Plug into the Sun
(Page 4 of 5)
August/September 2003
By Rusty Haynes and Lindsey Hodel
Fifteen states have funds that support renewable energy resources: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. Many of these states' rebate and loan programs for renewable energy (some of which are discussed above) are funded by public benefit funds.
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A renewables portfolio standard typically requires that a state's investor-owned utilities generate a certain percentage of their overall capacity for electricity sales from renewable energy sources. For example,
California's standard requires that the state's utility companies generate 20 percent of their power from renewable energy by 2017; Nevada's standard requires 15 percent by 2013 and Connecticut's standard requires 13 percent by 2009.
Renewable portfolio standards also vary widely among the 15 states that have adopted them thus far, especially in terms of the types of renewable energy sources eligible, the percentage of renewables mandated, the time frame specified, and the inclusion (or exclusion) of existing renewable systems.
SOLAR SOLUTIONS
Currently, solar power supplies less than 1 percent of our country's electricity. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, California tops the charts in installed PV power, followed by Arizona, New York and Texas.
A study by Greenpeace indicates that if only 1 percent of the 105 million households in this country each installed a 480watt solar system (at an approximate cost of $5 per watt, or $2,400), between 500,000 to 700,000 megawatt-hours of electricity — the equivalent of burning 478 million pounds of coal — could be generated annually. This transition also would prevent between 678 and 910 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from entering our air. Greenpeace estimates that this small switch to solar would potentially create more than 15,000 new "green" jobs.
More than any other renewable energy option, solar power offers the most in terms of sustainability, self-reliance and security. There's no better time than the present to take advantage of government incentives and invest in a home solar system. You can help the world shift to saner, more sustainable energy practices, and you'll never worry again about high electric bills.
Four Steps to Empowerment
If your state's policies promoting renewable energy fail to impress you, there are several courses of action you can take:
1. Lobby your elected state officials and encourage them to support renewable energy. I worked as a legislative assistant in a past life, and yes, elected officials at the state level usually do read their mail and e-mail — although they may not have time to answer all of it. There is indeed power in numbers; the more mail — and the more people who send it — the merrier. (If you do not know who your elected officials are, visit www.vote-smart.org to find out their names and contact information.)
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