Archive for February, 2014
Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers, (Please click on red links below)
 Solar Flare-Multi-wavelengths, Feb. 24, 2014 (credit: NASA/SDO, Solar Dynamics Observatory). This design is also available at www.sunisthefuture.com Wow, yesterday (Monday, Feb. 24, 2014), the sun emitted a significant solar flare, peaking at 7:49 P.M. (EST). NASA’s SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory), keeping the constant watch on the sun, captured images of the event. Above you are seeing the SDO images from 7:25 P.M. EST showing the first moments of this x-class flare in different wavelengths of light (in units of angstrom, A with circle above, 1.0 x 10^(-10) meters), seen as the bright spot on the left limb of the sun. Hot solar material can be seen hovering above the active region in the sun’s atmosphere, the corona. This flare is classified as an X4.9-class flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares while the number provides more information about its strength. An X2 is twice as intense as an X1 whereas X3 is three times as intense as X1.
Below (in italics), is wikipedia’s explanation of the sun, solar flare and CME (coronal mass ejections) and a previously uploaded video by sunisthefuture channel :
A solar flare is a sudden brightening observed over the Sun‘s surface or the solar limb, which is interpreted as a large energy release of up to 6 × 1025 joules of energy (about a sixth of the total energy output of the Sun each second or 160,000,000,000 megatons of TNT equivalent, over 25,000 times more energy than released from the impact of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 with Jupiter). They are mainly followed by a colossal coronal mass ejection also known as a CME. The flare ejects clouds of electrons, ions, and atoms through the corona of the sun into space. These clouds typically reach Earth a day or two after the event. The term is also used to refer to similar phenomena in other stars, where the term stellar flare applies.
 Solar Flare of May 3, 2013 (credit: NASA/SDO)  Solar Flare of 2011 produced a CME that did not travel toward the Earth (credit: NASA/SDO)
Solar flares affect all layers of the solar atmosphere (photosphere, chromosphere, and corona), when the plasma medium is heated to tens of millions of kelvins the electrons, protons, and heavier ions are accelerated to near the speed of light. They produce radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum at all wavelengths, from radio waves to gamma rays, although most of the energy is spread over frequencies outside the visual range and for this reason the majority of the flares are not visible to the naked eye and must be observed with special instruments. Flares occur in active regions around sunspots, where intense magnetic fields penetrate the photosphere to link the corona to the solar interior. Flares are powered by the sudden (timescales of minutes to tens of minutes) release of magnetic energy stored in the corona. The same energy releases may produce coronal mass ejections (CME), although the relation between CMEs and flares is still not well established.
related posts, below:
Solar Flare of Yesterday
Sun & Its CMEs (Coronal Mass Ejections)
Understanding Our Powerful Sun & Its CME (Coronal Mass Ejection)
Gathered and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
~have a bright and sunny day~
Any of your comments/suggestions/questions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
www.sunisthefuture.net
www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture
www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture
www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture
www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture
www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture
www.sunisthefuture.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net  Google+
Share on Facebook
Tags: CME, coronal mass ejections, NASA, SDO, Solar Dynamics Observatory, solar flare, Sun, Sun Is The Future, sunisthefuture, sunisthefuture.net, susan sun nunamaker
Posted in Educational, Events | No Comments »
Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers, (Please click on red links below)
Good news!
 Florida Sun (Credit: sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker) Washington, D.C. (February 21, 2014)-The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) joined 20 other national business organizations yesterday to share plans to ensure students and workers have the knowledge and skills they need to work in the modern economy. Convened by ACT Foundation and the Business Roundtable, the newly formed National Network of Business and Industry Associations is coordinating cross-sector efforts to close the “skills gap.”
“As an inaugural member of the National Network of Business and Industry Associations, IREC brings to this multi-industry agenda the ability to share experience, insight and best practices from the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector, and to learn from other industries,” said IREC President and CEO Jane Weissman. “A quality workforce trained to meet industry standards is a foundational lynchpin for market growth.”
As a national standards developer and credentialing organization, IREC is a leader in clean energy workforce development. “We are working with industry and education and training organizations across the country to ensure that quality training matches skills with current and future clean energy jobs,” adds Weissman. “We are excited to partner with this strong inaugural group on such a critical national initiative.”
“Business, educators and job trainers must align their efforts to make sure workers have the skills they need for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said John Engler, president of the Business Roundtable, an operational partner of the National Network. “Everyone here agrees that it is no longer enough to describe and quantify the gap. It is time to get to work to close it for good.”
