Mission Viejo Solar Program: going green and saving green
Mission Viejo Solar Program gives residents a reason to install solar power.
As part of a new going green initiative, Sullivan Solar Power announced Thursday that it will be paying Mission Viejo residents to install and use solar power.
This initiative, called the Mission Viejo Solar Program, will allow homeowners to install solar panels without a down payment. Once installed, customers will then receive incentive payments from Sullivan Solar Power for using certain amounts of electricity.
For the first ten homes to use this program, Sullivan Solar Power will pay each homeowner 50 cents for every solar watt of electricity used, up to a total of $2,500. Mission Viejo residents are encouraged to act fast however, for once the first ten spots of the program are filled, incentive payments will begin to lower in amount.
As to why city residents are being paid to go solar, owner of Sullivan Power Company Daniel Sullivan said the “program has been created to inspire Mission Viejo residents to declare energy independence and create a sustainable future for the region.”
Many students at Saddleback seem to agree with Sullivan’s statement.
When asked why he would install solar panels on his home, student Arash Nabili, 20, Computer Science, explained he would do so in order to “contribute less to environmental hazards that power plants create.”
“Yeah, I would do it,” said student Alan Chau, 21, Pre-Nursing. “It’s good for the environment.”
The Mission Viejo Solar Program is not the first solar power initiative to hit the city however, as the Solar Energy Education Program (SEEP; created by the city in 2008) allows for residents to obtain solar permitting free of charge.
Given this benefit from SEEP, along with the cash incentives of the Mission Viejo Solar Program, Mission Viejo residents are expected to adopt solar methods at a record rate, according to Sullivan.
“Now is the best time to get a solar rooftop, as there has never been an opportunity for Mission Viejo residents to get paid to go solar before,” Sullivan said.
For more information on how to take full advantage of the program, visit MissionViejoSolarProgram.org. In addition, Sullivan Solar Power will be hosting free information luncheons at Mission Viejo City Hall March 23 and May 4 at 11 a.m.