Story Outline

Off the Grid with Solar Power From a news story by CNN San Francisco Reporter James Hattori February 1, 2001

I. California is in the midst of an energy shortage.

A. Electricity is in short supply.
B. Electricity is very expensive.
C. People are using alternative sources of power.

II. Some people are using solar power to generate electricity.

A. Sally Kemmerer is paying workers to install solar panels on her roof.
B. The cost is $45,000 to do the job.
C. She hopes to see energy savings in that amount in twenty years.

III. Some people make so much energy that they send energy back to the power grid.

A. Aaron Wellendorf has used a photovoltaic generator for a year.
B. At night and on sunless days, he still uses the local electric utility.
C. On bright days, he makes so much power that it goes back into the power grid.
D. The utility doesn’t pay him for that.
E. He has the satisfaction of being energy self-sufficient.

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