The Solar and Wind Expo

Our Blog has Moved

2012-01-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-16T14:20:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-03T14:49:00.000-08:00

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

Happy Holidays from the Solar and Wind Expo

2011-12-21T08:09:00.000-08:00

There is no intellegent life down here

2011 was filled with so many distractions that it is hard to pin point the biggest. 2012 could offer a lot of the same – especially since it will be an election year. In fact, it may be difficult to make predictions for 2012. But all is not lost even though politicians will continue to thrive on accentuating our differences,

Just as in other countries, the population is fed up. The current politicians are ill-equipped to stop the bickering and to work out the problems of today to allow for a future that will benefit us all, equally. Politics-as-usual is coming to an end and we will be witnesses.

The focus of the Solar and Wind Expo is to move the country forward towards a clean energy independent future. I bet most of you agree that this will not be possible without using the current available energy sources (like the Keystone Pipeline) while making the change to a new clean energy a priority.

The good part is we can and will do this. But we can’t wait until the left and the right stop fighting or the next election. If Obama wins and the House and Senate stay as they are, the conservatives will be unhappy and block everything that is proposed – more gridlock for four years. But if the Republicans win the Senate and the Presidency, I can’t see a much brighter future for clean energy either.

Let’s tell the President and Congress that we do not want to make this election about abortion, Mormons or putting judges in jail or we’re going to replace them all.

Action is what is needed in 2012. Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is now occupying people’s homes and they are making a difference because of action not in-action. Whether you disagree or disagree with OWS you have to applaud positive action. We all have our opinions, but this coming year let’s put the differences aside and focus on our commonalities. Clean energy is one of these commonalities and if we need a pipeline now to make things easier while we transition to the future, then okay. But this needs to be the discussion, not blackmail as it is being presented now. Environmentalists will need to compromise as well those who support the expansion of fossil fuels.

The Solar and Wind Expo will continue its mission of showcasing clean energy products and techniques in 2012 and we are planning bigger and better shows than last year. In 2012 we are bringing a new event call Electropalooza to Maryland with the help of electric motorcycles manufacturers and race teams. Electric Motorcycles will race in time trials around a track with chicanes. This should be a good time. The event is coming together well and we have developed a website for those who want to participate. We will eventually incorporate the website into the expo website soon.

Speaking of websites, we are working on redoing The Solar and Wind Expo website and will be hosting our own blog in the near future with some interesting surprises. So if you’ve noticed very few blogs lately, that is because the focus has been on the redo. Stay tuned.

So another year goes by and another approaches, let’s make the necessary changes in 2012 to make a clean renewable energy independence possible. Don’t look back, make it happen. Happy Holidays.

Here is a list of who is up for re-election:

• The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections will be held on November 6, 2012. Elections will be held for all 435 seats, representing the 50 U.S. states. Elections will also be held for the delegates from the District of Columbia and five major U.S. territories.

• 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested in regular elections whose winners will serve six-year terms from January 3, 2013 until January 3, 2019. Additionally, special elections may be held to fill vacancies that occur during the 112th United States Congress. Currently, Democrats are expected to have 23 seats up for election, including 2 independents who caucus with the Democrats, while Republicans are expected to have only 10 seats up for election.

1. Democrats/Independents retiring (6 seats)

 Joe Lieberman of Connecticut (Independent)

 Daniel Akaka of Hawaii

 4.1.3 Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico

 4.1.4 Kent Conrad of North Dakota

 4.1.5 Jim Webb of Virginia

 4.1.6 Herb Kohl of Wisconsin

2. Democrats who have not announced intentions

 4.2.1 Dianne Feinstein of California

 4.2.2 Ben Nelson of Nebraska

3. Democrats/Independents seeking re-election (15 seats)

 4.3.1 Tom Carper of Delaware

 4.3.2 Bill Nelson of Florida

 4.3.3 Ben Cardin of Maryland

 4.3.4 Debbie Stabenow of Michigan

 4.3.5 Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota

 4.3.6 Claire McCaskill of Missouri

 4.3.7 Jon Tester of Montana

 4.3.8 Bob Menendez of New Jersey

 4.3.9 Kirsten Gillibrand of New York

 Sherrod Brown of Ohio

 Bob Casey, Jr. of Pennsylvania

 Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island

 Bernie Sanders of Vermont (Independent)

 Maria Cantwell of Washington

 Joe Manchin of West Virginia

4. Republicans retiring (2 seats)

 Jon Kyl of Arizona

 Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas

5. Republicans seeking re-election (8 seats)

 Richard Lugar of Indiana

 Olympia Snowe of Maine

 Scott Brown of Massachusetts

 Roger Wicker of Mississippi

 Dean Heller of Nevada

 Bob Corker of Tennessee

 Orrin Hatch of Utah

 John Barrasso of Wyoming

Is renewable energy truly a national defense issue?

2011-12-12T11:48:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot of talk in the news and in politics since that fateful day, Sept. 11, 2001, about the need to end global funding of terrorist factions, and justly so. The playbook rhetoric has always been that we take the war to them, and we did, that we find where the funding is coming from and stop it, and we did, sort of.

Terrorism exists on ideology and money. Without money it is impossible for a terrorist group to buy weapons, organize training camps or bribe officials in locations where training operations take place. Our government’s policies favor invading or putting in place sanctions to force countries that harbor terrorists to our will. These tactics haven’t worked in Cuba. After enduring years of US economic sanctions, Cuba is now looking to China to help it find oil 60 miles from Key West. This proves that isolation only creates strange bedfellows and that these tactics are so counterproductive that they do is create more problems. What will Cuba do with these profits, hopefully not harbor terrorist?

Invading other countries is a bad choice and often backfires. Help from other countries isn’t always there and the human toll is priceless. Yes we have triumphed in Iraq, or so it seems but time will tell. We can’t stay on this course any longer, we just can’t.

Terrorist attacks cost a small amount when compared to the funds they spend in developing their terrorist infrastructure, which cost perhaps billions of dollars to set up and maintain. Vast sums are spent on recruitment, training camps, conventional and unconventional weapons, intelligence gathering, various forms of propaganda, and other activities.

The methods used to acquire these funds are nothing new and have been around for decades, i.e. drugs and oil profits. The US has done little to curtail the influx of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels that fund the very terrorism that we then must fight. How many wake-up calls must we have before people in power act see this?

Tired of waiting for government action, the American public is taking matters into its own hands. They are saving more, fighting for their legal rights and buying locally to help themselves get out a financial quagmire while Congress continues its lackluster performance. The 2008 economic crash left the United States people no choice but to rethink the place of our country in this new global economy.

The United States needs to make the change to clean electric cars and solar, wind and geothermal technologies as quickly as possible to help lead the country and the world out of this dependence. There is no more time to wait. Countries all over the world are making quick work of the change and we must too. We should take the message to Congress that this too is of national importance and must be put in the defense budget. This is the language they understand.

Money can be reallocated from research on worthless technologies or new line items should be added. It’s that important.

The defense expenditures for 2010 were as follows:

Operations and maintenance $283.3 billion +4.2%
Military Personnel $154.2 billion +5.0%
Procurement $140.1 billion −1.8%
Research, Development, Testing & Evaluation $79.1 billion +1.3%
Military Construction $23.9 billion +19.0%
Family Housing $3.1 billion −20.2%
Total Spending $683.7 billion +3.0%

DOD Programs:

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter $11.4 billion +2.1%
Ballistic Missile Defense (Aegis, THAAD, PAC-3) $9.9 billion +7.3%
Virginia class submarine $5.4 billion +28.0%
Brigade Combat Team Modernization $3.2 billion +21.8%
DDG 51 Aegis-class Destroyer $3.0 billion +19.6%
P–8A Poseidon $2.9 billion −1.6%
V-22 Osprey $2.8 billion −6.5%
Carrier Replacement Program $2.7 billion +95.8%
F/A-18E/F Hornet $2.0 billion +17.4%
Predator and Reaper Unmanned Aerial System $1.9 billion +57.8%
Littoral combat ship $1.8 billion +12.5%
CVN Refueling and Complex Overhaul $1.7 billion −6.0%
Chemical Demilitarization $1.6 billion −7.0%
RQ-4 Global Hawk $1.5 billion +6.7%
Space-Based Infrared System $1.5 billion +54.4%

The 2012 Defense-related budget breakdown shows where all the money is going to be spent:

DOD spending $707.5 billion Base budget + "Overseas Contingency Operations"
FBI counter-terrorism $2.7 billion At least one-third FBI budget.
International Affairs $5.6–$63.0 billion At minimum, foreign arms sales. At most, entire State budget
Energy Department, defense-related $21.8 billion
Veterans Affairs $70.0 billion
Homeland Security $46.9 billion
NASA, satellites $3.5–$8.7 billion Between 20% and 50% of NASA's total budget
Veterans pensions $54.6 billion
Other defense-related mandatory spending $8.2 billion
Interest on debt incurred in past wars $109.1–$431.5 billion Between 23% and 91% of total interest
Total Spending $1.030–$1.415 trillion

My proposal is this. Add one more line item:

Strategic fossil fuel import reduction $431.5 billion - to be used to finance renewable energy

This amount is equal to the amount that is paid in interest for past wars alone. Maybe we can put an end to having to fight those types of wars. We must make it a National Priority.

George Lopez

America is split – just about down the middle – half on the left and half on the right

2011-12-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

If you told me that every football game this season was going to end in a tie, I would not watch football. I feel the same way about politics; I just can’t watch it anymore. At least with football if you stop watching, the pain goes away. The opposite is true with politics. If you leave them alone they will steal the farm (Oh wait, they have).

We need to take responsibility for our votes. The left blames the right and the right blames the left. In the end it’s the voter who loses.

The almost even division of the country has created this problem; and in a way this is a good thing, because this system does not give either side supreme power and this increases the need for compromise between the two sides. But they all have dug in their heels and will not allow common reasoning to enter the conversation.

So the only thing the left and the right can do is hope that the independent vote will help sway the election their way. So in other words, billions of dollars are spent to sway a small minority.

This is money that in my eyes can be used for better things, but that argument is for another time. What is so disingenuous on the part of both sides is that they never repay their debt by helping an independent candidate get any recognition. Not ever. It boggles my mind.

What does all this have to do with renewable energy and electric vehicles? If you look around you’ll see that the environment hasn’t gotten any better and the cost of fossil fuels hasn’t gone down. History shows that this is a never-ending trend. But the cost of solar and wind and geothermal is going down. According to the World Energy Council (WEC), global demand for natural gas is likely to increase by 44% between 2007 and 2035 due to increasing global population and growing demand. This will increase the cost of that fuel. Count on it.

Bloomberg news reported a couple of days ago on India pushing down the price of solar even further:

India, the world’s third-largest energy consumer, is cutting solar-power costs to a record by forcing project developers into auctions, helping avoid the spiraling renewable-energy subsidies that have hurt Europe.

The lowest bid in India’s latest national auction on Dec. 2 came from Solairedirect SA, France’s second-largest producer, which offered to sell photovoltaic electricity at 7,490 rupees ($147) a megawatt-hour. That’s 38 percent below the average price set in a December 2010 auction and about 30 percent cheaper than the global average for solar projects.

They go on to say:

The auction’s results for $700 million of projects shows the price of solar power in India is closing in on the cost of coal-fired generation faster than expected as photovoltaic equipment costs plunge, said Mohit Anand, senior consultant at Bridge to India Pvt., a New Delhi-based advisory firm.

Solar power may equal the cost of fossil fuel-based electricity sold to commercial businesses as early as 2014 or 2015 if prices continue to fall at the rate seen in India over the past 12 months, Anand said. KPMG LLP predicted in May solar power may be as cheap as coal by 2017. The government said in an August report that solar could reach grid parity by 2019.

Read the story here.

While the country is in gridlock and the media only wants to promote its own agenda, the renewable energy industry could make a difference by promoting alternative energy friendly political candidates. There is a great opportunity to make difference going forward and maybe this two-party system is hurting our chances to further the renewable energy industry in a way that is fair. Is the only way left to introduce new ideas is to introduce a new party?

While Ice caps melt, ground water is dries up, the housing market flounders and economies all over the world are at the mercy of fossil fuel providers, the price of clean, renewable energy continues to go down. There has been no better time to make the change to clean renewable energy, but all the left and the right can do is argue. HELLO! CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME?!! George Lopez.

The State of the Industry: Wind Making Important Gains, Facing Legislative Uncertainty

2011-11-21T17:30:00.000-08:00

Workers preparing the base for
Turbine at Chesapeake college in
Maryland

Of all the renewable energy technologies available, wind energy appears to be the one most capable of being harnessed to a true utility scale. Cumulatively, wind energy production has soared 30% in the last ten years. The Global Wind Energy Council tallies the number of wind energy jobs at over 400,000. Within the last decade large wind farms have begun to dot the nation, particularly in the Midwest and Deep South, where strong winds and open country both exist in optimal quantities.

Wind has become a part of many conventional utility companies’ portfolios where it has proved to be anything but unreliable. During the scorching summer heat of 2011, Texas electrical grids buckled under soaring demand and conventional modes of production could not keep pace. Wind turbines picked up the slack and kept the air conditioning and lights on in thousands of Texas homes.

While the wind sector has experienced its share of the attrition from the global economic downturn, the worldwide wind picture appears strong, with European markets stable and China claiming the top spot in terms of global wind energy production.

On the other hand, the United States has seen its share of production in the wind sector decline by half in 2011. This year has seen the nation’s first planned offshore wind farm, Cape Wind, struggle with bureaucratic red tape and a fierce backlash from citizens concerned with the sight, sound and placement of the turbines. These factors, combined with wrangling on behalf of the utility companies and lawsuits have caused the gears of Cape wind to grind to a halt.

