Over the past two decades, solar energy has really caught on. The prices for home solar panels have dropped over 80% and anyone in the world can use them. It provides free energy by harnessing the power of the Sun. Even if the Sun isn’t shining; the solar panels collect and store its energy. You can have free energy everyday and really save a bundle on the high price of living. Solar panels are available the world over, you don’t have to live in sunny California or near a desert for them to work.

I found that I could live “green” and not only help the planet by doing my part to reduce global warming, but also save a ton of money by proving free and clean energy to my entire family. I’m a huge advocate of solar energy and believe that the Sun can provide energy to the entire world, for free, and most importantly, clean. The Sun powers our entire planet. It feeds plants with its powers and holds us in orbit. It’s the most powerful thing in our entire solar system. No wonder some of the ancient people worshipped this glowing giant; they knew exactly what it was, a life force.

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Southern California Edison (SCE) announced the launch of a project to place 250 megawatts of solar panel capacity on company buildings in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.  The project hopes to add 1 megawatts of capacity each week of the 5 year project. The project is expected to cost nearly $900 million dollars, based on current estimates.  SCE points out that by scattering the installations throughout their service area and connecting directly to local sub stations, this project will reduce transmission related power loss and reduce stress on the regional grid. 

“Not only does this project bring carbon free energy, it also is likely to generate several million dollars a year in CO2 offset credits for SCE”, 4Offsets CEO Fred Weiss noted when interviewed on this news.  Assuming that these panels generate full power for 10 hours a day 300 days a year, which is likely in this desert location, the project will generate approximately 300,000 tons of offsets each year.  “When you add it up, it’s about $2 million worth of US voluntary credits or $12 million if credits are sold in Europe. This is a great example of how offsets can cause real change by providing investors with a better return”, Mr. Weiss added.