Front Range solar-installation companies say the industry had a dismal fourth quarter caused by the nationwide credit crunch and changes in Xcel Energy Inc.’s solar power rebate program.
Company owners say some potential customers have lost their jobs, and others are holding on to their cash. And while hope looms in President Barack Obama’s proposed federal economic stimulus package — which includes $8 billion set aside as loans for renewable energy and transmission lines — it’s unknown how that money might be distributed.
“It’s $8 billion in some sort of incentive, but who knows how that will be distributed across the U.S.,” said Scott Van Kirk, president of Denver-based Vibrant Solar LLC.
“It’s hard to tell how things are going,” said Blake Jones, president of Boulder-based Namaste Solar Electric Inc. and a board member of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association. “The past few weeks have been filled with lots of uncertainty, and we’re not sure how things will affect our business.
http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/02/02/story5.html