Buying a solar system can be likened to buying a car, according to Leah Bushman, director of the Fountain Hills subchapter of the Arizona Solar Energy Association.

“It is best that consumers do their research,” Bushman said. “But there are good incentives out there to go with a solar system.”

Salt River Project, as well as Arizona Public Service offer rebates to customers who install solar systems. SRP and APS each offer rebates of up to $3 a watt depending on the system.

There also are tax incentives for “going solar,” Bushman said. On a $23,000, 3,000 watt, system, there is a $2,000 federal income tax rebate, and a $1,000 Arizona income tax rebate. Based on those numbers, with the SRP or APS rebate, the net cost for such a system would be $11,000.

“The good thing is is that not only do you get the incentives, but the system continues to pay for itself in energy savings,” Bushman said.

Solar energy has a long and checkered history. The rise and fall of its use generally has been based on availability of other resources. The first written account of the use of solar was in the 4th Century BC and has moved in and out of use through history.

Usually the discovery or availability of another energy source resulted in the discontinued use of solar power. In the mid-20th century changes in lifestyle in the United States made solar water heaters too small. Later in the 1950s, cheap electricity and fossil fuels made solar products too expensive to use.

The solar industry grew rapidly in the early 1970s with the OPEC energy crisis. Federal and state tax credits resulted in the rapid growth of the energy.

Tax credits for residential solar systems ended in 1986, and 30,000 workers in the solar business in the United States lost their jobs.

The cycle is turning back to a more common use of solar energy, but Bushman said she believes the use is here to stay.

“We (the U.S.) need to use solar for independence, not just for its availability,” she said. “We import 60 percent of our energy. This dependence on foreign oil is creating an untenable situation. I think the time is perfect for us to be green.”

Bushman said bringing green to the public is a process, and she wants to be sure people understand the process.

“With our little meetings in Fountain Hills, I am hopeful that we are providing some education to the public,” she said.

The Fountain Hills subchapter of ASEA meets the last Wednesday of each month from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. in the conference room at Fountain Hills Library, 12901 N. La Montana Drive. For more information, e-mail Bushman at leah.asea@cox.net.