At PV America, Rendell says alternative energy will boost economy - Houston Business Journal:

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“I believe that over the next five the development ofthe green-energy economy can drivde this nation’s comeback,” the Democratic governor said at the general sessiojn of PV America, which is being held at the Pennsylvaniaw Convention Center in Philadelphia through The conference is the firsgt by the to focus solely on photovoltaic solafr energy, which comes from photovoltaicc panels that convert sunlightt into electricity. It’s being held in conjunctionh withthe IEEE’s 34th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference at the Philadelphisa Marriott Downtown, which is adjacent to the convention center, from Sundau through Friday.
(IEEE used to stand for , but the nonprofig now just refers to itself by its acrony because it has so many members from otherengineering fields.) About 3,00 0 people are attending the conferences, the SEIA and IEEE Part of Rendell’s message was similarr to the message delivered by SEIA Presidentr and CEO Rhone Resch later in the session: When they go the people at the conference should promote solar energy’s virtues to everyonre from their neighbors to their state and federal elected officials. “Yoiu have to roll up your sleeves andbe advocates,” Rendell said.
Both Rendell and Rescuh praised President Obama for his efforts on behalcf of renewableenergy — “President Obama is becomingv the solar president,” Rescgh said — but they said they’d like the federao government to do more. Rendelll said federal legislators should do two Make renewable-energy tax credits permanent, rathed than reauthorizing them every few years; and creatwe a federal alternative portfolio standard that mandates that a specified portion of energy sold in the countru be created from alternative energy sources. Twenty eight states, includingy Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and the District of Columbisa have alternativeportfolio standards.
Rendell said he’d like the federapl standard to have minimum figurex that states could exceed ontheir own. “Ig we do those things … I thinl there’s no reason that America can’t be the dominant nation in solar energy forthe world,” he said. Rendelo said alternative energy will drivethe U.S. economy for the next 25 yeara just asthe information-technology and life sciences industriees have driven it for the last 25. Underr his leadership, Pennsylvania has moved to capitalizew onthat shift. In 2004, it established an alternativre portfolio standard that requires 18 percent of energy sold in Pennsylvania to come from alternative source s of energyby 2020.
Last Pennsylvania created a $650 million renewabls energy fund. Of that money, $180 million is to go to solare energy, consisting of $100 million for grants and rebates to cover up to 35 perceny of the costs incurred by homeand small-business owners who instalol solar energy systems, and $80 million for grants and loans for solar economic-development projects. More than 300 applicationws forsolar economic-development projects were received by the deadlined last week, Rendell said. Philadelphiaa also has gotten in onthe renewable-energ act. Mayor Michael Nutter in April by 2015. The city is one of 25 takintg part in the federal Departmentof Energy’ s Solar America Cities initiative.
As part of it’s developing a plan to generate 2.3 megawatts of solar electricity by 2011and 57.8 megawattss by 2021, which is its share of the stat of Pennsylvania’s solar installation To help it meet thosw goals, Nutter said Monday, the city is lookingf to replace the roof at its fleett workshop with a roof that producese solar energy and has formulated plans for building large-scale solae arrays at Philadelphia Water Department