Utilities blast solar proposal (Maryland)

[jpak]

http://www.gazette.net/stories/032907/busiflo201213_32320.shtml

A solar power bill working its way through the General Assembly will mean cheaper rates for customers, say proponents, while a major utility says it will have the opposite effect.

Senate Bill 595, which passed the Senate 31-16 and has moved to the House, would require utilities to offer more electricity from solar power.

‘‘All of our ratepayers stand to benefit from this bill,” said Sen. Robert J. Garagiola (D-Dist. 15) of Germantown, the bill’s sponsor. In a best-case scenario, he said, ‘‘their rates will go down 2 to 5 percent.”

The bill stipulates that, beginning in 2008, 0.005 percent of the state’s electricity come from solar power. The requirement increases every year so that by 2015, 0.25 percent of the state’s electricity would be solar, and by 2022 solar power would make up 2 percent. The Public Service Commission would designate a person to oversee the implementation and make policy recommendations to the commission.

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[Burma Jones]

1. Bob Garagiola is my State Senator and Neighbor

......he's a pretty decent guy all around.

[jwirr]

2. Now this is where Al's proposed Carbon Taxes would come in.

If you take the two opposing ideas and measured their carbon output then you would know the real cost of the energy. The carbon tax is just a way of placing the uncounted results into the economic portrait. Showing the cost of its side effects.

[msongs]

3. generally speaking, utilities are self serving liars nt

[LiberalEsto]

4. The utilities care more about profits

than about the future of the planet or its inhabitants.

[gravity]

5. This law is stupid

It will produce only 2% of the electricity by 2022, 0.25% in 2015. That's not going to make any difference, and it would be better just to invest and make our current energy use more efficient.

Solar power is inefficient to produce. If it was really cheaper, than power companies would be jumping on it a long time ago, and it would actually mean lower bills. I don't know why lawmakers think that increasing the costs of producing electricity is going to lower power bills.

[jpak]

6. Solar power IS being used by individuals and utilities

Global PV module and cell production in 2006 was 2200 MW - Germany alone installed 920 MW of PV.

Portugal is currently building two large PV arrays - 64 MW and 116 MW.

Spain and Germany are building 40 MW arrays.

One project in Ontario is developing 5 x 10 MW (50 MW) of PV generating capacity.

California utilities are building 500-900 MW solar thermal electric arrays.

PV manufacturing and installation is a global multi-billion dollar business that is growing *exponentially* by double digit percentages each year.

Maryland's program is modest but will firm up US PV markets, train qualified PV installers and reduce summer peak electrical demand.

Stupid it is not...