Solar energy is the way to go (ContraCosta Times, CA OpEd)

[jpak]

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/opinion/16045720.htm

Californians pay some of the highest electricity rates in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, and electricity prices keep going up for East Bay residents.

The No. 5 tier in the PG&E bill jumped from 22 cents in December 2005 to 37 cents in September 2006, a 68 percent increase.

PG&E's five-tier rate plan leapfrogs from 11 cents and 13 cents per kilowatt hour to 23 cents, 32 cents, and 37 cents per kilowatt hour, where prices double and triple.

The good news is Californians can offset these high prices by using the sun to generate electricity. To promote the use of solar electricity, the federal government kicked in a $2,000 tax credit and the state has a rebate program to help pay for roughly 20 percent of the installation cost. But the rebate won't last forever. It already decreased from $2.80 per watt to $2.60 over the summer. It will drop again to $2.50 on Jan. 1, and it will continue to dwindle as money is doled out for new solar installations.

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