March 27, 2011

Soakin' Up The Sun - Not Hawaiian For "Tan" Anymore

Hawaii has always been a place known for surf, spam and sunshine. With weather like no other, the Hawaii solar industry is in a perfect position to help educate the public about the importance of solar. With the tax credits available from the State (35%) and Federal (30%), not to mention a Hawaii solar rebate ($750) from Hawaii Energy to qualified homeowners, there's no reason why a home/business owner should take advantage of harnessing the sun's energy to help reduce their electricity bill.

Based on SunPluggers.com, Hawaii is the fastest growing state with the fastest growth rate for solar adoption in 2009, when it added 10.8 watts per resident. That is a huge jump considering that there were more photovoltaic installations in Hawaii 2008 than the 7 previous years combined. Each day more and more homes and businesses are making the switch to free renewable energy.

Hawaii solar experts are predicting the industry won't be slowing down anytime soon. The reason....high electricity rates! Hovering at around 25 cents per kilowatt and likely to go even higher, now is the right time for consumers to start thinking of benefits solar has to offer. The advice I tell my customers are "There is one way to offset high cost of living in Hawaii without hurting their pockets....SOLAR". Benefits of solar are endless.

You have:

  • Unlimited sunshine
  • Tax credits
  • Increased equity
  • More jobs
  • More money

Being a Hawaii solar company consultant for over 5 years, the number one concern I get from homeowners is "I don't have the money". Many assume a payment in full or a huge down payment which automatically turns them away from the subject of purchasing a solar system. With a down economy it would be easy to understand being frugal would be the right thing to do. The great thing about solar is, it's an investment that will pay for itself. With financing options available, getting a system installed is easy to do.

An average homeowner spends around $200 a month in electricity. A solar water heating system or start up photovoltaic system will save an average home around $50-$60 a month which is equivalent to a 25-30 percent savings.

With the new law in effect that all new homes must require solar water heating, the timing could have not gotten any better. It's our chance to help Hawaii less dependent on imported fossil fuel and reach its goal of being 70 percent powered using clean energy by 2030. In my opinion, with more Hawaii solar companies being established in just the last couple years, Hawaii might reach its goal way sooner than expected...which is a good thing.

The best complement as a consultant is when I'm at the beach eating a musubi, checking out the surf and I come across a Hawaii solar company customer in the water and I get reminded of how much they love their solar system.

24 comments:

  1. Very interesting. I wonder if it would work in Florida.

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  2. Solar energy seems to be the future. I read somewhere about solar nano technology that packs the absorbing power of thousands of panels into a few feet. Crazy stuff.

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  3. wish solar would be practical in mi but its not

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  4. I might go solar when i move out. It is great and you can even earn money with it. The government will pay you for power. How great is that.

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  5. Great post buddy - would love to move there someday! :D

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  6. Now we just need to increase the efficiency of solar panels closer to 100%, and no one would have anything against them; no matter where they live.

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  7. If it works i don't have any problem
    Good post, Keep posting my friend!

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  8. I'm an environmental/sustainability officer and educator here in Australia. It sounds like you can get good deals there. I would really push for it, Hawaii seems a beautiful island paradise (like Australia!) which would look spectacular generating the power they need from renewable sources.

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  9. A great article on a great website, thanks for the information

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  10. solar is definitely the way to go, we really have to lower our independence on fossil fuels

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  11. Good thoughs about the power! Sometimes the answer is easier then people think :)

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  12. This is great! Australia had a solar panel rebate scheme until it was cancelled recently. So stupid to cancel it, I mean it makes it a lot easier for people to afford the solar panels. I guess maybe the power companies don't like it cos they can't make as much money.

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  13. I really think we should spend more money on developing solar energy, if the technology improves it would be so much cleaner for the world! Nice post, keep it up!

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  14. In a place with energy costs as high as hawaii, it makes sense to go solar. Actually, it makes sense everywhere that there's constant sun.

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  15. If only I could afford to move to Hawaii, I'd be there in a heartbeat.

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  16. I'm sure its lovely there!

    My sister in Law is moving back to NY from Hawaii this week.

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  17. I think it's about time they started doing something serious about installing renewable energy sources in new homes. This is a good thing...

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  18. I have always wanted to go to hawaii, it is good to know that people are working to make it a better place, even if it will take 20+ years.

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  19. Tax credits, unlimited sunshine, more jobs, more money, and build equity? Hawaii is my new soon-to-be-home complete with solar

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  20. Wish we had this in mexico D:
    It's effing blazing here!!

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