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Sunshine in Berkeley

by ChrisCook Wed Nov 7th, 2007 at 07:52:09 AM EST

This story and clip from CBS concerns an interesting municipal initiative from that hot bed of California radicalism, Berkeley.

Berkeley Solar Utility

Berkeley municipality voted last night to initiate a programme of municipal (subsidised?) loans to Berkeley residents to finance the installation of solar panels.

But, the Devil's in the detail, and the Berkeley municipality Executive has now got to come up with a fully worked through proposal.

But the principle of charging not the individual, but the property - collecting repayments through an "assessment" in the same way as property taxes - is a good one.

The questions that need to be addressed include:

  • whether the claims of the solar panel salesmen stack up;
  • quality control of both panels and installation;
  • the requirement for smart metering;
  • the relationship with the utilities who would buy the surplus energy;
  • funding sources;
  • tax issues.

As one or two ET'ers may know, my view is that there may be a better way of doing it than funding with a conventional loan.

This would be to create an "Energy Pool" whereby investors can buy "Energy units" in a Pool of future solar production, and conventional dollars are loaned interest free by the Pool to residential properties  for installations of solar panels, or anything else that stacks up in terms of "energy payback" over time.

The resulting "Energy Loan" of x,000 KiloWatt/ Hours is then repaid via energy utility billing systems.

Investors receive no interest on these "Energy Units", but they are able to "hedge" against energy price rises, and they can either sell units or exchange them in due course for electricity.

The result is quite close to the increasingly popular "Exchange Traded Commodity" funds invested in energy, but with additional capabilities.

Indeed, it would open up the way for a new form of currency - an "Energy Dollar" or even a "Carbon Dollar" - consisting of a fixed unit of energy.

Kilowatt Cards show the possibilities for such an "Energy Currency", although that is a project by a charity which has yet to think through its enterprise model.

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Sunshine in Berkeley | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
Kilowatt Cards (4.00 / 3)
is actually a mindblowing concept - but the enterprise model is indeed not thought through (and I presume it is not an altruistic venture).

When people realise that 'money' has no value behind it (except the system of government, and a willingness of others to take part in this exchange of nothing) then they might look very kindly on another piece of paper that has a promise on it that looks more real. As a transporter of value it also looks more useful. When people think of money, they think of more money. When people think of electricity they can see the benefits immediately.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Wed Nov 7th, 2007 at 08:09:37 AM EST
Re: Kilowatt Cards (4.00 / 2)
I presume it is not an altruistic venture

Well, actually I think the problem it's having with its enterprise model is that it is an altruistic venture.

It is constituted as a "Not for Profit", and Robert Hahl, the social entrepreneur behind it, does not wish to contaminate it by too much interaction with the conventional system....

Naturally, I think that there may be a solution here which meets his aspirations for it, plus interesting possibilities on the marketing front.... ;-)

"The future is already here -- it's just not very evenly distributed" William Gibson

by ChrisCook (cojockathotmaildotcom) on Wed Nov 7th, 2007 at 08:20:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Kilowatt Cards (none / 1)
LOL. Yes, let's converse about that possibility in the usual way. I'm deadlining till Friday - but after that.

I am only idle now because I can't do any more till I get todays client's reaction. ;-)

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Wed Nov 7th, 2007 at 08:36:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Sunshine in Berkeley | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)


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