It all started with a phone call that started, “Did you know
John Bradford (my state representative,) is in the pocket of Big Solar?” At that point, I reflexively clicked off like
I do with all robocalls. A little later, I started thinking about this. What
the heck is “Big Solar?”
For the past couple weeks, I have been getting multiple calls every
day from organizations with names like Americans for Responsible Energy Choices
(I made that one up, but they all have warm and fuzzy names like that.) These calls claim that solar energy is
either a big boondoggle or essential to the future of America. I get calls telling me that I can get solar
panels on my roof (I live in a condo) and that Duke Energy will pay part of the cost and then
I can sell surplus energy to Duke to help pay for the rest. That would be
unlikely since my electric company is Energy United, a co-op.
Now I’m putting it all together. The NC state legislature is
ending its short session and on the table are hydraulic fracturing in NC,
offshore drilling and debating the end of tax credits for solar energy in NC.
Even my friends in the solar panel business admit that solar is not cost effective
without government subsidies, and with the reduced cost of oil and gas as a
result of fracking in the US, it will not be cost effective in the foreseeable
future.
I now I understand the BIG. This past week Jim Rogers, the former
CEO of Duke Energy said in a speech that the solar energy subsidies are
essential to NC businesses. (I wonder what’s in his portfolio.) And, yesterday
the Charlotte Business Journal reported that Google, Apple and Amazon have “warned”
the legislature against ending the tax credits. Those three are among a dozen
or so companies that have large data centers with massive solar arrays in
Western NC.
Millions of dollars are at stake and millions are being
spent in lobbying. Big Solar wants tax credits for the politically correct
solar energy AND they want to stop fracking because cheap oil and gas makes
solar energy even less cost effective.
In my humble opinion, cheap and abundant energy is essential
to get NC and America growing again. Hydraulic fracturing and the proposed gas
pipeline can provide that. Solar energy can be a good idea if and when it can
compete. If we are going to invest in solar, let it be in the form of research
grants to universities to develop solar collectors that are inexpensive to
produce and don’t degrade over the years.
