A decade ago, when people want to cover their home’s rooftop with solar panels, they had to spend about $45,000 to make it happen. That costs them a fortune and not everyone can afford though they all know using solar energy is safer and environment-friendly. Nowadays, with the ceaseless development of technology, the average gross cost is just about $30,000 and more importantly, the efficiency of converting sunlight into electricity has nearly doubled in that time.
In the US, the average price of a new car is around $34,000, higher than the money people pay for an efficient solar roof, according to Kelly Blue Book. For futher information, the price tag of solar roof doesn’t account for renewable energy tax credits and other government incentives. For this reason, the cost is likely even lower.
October’s EnergySage Solar Marketplace Intel Report has collected data from about 3,000 consumers and 10,000 installations and then concluded the price comparison as above.
In the past decade, consumer adoption has increased exponentially although solar still makes up a tiny part of the silver of renewables that power the US. The solar industry is trying its best to keep going up and prices go down.
Before 2006, it cost $9 per watt of power generated by solar panels and only about 30,000 homes had the device. But now, it only costs $3,79 per watt. Tax credits and government incentives can make solar more affordable for installing than these number suggest. Moreover, taxpayers can claim a 30% rebate for installing residential solar panels. Many states in the US have made moves to encourage the rate of solar panels installation at houses. In Colorado, taxpayers can receive up to $9,000 when New Yorkers can get a tax credit for 25% of their solar system, which equals $5,000. By doing this, the US has never seen such fast increase in the number of household using solar panels to produce electricity.
EnergySage CEO and founder Vikram Aggarwal predict that more than 6 million Americans are planning and going to shop for solar today. Hopefully, more than 300,000 of them will end up installing solar panels this year. What wonderful news for both human being and the environment because people are more aware of energy saving and be friendly with the environment they are living in.
For futhur information, covering a rooftop with solar panels can now fully power some US homes, but not all of them. But don’t you worry, technology has developed day by day and we are getting closer. Panels can provide up to 85% of an average home’s electricity demand, thanks to that, your electric bills will no longer be a concern every end of month. It only takes about 8 years to pay back the cost of the system, after this time, you can make the most of the sun energy, of course for free!
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