got a record number of applications for participation in the initiative in the fourth quarter of 2008, and expects another very strong year for installations despite the state of the economy.
Photo Credit: Solar Service Inc. of Illinois
Mr. Tyler, this is an interesting story. What’s happening in other states? What do you think the potential is for solar to cure some of our energy problems? Just asking for your insights as you seem to be someone who has a pretty good idea what’s going on.
- Lawrence
Hi Lawrence,
Thanks for writing. I think you’ll see a lot of other states looking at solar as a viable option for their power needs. We had a story this week about Pittsburgh, which might not leap to mind as a sun-rich environment, exploring its solar power options. I think this is a trend that will continue to grow.
Hi Dave,
Pretty cool. I’m glad I came across this. I was only really aware of the green movement through all this talk about Ethanol. What’s your take on that? Seems pretty controversial, gets people’s dander up.
- Lawrence
Dave, great post on highlighting how again California is leading the way in “Greening” the nation. Let’s not forget efforts of runner up state Hawaii though. Latest update was that Lanai just started using Hawaii’s largest solar farm to provide power to 30% of households in Lanai. In addition the same site is also slated for a proposed wind farm.
http://tinyurl.com/dz9ep9
Solar is kind of an obvious solution in states like California, Hawaii, but it’s invigorating to see even Pennsylvania considering this option.
Hi Solar,
Thanks for the heads up. We’ve taken note of Hawaii’s activities over time — such as the state requiring that new homes have a solar panel powered hot water system — but it’s definitely worth watching developments there. We’ll keep an eye out. Thanks for the link!
USA became the number one producer of “wind” energy in the world for 2008….I think it wont be to much longer and we will be closing in on the “solar” title as well….