NCSL Solar Energy Conference in DC

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I was in Washington DC at the NCSL (National Conference of State Legislators) Solar Policy Institute on a NCSL scholarship. I was not sure what to expect from the conference but I was happy with the program and felt that I learned quite a bit about solar energy. One of the interesting items on the agenda was a trip to the National Mall where the US Department of Energy was hosting the Solar Decathlon 2009. The participants in the decathlon consists of students from various institutions who have worked for two years building solar efficient houses using off the shelf technology. The houses were very impressive from the standpoint of all produced more energy than they used.

It appears to me that we in Arkansas need to continue to examine our laws and tax credits/incentives for solar and all alternative energies as we look at the big picture of an overall energy policy.

I have noticed in the conferences and seminars that I have attended in the last few months that in most cases there are areas of concern that need our attention.