U.S. employers are finding it increasingly difficult to find skilled candidates to fill open jobs, creating the “skills gap.” A June 2013 report by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, for example, projected that 2.6 million jobs in science, technology, engineering and math will need to be filled between 2010 and 2020.
With an explosion of U.S. solar-related jobs in 2013 – now 142,000, up 20 percent from 2012 – the need is more profound than ever to ensure quality clean energy education and training.
The National Network represents major business sectors and is funded through a collaborative partnership of ACT Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Joyce Foundation and Lumina Foundation. Members include leaders in the manufacturing, retail, healthcare, energy, construction, hospitality, transportation and information technology sectors. They represent the source of nearly 75 percent of projected U.S. job growth through 2020 (an estimated 30 million new jobs).
At yesterday’s meeting, members discussed efforts to:
- Create a blueprint of the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies required for career success in core business sectors;
- Define the standards for national credentials that validate those skills; and
- Identify successful models that integrate industry-recognized credentials into secondary and postsecondary education.
“It is encouraging to see the business community unify across industry and sector lines to produce actionable solutions to close the ‘skills gap,’ especially with the power of the Business Roundtable behind them,” said Parminder K. Jassal, founding executive director, ACT Foundation, which co-operates the National Network.
Inaugural Members of the National Network of Business and Industry Associations
Aerospace Industries Association
American Health Information Management Association
American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute
American Land Title Association and ALTA’s Land Title Institute
American Moving and Storage Association
American Public Transportation Association
American Welding Society
Center for Energy Workforce Development
CompTIA
Home Builders Institute
Interstate Renewable Energy Council
The Manufacturing Institute
National Apartment Association Education Institute
National Center for Construction Education and Research
National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence
National Institute for Metalworking Skills
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
National Retail Federation Foundation
Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute
TechAmerica/TechAmerica Foundation
Western Association of Food Chains
About IREC
IREC believes clean energy is critical to achieving a sustainable and economically strong future. To pave this clean energy path, IREC works to expand consumer access to clean energy; generates information and objective analysis grounded in best practices and standards; and leads programs to build a quality clean energy workforce, including a unique credentialing program for training programs and instructors. A not-for-profit organization since 1982, IREC’s programs and policies have benefitted energy consumers, policymakers, utilities and the clean energy industry. As of July 2013, IREC is an accredited American National Standards Developer. For more information, visit http://www.irecusa.org
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your comments/suggestions/questions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
www.sunisthefuture.net
www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture
www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture
www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture
www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture
www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture
www.sunisthefuture.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net Google+
Share on Facebook
Tags: ACT Foundation, Aerospace Industries Association, American Health Information Management Association, American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute, American land Title Association and ALTA's Land Title Institute, American Moving and Storage Association, American Public Transportation Association, American Welding Society, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Center for Energy Workforce Development, CompTIA, Home Builders Institute, Interstate Renewable Energy Council, IREC, Jane Weissman, John Engler, Joyce Foundation, Lumina Foundation, National Apartment Association Education Institute, National Center for Construction Education and Research, National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, National Institute for Metalworking Skills, National Network, National Network of Business and Industry Association, National Restaurant Association Education Foundation, National Retail Federation Foundation, Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute, Sun Is The Future, sunisthefuture, sunisthefuture.net, susan sun nunamaker, TechAmerica/TechAmerica Foundation, The Manufacturing Institute, Western Association of Food Chains
Posted in Editorial | No Comments »
Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers, (Please click on red links below)
 Credit: America Supports Solar-Solar Power Advocacy Network (shared at Sun Is The Future at www.sunisthefuture.net) Want to share this letter with you, below:
Dear Susan Sun,
The numbers are in: on January 24, more than 3 million people played a part in National “Shout Out For Solar” Day.
The following week, even President Obama gave a personal “shout out” for solar during his State of the Union speech, which was seen by nearly 35 million Americans.
By all accounts the first annual “Shout Out For Solar” Day was a huge success. We are thrilled that so many of you joined us, adding your collective voices (and Facebook feeds and Twitter handles!) to the celebration of solar’s record-shattering 2013 and to look forward to a sunny 2014.
We’ve been saying it all along: America Supports Solar. In fact, nine out of ten Americans think we should be getting more of our energy from the sun. With that in mind, we launched a new website: AmericaSupportsSolar.com, to help all of you – our solar supporters and advocates – better understand the important role solar energy plays in our economy and our environment.
Please take a moment to check out the new site and share it with your friends.
And thank you again for your support!
