Promoting Municipal Financing for Solar Power Investments

clipped from www.worldofrenewables.com  Laws in many states, such as Colorado, already enable public financing for clean energy, including solar power programs.  At least six states, including Arizona, Texas, Virginia, and Washington have introduced bills to enable similar funding mechanisms, and in California about six cities have already committed to their own solar power programs. One of the greatest obstacles to installing solar power systems is the large up-front investment.  For an average sized home, installing a solar power system costs about $48,000, but for larger homes, especially in hot climates, the cost for such a system can be tens of thousands of dollars more.  While private financing for installing solar power systems is available through solar companies, homeowners often choose to forgo such assistance, because they worry they will not stay in the house long enough to have the investment pay off.