California Dreaming - Solarboom in Kalifornien! - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

[jellyfisch]

Arnold Schwarzenegger will Solarenergie massiv fördern , letztes Jahr
ist er im Senat gescheitert, aber dieses Jahr siehts sehr gut aus, im Laufe dieses Monats
wird es sich wohl entscheiden, ob er damit durchkommt (siehe Artikel unten).

Der hohe Ölpreis, die kalifornischen Stromversorgungsprobleme und die positive Einstellung der
Bevölkerung zu sauberen Energien lassen auf das Zustandekommen der Förderungsmaßnahmen hoffen.

Nach dem 10-Jahres-Plan sollen 3000MW installiert werden, in Deutschland
wurden in 2004 363MW installiert.

Deutsche Solarunternehemen dürften von diesem potentiellen Boom auch profitieren.
Wer weiß, welche börsennotierten deutschen Firmen schon vor Ort sind, außer Conergy?
(Solarworld hatte auch mal die Absicht erklärt, dort aktiv zu werden)



Million Solar Roofs Victory in California Senate by Jesse Broehl, Editor, RenewableEnergyAccess.com

June 2, 2005

Sacramento, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] California may be home to 80 percent of the U.S. solar market but with current incentives dwindling, advocates and the industry alike were buoyed this week by legislative action to promote solar. California`s State Senate overwhelmingly passed SB 1, the Million Solar Roofs Initiative, propelling the comprehensive solar policy package to the full state Assembly with strong bi-partisan and public support.

" I`m very encouraged by this as it will send the bill to the Assembly with a lot more momentum."

- David Hochschild, Director of Programs for the California-based Vote Solar Initiative The bill, co-authored by Senators Kevin Murray (D-Los Angeles) and John Campbell (R-Orange County) and strongly endorsed by Governor Schwarzenegger, cleared this first major hurdle on Thursday by a vote of 28 to 3.

SB1 would create a ten-year program of incentives for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems with the goal of installing one million solar systems throughout the state while leading to a self-sufficient solar industry. The program would result in 3000 MW of solar systems in California, producing enough renewable electricity equivalent to the output of 60 peaking power plants.

Unlike last year`s plan, which failed to pass on razor-thin margins, the Governor`s new Million Solar Roofs Initiative does away with a mandatory requirement that all California builders include solar energy systems on all new homes. Instead, this year`s bill focuses on ensuring long term stability for solar through a guarantee of declining buy-down rebates for no less than 10 years. And home builders are simply required to offer solar as an option to the homeowner, and not necessarily to include a system on every home.

Besides such improvements over last year`s legislation, vigorous public support is also playing an even stronger role in this bill`s steady advance.

" We have a coalition of 14 groups that sent email outreach which produced of 5000 emails into the Senate and I think that`s really critical in the momentum we`re seeing now," said David Hochschild, Director of Programs for the California-based Vote Solar Initiative. " Each successive piece of solar legislation is gathering more support."

Hochschild explained that the push for AB 58, a net-metering piece of legislation, came up in 2002, it was considered a marginal issues with little more than the solar industry, Vote Solar and a handful of others behind the bill. This year, not only is the prominent Governor behind the bill, but there`s been a relative groundswell of support from the public, grassroots organizations, a chorus of prominent organizations like the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Sierra Club -- even celebrities like Robert Redford and Edward Norton.

" We`re hoping for a `perfect storm` this summer of public outreach," Hochschild said. " I`m very encouraged by this as it will send the bill to the Assembly with a lot more momentum."

(In full disclosure, it should be noted that RenewableEnergyAccess.com was involved in the outreach and support for SB 1 through the new RE Action Network.)

Funding for the incentives is unlikely to come from the state`s ailing budget but from a small fee added to ratepayer electric bills. The Public Utilities Commission would ultimately decide how to arrange the funding mechanism.

Solar PV power production coincides perfectly when the power grid is most stressed by overall demand. The Million Solar Roofs Initiative focuses on lowering this peak electricity demand, and therefore solar thermal (solar hot-water) technologies are not included in SB1 as proposed. Despite occasional calls for a more comprehensive bill to include their technology, the
solar thermal industry has not been particularly vocal.

According to Bernadette Del Chiaro, Clean Energy Advocate with Environment California, opposition to the Million Solar Roofs bill on the Senate Floor focused on the retail price of solar power, a distributed generation technology owned by the end users, compared with conventional, wholesale central-station power plants.

" Opponents to SB 1 are comparing apples to oranges," Del Chiaro said. " The cost of solar power should always be compared with retail electric rates - what we as consumers avoid having to pay when we own a solar system - not wholesale power available to utility companies and then marked up for a profit."

A recent report (see link below) spearheaded by Americans for Solar Power (ASPv), looks at solar`s value in terms of mitigating peak demand and offering ratepayer based power. The report specifically quantifies 14 key areas where solar photovoltaic (PV) power provides added value to ratepayers, the electric grid and even to utilities, which are typically hostile to solar.

For example, solar PV is worth an additional 3.24 to 9.71 cents / kWh when factoring in the avoided generation cost of natural gas -- the increasingly expensive fuel that is primarily used in California`s peak demand, or " peaker" , power plants. Also, the value that PV helps utilities avoid for operations and maintenance of their traditional generation is in the range of 0.19 to 0.44 cents / kWh. In all, the ASPv study identified 14 value figures equaling a total range of additional PV value between 7.8 to 22.4 cents / kWh.

With this week`s successful vote in the State Senate, the Million Solar Roofs bill advances to the California Assembly, with a hearing in Assembly Utilities Committee later in June. The bill will have to pass additional committees along with an overall floor vote and a Senate reconciliation vote.

[nino@]

endlich !!!!
gogogogooo made in germany

[jellyfisch]

Arnie muß ja ziemlich angetan sein vom deutschen EEG,
Ökonomie und Umweltschutz können sehr wohl miteinander
und das aus dem Munde eines "Republikaners" :

Renewable Energy to Play Role in New CA Emissions Reductions
June 7, 2005


Sacramento, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] During the same week that California`s State Senate overwhelmingly passed a comprehensive bill to promote solar energy in the state, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets for the entire state. Renewable energy technologies are expected to play a part in these new goals.

"California will continue to be a leader in the fight against global warming and protecting our environment. Today I am establishing clear and ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our state to protect our many natural resources, public health, agriculture and diverse landscape."
Governor Schwarzenegger The Governor signed Executive Order S-3-05 which establishes these GHG targets and charges the California Environmental Protection Agency secretary with the coordination of the oversight of efforts to achieve them. He unveiled the plan while speaking at the United Nations World Environment Day in San Francisco.

"California will continue to be a leader in the fight against global warming and protecting our environment. Today I am establishing clear and ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our state to protect our many natural resources, public health, agriculture and diverse landscape," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "By working together we can meet the needs of both our economy and environment. Together we can continue California`s environmental heritage and legacy of leadership in innovation in cutting-edge technology."

Part of that cutting-edge technology is the wide array of renewable energy companies that do business in the state. Solar energy has been a particularly prominent player in the state and will no-doubt play a role in the Governor`s emissions reduction targets.

The targets the Governor announced today call for a reduction of GHG emissions to 2000 levels by 2010; a reduction of GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020; and a reduction of GHG emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.

In his speech, the Governor said California is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change through the reduction in the quality and supply of water to the state from the Sierra snow pack; the exacerbation of California`s air quality problems; the adverse impact on human health by increasing heat stress and related deaths, incidence of infectious disease, and risk of asthma, respiratory and other health problems; the rise in sea level along the 1,100 miles of coastline; and detrimental impacts to agriculture due to increased temperatures, diminished water supply and changes in the abundance and distribution of pests.

"Technologies that reduce GHG emissions are increasingly in demand in the worldwide marketplace," said California Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Allan Lloyd. "California companies investing in these technologies are well placed to benefit from this demand. This will boost California`s economy and protect public health and the environment."

The California Environmental Protection Agency secretary will coordinate development and implementation of strategies to achieve the GHG reduction targets in conjunction with the secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, the secretary of the Department of Food and Agriculture, the secretary of the Resources Agency, the chairperson of the Air Resources Board, the chairperson of the Energy Commission and the president of the Public Utilities Commission. The work of the agencies will build on the efforts underway at the Air Resources Board, the Energy Commission and the Public Utilities Commission. The secretary will report to the Governor and the Legislature on progress made, mitigation and adaptation proposals and options for a GHG emission cap and trade systems to reduce GHG emissions in the most cost effective manner possible. Executive Order S-3-05 requires the secretary to make the first report on progress to the Governor and the Legislature by January 2006.

[jellyfisch]

Arnold Schwarzenegger will besseres Klima + 06.06.2005 +
Im Gegensatz zu seinem republikanischen Parteifreund George W. Bush will Kaliforniens Regierungschef Arnold Schwarzenegger viel für den Klimaschutz tun.

Bei einer Umweltkonferenz in San Francisco unterschrieb der "grüne Terminator" ein Dokument, mit denen die Treibhausgase in Kalifornien in den nächsten fünf Jahren auf das Niveau des Jahres 2000 und bis 2020 auf das Niveau des Jahres 1990 gesenkt werden sollen. Im Jahr 2050 soll der Ausstoß um 80 Prozent geringer sein als 1990.


Das ist bisher weltweit das ehrgeizigste Klimaschutzziel, das eine Regierung anstrebt. Die Enquete- Kommission Klimaschutz des deutschen Bundestags hatte vor einigen Jahren ebenfalls empfohlen, die Treibhausgase bis 2050 um 80 Prozent gegenüber 1990 zu reduzieren. Schwarzeneggers Regierung hat schon 2004 ein ehrgeiziges Ziel für erneuerbare Energien festgelegt: 2020 sollen 33 Prozent aller Energien in Kalifornien regenerativ gewonnen werden.

[CleanEarthForNature]

ER = ZURÜCK

CleanEarthForNature

[jellyfisch]

Die Käufer von morgen werden umworben,
Sharp Solar sponsort Baseball-Team:

Giant Step for Sharp Solar
June 8, 2005

San Francisco, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Sharp Electronics Corporation and the San Francisco Giants Baseball Club have partnered to promote solar power as an energy alternative. As part of this unique sponsorship, Sharp has launched a radio promotion that encourages fans to generate their own power using a solar energy system, and has installed a Sharp solar electric system and multi-media kiosk at SBC Park.

Sharp sponsors more than two dozen professional sports teams in the U.S., and the Giants partnership is the first promoting solar energy Sharp sponsors more than two dozen professional sports teams in the U.S., and the Giants partnership is the first promoting solar energy. It`s believed the agreement also represents a first in both the solar and sports industries in the U.S.

"Solar is one of the key priorities for Sharp Corporation worldwide, so the timing is just right for us to raise awareness of solar through an association with a major professional sports franchise," said Ron Kenedi, general manager of Sharp`s Solar Systems Division. "Our hope is that the installation at SBC Park will serve as a model for a stadium that satisfies a substantial amount of its electricity needs with solar energy."

Sharp is participating in a radio promotion on the Giants` flagship radio station, KNBR 680/1050 AM, that will air through the end of July. The 30-second spots encourage consumers to take advantage of California`s rebates and tax credits to install a solar electric system on their homes and urges listeners to call Sharp for a solar evaluation. Sharp will also participate in a solar energy system giveaway through KNBR`s Ultimate Home Makeover program, offering a $5,000 gift certificate toward the purchase of a system.

In addition to the radio promotions, Sharp has installed a 4.5-kilowatt solar energy system on the roof adjacent to the Giants` offices at SBC Park that transfers energy directly into the ballpark`s electrical grid. The system consists of 27 167-watt Sharp solar modules and is typical of the type of system used on a standard California residence.

The solar system`s electrical output is monitored by a multi-media kiosk located in the left-field concourse. Utilizing a touch-screen display, fans can access real-time information and live performance data about the system and learn about solar energy and its benefits, as well as request additional information about solar from Sharp.

Sharp sponsorship of the "Crowd Noise Meter" at selected games and other promotional programs draw attention to the stadium`s solar energy system. The multi-year nature of the sponsorship will enable Sharp and the Giants to discuss development of a solar energy system designed to meet more of the ballpark`s energy requirements in the future.

[jellyfisch]

By Review staff
Jun 11 2005

Inslee touts clean energy
U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee introduced a comprehensive clean energy bill in Congress Wednesday, legislation aimed at reducing dependence on foreign oil while boosting jobs and environmental health at home.
“America can no longer rely on an energy source that threatens our national security, melts our glaciers and mires our hi-tech economy in an oily morass,” the Bainbridge Democrat said of the proposed “New Apollo Energy” project. “Today we give Americans a clear choice between the oil-soaked energy policy of the Republicans and a New Apollo Energy Act for clean energy.”
The bill’s development included several years of meetings with business leaders and town hall forums.
New Apollo is aimed at boosting technological innovation much in the same way President Kennedy channeled resources in his Apollo project to win the race to the moon, Inslee said.
Key features of the bill include:

• Almost $50 billion in government loan guarantees for the construction of power plants using wind, solar, geothermal or cleaner-burning coal energy.
• Over $10 billion for clean energy research and investment tax credits.
• Cutting oil use by 600,000 barrels a day in the next five years and up to 3 million barrels by 2020.
• Consumer incentives for fuel-efficient vehicles, including tax credits for hybrid, alternative-fuel, low-emission diesel and fuel-cell vehicles.
• A cap on greenhouse gas emissions, specifically targeting coal burners with $7 billion worth of loans to develop cleaner power plants.
• New standards for utilities requiring them to produce 10 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2021.
• Barriers to some corporate tax shelters and loopholes that allow companies to circumvent pollution rules.
Inslee also believes the bill will increase high-paying jobs in clean energy fields. A study by the Apollo Alliance found that a substantial federal commitment to clean energy could yield over 3 million jobs nationally. Inslee said many of those new jobs would likely sprout in tech-savvy Washington state.
“An investment in clean energy will create millions of domestic jobs – jobs that we are now losing to Japan, Germany and Denmark because this president has stuck his head in the sand on renewable energy policy ,” he said. “Washington state, with its hi-tech infrastructure and historic creativity, is poised to benefit from a clean energy investment.”

[jellyfisch]

Schwarzenegger Misfires With Solar Subsidy
Posted Jun 17, 2005


California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R.) is fighting the good fight on union power, taxes and government reform, so we can forgive him when he occasionally misfires, as he has with his “Million Solar Roofs Initiative” to subsidize photovoltaic (PV) systems.

PV systems convert sunlight into electricity. This is great, but for a few problems: They are costly, they rarely produce the electricity claimed, and, even with subsidies, PV does not pay for itself.

Senate Bill 1 is the legislative vehicle for the governor’s initiative. It passed out of the California Senate on a 30-to-5 vote with only Republican opposition. The next stop is the Assembly, then the governor’s desk.

California has about 12,000 PV systems producing 93 megawatts (MW) of power. The initiative aims to install one million PV systems by 2018 to produce about 3,000 MW (one unit at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station produces 1,100 MW). Because PV costs $9,000 per kilowatt to install, several times the cost of other power sources, it requires what über-Schwarzenegger economics adviser Milton Friedman would call a free-market distorting subsidy just to make it attractive.

How much of a subsidy? The plan’s supporters predict up to $2.5 billion over 10 years, while one utility estimates $7 billion. This taxpayer support reduces the cost of a typical residential PV installation from $27,000 to $17,205. If the system performed as claimed (a 2004 study showed PV operated at only 39% of capacity during peak demand), the residential PV system owner would save $371 a year on his electric bill—less than 2.2% of the subsidized cost, making a return on investment impossible.

California homeowners already pay 55% more for their electricity than the national average. California businesses pay 94% more, while the most endangered of California species—industry—forks out 146% more for their electric bill than their out-of-state competitors.

The solution to our energy problem is not a million solar roofs. Rather, we should remove the outdated political roadblocks to building more nuclear power plants. Nuclear power is the one source of non-greenhouse emitting energy we Americans can build and fuel ourselves. San Onofre alone each year saves 188 billion cubic feet of natural gas. Furthermore, technical advances have made nuclear power much safer. While we don’t seem to find much about the French worth emulating, it is of note that nuclear power produces 80% of the electricity on France’s power grid.

Is it sound public policy to allow a homeowner with a BMW and a Mercedes in his garage the pleasure of assuaging his environmental guilt by wasting $27,000 on a PV system while passing $10,000 of his costs to John Q. Public through generous tax breaks and a $15-per-year hike in his electric bill? No. When Democrats representing working-class constituents realize this and link up with Republicans, this bill may be stopped in the Assembly.

Mr. DeVore (R.-Irvine) represents 450,000 people in coastal Orange County`s 70th Assembly District. He also serves as a major in the Army National Guard

[jellyfisch]

June 17, 2005

Washington, DC, USA: Senate Energy Bill Proposes Strongest National Policy for Solar Energy in Two Decades

The Senate Finance Committee today took the first major step in more than 20 years toward a national solar energy policy, recommending an energy tax package that would make solar power more affordable for American homeowners and businesses.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), representing over 700 companies and 20,000 employees in the US solar energy industry, applauded the inclusion of tax credits for solar power as the industry’s top legislative priority in the Energy Bill. SEIA credited the entire Senate Finance Committee, notably senators Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Michael Crapo (R-ID), for showing bipartisan leadership in support of solar power.

“With natural gas and electricity prices skyrocketing, Americans are looking to their government to speed the growth of domestic energy sources,” said Rhone Resch, SEIA president. “This legislation would allow more individual Americans to make a real contribution and statement of choice on the direction of US energy demand. Solar equals clean, domestic, secure energy – with a more affordable price tag.”

The legislation reported by the Senate Finance Committee would enable businesses that purchase solar electric systems (either photovoltaics or concentrating solar power) or water heating systems to claim a 30% tax credit on the cost of the system.

And for the first time since 1982, homeowners that choose to “go solar” would be eligible for a federal tax credit, worth up to $2000. The credit would be available to businesses and homeowners through the end of 2009.

Having passed the Senate Finance Committee, the tax package will now be considered by the full Senate as an amendment to the energy bill, with passage likely by the end of June. The House and the Senate will then move to conference to work out differences between their respective energy bills.

Industry leaders said the legislation would cut the cost of solar power by half, create tens of thousands of new American jobs, and save US consumers billions of dollars on electricity and natural gas bills in the next decade.

“A usable investment tax credit would bring solar costs over the tipping point in many areas of the country,” said Resch. “More consumers would take a step towards energy independence by choosing solar power – and that means cleaner air, more jobs, and greater energy security for all.”

Further details about: Solar Energy Industries Association

[jellyfisch]

Hollywood auf dem Ökotrip

US-Filmstars entdecken den Umweltschutz. Und Gouverneur Arnold Schwarzenegger führt sie an

Von Cerstin Gammelin

Ed Begley ist schlecht gelaunt. 13 Milliarden US-Dollar habe Kalifornien bisher für den Krieg im Irak gezahlt, wettert der TV-Star. Wenn nur die Hälfte davon in grüne Energien investiert worden wäre, dann wären die Energieprobleme des US-Bundesstaats gelöst, so der beliebte Late-Night-Moderator.

Begley lebt in einem nicht klimatisierten, aber wärmegedämmten Solarstrom-Haus in Los Angeles und fährt ein Elektroauto. Und: Er ist kein Einzelfall. Ganz Hollywood ist auf dem Ökotrip. Charlize Theron fuhr im Erdgasauto bei der Oscar-Verleihung vor, Marlon Brando rüstet seine Südsee-Inseln mit Sonnenkollektoren aus, Leonardo diCaprio sponsert Solardächer in Los Angeles. Und der jüngste Thriller aus der kalifornischen Filmfabrik, The Day After Tomorrow, lässt das Eis der Antarktis schmelzen und Metropolen im Ozean versinken – Schreckensbilder einer Ökokatastrophe.

