A solar lifestyle - "'It's a way of life,' Betsy Janeway said. 'It takes discipline. But I've loved it. I've always lived this way.'"
A growing industry
Solar technology has been around since the 1950s, but it wasn't until the 1970s that it started gaining popularity. Soaring oil prices prompted major developments in the industry, but it never took off. During the 1980s and 1990s, solar never grew to be more than a "garage industry" made up of small business players and avid environmentalists, according to Joshua Levine, a project developer for Tamarack Energy, a renewable energy company based in Manchester. Tamarack got into the solar industry this winter.
In the last two years, solar has made a big comeback, he said, prompting companies like his to get involved. Now Tamarack Energy is working on funding for several solar power projects in Massachusetts, where more state incentives are offered.
High oil prices and more government incentives have prompted interest in solar to grow across the country at the same time scientists have made breakthroughs in the efficiency of solar panels, Collins said. Federal tax credits, which were adopted as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, have helped spur the growth, he said. Homeowners who put in a solar power system can get a tax credit for 30 percent of the cost of the project, with a $2,000 limit. Businesses get a tax credit for 30 percent of the cost of the project with no cap. There are also smaller federal incentives for making energy-efficiency improvements to your home - the list is posted on the state website, at nh.gov/oep/programs/energy/renewableenergyincentives.htm.
