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The Solar and Wind Expo Becomes the Signature Show for Solar and Wind Living

Moving into our third year, The Solar and Wind Expo has taken a major step and change in direction to create an online community of those who are aficionados of renewable energy. In 2009, I created The Solar and Wind Expo, a renewable energy consumer trade show that showcases the newest products coming to market and works to enlighten everyone as to what is possible today in green technology.

It has always been my vision to unite the renewable energy community in one location where consumers can meet manufacturers, installers, architects and multiple renewable energy advocates in one place. A community where ideas and questions can be voiced heard and answered. This vision is now a reality at Solar and Wind Living dot com.

The newly redesigned website, SolarandWindLiving.com, provides an online forum for consumers, manufacturers, suppliers and installers to share information and experiences regarding renewable energy. Solar and Wind Living allows its users to create accounts and sign into the website to easily view and locate the content in which they are interested and/or comment on articles, ask questions, and more. The renewable energy industry changes daily. It’s more important than ever to keep up with new products, public policy, and to find resources to allow for due diligence prior to purchase and to learn from the experiences of others. Solar and Wind Living provides a forum to do just that!

Clearly now is the time to bring consumers with the desire to live green together with manufacturers, financiers, advocacy groups and government entities with the shared mission to make green a reality.

So now, when you type in Solar and Wind Expo, you will be directed to Solar and Wind Living. All of the Solar and Wind Expo information you are accustomed to will be at this new website, along with lots of other new content.

The Solar and Wind Expo will remain our signature event and will continue to come to select cities all over this land and others. We are all so proud and excited that this vision is becoming a reality and look forward to talking to you at Solar and Wind Living and seeing you at the Solar and Wind Expo.

Do check us out on line and be sure to leave us a comment.

Sincerely,
George Lopez
Executive Director
Solar and Wind Living

Renewable Energy and the 2012 Maryland General Assembly

The Maryland General Assembly will be in session from January 11 to April 9. Now is the time to do a little studying and understand what the energy issues are and how our legislators will act upon them. One good way to do that is to have a look at the Office of Legislative Services’ Issue Papers document for the 2012 session. This document, over 200 pages long, contains analyses of a myriad of issues; those of interest renewable energy advocates include: Offshore Wind; and Energy and the Environment. The document is online at this address: http://dls.state.md.us/data/tabs/wha/Issue-Papers---2012-Legislative-Session-for-web.pdf.  

The issue paper on Offshore Wind is detailed and even includes information about offshore wind generation in other countries and states, with a detailed discussion of New Jersey’s Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Credit (OREC) plan.

There are many public sources of information on this topic including Wind Works for Maryland at http://www.marylandoffshorewind.org/, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters at http://www.marylandconservation.org/issues/offshorewindpowergoodjobscleanenergy and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network at http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/campaigns/maryland/maryland-offshore-wind. The last link includes an additional list of information resources.

The issue paper on renewable energy discusses:

• Efforts to reach the renewable energy and energy efficiency goals under the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) and the EmPower Maryland Program.

• Maryland Energy Administration’s (MEA) clean energy grant and loan programs, which have experienced a reduction in funding

• Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)

• Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative, established by executive order in June 2011

Analysts say legislation addressing long-term contracts for SRECs and sustainable energy utilities considered last session may be reintroduced.

So stay alert and informed. It’s bound to be an interesting ride.

by Elvia Thompson