{"id":6761,"date":"2013-11-24T08:14:17","date_gmt":"2013-11-24T13:14:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?page_id=6761"},"modified":"2020-12-27T14:22:23","modified_gmt":"2020-12-27T19:22:23","slug":"solar","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/hot-topics\/solar","title":{"rendered":"Solar"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2010\/07\/solar-crosses-nuclear.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;width:135px\" src=\"http:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4130\/4836747095_51036cecc1_o.png\"><\/a>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2020\/12\/solar-power-is-beating-fracked-methane-like-the-internet-won-over-bitnet.html\">Solar power is beating fracked methane like the Internet won over BITNET<\/a>.\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/10\/solar-and-wind-cheaper-than-fossil-fuels-more-evidence.html\">\r\nSolar and wind are cheaper than all fossil fuels now<\/a>\r\nand\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2010\/07\/solar-crosses-nuclear.html\">for years have been cheaper than nuclear<\/a>.\r\nAs <a href=\"http:\/\/spectrabusters.org\/ferc\/\">former FERC<\/a> Chair\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/08\/solar-will-overtake-everything-ferc-chair-jon-wellinghof.html\">\r\nJon Wellinghoff says<\/a>, by about 2023\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/08\/solar-will-overtake-everything-ferc-chair-jon-wellinghof.html\">\r\nsolar power will overtake and pass every other source of power in the U.S.<\/a>\r\nSolar power\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/08\/solar-power-will-win-like-the-internet-did.html\">\r\nwill win like the Internet did<\/a>.\r\n\r\n<H4><a name=\"basics\" href=\"#basics\">Solar Basics<\/a><\/H4>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>2012-02-28: Economies of scale drive solar prices down, increasing deployment, which drives economies of scale&#8230;.\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/12\/2012-solar-deployments-driven-by-moores-law-price-reductions.html\">\r\nBoth models of panels (2005 and 2011) are around 15% efficiency, according to their specs.<\/a> So it&#8217;s not efficiency that\u2019s improved in commercial solar panels from 2005 to 2011: it&#8217;s price per watt. \r\n<li>2013-04-12: Electric utilities&#8217; own think tank, Edison Electric Institute, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/04\/solar-could-burn-utility-business-model.html\">warns them of &#8220;irreparable damages to revenues and growth prospects&#8221;<\/a> if they don&#8217;t get on with solar power. \r\n<li>2014-03-05:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/twice-the-acreage-than-solar-for-sabal-trail-pipeline-to-produce-the-same-power-ferc-2014-03-05.html\">\r\nAccording to Sabal Trail&#8217;s own figures, solar panels can generate just as much electricity on half the acreage of Sabal Trail&#8217;s fracked methane pipeline right of way<\/a>, with no eminent domain, no drilling under rivers and through wetlands, and no risk to the Floridan Aquifer.\r\n<li>2015-05-12:\r\nThe main solar issue for most people in Georgia is\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/11\/financing-for-renewable-energy-projects.html\">how to get financing<\/a>.\r\nThis was <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/12\/financing-solar-energy-georgias-special-problem.html\">a special problem in Georgia<\/a> because of the\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/11\/tv-station-gets-it-territoriality-law-prevents-solar-in-georgia.html\">\r\n1973 Georgia Territorial Electric Service Act<\/a>.\r\nNew Georgia solar law\r\n <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2015\/05\/ga-gov-nathan-deal-signs-solar-financing-law.html\">\r\n enables solar financing, leaving only four states, Florida among them, without third party power purchase agreements<\/a>.\r\n<li>\r\n2015-07-15: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2015\/07\/georgia-1-in-solar-jobs-and-china-beats-its-own-emissions-pledge.html\">Georgia is the fastest-growing U.S. solar market<\/a>\r\n<li>\r\n2016-11-08: Tens of millions of fossil fuel money couldn&#8217;t stop the people of Florida from supporting solar power: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/politics-government\/election\/article113449438.html\">\r\nFlorida voters say no to misleading solar amendment<\/a>\r\n<li>2017-01-01: Solar power now employs more people than coal, oil, and natural gas combined:\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/downloads\/2017-us-energy-and-employment-report\">U.S. Department of Energy&#8217;s second annual U.S. Energy and Employment Report<\/a>; see also <a href=\"http:\/\/www.computerworld.com\/article\/3161188\/sustainable-it\/us-solar-industry-passes-oil-coal-and-gas-for-job-creation.html\">Computerworld<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/niallmccarthy\/2017\/01\/25\/u-s-solar-energy-employs-more-people-than-oil-coal-and-gas-combined-infographic\/#5e45778e2800\">Forbes<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ecowatch.com\/solar-job-growth-2197574131.html\">EcoWatch<\/a>.\r\n<li>2017-02-18: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2017\/02\/new-solar-up-95-in-2016-more-installed-than-gas-or-wind.html\">New solar up 95% in 2016, more installed than gas or wind<\/a>\r\n<li>\r\n2017-02-20:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2017\/02\/u-s-electric-power-source-projections-solar-still-most-by-2023.html\">\r\nU.S. electric power source projections: solar still most by 2023<\/a>\r\n<li>2015-07-14: By 2050 we can convert each and every U.S. state to sun, wind, and water power and nothing else.\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2015\/07\/100-renewable-energy-for-u-s-by-2050.html\">\r\n100% renewable energy for U.S. by 2050<\/a>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<H4>Chronology<\/H4>\r\n<p>\r\nThe <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/category\/solar\">\r\nSolar category<\/a> always has the latest posts. There are many more than the ones selected here to illustrate how fast solar is taking off, some local ways to use it for jobs, education, and clean air and water, and evidence for why solar will win.\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/04\/id-put-my-money-on-the-sun-and-solar-energy-thomas-alva-edison.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/c\/ce\/Ford_Edison_Firestone1.jpg\/180px-Ford_Edison_Firestone1.jpg\"><\/a>\r\nIn 1894 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/12\/buried-under-nine-feet-of-manure-19th-century-horse-predictions.html\">\r\nnobody knew how to stop horse manure from increasing along with growing cities<\/a>.\r\nIn 2013 we do know how to stop pollution and climate change from fossil fuels and nuclear:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/04\/nuclear-stewart-brand-vs-renewable-energy-mark-z-jacobson-at-ted.html\">\r\npower the world with sun, wind, and water<\/a>.\r\n<p>\r\n1931: &#8220;I\u2019d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don\u2019t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.