Solar booming in California Bay

BERKELEY, Calif., July 23 (UPI) -- New findings by the NorCal Solar Energy Association indicate tremendous growth in solar installations in California's Bay Area.

NorCal Solar Energy Association is a non-profit solar education group in Northern California.

The findings released on the growth of solar energy installations for 165 cities in all 10 Bay Area counties show 8,403 total solar energy installations, built at a cost of $787 million, are yielding 82.3 megawatts of electricity, renewableenergyaccess.com reported

The report includes all installations as of December 2006.

The average residential-sized system, yielding 3.6 kilowatts of electricity, costs $34,199 or approximately $9.49 per watt before rebates and tax credits. Approximately 11.5 watts of electricity generated by solar power is produced for every one of the 7.1 million residents living in the greater Bay Area.

"Comparative data is a powerful tool for the promotion of solar technology and this information will help consumers and cities alike to understand the average costs of solar systems," said Claudia Wentworth, president of NorCal, in a statement. "Our goal is to increase awareness and educate the public to drive demand for solar applications. Every solar installation decreases CO2 emissions, the use of fossil fuels, builds the solar industry and is evidence of a successful solar marketplace in California."