From the GEO Website:

"Coloradans can soon tap into millions of Recovery Act dollars and take steps to save money, boost the economy and save energy as the Governor's Energy Office and partners prepare to launch a sweeping, statewide rebate program April 19. This initiative is designed to bring energy efficiency and renewable energy to tens of thousands of Coloradans and will provide nearly 75,000 rebates worth approximately $22 million."

For 2010, the Colorado GEO solar rebate is set at $1.50 per watt (up to 3kW for residential and 10kW for commercial projects). Several rural and co-op electric utilities in Colorado are offering matching funds to the GEO rebate, bringing the overall solar rebate up to $3 per watt. This is more than the current Xcel Energy and Black Hills Energy solar rebate of $2.55 per watt in Colorado.

Astralux has special GEO 3kW solar packages for Residential and 10kW packages for Small Business projects. These packages come with a free energy audit of your home or business.

Funds for the GEO solar rebate are first-come, first-serve.

http://www.astraluxsolar.com/Astralux_GEO_Solar_Package.pdf

The widespread acceptance of solar energy will require the solar PV industry to mature to the level necessary for adoption amongst the entire population, not just the early adopters and green enthusiasts.

There are several common concerns amongst current and potential solar buyers, more so for those population groups that are less inclined to adopt a new or unique technology (late adopters and laggards). These concerns are mostly due to the lack of general information about solar energy, including a lack of knowledge of laws and initiatives on both the state and federal level that greatly mitigate the risk of going solar.

The following are some of the primary concerns commonly expressed by potential solar adopters, excluding the most important factor in the majority of solar installations – financials.

Reliability of Solar Energy Providers

With well funded national solar integrators and well established local players, this is becoming less of a concern for potential solar buyers. Further remedy to this issue involves better brand-building practices by the major solar integrators to increase awareness and familiarity - establishing “brand names” that people will know and trust.

Issues with Neighborhood Codes and Covenants

Many states now have laws prohibiting HOA’s from banning solar installations. However, the industry doesn’t have the resources to sue every association who ignores this law. More importantly, solar integrators don’t want to antagonize the very people they are trying to convert to solar energy. Thus, integrators are reaching out to local neighborhood committees to inform, educate and quell concerns over solar in their communities.

Vulnerability of Solar to Weather Extremes

With manufacturers improving their cut sheets and marketing materials to list hail, fire, and wind ratings / capabilities – this is becoming less of an issue. Also, there are now several real-life examples of solar PV systems holding up in extreme weather (as with the tornado and hail storm that hit Windsor, CO in 2008).

Uncertainties about System Longevity

This is an ongoing concern, as there is no hard evidence of the longevity or output reliability of solar energy installed today. In fact this information (outside of stress tests in laboratories) will not be available for a couple of decades. To address this, some solar integrators have begun to offer production guarantees with their systems – compensating solar owners if their systems don’t perform to specifications.

System Efficiency in Converting Sunlight to Electricity

The efficiency percentages of solar cells and panels themselves sound unimpressive to the lay person – 8%, 12%, even 20% sounds like a low figure. Integrators must put these numbers in perspective; they can’t let potential customers get hung up on these percentages. Converting 12% of the sun’s energy, the cleanest and most abundant energy source available, is pretty darn good. The efficiency figures are only relevant when comparing different panels to each other, or when comparing to the efficiency of converting fossil fuels to electricity.

Health and Safety Concerns, During and After Installation

A most pressing concern is potential roof damage during system installation. Nearly every potential solar homeowner expresses concern about leaking and damage to the roof surface, especially on concrete and Spanish tile. Extended warranties on labor and reliable integrators have been the solution to this issue.

The concern of vandalism and theft has risen drastically in light of recent news of stolen and defaced solar panels. There are several companies with solutions for these concerns, with security systems designed specifically for solar systems.

Maintenance and Warranty of a Solar Energy System

This is an issue that is being solved through comprehensive labor warranty and maintenance programs offered through many solar integrators. The extended solar panel and inverter warranties are also very comforting to solar adopters.

