Ke ulu nei ka ikehu o ka lā ma waena o ka ʻāina, me Indiana.Makemake nā ʻoihana e like me Cummins a me Eli Lilly e hōʻemi i kā lākou kapuaʻi kalapona.Ke hoʻopau nei nā mea hoʻohana i nā mea kanu ahi ahi a hoʻololi iā lākou me nā mea hou.
Akā ʻaʻole ʻo kēia ulu ʻana ma kahi ʻano nui.Pono nā mea hale i ka mana o ka lā.Makemake lākou e hoʻemi i kā lākou uku uila, makemake lākou e hoʻohana i ka ikehu maʻemaʻe.
I nā makahiki ʻelua i hala iho nei, ua piʻi nui kēia hoihoi.I ka wā maʻi maʻi, nui nā ʻohana e hoʻohana ana i ka uila i ko lākou mau home a ke ʻimi nei e hoʻopau i kekahi o ia mea me ka mana o ka lā.
I loko o kēia manawa, e nalowale ana ka polokalamu ana ʻupena a ke aupuni, e hāʻawi ana i ka poʻe nona ka ikehu lā no ka ikehu i hoʻihoʻi ʻia i ka mānoanoa.Ua hoʻoulu ʻia nā mea a pau, wahi a Zach Schalk, ka luna o ka papahana no Solar United Neighbors ma Indiana.
"ʻO ka mea pōʻino, e ʻōlelo wau he mea kēia i ʻike maoli i koʻu poʻo i ka wā COVID," wahi āna.
ʻO ia ke kumu, i kēia paʻi o Scrub Hub, hōʻole mākou i ka hoax solar.E pane kākou i kēia mau nīnau: he aha ia mau nīnau?Pehea e ʻike ai iā lākou?
Ua kamaʻilio mākou me Schalke a huli i nā kumuwaiwai like ʻole e like me ka Better Business Bureau e hāʻawi i nā India i nā mea āpau e pono ai lākou e ʻike e pili ana i kēia mau scams.
No laila he aha ke ʻano o ka scam solar?Wahi a Schalke, ʻo ka pinepine o kēia mau hoʻopunipuni e hōʻike iā lākou iho i nā ʻōlelo kālā.
Ke hoʻohana nei nā ʻoihana i ka hoʻopau ʻana o ka mīkini ʻupena a me ka maopopo ʻole ma luna o nā kumukūʻai hou no nā mea kūʻai aku o ka lā.
"Ke ho'āʻo nei ka nui o nā poʻe e loaʻa ka ikehu o ka lā ma mua o ka palena palena.No laila inā loaʻa nā hoʻolaha ma nā wahi āpau a i ʻole e hele mai kekahi i kou puka, ʻo ia ka hopena maʻalahi loa, "wahi a Schalke."Aia kahi manaʻo o ka wikiwiki, no laila ua holo wale nā ​​kānaka."
Ke hoʻohiki nei nā hui he nui i nā kumu kūʻai haʻahaʻa a i ʻole nā ​​​​mea hoʻonoho lā manuahi, e hoʻowalewale ana i nā mea hale e hoʻokuʻu iā lākou i loko, ʻoi aku ka haʻahaʻa a me ka loaʻa kālā waena.I ka manawa ma laila, "e alakaʻi ka poʻe hoʻonohonoho o ka lā i kā lākou huahana kālā, ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi ma mua o nā kumukūʻai mākeke," wahi a Schalke.
Ma Indiana, ke kūʻai nei ka mana o ka lā noho i $2 a i $3 no ka watt.Akā, e like me Schalk, ua piʻi ke kumukūʻai i $5 a ʻoi aku paha i kēlā me kēia watt ma muli o nā huahana kālā a nā hui a me nā uku hou.
"A laila ua paʻa ka poʻe India i kēlā ʻaelike," wahi āna."No laila, ʻaʻole wale ka poʻe nona ka hale i kā lākou mau bila uila, akā hiki iā lākou ke uku aku ma mua o kā lākou mau bila uila i kēlā me kēia mahina."
Ua hoʻopuka aku nei ka Better Business Bureau i kahi mākaʻikaʻi scam e aʻo ana i ka poʻe e pili ana i nā scam ikehu lā.Ua ʻōlelo ka ʻoihana e hāʻawi ana i nā "panel solar manuahi" hiki ke "kūʻai nui iā ʻoe."
