Solar Is Here

approved 12 June 2014  RESOLUTION NO. 2014.xx A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TEMPE, ARIZONA, COMMITTING TO THE  ESTABLISHMENT OF AND SUPPORT FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY GOALS FOR CITY BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES.             WHEREAS , the City of Tempe is committed to conserving the city’s resources; and WHEREAS , the City of Tempe has led by example through the installation of energy efficiency improvements in city buildings, facilities and energy-efficient streetlights to reduce energy use and save utility costs; and             WHEREAS , the City of Tempe desires to adopt a goal to provide a minimum of 20% of the municipal operations energy from renewable energy sources by 2025 , with a periodic evaluation for adjustment; and

29 May 2014 Good morning, Commissioners, In yesterday's ACC Workshop on Emerging Technologies, one of the presenters mentioned government subsidies for non-renewable energy sources. Commissioner Bob Burns said he was interested in learning more about these, and Brenda Burns echoed that sentiment. For those unfamiliar with fossil-fuel subsidies, the numbers can seem implausible at first. But both massive tax breaks and cash incentives have driven nearly all sectors of our economy for over a century. The attached DBL Investors report has some excellent graphs and charts depicting all US energy subsidies over their first 30 years. Its executive summary states, "the federal commitment to [oil and gas] was five times greater than the federal commitment to renewables during the first 15 years of each subsidies’ life, and it was more than 10 times greater for nuclear." What exactly are these fossil fuel subsidies? The OECD lists many of them in its compreh...

22 April 2014 Dear Representatives, I am an Arizona native, resident of Tempe, proud of our state sustaining its smart energy leadership on the national stage, and concerned about the broad implications of haphazardly altering a few words in very wisely crafted A.R.S. Sec. 12. of SB1301 , regarding A.R.S. Section 42-11054 C-2 and C-3(c) , is a poorly veiled attempt to eliminate 3rd-party solar installation leases from Arizona's renewable energy development. These leases (like car leases, mortgages and all other financing vehicles) have been the market-driven solution for the average Arizonan to be able to afford rooftop solar. Be aware: this proposed replacement of the term "on-site consumption" with "self-consumption" not only segregates rooftop solar customers by their choice in financing (read: income level), it sets a deleterious precedent of adjusting property values based on the property's (easily changed) owner, rather than any in...

21 April 2014   Link to Project Management presentation for ASU Nano PSM from Jamie Kern

06 February 2014 Click Read More below for transcript.

05 February 2014 Dear commissioners, Policy certainty is key to sound development in all arenas, particularly in energy development. Bonbright's Principles of Public Utility Rates (1961) notes that the key revenue-related attribute to rate-making is "stability and predictability of the rates themselves, with a minimum of unexpected changes seriously adverse to ratepayers and with a sense of historical continuity." It also mentions the key practical-related attributes of "understandability, public acceptability, and feasibility of application" and "freedom from controversies as to proper interpretation". Historically, hasty decisions have resulted in more regret, shortsightedness and net loss to all parties than well-deliberated ones. In this vein, I urge you all to avoid altering the current REST plan , avoid providing any waivers to the current or future DG carve-outs for regulated utilities, and - in general - avoid the imme...