Welcome to Solar e-Clips. A weekly summary of news and information about solar energy issues in California. Brought to you by The Rahus Institute and Californiasolarcenter.org

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News from around the State...

It's Still Dawn for Solar Power in L.A. - One year ago this city announced its intent to become "the Solar Capital of the World," with 100,000 roofs covered with solar electric panels by the end of the decade, an audacious goal to transform the homes of this smoggy but sunny metropolis into miniature power plants. To fulfill what is perhaps the nation's most ambitious solar campaign, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power began offering substantial "buy down" subsidies that would reimburse rate payers for half the price of each new solar energy system. For the average home, a photovoltaic package costs between $10,000 and $20,000, parts and labor included, before the rebate. How many have been installed? At last count, about 40. That leaves only 99,960 rooftops to go. William Booth in Washington Post -5/29/01

Investing in Alternative Energy - Based on early impressions, the Bush administration appears headed for continued support of traditional energy sources such as coal, oil and natural gas. But thanks to sweeping technological advantages, alternative energy sources are becoming competitive with fossil fuels on a price per kilowatt basis. Many have widely assumed that cost parity would be the key to stimulating demand for so-called green energy. The tide has already turned in the field of solar power. Photovoltaic cells have become much more efficient and industrywatchers think that solar will become the fastest-growing form of energy over the next decade... Dave Sterman in CNBC.com - 5/28/01

College hopes to build solar plant - Cerro Coso Community College President Roe Darnell said college officials have applied for a permit from the Department of Energy to build a 100-kilowatt solar field. The solar power plant would provide supplemental energy for use during the college's peak 700 kwh electricity load. The proposed plant would cost approximately $250,000 to build, said Darnell, and the plant is expected to be completed by fall. Mary Ash in The Daily Independent Online - 5/27/01

SF Solar Bond - A sunny spring morning in San Francisco would be much sunnier for Supervisor Mark Leno if the city's buildings were outfitted with solar panels. Leno has sponsored a solar revenue bond on the November ballot to buy and install photovoltaic cells on city-owned buildings and reservoirs. Sam Whiting in San Francisco Chronicle - 5/27/01

State Bracing for Dark Summer -- While most people celebrate Memorial Day this weekend, Jan and Ralph Vazquez of San Rafael will celebrate their own independence day energy independence. Worried about a summer of rolling blackouts and fed up with rising utility bills, the couple installed a $33,000 solar system in their four-bedroom home a few weeks ago. It can store enough energy in batteries to power their refrigerator and other appliances for up to six hours if there is a blackout. AP's Gary Gentile in the Long Beach Press -- 5/27/01

Future Sunny for Solar power -- Until the energy crisis hit this year, solar equipment installers relied heavily on maintenance work to survive because the elimination of government incentive programs for solar energy users in 1985 had decimated their business. But today, with dramatic increases in the price of electricity and natural gas and the return of government incentives, the fortunes of solar contractors and manufacturers are on the rise again. Los Angeles area contractors and manufacturers say they are seeing whopping increases in business and, in some cases, are so overwhelmed with work they have had to turn jobs away. Helen Gao in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 5/27/01

Alternative power fueled by subsidies - Math for alternative energy doesn't usually add up. A visitor to this past week's ICEPAG alternative-energy symposium in Newport Beach learned that outside of a few situations, newfangled power is a costly substitute for traditional sources. Jonathan Lansner in The Orange County Register 5/26/01

Sports and Green Power -The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is tapping a new source of power -- Shawn Green. For the first time, whenever Dodger outfielder Shawn Green hits a home run at Dodger Stadium, lucky fans will win a GreenPower Prize Package that includes a green LA Dodgers cap, courtesy of the LADWP. The promotion highlights the department'sGreen Power for a Green LA Program, which offers LADWP customers the option to purchase energy generated from new renewable pollution-free sources, such as the sun, wind and water. yahoo bizwire 5/24/01

California Researchers Try to Make Alternative Energy Sources More Compatible -An electrical oddity holds great promise for energy efficiency as
alternative power sources become common. You see, your everyday electricity in home or office sockets is what is called "alternating current" or AC. The power made by many alternative systems wind, solar, etc. is "direct current," or DC. Any alternative setup must include an inverter to switch DC to AC so power is useable in common wiring. Unfortunately, that's not so efficient, because energy is lost in the inversion. Technical symposiums like the "ICEPAG" energy show in Newport Beach this week are prone to ponder this kind of quandary. Jonathan Lansner in The Orange County Register - 5/24/01

OAKLAND Council lowers hurdles to renewable energy - To encourage Oaklanders to take advantage of renewable energy, the city will waive fees and
expedite plans for residents and business owners who want to install solar panels or other alternative energy generators. Previously, getting the necessary permits could take as long as eight weeks and cost more than $1,000. San Francisco Chronicle - 5/24/01

Supervisor sees energy up on S.F.rooftops - Sunniest areas would have solar panels -- Rooftops in San Francisco's sunniest neighborhoods would be covered with power-generating solar panels to help ease the city's energy crunch under an ambitious plan proposed by Supervisor Tom Ammiano. It is envisioned that at full capacity the project would generate 50 megawatts of electricity -- enough to power 50,000 homes -- which would make it the largest such solar program in the nation. Rachel Gordon in San Francisco Chronicle - 5/23/01

GPU Solar Reports Success of Its First Power Plant in Its Initial Year of Operation - AstroPower, Inc. (NASDAQ:APWR) and GPU (NYSE:GPU) announced today that their solar electric power plant in Hopland, CA exceeded expectations for annual output during its first year of operation. - Excite PRNewswire -5/22/01

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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
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ABOUT THE EDITOR
Tor Allen is the President of The Rahus Institute, a non-profit organization. Tor has 10 years experience in the renewable energy field including: design, research, marketing, program and policy development, and installation work. He is currently the coordinator of the California PV Alliance, a collaborative group working to accelerate the market for photovoltaics in California.

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