Do Solar While the Credit Shines. (cover story)

The article suggests that United States consumers install photovoltaic panels on their homes before the tax subsidies expire. Solar power is hotter than it has been since the 1970s. Only now the technology is better and the tax incentives fatter. You can claim one federal credit of up to $2,000 to cover 30% of a photovoltaic system's cost and another 30% credit of up to $2,000 for a thermal system. A photovoltaic system installed in Boston produces 25% less electricity than it would in Albuquerque, N.M. but yields the same savings on utility bills, since electricity costs more in Boston. In addition to a state $5.10-per-watt rebate and an exemption from the 6% sales tax, a New Jersey utility (or a middleman broker) will pay you 15 cents a kilowatt-hour for the "renewable energy credits" you earn as a solar energy producer.