Florida's 5 Million Dollar Solar Incentive vs. Buying the Everglades for $1.7 billion

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Carpenter Light on July 12, 2008 at 11:41am

Well being a California native and now in Florida for work I will try to help a bit. I think California's biggest enemy is the concentration of so many people in such a small area. Since driving is so essential there the pollution from automobile's is massive. I grew up in Huntington Beach, California so I was exempt from most of this pollution due to the Pacific Ocean and a easterly jet-stream. I had family in Hastings Ranch which is above Pasadena. To people who are not familiar with this area it is in a valley with mountains (San Gabriel's) to the east. The smog tends to accumulate in this area as the mountains act as a barrier holding it in. When I went to stay with them after a day or so my lungs would hurt. With so many cars that produce so pollution (smog) it is going to be a big battle. I give California credit as they have been quite proactive to help. They require smog checks and they are very hard to cheat or pass especially with an older automobile. At the time I was living there if the automobile was old enough they were exempt. Not sure if this is still the case. If you were to drive from the border of Mexico north to about Ventura you will be surrounded by communities. This is a huge area with the only exception being Camp Pendellton which is a Marine Corp depot. But in due time I'm afraid it will continue to grow. Now Florida too has quite a few people as well and everyone here needs to drive so the end result is pollution. Since there are no mountains to trap it it goes straight up and when you combine that with no smog requirement's whatsoever this leads to a big amount of emission's that are being produced. I think Florida needs to be more proactive and at the least require a basic emission's check and in time start to become more stringent on them to prevent emission's pollution. Florida is somewhat similar to California in growth where just since 2004 I have seen a big growth in building. More homes, more people more cars, more pollution. As far as the Everglade's there is still a massive amount of land left and I believe that Floridians will stand up and save it.. Just like the alligator that was basically extinct I see one on a daily basis that gives me hope. In regards to solar power in California SCE (Southern California Edison) was offering assistance in the installation of solar power and equipment but in all honesty the amount of money that the homeowner would have to put out left it hard for the middle class and especially hard for those without the financial resources. I hope this has changed. Finally I made an effort to try my best and carpool to work or take a city bus. I also have tried to avoid products that were made outside the U.S. If you look at all the plastic products that are made in China for instance those products took petroleum to make so again back to oil. I am afraid this country's biggest addiction is not Heroin or Crack Cocaine but Black Gold, good old oil. We are severely hooked on it and need to start tit-rating its useage.Like any other drug we cannot cease as we will fail but start small and stay consistent. All of us cannot pick out each others state's and their shortcomings because every state has them. Finally we need to change our mind frame from lack of education and then punishment to education and prevention. If we all start to focus on a federal level and have in mind every ones welfare even the nations outside of us then maybe, just maybe we can start and put a small amount of monies towards these causes. If not we will fall harder than the Roman empire and that I will guarantee.
C. Light

Permalink Reply by Clyde Childers on July 12, 2008 at 2:53pm

1. We need : a national standards for all states to be enact for net metering and that standards include 2 MW limitation on size. 25 kW to 100 kW will not allow business and industries to address their power requirements.

2. We need: The ability of community solar and wind farms to allow companies, homeowner to park their renewable machines and allow for net metering activities to occur instead on the premise. This would allow for orderly grid management of distributed energy systems.

3. We Need a compressive incentive program much like the Europeans but different. We need 50 Billion energy trust to be managed by the states for incentive either tax credits or rebates that can allow individuals, businesses and industries to adopt the renewable energy technology.
4. We have the technology today for wind and solar. Private venture funds are funding all type of systems and technology. With advent of 50% solar conversion efficiency by University of Delaware and MIT new organic dyes systems. the ball game is about to change. We need to support the DOE 10 Billion loan guarantee program already enacted. We need to pass the new SBIR and STTR program to provide 300K for phase I and 2.1 M for Phase II projects and national goal of 2 Billion for SBIR and STTR programs.

5. We need a real incentive for American to drive different cars manufactured in America by American, We need a Federal Tax credit that support high gas mileage cars and as the gas mileages increases the higher the tax credits.
6. Finally, we need to enact 10 year Production Tax Credit for wind, solar and other renewable energy. We stop the "stop and Go" policy of the past congresses.