College of Marin trains workers in solar tech

When electrician Mark Barrall talks about solar panels as a "green" technology, he's not just talking about their ability to produce energy without generating carbon dioxide.

[Abbie]

Can someone live in Marin installing solar for $15/hr,$30/hr for experience? Doesn't really seem forth it.

[END the Solar Subsidies]

We need to abolish the solar subsidies. When this happens the price will plummet because these companies will finally be forced to compete with each other. Competition will lower the prices drastically thereby increasing the size of the market and solar will really explode.
*Forget about comparing to oil subsidies. Apples to Oranges. Worthless comparison.
*Do you know the current CA subsidy scheme takes money every month from millions of disadvantaged families and renters to create funding for upwardly mobile homeowners? A completely unfair program funded to the tune of $3.2bn! Most people have no idea how it works.
*Why give subsidy at all? Check the SEC 10q for the dominant solar companies. They have incredible profit margins and have insiders cashing out to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars! Why/how should we be subsidizing this any longer. They are profitable!
Solar IS the future. Just not the way the solar industry is trying to do it today. This looks eerily reminiscent of the dot-com mess ergo it will end badly if the (industry) doesn't straighten this out

[Let the Sun Shine]

END the Solar Subsidies wrote:

We need to abolish the solar subsidies. When this happens the price will plummet because these companies will finally be forced to compete with each other. Competition will lower the prices drastically thereby increasing the size of the market and solar will really explode.
*Forget about comparing to oil subsidies. Apples to Oranges. Worthless comparison.
*Do you know the current CA subsidy scheme takes money every month from millions of disadvantaged families and renters to create funding for upwardly mobile homeowners? A completely unfair program funded to the tune of $3.2bn! Most people have no idea how it works.
*Why give subsidy at all? Check the SEC 10q for the dominant solar companies. They have incredible profit margins and have insiders cashing out to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars! Why/how should we be subsidizing this any longer. They are profitable!
Solar IS the future. Just not the way the solar industry is trying to do it today. This looks eerily reminiscent of the dot-com mess ergo it will end badly if the (industry) doesn't straighten this out

OMG, where can one find more information about these unfair subsidies?
And, why doesn't it compare to oil subsidies when oil companies are making such large gross profits.

I think you have your head up your pork barreled rump!

[Gioto Lucciano]

Solar power will be even more important to transportation in the future. Auto makers are retooling their plants to produce electric cars, trucks and busses right now, and in 10 years they say 90 percent of our transportation needs will be met by electric powered vehicles, they are fast, powerful, QUIET, 100 percent efficient and zero emissions. That is why these people promoting the Sonoma diesel commute train are just a bunch of 'dumbed down' blokes.

[END the Solar Subsidies]

@ Let the Sun Shine.

Your comments reveal you haven't done any research on the matter. The oil subsidy commentary also reveals you don't understand the situation. Oil subsidies are not germane to this conversation -- at all.

Let's use this example.

1) Homeowner in San Rafael wants to install 2kWh PV system on his roof.

2) He applies for the rebates and calculates the tax advantages of his system. In total it equals approx 50% of the total installed cost of the system. Homeowner pays for the remaining 50% himself

3) System is installed.

4) Homeowner can now (perhaps) zero his monthly PG&E bill through net metering. Regardless, his bill comes down drastically per month

5) Homeowners property value goes up due to new PV system on his roof.

Opposed to:

1) Disadvantaged family living in Oakland. They RENT an apartment.

2) They pay into the CA solar fund every month along with everyone else.

3) They will never get solar. They rent. They don't have disposable income to purchase the other 50% of the system if they could.

4) Their monthly power bill doesn't go down. In fact, if enough homeowners go solar and zero their monthly bills through net metering, the effect is to "island" everyone else with the costs to maintain the legacy PG&E system. Ultimately the disadvantaged family will have their rates go UP.

Lets go one step further.

