Solar power systems arrive in more stores

Solar power systems arrive in more stores

By Ryan Randazzo, The Arizona Republic

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A joint program has offered residential solar-power systems made by British petroleum company BP at The Home Depot stores in California, New Jersey and Long Island, New York since 2004. The program recently expanded to Home Depot stores in other areas of the country where incentives have made solar electric power more accessible and affordable, like Denver and Boulder, Colorado; Austin, Texas and Arizona.

"This brings solar front and center," said Arizona Corporation Commissioner Kris Mayes, one of four regulators who voted in 2006 to increase the amount of electricity that state utilities need to generate from solar and other renewable sources. "Hopefully, this encourages people to install solar as they are building or remodeling."

The BP Solar Home Solutions program allows customers visiting Home Depot stores to make appointments with contractors in the area who install solar-power systems. The contractors evaluate the home's energy needs and exposure to the sun, and make recommendations regarding how big of a system to install. Store officials hope to make the process as convenient as redesigning a kitchen or installing new carpet.

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Home Depot can help with financing, said Dustin Hamby, a partner in Green Fuel, one of the installation companies used by The Home Depot.

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