As a native Bay Area company, our purpose is to show the Bay Area and California as a whole the benefits of switching to solar. Some might ask “are Solar Panels even worth it?” In short, the answer is yes. But a better way to ask the question is “Do you want to save money while also saving the planet?” In the Bay Area “a 5 kW solar energy system costs $18,000 before rebates or incentives. The average home with an electric bill of around $150 per month can run off of a 5 kW system. $18,000 seems like a lot at once, but as with any investment we need to consider the long term financial gains.” (SolarEstimate.org)

It is common for people interested in renewable solar energy to hear that the price has come down, but how much has it actually dropped in the past 10 to 20 years? “People in the solar industry have historically calibrated costs on a dollar-per-watt basis. In 2001, the average residential system was about 5,000 watts and cost about $50,000. That’s about $10 a watt.” (TheMecuryNews) Renewable energy and solar specifically has come a long way in the past 10 to 20 years. We have managed to cut the price per watt more than half. Now is the time to make the switch to solar and take advantage of the low prices and incentive programs offered to Californian’s.

With all the incentive programs offered in the Bay Area and California, there are many reasons for residents to consider the switch to solar and other renewables. Although the price of solar has come down, the biggest obstacle continues to be the price. There are many incentive programs to cushion the blow of the entire cost of solar. Switching to solar in the Bay Area or California opens up new pathways to save money. “On top of rebates and tax credits, you will see your utility bill go down through what is called net metering. With net metering, if you end up producing more energy than you use your energy company might give you a credit per excess kilowatt-hour of electricity that you generate.” (SolarEstimate.org)

With various options for different homeowners and price ranges, renewable energy and solar in particular are more accessible to the average homeowner. But in an era of climate change, wildfires, and falling prices, California’s new mandate that demands that all new houses over California be built with solar might just be what is needed to fight off the increasing danger associated with climate change. “In 2011, California lawmakers set an ambitious target for utilities to generate 33% of the state’s electricity from renewable energy like solar farms and wind turbines by 2020. It seemed like a lofty goal, but California reached it two years early, hitting 34% by the end of 2018. As a result, air pollution is down in most places, and the states greenhouse gas emissions have fallen 14% from their peak in 2004.” (TheMercuryNews)

With the new California solar initiative and an increasingly fragile power grid, many Bay Area residents and people all over California are making the switch to solar. After wildfires devastated much of Northern California last year people “went two, three, four, sometimes five days without power after utility Pacific Gas and Electric shut off power to more than 700,000 customers. His company had doubled its usual volume of phone calls during the blackout.” (cbsnews) California has been a leader in the amount of solar installations in the entire United States of America. This is mostly due to the amount of sunshine and many favorable renewable energy policies promoted by the state which makes the switch to solar cost effective and efficient. Many California residents are going the extra step and including battery systems when purchasing a solar system. This allows homeowners to power their houses even when the electricity grid goes out. If you want to minimize your home's impact on the environment and save money while doing it go solar with Soleeva! Visit our website at soleeva.com or send us an email at info@soleeva.com for a free solar proposal.

Work Cited

Brasler, Paul Kitzke and Kevin. “Thinking About Going Solar?” Consumers’ Checkbook Magazine, Consumers’ Checkbook, 31 Dec. 2019, www.checkbook.org/san-francisco-bay-area/solar-contractors/articles/Thinking-About-Going-Solar-4456.

Ivanova, Irina. “After PG&E Blackout, California Homeowners Shift to Solar and Batteries.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 2019, www.cbsnews.com/news/after-pg-e-blackouts-california-homeowners-move-to-solar-and-batteries/.

Rogers, Paul. “Why Nearly Every House in California Will Eventually Have Solar Power.” The Mercury News, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2020, www.mercurynews.com/2020/01/31/why-nearly-every-house-will-eventually-have-solar-power/.

Coren, Michael J. “California’s New Building Codes Will Make Solar Panels the next Home Appliance.” Quartz, Quartz, 15 Jan. 2020, qz.com/1772473/california-will-make-solar-panels-the-next-home-appliance/.

Sendy, Andrew. “Are Solar Panels Worth It in San Francisco in 2018?” Solar, Solar-Estimate, 1 Apr. 2020, www.solar-estimate.org/news/are-solar-panels-worth-it-in-san-francisco-in-2018.