More menacing is the prospect that Congress, (who recent polling shows is tied with Hugo Chavez at 9% for popularity among American citizens) gripped by the hysteria of austerity, will decide to scale back or entirely dispense with the federal grants making much of utility scale wind possible. If this happens, analysts and industry leaders predict that, while it will not kill the wind industry in the United States, it will greatly slow its advance.

At a time when the nation badly needs jobs, it makes little sense to gut the funding from an internationally growing industry. It goes beyond poor judgment and into the realm of outright cruelty, when one takes into account the thousands of Americans who will lose their jobs should Congress decide to remove these important and necessary subsidies.

Contrary to what some would have us believe, the oil, natural gas and especially the nuclear energy sector all had substantial subsidies, grants and miscellaneous perks afforded them by Congress in efforts to turn them into the behemoths of industry they are today. At a time when Marcellus Shale is generating revenue hand over fist, it is nonsensical to advocate for the retention of subsidies for the fossil fuel industry while demanding that government cut aid to clean energy.

On November 2, 2011, bipartisan legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives to extend the renewable energy production tax credits. The legislation is H.R. 3307: “American Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit Extension Act of 2011.” I strongly urge anyone who reads this post to write, email or call their congressman or congresswoman and urge them to cosponsor this bill and demand that they advocate for America’s rightful clean and renewable energy future.

- By Richard Harrod

Solar and Wind Expo wraps up in Massachusetts – Part Deux

2011-11-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

Ted Dillard showing his
electric motorcycle

The 2012 Massachusetts Solar and Wind Expo will be held the first weekend of November in the Royal Plaza Trade Center in Marlborough. We are looking forward to growing the number of vendors at the show and people walking through the door by expanding on our advertizing campaign, engaging our current partners early and adding more.

Although the Expo is not for another year we stay engaged in the Massachusetts energy community and will continue our mission of promoting renewable energy any way we can. One of those ways will be to point out misinformation and injustice anytime we see it.

I recently read that the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, a Cape Wind opponent, has recently received a large contribution so it can continue to fight this much needed and good-for-everyone project. A quick search on Wikipedia revealed the following: The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit self-styled environmental organization dedicated to the opposition of the Cape Wind project^[1] and to the long-term preservation of Nantucket Sound.^[2] Alliance membership and allies include wealthy residents of Cape Cod, executives in fossil fuel industries, some local towns, Chambers of Commerce, several environmental groups, many fishing and recreation groups, and public figures including billionaire oil heir William Koch, former mining executive Doug Yearley, former candidate for U.S. President and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the late U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, Attorney General Tom Reilly, and Congressman Bill Delahunt.^[1]^[3]^[4] Its current president is Charles McLaughlin of Harwich. Among its directors have been Dan Wolf, President and CEO of airline Cape Air, along with former candidate for Massachusetts governor and convenience store baron Christy Mihos (source: public records at the Massachusetts Division of Corporations).

A self-styled environmental organization dedicated to the opposition of the first offshore wind farm? Cape Wind is a project that is decades behind the rest of the world and would create many short and long term jobs as well as reduce our dependence on fossils. That is why the Solar and Wind Expo will continue to do its job: Pointing out issues like this, promoting and creating demand for renewables until we no longer need fossil fuels and beyond.

Vadim Polikov of Astrum Solar
demonstrates solar power to
a very interested attendee to the
Mass. Solar and Wind Expo

I want to thank the folks who helped make the Expo a success. They were instrumental in spreading the word and believed in us from the beginning:

Astrum Solar
Energy Systems & Installation
SunLion Energy Systems
Krannich Solar
Brightergy Solar Solutions
Boston Gliders
Conservation Solutions Corporation
Earthheaded
Honest Tea
EnerG Magazine
WCVB Television
WGBH Television
Green Alliance
Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston
Sustainable Leader Program
Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce
GoGreen Web Directory
Pearl’s Premium Seed

And the many who attended and are now evaluating their energy choices

Look for future blogs where we’ll tell you about plans for the 2012 Maryland Expo. We are putting together more seminars, more EVs--including the first ever Electropalooza. Electropalooza will showcase factory and homemade electric motorcycles and cars and their capabilities on a closed circuit track. Don’t miss it. Save the date!

George Lopez

The Solar and Wind Expo wraps up in Massachusetts and now looks to Maryland

2011-11-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

The kids had fun on
Ted Dillards Custom

It was a beautiful weekend in Marlborough, Massachusetts, on November 4-6th. Over 2000 people interested in renewable energy came through the door and were welcomed by solar and wind energy companies, Segways, electric cars, an electric motorcycle and electric bikes.

The free seminars were very popular and all classes were well attended. The most popular classes were those on solar leasing, wind and geothermal.

The weather cooperated the entire weekend had sun and temperatures in 60s. A week earlier they had a 30-inch snowfall and all was melted by the time we arrived. The folks at the Royal Plaza Trade Center were great and treated us very well. The guys at Capital Convention Services even threw in the wall-to-wall carpeting. We extend a big thank you to Pat Silva and Erik Palm and the entire staff of the Trade Center.

A week earlier due to the storm Massachusetts had been hit with a massive power outage and the Hotel had become one of the staging areas for the reconnection efforts. While folks on TV lamented about how the electric company was not doing enough, we were treated to an incredible demonstration. I have never seen so many boom trucks in one location in my life. The parking lot had generators running around the clock with staging area for poles and other needed items. The lobby was deployment central for hundreds of workers from all over the country. The poor guys had to take their clothes with them every day because they did not know if they would come back to this hotel or another. By the time the Expo began setting up, the entire state of Massachusetts had power. My hat goes off to National Grid and all the guys who gave their all to get it done.

Now we focus on Maryland and the plans are taking shape. We are putting together a great event, bigger and better than last year. The first ever “Electropalooza” will take place in May along with the Expo. We are expecting electric motorcycles and cars from all over to descend on Timonium Fairgrounds. Stay tuned.

George Lopez

in our Key West Headquaters.

The State of the Industry: Ray of Sunshine Winds its Way through Pennsylvania State Legislature

2011-11-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

Over the past year Pennsylvania has been a tough spot for the solar industry. Solar power benefited greatly from the enacting of the Pennsylvania Sunshine Program in 2008, which created a $100 million fund for residential consumers and business owners to tap into to help offset the cost of going solar.

This created a boom in solar installations, but now the fund is all but depleted and state has outpaced its renewable portfolio standard carve out for solar, meaning that the value of SRECs (the certificates or credits generated based on kilowatts of solar installed and then sold back into the grid) in Pennsylvania has tumbled from over $300 to around $50 over the last year.

This crash of SREC prices and disappearance of subsidies is compounded by a less than proactive approach from the Governor’s Office in Harrisburg. Governor Corbett has focused almost all energy policy on the exploitation of natural gas from Marcellus Shale. Additionally he has banned state agencies from investing in infrastructure upgrades or repairs that involve the use of renewable technologies.

Many companies are diversifying or relocating, opening offices in more renewable energy friendly states like New Jersey or Massachusetts or simply leaving the state altogether. The state’s share of solar jobs has gone from near 7000 to under 5000 in the course of one year.

The one ray of sunshine in this landscape is coming from a new proposed law entitled “Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act” (HB 1580) sponsored and promoted by State Representative Chris Ross (R – Chester County). The bill would increase the solar carve-out in the Pennsylvania’s RPS to .5% and also close the state’s borders to purchases of SRECs from outside Pennsylvania.

Rep. Chris Ross

Rep. Ross has been buoyed by a tremendous amount for support. Legislators were signing on as cosponsors before the legislation was even written. As it stands now, the bill is before the Consumer Affairs committee. It is not known for certain when the bill will make it out of their deliberations and to a vote on the assembly floor, but experts in the industry believe it will not only pass, but will also be signed by Governor Corbett if it makes it to his desk.

HB 1580 is a very promising initiative and, assuming it passes, should stabilize the solar industry in Pennsylvania. It will take longer for the industry to undergo the necessary market shakeout and for supply to come into line with demand. Nonetheless, it is more than a little encouraging to see local lawmakers fighting for the jobs and welfare of the solar industry and understanding the promise that renewable energy holds, not just for Pennsylvania, but for the United States and beyond.

- by Richard Harrod

Annapolis Boat Show - Part Deux - The Power Weekend

2011-10-17T11:17:00.000-07:00

Can one expect Green initiatives at a power boat show? Well, yes, particularly on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. The US Powerboat Show held in Annapolis last weekend showcased a few enthusiastic vendors that offered sustainability as well as performance.

Greenline Hybrids

Most notable in the water was the Greenline Hybrid, two beautiful and comfortable boats made in Europe. What sets them apart is the company’s philosophy: “We want to keep our most beautiful boating spots in the same pristine condition as when we first discovered them. We want to enjoy the untouched beauties of the boating world for years to come and pass them on to our children and grandchildren.” To fulfill this vision, they have devised a hybrid engine that allows cruising on the sun’s energy supplemented by diesel power when needed. Running on solar electric power enables a quiet, pollution-free ride, much like the sailboat experience, at sailboat speed (up to 6 knots) – up to 20 miles at 4 knots. When it is necessary to get somewhere quickly, such as trying to outrun a storm, the diesel can be kicked in increasing the speed up to 15 knots.

Greenline's 40 Hybrid

The charge from the six 1.3kW solar panels built into the hard top, and the hybrid drive that charges the lithium batteries when the diesel is running or the sun is shining, allows the boat to run for several days without the diesel. The solar panels have been built to operate in a marine environment and they can be walked upon. The manufacturer says that due to the design of the hull, the boat burns “…up to 4 times less fossil fuel per nautical mile than comparable planning hulls, reducing the pollution by 75%.” Both the 33-footer and the 40-footer are impressive vessels that make a very strong environmental statement (greenlinehybrid.com).

Electrocruise

On a smaller scale, the 23-foot ElectroCruise solar-assisted cruiser was in the water equipped with solar panels that power a Ray Electric 4HP outboard. The little lobster boat hulled cruiser has a hardtop covered in solar panels and depending on the number of batteries installed can cruise up to almost five hours at 7 knots. The full line of “e-boats” is designed for all-day electric power cruising with a range of up to 12 hours on a single charge, depending on the model. The electric outboards, ranging from 2.5 to 4HP are made in the USA. The Ray Electric is, according to the manufacturer, “the first electric outboard to be designed and patented as a primary source of power,” rather than just for trolling. Coupled with the charge from the sun, use of the electric outboard makes for a relaxing, non-polluting, quiet ride (rayeo.com).

Ray Electric Motor

German-made, Torqeedo displayed its line of electric outboards, lithium batteries and distinctive propeller design. Models ranged from kayak motors to those that can take provide almost 10HP. The system includes a remote throttle information display that details battery charge status, remaining range, speed over ground, and input power (torqueedo.com).

Duffy Electric Boats

Locally, SJ Koch Electric Boat Rentals displayed its incredibly cute rental American-made Duffy Electric Boats, that are not solar powered, but electric plug-ins. These quiet little boats hold up to 10 people for a quiet day on the water and are rentable in three locations in Maryland (experiencetheduffyboat.com).

Green on shore transportation was featured too with Bikes Go Green, a family-run business from Virginia. Their foldable Volto bikes, made in China, operate by traditional pedaling or electrically via a lithium-ion battery powered motor. Either way, they are emission free (bikesgogreen.com).

Bikes Go Green

Of course, there’s the other side of the coin too – the mega-motored muscle boats that probably use more fuel in one afternoon than the average neighborhood. There was one outboard that produced an astounding 537HP and looked to me like it was dressed in a Superman outfit. Even so, there was a lot of talk about fuel efficiency.

The boat show management is slowly moving toward recognition of the importance of sustainability. The show brochure marked off an area for green boating where several of the dealers mentioned above were located. The management is awaiting a waste audit of trash collected during the sailboat show the previous weekend, so we are hopeful that there will be some recycling stations available next year in and around the show.

At both the power and sail shows, there is a growing appetite for sustainability and stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay. We hope that boaters will support the manufacturers and dealers of these products thereby doing as we are at The Solar and Wind Expo – creating demand and building markets for green boating products. That is good for the economy, for clean air, clean water and healthy lives.

by Elvia Thompson

RECs should be divided into commercial and residential

2011-10-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

Let’s take look at the use and intent of Renewable Energy Credits (REC). RECs are intended to make polluting energy producers pay a surcharge for continuing to operate in the manner that they do, the charge is undoubtedly passed on to the consumer of that energy. The money is later used to help pay down the cost of Solar panels, Wind Turbines and in some cases Geothermal and other clean energy methods. This is the most prevalent system in America.

SRECs in PA have crashed
over the last few years
( source - srectrade.com)

Every time your Renewable Energy system makes 1,000 kilowatt hours, it makes 1 SREC (the “S” is for solar in this case). You then sell the REC to the polluter and everyone wins. That is if the price of the REC is high. The RECs are traded in an open market, which in turn make them unstable.

In Europe they prefer feed-in tariffs, a policy mechanism designed to accelerate investment in renewable energy technologies. It achieves this by offering long-term contracts to renewable energy producers, usually based on the cost of generation of each different technology.

The first form of feed-in tariff believe it or not, was implemented in the US in 1978 under President Jimmy Carter, who signed the National Energy Act. This Act included five separate Acts, one of which was the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act. The purpose of the National Energy Act was to encourage energy conservation and the development of new energy resources, including renewable energy such as wind, solar and geothermal power.

Which system is better depends on who you ask and maybe even what political flavor they enjoy. The feed-in tariff is a policy that says we are going to do this and we are going to pay for it, for the good of our society. Germany has taken this approach and no one can argue that they are doing a great job with this system.

The REC market is different in that depending on what the credit is worth at the time of the energy systems sale and installation has a direct bearing on the sale itself. In other words when the price of RECs is down, the renewable energy system becomes more expensive.

