Sun Is The Future

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Key Lawmakers Support Efforts to End U.S.-China Solar Dispute

Fellow, Solar Enthusiasts, I think you’ll be glad to read about this recent  report, below, released from SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association)

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – An industry proposal aimed at ending a long-running solar trade dispute between the United States and China continues to gain support among key lawmakers at both the state and federal levels, including the chairmen of the U.S. Senate Finance and Budget committees.

For months, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has been working behind the scenes in Washington and Beijing to resolve the current conflict and head off an escalation of trade sanctions. SEIA has warned U.S. negotiators that any settlement similar to the recently-announced EU-China agreement would represent a blow to the U.S. solar industry because of an expected increase in solar prices. SEIA also believes that any resolution of the U.S.-China

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

solar dispute must recognize the interests of all stakeholders, including American consumers, and not just one segment of the industry.

Among those who have expressed support of this approach include Washington Governor Jay Inslee, as well as U.S. Senators Patty Murray (WA), Maria Cantwell (WA), Max Baucus (MT) and John Tester (MT).

“Support for our proposal is gaining momentum,” said SEIA President and CEO Rhone Resch. “We deeply appreciate the efforts of Governor Inslee and Senators Murray, Cantwell, Baucus and Tester. They recognize, like we do, that something has to be done to improve the ability of U.S. manufacturers to compete fairly on an even playing field, while also protecting American consumers from unfair price increases. Our proposal would benefit all affected parties.”

“I am pleased to see this industry group put forward a creative solution aimed at ending these disagreements,” said Governor Inslee. “I have spoken with numerous federal officials, including the U.S. Trade Representative and the White House, about the need to find a workable solution to these ongoing disagreements that will allow the Washington and American solar industries to continue their impressive growth. This proposal would help ensure that Chinese and American industries play by the rules and are not burdened by unwarranted restrictions. The growing solar industry is an important and innovative part of Washington’s economy and ongoing international trade disputes affecting the industry could have significant negative impacts on jobs and businesses in our state.”

Highlights of SEIA’s proposed solution include:

Chinese companies would agree to create a fund that would benefit U.S. solar manufacturers directly and help to grow the U.S. market. Money for the fund would come from a percentage of the price premium Chinese companies are currently paying to third-country cell producers to get around U.S. trade sanctions, reducing costs and supply chain distortion for Chinese companies.
The Chinese government would also agree to end its antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on U.S. polysilicon exports to China, and remove the threat of artificial cost increases in a key raw material in the solar value chain, benefiting not just Chinese solar companies but all users of solar energy.
In return, the U.S. antidumping and countervailing duties orders would be phased out.
The proposal also calls for a safeguard mechanism designed to offset any surge of Chinese solar modules into the U.S. market.
As an added step, SEIA believes the U.S. government should take all steps necessary to ensure that federal procurement opportunities are provided to domestic solar manufacturers in recognition of the importance of U.S. solar manufacturing to the nation’s long-term energy security.
“It’s abundantly clear that the solar trade dispute between the United States and China is already costing jobs and stifling the critically important solar industry, so I’m pleased that American industry leaders have put forward a commonsense proposal to resolve this problem,” said Senator Murray. “The ever-expanding solar energy industry supports thousands of good-paying jobs in Washington state, and continued development of solar technology is vital for our environment and the economy, so I’ll continue working with all the parties involved to find an equitable solution for American businesses and consumers.”

Senators Baucus and Tester weighed in with a joint statement:
“We applaud the efforts of the Solar Energy Industries Association to resolve the solar dispute between the U.S. and China. Without a doubt, this dispute has had a harmful effect on jobs in the U.S. and undercut our competitiveness in critical high-tech industries. The best outcome for workers, manufacturers and consumers in Montana and across the country is to negotiate a settlement and bring the dispute to a close. We are ready to work with all parties to resolve this important matter.”

Senator Cantwell added: “I am glad that we are making progress on ending this impasse (and) allow us to get back to the work of creating clean energy jobs that get products to the marketplace that are focused on reducing CO2 emissions.”

~have a bright and sunny day~

gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker

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I’ve just received this email, to be shared with you all:

Dear Susan Sun,

One of the largest solar power plants under construction in the U.S. is the 632 megawatts (MWdc) Topaz Solar Farm in California.

