With the stroke of a pen President Obama has rewritten the future of solar energy (ASES email)

[Kolesar]

Friends of ASES,

With the stroke of a pen President Obama has rewritten the future of solar energy.

Now signed into law, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides billions in investments to increase the use of solar energy, promote energy efficiency, improve financing options and remove market barriers.

This legislation provides powerful investments to accelerate the U.S. towards a sustainable energy economy.

Key provisions of this legislation include:

Solar and energy efficient improvements for federal buildings
Solar water heating incentives, removing the $2000 cap on the 30% personal tax credit (excludes pools and hot tubs)
Green-collar job training programs
Ending the state and municipal 'subsidized financing penalty'
Smart grid investments
Expanding research and development programs for renewable energy and energy efficiency

This legislation also funds solar and energy efficient upgrades for schools, solar grant alternatives to the investment tax credit, solar manufacturer incentives, and other historic investments.

You can read or search the text of this legislation (HR 1) here: http://thomas.loc.gov/

We applaud the incredible efforts of our colleagues at SEIA, Solar Nation, and the many passionate individuals throughout the solar community who added their voices of support in the weeks leading up to the signing of this legislation.

There's still a long way to go, but this legislation provides a tremendous step forward that will help generate green jobs, reduce energy costs, tackle climate change and power the new energy economy for years to come.

With sincere thanks,

Brad Collins,
Executive Director,
American Solar Energy Society

www.ases.org

[conscious evolution]

1. This is good news

Thanks for sharing it.

[Gregorian]

2. Good. How long we have waited!

[kristopher]

3. This is what the creaking hulks don't understand

Some of those who have been green since Carter don't quite grasp the fact that the time for talk and waiting for better technologies is over.

We are now at the point where we take the best we have and we move to market with it; not because it fits into a fossil fuel economy better than it did 10 years ago; but because it will NEVER fit into a fossil fuel economy. Instead, dealing with climate change and energy security requires that we restructure our thinking about how energy is amassed and managed.
Roll it out.

[roody]

4. Yippee!

I plan to install solar hot water and heat this year and add to my solar pv array.