Green Counsel

NYS Legislature Threatening to Harm Renewables in New York

The New York State Legislature is threatening to move the authority for spending money received from the Systems Benefit Charge (SBC) -- that funds substantial renewable energy projects in the State -- from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to the New York State legislature. This change will subject SBC funds to general legislative haggling and bureaucracy, and means that money raised for renewable energy and energy efficiency, may be used for unrelated purposes.

The authority to spend these funds should remain with NYSERDA.

Governor Pataki recently vetoed the legislature's attempt to make this change in the annual budget. The Senate will be voting early next week to override the veto.

It is imperative that Senators be contacted and asked to VOTE NO ON THE OVERIDE of the GOVERNOR'S VETO and KEEP SYSTEMS BENEFIT CHARGE SPENDING AUTHORITY WITH NYSERDA. You can get your NYS Senator's contact info here:

http://www.senate.state.ny.us/senatehomepage.nsf/senators?OpenForm

The Solar City

After five years of feasibility studies, legislative approvals, financing, and contract negotiations, the City of Brockton, Massachusetts announced several weeks ago that it would be breaking ground on what will be New England's largest solar array: a 425 kw project on a remediated brownfield to be constructed by Global Solar Energy. The project has a budget of $3 million, which will be paid through $2.1 million in city funds and grant funds from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust and the US DOE. The project design will commence immediately - site preparation will begin in April and system installation will begin in May.  http://www.sebane.org/news_room/news_releases_viewer.asp?id=118

During the Clinton Administration, there was much interest in placing solar panels on former urban industrial sites, turning brownfields into "Brightfields." Hopefully, this is a sign of many more similar developments. Urban solar projects make tremendous sense in cities such as New York. PV can help with:

Electricity Generation.  Peak electricity demand is estimated to grow dramatically in the near future. New York City alone will need 2,600 megawatts of new electricity resources by 2008, according to the New York City Energy Policy prepared for Mayor Bloomberg in 2004 (“NYC Energy Policy”).  The NYC Energy Policy recommends that at least some supply be met by clean on-site generation including PV.

Solar PV is becoming economically viable. The cost of PV has declined by 80-90% in two decades -- PV is now a $4.7 billion industry, projected to grow to more than $30.8 billion in 2013.  Large portions of urban areas are well positioned for PV. Many square miles of upper Manhattan and the outer boroughs consist of 3-4 floor brownstones, or 6-8 floor apartment buildings.  These building frequently have flat roof space with direct sunlight unblocked by trees or large buildings. 

PV can provide great reliability to a city’s electric system because it is not dependant upon fuel supplies, fuel costs or transmission lines. This is a particular advantage in New York City where 80% of NYC’s peak load (11,020 megawatts in 2003) must be supplied by in-City capacity.  Furthermore, PV can help shave peak demand because PV generation is greatest on hot summer afternoons when demand is greatest.

Environmental Benefits.   Over 90% of US electricity comes from unsustainable fossil fuel and nuclear plants.  The electricity industry is the single largest source of industrial air pollution in the world and one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear waste remains radioactive for thousands of years. Urban areas bear a terrible burden from power plant pollution resulting from the release of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and toxins.  PV electric generation is environmentally clean and limitless in supply.  PV use can help reduce pollutants in urban areas not in compliance with federal clean air standards, and can help meet New York's Renewable Portfolio Standard, that mandates 25% renewable electricity by 2013.

Health.   PV can alleviate the adverse health effects of industrial electricity pollution. New York City has one of the highest asthma rates in the nation. The EPA  estimates that power plant pollution shortens the lives of more than 1,200 people across the state; fine particle pollution causes 164,612 lost work days, 1,191 hospitalizations, and 28,665 asthma attacks every year. These negative health effects are often worst on hot summer days when dirty back up generators are used to meet peak electricity demands.  Since PV electricity production is greater on hot summer days, PV is an ideal way to reduce the use of such generators.

