Grape Solar panels at Costco

If you are into DIY home improvement projects and have considered residential solar panels, it might be time to head to your local Costco warehouse store.  You can now buy solar panels at Costco, the discount warehouse membership retailer.

Grape Solar offers competitively priced solar panels and solar power kits.

If you are a member of Costco, you can purchase home solar panels by Grape Solar either at the warehouse, or online.

These are the products currently offered:

1.  880 Watt Exapandable Grid-tied Solar Kit ($3299), with 4 220-watt solar panels, inverters and roof mounting kit

2.  5060 Watt Grid-Tied Solar Kit ($16,999), including 22 230-watt solar panels, an inverter and roof mounting kit.

3.  3680 Watt Grid-Tied Solar Kit ($12,499), including 16 230-watt solar panels, an inverter and roof mounting kit.

Earlier in 2011, Grape Solar entered into a partnership with Costco to offer solar panels in nine test markets throughout Washington State and Oregon.  Over the year, distribution was expanded into other key markets.  Today, you can buy solar panels at Costco in more than 60 bricks-and-mortar locations in the United States.  Costco.com also offers home solar power kits that include solar panels, inverters and roof rack systems.

If you don’t want to install the home solar panels yourself, you can use the company’s network of over 5,000 installers across the nation for services and customer support.  Don’t forget to save your paperwork to take advantage of solar rebates and other incentives.

If you have ever picked up a book on going green, you most likely put it back down after a quick glance. They all seem to have the same problem; these books are made for people with money! Buy solar panels, get a wind turbine, go geothermal, new insulation and such. These things cost a lot of time and money.

Going Green Without Going Broke was written for those of us who have limited resources. You may have some money set off to the side, or you may not. Either way, this b (more…)

California Solar Panels

The Golden State has quite a large segment of its population interested in solar energy.  Perhaps its the sunny climate, or the fact that many people are healthy and “green.”  In any event, California solar panels are in big demand.

Here’s some fast facts from a related post:

“California Solar Energy on the rise has increased the number of rooftop solar panels from about 500 to 50,000 in a mere ten years.  Of course, there is still a ways to go to reach the Million Solar Roofs called for by Governor Schwarzenegger, but a 100 x fold increase is nothing to sneeze at.  In fact, over the past three years alone, sales of solar panels in the Golden State have doubled.”

If you want to find out where to buy solar panels in California, you’re in the right place.  In fact, there are even ways that you can finance the panels through programs like the Solar Energy Loan Program offered earlier this year in Palm Desert.  We’ll go over those in more detail in  a future post.

Rooftop installations are particularly popular for property owners:

Go solar in California!

Before we get to where to buy solar panels in California, you’ll need to determine your budget.  My favorite resource is Go Solar! California.  This helpful site provides extensive information on tax credits, rebates and other incentives for solar energy.  You will also find links for developers, builders and contractors.

The California Solar Initiative is also hot news, with the state providing $2.1 billion over the next 10 years to homeowners, businesses and other property owners to install solar panels.  As explained on the official website:

“The CSI Program expanded state support for solar technology and is the product of Governor Schwarzenegger’s “Million Solar Roofs” vision for the State of California. The CSI Program was authorized by the CPUC through a number of regulatory decisions throughout 2006…. When it launched in January 2007, the CSI Program built upon nearly 10 years of state support for solar, including other incentive programs such as the Emerging Renewables Program (ERP) and the Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP). Both programs still exist to provide incentives for other technologies but have been closed to new solar projects as of the end of 2006.”

Solar roofs in California

The California Solar Initiative program includes a goal to reach 1,940 MW of installed solar capacity by the end of 2016.

You can help reach that goal when you know where to buy solar panels in California!  Did you know that many major hardware stores now carry solar panels?  That’s right – from Lowe’s to Home Depot, even Costco sells solar products.  Perhaps you want to go with a specialty retailer?  Well, although we’re not associated with any of these companies, you might want to check out:

• wholesalesolar.com
• solarhome.org
• solarhome.com
• solardirect.com

One tip is that when you purchase from a retailer, you often get assistance with installation and filling out the paperwork necessary for incentives and rebates.  This is a great way to make sure you do it right, and make a sound investment.

Now is the time to invest in solar energy – prices are lower than ever, efficiency has increased, and the government is handing out money to help you convert.  If you’ve installed solar panels on your property in California, we’d love to hear from you!  Please leave a comment below.

The Sunforce 37010 60 Watt Crystalline Solar Panel is designed for RVs, homes, boats, back-up and remote power use, 12-volt battery charging, and solar power stations. Built with high efficiency crystalline cells, this weatherproof panel is easy to install and comes equipped with wiring, brackets and screws. And for more power, you can easily connect multiple panels. This panel has a maximum output of 60 watts and 4 amps.

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Solar panels worth the investment, especially for cities

Many people have asked: are solar panels worth the investment?  Well, you might guess my opinion as the author and editor of this blog.  But what about people that are “on the fence?”  Should you buy solar panels?  Why or why not?

Solar energy is one of the fastest (if not the fastest) growing renewable energy industry in the world.  Solar power can provide clean, free electricity and also clean, free hot water.  From solar-powered flashlights to solar phone chargers, photovoltaic and thermal panels are showing up everywhere.

Is it time to part with the green in your wallet to go green?

Consider the following video that postulates that solar is the new oil for transportation:

Despite the fact that solar panels will pay for themselves in a few years through energy savings and increased property values, you can also save money through federal and state tax credits/rebates.  Even some power companies themselves now offer incentives to people that wish to install rooftop solar panels.

Install solar panels

For example, I read that Duke Energy wants to rent rooftops for solar panel installation. Do you have some empty space to lease out?  The corporation will maintain the panels and take care of all the “dirty” clean energy work.  I think its safe to say that we can look for other companies to follow Duke’s lead.

But if you are more of a DIY kind of person, or perhaps don’t want to jump through corporate hoops, consider hiring a college-aged person to help you install solar panels.  Its not too difficult, and with a bit of training and/or experience, you can get assistance in putting up your new renewable energy system in a matter of days, if not hours.

Are solar panels worth the investment?  Only you can decide.  But with electric utilities across the nation raising their rates, wouldn’t it be nice to be locked in to free solar power for the rest of your life?