Editor's Note: Scientific American's George Musser will be chronicling his experiences installing solar panels in Solar at Home (formerly 60-Second Solar). Read his introductionhereand see all postshere . As if the news coming out of Washington about aclimate billweren't bad enough, state budget crises are also sucking the blood out of many local renewable-energy programs, which are the only concerted action the country is taking on climate right now. In my own state of New Jersey, therebate for buying a solar array wastemporarily suspendedin May as the state went scrounging for loose change to plug a general budget gap. It has since beenreinstated-- partly. Now it provides homeowners onlyhalf the moneyit used to.[break] [More]New Jersey - Renewable energy - Energy - Renewable - United States
