By nunya/ politickybitch / June 20, 2011
Me visiting a photovoltaic array [above photo] many years ago. Granted, photovoltaic collectors as a source of electricity were notoriously inefficient at that time, but hot water systems were efficient, and that was my training. And that didn’t turn out so well:
People ask me why I’m so angry all the time?
“…I trained 23 28 years ago to install solar powered domestic hot water systems. I never worked in the field because the bottom fell out of the market when Reagan yanked the tax breaks on solar powered systems. I live in a country run by fucking idiots, anybody who’s paying attention is pissed, I don’t know why people ask me why I’m pissed….”
I knew the Sunrise Powerlink was not the pretty picture that SDG&E painted because of my very limited experience with photovolatics and my suspicion of SDG&E’s PR campaign. I tried to ask the guy manning the Del Mar Fair booth in 2005 if he knew specifics about the green energy PR that was splashed about the booth and dude didn’t have a fucking clue. I knew more from the trip to the photovoltaic array in 1983.
And believe me, SDG&E wants nothing to do with the efficiency of the new cells because they can’t make money on them. You could save money investing in them now, and tell the Kochs to fuck off and die, even though they don’t have anything to do with my local power company, they still have to fuck around in my state’s politics, and probably yours too.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Even though a few of the points Nunya makes are true: the article is horrible and doesn’t offer any solution to a climate change problem that needs addressing, not bitching.
Yes – Reagan did yank away solar thermal incentives and the Sunrise Powerlink is more of a PR campaign rather than a honest attempt to lower emissions.
BUT – come on Nunya – what is the point of bitching like this and jaunting out the F- bomb every other line? This is not going to get anything accomplished besides cheapen the readers knowledge and reduce any trust the sustainability sector has gained here in San Diego. There is far too much action, advocacy, and green movement here in San Diego and CA in all to gripe about your personal feelings towards an IOU.
What are you doing to change the system as is? Do you offer any solutions?
You hurt, not help my cause.
Onwards,
An OB dude working everyday to educated San Diegans on sustainability issues. email me at swcshift@gmail if you’d like to follow up.
Hi Steve, welcome to our site. Just so you know, we reposted nunya’s article from her own blog and provided a link to it: politickybitch. We reposted it because we support her efforts at self-expression. She can use the “f-bomb” as much or as often as she likes as it’s her blog. She did not write this for us. Her post was a rant about a very serious issue, solar power, and did provide a link to VOSD’s very good article about SDG&E’s inability to carry out its initial promises.
That being said, just what “cause” of yours did she hurt? At least she’s out there bringing attention to the issue to her own readers and friends and supporters.
My “cause”:
I work here in San Diego for a non-profit. My job is to educate Architects, Engineers, Contractors, Facility Managers, Policy Crafters, Business Owners, and of course…Residents on the benefits, both social and economic, of implementing sustainable technologies/services (sorry for the run-on).
I am more frustrated than most when it comes to the masses nonacceptance of climate change and the reluctance to implement the solutions to the Global Warming Solutions Act (2006)…But, as I mentioned, rather than ranting on a blog, we need to offer tangible paths towards success (clean air & clean water).
I appreciate everyone’s views and the right to self-express (I am fucking ticked off too)…
Please check out http://rebuildthedream.com/
I will be inviting people to my home soon so we can have some food/beers and discuss how to inflict change. I live in OB and know there are enough people in OB who live there for the same reasons I do – we are pissed at the outside world of suburbs and television. Sorry for my rant, and although I did not offer any solutions I spoke of, I will.
Shift
educate*
It’s true Steve, it’s just a blog rant and I was rather shocked to see it here. I am sorry to offend your sensibilities, as I usually comment a bit more respectfully here, but the f-bombs do drop occasionally.
I had great hopes for solar energy almost 30 years ago, then it felt like the rug got pulled out from under my feet (due to Reaganomics) and even later I took business classes and found out how the world really works.
And ps, the name of my blog IS politickybitch, and yes I do bitch there a lot.
Thanks nunya for allowing us to re-post. I like it. Raw, from the gut, historical. Plus, I had a good friend just like you who thought the future back in the 70’s contained solar power and lots of it, so he too trained in the field …. and like you – nothing. He then moved to the Bay Area and became a construction contractor.
Thanks Frank :)
Steve,
thanks for the link :)