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Getting the Most Out of Your Green Buck?
batobin asks: "My dad is thinking of installing a solar photovoltaic system on the roof. After tax credits, it'll cost $12,000. In Santa Barbara, where we live, our power company grants credits when the meter runs backwards and saves the credits for 12 months, reducing our monthly power bills year round. If the contractor's math is correct, the amortization period (when our power bill savings equals the installation cost) is about 12 years. With environmental and geo-political concerns in mind, is this the best use of our money? Will reduced consumption translate into cleaner air / less dependence on fossil fuels? What other environmentally proactive investments could be made with 12 grand?"
There was just recently a "breakthrough" in solar photovoltaic techonology. You may want to wait a year or two and see if that technology pans out. If so, it would be a much cheaper solution.
And, your Dad won't be pissed when your neighbor buys a similar solar panel rig for 20% of what he paid.
Don't think that a small group of dedicated individuals can't change the world. It's the only thing that ever has.