It also stands to reason that this unstable market system has the ability to delay the nations conversion to renewable energy, because by making the consumer pay a higher cost today than yesterday is never a good idea and sends the wrong message. This is what happened in Pennsylvania. Unless of course that is what the intent was from the start.

One big flaw with the REC market system as it exists is that it does not differentiate between residential and commercial installations. In a commercial installation the amount of RECs that are made available to the owner, be it a renewable energy plant or a large commercial application is higher and quickly floods the market with REC paper. This in turn brings the value of RECs down and hinders the ability to buy and sell residential installations. The residential market could account for the biggest amount of installations in the US and also in the amount of jobs that could be created if allowed to flourish.

So it would seem to make sense to split RECs into two or more categories or maybe make the residential RECs worth a set amount across the entire US and make the mandatory percentage higher or unlimited. Another way is to make residential credit worth two or more times that of its commercial counterpart or make it so the commercial credits do not go towards the quota but are worth the same amount as the residential. The renewable energy industry is new and it needs to get proper support to continue to grow. This support must come from strong leadership and this is one suggestion that could help sustain the industry.

by George Lopez

Public Opinion seems to be oil and gas’ game

2011-10-12T07:54:00.000-07:00

Last night I received an email from a friend asking my opinion of a graph that purportedly demonstrated that renewable energy is not worth the investment. This is not the first time that something like that has been sent to me. Why are so many people taking the time to produce such graphs and to rotate them around the net? What a waste of energy. Or is it?

It was a confusing graph with many curves and comments and made no sense whatsoever. But nevertheless, it was sure to make the over credulous think about keeping the status quo. However, the time for energy conversion is here and it is only a matter of time before we make the change. But it will take some work on our part. Sure we could make graphs that contend that renewable energy will make your hair grow back and that it will make the price of college education go down, but that is not necessary.

The tide has turned already. In watching the republican debates, it is refreshing to see the candidates speak about drilling, but staying away from falsehoods about renewable energy. They must know that tide of public opinion has turned in favor of renewable energy and to speak against would mean sudden political death.

Look around and you will see the change is happening. Spray insulation, low wattage bulbs such as LED, energy saving appliances and passive house standards are just a few of the things that are being implemented by those who want to be ahead of the curve. You have to believe that the cost of energy will always go up because historically that has been the way. Those who do not transition to renewable energy and electric transportation now will be the ones who feel the squeeze later.

That is the important message we should be giving to those who say renewable energy is not worth the investment.

Turn on the TV today and you get a confusing collage of clean natural gas, coal and gasoline efficient vehicles while some of the same companies are touting turbines and electric cars. The change is here and all of us should embrace it together and now.

Mitsubishi is beginning to promote their electric cars as is represented in the following video, joining the ranks of the LEAF and the VOLT. They will soon be joined by BMW, FORD and others, the future is here, don’t stay in the past.

by George Lopez

Headlines

2011-10-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

Vermont Aims for 90% Renewable Energy by 2050
SustainableBusiness.com

The Vermont Department of Public Service released a draft Comprehensive Energy Plan, calling for 90% of the state's energy to come from renewables by 2050. The ambitious plan replaces a 2008 plan that called for 25% renewable energy by 2050. ...

Water and Renewables: What Are the Options?
RenewableEnergyWorld.com

One approach to reducing greenhouse gases has been more reliance on renewable energy. But energy projects, both conventional and renewable, typically require large amounts of water. That means the long-term physical and legal availability of water ...

POLL: Strong majority of Marylanders support offshore wind power
Delmarva Now

Meanwhile, a moderate-sized wind farm (500 megawatts) would create about 2000 manufacturing and construction jobs over five years and 400 long term operations jobs, according to the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA). The total economic impact of ...

Siting rules for wind farms in WI still stuck
Chicago Tribune

AP Hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in potential economic development are in limbo as Wisconsin officials continue to argue over new siting rules for wind farms. The Wisconsin State Journal reports (http://bit.ly/pv9F18 ) the new rules were ...

Analysis: Solar installers thrive as panel costs slide
Reuters

Solar panels are seen in the parking lot of 1929 building Walter J Towers, near downtown Los Angeles, California August 26, 2011. By Krishna Das (Reuters) - A steep drop in the price of solar panels has been a boon to the companies that install the ...

The Annapolis boat show exhibitors are embracing Green

2011-10-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

I feel so blessed to live a stone's throw from Annapolis and to be able to visit the biggest and oldest sail boat show in America, now in its 42nd year. Some may say that sailboats are already green because they are not fuel intensive like motor boats. They are right. But they are not stopping there; the sailboat culture embraces conservation. A tour of the Annapolis Sailboat show on Saturday was not only fun but enlightening.

The emphasis on energy saving and conservation was everywhere. The first thing we noticed was the placement of "eco-stations," trash and recycling bins that had been set up in select locations by WasteStrategies of Annapolis, Md. in partnership with Annapolis Green. They were set up to help event goers separate recyclable trash from non-recyclable waste. It was very effective; we saw person after person look at the graphic instructions and then separate their waste. It was so effective that we found ourselves clapping a couple of times.

"Our containers have received broad acceptance, at Eastport Yacht Club's Boat Show Bash, at the boat show itself and at others locations since we debuted them last month. At the Boat Show Bash we were able to recycle 50% and that was a huge success; with proper planning we will get to 75% next year," said John Nicklin, Managing Member of WasteStrategies.

Beautiful boats abound, lots of them were demonstrating small wind turbines and/or solar panels or had them as an option. We ran into Meghan Mathews of Yacht 2 Be Green, whose entire booth was dedicated to greening your yacht.

They carried LED lighting, wind turbines and all types of energy saving products and "soon will carry a line of Solar Panels," according to Meghan.

Yacht 2 Be Green also has a charitable arm called Sailors Without Borders whose mission is to have cruising sailors transport school supplies and other materials to needy kids in out of the way places.

Oyster Marine 655

We saw a 65 foot Oyster with one of the best layouts I've seen, with a hundred-foot mast, retractable sail, it was like a big playground that would look great with me as Captain, but I digress...

We met a man who was demonstrating a neat way of recycling waste plastic.

Rod Sato, Vice President of E-N-ergy was standing next to the Blest Be-h desktop unit that can convert plastic into oil that can run generators and other engines. He was converting the plastic into something useful as we watched! The unit uses 1 kilowatt of electricity to convert 1 kilogram of plastic into 1 liter of oil, at a cost of around US $0.25. The oil can then be further refined back through the machine into gasoline, kerosene, and diesel. A small amount of ash is left over, and the off-gasses are turned into CO2 and water with a catalytic converter, or can be used to run a generator." The process is called pyrolysis- or gasification, and is a tried and true method for converting almost any type of material into energy.

BE-H

Material is super heated in the absence of oxygen- so does not combust, but vaporizes into gas. Since there is no combustion, there are no toxic gasses released, so the process is relatively clean," said Sato.

And there were several other booths featuring eco-friendly products. Another thing we noticed was that boaters embrace non-toxic stainless steel cookware rather than non-stick cookware that was so prevalent just a few years ago.

What a great event this was, with so much promise. The oceans may soon see benefits from all the good people working together to find solutions to the waste problem that we face in the world. Next weekend we get to see the power boaters at the same venue and we will report on their achievements.

Bon Voyage!

by George Lopez

The Annapolis boat show is here

2011-10-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

Sylvia Earle

Years ago when the Googleplex proudly debuted Google Earth, renown American oceanographer Sylvia Earle told Google execs that they had a great product but that it wasn’t really Google Earth, but “Google Dirt” because there was no mapping of ¾ of the planet – that is, the oceans. Red-faced, probably, they set to work with Dr. Earle and completed mapping of the oceans too. Dr. Earle was right on point when she said, “Without blue, there is no green.” Our planet is regulated by the oceans. Our people are fed by the oceans. Even deep inland the effect is profound.

The production of energy from fossil fuels affects the oceans and the land. We know how oil spills from drilling and cargo tanker accidents affects nature, but there is a big negative effect from air pollution as well. Too much carbon dioxide and shrinking amounts of ozone high in the atmosphere kill phytoplankton – the basis of life in the ocean. When we think of renewable energy we need to expand our thoughts to the ocean, the Earth’s mother, who feeds us and brings us weather regulating the pulse of the Earth and humankind.

For the next two weeks my hometown of Annapolis, Maryland, will be awash in boats – even more than usual. Two of the nation’s biggest boat shows, one each for sail and power, brings many visitors and locals into our charming downtown to see the latest and greatest in vessels and accessories. The enthusiasm for boating and enjoying the Chesapeake Bay, which is evident in Annapolis all-year long anyway, is magnified. There is a movement toward Green Boating, using eco-friendly products and being very careful to put no trash in the waters. There also are entrepreneurs who are taking it a step further. Last year a hybrid solar powerboat was introduced – the Greenline. It has solar panels on the top and on the deck and can go all day at a reasonable speed powered by the sun. If needed, an auxiliary diesel engine can kick in, but is usually not needed.

The point of this is that we need to think of new ways of living, working and playing if we are to have a habitable planet in the future. Whether our passions are mountain biking or sailing, we need make every decision as if our lives depend on it… because they do.

by Elvia Thompson

University of Maryland Finishes in First Place Overall & Appalachian State Wins People’s Choice Award at DOE Solar Decathlon 2011

2011-10-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

Seven of the 19 Houses Built by Student Competitors Produced More Energy Than They Consumed Under Mostly Cloudy Skies

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 concluded this weekend on the National Mall’s West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. Approximately 4,000 collegiate students from five countries on four continents invested countless hours of time and tireless effort to participate in this prestigious, clean energy competition. In spite of the cloudy and rainy weather during a majority of the contest days, seven out of the 19 highly energy efficient solar-powered houses designed by the student competitors still produced more energy than they consumed. Additionally, student team members led more than 357,000 tours to share the energy-saving features of their houses with the public. In the end, the University of Maryland was crowned the overall winner. At Saturday evening’s Victory Reception, Appalachian State University won the People’s Choice Award for the public’s favorite Solar Decathlon house, a poll in which more than 92,000 votes were cast by visitors, fans and consumers.

The Solar Decathlon is an award-winning competition that challenges collegiate teams from around the world to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are affordable, highly energy efficient, attractive, and easy to live in. The 2011 teams and their houses represented a broad range of design solutions, geographic locations and climates, and were targeted toward urban, suburban and rural settings. The houses were intended for different housing markets, including lower-income, disaster relief, retirement, and single family.

“The Solar Decathlon’s impact is threefold,” said Richard King, director of the Solar Decathlon for the U.S. Department of Energy. “Over the last two years, the student competitors have received unique training that prepares them to enter our nation’s clean energy workforce. Visitors and consumers learned firsthand that affordable, energy-efficient features in these innovative houses can help them save money today. And this year’s competition houses will become teaching tools for industry professionals and students around the world.”

The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency. The top three overall finishers of the Solar Decathlon 2011 were the University of Maryland, Purdue University, and New Zealand (Victoria University of Wellington). The complete list of final results and team scores may be found below and on www.SolarDecathlon.gov.

Teams have begun to disassemble their houses and will depart Washington, D.C. later this week. Over the coming months, the houses will travel across the country and the globe on educational tours and to their final destinations. Some of the houses are sold to recover costs or raise money for future teams. Many of the houses are used for continued research and are on display for public tours at their respective universities.

Statistics from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011:

• Even though a majority of the competition days were cloudy, seven out of the 19 houses produced more energy than they consumed
• 357,000 house visits were provided to the public during 10 days
• 92,000 votes were cast for the People’s Choice Award, more than five times the number of votes cast during the previous competition
• A new Affordability Contest was featured, demonstrating the reasonable cost of many energy-saving home improvement products and design solutions available today
• Approximately 4,000 collegiate students earned valuable experience by building an energy efficient house with peers in other disciplines, helping them prepare to enter the clean energy workforce
• Collegiate teams from five countries and four continents participated

This year’s university-led teams were chosen nearly two years ago through a competitive process. The application process for the sixth Solar Decathlon, to be held in fall 2013, has already begun with applications available online for student teams at www.SolarDecathlon.gov/apply.html.

For full event information and high-resolution photos and videos, visit www.SolarDecathlon.gov. To view final scores and standings for the overall competition and individual contests, see below or visit www.SolarDecathlon.gov/scores.html. B-roll footage of individual teams, houses and the overall competition is available for download copyright-free at http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/b_roll_sd.cfm#sd11. You also may join the conversation on Facebook at Facebook.com/DOESolarDecathlon and Twitter at@Solar_Decathlon.

Solar Decathlon 2011 teams that competed on the National Mall’s West Potomac Park:

• Appalachian State University
• Canada (University of Calgary)
• Florida International University
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• University of Maryland
• Middlebury College
• New Zealand (Victoria University of Wellington)
• The Ohio State University
• Parsons NS Stevens (Parsons The New School for Design and Stevens Institute of Technology, a team that also includes Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy at The New School)
• Purdue University
• The Southern California Institute of Architecture and California Institute of Technology
• Team Belgium (Ghent University)
• Team China (Tongji University)
• Team Florida (The University of South Florida, Florida State University, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Florida)
• Team Massachusetts (Massachusetts College of Art and Design and University of Massachusetts at Lowell)
• Team New Jersey (Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey and New Jersey Institute of Technology)
• Team New York (The City College of New York)
• The University of Tennessee
• Tidewater Virginia (Old Dominion University and Hampton University

Solar Decathlon 2011 Final Scores and Standings

1. Maryland 951.151
2. Purdue 931.390
3. New Zealand 919.058
4. Middlebury College 914.809
5. Ohio State 903.938
6. SCI-Arc/Caltech 899.490
7. Illinois 875.715
8. Tennessee 859.132
9. Team Massachusetts 856.351
10. Canada 836.423
11. Florida Int'l 833.159
12. Appalachian State 832.499
13. Parsons NS Stevens 828.816
14. Tidewater Virginia 774.910
15. Team China 765.471
16. Team Belgium 709.843
17. Team New York 677.356
18. Team New Jersey 669.352
19. Team Florida 619.006

Solar Decathlon 2011 Individual Contest Winners

Affordability (Awarded Tuesday, September 27, 2011)
Parsons NS Stevens and Team Belgium tied for first and earned the full 100 points in the contest by constructing houses estimated to cost $229,890 and $249,568, respectively. New for the Solar Decathlon 2011, the Affordability contest encouraged teams to design and build affordable houses that combine energy efficient construction and appliances with renewable energy systems. A professional estimator determined the
construction cost of each house. Teams earned 100 points for achieving a target construction cost of $250,000 or less. A sliding point scale was applied to houses with estimated construction costs between $250,001 and $600,000.

