SOLAR DEVELOPMENT COOPERATIVE

Lighting the Way With Creation's Original Remedy

May 15, 1998

Doug Long, Administrator
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102

SUBJECT:

OFFICICIAL ADVISORY & REQUEST FOR INCLUSION OF DEMAND-SITE CONSUMER
DISTRIBUTED ENERGY INFORMATION BE INCLUDED IN LAST PACKET OF PUBLIC INFORMATION
MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED TO CONSUMERS BY CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILTIES COMMISSION via DDB NEEDHAM

"The Cardinal principle of etiquette is thoughtfulness." Emily Post

Potential Risks Of Excluding Demand-site Consumers In CPUC Mailer:

  1. 20 Million plus consumers of electricity in California will be cheated of their constitutional right to understand what types of choices demand-site consumer technology offers them in ownership or cooperation in a deregulated marketplace.
  2. At a dollar a piece, $20 million dollars of public education opportunity will be wasted in omitting information and guidance about demand-site consumer technology. The already grossly unlevel playing field will be carelessly perpetuated.
  3. From 1974 to 1994, fossil, nuclear and hydro dominated US electricity consumption. During the twenty peak years of Earth Day, coal consumption doubled in the US as well as related pollution problems. In 1900, only 3% of US homes had electricity.
  4. Net Metering is publicized as active in California -a quality service industry is not in place. Inclusion of demand-site consumer information in the CPUC materials would assist consumers in exploring their rights in this regard and increase industry cooperation.
  5. Energy Service Providers and consumers of demand-site businesses, presently, have little protection from unfair monopolies or low quality products and unreliable service.
  6. Needed design of quality PV building materials w/50 year warranties will be delayed.
  7. The globally announced commitment by the President of the United States to accomplish the Million Solar Rooftops In USA By 2010 Program is not mentioned to mainstream consumers -many of which have never heard of it. America could lose face. Knowledge is safety. Lack of consumer education will reduce potential success of $10 billion dollar program (2 kilowatt peak each at $5 watt) providing advantage to global competitors and a few inside parties of the domestic market. Although, program is on the Internet, this exclusive source discriminates against non-Internet using citizens. Actual access to BI-PV products and services is nearly impossible for mainstream consumers even in California.
  8. Public confidence in the professed intention of deregulation to evolve a competitive marketplace will be lowered resulting in further consumer frustration and confusion.
  9. Lack of this needed formal inclusion of demand-site consumer technology guidance by the CPUC will delay mainstream deployment BI-PV in the USA at least 10-15 years.
  10. This delay will permanently limit US positioning in a timely constructive competitive global sustainable energy marketplace and increase the use of destructive electricity generation as well as tyrannical deployment tendencies in developing energy infrastructures of 3rd World Nations.
  11. A deceptive deregulated marketplace dominated by out-dated technologies and overly suppressive management tendencies will increase crime and violence around the world as it frustrates consumer domestic and global choice while it elevates consumer costs.
  12. Leadership roles furthering such suppressive omission could actually result in global dysfunction and frustration that that could cause a world war within ten years as the mainstream energy fuels continue to become more impractical and dangerous due to increased depletion problems and the expanding electricity marketplace demands.
  13. Lack of resources for comprehensive education of electricity consumers in any other format or venue will result in an imbalance and unfair competition to a few consumers.
  14. If there is another initiative to educate the electricity consumer about their choice of demand-site technology, it will be too costly to initiate; and thereby never get done.
  15. The brief history of our newly developed luxuries of electricity and mobility demonstrates the phenomenological characteristics of these industries that demand a cooperative global effort to manage and evolve related technology. Quality-control must dominate the further expansion of these industries if humanity is to survive.