Ein solches Horrorszenario zu verhindern, betrat nun der einstige Terminator und jetzige Gouverneur Kaliforniens die Bühne. Arnold Schwarzenegger hat ein energiepolitisches Programm aufgelegt, das den wirtschaftsstärksten US-Bundesstaat beim Klimaschutz an die Weltspitze katapultieren könnte. Jede dritte Kilowattstunde Strom soll im Jahr 2020 aus Erdwärme, Sonne, Wind und Biomasse gewonnen werden. Gesetzlich fixierte Grenzwerte für den Ausstoß von Klimakillern wie Kohlendioxid, Methan und FCKW sollen alte Autos von den Highways verbannen. Und gemeinsam mit den anderen US-Westküstenstaaten und Kanada lässt Schwarzenegger den Handel mit Emissionszertifikaten vorbereiten; damit will er den Bau effizienter Kraftwerke und Fabriken vor allem in Silicon Valley anregen. Eine gesunde Umwelt sei Voraussetzung für Wirtschaftswachstum, Beschäftigung und Steuereinnahmen, verkündet der Gouverneur.

Neun Hummer im Fuhrpark

Versuchens Sie es doch mal!

Das sind ganz andere Töne, als sie von Schwarzeneggers Parteifreunden in Washington zu hören sind. Auf deren Geld freilich ist „Arnie“ angewiesen, denn Kalifornien ist hoch verschuldet; ein Drittel des 100-Milliarden-Dollar-Etats fließt bereits in den Schuldendienst. In der Hoffnung auf Finanzspritzen aus Washington macht Schwarzenegger sich deshalb auch für ein Lieblingsprojekt von George W. Bush stark: für die Wasserstoffwirtschaft. Wasserstoff soll nach Meinung des US-Präsidenten die 200Millionen in den USA zugelassenen Autos, die zwei Drittel der täglich im Land verbrauchten 20 Millionen Fass Erdöl schlucken, vom schwarzen Gold unabhängig machen. 1,7 Milliarden Dollar will Bush für die Entwicklung des „Treibstoffes der Freiheit“ ausgeben. Und genau davon will Schwarzenegger nun einen schönen Batzen abbekommen.

In seinem privaten Fuhrpark beherbergt „Arnie“ unter anderem neun Hummer, extrem benzindurstige Supergeländewagen. Doch nun will der Gouverneur mit Hilfe Washingtons entlang des Pacific Coast Highway, des berühmten Highway Number One, 200 Wasserstofftankstellen bauen lassen. 2010 sollen eine Million wasserstoffgetriebener Autos „ohne Emissionen und Smog“ in den Metropolen am Pazifik fahren. Eine Vision, deren Umsetzung das Gewissen seiner Wähler entlasten würde. Im Durchschnitt bewegt jeder Kalifornier, vom Baby bis zum Greis, ein Auto jeden Tag 30 Meilen weit. 58 Prozent aller Kohlendioxidemissionen im Sonnenstaat entstammen den Auspuffrohren. Die Abgase bescherten Los Angeles im vergangenen Jahr bereits an 68 Tagen Smogalarm. Und es könnten bald noch mehr sein, warnt Terry Tamminen, Kaliforniens Umweltminister, und erinnert an die 100000 registrierten Smogkranken.

Autofahren ohne Klimafrevel – da sind die Kalifornier begeistert. Aber verspricht Schwarzenegger womöglich mehr, als er halten kann? Ja, fürchtet Matt Petersen, Präsident von Global Green in Santa Monica, dem Wahlkreis des Gouverneurs. Zu teure Autos, zu wenig Tankstellen, ungelöste Speicherprobleme, kein Konzept zur klimafreundlichen Produktion des Treibstoffs – es seien noch viele Probleme zu lösen, bevor „Arnies“ Traum Wirklichkeit werden kann, erklärt Global Green. Die Öko-Organisation berät Promis wie Sting, Tom Hanks und Cameron Diaz bei ihrem grünen Engagement.

Wenigstens 15 Jahre werde es dauern, heißt es auch in der Forschungsabteilung von BMW, bis wasserstoffgetriebene Fahrzeuge vom Band laufen, die amerikanischen Ansprüchen genügen: 300 Meilen Reichweite, fünf Minuten Tankzeit, marktfähiger Preis. Der deutsche Autokonzern plant zwar offiziell für 2007 die erste Serie der Zukunftsfahrzeuge – noch vor den Konkurrenten Toyota und Honda. Voraussetzung ist jedoch, dass mindestens jede siebte Tankstelle über eine Wasserstoffzapfsäule verfügt, damit die emissionsfreien Fahrzeuge überhaupt akzeptable Strecken zurücklegen können.

Und wie realistisch ist eine solche Dichte? Michael Jones, beim Ölmulti BP für das Wasserstoffprojekt zuständig, hält ein derart engmaschiges Tankstellennetz für ebenso unwahrscheinlich wie die von Schwarzenegger angekündigte emissionsfreie Produktion des Wasserstoffs aus Sonne, Wind und Biomasse. Der Grund: Der Treibstoffpreis wäre zu hoch. Der aus Wasser hergestellte Ökosprit wäre fünfmal so teuer wie Normalbenzin.

Es ist denn auch weniger der Hydrogen-Hype als eine andere Gesetzesinitiative, die Autokonzerne und Ölmultis gebannt nach Sacramento starren lässt. Weltweit erstmalig will Schwarzenegger von 2006 an den Ausstoß jener Gase limitieren, die für die Erderwärmung verantwortlich gemacht werden: Methan, Kohlendioxid (CO2), Stickoxid und Fluorchlorkohlenwasserstoffe. Umweltminister Tamminen möchte diese Treibhausgasemissionen um bis zu ein Drittel reduzieren. Dabei arbeite er, wie er sagt, „eng mit deutschen Klimaschutzstrategen zusammen“.

Tatsächlich gilt mittlerweile als sicher, dass die vom Umweltbundesamt in Berlin vorgeschlagenen CO2-Grenzwerte zwar in Deutschland nicht durchzusetzen sind, wohl aber in Kalifornien. Schwarzenegger will das Gesetz noch vor der Sommerpause verabschieden. Allerdings wird er Honda, Toyota, BMW und Co., die sich heftig gegen strengere Vorschriften wehren, für „technische Anpassungen“ eine Gnadenfrist bis 2009 einräumen.

Außerdem will Schwarzenegger den Industriebetrieben und Kraftwerken die Luftverschmutzung abgewöhnen. Damit geht er auf Konfrontation zu Parteifreund Bush, der die Emissionsauflagen beim Bau neuer Fabriken deutlich gelockert hat. Der Regierungschef in Sacramento möchte dagegen seine Wähler vor Schadstoffen schützen. Klimasünder sollen zahlen oder in effiziente und umweltfreundliche Betriebe investieren. Gelingen soll dies durch den Handel mit Emissionszertifikaten – nach europäischem Vorbild. Gemeinsam mit den Nachbarstaaten Oregon, Washington und Kanada basteln die kalifornischen Umweltschützer bereits an einem einheitlichen Erfassungssystem für Kohlendioxidemissionen. Das sei der erste Schritt zum Emissionshandel, sagt Tamminen. Dass der langjährige Umweltminister unter Schwarzenegger im Amt blieb, gilt als Bestätigung der ernsthaften grünen Absichten des neuen Gouverneurs.

Ein Drittel grüner Strom

Hollywood puscht das grüne Lebensgefühl. Allen voran drängt TV-Star Ed Begley darauf, die Filmstudios mittels Solarenergie zu betreiben. Die Chancen dafür stehen nicht schlecht. Dieser Tage winkte der Senat in Sacramento gegen den erbitterten Widerstand der Baubranche ein Programm durch, das von 2006 an Solarzellen auf einem Viertel der jährlich neu gebauten Häuser in Kalifornien vorschreibt. Bei 135000 neuen Häusern summiert sich der Zuwachs an Sonnenenergie jährlich auf die Kapazität eines ausgewachsenen Kraftwerkes. Außerdem will Schwarzenegger den Bau von Windfarmen, Biomassekraftwerken und geothermalen Energiezentralen mittels günstiger Kredite fördern. Spätestens 2010 soll ein Fünftel des kalifornischen Stroms so produziert werden. Derzeit liefern erneuerbare Energien nur etwa sieben Prozent des im Golden State verbrauchten Stroms.

Für sein großes Ziel, 2020 ein Drittel Ökostrom ins kalifornische Netz zu speisen, sucht Schwarzenegger derweil Allianzen mit seinen Nachbarn. Mit Bill Richardson, dem demokratischen Gouverneur von New Mexico und einstigen Energieminister unter Bill Clinton, vereinbarte der Republikaner, bis 2015 mindestens 30000 Megawatt erneuerbare Kraftwerkskapazität zu bauen und so 15 Prozent des Strombedarfs der Region zu decken. Damit stemmt sich der Gouverneur gegen die Pläne der amerikanischen Bundesregierung, die in Kalifornien den Bau von 35 neuen Kohlekraftwerke vorsehen.

Bei der Weltkonferenz zum Ausbau der erneuerbaren Energien, die nächste Woche in Bonn stattfindet, verzichtet Schwarzenegger indes auf einen Auftritt. Kalifornien erledige jetzt Hausaufgaben, entschuldigt Umweltminister Tamminen seinen Chef. Und dann sich selbst. Reisekosten nach Europa gebe das Budget nicht her.

(c) DIE ZEIT 27.05.2004 Nr.23

[jellyfisch]

Solar Becomes a Growing Example in California
June 17, 2005

Fresno, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] As a farmer, Pat Ricchuiti already considers himself one of the biggest users of solar energy because of all the crops he grows, but he will now be relying on the sun for more than just photosynthesis. The Fresno County Farm Bureau president is currently finishing one of the largest, privately financed solar-energy systems in the state. He unveiled the $6.4 million project last week to California energy officials, who toured P-R Farms in Clovis to get a closer look at how the most popular renewable energy source will be used to power Ricchuiti`s 150,000-square-foot packinghouse.

"Yes, it requires a long payback, but there`s the economic interest as well. People feel that if they can reduce their energy costs for the next 20 or 30 years, that`s a payback; that`s an investment they`re making."

"It`s the right thing to do for the environment and for controlling my energy costs in the future," he said. "We have the square footage on the roof to accommodate it. Other (renewable energy) sources require other kinds of programs and do not utilize the environmental benefits as well as solar. This is the cleanest form of energy there is. There are no emissions. We felt it best suited our needs."

Like many of these large solar projects in California, it wouldn`t have happened without a state rebate administered and disbursed by Ricchuiti`s electric utility. Per the state mandate, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. covered 50 percent of the project`s total cost, bringing Ricchuiti`s cost down to $3.2 million.

According to PG&E, Ricchuiti`s 928 kW system is the largest solar rebate the utility company will issue.

At full capacity, Ricchuiti`s solar system will supply enough electricity to power 50 percent of his packing facility, which processes about 1.5 million boxes of peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, oranges and apples a year. That amount of electricity will also be enough to power about 216 homes a year, said PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno.

Only about 25 percent of the system is currently up, said Ricchuiti, but he expects to be completely on line by early July. The project also included retrofitting higher energy-efficiency lighting for the plant.

Ricchuiti acknowledged it would take some time for the project to pay for itself. He was initially told it would take him six years to recoup the cost, but after some recalculations, he estimated his payback period would be more like nine to 11 years.

"That was a big concern," he said, adding that without the state rebate, he would be looking at a payback period of more than 20 years.

The high upfront cost and long-term payoff can be a deterrent for those considering solar, said Moreno. But so far, there has been no shortage of applicants for the incentive programs, which are paid for by California ratepayers. California`s four major utility companies have reported long waiting lists and limited funding, prompting the California Public Utilities Commission to scale back the incentive level in January to stretch funding dollars.

"Yes, it requires a long payback, but there`s the economic interest as well," Moreno said. "People feel that if they can reduce their energy costs for the next 20 or 30 years, that`s a payback; that`s an investment they`re making. It`s certainly a long-term investment."

With an average annual energy bill of more than $1 million, Ricchuiti said he was willing to make that long-term investment because "after the payback period, I`ve got a certain amount of free energy." Although he has more room on his roof for additional solar panels, the incentive program only pays up to one MW, which is solar PV terms, is quite large.

Projects less than 30 kW are not eligible for CPUC`s Self-Generation Incentive Program, but the California Energy Commission offers a similar program to help fund projects less than 30 kilowatts in size, known as the emerging renewables program.

Steve Schafer, a winegrape grower in Madera County, is in his first year of using a 35 kW solar system to power his 120-acre vineyard and home. He has situated the 3,000-square-foot solar panels on a pasture next to the vineyard so that he didn`t have to sacrifice any grapevines. His system will produce enough energy to supply 80 percent of his needs, he said.

What he likes about the system is that PG&E gives him credit for energy he is generating but not using, which means he`s able to bank that power and use it at a later time without paying for it. Essentially, his meter runs backwards during off-peak times when his energy consumption is low, he explained. And because of the wet spring this year, he had been banking plenty of power while his irrigation pumps sat idle.

He advises growers who are considering using solar energy to carefully analyze the average amount of power they use in a year because they would not want to build a system that produces more power than what they need.

"That`s the only caveat in the system is PG&E is not going to send you a check for any extra power you produce," Schafer said.

What he is getting, however, is credit for power at PG&E`s retail rate, which is a pretty good deal, he said.

"What I`m basically doing is I`m reducing the demand that I have on the grid to where I`m almost negligible," he added. "On an average year, my system used about $10,000 or $11,000 worth of power. Now I`m probably only going to be using $2,000 worth of power. So that`s a savings to me. It`s not in what I`m being paid; it`s what I`m not having to pay."

Carl Hoff, president of Butte County Rice Growers Association, which installed a 200 kW solar system more than a year ago, said he is very pleased with the performance of the system.

"One of the things I liked about the system is that there is virtually no maintenance involved, and the only maintenance that we have is to wash the panels once in a while when they get dusty," said Hoff.

But he recognizes the hurdle that many businesses are facing now as they wait in line for their projects to be funded.

"I think there`s no question that there`s a demand for it," he said of solar technology. "The question is will there be funding available for these programs."

Although tax incentives help, it is the rebate program that makes solar projects economically feasible for California businesses, said Hoff. This is where the governor and other policymakers could step in and help, said Schafer.

With Governor Schwarzenegger expressing strong interest in solar and the recent approval by the state Senate of the Million Solar Roofs Initiative, which aims to add 1 million solar roofs to California`s energy supply by 2018, solar technology may be on its way to becoming a cost-effective alternative energy source for more businesses and homeowners.

Article courtesy of the California Farm Bureau Federation

[jellyfisch]

Heute ist Spire Corp. ausgebrochen, aktuell +46%.
Hersteller von Equipment für Solarindustrie.



Meiner Meinung (und Hoffnung) nach könnte sich auch bei Worldwater
demnächst was tun (auch ein Ami-Solarwert):

[weissnichtbescheid]

Was war der Grund für den Ausbruch von Spire Corp.?

[jellyfisch]

[posting]16.940.039 von weissnichtbescheid am 20.06.05 19:55:08[/posting]Weiß ich auch nicht, Solarwerte scheinen jedenfalls immer mehr Aufmerksamkeit
zu erlangen. (insbes. DSTI,ESLR)

Der Ölpreis spielt auch eine Rolle.

[jellyfisch]

Es tut sich was in der Wasserwelt.

[jellyfisch]

Es bleibt spannend, ob`s klappt für Arnie, entschieden wird wohl Anfang August:


"I want to pump solar up," says Arnold.
(Photo: California Resources Agency)


Thursday 23 June 2005
Schwarzenegger`s solar-roof plan could get sidelined by partisan squabbling.

The Golden State could soon enact the most ambitious solar-energy initiative ever proposed in the U.S. - legislation intended to put photovoltaic panels on a million California rooftops. Unless, that is, the bill gets derailed by a behind-the-scenes political pissing match between Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has thrown his prodigious weight behind the initiative, and the Democrats who control the state legislature.

The Governator unveiled the initiative last August under the name "Million Solar Homes," proposing a 10-year subsidy plan to stimulate solar purchases on residential buildings. It picked up bipartisan backing from the get-go: Later that month, a Democratic state senator from Los Angeles County, Kevin Murray, incorporated the proposal into his own bill requiring a fixed percentage of all new California homes to have on-site solar power. But the combined package failed to pass out of committee, largely because of objections from Republicans and fiscally conservative Democrats to the program`s cost and solar-installation mandate.

Murray and officials from the Schwarzenegger administration then went back to the drawing board and devised a new and improved (or at least more widely palatable) Million Solar Roofs Initiative that contains no mandate and has been broadened to stimulate solar not only in the residential sector but on commercial and municipal buildings as well. It was appealing enough to conservatives that GOP Sen. John Campbell agreed to cosponsor it, creating an unusual political alliance. "Campbell is not one of these moderate eco-friendly Republicans," Murray told Muckraker. "He is an absolute right-wing fiscal conservative from the heart of Orange County. There probably isn`t another bill that we would agree on - it`s just that we both understand the logic of this."

Schwarzenegger, Murray, and Campbell have managed to summon a groundswell of bipartisan support for the bill. It sailed through the state Senate by a vote of 30 to 5 on June 1. But there are still significant hurdles to overcome in the Assembly, where tensions between Democrats and the governor are running higher than in the Senate, and lawmakers are considering adding a few provisions that could antagonize Republicans and kill the bill`s chance of passage.

The Assembly is expected to vote on the measure in early August, and at the moment, it`s a cliffhanger: "I`d say it`s 50-50 right now whether the bill dies as a result of these unfortunate political circumstances, or whether the state pulls together and actually passes it ," said David Hochschild, policy director of the California-based Vote Solar Initiative.

The ambiguity surrounding the bill`s fate is more than a little agonizing for solar advocates and enviro groups that see it as a veritable holy grail of clean-energy legislation at a time when federal-level efforts in this arena are floundering. The overwhelming rejection of the McCain-Lieberman climate amendment to the energy bill by a 60-38 vote in the Senate yesterday dashed any hope that Washington might soon take the lead on a forward-looking energy policy. Any aggressive action in the near future will likely have to come from the states, and California is well situated to lead the pack. "We`ve got the sixth biggest economy in the world," said Hochschild, "which puts us in a better position than any other state to move markets and become the cradle of the clean technologies of the future."



The bill would add a staggering 3,000 megawatts of solar capacity in the state - equivalent to the capacity of 10 average-sized coal-fired power plants or two nuke plants, and more than 30 times the current installed solar photovoltaic capacity. That could make California the No. 1 solar market in the world, surpassing today`s top two biggest consumers of photovoltaic technology, Germany and Japan.

Better yet, if all goes according to plan, the program would make the cost of solar power "equal to or cheaper than conventional fossil-fuel electricity in 10 years," according to Campbell. That kind of price adjustment - a result of increased economies of scale - could have national and even global implications, transforming America`s energy landscape and making solar an even more logical choice for developing nations building up their energy systems.

Moreover, Hochschild predicts that the estimated $2 billion in subsidies that would be doled out over 10 years would result in energy-cost savings to consumers of roughly $12 billion over the 25-year life cycle of the solar panels installed under the program. A surcharge on electricity bills would subsidize a rebate program to make solar installations more affordable for consumers. The rebates would be gradually phased out over a decade, with incentives declining each year to encourage investments up front and stimulate economies of scale.

