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Friday, November 4, 2011

Solar Summit report sees bright future

By Jim Hills, SCC Blog

  • What if the state of Washington, the entire state, could be carbon neutral less than 20 years from today?
  • What if all the planning needed to attain this lofty goal were already done, sitting on shelves across the state?
  • What’s stopping us from doing it?

Nothing.

Those are just some of the startling points made in a new report coming from the Clean Energy Technology Program at Shoreline Community College.

The report, “Washington Sunrise 2030,” will be unveiled Nov. 7-8, 2011, at the 13th Northwest Solar Summit, hosted at the Puget Sound Energy Auditorium, in Bellevue, Wash.
“Every power agency in the state, from Seattle City Light to the Bonneville Power Administration, is required to plan for the future, but no one had looked at all those plans in one place,” said Mike Nelson, director of Shoreline’s Clean Energy Technology Program. “Washington Sunrise 2030 reviews the plans that are in place, their targets and implications. The results are surprising.”
Some of those surprises, Nelson said, include:

  • Washington can be carbon neutral by 2030.
  • The 2030 Challenge as established by the American Institute of Architects, is more than a good idea, achieving it is the law in Washington.
  • The 2030 Challenge can be extended to include transportation
  • There is enough existing power generation to electrify 70 percent of transportation needs
  • The planning to reach these goals is already done

Washington’s annual solar summit brings together 200 to 300 of the most influential energy officials in the region from solar manufacturers, utilities, government leaders, builders, electricians, architects, environmentalists and educators. Along with PSE, other Summit sponsors include Shoreline Community College, Silicon Energy and Johnson Braund, Inc.

Highlighted speakers include U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and Denis Hayes, President and CEO of the Bullitt Foundation.

Additional speakers include Shoreline’s Nelson, energy author Paul Gipe, EnXco solar innovation manager Christopher Dymond, Petra Solar’s Sam Vanderhoof, Ecotality regional manager Richard Feldman, King County DOT manager Ron Postama, Mithun Architects principal Burt Gregory, 2030 District Committee member Court Olson, Seattle AIA representative Stephanie Pure, BPA director of innovation Terry Oliver, NW Energy Coalition policy director Nancy Hirsh, Energy Solutions’ Ellen Lamiman - Developer of the first two community projects

Washington Solar Incentives, Inc. principal Rick Landers, Seattle City Light Green Energy Programs manager Jack Brautigam, Puget Sound Solar’s Jeremy Smithson, Power Trip Energy’s Jeff Randell, Sunergy Systems’ Howard Lamb, Silicon Energy princpal Gary Shaver and Shoreline Community College Workforce Dean David Cunningham.

Among the Summit’s panels will be a discussion by companies doing 100 megawatt solar energy systems, community solar developers and residential solar. A separate panel on electrification of transport will includes car dealers, solar carport installers and transportation planners.

The conference will set an action agenda for the state with real-world goals to move communities, governments and utilities toward a fully renewable energy base in both the built environment and transportation.

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