What are the Barriers to Distributed Renewable Energy?

phil----------" fred linn, your suggestion is that desert ecosystems have little or no value."-----------

That is a widely held belief Phil-------but it is not mine, I assure you.

However, without irrigation, much of the food production of this country that takes place in California's central valley would not be possible. It's a desert.

I like the desert---I have spent a great deal of time in the desert.

fred linn, your suggestion is that desert ecosystems have little or no value. Not so. BUT- IMO, the idea of using solar power for water pumping may have great merit in many societal systems. Consider the vulnerability of the grid to storms and terrorist effects, while also the need for a secure water supply when the grid can fail. Many cities and towns would benefit from investment in solar energy provided public water pumping for the security and durability it offers, while offering a stabil investment over time, with excess power sold to grids providing offsets of operating costs.

Where there is water, there is life. Where water becomes available, deserts bloom. Where there is water, life can flourish.

Solar power can move water. Wind power can move water.

Use wind and solar power to move water to the deserts.

People and life will flourish.

The challenge is for regulators to provide an incentive to local utilities to embrace distributed generation.

I consider that the greatest barrier is capitalism & presence of banking & financial sector. After all the real resources are man, nature, science & technology - but in capitalism initial outlay & quick profit is the motto; hence ecology is sacrificed. Scientist & technologists also has become wage-slaves to serve their masters. In a different setup where money is not the prime factor, society by the demand of majority would have diverted the brilliant brain of scientist & technologist to research & development of renewable energy. Harnessing the solar power in Sahara & Gobi desert can be more than sufficient for the whole human race. But it wont be done as there is no quick buck in such good work. So let the world suffer, we must pocket the profit quick in time is the only motto!g

Exsisting technologies reflect the origins of conservation. Capitalism having built upon infrastructure that requires desemination of energy for focused financial (Profit)returns,has resulted in the greatest barrrier. Profit sharing from centralized power, is unacceptable to the business model. The decentralized power model spreads the wealth to the consumer, killing the $ source of capital gains.

Memo from the International Corporation’s High Command: It is imperative that we nip this distributed power generation idea in the bud. We cannot have individuals and communities generating their own power. The lost revenue for us and the lost taxes for our friends in Washington cannot be tolerated. This might lead to individuals and communities growing their food and that would lead to total capitalistic blasphemy. Heil Corporate!

I am wondering why you assume that 'FIT's are the only viable distributed energy production incentive program. SRECs have shown, in the eastern states that have maintained reasonable allowance and desire for solar energy to continue, that they will provide great incentive with minimum of political tampering when official parties change political alliance over time. SRECs offer a higher incentive in the begining when solar use is small and 'burn-tec' methods make most of the power and automatically adjust over time as solar saturates provision. Yet, it has proven that no system owner reasonably allows their individual production, per-force, to falter. It becomes a natural market driven and distributed economic incentive, that may also work with community project development. SRECs reflect a more well balanced realization of balancing deferred current waste (pollution) dumping costs.

Here in Washington State, we have been working for some time to develop legal structures that allow capture of state incentives for community solar, federal incentives for renewables, while minimizing costs for meeting securities laws. It takes some imagination but it is possible.

Good post and Video. The trouble with many community based projects(Energy is no exception) in developing countries is CO-OPERATION means MORE COOING AND LESS OPERATION !
Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP),India
E-mail: anumakonda.jagadeesh@gmail.com