Shine a Light

Solar proponents have long advocated its capability to produce a low-cost and emission-free energy alternative. As fossil fuels become increasingly scarce in supply and costly to convert, more consumers are embracing renewable energy, with solar (especially photovoltaic (PV) modules) providing a competitive and functional option. The PV industry is exploding in both Japan and Germany, aided by progressive government policies, including generous subsidies for residential and commercial users.

A landmark development has pushed solar much closer to mainstream acceptance and utilization in the United States. In August, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed legislation approving the California Solar Initiative, the nation's largest solar program. Dubbed the "million solar roofs" bill, the plan will implement a utility rate increase averaging $15 a year in order to provide rebates lowering the cost of solar panel installation. It also mandates that, by 2011, all homebuilders make solar panels a standard option for buyers. The $3.2 billion program aims to create 3,000 megawatts of clean solar power –- approximately 5 percent of the state's total need -– during the next decade, employing mass production to lower solar costs and eliminating a need to construct six fossil-fuel power plants. 

In his new book Solar Revolution: The Economic Transformation of the Global Energy Industry, Travis Bradford employs standard business and economic forecasting models to argue that over the next two decades, solar energy will increasingly become the best and cheapest choice for most electricity and energy applications. Bradford detailed the progress being made in the solar industry on a recent edition of NPR's Science Friday -- streaming options and a podcast are available here. Bradford also comments on Germany's adoption of a broad-based alternative energy grid in the online edition of E - The Environmental Magazine.