Resources

Recommended Reading (books):

• Thirst for Power: Energy, Water, and Human Survival Hardcover, Michael E. Webber, April 2016. How changing the way we think about water and energy can secure the long-term sustainability of both precious resources. More info at Amazon
• Powering Forward: What Everyone Should Know About America's Energy Revolution Paperback, Bill Ritter Jr., March 2016. A historic energy revolution is underway in the United States. Wind, sunlight, and other sustainable resources are now the fastest growing sources of energy in the U.S. and worldwide. More info at Amazon
• Clean Disruption of Energy and Transportation: How Silicon Valley Will Make Oil, Nuclear, Natural Gas, Coal, Electric Utilities and Conventional Cars Obsolete by 2030, Tony Seba, May 2014; Find book and learn more at tonyseba.com
• The Great Texas Wind Rush: How George Bush, Ann Richards, and a Bunch of Tinkerers Helped the Oil and Gas State Win the Race to Wind Power, by Kate Galbraith and Asher Price, July 2013. More info at Amazon.
• Reinventing Fire: Bold Business Solutions for the New Energy Era, Amory Lovins, 2011; Find Book; Learn More - http://www.rmi.org/ReinventingFire
• Rooftop Revolution: How Solar Power Can Save Our Economy-and our Planet-from Dirty Energy, Danny Kennedy, 2012; Find Book
• Power from the People: How to Organize, Finance, and Launch Local Energy Projects, Greg Pahl, 2012; Find Book; Learn More - power-people-new-community-resilience-guide
• Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World, Jill Jonnes, 2003; Find Book; In the final decades of the nineteenth century, three brilliant and visionary titans of America’s Gilded Age—Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse—battled bitterly as each vied to create a vast and powerful electrical empire.

Recommended Reading (magazines):

• Solar Today - The magazine of the American Solar Energy Society; feature articles, and articles about innovators in the field, green investing, new technology and all the latest advances in the industry. See http://www.solartoday.org

Solar 101 videos:

• Solar Power Basics - This video summarizes the process of generating solar electricity from photovoltaic and concentrating solar power technologies. Research, manufacturing, and usage across the United States is also discussed. (approx 4 mins)
• https://youtu.be/gdONnCJru4M
• Photovoltaics: A Diverse Technology - This video illustrates the diversity of photovoltaic (PV) technology, which is due to innovations in PV materials, reductions in manufacturing costs, and expanding uses of the technology. A brief explanation is provided of how PV cells work, as well as an overview of the different semiconductor materials used for silicon and thin-film cells. (approx 4 mins)
• https://youtu.be/X4ICIOPgxMM
• Solar PV - Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems can generate clean, cost-effective power anywhere the sun shines. This video shows how a PV panel converts the energy of the sun into renewable electricity to power homes and businesses. (approx 2 mins)
• https://youtu.be/0elhIcPVtKE

Solar Photovoltaic Technology videos:

• Video of Dr. Richard Swanson (co-founder of SunPower) giving a lecture in 2013 at Stanford University about solar PV. Very informative and interesting, with a great historical perspective of the solar PV journey - so far.... The title of the lecture is: Beginnings of the PV Journey 1973 to 2013, Dr. Richard Swanson, April 3, 2013
• The Genesis and Growth of the PV Industry (approx. 32 mins)
• History of SunPower (approx. 12.5 mins)
• Importance of Efficiency (approx. 6 mins)
• PV Today  & Looking Forward (approx. 6 mins)
• How Solar Cells Work (approx. 13 mins)
• This one starts a little much in the math and physics details, but quickly goes to a simple hydro analogy that doesn't require the math/calculus background
• Q&A  (approx. 7 mins)
• The questions are hard to hear, but they are transcribed to text that appears on the video

Other Interesting Energy videos:

• Energy at the Movies!, featuring Dr Michael Webber, from the University of Texas, provides a great summary of energy transitions in society and a fun historical connection with movies. In the first 10 mins of the video, a nice history of energy transitions is covered, and near the end (beginning at 44 mins) an interesting energy analysis of the movie, Monsters, Inc. Hope you enjoy!.

The Subsidy Topic:

• "The Historical Role of Federal Subsidies in Shaping America’s Energy Future" - see the report and article here
• Assessment of Incentives and Employment Impacts of Solar Industry Deployment - examines the impact and looks to the future of solar energy as compared with other energy sources. (Baker Center for Public Policy, May 1, 2012) 
• Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
• Federal Energy Incentives Report (May 2012)
• The Case for the Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC)
• Energy Incentives - information provided by the American Clean Power Association (www.cleanpower.org) - see https://cleanpower.org/blog/the-truth-about-wind-power/
• An Introduction to Government Subsidies - this is a link to website that has information about subsidies - Earth Track works to make government subsidies that harm the environment easier to see, value, and eliminate.
• Texas Energy Report 2008 Chapter 28 Government Financial Subsidies - for Texas residents, especially see and review Exhibit 28-7 which shows Texas state and local subsidies for 2006 as compared to state spending on each fuel source.
• Check out this now defunct oil & gas development company's website (Western Capital, Inc) and look at the section - "Conclusion".  See the sentence ...the risk capital is effectively subsidized by the government by reducing the participant's federal, and possibly state income tax.