Unified Action – April 2009 – Solar Financing District
Say Yes to Solar Energy!
Presented by Bill McCamley and Mark Westbrock
For more information contact billmccamley14@gmail.com or westbrock@positiveenergysolar.com.
What we are asking
Contact the Doña Ana County Commissioners and ask them to support a Solar Financing District for the County
District 1—Oscar Vazquez Butler @ (575) 644-0718 and obutler@donaanacounty.org
District 2—Dolores Saldaña-Caviness @ (575) 635-5212 and dcaviness@donaanacounty.org
District 3—Karen Perez @ (575) 644-4055 and kperez@donaanacounty.org
District 4—Scott Krahling @ (575) 635-1350 and skrahling@donaanacounty.org
District 5—Leticia Benavidez @ (575) 635-5146 and lbenavidez@donaanacounty.org
Email all commissioners at once (just copy and paste):
obutler@donaanacounty.org, dcaviness@donaanacounty.org, kperez@donaanacounty.org, skrahling@donaanacounty.org, lbenavidez@donaanacounty.org
Upon completion of this action, please send “I did it” to unifiedaction@pva-nm.org
The Issue
Solar energy is good for the security, economy, and environment of our nation. New Mexico gets more sun than most other places in the world. We should do this here.
Although there are now many incentives for installing solar, many people still have problems affording the upfront cost of the systems. Solar financing districts aim to overcome this problem by harnessing the power of government and economies of scale, and have so far been successful in California and Colorado. The state legislature has enacted two bills allowing for counties to set up these districts. Such a program would allow you to finance a solar system with zero or low percentage interest loans through your property taxes, while achieving a positive cash flow.
Links
http://haussamen.blogspot.com/2009/03/new-programs-make-solar-good-investment.html
This guest column by Mark and Bill explains in more detail the cost benefits of solar energy to home owners. It outlines state and federal tax breaks, rebates, and financing plans that help with upfront costs of renewable energy technology.
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=26580
A financing initiative for renewable and solar energy is in its pilot stage in the City of Berkeley. This page describes the project and includes many useful links to general information about solar energy, green remodeling, and financial assistance for homeowners.