(Let’s take a look at the Topaz Solar Farm in California, in the video below)

The plant will create 400 construction jobs, power 160,000 homes and generate an estimated $417 million in positive economic impacts. Right now, there are 4,100 MWdc of these utility-scale, clean energy solar projects under construction, putting thousands of electricians, steelworkers and laborers to work.

But unless Congress acts, new investments in clean energy could be in jeopardy.

Tell your representative to support H.R. 2502, a bill that would provide investors more certainty by allowing developers to qualify for the current solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) when they start construction.

Deploying solar projects that can provide power on the utility and distributed generation scale requires a stable investment environment. The ITC has been a major contributor to the rapid growth of the solar industry. In spite of the national economic downturn, solar installations have grown by 3000% since the ITC took effect in 2006, a compound annual growth rate of 77%.

The U.S. now has 9,400 megawatts of installed solar electric capacity, enough to power more than 1.5 million American homes. Employment in the American solar industry has grown from an estimated 15,000 employees in 2005 to nearly 120,000 today, working in over 5,600 companies in all 50 states, the vast majority in small businesses.

This critical policy is set to expire at the end of 2016, but because the timelines for solar projects vary and can be uncertain, many developers are worried that their projects will not be online by the time the credit expires. The commence construction change would help drive an additional 4,000 MW of of solar capacity in 2017 and 2018 and would create tens of thousands of additional new domestic jobs.

Many representatives are supporting this bill, click here to find out if yours support the bill or if they need additional convincing.

Thank you for all that you do,

Christopher Mansour
Vice President, Government Affairs
Solar Energy Industries Association

PS – Learn more about the benefits of the solar Investment Tax Credit on our website.

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For clarification, below is the Summary of H.R.2502-113th Congress (2013-2014), in case you need to know:

Introduced in House (06/25/2013)

Renewable Energy Parity Act of 2013 – Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the energy tax credit to solar energy, fuel cell, microturbine, combined health and power system, small wind energy, and thermal energy properties for which construction does not begin before January 1, 2017.

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This is the information on Topaz Solar Farm provided by wikipedia: Topaz Solar Farm is a 550 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic power plant, being built in San Luis Obispo County, California. Construction on the project began in November 2011 and is expected to run through 2015. It is among the world’s biggest solar farms under construction. The $2 billion project will include First Solar’s thin-film panels, and the company will build, operate and maintain the project for MidAmerican Energy Holdings. Pacific Gas and Electric will buy the electricity under a 25-year power purchase agreement. According to First Solar, it will create about 400 construction jobs. Annual generation is expected to be 1,096 GWh

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~have a bright and sunny day~

gathered 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

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Focus on How Utilities and Customers Value Solar in SEPA’s September Webinar

On Thursday, September 19, 2013,SEPA will be presenting a can’t-miss webinar, Solar Value Basics and Net Energy Metering: What it Is… and Isn’t . Eran Mahrer, SEPA’s Executive VP of Utility Strategy, will share the basics of how utilities, and their customers, value solar and how that is changing. Attendees will walk away with a better understanding of the issues behind solar valuation; how utilities are approaching VOS; and why it is important. The presentation will highlight Net Energy Metering (NEM) as a tool and will clarify exactly what is included in the concept – and how this has evolved to encompass a number of related issues and perspectives. This is a great opportunity to get an overview of these hot solar and utility topics. The presentation will be followed by Q&A.

Attendees to this basics webinar will learn:

• High level overview of the Value of Solar
  

  Sun Shines Through...Value of Solar (credit:sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker)

• Net Energy Metering basics
• Utility drivers and the evolving utility business model
• Industry perspectives and impacts

Date: Thursday, September 19, 2013, 11am Pacific/2pm Eastern. Estimated duration: 60 minutes.

Speakers: Eran Mahrer, Executive Vice President, Utility Strategy, SEPA; John Sterling, Director, Utility Programs & Planning, SEPA (Moderator)

Cost: Free to SEPA members and the media (subject to verification); $199 for non-members

Target Audience: Utility staff in planning, policy, renewable programs, customer support, communications and solar industry staff working in distributed generation, customer service, marketing, corporate communications, and other interested stakeholders.

