SunPower Teams Up with Ford to Combine Residential Solar Power with Electric Cars

Solar panel manufacturer SunPower is teaming up with Ford to combine two revolutionary ways of reducing fossil fuel consumption without giving up modern conveniences like home electricity and driving. The new “Drive Green for Life” program offers a 2.5 kilowatt rooftop solar panel system to complement the purchase of an electric vehicle from Ford.

Electric vehicles use no gasoline, but they must be charged at night by being plugged into a home electric system. Home solar panels are capable of storing excess energy produced during the day – while the sun is shining – to be used at night. This means that the excess solar energy made by the panels can be used to power the homeowner’s car. Excess energy not used to charge the car and run electric items in the house at night will be sent back to the city power grid for storage. Many cities, like San Diego, offer a credit to solar panel users for extra energy sent back to the grid.

Pricing varies, but federal rebates and overall savings associated with no electric bills or gasoline expenses make the system extremely affordable for many home and business owners. For more information from a SunPower dealer in San Diego, visit Solaire online.

CPUC Report Shows Rooftop Solar Panels at an All-Time High

A recent report from the California Public Utilities Commission, or CPUC, shows that installation of rooftop solar panels is at a record high. California residents installed 194 megawatts worth of new solar energy equipment in 2010 – an increase of over 47% from 2009.

California’s CSI program (which stands for California Solar Initiative) aims to install 3,000 megawatts of new California and San Diego solar energy equipment over the next decade. CSI is the country’s largest solar energy program, and with a goal of 1,940 megawatts of solar capacity by the end of 2016, the project is well on its way to success. The current total installed solar capacity in California is 924 megawatts.

The CSI program also aims to change the solar market by reducing the cost of solar energy equipment. The inflation-adjusted prices of solar systems has dropped between 18 and 27 percent depending on the kilowatt capacity of the system. CSI is well on its way to becoming one of California’s most successful solar energy programs, an alternative to gas and electric companies, and a fantastic example for the rest of the United States.