The City Council is headed down the right track with its bill to provide greater incentives for homeowners to go green.

A bill that would provide homeowners with a $300 one-time credit on their property taxes for installing solar water heaters cleared the council's budget committee last week, and now heads to the full council for final approval.

This bill deserves to pass.

Hawai'i tops the list of states as the most dependent on imported oil — and we should be doing all that we can on several fronts to change course.

Our geographic location and tropical climate make wind, ocean and solar power ideal.

Installing a solar water heating system is costly, with estimates ranging as high as $5,000, depending on the system. And while it's certainly a smart move for our environment and will eventually add up to substantial savings on one's energy bill, it can often take years to recoup the cost of the system in energy savings.

So the $300 tax credit, in addition to HECO's $1,000 rebate program and federal and state tax credits, is surely welcome relief for homeowners.

The bill, introduced by Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz and Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi, is in sync with a federal push for renewable energy sources. The U.S. House last week passed a $17 billion package of renewable energy incentives, including extending the federal solar power tax credits. The package would be paid for by eliminating existing tax breaks for big oil companies. Let's hope the U.S. Senate has the political will to say "no" to well-monied lobbyists from big oil companies, and pass its version of the renewable energy bill.

Here at home, the City Council's final vote on the solar tax credit is slated for March 19. This is one the entire council should agree on — it should be a slam-dunk to pass.