TonkelGoFixIt

Mandating Solar Power for All Commercial Buildings in Los Gatos, Ca Because of the bureaucracy and politics in large state and federal governments, I do not see the beginnings of our climate change solutions coming from legislation at these levels. I am proposing that we look to our individual municipal and county level governments to take chances and show the rest of the country how beneficial sustainable projects can be. Specifically, to mandate that all commercial buildings move to solar power energy in the next five years. Looking towards Los Gatos, CA, the town that served me so well growing up, I see great potential to begin a solar power project that will show that solar is one of the renewable energy sources that we need to begin to implement everywhere and continue to invest in. I will first go into why solar energy is the perfect energy source for California and for the town of Los Gatos. Solar Panels are going to be one of the largest new energy producers in our world’s future. A one – kilowatt solar system saves about 170 pounds of coal and effectively 300 pounds of CO2 from being release into the atmosphere every month (www.getsolarpowercost.com ). Solar Panels are easily installed on the tops of buildings, buildings electricity use represents about a third of our nation’s electricity use (Science Direct). And something like a new solar power plant in California has the ability to create 94 permanent jobs for every Mega-Watt of generating capacity (www.nrel.gov/csp/troughnet/pdfs/39291.pdf). Tax incentives for personal solar panels can cover up to 50% of the total system costs ([|www.akeena.com/commercial/installations/casestudy.php?id=5&sector=com&region=norcal]). Some People argue that solar panels are not cost effective even with all the rebates and incentives, but studies show otherwise. One study from the University of Arkansas showed that twenty years into the future energy savings from a personal solar system would have a net present value of $5.80 (arkansasedc.com/business_development/energy/9-06Kats.pdf). Although this may not be much, any economist will tell you that any investment that has a positive net present value should be taken. It also proves that if anything you won’t lose any money and ultimately solar power investment will help the environment. In California, as the image clearly shows, there is a much larger amount of W*hr/m^2 per day, therefore savings would increase due to the increase power output from each panel. The reason I believe Los Gatos would be a great place to implement this plan is because of its wealth and growing trend towards environmentalism and sustainability. The average income for someone in Los Gatos is twice the national average, meaning there is plenty of money to be spent and often businesses do very well. It would not be too far of a stretch to have a small tax on businesses to help subsidize solar power for the few businesses that can’t afford it. I have great reason to believe that this type of measure will not be met with much opposition because of the recent pushes by the town’s government officials towards energy independence. Los Gatos is a member of the Silicon Valley Energy Program, a program that offers rebates, classes, energy audits and assistance to those wishing to save energy and money. The town is also a member of the Green Business Program and since 2007 has agreed to follow agreements of the Kyoto Protocol by signing the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 7% below 1990 levels, by 2012 ([|www.town.los-gatos.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=1213]). Lastly, a recent case study of the Silver Mountain Vineyard in Los Gatos has show huge success. The vineyards before solar energy bill was $1,083, after investing in solar power the vineyard’s new energy bill is $250. Over a thirty year period the estimated savings are about $604,000 and a CO2 offset of almost 860,000 lbs ([|www.akeena.com/commercial/installations/casestudy.php?id=5&sector=com&region=norcal]). There are two stakeholders that may oppose this plan, first small business owners may argue that forcing them to pay for these solar systems is bad for business. However, there in fact many rebates and because the town is rather small it would not be too difficult to set up individual meetings with some business to work out a specific plan and schedule. The second is political leaders; some may be against this plan because of its perceived difficulty and would essentially be telling business what they have to do. I believe that because of the town’s progressive status and the opportunity to use the success of the program to scale to other towns, that many would see this as another way to make the town more well-known. This may attract more small businesses looking to go green to invest in a store in town or encourage other green movements to visit. Both of these would increase the town’s economic prosperity. In summation, I would like to pass legislation in Los Gatos, Ca that will make solar panels mandatory on all commercial buildings by 2012, the same year the town hopes to achieve Carbon dioxide emission below that of 1990. Business that can necessarily afford the full costs after rebates will meet with a small panel of town members to determine a reasonable plan and timeline. Overall, this plan will help reduce fossil fuel energy use for the town, and help with economic growth by saving money on energy costs and bringing green investors.

References "Akeena Solar - Case Study." Akeena Solar - Home. Web. 01 May 2010. . "Environmental Protection Efforts." The Los Gatos CA Official Site! Web. 01 May 2010. . Kats, Greg. What Are the Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings? University of Arkansas. Web. 1 May 2010. . Solar Power Cost How Much Will Solar Power Cost You? Web. 01 May 2010. . United States, California. Research and Development Energy Research and Development Division California Energy Commission. CALIFORNIA SOLAR RESOURCES. By George Simons and Joe McCabe. Web. United States. Nation Renewable Energy Labratory. Economic, Energy, and Environmental Benefits of Concentrating Solar Power in California. By L. Stoddard, J. Abiecunas, and R. O'Connell. Web. 1 May 2010. . Note: two best references to look at are #5 and #6.