Flishback: Million Solar Roofs, 200-Page Textbooks

• "Solar Subsidies Considered Harmful" (July 9th): Senate Bill 1, the "Million Solar Roofs" initiative, which started off with widespread support from the Governor on down, failed to pass the Assembly before last Friday's end of the 2005-2006 regular legislative session.
  
  When I last checked on the bill, it still contained a clause that restricted systems qualified for the subsidies to those installed by contractors holding a C-10 license. Frankly, the latest amended version of the bill has language so dense I'm not sure from my own reading what its current restrictions are. Here's how one article, written a few days before the end of the session, described the sticking points that ended up sinking the bill:
  
  CA's Million Solar Roofs Bill Re-referred to Committee
  
  

  The most controversial of the remaining issues are two labor provisions that were attached to the bill in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on August 25th. The first requires prevailing wages be paid on all commercial solar installations, while the second would eliminate half of all existing solar contractors by requiring only certified electricians do the bulk of the installations.

  
  

  State labor unions are split over these two amendments with Laborers and Carpenters on one side, in opposition of the amendments, and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and State Building Trades Council on the other, in favor of the amendments.

  
  
  In this follow-up interview, Jan McFarland of the Photovoltaic Manufacturer's Association makes a strong accusation against the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers:
  
  Interview: Jan McFarland of PVMA and ASPV
  
  

  "I believe the real division may in fact be within IBEW who has long track record of fighting against renewables, new technology and distributed generation."

  
  
  I'm not too worried about the solar power industry. The business might, maybe, grow slower without these subsidies, but it will be more stable in the long run for not having gotten mixed up in the political bog so clearly exhibited in this case. The defeat of SB1 isn't even the demise of subsidies in California. The rebate program run by the Public Utilities Commission should continue.
  
  On a personal note, I just attended an excellent half-day Sierra Club-sponsored class on solar energy systems in preparation for incorporating solar into our upcoming home remodeling. The first half of the class gives tons of nuts and bolts details on having a system installed and the small amount of work needed to maintain it. The second half gave a rundown on the excellent financial payback the systems are yielding. If you get the chance, attend one of their classes.
  
  [Hmm. This post was just supposed to be a quick follow up.]
  



• California to Limit Classroom Materials to 200 Pages?! (May 31): Looks like this bill is also dead, never having come back out of the Education committee.