Solar energy in the U.S. breaks another record

Growth and Opportunity Shines on the U.S. Solar Energy Industry in 2010 Dear Readers, In case you haven't already heard, the American solar energy industry broke another record in 2010, installing enough new solar electric capacity to power almost 200,000 homes.  This more than doubles our record year in 2009. In addition, more than 65,000 solar water and pool heating systems were installed across the country in 2010. All told, the industry grew by 67 percent from $3.6 billion in 2009 to $6 billion in 2010. The free executive summary of the 2010 Solar Market Insight: Year in Review from SEIA® and GTM Research details the growth of the U.S. solar industry, whether you're interested in photovoltaic (PV) systems on rooftops, CSP plants in the desert, or solar water heating on businesses. We now release a quarterly version of this report, so be sure to check back for the latest solar market information. You may be surprised to learn that the solar industry is growing fastest in states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Sixteen states installed more than 10 megawatts of PV in 2010, up from only four in 2007. California is still a big market, but Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Florida, Texas and others are catching up. Thank you for advocating for solar in 2010. Your phone calls, emails and letters worked to make our voices heard on Capitol Hill like never before. We could not have accomplished all we did without you. Keep checking your email - with your help, we can make 2011 another blue ribbon year for solar energy! Tom Kimbis Director of Policy & Research, SEIA See SEIA Statement on Report Highlights Read Executive Summary Learn more about the Full Report P.S. See our new 60-second Public Service Announcement on the benefits of solar energy. It's already been broadcast more than 250 times across the nation!

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Scott's Contracting
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Energy Ideas Democrats and Republicans Agree On

The former Republican governor of California lays out the case for putting large solar farms in the Mojave desert as part of a serious energy policy based on improving public health, boosting the economy, and avoiding the risks of the fossil economy.

By Arnold Schwarzenegger

Mar 30 2011

I'm glad The Atlantic is spotlighting this important subject, but let's face it: asking whether large solar power plants are appropriate in the Mojave desert is like wondering whether subways make sense in New York City.

During my seven years as California's governor, we led the nation in protecting the environment at the same time that we were protecting and growing our economy. This was not just talk. We won a legal battle with the federal government that will make cars more fuel efficient in California and the rest of the nation. We enacted laws to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

We established the 25 million-acre Sierra Nevada Conservancy and preserved hundreds of thousands of additional acres up and down our state. But as I said three years ago in a speech at Yale University, if we can't put solar power plants in the Mojave Desert, I don't know where we can put them. In other words, we need to worry less about a few dozen desert tortoises and more about the economic prosperity, security and health of our nation.

President Obama has correctly identified national goals for clean electricity and reduced dependence on foreign oil. Now we need the laws and policies to make them happen.

What we must have -- finally -- is a long-term, comprehensive energy policy that gets America off fossil fuels and makes us energy independent. A policy we stick with regardless of fluctuations in the price of oil or whatever type of energy is in favor at the moment.

But first we have to change the way we talk about and frame the issue.

For too long we have been fighting about greenhouse gases and global warming, about whether the oceans are rising and whether the science can be trusted. All that's gotten us is stuck and polarized. Let's face it, if we haven't convinced the skeptics by now, we aren't going to.

So it is time to move past areas Democrats and Republicans disagree on and focus on issues they see eye to eye on. Issues like economic prosperity, national security and the health and welfare of our people.

For most Americans, the biggest problem facing our nation right now is the economy and jobs. People are worried about the future. About whether their children will live in a nation that falls behind China and other rapidly growing economies.

From my experience in California, it is absolutely clear that a green economy is the way to keep Americans competitive abroad while providing economic growth and jobs at home.

Green jobs are the largest source of employment growth in California, with green tech jobs growing 10 times faster than other sectors over the last five years.

In California, we are building the world's biggest solar plants, the biggest wind farm. That will boost our economy with green jobs and it will protect our environment with clean energy. Democrats and Republicans can all support that kind of progress.

More than a third of the world's clean-tech venture capital flows into our state because investors know California is committed to a clean-energy future. Nations like China and Brazil are just two of the countries making big commitments to green tech. It's time America got into the game.

National security is another area where there is common ground. Democrats and Republicans agree our safety should not be compromised by oil. Turmoil in the Middle East saw a spike in oil prices. When Americans pay more at the pump, that's a tax -- weakening our economy and making our entire nation more vulnerable.

Most Americans agree it's not smart for us to send billions of dollars to hostile nations when we know some of that money winds up with terrorists plotting to attack us.

When President Eisenhower warned about too much dependence on foreign oil more than 50 years ago, our petroleum imports were at 20 percent. Every president since has voiced similar warnings, yet imports now account for more than 60 percent of our oil.

All because America has never had an energy policy or a clear vision of its energy future.

