Of course you want to install solar panels! This form of clean, renewable energy will not only help you prevent the power plant emissions that are leading to climate change, but will help you break free of the grid during the coming, and possibly catastrophic, rise in energy prices.
You can begin your solar energy journey by visiting Cooler Planet’s resource guide, a state-specific guide to solar power manufacturers and installers who share your vision of a cleaner, greener planet running off the sun’s infinite energy.
A rise in conventional energy prices is predicated on the fact that, in late November, utility companies reported an unexpected and rather sharp drop in electricity consumption in the U.S.
As the Wall Street Journal notes, utility companies have built their infrastructure around the expectation that sales will rise from 1 percent to 2 percent annually. Their agreements with local and national regulatory entities to build out transmission, distribution and power-plant capability reflects this expectation, so that most are now on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars in projects. If customers use less, the utility companies will have to raise rates to cover these costs.
Xcel Energy’s CEO Dick Kelly says the reduced energy usage is likely a manifestation of the recession, and advises continuing to build infrastructure in preparation for better times ahead. Others, like CEO Jim Rogers of Duke Energy, feel that some fundamental paradigm shift is going on, and are less sanguine.
If Rogers is correct, this reduced consumption, leading to higher energy prices, may create a sufficient level of parity between conventional energy and solar energy to inspire more people to install solar panels, leading to further decreases in conventional energy use and even greater price increases – a self-fulfilling feedback loop that may push this country into a cleaner energy future in spite of itself.
This scenario is speculative, of course, but we at Cooler Planet would like your input. Is this just a hopeful pipe dream or a true vision of the future of American energy?
While you’re deciding, check out our home page and see for yourself if solar is a viable option for you. Don’t forget to factor in all tax credits and rebates, as well as enhanced home value. You may be surprised to find that solar really is affordable