Public education for photovoltaics: Developing a comprehensive strategy

Conference · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1999

OSTI ID:20050757

Shirley, L; Fitzpatrick, S; Larsen, C

This paper presents a framework and a series of strategies for a national public education effort that would be needed for a massive photovoltaic (PV) deployment effort. This paper draws largely from the work done for the Renewable Energy Policy Project's 1998 report entitled, Expanding Markets for Photovoltaics: What to Do Next. Progress toward a concerted education and awareness program for photovoltaics is hampered by (1) a lack of resources and (2) a lack of coordination. Only a very small amount of funding has been made available to organizations addressing PV public education. Many of the most successful programs, such as the National Solar Home Tour, have been accomplished on a shoestring and have only tapped a small percentage of their true potential. In terms of coordination, no vehicle is currently in place for the development and execution of a comprehensive public education program. Despite these barriers and several others, the authors believe that a number of specific actions can be taken to develop and implement a comprehensive PV public education program. These recommended strategies are presented in this paper as a strawman to elicit debate and discussion that can ultimately lead to a final comprehensive PV public education plan. The recommendations and information contained in this paper are partially drawn from a survey conducted in August, 1998, of over 450 solar professionals representing government, the solar industry, nonprofit groups, utilities and other related organizations.

• Research Organization: North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (US)
• OSTI ID: 20050757
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
COMMUNICATIONS
EDUCATION
INFORMATION DISSEMINATION
PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SUPPLIES
PUBLIC INFORMATION
RECOMMENDATIONS