Appliances (Awarded Saturday, October 1, 2011)
The University of Illinois took first place and earned 99.955 out of 100 possible points by outperforming the other 18 houses in keeping its refrigerator and freezer cold, washing and drying loads of laundry during the contest week, and running a dishwasher during the competition. The Appliances Contest is designed to mimic the appliance use of an average U.S. house.

Architecture (Awarded Wednesday, September 28, 2011)
Maryland took first place in the Architecture Contest and earned 96 points out of a possible 100. A jury of architects judged homes on the aesthetic and functional elements of the home’s design; integration and energy
efficiency of electrical and natural light; inspiration and delight to Solar Decathlon visitors; and documentation including drawings, a project manual, and an audiovisual architecture presentation that accurately reflect the constructed project on the competition site.

Comfort Zone (Awarded Saturday, October 1, 2011)
Ohio State University topped the contestants in the Comfort Zone Contest, with 98.652 out of 100 points for maintaining indoor temperatures between 71 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity below 60 percent.

Communications (Awarded Friday, September 30, 2011)
Middlebury College’s communications efforts, including communications plans, student-led tours, and team
website, were judged by a jury of website and public relations experts, and won the contest with a score of 90 points out of a possible 100 points.

Engineering (Awarded Thursday, September 29, 2011)
New Zealand won the Engineering contest, which was evaluated by a group of prominent engineers, who
determined which solar home best exemplified excellence in functionality, efficiency, innovation, reliability and documentation of its energy systems. New Zealand scored 93 out of a possible 100 points.

Home Entertainment (Awarded Saturday, October 1, 2011)
Middlebury College earned 98.560 out of a possible 100 points in this contest, which required students to use electricity generated by their solar houses to run interior and exterior lights, a TV, a computer, and a kitchen appliance to boil water. Teams were also required to hold two dinner parties and a movie night for neighbors.

Hot Water (Awarded Saturday, October 1, 2011)
Seven teams tied for first and earned the full 100 points in the Hot Water contest’s “shower tests,” which aimed to deliver 15 gallons of hot water in ten minutes or less. Of course, the water was heated by the sun. Tying for top honors in this contest were: Appalachian State, Maryland, New Zealand, Ohio State, Parsons NS Stevens, SCI-Arc/Caltech, and Tennessee.

Energy Balance (Awarded Saturday, October 1, 2011)
Seven teams tied for first and earned the full 100 points in the Energy Balance contest. Teams earned points for producing at least as much energy as their houses needed during the contest week. The teams accomplished this by balancing production and consumption. Tying for top honors in this contest were: Florida International, Illinois, Maryland, New Zealand, Purdue, SCI-Arc/Caltech, and Tennessee.

Market Appeal (Awarded Saturday, October 1, 2011)
Middlebury College won the Market Appeal contest, which evaluated whether the cost-effective construction and solar technology in a team’s design would create a viable product on the open market. Judges gauged market appeal based on three criteria: livability, marketability and constructability. Middlebury earned 95 points out of a possible 100 as judged by the professional jury.

More about the Solar Decathlon
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 is an award-winning program that challenges collegiate students from around the world to design, build and operate solar-powered houses that are affordable, highly energy efficient, attractive, and easy to live in. The competition shows consumers how to save money and energy with affordable clean energy products that are available today. The nearly two-year projects culminated in an unprecedented display of affordable green living and design on the National Mall’s West Potomac Park from September 23 – October 2, 2011. The Solar Decathlon also provides participating students with hands-on experience and unique training that prepares them to enter our nation’s clean energy workforce, supporting the Obama Administration’s goal of transitioning to a clean energy economy while saving families and businesses money.

Headline-Westinghouse Seeks to Block Imports of Rival Solar-Power Systems

2011-10-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

US firm to 'mine' lithium from geothermal plant brines
Chemistry World

A US company is looking to geothermal power plants as a source of valuable metals such as lithium which is crucial for manufacturing electric vehicles and portable electronics like smartphones. Its success could better position the US in the fast ...

SMU Geothermal Map Updated, National Geothermal Data System Underway
RenewableEnergyWorld.com

By Leslie Blodgett, GEA Southern Methodist University Geothermal Lab has recently completed research updating the US portion of the 2004 Geothermal Map of North America. “This multi-year effort, supported by a generous grant from Google.org, ...

Apricus Solar Hot Water Systems Receive OG-300 Certification
AltEnergyMag (press release)

Apricus has received OG-300 System Certification for 54 new residential solar hot water system packages with 10 tank options from some of the top manufacturers in the industry. Apricus, a leading designer and manufacturer of solar hot water and ...

Vestas secures wind turbine supply order from Eolus Vind in Sweden
Energy Business Review

Vestas has secured an order from Eolus Vind to deliver wind turbines for the 36MW of power projects in Sweden. As part of the order, Vestas has agreed to supply and install 18 units of the V90-2MW wind turbine for the seven different projects. ...

Westinghouse Seeks to Block Imports of Rival Solar-Power Systems
BusinessWeek

By Susan Decker Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Westinghouse Solar Inc. said it filed a patent-infringement complaint at the US International Trade Commission seeking to block imports of solar-power systems made by Zep Solar and Canadian Solar Inc. Westinghouse ...

Inflatable Wind Turbine from the Segway Guy
Reuters

By EarthTechling at EarthTechling by Pete Danko The inventor who gave the world the Segway - you know, that upright-riding, personal-transportation thing - is now seeking a patent for an inflatable wind turbine. Although the patent application talks ...

NIssan LEAF Sales are Strong

2011-10-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

The Nissan LEAF has taken a ready crowd by storm and maybe proving to be the ideal vehicle for certain folks. Certainly the sales success enjoyed by Nissan LEAF in the United States seems to be proving that. The Nissan LEAF has been outselling the Chevrolet Volt 2-1 in the US as this graphic from mynissanleaf.com shows:

Even more interesting from the website GoodCarBadCar.com the LEAF beat some other popular vehicles: "the Nissan LEAF's relatively small sales totals still stand up higher than the totals put up by cars you wouldn't have labelled unpopular. The Audi A5 is a sought after coupe, but the LEAF beat the A5 in August 2011. The Land Rover Range Rover Sport was America's 29th-best-selling luxury vehicle last month and 12th-best-selling luxury SUV. The LEAF beat the Range Rover Sport in August. The LEAF also crushed the currently-undergoing-renovations Toyota Yaris, fought off the perfect-for-family-hauling Mazda 5, whipped the failure-on-all-levels Honda Insight, and nipped the completely-opposite-to-the-LEAF Nissan Armada." See this interesting story here.

The website AutoBlog.com reported that the Chevy Volt will not be able to beat the LEAF in sales for at least the foreseeable future: "Don Johnson, GM's U.S. sales chief, told Ward's Auto that since dealers must stock a demo Volt before receiving salable units, retail sales of the plug-in sedan won't increase significantly anytime soon. During a conference call on Friday, Johnson added, "It's going to take us a month or two to really fill up the retail inventory for those dealers." It looks like our prediction that the Nissan Leaf will continue its electrifying reign over the Volt for the next couple of months will hold true." Read more here.

The LEAf with it's limitations is proving to be exactly what we needed and now to make it more user friendly the company has introduce a phone app for the Blackberry and the Droid that will make managing the car a little easier. The application will make it easier to remotely:

Check the state of the battery charge
Begin charging
Check when battery charge is complete
See estimated driving range
Turn the climate control system on or off

“Nissan understands that telematics and other communication services are important for consumers,” said Trisha Jung, director, Vehicle Connected Services, Nissan North America. “By providing accessibility and functionality to the Nissan LEAF through all major smartphone platforms, we are truly delivering ‘Innovation for All.’”

The Chevrolet Volt is an awesome car and with it's great milage and range will continue to gain momentum with a range worried crowd. But the Nissan LEAF is proving that a true electric is very much in demand.

HEADLINES

2011-10-03T06:42:00.000-07:00

GE, Nissan Announce Collaboration For Electric Vehicle Technologies - Update

RTT News

(RTTNews) - General Electric Co. (GE: News ) Friday signed a research agreement with Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (NSANY.PK: News ) to focus on technologies for electric vehicles and its integration into everyday living. Through the two-year research deal, ...

Energy Secretary Chu defends loan program for solar, renewable energy projects

Washington Post

... Obama administration's energy chief, facing increased pressure over the failure of solar panel maker Solyndra, defended on Saturday a loan guarantee program that has provided billions of dollars for solar energy and other renewable energy projects. ...

The Baltimore Sun - Solar home business shining in Maryland

"We've seen tremendous growth," says Kevin Lucas, director of energy market strategies for the Maryland Energy Administration. It's a big jump for a state that ...

U. of Maryland Team Wins Solar Decathalon

NBC Washington

AP Visitors tour WaterShed, the University of Maryland's entry in the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon competition on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011 in Washington, DC. University teams from across the globe have constructed solar-powered homes on the ...

HEADLINES

2011-09-30T07:35:00.000-07:00

On Solyndra the buck stops with Secretary Steven Chu
Politico

First, Chu counseled with experts inside and outside the department, as well as senior aides, before deciding to grant the California solar company's application for a $535 million loan guarantee in March 2009, DOE spokesman Damien LaVera said in an ...

US Could Become Geothermal Leader By 2020
PC Magazine

By Andrew Webster According to a new study from Pike Research, in less than a decade the United States will be the global leader in producing geothermal energy. The report predicts that by 2020 America's geothermal output will reach 4.2 gigawatts, ...

Constellation Energy Begins Construction on Maryland's Largest Solar ...
MarketWatch (press release)

"Utility-scale PV solar is a clean, affordable source of renewable energy in many parts of the United States beyond the Southwest, where it is typically thought of." In February 2009, the Maryland Energy
Administration, in partnership with the ...

Need a new roof? Solar power's included
CNET

OneRoof Solar is offering a new twist on the solar lease: when you replace your roof, you can get integrated solar panels with no incremental cost. The company today announced it raised a $50 million series A round led by the solar arm of Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group. The company also said it has secured the funding to finance solar installations at residential customers.

Electric car maker Tesla drops bid for Energy Department loans
The Detroit News

Washington— Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk says the start-up electric vehicle manufacturer will not seek any additional Energy Department loans. In 2009, the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company received approval for a $465 million low-interest government loan ...

HEADLINES

2011-09-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

$400 million deal bringing wind turbine plants to Niagara
Hamilton Spectator

THOROLD Niagara Region Wind Corporation has partnered with a private German company to manufacture 77 wind turbines, each capable of producing 3 megawatts of energy, at a facility in Niagara. The deal is reported to be worth about $400 million and ...

New wind energy farm in northwest Arizona keeps the juice flowing
The Republic

If the sun isn't shining, but the wind is blowing, a new wind-energy farm in northwestern Arizona can still produce the juice. Vancouver, British Columbia-based Western Wind Energy recently turned on the Kingman I site and connected it to the grid of ...

Don't increase taxes on wind energy
REVE

Wind power utilizes the Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit to incent over $7 billion of other private investment to keep growing a new US wind turbines manufacturing sector. Wind power, as a proven commercial technology, utilizes the Renewable ...

DOE Loan Program: Time Running Out and Questions Remain
RenewableEnergyWorld.com

By Steve Leone, Associate Editor, RenewableEnergyWorld.com New Hampshire, USA -- Friday's deadline is looming and the Department of Energy finds itself racing against both the clock and intense political pressure. At stake is more than $8 billion ...

Google: Rent your solar panels from us
CNET

Google has created a $75 million fund with Clean Power Finance, a company that offers financing for residential solar panel installations. The investment will enable 10000 homeowners to install solar panels on their homes. ...

Green Energy Ohio Tour to have stops in area
News-Herald.com

It gives visitors a chance to visit an assortment of residences, businesses and public facilities that use solar thermal, geothermal, biomass and solar electric features. The group says it will be its largest tour yet. Last year's edition was the ...

HEADLINES

2011-09-27T06:34:00.000-07:00

California treasurer: Put renewable-energy tax exemption on hold

Los Angeles Times

The head of a California panel that hands out sales tax exemptions to renewable-energy manufacturing companies wants to suspend the program in the wake of the Solyndra scandal. State Treasurer Bill Lockyer said he will ask fellow members of the ...

Goldman buys green energy co stake for 1k cr

Times of India

MUMBAI: In what could be termed as one of the largest private equity deals in India's renewable energy sector, Goldman Sachs has picked up a majority stake in ReNew Wind Power for Rs 1000 crore ($201 million). The renewable energy start-up- with ...

Florida County Selected for 400-MW Solar Project

RenewableEnergyWorld.com

By Renewable Energy World Editors New Hampshire, USA -- National Solar Power has selected Gadsden County in northern Florida as the site for a 400-megawatt photovoltaic solar farm that will use 4000 acres. The Florida-based company said a minimum of 20 ...

Japan to Install Wind Turbines off Fukushima Coast

SustainableBusiness.com

Japan says it will spend 20 billion yen ($260 million) to install six or more floating wind turbines off the coast of Fukushima in the next five years. Trade ministry official Masanori Sato made the announcement. Norway is currently the world leader in ...