Suppose this homeowner in San Rafael buys a PV system from BP Solar (Business unit of British Petroleum)

In effect what we have is this. Disadvantaged families and renters pay into a fund to help a wealthy San Rafael (in property value anyways) zero his monthly power bill, increase his property value and the kicker? The kicker is that BP is an OIL company that makes approx $80,000 per minute of every day of every week! The money flows directly through millions of people with no business paying into this so -- TO AN OIL COMPANY so that a wealthy homeowner enjoys tangible benefits.

Further, The solar companies are PROFITABLE! Look at SunPower as a start. Profitable. So why are we providing incentives through rate and taxpayers anyways? It's a scam.

Remove the subsidies. The prices will collapse due to competition. Solar will really fly then.

You should really come up to speed on all this before assailing others that intimately know the inner workings of this system, especially if you use the same tired "green manifesto" stuff. We ALL want solar but we sure as hell won't get there like this.

[Let the Sun Shine]

Gioto Lucciano wrote:

Solar power will be even more important to transportation in the future. Auto makers are retooling their plants to produce electric cars, trucks and busses right now, and in 10 years they say 90 percent of our transportation needs will be met by electric powered vehicles, they are fast, powerful, QUIET, 100 percent efficient and zero emissions. That is why these people promoting the Sonoma diesel commute train are just a bunch of 'dumbed down' blokes.

Just replace the diesel engines with electric when the time is right. It is not only about type of fuel it is about traffic flow and choice, more feeder trollies more trains less cars.

Wouldn't it be nice if the world was perfect.

[Let the Sun Shine]

END the Solar Subsidies wrote:

@ Let the Sun Shine.
Your comments reveal you haven't done any research on the matter. The oil subsidy commentary also reveals you don't understand the situation. Oil subsidies are not germane to this conversation -- at all.
Let's use this example.
1) Homeowner in San Rafael wants to install 2kWh PV system on his roof.
2) He applies for the rebates and calculates the tax advantages of his system. In total it equals approx 50% of the total installed cost of the system. Homeowner pays for the remaining 50% himself
3) System is installed.
4) Homeowner can now (perhaps) zero his monthly PG&E bill through net metering. Regardless, his bill comes down drastically per month
5) Homeowners property value goes up due to new PV system on his roof.
Opposed to:
1) Disadvantaged family living in Oakland. They RENT an apartment.
2) They pay into the CA solar fund every month along with everyone else.
3) They will never get solar. They rent. They don't have disposable income to purchase the other 50% of the system if they could.
4) Their monthly power bill doesn't go down. In fact, if enough homeowners go solar and zero their monthly bills through net metering, the effect is to "island" everyone else with the costs to maintain the legacy PG&E system. Ultimately the disadvantaged family will have their rates go UP.
Lets go one step further.
Suppose this homeowner in San Rafael buys a PV system from BP Solar (Business unit of British Petroleum)
In effect what we have is this. Disadvantaged families and renters pay into a fund to help a wealthy San Rafael (in property value anyways) zero his monthly power bill, increase his property value and the kicker? The kicker is that BP is an OIL company that makes approx $80,000 per minute of every day of every week! The money flows directly through millions of people with no business paying into this so -- TO AN OIL COMPANY so that a wealthy homeowner enjoys tangible benefits.
Further, The solar companies are PROFITABLE! Look at SunPower as a start. Profitable. So why are we providing incentives through rate and taxpayers anyways? It's a scam.
Remove the subsidies. The prices will collapse due to competition. Solar will really fly then.
You should really come up to speed on all this before assailing others that intimately know the inner workings of this system, especially if you use the same tired "green manifesto" stuff. We ALL want solar but we sure as hell won't get there like this.

With all due respect, your comments show you believe in the tooth fairy. Do you really believe in the capitalist system and the free market to do the right thing for consumers?

Tell me about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, then tell me why rate payers bailed out PG&E instead of stockholders, and who bailed out the nuclear plants when they proved to be complete economic failures. We don't don't have a real free market yet you want everyone to believe your spin.

Time to nationalize the basics of life. If you're so concerned about the poor people then lobby to make them exempt from these charges or redesign the municipal implementation of Community Choice to serve these people.

