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Solar energy is one of the hot conversations in today’s marketplace. With government incentives at record highs-and some utilities paying you to convert to solar-now is the time to learn more and find out how you can save money with solar energy.But what is solar energy? How does it work? Can it really generate electricity?

Solar energy harnesses the power of the sun. When sunlight hits photovoltaic cells (they look like large computer chips made of silicon) the photons in the sunlight make all electrons to be released from the silicon. If you can catch those electrons, you get electricity.

Think of it like this: you are playing billiards (shooting pool) and you hit the cue ball into another ball. What happens? The white ball bounces making that other ball into motion as well.

When sunlight hits the solar cell, it bounces off and pushes the electron in motion. Electricity is made of electrons. The more electrons you can push in motion-and rein-in-the additional electricity you can generate.

For an great article on solar energy and other green energy, visit this page at NASA http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/greenspace/clean-energy.html

How does this help you in your home? The government is pushing hard for solar energy. $19 billion dollars has been set aside to help advocate solar energy throughout our country. The federal government as well as other state governments and utilities, will literally pay you to start using solar energy.

Why do they do this? First, we want to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. Second, burning fossil fuel is terrible for the environment. Solar energy, on the other hand, is completely clean. There are no byproducts. There are no carbon emissions. It is a very clean and pure method of generating electricity. Third, the government wants to develop the solar industry in this country which may create more and more jobs and opportunities.

Solar energy is not inexpensive, however. Solar energy for a home may cost $20,000. Do not stop reading this article! There is great news. The government and utilities may rebate you up to 70% of the cost of the system. In this example, you would get tax credits and rebates for around $14,000. The net price to you is $6000. If you were to finance this, you can pay about $50-$75 each month. You may say this much or more in your electric bill! Even if you don’t, you not only done something great for the environment, but have also increased the value of your house by about $20,000! If you’re going to resell your house, this not only adds value of nature home more desirable than other houses on the market.

There are also laws preventing local government from increasing your taxes when you add solar energy to your house. We cannot give you specific tax advice-you must speak with your accountant or attorney.