Center for Policy Research in Environment, Energy, and Community
Future Brightens for Solar Energy, Speaker Asserts
From California to Gettysburg, solar energy is making a comeback, with universities, private companies and home builders investing in solar systems, said Dave Riley, director of the Penn State Center for Sustainability.
"We've seen a 46-percent growth in the U.S. in photovoltaic installation--and for good reason as demand for energy is soaring, and supply is limited," said Riley, who outlined the advantages of solar systems in a recent (April 2008) talk, "Here Comes the Sun: The Business Case for Solar Energy."
Solar energy is the equivalent of an energy no-brainer, Riley said. It is carbon neutral; it is most available during the daytime when energy demand peaks; and it breaks the nation's reliance on fossil fuels and dependence on politically and economically unstable countries for those fuels.
Criticisms that solar energy is too costly ignore the price tag for foreign oil estimated at $25 million an hour, Riley said--a cost that doesn't include environmental damage. And advancements in materials have shortened how quickly solar installations pay for themselves.
"The biggest challenge facing the solar energy industry is a lack of leadership," Riley said. "We need research money and workforce development at the federal and state levels."
Consumers also need to be incentivized to adopt solar, Riley said. This could occur with tax credits, loans or "solar mortgages," which reduce a mortgage's interest rate.
Riley also had a suggestion for utilities: Change the way that electric rates are calculated so that consumers can see the actual cost of the electricity they are using. People who use "smart meters" to monitor their electricity use and the price for that electricity reduce consumption on average 10 percent, Riley said.
The event was the third in the "Reframing Critical Policy Debates" series, sponsored by the Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment, the University's Social Science Research Institute and the Center for Policy Research in Environment, Energy, and Community.
Last modified: 06/12/08 | Contact Webmaster