&#8221;\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/04\/id-put-my-money-on-the-sun-and-solar-energy-thomas-alva-edison.html\">\r\n&mdash;Thomas Edison<\/a>\r\n<p>\r\n29 March 1973: Georgia <a href=\"http:\/\/law.justia.com\/codes\/georgia\/2010\/title-46\/chapter-3\/article-1\/part-1\/\">\r\nTerritorial Electric Service Act<\/a> divides state into territories and prohibits electric generators from selling to any customer but the utility in their geographic territory.\r\nThe Georgia Public Service Commission says:\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/05\/in-georgia-competitive-is-not-for-you.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;width:300px\" src=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/images\/6a0120a58214e4970b016766d856cd970b-pi.jpg\"><\/a>\r\nSome retail competition has been present in Georgia since 1973 with the passage of the Georgia Territorial Electric Service Act. This Act enables customers with manufacturing or commercial loads of 900 kW or greater a one time choice in their electric supplier. It also provides eligible customers the opportunity to transfer from one electric supplier to another provided all parties agree.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/05\/in-georgia-competitive-is-not-for-you.html\">\r\nBecause of that law<\/a>, you can\u2019t you put up solar panels on your own land and sell your power to somebody somewhere else. And you can\u2019t get a company like SolarCity or Lower Rates for Customers to put up solar panels on your property and sell you the power.\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/04\/austin-energy-changed-from-anti-solar-to-pro-solar-in-one-year.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/images\/6a0120a58214e4970b01676575c083970b-pi.jpg\"><\/a>\r\n5 December 2003,\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/04\/austin-energy-changed-from-anti-solar-to-pro-solar-in-one-year.html\">\r\nAustin Energy changed from anti-solar to pro-solar in one year<\/a>,\r\nas reported by\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.austinchronicle.com\/news\/2003-12-05\/189099\/\">\r\nMike Clark-Madison for the Austin Chronicle 5 December 2003<\/a>.\r\nAustin was the fastest-growing city in the country year after year,\r\nand needed new power.\r\nAustin Energy considered nuclear, but had tried that in the 1980s:\r\nway late, way over budget, huge political opposition.\r\nIt considered coal, but Austin is a clean energy city, so that would be\r\nunfortunate.\r\nFinally, it ran the numbers on solar, and discovered that for the same\r\namount of money buying into a coal plant would cost, it could give rebates\r\nfor rooftop solar and get as much power in the afternoon when the air conditioners\r\nare running, distributed so it didn&#8217;t fail easily.\r\nSo Austin Energy went for solar power because of financial arithmetic,\r\nand started offering a 75% rebate for rooftop home and business solar PV,\r\nthe most aggressive rebate in the country.\r\n<p>\r\n8 August 2005: The same\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/energy-policy-act-of-2005-considered-harmful.html\">\r\nEnergy Policy Act of 2005<\/a> that subsidized dirty oil and fracked methane including LNG exports also funded that oxymoron &ldquo;clean&rdquo; coal such as Southern Company&#8217;s Plant Ratcliffe in Mississippi, ethanol production lining the pockets of Monsanto, and the $8.3 billion loan guarantee to Georgia Power for the new nukes at Plant Vogtle.\r\n2005 was a very long time ago in solar PV years&#8230;.\r\n<p>\r\n29 November 2010: <a href=\"http:\/\/asunews.asu.edu\/20101122_business_solarrankings\">Matthew Croucher wrote in Arizona State University News<\/a> that <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/05\/georgia-3-state-that-could-benefit-most-from-solar-electricity.html\">Georgia #3 state that could benefit most from solar electricity<\/a>,\r\nbehind only Arizona and Colorado,\r\nfor use both in-state and for selling to other states.\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/06\/last-years-southern-company-stockholders-meeting-steve-willis-so-2011-05-25.html\">2011-05-25<\/a>: 2012 Southern Company Stockholder meeting<\/a>\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/03\/solar-parking-lot-in-atlanta.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;width:300px\" src=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/images\/6a0120a58214e4970b0168e8fe6ed4970c-pi.jpg\"><\/a>\r\n20 March 2012: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/03\/solar-parking-lot-in-atlanta.html\">\r\nSolar parking lot in Atlanta<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote>\r\nWe don\u2019t have to look to far Texas for examples of where to put solar panels. Let\u2019s try Atlanta.\r\nNext to the downtown Marriott in Atlanta:\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n21 March 2012: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/03\/luckie-street-solar-project.html\">\r\nLuckie Street Solar Project<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote>\r\n157 Luckie St NW, Atlanta, GA 30303\r\n<br>\r\nCATEGORY: Institutional Development<br>\r\nDeveloper: Turner Enterprises<br>\r\nSolar panels added to a surface parking lot that will produce nearly 200 kilowatt hours of energy, making this the largest solar project installed in Downtown Atlanta<br>\r\n$1 million<br>\r\nCompleted 2011\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n29 March 2011:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/04\/opportunities-from-solar-power-jerome-tucker-and-mage-solar-at-lhs-29-march-2011.html\">\r\nOpportunities from solar power \u2014Jerome Tucker and MAGE SOLAR at LHS, 29 March 2011<\/a>.\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/04\/opportunities-from-solar-power-jerome-tucker-and-mage-solar-at-lhs-29-march-2011.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.ytimg.com\/vi\/hManoW3Wdgg\/default.jpg\"><\/a>\r\n&ldquo;And with this industry there&#8217;s opportunity for engineers, there&#8217;s\r\nopportunity for electricians, there&#8217;s opportunity for plumbers,\r\ntruck drivers, across the board.&rdquo;\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n24 June 2011:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/06\/energy-as-a-national-security-challenge-col-dan-nolan-solar-summit.html\">\r\nEnergy as a National Security Challenge \u2014Col. Dan Nolan @ Solar Summit<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/trustmovies.blogspot.com\/2011\/02\/peter-bycks-carbon-nation-tackles.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;width:300px\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_Zs-x3zVJXEs\/TVByy9SqsXI\/AAAAAAAALuo\/peq7ChQpVxM\/s400\/Col._Dan_Nolan_%2528RET%2529_credit_Peter_Byck.jpg\"><\/a>\r\nThe main vulnerabilities are:\r\n\r\n<span id=\"more-1862\"><\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>\r\nPetroleum for transportation (99% of oil used in this sector)\r\n<br \/>\r\nU.S. is world&#8217;s largest oil consumer 25% of world usage,\r\n11 million barrels\/day, 51% net imports, $1 billion\/day imported oil,\r\nmuch of that money going to fuel foreign authoritarians and their militaries,\r\nplus spending on our military to defend it.