Sep 10 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Tony Biasotti Ventura County Star, Calif.

Homeowners in the unincorporated areas of Ventura County will soon be able to borrow money from the county to pay for solar panels and other alternative energy systems, under a program endorsed Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.

Supervisor Steve Bennett, who brought the proposal to the board, said he hopes the 10 cities in the county will follow suit to create a countywide loan program.

The 15-year loans will take the form of property tax assessments, with the payments included in the homeowner's twice-a-year tax bills. The interest rate has not been calculated yet, but it will probably be lower than what banks can offer, Bennett said.

The rate will be set at a level that allows the county to recover all of its expenses in running the program, as well as the interest it would have made if the money had remained in the county's reserve account.

The loans are authorized under a new state law meant to encourage energy conservation and combat global warming.

"When it comes to the crisis as big as the crisis facing us, this issue of climate change, energy independence and sustainability is so big that I think it is appropriate for the government to try to incentivize this," Bennett said. "We are not giving these people money. It's a loan that's being paid back."

Bennett's proposal passed by a 3-1 vote, with Supervisor Peter Foy voting no. Supervisor John Flynn did not vote because he was attending a symposium on international trade.

"We want to encourage people to use solar, no doubt about that, but I don't think the government should be involved in this. It's just a philosophical disagreement that I have," Foy said. "If this is such a good deal, I would think the banks would want to finance this."

A home solar panel installation typically costs in the tens of thousands of dollars.

The loans would not be the county's first program to encourage solar energy. Last year, the board approved a discount on the permits for a new roof if the roof has solar panels.

Wayne Pendrey, a solar energy consultant and a representative of the Ventura County Contractors Association, said contractors across the county support the loan program.

"This is a win, win and win situation, where the homeowner wins, where the county wins and, most important, where the environment wins," he said.

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