Obama's Stimulus Keeps the Solar Power Dream Alive for Start-ups
While BrightSource may have found a way to build its first plant without government backing, analysts say, the stimulus will certainly help. "The financing just wasn't there in this climate," says Brian Fan, director of research at the Cleantech Group, a San Francisco research firm. "But now, existing projects in the pipeline, especially renewable-generation projects that have good strong companies behind them like BrightSource, will be considered very favorably."
BrightSource execs recognize that they can't get ahead of themselves. They have yet to break ground at Ivanpah, and the plant, even if it goes up on schedule, won't begin operations until at least 2011. Still, as he leaves what he hopes will be the worst of the company's financial problems behind, Jenkins-Stark is willing to talk about solar energy's big dreams once again. "I think we have the ingredients to be the largest solar technology developer and owner of solar assets in the world," he says. "I've seen this movie before, but this time, it's real."
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Reader Comments
solar grants in PA vs AZ
Since there is 3 times the solar energy in AZ than PA it seems more stimulus money should be going to sunny states. I am in PA now and cannot believe all the huge solar panels that are going up here. I read that the payback is shorter in PA than AZ and find that hard to believe unless PA is much more subsidized. We winter in AZ and are amazed at the lack of solar there.How can I find out how many million is given to PA solar versus AZ solar?
Tax credit needed to make it work faster
Before LBJ was fooled into starting the Nam war, the US gave a tax credit to people like myself who bought shares in alternate energy companies. I invested in three solar panel companies. Then came the war and the subsidy ended. Investors sold out and the companies failed. I lost $6000 on the investments, but I saw it as an ethical investment. Many comments here are good, like mandating solar on all new and all public structures. Holland has a lot of enormous windmills offshore and I think we will have some here. The future looks good. There is a wonderful side effect. If people are working at jobs to create clean power, there won't be so many seeking work in war-connected "defense plants."
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