ARE WE ADDICTED TO TURM-OIL?

2011-09-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

“The lights are on, but you’re not home…..might as well face it you’re addicted to love" (Robert Palmer) This could be the song Americans use as a theme and just replace the word "Turm-Oil for love." Ask anyone and they’ll tell you they want to live in a safe environment where their children can have opportunities they didn’t have and they want to be able to prosper. They would add that paying down our debt and reducing spending stands in the way.

So how do we make this way of life happen. It doesn't take an Einstein to come up with ways to solve some of the issues that we currently face. The first thing would be able "to live in a safe environment." Which is why we have police, fire and ambulance, doctors, FBI, CIA, Secret Service, Border Patrol and on and on; since this is part of the everyday business of having a country and the first defense, we leave this alone.

Where else can we cut? One place could be the Military. U.S. military spending – Dept. of Defense plus nuclear weapons – is equal to the military spending of the next 15 countries combined. You do not need me to tell you that we have been in a constant war stance for a long time and it may be time to stand down. Oil arguably has been the main reason for a lot of these wars: “Shortly after the Marines rolled into Baghdad and tore down a statue of Saddam Hussein, I visited the Ministry of Oil. American troops surrounded the sand-colored building, protecting it like a strategic jewel. But not far away, looters were relieving the National Museum of its actual jewels. Baghdad had become a carnival of looting.” A statement by Peter Maass, Author.

Oil comes with so many strings attached that it is almost impossible to quantify the total cost of it. But it is safe to say that, exploring, drilling, shipping, protecting against environmental damages of, defending against terrorism caused indirectly from oil here and in other countries is very expensive and has taken a heavy toll. The money we spend so foolishly could be used here, to build schools, take care of our debt to our seniors and rebuild our roads.

Oil cost money, it’s not free, pollutes and when it’s burned it’s gone. Even the local drillers that want what’s under our feet can’t guarantee no turm-oil from their operations, as we all know. We will never know what could have been if the BP oil spill had not happened. So why do we continue to talk about drilling? It’s an addiction to turm-oil.

Let’s try a different way; it’s the only thing left. We have been at the drill, drill and drill game for a long time. We will be paying for the damage this energy source created for years to come. I know that standing down means we won’t be the most powerful nation in the world with thousands of planes in foreign airfields, but we could be the most forward looking nation in the world, leading the way to a cleaner earth. Let’s spend on health, education, transportation, renewable technologies, medicine and infrastructure.

We have been toying with solar energy, wind energy, geothermal and hydro. Now we even have electric cars and we can add more public transportation that runs on clean electricity. The future does not have to include turm-oil. We need more investment in renewables not less.

By George Lopez

HEADLINES

2011-09-23T07:34:00.000-07:00

Duke Energy Carolinas Issues a Request for Proposals for Wind Generation

MarketWatch (press release)

22, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Duke Energy Carolinas is issuing a request for proposals for energy and renewable energy certificates produced from wind generation that can be delivered to the Duke Energy Carolinas transmission system. ...

Solectria Renewables Sponsors Team Massachusetts in the US Department of ...

RenewableEnergyWorld.com

Lawrence, MA – September 22, 2011 – Solectria Renewables, LLC, the leading US PV inverter manufacturer, announced today that it is sponsoring Team Massachusetts in the US Department of Energy's annual Solar Decathlon by donating an integrated inverter ...

As Solyndra Execs Prepare to Take the Fifth, Company Blames DOE for Its Demise

New York Times

Spokesman David Miller wrote that, at the same time Solyndra was building out the production facility that its hefty DOE loan guarantee had helped fund, the landscape for its solar photovoltaic panels was in flux. Miller noted that those conditions led ...

Solar Decathlon 2011: Ohio State University, enCORE

EarthTechling

enCORE uses a flat-plate solar thermal system that works with a heat pump water heater for optimal efficiency, and has a solar thermal hot air system that provides comfortable temperatures while using a minimum of energy. The thin-film PV array is ...

Solyndra employees: Company suffered from mismanagement, heavy spending
Washington Post

As the $344 million factory went up just down the road from the company’s leased plant in Fremont, Calif., workers watched as pallets of unsold solar panels stacked up in storage. Many wondered: Was the factory needed?

HEADLINES

2011-09-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

GE Energy Enters Contracts To Supply 750 Wind Turbines

North American Windpower

by NAW Staff on Tuesday 20 September 2011 GE Energy says it has signed new contracts for 750 1.6 MW turbines for wind farms in North America and South America over the next two years. According to GE, the 1.6 MW wind turbine was launched in May and ...

New Jersey overtakes Calif. in commercial solar power

USA Today (blog)

The commercial solar market in New Jersey (aka "The Garden State") jumped 170% from the first quarter of this year to the second quarter, said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group. ...

GM to Build Electric Cars in China, Protect Chevy Volt Technology

Fox News

AP SHANGHAI – General Motors Co. agreed Tuesday to deepen cooperation with its flagship Chinese partner on development of electric vehicle knowhow amid pressure from Beijing to hand over proprietary technology. Investments and other details of the plan ...

‘The Solar And Wind Expo Massachusetts’ Coming To Marlborough In Nov
Marlborough Patch

The Solar and Wind Expo Massachusetts’ will take place at the Royal Plaza Trade Center in Marlborough, November 4-6, 2011. Held across the country, the Expo will expose Bay State consumers to the exciting possibility of getting energy from nature.

New York authorities offer $150m for renewable energy projects

BrighterEnergy.org

Authorities in New York are making $150 million available for renewable energy projects, funded by the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard program. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the state's Public Service ...

Constellation/Exelon deal: Reliability should be the main concern

Baltimore Sun

Now Constellation is trying to sell itself to Exelon of Chicago, and Mr. O'Malley's administration is again opposing the deal — but for different reasons than before. A consultant for the Maryland Energy Administration did mention that the $100 rate ...

Green jobs are real and growing, Says DOE

REVE

The US Department of Energy (DOE) appears to be trying to raise its voice over a chorus declaring green jobs as a bust and clean energy as a scam. According to the department, Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman on Thursday plans to publicly ...

Developing Renewable Energy in the Developing World

2011-09-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

Obama's Granmother goes Solar

Renewable energy, particularly solar and wind but also geothermal and biomass among others, is growing in spite of the global economic downturn. In this rapidly evolving industry, key players have already emerged; China, the United States, Germany, Spain, Denmark and the United Kingdom. What is not often reported is that many countries in the developing world are also actively seeking to harness their renewable energy resources.

In India, the world’s largest democracy and the second most populous country, the government has created its own separate agency to spearhead the Indian renewable energy initiative. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission with the purpose of bringing solar electricity to the countryside and to establish India as a leader in the solar industry. The Ministry also has launched a nationwide initiative to promote biomass as an alternative cooking fuel. The country also has a burgeoning homegrown solar manufacturing sector with companies such as India Solar Solutions and IndoSolar experiencing strong growth.

Kenya

Another country that is making a foray into renewable energy is Kenya. The east African country has been implementing a series of feed-in tariff policies to spur investment in renewable energy, particularly solar. Kenya is the world leader in number of solar systems installed per capita (not in terms of megawatts). The number of solar panels sold annually in Kenya is over 30,000. More Kenyans adopt solar power per year than connect to the country’s electric grid. Many Kenyans install solar panels themselves and use makeshift inverters to create power.

In Latin America, Costa Rica is a renewable energy leader. Approximately 99% of Costa Rica’s electricity comes from renewable energy, principally hydroelectricity and industrial wind power. While the country does have some oil reserves on its Atlantic Coast, the government has consciously decided not to exploit them due to the environmental impact. Even though the country is reliant on imports for fossil fuels, its temperate climate does not create the demand for oil or gas heating that countries at higher latitudes experience. This means that as far as electricity is concerned, Costa Rica is essentially self sufficient and energy independent. Other Latin American countries such as Chile, Peru and Brazil are following suit and investing more capital in renewable energy projects and mandates.

Costa Rica

What can be learned from these examples? I think it showcases the ability of renewable energy to be a bridge to growth for developing countries and possibly all nations everywhere. In countries such as India, where many in the countryside still lack electricity, solar has the ability to bring them light. Similarly in Kenya, where the energy infrastructure is marginal at best, solar power can provide a quick and cost-effective alternative to generate electricity for the average citizen. Costa Rica’s self sufficient and self contained electric grid should be an inspiration to the world. If a tiny and relatively poor country can generate all its own power from renewable resources, then almost certainly a large, powerful, industrialized and wealthy country like the United States can do the same.

by Richard Harrod

Bickering between Gas and Nuclear in PA shows renewable the way

2011-09-20T07:18:00.000-07:00

George here: Proponents of renewable energy should look to the bickering between the Gas and Nuclear industries in Pennsylvania. This story by Nell McCormack Abom on Pennsylvania's WITF TV’s Smart Talk points out that a stable energy future will not be provided by either one of these fuels. Here is a comment by George Lewis, senior manager of corporate communications at PPL Inc. that operates the Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant in Luzerne County (PPL) in the story:

"You also want to be careful not to put all your eggs in one basket because if everyone starts building natural gas plants, then the country becomes overly dependent on natural gas," Lewis adds. "And should there be disruption in natural-gas supply or not as much gas comes on the market as everyone expected, or maybe there are continuing environmental issues of extracting the gas from the Marcellus Shale region, well, if you put all your bet on natural gas then you are in another bind a few years down the road of not having the right type of fuels."

On the other side of the argument is former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, who served as the first secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and is now is a strategic advisor to the Marcellus Shale Coalition. From the story:

As we debate the future of energy, fears of radiation-tainted food and water plague Japan. The government banned shipments of spinach and milk in several areas within 20 miles of the plant after tests found higher-than-normal radiation levels. They also found high levels of iodine in tap water in Tokyo and villages up to 30 miles from the crippled Fukushima plant. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have banned imports of dairy products and produce from the region of Japan near the plant.

Opponents of renewable energy, for their obvious reasons, have made the lack of job creation the reason we should stand against wind and solar. But jobs are not the main reason to go for these clean and renewable technologies. For example, if we save more money by using cheaper energy and stop importing we will see job growth and folks will have money to spend. Retirement may not be as worrisome because we will be able to save more and live for less. These two ideas alone make me salivate for renewable energy.

Governments also will save money. No more watch dogs will need to be on the payroll, keeping an eye on polluters because they will be no pollution. They talk about fewer regulations. Well guess what? Renewable energy creates very little pollution, so we can okay to fewer regulations. You get the picture. The end of the road is paved with green jobs.

See the rest of the story here:
How Japan Changes the Game for PA Energy - Smart Talk TV

witf.org

by George Lopez

GOP senator sought money from renewable energy program he now calls 'reckless'

Washington Post

David Vitter says the Obama administration has been “reckless” as it awards billions of dollar taxpayer subsidies for renewable energy projects, including a $528 million loan to a now-bankrupt California solar panel maker. ...

DOE Continues Loan Guarantees Despite Mounting Pressure from Republicans

Reuters

By SustainableBusiness.com at SustainableBusiness.com The US Department of Energy (DOE) finalized a $1.2 billion loan guarantee for a huge concentrating solar (CSP) plant in California this week, even as the agency came under fire for failing to ...

“The Time is Now” More Than Ever

2011-09-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

This was an interesting weekend because instead of focusing on energy I spent the weekend learning about food. Sharron New, a good friend of mine who runs the website Local Food Beat and is extremely knowledgeable about food, was kind enough to give me an enlightening lesson regarding healthy foods which was then followed by a hands-on tour of Whole Foods in Annapolis. The experience was an eye opener.

Part of the lesson included excerpts from Kevin Brown’s book The Liberation Diet. It was interesting to learn that Crisco was once a waste product of the cotton industry originally meant for use in the fabrication of candles by Procter & Gamble, but was then repackaged for the food industry when electricity and the light bulb became the norm. In his book Brown writes "You have to take an industrial waste product, or by-product or trash, something very worthless or inexpensive, call it a health food, put it in a nice package, and then attack the competition relentlessly. That’s the formula."

I also had a chance to view these two documentaries, “King Corn” and “The Future of Food.” These fine productions demonstrate the stuff that is going on in the food industry. See these films and you will think twice about the foods that you put in your mouth. I encourage everyone to Google “Confined Feeding Operations.”

This got me thinking about the energy industry. The packaging of by-products such as Crisco and Hydrogenated vegetable oil, or should we say corn oil, are very similar to what has been happening in the energy industry. How many by-products come from the oil and coal industry? Styrofoam comes to mind and plastics are a menace to our world; we all know that, but it is continuously packaged as a life enhancing product. Fleece for example is what happens to recycled water bottles after you discard them and I say discard instead of recycle because when we are done wearing fleece we throw it away and the cycle ends. Remember glass bottles, they were recycled forever. The list of oil by-products is long.

Coal by-products are also easily found as it is shown in the following graphic by the National Energy Foundation:

This graphic easily demonstrates how waste is often turned into a product, by distorting the truth with some fancy ad campaign anyone with lots of money can turn trash into gold. This would be okay or at least legal if it did not come with such important health risks.

We as a society must take the necessary steps to reverse the course we have allowed our industries and government to take. Their strategy has been not to worry about the human cost and to maximize profits. This has put all of us in a bad place, we have become obese and unhealthy and if things get worse as they’ve been trending, where will we be in twenty years?

Every day we get closer to the point where we will have to grow our own food again and fortunately thanks to some forward looking job creators we can now make our own energy. If we act together now we can make a better healthier future.

by George Lopez

Growing and Mowing – A Ridiculous, Wasteful Practice

2011-09-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

When discussing the use of fossil fuels to run machinery, there are more than cars, buses, motorcycles, trucks, airplanes and boats to consider. What about the lowly lawnmower?

