The primary reason Stan Temple is installing a large solar-panel unit outside his home is environmental.

"It's the right thing to do," Temple said.

But after that, it's all about the green — and he doesn't mean energy.

Originally, Temple and his wife, Jane Rundell, were going to install the panels before Dec. 31 when a federal tax credit for solar energy was scheduled to expire.

But when Congress passed the Wall Street bailout package last month a rider was added that extended the 30 percent tax credit for eight years and removed its $2,000 cap.

"If your tax burden don't exceed that amount, you'll get a refund," Temple said.

Now Temple is waiting to activate his solar panels until Jan. 1 in order to take advantage of the new legislation.

After the federal tax credit, Temple also will receive a credit from Wisconsin's Focus on Energy program that provides financial incentives for installing renewable energy sources.

And because of a deal he struck with Alliant Energy, he won't even be using the panels to power his home.

"Alliant will buy my solar power for 25 cents per kilowatt hour, and I pay 11," Temple said.

He explained if he were to use the panels to provide electricity for his home he'd lose 14 cents for every kilowatt hour he used.

Temple estimates the solar unit he's installing costs about $35,000, and that in seven to 10 years will have paid for itself.

Temple, a retired professor of wildlife ecology from the University of Wisconsin, said he sees it as a good investment.

"There's plenty of stuff you buy that doesn't pay for itself in 10 years," Temple said, giving a car as an example.

Robert Kelly, a certified solar technician and owner of the Baraboo company Solar Energy Today, installed the panels.

"It's the third system we've done since the spring," Kelly said.

Kelly said he left a profitable landscaping and tree-care business Illinois to study solar energy and get in on the ground floor of a burgeoning industry. He opened Solar Energy Today earlier this year.

"I left a $300,000 a year job just to do this," Kelly said. "I'm hoping to build a whole new company here."

He said the future looks food for his young business.

"Especially with the government incentives, with the federal tax credit and the Focus on Energy incentive and utility buy back — for people who have a little bit extra cash, its a no-brainer," Kelly said.

Kelly said he was recently certified through the Midwest Renewable Energy Association in Custer and recognized by Focus on Energy as a full-service installer of solar systems.

Chris Nelson has been following Kelly around on his jobs recently to gain experience before entering the Renewal Energy Certificate program at Madison Area Technical College.

Listening to Nelson talk about the future, its clear that it's a combination of profits and idealism that attracted him to the industry. He said he believes the financial incentives for switching to solar energy is a good thing.

"Even though there are millions and millions of people, it really comes down to us as individuals to make a difference," Nelson said.