Schwarzenegger to unveil compromise solar energy plan
From: Dr. Jai Maharaj (usenet_at_mantra.com)
Date: 03/02/05
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Date: Wed, 02 Mar 2005 18:14:44 GMT
Schwarzenegger to unveil compromise solar energy plan
Forwarded message from Fidyl <fidyl@yahoo.com>
[ Subject: Schwarzenegger to unveil compromise solar energy plan
[ From: Fidyl <fidyl@yahoo.com>
[ Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2005
Schwarzenegger to unveil compromise solar energy plan
By Don Thompson
ASSOCIATED PRESS
12:30 a.m. February 28, 2005
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20050228-0030-ca-calif-solarhomes.html
SACRAMENTO - Lawmakers will get their first look Monday at Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's new plan to make California a world leader in
solar energy.
The proposal, which drops some controversial provisions that doomed
his "million solar homes" plan last year, would create a 10-year
incentive fund encouraging both residences and commercial buildings
to install solar power. But it would drop a requirement that half of
all new homes eventually be solar powered. Those changes are designed
to mute opposition from businesses and the building industry.
The Public Utility Commission would decide how electricity consumers
pay into the incentive fund, most likely with a new fee on utility
bills. The administration and solar advocates say consumers will save
money because the fee would be offset by money earned from the extra
solar power generated by some consumers and used by others.
The revised proposal requires some larger developers to offer solar
power as an option by 2010, and to inform home buyers of the costs
and savings.
California builds about 150,000 new homes a year. Experience shows
about 10 percent of homeowners would choose solar if offered the
option – about 15 times the roughly 1,000 solar homes currently built
each year in the state, said Bernadette Del Chiaro, a solar advocate
for the nonprofit Environment California.
"It's clearly the most ambitious solar initiative ever proposed in
the United States," said David Hochschild, policy director for the
nonprofit organization Vote Solar.
The incentive approach is modeled on Japan, the world leader in solar
power, which has seen a 72 percent drop in solar costs as 70,000
homes have been outfitted for the alternative power over the last 10
years.
California already is the third-largest consumer of solar power
equipment, behind Germany, but gets 40 percent more annual sunlight
than Germany and 20 percent more than Japan. Hochschild calls
California "the Saudi Arabia of sunlight."
That's part of the appeal for a state that may soon again see a
repeat of the power shortages that led to rolling blackouts and
soaring electricity costs in 2000 and 2001, said Sen. John Campbell,
R-Irvine, who is sponsoring the bill package with Sen. Kevin Murray,
D-Culver City.
"The sun shines in California - it's homegrown. No other state or
country can take it from us," Campbell said.
The goal is to have 3,000 megawatts worth of solar power by 2018,
which amounts to about 5 percent of the state's entire electricity
usage at peak periods - generally hot summer afternoons when
electricity is most in demand, most expensive, and when solar panels
are most efficient.
That's the equivalent of 40 new, $30 million, 75-megawatt natural gas
plants. One megawatt is enough to power about 750 homes.
"We will be building literally power plants' worth of solar on roofs
across the state," said Del Chiaro.
The net projected savings over 10 years would be as much as $1
billion, said Campbell.
The proposal also encourages time-of-use metering, in which consumers
pay more during periods of peak demand, encouraging them to run
appliances in off-hours.
The measure also would direct the California Energy Commission to
consider requiring solar energy in the same way the commission has in
the past mandated low-flush toilets.
The goal is to create a large, stable solar market that will lower
the cost not only of components but also of installation to the point
that incentives will no longer be necessary to make solar energy
affordable.
Hochschild installed solar panels on his San Francisco home three
years ago, with the state's current rebate program paying about a
third of the cost.
His home now feeds electricity into the power grid during the day's
peak demand, and draws power at night. Because his energy supply and
demand balances out, Hochschild's electricity bill last year was zero
- the result advocates and the administration predict statewide.
The systems are projected to pay for themselves in five to 15 years,
depending on location and climate. A desert dweller, for instance, is
likely to break even more quickly than a resident along the foggy
Pacific coast.
Joe Desmond, the governor's deputy secretary for energy, is
optimistic about legislative support for the proposal, though he
acknowledges some roadblocks. "What we have here is a broad consensus
between many of the stakeholders," he said.
The existing solar incentive program is likely to run out of money in
the next few months unless lawmakers act. And the proposal could face
continued opposition from utilities and labor.
- - -
On the Net:
Read SB1 and SB1017
http://www.sen.ca.gov
Vote Solar
http://www.votesolar.org
Environment California
http://www.environmentcalifornia.org
End of forwarded message from Fidyl <fidyl@yahoo.com>
Jai Maharaj
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- Matthew 10:34-36.
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