The program is based on a financing model that`s already proven successful in Japan. In 1994, the Japanese government launched a 10-year subsidies program by paying 50 percent of the cost of every solar installation; now it is paying only 3 percent, and the subsidies are due to be completely phased out by the end of the year. "They`ve managed to reduce the average cost of a residential solar system by 72 percent in a decade," said Hochschild, "and built a robust solar industry that now dominates the global market."

If California achieves similar success, it could reap even greater financial benefits from the program than Japan, given its prodigious solar resources: On average, the state gets 25 percent more sunlight annually than Japan, and 40 percent more than Germany, the current top consumer of solar.


A battery of industry, environment, public-interest, and religious groups have thrown their weight behind the legislation, ranging from Shell Oil to the American Lung Association to a statewide coalition of nearly 300 churches. Robert Redford, Edward Norton, and other celebrity greens are also enthusiastically endorsing the effort. "We`ve put together the broadest coalition of any bill that I can think of in history," said Murray.

And yet, that might not be enough to overcome one big hurdle.

"The political climate in Sacramento right now is contentious, and that could pose a problem," said Campbell. In other words, Million Solar Roofs could become a pawn in the political skirmish. "The initiative has the governor`s imprimatur on it, so some worry that Democrats will shoot it down simply because it would be seen as a big victory for the governor," said Ed Smeloff, an executive at Sharp`s California-based U.S. solar division and a strong advocate for the legislation. And at a time when Schwarzenegger`s popularity has been dropping precipitously - a poll out this week puts his approval rating at an all-time low of 37 percent - this is a victory he sorely needs.

Democrats accuse Schwarzenegger of creating a combative climate, most recently by calling for a special election in November to get the public to vote on a series of budget- and education-related provisions that the legislature has rejected yet the governor is determined to pass. "He has gone out of his way to antagonize us," Assembly member Mark Leno, Democrat from San Francisco, told Muckraker. "This special election is just one more barrier that the governor has created in developing any kind of positive relationship with the legislature. On top of the fact that he has called us `thieves,` `children,` `untrustworthy,` `evil,` and `girlie men.`"

Then there are concerns about some inconsistencies in Schwarzenegger`s environmental policies. For instance, the governor and the director of his energy commission, Joe Desmond, recently backed plans for a major transmission line from the interior West to California to pipe in cheap coal-powered electricity - an initiative that contradicts the governor`s purported clean-energy goals, and failed to generate needed support in the legislature.

But the biggest sticking point for the solar legislation could prove to be a dispute over labor issues. Unions are now putting heavy pressure on liberal Democrats in the Assembly to add a provision to the Million Solar Roofs bill that would stipulate a prevailing-wage requirement for the technicians installing solar panels. That would increase the labor cost of installation by 30 to 40 percent, according to Campbell`s office. "Prevailing wage is the single biggest threat to the bill," Campbell told Muckraker. "I`m telling you it won`t get Republican support if Democrats succumb to union pressure to add that provision."

Hochschild believes the prevailing-wage controversy is a trivial distraction from the far-reaching ambitions of the bill, but also a symptom of the bigger problem: the threat of partisan tensions unraveling bipartisan coalitions. "Based on its own merits, this initiative would sail through. But partisan bickering and bipartisan support have become the two defining themes of Million Solar Roofs," he said. "It`s like the little devil sitting on one of California`s shoulders, and the angel on the other. And the question is, which one will win out?"

Campbell and Murray, the bill`s cosponsors, are placing their bets on the angel. "I`m optimistic," said Campbell. Murray is too, arguing that the initiative would go down in history as a victory for the Democrats as well as for the governor. "I`ve got to believe that we`ll get over our differences to pass this thing," he said. "As much as I`m probably opposed to everything else that has come out of [Schwarzenegger`s] mouth, this is something we`ve been able to see eye to eye on. The governor came our direction on this - he`s a Republican who is supporting a bill that subsidizes a new environmental program! This is one of those things that in the end if you`re a Democrat and you don`t support it, there is simply no justification."

[jellyfisch]

June 27, 2005

Sacramento, CA, USA: Hearing and Rally for Major California Solar Energy Bill Today

Passing its first major milestone, the Million Solar Roofs Bill, SB 1, co-authored by Senators Kevin Murray (D-Los Angeles) and John Campbell (R-Orange County) and endorsed by Governor Schwarzenegger continues to advance through the California state legislature, promising to grow the California solar market, already the third largest in the world, by 30-fold.

The popular solar power bill repeatedly received votes from both sides of the aisle in the state Senate demonstrating broad bi-partisan support for solar power.

"Momentum for establishing the nation`s biggest solar power program is on our side," said Bernadette Del Chiaro, Clean Energy Advocate with Environment California, a leading supporter of the bill. "The California Senate has demonstrated tremendous bi-partisan leadership over the past two months by advancing a commonsense policy that will give Californians cleaner air and greater energy independence. In the days and weeks ahead, we and are asking solar power supporters to contact their Assembly member to urge the same kind of bi-partisan leadership."

The Million Solar Roofs bill, SB 1, would establish a large, long-term solar power program aiming to build a million solar homes and businesses over ten years, including half of all new homes by 2017. Such goals would grow California`s distributed solar market from an annual 30 MW to over 300 MW within ten years.

Economic modeling by Environment California Research & Policy Center show this kind of sustained growth could be enough to cut the cost of installing solar panels, currently around $8-9/watt, in half by 2015.

Key provisions of the bill include:

· An increase in the amount of money available to homeowners and businesses for one-time rebates and requirements that the rebate levels decline each year and sunset in 2016,
· An increase in the cap on net metering from 0.5% of a utility peak load to 5%,
· A requirement that new, large single-family housing developments make solar panels a standard offer, similar to marble counter tops,
· A 15% carve-out in the rebate funds for affordable housing and low-income homes,
· Direction to the California Energy Commission to couple solar power incentives and standards with energy efficiency improvements and a move toward performance-based incentives in the years ahead.

"The Million Solar Roofs bill, SB 1, puts the `power` back in `solar power` by building 3,000 Megawatts of distributed solar- the equivalent of a dozen peaking power plants - and creating a robust, affordable solar market," said Del Chiaro. "With this bill, we are no longer talking about solar power being only for the backwoods hippy or the Malibu millionaire. Rather, building a million solar roofs will make this common-sense technology mainstream and cost-effective in a decade."

Opposition to the Million Solar Roofs bill has come primarily from the electric utilities concerned about the impact a million more independent customers, with net metering options, will have on their business. Opposition has also come from labor unions pushing for the inclusion of prevailing wage requirements as well as a requirement that all future solar installations are overseen by a California licensed C-10 electrician instead of a C46 licensed installer.

The Million Solar Roofs bill will be heard in two committees in the Assembly - Utilities and Commerce and Appropriations - before heading to the Assembly floor later this summer.

A special hearing on the bill will be held on Monday, June 27th in Assembly Utilities and Commerce with a vote scheduled on July 6th. There will be a support rally at 3:00 PM for SB1 on capitol steps and the Utilities and Commerce regularly scheduled committee hearing (Room 437) will begin at 3:00pm. SB 1 will be heard after other bills ar addressed. For information on the rally call Jennette Gayer, Field Organizer, Environment California 703-475-3228 (mobile)

Should SB 1 make it out of this committee - last year`s version of the same bill died in Assembly Utilities and Commerce - it will have until August 26th to pass Assembly Appropriations and then until September 9th to pass off the Assembly floor. SB 1 received two previous hearings and three votes in the state Senate.

The first was in Senate Energy Utilities and Communications on April 26th where it passed by a vote of 10-0. The second was in Senate Appropriations on May 26th where it passed by a vote of 8 to 4. SB 1 passed the state Senate on June 1st by a vote of 30-5.

[jellyfisch]

Frank Asbeck denkt auch schon mal laut über Kalifornien nach:

Deutschland wird Solarworld für die Expansionspläne zu klein. Der Auslandsanteil am Konzernumsatz soll sich bis Ende 2007 von bisher 30 auf rund 60 Prozent verdoppeln. Dazu setzt Asbeck auf den spanischen und amerikanischen Markt. Für Kalifornien wird sogar über ein eigenes Werk nachgedacht. Hoffnungen verbindet Asbeck dort mit einer geplanten neuen Förderregelung, welche Steuerzahlern generöse Abschreibungsmöglichkeiten für Solaranlagen bietet.

Quelle: FAZ, 02.07.05

[jellyfisch]

Arnie tells Bush to face up to global warming 02/07/2005 - 20:04:36

The Republican governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, today sent a robust message to US President George Bush to face up to the reality of global warming.

Climate change is at the top of the agenda for next week’s G8 summit in Gleneagles, but reports suggest that Mr Bush is blocking a deal on action to tackle it, with some commentators even predicting the other seven nations may agree a statement excluding the US rather than leave Scotland without an accord.

Leaked drafts of the proposed communique on climate change appear to suggest that Washington is unwilling even to sign up to a document which states that global warming is occurring or that human activity is responsible for it.

Without mentioning his president by name, Mr Schwarzenegger used an article in tomorrow’s Independent on Sunday to send a clear message of his disagreement with Mr Bush’s stance.

“The debate is over,” wrote the Governor of the US’s largest and most economically powerful state.

“We know the science. We see the threat posed by changes in our climate. And we know the time for action is now.”

Schwarzenegger pointedly called on “governments everywhere” to join action to combat climate change.

And he insisted – in contradiction to Mr Bush’s stated position – that such action will boost, rather than damage, the US economy.

He added: “Global warming threatens California’s water supply, public health, agriculture, coastlines and forests – our entire economy and way of life.

“We have no choice but to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Mr Schwarzenegger highlighted California’s development of hydrogen fuel technology and renewable energy sources under his administration, as well as measures to reduce engine emissions and cut electricity use in state facilities.

By 2050, California aims to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions to 80% below 1990 levels – a target even more ambitious than the 60% goal set by Tony Blair for the UK.

Mr Schwarzenegger wrote: “These steps are great for the environment but great for our economy, too.

“Many people have falsely assumed that you have to choose between protecting the environment and protecting the economy.

“Nothing could be further from the truth. In California, we will do both.”

[jellyfisch]

Schwarzenegger stellt sich gegen Bush

Mit einem Appell zum Kampf gegen den Klimawandel hat sich der kalifornische Gouverneur Arnold Schwarzenegger gegen seinen republikanischen Parteifreund, US-Präsident George W. Bush, gestellt. In einem Beitrag für die britische Zeitung "Independent on Sunday" rief Schwarzenegger dazu auf, die Debatte um die Erderwärmung zu beenden und mit entschlossenem Handeln zu beginnen.

"Jetzt ist die Zeit zum Handeln"
"Die wissenschaftlichen Fakten sind bekannt. Wir sehen die Gefahr, die vom Wandel unseres Klimas ausgeht. Und wir wissen, dass jetzt die Zeit zum Handeln ist", heißt es in dem Beitrag. Die Welt komme nicht umhin, den Ausstoß an Treibhausgasen zu senken. Letztlich werde davon auch die US-Wirtschaft profitieren.

Bush zweifelt an Erderwärmung
Maßnahmen zum Klimawandel sind eines der Hauptthemen des bevorstehenden G8-Gipfels in Schottland. Präsident Bush, der 2001 unter weltweiter Entrüstung seinen Ausstieg aus dem Kyoto-Protokoll verkündet hatte, zweifelt die wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse über die Erderwärmung an und lehnt verbindliche Vorgaben zur Reduktion der Treibhausgase ab - unter anderem mit dem Argument, dies würde der Wirtschaft schaden.


"Von der Wahrheit weit entfernt"
Schwarzenegger bezog dazu in seinem Zeitungsbeitrag eine klare Gegenposition: "Manche Menschen nehmen fälschlicherweise an, dass man sich zwischen dem Schutz der Umwelt und dem Schutz der Wirtschaft entscheiden müssen. Nichts könnte weiter von der Wahrheit entfernt sein."

[weissnichtbescheid]

!!!


Sonntag 3. Juli 2005, 16:01 Uhr
Britische Presse: Bush erkennt Klimaerwärmung als Fakt an



London (dpa) - US-Präsident George W. Bush hat britischen Presseberichten zufolge kurz vor dem G8-Gipfel in der strittigen Frage der Klimaerwärmung aus Sorge vor einer politischen Isolierung Zugeständnisse gemacht.

Amerikanische Unterhändler hätten den federführenden Briten signalisiert, dass der Präsident nicht mehr dagegen sei, die Klimaerwärmung als Tatsache anzuerkennen, berichteten «Sunday Times» und «Observer». Bush wolle damit verhindern, dass die anderen Staaten ohne ihn eine Klimaerklärung beschließen. Über die Erklärungen des G8-Gipfels von Mittwoch bis Freitag in Schottland berieten Vertreter der beteiligten Länder am Wochenende in London.

Der kalifornische Gouverneur Arnold Schwarzenegger übte unterdessen indirekt Kritik an der Klimapolitik der US-Regierung. In einem Beitrag für die linksliberale britische Zeitung «The Independent on Sunday» forderte er einschneidende Schritte gegen den Klimawandel. «Die Debatte ist vorbei», schrieb er. «Wir kennen die wissenschaftlichen Befunde. Wir sehen die Bedrohung, die von der Veränderung unseres Klimas ausgeht. Und wir wissen, dass jetzt die Zeit zum Handeln ist.»

Schwarzenegger, der für seine eigene Klimaschutzpolitik kürzlich vom grünen Bundesumweltminister Jürgen Trittin gelobt worden war, führte aus: «Die weltweite Erwärmung bedroht die kalifornische Wasserversorgung, die öffentliche Gesundheit, die Landwirtschaft, die Küstenlinien, die Wälder - unsere gesamte Wirtschaft und Lebensweise. Wir haben keine andere Wahl als zu handeln und den Ausstoß von Treibhausgasen zu verringern.»

Der Klimawandel ist neben der Armut in der Dritten Welt das wichtigste Thema des Gipfels. In der schottischen Hauptstadt Edinburgh demonstrierten am Samstag 225 000 Menschen für eine Erhöhung der Entwicklungshilfe, einen weitgehenden Schuldenerlass und einen gerechteren Welthandel.

Der schottische Kardinal Keith OBrien verlas bei der Demonstration eine Botschaft von Papst Benedikt XVI.: «Die Völker der reichen Länder müssen dazu bereit sein, die Bürde des Schuldenerlasses der armen Länder auf sich zu nehmen.» Die Politiker müssten ihren Teil dazu beitragen, eine gerechtere Verteilung der Güter in der Welt zu gewährleisten, hieß es weiter, «damit die glühende Hoffnung wahr wird, dass die Geißel der Armut eines Tages der Geschichte angehört».

[jellyfisch]

White House says no shift by Bush on climate change
Tue Jul 5, 2005 2:17 PM ET

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - President Bush has not shifted his position on climate policy, a White House spokeswoman said Tuesday ahead of the Group of Eight summit.

Britain`s Prime Minister Tony Blair, the summit`s host, said last week he had been having tough negotiations with the United States, the world`s biggest polluter, before the summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, which runs from July 6-8.

Washington has refused to ratify the co-called Kyoto Protocol on carbon dioxide emissions and the greenhouse effect.

In response to speculation in the British media that the U.S. administration was softening its stance ahead of the meeting, the spokeswoman said this was not the case.

"President Bush has stated his climate policy in 2001 and it remains the same," Michele St. Martin, a spokeswoman for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said from Washington.

"He believes that in order to address climate change it must be through the development and deployment of clean energy technologies," she said.

Bush will visit Denmark ahead of G8 talks, where climate change will be on an agenda that is topped by aid to Africa.

In an interview with Britain`s ITV1 television that was broadcast Monday, Bush opposed the Kyoto Protocol.

"The Kyoto treaty would have wrecked our economy," Bush said in the interview.

All the other G8 powers -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia -- have signed on to the treaty to cut emissions of carbon dioxide, which came into force in February.

"The Kyoto treaty wouldn`t work unless all nations were involved. And as you know, many of the developing nations weren`t involved in Kyoto," Bush said in the interview.

"So some of the discussions we`re going to have at the G8, thanks to Tony Blair`s leadership, is to work with India and China as to how to share technology with them, so that we can all work together to clean up the environment, and at the same time have sustained economic growth," he said.



© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.

[jellyfisch]

Hier mal eine gute Nachricht des Tages:

Million Solar Roofs Bill Passes Key Committee
Popular Bill Clears Greatest Hurdle To Date With Assembly Utilities Committee Vote
July 7, 2005

Sacramento, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] The Million Solar Roofs bill, SB 1, cleared Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee yesterday, marking what advocates called the "highest hurdle to date" in a three year battle to pass the nation`s strongest solar power bill. The popular solar bill, which failed to pass this same committee last year, received votes from both Democrats and Republicans, demonstrating bi-partisan support for the bill.

"After three years of fighting for the nation`s biggest solar bill, today`s vote marks our greatest accomplishment to date."

- Bernadette Del Chiaro, Clean Energy Advocate with Environment California The Million Solar Roofs bill cleared Assembly Utilities and Commerce by a vote of 6-0. Assemblymembers Levine, Pavley, Jones, Montanez, De La Torre and Baca voted for the measure. The five members who abstained were Wyland, Bogh, Blakeslee, Horton, and Keene.

Co-authored by Senator Kevin Murray (D-Los Angeles) and Senator John Campbell (R-Orange County) and recently joined by Committee Chairman Assemblymember Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) as a primary co-author, the Million Solar Roofs bill promises to grow the California solar market, already the third largest in the world, by 30-fold, and an expected lowering of the cost of solar power. SB 1 is officially endorsed by Governor Schwarzenegger as well as a list of more than 50 businesses, environmental and consumer organizations, cities, and labor unions.

"After three years of fighting for the nation`s biggest solar bill, today`s vote marks our greatest accomplishment to date," said Bernadette Del Chiaro, Clean Energy Advocate with Environment California who has been working to pass the solar bill since 2003. "What makes this bill so exciting is that instead of solar being just for the backwoods hippy and Malibu millionaire, we`re talking about making solar as mainstream and cost-effective for all Californians as double-paned windows and insulation," said Del Chiaro.

While the bill could mainstream solar, there are still some important issues to be ironed out in the bill, according to industry sources. This includes the C-10 licensure requirement which is still in the bill, Edison`s amendment freezing rate design that is still in the bill and the annual appropriation requirement remains unchanged. These issues are now left to the Appropriations committee where the outcome remains uncertain.

The Million Solar Roofs bill would establish a large, long-term solar power program to build a million solar homes and businesses over ten years, including building half of all new homes with solar power by 2017. Such goals would grow California`s solar power market from an annual 30 MW to over 300 MW . Economic modeling by Environment California Research & Policy Center shows this kind of sustained growth over ten years would be enough to cut the cost of installing solar panels, currently around $8.50/watt, in half by 2015, the price point at which the panels are cost-effective without subsidies.

Key provisions of the bill include:

- A $2.5 billion fund to homeowners and businesses for one-time rebates over 10 years,
- An increase in the cap on net metering from 0.5% of a utility peak load to 5%, allowing a million new customers to receive a credit on their electric bill for any excess power generated by their solar panels,
- A requirement that new, large single-family housing developments make solar panels a standard offer, similar to marble counter tops, to all new homebuyers,
- A 10% carve-out in the fund for solar on affordable housing and low-income homes and exemption for low income ratepayers from paying into the fund.

The Million Solar Roofs bill will be heard in Assembly Housing Committee tomorrow, Thursday, July 7th, and then in Assembly Appropriations Committee by August 26th before heading to the Assembly floor. Over the past five months, SB 1 passed two committees in the Senate as well as a 30-5 vote on the Senate Floor on June 1st.

