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Go solar without buying a system. You can actually save money right from the start depending on your utility rates. Check it out: http://www.jointhesolution.com/pskishter

Yes, my link http://www.qcimarketing.com/ is redirected to http://www.jointhesolution.com/olero/. QCIMarketing.com is easier for people to remember, so that's how I have it setup (I don't believe I'm the only one who uses a redirect on the Internet, do you?). Unseemly? You're kidding, right? If you really feel that way, then I'm sure the Fortune 1000 "seems" "unseemly" to you (and your miniscule "anti-redirect" group) then, too, right?

I'm sure you can understand these economics: Our costs are about half of our competition due to many reasons, supply-chain integration being one of them.

Who says we won't be selling them in the future? Assumptions, assumptions, assumptions...

As far as your comment on our website design, you'll have to forgive me, I'm not sure of the point you are making here (sounds like a personal web design preference to me), but we do have 3 main web functions: corporate information (http://www.citizenre.com/), customer information (http://www.jointhesolution.com/olero/), and associate information (http://www.powur.com/olero/).

Hope that helps explain things a little better for you.

PJ

http://www.qcimarketing.com/

Yes, my link http://www.qcimarketing.com/ is redirected to http://www.jointhesolution.com/olero/. QCIMarketing.com is easier for people to remember, so that's how I have it setup (I don't believe I'm the only one who uses a redirect on the Internet, do you?). Unseemly? You're kidding, right? If you really feel that way, then I'm sure the Fortune 1000 "seems" "unseemly" to you (and your miniscule "anti-redirect" group) then, too, right?

I'm sure you can understand these economics: Our costs are about half of our competition due to many reasons, supply-chain integration being one of them.

Who says we won't be selling them in the future? Assumptions, assumptions, assumptions...

As far as your comment on our website design, you'll have to forgive me, I'm not sure of the point you are making here (sounds like a personal web design preference to me), but we do have 3 main web functions: corporate information (http://www.citizenre.com/), customer information (http://www.jointhesolution.com/olero/), and associate information (http://www.powur.com/olero/).

Hope that helps explain things a little better for you.

PJ

http://www.qcimarketing.com/

There will have to be multiple, complex solutions to this coming energy crisis, but 2 things will have to happen: 1) The public as a whole is going to have to be better informed and concerned enough to force the politicians to move, and 2) A huge majority of the public is going to have to make a few changes.

Which green solutions are best is sometimes debatable. But there is a new company that seems to best cover both 1&2, and it is one of the 'no-brainer' solutions. Citizenre will be renting solar panels out, letting them almost immediately save everyone money, while making each customer a sales person, familiar with product and issues. Its 100,000 panel/yr manufacturing plant is scheduled to come online in September 2007. They're currently using 2005 average power bill prices, and will switch to 2006 on Jan 31, 2007. The rate my Dad locked in, just by registering on the website, was 37% less than his current bill.

If you live in the US, and would like to sign up under me, sites are:
http://www.jointhesolution.com/solarnevada (as customer)
http://www.powur.com/solarnevada (as sales associate)

To ruthlessly give someone else commission, www.citizenre.com. :)

There is a company using net metering laws as a business model to offer homeowners free solar panel systems. Basically you rent the solar panels from them for the price of the electricity they generate, based on your current utility rates and locked for however long you sign up for (1, 5, or 25 years). I really hope this succeeds as it is the first really workable business model for mass solar adoption that I have seen. Check it out here:

http://www.jointhesolution.com/makepower

Your system sounds great! I hope they sent you a thank you note for the $380 they confiscated.

One way around both the issue of roof replacement once the panels are installed, and the degradation with time is to rent solar power at http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar.

You get a free uninstall-reinstall during the contract if you need to replace your roof and the system size is adjusted on an ongoing bases to match your needs. So, it your needs remain constant, an extra panel can be added once degradation becomes an issue. You might be able to do this too with your system.

