Redding Electric Utilitiy's Energy Fair, Nice Weather, Nice Spot, Well Attended...But Lacking_Green Earl

It's a nice, almost summer day, a great excuse to
head down to the Sacramento Riverside, to the annual
REU, Redding Electric Utility Energy Fair, Add the
word Solar to the invite poster as an after thought
and that sets the tone for this years fair...so you
want the real flavor..The beginning of the visit starts
down below in previous post. Scroll down if you would
to the picture of the bus ride over and the picture
of Our city's Sundial Bridge, That is the setting for
the fair, and just as good, I'm thinking, for a spot
as any in town. Maybe the best spot for it.

If your a overweight, energy pioneer with some rather
serious knee surgeries you'll appreciate the bus rides
provided to the fair as several hundred folks where
already there when I arrived about an hour after the
8 am start of the fair. Over flow parking was provided
at the Civic Center main lot, which sits next door to
Turtle Bay Exploration Park and The Sundial Bridge...

So the first thing you see as the bus prepares to let
you off is a entire row of what I expect to be all
economical cars, some hybrids. I'm not in the market
so I did not spend much time here.

My next impression is the over attendance of the air
conditioning and heating folks, which makes sense for
REU, more on that later...also the appliance and "Green"
TV sales..Of course the Energy Star whore label is every-
where even on the next cut..to your EEM Energy Star
Mortgage. I guess this is real, I need to investigate
this vehicle more closely in on another day.

Finally, what I came for ...mostly, a solar dealers booth.
Most, looked like about 5 real dealers, I don't count air
and heating folks that bring complete heating and cooling
systems, Energy Starr or Not, and then place a panel or
even two, racked together, of PV collector on the front
side of their little tent. Second impression...or so...

One ten by ten booth space is way to small to do justice
to any solar dealer, or any others for that matter. No
real demo room, too many people, not enough space or
reps per company to really do justice and very little
time to ask questions of the one or two folks trying to
cover each booth. But I'm thinking the cost of booth
spaces for 10 x 10 may have been a factor, not sure but
expect there was a handsome charge for being there. Non
the less, if I do a show, I need and expect to purchase
two booths, for this one, side by side, so I can
accomplish what I need to...which is put on a show for
my company, it's goods and services and not REU' promotion.

Another heating and air company...Camera screwed up on
one of the busiest booths...Our cities GREEN TV seller
which I think was represented by Best Buy, well attended.
You don't have Green TV Sales...you need to throw out your
flat screen and upgrade....right now. Smile I don't
think Big, Wide Screens carry that coveted Energy Star
rating, but it would not have surprised me....

A couple of shots giving you the over all flavor of the
event...walk through the park, sorta, in the trees, with
booths scattered through out the area. Nice stroll really.
And if you were one of the first 1500 a free breakfast
sandwich prepared on the spot, to fill your tummy. I didn't
try one but there was a small line of people waiting and
I didn't come there to review the meal, nice touch though,
I was there to review the SOLAR, added to the attendence
posters at the top, as a after-thought...which is exactly
how REU sees the solar technology and presents it to the
public,...the result can be summed up in the conversation
I overheard from the couple leaving the fair...more on that
soon...

And what energy fair would be complete, without a show of
THE REAL POWER in Redding, The City Of Redding's Police
Department and their crowd control vehicle, special opps,
I don't know what the heck they call it. But I seem to
remember back a year or so ago, Federal money in the form
of Home Security from the Bush, Cheney Days and a cost of
$250,000 for this little Green Rig..anyway..The display,
the biggest, second only to REU's booth...came with a
complete selection of weapontery, proudly laid out and
displayed across a ten foot table, you got your Greeen Gas
Gernade Launcher, Your Green Shot Gun and of course no
Green Crowd Control Vehicle would be complete without a
couple of those full auto M-16's...

Finally, did I mention the solar system plugged into a car.
That looked fully operational on a tracking system and it
might as well been, because that system was complete...
I wish now...I had brought booth space next to it so I
could have plugged in my green, electric scooter line..
maybe next year, maybe not after they read this...they
might be sold out, when I get there./..don't laugh it's
happened before.

So the final mention....see the pic, of part of the REU's
booth where they give away some of the crap they purchase
for their rate payers (with their money) instead of providing
serious solar rebates, like air and heating, or appliances.

folks..our utility has a $43 or so million dollar surplus from
over charging, I assume, their public owners, the rate payer
without their general knowledge or permission...and they would
not have to even spend it, or the $45 million planned now for
TANC if they would just use it to secure a green bond, we'd
be creating the extra power, right here in the city of Redding
no need to spend the money on a grid improvement if the extra
energy you need is being produced right here, on the roofs
of Reddings buildings and homes.

In fact it just came out, special reporter, Scott Mobley
Reddings Record Searchlight that the REU has colluded, will
what do you call it when the head of a public owned
utility or the city council make non-public, backroom deals
with transmission line promoters for $45 Mil plus annual
upkeep or ???. Anyway, those are the bastards I would like
to have identified and placed in that dunk tank booth...
Please note, just in my case I would have invested the
couple of hundred I had on me...to help the cause of the
poor mushrooms, under the control of what is becoming an
evil step son, of it's bigger brother...Pacific Gas and
Electric...Just what REU wants, when it grows up.


It's cool...here in Redding, will I hate to
say it, but being so far removed from the rest of the state,
were a bunch of inbred, uneducated, mushrooms...we love our
city council and the management of REU, who pretty much enjoys
treating us like the country bumpkins that we are...so what do
you get...dealing with REU...this first, but last in the series
is a pic of REU's booth with a spinning, take-your-chances
and win-wheel...Just seems a perfect medefor both for the
utility company, our city, it's leaders and this "solar"
energy fair...Just step right up...spin the wheel, not
sure what you'll get...but everyone;s a winner here...if
you continue to let US control the power._Green Earl

Overheard as leaving the event...Middle age couple.."I'd
like to do the right thing and add solar electric..but
it just doesn't make financial sense in Redding." Honest
to God folks, you cannot make this stuff up...

So I just
want to say...Congratulations REU, You accomplished exactly
what I'm sure you set out to do, exactly what PG& E was
doing to the people of the north state...Solar still is
not a cost-effective purchase here in the North State..
with over 300 solar days a year...not here...Just Feasible
On The Rest Of The Planet. And our systems, some even
in your city, continue to save energy, and make our clients
money, Trouble-free, almost three decades.

If past history is any indicator, I'd say REU, you are just
as screwed up now, as PG&E was then...And there you have
it folks, things do not change quickly...OFF THE GRID In
Northern CA.













Solar, Wind, Bio, Energy News And Commentary By_Green Earl, 30 year Pioneer In Conservation & Solar Energy

Make sure, if you would, to click on the title of this
post, directly above to view Green Earl's Photo Album.
These are pics and cuts I've used here on the blog this
past year. Some past work, some past personal pics and
some are pics of movers and shakers in the renewable
energy business...I need to add mine to the list_smile.

MORE ENERGY FAIR PICS FROM THIS WEEKENDS REU, ENERGY FAIR
AT THE SUNDIAL BRIDGE AT TURTLE BAY, IN REDDING, CALIFORNIA.
Scroll down to earlier post for others...._Green Earl