We need a firm policy that spells out our commitment to renewable energy and how to get there. We need policies like those in California that have made our state 40 percent more energy efficient than the rest of the nation. We need a strong policy to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, like California's low carbon fuel standard and our law to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

In my last year of office alone, the state of California approved applications for nearly 6,000 megawatts of solar power, the equivalent of six new coal plants. Construction began on the world's largest wind energy plant. Those projects produce thousands of jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment and renewable energy we don't have to import from hostile oil regimes or burn coal for. Democrats and Republicans can embrace results like that.

Public health is another part of the energy picture where there is common ground. You don't hear much about it in Washington, but we highlighted the issue last fall when we put together a bipartisan coalition to defeat the big oil companies trying to weaken our environmental laws. Uniting environmentalists, venture capitalists, health groups, big and small businesses, unions, farmers, Democrats and Republicans, our campaign won by 22 points.

We have about 100,000 premature deaths in the U.S. each year from petroleum-related air pollution and 6.5 million annual hospital visits by people with respiratory illnesses caused by the same thing.

These deaths are far greater in number than the combined deaths from car accidents, drunk drivers, gang wars, suicides or the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We need to talk about this when we are debating where to put clean energy plants and the transmission lines needed to move that energy to our cities, homes and businesses.

I know we must be vigilant when it comes to protecting our environment. But I also look forward to the day when our solar and wind plants in the Mojave and elsewhere are up and running, providing clean, renewable energy to a safer, stronger and more prosperous America.

Image: Associated Press.

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Scott's Contracting
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E-News From Citizens Against Government Waste

	Porker of the Month: Sen. Harry Reid Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has named Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) Porker of the Month for his absurd belief that a federally-funded Cowboy Poetry Festival in Elko, Nevada (pop. 17,000) constitutes essential government spending.  The festival receives a portion of its budget from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), whose $146 million budget was defunded under H.R. 1, the Full-Year Continuing Resolution for fiscal year 2011, that Sen. Reid helped defeat in the Senate.  During a floor speech on March 8, 2011, Sen. Reid described the proposed termination as "mean-spirited," stating that were it not for NEH's federal money, the Cowboy Poetry Festival and "the tens of thousands of people who come there every year, would not exist."  In response, Western Folklife Center Executive Director Charlie Seemann commented that NEH funds just 7 percent of the festival and that he and his fellow cowboys "could certainly continue if we lose that funding."  For undervaluing the individual, entrepreneurial spirit that makes America great and believing that federal taxpayers should pay for everything, even those programs that can stand on their own, CAGW names Senate Majority Leader Reid the March Porker of the Month.  Read more about the Porker of the Month. CAGW Rereleases "Chinese Professor" Ad On March 21, CAGW rereleased its critically acclaimed "Chinese Professor" ad depicting one possible future outcome of Washington's continued fiscal irresponsibility.  The ad, which takes place in 2030 when America has defaulted on its massive debt to China and uses English subtitles, "presents a scenario that should be considered a real possibility," notes CAGW President Tom Schatz.  "We have time to alter our destiny, but we risk insolvency if we continue on our current path."  The ad originally aired for two weeks in the fall of 2010 and again on January 24 and 25, 2011.  It has been airing since March 21 on CNN, FOX News Channel, CNBC, and on a number of other cable and select broadcast channels nationwide.  Make a tax-deductible contribution today to help CAGW keep broadcasting the "Chinese Professor" ad's warning that Washington must get its runaway, deficit spending under control. ObamaCare Still Unhealthy to Nation's Bottom Line On March 23, the one-year anniversary of the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare), CAGW President Tom Schatz reiterated the organization's continued opposition:  "President Obama has pledged to tackle the deficit and restore the budget to a sustainable path.  However, his two most prominent achievements since taking office – ObamaCare and the Recovery Act – dramatically raise the present and future burden for taxpayers.  CEOs and business owners at Starbucks, White Castle, IHOP, and the National Council of Chain Restaurants, have reneged on their previous support for ObamaCare and stated that it will reduce employment and profits.  As the nation shakes off a recession, the 'cure' of ObamaCare is worse than the disease.  Taxpayers now fully appreciate the fiscal ruse…perpetrated [by] President Obama and his allies in Congress… [This] bill does not control costs or improve healthcare outcomes.  To date, 1,040 organizations have received waivers exempting 2.5 million individuals from [ObamaCare]…Clearly, these groups – many of which lobbied for ObamaCare – do not view the bill as an expansion of choice or affordability in health care."  Read more of CAGW President Tom Schatz's statement on the one-year anniversary of ObamaCare.     CAGW Applauds GAO Report on Government Waste CAGW this month applauded the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) newly released report on wasteful or duplicative federal programs, "Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Revenue."  The report identifies 34 agencies, offices, and initiatives that provide similar or identical services to the same populations, along with 47 programs that are either wasteful or inefficient.  CAGW has documented much of the waste highlighted in its Prime Cuts database for many years.  "We consider this report further proof that eliminating government waste can be done without a fine-tooth comb," said CAGW President Tom Schatz.  "Congress cannot claim ignorance of these duplicative, bloated programs.  One of the most absurd examples is the 56 programs in 20 different agencies promoting financial literacy, while the government itself is on the verge of bankruptcy."  Read more about the new GAO waste report. L Take Action! Vote for Our April Fool! Help Stop $2.9 Billion in Defense Waste! Tell Treasury Secretary Geithner:  Stand Up for Taxpayers! Tell Congress to Sign the No Pork Pledge! Commentary "Tax Dollars Disappear into Black Hole" by CAGW Vice President of Policy & Communications Leslie Paige, The Daily Caller (March 30, 2011) "Future Shock Inevitable from Foreign-Owned U.S. Debt" by CAGW President Tom Schatz, The Hill (March 24, 2011) Visit CAGW's Blog! Give us your opinions and tips about government waste in your area on "The Swine Line." State Piglet Books Arizona  Wastewatcher Read the monthly newsletter online. This month's issue includes the articles: Earmark Moratorium Backlash A-Maize-ing Waste: Why Ethanol Subsidies Must Be Repealed  Federal Real Property: Buried Alive! In the News... CNBC (March 25, 2011): "U.S. Postal Post Digital Age" Bloomberg Businessweek (March 24, 2011): "The Bid to Eliminate Dollar Bills" Chicago Tribune (March 23, 2011): "NASA Still Ordered to Waste $1.4 Million a Day" The Washington Post (March 17, 2011): "Obama Signs Short-term Spending Measure that Includes Some Easy Cuts"

