Green Scene

SDSU CELEBRATES SUSTAINABILITY WITH GREENFEST MARCH 18-21

 

The week-long festival includes keynote speaker, Leilani Munter, the world’s No. 1 Eco-Athlete.

March 15, 2013 (San Diego)--All next week, San Diego State University's Associated Students will host GreenFest, a week-long festival that educates the campus community about sustainability, while promoting school spirit. The keynote speaker, Leilani Munter,is  the world’s number one eco-athlete. For full schedule and details, please read more.


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JACOB, ROBERTS LEAD EFFORT TO UPDATE COUNTY STRATEGIC ENERGY PLAN

 

Measure will lead to taxpayer savings, energy efficiency

March 14, 2013 (San Diego)--County Supervisors Dianne Jacob and Dave Roberts want to save taxpayers’ money and quickly bring more energy-saving projects like solar to the region.

Several days after meeting with San Diego Mayor Bob Filner to discuss energy issues, Roberts and Jacob on Tuesday pushed for more green energy and less reliance on fossil-fuels in the county’s unincorporated area. Roberts called for a working partnership with the city of San Diego “on all things green”.


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LAWSUIT SEEKS INJUNCTION TO HALT TULE WIND PROJECT IN MCCAIN VALLEY

 

 

By Miriam Raftery

March 13, 2013 (Boulevard) – Iberdrola’s Tule Wind project has been slapped with a federal complaint seeking declaratory and injunctive relief. The lawsuit was filed by two nonprofits in San Diego’s Rural East County, the Protect Our Communities Foundation and Backcountry Against Dumps.

If built, Tule Wind’s phase I would include 67 turbines on federal land, each nearly 500 feet tall in rugged McCain Valley, a federal wildlife management and popular  recreation area. Additional turbines are planned on adjoining state, tribal and private property. Turbines would be close to campgrounds and homes in rural Boulevard, a predominantly low income community in East County where numerous other massive-scale energy projects have already been proposed. (See map showing cumulative impacts.)

 “Eastern San Diego County is targeted as a rural sacrifice industrial energy and transmission zone without benefit of equal protection under the law,” said Donna Tisdale, also a plaintiff in the suit.


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SDG&E DONATES SCENIC RIDGE AND NATURAL HABITATS TO THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE

 

March 14, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – East El Capitan ridge, a habitat of the threatened California coastal gnatcatcher and home to a golden eagle nesting site, has been preserved and protected thanks to San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and the United States Forest Service


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THE NEW GREEN DEAL COMES TO SAN DIEGO

Mayor Filner announces major solar initiatives

By Hugh Moore, Treasurer, San Diego County Green Party

March, 8, 2013(San Diego) -- When Dr. Jill Stein ran on a platform for President of the U.S. calling for the New Green Deal , I doubt that she imagined her platform would be the newest initiative of the Mayor of San Diego or the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. San Diego having a long history of being more than a little to the right on the political spectrum a shift to the left would have seemed unlikely just a few months ago.

However, Mayor Bob Filner just announced his new solar initiative, planning to put solar panels on every city building within five years. And this is not the end of the initiative. Mayor Filner wants the whole County to become the leader in alternative energy production with a goal of ending up with all the power used in the County being produced by solar and other renewable sources. This initiative is being supported by two of the five San Diego County Board of Supervisors (Dianne Jacobs and Dave Roberts).


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BILL WOULD LET ENERGY COMPANIES REMOVE NESTS AND EGGS, EXEMPT COMPANIES FROM PENALTIES FOR KILLING EAGLES, HAWKS AND OTHER RAPTORS

 

By Miriam Raftery

March 9, 2013 (Sacramento)—Wildlife experts are reacting with outrage to AB  516, a bill in the California Legislature that would  allow energy and utility companies to obtain “take” permits authorizing destruction of birds, eggs and nest that stand in the way of electrical transmission infrastructure. 

SDG&E  was caught flying helicopters too close to protected eagle nests at least four times during construction of Sunrise Powerlink.  Those incursions in three East County locations resulted in removal of one pilot and suspension of others, as well as grounding, GPS tracking and other regulatory enforcement actions. But if this bill goes through, such activities could occur without penalty in the future.