According to the Ecology Action Center, over 580 million gallons of gasoline are used in the United States just for mowing lawns.

Now think about this – those who want a green lawn, fertilize and water the heck out of it (damaging our waterways in the process) to make it grow then pollute the air by cutting it down with a gas-guzzling, loud machine. So we encourage the grass to grow and then we cut it down. (I’m seeing Jon Stewart’s look of incredulity here.) This ridiculous process also upends the natural habitat nature intended in favor of a monoculture that is further assaulted with pesticides (thereby polluting our waterways again and poisoning ourselves).

There are alternatives for residential lawn-lovers. There are electric mowers and even some that are solar-powered. An internet search will yield a couple of kits that are available for conversion of a gas mower to one that is solar-powered. And then there is the good-old reel mower that won’t pollute and will give you a good workout.

I can see how it’s nice to have a small backyard lawn for children to enjoy, but what about when the practice is paid for with our taxes? Specifically, why do our local, state and federal highway authorities insist on growing turf in the medians and highway cloverleaf areas?

The EPA says that pre-1997 lawn and garden equipment accounts for as much as 5 percent of the total man-made hydrocarbons that contribute to ozone formation. Further, the agency says the exchange of 1,000 gasoline-powered lawn mowers for electric mowers has the potential of reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions by 9.8 tons per year, which is equivalent to removing 230 cars from the highways. It stands to reason that the behemoth riding mowers used on highways are even worse. Residential lawn mowing contributes as much as five percent of the nation’s air pollution, according to the EPA. New emission standards may be published soon but it begs the question. Why mow?

The right thing for highway officials to is to design medians and cloverleafs for native plantings. Native plants are more disease-resistant and drought-resistant than laws and they require much less maintenance. Plantings would save fuel, water, and manpower requirements. And they are beautiful too. Remember Lady Bird Johnson’s wildflower initiative? She had the right idea.

Getting away from the insidious “grow and mow” cycle would reduce pollution, and be better for the environment in so many ways. In the midst of this recession and shrinking government budgets, why waste tax money on installing and mowing lawns? It makes no sense. But this paradigm change won’t happen unless we demand it from our elected officials. If this bothers you, let ‘em know.

Why are we so addicted to lawns in this country anyway? Supposedly the custom of having a lush, green lawn goes back to England when a front lawn meant that the landowner was wealthy enough to not have to use the land in front of the house for growing food. Today you could say that a front lawn shows that the property owner is wealthy enough to pollute.

by Elvia Thompson
Comunications and Public Relations

HEADLINES

2011-09-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

The Solar and Wind Expo: Americans are Using Less Energy But ...

Lately the whispering has been about solar panel manufacturers filing bankruptcy. This is not an affliction exclusive to the solar or wind industry. Bank of America ...

Japan must revise renewables law to get results: experts

Reuters

By Shinichi Saoshiro TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's new feed-in-tariff energy law, aimed at promoting renewable energy, will need attractive pricing and revisions to flesh out of vague provisions if it is to help wean the country from nuclear power, ...

University of Maryland, Eastern Shore Announces Formation of a Renewable ...

MarketWatch (press release)

The new company will focus on creating renewable energy projects at multiple sites on the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. The company's goal is to develop systems capable of generating 100 to 150 megawatts from wind, solar and biomass projects. ...

Electric vehicle charging stations are installed at three more ...
Examiner.com

... as part of Maryland's Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program (EVIP). ... according to Malcolm Woolf, the Maryland Energy Administration Director. ...

Green jobs economy has hits and misses in Maryland

Baltimore Sun

At the national level, President Barack Obama's administration has pushed for development of renewable energy, more efficient cars and other elements of a ...

Oil Declines After U.S. Fuel Supplies Increase as Demand Falls

San Francisco Chronicle

Futures decreased as much as 2.2 percent after the Energy Department said gasoline supplies rose 1.94 million barrels last week, the biggest gain since June. Fuel use fell 3.8 percent to 18.7 million barrels a day. Refineries operated at 87 percent of ...

Ethanol Production in U.S. Falls 1.9%, Energy Department Says

San Francisco Chronicle

14 (Bloomberg) -- Ethanol production in the US fell 1.9 percent to 879000 barrels a day last week, according to an Energy Department report. Output slid to the lowest level since the week ended July 29. Stockpiles climbed 0.4 percent to 17.2 million ...

Nissan halves price, size of electric vehicle quick charger

ZDNet (blog)

By Heather Clancy
September 14, 2011, 3:54am PDT Increasingly, it is obvious that one of the most lucrative businesses associated with the electric vehicle movement is the one that will keep them on the road: the charging infrastructure. ...

"The Myth of Green Jobs" is a Myth in Itself

2011-09-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

A solar panel Installation

Green jobs and renewable energy have been the target of some economists and commentators since the mid nineteen nineties, but within the last several years their attacks have intensified. As states throughout the country begin to implement Renewable Portfolio Standards and participate in programs such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in the northeast, some think tanks have assailed the idea of the green economy as being waste of money or, worse yet, being destructive to “real” jobs. It takes little more than a quick internet search to find organizations like the Institute for Energy Research (IER) and the American Petroleum Institute who routinely seek to smear renewable energy and green jobs as a boondoggle.

Reading through their reports, it begs the question: “What is a green job?”

If you read the assortment of editorials from IER or from such newspapers as the Wall Street Journal you will be led to believe that a green job is a manufacturing job. This is because these reports almost always stick with three examples: SpectraWatt, Evergreen Solar and Solyndra who are now bankrupt. These three companies, all of whom were manufacturers of solar photovoltaic technology, were also the recipients of various forms of government aid. This, they argue, is proof positive of the hollow promise of green jobs. Green jobs are nonexistent without government aid and even with that aid, they inevitably disappear due to their inherent infeasibility.

This approach is the equivalent of arguing that because an automobile company goes bankrupt, the idea of the automobile itself is unviable. If we take the panel manufactures out of the context of the solar industry and justly place them as part of the greater US manufacturing picture, their failure is sadly par for the course. The same external market forces that put them out of business are hurting many American manufacturers; a drop in the price of raw materials and cheap labor competition from China.

Green jobs are everywhere

Hardly mentioned in those same reports are the thousands of green jobs aside from manufacturing. Across the country solar installation companies are growing. They range from large corporations with offices in many states to small family operations composed of husband and wife teams. Every one of them is a green job. The same can be said of wind turbine installers, geothermal contractors, energy auditors, biomass refiners, hydroelectric engineers and the list goes on and on. These companies have an office staff, a supply chain and salespeople. Every one of them is a green job. Even I, sitting here doing what I can to promote renewable energy, am in a green job.

The notion that only government is willing to invest capital in renewable energy is also a fallacy. Google has invested in Solar City, Citigroup has partnered with Sungevity and Constellation Energy has invested in Astrum Solar to name a few. These are all American companies investing in American companies to help them grow. All of them produce green jobs.

We can argue about the wisdom (or lack thereof) in the government’s investments in Evergreen or Solyndra until we are blue in the face, but they are not the be-all-end-all. Companies looking to lose market shares to this new power have a vested interest in disparaging renewable energy. They are trying to convince people that the old ways are still the best ways. The truth is that the sun will still be shining and the wind will still be blowing long after the last drop of oil and last unit of gas has been wrung from the Earth. The green economy and its green jobs - its “real” jobs - are here to stay.

by Richard Harrod

HEADLINES

BMW's Rolls-Royce shows electric concept car

The Associated Press

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — In yet another sign that car manufacturers are really trying to go greener, Rolls-Royce is experimenting with an electric vehicle. The mega-luxurious brand has kicked off a presentation by parent company BMW AG at the ...

Quick-Charging Plus Better Batteries Equals Mainstream Electric Cars

PluginCars.com

It happened 100 years ago, when the advent of the self-starter ushered in the age of internal combustion—and killed electric cars. Now, a low-cost quick charger, capable of adding as much as 100 miles of range in the time it takes to have a cup of ...

Electric vehicles could help store NW wind power

KPLU News for Seattle and the Northwest

Researchers have found a way to use electric vehicles to help balance wind power's inconsistency. For the power grid to work, the same amount of power must be produced as the amount that people are using at any given moment. ...

Department of Energy Sanctions Grant to Identify and Develop Geothermal Energy ...

AZoCleantech

By Cameron Chai Steven Chu, US Energy Secretary has declared a grant of around $38 million for a period of three years to speed up the development of potential geothermal energy expertise and to assist the country to diversify its renewable energy ...

US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam Add Solar Panels
Solar Novus Today

Visitors landing on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands will notice a 1600-foot-long array of ground-mounted SolarWorld solar panels paralleling a runway at Cyril E. King Airport. The 450 kilowatt (kW) system, to be unveiled tomorrow, 14 September, ...

Duke Energy to Build Second Pennsylvania Wind Farm

Sacramento Bee

Duke Energy Renewables, a commercial business unit of Duke Energy, will build, own and operate the 69-megawatt (MW) Laurel Hill Windpower Project in Lycoming County. The wind farm will consist of 30 Siemens wind turbines, each capable of generating 2.3 ...

HEADLINES

2011-09-13T06:55:00.000-07:00

SolarCity to Launch Largest Residential Rooftop Project

CleanTechnica

Renewable Energy World reports that SolarCity owns, operates and maintains the systems, and sells the electricity to the end-user. In working with investment banks to pool together often-complicated state and federal incentives, the company streamlines ...

NJ Solar Giant Hopes to Make It Big Out West

New York Times

In an effort to combat climate change and encourage renewable energy use, New Jersey's public utility commission launched a landmark solar renewable energy certificate market in 2001. Ten years later, a state that could then only count six total ...

O'Malley to swear in new PSC members

abc27

Speakes-Backman has most recently worked as the clean energy director at the Maryland Energy Administration. She also has worked in the private sector for ...

Department Of Energy Finalizes Loan Guarantee To Cogentrix

Alternative Energy Retailer magazine

by SI Staff on Monday 12 September 2011 US Department Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu says that the DOE has finalized a $90.6 million loan guarantee to Cogentrix of Alamosa LLC. The loan guarantee will support the Alamosa solar project, ...

DOE to fund 32 US geothermal energy research projects

Recharge

The US Energy Department (DOE) is providing $38m in funding over three years for projects that aim to accelerate the development of promising geothermal energy technologies. The 32 innovative projects in 14 states will develop and test new ways to ...

Developing Offshore Wind Technology in NE Ohio

Today's Energy Solutions

Case Western Reserve University, Freshwater Wind, and Nautica Windpower have been awarded new federal resources to research advanced wind turbine systems to spur the development of clean energy technology. The US Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy ...

Electric car hype hiding a quiet revolution

Moneycontrol.com

Daimler and BMW have been field testing electric cars. But battery-powered vehicles will likely remain only a small niche as long as batteries make the car prices prohibitively expensive. Why would anyone in their right mind pay more for a car that ...

DOE invests in electric cars

CivSource

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is making a big investment in electric cars nationwide. The investment is part of DOE's Clean Cities initiative which is supporting the growth of energy efficient and renewable energy measures in America's cities. ...

Deutsche Post Contracts for Electric Delivery Vehicles

EV World

PAPILLION, NE -- Frankfurter Allgemeine is reporting that the German Postal Service has awarded a contract to Street Scooter GmbH to develop delivery vehicles for the service, with the possibility of ordering up to 20000 of the electric vehicles. ...

Construction begins on 63MW wind farm in Vermont

BrighterEnergy.org

Energy utility Green Mountain Power (GMP) has begun construction of its Kingdom Community Wind (KCW) project, a 63 MW renewable wind energy project in Lowell, Vermont. The 21 turbine wind project will provide power for more than 24000 homes with the ...

Americans are Using Less Energy But Imports of Solar Energy are Increasing

2011-09-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that Americans are united in the fight against imported and environment-damaging sources of energy. Energy efficiency has become a great weapon against foreign oil. The cars being manufactured today use less and less gasoline. American homes are being tested in increasing numbers for wasted energy and this is equating to a decrease in electricity use (and thus, coal use), and this is expected to level off and maybe even decline.

Light bulbs of today are much more efficient, as are all appliances. The home of the future will use less energy and manage resources better. From 1980-2000, residential power demand grew about 2.5 percent a year. From 2000-2010, the growth rate slowed to 2 percent. Over the next 10 years, demand is expected to decline by about 0.5 percent a year, according to the Electric Power Research Institute, a nonprofit group funded by the utility industry.

But homeowners are not the only ones in the game. IT companies such as Google are doing a lot to reduce their carbon foot prints and reduce energy cost. Last week Google released a white paper called Google’s Green Data Center that details the company’s efforts. Commercial lighting also is going through a radical change that will save manufacturers, warehouses and large commercial businesses lots of power and money.

This new energy revolution would be a great way to create jobs in a way that has never been done before -- something new. All of this could be financed with electrons in the form of the sun’s rays, the same way that solar companies are financing solar panel installations with a lease plan. This would create jobs that will eventually pay for themselves and then would even return a profit. Imagine that.

But progress always seems to come with question marks. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, that is the promise of the new green economy. Lately the whispering has been about solar panel manufacturers filing bankruptcy. This is not an affliction exclusive to the solar or wind industry. Bank of America is about to lay off a large portion of its staff. We need to look at all the reasons that these solar giants are losing their battle and it may be more insidious than you think.

Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) has written a letter to President Obama in which he recommends actions to combat unfair Chinese practices crushing the U.S. solar industry. From his Press Release: The global market for renewable energy technologies is increasingly being dominated by Chinese manufacturers reaping the benefits of unscrupulous trade practices that give them an unfair competitive advantage against U.S. industries. This is a critical problem for the U.S. solar industry facing an expected 240 [percent] increase in the import of Chinese solar panels this year. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), chair of the Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on Trade, called on President Obama to take action to curb the flood of Chinese subsidized solar products, identifying existing trade tools that he can use to level the playing field for American manufacturers. Wyden indicated he would initiate legislative action if the president was unwilling to respond.

