These are both true. Solar is not the only alternative but an alternative. Solor combined with wind, geothermal, hydro etc. Lots of strategic questions. But those can and are being dealt with. Lots of wind turbines out West too.
Solar makes more financial sense in a higher rate area than Oregon where we have cheap electric rates.
You'll need to decide where to put them and how many panels you can fit, which will impact how much you can achieve. If you have property you can place them on the ground. If not, you need flat roof space facing South or possibly West.
I just did a quick google search and several pages came up about New England solar installations. A quick no obligation way to see where you stand would be to have an installer come to your house and talk through options. They know paying for it is an issue and are familiar with the financing methods as well as any incentives. They can tell you how big a system you can squeeze in. They will tell you if you need a new roof first (need 10 years of life left on your roof.) It will jump start your research and help you identify areas you want to do more research in before deciding.
My decision was easy. When I did it I got a 15k dollar system for 1k after local utility, State and Fed credits. The situation has changed but the point is you may be surprised at how affordable it is. And you don't need to figure it all out on your own in advance. There are local guys who have been there who will help you. No need to redesign the grid before you have enough information for your situation. Who knows, maybe some neighbors are thinking about it. Find out if you can get a discount if you get several neighbors to install. We did.
Good luck.
EDIT: there is nothing for your renters to do. Nothing to turn on or off or to monitor. It will work without them knowing. Downside is they could use more electricity now they see solar and think it is free. Demand side is always cheaper than supply. Sounds like your biggest bang for the buck is to figure out how to get them to conserve. Make it hit their wallet some how.
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