Dec 8 2010
The Los Angeles City Council has unanimously voted against the Los Angeles Department of water and Power (LADWP)’s Solar rebate cuts and also proposed a 90 day period Moratorium on new solar rebates, after which Open Neighborhoods, a clean energy group, declared the extension of the GoSolar 2010 Community program till the 15th of December.
The cuts on the rebates would have spectacularly reduced the development of clean energy in the Los Angeles region, and it would have also reduced $1 million per year solar funding, affecting affordable housing plans.
According to Bill Rosendahl Council Member, solar should definitely be the top priority in Sunny South California. He also mentioned that it was DWP’s task to provide incentives to accomplish this task. DWP’s proposed cuts were vociferously opposed by the Open Neighborhoods and the The SierraClub Vote Solar, which is an association of solar companies. They were against the disproportionate reduction in rebates for solar system. Richard Alarcon, a council member, remarked that for the growth of solar energy solutions, the whole world should support solar use and not just a few rich communities.
A report in a Solar Home and Business Journal revealed that the new moratorium begins on the 1st of January 2011 for accepting new applications for solar incentives. The report further mentioned that the moratorium would bring in a number of consumers opting for solar solutions by the year end. According to James Brennan, Co-founder of Open Neighborhoods, the representatives of the Open Neighborhoods have extended the GoSolar Community program to ensure that several members of the community would be able to avail the solar rebates before the commencement of the moratorium. The extension would be applicable to customers in the Los Angeles area belonging to both Southern California Edision and LADWP. Participants would receive free solar assessments; reservation of rebate funds; obtain up to 30% group savings when purchased in bulk or leased. The participants should sign up requesting a free solar evaluation before15th December and the LADWP rebate applications should be submitted by 31st December, so that they could be processed before the solar rebate moratorium period.
Source: http://www.openneighborhoods.net/