Using a rental model I think we can get to very large market share for solar. I think this sort of puts things in another light with respect to nuclear power: http://mdsolar.blogspot.com/2007/01/why-renewables -displace-nukes-first.html
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Rent the Sun?!? http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar

We design our systems to meet 100% of your annual use so yes, fluctuations in usage or in cloud cover on an annual bases could mean that you over produce. Many utilites do not pay retail when they do an annual reconcilliation so there is a chance that you get payed less than what you paid. If you over produce by 3% in a year and the utility pays 50% of retail, then you'd be out 1.5%. We don't want this to happen so we monitor the systems to watch for trends in use, and add or remove panels to compensate (at no charge). We also design based on peak annual solar radiation for your area rather than average to leave a margin. This hopefully leaves factors that would make you overproduce in your control: a long vacation might put you in the plus column if you don't set boinc going on every computer in the house.

Once utility rates go up comapred to the contract rate, you'll very likely be saving even if you do over produce. If utility rates drop, you can get out of your contract for the cost of your $500 deposit, something that would not be possible if you owned your system. So, renting offers a hedge.
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Rent solar power at http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar

To see why I'd advise against continuing to invest in nuclear power see http://mdsolar.blogspot.com/2007/01/why-renewables -displace-nukes-first.html.

But if you think that analysis is flawed, you can still work out a way to invest even more by switching to solar personally. Look at the calcualator at http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdolar for a low balled savings estimate (2.2% estimate of annual electric rate increase I thing) and 9% return on the invested savings.

Solar panels are now good for about 30 years, and if you rent from us, we handle the disposal and leave your roof in good shape. Note that since they are still solar grade silicon, they only need to be recycled. They are worth about $25/kilo as raw material.

Even better, you can outsource all the back and forth with the utility, construction permiting and other hassles, avoid the upfront costs, and lock in your rate for 25 years by renting solar. Look at the estimated savings using the calcualtor at http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar.

Net metering overcomes the day to day and durinal issues by keeping kWh credits alive for a year. Then you are building up credits in the spring and fall and using them in the winter (short days) and summer (AC is a hog). But even in summer you're helping out because you are reducing peak demand by covering much of your AC yourself. This'll mean fewer grid stress blackouts.

There is really no reason to worry about price anymore. You can rent solar for what you are paying now with no installation cost and a locked in rate of up to 25 years at http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar.

The way we manage the roofing issue is to offer one free deinstall-reinstall during the contract (25 years). This is shared with the one free move provision but this might work out pretty well in some cases. For example, my parents are feeling that they might need to put on a new roof to sell their house. In this case, the move and the new roof come together in time. You'll want to read the contract but http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar might be for you.

Thanks, I forgot to add that we've missed some smaller utilities so as a RFI if you don't see your utility in one of the dark blue states please let me know by email off my home page http://jointhesolution.com/mdsolar. Light blue states are OK too but there is a greater chance that the utility just does not do net metering.

Some states have begun to address this but the solution is not complete. In Maryland your bill comes in three parts. There is the charge for electricity in cents/kWh, there is a smaller distribution charge also in cents/kWh, and there is a connection charge, a monthly flat fee.

For my electric Coop, SMECO http://www.smeco.com/ Eugene Bradford of the rates group gives a rough breakdown: The electricity charge is largely what SMECO pays its suppiers though some saleries for the coop's buyers come out of this. The distribution charge and the connection charge cover the infrastructure build out and up keep: Service trucks, billing, linesmen's pay, materials all of that.

The break down in the charge was to allow choice in the supply, so that if you want to work with a green energy supplier you can substitute their rate in the electricity charge.

The issue with net metering is that you avoid the distribution charge but you might be be using the infrastructure to a greater dergree than the connection charge covers.

In Maryland, the very low cap on total net metering (34.7 MW) means that there is no practical issue just now. But, some rate restructuring may be needed according to Phillip VanderHeyden at the Maryland Public Services Commission http://www.psc.state.md.us/psc/index.htm if Maryland gets with the program like New Jersey and a number of other states with no caps on net metering enrollment.

