Cities should support solar powere
If you are going to drop upwards of $30,000 to create your own
mini-power plant of solar panels on the roof of your home, maybe a
quibble over the price of a permit is minute. But we think the
cities of San Juan Bautista and Hollister should show a little more
support for projects that will get locals off the grid and do some
good for the environment, too. Especially since some in the field
say San Benito has the best weather for solar panel energy
production
– possibly in the world.
Cities should support solar powere
If you are going to drop upwards of $30,000 to create your own mini-power plant of solar panels on the roof of your home, maybe a quibble over the price of a permit is minute. But we think the cities of San Juan Bautista and Hollister should show a little more support for projects that will get locals off the grid and do some good for the environment, too. Especially since some in the field say San Benito has the best weather for solar panel energy production – possibly in the world.
A 2005 survey conducted by the Sierra Club found cities and counties throughout the Bay Area have a different idea of what a permit should cost for the same project. The fees ranged from a couple hundred dollars for San Benito County permits to more than $1,280 in Los Gatos for the same project.
San Benito County’s planning department had the lowest fee in the county at $222 for an average project that would cost $27,000, according to the survey. But homeowners in Hollister would expect to pay as much as $650 for the same project and in San Juan Bautista the price jumps another $200. Hollister’s building department said their fees are based on the value of the project, but they are looking at a fee scale that would charge a flat fee for all solar panel projects though that has yet to be implemented.
The federal and state government are already showing support for projects that can lower reliance on electricity through federal tax credits and a California state rebate program. Isn’t it time for the local cities in a place, which could be the best place for optimal solar energy production, to get on board?
We all consume electricity, and take its convenience for granted. But given Californians’ aversion to damming rivers for hydroelectric power, or to nuclear power plants, the alternatives are limited. We can burn fossil fuels to produce electricity, or rely on the limitless energy available through the sun and wind. When people make an investment to wean themselves off the grid, that’s something government should encourage.
