When Palm Desert, California announced that it was offering $1.25 million in loans to qualified buyers wanting to install solar power, Earl Schmid, the president of solar installation firm Desert Power, Inc. promised to spend Sunday night camped out in front of city hall to insure being first in line on Monday at 8 a.m.
That is when the city started processing the loan applications, and Schmid, who has 12 applications from city residents – some of whom have been on the energy loan waiting list for months – said he didn’t want to miss out.