Ken Johnson,
Vice President
Solar Energy Industries Association
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your comments/suggestions/questions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
www.sunisthefuture.net
www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture
www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture
www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture
www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture
www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture
www.sunisthefuture.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net Google+
Share on Facebook
Tags: Advocacy Network, America Supports Solar, Obama, President, SEIA, Shout Out For Solar, Solar Energy Industries Association, solar power, Sun Is The Future, sunisthefuture, sunisthefuture.net, susan sun nunamaker, www.americasupportssolar.com
Posted in Editorial | No Comments »
Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers, (Please click on red links below)
 Googleplex Solar Rooftop Power (credit: Steve Jurvetson, creative commons 2.0) Recall our earlier post on “Are We Moving Fast Enough Toward Solar-Wind-Geothermal-Biomass“and the fact that Solar’s rank of 2 may had been impressive, but the actual solar power capacity generated during 2013 is much greater than the reported 2,936 MW, which did not include the distributed solar (rooftop solar power systems) installed in 2013. So, in today’s post, I would like to introduce you to the expert in the field of distributed solar and renewable energy, John Farrell, Director of Democratic Energy at ILSR (Institute For Local Self-Reliance) and his significant contribution to better understanding of local ownership and dispersed generation of renewable energy. He has researched and written extensively on the economies of scale of renewable energy, the benefits of decentralized energy generation, and policies that support locally owned and distributed generation of renewable energy. His background in public policy, research, communication, and mathematics provides the strength that is rarely seen in most policy makers.
John Farrell has authored Rooftop Revolution: Changing Everything With Cost-Effective Local Solar, ” Energy Self-Reliant States“, a state-by-state atlas of renewable energy potential indicating that most states don’t need to go outside of their borders to meet their electricity needs. His insight on the economic advantages of “Democratizing the Electricity System” shows us the way to remove the roadblocks to distributed renewable energy generation and how such small-scale renewable energy projects are critical for big strides in renewable energy development. It is also encouraging to find, through his landmark report of “Energy Self-Reliant States”, at least 60% of the fifty states could meet all their internal electricity needs from renewable energy generated inside their borders. Every state with a renewable mandate can meet it with in-state renewable fuels. “Federal policy should encourage all states, communities, individual households and businesses to maximize their internal use of this ubiquitous resource. Such a policy would reinforce the clear desire for states and cities to combine a low carbon energy strategy with an aggressive energy-based economic development strategy.” was his conclusion. His latest report, “City Power Play-8 Practical Local Energy Policies to Boost the Economy” is strongly recommended to be read by politicians, policy makers, consumers, local energy leaders, to improve future energy policies.
Mr. Farrell is a valuable expert for information and insight on distributed local solar and renewable energy generation. He can be reached by email at jfarrell@ilsr.org or via twitter @johnffarrell .
We need more people such as John Farrell in the Solar and Renewable Energy Front.
Even though Mr. John Farrell is an excellent speaker and teacher, I would have liked to ask more questions and give you an even more extensive interview….but my cold got the better of me. I promise you I will try to catch Mr. John Farrell at a later time for more updates and questions on Minnesota’s implementation of Value of Solar Tariff policy.
~have a bright and sunny day~
sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your comments/suggestions/questions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
www.sunisthefuture.net
www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture
www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture
www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture
www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture
www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture
www.sunisthefuture.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net Google+
Share on Facebook
Tags: city power play, democratizing the electricity system, energy self-reliant states, ILSR, Institute For Local Self Reliance, John Farrell, rooftop revolution, Sun Is The Future, sunisthefuture, sunisthefuture.net, susan sun nunamaker
Posted in Educational | No Comments »
Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers, (Please click on red links below)
Just came across this map/image, “What You Could Save Every Month” by going Solar, by One Block Off The Grid, a company located in San Francisco, CA, whose ultimate goal is to help you to save most money on electricity each month and each year.
Don’t You Just Love This?!
 “What You Could Save Every Month” by going Solar(credit: One Block Off The Grid, 1bog.org)
My friends and neighbors in Florida may be quite pleasantly surprised to find out how much (according to 1bog’s calculations, $139 per month) they may be able to save each month by going Solar! 🙂
Those residing in Hawaii may save as much as $270 per month, on average. The lowest savings would be for state of Kansas, averaging $35 per month. Even residents in Alaska would be able to save about $65 per month by going solar!
