Home Solar Panels: From Sea to Shining Sea

In another blue state, solar energy is making headway. Solar energy is “heating up in Idaho,” according to seattlepi.com. Under legislation enacted in 1978, public utilities are required to promote alternative resources. The article explains that the public utility commission has recently issued a ruling setting utility rates based on a methodology that “paid more during peak demand times and when other power producing sources, mainly hydro, lagged.”

According to the article, “That shifted the renewable energy field in Idaho away from wind power toward solar power. That’s because, experts say, Idaho is windy in the spring and fall. In the spring, hydro projects produce plenty of energy for the region, and in the fall energy demands are reduced. Solar power hits its peak in the summer, a time when Idaho residents turn on air conditioners.” And another big incentive of course is the tax credit.

The boon in solar energy in Idaho is just beginning. “Southern Idaho is considered a resource rich area for solar developers, so much so there’s concern that solar power could ultimately produce more energy than Idaho can use or Idaho Power can absorb. That’s why the Idaho Conservation League is backing two proposed transmission lines in southern Idaho to export power to surrounding states.”

In Florida with its abundant sunshine is way down on the list of solar energy production, only number 13. Not so lucky, but according to The Tampa Tribune, that may be changing. ” Proponents of the so-called Solar Choice ballot initiative say they can reverse this by challenging the control major utility companies hold over electricity sales in Florida. The initiative, if passed as an amendment to the state Constitution, would supersede a state law allowing only investor-owned utilities to sell electricity.”

From sea to shining sea in the United States, solar energy is taking root in blue states, in red states, and everything in between.