New
initiative will help to scale up solar for all Americans,
including those who are renters, lack the startup capital to invest in solar,
or do not have adequate information on how to transition to solar energy. The key components of the initiative
include install of 300 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy in federally
subsidized housing, creation of a National Community Solar Partnership to unlock access to
solar power for the nearly 50% of households and businesses that are renters, expanding
solar energy education and opportunities for job training, and others.
Last year, the United States brought online as much solar
energy every three weeks as it did in all of 2008, and the solar industry added
jobs 10 times faster than the rest of the economy. Since the
beginning of 2010, the average cost of a solar electric system has dropped by
50 percent and according
to a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) it
is expected to drop 40% more in next few years. Because of the decline in solar
power costs, there are now 21.3 gigawatts of installed solar capacity in the
U.S. - enough to power 4.3 million homes. Read
more at http://www.computerworld.com/