While I applaud all the efforts being taken to save money on energy and to reduce our carbon footprint, I also caution all Americans to be aware that billions of dollars NOT sent to the Middle East for oil should stay at home and not go to other countries. World trade hawks refuse to make other countries trade fairly and we seem to be in denial as there is little discussion, let alone outrage, about this. The world marketplace is not fair when even one country subsidizes its goods and services. There is nothing wrong with international trade but can we afford to help others at the expense of jobs right here at home?

By George Lopez
Executive Director

Decision on Walmart wind turbines postponed

Asbury Park Press

What's NextLacey's Board of Adjustment will further discuss an application to install wind turbines on lamp posts at the Walmart during its 7 pm Oct. 3 meeting. The meeting will take place at the municipal building at 818 Lacey Rd. The session also ...

Solar panels: latest hot spot in US-China trade tensions

Financial Times (blog)

But the latest broadside from Capitol Hill hits out at a new, and somewhat surprising, target: cheap Chinese solar panels being installed on American homes. The attack comes from Senator Ron Wyden (D., Oregon), who alleges that Chinese-made solar ...

Exxon's Russian Roulette

The New York Review of Books (blog)

The investments have been encouraged by bullish numbers from, among others, the US Energy Department's Energy Information Administration, which earlier this year estimated that the Marcellus contains an astounding 410 trillion cubic feet of natural gas ...

Ohio moves ahead with shale exploration while other states take a break

Plain Dealer

Ohio officials may be gearing up for a frackfest, but other states are backpedaling as they move to block the practice while they await a pair of federal studies by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. New Jersey Gov. ...

WILL JAPAN'S NEW RENEWABLE OUTLOOK HELP THEM SURPASS THE UNITED STATES?

2011-09-09T07:57:00.000-07:00

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant

It’s going to be interesting to see what Japan’s renewable energy policy will be in the next few months, particularly as the citizens of that nation have become very uncomfortable with nuclear energy and a new prime minister takes charge.

In the wake of last March’s nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced that Japan would be making a policy change away from energy produced by nuclear plants and fossil fuels to renewable energy and conservation. He made the announcement in May, at the end of the G8 summit.

Naoto Kan

As post-tsunami events continued to unfold, confidence in Kan’s performance fell. His government’s handling of the nuclear power plant issue played a big part even as he apologized for the nuclear crisis. "I believe the government bears a major responsibility for having promoted nuclear energy as national policy. I apologize to the people for failing to prevent the nuclear accident," Kan said.*

Yoshihiko Noda

Kan resigned his post on August 26 and Yoshihiko Noda was selected as his successor just four days later.

These events make me wonder what would U.S. government leaders do if a nuclear crisis of similar proportions happened here?

It is unclear if the new prime minister will keep to the path his predecessor promoted – the eventual closing of all nuclear plants in Japan. He has talked about a “balance” of energy sources. But at a news conference on September 2, he said he does envision a nuclear-free Japan.

Workers cleaning up after the Sunami

“I believe that the future will see a movement away from nuclear energy … once nuclear power stations have lived out their periods of usefulness, we will decommission them, and shall not build any new stations. That will be the basic flow of things. Alongside all of this, we will promote the development of new energy sources, the spread of alternative natural energy sources, and the adoption of energy conservation measures. We need to create a basic plan on energy following thorough and careful consideration. I also think that in order to do away with concerns among the public, I truly hope to realize a new best mix of energy sources. That is the mid- to long-term plan. The issue we currently face is exactly as I just stated. It will be impossible to reduce our reliance on nuclear energy to zero immediately, but I hope to discuss how to organize our society in such a way that we will be able to achieve this in time.”

The Japanese ARE moving ahead with renewable energy even as we speak. NPR reported on September 6 that Japan's newest big solar project opened last month in a suburb of Tokyo. It is made up of 38,000 solar panels set out on acreage the size of several football fields. On a sunny day it can provide sufficient power for over 2000 homes.

Japan sees a sunny future

Further, last month Japan's legislature expressed its dedication to renewable energy by agreeing to subsidize solar and wind power, requiring power companies to buy solar and wind energy at inflated prices. The plan is that this move will make it attractive for companies to invest renewable technology thereby speeding up the move away from nuclear. Japan could take advantage of offshore wind and tidal power too, by the way. (See the NPR story: http://www.npr.org/2011/09/06/140219721/after-nuclear-mishap-japan-debates-energy-future)

Will U.S. leaders take additional steps to speed up the mainstreaming of renewable energy or will it take a nuclear crisis in our own country to create a popular and political groundswell for its use?

The cards seem to be stacked against those of us in the United States who believe in clean energy. For example, the natural gas industry is running a mega-campaign to convince Americans that drilling for natural gas is “clean and green.” It isn’t. Further, the supply of natural gas underground in the United States will only meet demand for a few years while the damage done to the environment will be long-lasting. There is no corresponding advertising campaign about that.

And if you’re worried about jobs, how about this? According to Beyond Nuclear, one nuclear plant equals 2400 jobs and costs $40 billion to build. The equivalent amount of energy could be saved by retrofitting 1.6 million homes to make them energy efficient. The cost for that is half, or $20 billion and the number of jobs created is 220,000 or almost 100 times more than a nuclear plant.

Damage to people and the environment from the continued use of fossil fuels and reliance on nuclear power is just too great to continue business as usual. Other nations realize this – why don’t we?

The President agrees: "As we recover from this recession, the transition to clean energy has the potential to grow our economy and create millions of jobs - but only if we accelerate that transition. Only if we seize the moment," he said.

German Solar Farm

In Germany, policy makers have been moving toward renewables for some time. This is a quote from Philipp Rösler, Federal Minister of Economics and Technology: "The energy issue is very high on our policy agenda. With the new Energy Research Programme, we are implementing one measure of the energy concept and make an important contribution towards speeding up the move to a new energy policy in Germany. We need innovative and efficient energy technologies to ensure that the shift to the age of renewables takes place in a secure and affordable manner. Our new programme is providing a reliable policy environment for research and development. At the same time, we are supporting the business and research communities as they adapt to meet the major challenges of the 21st century."

Political leaders in Japan and Germany have heeded the outcry from their citizens. Do political leaders in the United States have the courage to move the country in the direction of renewable energy in a big way? They will if the public demands it.

*Japan has launched a private effort to assist the victims of the nuclear disaster. Called the Tsunagari Nukumore Project (it translates to unity, warms and cares), it is a program to provide relief to those still living in shelters via renewable energy. That includes electricity from solar power, hot water from solar thermal energy and biomass. The project is accepting donations online.

By Elvia Thompson
Communications & Public Relations

HEADLINES

Ohio State Senator Introduces Bill To Repeal State's Renewable Portfolio Standard

North American Windpower

Jordan claims the AEPS, which requires Ohio to procure 12.5% of its energy from renewable sources by 2025, drives up the cost of energy for Ohio families and businesses. He also denies that the state's renewable energy industry will have a positive ...

USA Projected to Become Largest PV Market by 2013, Says ABI Research

MarketWatch (press release)

Renewable energy technologies are receiving a strong push in the US, with utility, industrial, and commercial PV installations expected to drive growth. Even the US Army and Navy are examining possible PV solutions to energy supplies for troops and ...

Charge it like a cellphone

Delmarva Now

The Maryland Energy Administration has a map of known charging stations on its website, and none are shown yet for the Shore, aside from two stations that ...

DOE Addresses Concerns About Northern Pass Contract

New Hampshire Public Radio

By Chris Jensen on Thursday, September 08, 2011 Last month the Department of Energy announced it had selected a new company to conduct the crucially important Environmental Impact Statement on the Northern Pass project. But some opponents of Northern ...

Electric cars charge into Roanoke Valley

Roanoke Times

Car dealers are excited to get fully electric cars in stock, but mileage and cost leave questions. By Katelyn Polantz Ford vehicles were on display at the Roanoke Civic Center on Wednesday in Ford's Power of Choice tour featuring efficient vehicles in ...

Cape Wind Opposition Groups To Argue Before Mass. Supreme Court

North American Windpower

by NAW Staff on Thursday 08 September 2011 Several groups will appear before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to make arguments against the Cape Wind offshore wind project. The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound (ATPNS) - along with the ...

Chesapeake College Turbine Installation, Going Well

2011-09-08T06:53:00.000-07:00

The installation of the newest wind turbine on Maryland’s Eastern Shore is taking shape. These photos were taken Tuesday, Sept. 7, at Chesapeake College, where ATech Energy is installing a 30-50KW small wind turbine specially designed for regional wind speeds, mounted to a 140 foot monotower and integrated with the campus electrical supply. The wind turbine is part of the college’s Center for Leadership in Environmental Education (CLEEn). The photos show the installation of the tower. The turbine is being installed as you read this.

Second section being bolted

It's lonely at the top

Crane makes quick work of the lift

Brave workers get ready to bolt top section

Worker explains the process to an interested college staff

Left to right: Mike Kilgus, Vice President of Chesapeake College;

Barbara Viniar, president of Chesapeake College;

Monte Garritson, facility director of Chesapeake College;

and Larry Shobert of Endurance Wind Power.

The Endurance E-3120 on it's perch

HEADLINES

Greece Opens New Round of Bidding to Explore Geothermal Sites

Bloomberg

By Sally Bakewell - Wed Sep 07 17:22:56 GMT 2011 Greece opened bidding for companies to explore four areas for geothermal energy as it seeks to become an exporter of renewable power. Research and investigation will require about 100 million euros ($141 ...

State grants new hearing on NV Energy deal with solar, geothermal projects

Las Vegas Sun

By Cy Ryan (contact) NV Energy has won a preliminary round in its fight to convince the state Public Utilities Commission to approve contracts with prospective solar and a geothermal energy projects. In an about face, the commission agreed to rehear ...

UPS Adds 100 EV Delivery Vans to Fleet

Reuters

By Gas 2.0 at Gas 2.0 by Frankie Berti In a move benefiting both the environment and its bottom line, UPS purchased 100 fully-electric commercial vehicles for use in its California fleet last month from Electric Vehicles International (EVI). ...

US military to be largest rooftop solar customer

CNET

Rather than pay for rooftop solar panels, customers pay a monthly fee--either to purchase the energy produced by panels or a solar lease. The arrangement allows consumers to avoid the big upfront cost of panels and lower their monthly spending on ...

Govt audit: Stimulus funds for energy go unspent

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two years after the economic stimulus law, about one-third of the money authorized for an energy efficiency program has not been spent, a government audit found. The Energy Department's inspector general said Wednesday that state and ...

Monopoly Energy or Energy Democracy?

RenewableEnergyWorld.com

Germany has maintained its global lead in solar energy while pushing to go beyond nuclear (despite being downplayed in the US). Japan has adopted a new feed-in tariff (FIT) designed to spur 30000 MW of renewable energy by 2020. ...

NORTH CAROLINA: THE NEXT RENEWABLE ENERGY POWERHOUSE?

2011-09-07T11:25:00.000-07:00

It is common to think about Massachusetts or California when it comes to states committed to going green, but within the last few years an unexpected newcomer has been making advances in promoting renewable energy: North Carolina. The Tar Heel State has quietly but steadily been bolstering its commitment to renewable energy, beginning in 2007 when the state legislature passed the North Carolina Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard. This law requires investor owned utility companies to produce 12.5% of their electricity from renewable energy or energy efficiency measures by 2021. This law also helped to foster a renewable energy certificate (or “REC”) program similar to what can be found in other states with a renewable portfolio standard (or RPS).

While this may seem meager when compared with other states, it is noteworthy because North Carolina is so far the only state in the American southeast to have implemented such measures. They have also mandated a generous renewable energy installation tax credit, giving homeowners and businesses up to 35%. This credit can be combined with the current 30% federal tax credit for renewable energy installation. These incentives have helped to foster a steady increase in solar installers, wind turbine installers and especially geothermal and energy efficiency companies.

All of this is encouraging, but what could make the big difference for North Carolina’s renewable energy future is its ace in the hole: the largest offshore wind resource of any state on the Atlantic coast. This fact was first described in a study published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. It found that the coast of North Carolina offered not only good wind conditions, but also sufficient depth to support large wind turbines. It was further supplemented by a study conducted by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill which conservatively estimated the coast’s practical potential at 55,000 megawatts. That is enough energy to power the entire state – and then some.

The fact that North Carolina is consistently ranked as one of the best places for business in the United States and the fact that is a major center of research and corporate development make the state almost ideal for the increased commercialization of renewable energy. The state government has even begun to market itself to businesses as a great place to research, produce and install renewable technologies. Slowly, surely and inevitably renewable energy continues its march towards the mainstream. Hopefully North Carolina’s southern neighbors as well as states across the country will follow its example.

By Richard Harrod

HEADLINES

Germany proves the promise of renewable energy: hits 20 percent renewables

Mongabay.com

By Karimeh Moukaddem, mongabay.com As many people in the United States question whether renewable energy is a viable alternative to fossil fuels, Germany now derives 20.8 percent of its electricity from renewable sources—a 15 percent increase since ...

S. Korea's Renewables Fund to Spur Investments, Official Says

Bloomberg

Companies that invest in clean-energy will have a ready domestic market as the government plans to introduce in 2012 a compulsory 2 percent quota of renewable energy that the country's 14 power generators will be required to derive, Park said. ...

GM Investigating Pure Electric Cars

Design News

General Motors, the giant automaker notable for killing the EV1 a decade ago, is accelerating its move into the battery electric vehicle (BEV) arena. GM recently announced that it will team with LG Group, a South Korean electronics and battery ...

