Febrary 2009

Where Solar Nation's Been

This edition of Solar Citizen is timely, coming to you shortly after President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. And why so?

It's because you, solar citizens, have been instrumental in moving the interests of the solar community forward throughout 2008 and into 2009, culminating in the very positive outcomes for renewable energy in that economic stimulus bill. As we explained at length in last month's Solar Citizen, the combination of in-detail lobbying and grass roots communication over a range of constituencies makes an impact on legislators, and you were in the forefront of those constituencies. You made phone calls and sent e-mails in support of investment tax credits for clean energy every time the topic resurfaced on Capitol Hill (something like every month from mid-07 to late-08), and this effort—in conjunction with the efforts of sympathetic groups and Hill lobbyists—saved it from being drowned by determined opposition.

The tax credits were extended, as part of the economic bailout, in October 2008. We were immediately reminded, as they say, to be careful what we wished for; the wretched economic situation had reduced the tax liability of so many potential investors that a tax credit lost most of its value. So, again with your help, we pushed for some sort of monetization of the credits; with the signing of HR1 last week this was satisfied in the form of replacement grants from Treasury.

So we've been on a long and winding road, but we've been on it together and reached an important milestone. And we're very grateful that you traveled it with us. Read on, to see where the road now leads.

Where Solar Nation Goes From Here

A lot of the issues that we and others have been fighting for have now—finally—been signed into law by President Obama in the economic stimulus package. On the purely solar side, you can find a summary of the key provisions here, courtesy of the Solar Energy Industries Association.

As good as the package is, with grants and loans for renewables, 'green collar' job support and provisions for smart grid projects, we know there's work still to be done this year. We expect that a national renewable electricity standard bill will reach the floor of both chambers before long, with the possibility of a new energy bill and even a climate change bill to come.

These are all important steps toward creating a solar nation, and we need your help every step of the way. Solar Nation is the only nationwide grass roots advocacy group capable of showing legislators, regulators and officials how much citizen support solar power enjoys. Lawmakers at federal and state levels hear plenty from industry groups and lobbies, but you - solar citizens - represent votes, and when you raise your voice they listen.

Your tax-deductible donation can help us help America to become a solar nation. When you click on the DONATE button, you'll be directed to our secure giving site hosted by Co-op America, and your donation will keep us working for America's future.

Thanks Solar Citizen!

How Stimulating was it?

It's been discussed and dismissed, vilified and valued, amended and abridged, marked up and mocked, and finally slimmed down and signed into law. HR1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009/President Obama's $787B Stimulus Package, is now a reality and contains some $60 billion for renewable energy. Here's a snapshot of its renewable energy provisions, and some links to documents covering the bill in greater detail:

Read the rest of the article here

Turn Your Utility toward the Sun

In the June 2008 issue of Solar Citizen we reported on a new study that shows that solar power could provide 10% of US electricity needs by 2025 with the active participation of electric utilities. It also makes the point that without utility involvement, solar will never grow to become a significant contributor to our energy future.

Many solar citizens consider the involvement of utilities in solar generation tantamount to a hijacking by Big Business of the yeoman-generator model of energy self-sufficiency. Given how, in any recent age, BB has repeatedly subsumed everyday commerce into its ambit by means fair or foul, this is not an unreasonable fear. And if Big Utilities use their clout to siphon off funds, taxes or credits intended for citizen-level initiatives, the fear will have been realized. But the recently-passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka Stimulus Package) has provided considerable support for clean energy at all levels, including residential rooftop solar, and absent BB end-runs that somehow evade the attention of advocacy watchdog groups, we feel that both ends of the spectrum will be served.

At the distributed end of that spectrum, where reside customer-owned residential and commercial systems, what is most crucial to success is the attitude of your electric utility to net metering and interconnection; more of that below. But whatever your utility's attitude, it will need to plan now for integration of solar into its fuel source mix, as we prepare for the probability of a national renewable electricity standard and as coal, oil and gas become progressively less acceptable and more expensive.

Read the rest of the article here

The Spread of a Good Idea

In January we described a new way of paying for solar systems—municipal tax assessment financing—recently adopted by the city of Berkeley, CA. It's a mechanism in which the city pays for system purchase and installation, and the property owner reimburses the city through extra property tax payments over an extended period.

The Berkeley FIRST program, whose first round of financing opened and closed in November 2008, is attracting attention in other states. In that same month, the voters of Boulder County, Colorado approved a ballot measure permitting the county to sell up to $40 million in bonds to fund its ClimateSmart Loan Program. And last week, the County Sustainability Co-ordinator presented a proposal to the Board of Commissioners spelling out the details of the program as they apply to the residential sector (which should receive some 70% of the funding).

What's covered in the proposal includes energy efficiency measures such as air sealing, ventilation, insulation, programmable thermostats and reflective roofs, and renewable energy measures like solar hot water, PV, small wind and wood/pellet stoves. Recommended loan amounts range from $3000 to $50000 per property, with terms of 15-20 years.

The very latest news is that the commissioners have received the proposal favorably. Boulder County intends to move ahead quickly with the program, holding workshops in March to explain all aspects of the program to applicants, and accepting applications from April 1-10. It will be interesting to see whether the Colorado program can beat the Berkeley record of selling out the entire round of financing in nine minutes!

Being Your Town's Solar Hero

While we're on the subject of municipalities, we thought we'd give you another chance to download the toolkit we prepared last month for convincing your town government to install PV solar on town buildings.

The toolkit will enable you to give a presentation to your town showing how municipal buildings—and the town itself—would benefit from being powered with PV. The toolkit contains:

1. A document explaining what steps you should take to prepare for the presentation;
2. The PowerPoint presentation, with notes to help you over unfamiliar issues;
3. A file combining the slide presentation with an audio file of the presentation being given before an audience.

Click here to get started on becoming a solar hero. Or if you're already planning to be one and still have questions, click here to ask; we'll give whatever help we can.