Tools : Arguments

Maybe it's not much of a surprise that San Francisco's Solar Bond was approved by a landslide. It was the right time for this idea. But it didn't hurt that so many organizations, from the American Lung Association to the labor unions, supported the effort. Here's some ammunition to help you argue the case with people who may be sympathetic to the idea but need to persuade other decision-makers and constituencies:

Labor
Renewable energy creates jobs. For solar energy, roughly speaking, about ten jobs get created for every megawattt manufactured, and 15-20 for every megawatt installed. Conventional power plants, on the other hand, are a drain on the economy because they require the purchase of fossil fuels from elsewhere and that means dollars have to leave the local economy. Right now, the solar industries in Germany and Japan are beating the United States. Since solar energy represents a significant portion of the energy portfolio of the future, the labor movement can create and keep jobs in the United States by wholeheartedly supporting solar revenue bonds.

Taxpayer groups
Building energy independence is a fiscally responsible step for a city to take. It reduces vulnerability to the fluctuations of an energy market that history has shown to be very volatile. It helps protect cities from the effects of rolling blackouts. And solar revenue bonds offer a way to do this without raising taxes. Reducing the amount of money a city spends on energy by implementing a solar revenue bond is not just environmentally sound, it's fiscally prudent.

Environmentalists
Environmentalists don't need any persuading that this is a good thing to do but they may need convincing that pushing hard for a solar revenue bond in their city is where they should focus their energy. Remind them of three things:

1) A solar revenue bond is a near-term, practical measure that can be passed in a matter of months.
2) Pollution from energy generation is the leading contributor to global warming. 
3) Each city that does this helps creates a bigger market for the solar industry, which ultimately helps to push down the cost of solar energy for the whole country.

Neighborhood Activists
Neighborhood activists who live near power plants are often left in the unfortunate position of fighting something they oppose, rather than supporting something they believe in. If we want to create world without the pollution, noise, and eyesores that power plants create, we have to invest in alternatives that are neighborhood-friendly. No form of electricity generation is as benign as solar -- clean, quiet, durable, and unobtrusive. It's a winner. In San Francisco, which has two power plants in residential neighborhoods, neighborhood groups played an important role in advocating for large scale solar projects. Moreover, excessive peak demand is what drives the construction of new power plants and solar panels produce electricity during peak hours.

 

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