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California planning green power revolution

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-07-05-cal-energy_x.…

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July 19, 2005

Guadalupe, CA, USA: Teixeira Farms Irrigates Vegetable Fields with Solar Panels

Abundant sunshine along California’s Central Coast has sown bountiful harvests for decades. Now one of the region’s largest vegetable growers, Teixeira Farms, is converting sunlight into electricity to irrigate 600 acres of farm land.

One of the nation’s largest agricultural solar installations, a 112-kilowatt photovoltaic system, was officially connected yesterday at Teixeira Farms, Ranch 7 near Guadalupe, California.

Approximately 2,500 MW of electricity is consumed by California farms for irrigation during peak demand periods – hot afternoons from May through October. The agricultural sector is more constrained than other large energy users by the time of day needed to irrigate crops and process produce. This makes a shift to solar power by farms an important part of easing pressure on the California grid and reducing air pollution.

“We all know that eating broccoli is good for you,” said Bernadette Del Chiaro, Clean Energy Advocate with Environment California, the leading non-profit environmental group working to promote solar power. “Now, farmers such as Teixeira are showing us that growing solar-powered broccoli can be good for the farm and for society, too.”

A million farms, homes and businesses throughout California will be able to follow Teixeira’s lead if the Million Solar Roofs bill, SB 1, passes the Assembly later this summer. The bill, sponsored by Governor Schwarzenegger and authored by Senators Kevin Murray (Los Angeles) and John Campbell (Orange County) will provide ten years of financial incentives and enhanced consumer choice and protections to create a thriving, self-sufficient solar market by 2017.

Reaching this goal will result in more than 3,000 MW of installed solar power capacity helping ease California’s growing energy needs. The Million Solar Roofs bill was passed by the state Senate on June 1 with a vote of 30-5 which included the senator representing the Central Coast, Abel Maldonado.

“Increasing the use of solar energy in California is common sense,” said State Senator Abel Maldonado representing District 15 including Teixeira Ranch. “We reduce our need on foreign energy, we diversify and bring stability to the energy market, we reduce air pollution and it is cost effective. It is a win-win for everyone.”

Two policy committees in the state Assembly also recently passed the historic measure within the past two weeks. The next vote will be in Assembly Appropriations Committee sometime between August 15 and August 26, and if passed, on to the Assembly Floor. “We are urging everyone to contact their Assemblymember and urge them to vote for the Million Solar Roofs bill,” said Del Chiaro. “We have a small window of opportunity to make solar farms, solar homes, solar businesses a mainstream, cost-effective reality for California.”

The solar panels were installed by Santa Maria’s Solar Power Systems, Inc., and made by Shell Solar with a manufacturing facility in Ventura.

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Solar Granted a Major Victory in Energy Bill

by Jesse Broehl, Editor, RenewableEnergyAccess.com
July 29, 2005

Washington, DC [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] After years of effort, lawmakers on Capitol Hill finally agreed upon a vast package of federal energy legislation. For the average American, there are few, if any, items in the cavernous bill that will have an immediate and measurable impact on their lives. The first ever residential tax credit for solar energy in that past two decades, however, is chief among them.

"The one provision in the bill that all Americans can take advantage of right away is to install solar on their roofs."

- Rhone Resch, Executive Director of SEIA With the Senate`s approval vote today of 74-26 and a successful House vote of 275-156 on Thursday, the energy bill is officially on its way to the President`s desk to be signed into law.

Despite the many proclamations from lawmakers that the bill could help lower gas prices and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign sources of energy, the bill will do little to alleviate either. And, it will offer few immediate or tangible benefits for the average U.S. citizen.

"If I was a homeowner and flipping through a newspaper story on the energy bill, I would get pretty depressed at the $14 billion of giveaways for industries that, frankly, are enjoying record profits," said Rhone Resch, Executive Director of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). "But the one provision in the bill that all Americans can take advantage of right away is to install solar on their roofs."

For the first time in two decades solar technologies were granted a federal investment tax credit that will promote all forms of solar energy. This includes solar thermal systems that provide for a home`s hot water, photovoltaic systems that provide electric power, solar-hybrid lighting technologies and even to the commercial developers of industrial-scale Concentrating Solar Power plants of the likes that were constructed in the California Desert in the late `70s and early `80s.

Specifically, the bill increases the existing 10 percent investment tax credit for commercial solar installations to 30 percent for two years with no cap on the amount of the credit. This applies to all property placed in service after December 31, 2005 and before January 1, 2008; credit reverts to the permanent 10 percent credit thereafter.

What could have the most impact for typical Americans, the bill also creates a new 30 percent tax credit for residential solar installations for two years; capped at $2000; applied to all property placed in service after December 31, 2005 and before January 1, 2008. Likewise, all solar technologies will be eligible but solar thermal, and solar PV are expected to make the most gains.

"If consumers have been waiting for a tax credit for solar, now is the time to do it," Resch said. "It coincides perfectly with electricity and natural gas prices skyrocketing, and if you think prices will do down, you`re mistaken."

A number of other provisions included in the final bill that will greatly benefit solar, including federal loan guarantees for large-scale "innovative technologies," government solar purchase authorizations and energy service performance contracts.

Other items that can have an immediate and tangible impact for consumers across the U.S. are tax breaks for investments in energy efficiency appliances and an extension of a $2000 hybrid vehicle tax break.

The solar tax credit may appear small in relation to the majority of the bill`s focus on the traditional fossil and nuclear industries but it`s a major victory for solar and possibly a sign of shifting attitudes towards solar.

"I can`t emphasize how much this is a huge precedent for the solar industry," said Resch who added that fuel cells were the only other non-traditional energy technology to gain a 30 percent investment tax credit.

"I had folks from Exxon coming up and saying `how did you do this` and `you came out of left field,`" Resch said.

And how they did it was to intensely focus the solar lobbying effort like it`s rarely, if ever, been done before. Resch said the solar industry has traditionally been a fractured industry, unable to agree on a specific and focused set of policy goals. He took lessons and experience he learned in his time prior to SEIA when he was Senior Vice President of the Natural Gas Supply Association. He knew if solar was to gain anything out of this energy bill they would all have to agree on one policy goal.

"People sometimes expect for us in the solar industry to come out with that fractured face," Resch said. "It was a massive team effort where the entire solar industry pulled together to make this happen. It was the singular massage, that`s why we got the 30 percent."

Solar provisions, of any real value at least, were not included in any of the previous congressional efforts to enact an energy bill. Resch said the inclusion of this credit shows recognition that Congress feels that solar is an important part of the energy mix and that they want to see it grow.

At least one Congressman aggress.

"The 30 percent solar credit for consumers is great news for this nation`s future energy independence," said Congressman Charles Bass (R-NH), a key negotiator of the final energy bill. "This provision will one day be viewed as the most significant renewable energy policy shift in more than two decades. Consumers driving the industry to meet high expectations and pushing the nation toward self-reliance will produce far greater results than other incentives aimed at producers and utilities."

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http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/05/national/05solar.html?ex=1…

Shortages Stifle a Boom Time for the Solar Industry

By CHRIS DIXON
Published: August 5, 2005
With a bill in California that aims to put solar power in half of new homes within 13 years, and with installation incentives in the federal energy legislation passed last week, the future of solar energy in the United States would seem all the brighter. But the future may have to wait, if only a little while.


Michael C. York for The New York Times
After seeking clients for years, Daryl Dejoy, a solar installer in Penobscot, Me., said, "Now I have all the customers in the world and no product."


American suppliers for the solar energy industry say that burgeoning demand both domestically and overseas, a weak dollar and shortages of raw material have created back orders of several months on electricity-generating photovoltaic, or PV, panels.

"For all the years I`ve been doing this," said Daryl Dejoy, owner of a solar installation company in Penobscot, Me., "I could get all the solar panels in the world and no customers. Now I have all the customers in the world and no product."

Executives of American solar manufacturers and industry groups say the global solar market has grown roughly 40 percent annually in the last five years, driven in large part by Germany. Under an incentive program championed by that country`s Green Party, German businesses and individuals with solar equipment can sell power they create to utilities at above-market rates. The utilities pass the excess cost on to their customers.

"It`s giving Germans a solid 15 to 20 percent return on equity," said Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association, the trade group for the American solar industry. "You`re seeing a lot of companies in Germany start venture capital units based on solar farm development. People are even putting panels up on barns."

Germany consumes 39 percent of all solar panels in the world, with Japan next at 30 percent and the United States a distant third at 9 percent.

Germany installed nearly 400 megawatts of solar power last year, Mr. Resch said, while Japan, whose government subsidizes solar energy consumption, installed nearly 300 megawatts. Americans, with far less in subsidies, installed 90 megawatts, most of it in California.

Japan had the greatest total solar power capacity by the end of 2004, at 1,100 megawatts, followed by Germany, with 790 megawatts, and the United States, with 730, said Noah Kaye, spokesman for the solar energy association. The American figure was enough to power about 300,000 homes, however, some 120,000 more than in 2000.

Now the Million Solar Roofs legislation in California, passed by the State Senate and under consideration in the Assembly, would subsidize the installation of solar equipment with a goal of putting 3,000 megawatts of solar energy to work by 2018. Assessments on electricity bills would pay for the subsidies.

California is among many states - New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are others - that already provide subsidies to solar power users. But the scope envisioned by the new California bill, whose enactment appears likely, dwarfs all others.

In addition to the state efforts, the energy measure passed by Congress last week offers a tax credit of up to $2,000 for homeowners who install solar equipment.

But the shortage of solar panels has led to long waits and inconvenience for many Americans who are ready to spend $10,000 to $20,000 for residential solar power systems of 2,000 to 5,000 watts. The shortage has been made worse because photovoltaic electricity is used to power not only homes but also businesses, boats, recreational vehicles, highway signs and cellphone towers.

Mr. Dejoy, of Penobscot Solar, said that for the nation`s installers, the situation was "brutal." Even orders that were paid for months ago, he said, had no guaranteed date of delivery or even final price. Recently, a customer who had agreed on an order of several thousand watts balked when Mr. Dejoy told her that a panel supplier had increased the price by a dollar a watt.

Matt Lugar, director of solar sales for the Sharp Electronics Corporation`s solar division, in Huntington Beach, Calif., said the supply problems were "a natural evolution in any industry that`s exploding."

"There`s a lot of panic among our customers who have been in solar for a long time," Mr. Lugar said of the installers. "Prices are rising dramatically. Unfortunately, it`s the natural movement of supply and demand."

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August 15, 2005

Cake Concert Supports Million Solar Roofs Bill

California band Joins “Crowd” in Calling for Passage of Million Solar Roofs Bill

Los Angeles, CA – The California band, Cake, stepped up to the microphone last night in support of solar power. At their Anaheim Concert Sunday night, Cake donated a portion of their profits to Environment California in support of the campaign to pass the Million Solar Roofs Bill, SB 1, and gave concert goers an opportunity to take political action as well. The band joins a large list of elected officials and groups supporting the landmark solar bill including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Attorney General Bill Lockyer, Martin Sheen, Ed Norton, Ed Begley, Jr. Sharon Lawrence, mayors of nearly all of the state’s largest cities, as well as more than 200 businesses, labor unions, and environmental and community organizations.

“It is ridiculous the Million Solar Roofs Bill was not passed 20 years ago,” said John McCrae, the band’s lead singer. “It’s time to start making fun of people for not doing something so obvious as passing this bill.”

Cake, known for its trademark sound and social commentary, ended its summer tour in Anaheim this Sunday at the House of Blues, the day before the California Legislature goes back into session following a brief summer recess. The Sacramento-based band includes John McCrea (vocals, guitar) and Vince Di Fiore (trumpet), Xan McCurty (guitar) and Gabe Nelson (bass), all members of Environment California.

Cake is making a financial contribution in support of Environment California’s Million Solar Roofs campaign and allowed Environment California staff to get concert-goers involved contacting their state legislators in support of the bill.

“With all the sunshine in California, it’s a no-brainer that the state should be the world’s solar power leader,” said Bernadette Del Chiaro, Clean Energy Advocate for Environment California. “The Million Solar Roofs bill will make California shine by bringing cleaner air and true energy independence.”

The Million Solar Roofs Bill aims to build more than a million solar homes and businesses, including half of all new homes with solar panels by 2017. Spurring a 3,000 MW market for solar power, a thirty-fold increase to today’s state market, the Million Solar Roofs bill would increase demand while simultaneously lowering subsidy levels to create a self-sufficient solar industry in ten years.

If passed, the bill would achieve its goals in three mains ways:
• Provide $2.5 billion in consumer rebates to homeowners and businesses over ten years. These one-time rebates have been proven to lower the cost of solar power. In California, rebates have lowered the cost of solar power by 25% over seven years and in Japan, rebates have lowered the cost of solar power by 75% over ten years. In contrast, the federal energy bill spends $2 billion on solar over five years without any cost controls while spending up to $25 billion on coal, oil, gas and nuclear power.
• Require that solar panels become a standard offer for new homebuyers just like marble countertops by 2010. Industry research has shown that approximately 10-20% of homebuyers will opt for solar panels when given the choice, a more than 10-20 fold increase over today’s new solar home market.
• Allow solar home and business owners to receive a credit on their monthly electric bill for any excess power generated by their solar system.

The Million Solar Roofs Bill, SB 1, is authored by Senators Kevin Murray and John Campbell, and Assemblymember Lloyd Levine. The Senate passed the bill on June 3rd by a vote of 30-5. The Assembly Appropriations will hold a hearing on August 24th and is expected to vote on the bill by August 26th. If it should pass this final committee, the Assembly will have a floor vote on the bill by September 9th. The upcoming votes come on the heels of President Bush signing one of the dirtiest energy bills in recent history.

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Aug 17, 2005 @ 12:06 pm
Full-Page Ad Calls For Passage Of The Million Solar Roofs Bill

Solar Advocates, Agricultural Experts Join Forces To Lobby For Bill During Final Days of Legislative Session

Sacramento – As the deadline to pass California’s Million Solar Roofs bill nears, solar power advocates are stepping up their appeals to the California Assembly with a full-page ad urging passage of the nation’s biggest solar bill.

“This is truly California’s chance to shine,” said Bernadette Del Chiaro, Clean Energy Advocate for Environment California, the group responsible for today’s full-page New York Times ad. “As energy costs soar and air pollution browns California skies, tapping into our abundant sunshine is a win-win for all.”

The ad will be hand delivered to every state legislative office by solar advocates and agricultural experts who traveled to Sacramento to lobby for the solar bill, SB 1.

“California has yet another unique opportunity to maintain its leadership in renewable energy,” Quentin Kelly, Chairman and CEO of WorldWater & Power, a leading company specializing in agricultural applications of solar power. “Solar power can pump the water and drive the engine of agriculture providing the benefits of clean power to California.”

The ad, which features a large sun with the headline, "This is California`s Chance to Shine" and "Pass the Million Solar Roofs Bill", was paid for by more than 500 citizen members of Environment California and featured a diverse set of people and groups who support the bill including: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Attorney General Bill Lockyer, State Controller Steve Westly, Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo, Huntington Beach Mayor Jill Hardy, Ed Begley Jr., Edward Norton, Martin Sheen, Sharon Lawrence, California Building Officials, California Conference of Carpenters, California Interfaith Power & Light, California State Council of Laborers, CALPIRG, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club-California and more.

The Million Solar Roofs bill, SB 1, is authored by Senators Kevin Murray and John Campbell and Assemblymember Lloyd Levine. The bill is scheduled for an August 24th hearing in the Assembly Appropriations. A vote is anticipated on August 25th or 26th. If passed, it will go to the Assembly Floor for a vote by the end of session on September 9th.

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California Million Solar Roofs Bill Hearing
August 25, 2005


Sacramento, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] It`s getting down to the wire for the future of solar energy in California. The Million Solar Roofs bill, SB 1, will be heard in Assembly Appropriations Committee today. Industry insiders expect the bill to be placed on the Suspense File and voted on later in the day.


- The bill has passed two committees in the assembly, Energy and Housing, as well as the Senate. Today`s vote is the final committee hearing scheduled for the bill. If it passes, it will head to the Assembly Floor for a vote sometime before September 9, the last day of session.

The bill, authored by Senator Murray, Senator Campbell and Assemblymember Levine, aims to build 3,000 MW of solar panels on a million roofs, including half of all new homes, in roughly ten years and represents the biggest solar bill in the country.

Two major challenges are facing the adoption of SB-1, according to Barry Cinnamon, president of Akeena Solar, a solar systems installation company. The first challenge is that certain unions want all of the solar work in the state to be done using "prevailing wages" - essentially union wages.

"When we ran our model using these prevailing wage rates the costs to the state for the Million Solar Roofs Initiative were increased by $750 million," Cinnamon said.

The higher union wages could effectively extinguish any cost savings for solar energy, which is SB 1`s larger objective.

The second challenge, says Cinnamon, is simply that SB-1 replaces conventional utility power generation and distribution, pitting the influential utilities at odds with the effort.

"It is understandable that utilities would like to continue generating and delivering this incremental power to customers," Cinnamon said. "However, it is only by installing these systems on business and residential rooftops that costs for additional transmission and distribution systems can be avoided.

Cinnamon was a major figure behind the release this week of a White Paper report entitled "The Economics of Solar Energy for California." The findings show that the Million Solar Roofs Initiative (California Senate Bill #1) will save California over six billion dollars net of incentives.

"The primary benefit of the Million Solar Roofs Initiative is that it reduces California`s power needs during hot summer weekday afternoons," Cinnamon said. "Without this 3,000 MW of solar capacity, utilities must construct this generation, distribution and transmission infrastructure -- as well as operate and fuel these plants. Ratepayers will ultimately pay for these costs.

The White Paper is based on detailed analyses of solar market data from the California Energy Commission and California Public Utilities Commission, as well as similar data from the New Jersey Clean Energy Program, Hawaii Solar Program, Japanese Solar Program, and Germany Solar Program. Customer behavior and economic savings are modeled based on research done at Berkeley, Stanford, Princeton and Wharton. Tom Beach, Principal Consultant with Cross Border Energy, collaborated with Akeena Solar on this White Paper.

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Es sieht schlecht aus, die Gewerkschaften machen Ärger:

Bittersweet Victory for Million Solar Roofs Bill
by Jesse Broehl, Editor, RenewableEnergyAccess.com

August 26, 2005


Sacramento, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] The Million Solar Roofs bill, SB 1, was passed by the Assembly Appropriations Committee with some bittersweet amendment changes aimed at appeasing various interest groups. While this vote officially clears the solar bill to move on for a full vote in the California`s Assembly sometime before September 9, it includes some union provisions that have splintered its support and could ultimately doom the bill.

A union demand that only the highest grade of licensed electricians could install the systems has been weakened. This is marginally good news for the solar industry, particularly the thousands of installers and small businesses that typically do not have, or need, the highest level of electrical licensing, which goes by the designation "C-10." The vast majority of these workers could have been excluded from doing work under the initiative. Typical solar installers in California`s solar industry have the lower-level "C-46" licensure.

According to Adam Browning of the solar advocacy group, the Vote Solar Initiative, while the requirement for C-10 was dropped, a separate provision was added that defines electrical work as "anything that connects an electrical device of 100 volt/amps." In the solar context, under this provision people putting simple snap connects on solar panels would have to be electricians. He added, however, that current C-46 installers would be grandfathered in through the bill and not necessarily subject to this provision.

Browning called the provision a deal stopper because it would hinder typical solar installations and, perhaps more importantly from a political perspective, is a "stick in the eye" to the carpenter`s union whose workers often do some low-level electrical work.

