National Solar Tour

The utilization of solar energy is a vital step needed to help lower emissions of greenhouse gases in our nation. The United States electric power sector accounts for 28 percent of all emissions for the country. But by switching to either CSP or PV solar power you can provide around eighty percent of the energy needed for the average space heating and water heating needs of a home with no emissions. CCAA is no stranger to solar energy. In fact, in the National Solar Tour CCAA placed fourth out of 43 organizations by the number of unique views received on our videos. Many of our own CCAA members have already begun the switch to solar energy.
One CCAA volunteer, George Lorefice, switched to community solar in 2020, saving up to ten percent on his annual electric bill. George was able to use community solar to reduce his carbon footprint while avoiding the capital expense of installing solar panels on his own home. Community solar is simply a solar power plant that supplies energy to numerous households. George selected the amount of energy he needed from the power plant when he signed up, and was then allocated that amount of power from the solar plant each month. Community solar is a brilliant way to utilize solar technology without taking on all of the potential costs on your own.
Another CCAA member, Yvonne Chu, recently installed her own solar panels on her home in 2020. She installed 12 solar panels on her roof and was able to produce more megawatt hours in electricity per month than she and her family used. She intentionally chose to install more solar panels than she needed at the time in hopes of using them to convert any current gas-run appliances into electric appliances in the future. Although expensive, there are both state and federal incentives in place to help encourage those interested in solar energy to explore the possibility deeper. Solar panels are a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and begin the switch to renewable energy to support your home.
Our last CCAA member highlight is Peter Wirth. Pete had solar panels installed on his home back in 2008. Like many others who get involved in solar energy, one of Pete’s major influences was concerns of climate change. However, switching to solar energy became a financial benefit for Pete as well. Through numerous government rebates Pete was able to install his eighteen solar panels in 2008 for $6000 dollars out of pocket. He later installed six more panels. Pete decided to install a 5kW system, which is considered to be on the smaller side for an average sized home. Despite this, Pete and his family are able to produce an impressive 1000 extra kilowatts of power each year. With this excess in power, Pete deduced that the system would be able to pay for itself in nine and a half years. Although that may seem like a long time, the solar panels are expected to still be working at ninety percent efficiency after 25 years. So Pete estimated he will have at least fifteen years of free energy. This is a fantastic example of how an initial investment in solar energy can not only benefit the environment as a whole, but also an individual on a financial level.
If you want to sign up for community solar, help build out renewable energy infrastructure in your area, and in the process reduce your electric bill, contact CCAA at cc.awareness.action@gmail.com for more information. You can be a renter or homeowner.
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