A couple other reasons solar is more popular these days:
- the prices of electricity and natural gas have gone up a lot in the past few years. People are paying much more for electricity, in some cases 3 or 4 times more than they used to pay. By using solar energy they can save quite a bit of money on their energy bills.
- another reason is that there are now rebates and tax credits that help pay for the cost of the solar energy systems. For example, in California there is a cash rebate that pays for about 25% of the cost of a solar electric system. There is a federal tax credit that pays $2000 toward a solar electric system for a residence, and up to 30% of the cost of the system for a business.