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Scott's Contracting
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Efficiency and Weatherization: The Gateway Drug of Energy Policy

On Fri, Apr 1, 2011 at 10:50 AM, Scott's Contracting <scottscontracting@gmail.com> wrote:

	Mar 31, 2011	Huffington Post
	Energy Security Day at the White House. In a speech at Georgetown University, President Obama underscored his commitment to reducing our dependence on foreign oil and boosting the production of clean, renewable energy here on American soil. The speech was mainly about oil. But I'm glad to see that energy efficiency is a part of this discussion. In the nebulous rhetoric about America's "clean energy future," we often lose sight of energy efficiency, something we can invest in right here, right now, that will dramatically reduce energy costs for both homes and businesses. Energy efficiency is really the first renewable: the gateway drug, if you will, that can hook American consumers on the benefits of an energy-smart lifestyle by showing them the impact that energy has on their everyday lives. Encouraging American home and business owners to be more energy efficient places them on what I call the food chain of sustainability. Your ask starts small, with compact fluorescent light bulbs and turning down the thermostat a degree or two. Once consumers see how easy and impactful these actions can be, they are more likely to move up to bigger ones, like purchasing energy efficient appliances and upgrading their insulation. Then, they'll want to talk to their friends about how much they're saving. And further along the food chain, they will be knowledgeable enough about their energy use to understand the benefits and cost savings associated with purchasing or generating their own clean energy. These energy-smart consumers become a grassroots army that will help us accomplish the ambitious energy challenges that President Obama has put on the table: putting 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015, cutting U.S. oil imports one-third by 2025, and using 80 percent clean energy by 2035. Here's what President Obama's press office says about energy efficiency in a fact sheet released earlier today: Our homes, businesses and factories consume over 70 percent of the energy we use. By making smart investments in energy efficiency in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors, we can improve U.S. competitiveness and protect our environment, while saving consumers money on electricity bills. That is why the Administration is on track to weatherize 600,000 low-income homes through Recovery Act investments, and why we remain committed to a series of policies that increase efficiency across sectors - including a HOMESTAR program to help homeowners finance retrofits, a "Better Buildings Initiative" to make commercial facilities 20 percent more efficient by 2020, and steps to promote industrial energy efficiency. My staff and I are working closely with two Better Buildings campaigns in Connecticut and New York (the Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge and Energize Bedford, respectively) that are related to the initiative mentioned above. These campaigns are landmark commitments by the federal government to create jobs and put money back into local economies by making it possible for people to increase the efficiency of their homes and businesses. They're also points of town and state pride. At an event last week in Hartford, leaders from 14 towns participating in the Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge were commended by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney and Connecticut's newly minted Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, Daniel C. Esty, formerly of Yale University's Center for Business and the Environment. Like President Obama, these public officials know the difference that energy efficiency will make for their constituents. What's more, Esty is leading by example by joining the Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge himself. He's scheduled to get an home energy audit of his own later this week. After all, good policy is good politics! With energy efficiency, everybody wins. So today, let's take a moment apart from the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the Libyan conflict and the rising price of gasoline to reflect on Obama's plan for addressing American's long-term energy security. And let's not forget the vital role that energy efficiency will play in that security. Brian Keane is the President of SmartPower, a non-profit marketing organization funded by private foundations to help build the clean energy marketplace by helping the American public become smarter about their energy use.

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Scott's Contracting
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