Solar panels are becoming more and more efficient, but because of high installation costs it remains mostly limited to middle-class homes. A new policy in California will bring free solar power to its poorest citizens.
The Oakland-based non-profit organization ‘GRID Alternatives’ plans to give 1,600 free solar panels to least wealthy residents in California by 2016. This plan will not only help in reducing energy costs for families but will also help in lessening their carbon footprints.
This initiative will be led by Grid Alternatives, and the funds will be gathered under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GCRF). GCRF is the state’s cap-and-trade law with the aim to discourage carbon dioxide emissions in which companies must pay, per ton, for their carbon pollution.
Roy Rivera, a disabled man living on a fixed income, will be the first California resident to receive a free rooftop solar system under this program. According to GRID, “If it performs as expected, the 2.5 kW solar electric systems will save Rivera $818 in the first year and $22,800 over its 30-year lifetime.”
