Electric rates have increased and will continue to increase. Have you considered switching to solar energy, but thought it might be too expensive? It is affordable, and at affordable rates from a local company, Catalina Solar &Wind. A local solar contractor, Catalina Solar & Wind, offers solar solutions for generating electricity from a PV solar system installed on your roof or other sun-exposed location. With your PV solar system, you could not only generate most, or all, of your electricity needs, but put any unused electricity back into SCE’s system and sell it back to SCE at the same rate they sell electricity to you. Doesn’t that sound good? Catalina Solar & Wind is a local company that was started by Ofer Salter, a general construction company owner who recently moved to Avalon from Manhattan Beach and Dave Brown, of Island Builders, Inc., a local general contractor who has been operating on the island for the last 10 years and was involved in a large number  of local construction projects. Both live aboard their boats and use solar panels to generate electricity for their boats (that must make the boaters moored close by happy, not to have to hear a loud generator running). Two years ago while listening to the radio, Ofer heard about 3.3 billion dollars in the California State Budget for California Solar Initiative Program, which gives rebates to people and businesses who install renewable energy generating systems. The state rebates would share up to 50 percent of the cost of the system, and additionally, by California State law, the consumer’s local power company had to purchase back excess power produced by the solar system at the same rate the power company charges its customers. “I couldn’t believe what I had heard,” said Ofer. “I remember being so excited for a couple of days that I couldn’t sleep at night. I knew right then and there that that’s what I would like to do from now on: help change the way power is generated and delivered to homes and businesses. It makes so much sense, even without the incentives from the government, but especially with the incentives.” Now is the time to purchase a solar power system for your home or business if you want to take advantage of both federal and state rebates. The federal government is offering a $2,000 tax credit for systems installed on residential homes, and 30 percent tax credit for commercial systems purchased through the end of 2008. This credit can be carried over for 10 years. The California Solar Initiative, in order to encourage people to buy into solar power as soon as possible, was based on a 10-step program, with the dollar amount of the rebate declining as more and more solar systems are installed throughout the state. The state rebates consumers for the number of PTC (practical test conditions) watts their system is rated to produce. Presently, the rebate is on its second step for residential installations, and gives back to the consumer $2.50 per watt, and at its fourth step for commercial installations, with a rebate rate of $1.90 per watt. An average house in Avalon would use a 3 kilowatt system. Catalina Solar & Wind is offering a 3 kilowatt system consisting of 16 x 190 watt Evergreen solar panels. Each panel has a PTC rating of 168.8 watts. The state rebate would be $6,752 (16 panels, times 168.8 watts, times $2.50). That $2.50 per watt rebate won’t be around long. If you checked on-line recently on  the California solar initiative trigger point tracker (http://www.sgip-ca.com/), you’d learn that the rebate program is about to reach a total of 70 megawatts for residential installations, with a remainder of  2.64 megawatts before entering the third step, reducing the rebate down to $2.20 per watt, which would drop the California Solar Initiative rebate down to $5,941.76 (on the Evergreen 3 kW system). That’s $810.24 decrease! The rebate program for commercial installations is about to enter its fifth step, with a remainder of 1.46 megawatts, reducing the commercial rebate down to $1.55 per watt (step 1 offered $2.80 per watt). At the March 4, 2008 City Council Meeting, a presentation was made by SolarCity on the Community Solar Program, offering consumers  savings by joining a group purchasing with the idea of buying panels in bulk and then performing a group installation for the cost of $21,450 per system instead of the average market price of $24,000 for an installed 3 kilowatt system. But to work this program, there needs to be a large enough group (about 30 systems) and while waiting for the group to form, the second step rebate could possibly end. With Catalina Solar & Wind’s special introductory offer, solar electricity is available for only $19,986 for an installed 3 kilo-watt system, a lower price than that offered by SolarCity, and without having to wait for a large group to form. This price is for a standard installation and consist of the best parts available in the solar market such as the Evergreen Solar’s panels. Evergreen Solar fabricates everything under one roof: the wafers (a unique string ribbon wafer technology), cells and panels, which gives them ultimate quality control, so it is not surprising that their solar panels are among the highest quality products in the industry. Additionally, because of the unique way they’re made, their panels are the most environmentally-friendly solar panels in the business AND they’re made in the USA and come with a 25-year warranty (www.evergreensolar.com). As part of the 3 kilowatt system, Catalina Solar & Wind is offering a Fronius IG 3,000 inverter (the part that converts the electricity generated by the panels from DC to AC) made by Fronius, who has been in business for over 60 years and offers a large amount of system-monitoring options and comes with a 10-year premium warranty (www.fronius-usa.com). The panels are mounted using American-made Unirac solar-mounts and considered the best in the industry (www.unirac.com). The offer is good for 30 days. When asked how can they offer such a low price for such a high quality system, Ofer had replied that Catalina Solar & Wind had recently partnered with a renewable energy products distributor in northern California who had been in business for over 28 years and is backing-up the local company in the effort to solarize the island, with a large inventory, extensive experience, and direct relations with solar product manufacturers around the world. The offer includes a 10-year performance and workmanship warranty and, after all rebates, should bring the cost of the system down to only $11,234 (about $2,000 less than the one offered by SolarCity). Catalina Solar & Wind is a local business that employees local workers. Working with Island Builders, it is easy to install the panels and to make any modifications to roofs as necessary before installation. If lowering your electricity bill while using clean energy, which helps the environment, sounds wonderful, but the price seems out of reach, you could consider getting a loan to purchase a solar system. Solar energy is a long- term solution, and in the short-term, the money you save from not purchasing all your electricity from SCE could be used to help pay for the loan. Another way to lower your electricity cost with solar energy, and not spend a penny on the solar system, is to team up with a private partner – a company that pays for the solar panel system, and provides a long-term contract to sell you the electricity you use at a lower rate than SCE charges. Catalina Solar and Wind can help you get into contact with a solar private partner. You can contact Ofer Salter at Catalina Solar Energy at 310-936-5839 or via e-mail at catalinasolarnrg@yahoo.com.