Hoʻomaopopo ka BBB i kekahi manawa e koi ana nā ʻoihana i ka uku ma mua, e hōʻoiaʻiʻo ana i ka poʻe nona ka hale e uku ʻia lākou ma o kahi papahana aupuni ʻole.
ʻOiai ʻo ka ʻāpana kālā ka mea maʻamau e huki ai i ka hapa nui o nā poʻe, aia kekahi mau hihia i kākau maikaʻi ʻia kahi e hele ai nā scammers ma hope o ka ʻike pilikino a i ʻole ka poʻe i loaʻa ʻole ka hoʻonohonoho panel a me nā pilikia palekana.
Hiki ke ʻike ʻia nā pilikia me ke kālā a me ka hoʻokomo ʻana me Pink Energy, Power Homes Solar ma mua.Ua loaʻa i ka BBB ma mua o 1,500 mau hoʻopiʻi kūʻē i ka hui i nā makahiki ʻekolu i hala iho nei, a ke noiʻi nei kekahi mau mokuʻāina iā Pink Energy, i pani ʻia i ka mahina hope loa ma hope o ʻewalu mau makahiki o ka hana.
Hoʻopaʻa ʻia nā mea kūʻai aku me nā ʻaelike kālā pipiʻi, e uku ana i nā panela lā i hana ʻole a hana ʻole i ka uila e like me ka ʻōlelo ʻana.
Hiki i kēia mau scams ke hōʻike iā lākou iho ma nā ʻano like ʻole.Nui nā pou a me nā hoʻolaha e pili ana i nā ʻokoʻa like ʻole ma ka pūnaewele a ma ka pānaehana kaiapili, he nui nā mea e koi iā ʻoe e hoʻokomo i ka leka uila a me ka ʻike pilikino e kiʻi i nā kikoʻī hou aku.
ʻO nā ala ʻē aʻe e pili ana i nā kelepona kelepona a i ʻole ke kīkēkē pilikino ma ka puka e kahi ʻelele.Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Schalke ua piha kona wahi i nā hui e hana ana i kēia - kīkēkē ʻo ia i kona puka, ʻoiai ke ʻike ʻia nei nā panela lā ma luna o kona hale.
Ma waho o ka hoʻokokoke ʻana, ua ʻōlelo ʻo Schalke aia kekahi mau hae ʻulaʻula e hiki ke kōkua i nā mea hale e ʻike i kēia mau scams.
ʻO ka mea mua āna e aʻo ai, ʻo ia ka hoʻolaha ʻana me ka ʻole o kahi hui a i ʻole inoa inoa.Inā he mea maʻamau wale nō a hoʻohiki i ka hana nui o ka lā, ʻo ia ka hōʻailona maikaʻi loa o ka mea hoʻomohala alakaʻi, wahi āna.ʻO kēia kahi āu e hoʻokomo ai i kāu ʻike i hiki i nā hui ke hoʻopili iā ʻoe a hoʻāʻo e kūʻai aku iā ʻoe i kahi hoʻonohonoho solar.
Hoʻomaopopo pū ʻo Schalk i nā memo a i ʻole nā ​​​​hoʻolaha e ʻōlelo ana he hoʻolālā kūikawā ka hui a i ʻole ke hui pū ʻana me kāu hui pono.Ma Indiana, ʻaʻole hāʻawi ka hāmeʻa i nā papahana kūikawā a i ʻole nā ​​​​pilina no ka ikehu lā, ʻōlelo ʻo ia.
No laila, ʻaʻole pololei nā mea a pau e pili ana i ia mau papahana a i ʻole maʻiʻo i loaʻa "ma kou kaiāulu wale nō".ʻO nā mea a pau e hana i ka manaʻo o ka wikiwiki a me ke kaomi.
He hōʻailona ʻē aʻe kēia e nānā ai, wahi a Schalke.ʻAʻole pono kēlā me kēia mea i manaʻo ʻino loa a wikiwiki paha e hoʻoholo ma ia wahi.E ho'āʻo nā ʻoihana e hana i kēia ma ka haʻi ʻana i loaʻa kahi hāʻawi kūikawā no ka manawa palena a i ʻole e hāʻawi wale lākou i hoʻokahi koho.
