We have all heard the phrase drop in the bucket. But what is the proper term for miniscule investment in solar power?
The promise of solar power for the region has been highlighted in recent weeks, as the town of Esopus broke ground on the largest municipal solar power project in the state to be approved thus far and Gov. David Paterson announced that $10 million in stimulus money will be disbursed statewide to fund photovoltaic projects.
But at least one solar advocate said the amounts being discussed are paltry compared to the need and the potential. Besides the $10 million investment of stimulus money as part of a competitive grant process, it was announced the New York Power Authority is in the final stages of preparing plans for a 100 megawatt solar initiative that would increase the state”™s installed solar capacity five fold. One megawatt meets the power needs of about 800 homes.  Â
“The statewide interest in developing our solar energy production is proof that New York is fertile ground for the clean energy economy,” said Paterson. “Not only will these projects put New Yorkers back to work, but they will help cut down energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” ?The stimulus money seeks to promote projects that will connect to the grid and thus help provide electricity to the state while defraying costs. Proposals to the Competitive Capacity-Based Incentive Program are due by 5 p.m. Oct 29.
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The two programs will contribute to the state goal of 45-15, that is, meeting 45 percent of the state”™s electricity needs through energy efficiency measures and renewable energy by 2015. The state, perhaps optimistically, estimates that the expanded use of clean energy technologies will create some 50,000 new jobs in New York.
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The groundbreaking of a 77.2 kW photovoltaic installation on Oct. 13 for the town of Esopus marked a watershed of sorts for the project, which was announced on Earth Day and that hopes to be reaping benefits of solar power before the solstice in December.
Randolph Horner, solar project manager for the Esopus project said it serves as a model that can mark the trail for other municipalities and businesses seeking to invest in clean energy.
The Esopus Town Hall and Community Center is a state-of-art building, with geothermal heating and cooling, a system that will have its pumps and compressors powered by electricity from solar panel arrays.
“Using clean, renewable solar electricity to drive the geothermal system will make Esopus the first municipality in the state to have a major town activity center that combines the most energy-efficient heating and cooling system possible with a substantial on-site photovoltaic generation capacity,” said Horner.
Additionally, the town will have net-metering connections so that any excess power is returned to the grid to help defray town energy bills. Horner called the arrangement essential to helping save taxpayer funds through the PV system.
He said that the technology needed to harness the sun is now well understood and involves PV electricity at a scale hitherto not even considered but which could be a driving force in revving the economy while reducing danger from carbon emissions.
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“America is a million megawatt market,” said Horner. “So all this talk of 10 megawatts here a hundred megawatts there, is a joke. We should have a leading role in the world as a solar-powered nation.”
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Horner cautioned that plans don”™t power any houses. But he said the announcement was a sign that economics are now working in favor of solar power. And he said New York could reap the benefits through a program of distributed generation, turning homes and businesses into non-polluting mini-power plants, while creating jobs and cleaning the environment at the same time.
“New York State can have thousand, literally thousands of installation like Esopus,” Horner said, “We can”™t afford not to do it. We can”™t afford to keep money on dirty electricity. What we have to do is create financial mechanisms to pay for clean electricity.”
He said feed-in tariff”™s that require certain amounts of renewable energy are part of a utility”™s supply of power are only “A pump primer. We need private investment.”
Horner applauded the growing trend toward building the cost of solar thermal and PV systems and other renewable energy options into the mortgage of new homes, in effect, putting the energy bill into the mortgage. He said that is one example of a promising approach that needs additional support.
“That would be a marvelous system,” said Horner. “The banks should be investing in that instead of the shenanigans that have been going on. At the end of the day, the future of the economy and the future of the world are intertwined with energy.”
