The Solar Office Alternatives Division Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission 1111 Howe Avenue· Sacramento, CA 9582 5 916/322-6316 In a brief two years, the California Energy Commission has grown from an ide4 to a megabureaucracy of over 400 employees. There are, however, sections within it which are communicative, responsive to people's needs, and do good work. The Solar Office is one of these. There are 16 people here who work in the areas of solar applications, technical development, state and local government policy, and state uses of s.olar energy. Th~ material which they have developed emphasizes low- (or modest-) cost uses of solar energy which give you the best return on your resource doilar. Rarely do they slip into the solaras-cure-all fantasy world. Some·of,their publications are:,.-. The California_Solar Information Packet and Manufacturers List. Free. The Solar Packet is.geared for the person who is int_erested in solar energy but doesn't know where to turn. Basic concepts are explained, and there is a good discussion of passive use and tbe im- • portance of conservation, as well as a now-updated manufacturers -list. California Sunshine. This publication (which will be' available in December) is a more detailed analysis of solar energy. • Included are sections on climate, orientation, and a variety of solar alternatives. There will be a charge for this book. • Solar for Your J?resent Home. A detailed manual on solar retrofit. They will charge for this one too. S.olar Retrofits for the San Francisco Bay Area: How to Choose Practical Uses· ofSolar Energy for your Present Home or Business. This manual was pulled together for ERCDC by the Berkeley Solar Group. It is written to guide the interested person through the various •decisions s/he w.ould have to make in deciding if solar is applicable to their structure. It is clearly written and contains information which is specific to the Bay Area. The book will be available in December. It will be interesting to see how useful a manual of this sort actually is to people who don't tend . to read a lot, or who are just inquisitive but not sold on solar. • Other projects of the Solar Office: They are now compiling a Wind Energy Information Packet, which wiH cover •basic information and include a manufacturers· list. With ·the passage of AB 1558 into law in September, they are beginning to work with licensing of systems and with solar businesses and contractors. ...-- RAIN November 1977 Page 21 r- / r ~ ,,~ state income tax 55 percent of the in- / /.. ~ • stallation of a solar energy system in v~·_,,,/ .---l~ their home. The deduction may not \ /_:·/ ~ exceed $3,000. Additional items which l , can be included in the deduction if they - -:,_ -.._,__ are installed at the same time as the' t'. --:s~,~- solar system include ceiling, wall and \ I floor installations, as well as water \ heater jackets and water conserving fix- ~ • ) tures. \ \ For commercial or industrial units, '11. the cost must be in excess of $6,000 Two groups which are working in Sacramento to promote solar energy are: Solar Energy AdvocatesP.O. Box 846 Sacramento, CA 95814 916/446-4559 • SEA watches solar legislation in Sacramento and publishes useful notes in a newsletter. SUNRAE or c/o Ed Maschke P.O. Box 915 Goleta, CA 93017 Alan Mirviss 1124 Menlo Avenue Davis, CA 95616 SUNRAE (Solar Use Now for Resources and Employment) is a lobbying and information group which is promoting solar development in the state. Alan-is their lobbyist in Sacramento and has w,orked on a number of'solar related bills. SUNRAE publishes a handy newsletter which follows state solar issues. Subscriptions are $10 per year. Solar Legislation in California In Septemb.€r, Governor Brown signed two importan·t piec_es of soJar legislation. These bills should not only stimulate solar businesses in the state but will also give the consumer a tax advantage for choosing solar energy. Here is a description of the bills. The Solar Office at the Energy Commission can answer questions from both consumers and businesses about the bills. AB 1558 (Gary Hart, Dem., Santa Barbara). Starting January 1, 1978, residents of California may deduct from their to qualify for the tax credit. If they qualify for the credit, the deduction will be ·$3,000 or 25 percent of the cost of the system, whicheyer is greater. A commercial or industrial taxpayer with expenditures of $100,000 for building a solar system would receive a: $25,000 credit. Condominium owners who install sola~ energy systems will be ,eligible to receive a credit in proportion to the number of households serviced by the equipment. The bill; unfortunately, d?es not include s9lar greenhouses, attached or unattached. The provisions of the bill remain in effect until January.1981. . The Franchise Tax Board has determined that if solar equipment is installed on a building·other than a single-family dwelling (duplexes,' multiplexes, etc.), and the cost of installation and equipment is less than the $6,000 required to qualify for the ~otal tax credit in that category, the tax credit formula for single-family dw_ellings will apply. AB 1512 (Vic Fazio, Dem., Sacramento) ~ This bill goes hand in hand with AB 1558, and esc·ablishes guidelines for the installation of 'solar systems. It requires that the Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission: 1. establish regulations for the testing, inspection, certification, sizing and installation of solar devices; 2. prepare and disseminate material describing prototype housing which uses solar heating and cooling; 3. prepare a manual of design types, costs, performance and evaluation procedure? for various climatic conditions in California, and; 4. authorizes the Energy Commission to enforce these regulations. Hopefully, AB 1512 will not be an opportunity for the Energy Commission to establish regulations which will "deliver" the solar market to large manufacturers. The guidelines are in preparation now and should be flexible enough to discourage suede shoe solar salespeople but encourage innovators and small businesses. If you have opinions about this, write to Richard Maullin, ERCQC chairman, or the Solar Office, c/o ERCDC, 1111 Howe Ave., Sacramento, , CA 95825.
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