That’s the upside of the NYT story Dark Days for Green Energy, which details slowdowns and layoffs in the alternative energy world brought on by a combination of the credit crisis and the continued price moderation of fossil fuels. We’re trying hard to see the positive side of things here at Warm Home Cool Planet. 

The price of solar panels has fallen by 25 percent in six months, according to Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association, who said he expected a further drop of 10 percent by midsummer. For homeowners, however, the savings will not be as substantial, partly because panels account for only about 60 percent of total installation costs.

So while congress debates how much of the stimulus package will be spent on tax cuts, and how much will be spent on, well, actual infrastructure spending that stimulates the economy, maybe more of us can take matters into our own hands and start buying up those solar panels.

Of course, just when we thought that the glass was at least half full we read this:

In Massachusetts, for example, the Commonwealth Solar program cut its rebate by $1 per watt on Jan. 1, reducing the overall discount by $3,000 for a 3 kilowatt solar panel system…

So make your calculations carefully, and make sure you get the latest information on the bewildering array of deductions, exemptions, incentives and rebates which make Massachusetts one of the most solar progressive states in the country. This list of goodies is dated 2009, which is nice.