\r\n<li>\r\nElectricity for homes, businesses, industry\r\n<br \/>\r\nNot a supply problem: an environmental problem,\r\nwhich can be replaced by renewables (solar, wind, tides).\r\nAlso the brittle grid.\r\nWouldn&#8217;t distributed generation be more secure?\r\n<\/ul>\r\nBoth are mostly unprotected.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n1 April 2012:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/04\/insurgents-win-majority-on-cobb-emc-board.html\">\r\nAnti-coal pro-solar insurgents win majority on Cobb EMC board.<\/a>\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/04\/private-capital-funding-100-acre-10-mw-solar-farm-with-customer-cobb-emc.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/images\/6a0120a58214e4970b01630431a931970d-pi.jpg\"><\/a>\r\n15 April 2012:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/04\/private-capital-funding-100-acre-10-mw-solar-farm-with-customer-cobb-emc.html\">\r\nPrivate capital funding 100 acre 10 MW solar farm with customer Cobb EMC<\/a>,\r\nas reported by\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bizjournals.com\/atlanta\/news\/2012\/04\/12\/smart-energy-jacoby-development-plan.html?page=all\">\r\nUrvaksh Karkaria wrote for Atlanta Business Chronicle 12 April 2012<\/a>.\r\n<p>\r\n16 April 2012:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/04\/were-just-ripe-for-solar-power-cobb-emc.html\">\r\n&ldquo;We\u2019re just ripe for solar power,&rdquo; said Chip Nelson, chief executive officer of Cobb EMC, as reported\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ajc.com\/business\/solar-project-could-be-1418862.html\">\r\nby Kristi E. Swartz in the AJC 16 April 2012<\/a>.\r\nI summarized:\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/12\/renewables-are-winning-nukes-are-dead-and-coal-is-crashing.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;width:300px\" src=\"http:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2008\/04\/magnifying-glass.jpg\"><\/a>\r\nCoal is dead. Nuclear is going down.  Solar will eat the lunch of\r\nutilities that don&#8217;t start generating it.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n23 April 2012: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/04\/veterans-for-clean-energy-operation-free.html\">\r\nVeterans for clean energy: Operation Free<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/04\/veterans-for-clean-energy-operation-free.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/images\/6a0120a58214e4970b016304a3840e970d-pi.jpg\"><\/a>\r\n&ldquo;In Iraq&#8230; the lines would stretch up to ten miles long under the hot sun, under constant risk of attack by extremists. I realized then just how vulnerable it makes any country to be dependent on oil, especially the United States, which uses nearly a quarter of the world&#8217;s supply.&rdquo;\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n11 June 2012: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/06\/solar-lowndes-high.html\">\r\nSolar Lowndes High?<\/a>\r\n<blockquote>What does the world see driving north up I-75 past Valdosta? The empty roofs of Lowndes High School. Every south-facing one of which could hold solar panels.\r\n\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/07\/moodys-confirms-excellent-bond-rating-for-lowndes-county-school-district.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8071\/8274959175_1da073bc2c_m.jpg\"><\/a>\r\n18 July 2012: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/07\/moodys-confirms-excellent-bond-rating-for-lowndes-county-school-district.html\">\r\nMoody\u2019s confirms excellent bond rating for Lowndes County School District<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote>\r\nLowndes Schools&#8217; decrease of $4.1 million in annual bond payments after 2013\r\nis more than the total\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ajc.com\/news\/ap\/energy\/ga-solar-panels-show-utility-vulnerabilities\/nYSR6\/\">\r\n$3.6 million in bonds Dublin Schools issued<\/a>\r\nto pay for their\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/03\/solar-dublin-high-school-groundbreaking-tomorrow.html\">\r\nmegawatt of solar power<\/a>.\r\nSo Lowndes Schools could float bonds for\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/06\/solar-lowndes-high.html\">\r\nsolar panels at Lowndes High School<\/a>\r\nlike Dublin Schools did for\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/03\/videos-solar-dublin-high-school-groundbreaking-dhs-solar-2013-03-11.html\">\r\nDubin High School<\/a>.\r\nOr on the new Pine Grove Middle School,\r\nwhich already has some\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/net-zero-school-in-bowling-green-ky.html\">\r\nenergy efficiency features<\/a>.\r\nEither would decrease outgo in the future, thus evening up the financial structural balance and increasing reserve levels.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n2 August 2012: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/08\/sierra-club-reports-on-big-fossil-fuels-coordinated-attack-on-clean-energy.html\">\r\nSierra Club reports on big fossil fuel\u2019s coordinated attack on clean energy<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote>\r\nSierra Club has dug up the money trail connecting fossil fuel companies funding with current legislative attempts to block renewable energy such as solar and wind. And there\u2019s our old friend ALEC!\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\nSuper-lobbying group American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) promotes &#8220;our state legislators&#8221; for getting ALEC bills passed, including ones to oppose renewable energy.\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/08\/alec-responds-to-sierra-club-report.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/images\/6a0120a58214e4970b01676863bacb970b-pi.jpg\"><\/a>\r\n4 August 2012: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/08\/alec-responds-to-sierra-club-report.html\">ALEC responds to Sierra Club report<\/a>,\r\nand admits\r\nALEC opposes renewable energy portfolio (REP) standards, which was one of Sierra Club&#8217;s main points.\r\n<p>\r\n9 November 2012: John M. Broder wrote for NYTimes,\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2012\/11\/10\/science\/earth\/climate-change-report-outlines-perils-for-us-military.html?hpw\">\r\nClimate Change Report Outlines Perils for U.S. Military<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\nClimate change is accelerating, and it will place unparalleled strains on  American military and intelligence agencies in coming years by causing ever more disruptive events around the globe, the nation&#8217;s top scientific research group said in a report issued Friday.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n11 November 2012: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/11\/help-the-military-stop-climate-change-through-sustainable-renewable-energy.html\">\r\nHelp the military stop climate change through sustainable renewable energy<\/a>\r\n<p>\r\n24 November 2012: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/11\/tv-station-gets-it-territoriality-law-prevents-solar-in-georgia.html\">\r\nTV station gets it: Territoriality Law prevents solar in Georgia<\/a>, about 20 November 2012 WSBTV.com,\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/wap.wsbtv.com\/site.htm?targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsbtv.com%2Fnews%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fgeorgia-law-keeps-power-customers-saving-solar-ene%2FnTB6P%2F\">\r\nGeorgia law keeps power customers from saving with solar energy<\/a>.