groSolar

Burlington Free Press
Opinion Editorial
Published Wednesday, January 10, 2007

By Jeff Wolfe

What a thrill it was to read the recent comments of incoming Senate President Pro Tempore Peter Shumlin about climate change and the leading role Vermont can play in dealing with this crisis that faces us all.

Shumlin has put the lie to the nagging sensation many of us feel about whether or not there is anything we Vermonters can do about climate change. Shumlin's answer -- and he is right -- is a clear yes.

The senator has declared that the first two weeks of the Vermont Senate's time and agenda will be spent hearing testimony about global warming, our state's energy policy and what we can do to create a cleaner, more secure future for ourselves. This future would not be tied to the uncertainties of foreign oil suppliers and the fluctuating price of energy. And it would not pollute our children's future or mortgage their financial security in foreign wars. If nothing else, Shumlin's comments have elevated global warming to the top of the legislative agenda, a priority that has eluded other statewide political leaders. While Gov. Douglas has pushed some admirable steps on climate change, there is far more Vermonters can do to lead the country out of its current disastrous energy policy and actually help reverse global warming. Much is at stake. Of course, our ski and maple sugar industries are threatened. But beyond that, our very survival is the issue. A mere one degree increase in global temperatures will have untold consequences on our way of life globally. My company has grown from our living room to one of the largest solar energy companies in the United States and Canada. With more than $24 million in sales in 2006, 45 employees and 100 percent growth each of the last five years, we are just one example of the kind of company that can help transform our economy.

There are myriad proposals the Vermont General Assembly could take up in January on climate change and energy. Here is a short list.

January 10, 2007
1. Expand the existing "net metering" law, that encourages Vermonters to make their own power. This policy allows citizens to produce their own power and sell any excess back to the local
utility. But the Public Service Board has failed to follow through on the Legislature's urgings to date. A specific net metering expansion law from the Legislature would expand Vermonters' ability to produce their own clean, economical power.
2. Fund the development of renewable energy and weatherization programs in Vermont. This can be done through a variety of tax credits and incentives aimed at cutting the cost of installing solar and other renewable energy systems and expanding the current weatherization programs. For example, raising the tax on wholesale heating oil to 6 percent would generate about $70 million, which could be used to pay for weatherization of homes and businesses.
3. Provide a tax credit for residential and commercial solar energy systems. A statewide property tax exemption for all solar energy installations would help drive the market for clean energy. There are scores of other ideas that would reward the users, installers and developers of a new renewable energy economy to replace the one which now binds us to a politically volatile Middle East and a costly dependence on foreign oil. Many are simple, such as requiring new
subdivisions to face their houses within 15 degrees of south to allow for passive solar heating. This would reduce heating costs a dramatic 20 to 30 percent. Let's also consider requiring newly constructed homes to increase the amount of insulation in the walls to R-30 and the roofs to be R-50.

There is a dynamic and growing renewable energy industry in Vermont with the experts to help
Shumlin and his committees navigate this policy landscape and come up with the affordable
proposals that can secure our financial and environmental futures.

We in the industry are ready and waiting for his call to help. Nothing less than the future of
Vermont and the planet depend on the outcome of the upcoming policy discussion.
Jeff Wolfe is CEO of groSolar, a solar energy company based in White River Junction. He lives in Strafford.