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

************************************************

Solar News from around the State...

Rahus and Roseville Electric team to teach solar at Energy summer camp...Roseville - "Watts Up?" The Roseville Science & Technology Access Center offered a series of weeklong summer school classes focused entirely on Energy, titled Watts Up. The Rahus Institute, sponsored by Roseville Electric, provided a day of solar energy instruction to the 8-13 year old students. Students built a variety of solar cookers and cooked several tasty morsels, making believers of all attendees and camp counselors. In the afternoon, students learned about solar electric cells & how to combine cells to spin motors faster (& pump water higher), in addition to providing electricity for homes.. Human sundials were drawn on the sidewalk with chaulk and left for locals lacking a watch - providing a lesson in solar geometry. Rahus is currently developing solar energy lesson plans for a solar for schools program it will pilot in the coming school year. Solar e-Clips Editor 2001.08.25

A renewed interest in sun, wind power [Santa Barbara] - Consumers are already depending on solar energy for their daily needs -- and they don't even realize it. Some modern-day amenities, among them pagers and satellite television programming, use the sun to deliver services. "(People) don't think about it," said John Perlin, author of "From Space to Earth, the Story of Solar Electricity." Government and private industry have long used photovoltaic cells to harness the power of the sun to power satellites, said Mr.Perlin, who lectures around the world about solar power. Now consumer demand is causing an explosion in the renewable energy industry -- growing 40 percent a year, he said. The industry exports most of its products to other countries,. .... CHÉ TABISOLA in Santa Barbara News Press 2001.8.24

Power agency debuts - will pursue renewable energy projects - SACRAMENTO -- Even though California has gotten through the summer so far without blackouts, the state's new public power authority still has plenty to do to eliminate the threat of energy shortages and price spikes, the agency's top officials said Friday. Meeting for the first time, the power authority's five-member board of directors approved a $1.5 million budget, agreed to make board Chairman S. David Freeman the agency's interim chief executive officer and directed its staff to seek out a financial adviser. Directors outlined a vision for the agency that entails delivering a 15 percent reserve of power for the state, pursuing renewable energy projects and assessing the supply of natural gas. "Let's be clear about it," Freeman said. "The Legislature has created a consumer protection agency. We are flat-footed on the part of the consumer. Our job, if I could borrow a phrase from the Boy Scouts, is to be prepared." Andrew LaMar in CONTRA COSTA TIMES 2001.8.25

Glendale approves incentives for solar power - GLENDALE -- Under the first-ever renewable energy rebate program launched in Glendale, homeowners interested in installing solar panels to generate their own electricity are entitled to thousands of dollars in incentives. The City Council late Tuesday budgeted $150,000 to fund a solar-electric rebate program, which provides reimbursements of up to $3 per watt up to 10,000 watts -- the largest system allowed in the program. The city hopes to assist about 25 homeowners with rebates for a 2,000-watt system estimated at $6,000. "The state has a pretty good renewable energy program. Los Angeles does. People in Glendale are interested in having a similar program," said Craig Kuennen, public benefits programs coordinator for the city. The program, however, does not cover solar equipment that heats swimming pools by running water through a series of pipes. At the beginning of the summer, when talk of blackouts was constant, Kuennen said he received five to 10 calls a week. Solar-electric systems are attractive to the city, staff said, because they produce energy using sunlight, without adding air pollution or depleting fossil fuel resources... Helen Gao in LA Daily News 2001.8.23 [a summary of California solar utility incentives]

Power Misers Share Wealth - Savvy South Bay couple has the energy thing beat - San Jose - Nicole and Eric Jorgensen are missionaries in a land ripe with potential converts. Just as an energy apocalypse seems at hand, this husband-and-wife team is fervently preaching its gospel of conservation, and a growing number of penitent energy consumers are making a pilgrimage to the Jorgensens' unassuming tract house in San Jose, Calif. The 1,150-square-foot home is, in fact, a kind of miracle in a state still reeling from the fallout of deregulation and power-grid breakdown: utility bills that nearly dwarf mortgage payments and more blackouts that can hit willy-nilly as if this were a Third World country and not the birthplace of the Information Age. The couple's last utility bill was $11.95, including gas, and most of that was for standard meter fees. Their electricity is mostly solar- and wind-generated, and their electric meter actually spins backward. They are virtually immune to blackouts. When a power outage hit the neighborhood one day while Nicole was heating up lunch in the microwave, their only clue was the blank face of the digital clock on their electric stove, the lone device that doesn't run on homemade power. The Jorgensens' conservation ethos stems from a mixture of outrage over products they feel shouldn't use as much electricity as they do, penny-pinching habits developed while trying to accumulate a down payment in one of the nation's highest-priced real estate markets, and a certain spirit of gamesmanship that keeps them asking, "How low can we go?"... Karen Brandon in Chicago Tribune 2001.7.29

Talkin' 'bout my generators - students push conservation to the limit - Arcata - In the kitchen stands the pedal-powered blender, in the living room is the pedal-powered television, and at various times all manner of appliances around this unusual 1930s-era bungalow have run on power generated by residents pumping away on stationary bicycles. The array of such "human energy converters" has included a pedal-powered laptop computer, a washing machine and, briefly, a can opener, which was taken out of commission when someone realized it was easier to use a hand-held version than to pedal away to run an electric model. This is the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology at Humboldt State University, among the redwoods of remote northern California in Arcata. CCAT (pronounced SEE-cat) is a fanciful monument to the pursuit of energy conservation and environmental correctness that knows few limits. (The bathroom features a composting toilet, and the published cookbook features tofu pot pie.) Each year, three university students live here and demonstrate the house's energy-saving measures to visitors. The bungalow uses about one-twentieth of the power consumed by the average U.S. household.... Karen Brandon in Chicago Tribune 2001.7.29