Jobs and the Economy.  Solar PV has tremendous potential for job creation.  According to a study funded by the US Department of Energy, the solar industry can create more than 100,000 jobs in the next 20 years, and Business Week recently identified solar as one of 5 innovative industries that could drive a new job boom.  For every megawatt of installed solar PV, it is projected that 35.5 jobs are created in manufacturing, installation, servicing, sales and marketing. Accordingly, 100 MW of installed PV could create as many as 3,550 jobs in New York.

Solar Photovoltaics Best for Meeting Peak Electricity Demand

The New York Times today had an interesting article on the front page of the Metro Section about NYC's use of back-up diesel generators to meet peak electricity demand (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/08/nyregion/08generator.html).  The article pointed out numerous problems including that they are incredibly dirty and contribute to smog and the release of huge amounts of asthma-causing particulate matter (NYC has one of highest asthma rates in the country).  Also, these generators are frequently used in non-emergency situations which may have contributed to the spill of 231 million gallons of raw sewage into the Hudson during the 2003 electricity blackout.  To save money, the City turned on the generator at the North River plant in Harlem several hours before the blackout as part of the City's power reduction program, and by the time of the blackout when the power was needed, the generator had overheated and was shut down.

In response, I wrote at letter to the editor pointing out that Solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity provides a better solution.  In addition to being clean, studies by Richard Perez of the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center of SUNY Albany, demonstrate that PV output peaks at the same time as peak demand, typically hot summer afternoons.  Richard Perez has done excellent work documenting the effectiveness of solar power.  To see some of his work, see his website: http://www.asrc.cestm.albany.edu/perez/

If Winter Comes...

What could be better to celebrate the beginning of Spring than the Province of Ontario's March 21 announcement that it would be implementing feed-in tariffs -- otherwise known as standard offer contracts -- that guarantee connection to the grid and payments to electricity producers, including homeowners with small PV systems, for twenty years.  Projects are capped at 10 MW (approximately sufficient to supply 10,000 homes), and contracts are available to anyone, including homeowners, businesses and commercial energy producers.

Feed-in tariffs are largely credited for the boom in renewable energy in places like Germany and Spain, but have not been implemented in the U.S. except for a small pilot project in California.  In Germany, feed-in tariffs have led to the development of 110,000 solar PV systems, 2,000 biomass plants, 6,000 small hydro plants, 16,500 wind turbines, and 45,000 jobs in the wind industry.

Meanwhile, it's still chilly in New York.

Source:  http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=44408

Local Rules! The Feds Drool :-(

Local policy can make a huge difference in creating a sustainable economy (and is probably the only way to do it).  The San Luis Obisbo (CA) City Council just announced that 50% of new homes will be required to have solar panels by 2020. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispotribune/news/breaking_news/13990488.htm

Compare this to what our friends in Washington are doing.  The House of Representatives will vote on March 2 for a "national food uniformity" labeling law that will prevent states and localities from requiring labelling that specific foods or beverages are likely to cause cancer, birth defects, allergic reactions, or mercury poisoning. The bill would also prevent localities from requiring labelling on genetically engineered foods and ingredients.

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2752

Regulatory Barriers to Sustainable Development

The San Jose Mercury News recently reported on a problem that is happening around the country: a local planning board in Los Gatos, CA ordered the owner of a small solar power company to remove or cover up 18 solar panels he installed on his office roof because three were visible from the street -- the board was concerned about ``design impacts and architectural compatibility.''

The article reports that "Dozens of other cities across California are making life difficult for people who want to install solar panels on roofs and businesses, even as state leaders are trying to encourage renewable energy with millions in tax credits and rebates. Some cities require that solar panels can't be seen from roads. Others say they must be installed at the same angle as roofs, which can limit the electricity they generate."

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/6448345.htm

Similar problems exist around the country. In New York, for example, some counties are requiring solar installers to have a master electrician's license, and most master electricians are not interested in doing solar installations.

What are some other examples of regulatory barriers to sustainable development and how can these issues best be addressed?