*Texans are supposed to "economize" with fossil fuel – including those storms that wrecked Galveston, and extreme droughts that parch the heart of Texas? We Texans need to knock it off with the carbon, or there's not gonna be anything left to "economize"
about.
*I've been paying "extra" for clean energy since 2000 AD. Now rank that with what I've paid for an oil war. Carbon Ponzi!
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/03/06/0306solar.html
Austin signs up for $250 million solar project
Webberville-area project would be among world's largest but also comes with cost questions.
By Marty Toohey
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, March 06, 2009
The Austin City Council approved a $250 million solar array Thursday that will be among the largest in the world. ((So what's my share? Two hundred and fifty bucks? You can have my "stimulus money." Bill me.)))
The council gave a unanimous thumbs up to a private company's proposal to build and operate a 300-acre solar array on land near Webberville, east of Austin, and sell the power to Austin. The array is scheduled to be operating by the end of 2010.
Advocates said the project will help make Austin more eco-friendly and position the city among the nation's leaders in the solar-power industry, possibly attracting employers.
But critics said the project is too costly, particularly in a sliding economy.
Partly to address those concerns, the council decided it will sell the array's power to Austin customers who volunteer to buy it, instead of increasing every customer's bill.
But that plan requires customers willing to pay significantly higher monthly bills, though the amount is not known.
If too few customers sign up to use all of the electricity, the leftover will be added to everyone's bills, said Roger Duncan, head of Austin Energy, the city's electric utility.
A similar "Green Choice" offering started in January. It offers wind power at a rate two to three times as high as the standard price of Austin electricity.
That program has sold about 1 percent of its available energy so far....
(((In other Austin economic news, Austin now cluttered with unemployed chip-fab guys. I hate to think what THAT is costing us.)))
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/03/06/0306work.html