To Register for this webinar, please click–>http://www.solarelectricpower.org/events/webinars.aspx

~have a bright and sunny day~

gathered 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

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I have to admit that I am very curious about the Chinese entry this year, for this is the first time EVER that there is an entrant from China participating in World Solar Challenge, in the Challenger Class. We earthlings every where have been quite aware of the attention, effort, and progress made in solar technology/industry by China in recent years. So, it is with great anticipation and curiosity that we await for the information on features of Sun Shuttle of  Beijing Institute of Technology from China. It will bring new ideas about new energy vehicle design through exploration and application of solar power generation technology while creating a clean living environment. China has great incentive in solving  problem both in area associated with pollution and solar PV markets, let’s keep our eyes on this emerging solar car, the upcoming Sun Shuttle !

Let’s see…..

 

~have a bright and sunny day~

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

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Terrific! Obama Administration and Russia have combined effort in coming up with a potentially peaceful solution with respect to Syria–instead of military air strikes, they’re going to have  all of the chemical arsenals of Syria to be handed over to international control. President Obama is scheduled to address the nation on Tuesday night, Sep. 10, 2013…more details then….another day of peace is another day in the sun….we earthlings are evolving for the better! This is a wonderfully optimistic and hopeful outlook for the future of human kind.

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On this hopeful and optimistic note, I’d like to share another presentation of hope and optimism for the future.  This is a talk that took place at the World Future Society 2013 conference at Chicago, IL, in July of 2013, given by John Smart, a futurist and scholar of accelerating change. Mr. Smart is founder and president of the Acceleration Studies Foundation, an organization that does “outreach, education, research, and advocacy with respect to issues of accelerating change.” He is also running FERN (Foresight Education & Research Network) and Global Foresight (A Community Working to Advance Global Foresight Culture).

Smart is the principal advocate of the concept of “STEM compression,” (formerly “MEST compression“) the idea that the most (ostensibly) complex of the universe’s extant systems at any time (galaxies, stars, habitable planets, living systems, and now technological systems) use progressively less space, time, energy and matter (“STEM”) to create the next level of complexity in their evolutionary development (www.accelerationwatch.com/mest.html). A similar perspective is found in Buckminster Fuller’s writings on ephemeralization.

I invite you all to this energized presentation on 10 areas of technology that John Smart summarized as the Possible-Probable-Preferrable areas of technology waiting for our exploration in the future. For his presentation slides, please click on: www.accelerating.org/slides . In the video presentation below, we also get to see recommendations on multiple books  (such as: The Art of The Long View by Peter Schwartz, Factor Five by Ernst von Weizsacker, A Guide to Open Innovation and Crowd Sourcing by multiple contributors, Predictive Analyticsby Eric Siegel, etc., available at www.amazon.com.) resulting from in-depth research and insight. Enjoy!

We have already seen much change or development in solar energy. I believe in the years to come, our world will also realize even more of its accelerated exponential change with regard to solar energy.

gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker

~have a bright and sunny day~

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

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We have some news updating of Feed-In-Tariff from our friend of the Wind persuasion, Paul Gipe, below:

~have a bright and sunny day~

gathered 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

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I am very fortunate to have started Sun Is The Future, for it has given me the wonderful opportunity to meet a great variety of people possessing talents, experience, and passionate energy that is seen in the interview with Michael Sales, one of the authors we have met in the World Future Society Conference 2013 that took place in Chicago, IL at the Hilton Chicago Hotel during July 19-21,  2013. Mr. Sales co-authored the book, “Life Sustaining Organizations, A Design Guide“, with Anika Ellisons Savage. In this book,  some of the important components for any organization to become a life sustaining organization are:

1. intense competition to attract creative  talents
2. how to build the organization wholistically so to be able to act as a beacon and magnet for these creative talents
3. successful organizations’ attention to aesthetics in all details
4. results oriented organizations that are regenerative (focus on economic solvency and being competitive in the market place).

The structural dynamics laid out in this book includes the methodology that would help any managers/owners and potential managers of any organizations to prepare for a variety of possible futures. If you are like me, one who believes in preparing for the worst and hopes for the best, this book will be a fantastic guide for any life sustaining organizations to be ready regardless how the future will unfold.

