solarnation » 2009

What Happens in Pennsylvania…

December 21, 2009

What’s happening in Pennsylvania is a miniature of the clean energy battle being fought at national and international levels today (this story), as well as an example of how ordinary citizens can be energized when vital issues aren’t accorded the attention they deserve.

In November we issued an Action Alert to solar citizens in Pennsylvania about HB80, a bill that seeks to strengthen the alternative energy portfolio standard in that state to 18%, with a 3% carve-out for solar. It’s worthwhile legislation that can, if passed, give a boost to clean energy and create some 75,000 jobs in Pennsylvania between now and 2025.

The bill, introduced by House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee member Greg Vitali, has been debated and amended and is currently Greg Vitale awaiting a vote. Realistically, according to Vitali, this won’t happen until the new year—January or February, he expects. And at present, the usual suspects have lined up on both sides of the issue. Opposing the bill are electric utilities such as Pennsylvania Power and Light, coal producers like the Pennsylvania Coal Association, and the state Chamber of Commerce. Power company Exelon is pushing for a pro-nuclear amendment. On the supportive side, amongst others, are environmental groups like PennFuture, the local IBEW chapter and a veterans’ group called Operation Free.

(more…)

Don’t Mess with Them Seniors!

December 21, 2009

The Solar Nation Action Alert on Pennsylvania’s HB80 produced a reaction from a solar citizen in Pennsylvania that can serve as validation for the concept of grass roots advocacy. At a town meeting recently, Thomasville resident Annalisa Gojmerac demanded to know why HB80 had not been wholeheartedly embraced by the state legislature. The reaction of her own state representative notwithstanding, what’s noteworthy is the positive response that her enthusiasm produced from other attendees. This is how movements get started!

We’ve reproduced Annalisa’s commentary on the meeting below to show how individuals can create momentum at town level for worthwhile clean energy initiatives. And where can this momentum lead? Annalisa comments: “I don’t really know what I can do besides going to political meetings and speaking my mind about it, quoting facts about the progress of solar and wind for our communities, large or small.” (more…)

More Coal, Less Sun

December 21, 2009

The Pennsylvania story brings into focus the coal debate, and asks how much effort should be devoted to research into, and development of, clean coal. But is Solar Nation the place to be doing it?

It most certainly is, because the way we as a nation treat our future usage of coal impinges directly on solar energy’s development and deployment prospects. We currently use coal for nearly half of our electricity needs, mainly because of its low cost; this cost is, however, artificially low, thanks to government subsidies* and our failure to include harmful externalities in its price. To be charitable, let us assume that Seth Grove, the state representative referenced by Annalise Gojmerac in the above story, is not aware of those externalities. He would do well, then, to read Dexter Gauntlett’s article in Clean Edge, Inc. (jobs.cleanedge.com):

We can no longer ignore the not-so-hidden financial and human costs of coal.

To Capture or Not to Capture

If we continue to use coal without regard to its harmful effects, we mortgage our collective futures for the price of a kilowatt-hour. If we attempt to capture and neutralize its carbon emissions, it changes from one of the cheapest to one of the most expensive fuels available**—and it’s by no means certain that those emissions can be effectively neutralized or sequestered.*** More to the point, the first of these options excludes solar from a pricing perspective, while the second would soak up invaluable resources that could be used to fund R&D in clean energy and energy efficiency. (more…)

What Happens in Pennsylvania…

Don’t Mess with Them Seniors!

More Coal, Less Sun

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