an I Heart PV letterwriting party

11 Questions is an ongoing feature where you, the reader, tell us all about a project you are working on to create a more functional, just, and beautiful future. Then we share your project on The Sunny Way. To tell us about your project, either fill out the survey, or copy the questions below and email your answers to us. We look forward to featuring your good work soon!

What are you creating with this project? What are your goals?
I Heart PV aims to make New York the solar power (photovoltaics) capital of the East Coast. The way we’ll get there is by implementing long term, focused policies that create financial incentives for solar adoption until the technology can compete with fossil fuels on cost. The experiences of other places that have implemented aggressive solar incentive programs—such as Germany, Japan, California and New Jersey—has been a more rapid decline in costs as a result of local industrial evolution and increased competition. We need to move New York onto a similar track.

Solar advocacy has existed in New York State, but nothing that has effectively engaged a large number of voters in the action. I Heart PV will continue to act on this end of things: educating and mobilizing constituents to deliver feedback in support of pro-solar policies to relevant elected state officials.

How did you get started?
The idea was hatched in the summer of 2007, but the program didn’t get up and running until last spring during the 2008 New York State legislative session. We worked as part of a large coalition of other groups to push forward legislation to improve New York State’s existing net metering law—the arrangement that allows a solar owner to ‘sell back’ excess electricity to the utility—and a separate bill to create a special property tax abatement for New York City solar system owners.

We ran teach ins, visited with downstate legislators and even took to the streets in key districts where we engaged constituents at different public events with educational material.
What’s the current state of your project?
Right now we are working to get legislation introduced in the state legislature that would mandate the creation of an Empire State Solar Initiative (ESSI). This would be a ten-year financial incentive program for New York that would aim to add 2000 megawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity to the state’s peak electricity supply—that would be a 100-fold increase over today’s level—and drive down the cost of the technology so that it becomes cost competitive with conventional electricity over that time frame. The policy would be modeled after programs initiated in other states, such as California.

What’s your next milestone? How are you getting there?
The next milestone would be the introduction of ESSI legislation during the current session. This is a big deal and a steep hill to climb given the relatively limited awareness that the legislature has of such policies and their effectiveness. So there is a big knowledge gap among our local leaders that needs to be addressed. Introduction of legislation in both the senate and assembly would signal the arrival of the idea on the agenda. Getting it through the committee stage and to a general vote will be even more difficult and the only way that is going to happen is if enough New Yorkers
give supportive feedback for the initiative in the form of letters, phone calls and visits.

On a more operational level, getting an effective website up and running is a top priority. Given our limited resources we depend on the creativity and skill of volunteers and in house staff to generate content and tools that will help aid the campaign’s core goals. The site will be up and running by mid-March. We can’t wait, it’s been a long time coming.

Is this an individual or a team project? How did you assemble your team? How do you work together? Do you work with other organizations?
While I’m the only Solar One staff member working full time on I Heart PV, this is definitely a team project. I’ve got a corpes of great, completely dedicated volunteers who are helping out with every phase of this project and I also partner with other organizations who are working on the issue in different ways, including Vote Solar, the New York Solar Energy Industry Association, the Solar Alliance, ACE New York and others.

Why are you doing this? Why is this project important to you? How does it fit into the big picture?
I just see so much potential in photovoltaics in the long term to address so many of our most chronic and serious energy problems, and I realize that we are at a critical point right now in the technology’s development. Solar is more expensive than conventional electricity, and that’s the most important limiting factor right now. The good news is that that cost is declining as a result of innovation and industrial growth. We need to galvanize the local market to spur growth—that will both drive down costs and also attract solar industry to the Empire State.

I am also just as enthralled with my own native state and its history as I am with solar technology. I think that the state that has arguably unleashed more energy Firsts into the world than any other—including the modern electricity system!—has a kind of cultural advantage when it comes to embracing and leading on renewable energy innovation. Almost two hundred years ago New York cemented its global leadership status by digging the Erie Canal. With that we reached into the future and pulled out our own prosperity—and we did it on a scale that had never been seen before in the face of stiff opposition and doubt from all sides. We’ve been innovating ever since and that kind of exceptionalism is still with us—or at least that’s what I would like to think. We need to conjure that same spirit today and begin to pioneer the expansion of solar power in a big way.

Describe how readers can contribute to or participate in your project
First, they can find out who their state senators and state assembly members are (try here: http://nymap.elections.state.ny.us/nysboe/), and then call, write and visit them to express support for the creation of an Empire State Solar Initiative. This would be a 10-year financial incentive program for New York that would increase solar capacity in the state 100-fold (2000 MW), and drive the market cost of the technology down to a point where it is cost competitive with conventional electricity without the presence of such incentives. If other states like California and New Jersey can do it, why can’t New York? We should absolutely not except mediocrity.

Another way to help is by hosting an I Heart PV presentation or special event in your community. The campaign holds teach-ins and special letter-writing parties all over the city and is always looking for new venues. If you think you might be in a position to help out in this way please contact me directly and let me know.

How can The Sunny Way support your activities?
We always need help promoting our activities and notifying individuals when critical feedback moments arise during the session. We’ll be sure to pass this information along to you so that word gets out to your readership!