A nationwide misinformation campaign is underway to dismantle state-level policies critical to the growth of wind and solar. Panelists at the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) National Solar Conference, taking place in Baltimore April 16-20, will unveil the misinformation at the heart of these efforts, and address ways to counter the opposition.

Boulder, CO, March 21, 2013 — Special interest groups opposed to renewable energy and funded by fossil fuel interests, including the billionaire Koch brothers, are stepping up their misinformation campaign to repeal or weaken bipartisan Renewable Electricity Standards (RES) – also known as Renewable Portfolio Standards – in states across the US this year.

The nationwide effort to prevent adoption of renewable energy technologies is spearheaded by the Washington, DC-based American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a source of policy templates crafted by special interest groups and corporations and distributed to ALEC members in state legislatures nationwide. Sample legislation proffered by ALEC – such as the “Electricity Freedom Act” – has resulted in copycat bills to repeal or weaken existing renewable electricity standards sponsored by ALEC members in states like Kansas, North Carolina and Ohio this year.

The language found in ALEC’s legislative template makes no mention of the external costs imposed by fossil fuels, such as volatile fuel prices, air pollution, climate change and environmental degradation. Additionally, the legislation does not account for the benefits of job creation and risk mitigation.

Renewable electricity standards now in place in 29 states and the District of Columbia, require utilities to generate a certain percentage of their electricity using renewable energy 
technologies. While the standards vary from state to state, they have contributed to a doubling of the electricity generated by non-hydro renewable energy in the last five years. And that rate of growth is increasing, adding tens of thousands of jobs and creating the fastest-growing sector of the US economy in the process.

The panel discussion of political attacks on renewable energy includes:

• Jeffery Wolfe (Moderator), Founder and Chairman, groSolar
• Emily Duncan, Director of Government Affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
• Lisa Graves, Executive Director of the Center for Media and Democracy
• Gabe Elsner, Director of the Checks & Balances Project
• David Anderson, Outreach Coordinator for Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists

About the American Solar Energy Society

Established in 1954, the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is the nation’s leading association of solar professionals and advocates. Our mission is to inspire an era of energy innovation and speed the transition to a sustainable energy economy. ASES leads national efforts to increase the use of solar energy and other sustainable technologies through the publication of the award-winning SOLAR TODAY magazine, the ASES National Solar Tour – the largest grassroots solar event in the world, and the the ASES National Solar Conference. For more information about ASES and the SOLAR 2013 conference please visit http://www.ases.org/solar2013.
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Contact:
Seth Masia
smasia@ases.org
303.443.3130 x109

Lili Francklyn
lfrancklyn@ases.org
303-443-3130 x 107

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Registration is now open for the

2013 ASES National Solar Conference

In April, the American Solar Energy Society’s National Solar Conference will convene in Baltimore, near the most vibrant markets for renewable energy in the Eastern United States.

Join researchers from across the U.S. and around the world who have submitted abstracts on renewable energy technologies.

SOLAR 2013 will examine how mainstream renewable energy technologies are saving money today for small and large businesses, homeowners and utility companies. We’ll look at policy initiatives that can streamline permitting and financing for large and small projects, and explore the road forward as renewable installations double annually. SOLAR 2013 is the best opportunity all year for investors, businesses, policy analysts and other renewable energy researchers to exchange ideas and explore new concepts.

To register for SOLAR 2013, please click here.

*ASES Professional/Life/Business members are eligible for a discounted conference registration. If you are an ASES member in one of those categories, you will be receiving an email with a member code to use for registration.

For more information CLICK HERE or visit solar2013.org

Leading for more than 50 years: Established in 1954, the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is the nation’s leading association of solar professionals & advocates. Our mission is to inspire an era of energy innovation and speed the transition to a sustainable energy economy. We advance education, research and policy.ASES leads national efforts to increase the use of solar energy, energy efficiency and other sustainable technologies in the U.S. We publish the award-winning SOLAR TODAY magazine, organize and present the ASES National Solar Conference and lead the ASES National Solar Tour — the largest grassroots solar event in the world. ASES is the U.S. section of the International Solar Energy Society.

Contact Seth Masia  smasia@ases.org 303.443.3130

More than 200 sessions will discuss everything scientific, renewable, efficient, environmental or financial at the World Renewable Energy Forum (WREF), May 13–17, 2012, in Denver, Colorado.

Registration is open; early registration discount ends April 13. Sign up now for access to world’s top renewable energy experts.

If your focus is the business side of energy, here are just some of the presentations ready for you:

• Forecasting the Future of Energy Technologies using Economic Payback Curves
• Clean Energy Policy Building Blocks: Helping Policymakers Determine Best Policy Practices for Clean Energy
• Can You Find Real Gold in Investing in Green Energy in 2012? A Panel Discussion on the Effectiveness of Tax Credits, Incentives, and Grants for Renewable Energy Installations

If the business side of energy isn’t your thing, we’ve got hundreds of other sessions to choose from—WREF’s complete program is now online.

For more information on WREF, visit www.wref2012.org.

About WREF

The World Renewable Energy Network (WREN) and the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) have joined forces to present the World Renewable Energy Forum (WREF). This international event on renewable energy technologies will address the world’s economic, environmental and security challenges at every scale, from off-grid villages to gigawatt power plants. The 2012 conference also is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Colorado Renewable Energy Society (CRES) and the International Solar Energy Society (ISES). Conference details are at www.wref2012.org.