Scientist urges Americans to seek their 'own private Kyoto' - Although the US government refuses to endorse the Kyoto protocol, people could sign up to the treaty at an individual level, a UK environmental scientist suggests. David Reay of the University of Edinburgh has calculated that simple lifestyle changes and home improvements could go a long way towards achieving one's "own private Kyoto". The time is ripe for a bottom-up approach to climate change, he says: "Since the Bonn summit, there have been more and more questions from the public - people want to know how they can do their bit." The United States currently produces 6.6 tons (6.7 metric tonnes) of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide,methane and nitrous oxide per citizen per year. To meet the Kyoto protocol's 1997 targets, the country would need to cut these emissions by 16% by 2010. Reay has worked out how a hypothetical US family of four with a four-wheel-drive 'sports utility vehicle' might achieve this. Most room for improvement is in transport. Swapping the gas-guzzler for a mid-sized family car that produces less than half as much carbon dioxide would go almost halfway to meeting this family's Kyoto commitment. Better insulation, solar panels, and energy-efficient fridges and washing machines would release less greenhouse gas. Planting trees in the garden could soak up carbon dioxide.... JOHN WHITFIELD in Nature 2001.8.22

Windmill victim of permit lack [Los Angeles] - GRANADA HILLS -- George Horvath wants to uncrunch the energy crisis with his very own windmill. Except the backyard invention that has powered Horvath's refrigerator since 1998 was broken up recently by order of Los Angeles building and safety inspectors, whom he says shrugged their shoulders at his quixotic plans five years ago. "You bet I'm upset," said Horvath, 68, a born tinkerer with a back yard full of odds, ends and ongoing mechanical and horticultural projects. "Right now, we're in the middle of an energy crisis -- everyone's looking for a solution -- and those Don Quixotes stopped me. "They just can't stand it. If there is something new, they don't know what to do with it. So instead, they want to destroy it."...Dana Bartholomew in LA Daily News 2001.8.01

Solar Hot Water and Distributed Generation Program get new Funds - California Energy Commission - Sacramento - The Solar Energy (Solar Hot Water & Batteries for grid-tied PV systems) and Distributed Generation program was allocated a minimum of $750,000 for fiscal year '01/'02. Program guidelines are being revised and expect to be approved in October. Read the notice for more details CEC 2001.08.23 [a summary of California solar utility incentives]

Green Mountain Launches Home Solar in California - SAN FRANCISCO -- August 21 2001 - Green Mountain Energy Company (www.greenmountain.com), the nation's largest and fastest growing residential provider of cleaner electricity, today announced the launch of its Green Mountain Energysm Home Solar system. The company is offering Californians a simple and economicalresponse to the state's current energy situation and invites consumers to join in its mission to change the way power is made. Available to residential customers starting today, Green Mountain Energysm Home Solar sits non-intrusively on rooftops, can be installed in just a few days and pays for itself with combined savings from reduced electric bills, state rebates and increased property value. Depending on which system a customer selects, the unit can provide up to 100 percent of the electricity needed to power the average California home. All systems are made by BP Solar, the world's leading solar electric company with over 44 years of collective experience in the manufacture, development and marketing of photovoltaic (solar electric) products and systems. Green Mountain Energy Company is a one-stop solar shop, making installation of a home solar system simple and convenient. With one call, Green Mountain Energy Company will take care of all consumer needs, including initial consultation, system design, order processing, application for subsidies and permits, system installation and annual check-ups for the first five years. "We want to make it as easy as possible for California residents to start generating their own electricity by harnessing the clean power of the sun, thereby reducing their dependence on the local utility," said Rick Counihan, California Regional Vice President of Green Mountain Energy Company. "Our Home Solar system is designed for Californians who want a reliable way to address the uncertainties resulting from the current power crisis. With our offering, customers can gain more control over how much their electricity costs and how it is made." Press Release 2001.8.21

outa this world...
Unfurling of Solar Wings - For the first time, video cameras (as pictured) onboard a satellite captured the unfurling of solar panels. It may not be ready for prime time but it's a half-hour of video that space scientists will likely watch in reruns over and over again. The plot of the show is fairly straight-forward: a commercial satellite unfurls its solar array panel by panel in geosynchronous orbit 22,000 miles above the Earth. If this doesn't sound exciting, keep in mind it's footage that's never been seen before... FRANK VIZARD in Popular Science 2001.2.22

----------------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

TO CONTACT THE EDITOR:
Email at solareclips@californiasolarcenter.org or phone 925.370.7262 Your news items are welcome, please send with a link to the online article. thx.

BACK ISSUES:
archived issues are found at www.californiasolarcenter.org/solareclips.html

REDISTRIBUTION
Please do not redistribute or post copies of Solar e-Clips regularly. Encourage readers who receive Solar e-Clips from you to subscribe directly. Continuing sponsorship depends on accurate reader counts.

SUBSCRIBE / UNSUBSCRIBE
To subscribe or unsubscribe to Solar e-Clips

..........................

Copyright 2001 The Rahus Institute. All rights reserved.
Republishing Solar e-Clips in print or on a web site, in whole or in part, or commercial distribution in any form requires advance permission of the editor.