By Cassie Walker •
June 26, 2008
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Known for building homes across the world for those in need, Habitat for Humanity now celebrates the occupancy of the program’s first LEED Silver certified homes in San Pedro, CA.
Begun during the 2007 Jimmy Carter Work Event over six days last year, 16 local families now enjoy the fruits of their labor - homes built alongside more than 5,000 volunteers. Not only are the homes LEED Silver, but they have another enviable feature: they include access to solar energy. Collectively, the families’ energy bills are expected to be reduced by $200,000 over time (keep an eye out for a related story about the innovative installation at CleanTechnica.)
The Solar Thermal Edition
In my first post about the feast or Famine Cycles of American Clean Energy Development, I discussed renewable energy more broadly and used the example of wind to show my point. I also touched upon the up and down nature of federal funding for renewable energy deployment in the late 70s and early 80s. With that said, the following examination adds some more context with a historical-institutional perspective of what went down in the early 80’s, how, and why. And in the spirit of some of the earlier posts this week that covered the technology of solar thermal, and the practical application of solar thermal technology to entire neighborood developments, I have decided to follow suit by writing about solar thermal as well. I hope to show that the decline and slow fazing out of federal support for solar thermal research and development during the Reagan and George Bush administrations has had a substantial effect on where the industry is today.