"He koho kālā ko lākou," wahi a Schalke, no laila inā ʻaʻole ʻoe i ʻike i ka mea e noi ai, ʻaʻole hiki iā ʻoe ke ʻimi i kahi koho.
Hiki i kēia ke ʻae i ka poʻe e hoʻoholo wikiwiki me ka hana ʻole ʻana i nā noiʻi hou aʻe a manaʻo paha ʻaʻohe koho ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi.
Ua alakaʻi kēia iā Schalke i kekahi o nā mea hope loa āna e hoʻolohe ai: pie i ka lewa.Loaʻa kēia i nā mea e like me ka manuahi, ke kumu kūʻai haʻahaʻa a i ʻole ka hoʻokomo manuahi - ua hoʻolālā ʻia nā mea a pau e huki i ka poʻe nona ka hale akā hoʻololi i ke ʻano o ka hana.
Ma waho aʻe o ka hiki ke ʻike i kēia mau scams, aia kekahi mau mea e hiki ai i nā mea hale ke hana e pale aku i ka hāʻule ʻana i kekahi.
Paipai ka BBB e hana ʻoe i kāu noiʻi.Loaʻa nā papahana hoʻoikaika maoli a me nā ʻoihana solar kaulana a me nā mea hana ʻaelike, no laila e noiʻi i ka inoa o kahi hui a me nā hui noiʻi ma kou wahi ma mua o ka ʻae ʻana i kahi hāʻawi ʻole i noi ʻia.
Aʻo pū lākou i ka poʻe nona ka hale e noho ikaika a ʻaʻole e hāʻule i nā hana kūʻai kiʻekiʻe.E hoʻoikaika a hoʻoikaika nui nā ʻoihana a hiki i ka wā e hoʻoholo ai lākou, akā ʻōlelo ʻo Schalke e pono i nā mea hale e lawe i ko lākou manawa a lawe i ko lākou manawa no ka mea he hoʻoholo koʻikoʻi.
Aʻo pū ka BBB i nā mea hale e kūʻai.Manaʻo lākou e hoʻokaʻaʻike aku i kekahi mau mea hoʻonohonoho solar panel ma ia wahi a loaʻa nā makana mai kēlā me kēia - e kōkua kēia i ka ʻike ʻana i nā makana mai nā hui kūpono a me nā mea ʻole.Manaʻo ʻo Schalke e loaʻa kahi hāʻawi ma ke kākau ʻana.
Ma hope o nā mea a pau, ʻo ka ʻōlelo aʻo nui a Schalke e nīnau i nā nīnau he nui.E nīnau e pili ana i kekahi ʻano o ka hāʻawi a i ʻole ka ʻaelike āu i maopopo ʻole ai.Inā ʻaʻole lākou e pane a ʻae paha i ka nīnau, e noʻonoʻo ʻoe he hae ʻulaʻula.Paipai pū ʻo Schalk i ke aʻo ʻana e pili ana i ka ROI i kuhi ʻia a pehea lākou e wānana ai i ka waiwai o kahi ʻōnaehana.
ʻO Solar United Neighbors kekahi kumu waiwai e hoʻohana ai nā mea hale āpau, wahi a Schalke.ʻOiai ʻaʻole ʻoe e hana me a ma o kahi hui, hiki iā ʻoe ke hoʻokaʻaʻike iā lākou me ka manuahi.
Loaʻa i ka hui kahi ʻaoʻao holoʻokoʻa ma kāna pūnaewele i hoʻolaʻa ʻia i nā ʻano koho kālā like ʻole, hiki ke komo i kahi laina kaulike home a i ʻole nā ​​​​loina i hoʻopaʻa ʻia.ʻO ka loaʻa kālā me kahi mea hoʻonohonoho e hana maikaʻi no kekahi, i ʻōlelo ʻo Schalke, akā hele mai nā mea āpau i ka hoʻomaopopo ʻana i nā koho.
"Ke paipai mau nei au e hoʻi i hope, e loaʻa i nā huaʻōlelo hou aʻe a nīnau i nā nīnau," wahi āna."Mai noʻonoʻo ʻo ka koho hoʻokahi wale nō."
Please contact IndyStar Correspondent Sarah Bowman at 317-444-6129 or email sarah.bowman@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook: @IndyStarSarah. Connect with IndyStar environmental reporters: join The Scrub on Facebook.
Kākoʻo nui ʻia ka IndyStar Environmental Reporting Project e ka Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.