For now though, people in Maryland who sign up for net metering at http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar can save money right away, albeit with a tight limit (8500) on how many can participate, because they will avoid the distribution charge. And, BGE customers can even avoid their huge rate increase if they are quick and get 8.8 cents/kWh. Soon, the BGE rate increase will be reflected in the rates we offer since BGE's regualtory filing is now available. In other states compare the offered rate with you're electric bill to see if you get immediate savings. You can use the calculator in the last link to see projected savings that result from the 25 year rate lock in.

Staying at home and working is not so bad. I didn't get this from slashdot but it is an excellent resource that I use for targeting my marketing: http://www.dsireusa.org/
Click on a state, look under Rules, Regulations & Policies for net metering rules.

You can also look on my website http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar so see utility rates.
Click on the map then click on a state. If you see the utility listed you can do net metering there.

You just don't have to depend on government spending anymore to convert to solar power.

Take a look at this flash presentation http://www.theneighborhoodlive.com/common/presenta tion.htm to see how we can convert a huge amount of our energy supply to solar.

If you think that works for what you want to do, go to http://www.powur.com/mdsolar and click on "Become an Ecopeneur" to get going. You'll need to take a 25 question test after reading a 14 page training document on solar power.

After that just "Make it so" as Cpt. Pickard used to say.
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Disclosure: I sell solar power at http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdoslar

Iceland sounds great. Solar power makes no apology though, having powered the Earth for billions of years. Only geothermal, nuclear and tidal power are not ultimately solar power. With huge production capacity coming on line, solar PV power is not apolgizing either. Go to http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar to get affordable solar power. Note, also, that building solar production capacity is a lot easier than building new coal or nuclear plants. Build the solar PV plant and it just churns out more capacity every year. Build a coal plant and then you need to build another and keep feeding the first too.

I'm not sure I understand you. If we are to treat them all fairly, why subsidize any of them?

Should not coal power include the cost of the illness it causes?
Should not nuclear power include the cost of transmuting the waste to stable isotopes?
Should not oil power include the cost of millitary bases in the Middle East?
Should not oil, coal and gas have a surcharge to cover the eventual inundation of Florida?

All of these subsidies, higher health insurace costs, the infeasible Yucca Mountain digression and what that implies, the taxes that cover interest on our borrowing for extended military activity, and the ignoring of massive environmental effects distort the energy market.

Let us not look simply at the cost of generation, let us consider the cost of use an include it in the electric bill.
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Disclosure: I sell solar at full cost (including disposal) plus profit for the same amount you're paying your utility now: http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar

Recently, there have also been some concerns over possible problems related to hydrogen gas leakage, (this has been pointed out in a paper published in Science magazine by a group of Caltech scientists). Molecular hydrogen leaks slowly from most containment vessels. It has been hypothesized that if significant amounts of hydrogen gas (H2) escape, hydrogen gas may, due to ultraviolet radiation, form free radicals (H) in the stratosphere. These free radicals would then be able to act as catalysts for ozone depletion. A large enough increase in stratospheric hydrogen from leaked H2 could exacerbate the depletion process. However, the effect of these leakage problems may not be significant. The amount of hydrogen that leaks today is much lower (by a factor of 10-100) than the estimated 10%-20% figure conjectured by some researchers; in Germany, for example, the leakage rate is only 0.1% (less than the natural gas leak rate of 0.7%). At most, such leakage would likely be no more than 1-2% even with widespread hydrogen use, using present technology.

I generally agree with what you're saying here except fo two points. Well, one point and a comment.

Under net metering, you really want to look at the electric use over the whole year, so when the days are getting longer but the weather is not so hot, you can build up kWh credits to handle the AC when the weather is so hot that the system does not actually cover you're use then. So, say in hot weather your system covers 70% of your use, you can make that up by covering 130% of you're use in another season.

