Have you long wondered why there isn't a national policy to put solar panels on the roof of every house and building in the country? Most likely this is a result of energy companies' involvement in politics and the weak politicians who are more worried about their own campaigns rather than what is best for our nation. At least we can thank the forward-thinking state of California for moving in this direction.
There are few negatives people can say about solar power, and if they object they are being shortsighted. Current solar panels might be more expensive and less efficient than dirty energy sources, but as with any new source it will become cheaper and more efficient when demand and research increase. The benefits are too numerous to detail here, but if we want to be forward-thinking, how about national security? The U.S. has the money to produce cheap, effecient solar panels. Imagine putting them on the roofs of rural houses in Africa, China, and Brazil, thereby permanently raising the quality of life for people around the world.
In any case, I saw some interesting ideas from Citizenre Corporation. According to their website, they handle the purchasing, installation, and maintenance of solar panel arrays on your house. There appear to be no hefty payments, just rental fees that are incorporated into your monthly energy bill that is based on your current energy uses.
This looks to be an easy and effective option for increasing renewable energy use at home. If you have additional information about this company and its products, please let me know.
1 comment:
I'm in the solar industry, co-founder and CEO of one of the largest solar companies in the US. I've spent the last couple of weeks thoroughly researching CitizenRe. A few items I've found follow.
CitizenRe currently has no systems installed. They publicly state that they will not install any until September 2007. However, they also do not have a manufacturing plant (no date for ground breaking either), they have actually not raised the $650 million of capital they refer to, and their projected numbers of systems to be installed versus projected manufacturing capacity do not add up.
In short, there are a lot of promises, some conflicting, and no proof. I have publicly asked CitizenRe a series of questions about their business. The replies to-date, both public and private, do not confirm a valid business. As the old saying goes, if it looks to good to be true, it probably isn't true.
CitizenRe does an enormous disservice to the solar industry by promising what they apparently cannot deliver. The solar industry, just growing here as well as in many other states, needs customers. By diverting these potential customers to a product that probably cannot be delivered, CitizenRe is setting the entire industry back, as well as our goals for a clean and sustainable future.
More detailed information will be available in a column I wrote to be published sometime on Monday 2/12/07 at www.RenewableEnergyAccess.com, the “RE Insider Column”.
Post a Comment