Solar Living

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Fraser bill promotes solar energy

State Senate Panel OKs Bill on Incentives

State Sen. Troy Fraser wants to put a solar panel on the roof of your house.

Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, says Texas can run on solar power, and his bill creating incentives for residents and businesses to purchase solar energy has unanimously passed the Business and commerce Committee of the Texas Senate.

"The sun that strikes Texas' buildings and soil each day has the potential to power the state many times over," Fraser said in a recent news conference, "and the technologies needed to harvest that energy are already there.

"The question facing Texas is whether we will lead the solar energy revolution and bring good jobs and clean power to our state, or whether we will lag behind," he added.

Fraser, and Abilene native who has represented Taylor and other counties in central Texas in the state Senate since 1996, is author of Senate Bill 545, which will provide as much as $100 million a year for five years for the solar energy incentive programs if it becomes a law.

The money, which will come from a surcharge on electric bills, will encourage Texas residents to install solar panels on the roofs of their houses, help utility companies build concentrated solar facilities and provide rebates for the purchases of solar products manufactured in Texas.

The bill passed the committee Tuesday but must still be considered by the full Senate and the House of Representatives. At least 18 bills on solar energy were filed in this 81st session of the Legislature, and Fraser's bill incorporates concepts from several of them. Co-author of SB 545 is Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio.

In a statement, Fraser said: "Texas has been extremely successful in establishing clean, efficient energy from renewable resources. This legislation providing for solar generation as another source of renewable energy is a very positive step."

In its analysis of SB 545, the Senate Research Center said federal tax credits and subsidies have made wind power much more competitive with traditional sources of energy. But it said other forms of renewable energy "have been unable to gain a foothold in the energy market.

"The lack of development of other renewable resources is mainly due to the extreme costs associated with other forms of renewable energy, such as solar energy," the center reported.

The proposed solar energy program would be administered by the Public Utility Commission of Texas. The bill authorizes the PUC to direct the development of utility-scale solar energy in West Texas to maximize the use of transmission lines built through the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone.

The bill also authorizes the State Energy Conservation Office to establish a loan program to help school districts install solar systems and requires home builders in new subdivisions to offer solar energy as an option for new home buyers.

In addition to helping Texas become more energy independent, Fraser said, the legislation also encourages economic growth in the state.

Fraser is chairman of the Business and Commerce Committee.

Garner Roberts, Abilene Reporter-News

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Solar Living Institute

Established in 1998 as a spin-off from Real Goods Trading Company, the Solar Living Institute in Hopland, CA, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization whose mission is to promote sustainable living through inspirational environmental education. The Institute provides practical, education by example and hands-on workshops on renewable energy, green building, sustainable living, permaculture, organic gardening and alternative, environmental, construction methods.The Institute is headquartered at the Solar Living Center, a gorgeous 12-acre renewable energy and sustainable living demonstration site visited by nearly 200,000 people annually in the heart of Northern California’s wine country in Hopland, California. Since its inception nearly two million visitors have experienced the Solar Living Center.The nonprofit Solar Living Institute depends upon your support to continue to offer you rich educational programs. Please support the Institute by joining our Membership Program, making a gift online, becoming an intern, or volunteering.

To learn more about this organization, please go to their website http://www.solarliving.org/default.asp

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Solar Power: Is It Worth It?

This is a never-ending debate that will ultimately depend on your point of view. There are certain factors involved in answering the question such as:

• Where do you live

• What is your current electric supply

• How much does the solar power equipment cost

• Do you define “worth” in monetary terms or in terms of its impact on the environment

Before you can consider these factors, I’d like to point out certain long-held misconceptions about solar power that are untrue:: It’s too expensive: It won’t provide enough power for large

appliances: It won’t work during the winter: It will only provide power when it’s sunny: It is very difficult to install and will only last 5 years: It’s unreliable and useless at night: It’s inefficient and not worth it.A Look at the FactsThe amount of sun’s energy reaching the earth depends on where you live. If you’re in a sunnier place, the solar power equipment will pay for itself faster. Less sunny places can still make use of solar power, however.Installing solar power equipment may cost you, but the upkeep costs are negligible, compared to the cost of being connected to the grid and paying a monthly electric bill. The kind of equipment you need depends on how much electricity you need. If you need a lot of electricity, your initial cost of installation will be high, but of course, this will be offset by the high cost you’re already paying for electricity off the grid.Your solar power can be connected to the grid to pass on the extra electricity you are generating. This is known as net metering and adds to your credit. Connecting to the grid will cost you, depending on how far the grid lines are from your home.Solar power becomes much more attractive when it combines with other solar technologies. A buil

ding with passive solar heating and water heating will require less electricity from your solar power source. Modern buildings, made with energy efficient materials will put less pressure on your solar power equipment. This in no way means that older buildings with poorer energy efficient materials can’t use solar power. Solar power, once installed, will pay for itself within a reasonable time.After considering the above, it all comes down to the ‘worth’ of installing solar power. Is it only the monetary cost one should consider, or the total cost to the environment? It all comes down to how much you value the environment.