Berkeley, CA has just launched a loan program for property owners who wish to install solar panels on their roofs. Despite a frail economy, the city council is optimistic about the program's success.
"The program, said Daniel M. Kammen, a professor of energy at the University of California at Berkeley and director of the school's Institute of the Environment, is designed to entice people who might be scared away by the high initial cost of retrofitting homes to incorporate solar power or become more energy efficient.
It allows homeowners 'to think about creating clean-energy homes with basically no cost' up front, he added.
Participating homeowners would pay roughly $180 more per month on their property tax bills, though much of that cost could be expected to be recouped in savings on electrical bills."
FULL STORY: Berkeley Approves City-Backed Loans for Solar Panels
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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