by Shawn Zeller, CQ Staff Writer
An energy efficient modular home on display at the Denver Sculpture Park during the Democratic National Convention. The event features displays on renewable technologies
and ways to protect the environment at home. (Photo by Marc Piscotty for Congressional
Quarterly)
Advocates for the solar energy industry were hoping for better results than the hometown baseball team when they took over the Colorado Rockies's Coors Field in downtown Denver this week.
The trade show and concert, called Sunfest, was the first ever for the Solar Energy Industries Association at a national political convention. It came at a critical time for the industry's lobbyists in Washington. Congress left the capital for the summer after several unsuccessful attempts by lawmakers friendly to the industry to extend tax credits aimed at encouraging the development of solar power and other alternative energy sources.
"Our goal is to increase the visibility of the contribution of solar
energy and the potential of solar energy to increase the clean energy
mix in our country," said the association's spokeswoman, Monique Hanis.
"We're going to be moving into a whole new administration and Congress
and we are teeing up and making sure that people see the technology is
available now, deployable now, and it's just a matter of making it a
priority."
The estimated 3,000 to 5,000 attendees at Sunfest -- free to delegates
who register with the association online -- had an opportunity to
check out some of the solar panels up close. The panels, which convert
sunlight to electricity, were installed by Xcel Energy Inc. of
Minneapolis and power the ballpark's electronic scoreboard. Other
panels have been brought to Denver to help power the convention.
Solar equipment manufacturers from all over the world are cosponsors,
among them Q-Cells of Germany, Applied Materials Inc. of California,
Sharp Corp. of Japan, Standard Renewable Energy of Texas and Suntech
Power Holding Co. of China.
On the face of things, the industry would seem to be in a great
position to move its agenda in Washington, with energy prices still
high and concerns about dependence on foreign oil a major issue in the
presidential campaign. But in reality the industry has struggled to
demonstrate the kind of clout that traditional fossil fuel-based energy
interests have long enjoyed.
Tax credits that defray 30 percent of the cost of new solar equipment
for commercial projects -- and up to $2,000 for residential ones -- are
set to expire at the end of the year and a bill to extend the tax
breaks has floundered in the Senate over a disagreement between the
parties over how to offset the cost. The industry wants a long-term
extension, through 2016, to give investors confidence in larger
projects, and an expansion of the residential credit to $4,000.
Without it, Hanis expects new solar installations to "grind to a halt"
in 2009 after enjoying 45 percent growth last year and -- by all
expectations -- an even bigger uptick this year.
But at times the industry's efforts to play hardball have struck out: A
nasty public spat erupted in June, for example, after Rhone Resch, the
association's president, lambasted Republicans for blocking an effort
to extend the credits.
"It is difficult to understand why senators would choose to protect an
income-tax loophole for billionaire hedge fund managers instead of
creating hundreds of thousands of renewable-energy jobs," Rhone said at
the time, referring to proposed offsets in the credit extension bill.
Instead of inspiring contrition, the comment enraged a normally
dependable industry ally, Republican Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, who
responded in a letter to the association's members expressing his
"extreme disappointment" with the group's move to "personally alienate
several vital supporters."
The solar industry hopes Sunfest, along with a dinner it will co-host
with the American Wind Energy Association in Minneapolis during the
Republican National Convention, will help get the tax credits back on
track.
The wind energy association, whose members would also benefit from the
extension of the tax breaks, is also marking its first big foray into
the national party conventions. It sponsored Denver Mayor John
Hickenlooper's welcome party at the Wynkoop Brewery in Denver's LoDo
section on Monday night and held a press briefing Tuesday with Corado's
Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. ,
Alternative Energy Advocates Bring Washington Agenda to Conventions
Back in Washington both groups have also ramped up lobbying efforts.
The Solar Energy Industries Association spent $660,000 on lobbying in
2007, more than eight times the $80,000 it spent in 2002. This year
it's on pace to spend more than $1 million.
The wind energy
association's uptick in lobbying expenditures has been nearly as steep,
rising to $815,692 last year from $120,000 five years before. And it's
on pace to spend nearly $1 million in 2008, having brought on prominent
outside hired guns including Steve Elmendorf, a former adviser to House
Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri, and Kirk Blalock, a
former deputy director of public liaison for President Bush, to help
with the tax credit fight.
"With all the concerns about reliance on imported fuels, we want to do
everything we can to boost our role as part of the solution and elevate
the awareness of key players on the Hill," said the wind group's
spokeswoman, Christine Real de Azua.
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