Congratulations to all those who went out and voted yesterday! With an amazing 73% of the votes we were able to get Amendment 4 passed!

This means that the cost to go solar will be lower due to the property tax exemption provided to those who install solar panels on their home, but this is just half the battle! 

Now it is time to spread awareness and kNOwledge about Amendment 1 in NOvember.

There are two parts to this amendment and they are meant to confuse you.

The first part is a ploy to make you feel that this amendment is in support of solar energy when in all actuality it is just repeating what is already law.

It is the second part of this amendment that has the solar energy industry and its supporters ready to battle!

This second part (which is receiving 75% of its financial support from the utility companies telling us all who it will benefit most) provides government assurance that those who decide not to produce solar energy will not have to subsidize solar energy production costs.

This issue stems from something we have discussed here quite a few times- net metering.

Net-metering is a sore spot for the utilities because it requires that the power companies purchase any surplus electricity that is generated by residential solar systems at market rates.

While net-metering hurts the electrical companies, it provides a quicker recovery on the initial investment in solar by the purchaser.

The utilities allege that net-metering leads to an indirect tax placed on homeowners who do not produce solar, but what it really does is instantly creates competition to the big utilities from hundreds of thousands of private energy producers selling their solar power!

Let's show the utilities that we are not that easily confused and vote NO on Amendment 1 in NOvember! 

Here's a wonderful video showing the amazing growth of solar energy in America.

I think a lot of people will be surprised to learn how fast solar is really growing.

According to SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association) over the last 10 years the deployment of solar energy in the United States grew at an unprecedented rate.

In 2004 there were 500 megawatts (MW) of solar energy installed nationwide.

By the end of 2014, there were 20,000 MW - enough to power more than 4 million homes. 97 percent of that capacity was added after passage of the Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC).

By the end of 2016, the solar industry is expected to double in size, offsetting more than 45 million metric tons of carbon dioxide - the equivalent of taking 10 million cars off U.S. highways or shuttering 12 coal-fired power plants.