Two Oregon universities had a bunch of solar panels installed. It didn't exactly go well:
But the projects were plagued by early concerns. The first developer selected by the Oregon University System pulled out because of worries about the state's tax credit system. The second went bankrupt. The third developer managed to complete the project. But to maximize profits, it used solar panels assembled by inmates at the federal prison camp at Sheridan. The 93-cent-an-hour prison labor flew in the face of promises by then-Gov. John Kitzhaber that the project would create local family-wage jobs and spur Oregon's economy.
So none of the promised benefits were actually delivered, but the universities eventually did end up with 21 acres of biodiversity-killing solar PV arrays - which in 15 years will produce progressively less energy, and at the end of the 25-year lifespan of the arrays will produce zero energy. One wonders what they plan to do with 21 acres of useless PV arrays containing gallium arsenide and other toxics.
And there have been other issues:
Martin Shain, the lead consultant on the state's $24 million "Solar by Degree" project, was indicted Thursday by a Marion County grand jury on two counts of first-degree forgery. Shain is accused of creating a phony invoice from a fictional subcontractor that was pivotal in getting nearly $12 million in tax credits from the Oregon Department of Energy.
Oh my. A "green energy consultant" stands accused of felonies? You don't say!
My heavens. Shirley, there must be some mistake.
The Feb. 25, 2011, invoice from Solar Foundation Systems detailed construction expenditures on each of the solar arrays. It was crucial to show that work was under way or the state would withhold the tax credits that accounted for half the project's cost.
There was just one problem. Solar Foundations didn't exist.
That's kind of a big problem.
The state bureaucrats eventually ended up with Solar City for the project, and that company's been pretty dicey ever since Elon Musk started it.
The California firm is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Treasury for allegedly inflating the costs of its solar installations in order to garner larger federal tax credits. The same question is potentially at issue in Oregon.
I talked with a Solar City rep a while back, since they were going to give us free solar panels and installation and so on. And after 25 years, I'd own the system free and clear, which some folks seem to think is a great deal. But as mentioned above, solar panels die at around 25 years. Disposal of hazardous waste from the panels wouldn't fall to the company, it would be up to me. Overall, it didn't look like that great a deal. Naturally, Oregon bureaucrats went for it.
Free is a very good price - until it isn't.
