The Solar Lottery 04 14 2011
Neither Private industry nor public awareness has been able to create a solar panel industry in the United States despite the energy crisis we face. Could the government pay to have citizens who enter a drawing to have solar panels installed on their homes? Yes we could, and there are worse ideas than that, but that is not what I am proposing.
What I am proposing is a solar lottery much like the Jackpot and Megabucks and Powerball lotteries. But instead of a cash reward the winner receives a complete installation of a 14 Kilowatt Solar panel array on their home or garage. These would cost less than $20,000.00 a piece and would rather quickly whittle down our dependency on foreign energy. Occasionally the Powerball Lottery jackpot reaches $250,000,000.00 . That is enough money for 125,000 installations. Now if my math is correct that is 1,750,000 Kilowatts of electricity, if you know the proper suffix after eliminating all those zeros and can compare it to what an electric utility produces or how much carbon monoxide or mercury contamination it eliminates so be it. The numbers are staggering.
The Jackpot Package:
As I said the Jackpot package would include one 14 Kilowatt panel system installed. That would include a series of batteries for back up, at least 4 the size of a car battery and of similar substantial power or better. The package system would also be tied into the electric grid through an Inverter which would also be included. Because it is tied to the electric grid the energy would be sold back to the utility and would create an annuity stream of income for the winner for life. (And there need to be laws that this annuity stream cannot be sold, it belongs with the owner of the house.) The system would also include a breaker switch and two circuit boxes, one for AC and one for Low Voltage DC equipment. The Breaker panels would include arc fault and ground fault circuits in. Any upgrades to existing equipment would also be included. All material and labor are part of the package. Any upgrades the installer suggests as needed are also part of the package to a point. It would be against the law for the business entities to accept money for other work done at the prize winner’s home. This would prevent the “BILL CREEP” that could defeat the lottery idea entirely. The prize winner is guaranteed to pay nothing for this system. If the prices of such systems were to go up because of raw material increases in panel costs the lottery jackpot distributions could be adjusted to maintain fairness.
We could legislate that all other lotteries in the state and country are no longer until we achieve energy independence.
Macroeconomic Benefits:
Macroeconomic benefits are many: Job creation, less dependency on foreign oil, less conflict war and terrorism because of this, cleaner air and water, lower cost of living for everyone, a healthier population. Electricians are part of a skilled labor force and a huge number of jobs could be created with little cost to state, local and country government. Utility companies might become less profitable but the impact of that would be more than lessened as everyone’s cost of living would be greatly reduced. Not only that, everyone’s standard of living would be greatly increased. If the solar panel lottery where launched on an exclusive lottery scale you would quickly lessen the unemployment problem, if not eliminate it altogether.
Implementation:
The idea could start out as a small separate lottery and as it caught on it could then grow to supersede all the others. But in order to manage the growth some analysis in terms of contractor compliance would have to be made at the smaller scale. And adjustments to management of system from analysis on a small scale could be made to ensure long term success.
Contract:
The honor system would be a key tenet of bidders to do the work and configure and install such systems. This is the key to ensuring the long term success of the program, that the contractor who would bid with the lottery commission do not seek to extort or cheat the solar panel system jackpot winners. Contractors must follow the rules of the system or all employees lose their status for a year, or are barred from doing such work and in extreme cases whereby lottery consumers are defrauded the contractors are sent to prison with set terms for the type of consumer crime committed.
The jackpot winner bears no cost. It would be illegal to charge them money. Quality standards of work must be maintained, that means cannot wreck your place or parts of it when they do the work. The jackpot winner bears no cost for any complications that arise when the electrician does the work. The contractors are required to be bonded and insured. If they cause any damage to the property they are responsible for all costs the repairs. Wiring must comply with electric codes and must be done safely. Roofs are not allowed to leak.
Contract provision:
If a roof is older than ten years the lottery consumer also receives the installation of a new roof as part of jackpot.
Employment Opportunities:
Aside from the Electricians companies that bid for these jobs. Initially all those who enroll in technical schools or engineering schools would be eligible to receive paid internships to work for companies that install the systems. Many new companies would spring up and be created to meet the demand.
Fast Tracking the system to more quickly enable energy independence:
Provisions could be made with current lotteries whereby once the Jackpots rise to over a certain level, say $100,000,000.00 all winners from exact matching lottery numbers downward to a certain level would receive the installation packages as a jackpot, no if’s and or buts. And the person who had the winning number exactly could have a commemorative plaque in their name or this aspect could be deemphasized altogether. A similar fast track mechanism could be created whereby every so often the lotteries money jackpot switches from money to one to jackpot solar panel systems for all to the extent of the pool of money and the participants.
If the jackpot was $250,000,000.00 lottery participants would be informed to save tickets from prior drawings as allocation would include them.
Naming of Lottery: Could be called “The Green Lottery”
Some of the safety issues with regard to installing the systems are thus.”
1. Wires coming from the panels are live once exposed to sunlight, and there is a lot of power coming from even and 18”x18” panel, enough to electrocute you. Panels should be covered with cardboard until last panel hookup stages are complete.
2. Work would be done on roofs, or south facing outside walls so ladder, scaffold and roof safety must be maintained.
3. All holes drilled through the roof for wires must be done under shingles that are lifted up and holes must also be sealed with roofing caulk.
4. Wires must be safely routed through inside of house structure. (External conduit should not be allowed because it does not maintain aesthetic standards.)
5. Ground fault and arc fault required, plus any new safe circuitry designed regarding these systems would also be part of jackpot.
6. All connections of mechanical weld should also be facilitated with discrete application of wire glue to ensure continued efficient conductivity.
Background:
Just one 18”x12” produces enough electricity to power a motor the same size as the one in your refrigerator. Your refrigerator is the biggest user of electricity in your house. If you install three of these you also have your furnace motors covered. You have room on one side of your peaked roof of 25’x15’ for 250 of these panels. Not to mention the surface area on the top of a detached garage or the southern facing external wall of your house. (The external wall and your detached garage may also be separate lottery tickets for consumers to purchase for potential wins.) If everyone got a system installed and therefore no one wanted to play the lottery anymore, the lottery could start to transition back to cash prizes until everyone got a system. And I don’t know how to solve the problem of what to do when someone already won the solar panel lottery and is maxed out on panels other than to say that the winning tickets must be assigned to current or former family members. The winners are not allowed to receive money or other consideration for winning ticket’s, they must be given as gifts. If no more family members are found, then must be given to someone else of their choosing, a friend or to be assigned starting with the poorest first and working upwards. If not assigned within a year they would be assigned to the poorest first by the lottery commission.
Make it so or find a new JOB
Thomas Paul Murphy
Copyright 2011 Thomas Paul Murphy
Recipients of this letter,
President Barrack Obama, Governor Scott Walker, Milwaukee Country executive Abele, Mayor Tom Barrett, Current Governor of CA, Warren Buffett and Solar panel manufacturers.
Originally published and sent on 04 14 2011 at: www.themilwaukeeandwisconsinnews.blogspot.com
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