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your comments/suggestions/questions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
www.sunisthefuture.net
www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture
www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture
www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture
www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture
www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture
www.sunisthefuture.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net Google+
Share on Facebook
Tags: CA, https://plus.google.com/+SunisthefutureNet, money, One Block Off The Grid, San Francisco, saving, Sun Is The Future, sunisthefuture, susan sun nunamaker
Posted in Business & Opprotunity, Editorial | No Comments »
Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers, (Please click on red links below)
Just a quick reminder of our previous post regarding, “An Abbey’s Path To Fiscal Salvation Through Solar Energy & Solar Chocolates” . There is still time to order your Solar Chocolates for some one special during Valentine week from Trappistine Quality Candy (<–click)!
 Solar Chocolates Made By Sisters of Mount St. Mary's Abbey (credit: Trappistine Quality Candy)  Solar Chocolates By Sisters of Mount St. Mary's Abbey (credit: Trappistine Quality Candy)
 Sisters of Mount St. Mary's Abbey under the solar panels on their Wrentham fields. Sr. Alice Chau, Sr. Christa-Maria, and Sr. Bonita. These sisters taut the three "L's": Liturgy, Lectio Divina, and Labor (Credit: Mount St. Mary's Abbey)
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics: www.sunisthefuture.net
www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture
www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture
www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture
www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture
www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture
www.sunisthefuture.com
www.cafepress.com/mathlady
gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your comments will be welcomed below or via sunisthefuture@gmail.com (please note if you do not want your email to be shared)
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net Google+
Share on Facebook
Tags: candy, chocolates, solar, Sun Is The Future, sunisthefuture, sunisthefuture.net, susan sun nunamaker, Trappistine, Trappistine Quality Candy, Valentine's Day
Posted in Business & Opprotunity | No Comments »
Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers, (Please click on red links below)
Allow me to share with you the finalized data from FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) for U.S. Energy Infrastructure Update for 2013. Some of the key findings from Office of Energy Projects-Energy Infrastructure Update of U.S. by 2013 from FERC are presented in the two tables below:
 U.S. New Generation In-Service Power Capacity During 2013, Data Made Available By FERC 1. U.S. New Generation In-Service (New Build and Expansion), Jan.-Dec. of 2013 Chart: On horizontal axis, 10 top sources of new U.S. power capacity (in 2013) are ranked in terms of Newly Installed Capacity (MW) during 2013, in the order from: 1st being Natural Gas (7,270 MW), 2nd is Solar (2,936 MW), 3rd is Coal (1,543 MW), 4th is Wind (1,129 MW), 5th is Biomass (777 MW), 6th is Water (378 MW), 7th is Waste Heat (76 MW), 8th is Geothermal Steam (59 MW), 9th is Oil (38 MW), 10th is Nuclear (0 MW).
Even though Solar’s rank of 2 is impressive from the above chart, in reality the actual solar power capacity generated during 2013 is much greater than 2,936 MW. If you’d refer to FERC’s key findings from Office of Energy Projects-Energy Infrastructure Update of U.S. by 2013 from FERC , you would realize that the 2,936 MW did not include the distributed solar (rooftop solar power systems) installed in 2013. Various sources indicated that California added more rooftop solar capacity in 2013 than in the past 30 years combined . As the distributed solar will continue to play an increasingly significant role in solar capacity generation, such data needs to be included in the calculation in the future in order to provide a more complete picture.
 U.S. Total Installed Operating Generating Capacity (GW) By Dec. of 2013, Data Made Available By FERC 2. U.S. Total Installed Operating Generating Capacity By December of 2013 Chart: On horizontal axis, 10 top sources of total U.S. power capacity by 2013 are ranked in terms of Total Installed Capacity (GW) up to December of 2013, in the order from: 1st being Natural Gas (487.21 GW), 2nd is Coal (333.43 GW), 3rd is Nuclear (107.32 GW), 4th is Water (97.88 GW), 5th is Wiind (60.29 GW), 6th is Oil (47.03 GW), 7th is Biomass (15.74 GW), 8th is Solar (7.42 GW), 9th is Geothermal Steam (3.83 GW), 10th is Waste Heat (1.13 GW).
The second table above reminds us that despite how much renewable energy has grown in U.S., the total installed operating generating capacity from renewable such as solar, water,geothermal, biomass, and wind only add up to about 15% of the total U.S. installed operating generating capacity as of 2013. Solar only represents 0.64% and wind represents 5.2% of the total U.S. installed operating generating capacity as of 2013. Renewable Energy is still in its early stage of its evolution. In 2014 solar power is projected to have another year of record growth. To this I say: we surely need it!