\r\n<p>\r\n6 December 2012: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/12\/financing-solar-energy-georgias-special-problem.html\">Financing solar energy: Georgia\u2019s special problem<\/a>.\r\n<p>\r\n16 December 2012:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/12\/renewables-are-winning-nukes-are-dead-and-coal-is-crashing.html\">\r\nRenewables are Winning, Nukes are Dead, and Coal is Crashing<\/a>,\r\nelaborating on an article\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.org\/2012\/renewable-are-winning\/\"><\/a>\r\nby Kathleen Rogers and Danny Kennedy for EcoWatch 14 Dec 2012.\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/carbon-bubble-solar-and-wind-erode-coal-gas-and-biomass-credit-quality-moodys.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/www.carbontracker.org\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/Screen-Shot-2014-05-30-at-11.32.53-210x300.png\"><\/a>\r\n4 January 2013:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/carbon-bubble-solar-and-wind-erode-coal-gas-and-biomass-credit-quality-moodys.html\">\r\nCarbon bubble? Solar and wind erode coal, gas, and biomass credit quality &mdash;Moody&#8217;s<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote>\r\nIn Europe it&#8217;s already happening: solar and wind are causing bond-rater Moody&#8217;s to warn of downgrades of energy companies that depend on heat from burning coal, gas, or biomass. Moody&#8217;s earlier even warned the Bank of England of a potential carbon bubble developing. If combustion energy plants are affected like this, the credit effects will be even bigger on even-more-expensive nuclear plants, which Moody\u2019s called a bet-the-farm risk way back in 2009.\r\n\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/rural-aids-poverty-the-cause-solar-power-part-of-the-solution.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/images\/6a0120a58214e4970b017ee7b57b68970d-pi.jpg\"><\/a>\r\n21 January 2013:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/rural-aids-poverty-the-cause-solar-power-part-of-the-solution.html\">\r\nRural AIDS: poverty the cause, solar power part of the solution<\/a>,\r\nbecause solar brings jobs and lower electric bills right to the rural\r\ncommunities that need them most, where poverty is the root cause of AIDS\r\nand multiple other ills. Big baseload nuclear, coal, gas, or oil plants\r\nwon&#8217;t do that, but distributed solar power will.\r\n<p>\r\n29 January 2013:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/power-source-growth-rates-like-compound-interest.html\">\r\nPower source growth rates like compound interest<\/a>,\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/power-source-growth-rates-like-compound-interest.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" src=\"https:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8226\/8421700685_a46c93cf27_n.jpg\"><\/a>\r\nin which I used FERC&#8217;s own figures to predict that\r\nsolar power will overtake every other U.S. power source in actual deployed capacity within 9 years.\r\n<p>\r\nJanuary 2013: Edison Electric Institute, the electric utilities&#8217; own think tank,\r\nreported in\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.eei.org\/ourissues\/finance\/Documents\/disruptivechallenges.pdf\">\r\nDisruptive Challenges:\r\nFinancial Implications and Strategic \r\nResponses to a Changing Retail \r\nElectric Business<\/a>, that\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/04\/solar-could-burn-utility-business-model.html\">distributed solar power<\/a>, producing\r\nmost at utilities&#8217; peak load times is already taking away their highest-priced product and is a disruptive challenge to the utilities&#8217; cozy century-old baseload capacity model.\r\nUsing research from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), EEI spelled out\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/04\/electric-utiltiies-know-about-moores-law-for-solar-power.html\">\r\nthat solar is growing like compound interest<\/a>.\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/03\/videos-solar-dublin-high-school-groundbreaking-dhs-solar-2013-03-11.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8510\/8551568488_a196039620_n.jpg\"><\/a>\r\n11 March 2013: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/03\/videos-solar-dublin-high-school-groundbreaking-dhs-solar-2013-03-11.html\">Videos: Solar Dublin High School groundbreaking @ DHS Solar 2013-03-11<\/a>,\r\nGeorgia Power did not attend this groundbreaking for solar power to save Dublin High 40%, thus reducing teacher furloughs, financed by municipal bonds, made possible by cooperation among a wide range of government officials, private companies, and individuals: that was the groundbreaking story in Dublin, Laurens County, Georgia.\r\n<p>\r\n10 April 2013: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/04\/fossil-fuels-get-five-times-the-subsidies-of-renewable-solar-and-wind.html\">Fossil fuels get five times the subsidies of renewable solar and wind<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote><a href=\"http:\/\/www.greentechmedia.com\/articles\/read\/the-real-deal-on-u.s.-subsidies-fossils-72b-renewable-energys-12b\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.greentechmedia.com\/images\/sized\/content\/images\/articles\/GOOD_DeepLocal_EnergySubsidies_Chart-310x184.jpg\"><\/a>\r\nFossil fuels get more than $70 billion dollars a year in U.S. government subsidies (tax breaks and direct spending), while solar and wind get only about $12 billion, so fossil fuels got more than five times as much, while nuclear got ten times as much (especially in Georgia). Even corn ethanol, that sounded-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time boondoggle, gets more subsidies than solar and wind put together.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n3 May 2013:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/solar-is-about-to-get-cheaper-than-coal-2013-5\">\r\nSolar Is Going To Change The World Much Faster Than Anyone Expects<\/a>\r\nby Michael Sankowski for Business Insider, in which\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/05\/your-jaw-will-drop-with-astonishment-at-how-fast-solar-power-will-beat-every-other-energy-source-a-stock-trader.html\">\r\nhe said<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/05\/your-jaw-will-drop-with-astonishment-at-how-fast-solar-power-will-beat-every-other-energy-source-a-stock-trader.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;width:300px\" src=\"http:\/\/static2.businessinsider.com\/image\/5182898deab8ea0733000014-620-324\/screen-shot-2013-04-18-at-7.57.37-pm.png\"><\/a>\r\n&#8220;&#8230;putting it into context <span  style=\"font-size:120%\">will make your jaw drop with astonishment.