Solar Energy Investing

The Orlando Sentinel reports that the state of Florida has launched an initiative to help encourage Florida residents to use alternative energy sources including solar panels. Earlier this year, the state set aside $2.5 million to help pay for the installation of solar panels for Florida residents.

However, some critics are saying that this is not enough, and that the state’s funding commitments to solar energy has not changed since 1989. They point to California, which has committed $3 billion over the next ten years with the goal of converting 1 million homes and businesses to solar power.

The Murfreesboro Posts reports that a Tennessee-based swimming pool building has installed the first swimming pool heating system that uses solar energy as an energy source. The Genersys heating system, which was manufactured in Slovakia, offers a cost-effective way to heat swimming pols of all sizes. The system can be used year round because the sealed circuit is filled with an antifreeze solution.

The Durango Herald reports that the Durango, Colorado recreation center features the largest flat-place solar unit that has been installed in the United States in the past 20 years. The solar power unit is used to pre-heat their pool water and has helped cut their natural gas consumptin in half.

The Chillicothe Gazette reports that the new Democrat-controlled Congress is expected to offer new tax incentives to the producers of renewable energy such as solar power. According to the report, the Congress may also mandate that a percentage of all power produced by utility providers be generated from renewable sources.