As people who have years of experience working in the Solar industry, with countless installations, we can not count how many times we heard “Solar panels on my roof sound nice but are simply too expensive.” This may have been the case in the past, ten years ago, when the technology was new, but now, solar installations are cheaper than ever and there are also options that make solar affordable and accessible to everyone.

The most important among these solutions is Federal Solar Tax Credit, which Government solution to help home and business owners to Install Solar Panels on their homes at the lowest price possible. What it does, is basically allows you to deduct 30 percent of the cost of installing a solar energy system from your federal taxes. The bill provides 30% for both residential and commercial projects through the end of 2019. After December 2019 the percentage of  Solar Investment Tax Credit will start its steady and rapid decline until it disappears completely. It is planned  26 %  for 2020, 22 % for the year 2021,  and then it will drop permanently to 10% for commercial projects and 0% for residential projects. So this is the last year in which we will experience the full benefits of this tax deduction.

Benefits of Solar batteries

But saving money on taxes is not the only reason why 2019 is the best year to finally install solar panels (if you did not already).  Thanks to the progress in technology now we are having home batteries that are another key component of solar installation. Home solar electric batteries are an affordable way for households and communities to have their own backup source of energy in case of power outages. During Hurricane Irma, for example, the Category 5 storm that hit Florida in 2017, solar-paired battery systems powered 115 schools sheltering thousands of residents. At Apollo Elementary School in Titusville, for example, they were sipping hot coffee and charging their phones,  while the rest of the community was stuck in the dark. So, why not give yourself and your family the same luxury and safety that many schools deemed as a necessity, even back in 2017?

How far from the coal power plant do you live?

That is not all. Solar has a huge impact on the environment, but it can also affect the health of your family, in a more direct way than you know. There are numerous studies published, that are showing a direct link between coal factories and the increased number of children suffering from asthma and other respiratory problems. If your home is located 30 to 40 miles from the coal-fired power plant, your children are at much higher risk of developing asthma. According to the report by Clean Air Task Force and the NAACP this coal-induced air pollution, especially hits the so-called minority communities, such as African and Latino Community. Those results show that more than 2 million Latinos live within a half mile of coal-fired power plants and that almost 70% of African Americans live or have lived within 30 miles.

As a result, these communities are at most risk when it comes to respiratory health issues. An African American or Latino child is twice as likely to die from an asthma attack as a white American child. This statistic can be applied to other communities as well. Although we made some progress in shutting down some coal factories last year and replacing them with solar, there is still work to do. And what is the best way to close coal factories? The money of course. With every dollar invested in solar instead of coal, we are leading one more coal factory to go out of business and to shut its doors forever. In that way, we are taking direct action to prevent any additional air pollution and to stop any further health threats to ourselves and to our children. So, your decision to go solar can literally save lives.

The is also an economic impact that solar has on both the national and local level. With each new solar installation, solar companies are thriving, and with more people demanding solar there is an increased need for new job openings. With numerous solar installers that are offering their services in the same communities, a competitive market further reduces the price of individual installations.

Those are just a few reasons why going solar is the best decision that you can make in 2019.

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