Technological Advancements in Solar

“With all the cool new technologies I keep hearing about, won’t my system become outdated technologically?” Or another one, “Won’t the solar panel costs keep coming down? I hear that there are new technologies that will be 10% of the cost of what solar is today?” These are questions that come in nearly every day from people thinking of going solar.

The answer to these questions vary, but center around the theme that solar is now - both financially and technologically. There are many promises of better and cheaper solar panels in the near future, but the current solar rebates and credits are likely much larger than these potential future savings on solar. The current US solar integrator market is still in a shakeout, and still highly fragmented. This has led to solar installation prices dropping to drastically low levels. Thus, potential solar adopters can either take advantage of a subsidized, buyers market today, or gamble on the promises of ultra-cheap and ultra-efficient solar of the future.

There are other concerns, but these are reoccurring issues from potential solar adopters. With the US approaching 100,000 solar installations, the solar integrator industry is making great strides in addressing these barriers for the many interested, but discerning, home and business owners.

-Jesse Malcomb

Everett Rogers popularized the Diffusion of Innovations in 1962, a theory of how and why new ideas and technologies are adopted by a population. The adoption of solar energy can be analyzed through the following intrinsic characteristics that influence a purchase decision:

Relative Advantage
Potential solar energy adopters want to know how electricity generated by a solar system is better than electricity generated by the utility. With correct engineering and design, the electricity produced by a solar energy system is no different than the electricity delivered by the utility grid. Solar energy can be more reliable and secure than utility electricity when integrated with a backup system – enabling a truly uninterruptible source of energy for the building.

Solar also has a financially advantage to increasingly costly traditional utility electricity. Solar energy both reduced the fixed cost of electricity for the building owner and hedges against further electricity price increases. The environmental benefits of solar is yet another advantage as it eliminates all of the harmful externalities caused by producing energy with coal or other fossil fuels.

Solar also holds a relative advantage to other available renewable energy options. Solar energy is easier to integrate with residential and commercial buildings than other renewable alternatives (wind, geothermal, etc.), far more effective and reliable, and now more economically viable.

Compatibility
Potential solar energy adopters want solar energy to be compatible with their lifestyle and daily routine. Solar is highly compatible with the values and desires of the environmentally-conscious energy consumers. Studies have shown that increasingly more people value the reduction of fossil fuel use and higher efficiency usage of energy, to which solar energy helps achieve both these ends.

The electricity produced by a solar energy system is completely compatible with a buildings need for the energy. There is no difference between the electricity produced by the utility and that produced by solar energy.

Complexity
Potential solar energy adopters want the process to be simple and turnkey. The complexity of solar energy integration has decreased dramatically over the past decade. The purchasing process, provided by most solar integrators, is simple and requires only a few uncomplicated choices from the adopter. The plug- and-play nature of modern solar energy systems requires no interaction or responsibility from the adopter to operate.

Trialability
Potential solar energy adopters would ideally want to "try" solar energy before putting it on their building or land. Although solar energy cannot be "test driven" like a car, interested adopters can "trial" solar by seeing an existing installation in work. Remote monitors and internet interfaces can "show" how the solar energy system produces energy and how much electricity it is generating. Solar Home Tours around the country allow potential buyers to experience solar hands-on and talk to current solar energy homeowners.

Observability
Potential solar energy adopters want to see many systems already installed and operating. As an exterior feature, solar energy is visible on most buildings that have it installed. Solar is on display in very publicly visible areas - such as major airports, commercial buildings, and museums. With over 75,000 solar energy systems installed in the U.S., including hundreds of large and highly noticeable solar farms, there are plenty of opportunities for potential adopters to see solar at work.

In conclusion, it is apparent that solar energy has broken through many barriers to move towards adoption by several key social groups in America. Nonetheless, there is still much to be done - especially in the area of education and knowledge. The adoption process starts with these two essentials; if someone isn’t aware of what solar energy is or what it can do then it renders the rest of the process irrelevant. More resources must be allocated by the manufacturers, distributors, integrators, and state and federal energy departments to educating the population about solar energy – so we can then persuade, implement, and grow solar into a noticeable chunk of the energy solution in the United States.

-Jesse Malcomb