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SOUND AND ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD EXPERTS RAISE SERIOUS CONCERNS OVER IMPACTS OF PROPOSED WIND PROJECTS ON NEIGHBORS IN EAST COUNTY

 

High EMF levels found in tests at Campo, Manzanita and Ocotilllo among residences near turbines

By Miriam Raftery

March 12,2013 (Campo) – Acoustical experts warn that sound generated by proposed Shu’luuk, Tule and Manzanita wind projects will cause severe negative health impacts on neighbors – and further, new studies suggest that noise impact assessments created to justify these and other projects relied on errors in computer modeling that severely underestimate sound levels. 

New noise and infrasound findings

At the Campo Shu’luuk Wind project, massive wind turbines and solar panels are proposed just 500 feet from private properties with homes and 1,320 feet from tribal homes (or less if owners sign a waiver).  But a major new study commissioned by a public health department in Wisconsin  involving  five different acoustic experts found high levels of low-frequency noise at homes abandoned by residents as far as 7,000 feet from turbines.  The Brown County Board of Health concuded that residents’ complaints of health problems at the Shirley Wind project are valid and related to long-term exposure to wind turbines.


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ARE ENERGY PROJECTS CAUSING LOSS OF TOURISM DOLLARS ON PUBLIC LANDS?

 

By Miriam Raftery

March 9, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) –Industrial-scale energy projects on Bureau of Land Management lands are pushed through by energy companies touting jobs and economic booms to communities. Not mentioned is the potential loss of tourism revenues if people stop coming to recreational areas that are visually blighted. That’s been a fear voiced by residents near McCain Valley and Ocotillo, both scenic public recreation areas where wind projects are slated or recently completed.

Now preliminary data from the Bureau of Land Management reveals a 12% drop in the number of visitors to the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreational Area over the past year. Sunrise Powerlink construction was completed in June 2012.  Is the loss of 72,275 visitors due to the  massive high voltage towers that dune buggies and other off-road enthusiasts now must dodge in the desert?


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JUDGE GRANTS INJUNCTION TO PROTECT PHOTOGRAPHER AFTER THREATS BY PATTERN ENERGY’S PROJECT MANAGER AT OCOTILLO WIND

Update March 16, 2013: A second restraining order has been granted to Jim Pelley, the other ECM photographer threatened by Pattern Energy's manager, Russell Graham.

By Miriam Raftery

March 7, 2013 (El Centro)—Superior Court Judge Richard Bohlander today granted an injunction for civil harassment relief  to protect freelance photographer Parke Ewing following a violent threat made by Russell Graham, construction manager at Pattern Energy’s Ocotillo Express Wind Facility.

Ewing’s photos and videos of the project have appeared in East County Magazine as well as on his own Facebook Page and a website documenting the project’s impacts on the desert and the community.


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SAN DIEGO RIVER PARK FOUNDATION INVITES YOU TO "SAVE THE SOURCE" MARCH 9 AND 10

Participants from across the county to join to explore and protect the Upper San Diego River

On March 9 and 10, San Diego River Park Foundation is heading to the headwaters to Save the Source!  This weekend, they will be coordinating six events to engage the community in exploring and caring for the upper San Diego River watershed. The lineup of events this year includes two nature hikes and a water quality hike, an open house and tour of the newly con

served Fisherman’s Camp at Boulder Creek Preserve, a trail maintenance project at the Eagle Peak Preserve, and an open house at the Santa Ysabel Backcountry Visitors’ Center.


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FOREST SERVICE SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENTS ON CHANGES PROPOSED TO CLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST AND OTHER SOUTHERN CA FOREST MANAGEMENT PLANS

Public meetings set, including March 26 in Alpine and March 27 in Ramona

March 8, 2013 (San Diego) – Forest Service officials are seeking public comments on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for a Proposed Amendment to the Land Management Plans for the four Southern California national forests (the Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres, and San Bernardino).

The environmental impact statement analyzes the proposal to modify the existing land use zones allocations in selected inventoried roadless areas to include more back country non-motorized and recommended wilderness areas.  It also analyzes the proposal to modify the land management plan monitoring framework.  The statement evaluates alternatives for both topics, including an alternative that would recommend most of the study area as wilderness.  The environmental impact statement can be found on the project webpage at:  http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/nepa_project_exp.php?project=35130


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WEAR GREEN, THINK GREEN, BE GREEN ON ST. PATTY'S DAY

March 6, 2013 (San Diego) — You don’t have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the “greenest” day of the year. This year, Waste Management of Southern California recommends green tips for making your St. Patty’s Day even greener.

