In this February 2009 Issue
Standard Solar President and CEO Tony Clifford was invited to the White House to meet with President Obama January 30 about the President's "Middle Class Task Force" led by Vice President Joe Biden. Clifford was one of about 100 executives, labor leaders, state and local officials, national politicians and others who were invited to hear first-hand about this "major initiative targeted at raising the living standards of middle-class, working families in America." You can watch the remarks by the President and Vice President here.
Green jobs growth is a major focus of the Task Force, and Clifford will be a participant in task force activities relating to green jobs. Commenting on the Task Force and the White House event, Tony said "It was great to have the opportunity to talk with President Obama and Vice President Biden; and I look forward to working on this important project."
Clifford's initial activity on the Task Force will be a Green Jobs conference in Philadelphia in late February. More information about the Task Force is at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/strongmiddleclass.
(From left to right, then Energy Secretary-designate Dr. Steven Chu speaking to Standard Solar CEO Tony Clifford and CTO Lee Bristol.)
Shortly before he formally took the reigns of the U.S. Department of Energy under President Obama, Dr. Steven Chu joined Standard Solar CEO Anthony Clifford and Chief Technology Lee Bristol January 19 atop a middle school in Southeast Washington DC to answer the call for volunteer service projects on the national holiday devoted to the late Martin Luther King Jr.
Standard Solar, along with its partners on the project Washington Gas Energy Services, John E. Kelly & Sons Electrical Construction, and SunPower Corporation, donated a 1.8 kilowatt system. A crew of professionals led by Jack Hachmann and Andrew Truitt installed the modules that will supply a small portion of the school's electricity when the system is formally turned on in the coming weeks. The array of panels will serve as learning tool with online monitoring technology that students will be able to view. It will demonstrate how other public schools can join a growing movement to capitalize on -- and learn about -- clean, carbon-free, energy from sun.
Chu previously ran DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, and he has made climate change the new centerpiece of his career. His resume contains an item never before seen on a DOE director's CV: a Nobel Prize in Physics. Chu shared the prize with two other physicists in 1997.
A brief excerpt of the remarks Chu shared with volunteers at the Sousa school that day about solar panels at the White House and scaling up renewable energy throughout this century can be seen through Standard Solar's YouTube page.
(Part of the Standard Solar installation crew, from left to right, Nick Abrash, Matt Griffiths, Andrew Hershberger, Carsten Donohue-Moll and Jack Hackmann.)
View more pictures of the event here.
Here is the Alert, edited for our space constraints: By acting early this week, you can help create close to 200,000 new jobs and install 3 gigawatts of solar over the next 2 years. The Senate was slated to begin debate Monday, February 2 on the economic stimulus legislation, more formally know as "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009." Make your voice heard on passage of the strongest solar provisions possible. Negotiations are happening now, call today.
This link (pdf) is a side-by-side detailing the solar-friendly provisions that need to be included in The Recovery Act. These solar priorities are ranked with the first being the most important. As part of your communications please email the side-by-side to every office you speak with. Given the number of favorable provisions and preferred outcomes, congressional members and staff will need the side-by-side to guide their negotiations.
Again it is crucial that you email the side-by-side to staff.
Talking Points
- Create close to 200,000 jobs over the next 2 years by including strong solar provisions in the Recovery Act.
- The solar recommendations contained in the side-by-side will put Americans back to work, increase our energy independence and combat global warming.
- Passage of the Recovery Act will create sales, construction, manufacturing and engineering jobs in the solar industry within months.
To locate your Senator or Representatives' Washington phone number, go here for the Senate and here for the House. Alternatively, you can reach your Representatives' offices through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 225-3121. Email addresses can also be obtained through the above websites.
District of Columbia residents should be on the lookout for the formal launch of DC's Renewable Energy Incentive Program, or REIP, expected by the middle of this month (February). The program is set to offer a compelling array of incentives for renewable energy programs.
For solar electric systems, the combination alone of the DC program with the new Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) should earn back more than half of the up-front investment needed to supply a significant portion of a home's electricity from non-polluting solar energy.
