50-State Solar Project #8--State of Colorado--Grant Issued, Construction Pending
Greg Tally (User: (WT-shared) WineCountryInn at wts wikivoyage) A grant to the American Solar Energy Society's Zero Emissions Network program (ZEN) in Boulder, Colorado will be used for micro-grants to build residential solar installations and possibly a commercial array, all targeted at lower income individuals who might not otherwise consider investing in solar, with installations beginning by spring of 2020. It costs an average of $21,000 to purchase a solar array for a Boulder home, and for 2020 the federal government is offering a 26% Solar Investment Tax Credit, which would effectively discount $5,460 off the initial cost, leaving $15,540 to pay cash or borrow for the purchase. For lower income people one stressor is that if they take out a loan to pay for their solar installation, the monthly payment on that loan is typically higher than their utility bill used to be, so they don't see a monthly savings on their household expenses until that loan i