In the past two weeks, thousands of emails liberated from the computer systems of East Anglia University have begun to throw cold water on global warming claims. That has done nothing, however, to dampen enthusiasm for green projects in my hometown of Andover, MA.
The lead story in the December 3 Andover Townsman, “Solar Power Heats Up,” is illustrative of the kind of cheerleading that substitutes for journalism in anything relating to green. The article starts with the story of Girish Rao, an Andover resident who installed solar panels on his home in 2006. Mr. Rao is a member of the town’s Green Advisory Board. He gushes enthusiastically about the promise of solar, but details of his installation are few.
Luckily, a number of other articles have been written about Mr. Rao’s solar installation that do provide some figures. An article that appeared in the Eagle Tribune in 2008, reported that the solar array cost an impressive $21,000. It also says the Rao family is enjoying a reduction of $600 per year in oil, and other benefits, such as being able to sell energy back to the grid in the summer time. Sadly the amount he is earning on this is not reported, nor is it possible to understand the real impact of the solar panels on his energy costs as we don’t know what the baseline was. However, the Eagle Tribune article does state that “State and federal tax credits and other incentives made it worthwhile, with a payback period of about 10 years.”
Ah, state and federal tax credits. This becomes a theme in the Townsman article, as we find out that the wonders of solar power are fueled not so much by their fantastic benefits as state and federal tax credits.
Paragraph three begins: “Thanks in large part to government grants, solar panels are popping up on Andover homes, schools and businesses, including two of Andover’s largest offices.” One of these, ironically, is the IRS. The other, Raytheon, had its solar power “partially paid for by a grant from Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s Renewable Energy Trust.” (Yeah, Raytheon really needed that grant…after all, they only had $6.2 billion in net sales in the 3rd quarter of this year, barely squeaking by.)
Paragraph four finds that “Statewide, a $68 million fund to provide rebates to businesses and homeowners who install solar-powered systems was depleted this fall, less than two years into the program.” Thankfully, “state officials are scrambling” to get yet more taxpayer money for this program. Look at those bureaucrats go!
More great news! In 2010, ten solar panels will be installed on the roof of Doherty Middle School, thanks to a $27,000 in Clean Energy Choice Grant money (“where electricity consumers chose to pay a little extra on their bill to fund sustainable programs” – good for them!) Now, it’s unclear if this was the full cost of the panels, their installation, maintenance and of course the cost of paying a grant writer to write the application. But let’s not quibble about costs—there are exciting educational benefits ahead!
“The real benefit of these is not the money savings, but the educational value they provide,” said Joe Piantedosi, director of Andover’s Plant and Facilities Department. Check this out: the solar panels include weather gauges, which will be used in the 7th and 8th grade science curriculum. So like a really cool thermometer and maybe a little plastic cup to catch the rain. Wow!
The School’s ten solar panels “will produce a total of 2,000 watts of power, saving roughly $400 per year on utility costs.” Hmmm…for some reason they left out the school’s overall utility costs, so we have no way of calculating exactly what kind of reduction that is in the school’s overall budget. But based on the size of the school, and its many drafty windows and other inefficiencies, I’ll go out on a limb and estimate the average monthly cost of electricity is at least quadruple that (I’m being conservative, because as you know, I’m conservative). So like a 2% savings every year!
Just one more delicious irony in this article, and then I’m off to run some hot water and maybe flush toxic waste down my kitchen sink: “This spring, a lecture series on renewable energy was held in Andover houses of worship.” How appropriate that we would choose a religious setting. Gang Green is clearly more interested in the spiritual and educational benefits of ‘renewable’ energy than the economic ones. The only thing that seems to be renewable here is the eternal quest for more green from my pocket.
