Across the world, many innovators have started to look for new and cleaner ways to generate energy. The age of fossil fuels reigning supreme is over. As more and more people make the switch to using solar energy, though, it does leave us with some questions. Namely, is it cost effective?
For a while there, it felt like only the wealthy were able to install solar panels. This isn’t the case anymore, thankfully. There’s been research done on the subject, some of which you can read here, https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.1602153, but the main thing to note is that many governments are rewarding constituents who make the swap to solar energy.
This is the case here in Hawaii if you didn’t already know! Today, we’ll be covering some more information about it. So, if that sounds like something you want to learn more about, make sure to keep reading.
Solar Energy in Hawaii – How it Works
Perhaps the component that is most important to making this type of energy system work is naturally occurring sunshine. Naturally, our islands are a perfect place for that. With how much sunlight that we get, most panels will be more than able to power through rainy days thanks to the excess that gets stored.
With this said, it’s probably not much of a surprise to hear that we’re an excellent location for solar panel installation on both a business and a personal level. What we mean by this is that individual households can install panels and expect to be able to generate plenty of energy for themselves just like a larger, corporate entity might seek to do.
The Incentives
When you hear that there are incentives for getting solar power here in Hawaii, you’re probably wondering what that entails. Well, you can get a rundown of it on this site, but we’ll be explaining it as well of course. For the most part, folks are referring to the Hawai’i renewable energy technologies tax credit, which is overseen by the state government.
Anyone who installs panels in a given year can make note of this on their tax forms come springtime. Then, from there, it’s a simple matter of submitting any necessary proof or documentation that is requested, and you’ll get a rebate for it. It exists to help encourage people here in our state and communities to make the switch to a cleaner form of energy.
There are also business versions of these rebates if you are someone who owns a business on the islands, so that’s something to keep in mind of course. In general, though, it’s probably something that individual households will be worrying about a bit more than a corporate entity.
Is Installation Hard?
Now that you’ve got an idea of how the incentives for getting solar panels work, you may be wondering if it’s difficult to actually get them in the first place. We have some good news for you – it can in fact be quite simple to get these panels. The key is to find a company or organization who does it in our communities.
Luckily, we have plenty of options. One example of this is Family First Solar, though there are a few others as well. No matter which one you choose, their customer service operatives should be happy to walk you through the process of having solar panels installed.
These days, it’s not super expensive either. Taking into account the fact that you’ll get a rebate for them, you’re practically earning money. Of course, you’re also saving on your energy bills in general, so that’s just another added bonus.
If you’ve been on the fence about going for solar power, we can certainly understand that. It’s a pretty big step to take, after all, so it can be intimidating to jump right into the process of making the switch. However, it’s safe to say that it’s worth making the swap if you’ve already been considering it.
From the incentives to the fact that we can save on our electric bills (not to mention doing something positive for the environment, for anyone concerned with that), there are plenty of reasons to give solar energy a try nowadays!
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