- is a dimension of the corpcirate solar Strategy to prevent a rush of public demand for solar power, especially of the so_rt which le~~s itself to decentralized applications, until the corporat10ns and ut1h- . ties have (1) completed the expansion of their nuclear/coal-electric grid, (2) negotiated the profit potential remaining in fo~sil fuels,_ and (3) hardened their control over .the neophyte solar industry itself. - he real solar threat to the utility industry is those applications which cannot be centralized. . .. Thus, in approaching the incipient national market for solar heating and cooling (SHAC) systems, America's electric utilities, with EPRI [Electric Power Research Institute].at the fore, have been obliged to wear the same two faces • they wear in relation to other applications of solar power, nam~ly to impede the growth of that market while appearing to promote 'It ~n~ gearing up to coritrol it. _ • - h e Wall Street Connection: :,he m~re obvious it becomeS:,o America's investment community that Fortune 500 corporations with nuclear and fossil interests are assuming control of the solar market, both sanctifying and defining its future, the more willing-is that community to finance the process. - ot only have .Wall Street corporations thoroughly "penetrated" the U.S. solar market through intracorporate diversification ("cross-subsidization"), extensive government subsidy, and the purchase of smallerfirms, they have organized a solar industries association [Solar Energy Industries Association] clearly devoted to , building a solar market that wip be compatible with the larger aims and "hard-path" energy goals of the corporate elite in general. While it would be impossi~le to calculate the market strength thus accumulated by the l_arge corporations involved, there is mounting ·evidence to suggest that in less than five years they have concentrated sufficient control over the solar industry to' squeeze out smaller competitors and effectively prevent the entry of others. • .all Street participation in commercial solar energy development . .. [is] a signal that small-scale solar energy m the hands primarily of small producer~, aiming at decentralized, de~ocrati~, and maximally efficient applications., has been strangled m the cnb. After that rather depressing corJclusion Reece goes on to describe the work of community-oriented self-help projects, for it is these kinds of efforts that will make solar energy a powerful force in the movement toward community self-determination; "It is only in , conjunctio11_ with local and regional solar development initiativesafter almost a decade-of.federal involvement in solar R&D-that anything close to the potential of small-scale applications developed by small producers for the commonweal of the community has be.en realized." -MR • - \ January 1980 RAIN Page 9 Reaching Up, Reaching Out: j1 Guide to Organizing Local Solar Events, Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), 1979, 208 pp., $6.00 from: Superintendent of Documents U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, DC 2040~ Stock No. 061-000-00345-2 Much to my surprise, there's a lot of valu- , able stuff in this book. The "events sampler·" consists of 15 case studies of successful solar.events, complete with good tips and lessons learned; the ''organizing primer" has a wealth of basic, valuable information; and the last section is a resource guide. Numerous graphics and spacious layout make the book easy to read-in fact, it has the appearance of a children's book. -• The "team" that put the book together is composed entirely of women, and its key members "came to SERI with a background of participation in community, state, or regional solar activities." Several of the graphics depict women doing.solar construction. The book is not copyrighted, and its title page says, "In the spirit of solar energy development, material contained in this book may be reprinted freely with· proper credit." Still, it's bewildering to see this guide to local solar organizing ''published by the market development and communication branches of the commercialization division" of SERI. SERI is operated for the U.S. Department of Energy by the Midwest Research Institute. The Midwest Research Institute is one of seven or eight national //nonprofit research institutes" (others include the Mitre Corporation, the Rand Corporation, Battelle Memorial Institute, Stanford Research Institute, and the Bechtel Corporation) whose primary occupation, according to Ray Reece (see review of The Sun Betrayed), is "government funded research on behalf of the U.S. corporate class, particularly the military-industrial complex." (The director of SERI, solar activist Denis Hayes, has as his boss Energy Secretary Charles W. Duncan, Jr., former Deputy Secretary of Defense in the Carter administration.) Denis, I wish you luck!-MR Legislators to Write: . • Senator Ted Hallock is the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs. He seems to be a person who can use his anger at illegitimate abuses in our society· to good effect. Write to him at 2445NW Irving St., Po~land, women's issues. She is a ni.ember of the House Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs. Write to her at 2680 SW Glen Eagles Rd., Lake Oswego, OR ~7034-.· . . . - I think our legislators would welcome specific, carefully worked out proposals for changes jn the codes or their administration. The building code is such a tec,Jmical subject that few legislators can master ~di its intricacies, putting them at a disadvantage in dealing with building officials. Many readers of RAIN are familiar with the technical aspects of the codes. Why don't you think about what changes you'd like to see-thinki:qgr.in practical terms, thinking about it from th_e. point of view'df the legislator asking what changes are pohhcally possible at present. Put your thoughts on paper and send copies to these legislators. Send me a copy too. OR97210. _ Senator George Wingard is the vice-chairperson of the Senate Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs. He is a builder by profession and has a professional builder's gr~sp of the • technicalities of the code. Write to hi~ at 2323 Fairmount Blvd., Eugene, OR 97403. - · Joyce Cohen is a freshman legislator who carried the· owner-builder proposal on the floor of the House. She comes from a rural background, so she has some sympathy and understanding for tha't point of view, and she also is sensitive to
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