Public Solar Financing Is Within Reach
The high costs associated with solar panels were once the most prohibitive factor in their sputtering popularity, but now solar financing is so readily available that companies all over the country are finding that the majority of their installation fees can be written off with the right programs. This is due to a variety of factors, but most importantly due to the direct involvement of Federal and State level governments in encouraging alternative energy usage and due to the lower costs associated with installing the technology. These two factors have combined to make solar panels more accessible and attractive than ever before.
There are three public solar financing options available to commercial organizations seeking to get independence from the energy grid. The first and often the most expansive option available to businesses are the Federal level incentives that cover a significant chunk of the system cost for businesses (but not nonprofits or government buildings). The IRS also has a special depreciation provision for solar electricity that allows the equipment to depreciate on either a 5 year accelerated schedule or the regular depreciation schedule in order to recover even more costs. Lastly many states over expansive grants and tax breaks to companies that install solar panels, with states like California being particularly generous.
Between these three public options and the private financing offered by many renewable energy companies it is incredibly easy to update any commercial enterprise to use solar power and get off of the energy grid. When combined with the energy savings over a long period of time this easily makes using solar energy an incredibly attractive proposition for even the most staunchly anti-environmental organization. It probably won’t be long before the electric companies themselves use solar panels on their offices!