California – The transition from a Golden State to a Warehouse/Welfare State:  In the beginning there was real gold in the ground and the people came, then WWII and a relaxed California was instantly transformed into a major 24/7 military/industrial complex manufacturing everything from WAC bra’s to munitions, electronics, ships, vehicles, airplanes, lots of movies and all that was needed to win the war. And soon thereafter came a vast construction and transportation industry closely followed by an advanced high tech industrialized society manufacturing everything with a booming electronic and aerospace industry in the forefront supported by thousands of associated suppliers and vendors, the workers of which in turn were served by more thousands of small business’s catering to all their needs and wants, and all of the above created more jobs than there were takers providing every high school kid that wanted one a part-time after school job, and life in California was good… 

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Scientist Manfred von Borks, Sc.D. Just wrote a letter to State Auditor Elaine M. Howle, asking her to look into California's spending on solar power. He wrote a report. And here's his letter:

Oct. 21, 2013

California State Auditor
621 Capitol Mall, Suite 1200
Sacramento, CA 95814

Atten: Ms. Elaine Howle, Auditor

Subject: Solar Power, a Bottomless Money Pit.

Hello Ms. Howle,

I have enclosed for your information a detailed report concerning the growing billion dollar California solar program wherein vast sums of California Tax Payers money has been and will continue to be spent on politically correct “feel good” environmental programs that have not produced any measurable results and in fact have complicated the very problems they were implemented to solve.  My paper discusses these problems in detail and suggests a proven alternative, a less costly and more effective approach that will reduce wasteful spending and benefit California by providing a pro-business energy rich environment encouraging a robust industrial base thus creating many full-time skilled jobs and additional tax revenue.

This report was mailed last week to Governor Brown and to each and every member of the California Legislature. It will not be received with much enthusiasm as it exposes the dark side of solar and the serious on-going problems with State supported grid-tied roof-top pv-solar power and pv-solar farm programs that are increasing the cost of grid electricity and discouraging in-state manufacturing.

California has recently embarked upon another politically conceived million dollar program to “Store Solar and Wind Energy”. Many private high tech companies and universities in Asia, Europe and the United States have been working on this complex problem for the past half century with no end in sight; the technology is not ready for prime time, it is experimental, not the kind of program wherein California Taxpayers money should be invested. What California is proposing, the big picture if you will is that it is acceptable to use vast quantities of fossil fuel and natural resources to create heat and electricity to manufacture more solar panels and windmills which in turn inconsistently generate expensive electricity, usually at inconvenient times, thus creating a temporary surplus that will be stored, at great expense, for later use!  Common sense suggests we should use our abundance of already stored energy, namely “clean burning natural gas” to generate electricity as it is needed eliminating the wasteful billion $ solar and wind “middlemen” and the vast amount of energy forever lost in solar/wind electrical conversions and experimental inefficient 100 year old storage technologies.

We are talking about a great deal of money and the future of California, you may be the only person in California government that can turn a spotlight on this growing fiscal problem, in that regard I urge you consider authorizing your staff to research this report, send it out to as many qualified independent solar and environmental consultants and specialists as you can locate, analyze their comments with your professional insight, knowledge and experience, and then provide desperately needed fiscal guidance to the Governor and the Legislature.

Thank you in advanced for reviewing this paper. I would appreciate your comments.

Manfred von Borks, Sc.D.
www.vonborks.org
vonborks@cox.net