Response from Readers of EnergyBiz

While it's encouraging that venture capital is finally flowing toward green technologies, why is it that nascent green technologies are given tax incentives now so that "one day they won't need government help," while nuclear and fossil fuels "get the preponderance of tax incentives" because "they provide 90 percent of the fuels that run electric generators"? When are these aging technologies expected to get off the dole?

Vikki Wood
Principal Demand-Side Specialist
Sacramento Municipal Utility District

You note in passing the construction by GE, PowerLight Corp and Catavento of their solar facility in Portugal. Misleading is the identification of this facility -- at 11 MW -- as "the world's largest solar plant". While the facility might well be the largest solar plant in Portugal or the world's largest solar photovoltaic facility, the distinction of the world's largest solar plant still rests with the 80 MW SEGS plants designed and constructed by Luz in 1989/1990 at approximately $275 million per (even then, a significantly lower cost per megawatt than the cost of the currently available PV facilities). Your editorial also overlooks the development of Solargenix's Nevada Solar One project in Boulder, Nevada, and the Andasol projects of Solar Millennium AG in Spain. While advances are being made in solar photovoltaic facilities in the current market, the enhancements in solar trough concentrating solar power facilities go unnoticed in your commentary on clean tech.

Bill Bresee
Law Offices of William F. Bresee

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