Because there is a limited amount of money earmarked for the REIP and it is to be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, contact us via dcinfo@standardsolar.com or (301) 944-1200 for information about how you, your neighbors and/or your friends can move quickly to secure the DC program incentive. Feel free to share this newsletter with them. Send us the email addresses of anybody you think will be interested in updates about the REIP and we'll be sure to include them in future alerts.
The first 200 or so applications on the current Fiscal Year 2009 waitlist for Maryland Solar Grants should be receiving their Grant Offer Letters by February 14. This good news comes after the Maryland General Assembly approved the budget submitted by the Maryland Energy Administration for allocating funding from the first Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative auction of greenhouse gas emission credits which took place last September.
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a cooperative effort by ten Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states to limit greenhouse gas emissions. It is the first mandatory, market-based CO2 emissions reduction program in the United States. Money raised by auctioning emission credits funds the Maryland Solar Grant Program, and many other state energy initiatives.
For those remaining on the fiscal 2009 and those on the new fiscal 2010 waitlist, the second RGGI carbon credit auctions, which took place on December 17, 2008, means the next round of grant funding from the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) is coming soon.
The MEA is expected to release guidelines for the Fiscal Year 2010 Solar Grant Program by this Spring, after a public comment period. Standard Solar is closely monitoring the solar program and will issue timely updates via email and on our web site, www.StandardSolar.com.
Swing by the Standard Solar booth #434 at the Howard LIVE! Home Show Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 21 and 22 at the Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, Maryland to witness how upscale Howard Country residents are growing smarter about energy efficiency and the role the solar energy systems can play in powering their homes.
Howard County is one of the most attractive places to own a solar-powered home in the metropolitan Washington DC area thanks to access to a county property tax credit for solar and other renewable energy systems. Combine that credit with the new Federal Investment Tax Credit, the Maryland Solar Grant Program, the Renewable Energy Credits system owners earn and the savings on Baltimore Gas & Electric utility bills, a typical solar electric system can recover close to half of the up-front cost within a year or so and recover the balance of the investment over the next 5-7 years.
This Home Show actually takes over the entire Turf Valley Resort and Country Club (click here for directions) for the President's Holiday weekend and encourages attendees to weave their way through a variety of exhibitors offering the latest design and home remodeling trends, along with hard-to-find wines and rare artisan brews.
More information, including discounted attendance coupons, can be accessed at www.howardlivehomeshow.com.
Standard Solar President and CEO Anthony Clifford was the featured guest this past Sunday morning, February 1 on the classic rock, green-focused 94.7 FM "The Globe" heard throughout the Greater Washington DC area. In his talk with "Washington 101" host Kelly Knight (pictured) Clifford addressed several opportunities and challenges for solar energy as part of President Obama's plan to stimulate the economy, reduce their carbon footprints and help homeowners save money on their electric bills by participating in incentives to buy solar systems for their homes.
The Globe is entering the third year of a campaign by its owner, CBS Radio, to talk- AND walk-the-talk about sustainability. CBS Radio has purchased renewable energy for the regional grid to help supply clean power to operate its 50,000-watt signal. It is replacing station vehicles with hybrid models and sharpening its "green" focus by taking a number of steps on- and off-air to consistently promote ways for listeners to live an eco-friendly lifestyle.
See the "Going Green Ideas" content on the station's web site, www.947theglobe.com. The "Washington 101" segment will be re-broadcast Sunday, February 22 at 6 a.m. EST. We hope to have excerpts of Tony's interview available as a podcast by the end of February.
