By Erica Gies 
March 11, 2010 Jason Buberel Erica, After reading the description, I'm not exactly clear on the story (or stories) that would be written as a result of this funding. Would they be: 1. The Impact of Water Supply on Renewable Power Projects in CA 2. The Benefits and Drawbacks of Distributed Power Generation in CA On the first topic: - Would you also include research on how the political wrangling over the CA water supply (agriculture vs. consumer use, etc.) impacts these projects? - Are you planning to compare the 'water impact' per KW of generated power of the different sources - coal, gas, nuclear, photovoltaic, wind, solar-thermal. On the second topic: - To what extent are you considering local city ordinances that might either encourage or discourage the installation of distributed power generation devices? - Were you planning to also cover non-renewable energy sources, such as small-scale nuclear and devices like the Bloom Energy Server? -jason
Hi Jason, Sorry if I confused the issue. If you go back to my original pitch, you will see that I am focusing on the environmental footprint of solar manufacturing and disposal. E-waste has been a toxic problem, and solar technology contains many of the same materials. I plan to look at what the industry or governments are doing now, while the industry is young, to prevent that outcome. My musings about water and distributed generation are layers of the environmental footprint question but slightly peripheral to the main thrust of the story. Thanks for reading. e
