What is Digg?107 Comments
- rootsm3, on 06/28/2008, -3/+24I have little faith in this working only because I have little faith in my government.
- Elsewhere42, on 06/28/2008, -4/+16In the near future, no renewable energy = no energy.
The days of cheap oil energy are gone forever. Once we break free from oil and other fossil fuels we will all look back and wonder why we ever used them to begin with. - tbhurst, on 06/28/2008, -2/+12Thanks to the feed-in tariff, Germany has about 50% of the installed solar PV capacity. And the German renewable energy feed-in tariff represents only about 1.5% of the average home electricity bill.
- corbettkroehler, on 06/28/2008, -6/+16I was in Australia when their feed-in tarrif scheme was announced. While flawed, the program generated major buzz. I have a feeling it will do the same in the US.
On a parallel note, the solar rental program from Citizenre is in the very last stages of private financing and is expected to make its public announcement very soon, probably before September.
Secure your spot today at
http://www.NewSolarParadigm.com - ScottNyRealtor, on 06/28/2008, -1/+10No one's stopping you from donating your money for this cause, or would you rather force every one of your countrymen into this scheme with you?
- LanceUppercut, on 06/28/2008, -0/+6Seems cool, but I would have to wait 5 years to see a return, and in the meantime I have a huge bank of solar panels on my roof facing the road.
- thepromise, on 06/28/2008, -0/+7No, but you should go to my site:
www.suckit.com
It has all the info you need for posting **** like that. - smacksaw, on 06/28/2008, -1/+7I think it's sad that they could not find one Republican to co-sponsor this bill. But I guess when the Democrats win in a landslide in a few months the Republicans will be reduced to spectators as it is. I think I would try to look useful if I were a Republican so I might save my seat. I think I'd try to look like I work with Democrats, or even better, actually do it.
And of course, yes, a tariff is a tax. You can't just have a knee-jerk reaction to all taxes. Whether you like socialism or not, there are certain things we ALL share, like water, sewer, roadways and the energy grid and transmission. There's nothing wrong with taxation if it provides a valuable service. I'm building a house and while we had to pay $11,000 to hook into water and sewer, it's better than spending $20,000 to install a septic system I have to replace every 8-10 years. I guess I could feel all libertarian and cool by having my own ***** leech into my lawn, but the analogy is that I'd still be full of my own *****. - ZenMojo, on 06/28/2008, -0/+5Which founding fathers. The federalists or the anti-federalists? :)
- ScottNyRealtor, on 06/28/2008, -10/+14We need to be CUTTING spending in this recession, although those in government, especially democrats, seem to be hellbent on taking more discretionary income away from Americans in the form of taxation and spending it on fruity causes.
- zephc, on 06/28/2008, -1/+5Like 90% of all other bills passed by the federal government, it will be flawed in wording and in execution, and will somehow result in Halliburton getting massive kickbacks, with no real, tangible changes.
- doctechnical, on 06/28/2008, -0/+4This is a common misconception - that if we can ween ourselves off petroleum based fuels we won't need the stuff anymore. That's nonsense, because petroleum is feedstock for a huge number of chemicals, some of the most important being fertilizers and pesticides. These are needed to insure optimum agricultural needs. It's going to take a lot of oil just to make the stuff that provides renewable energy.
So we can reduce our dependence on oil (and should, by all means, particularly nuclear) but we'll never eliminate it. - ScottNyRealtor, on 06/28/2008, -0/+3Just to add too. The spending on the war in Iraq will look nothing like the spending proposed by many green fundamentalists. These people have almost a religious like zeal when it comes to the environment and see no level of government spending and taxation as too much or excessive if it is to "Reduce carbon emissions." That's the real reason I'm very weary and skeptical of the green movement.
- indyweb, on 06/28/2008, -0/+3I agree. . . wait what are we talking about again?
- BurgerDST, on 06/29/2008, -0/+3Then let's change it.
