Regional
(2009-12-16)
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DENVER, CO
(KUNC) -
State Senator Morgan Carroll's Aurora district is mostly working-class. She says many of her constituents would be game for hooking on to solar power. But even with tax credits, most people can't afford the $10-15,000 dollars that takes.
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"(That's) not something that your average family in any economy, particularly this one, can participate in," Carroll says.
Perhaps not until now. She sponsored a bill last session that allows for creative financing options for renewable power projects, including residential solar panels. The bill's passage and Colorado's abundant sun are the main reasons SolarCity decided to open an office in Westminster this week.
"So we are now looking at a fundamentally different price point where it is cheaper to go renewable and solar," Carroll says.
SolarCity is the latest in a string of renewable companies to announce expansions into Colorado, even during this downturn. And the announcement is also the latest to get a well-attended news conference at the state capitol. Democratic lawmakers and the Governor beamed and posed for pictures with SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive.
"We are excited to be here. We are excited to offer homeowners the ability to go solar, with no money down, and save money from day one," says Rive.
This lease and pay-as-you go option is seen as the next big trend in the solar energy industry. The SolarCity announcement is getting a lot of attention not because of the amount of new jobs coming here (only thirty or so for now, but rather because advocates hope it will create more demand and a larger mainstream market for solar energy. © Copyright 2012, KUNC
