Solar Subsidies [RE-wrenches]

[matthew tritt]

Gator......
Since we're already playing in a Fellini movie.... I think it less absurd to
enact all the things possible to lighten the incredible burden of the
disenfranchised than support oil exploration in the AWR, blast Iraq or buy
at SprawlMart. We definitely live in a dysfunctional society, which places
higher value on brute force than on the well-being of it's citizens and
enslaving millions so that we can buy our consumer crap for less.

Our national priorities have to come into line with the real needs of the
people and the planet before we go the way of the Roman Empire (more like
the Third Reich) or simply exhaust the ecosystem. Even though the
installation of a few measly PV systems on the roofs of the poor would do 0
to cure all the ills of our planet, it sure wouldn't hurt! By reducing
hydrocarbon contribution and providing some much needed work for people who
really need it, we could only help, not hurt. (Insulation programs for the
poor already exist, and solar thermal should be mandatory anyway!)

If you allow yourself to really "tune in" on all the stupidity, injustice,
corruption, greed. narrow minded self interest and mindless waste going on
around us, chances are you'll become a political activist or just go
round the bend. I, for one, simply try to focus on the things I can do that
actually are useful in some way to the environment, and to as many people as
possible, without getting up on stage to do it.

Convincing the American Masses of the importance of spiritual connectedness
to something other than the Judeo-Christian model of "God", is a real
marketing nightmare. Just try talking about the Great Spirit or the
Gaia/living Earth concept sometime with your average Burger King staff and
see the blank stares you get. You know what I mean. Short of mandatory
Peyote consumption, it's hard to see what scale of calamity has to occur
before people will listen to something, anything, that requires going
outside their comfort zone.

In the interim, just doing the things you feel are right, and trying to sway
others to your way of thinking by example, isn't such a bad idea. Keep the
faith!

Matt
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Lane, Energy Conservation Services" <tom at ecs-solar.com>
To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 17, 2002 6:26 AM
Subject: Re: Solar Subsidies [RE-wrenches]


> it would be absurd to provide pv systems to low income housing without
doing
> weather stripping and solar hot water first. One dollar  spent on weather
> stripping equals a thousand dollars spent on pv and one dollar spent on
> solar hot waterequals 30 spent on pv    Gator  Tom Message -----
> From: "matthew tritt" <solarone at charter.net>
> To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
> Sent: Saturday, November 16, 2002 7:54 PM
> Subject: Re: Solar Subsidies [RE-wrenches]
>
>
> > Excellent idea Graham. I also think that a government program providing
PV
> > systems to low income households would provide relief from high electric
> > costs, create jobs and help reduce some of the rich man, poor man stigma
> > from owning a system. If HUD can provide housing at the rate they pass
on
> to
> > low income folks, why not solar too?
> >
> > Matt
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Graham Owen" <graham at solarexpert.com>
> > To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
> > Sent: Saturday, November 16, 2002 4:36 PM
> > Subject: Solar Subsidies [RE-wrenches]
> >
> >
> > >
> > > Matthew Tritt wrote: "our product will only be
> > > truly affordable to buyers with higher than average incomes until
> > > government decides to subsidize it nationally"
> > >
> > > Matt, I think you hit the nail on the head here.  Solar needs to
become
> > > subsidized nationally to greatly increase economies of scale.  The
> > > problem is figuring out how to make these subsidies provide the most
> > > benefit to the consumer without creating avenues of financial
temptation
> > > and shenanigans by contractors.  I also believe that a percentage of
> > > solar energy system subsidies should be calculated and paid for the
> > > energy they actually produce.
> > >
> > > I believe there is concern with lawmakers, that it is beginning to
> > > appear that low-income ratepayers struggling to pay their electric
bills
> > > are subsidizing solar power to reduce energy bills for the affluent,
who
> > > are most able to pay their bills.  As an industry what we really need
to
> > > focus on how to make PV affordable for low-income families.  When this
> > > is achieved PV will truly be a mainstream product.  Zero interest
loans
> > > and targeted government assistance is necessary.  One possible
scenario
> > > would be to have the IRS allow 30-cents per kWh's generated annually
to
> > > become deductible from income taxes.  This would keep the solar money
> > > and monitoring out of the hands of the utilities.  A Zero interest
> > > government loan for 20 years, with the first payment deferred for one
> > > year, combined with 30 cents per kWh tax deduction would work
> > > financially.  A program such as this would require a long-term
> > > government commitment; say 20 years, to truly change our energy mix.
> > > Homes with money generating devices on the roof will be easy to sell.
> > > Now you may ask, could our federal government possibly make such a
> > > long-term energy subsidy commitment?  It is possible.
> > >
> > > I just read a very interesting article in the latest World Energy
> > > magazine, Volume 5 Number 3, written by Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senate,
> > > Alaska.  On page 85 he lays out a plan for a 15-year subsidy for a
> > > natural gas pipeline to the lower 48 from Alaska.  I tried to find the
> > > article on line to give you a link but a password is needed to read
the
> > > article.  This is an excellent magazine.  I will paste the link below
> > > but I don't think you can open the article.
> > >
> > >
> >
>
http://www.worldenergysource.com/articles/articledetail.cfm?the_start=1&sort
> >
>
by=last&keyword=Frank&title=&country=&business=&mymax=10&volume=&id=399&auth
> > _id=99&language=E
> > >
> > >
> > > Graham Owen
> > > GO Solar Company
> > >
> > > - - - -
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> > >
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