- arpad, on 06/28/2008, -0/+3You need the electric company.
Unless that $40K includes enough in the way of storage capacity to see you through the night where will you be getting your electricity? From the electric company. - p3ngwin, on 06/28/2008, -1/+4it's not about saving MONEY, it's about your SURVIVAL people!
if you continue to put your material happiness above your survival you will die a lot sooner than if you realize that the universe is a collection of energy forms all RELATED by causality.
when you behave selfishly, you effect others INCLUDING YOURSELF. soon others will wise up and won't let you effect them this way and unless you evolve a better way to live, they will cast you out to let you kill yourself by your own behaviour. - doctechnical, on 06/28/2008, -0/+3Not being able to pay for something has never stopped the Democrats from spending like drunken sailors.
- schnikies79, on 06/28/2008, -4/+7The United States was built and modeled on distrust of the government.
- retawd, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2OOPS... Wrong topic hunh? Doh...
Uberfail = ME - harlowsmonkeys, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2Maybe you should learn what a tariff is, before you start ranting about it.
- tbhurst, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2True enough that labour can be "taxing." But I don't think I am splitting hairs on this one. If I may, there is an important distinction between a tax in the traditional sense and a tax in the sense of a burden (the type you refer to). I am referring to a tax that goes to a government body and is used for providing a good or service to the public. The problem with this type of tax is often that government redistribution is often terribly inefficient. A feed-in requires no 'middle-man', the payments are made directly to the energy producer (i.e. you or me) by the electricity utility, thus reducing the likelihood for government inefficiency.
- zacharytelschow, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2If people feel renewable electricity is worth the premium, they will pay it. There's no reason the government should make that choice.
That being said, this article left a LOT to be desired in details. It glossed over how wonderful the proposal was without any specifics on how it would work. Most importantly, what price per kilowatt/hour would the government guarentee for renewable energy? Can I produce my own electricity and charge the government that rate as a tax credit? Why the restriction on plant size? - zephc, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2You can blame the US Bureau of Land Management for that.
- emjaymj, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2Have you guys ever even taken a basic economics class? Government spending is actually a very useful tool for helping a country get through a recession. A reduction in spending makes for an even slower economy. Government spending gives people jobs and more money to spend, and in turn they can spend more money, creating even more jobs and more money to spend.
Spending DOES need to be cut but not because it's a recession. The government is simply being too wasteful. Implying that the government holding on to money is somehow beneficial to the economy just shows a lack of even a rudimentary understanding of economics, and I'm astonished nobody has pointed this out yet. - askantik, on 06/28/2008, -2/+4We pay less taxes than other countries, but we also have insane healthcare costs and poor healthcare standards for ANY developed country, much less the richest nation in the world. We pay less taxes than other countries, but our education system is way below par. Commodities cost money.
- beauley, on 06/28/2008, -1/+3With Global Warming on many people's minds, do we have any ideas of the best way to lessen the impact on our future, or maybe a possible relief of its possible ravages or even a possible key to its eventual reversal. Many scientific experts have proposed
http://www.quazen.com/Science/Technology/Solar-Pow ...
Solar Power, Source of Endless Energy - askantik, on 06/28/2008, -3/+5This is a fruity cause? Funny, I thought $200 million per day and human life was a stupid sacrifice for no real gain (at least for us, there's a gain for certain CEOs and government officials!). The war is the biggest expense in this country right now and it's the main reason we are in a recession right now. There you go, the root of the problem caused another problem.
- pjr12345, on 06/28/2008, -12/+14More taxes?
NO THANKS! - LanceUppercut, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2Also I have 50 year shingles I would have to put holes through to mount these and whatnot. I guess it is way more efficient if you don't live in ohio.
- zacharytelschow, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2If it raises the price of energy and the price is guarenteed by the government, isn't it simply a tax on every citizen? If the government prints twice as much money as is currently in circulation, isn't that effectively a tax (an inflation tax)?
