Let the Sunshine In!

When sitting down to write this post that old classic Aquarius, performed so well by the Fifth Dimension, just popped into mind. I kept hearing the ending chorus, "Let the sunshine... Let the sunshine in..."

Change in America is in full swing. The very image of Barack Obama, soon to be our political leader and commander-in-chief, is Bigtime Change in itself. It's change that's rejuvenating our politics; regenerating our culture; and restoring our good reputation abroad. Call me corny but I never left my idealism at college 36 years ago. I also served an Army hitch, so I've earned the right to be a little out there. Is this the real dawning of the Age of Aquarius?

Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind's true liberation
Aquarius!
Aquarius!

Yes, this change also will be good for solar power and all other truly renewable sources of energy. We still need to impress on President Obama that there really isn't such a thing as clean coal. Those words will always be mutually exclusive. Nuclear power needs to be fazed out, too, and our dependence on natural gas for producing electricity needs to be shown the door by 2050, if not sooner. Speaking historically, we have more knowledge and experience in clean energy solutions than we had in 1961 when we challenged ourselves to land on the moon. We did that in just eight years.

Props 7 & 10 Go Down

California voters were surprisingly discerning on Tuesday about the two big energy related propositions on the state ballot. Proposition 7, a so-called renewable energy generation initiative, blew a lot of smoke but CA voters saw threw it (see Commentary below). The measure was roundly defeated statewide by 64.9% to 35.1% of those voting. Similarly, Proposition 10, the alternative fuel vehicles and renewable energy initiative that T. Boone Pickens was behind, was defeated by nearly 20 points, 59.8% to 40.2%.

These two defeats come as a result of two factors. Californians remember being figuratively raped by outside power sharks during the energy crisis of 2000-2001. Poorly written state deregulation coupled with greedy players --Enron, Duke Energy, El Paso Corporation, Reliant Energy and Sempra Energy (parent of SDG&E)--made ratepayers like wolves being shot from airplanes. This writer sold several PV systems solely on the "backlash" effect of this travesty.

The other reason is that Californians have been at this renewable energy thing for awhile. CA residents and businesses enjoyed both a solar/wind rebate program and a state income tax credit for solar installations from 1998-2005. Although the state tax credit ended, the federal solar tax credit came into effect in January 2007 when the new California Solar Initiative (the "other" CSI) was also instituted. Whether with active participation or by osmosis, citizens in the Golden State can tell the difference between a fair, deliberate approach to energy problems and some private entities' blatant grab for cash at the public's expense.

Commentary: Power by the People for the People

Anyone reading this blog is very likely a proponent of solar power. For any sceptics who might happen by, you are certainly welcome. Either way, as a solar professional I have found there are good and not-so-good ways to stimulate solar growth in the United States and worldwide. This election year is proving my point.

Energy has never been more important to developed countries and the very rapidly developing countries of the Far East. Conventional sources of energy production--coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear--are being consumed at alarming rates. These sources get costlier as they get harder to find and mine. They're hard on the environment from which they're extracted; they pollute air and water; and they are downright dangerous to use. They are also controlled by huge conglomerates and utilities that produce and set pricing pretty much as they please.

Solar and wind power offer a rare opportunity for all of us. These truly renewable power sources can help us rearrange the typical utility-ratepayer relationship. Producing power with solar panels on the roof or adjacent lot or parking structure directly gives "power to the people." When connected to the power grid, net metering makes the utility more of a facilitator than a power provider. This sort of opportunity on a mega-scale is rare in history.


So, when voting on issues involving solar or wind power, be wary of who is behind such issues. Oil and natural gas companies and for-profit utilities are getting involved in renewable energy production either for sheer profit motives or government mandates. Overall, this isn't actually bad because it means less fossil and nuclear resources will be consumed. On the surface, the Pickens Plan (wind power) is the perfect example of this (see "Pickens: J.R. Ewing with a Twist?" Sept. 16 posting). But it also means bigtime petroleum billionaires and farflung, impersonal corporations keep control of energy, its distribution and its pricing. Furthermore, while we might assume energy from the sun and wind are cheaper to produce over the longrun, we CANNOT assume these power providers will pass along the savings.

By making direct investments in solar and wind, we are producing reliable power by ourselves for ourselves. We must all try to keep it that way.

Pickens: J.R. Ewing with a Twist?

Commentary

When I saw T. Boone Pickens' first wind power ad in June, I nearly fell off the couch. Finally, a Texas "oily" who really saw the light. Someone with enough money to spearhead renewable energy--wind--along with a pitch for solar. Then I got to thinking.

Pickens will continue to get billions from natural gas as more states restrict the burning of coal for electricity. As a depleting commodity, natural gas can only get more costly--and profitable--for Pickens. Granted, natural gas is cleaner burning than coal but as a fossil fuel it still emits greenhouse gases, mostly carbon dioxide. Investing in wind power by Pickens would appear as a forward-thinking and downright noble move on his part. The gist of the matter to me is it's a win-win for Pickens who then has two cash cows. Instead of paying for Pickens' natural-gas-generated electricity ratepayers also will be paying for Pickens' wind-power-generated electricity.

Don't get me wrong--there's nothing wrong with making a profit. The success of our country has come from a tradition of representational democracy and making a buck. But the Pickens Plan smells more like rank opportunism than altruism.

The sun and the wind it produces is for all of us--at least for now. Solar and wind power are eqalitarian in that their use for energy is equally available to many today--and hopefully to everyone very soon. I shudder to think that Big Oil and for-profit utilities make major investments in renewable energy allowing them to maintain sole control of energy as a commodity.

Would corporate-owned massive solar and wind farms provide us with cheaper electricity? Not necessarily. Even with plentiful sun and wind available would utilities control electricity supply to manipulate rates? History shows they could. Furthermore, whether utilities produce or buy renewable power, they will still remain in control of transmission and distribution which accounts for most of today's electricity charges. When individuals, businesses and co-ops decide to generate the majority of their electricity needs with grid-tied systems and net metering, they are exercising their rights to control their own energy future.

Towns and cities could do the same. Citizens of Los Angeles get most of their power from the municipally-held LA Department of Water & Power. Their rates are significantly lower than their surrounding neighbors who must use (publically-held, for-profit) Southern California Edison. LA is pushing solar power in and around the Harbor and LADWP offers rebates for residential and commercial solar installations. (The rebate program is separate from the California Solar Initiative which provides rebates for SCE, PG&E and SDG&E ratepayers.) Cities and states hold the authority to require utilities to buy solar- and wind-powered electricity, thus helping keep some control of future energy needs in the hands of the citizens. New cities can make renewable energy part of their charters and begin their own municipal utilities.

Mr. Pickens has funded Proposition 10 on the Nov. 4 ballot here in California. It's designed to give sizeable tax subsidies to natural gas-powered vehicles over hybrid vehicles. A review (below) of this proposition reveals a cynical and self-serving man. He's more like J.R. Ewing but with a twist. (http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2008/09/my_take_on_t_bo.html)