Solar Surge?

Climate One

Earth Sciences, News, Science, Social Sciences, News Commentary

4.7 • 583 Ratings

🗓️ 11 October 2010

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Solar Surge? John Woolard, CEO, BrightSource Energy Karen Douglas, Chairman, California Energy Commission Lisa Hoyos, California Director, Apollo Alliance Greg Dalton, Climate One - Moderator A “perfect storm” of policy and incentives has made 2010 a banner year for solar in California, but for the boom to continue in the state and the rest of the United States, major obstacles need to be cleared, according to a panel of experts convened by Climate One. Karen Douglas, Chair of the California Energy Commission, BrightSource Energy President and CEO John Woolard, and Lisa Hoyos, California State Coordinator, Apollo Alliance, caution that the absence of a coherent, stable, and long-term national clean energy policy is holding back the industry. “One of the challenges in US policy is that … it’s been, ironically, perpetual and long term for fossil fuels, but short term and extended sporadically for renewables,” Woolard says. “We need a longer time horizon … at least five, more likely ten years, is reasonable.” Douglas agrees: “It’s terribly damaging to extend a policy and then reverse the policy. If you do that too many times, developers feel burned.” We also need to be able to deliver the clean energy to the grid. Woolard notes that over the past decade US regulators have sited 12,000 miles of natural gas pipelines but only 600 miles of power lines. “It’s like running interstate commerce without highways and rails,” Woolard says. If you can get projects financed and approved by regulators, it will mean jobs, Hoyos says. “Clean energy jobs are growing ten times faster than any other sector of our economy in this state,” she says. “We need to fully put our energy behind opposing Proposition 23 so we can continue to realize the benefits of AB 32, which is expected to generate in the next ten years over $104 billion in investment and other economic opportunities.” This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on October 8, 2010 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	There once was a woman who lived in a shoe. A size too snug, but what could she do? But that's not where her story ends. Thanks to a little help from her Experian friends, she got her score into much better shape and relocated to a box fresh new place, with room to grow and a mortgage to suit. Now, she lives in a spacious four-bedroom cowboy boots. Better your
0:23.7	Experian credit score to help get mortgage ready. Experian, better your score, better your story.
0:30.1	How will we power our future? Can we create a healthy and clean economy? Climate One at the
0:36.0	Commonwealth Club is at the forefront of the global debate about energy, economy, and the environment.
0:41.5	Bringing together the brightest and most provocative leaders of our time, Climate One is the place where big ideas get heard.
0:48.2	With thoughtful and insightful discussions on policy, business, science, and culture, Climate One founder Greg Dalton gets to the heart of the
0:55.6	matter. It's our future. It's time to come together. Welcome to Climate One at the Commonwealth
1:01.0	Club. I'm Greg Dalton. California has some of the best places on earth for harnessing the sun's
1:05.9	energy. While panels are being installed on the roofs of homes and businesses around the state,
1:13.6	the solar scene is about to enter a new chapter. In recent months, California regulators have approved construction of six massive solar plants
1:18.6	that together can power about a million homes.
1:21.6	After decades of fits and starts, has solar finally hit the big time?
1:25.6	How many jobs will be created by California's solar surge?
1:29.0	And what else needs to be done to help the states reach for the sun? We have an expert panel
1:33.9	here to discuss those questions and more with our live audience in San Francisco. Karen Douglas is
1:39.6	chair of the California Energy Commission, John Willard, CEO Bright Source Energy, and Lisa
1:44.9	Hoyos is California Director of Apollo Alliance. Please welcome them to Climate One of the Commonwealth
1:49.5	Club.
1:54.8	Welcome all. Thank you for coming.
1:56.6	Thank you.
1:57.2	Thanks. Karen, let's begin with you. Why this sudden burst of activity, all these big plants being approved in the last few weeks in California?
2:06.7	Well, there are a couple reasons for this incredible breakthrough here in California.
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