Tag Archives: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

Posted on by

State of the Solar Union

Who to Look For at the SOTU


When the camera moves across the gallery during tonight’s State of the Union, keep an eye out for two Arizona leaders in clean, renewable energy. Dr. Jeffery Britt, head of Tucson-based Global Solar will be there as a guest of Representative Gabriele Giffords (D-AZ). Donald Karner, the CEO of Phoenix’s own eTec, will be in the gallery, too, invited by First Lady Michelle Obama.

Global Solar

Thin-film solar cell

Britt’s company produces a variety of solar products, using the thin-film solar cells manufactured at its twin Tucson plants. One plant is powered by a 750 kW solar field.

“After working for many years in the solar energy industry,” Britt said earlier today.

“I am particularly interested to learn about the president’s proposals on renewable energy. Besides energy, there are so many critical national issues at stake now – health care, jobs, the economy – that make this a truly historic moment. I suspect that passion will be running high in the president and all the members of Congress. Television just cannot capture those feelings. I’m grateful to Congresswoman Giffords for giving me the opportunity to be present at this event.”

eTec

eTec charging stations

Donald Karner’s company should be familiar to Phoenix Sun readers. We’ve reported several times on eTec’s work designing, building and deploying new-generation battery chargers for electric vehicles.

eTec received nearly $100 million in stimulus funds to (I can’t help myself) jump-start the EV industry with charging stations being built in four states, primarily along highway corridors between major cities. eTec is installing several chargers along Interstate 10, for example, between Phoenix and Tucson.

It’s an exciting moment for clean, renewable energy in general and for solar power in particular. As the Senate drags its collective feet on passing a climate bill, companies like Global Solar and eTec are helping to reshape our economy, climate and even our way of life.

If you want to know the state of the Union, tune in tonight. When the camera is pointed at the gallery, you may get a good glimpse of the positive changes already underway here in Arizona — and throughout the Nation.

Posted on by

ReCast | Solar in the Desert

The Solar System Dilemma

S

Stirling Solar SunCatcher, from NREL

Barry Commoner’s 2nd Law of Ecology: Everything must go somewhere.

Earlier this week I wrote my first piece as a correspondent for OnEarth, the online vision of the magazine of the same name, published by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Even amid charges and counter-charges of NIMBYism and wilderness destruction, this is an important discussion — too important to let it degenerate into the same old shouting match.

For some background on this debate, I want to highlight one of my favorite radio discussions on the subject: “Solar Power Scales Up,” first broadcast on NPR’s excellent program, Science Friday,with host Ira Flatow on March 14, 2008.

Some of the hypotheticals discussed on the show are now becoming realities.

Rep. Giffords, Pre-Copenhagen

US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

Among the guests on the show is Arizona Congresswoman, Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Two years after the radio show, Giffords is now receiving some much-deserved national and international attention as one of the leading voices in congress for solar power.

Her Solar Technology Roadmap bill has passed the full House and was recently discussed in a Senate hearing on what could be amendments to the climate bill.

Jonathon Overpeck, director of the Environmental Studies Laboratory in the Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, was a coordinating lead author for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment. When Giffords was in Copenhagen as part of the official Congressional Delegation to the COP15 summit, I asked Overpeck what he thought of the congresswoman’s work on solar power. After all, in Congress you don’t have the luxury of working on just one issue. At any given time, there are a dozen or more important bills requiring your attention.

“I’m not sure anyone knows more about climate change issues and solar in Congress than Rep. Giffords,” Overpeck responded.

So, check out this broadcast. Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of time to catch the dogs barking “Jingle Bells” later.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Other experts on the show:

Frederick Morse
Senior Advisor for the U.S.
Abengoa Solar
Washington, DC

David Mills
Chairman, Founcer, Chief Research Officer
Ausra Incorporated
Palo Alto, California

Mark Mehos
Program Manager
Concentrating Solar Power Program
DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Golden, Colorado

Posted on by

Congressional Delegation in Copenhagen

Rep. Giffords touring ASU solar array

Rep. Giffords touring ASU solar array this fall

US Representative Gabrielle Giffords, a strong advocate of solar power and sustainable development, is in Copenhagen, along with twenty other members of Congress, for what is sure to be a contentious final negotiation on a climate treaty.

“We need to work with the White House to make sure the United States is not only heard at these crucial talks,” Giffords said in a statement released by her office today, “but lead the way toward an agreement that will maximize the benefits for both our economy and out environment.”

The Solar Roadmap

Giffords sponsored the “Solar Technology Roadmap Act” that recently passed by House by a wide margin. The legislation, which would create a panel to coordinate federal spending on solar research and development, was one of a handful of bills discussed at a Senate hearing last week. (For more on the Roadmap, go here.)

Copenhagen Congressional Delegation

California Democratic Representative George Miller is blogging the meetings. He writes:

Everybody seems to think that the fact that the House of Representatives passed an energy and climate bill has really been a positive force during these international negations and strengthens the United States hand here (I guess Speaker Pelosi was right to push for passage of the legislation earlier this year).

The next briefing, from our technical people, was on how reductions will be made and what the impact will be on our economy and the ways to verify that all countries are playing by the same rules.

The stakes are high for our global environment and for our economy — every country here knows that the countries that get ahead on these issues have the opportunity create real economic and job growth for their economies in this new green economic environment. This is why we are trying to shift to a new energy policy in the U.S., to create jobs at home and send U.S. exports abroad.

Next we will be off to meet with a delegation from India — more later.

Here’s a list of the full Congressional delegation, with each member’s twitter ID. (You can see their twitter feed by hovering over the icon before the name.)

Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer

Rep. George Miller, Chairman, Committee on Education and Labor

Rep. Henry Waxman, Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce

Rep. Ed Markey, Chairman, Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

Rep. Charles Rangel, Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means

Rep. Bart Gordon, Chairman, Committee on Science and Technology

Rep. James Sensenbrenner, Ranking Member, Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming Committee on Science and Technology

Rep. Sander Levin, Committee on Ways and Means

Rep. Joe Barton, Ranking Member, Committee on Energy and Commerce

Rep. Fred Upton, Committee on Energy and Commerce

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

Rep. Diana DeGette, Committee on Energy and Commerce

Rep. Jay Inslee, Committee on Energy and Commerce Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

Rep. John Sullivan, Committee on Energy and Commerce Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Committee on Energy and Commerce Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

Rep. Timothy Ryan, Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development

Rep. G.K. Butterfield, Committee on Energy and Commerce

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Committee on Science and Technology