California Center for Sustainable Energy

The state's new law creating low-interest financing for solar installations may get a boost with federal incentives. KPBS Environmental Reporter Ed Joyce explains. President Barack Obama talked about harnessing the sun's energy in his inauguration speech. Spurring the development of renewable energy is expected to create jobs while reducing the country's dependence on imported oil.

Andrew McAllister is with the California Center For Sustainable Energy. He says California's efforts to tap renewable energy will help guide national efforts. McAllister: California's been doing a lot of the experimenting and a lot of the bold policy moves on how to make clean energy work, with much success.

Now that Stephen Chu from Berkeley Labs and a number of other policy folks are headed to Washington from California, I think California's experience really will be playing a large part in the formation of the national policy agenda on energy. McAllister says federal incentives combined with a new California law to provide low-interest financing, would make converting to solar more affordable.