Entries in Current Events (3)
Combating Climate Change with Local Clean Energy
Polls consistently show that s olar photovoltaics (PV) are the most popular energy source among consumers. Still, these semiconductors that generate electricity directly from sunlight produce less than one half of one percent of the world’s total electricity.
The prime obstacle to widespread deployment of solar PV is cost. One way to lower costs is to design community-based programs that achieve economy of scale and reach markets that have yet to tap solar energy in a big way.
Marin County , as well as other communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, are currently investigating “Community Choice Aggregation” (CCA), a a new way for cities and counties to purchase electricity. Local governments can now represent constituents-at-large in the fight against climate change. The CCA process provides an easy way to change the content of the power supply – by a vote of each local government -- without taking on the burden of managing the power lines, collecting bills, and the divisive politics involved with the typically highly contested (and expensive) municipalization process.
Peter Asmus
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Texas Beats California on Wind Power
Howling About Texas Beating California on Wind Power
By Peter Asmus, Alternet, posted on July 26, 2006
Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry proclaimed in early July that “Texas surpassed California to become the national leader in wind energy.” Surprisingly, this Texas brag has turned out to be true. Since I wrote a report predicting this could happen four years ago, I still became intrigued at this news. How could Texas, the home state of our dear President George Bush, and the terrain of the fossil fuel captains of the world, beat green and progressive California on wind power, one of today’s most popular power sources?
Peter Asmus
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Solar Energy Report
Tonight, I am making a presentation on "community solar" at the Stinson Beach Public Library. This report addresses the technical and regulatory feasibility of installing a solar car port at the Stinson Beach Park southern parking lot.
This is the complete text of the report presented:
Peter Asmus
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