Policies that advocate for solar consumers will create jobs

Solar energy costs have declined 60 percent since 1995 – and they keep falling. It is in the best interest of American consumers that Congress keeps finding ways to speed the descent.
 
On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will hold a hearing on a few clean energy initiatives, including the 10 Million Solar Roofs Act of 2011. If passed, the bill would set in motion a number of policy measures to meet the ultimate goal of getting solar onto 10 million American homes and businesses by the year 2020.
 
The economic benefit of the bill is two-fold: first, it would push the U.S. Department of Energy's SunShot program, which makes solar more competitive by financing cost-cutting, next-generation production technologies. Second, the bill would provide grants to communities to help them troubleshoot the solar permitting process, which can be a costly and inefficient barrier to solar adoption.

 

Through my organization's work across the nation, I have seen firsthand the effectiveness of community organization around solar power. Homeowners in towns like Casa Grande and Sun City West – both of which are participating in the Arizona Solar Challenge, a call to install solar on 5 percent of owner-occupied homes by 2015 – are eager to adopt this cost-saving technology. As one Arizonan told us, "If you have $14,000 sitting in a CD, it generates a return of only 0.5 percent annually. The immediate return on a solar investment generates $60 to $70 each month." As this customer told us, it's a "no-brainer."
 
But without national policies that benefit these solar consumers, their enthusiasm may be dampened. Consumer adoption happens fastest when federal, state and local policies remove barriers and allow the marketplace to thrive. A recent solar industry report said obstacles to acquiring local permits can add up to $2,500 to the cost of a typical residential solar installation. Add that to a host of other marketing barriers – conflicting information, lack of a trusted solar brand, confusion over rebate and tax incentive eligibility – and we are making it difficult for willing consumers to enjoy an economically beneficial product.
 
Even in the midst of the worst economy in a generation, the solar industry is poised to take off. The more we can lower the cost of solar, the more people will move to install. That means more manufacturing and installation jobs for Americans. If Congress is serious about jobs, they’ll fast track this legislation.
 
Brian F. Keane is president of SmartPower, a non-profit marketing organization dedicated to promoting clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency to American consumers.

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