<\/span>\r\n<p>\r\n&ldquo;My calculations show that if solar maintains 5 more years at\r\ncurrent 23% rates per year price drops, solar power will be cheaper\r\nthan using existing coal plants. That&#8217;s right &mdash; it will be\r\ncheaper to build new solar plants than to use existing coal plants.\r\nIt sounds absolutely crazy.&rdquo;\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\nActually, his numbers were too low.\r\n<p>16 May 2013: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/05\/110-mw-solar-financing-solarcity-and-goldman-sachs.html\">Goldman Sachs invested in 100 MW of SolarCity financing<\/a>.\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/07\/sos-plan-to-make-the-southeast-a-net-exporter-of-the-energy-from-solar-and-wind-john-s-quarterman-so-2013-05-22.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/farm3.staticflickr.com\/2828\/9241048064_13d47db87b_n.jpg\"><\/a>\r\n22 May 2013: at Southern Company&#8217;s Stockholder Meeting,\r\nSO CEO Tom Fanning\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/07\/sos-plan-to-make-the-southeast-a-net-exporter-of-the-energy-from-solar-and-wind-john-s-quarterman-so-2013-05-22.html\">\r\nannounced a tiger team<\/a> to come up with a business model for\r\ndistributed solar and wind energy.\r\nHe said it would report back that same summer.\r\nWe&#8217;re still waiting.\r\n<p>\r\n24 May 2013: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/05\/kemper-coal-crashes-southern-company-rating-and-stock-price.html\">\r\nAP reported<\/a> Standard &#038; Poor\u2019s lowered Southern Company\u2019s rating from stable to negative, due to unrecovered cost overruns on Kemper Coal in Mississippi, potential for the same at nuclear Plant Vogtle in Georgia, and implicitly because of lack of enough shift to renewable solar and wind power.\r\n<p>\r\n18 June 2013:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/06\/videos-of-ga-psc-on-georgia-power-coal-plant-closings-ga-psc-2013-06-18.html\">\r\nVideos of GA PSC on Georgia Power coal plant closings @ GA PSC 2013-06-18<\/a>,\r\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/06\/videos-of-ga-psc-on-georgia-power-coal-plant-closings-ga-psc-2013-06-18.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7428\/9093028750_9d31ab7948_z.jpg\"><\/a>\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/06\/ask-georgia-power-to-conserve-our-water-garry-gentry-for-wwals-ga-psc-2013-06-18.html\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.ytimg.com\/vi\/pv2M17iaqmk\/default.jpg\"><\/a>\r\n21 June 2013:\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/06\/ask-georgia-power-to-conserve-our-water-garry-gentry-for-wwals-ga-psc-2013-06-18.html\">\r\nAsk Georgia Power to conserve our water \u2013Garry Gentry for WWALS @ GA PSC 2013-06-18<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/06\/ask-georgia-power-to-conserve-our-water-garry-gentry-for-wwals-ga-psc-2013-06-18.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8431\/7863933768_3223240a75_m.jpg\"><\/a>\r\nThere is no need to use our Floridan Aquifer water to build more baseload power plants while Georgia lags behind Michigan, Massachusetts, and even tiny New Jersey and Maryland in solar power.\r\n<p>\r\nWWALS calls on the PSC to ask Georgia Power to conserve our water and to bring jobs to south Georgia through solar power and wind off the Georgia coast.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n29 June 2013:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/06\/the-cloudy-day-doesnt-last-for-an-entire-month-john-s-quarterman.html\">\r\nThe cloudy day doesn&#8217;t last for an entire month &mdash;John S. Quarterman<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/06\/the-cloudy-day-doesnt-last-for-an-entire-month-john-s-quarterman.html\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7327\/9161254211_2a3405b76c_n.jpg\"><\/a>\r\nThe disruptive challenge electric utilities face is like  telephone companies faced years ago, as Edison Electric Institute recently pointed out. Circuit switching 20 years ago is like distributed solar power and the smart grid it needs now; this is what I described at the Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n3 July 2013: two analysts downgraded Southern Company because\r\nof its money-losing &#8220;clean coal&#8221; operation in Mississippi and its\r\nPlant Vogtle nuclear boondoggle in Georgia, and explicitly because of SO&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/07\/southern-company-downgraded-because-of-coal-and-nukes-two-analysts.html\">\r\nlack of emphasis on renewable energy<\/a>.\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/07\/more-solar-by-georgia-power-ga-psc.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/BO6DF4ECUAAfZQ3.jpg:small\"><\/a>\r\n11 July 2013: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/07\/more-solar-by-georgia-power-ga-psc.html\">\r\nMore solar by Georgia Power \u2013GA PSC<\/a>\r\n525 megawatts more solar power required, on top of last year&#8217;s\r\n210 megawatts, for more than 735 MW total. That&#8217;s still trailing New\r\nJersey&#8217;s already-installed 1,000 MW, but it&#8217;s a big step forward.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n21 August 2013:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/08\/solar-will-overtake-everything-ferc-chair-jon-wellinghof.html\">\r\n&ldquo;Solar is growing so fast it is going to overtake everything,&rdquo;<\/a>\r\nsaid FERC Chair Jon Wellinghof as reported by\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.greentechmedia.com\/articles\/read\/ferc-chair-wellinghoff-sees-a-solar-future-and-a-utility-of-the-future\">\r\nHerman K. Trabish for Green Tech Media 21 August 2013.\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n&ldquo;If a single drop of water on the pitcher\u2019s mound at Dodger Stadium is doubled every minute, a person chained to the highest seat would be in danger of drowning in an hour.\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.greentechmedia.com\/articles\/read\/ferc-chair-wellinghoff-sees-a-solar-future-and-a-utility-of-the-future\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;width:300px\" src=\"http:\/\/dqbasmyouzti2.cloudfront.net\/content\/images\/articles\/Cumulative_US_DG_PV_to_1H_2013.png\"><\/a>\r\n&ldquo;That&#8217;s what is happening in solar. It could double every two\r\nyears.&rdquo;\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nIndeed, as GTM Research&#8217;s MJ Shiao recently pointed out, in the\r\nnext 2 1\/2 years the U.S. will double its entire cumulative capacity\r\nof distributed solar &mdash; repeating in the span of a few short\r\nyears what it originally took four decades to deploy.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n&ldquo;Geothermal, wind, and other resources will supplement solar,\r\nWellinghoff said. &ldquo;But at its present growth rate, solar will\r\novertake wind in about ten years. It is going to be the dominant\r\nplayer. Everybody&#8217;s roof is out there.&rdquo;\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/08\/solar-power-will-win-like-the-internet-did.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;width:300px\" src=\"http:\/\/www.quarterman.com\/pictures\/1991-1994--mn\/SCAN0393.jpg\"><\/a>\r\n25 August 2013:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/08\/solar-power-will-win-like-the-internet-did.html\">\r\nSolar will win like the Internet did<\/a>,\r\nbecause its deployment is growing like compound interest,\r\nand for some of the same reasons.