“With St. Patrick’s Day quickly approaching, now is the best time to start making green choices for an environmentally friendly holiday,” said Eloisa Orozco, Area Communications Manager for Waste Management of Southern California. “If each of us took a few small steps to reduce the waste we produce or increase the amount of materials we recycle during the holidays, we’d save a tremendous amount of material, energy and landfill space. There is no shortage of ways to cut down on wastefulness.”


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TWO PERSPECTIVES ON THE RAPID EXTIRPATION OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY'S GOLDEN EAGLES

Reprinted with permission from San Diego Loves Green.

By Roy L. Hales

March 6, 2013 (San Diego) -- According to a recent "Golden Eagle Threat Alert" by the Wildlife Research Institute (WRI), “human activity is causing the rapid extirpation of our last remaining Golden Eagle Territories.” They claim that over the past few decades, the number of San Diego’s “active golden eagle territories” has dropped from 103 to 49.

The US Fish & Wildlife Service states that wind turbines kill almost half a million birds every year. More recent studies suggest the number is much higher, somewhere between 13 and 39 million birds. Many of these are raptors.


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RESEARCH TEAM STUDIES WIND TURBINE SYNDROME IN MANZANITA TRIBAL MEMBERS

Over two-thirds of study participants report chronic sleep deprivation and breathing disorders

 

By Billie Jo Jannen

A special report for East County Magazine

March 5, 2013  (San Diego’s East County)--A university research team that specializes in studying health and social challenges of minority populations is now focusing on quantification of reported illness among Manzanita tribal members who live along the row of wind turbines erected five years ago by the neighboring Campo tribe.

Lead researcher Arcela Nuñez-Alvarez, Ph.D., of the National Latino Research Center said the numbers, so far “…show some trends that I think deserve more attention.” Preliminary numbers in the small population being studied show that 68 percent of the households are suffering from chronic sleep disorders – an oft-mentioned complaint of people who live near turbines – and the same percentage reported respiratory problems.


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BILL WOULD LET POWER COMPANIES EVICT NESTING BIRDS

March 14, 2013 (Sacramento)--A new bill in Sacramento aims to let energy companies remove nests that stand in the way of big projects, even during nesting season.  The measure would allow take permits to be issued, meaning energy companies would face no penalties if they inadvertently kill bird species normally protected, such as red-tailed hawks.

“Any work around these nests could be easily delayed unit late June after the young have left their nests,” wildlife biologist Jim Wiegand told ECM, adding that the measure should be killed.  

ECM investigations have previously led to fines and grounding of helicopters used by SDG&E due to violations of no-fly zones around protected eagle nests. Two massive industrial wind projects are proposed in eagle habitat in McCain Valley and Jewel Valley, where take permits or removal of eagle nests may occur.  

Read full details at the Riverside Press Tribune:

Wildlife: Bill would let power companies evict birds


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JUDGE RULES IN FAVOR OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND PATTERN ENERGY IN TWO LAWSUITS OVER OCOTILLO WIND

By Miriam Raftery

March 2, 2013 (San Diego) -- U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel this week dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Quechan Indians over cultural resource impacts of the Ocotillo Express Wind Facility.   In addition, the federal judge denied  motion sought by the Desert Protective Council to protect raptors at the site.  

"It is discouraging that our democratic system of checks and balances has broken down in relation to the administration's determination to usurp our public lands for industrial energy development,” said . Terry Weiner, Imperial County Projects and Conservation Coordinator at the Desert Protective Council. “  If we can no longer count on the courts to force our federal agencies to adhere to their own laws, how  are the American citizens supposed to protect our national natural and cultural heritage for future generations?"


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SEED BALLS AND SPIRAL HERBS TAKE ROOT AT IRC-KAISER COMMUNITY GARDEN IN EL CAJON

 

By Janis Mork

February 25, 2013 (El Cajon)- Last Saturday was a celebration of community gardens in El Cajon where the public was invited to different garden events around El Cajon. At the IRC-Kaiser community garden at 203 Travelodge Drive, Anne Barron, community garden coordinator from the International Rescue Committee, gave the public a complete tour of the garden.  Still in the production stage, the garden is set to open in mid-March.


