Solar Energy Gaining Ground in U.S.

There's a good article in today's Baltimore Sun about solar energy. Apparently, MD is the largest producer of solar panels (a good thing), but usage in the state is still relatively low (a bad thing). One reason is this:

Tom and Frances Yuhas are your everyday environmentalists. They recycle,
grow their own vegetables and drive a Honda hybrid. But they still like the
suburban comforts of central air and an outdoor pool.

So when it came time to replace their old oil furnace, the energy-conscious
couple made a natural choice. Four months ago, they outfitted their 1954
Pasadena ranch-style home with sleek new solar panels.

Now, their house on the Magothy River no longer smells of
oil fumes. Their $80-a-month electric bill has dropped almost in half. To help
make this happen, the state reimbursed $3,000 of their $30,000
installation.

A 10% tax rebate on something that costs that much is a joke. The article points out that MD is not aggressively pursuing a progressive plan to get more people to install solar energy. I would love to see both state and federal government doing more to encourage the solar energy installations. It would be even more appealing if money was put towards giving businesses & developers tax breaks for installing solar panels, since they use more energy than private individuals. Of course, that would make for strange bedfellows with the MD Green Party...one that I could get behind.