What is also a major issue with the bill is the so-called prevailing wage amendment. Prevailing wage levels are set by the state to ensure that laws requiring contracts to go to the lowest bidder don`t result in depressed pay rates. The bill passed on Thursday was allowed to include a union-backed provision requiring contractors to pay prevailing wages to workers on nonresidential development.

Solar industry sources argue that the higher union wages could effectively extinguish any cost savings in the bill for solar energy, which is SB 1`s primary objective.

"When we ran our model using these prevailing wage rates the costs to the state for the Million Solar Roofs Initiative were increased by $750 million," said Barry Cinnamon, president of Akeena Solar, a solar systems installation company.

The union-backed amendment splintered support for the bill in Thursday`s session. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Sen. John Campbell, R-Irvine, who had been a co-author of the bill, issued an angry statement on Thursday calling the amendment a "hostile union takeover" of the bill that would increase its costs by 30 percent.

"The whole point of this bill was to create incentives for a technology that is currently too expensive so that over time it will become cost-competitive," Campbell said in a prepared statement. "Now, the unions will be artificially increasing the cost of the already too expensive technology in order to line their own pockets."

Bernadette Del Chiaro, clean energy advocate for Environment California, said that Thursday`s committee vote was completely along party lines with all the Democrats voting unanimously for the bill and all Republicans voting against it.

And in a further symbolic and ominous gesture, Senator Campbell removed his authorship of the bill at Thursday`s hearing. This Republican dissension was almost exclusively a result of the prevailing wage issue and could ultimately doom the bill from receiving a signature from the Governor, a major proponent of comprehensive solar legislation for the state.

"The amendments were substantive and catastrophic," Browning of Vote Solar said. "The question is whether they`re (the unions) trying to send an ineffective bill that the Governor will have to veto or whether this is the next shot in a negotiating ploy. I feel like we are getting played and that the bill is set up for failure."

[weissnichtbescheid]

dpa-afx
Hugin-News: Barnabus Energy, Inc.
Montag 29. August 2005, 16:03 Uhr


Barnabus Energy begrüßt Fördergesetz zur Installierung von 1 Million Solardächern in Kalifornien
Corporate news- Mitteilung verarbeitet und übermittelt durch Hugin. Für den Inhalt der Mitteilung ist der Emittent verantwortlich.

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CARLSBAD, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 08/29/05 -- Barnabus Energy, Inc. (ISIN: US06769P2011 / WKN: A0D8Y7) (OTC BB: BBSE) begrüßt die Entscheidung des Bewilligungsausschusses des kalifornischen Abgeordnetenhauses vom vergangenen Freitag, die Gesetzesinitiative SB1 zu unterstützen Anzeige

und damit den Weg zu einer abschließenden Abstimmung im Abgeordnetenhaus bis spätestens zum 9. September freizumachen. Bei diesem Gesetzesvorhaben handelt es sich um die größte langfristige Initiative des Landes zur Förderung der Solarenergie, die auf die Installation von einer Million Solardächern auf Wohnhäusern und Firmengebäuden in den kommenden zehn Jahren abzielt. Dabei soll zudem erreicht werden, dass bis zum Jahr 2017 die Hälfte aller Neubauten über Solarenergie verfügen. Zu den zentralen Bestimmungen des Gesetzentwurfes zählen Finanzanreize für Privathaushalte und Unternehmen, in Solaranlagen zu investieren, darunter u.a. Rückzahlungen und Gutschriften auf der monatlichen Stromrechnung für überschüssigen Strom aus der eigenen Solaranlage. SB1 hat auch Auswirkungen auf den Markt für Neubauten, da das Gesetz fordert, Solaranlagen als Standardoption für alle Neubauten einzuführen. Nach Bekanntwerden der Entscheidung des Bewilligungsausschusses erklärte der Präsident von Barnabus, Kerry Nagy: "Das sind tolle Nachrichten für die Bevölkerung von Kalifornien und natürlich auch für alle Leute, die wir für Barnabus Energy arbeiten. Unser Engagement im Bereich erneuerbare Energien und unsere zunehmende Kooperation mit Solar Roofing Systems sorgen dafür, dass das Solarsave-Bedachungsprodukt zu einem idealen Zeitpunkt auf dem Markt positioniert wird." David Saltman, Vorstandsmitglied und Vorsitzender des Firmenbeirats bei Barnabus, sagte hierzu: "Anstatt weiterhin herkömmliche Kraftwerke zur Deckung des steigenden Energiebedarfs zu bauen, müssen viele Bundesstaaten die Vorteile ihrer natürlichen Ressourcen erkennen und ausnutzen, und Sonnenenergie ist in Kalifornien reichlich vorhanden. Die Installation von Solaranlagen während des Hausbaus ermöglicht eine deutliche Reduzierung der Kosten bei allen Solarenergiesystemen. Systeme wie Solarsave werden zur Bildung eines Massenmarktes für Solaranlagen beitragen, wodurch die Kosten gesenkt und Verkaufszahlen erhöht werden können. Die Hauseigentümer werden ihre monatlichen Stromkosten senken können, während zugleich die Luftverschmutzung reduziert wird. Zudem wird Kalifornien damit sein Stromversorgungsnetz stabilisieren können - und unser Unternehmen wird von dem Wachstum in diesem Sektor nachhaltig profitieren." ÜBER DAS UNTERNEHMEN Barnabus Energy, Inc. (BBSE) engagiert sich in der Entwicklung eines diversifizierten Energieprojekt-Portfolios. Das Unternehmen führt derzeit Erdöl- und Erdgasprojekt in West-Kanada durch und übernimmt wirtschaftlich gangbare Projekte im Sektor für erneuerbare Energien. Die Firmenleitung kooperiert eng mit wichtigen strategischen Partnern, die das Unternehmen bei künftigen Übernahmen unterstützen werden und auf ein weiteres Firmenwachstum abzielen. Das Unternehmen verfolgt einen fokussierten Ansatz bei der gezielten Nutzung von Erschließungsmöglichkeiten mit geringem Risiko. Safe-Harbor-Erklärung bezüglich zukunftsorientierter Aussagen: Abgesehen von Aussagen, die historische Fakten wiedergeben, enthält die hier bereitgestellte Information zukunftsorientierte Aussagen im Sinne des Private Securities Litigation Reform Act aus dem Jahre 1995. Derartige zukunftsorientierte Aussagen beinhalten bekannte und unbekannte Risiken, Unsicherheiten und andere Faktoren, die dazu führen können, dass die tatsächlichen Ergebnisse oder Leistungen des Unternehmens deutlich von den Ergebnissen und Leistungen abweichen, die ausdrücklich oder implizit in den zukunftsorientierten Aussagen enthalten sind. Zu diesen Faktoren zählen die allgemeinen Wirtschafts- und Geschäftsbedingungen, die Fähigkeit zum Erwerb und zur Entwicklung spezifischer Projekte, die Fähigkeit zur Finanzierung von Betriebsbereichen und Änderungen im Verbraucherverhalten von Konsumenten und Firmen und andere Faktoren, auf die Barnabus Energy, Inc. keinen oder nur geringen Einfluss hat. IN VERTRETUNG DES VORSTANDS Barnabus Energy, Inc. Kerry Nagy, Präsident


Wie steht es denn nun in Kalifornien (vgl. vorangehendes Posting?!) ?

[jellyfisch]

California To Save Over $6 Billion From Million Solar Roofs Initiative
Press Release from Akeena Solar

August 24, 2005


Los Gatos, CA - A White Paper entitled "The Economics of Solar Energy for California" was released today showing that the Million Solar Roofs Initiative (California Senate Bill #1) will save California over six billion dollars net of incentives. Supported by Governor Schwarzenegger, the Million Solar Roofs Initiative is an ambitious plan to install 3,000 Megawatts of solar electric power on roofs throughout California by 2016. The complete text of "The Economics of Solar Power for California - A White Paper" is available for download at http://www.akeena.net/about/whitepaper.htm." target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">http://www.akeena.net/about/whitepaper.htm.
"The primary benefit of the Million Solar Roofs Initiative is that it reduces California`s power needs during hot summer weekday afternoons," said Barry Cinnamon, President of Akeena Solar. "Without this 3,000 Megawatts of solar capacity, utilities must construct this generation, distribution and transmission infrastructure -- as well as operate and fuel these plants. Ratepayers will ultimately pay for these costs. Solar power is a far better way to generate this capacity since the state also benefits with cleaner air and a better economy," said Cinnamon. "The primary benefit of the Million Solar Roofs Initiative is that it reduces California`s power needs during hot summer weekday afternoons," said Barry Cinnamon, President of Akeena Solar. "Without this 3,000 Megawatts of solar capacity, utilities must construct this generation, distribution and transmission infrastructure -- as well as operate and fuel these plants. Ratepayers will ultimately pay for these costs. Solar power is a far better way to generate this capacity since the state also benefits with cleaner air and a better economy," said Cinnamon.

Benefits to California from Multiple Sources
The key finding of this White Paper is that the Million Solar Roofs Initiative will save in excess of $6 billion net of incentives (in constant 2005 dollars), primarily by avoiding traditional power generation and distribution investments. Nevertheless, economic and environmental savings are also significant. These savings are likely to be substantially higher as fuel prices are likely to escalate faster than the 3% assumed in these analyses.

Based on the analyses in this White Paper, the costs and savings of this initiative are as follows (in million 2005 dollars):

Energy Infrastructure Savings $ 7,099
Economic Savings (Jobs & Tax) $ 1,507
Environmental Savings $ 525
Total $ 9,133

Incentive Costs $ (3,025)
Net Benefits to State $ 6,107




Legislative Challenges for SB-1
There are currently two major challenges facing the adoption of SB-1. The first challenge is that certain unions want all of the solar work in the state to be done using "prevailing wages" - essentially union wages. "When we ran our model using these prevailing wage rates the costs to the state for the Million Solar Roofs Initiative were increased by $750 million," said Cinnamon.

The second challenge is simply that SB-1 replaces conventionally utility power generation and distribution. It is understandable that utilities would like to continue generating and delivering this incremental power to customers. However, it is only by installing these systems on business and residential rooftops that costs for additional transmission and distribution systems can be avoided.

A key concept within this White Paper is that customer economic behavior drives the solar market. Assuming a level of incentives that does not take into account actual customer purchasing behavior -- based on net customer economics -- will result in fewer systems being installed within the ten-year timeframe of the Million Solar Roofs Initiative.


About Akeena Solar
Akeena Solar is the fastest growing national solar electric specialist. The company designs and installs residential and commercial solar electric systems in California, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Akeena is a member of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Solar Energy Industries Association, Northeast Solar Energy Association, Northern California Solar Energy Association and California Solar Energy Industries Association.

Founded in 2001, Akeena Solar`s philosophy is simple: we believe that producing clean electricity directly from the sun is the right thing to do for our environment and economy.

Contacts:
Akeena Solar
Barry Cinnamon, President
[e-mail]
888-253-3628, 408-406-0058 direct
www.akeena.net

The complete text of "The Economics of Solar Power for California - A White Paper" is available for download at http://www.akeena.net/about/whitepaper.htm

[weissnichtbescheid]

Ja, das wär`s dann wohl erst einmal mit dem Traum vom California-Bill!


For Immediate Release:
September 9, 2005 Contact:
Bernadette Del Chiaro
916-446-8062 x 103




Million Solar Roofs Bill Dies In California Assembly: Three-year long effort to establish the nation’s biggest solar power initiative fails on last day of legislative session

SACRAMENTO—The Million Solar Roofs bill, the biggest solar power policy considered in the nation, was killed again by the California Assembly today after months of high-profile attention and bipartisan votes in both chambers.

“Not air pollution, nor blackouts, nor soaring energy costs were enough to elevate the Million Solar Roofs bill above the politics of the day,” said Bernadette Del Chiaro, clean energy advocate for Environment California, the leading advocate for the Million Solar Roofs bill the past three years. “The derailment of one of the most popular and commonsense bills of the year is the new poster child for short-sighted partisan politics.”

The Million Solar Roofs bill, authored by State Senator Kevin Murray (D-Culver City) and supported by Governor Schwarzenegger as well as more than 200 cities, businesses and organizations throughout the state, aimed to build 3,000 MW of solar panels on a million roofs, including half of all new homes, in ten years growing the market by 30-fold – enough to make the industry self-sustaining.

The Million Solar Roofs bill would have achieved its goals in three main ways:

- Provided $2.5 billion in consumer rebates to homeowners and businesses over 10 years.

- Required that solar panels become a standard offer for new homebuyers just like marble countertops.

- Allowed homeowners and businesses to receive a credit on their monthly electric bill for excess power generated by their solar system.
Over the past six months the bill, SB 1, passed through five committees as well as the State Senate by a strong bipartisan vote of 30-5. The bill was derailed when it reached its second to last stop, the Assembly Appropriations Committee where three amendments were added to the bill after intense lobbying of two labor unions, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the State Building Trades Council. Two other unions, Carpenters and Laborers, opposed these amendments, two of which were geared toward electricians.

“Now the finger pointing will start, everyone having someone else to blame but at the end of the day, Sacramento failed to reach what was an easy compromise,” said Del Chiaro. “Ultimately the problem with the Million Solar Roofs bill wasn’t the policy, it was the politics.”

Solar advocates will now turn their attention to the Public Utilities Commission, which has the authority to establish a rebate program on its own. The Commission does not have the authority, however, to incorporate solar panels into new home construction, a key component of the Million Solar Roofs bill, or increase net metering, the ability for homeowners and businesses to receive a credit on their monthly electric bills for excess power generated by their solar systems.

“In the wake of Sacramento’s inaction, establishing a consumer rebate program through the administrative process is our next best bet,” said Del Chiaro. “But ultimately, California needs a more comprehensive solar policy and so long as the sun still shines we’ll continue to fight for this commonsense solution.”

Other policy venue options include returning again to the legislature in January or taking the solar initiative straight to the voters through the statewide initiative process.

Environment California is a statewide nonprofit nonpartisan environmental organization with more than 80,000 citizen members.

[weissnichtbescheid]

Das ist aber noch nicht das Ende:

Where Does California`s Million Solar Roofs Initiative Go From Here
by David Hochschild, The Vote Solar Initiative

September 9, 2005


Late Thursday night, the California`s Million Solar Roofs bill died when the Legislature ended the 2005 session. Originally proposed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2004 and supported by legislators from both parties along with a broad range of solar industry, environmental and public interest groups, the bill would have created ten years of incentives for solar energy to help Californians install one million rooftop solar energy systems on our homes and businesses.

The blame falls squarely on the ongoing political tensions between the Governor and the Legislature and to the inability of various labor interests and advocates for this bill to reach a consensus. The autopsy report is not complex. The blame falls squarely on the ongoing political tensions between the Governor and the Legislature and to the inability of various labor interests and advocates for this bill to reach a consensus. But solar advocates should not be disappointed by the demise of the bill. Despite this legislative failure, the Million Solar Roofs program is nevertheless positioned to become a policy success.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which created the state`s current large-scale solar incentive program ($125 million per year), is moving to implement the Million Solar Roofs program. The CPUC has wide authority to implement the key provisions of the Million Solar Roofs bill, the most important of which is the funding. CPUC President Michael Peevey, a strong supporter of solar energy, has been leading this effort. It is critical that his efforts receive broad support. In June, the CPUC issued its implementation proposal (see link below) and the final ruling to establish the Million Solar Roofs program is expected in the next 2-3 months.

One thing that will not be possible for the CPUC to change is the state`s net metering cap, which limits the amount of grid-connected solar energy that can be installed. However, increasing the net metering cap this year is no longer a pressing issue with the passage of SB 816 (Kehoe), which raises the net metering cap to 50 MW in the region where it most needed to be raised - the San Diego Gas and Electric territory. There will be time for the legislature to increase the net metering in the next session and this is widely expected to happen.

In the circus of interest group politics, special elections and political horsetrading that define the California political scene today, it can be easy to lose sight of how much state leadership on these issues really matters. As long as renewable energy remains is a national priority without national leadership, the responsibility to create policies that nurture the clean energy technologies of tomorrow like solar power falls to California. And the responsibility to continue to keep fighting until these policies are implemented falls to all renewable energy supporters.

About the Author
David Hochschild is Director of Policy the Vote Solar Initiative, a non-profit organization working to bring solar energy into the mainstream.

The information and views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of RenewableEnergyAccess.com or the companies that advertise on its Web site and other publications.

[jellyfisch]

Ja, dumm gelaufen, zu viele Interessen haben das Ganze irgendwie verhindert.
Aber ein Förderprogramm, wenn auch anders aussehend, soll womöglich noch zu Stande kommen.
Der CPUC (keine Ahnung was das ist) soll sich der Sache annehmen, frühestens November.



Where Does California`s Million Solar Roofs Initiative Go From Here ?
by David Hochschild, The Vote Solar Initiative

September 9, 2005


Late Thursday night, the California`s Million Solar Roofs bill died when the Legislature ended the 2005 session. Originally proposed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2004 and supported by legislators from both parties along with a broad range of solar industry, environmental and public interest groups, the bill would have created ten years of incentives for solar energy to help Californians install one million rooftop solar energy systems on our homes and businesses.

The blame falls squarely on the ongoing political tensions between the Governor and the Legislature and to the inability of various labor interests and advocates for this bill to reach a consensus. The autopsy report is not complex. The blame falls squarely on the ongoing political tensions between the Governor and the Legislature and to the inability of various labor interests and advocates for this bill to reach a consensus. But solar advocates should not be disappointed by the demise of the bill. Despite this legislative failure, the Million Solar Roofs program is nevertheless positioned to become a policy success.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which created the state`s current large-scale solar incentive program ($125 million per year), is moving to implement the Million Solar Roofs program. The CPUC has wide authority to implement the key provisions of the Million Solar Roofs bill, the most important of which is the funding. CPUC President Michael Peevey, a strong supporter of solar energy, has been leading this effort. It is critical that his efforts receive broad support. In June, the CPUC issued its implementation proposal (see link below) and the final ruling to establish the Million Solar Roofs program is expected in the next 2-3 months.

One thing that will not be possible for the CPUC to change is the state`s net metering cap, which limits the amount of grid-connected solar energy that can be installed. However, increasing the net metering cap this year is no longer a pressing issue with the passage of SB 816 (Kehoe), which raises the net metering cap to 50 MW in the region where it most needed to be raised - the San Diego Gas and Electric territory. There will be time for the legislature to increase the net metering in the next session and this is widely expected to happen.

In the circus of interest group politics, special elections and political horsetrading that define the California political scene today, it can be easy to lose sight of how much state leadership on these issues really matters. As long as renewable energy remains is a national priority without national leadership, the responsibility to create policies that nurture the clean energy technologies of tomorrow like solar power falls to California. And the responsibility to continue to keep fighting until these policies are implemented falls to all renewable energy supporters.


CA Assembly Rejects Million Solar Roofs Bill
September 9, 2005

Political differences between Gov. Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Nunez doomed the Million Solar Roofs bill.


Sacramento, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Last minute efforts to resolve the debate over prevailing wages and licensing failed to save SB 1, the Million Solar Roofs bill, in California`s Assembly.

"We can go to the PUC and implement the policy of SB 1, and that is where we will be going."

--Richard Costigan, the Governor`s lobbyist Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger`s administration, which supported the bill throughout, lost the political struggle with California assembly and in particular Speaker Fabio Nunez, D-Los Angeles. It now appears likely that the Governor will ask the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to implement a solar program using SB 1 as a guideline.

The PUC could act on the program as early as November, according Richard Costigan, the Governor`s lobbyist. "We can go to the PUC and implement the policy of SB 1, and that is where we will be going," Costigan said.

