perspective
SOLAR 2010: Join us in Phoenix
SOLAR TODA Y®
Leading the RenewabLe eneRgy RevoLution
soLaRtoday.oRg
The ASES National Solar Conference has repercussions for
security, independence and competitiveness. by BRAd COLLinS
For 56 years, the American Solar Energy Society
(ASES) has been an
effective educational
resource for professionals, decision makers and the public.
Our mission — to
help lead the transition to a sustainable
energy economy — is
founded in and driven
by education.
A key element in
our education campaign, for nearly four decades, has been the ASES
National Solar Conference — our annual professional education event. Our most significant educational outreach programs have often sprung
from the annual conference.
In 2002, the ASES conference went to Reno,
Nev. As usual, the Assistant Secretary of Energy for
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, David
Garmin, met with the ASES Board, and that’s
how we learned that in the new federal budget,
research funding for concentrating solar power
(CSP) would be “zeroed out.” A few weeks later,
a group of us continued the conversation in his
office and petitioned the department to review the
data, which showed that CSP is cost effective in
every study — except the one cited by the Office
of Management and Budget. We persuaded the
administration to restore the CSP budget.
In 2005, ASES, the International Solar Energy Society and many additional partners hosted
the Solar World Congress in Orlando, Fla., with
the theme of “Bringing Water to the World.”
We addressed the interplay between water and
energy issues around the world. This event reestablished our drive toward technology transfer
to help solve some of the most intractable energy
problems for the developing world.
One of the landmark works of the past decade
is Tackling Climate Change in the U.S.: Potential Carbon Emissions Reductions from Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy by 2030 (see
ases.org/climatechange). This work, written
Brad Collins is the
executive director
of the American
Solar Energy
Society ( ases.org).
by nine SOLAR 2006 Conference authors and
edited by Chuck Kutscher, demonstrated that
energy efficiency, along with six forms of existing renewable energy, can displace 100 percent
of midcentury carbon emission increases. Stabilizing the climate thus becomes a realistic and
achievable goal.
A highlight of SOLAR 2007 was the presentation of the first significant national data on the
green economy — Renewable Energy and Energy
Efficiency: Economic Drivers for the 21st Century
(see ases.org/greenjobs). These data showed that
in 2006, 8. 5 million Americans were employed in
the renewable energy/energy-efficiency industry, generating $970 billion in revenue and $150
billion in federal, state and local taxes. We demonstrated that deployment of new energy technologies not only mitigates carbon emissions,
but also generates jobs, profits and tax revenues,
at a level greater than those of Wal-Mart, Exxon-Mobile and GM combined!
Our educational efforts in 2008 focused on
encouraging a new administration to adopt constructive policies. Our recommendations for the
111th Congress targeted seven areas: carbon;
building energy efficiency and renewable energy; renewable electricity; transportation; the
smart grid and green transmission; the green
economy and workforce development; and federal leadership. ASES’ Policy Recommendations
for the 111th Congress: Tackling Climate Change
and Creating a Green Energy Economy has been
delivered to every member of Congress (see
ases.org/policy2009).
In 2009, ASES asked the question, how many
new net jobs would be created if the nation were
to implement the recommendations in Tackling
Climate Change We learned that, by 2020, some
4. 4 million new net jobs would be created.
This December and January, we’ve been
reviewing presentations for SOLAR 2010 in
Phoenix, May 17-22. The topics are better than
ever, and once again, the ASES National Solar
Conference ( solar2010.org) will be the best professional education conference anywhere. ST
Brad Collins: Executive Director/Publisher
publisher@solartoday.org
Editorial
Gina R. Johnson: Editor/Associate Publisher
editor@solartoday.org
Seth Masia: Deputy Editor
Corey Dahl: Managing Editor
Dona McClain: Sales Coordinator/Editorial Assistant
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Brooke Simmons: Manager of Online Publishing
Design
Allison J. Gray: Art Director
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Contributors
Charlie Angelo, Richard Crume, Rona Fried, Chuck Kutscher,
Liz Merry, Mick Sagrillo, Ken Sheinkopf, Robert Ukeiley
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Magazine Advisory Council
Paul Notari, Co-chair
Ken Sheinkopf, Co-chair
Richard Crume Alejandro Palomino
Frank Kreith Mick Sagrillo
Chuck Kutscher Robert Ukeiley
Gabriela Martin Jane M. Weissman
Joseph McCabe
ASES Operations
Irene Pérez Law: Chief Operating Officer
Becky Campbell-Howe: Director of Professional Education
Carolyn Beach: Membership Manager
Richard Burns: National Solar Tour Manager/
Chapters Liaison
Kristin Conrad: Web Development Manager
Chris Stimpson: Executive Campaigner
Solar Nation, a program of ASES
Kate Hotchkiss: Program Manager
Elena Hoffrichter: Receptionist/Bookkeeper
Ann Huggins: Member Services
ASES Board of Directors
Margot McDonald, Chair
Jeff Lyng, Chair-elect
Bill Poulin, Treasurer
Paulette Middleton, Secretary
John Reynolds, Immediate Past Chair
Toni Bouchard Jason Keyes
Richard Caputo Nathan Mitten
David Comis Victor Olgyay
Gregory Edwards Nathalie Osborn
Trudy Forsyth Jeff Peterson
Allison Gray Mark Thornbloom
David Hill
SOLAR TODAy (ISSN: 1042-0630) is published nine times
per year by the American Solar Energy Society, 2400 Central
Avenue, Suite A, Boulder, Colorado 80301-2843, 303.443.3130,
FAX 303.443.3212, ases@ases.org, ases.org.
Copyright © 2010 by the American Solar Energy
Society Inc. All rights reserved.
10 March 2010 SOLAR TODAY solartoday.org
Copyright © 2010 by the American Solar Energy Society Inc. All rights reserved.
