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Weiss, Michael J. "Everybody Loves Solar Energy, But..." //The New York Times// 24 Sept. 1989. Web. 5 May 2011. .

** Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials? **  Michael J. Weiss was a writer originating from Washington. He is also the author of //The Clustering of America//.

** What is the main topic or argument of the text? **  Weiss reports the journey that Luz International Inc. has taken to commence and expand their solar technology, the Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS). A lot of funding was needed, and this was made possible through the several energy tax breaks from California state and the federal government. Several investors were also sought out to initially cover the construction costs of SEGS. While funding was one of the main barriers to advancing this project, another barrier was the rule set down by PURPA, which opened up markets to independent producers of energy, but provided that they were no more than 30 MW in size. However, the support of solar energy has been growing, particularly due to the fears of the environmental hazards that fossil fuel energy brings and the Arab oil embargo.

** Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out. **  SEGS is located in the 15,000 square mile Mojave Desert. Kramer Junction is located here, and it is 150 miles outside of Los Angeles. All of the SEGS comprise of 600,000 curved glass mirrors that focus light into tubes containing oil, heating it up to 735°F. The Kramer Junction SEGS in 1989 produced 194 MW of electricity that sold its energy to Southern California (SoCal) Edison. This is enough energy to feed 270,000 residential customers.

An advantage of SEGS is that it provides peak power at the time when it is needed the most. Little competition is faced with SEGS, for it is the first of its kind on the market. Four to five acres of land is required for every MW of power made. It is beneficial to have SEGS in California because the Mojave Dessert experiences cloud-free days, dry air, and the land is low-cost. This is also the case in other states like Nevada and Arizona.

 Luz International Inc. has been able to make profits thanks to several tax incentives and other encouraging government regulations. These incentives however, were to cease in December 1989. The California tax credits and the Federal investment tax credit ended in 1988. The Federal energy tax credit was to end the same year, but it was extended. Other barriers to the advancement of this project include the relatively low priced oil and natural gas prices at the time. Additionally, the demand for solar energy was not as high as it is now. In general though, the price of producing energy dropped from 24 cents to 12 cents for every kilowatt hour of electricity with more SEGS built over time.

 $62 million was needed to build SEGS I. Starting was difficult because many investors were hesitant of the technology and in its ability in providing a profit. The Federal government provided tax credits and a 25% investment in 1983 toward this project. A year later, SEGS I opened, providing 13.8 MW. More SEGS have been built thereafter.

Improvements to the technology had been made. The mirror size was expanded for example. To expand their technology furthermore, the company lobbied to change the 30 MW limit from PURPA. This allowed SEGS VIII to produce 80 MW of energy. This increase in efficiency brought in $750 million more from investors.

The push for energy varies from one presidential term to another. Carter was one of the presidents that truly pushed forward with renewable energy. His administrated awarded a 40% tax credit to residents and a 15% tax credit to companies for renewable energy projects. Reagan however, took down the solar panels that were installed in the White House during Carter’s term.

** What three quotes capture the critical import of the text? ** “Large corporations, taking advantage of new Government research funds, produced demonstration projects that ultimately proved unsuccessful.”

“Today, says Roiss Ain, a Luz lobbyist who is a former associate general counsel with the Federal Energy Regulatory commission, ‘The budget is tighter and tighter and most legislators have other priorities.’”

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">“To the argument that Luz produces clean, nonpolluting energy, Stark responds: ‘So do squirrels running a treadmill. It’s a question of how much you want to subsidize the squirrel-breeding industry.’”

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">** Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus. ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">My research focus is to determine the state of solar energy. SEGS is an amazing advancement in collecting the sun’s energy on the market. It took a lot of time before this idea could make it through, and it was made possible through the several funding from investors and government tax credits. This technology is limited to areas where weather conditions are favorable. It was also once limited by PURPA; it put a limit on the plants to produce only 30 MW. The market for solar power was improving in 1989, and it has gotten better over the past 20 years.