- ZenMojo, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2We need to be cutting the "deficit" this recession. Whether that's through raising taxes or cutting spending is a debate, not a given.
- inactive, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2We need nuclear, wind, and solar power then we can work on electric cars that have better range.
- Albumen, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2You actually think you've thought all this through don't you? Remove all taxes and the economy will fall flat on it's face in a matter of months due to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs all across the country. In addition to that, you will take food out of the mouths of hundreds of thousands of people with legitimate need. There are scammers out there for sure, but having spent time working at soup kitchens and shelters I can tell you for certain that there is a base group of the population that needs these services in order to continue living.
I appreciate your viewpoint, I don't disagree with it in theory, but you have completely taken the human impact out of it. Like it or not, we are our brothers' keepers. - allaboutdatiki, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2Rep. Jay Inslee is one of the good ones.
... at the Google Plug-in Conference earlier this month:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=B5A3182C10 ... - tbhurst, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2California did not put a moratorium on solar energy. Rather, the US government put a moratorium on solar energy projects on public lands.
- tbhurst, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2I appreciate your concern, but a feed-in tariff is not a tax.
- doctechnical, on 06/28/2008, -2/+4If all the other countries jumped of a cliff would you want the US to jump too?
"But everyone else is doing it!" was a stupid argument when I was five, it hasn't changed any since then. - greenlight2001, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2Big ding dong you got there.
- FaithclubDotNet, on 06/29/2008, -0/+2I think plug in hybrid cars will be popular within the next 5 years. I'm pretty sure that we'll need more solar or nuclear plants to supply the additional electric that will be used.
- frnzkfk, on 06/29/2008, -0/+2both actually...
the federalist wanted a stronger central government but they still distrusted it, hence the 10th amendment. In fact, federalism was seen as a way to stop factionalism (or in modern terms, keep out special interest) as Hamilton believed a larger republic would be less susceptible to desires which came at the expense of the majority. So considering the state of modern lobbying, none of the founders would be very trusting of our government. (read some of the federalist papers, they are quiet good) - kbro, on 06/29/2008, -0/+2Here is the money shot from the proposed legislation section 225:
‘‘(b) COSTSHARING.—Not later than 1 year after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall, in
consultation with State regulatory authorities and non-
regulated utilities, design a regional cost redistribution
mechanism that shall consist of a nonbypassable system
benefits charge payable by every end-use consumer of an
electric utility to the electric utility. Revenue from such
charge shall be transferred to a national renewable energy
corporation to be referred to as the ‘RenewCorps’ to be
established by such utilities and approved by the Commis-
sion for purposes of this section. The Commission shall
design a system benefits charge, determine the amount of
such charge, and establish a cost distribution mechanism
so as to achieve each of the following:
... - tehbored, on 06/29/2008, -0/+2Actually, electric cars would probably increase demand for clean electricity, so we should work on those first. Also, fossil fuel burning cars are worse than fossil fuel burning electrical plants.
- Pillard, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2Rookie! Shut up! Just shut up, you're driving me crazy!
- smacksaw, on 06/28/2008, -0/+1I think you're splitting hairs about fees, but just because it doesn't go to the gov't doesn't mean it isn't a tax of some sort. Even by the most basic definition of the word tax, I could make you do backbreaking labour and it's taxing.
- andy314159pi, on 06/28/2008, -4/+5Undermining faith in government has been the goal of right-wing propagandists for years.
- Waaaaalt, on 06/28/2008, -0/+1dugg for trilobite memories
- tehbored, on 06/29/2008, -0/+1It's true that current windmills aren't very good, but there are some up and coming vertical designs that are much more efficient.
- BurgerDST, on 06/29/2008, -0/+1I want one.
- TurdZilla, on 06/28/2008, -0/+1Anything that keeps us from kissing up to the middle east is all good. We seem to be willing to spend money on more oil research but not on research on getting us oil independent...
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