A monthly series aimed at educating the community about solar power will kickoff from 6-8 pm on Wednesday, November 28, at the Woods Memorial Branch Library, 3455 N. First Ave, Tucson, AZ 85719. U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords will present her new solar legislation, while a representative of Defenders of Wildlife will talk about global climate change and the need to develop alternative energy sources. Homeowners can also learn about the basics of financing and installing a residential solar energy system. The series will continue monthly through May 2008, with each workshop held at a different library branch. Topics will include information about solar energy technology, the economics of solar, the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar America Initiative, solar research at the University of Arizona and state regulations.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Solar America Initiative (Which is worth of a separate article)
The mission of the Solar America Initiative is to help lower the cost of solar electricity so that it is cost-competitive across all U.S. market sectors by 2015. The Solar America Initiative ensures domestic production of solar technologies. Decentralized energy supplies such as photovoltaics (PV), diversifies the nation's electricity portfolio, enhances grid reliability, and reduces the impact of a failure of the U.S. centralized electricity infrastructure. The Solar America Initiative also brings significant environmental gains and reduced water consumption by avoiding fossil fuel, nuclear, and natural gas generation.
By 2015, photovoltaics will:
- Provide 5-10 gigawatts of new electric capacity (enough to power 1-2 million homes) to the U.S. grid
- Avoid 10 million metric tons per year of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
- Employ 30,000 new workers in the PV industry.
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