Solar Power Grants

Solar power grants are available from governments. These grants support the implementation and use of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies.

Funding is available pursuant to the REEEP mandate. Solar panel grants are available for manufacturers of solar panels and inventors of solar panel technology.

Grants are also available to homeowners and businesses that want to install solar power panels.

World Summit

At the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, a coalition of forty-six governments as well as a range of private companies, international organizations and institutions formed REEEP (The Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Partnership).

The REEEP mandate is to promote and accelerate governments support for "energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and reduced federal support for unsafe or polluting energy resources".

The governments in this coalition include such countries as the United States, United Kingdom, India, Philippines, China, France, Australia, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, Austria, Italy, Ireland, Sweden, South African, Norway, Russia, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, and Japan.

On November 12, 2008, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report entitled 'World Energy Outlook'.

It is an authoritative resource for global energy trends. The report states that renewable energy will become the largest source of electricity. Fossil fuels, including natural gas, will not be able to keep up with energy demand after 2015 and will rapidly deplete after 2025.

We currently discover one barrel of oil for every barrel we consume.

Uranium supplies for nuclear power plants can only maintain our existing nuclear facilities thus curtailing the expansion of new plants.

Additionally, about 35% of the nuclear energy workforce will soon reach retirement and there is no one to replace them.

This means our energy expenses are going to escalate until we have no available energy - unless we use alternative sources. This is why governments are providing solar power grants.

Incentives

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) if 9% of Nevada was covered with solar power panels it would generate electricity for the entire country. This is an area approximately 92 miles (148 kms) square.

It is estimated that over $1.248 trillion has already been invested in the development, implementation and use of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies over the past two years.

Governments are also giving tax breaks such as property tax or income tax credits to purchase solar panels and materials. There are also programs that allow for discounts on purchases or to lease a solar system.

Most governments have target dates to meet sustainable renewable energy objectives. For example, in California there are initiatives in place to achieve 20% renewable energy usage by 2020.

In Mexico, 30,000 environmentally-friendly homes are to be built by 2011 and in the United Kingdom there are statutory carbon emission reduction targets that require every household in the UK to be energy efficient.

Resources

In the United States, there is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility and federal incentives for renewable energy efficiency including solar power grants. It is the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE).

In India, there is the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency for funding the promotion, development and commercialization of new and renewable sources of energy (NRSE). Most governments have similar resources for information.

There is also the REEEP networks such as the Sustainable Energy Regulation Network (SERN) and the Energy Efficiency Coalition (EEC) that facilitate the exchange of experience and knowledge between governments to promote and accelerate the development of sustainable energy.

REEEP also provides resources and contact information for those interested in getting solar power grants and funding from their governments.

Sources: reeep.org; dsireusa.org