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COUNTY TO EXAMINE ENERGY FINANCING OPTIONS; COULD CLEAR WAY FOR MORE CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS INCLUDING PACE PROGRAMS

Information provided by County News Services

February 28, 2013 (San Diego)--The  County Board of Supervisors this week launched an analysis that could lead to more rooftop solar and other small-scale alternative energy projects across the region. At the urging of Vice-Chairwoman Dianne Jacob and Supervisor Dave Roberts, the board unanimously voted to initiate a detailed look at financing options for homeowners and businesses interested in installing energy-saving systems.

“We’re fortunate to live in one of the sunniest regions in the nation, but the tools needed to help pay for solar panels and related technology are out of reach for many property owners,” said Jacob. “We’re hoping the analysis will help us lift the financial cloud hanging over solar, particularly for homeowners.”


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SAN DIEGO COUNTY TAXPAYER ASSOCIATION PUSH FOR QUAIL BRUSH GAS POWER PLANT FUELS IRE: OPPONENTS SAY PLANT IS A BOONDOGGLE THAT WILL BE COSTLY FOR TAXPAYERS

 

“The danger is that consumers will be required to pay for an expensive gas-fired plant they don’t’ need now or in the future.” – The Utility Reform Network

By Miriam Raftery

February 24, 2013 (San Diego) – Why is the San Diego County Taxpayers Association (SDCTA) pushing for a fossil fuel power plant that many authoritative sources indicate is not needed and will prove costly to taxpayers?

In a letter sent February 20, 2013 to the California Public Utilities Commission, Lani Lutar, president and chief executive officer of the SDTCA, urged the Commission to postpone a decision on the Quail Brush gas-fired power plant near Mission Trails Regional Park, until after the California Energy Commission has completed its examination of the project. 


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COURT HEARS ARGUMENTS IN DESERT PROTECTIVE COUNCIL’S CASE OVER WILDLIFE THREATS POSED BY OCOTILLO WIND PROJECT

UPDATE: February 28, 2013 -- Judge Curiel has denied the plaintiff's motion for summary judgment.  Plaintiff's have not yet announced whether they will file an appeal.  View decision here

 

The codes are quite clear …You can’t take a Swainson’s hawk. Not even one…There is also no take for Peregrine falcons and owls. If turbine curtailment  is good enough for golden eagles, it should be good enough for these species, too.” ----Laurens Silver, attorney for plaintiffs

It is not the BLM’s role to enforce state law…All through downtown there are glass buildings that could cause a take.” – Marissa Piropato, attorney for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management

By Miriam Raftery

Maris Brancheau also contributed to this report

February 27, 2013 (San Diego) – Is the federal government turning a blind eye to violations of state laws intended to protect raptors (birds of prey) and other wildlife at the Ocotillo Express Wind Facility?   That’s the contention of a lawsuit filed by the Desert Protective Council, an environmental group, and others against the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Pattern Energy and others.


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INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE PREPARES FOR COMMUNITY GARDEN

 

By Janis Mork

February 19, 2013 (El Cajon)- The International Rescue Committee has partnered with Kaiser Permanente in El Cajon to open up a community garden for El Cajon residents, who wish to become gardeners by filling out a contract, to grow their food.

Anne Barron, community garden coordinator, gave ECM a tour of the garden, which is expected to open up in mid-March. The community garden is located at 203 Travelodge Drive in El Cajon. 


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RURAL FIRE DISTRICT LAWYER: BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS IGNORED FIRE CONCERNS, PUBLIC HEALTH AT SHU’LUUK WIND PROJECT IN CAMPO

 

“On its face…it appears that the DEIS [Draft Environmental Impact Statement] fails to include any legally enforceable Public Health and Safety mitigation measures….A failure to mandate even minimal fire protection standards or a protection plan will not only endanger workers on-site, it represents a potential fire threat to the surrounding communities.” 

– Cynthia L. Eldred, attorney for the San Diego Rural Fire Protection District

By Miriam Raftery

February 26, 2013 (Campo) – An attorney representing the San Diego Rural Fire Protection District has sent repeated letters  to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) taking the agency to task for ignoring health, safety and fire concerns in its consideration of the Shu’luuk Wind project.    In a February 25, 2013 comment  submitted to the BIA, the district further accuses the BIA of violating federal law and failing to require mitigation of serious problems for the proposed project on the Campo Indian reservation.


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ROOM FOR GROWTH: COMMUNITY GARDENS SPROUT IN EL CAJON

 

By Miriam Raftery

February 23, 2013 (El Cajon)—Shamoon Jeejo, an immigrant from war-torn Iraq,  is pleased to be among the local residents who now have a raised garden plot at Circle Community Garden.  The new garden had its grand opening ceremony today, serving up cake as local residents staked out spaces--and more are available.