The high voltage inverter makes sense, but there is a neat twist for the system I'm renting. Each panel has its own inverter so the system is very modular. There is no need to worry about rewiring the panels say to 2 parallel sets of series to expand the system. You can increment or decrement the capacity easily by 250 W by adding or removing a panel. This is how the company responds to changing electric use patterns to keep the total capacity at 100%.

There is a flash description of the system at http://wwww.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar at the icon labled "How Solar Energy Works."

I agree that panel technology is just fine now, but why worry about warranty issues when you can rent and have the panels replaced if need be at no charge and with no hassle. If you replace a panel under a warranty, you still either have to do it yourself or pay someone to swap it out. If you rent, the company can't make money unless everything is working, so they're on it. Look at the terms and conditions at http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar

In states with net metering laws, returning power to the grid in the main point. With our systems, all these issues are handled on the company side so you don't really have to worry about it. There are options to be able to use you're system during a power outage, and yes, anti-islanding is handled. Check http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar.

We can do less than 100% systems in a pinch. You'll need permission from the condo association. Register here and an engineer can work with you. http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar

It is true that we're in for some effects of warming no matter what. But, there is a model to reduce our GHG emissions quickly because renewables are competative with fossil fuels now.

I thought you might like this link about interesting times: http://www.noblenet.org/reference/inter.htm
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Ending global warming one home at a time: http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar

I think that this might be pedalogical. It is very hard to do that kind of thing well in a drama type setting.

You can see them in a different light in the clip at my web site: http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar

Glad you're watching though, he's our spokesperson.

Yes, the rate lock in is very atractive, and there is no installation fee, no permit hassles, and the system is monitored and adjusted to you're usage at not cost. They'll take off panels if you start using less, add them if you start using more. This is going to change the way we generate power in amazing ways. Go to http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar to sign up today.

I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about this.

My sales site is http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar

Yes, I'm a green and I act like an entrepeneur, not a terroist. From the article:

"You need to make the financing within reach of real people," Wentworth said.

That part is done as you'll see at my home page: http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar

You can get solar for no more than you're paying now for electricity, no installation fee, no permit hassles, and no rate increases for up to 25 years.

I love what Mr. Strizki has done but I wish he'd heard of this opportunity first.

"All together now:

Weather is not climate.
Weather is not climate.
Weather is not climate.


You are correct, weather rides on climate but abberations may not always be directly related to climate. The envelope of weather extremes can be affects and obviously, with warming, the averages shift. Here is a cool video of the rapid change in hardiness zones that is climate related: http://www.arborday.org/media/mapchanges.cfm

My point is about the cumulative effect of climate change that runs faster than evolutionary adaptation can manage. Should ecosystems cease to function, our time here is limited.

In any case, it is easy to do something about it. Check out another video on http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar to get an idea.

I think the question you're posing is "Is the human effect measurable against the background?"

The answer is almost certainly yes. This is a different question from "Is the Earth warmer than it would be if we had not increased the CO2 concentration?" The answer to that is definately yes.

The reason that this is definite is owing to basic conservation principles. Solar energy is retained by the atmosphere because it is more opaque at infrared wavelengths than at optical wavelengths. The Earth would be much colder if it did not have an atmosphere. The lunar surface (on average) is colder than the Earth's surface. The Moon (on average) is the same distance from the Sun as the Earth. The difference in temperature is mainly owing the the greenhouse effect provided by the Earth's atmosphere. Changing the composition of the atmosphere as we have changes the infrared opacity, increasing it, and thus boosts the greenhouse effect. There can't really be reasonable doubt about this.

The increase in the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is something we did. The Earth IS warmer than it would be otherwise. It is possible that the "otherwise" temperature would also be higher for other reasons, but for a part of the temperature increase, we are responsible.

I don't think this is anything to feel egotistical about. We're the dominant megafauna. Buffalo remade the plains. It's not so suprising that we're remaking the Earth. We're just not being smart about how we're doing it. I think there is a better way. Take a look at the video on http://www.jointhesolution.com/mdsolar and see what you think.