After being passed by California`s Assembly Appropriations Committee with what RenewableEnergyAccess.com earlier termed "bittersweet amendment changes aimed at appeasing various interest groups."

SB 1`s cost savings incentives for solar energy would have helped Californians install 3,000 MW of solar power capacity panels on homes and businesses over the next ten years, however, the amendments for prevailing wages and licensing splintered the bill`s support.

[jellyfisch]

[posting]17.848.244 von weissnichtbescheid am 09.09.05 21:09:16[/posting]Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt.

Mein Long-Pos. Worldwater interessiert das Ganze offensichtlich nicht ,
da haben sich allerdings auch die Zocker wie die Schmeißfliegen draufgestürzt, wurde aber wohl mal Zeit, die Aufmerksamkeit ist endlich da.

z. Zt. über 60 US-cent!

[weissnichtbescheid]

Es war mir schon vorher aufgefallen, dass in den USA das California-Bill nicht für so entscheidend angesehehn wird. Schon letzte Woche war ja klar geworden, dass es wohl eher scheitern wird, und die Solaraktien haben darauf eigentlich überhaupt nicht reagiert. `Mal sehen, was von dem schönen Programm am Ende noch übrigbleiben wird! Den beginnenden Trend Richtung Erneuerbare Energien in den USA wird dieser Rückschlag aber nicht aufhalten können. Und das zeigen die Kurse heute vielleicht auch schon wieder. Worldwater hat jedenfalls Spaß gemacht heute...

[jellyfisch]

Goal for Western US is 8 GW of Solar Electricity by 2015, Says Western Governors` Association Solar Task Force

(Washington, DC) - With a longer-term federal investment tax credit and state-based incentives, the western United States could install as much as eight gigawatts of solar electric generating capacity and 350 MW solar thermal equivalent by 2015, according to a new report produced for the Western Governors` Association.

" The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) congratulates the WGA Solar Task Force on achieving a consensus set of recommendations to achieve 8 GW of solar power by 2015 ," said SEIA president Rhone Resch. " We applaud the consensus finding of the companies, utility executives, policymakers and advocates represented on the task force.

" A longer-term extension of the 30 percent federal investment tax credit would stimulate new US manufacturing jobs and investment, and enable the Western states to harness their abundant solar energy resources."

According to the report, the development of 8 GW of solar electricity – enough to power 4 million homes – would generate 32,500 new well-paying jobs in manufacturing, construction and installation.

Deployment on this scale would also bring down solar costs to a point competitive with power produced from fossil fuels, according to the report. The task force envisioned half of deployment coming from central concentrating solar power (CSP) plants and half coming from distributed photovoltaic (PV) generation.

" At a time when natural gas prices are skyrocketing and consumers are feeling the pinch from high energy bills, the WGA task force has provided a clean and cost-effective path forward: solar energy," said Resch.

The report can be read online at (http://www.westgov.org/wga/initiatives/cdeac/solar.htm). It will have a 30-day public comment period. The WGA is scheduled to adopt the document in June 2006.


Hier der report-link:
http://www.westgov.org/wga/initiatives/cdeac/solar.htm

Excerpt from the WGA Policy Resolution: Clean and Diversified Energy Iniative for the West

“Western Governors will examine the feasibility of and actions that would be needed to… achieve a goal to develop 30,000 MW of clean energy in the West by 2015 from resources such as energy efficiency, solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, clean coal technologies, and advanced natural gas technologies. ”

" Western Governors, and especially Governors from the Southwestern States, have long recognized the vast and largely untapped potential for solar powered generation in the region. The Governors have been actively engaged with the solar industry and other interested stakeholders in evaluating an initiative that could result in the construction of 1,000 MW of concentrating solar power generation in the region. WGA is pursuing a grant proposal with the Department of Energy that would allow WGA to establish a stakeholder working group to develop options for consideration by the Governors in furtherance of the 1,000 MW initiative."

Charge to the Solar Task Force

Document current solar capacity and estimate the current solar production costs given the existing Western resource base.
Estimate the cost and efficiency of concentrating solar power and photovoltaic systems and identify ways of increasing efficiency and lowering cost.
Estimate a cost curve for solar generation in the WGA region that would include at least 1000 new megawatts of concentrating solar power by 2015.
Estimate the location of the lowest cost solar generation given the generation costs and a rough estimate of transmission cost necessary to move the generation to load centers. (This information will become input to transmission modeling work.)
Identify risks associated with solar generation, such as the potential environmental impacts from increased solar power production and provide recommendations for mitigating these impacts (e.g., wildlife impacts, technology failure).
Identify an ideal timeline for bringing new generation on-line in order to meet clean energy objectives.
Identify barriers and policies to overcome such barriers to “utility” scale solar development, taking into account both reliability and capacity issues.
a. Identify strategies and any recommended policies to implement such strategies to overcome the intermittent nature of solar energy, and integrate it into the electric power system, including potential electricity storage technologies.

b. Identify changes in policies and practices necessary to maximize the use of the transmission system to deliver solar generation, such as changes in transmission imbalance penalties, policies governing interconnection of new generation, limitations in the types of transmission service products (e.g., “firm,” “non-firm”, “conditional-firm” transmission service) available.

[jellyfisch]

Solar Reaction Mixed to Union Stance
IBEW Speech Calling for Mutual Progress Draws Mixed Reaction from Solar Industry

by Jesse Broehl, Editor, RenewableEnergyAccess.com

October 14, 2005


Washington DC [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Ed Hill, President of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), spoke at last week`s annual trade show for the US solar energy industry. What conference attendees could all agree on was the significance of the moment: the president of one of the nation`s largest unions delivering a prominent speech for the solar industry. Still smarting from a major solar policy failure in California, however, the industry could not agree on how to fully interpret his remarks and, more importantly, what the next steps are for this tenuous relationship.


On the surface, Hill`s message could be summed up as one of mutual interest. He indicated that in order to leverage fully the potential impact of solar electricity on the nation`s energy needs, the industry itself needs to embrace the IBEW and work with it in a "partnership for growth for all segments of the solar industry." In turn, the Union will commit its members, its contractors, its resources and its ideas to ensure continued long-term growth. This message fell on a sea of open but skeptical industry ears.

The necessary background to this situation is that the IBEW -- or more specifically, the local representatives of the IBEW in California -- are widely considered to be the main reason for the legislative failure of SB1, the Million Solar Roofs Initiative in California. The legislation, which originally enjoyed strong bipartisan and gubernatorial support, would have established a 10 year program of declining rebates meant to help lower the cost of solar in the state while ensuring the installation of as much as 3000 MW of solar energy.

Early in the legislative process, the bill moved swimmingly through the State Assembly. But just as final negotiations were approaching in August and September, the local IBEW representatives managed to persuade lawmakers to attach provisions to the bill requiring that all the work under the new program be done at "prevailing wages" - essentially, higher Union wages -- and that all the work require a high level, C-10, electrical worker`s license. The two provisions eroded all Republican support for the bill and doomed it to failure.

SB1 Leaves a Bad Taste

"Labor dropped a bomb on us," said Dan Thompson, President of Sun Power & Geothermal Energy, and a Union member for almost two decades. Thompson did not personally hear Hill`s speech, but spoke to others who had. Running his own solar installations company in California, Thompson followed the SB1 roller coaster closely.

"Once the zeros started adding up it got the unions` attention," Thompson said. "We couldn`t help wonder `where have you (unions) been the last 20 years? This is a brand new industry in their eyes and anyone looking at this from the union side is now saying, `wow this solar really could be something.`"

There`s an underlying resistance to have everything built with union labor, says Thompson, mostly because solar panels are expensive and the high union wages will drive costs up. These wages, therefore, are not something that should be coupled with rebate legislation designed to bring the cost down, he says. Thompson does believe the solar industry should find a way to work with the IBEW but stressed that sweeping demands and changes could not be made unilaterally and overnight as they were with SB1 - especially with regards to licensing. Most importantly, such a relationship should not result in higher prices for an industry already operating on such thin margins.

Mark Bettis, Senior Sales Manager, for RWE Schott Solar, a major manufacturer of solar photovoltaic modules echoed this concern, saying that "there are global forces that are increasing the cost of solar, anything that increases costs is bad for the industry."

In his speech, Hill defended the call for prevailing wages by citing Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, who famously paid his workers $5 a day, a very high wage at the time. Ford`s reasoning was that he wanted every one of his workers to be able to buy his cars.

"I want the same thing for the solar industry," Hill said. "We`ll continue to support prevailing wage rates. We`re not looking to pump up wages artificially. The IBEW is pragmatic; you don`t survive more than 100 years by not being pragmatic. I say we begin the process of finding a common ground right now."

A Thinly Veiled Threat?

Perhaps the most ambiguous - almost foreboding -- comment in Hill`s speech was his statement that he had no apologies for what happened with SB1 in California.

"His pitch about Henry Ford was well taken but Mr. Hill made himself clear: if it comes under national electrical code, then the work is for electricians," said solar industry consultant Joel Gordes. "There was also a little speck of an undertow of a threat there."

Gordes wasn`t the only one who picked up on this subtlety.

Tom Dyer, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Kyocera Solar, one of the solar industry`s largest players, did not catch the speech but said he heard it characterized by others as a thinly veiled threat.

Other industry sources would only comment off-the-record but came to a similar conclusion that the "no apologies" comment from Hill signified that SB1`s failure was a prime example of what happens when an industry doesn`t come to an agreement with IBEW demands.

And everyone, on or off the record, agreed that the dialogue between the solar industry and the unions was poor at best.

"The Union people who were working on the issues in California refused to meet," Dyer said. "I don`t know if they sincerely want to talk. I`m disappointed they didn`t meet with us. We should always try to work together but up until now it has not been very productive."

To Move Ahead with a Powerful Ally?

Despite the sour taste from SB1, many conference attendees did see the speech as a conciliatory move on Hill`s part and believe that if done right, a cooperative arrangement with the IBEW could be a positive one for the industry.

"Mr. Hill speaking here was a milestone," said Kenny Elliott, a Union member for 27 years and President of Eight Treasures of Kentucky. "It`s significant for the PV industry because he stuck out a hand and he has a very powerful hand. If they get on board, he can help them."

Elliott, who has both an MBA and an Electrical Engineering degree, is starting up a business in the solar energy field and he plans to have a strong labor component to his business. He felt that the IBEW is well positioned to offer certification and qualified installers. He said that working without the unions won`t necessarily hold solar back but that if they did partner with the IBEW, the Union could do "great things for the industry."

Scott Frazier, President of Solar Solutions, read the speech as the extending of an olive branch from the IBEW to the solar industry.

"Ed Hill said what was expected and these were not unreasonable positions," Frazier said. He added that the solar industry is in a position to be worried about cost and that it can`t handle a lot of mark-up but that the prevailing wage is a valid principle. He said the right balance could probably be found.

"That`s sort of the classic example of management versus labor," Frazier said. "My sense is that no one in the room begrudges the electricians that make $45 per hour but many of these solar projects are more mechanical than electrical," referring to a point that not all workers on a job site should necessarily have a high-level electrical license.

"We have mutual interests," Frazier said, referring to the Union and industry. "The spirit of the speech was `where do we go from here` and `let`s try to make a fresh start.`"

That seemed to sum up the message at the end of Hill`s speech as well: "This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

[jellyfisch]

Endlich mal News:

CPUC to Release Long-term Solar Energy Plan for California
Breaking News
by Jesse Broehl, Editor, RenewableEnergyAccess.com

December 13, 2005


Los Angeles, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com; 10:04 a.m. EST] Planned for this afternoon, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is expected to release a major proposal that will effectively act as a replacement for the ill-fated SB1, or Million Solar Roofs Initiative. And like the SB-1 bill, the CPUC plan would be the largest solar energy bill in U.S. history.

"The bottom line is that about three billion dollars over ten years will be the biggest solar incentive in the country and second biggest in the world behind Germany."

-- David Hochschild, Vote Solar Initiative director of policy According to solar industry sources and documents from the California Energy Commission (CEC), the plan will be noteworthy in a few major ways: it will establish an 11-year solar rebate program running from 2006 through the end of 2016 for new and retrofit installations of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. It will also provide substantial funding of $3.2 billion with $2.8 billion of that coming from the CPUC and $400 million coming from the CEC. The rebate structure will move from California`s current capacity-based approach to a performance-based incentive. And lastly, the plan will include rebates for solar heating and cooling, and concentrating solar (solar thermal electric).

The plan`s release also marks the beginning of the official one-month public comment phase, with a final vote among the five CPUC commissioners expected on January 12, 2006.

Industry experts say since the solar energy plan is being put forward through the CPUC, there are much higher expectations of its success than the former SB-1 bill introduced in the state`s legislature.

A similarly ambitious policy goal came very close to passing for the past two years in the State Assembly. With Governor Schwarzenegger leading the charge, two versions of the SB1 bill failed after competing interests and amendments eroded essential bipartisan support.

Unlike the state legislature, however, the CPUC is widely considered to be in a much better position to make this broad solar policy a reality.

"What comes out today is likely to get passed," said David Hochschild, Director of Policy at the Vote Solar Initiative in California. "The PUC Commissioners are a lot more independent than the legislature. They are not running for re-election, cannot be removed, and don`t have to resist campaign re-election dollars."

"What the PUC is doing is really producing the most important piece of the puzzle: the incentive dollars and the long-term policy, those elements are most important," Hochschild said. "The bottom line is that about three billion dollars over ten years will be the biggest solar incentive in the country and second biggest in the world behind Germany."

Bernadette Del Chiaro, Clean Energy Advocate Environment California, agrees that the odds for this becoming a reality in California are much higher than previous efforts in the legislature.

"I`ve learned my lesson peering into crystal balls but I would say this is absolutely different than the State Legislature," Del Chiaro said. "We`re talking five people, and we just need three of those five people to vote for this. Three of those commissioners were appointed by the Governor. It`s safe to say that four of the five are in lockstep with this plan."

Both Del Chiaro and Hochschild said the Governor`s support has provided a tremendous level of public support. They each cited numbers between 45,000 and 50,000 of people who have written to the PUC in support of a major solar program.

"It has broken the record on any issue the PUC has received on any issue including the energy crisis," Hochschild said. "We`re finally seeing the popularity of solar translate into real dollars."

Those real dollars are at just the right level, said Barry Cinnamon, President of Akeena Solar, and the new President of the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA).

"What`s important is that they seem to have done a good economic analysis to what it would cost and they`re looking at funding it adequately in the neighborhood of three billion dollars," Cinnamon said.

Cinnamon is also pleased with the approach through the PUC, which insulates the plan from bitter conflicts that arose with SB1 in the legislature, much of these stemming from differences between what union interests and the solar industry wanted. While he won`t bet on it, he doesn`t expect the same union frictions to vocalize during this one-month public comment period.

"We`re not seeing the same antagonisms between unions and the solar industry," Cinnamon said. "Everyone was a little burned during the legislative process and since then there have been olive branch gestures between the two groups."

Should the plan pass, as many are expecting it to, it won`t be a one-stop-shop but rather will be administered through both the PUC and the CEC. The PUC will administer the solar program rebates for all existing residential buildings, commercial buildings, industrial and agricultural facilities.

The CEC will work specifically with the new buildings market, which is likely to benefit from a different approach. And unlike some versions of SB1, there is no mandate that builders use solar, an item that proved very contentious the first time around with builders and the legislature.

Energy efficiency audits will be required for certain structures to be eligible for the rebates while new construction rebates will require participation in the local utility`s energy efficiency program. Advance meters and time-varying rates will be provided for solar.

The rebates won`t be available for all Californians either. Since the PUC only has power over investor-owned utilities (IOUs), which provide power for approximately 80 percent of California, the plan will initially exempt municipalities like the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), for example. Del Chiaro, however, expects the establishment of this program for IOUs will offer new leverage and pressure for municipalities to come up with similar programs.

For now though, even without municipalities, Del Chiaro said she will be more than pleased to see this battle finally won for solar in California.

"This is the motherload," she added. "This is where you start."

[jellyfisch]

Posted on Tue, Dec. 13, 2005

Plan would expand solar energy use

By Rick Jurgens

CONTRA COSTA TIMES

SAN FRANCISCO - State energy officials, seeking to revive a key element of the Schwarzenegger administration`s push to expand renewable energy use, on Monday outlined a plan to increase annual spending on new solar energy units to nearly $300 million.

The plan, set for formal release today, would shuffle programs among state agencies in order to revive the administration`s high-profile program to build 1 million homes with units to make electricity from the sun.

That initiative died in the Legislature this year after the administration balked at union wage guarantees sought by Democrats. The new solar push aims to bypass the Legislature by tapping the state Public Utilities Commission`s authority to collect money from electricity customers and spend it to boost subsidies to homes and businesses that install solar units.

Currently, two state agencies spend about $80 million annually to subsidize solar power installations. The new solar plan takes existing programs, "keeps them going and focuses them where they have the greatest impact," said Jackalyne Pfannenstiel, a member of the state Energy Commission. The proposal, which requires approval by the PUC, calls for spending $3.2 billion over 11 years to install 2,600 megawatts of solar capacity.

By comparison, PG&E`s largest power plant -- its Diablo Canyon nuclear facility -- can produce 2,220 megawatts.

The new plan would not include requirements that new-home builders install solar energy units and that utilities buy excess power from home and business solar units. Those measures would require legislation.

The new solar initiative was unveiled at a joint meeting of the state Energy Commission and PUC that was also attended by two members of Schwarzenegger`s cabinet.

Next year is an election year, and the Schwarzenegger camp clearly remembers how energy woes helped bring down his Democratic predecessor. And during the past 12 months two rolling blackouts hit Southern California, natural gas prices have soared and fluctuating gasoline prices pushed past $3 a gallon.

Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing Sunne Wright McPeak, one of the cabinet members at the meeting, said afterward that the administration has studied last summer`s blackouts. The administration sees in such inter-agency meetings a reason for confidence that the state won`t be hit by recurring blackouts like those in the 2000-01 energy crisis, she added.

Analyst David Ashuckian of the Energy Commission offered an upbeat early forecast for next summer`s energy situation, which "actually looks better than 2005 did." But Ashuckian stopped short of offering an ironclad guarantee. "We can`t say that the power is not going to go off." Ashuckian said that Southern California seems to have enough power for the coming summer to endure adverse conditions, such as hot weather or transmission line problems, but would need additional supplies by 2007.

But Armie Perez, vice president for planning at the California Independent System Operator, which acts as the traffic cop for the statewide electricity grid, said that Southern California lacks 1,200 megawatts of power supplies that it could need to handle adverse conditions in the coming summer.


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California Solar Rebates Tripled for Next Year
Vote to allocate $300 million for next year is first stage in new, long-term solar plan
by Jesse Broehl, Editor, RenewableEnergyAccess.com

December 15, 2005


Los Angeles, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] The California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) voted on Thursday to approve $300 million for statewide solar rebates for 2006. While these funds will be administered under the current rebate structure that has been in place for the past few years, it also acts as a first-stage transition into an entirely new solar policy called the California Solar Initiative (CSI).

While the $300 million for next year is now official, the vote to approve the larger, long-term CSI plan is not until January 12.
The approval of $300 million effectively triples what had been originally allocated for 2006 and acts an interim step to ensure uninterrupted solar market growth during the transition to the long-term program that will run from 2007 through 2016. This long-term program was announced on Tuesday by the PUC and reported on by RenewableEnergyAccess.com in a related story (see link below).

Rebates beginning next year will stay at the $2.80 per watt mark and will gradually decline for the following ten years. By design, the rebates will decline by 10 percent per year through the duration of the program, but the PUC rebates are expected to move from a capacity-based approach to a performance-based approach, arguably a more efficient system.