As we journey through the transition into our Renewable/Solar Energy future, we have met many current and future  managers/owners who want to establish  life sustaining organizations.  So, those of you who are interested in getting this book, please go to www.amazon.com or www.artofthefuture.com and look for the book, Life Sustaining Organizations, A Design Guide, by Michael Sales and Anika Ellison Savage.

~have a bright and sunny day~

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

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Wow, terrific! In less than 24 hours after our Sep. 2, 2013 post was up, the Swedish migration authorities have ruled that all Syrian asylum seekers who are going to Sweden will be granted permanent residency in light of the worsening conflict in Syria. On Tuesday, Sweden became the first European Union country to announce that it will give asylum to all Syrian refugees who apply.

“All Syrian asylum seekers who apply for asylum will get it,” Annie Hoernblad, the spokeswoman for Sweden’s migration agency, said, “The agency made this decision now because it believes the violence in Syria will not end in the near future.”

For any one who wants to be able to do something to help relieve the pressure of  2 millions Syrian refugees, please visit The UN Refugee Agency web site: http://www.unhcr.org

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Let’s resume our focus on solar topics!  I just came across a solar site that you might be interested in, http://www.generaytor.com/ , an online solar community, with members in 20 countries (and counting…).

It helps people to go solar, using real-time solar performance data. Its worldwide membership includes people considering solar, solar homeowners, installers, and manufacturers. Its technology is designed to accommodate small commercial rooftop systems or ground-mounted systems. Generaytor‘s most popular feature is Virtual Solar, as a “try before you buy” experience for solar, providing simple, personalized forecast. Installers may invite their existing customer to join Generaytor to create a live portfolio demonstrating actual production in real time. Generaytor also helps to reduce soft costs by setting the stage for expanded word of mouth, increasing awareness, and connecting roof owners and installers. Their latest addition is a feature in financials, such that users will have a complete financial breakdown, including system cost, annual and lifetime forecasts, payback period, and return on investment.

So, check out this site, for it is free for all users! In just a few mouse clicks, solar homeowners can connect their monitoring data to Generaytor. People who are considering solar may create a Virtual Solar system by identifying their roof on a map and outlining the area for solar panels. The website at Generaytor then crunches the numbers from nearby connected solar systems in the community, personalized for the size of the array and the roof’s azimuth, tilt, shading, etc. Site’s co-founder Amit Rosner indicated that Generaytor hopes to be a source of knowledge and inspiration that leads to positive change in producing clean energy.
~aiming to bring more bright and sunny days to as many people on earth as possible~

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

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Please excuse the digression of this post, for it is the first time I am deviating from topics directly related to solar energy at Sun Is The Future of http://www.sunisthefuture.net .  As you all know, Sun Is The Future has always been in favor of coming up with alternative solutions that will take us away from wars and violence and heading toward a renewable and brighter future.

But I’ve been having so much trouble sleeping at nights ever since I heard President Obama’s address last Saturday regarding the moral responsibility to justify punishing the Syrian regime for using chemical weapons against civilians. While President Obama awaits for the Congressional voting that will take place on September 9, 2013, to determine go-or-no-go on American air strikes, my brain simply cannot stop turning. The future pain and suffering of more Syrians and civilians of many other countries are so palpable that it is almost as though I could hear their cries and moans in the dead of  nights.   I believe that Pope Francis is right in his remark about “Violence begets violence and war begets war.” There has got to be a better way!

What do you all think of the idea of WorldWide Adoption of Syrian families/civilians as a way to avoid the need to bomb or declare war on Syrian government by any other governments? This will definitely ensure the safety of these people, away from the Syrian government or the Rebels… Many Syrians have already left Syria. But those without the means nor economic support will be the ones who will suffer. So let’s try a peaceful solution! Let’s try having an international adoption of those who are still in Syria and want to leave (but without the means). In so doing, this will save lives. It will cost less and prevent more wars among nations. And this will be a form of penalty on Syrian government for they will end up with less people to govern or to tax. This will also ensure that no one government is acting as the police, but all nations from the planet earth will participate in this humanitarian effort. If all the nations on planet earth will participate, there would not be as much pressure on any one particular nation. Please consider this as a possible solution and spread the word/idea. Thank you.

~aiming to bring more bright and sunny days to as many people on earth as possible~

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

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