 Flood at Key Heaven as a result of Hurricane Wilma (Author Marc Averette, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0)  Flood of Toowoomba (Author Kingbob86, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)
Some of my friends, acquaintances, and relatives find it puzzling why I would be so anxious while optimistic about the Solar/Renewable future. The two tables above truly reflect my state of mind toward current state of affair: optimistic with exponential growth of Solar Capacity (table 1) while anxiously worried about millions of people who will be losing their homes as a result of climate change (this would be the case if Clean and/or Renewable Energy takes up such a small percentage of the overall total power capacity as demonstrated in table 2 above )….we need to move toward Renewable…toward Solar-Wind-Water-Geothermal-Biomass much faster….in order to avoid more of what is likely to come……for millions and millions of people on planet earth…..
Let’s maintain our optimism in moving forward. We need to optimize the most effective incentive policy to drive all Renewables forward…be it Solar-Wind-Water-Geothermal-Biomass….in order to prevent millions and millions of people in becoming homeless in the decades to come…..
~may we all have a bright and sunny day~
Written, gathered and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your comments/suggestions/questions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
www.sunisthefuture.net
www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture
www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture
www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture
www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture
www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture
www.sunisthefuture.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net Google+
Share on Facebook
Tags: 2013, biomass, CA, California, capacity, coal, Creative Commons, Energy Infrastructure Update, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, FERC, flood, geothermal stream, GW, Hurricane Wilma, Key Heaven, MW, natural gas, nuclear, oil, power, renewable, solar, Sun Is The Future, sunisthefuture, sunisthefuture.net, susan sun nunamaker, Toowoomba, waste heat, water, wind
Posted in Editorial, News | No Comments »
Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers, (Please click on red links below)
 Fireworks (public domain, originally by: Jon Sullivan) Great News! Remember the letter/message I sent to all of the Florida gubernatorial candidates (Charlie Crist-D, Nan Rich-D, and Rick Scott-R), asking these candidates to consider 5 points regarding solar/renewable energy policy… posted in our Feb. 6, 2014 post ?
I am happy to share with you the response from Charlie Crist,
 Charlie Crist, the 44th Governor of Florida, is a supporter for Solar/Renewable Energy (image: public domain) received on Feb. 8, 2014, below:
Charlie Crist
Ms. Nunamaker – Solar will be a part of this campaign. Stay tuned! And go to www.charliecrist.com to help.
Charlie Crist for Governor
Together, we can get Florida back to common sense.
My fellow Solar and Renewable Enthusiasts, there is hope!
~have a bright and sunny day~
Written, gathered and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your comments/suggestions/questions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
www.sunisthefuture.net
www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture
www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture
www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture
www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture
www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture
www.sunisthefuture.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net Google+
Share on Facebook
Tags: Charlie Crist, election, energy, governor, Gubernatorial, solar, Sun, Sun Is The Future, sunisthefuture, sunisthefuture.net, susan sun nunamaker
Posted in Events | No Comments »
Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers, (Please click on red links below)
 Source: N.C. Solar Center at N.C. State University, Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (accessed July 2012). (Correction: Amended source corrects the source listed in original publication of February 3, 2012.) Note: The map includes West Virginia as a State with a Renewable Portfolio Standard, although the Interstate Renewable Energy Council categorizes it as a goal State rather than an RPS State. I came across a video with Ralph Nader‘s commenting on Feed-In-Tariff, uploaded by Paul Kangas at paul8kangas, below:
In the video, Ralph Nader (the famous consumer advocate) referred to FIT(Feed-In-Tariff) as price based whereas RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard) as quota based.
This led to a discussion between myself and another Renewable advocate on whether RPS will limit renewables. Folks, here is my response, below:
I don’t think RPS will limit renewables. It does, however, set the minimum mandatory goal for renewables. For example, a student who wants to at least pass all of his/her courses may end up getting a straight A. But a student who doesn’t even have a goal or desire to pass any or all of the courses is far more likely to fail one or all of his/her classes. Without any goal/RPS, that is why state of Florida is not leading in solar deployment. I’d much rather that FL has RPS than nothing. I’d much rather that FL has both RPS and FIT. But as the cost of solar continues to drop and improvement in storage technology increases, there will be more solar deployments even without any RPS or FIT.