\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/spectrabusters.org\/2013\/12\/14\/solar-learns-faster-than-any-other-energy-source-citi-gps\/\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:left;border:none;width:300px\" src=\"http:\/\/spectrabusters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/solar-learning-faster.png\"><\/a>\r\nIn October 2013: Citi GPS in\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/spectrabusters.org\/2013\/12\/14\/solar-learns-faster-than-any-other-energy-source-citi-gps\/\">\r\nEnergy Darwinism: The Evolution of the Energy Industry<\/a>, pointed out that\r\nsolar learns way faster than any other energy source.\r\n<p>\r\n31 October 2013:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/10\/citizens-for-solar-power-ga-leg-not-so-much.html\">\r\nCitizens for solar power; GA leg. not so much<\/a>, about a series of open houses organized by Georgia Sierra Club and allies which revealed much citizen support for solar, although the Georgia General Assembly mostly has not yet come around.\r\n\r\n<p>\r\n15 November 2013: Sabal Trail Transmission submitted to the\r\nFederal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) an incredibly\r\nmisleading set of incorrect assertions about solar power in its\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/spectrabusters.org\/2014\/02\/27\/sabal-trail-solar-and-wind-misinformation\/\"> Draft Resource Report 10: Alternatives (RR10)<\/a>, claiming solar power would require more land than a 500-mile methane pipeline, even though Sabal Trail&#8217;s own acreage numbers\r\nrefute that claim, and that RR10 never mentions that most solar power\r\ngoes on rooftops or on already-cleared land, not requiring bulldozing\r\nforests, wetlands, or drilling under rivers and roads.\r\n<p>\r\n26 November 2013: \r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/11\/more-solar-jobs-already-than-coal-or-oil-and-gas-extraction.html\">More solar jobs already than coal, or oil and gas extraction<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/11\/more-solar-jobs-already-than-coal-or-oil-and-gas-extraction.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;width:150px\" src=\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/solarjob2.jpg\"><\/a>That 119,000 jobs in the solar industry is also more than the 106,400 \u201cproduction and nonsupervisory employees\u201d in the oil and gas extraction industry, and gaining rapidly on the total of 197,500 for that industry in September 2013, according to Oil and Gas Extraction: NAICS 211\u2033, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/12\/solar-oakland-schools-expect-45-savings.html\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/tessant.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sunpower-solar-academy.jpg\"><\/a>\r\n5 December 2013: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/12\/solar-oakland-schools-expect-45-savings.html\">\r\nSolar Oakland Schools expect 45% savings<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote>&ldquo;Our contract with SunPower will enable Oakland Unified School District to maximize our use of clean renewable energy, dramatically reduce utility expenses, and use the savings to enhance academic programs,\u201d said OUSD Superintendent Dr. Gary Yee. \u201cWe will also have the opportunity to take advantage of linked learning initiatives such as the successful SunPower Solar Academy, which integrates real world work experience with rigorous academic programs to inspire students while preparing them for college and careers.&rdquo;\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n9 December 2013: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/12\/alec-solar-tax.html\">\r\nALEC solar tax<\/a>. The super-lobbying group American Legislative Exchange fights back against the simple economics of ever-plunging solar power prices:\r\n<blockquote>\r\nArizona, Virginia, and now they\u2019re trying in Georgia: ALEC wants to tax your solar panels. ALEC is trying to legislate buggy whip requirements in an age of affordable electric cars. \r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n<p>\r\n22 December 2013: Liam Denning wrote for the Wall Street Journal,\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/online.wsj.com\/news\/articles\/SB10001424052702304773104579270362739732266\">\r\nLights Flicker for Utilities<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/03\/time-to-call-it-carbon-crash-solar-dawn.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;width:300px\" src=\"http:\/\/dqbasmyouzti2.cloudfront.net\/assets\/content\/cache\/made\/content\/images\/articles\/Germany_Gross_Margin_of_Power_Plants_580_336.png\"><\/a>\r\nsuddenly there is talk on Wall Street of a looming &#8220;death spiral&#8221; for the business, with solar power being the culprit.\r\n<\/blockquote> \r\n<p>\r\n3 January 2014: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/01\/solar-benefits-outweigh-costs-in-nc.html\">\r\nSolar benefits outweigh costs in NC<\/a>, about what\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.stratasolar.com\/2013\/10\/24\/study-solar-benefits-outweigh-costs-in-nc-greensboro-the-business-journal\/\">\r\nJohn Downey wrote for Charlotte Business Journal 23 October 2013, Study: Solar benefits outweigh costs in NC<\/a>.\r\n<p>\r\n30 January 2014:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/01\/south-georgia-farmers-workshop-on-solar-power.html\">\r\nSouth Georgia Farmers Workshop on Solar Power<\/a> in Nashville, GA.\r\n<p>\r\nIn March 2014: former U.S. DoE Secretary Steven Chu\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/03\/utility-owned-rooftop-solar-tom-fanning-and-steven-chu-agree.html\">\r\nadvocated utility financing, installation, and maintenance of rooftop solar<\/a>,\r\nand idea SO CEO Fanning had broached in May 2013.\r\n<p>\r\n3 March 2014: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/02\/solar-financing-hb874-on-ga-house-energy-committee-for-monday.html\">Solar financing bill HB874<\/a> dies in Georgia House Energy Committee.\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/twice-the-acreage-than-solar-for-sabal-trail-pipeline-to-produce-the-same-power-ferc-2014-03-05.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.ytimg.com\/vi\/AzOu3Lc0A-U\/mqdefault.jpg\"><\/a>\r\n5 March 2014: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/twice-the-acreage-than-solar-for-sabal-trail-pipeline-to-produce-the-same-power-ferc-2014-03-05.html\">Twice the acreage than solar for Sabal Trail pipeline to produce the same power @ FERC 2014-03-05<\/a>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>According to Sabal Trail\u2019s own numbers, twice as much land for the entire three-pipeline Spectra -> Sabal -> FSC proposed gouge through three states as would be required to produce as much solar power.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n14 March 2014:\r\nPaul Gilding wrote on his blog,\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/paulgilding.com\/2014\/03\/19\/carbon-crash-solar-dawn\/\">\r\nCarbon Crash Solar Dawn<\/a>.