Alternative energy is called alternative, until it is cheaper, but cheaper than what? – electricity out of the wall at 12 cents yesterday, 15 cents today, 18 cents tomorrow?  Are you aware that people in the U.S. pay different amounts for electricity?  The average residential retail price of electricity in the U.S. was 10.6 cents per kWh in 2007.  Florida was 11.2 cents, most southern states were about 9 cents, WV 7 cents, UT 8 cents, NY and CT about 18 cents, and CA and NJ 15 cents.  So, states that burn coal have the cheapest electricity rates. Places like Utah and West Virginia burn their own coal, so even though they get all the pollution and the greenhouse gasses, at least they get to keep all their money, unlike Florida which ships more than $25 billion out of state to purchase fuel.  Florida has already been paying more for cleaner burning fossil fuels than the Southern states to our north.  We are now paying more for natural gas than we are for coal, and that price increase is more than what is being suggested to add to our electric bills for solar energy.

New Jersey has more solar than Florida because homeowners in NJ have a Renewable Portfolio Standard, and fees (collected into a Public Benefit Fund) are used to incentivize the homeowner for solar on their roof.  If such a fund collected $1.50 on your electric bill in Florida, we could have the equivalent of California’s Million Solar Roofs Program.  Clearly $1.50 is less than the $40 a month cost of doing nothing.  While solar water heating is cost effective today, solar electricity (photovoltaics) without a subsidy is not cost effective today, but the subsidy is still less than the cost of “accelerated cost recovery” for nuclear power.  What about the jobs?  These jobs will not be in China and India, they will be done by your neighbor.  Vote Solar estimates that more than 3,800 megawatts (MW) of solar could be added by 2020 and with it approximately 85,500 new jobs in Florida. What a great way to love your neighbor.

Jim Fenton, Director
Florida Solar Energy Center

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FSEC is located at UCF’s Cocoa campus, shared with Brevard Community College, at 1679 Clearlake Road. Tours will take place at 10 and 11 a.m. and 1 and 2 p.m. each day. Each tour will last about 50 minutes. Reservations are requested and can be made by calling 321-638-1015 or sending an e-mail to info@fsec.ucf.edu.

FSEC, in partnership with the American Solar Energy Society, is coordinating this effort in what has become the largest demonstration of installed renewable energy technologies and energy efficient building practices in the country. Amid rising energy costs and concerns about climate change, the tour enables participants to see how neighbors are saving money on utility bills and protecting the environment by using clean sources of energy and reducing energy demand.

About 100,000 people across the United States are expected to participate in the 12th-annual tour, which will be offered in 46 states. A complete list of scheduled events can be viewed at www.NationalSolarTour.org.

A recent survey showed that a majority of people who attend a tour later add sustainable energy technologies to their homes or buildings. That can have a profound and positive effect on the environment. According to 2007 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data, residential and commercial buildings generate approximately 40 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

The Florida Solar Energy Center is a research institute of the University of Central Florida. It is the largest and most active state-supported energy research institute in the country. Center divisions and their research activities include Advanced Energy Research: alternative transportation systems, hydrogen fuel and fuel cells; Buildings Research: energy-efficient buildings; and Solar Energy: solar water and pool heating and solar electric (photovoltaics) and distributed generation systems. For more information, visit www.floridaenergycenter.org or call the FSEC Public Affairs Office at 321-638-1015.

The American Solar Energy Society is the nation’s largest and oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a sustainable U.S. energy economy. ASES develops leading programs that increase the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency across the nation. For more information, go to www.ases.org.

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SATIS 2007 is the only conference featuring renewable energy technologies conducted in the Caribbean, and researchers from universities across the Caribbean will be presenting their latest findings. This is the first time the conference has been held in the United States.

Bill Young of the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center, who is serving as technical contact for the conference, said that “this program is designed to bring together scientists, technologists and industry from both inside and outside the Caribbean to talk about ways that tropical nations can use energy conservation, solar energy, wind, biomass and other cost-effective renewable technologies. This year’s program will feature a special exhibit on solar, wind, energy, water and the environment.”

The program will be held at the Radisson Beach Resort at the Port in Cape Canaveral. For a copy of the conference program and complete details, visit www.caribbeansolar.org. Abstracts are due by February 15. For more information, contact Young at 321-638-1443 or young@fsec.ucf.edu.

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Young will answer the question “How do we properly utilize solar energy to help ensure energy security, provide electrical power for emergency medical and communications usage and effectively use photovoltaics for mitigation in disasters?” by focusing on solar energy sources and their capability to satisfy energy needs in a disaster and provide energy security. He will demonstrate the design and operation of a variety of solar energy systems in disaster situations and will also show how photovoltaics can be used as a critical power supply establishing functionality to disaster-resistant buildings that no longer have their normal source of power.

Each participant will receive a booklet describing the uses of photovoltaics during and following emergency situations, as well as a CD of related documents and hard copies of other materials.

The workshop, which covers the basics in this use of solar energy, is designed for members of the solar industry, the solar community and the general public. It will be especially pertinent for government decision-makers, business leaders and heads of disaster organizations. Individuals with little experience in the area of solar energy will also find the workshop useful.

To register, go to the Solar World Congress registration web page: http://www.swc2005.org/reg_info.htm. You may register and pay on line to attend the entire conference, or you may register for just the workshop. You may also mail your registration.

Please contact Bill Young at 321-638-1443 or young@fsec.ucf.edu for more information.

The Florida Solar Energy Center, a research institute of the University of Central Florida, is the largest and most active state-supported energy research center in the country. Current research activities include solar water and pool heating, solar electric and distributed generation systems, energy-efficient buildings, alternative transportation systems, hydrogen fuel, fuel cells and other energy areas. For more information about the center, visit www.fsec.ucf.edu or call the FSEC Pubic Information Office at (321) 638-1015.

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