[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Bernadette Del Chiaro of Environment Californiawith Assemblymember Jared Huffman, and Don Miller of Conergy, a local installer and manufacturer of solar water heating systems in April promoting AB 1470, the Solar Hot Water and Efficiency Act of 2007, which just became law

By Frank D. Russo

Yesterday, Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law the Solar Water Heating and Efficiency Act of 2007, AB 1470 by Assemblymember Jared Huffman, which provides incentives to attain the goal of installing 200,000 solar water heating systems in the state by 2017.

This represents another giant step, in addition to AB 1, Million Solar Roofs bill passed last year, toward bringing about a mainstream solar power market in California. The bill would launch the nation’s largest solar water heating program, creating a $250 million fund to provide rebates to homeowners and businesses who invest in solar water heating technologies. Hopefully was we go, so will the nation.

“Harnessing the sun to meet our daily energy needs is a no-brainer, especially in California,"said Bernadette Del Chiaro, Clean Energy Advocate for Environment California and sponsor of the bill. “Solar water heating is another way we can make California the Saudi Arabia of the sun.”

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

It's sad to watch the lengths at which right-wing blowhards like Republicans Assemblymen Doug LaMalfa and Chuck DeVore lecture the legislature about the benefits of nuclear power, big hydro, and other dirty technologies. Today when the chips were down on legislation authored by Marin County Democratic Assemblymember Jared Huffman to promote solar water heaters, LaMalfa and his likely GOP Senate primary foe Rick Keene tried to outdo each other in attacking solar power.
 
Keene suggested that California families didn't need any financial help to afford solar water heaters. Keene, who as chief Republican henchman on the Assembly Budget Committee last year (since dumped) routinely slashed funding for California's most vulnerable citizens, shed crocodile tears about how low and middle-income families would have to pay more on their energy bills to help pay for the solar program. It didn't take long for LaMalfa to pop up after Keene spoke (which has become fairly routine these days), and babble about the need for more hydro plants and nuclear plants. Fortunately the bill passed overwhelmingly.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

New Report Shows How Solar Water Heating Can Cut Natural Gas Imports, Fight Global Warming and Save Consumers Money

Bernadette Del Chiaro with Assemblymember Jared Huffman, and Don Miller of Conergy, a local installer and manufacturer of solar water heating systems

By Bernadette Del Chiaro
Environment California

A coalition of policy makers, environmental groups and businesses launched a campaign today to expand California’s solar power market to include solar water heating, a rooftop technology that captures sunlight to reduce fossil fuel use in homes and businesses. The group gathered at the State Capitol to release a new report by Environment California Research & Policy Center quantifying the benefits solar water heating can bring to California and to call for passage of The Solar Hot Water and Efficiency Act of 2007 (AB 1470), authored by Assemblymember Jared Huffman and sponsored by Environment California.