Based on a study by NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), FIT (Feed-In-Tariff) and RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard) can coexist beautifully. http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/45549.pdf
I think before asking anything, we seriously need to find out what the true Value of Solar and/or the true Value of Wind is in order to decide what FIT rate needs to be asked. I don’t think we would want to set the FIT rate below the true Value of Solar or Wind (because then we’ll have clean energy subsidizing the dirty energy). I think Karl R. Rabago has been working on Value of Solar for quite some time and gives a very good presentation in this interview: www.sunisthefuture.net/2014/01/01 and the synopsis of the Value of Solar is in www.sunisthefuture.net/2014/01/04. I wonder if the true Value of Wind has been figured out at this point. At this point in time, there may be sufficient data and technology to enable the algorithm for Value of Wind or Value of Biofuel or Value of Geothermal to be worked out for different regions.
Finally, I am optimistic that the planet earth, as a whole, is heading in the right direction-transitioning into the Renewable Energy Age. As long as Northern Hemisphere manages to stay away from any serious global military confrontation, the planet earth will reach Renewable Energy Age, slowly but surely. Of course, I would have liked to see Florida to be at least in the top 3 or 5 of the solar deployment states within USA, given that we are number 3 in terms of population and we do have the name of Sunshine State. This is much more likely to occur if Florida implements both FIT and RPS, I believe. What do you think? This keeps me motivated in learning and posting about solar/renewable energy.
~have a bright and sunny day~
sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Written, gathered and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your comments/suggestions/questions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
www.sunisthefuture.net
www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture
www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture
www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture
www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture
www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture
www.sunisthefuture.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net Google+
Share on Facebook
Tags: feed-in-tariff, FIT, Renewable Portfolio Standard, RPS, Sun Is The Future, sunisthefuture, sunisthefuture.net, susan sun nunamaker, Value of Biofuel, Value of Geothermal, Value of Solar, Value of Wind
Posted in Editorial | No Comments »
Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers, (Please click on red links below)
 Florida Sunset (credit: sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker) In light of the upcoming Florida gubernatorial election this year, I hope all candidates would consider these matters, below:
Greetings,
Please help state of Florida to:
1. Set goal for Renewable/Solar Energy, given that Florida is one of the few states left that had not yet officially set any goal for renewable/solar energy (RPS, Renewable Portfolio Standard).
2. Implement an effective Feed-In-Tariff policy (otherwise also known as the Renewable Energy Dividend Policy, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed-in_tariff; http://www.sunisthefuture.net/2013/12/16/updating-news-on-feed-in-tariff/ ; http://www.sunisthefuture.net/2013/09/07/further-updates-for-fit-feed-in-tariff-worldwide/ ; http://www.wind-works.org/cms/index.php?id=86 ; http://www.allianceforrenewableenergy.org/2008/05/why-fits.html ) that will be inclusive of small users as well as large-scale users. Feed-In-Tariff had already proven to be the most effective incentive policy that would speed up the implementations of solar PV (in many other nations). The goal of feed-in-tariff is to offer cost-based compensation to renewable energy producers, providing the price certainty, and long-term contracts that help finance renewable energy investments.
3. Request state regulators to look into The Value of Solar (www.sunisthefuture.net/2014/01/01 & www.sunisthefuture.net/2014/01/04) for this is the final missing link that will enable solar to be spread fairly, effectively, and quickly, for rich and for poor alike, for consumers as well as for utility. Ultimately, this would translate into a collaborative relationship between the utility and consumers, leading to a more stable grid for all consumers while increasing the longevity of the utility.
4. Streamline the permitting process of solar PV and solar thermal so to reduce the cost and amount of time in completing the process. Residents at Broward County are now able to get a solar energy system permit online in just half an hour;please refer to Jefferey Halsey, Broward County of Florida’s Director of Pollutioin Prevention, Remediation, and Air Quality Division during the video clip at Sun Is The Future at www.sunisthefuture.net/2013/02/22 .
5. It seems feasible/optimal to introduce regulation to require solar thermal (solar hot water heating systems) when/where it is already a foregone conclusion that this would be an economically feasible approach in building design. Perhaps it is time to start the discussion in considering implementing this as part of the building code.
~have a bright and sunny day~
Written, gathered and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your comments/suggestions/questions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
www.sunisthefuture.net
www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture
www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture
www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture
www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture
www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture
www.sunisthefuture.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net Google+
Share on Facebook
Tags: dividend, election, energy, feed-in-tariff, Florida, Gubernatorial, Jeffrey Halsey, policy, Renewable Portfolio Standard, RPS, Sun Is The Future, sunisthefuture, sunisthefuture.com, sunisthefuture.net, susan sun nunamaker, Value of Solar
Posted in Editorial | No Comments »
|
