By Amanda Ramos, Editorial Intern

Fred Keeley's speech on the energy crisis, and the latest attempts to solve that crisis, involve issues with which many of our readers might not be familiar. Or, in the case of the energy rebate, readers might be all-too familiar, and concerned.

The Energy Rebate

On the front page of virtually every Bay Area newspaper on March 14, 2001, was the announcement of Gray Davis's forthcoming energy rebate: an incentive for residential and business customers to conserve electricity. Customers who cut their usage by 20 percent each month between June and September will each receive a credit on a future bill. While Keeley agrees that the fastest, most effective, least cost per kilowatt-hour thing we can do this summer is decrease the demand side, it remains to be seen whether Davis's proposal really benefits customers who need the most help paying off gigantic utility bills. The reduction in usage will be measured against last year's consumption, but this fails to differentiate between those who have always been conservative energy users and those who habitually turn up air conditioning to simulate the Arctic in the middle of summer. In other words, it may be easier for people who can already afford to finance high utility bills to drop that one-fifth of usage.

In the Legislative Pipeline

Fred Keeley's website contains updated information on the bills aimed at increasing California's supply of clean electricity and reducing electricity demand through energy efficient measures.

Solar on the Roof

Keeley advocates the use of photovoltaic (PV) on the roofs of public and private buildings this summer to increase their energy efficiency. As long ago as 1839, French scientist Edmund Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect – that light falling on certain materials can produce electricity – but for reasons outlined in Keeley's speech, this process has not been adopted for mainline consumption. New technologies improving the energy conversion efficiency of PV cells are currently being tested; a worthwhile investment, many argue, as PV power systems are easy to operate, rarely need maintenance, and do not pollute the environment.

Solstice is the Internet information service of the Renewable Energy Policy Project and the Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology (REPP-CREST), and the site for sustainable energy and development information: solstice.crest.org