Stop Big Oil subsidies and give that money to the poor, who need the help.

Reform energy polices not just one small aspect of our failed and outdated system.

[END the Solar Subsidies]

Part 2

I would buy your argument about free markets etc if it wasn't for the fact that this industry is making money hand over fist. To top it off, they are taking money from renters and the poor to build out the $3.2bn solar energy fund. Surely, you can not agree that renters should be required by law to pay into this?
Again, remove the subsidies, make them compete. The industry will flourish because the lower prices will open the window for EVERYBODY to buy for a reasonable amount of money! Would you like to take the fight to big oil and the utilities? Then help bring down the price of solar to the everyman and we will rewrite the energy paradigm. WE WILL NOT do that if the solar industry entrenches itself around never subsidies keeping prices out of reach for the average consumer! Again, it is especially egregious when you see the industry enriching itself mightily. A farce. A scam.
Community choice? Poorly thought again. A bunch of rich Marinities going net metering to zero so the rest of the less fortunate across the state can watch their rates rise to cover for the rich Marinites that no longer pay a monthly power bill! It reminds me of the bumper sticker in downtown Mill Valley on a $100k Range Rover "No Blood for Oil". Community choice is born from the same bourgeois "feel good" mind set so prevalent in Marin.
I will thank you for your motivation on this issue. I will be doing discovery in the next few months to see how we may mobilize taxpayer groups and others to challenge the CA Solar subsidy program in the courts. The objective will be to legally halt the program from administrating any further rebates and stop the program.

[Commander Bunny]

Abbie wrote:

Can someone live in Marin installing solar for $15/hr,$30/hr for experience? Doesn't really seem forth it.

If You live 2-3 Families per house it can be done.
These classes will all probably in Spanish anyways.

[Homey Says]

I'm gonna take the class and put some panels on my trailer park home. On cloudy days I'll just tow it to a sunny location. Our hot tub is an old cattle watering tank. We propped it up on some old beer kegs and built a fireplace below it. Now we can go green.

[Homey Says]

Commander Bunny wrote:

<quoted text>If You live 2-3 Families per house it can be done.
These classes will all probably in Spanish anyways.

Hispanics have a long track record of using solar power. They call it the sun.

[Gioto Lucciano]

Let the Sun Shine wrote:

<quoted text>
Just replace the diesel engines with electric when the time is right. It is not only about type of fuel it is about traffic flow and choice, more feeder trollies more trains less cars.
Wouldn't it be nice if the world was perfect.

That might work if you could cover the new train line with a canopy of solar panels somewhere, but not in Marin. There is only one tiny sliver of Marin that a train can be used, form Novato to San Rafael, so it would be a usless waste of money for all of us to subsidize such a small amount of commuters.

[Carlos Alvarez]

Iwant to know if you can recommend me any solar panel store

[Gioto Lucciano]

Solar Depot in Petaluma. They started in San Rafael by a man named Anoosh.

[richard obermire]

I am very interested in exploring your course. any information would be greatly appriciated. Thank you [e-mail]

[watashiwasls]

Commander Bunny wrote:

<quoted text>If You live 2-3 Families per house it can be done.
These classes will all probably in Spanish anyways.

I live just fine in marin on $18/hr.
Just don't try to live to the same standard as all those people in debt up to their eyeballs just to 'stay with the status quo'

[Relintlis9122564 045]

Hi, My name is George, and why such good news that's not, complete, but partial. I just Don't think that's fair. I'm from Georgia have four kids and a wife. I would love earning a degree in solar panel installation, being that I've installed duct,[sheet metal] for the past 15 years, to find myself struggling for work. Why is this only offered in Ca. Being that we are in the tech-world that's advancing on a daily basis why would' it not be a way to fulfill my will, and of course others also in my region have the chance to say" where there is a will there is a way" sincerely, George in Ga a

[Barry Barrall]

Mark is on the right path. I have been in touch with the students working on the Oregon State University Project Electric, Solar Powered car, recently.
Cost and efficiency is everything with solar power. The new "Nano" tech battery should help.
Albany PowerSports LLC