America is Getting Serious on Solar – It’s Time to Use Your Federal and New York State Solar Incentives
Just a few years ago, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the government doesn’t really care about solar. But in the last five years, the Federal and State governments have pumped significant funds into helping homeowners to make the switch. Federal and New York State solar incentives can significantly reduce the real cost of going solar, and it means that getting panels on your rooftop is more affordable than ever.
There has been recent news suggesting that America is even looking beyond our current technology to make solar a reality for future generations. New legislation shows that there’s support for space-based solar, an innovative technology that is quickly becoming more viable.
Small but Significant Legislative Amendment Signals Good Things for Solar
For the first time in more than 40 years, space-based solar is on the legislative agenda. This week, a legislative amendment presented by U.S. Representative Kevin Mullin instructs NASA and the Department of Energy to collaborate on the research and development of space-based solar power.
Although it’s simply a proposal at this point and would need to be debated and put to a vote, it’s still a good sign that the U.S. government cares about future sciences and remaining competitive with other nations.
Representative Mullin has pointed out that Japan, China, and the United Kingdom are all investing heavily in space-based solar and are already considering government-funded demonstrations of the technology.
What is Space-Based Solar?
The sun is the most abundant source of energy that we have access to. It’s what makes New York solar installations work. It’s also largely responsible for life on Earth. Throughout human history, people have utilized the energy of the sun in many ways. With solar panels, we can harvest the energy and even store it.
Space-based solar is a term for various technologies where solar is collected by panels in space and then beamed to receiving stations on Earth. Scientists propose that when scaled up, the technology will allow us to generate most of our electricity needs off-planet, simplifying the process and freeing up space occupied by massive solar farms.
This might sound like science fiction, but the technology is real and already exists in an early form. The California Institute of Technology is currently studying space-based solar. In January, the school launched a satellite into orbit. This week, it announced that for the first time, that satellite beamed detectible power back down to earth. It’s a proof of concept but with investment and research, it could be scaled up to serve the national energy grid.
These are exciting times not just for solar technology but for human development on the whole. It could take decades before we have working space-based solar. But you can already save money using clean energy with solar power in New York.
New York State Solar Incentives
The government has spent billions on encouraging families to switch to solar. The best incentives are still available if you’re thinking about getting solar power in New York.
State incentives include an income tax credit, property tax abatement if you’re in NYC, and a direct contractor incentive based on the size of your system. New York State solar incentives can significantly reduce how much money you actually pay for a New York solar installation.
On the Federal side, there’s a 30% income tax credit available, based on the total cost of your solar system.
Talk to the Solar Experts at New York Power Solutions
The team at New York Power Solutions is one of the most experienced in the State. We’ve installed more than 5,000 solar systems so far. We can help you with determining your Federal and New York State solar incentives. We can also offer solar financing with no money down and an interest-free period. It’s time to get clean energy at home as you look towards a more sustainable future. Talk to us for your free solar estimate today.
