Solar power for the people

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/index.html

Solar power for the people

Five House Republicans held a news conference on energy prices on Friday morning, doing their best to imitate a gaggle of dinosaurs pretending not to realize that they are neck deep in a tar pit. So what if the Democrats meanly point out that the price of oil has risen fourfold since George Bush took office? The Republican response: Since the Democrats took over Congress in 2006, the price of a barrel of oil has almost doubled! So there! Nyah nyah nyah!

Seriously, the main message from this strikingly incoherent press conference was that the Republicans refuse to allow the Democrats to pass a "no-energy energy bill." By which they meant that the Democrats are not doing enough to increase the supply of energy. You want low oil prices and cheap gas? Well then, pass an energy bill that lets us drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and pump more natural gas, and provides tax breaks to encourage coal-to-liquid technology and shale oil development.

Insert your melting ice caps right here.

Maybe it's because I live in Berkeley, but I couldn't help noticing the striking failure of the assembled Republicans to mention the word "solar" even once. In Berkeley we're thinking a lot about solar this week, because on Tuesday, the Berkeley City Council approved a breakthrough financing plan aimed at encouraging local solar panel and solar water heater installations.

Green Wombat has the full story, but the basics are simple. The city foots the bill for the installation, but homeowners retain ownership and pay the city back over 20 years via an annual property assessment. And if they sell their house before the bill is completely paid off, no worries -- the liability for the remaining bill, along with the solar panels, goes to the next owner of the house. (Disclaimer: Green Wombat is not only a co-resident of Berkeley, but a fellow member of the Malcolm X Elementary PTA. I will now shamelessly steal from him: "Solar power in Berkeley: By Any Means Necessary.)

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[FREEWILL56]

1. They don't want it because that won't make them richer.

I even had a wild thought of Chavez to start making good quality solar panels, get them UL approved, and dump them on the US market real cheap just to goat president dipstick. Unfortunately he couldn't do all of that before dipstick's occupation of the white house is over.

[Cobalt-60]

2. Say that is a fine idea

A nice way to gain revenge on the Corporations that walked on them for so long in South America.

[Kolesar]

3. "get them UL approved"

You're a "detail guy", I see. :)

[FREEWILL56]

4. You got that right as I don't want them to have reason to

disallow them from being used here.