Think Out Loud on Solar

Think Out Loud on Solar

My favorite public broadcasting station here in Oregon, OPB is running a program today on its popular show, “Think Out Loud.”  The topic: solar energy in Oregon and whether its worth the investment.

Having just blogged on a similar topic this week, I decided to check out the OPB website and see whether I would participate by leaving a comment, or even calling in!  For those of you that don’t live on the West Coast, OPB is a National Public Radio member station.

You don’t have to live in Oregon to share your opinion!

Here’s an excerpt of what the online OPB piece, written by Bree Hocking, says:

It might seem like an oxymoron in the rainy Northwest, but when it comes to renewable resources solar is actually Oregon’s most abundant. But it’s also the most expensive — so expensive that Jeff King of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council says its difficult “to justify spending lots of money on solar built in the Northwest when it so obviously appears to be more suitable for the Southwest.” King asserts: “We’ve got much lower cost renewables available for development.”

Solar energy in Oregon?

Readers and listeners are encouraged to call in, or log in, to leave comments with their thoughts on a number of questions.  These include:

• Whether investment should be directed towards renewables other than solar (in my opinion, buying into the prejudicial thought that a relatively cloudy region cannot successfully rely on solar power);
• Whether solar power systems are geared towards the rich, since they are costly to install;
• Whether the investment pays for itself or is a waste of money (again, only considering financial investment, and not the greater good of the environment);
• Whether the State of Oregon should continue investing so heavily in solar companies (its a leading state in the nation, relying substantially on lottery funds)

Significant solar investments arguably hang in the balance, as the Oregon Legislature stands to consider a number of bills that may help boost solar energy production and use in the state.  Among other things, one proposed bill would establish a pilot program to force investor-owned utilities to buy back excess solar energy produced from new solar panels at a set price.

Want to join the debate on Think Out Loud, on solar?  Call 888-665-5TOL, or log in to the website to leave a response!

Tags: national public radio, OPB, public broadcasting, solar energy in oregon, think out loud