\r\n<p>\r\n15 March 2014:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/03\/100-sun-wind-and-water-can-power-each-u-s-state-and-the-world-stanford-study.html\">\r\n100% sun, wind, and water can power each U.S. state and the world \u2013Stanford study<\/a>.\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/paulgilding.com\/2014\/03\/19\/carbon-crash-solar-dawn\/\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/gravatar.com\/avatar\/ac0b60d785f7d2c080734dbcc4149722\/?s=120&#038;d=mm\"><\/a>\r\n26 March 2014:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/03\/time-to-call-it-carbon-crash-solar-dawn.html\">\r\nTime to call it: Carbon Crash, Solar Dawn<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote>\r\nAnother observer gets it that\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/01\/actually-green-solar-power-is-winning.html\">\r\ngreen solar power is winning<\/a>.\r\nLetting a fracking deliver company turn us into &#8220;stakeholders&#8221; in a white \r\nelephant methane pipeline would be an even huger waste after the\r\npipeline stopped being used in a decade or so because\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/03\/100-sun-wind-and-water-can-power-each-u-s-state-and-the-world-stanford-study.html\">\r\nsun, wind, and water power everything<\/a> by then,\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/08\/solar-power-will-win-like-the-internet-did.html\">winning like the Internet did<\/a>.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.eia.gov\/electricity\/monthly\/update\/\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.eia.gov\/electricity\/monthly\/update\/images\/Solar_Capacity_small.PNG\"><\/a>\r\n28 March 2014: Southern Company decided to publish an annual\r\nrenewable energy report, in exchange for nonprofit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/03\/renewables-report-from-southern-company-forthcoming.html\">As You Sow taking a stockholder resolution off the ballot<\/a>.\r\n<p>22 April 2014:\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/04\/as-predicted-u-s-solar-capacity-grew-more-than-400-in-4-years.html\">As predicted U.S. solar capacity grew more than 400% in 4 years<\/a>,\r\naccording to\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.eia.gov\/electricity\/monthly\/update\/\">U.S. Energy Information Administration (eia)<\/a>: 12,057 megaWatts in February 2014 \/ 2,326 megaWatts in 2010 = 5.18 times, which is more than 2 * 2 = 4, ergo <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/08\/solar-will-overtake-everything-ferc-chair-jon-wellinghof.html\">former FERC Chair Jon Wellinghoff was right<\/a>.\r\n<p>\r\n13 May 2014: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/simon-solar-farm-ribbon-cutting-in-social-circle-georgia.html\">Simon Solar Farm ribbon cutting in Social Circle, Georgia<\/a>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/b639e750c2922e826e348d1607418b1e1.jpg\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/8bca6a78e6762967a4e0b8cbf7f2382c1.jpg\"><\/a>\r\nBryan writes: &#8220;You are looking at $8M in annual guaranteed cash\r\nflow-20 year PPA w\/ GA Power. Who says there isn&#8217;t a pot of gold\r\nunder the rainbow? The GA Power Advanced Solar Initiative (ASI) is\r\nSimon Solar (25X)! $1.7B in Georgia Economic Development, 50,000\r\ntons of steel, 3M Solar Panels, 25,000 jobs++. Solar charging the GA\r\nEconomy. These conservative clean energy initiatives have taken\r\nGeorgia from 38th in the Country to #5 in solar energy development\r\nin the US.&#8221;\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>\r\n&#8220;Clean, reliable, cost effective, peak demand energy for $8 cents\r\nper kWh for the next 50+ years (&ldquo;ALL IN&rdquo;)! No negative\r\nhealth or environmental externalities! No fuel cost ever! No State\r\nor rate payer incentives required in GA. Permanent downward pressure\r\non GA electric rates. Clean, cost effective, reliable renewable\r\nenergy = Priceless!!&#8221;\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/07\/more-american-jobs-in-the-solar-industry-than-in-coal-mining-true-says-politifact.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/static.politifact.com.s3.amazonaws.com\/rulings%2Ftom-true.gif\"><\/a>\r\n27 May 2014: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/07\/more-american-jobs-in-the-solar-industry-than-in-coal-mining-true-says-politifact.html\">\r\nMore American jobs in the solar industry than in coal mining. \u2013True, says PolitiFact<\/a>\r\n<p>\r\n28 May 2014: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/05\/slight-changes-at-southern-company-so-2014-05-28.html\">Slight changes at Southern Company @ SO 2014-05-28<\/a>,\r\n<blockquote><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/05\/slight-changes-at-southern-company-so-2014-05-28.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/868e409a542c9033e0352ee825c5341f.jpg\"><\/a>\r\nSolar car charging station at the Southern Company Stockholder Meeting: that\u2019s new. Other solar changes were detectable, if you knew what to look for, and with hints from SO CEO Tom Fanning and new R&#038;D VP Larry Monroe here are some, \r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n18 June 2014: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/thousands-of-solar-jobs-a-thousand-miles-north-of-here-solarcity-buys-silevo-2.html\">Thousands of solar jobs a thousand miles north of here: SolarCity buys Silevo<\/a>\r\n<p>\r\n20 June 2014: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/56-increase-shale-gas-2012-2040-100-increase-solar-2012-2014.html\">\r\n56% increase shale gas 2012-2040; 100% increase solar 2012-2014<\/a>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/56-increase-shale-gas-2012-2040-100-increase-solar-2012-2014.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;width:300px\" src=\"http:\/\/static.cdn-seekingalpha.com\/uploads\/2014\/6\/19\/790828-14031894429242215-David-Alton-Clark.jpg\"><\/a>\r\nHe&#8217;s real excited about this phenomenal fracked methane growth story, to profit a few fossil fuel companies by taking local Americans&#8217; land for LNG export.\r\n<p>\r\nMeanwhile, as we&#8217;ve already seen,\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/04\/u-s-electric-demand-still-going-down-while-solar-goes-up-like-a-rocket.html\">\r\nU.S. solar power production already increased more than 400% in four years<\/a>,\r\nand there&#8217;s every reason to believe that kind of solar growth will continue\r\nfor another decade.\r\nThis is why in less than a decade, as former FERC Chair Jon Wellinghoff predicted,\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/08\/solar-will-overtake-everything-ferc-chair-jon-wellinghof.html\">solar will overtake every other U.S. power source<\/a>.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n20 June 2014: <a href=\"http:\/\/spectrabusters.org\/2014\/06\/23\/20-mw-solar-at-hazlehurst-ga-by-silicon-ranch-for-green-power-emc\/\">\r\n20 MW Solar at Hazlehurst, GA by Silicon Ranch for Green Power EMC<\/a>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/spectrabusters.org\/2014\/06\/23\/20-mw-solar-at-hazlehurst-ga-by-silicon-ranch-for-green-power-emc\/\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/www.siliconranchcorp.com\/images\/square-photo-3.png\"><\/a>\r\nThe ground-mounted solar project will be constructed near Hazlehurst, Ga., in Jeff Davis County. It will be one of the largest solar generating facilities in Georgia. The solar array will occupy approximately 135 acres and will incorporate over 87,000 solar modules. Once completed, the solar array will generate more than 43,000 megawatt hours of clean, renewable electricity annually.