This $300 million sum is directed to the PUC`s Solar Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) that mandates that investor-owned utilities provide rebates and administration of solar rebates for solar photovoltaic systems over 30 kW.

Separately, the California Energy Commission (CEC) administers the Emerging Renewables Program (ERP) which provides similar rebates but for projects below 30 kW, typically on homes and businesses. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), $58 million remains available for 2006. Beyond 2006, however, both programs will change substantially. See the link following this story for a related article explaining the CSI program.

The CSI plan effectively supplants two of the critical features that were present in the ill-fated "Million Solar Roofs Initiative" or SB 1, which failed twice in the California legislature: it provides a long-term rebate structure and it provides funds totaling $3.2 billion for the plan (PUC and CEC funds combined 2006-2017).

The CSI plan does not include a mandate that new homes in California include solar energy, nor does it include any licensing changes to who is eligible to install solar projects in the state. It also does not require that solar installation work be done as so-called "prevailing wages," essentially union wages. All three items exposed and exacerbated deep opposition between the majority of the solar industry and certain union interests that backed the proposals.

While the $300 million for next year is now official, the vote to approve the larger, long-term CSI plan is not until January 12. After its announcement yesterday, the plan has officially entered a one-month public comment period. Industry sources indicate it is very likely to receive a unanimous vote on that date. PUC policy is a top down approach and operated independently of the legislature, a major reason why it is expected to pass.

Once passed, it will secure a stable solar market in California for the next 11 years and is expected to lower the overall price of photovoltaics while offering California the myriad benefits of this clean energy resource. The plan would be the largest solar energy policy ever enacted in the U.S. and the second largest in the world, behind Germany`s renowned rebates.

For more specific details on the long-term CSI proposal officially proposed for 2007-2017, use the following link.

[jellyfisch]

California proposes $3 billion solar plan

Mark LaPedus
EE Times
(12/15/2005 9:16 PM EST)

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The California Public Utilities Commission this week proposed the California Solar Initiative (CSI), the largest solar energy bill in U.S. history.
The CSI will replace the ill-fated Million Solar Roofs Initiative (SB1) originally proposed by Governor Schwarzenegger. It will establish an 11-year solar rebate program for new and retrofit installations of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, worth $3.2 billion.

Because the CSI does not require State legislative approval, only the vote of the five PUC Commissioners, the likelihood of passage is high. The long term rebate commitment to roof-top solar systems provides the stability that developers and home owners need to make PV purchasing decisions.

The rebate program in the CSI plan provides performance-based incentives, rewarding projects on the basis of actual energy generation. The initiative will also support concentrated solar systems by providing rebates of $2.80 per watt.

David Saltman, CEO of renewable energy product supplier Barnabus Energy Corp., applauded the measure. "It could easily double the demand for our products over the next several years,” he said in a statement.

[jellyfisch]

Am Donnerstag werden die Weichen für Kalifornien gestellt; 3,2 Milliarden Dollar in 11 Jahren:

California Solar Initiative Expected to Pass

by Jesse Broehl, Editor, RenewableEnergyAccess.com

January 10, 2006

The CSI plan`s declining rebate structure for solar shows the breakdown between CEC and CPUC funding for next 11 years.



Photo: CPUC / CEC


Los Angeles, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] What could well be the most significant U.S. solar news for all of 2006 is likely to happen this week in California as state regulators are expected to pass the largest solar energy policy package ever seen in this country.

The PUC policy is a top down approach and will be passed independently of the legislature -- a major reason why it is expected to pass. Once passed into law this Thursday, industry experts predict the CSI will secure a stable solar market in California for the next 11 years that will lower the overall price of photovoltaics. On Thursday the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is widely expected to vote to approve the California Solar Initiative (CSI), which will secure USD $3.2 billion for solar energy rebates in the state for the next 11 years.

The scheduled vote follows a previous vote taken in December in which the PUC unanimously approved $300 million in interim funds for solar power systems installed in 2006. This week`s vote will complete the package by formalizing and providing funds for the next decade, a long-term plan that is expected to greatly bolster the solar industry in California and beyond.

Rebates beginning this year will stay at the $2.80 per watt mark and will gradually decline for the following 10 years. By design, the rebates will decline by 10 percent per year through the duration of the program. The PUC rebates may also move from a capacity-based approach to a performance-based approach or some variation of the two. Details will be finalized over the coming months through stakeholder workshops.

The CSI plan effectively supplants two of the critical features that were present in the ill-fated "Million Solar Roofs Initiative" or SB 1, which faltered twice in the California legislature. It provides the long-term rebate structure, which is important to spur solar equipment manufacturers to increase production, and it provides funds totaling $3.2 billion for the plan (PUC and CEC funds combined 2006-2017).

The CSI plan does not include a mandate that new homes in California include solar energy, nor does it include any licensing changes to who is eligible to install solar projects in the state. It also does not require that solar installation work be done as so-called "prevailing wages," essentially union wages. All three items exposed and exacerbated deep opposition between the majority of the solar industry and certain union interests that backed some of the proposals.

The PUC policy is a top down approach and will be passed independently of the legislature -- a major reason why it is expected to pass. Once passed into law this Thursday, industry experts predict the CSI will secure a stable solar market in California for the next 11 years that will lower the overall price of photovoltaics.

The plan would be the largest solar energy policy ever enacted in the U.S. and the second largest in the world, behind Germany`s renowned rebates.

Anticipating the passage of the CSI, The Vote Solar Initiative, one of the nation`s leading advocates for solar energy, has organized a celebration in the San Francisco City Hall later in the day . The event will include Mayor Gavin Newsom, Michael Peevey, President of the Public Utilities Commission, former EPA Director Bill Reilly and other special guests.



Ne Party dazu wird`s auch noch geben:
...has organized a celebration in the San Francisco City Hall later in the day.

[jellyfisch]

Eine schwere Geburt, jetzt ist es endlich durch:

California Passes Long-Term Solar Energy Plan
Breaking News
by Jesse Broehl, Editor, RenewableEnergyAccess.com

January 12, 2006


San Francisco, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] The California Public Utilities Commission has just passed the California Solar Initiative (CSI) by a vote of 3 to 1, with one abstention. This will secure USD $3.2 billion for solar energy rebates in the state for the next 11 years.

The CPUC will provide $2.8 billion in customer incentives for solar projects on existing residential buildings, as well as all public buildings, industrial facilities, businesses, and agricultural facilities. The California Energy Commission, meanwhile, will provide $400 million in incentives for new homes, specifically targeting collaborations with the builder / developer community. Over the last three months, 50,000 people have written to the California Public Utilities Commissioners to ask them to pass a long-term solar rebate program -- more public comment than the CPUC has received on any issue they have ever considered, including the 2001 energy crisis. The CPUC has heard the message loud and clear and responded today by approving the plan, called the California Solar Initiative (CSI).

The CSI will provide for the installation of approximately 3000 MW of solar energy, roughly the power equivalent of six large natural-gas fired power plants. It is historic for solar, representing the largest solar energy policy package ever approved in the United States and second only to Germany`s solar rebates on a global scale.

This moment also ends what has been a roller-coaster ride for solar advocates in California and beyond who have been waiting for the state to breathe new life into support for solar. The CSI plan effectively supplants two of the critical features that were present in the ill-fated "Million Solar Roofs Initiative" or SB 1, which faltered twice in the California legislature. It provides an 11-year rebate structure, which is important to spur solar equipment manufacturers to increase production, and it provides the funds to support it. In this case, totaling $3.2 billion.

The CPUC will provide $2.8 billion in customer incentives for solar projects on existing residential buildings, as well as all public buildings, industrial facilities, businesses, and agricultural facilities. The California Energy Commission, meanwhile, will provide $400 million in incentives for new homes, specifically targeting collaborations with the builder / developer community.

The CSI plan does not include a mandate that new homes in California include solar energy, nor does it include any licensing changes to who is eligible to install solar projects in the state. It also does not require that solar installation work be done at so-called "prevailing wages," essentially union wages. All three items exposed and exacerbated deep opposition between the majority of the solar industry and certain union interests that backed some of the proposals.

Rebates beginning this year will stay at the $2.80 per watt mark and will gradually decline for the following ten years. By design, the rebates will decline by 10 percent per year through the duration of the program. The money will come from existing funds already earmarked for solar power and a very small additional surcharge on monthly electric bills over 11 years.

The PUC rebates may also to move from a capacity-based approach to a performance-based approach or some variation of the two. Details will be finalized over the coming months through stakeholder workshops.

[jellyfisch]

http://www.thevictoriaadvocate.com/24hour/business/story/307…

Calif. energy regulators OK solar program
January 12, 2006
By TERENCE CHEA, Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Hoping to make California a world leader in solar power, state energy regulators Thursday approved some $3 billion in customer rebates over the next decade to encourage people to install solar panels on their roofs.

The goal of the project is to get Californians to install equipment capable of producing 3,000 megawatts of solar electricity on 1 million homes, businesses and public buildings over the next 10 years.

The state Public Utility Commission voted 3-1 to provide $2.9 billion in rebates for solar panels between 2007 and 2016. Last month, the five-member PUC approved $300 million in rebates for 2006.

Solar advocates said the $3.2 billion program would make solar energy more affordable, create jobs, reduce air pollution and cut emissions of heat-trapping gases blamed for global warming.

The project incorporates many of the same provisions in a plan advanced by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. That plan had bipartisan support but died in the Legislature last year because of disputes over its labor provisions.

[jellyfisch]

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/526331/solar_bill_enter…
Solar Bill Enters Cloudy Summer
By Sarah Jane Tribble

Just months after lawmakers passed the nation's largest-ever solar power rebate program, encouraging California residents to harness the sun and ease the summer energy crunch, the program enters summer facing an uncertain future.

The $3.2 billion program, pushed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and supported by business and consumer advocates, calls for solar panels to be installed on about 1 million homes -- enough to handle as much as 6 percent of the state's electricity needs on the hot summer days when demand is highest. To reach that goal, state energy leaders say subsidies for homeowners and rules for home builders are paramount.

But the pivotal bill that would provide those incentives has stalled repeatedly in the Legislature -- the victim of political sparring, particularly over labor issues. Those issues have since been negotiated out of the bill altogether and its author, Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Culver City, predicts the bill will end up on the governor's desk by the end of the summer.

Murray predicts the amended bill will pass the Assembly by the end of the month. Then it goes back to the Senate, where it originated, for final approval.

"We're holding our breath," said Bernadette Del Chiaro, clean energy advocate for Environment California.

The proposed incentives law, SB 1, reads like a laundry list of consumer concerns: It ensures that Pacific Gas & Electric continues buying energy from solar customers, requires large home builders to offer solar power and guarantees the creation of standards and warranties for solar equipment.

A typical solar installation costs $20,000 to $25,000, with state rebates and federal tax incentives covering about a third of the cost. Consumers who have installed solar panels also get a break on their monthly energy bills -- sometimes reducing their payments to less than $10 -- because PG&E buys the solar energy each home puts into the system.

Solar advocates fear that if the package of solar energy incentives doesn't pass soon, the growth in solar panel installations will grind to a halt. PG&E said it will not buy solar power above the amount the law requires -- it's up to legislators to raise the cap.

Los Altos homeowners Julia Fuerst and Mike Balma said they probably would have skipped solar energy if PG&E were not buying the power back. Balma said he saves at least $600 annually because of the solar benefits.

The buyback system allows solar customers to bank energy credits earned during the summer and use them during winter months. With programs like this, PG&E has signed up more solar users than any other utility in the nation.

Energy experts and solar customers say that without the solar energy credits the average amount of time it takes a homeowner to pay off a solar system could double to at least 14 years.

"The public is just now looking at other alternatives" for energy, Fuerst said. "So, any little stumbling block is going to make people hesitate."

By 2017, the state hopes to bring solar production up to 3,000 megawatts, the equivalent of power produced by five or six natural gas plants. But many experts say that isn't possible without solar credits to boost the program's start.

Earlier this year, PG&E proposed to continue buying power from new solar customers until the end of December or when a cap on the amount of solar energy it must accept is reached. That cap could be reached by December, said Bruce Bowen, director of regulatory policy for the company.

The utility is waiting to see whether lawmakers decide to increase the amount of solar it must accept, thus making the solar energy credits available to new customers.

Though the bill stalled last year, its author, Murray, expects it has the momentum to carry it through the summer session.

"If there is a place in the world where solar should work," he said, "it should be California."

Contact Sarah Jane Tribble at [e-mail] or [phone].

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Copyright (c) 2006, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.

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Schwarzenegger, Hedge Funds Invest in California Solar Power
July 7 (Bloomberg) -- With the flip of a ceremonial switch, Microsoft Corp. dedicated a half-acre of solar panels on its Silicon Valley campus, bringing California closer to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's goal of a million solar roofs.

That leaves about 980,000 to go.

Schwarzenegger, 58, is pouring $3.2 billion into solar energy, and investors are snapping up shares of solar-equipment companies. Hedge funds including SAC Capital Advisors LLC and GLG Partners LP have solar-power investments in the state. Even so, solar provides just 0.2 percent of California's electricity.

``It's pathetic how few systems we have to date, given that the technology has been around for 30 years,'' said Bernadette Del Chiaro, 34, clean-energy advocate for the Sacramento-based group Environment California.

The state had fewer than 20,000 solar roofs at the end March, according to the California Energy Commission. The panels on those roofs, even when combined with a solar-generating plant in the desert, took all year to provide 660 megawatt-hours of power. It takes 40 minutes for that much electricity to be generated by Rosemead, California-based Edison International's new natural-gas-fired plant in Redlands.

Schwarzenegger, a Republican running for re-election, says he wants peak solar capacity to reach 3,000 megawatts, giving the state's panels the power of three new gas-powered plants. He didn't respond to requests for an interview for this article.

Million Solar Roofs

Last year, the governor proposed a law to create a retail rebate program that he called the Million Solar Roofs policy. While the plan hasn't passed the Democrat-controlled Legislature, Schwarzenegger's appointees to the Public Utilities Commission enacted part of the proposal. They offered $3.2 billion in consumer rebates -- the biggest solar rebate program in U.S. history, according to the Washington-based Solar Energy Industries Association.

Investors, too, see a brighter future for solar. SAC Capital Advisors, an $8.5 billion hedge fund in Stamford, Connecticut, founded by Steven Cohen, and GLG Partners, an $11.2 billion fund in London, last month joined a group that invested $75 million in Nanosolar Inc., a Palo Alto, California-based company that is developing flexible solar strips. Representatives for both hedge funds declined to discuss the investment or the solar industry.

Initial public offerings by solar-panel makers have soared. SunPower Corp., based in Sunnyvale, California, is up 51 percent since going public in November. Q-Cells AG, based in Thalheim, Germany, is up 56 percent from its IPO price in October.

U.S. Left Behind

Jesse Pichel, a Piper Jaffray & Co. analyst based in New York, said the U.S. hasn't been aggressive in developing solar power, yielding leadership to countries like Germany, which subsidizes the industry. German power distributors must pay consumers for solar power they make, at a higher rate than is paid to electricity-generating companies.

``America isn't the big driver of solar,'' Pichel said in a telephone interview from Germany. ``It almost doesn't matter what America decides. It's happening whether government and business like it or not.''

Solar power's year-to-year growth rate in California has slowed since 2002. Last year, the amount of solar power feeding the electricity system increased 46 percent. Growth was 65 percent in 2004 and 91 percent in 2003.

The state's earlier incentive programs repeatedly ran out of money, said Barry Cinnamon, 48, a solar installer and president of the California Solar Energy Industries Association. Installers won't hire staff and invest in equipment until a program has reliable funding, he said.

``When programs have money now and may not next year, you don't get that efficient network of contractors,'' he said.

Subsidy Impact

The state's new program is to run for 10 years rather than just a year or two. The rebates initially will cut about a third off a system's cost. The average price for a residential roof system is about $36,000, Cinnamon says.

By the time the initiative is phased out by 2017, the industry may be going ``like gangbusters,'' said Del Chiaro, the clean-energy advocate. She said most of the million roofs will be built in the final years of the program.

Schwarzenegger says he wants to make it easier to sell homemade electricity. As in most states, California's investor- owned utilities must buy solar-generated power from customers, who rely on the program to help pay for their equipment, Cinnamon said.

A utility can purchase as much as a half-percent of its power this way. Schwarzenegger has asked the Legislature to raise that cap to 2.5 percent and require municipal utilities to participate.

Silicon Shortage

Global shortages are slowing industry growth. Installers and manufacturers have put off some sales because of a shortage of polysilicon wafers, the raw ingredients of solar modules that are assembled into panels. The panels on Microsoft's buildings in Mountain View that were turned on in April required about 5 tons of raw silicon, said Richard Swanson, 61, president of SunPower, which made the modules.

Andrew Beebe, 34, president of Energy Innovations Inc. in Pasadena, California, which makes mirror systems that concentrate sunlight on photovoltaic cells, said he expects the industry to resolve those issues.

``There's no reason why solar couldn't be 10 percent of the worldwide energy picture,'' he said.



To contact the reporter on this story:
Steven Bodzin in San Francisco at [e-mail].
Last Updated: July 7, 2006 03:01 EDT

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L.A. incentives
City Council Backs Solar Power Incentive Program

(CBS) LOS ANGELES The Los Angeles City Council Wednesday approved the reinstitution of a Department of Water and Power program that offers rebates to customers who install solar panels on the roofs of their homes or businesses.

The Los Angeles Water and Power Commission signed off on the idea Tuesday.

Beginning Aug. 14, the DWP will begin accepting applications for the Solar Power Incentive Program, which was stalled several years ago due to a backlog of applications, according to an agency report.

The DWP first offered the program to customers in 2000 to encourage the use of clean, renewable energy through the installation of solar panels.

The incentive ranges from $3 to $4 for each system watt.

Under the program, property owners must apply for the funds, and the participating homes or businesses would remain connected to the DWP's power grid.

About $16 million was set aside in the DWP's budget to fund the program during the 2006-07 fiscal year

[weissnichtbescheid]

Hugin Online
Solar EnerTech Corp. begrßt Verabschiedung der Million Solar Roofs Bill, SB1
Montag 28. August 2006, 10:17 Uhr




MENLO PARK, 28. August 2006 - Solar EnerTech Corp. (ISIN: US8341561012, WKN: A0JKW0) (das Unternehmen) freut sich, dass diese Woche das kalifornische Million Solar Roofs-Gesetz SB1, das von Senator Kevin Murray entworfen wurde, endlich vom Senat mit 36 zu 4 Stimmen angenommen wurde und dass die Solarbranche nun endlich die Untersttzung beider Parteien fr das grßte und umfassendste Solarprogramm der gesamten Vereinigten Staaten erfhrt.

Das Gesetz wurde vergangene Woche von Gouverneur Schwarzenegger im Rahmen einer Zeremonie unterzeichnet, die im solarbetriebenen CalTrans-Gebude in Los Angeles stattfand.

In den vergangenen Monaten, nachdem ANZEIGE

das ursprngliche Million Solar Roofs- Gesetz gescheitert war, hat Solar EnerTech Corp., ein in Kalifornien ansssiges Unternehmen, ohne Unterlass an der Errichtung einer Solarzellenproduktionsfabrik in Schanghai gearbeitet, in dem festen Glauben, dass dieses Gesetz oder ein hnliches eines Tages in Kraft treten wrde und das Unternehmen einer der Lieferanten fr die Million Solar Roofs in seinem Heimatstaat werden wrde.

