According to Associated Press writer Lisa Leff and the San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco city officials have emulated their neighbors in Berkeley by announcing plans to offer homeowners and businesses rebates and government-funded loans for solar-system installations.
The city's proposal, Leff writes, would make companies eligible for rebates of up to $10,000 and enable residents to detract between $3,000 and $5,000 of a solar installation's costs. The city would underwrite the loans, which would be paid back through annual tax assessments on properties.
The refunds, the report continues, need the support of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors, while voters must approve the loan program through a ballot initiative. City officials hope to have the entire program in place by the summer of 2008.
