PV as an investment [RE-wrenches]

[Jeffrey Wolfe, Global Resources]

I tried out a new line at a festival I was at today. (I've used this a 
little before, but I tried it all day today.) When asked either "what's the 
payback", or "how does this compare to the utility co.", I simply said 
"It's the cheapest clean power you can buy." This shut up some, and caused 
all to pause significantly. It helped to convey three things in a single 
sentence 1) It's not expensive, 2) It's clean power, and 3) (If they're 
savvy) You can't buy clean power any other way (at least in VT at this 
point.) If they missed the point, and thought it was cheaper than utility 
power, not my problem.

Please note that I did not sell any systems today.

We are Cultural Educators. Our biggest barrier is not cost, it is culture. 
The fact that people rely on the cost of electricity in making their 
decision is due to their cultural indoctrination. That's why the same 
person who buys an SUV for city driving can say, and believe, "Solar energy 
doesn't make economic sense." Culture is way powerful. The book Ishmeal, by 
Daniel Quinn, is a must read (for laymen) for understanding the depth and 
implications of our cultural indoctrination. (His later books drop over the 
side a bit.)

One other selling story that I use (again, no systems sold based upon it) 
is about the apple. I tell the story of the apple grower who has an apple 
for sale for $0.50. It is a beautiful apple, organically grown, very 
beneficial to your health, not harmful to the soil it is grown in, nor 
harmful to the worker who produce it. What? Too expensive? The grower also 
has an apple for sale for $0.15. It is also a beautiful looking apple. It 
is grown with pesticides, harms the soil around it and the water through 
runoff, and causes disease in the workers who produce it. Oh, and it is 
poisonous.

Which apple would you like to buy?

Of course, I told this story once today, and the guy said, "it depends on 
how many I'm buying, 1 or 1000". And I asked, so if you're buying 1000 
you'll buy the poisonous one? and he said yes.

Been a long day and a long week. We'll find the killer tag line yet. Then, 
after buying $100,000,000 of TV ads, the culture will be changed.

Jeff

- - - -
To send a message: RE-wrenches at topica.com

Archive of previous messages: http://www.topica.com/lists/RE-wrenches/

List rules & etiquette: http://www.mrsharkey.com/wrenches/etiquete.htm

Check out participant bios: www.mrsharkey.com/wrenches/index.html

Hosted by Home Power magazine

Moderator: michael.welch at homepower.com

==^================================================================
EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bz8Qcs.bz9JC9
Or send an email To: RE-wrenches-unsubscribe at topica.com
This email was sent to: michael.welch at homepower.com

T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail!
http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register
==^================================================================