“In Iraq, I had a garden, it was like ten of this space,” Jeejo (photo, left) told East County Magazine.  “I live near here, by the library.  If there is work, I want to volunteer. “  For Jeejo, who came here two and a half years ago to escape the oppressive government in Iraq, there is another benefit of working with others.  “I want to speak English; if I am with community, I can learn to speak English very well,” he says.


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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AIMS TO GIVE WIND DEVELOPERS 30-YEAR PERMITS TO KILL EAGLES—WITHOUT PUBLIC INPUT

 

By Miriam Raftery

February 21, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – Environmental groups are reacting with shock and outrage to  a U.S. Department of Interior rule change that would allow private wind energy corporations to apply for unprecedented 30-year permits to kill  our nation’s national symbol, the Bald Eagle, as well as Golden Eagles.  

“Outrageous,” Terry Weiner with the Desert Protective Council in San Diego said of the proposal.  The DPC has joined a call mounted by the nonprofit American Bird Conservancy asking  that further consideration of the revise rule be suspended until Sally Jewel, President Barack Obama’s nominee to replace Ken Salazar as Secretary of  the Interior Department ,has an opportunity to fully review the proposal and evaluate its long term impacts.


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TIPS FOR SAVING ENERGY DURING CHILLY WEATHER

 

February 21, 2013 (San Diego)--Even in sunny Southern California, winter brings colder weather and longer nights. That's why home heating typically accounts for more than half the monthly winter bill for natural gas, followed by water heating. In addition, lighting can account for up to 20 percent of your monthly electric bill.


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DEVASTATION RESTORATION? QUESTIONS RAISED ON ADEQUACY OF REPLANTINGS AT OCOTILLO ENERGY PROJECT SITES

 

By Miriam Raftery

February 18, 2013 (Ocotillo) – As mitigation for major projects including Sunrise Powerlink and Ocotillo Express Wind Facility, energy companies were required to mitigate damage by restoring vegetation.  But now residents and some environmentalists are raising criticisms over the level of restoration efforts put forth by Pattern Energy and SDG&E.

 

 

 

 


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ENERGY EXPERT LECTURES AT EL CAP

 

By Walt Meyer

February 19, 2013 (Lakeside)--New careers as the wave of the future was a key theme in a guest lecture February 12 given by Chuck Brands at El Capitan High School.  Brands is a local sustainability and solar energy expert who is also vice-president of Heartland Coalition and director of its UnitedGREEN division.

Last fall, Brands coordinated a class at Southwestern College to teach a new technology that uses all relevant data to map a building so that owners and occupants can manage their energy consumption and plan to adapt the building for energy innovation. The students were team-taught this pioneering class by experts from across the country under a grant from SDG&E to the Heartland Coalition.


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COMMUNITY GARDEN DAY IN EL CAJON FEB. 23

 

February 17, 2013 (El Cajon)--Feb. 23, 2012 is a Day of Celebrating Community Gardens in El Cajon. Events are scheduled throughout the day from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at different gardens and venues. Please see attached flyer.

At 11 a.m. there will be a grand opening celebration at Circle Community Garden, 476 Highland at Farragut Circle. We will celebrate with a ribbon cutting at 10:55, short speeches by dignitaries, introduction of committee and Master Gardeners. Cake then will be served and Master Gardener Joyce Gemmell and others will be there to answer gardening questions.


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PROTEST TO STOP KEYSTONE XL PINELINE TODAY IN SAN DIEGO

February 17, 2013 (San Diego) – Across the nation, protests are being organized on Presidents Day, February 17, against the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. In San Diego, environmental groups including the Sierra Club and 350.org will gather at Mission Bay Park Vistiors Center (Mission Bay Drive and Clairemont Drive) from 1-3 p.m.


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WANT TO GO SOLAR? SULLIVAN SOLAR HOSTS OPEN HOUSE FEB. 23 IN ALPINE

February 17, 2013 (Alpine) – Sullivan Solar is hosting an open house on Saturday, February 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2855 Via Viejas Oeste in Alpine.

Learn about incentives for going solar.

If your average electric bill is $197, installing a 5 kW solar system is now possible with zero out of pocket costs and new monthly solar payments of $165—less than your current utility bill.


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