SLO County News BlogGolf, Wine, Real Estate, Business & Travel NewsSLO Solar Powered HomesMonday, August 15, 2005Some San Luis Obispo County homeowners have a jump on the governor's plan to install solar power systems in a million homes.Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled a program last August to establish a self-sufficient solar industry in 10 years by encouraging installation of solar panel systems in 1 million homes. The program -- at the top of the docket for California legislators starting Aug. 15 -- could reduce carbon emissions equivalent to 850,000 cars each year, according to the Department of Energy. Some San Luis Obispo County homeowners, who are already using solar panels for power, are prototypes of what may lie ahead. Roger Mohme, a grape grower in Creston, and his wife, Jane Bower, plugged into a solar power system last October. They have 20 solar modules, each producing 150 watts, to power their home and water pumps to irrigate 14 acres of grapes. Mohme is still hooked to Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s power grid, but he uses it to work both ways in a system called net energy metering or the E-net. In the E-net system, homeowners not only collect solar power for their own needs, but also can sell the power they create back to a public electric power company. "It makes us feel more independent, and less dependent on PG&E," Mohme said. "We also feel good from a community perspective. When other people need power, we are able to grab stuff from the sun and get it to them." PG&E has 8,500 customers who have signed on to the E-network in Northern and Central California. San Luis Obispo County has 330 of those customers. The net metering program has been around since 1995, but it had only a few customers until the program expanded in 2001, allowing people to generate more power. Still, upfront costs, along with diminishing rebates and tax incentives, have deterred the majority of people from signing up. As PG&E spokeswoman Sharon Gavin said, "A lot of people can't afford it, even after the rebates. Renters won't do it. Condos won't do it." Mohme's solar panels required an outlay of $28,000; he got $8,000 back in state rebates. Adding in state tax credits and the energy that PG&E buys back from him through the E-net, he expects to have the system paid back in about eight years. In its current form, the Million Solar Roofs Initiative does not lower these current costs. It only extends the credits and the rebates that otherwise may have ended by year end, said Jordan Korinke, salesman for Pacific Energy Co. in San Luis Obispo. Pacific Energy, owned by San Luis Obispo City Councilman John Ewan, is the solar panel company that sold Mohme his solar system. For Mohme, a homeowner who plans on living in his home for a long time, the switch still made financial sense. To find out more about net energy metering, visit PG&E's Web site at www.pge.com. Read entire article at: Solar empowered Melanie Cleveland, The Tribune To see more of The Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to www.sanluisobispo.com. (c) 2005, The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, Calif. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. Read More
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