(from left to right: Eric Coffman Montgomery County DEP; Joe Lavornga, Montgomery County Public Schools; Erica Shingara, City of Gaithersburg; Bob Hoyt, Director Montgomery County DEP, (SWG Co-Chair); Jane Nishida, The World Bank (SWG Co-Chair); Doug Weisburger, Montgomery County DEP (Back); Isiah Leggett, Montgomery County Executive; Bill Becker (Back) National Association of Clean Air Agencies; Diana Conway, West Montgomery County Citizens Association; Roger Berliner, Montgomery County Council)
The Montgomery County, Maryland Sustainability Working Group delivered its comprehensive Climate Action Plan to County Executive Isiah Leggett January 15. The SWG, established on Earth Day 2008, is comprised of 26 members represented a broad range of public and private-sector interests. It was charged by the County Executive with developing a plan to:
"... reduce County wide greenhouse gas emissions to 80% below the amount...in the base year [FY05]...including a plan to stop increasing County wide greenhouse gas emissions by 1020 and achieve a 10% reduction every 5 years through 2050."
The Climate Action Plan offers recommendations in seven areas: renewable energy; residential building energy efficiency; commercial, multi-family and public building energy efficiency; transportation; forestry and agriculture; long-term planning; and, education and outreach.
Among other recommendations, the Plan promotes clean energy including wind and solar power and calls for a coordinated education and outreach effort that supports the action plan and taps into community-based social marketing. The campaign aims to raise awareness and encourage people to take action to change their lives -- and by their choices, change the world and the future. Actions such as planting a tree, insulating homes or carpooling will be encouraged across all sectors of the community including government, schools, neighborhoods, faith-based institutions and businesses.
With the development and now implementation of the Climate Action Plan, Montgomery County is poised to become the Country's template for the emerging green-collar economy. For more information on the Sustainability Working Group and the implementation of the Climate Action Plan, visit http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/deptmpl.asp?url=/content/dep/Sustainability/home.asp.
The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is seeking the financial support of renewable energy companies and related organizations. This much needed support will allow NABCEP to diversify its certification offerings, improve industry penetration of credentialed professionals, and increase consumer awareness of the benefits of choosing certified professionals.
NABCEP was initiated with assistance of a five year grant from the Department of Energy (DOE). As this grant is expiring, NABCEP is seeking continued support from both the DOE and industry stakeholders to ensure its continued success.
NABCEP's rigorous competency standards for certification sends a clear message to consumers, government leaders, businesses, and investors that the renewable energy industry is dedicated to high quality, safe, and ethical business practice and workmanship standards. Companies such as Standard Solar, which have NABCEP-certified employees guiding their installation crews, are key players in the sustainable growth of the renewable energy market.
Standard Solar currently employs two NABCEP- and Solar PV-certified installers: Chief Technology Officer, Lee Bristol and Andrew Truitt, who manages our residential installation crews.
If you know of companies, foundations or individuals who would consider contributing money to NABCEP, please contact Philip Smallwood at (301) 270-0322. If you wish to learn more about NABCEP, please visit their website at www.NABCEP.org.
Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation Secretary Thomas E. Perez are working hard to coordinate efforts by educational institutions, non-profit organizations and private companies such as Standard Solar to attract and educate students interested in the joining the burgeoning "green collar" economy. The initiative is part of the Governor's Workforce Investment Board led by Executive Director Eric Seleznow.
The overall Workforce Investment Board is responsible for developing policies and strategies to form a coordinated workforce system from a variety of education, and employment and training programs. It is bringing together and focusing various workforce development partners and stakeholders on two key outcomes - a properly prepared workforce that meets the current and future demands of Maryland employers, and providing opportunities for all Marylanders to succeed in the 21st century workforce.
The Energy Industry Initiative met Friday, January 30 in Germantown during which Seleznow and Peter Lowenthal, Executive Director of the Maryland-District-Virginia chapter of the Solar Energy Industries Association, gathered ideas and best practices to shift the initiative into a high gear. There are several programs underway at the state's community colleges and other institutions designed to help meet the demand for qualified -- and ultimately certified -- solar installers. (See related story about NABCEP.)
Quick Note: Standard Solar Is Operating a New Phone System and Individual Extensions Have Changed. To make it easier and faster to stay in touch, you can now reach specific employees at our Gaithersburg, Maryland headquarters using their new direct-dial numbers. You no longer need to go through the main number. If needed, you can always call our main number, (301) 944-1200 and listen to the prompts; or email us at info@standardsolar.com. Thank you for your patience during our transition to the new phone system.