What the Solar Industry Wants in a Climate Change Bill

By Ucilia Wang

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The national mandate to use solar electricity combined with policies to support new electric grid transmission projects and a "green bank" to finance renewable energy projects are on the wish list of the solar industry for the climate change legislation, said Rhone Resch, executive director of the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Speaking at the Solar Power International conference in Anaheim, a conference SEIA co-organized, Resch outlined his lobbying goals while extolling his roughly 1,000 members to pony up.

"My message to you is simple and urgent: We are standing at a crossroads," Resch said at the opening of the conference, the largest solar industry gathering in the United States. "When it comes to engaging into a major policy battle ahead, we face a choice right here right now. There are two alternatives: Go big or go home."

He threw out numbers to make his point: The coal industry is spending $50 million while the oil and gas industries is forking over $100 million this year on lobbying, public relations and advertising efforts, Resch said.

The solar industry hasn't spent a dime on similar campaigns, yet it's the target of some of these efforts to gut renewable energy-friendly policies, he added.

Resch noted that the oil industry gave $22 million to political candidates in 2008 while the utilities put up $21 million. The solar industry contributed $138,000.

His plea for financial support came on the same day when the U.S. Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee began its revision of a climate change bill unveiled by Sens. John Kerry and Barbara Boxer last month.

The version presented by the two senators was similar to the one passed by the House in June this year. But the Senate version is setting a more aggressive emissions reduction goals. It also lacks key details, such as how the emissions allowances would be distributed, that the committee will fill before moving the bill forward.

Resch said he's pushing the lawmakers to require 25 percent of the nation's electricity supply to come from renewable sources by 2025, and he wants provisions to guarantee growth for solar.

The industry group is also lobbying for giving 10 percent of carbon credits to states for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Other issues that are dear to the group: the creation of the Clean Energy Deployment Administration to help finance renewable energy projects, and policies to streamline the planning and permitting process for transmission projects.

Comments

[D. McHattie:]

What kind of 'democracy' do we have when our votes no longer matter?

Regardless of who is in office, the only way to get legislation passed, even good legislation, is to hire and deploy more lobbyists. Which means money.

Sad but true.

Oct 28 07:11 AM

[jerrydd:]

The current climate bill won't do much. As most of the mandates on wind, solar GHG have been overtaken by economics with far more of them built, GHG cut than required.

The facts are even with the huge direct and far larger indirect subsidies oil, coal get, our RE supplies, GHG get cut because they cost less!!!

Facts are RE is dropping in price as fossil fuels go up. If the massive subsidies in fossil fuels were in them with a straight fossil fuel tax which fairly would double their price, RE, eff, conservation is far cheaper.

We would have far lower costs no longer needing oil wars, Persian gulf military or the estimated 100k people die from coal along with all the other damage it does is enough to give us a nice tax cut with 1/3, help switching to eff or alt fuels/RE and 1/3 to balance the budget which it would do in 10 yrs.

The economy boost from this, less trade imbalance costs for imported and jobs easily makes up for making these who use fossil fuels pay it's full, real price. And RE won't need subsidies, just loans to switch over. That it lowers GHG's, greatly improves the nation economy, security is a bonus.

Oct 28 08:38 AM

[Ferdinand E...:]

We need more solar, and we need it sooner rather than later. However we do NOT need as much as certain people want us to have. There are many regions where solar will not fly. If the solar and wind advocates were more realistic, and the politicians used their brains instead of their charisma, we could get the energy policy that we deserve.

Oct 28 08:53 AM

[Tony Petroski:]

Why does the solar industry have to be tied to "climate change?"

Are the proponents of "global warming" throwing in the towel? Is it now officially "climate change"? If the climate is relatively steady for the next 10 years or so will we make the transition to "atmospheric agitation" as in "the last 10 years have proven that without the atmospheric agitation that was stopped by the explosion of greenhouse gases, the earth is unable to refresh and renew itself by way of cleansing hurricanes and tsunamis"?

Oct 28 04:53 PM

[keithfeather:]

At 400 ppm (0.04%) CO2, GHG activist's armageddon, maybe
at 350 ppm (0.035%) CO2, nirvana, maybe
at 200 ppm (0.02%) CO2, 50% reduction in food production, billiions starve,
at 0 ppm CO2 all life on planet ceases to exist.

not your average "pollutant".

Oct 29 08:55 AM

[keithfeather:]

When solar and wind become a larger part of the grid, what will be the required spinning reserve of "conventional" generators? Look at Spain. Despite massive wind "capacity", reserve capacity of conventional is unchanged, and spinning reserves skyrocketed, reducing overall generating efficiency.

IMHO the industry to follow is remote load shedding, reducing/eliminating spinning reserve and reserve capacity.

Oct 29 09:06 AM

[Mr. Ed, Jr.:]

"Resch noted that the oil industry gave $22 million to political candidates in 2008 while the utilities put up $21 million"

This would seem to explain why the opinion of "We The People" is ignored on issue after issue.

Nov 01 06:00 PM

[fireofenergy:]

Contrary to the many doubters out there, solar energy alone would be able to provide energy to power not one full blown population, but twenty! Of course that would require the "dreaded" grid (that most enviros use but still want to restrict more of). Of course, this would also require the LiFePo4 battery to be mass produced at a cost at about 100 times cheaper, and of course this is all impossible, not because of technical difficulties, but of obvious political difficulties.

The robotic automobile line proves that all these UNLIMITED energy collection and storage devises could be mass produced on that order.

Is there anyway to demand solar on the large and cheap?
If so, please expontiate that social solution as the energy gathering devises shall do themselves!

Nov 04 12:43 AM