\r\n<p>\r\nUnder an agreement with owner-operator Silicon Ranch Corporation, Green Power EMC will receive all the energy produced by the solar project over a 25-year period. Construction is scheduled to begin this year, and the facility will be ready to produce electricity in late 2015.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n23 July 2014: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/08\/10-mw-solar-power-at-robins-air-force-base.html\">10 MW solar power at Robins Air Force Base<\/a>.\r\n<p>\r\n14 August 2014: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/08\/fourth-solar-military-base-project-by-georgia-power.html\">Fourth solar military project by Georgia Power: Kings Bay Submarine Base<\/a>.\r\n<p>\r\n29 September 2014: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/09\/nyc-schools-to-use-more-solar-power-how-about-in-sunny-southeast.html\">\r\nNYC Schools to use more solar power; how about in sunny southeast?<\/a>\r\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/09\/nyc-schools-to-use-more-solar-power-how-about-in-sunny-southeast.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;width:300px\" src=\"http:\/\/www1.nyc.gov\/assets\/home\/images\/press_release\/2014\/September\/pr457-14.jpg\"><\/a>\r\nSolar high schools: not just for Dublin, Georgia anymore. \ufffc New York City, and Rochester, NY, too! How about solar Lowndes High School? Or the new Valdosta High School? Or since Valdosta has already put solar at its Mud Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, how about on other city buildings? How about on the county palace? Or in Hahira, Dasher, Remerton, or Lake Park?\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n11 October 2014: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/10\/china-can-go-80-sun-wind-water-power-by-2050-wwf.html\">China can go 80% sun, wind, water power by 2050 &mdash;WWF<\/a>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/10\/china-can-go-80-sun-wind-water-power-by-2050-wwf.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border:none;float:right;width:150px\" src=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/379db90fa70003f0a0fdb52483ff5fb0.jpg\"><\/a>\r\nIf the most populous country in the world can do it, even the Sunshine State and the rest of the world can do it. With no new nuclear, depending heavily on on energy efficiency and conservation, using China\u2019s huge number of rooftops for solar power, with almost as much wind power, plus a bit more hydropower, China can go 80% renewable energy by 2050. While reducing energy use per capita and increasing GDP per capita. So this path will not only improve Chinese quality of life by getting rid of massive pollution by reducing emissions 90% from otherwise-projected levels; it will also give Chinese citizens more money in their pockets. China has no more sunshine than the U.S. or much of Canada does, so there\u2019s no reason the Canada, U.S., and pretty much every country can\u2019t do this, too.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n19 November 2014,\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/11\/even-more-u-s-solar-jobs-than-in-coal-or-oil-and-gas-extraction.html\">Even more U.S. solar jobs than in coal or oil and gas extraction<\/a>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/11\/even-more-u-s-solar-jobs-than-in-coal-or-oil-and-gas-extraction.html\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;width:300px\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thesolarfoundation.org\/sites\/thesolarfoundation.org\/files\/TSF%20National%20Solar%20Jobs%20Census%20Graphic.png\"><\/a>\r\nIn a year solar jobs increased more than 20% to 142,000, according to the National Solar Jobs Census 2013&#8230;.\r\n<p>\r\n Meanwhile, ldquo;production and nonsupervisory employees&rdquo; in the oil and gas extraction industry increased 4% from 106,400 in September 2013 to 110,600 in September 2014, according to Oil and Gas Extraction: NAICS 211 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Total oil and gas industry employment increased 8% from 197,500 to 213,100 in the same period.\r\n<p>\r\nOf course, we really should be using the 2013 (not 2014) oil and gas figures to compare to the Solar Jobs Census 2013, so those 142,000 solar jobs would be 33% more than the 106,400 nonmanagerial oil and gas extraction jobs, and 72% of the total 197,500 oil and gas jobs. But oil and gas jobs are growing so slowly it doesn&#8217;t really matter which year: they might as well be standing still while solar jobs soar upwards.\r\n<p>\r\nAnd the solar employment picture just keeps getting more sunny&#8230;. \r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2015\/04\/southern-company-annual-stockholder-meeting-so-2015-05-27.html\">2015-04-15:<\/a> \r\n(Before the) Southern Company Annual Stockholder Meeting @ SO 2015-05-27\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2015\/05\/shareholders-demand-southern-company-stop-supporting-climate-change-denial.html\">2015-05-26:<\/a> Shareholders demand Southern Company stop supporting climate change denial.\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2016\/04\/southern-company-annual-meeting-so-2016-05-25.html\">2016-05-25:<\/a> Southern Company Annual Stockholder meeting.\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2017\/06\/video-solar-panels-heck-yeah-tom-fanning-ceo-at-so-stockholder-meeting-2017-05-24.html\">2017-05-24:<\/a> Video: &#8220;Solar panels, heck yeah!&#8221; CEO Tom Fanning at SO Stockholder meeting.\r\n<p>\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/08\/pull-out-your-phone-macgyver-and-take-a-picture-of-cars-powered-by-rooftop-solar.html\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5301\/5632134880_2f2363a7f2_m.jpg\"><\/a>\r\nSolar power is rising on Georgia, the southeast, the U.S., and the world,\r\nand all the fossil fuel and nuclear companies\r\nand all their electric utilities,\r\ncannot stop that sun from coming up.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Solar power is beating fracked methane like the Internet won over BITNET. Solar and wind are cheaper than all fossil fuels now and for years have been cheaper than nuclear. As former FERC Chair Jon Wellinghoff says, by about 2023 solar power will overtake and pass every other source of power in the U.S. Solar [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":6752,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-6761","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P585fK-1L3","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6761"}],"version-history":[{"count":64,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22002,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6761\/revisions\/22002"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}