By Galen Barbose, Eric O’Shaughnessy and Ryan Wiser, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Until recently, rooftop solar panels were a clean energy technology that only wealthy Americans could afford. But prices have dropped, thanks mostly to falling costs for hardware, as well as price declines for installation and other “soft” costs.
Today hundreds of thousands of middle-class households across the U.S. are turning to solar power. But households with incomes below the median for their areas remain less likely to go solar. These low- and moderate-income households face several roadblocks to solar adoption, including cash constraints, low rates of home ownership and language barriers.
Until recently, rooftop solar panels were a clean energy technology that only wealthy Americans could afford. But prices have dropped, thanks mostly to falling costs for hardware, as well as price declines for installation and other “soft” costs.
Today hundreds of thousands of middle-class households across the U.S. are turning to solar power. But households with incomes below the median for their areas remain less likely to go solar. These low- and moderate-income households face several roadblocks to solar adoption, including cash constraints, low rates of home ownership and language barriers.
Our team of researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory examined how various policies and business models could affect the likelihood of people at all income levels adopting solar. In a recently published study, we analyzed five common solar policies and business models to see whether they attracted lower-income households.
Renewables industry research casts doubt on finance watchdog s figures Northern Ireland has a proportionately greater number of single wind turbines than Britain. Picture by Mal McCann
Steven Agnew of RenewableNI. Picture by Nick Ansell/PA Wire
RESEARCH carried out by the north s renewables sector claims the findings of a finance watchdog report were skewed because it underestimated the cost of installing small scale single wind turbines.
A report last year from the Northern Ireland Audit Office highlighted excessive subsidies paid to the owners of single wind turbines, saying some investors received a 20 per cent-plus rate of return, enabling them to cover the cost of installation within the first four years of a 20-year scheme.
Thanks to these price and growth trends, an increasing number of state and local governments, utilities and businesses want to help lower-income customers go solar. They believe solar will cut energy bills, reduce money spent on bill payment programs, avoid pollution and create green jobs.
Until recently, rooftop solar panels were a clean energy technology that only wealthy Americans could afford. But prices have dropped, thanks mostly to falling costs for hardware, as well as price declines for installation and other “soft” costs. Today hundreds of thousands of middle-class households across the U.S. are turning to solar power. But households […]