August 19, 2008
San Francisco, CA
Celebrating Energy Independence
In honor of Independence Day, why not celebrate energy independence? That’s the idea behind Chris Beekhuis first annual event to get more people talking about solar energy. Since Beekhuis installed solar panels, his household has not had to pay an electricity bill. “In fact, we have generated more energy than we can use, so we have a credit that we don’t get,” said Beekhuis, founder of Fat Spaniel Technologies.
Normally, when solar panels generate electricity for the grid instead of remove it, they are given a credit to use at a later time when they do need electricity. But if a household or business generates more electricity than it can use in a year overall, the credits will not be used. Beekhuis is not allowed to sell the credits, therefore, he decided to offer the extra energy to his friends and neighbors. Guests brought their cell phones, iPods and laptops to get a free charge. The Electric Vehicle Association even drove several vehicles to “fill up” on solar energy. “We have to save the world one mile at a time. With all the global changes, wars, the climate, we really have to wean ourselves off of gasoline and petroleum,” said Kim Rogers, member of the Electric Auto Association, Silicon Valley Chapter. “We’ve all been through brown outs and black out and everybody would like to do their part to avoid them,” said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. The city is working on numerous efforts to make it easier for residents and businesses to install solar panels. San Jose hopes to become the solar capital of the nation. |
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