Dieser Tag kam schlielich am vergangenen Dienstag. Das neue Gesetz ist mit der bestehenden Solarinitiative abgestimmt, die im Januar von der California Public Utilities Commission angestoen wurde, und bringt Kalifornien auf dem Weg zum Bau von einer Million Solardchern in den kommenden zehn Jahren weit voran. Die Hauptbestandteile des neuen Gesetzes erlauben es, die Begrenzung der Zhlwerterfassung zu erhhen und erlauben es so den Solarkunden, Gutschriften fr berschssigen Strom, der von ihren persnlichen Solarsystemen produziert wurde, zu erhalten. SB1 erhht die Begrenzung von 0,5% der Gesamtlast eines Stromversorgungsunternehmens auf 2,5% und ermglicht es so ungefhr 500.000 zustzlichen Solarsystembesitzern, dem Zhlwerterfassungsprogramm beizutreten.

Solarpanele werden nun eine angeordnete Standardoption fr alle Kufer neuer Huser, sodass diese nun in der Bauphase entscheiden knnen, ob sie Solarsysteme integrieren wollen. Das Gesetzt trgt der California Energy Commission zudem auf, zu bewerten und zu entscheiden, wann Solarstrom bei Neubauten standardmßig und nicht optional angeordnet werden sollte.

Das Gesetz sieht zudem vor, dass die stdtischen Versorgungsunternehmen ein Rabattprogramm fr Solarenergie schaffen, fr das insgesamt 800 Millionen Dollar an Mitteln zugeteilt werden, um die Nutzer der stdtischen Versorgungsunternehmen zum Solarstrom zu drngen. Zudem weist das Gesetz das California State Licensing Board an, die aktuellen Lizenzierungsbedingungen fr Solarinstallateure zu berprfen, um festzustellen, ob sie ausreichend ausgebildet sind, um die groe Anzahl von Solardchern zu installieren, mit denen als Ergebnis dieses Programms gerechnet wird.

Der bergeordnete Effekt des Gesetzes, das am 1. Januar 2007 in Kraft treten soll, ist einfach gesagt, das grßte Solarprogramm der USA zu schaffen und zielt darauf ab, 3.000 MW an Solarstrom was sechs groen Kraftwerken entspricht auf Wohnhusern, Geschftsgebuden, Farmen und Schulen in ganz Kalifornien zu erzeugen.

Solar EnerTech entwickelte sein Geschftsmodell und die in Krze in Betrieb gehende Produktionsanlage in Schanghai basierend auf dem Gesamtwachstum der Branche und in dem Wissen, dass zahlreiche einflussreiche Individuen und Gesetzgeber in den Vereinigten Staaten und im Ausland ein unnachgiebiges Engagement fr alternative Energiequellen gezeigt haben, was zu einer ganzen Reihe von hoch effizienten Programmen und Initiativen gefhrt hat, die in relativ kurzer Zeit in Kraft traten. Als Resultat der gesteigerten Nachfrage, die diese Gesetze mit sich gebracht haben, wird das Angebot von Solarzellenproduktion der Schlssel fr ein erfolgreiches Ergebnis sowohl fr Hersteller und Integratoren, als auch fr die Konsumenten sein.

In China, das seit mehr als 20 Jahren ein anhaltendes, jhrliches Wachstum von 10 Prozent aufweist, zudem ber verhltnismßig niedrige Arbeitskosten und groe Rohstoffreserven verfgt, hat das Unternehmen eine auergewhnlich gute Gelegenheit identifiziert, um dort als auslndisches Unternehmen aus der Branche der erneuerbaren Energien seine Produktionsanlagen zu errichten und Solar Enertech vergeudete keine Zeit dabei, diese Chance zu ergreifen. Leo S. Young, Grnder und CEO des Unternehmens, war fhrendes Mitglied einer kalifornischen Handelsvertretung, die das Land vergangenen November besuchte und der es auch durch die Teilnahme von Gouverneur Schwarzenegger gelang, einen Runden Tisch zum Thema Energie in Peking zu arrangieren, an dem Schwarzenegger, fhrende Geschftsleute und hohe, chinesische Offizielle teilnahmen. Whrend dieser Gesprche wurden Richtlinien fr die erneuerbaren Energien von beiden Regierungen diskutiert, Bonusprogramme entworfen und ein Prozess fr die Kommunikation und Kooperation zwischen China und Kalifornien etabliert.

Nur zwei Monate spter (im Januar 2006) fhrte China den Renewable Energy Act ein und im Februar begann Solar Enertech mit dem Bau seiner Solarzellenproduktionssttte in Schanghai. Zum heutigen Zeitpunkt sind die Infrastruktur und die Produktionsanlage des Unternehmens voll im Zeitplan, der vorsieht, dass die Produktion Ende November zum Jahrestag des Runden Tisches in Peking beginnt.

Über das Unternehmen

Solar EnerTech ist ein Hersteller. photovoltaischer (PV) Solarzellen mit Sitz in Schanghai, China, wo das Unternehmen eine hoch moderne 42.000 Quadratfuß große Produktions- und Forschungseinrichtung im Jinqiao Modern Science and Technology Park von Schanghai errichtet hat. Solar EnerTech will in die Solarzellenforschung investieren, um Zellen mit höheren Wirkungsgraden zu entwickeln und die Ergebnisse der Forschung direkt in die Produktionsprozesse einzusetzen. Unter der Leitung eines der führenden Wissenschaftler der Branche wird das F&E-Programm des Unternehmens SolarEnertech an die Spitze fortgeschrittener Solarforschung und -produktion bringen. Das Unternehmen hat zudem eine Marketing-, Einkaufs- und Vertriebsarm im Silicon Valley im Nord Kaliforniens eingerichtet.

Safe-Harbor-Erklärung bezüglich zukunftsorientierter Aussagen:

Abgesehen von Aussagen, die historische Fakten wiedergeben, enthält die hier bereitgestellte Information zukunftsorientierte Aussagen im Sinne des Private Securities Litigation Reform Act aus dem Jahre 1995. Derartige zukunftsorientierte Aussagen beinhalten bekannte und unbekannte Risiken, Unsicherheiten und andere Faktoren, die dazu führen können, dass die tatsächlichen Ergebnisse oder Leistungen des Unternehmens deutlich von den Ergebnissen und Leistungen abweichen, die ausdrücklich oder implizit in den zukunftsorientierten Aussagen enthalten sind. Zu diesen Faktoren zählen die allgemeinen Wirtschafts- und Geschäftsbedingungen, die Fähigkeit zum Erwerb und zur Entwicklung spezifischer Projekte, die Fähigkeit zur Finanzierung von Betriebsbereichen und Änderungen im Verbraucherverhalten von Konsumenten und Firmen und andere Faktoren, auf die Solar EnerTech Corp. keinen oder nur geringen Einfluss hat.

In Vertretung des Boards Solar EnerTech Corp. Leo Shi Young, President

Investor Relations-Kontakt: Boundary Point Investor Relations Inc. [phone]

Besuchen Sie unsere Website unter www.solarenertech.com

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California Formally Adopts Performance-Based Solar Incentives
29. August 2006

In California, what will soon determine the rebate level for solar energy won't be how many solar panels are on your roof but actually how much power those panels are producing.

Photo: SMA


San Francisco, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] There's been a flurry of solar activity in the Golden State over the past couple weeks. Last week, most attention in the solar community was on the signing into law of SB1, the Million Solar Roofs bill. Following that move, the California Solar Initiative (CSI), a closely related solar program, was formally adopted by state utility regulators.

"Today's decision marks another milestone in California's commitment to renewable energy."

-- PUC President Michael R. Peevey The plan, a 10-year, $2.9 billion program designed to foster increased used of solar energy in the state, now will include a performance-based incentives. The California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) adopted the plan last week following the signing of SB1 into law.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2007, the PUC will offer performance-based incentives for solar energy systems greater than 100 kilowatts (kW) in size installed in businesses and other large facilities. For systems smaller than 100 kW, incentives for residential and small businesses will be based on each system's estimated future performance. Both mechanisms reward the selection and proper installation of high quality solar systems.

This decision implements the first phase of the CSI, which was adopted by the PUC in January 2006. The goal of the Solar Initiative is to increase the amount of installed solar capacity in California by 3,000 megawatts (MW) by 2017. Offering incentives for small and large solar energy projects will help create a sustainable solar industry and boost solar power's long-term position in California's energy portfolio while immediately providing clean energy for residents and business owners.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2007, residential and small commercial systems will receive incentives of $2.50 per watt and will be eligible for additional federal tax credits. Government and nonprofit organizations will receive $3.25 per watt to compensate for their lack of access to the federal tax credit. For systems larger than 100 kW, incentive payments over the first five years of operation will be $0.39 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of output for taxable entities and $0.50 per kWh of output for government/nonprofit organizations.

The incentive program will be managed regionally by the existing self-generation program administrators -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Company, and the San Diego Regional Energy Office. The administrators will develop a statewide online application to help simplify the process for solar applicants.

SB 1, by contrast, requires the Commission to implement the California Solar Initiative with a number of specific provisions, particularly with regard to total budget dollars and eliminating funding from gas ratepayers. Importantly, SB 1 is consistent with most of the key California Solar Initiative program aspects in this decision just adopted, particularly the adoption of performance-based incentives and raising the cap on net metering to enable more systems to get credit for hours when solar energy production exceeds the customer's immediate energy needs.

Certain program details and budgetary issues will need future modification in light of SB 1, and the Commission will modify this decision as necessary before SB 1 takes effect on Jan. 1, 2007.

"Today's decision marks another milestone in California's commitment to renewable energy," said PUC President Michael R. Peevey. "Solar power is an important part of the Commission's plan to increase the amount of renewable energy in the state. Today's decision focuses on resolving critical path issues needed to get the California Solar Initiative up and running."

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California takes lead in global warming fight
Wed Aug 30, 2006 9:25 PM ET

By Mary Milliken

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California catapulted to the forefront of
U.S. efforts to fight global warming on Wednesday with an accord
that will give the state the toughest laws in the nation on cutting
greenhouse gas emissions and possibly spur a reluctant Washington to
take similar action.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has accused fellow Republican
President George W. Bush of failing to demonstrate leadership on
climate change, said he reached a "historic agreement" with
Democrats to make California a world leader in reducing carbon
emissions.

"The success of our system will be an example for other states and
nations to follow as the fight against climate change continues,"
Schwarzenegger said in a statement after weeks of tense negotiations.

The bill now seems certain to win approval this week in a vote in
the state Senate and Assembly, where Democrats hold majorities.
Thursday is the last day of the legislative session ahead of
November elections.

Despite opposition from within his own party, Schwarzenegger was
expected to support the bill since he has made much of his
environmental record in his reelection bid.

Green policies are popular among voters in environment-savvy
California, the world's eighth-largest economy and 12th largest
producer of greenhouse gas emissions.

California's Global Warming Solutions Act aims to cut emissions to
1990 levels, or around 25 percent, by 2020 with an enforceable cap
and mandatory reporting for top polluters like energy companies.

"HUGE" IMPACT ON WASHINGTON

The United States is the world's largest producer of the heat-
trapping gases that many scientists link to extreme weather like
violent hurricanes and rising sea levels.

But Bush pulled the United States out of the 160-nation Kyoto
Protocol to cut greenhouse gas emissions in 2001, arguing that it
would hurt the economy and unfairly excluded developing nations like
China.

California's breakthrough on global warming could have a "huge"
impact on policy in Washington, said Fred Krupp, president of
environmental advocacy group Environmental Defense. "This adds
tremendous momentum to the already growing momentum and makes it
more likely than ever that Washington will act," said Krupp.

He said companies are ahead of politicians on global warming and
have expressed a preference for a national framework on cutting
emissions rather than "a patchwork quilt of state regulations."

Worried about the impact on business, Schwarzenegger pushed for a
market-based system that will eventually give companies tools to
meet emissions targets, like carbon credit trading.

"We created a clear path to allow California to enter into that
market-based system and we're very proud we were able to reach that
agreement with the governor," said bill author and Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nunez, a Los Angeles Democrat.

But there was still notable opposition in industrial and energy
circles.

"It is unfortunate such important legislation is being put together
at the last minute without proper review and scrutiny, especially
because of its potential to harm the economy," said Tupper Hull, a
spokesman for the Western States Petroleum Association.
***********************************************************
Here come the CO2 mitigating algae to oil farms!
They will love the idea in California & once the technology is
proven there it will go global...

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CA requires renewable
Posted on Tue, Sep. 26, 2006


It's the law: 20 percent of electricity from renewables
STATE'S UTILITIES MUST COMPLY BY 2010
By Paul Rogers
Mercury News

California's three major utilities, including Pacific Gas & Electric, will be required to provide 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources such as solar, wind and geothermal energy within four years under a new law signed today by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The bill, SB 107, by State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, is intended to reduce fossil fuel use and help expand the state's alternative energy industry by generating increased demand.

``This provides an immediate response to the threat of global warming,'' said Simitian. ``It improves air quality, reduces our dependence on foreign energy sources, and it reduces our risk of another energy crisis.''

The state's major investor-owned utilities -- PG&E, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric -- face fines that could reach into the millions if they don't have contracts in hand by Dec. 31, 2010 ensuring that 20 percent of their electricity comes from solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, tidal energy or hydropower from small dams.

The measure does not affect cities that run their own utilities, such as Palo Alto, Santa Clara and Los Angeles. But the ``Big Three'' utilities provide electricity to the majority of California's population.

The new law, which was endorsed by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, comes on the eve of another major environmental announcement by the governor. Schwarzenegger plans to sign a landmark global warming bill Wednesday at a ceremony on Treasure Island that would place a cap on emissions of greenhouse gases from California industry and power plants, requiring a 25 percent reduction by 2020.

All three major utilities initially opposed the bill that was signed Tuesday. But as parts of it were changed -- one amendment allowed them to buy renewable power from out-of-state companies, not just in-state, for example -- they dropped their opposition.

``Renewable power is more expensive power, but it is cleaner, it diversifies our overall portfolio, it lessens our dependence on natural gas and bottom line, it's the right thing to do,'' said Brian Sweeney, a PG&E spokesman.

Currently 13 percent of PG&E's electricity, 16 percent of Edison's and 6 percent of San Diego Gas & Electric's comes from renewable sources. All three said Tuesday they have been signing contracts at a steady clip and expect to make the 2010 deadline.

The new law accelerates a law already on the books that set the 20 percent renewable requirement by 2017. The state Public Utilities Commission had also imposed a 20 percent rule by 2010, but that didn't have the permanence of law.

``This makes it more credible,'' said Frank Wolak, a economics professor at Stanford University.

``The utilities haven't been dragging their feet, but they haven't been running out to get it done,'' he said. ``It's like when a student has a paper due in a month, but they wait until a few days before it's due. They wanted to know if California was serious.''

Although electricity from renewable sources can cost 30 percent to 50 percent more than electricity from natural gas, Wolak said, he doesn't expect the new law to drive consumer bills up.

That's because the additional renewable energy the law requires will make up a relatively small part of the overall electricity supplied, Wolak said. Also, ratepayers are paying now for costs incurred during the blackouts of five years ago, and those costs will gradually decline in the coming years, helping to offset any increase, he said.

Twenty-two states now have similar mandates for renewable energy. A bill by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-New Mexico to create a nationwide 10 percent requirement by 2020 passed the U.S. Senate last year, but was killed by Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, a House chairman and former oil industry contractor who said he wanted to include nuclear and clean coal technology among energy sources that would qualify as renewable.

[jellyfisch]

Oct. 28, 2006, 7:36PM
Solar event has star power
Session shows this energy going green in more ways than one
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/energy/4294167.…


http://www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/

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FOLSOM, Calif., Jan. 26 (UPI) The California Independent System Operator Corp. announced Friday it was seeking approval for its conceptual financing plan to put transmission lines in remote locations.

California ISO said the filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission would allow previously unavailable green power from multiple users to be connected to the grid.

If the proposal is approved and implemented, it would be the first method to remove some of the largest financial obstacles for wind, solar, geothermal and other renewable energy resources. The transmission lines would help California achieve its Renewable Portfolio Standard requiring most utilities to deliver 20 percent renewable electricity by 2010.

Wind turbines, large solar power plants and geothermal resources all need to be built close to their natural fuel sources, said Yakout Mansour, president and chief executive officer of California ISO. The California ISO is committed to removing barriers to these types of green resources and doing everything we can to help meet the State's renewable standards and climate change policies in a timely and reliable manner.At present. individual project developers must pay to connect their renewable sources to the grid and the California ISO proposal would have the transmission owners and generators share the costs based on their generating capacity.Ã¥

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

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Press Release Source: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

LADWP Calls for Proposals to Build $176 Million in Green Power
Tuesday February 6, 4:00 pm ET
Renewable Energy Developers Invited to Bidders' Conference Set for Feb. 13

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is seeking proposals for 2,200 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy per year--worth approximately $176 million annually--from "green power" resources such as solar, wind, and geothermal power. A pre-proposal conference for prospective bidders is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 9 a.m. at LADWP's John Ferraro Building headquarters, A-Level Auditorium, 111 N. Hope St., Los Angeles.

"This is an incredible opportunity for the renewable energy industry to present strong, viable proposals that will foster the development of clean, sustainable energy for the City of Los Angeles for many generations to come," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said.

Proposals are due April 10 at 2 p.m. The Request for Proposals (RFP) can be downloaded from the LADWP website at www.ladwp.com/purchasing and has been sent directly to more than 300 vendors nationwide.

The RFP is aimed at boosting the City of Los Angeles' renewable energy sales to 20% of the energy supplied to customers by 2010. The additional 2,200 GWh of renewable energy would increase L.A.'s total renewables to 15% from its current 6%.

"As we issue this RFP, we are making significant progress toward realizing our goal of 20% by 2010," said H. David Nahai, president of the Board of Water and Power Commissioners that oversees LADWP, the nation's largest municipal utility. "We hope to be deluged with wide-ranging proposals that not only will provide the City with renewable energy but also open up new markets for innovation and opportunity."

The RFP opens the door to vendors to provide renewable energy projects. As stated in the RFP, LADWP will give preference to proposals that offer immediate facility ownership or to long-term purchase agreements that have an ownership option. Additionally, LADWP is targeting proposals for renewable energy resources that would be constructed on LADWP-owned land located in the Salton Sea area of California. The Department owns about 5,800 acres of land in the Salton Sea, which has fertile opportunities for solar and geothermal power.

LADWP is integrating efforts to develop renewable energy with proposed new or expanded transmission lines to enable delivering that energy to Los Angeles. Starting next month, LADWP, in conjunction with the Imperial Irrigation District Energy (IID Energy) and the nonprofit Citizens Energy, will begin the environmental review process for the Green Path Project, designed to provide access to renewable energy sources in the Salton Sea area. The project also will enhance energy infrastructure and reliability for Los Angeles, Imperial, Riverside and San Diego counties.

"We hope to acquire renewable resources that will take advantage of the proposed Green Path Project," LADWP General Manager Ron Deaton said.

The RFP also calls for the development of solar projects in the state's high desert areas, including Mojave, California City, Barstow, and Victorville. "These areas are desirable because of their close proximity to several LADWP electrical interconnection points, providing greater opportunity and more flexibility to connect to the LADWP transmission system," Deaton said.

Eligible renewable resources include wind, biomass (defined as organic material), solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, geothermal, digester and landfill gas, ocean wave, ocean thermal and tidal current, fuel cells using renewable fuels and other renewable energy resources.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation's largest municipal utility, provides reliable, low-cost water and power services to Los Angeles residents and businesses in an environmentally responsible manner. LADWP services about 1.4 million electric customers and 680,000 water customers in Los Angeles.


Contact:

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
Carol Tucker, 213-367-1815

Source: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power