GE to Provide 300 Megawatts of Turbines for Illinois Wind Farms

Bloomberg

(GE), the world's biggest maker of electricity-generating equipment, will deliver 300 megawatts of wind turbines for two projects that E.ON AG (EOAN) is building in northeast Illinois. GE will provide 188 of its 1.6-megawatt turbines to the Settlers ...

HEADLINES

2011-09-06T06:12:00.000-07:00

US Geothermal gets funding for Neal Hot Springs power project

Energy Business Review

Renewable energy company US Geothermal has received the first funding drawdown under the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) $96.8m loan guarantee to build a 23MW power plant at Neal Hot Springs in eastern Oregon, US. The Neal Hot Springs development ...

Inside Solyndra's Fall: Did The Department Of Energy Make A Massive Mistake?

Alternative Energy Retailer magazine

But when that solar manufacturer is the recipient of the Department of Energy's (DOE) first finalized loan guarantee and has hosted high-profile factory tours from President Obama, the news seems even more grim. Solyndra Corp.'s Aug. ...

Toyota Sets Nurburgring Lap Record for Electric Cars (Video)

Wall Street Journal (blog)

By Jonathan Welsh A Toyota electric car called the TMG EV P001 set a new lap record for electric cars of 7 minutes, 48 seconds around the roughly 13-mile Nurburgring race course in Germany. The “Ring” is a storied, demanding track that has seen the ...

BMW opens hydro-powered factory for electric vehicle bodywork

BrighterEnergy.org

Components from the Washington plant will be assembled into full vehicles in Germany. BMW said its all-electric i3 vehicle would have a life cycle emissions at least a third lower than for a highly-efficient combustion-engine car. ...

Volvo and Siemens will make electric vehicles

INAUTONEWS

Saving the planet by reducing the CO2 emissions or even cutting them down is every automaker's plan for the future and the latest partnership was signed between Volvo and Siemens, the two companies agreeing to produce electric vehicles. ...

Biofuel efforts continue with Blue Angels show

NavyTimes.com

Mabus is trying to put the Navy Department on pace to cut petroleum use in commercial vehicles in half by 2015, sail a strike group powered with a blend of alternative fuel by 2016, cut energy consumption ashore by 50 percent and make half of ...

Tough test for Japan's renewable energy strategy

The Australian

JAPAN is poised to undergo a radical change of direction on energy policy with both its government and its industrial sector belatedly embracing renewable energy. Deposed prime minister Naoto Kan strongarmed lawmakers into passing a feed-in tariff law ...

Department Of Energy Awards $145 Million To Solar - Solar Industry

Secretary Steven Chu has announced more than $145 million for 69 projects in 24 states that are designed to ...

SOLAR DECATHLON VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AND KIDS LEARN ABOUT ENERGY

2011-09-01T07:34:00.000-07:00

An opportunity to work with young people is always fun and helping them demonstrate their passion is something we should all stride to do. Here is a great way to help influence a generation and a country in something we all believe in. The entire staff of the Solar and Wind Expo has signed up as volunteers, please join us:

We are recruiting volunteers for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011. The event takes place on the National Mall, West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., and will be open to the public Sept. 23 – Oct 2.

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon challenges 20 collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency. Open to the public free of charge, the Solar Decathlon enables visitors to tour the houses, gather ideas to use in their own homes, and learn how energy-saving features can help them save money today.

We are recruiting greeters, docents, runners, solar experts, special event and walking route assistants, and others. There is a job for everyone!

Visit the Solar Decathlon web site to find out more about volunteering or to register: http://www.solardecathlon.gov/volunteers.html

We hope you will join us!

Mary-Lyn Chambers
U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon
Volunteer Manager
202.286.1700
SolarVolunteers@linderassociates.com

EDUCATING THE FUTURE

The US Energy Information Administration is preparing for the future with its Energy Kids website. [http://www.eia.gov/kids/index.cfm] Part of this site is designed for children, and part contains information for teachers, including guides and lesson plans. Although designed for kids, it’s a good primer for anyone interested in learning the basics about energy, including renewables.

I especially like the easy-to-understand graphics, such as the one below.

Many people, including lobbyists and politicians make the energy issues facing our country very complex and very political. It’s refreshing to see the information presented in a simple, unbiased manner.

EIA is an independent agency funded by Congress whose mission is to “collect, analyze, and disseminate independent and impartial energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment.” It is doing all of us a great service by education America’s children on these issues. After all, children are our future.

HEADLINES

German renewables sector needs faster cost cuts-execs

Reuters Africa

"We now have a market risk premium (in the renewable sector) and we're trying to switch this system depending on feed-in tariffs into one that is market-oriented," said Matthias Kurth, president of the German network agency at a renewable energy ...

Energy Secretary Chu delivers powerful history lesson

Las Vegas Sun

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu speaks at a press conference announcing the first-ever hybrid geothermal-solar power plant during the National Clean Energy Summit on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011, at the Aria Convention Center. By J. Patrick Coolican (contact) ...

Volvo and Siemens to develop electric cars

Financial Times

By John Reed in London and Bernard Simon in Toronto Volvo, the Swedish carmaker owned by China's Geely, has formed a partnership with Siemens, the German engineering group, to develop electric cars and the equipment needed to run them. ...

How Much US Shale Gas Is There, Really?

MIT Technology Review

The estimated volume, around 84 trillion cubic feet (TCF), is 80 percent smaller than an estimate published earlier this year by the Energy Information Administration, an agency within the US Department of Energy. This discrepancy has added to the ...

India's Suzlon Energy Plans A$1.3 Billion South Australian Wind Project

Bloomberg

By James Paton - Wed Aug 31 04:04:19 GMT 2011 Suzlon Energy Ltd. (SUEL), the Indian company that is Asia's third-largest maker of wind turbines, plans to develop a A$1.3 billion ($1.4 billion) wind farm in South Australia, according to the state ...

Massachusetts' Energy Plan

2011-08-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

With the Massachusetts Solar and Wind Expo only two months away, it is comforting to see that the state has put in place a robust plan for 2020. Having one of the nation's highest energy costs makes Massachusetts a great location for the Solar and Wind Expo. The following graph demonstrates how energy dollars are flowing out of the Commonwealth.

There is lots of room for improvement. Come to the Expo and learn ways to make changes that will impact your wallet as well as your carbon footprint. Visit the Solar and Wind Expo website for more information.

HEADLINES

Information on drilling fluids hard to come by in Pennsylvania

Tribune Review

A Department of Energy shale gas subcommittee report issued this month said a method should be open so the public can study shale gas operations. "There is no economic or technical reason to prevent public disclosure of all chemicals in fracturing ...

Governor O'Malley, President Loh, to Shine Light On Massive New ...
RenewableEnergyWorld.com

UMD was selected as a Maryland Energy Administration Project Sunburst Initiative Partner and awarded a grant aimed at promoting the installation of ...

Magna invests in electric vehicles

Electronic Technology & Products

The announcement is yet another in this summer's long list of electric vehicle (EV) investments from major automakers including Toyota and General Motors (GM). Toyota announced it would spend $141 million in federal and provincial grants to upgrade its ...

Michigan sees future in wind energy

UPI.com

A wind farm is seen outside of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on December 7, 2008. (UPI Photo/Kevin Dietsch) HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich., Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Developing wind energy in Michigan is providing economic stimulus to the state and redefining its workforce ...

HEADLINES

2011-08-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

FACTBOX-US energy companies restoring operations after Irene

Reuters

Nearly 5.5 million customers on the East Coast were without power in 14 states on Monday, according to a report from the US Department of Energy. Outages were most severe in New York state, which had about 940000 customers without power, ...

German 1st Half Renewable Power Production At Record High

NASDAQ

FRANKFURT -- Renewable energy sources like wind or solar farms produced around 14% more electricity in Germany in the first half 2011 than in the same period a year-earlier, marking an all-time high, the country's energy industry association BDEW said ...

Clear the way for a greener electric grid

Baltimore Sun (blog)

By Michael J. Kormos They're part of a growing move to expand the use of renewable energy sources, like wind and the sun, to produce electricity. Examples are everywhere. Construction of a 50-megawatt wind farm was just completed in New Mexico. ...

3 Electric Cars You Can Buy Soon (And 3 That'll Blow Your Mind)

TIME

View Comments For American drivers interested in electric vehicles, the options have been limited. The only true EV currently sold in the marketplace is the Nissan Leaf, and until recently it's only ...

Solar Stunner: America is a $1.9 Billion Exporter of Solar Products

RenewableEnergyWorld.com

Solar isn't just about the module. When looking at polysilicon production, equipment for manufacturing lines, power electronics, solar hot water tanks, and any number of other domestically-produced products, the US actually offers a good-sized ...

SJC To Hear Cape Wind Challenge

Worcester Business Journal

By Livia Gershon Associated Industries of Massachusetts says the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is set to hear its arguments for voiding an agreement between National Grid and Cape Wind on Sept 8. AIM has been a vocal opponent of the 15-year deal ...

make green a reality visit http://www.thesolarandwindexpo.com/

THE FORECAST IS IN - MAKE YOUR PREPARATIONS NOW WHILE YOU STILL CAN

2011-08-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

It was a thing of beauty how things developed this week. We all got ready way ahead of time and were well prepared for the storm. Everyone helped each other through the preparations and when the storm hit we had plenty of supplies and we were even able to enjoy each others company over drinks while the wind howled.

Now comes the next storm, the one you can't esasily see, but the forecast is in. Peak oil and gas. The supply of oil and gas nomatter how much they produce will never again be enough to satify the thirst that emerging countries are putting on them.

We can choose to get ready for it just as we did this past weekend. Sit back and relax knowing that we are ready for nomatter what happens. Whe the oild and gas wells make that familiar slurping sound, where will you be? In the preparation stage or in the sitting back whith a drink in your hand stage.

Me, I will be in the drink in my hand stage. I hope you will be too. We can hang out together and have a peak oil party.

HEADLINES

Chelsea Rides Again!EV World
By EV World Audio To look at petite Chelsea Sexton with her warm smile and disarming demeanor, you'd never take her for a "rabble rouser. ...

Earthquake-prone Japan looks at geothermal energy
AFP
Although Japanese high-tech companies are leaders in geothermal technology and export it, its use is miniscule in the island nation, which has for decades relied heavily on imported fossil fuels and atomic power. Japan's parliament passed a law Friday ...

DOE out to boost geothermal capacity by 75%
Inquirer.net
The Department of Energy hopes to increase the country's geothermal capacity by roughly 75 percent over the next 20 years given the number of committed and indicative projects now in the pipeline estimated at over P200 billion. ...

AM I A TREEHUGGER?

2011-08-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

My new neighbor and I were working on his rainwater drainage system that the previous owner had neglected and allowed to clog. To my surprise the underground drains ran from the house to the bulkhead of his waterfront home and into the bay. I immediately reminded him that some folks might take a dim view of his rainwater disposal methods (meaning me of course).

The next thing that came out of his mouth was eye opening. He said “who the tree huggers?” I almost fell backwards and thought to myself, am I a tree hugger? This can’t be true. No way, I just like renewable energy, and breathing clean air and the trees and the birds and wait, did I say trees? Oh my god, I am a tree hugger.

So the next thing that he asked was “are you a tree hugger?” So I replied without much excuse, “Yes I guess I am”. After a few laughs we began a friendly discussion about the same drainage system that prompted this revelation. He asked “why is it so important to have a rain barrel or a way to filter the water?” He felt the water from the roof was clean enough. What he did not know was that rainwater not only needed to be clean, but it had to be cooled and slowed before it entered the bay and its tributaries. That’s when he almost fell backwards and said “is that why? I never knew that”

It turns out that he loves the trees too and has a cabin in the woods and likes to ride four wheelers, etc. So we talked about electric vehicles and how much more enjoyable it would be for him and his young kids if they could ride four wheelers that did not pollute with sound and smoke and oil. Then he said something that made us both laugh “I guess deep down inside I am a tree hugger too.”

My point here is that most people in our country do not have any objections to clean renewable energy and to environmentally friendly water systems, etc. It would help them to understand why some of us are fighting for these new systems. When I take the time to explain to people that I too like to drive fast cars and ride four wheelers and water ski and all the stuff that they like to do, then they begin to understand that the only thing I despise is dirty and unsustainable energy. As a matter of fact most people, if not all, disagree with the consequences of choosing dirty energy.

So next time someone calls me a tree hugger I may just have to say, thank you.

By George Lopez

One of the most amazing aspects of WaterShed is that the beautiful structure soon to be on display on the National Mall

once resided simply on a piece of paper; an idea sprung from the collective creativity and ingenuity of a handful of students. One of those students is Lynn Khuu.

The Most Important Natural Gas Story in a Decade

Wyatt Investment Research

Well, the Department of Energy answered that question, saying that they will defer to the USGS. Now, keep in mind, the DOE is a cabinet department of the Executive Branch. The USGS is an offshoot of the Department of the Interior - another cabinet ...

EPA meets with Pa. residents over drilling fears

Wilkes Barre Times-Leader

15, 2010 file photo, water plant operator Torrey Jones checks the clarity of a sample of treated water at the Beaver Falls Municipal Authority water treatment plant in Beaver Falls, Pa. A US Department of Energy panel wants energy companies to reveal ...

19 Easton traffic lights to get LED bulbs

The Star Democrat

Terry Daly, Loan Program Manager from the Maryland Clean Energy Center, ... by the US Department of Energy through the Maryland Energy Administration. ...

GM, LG to Co-Develop Electric Cars

Wall Street Journal

By SHARON TERLEP General Motors Co. and South Korea's LG Group on Thursday disclosed an agreement to jointly develop electric vehicles, a goal increasingly important to auto makers as they work to meet stricter US fuel economy regulations. ...

HEADLINES

2011-08-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

U.S. to Slash Marcellus Shale Gas Estimate 80%

Bloomberg

That supersedes an Energy Department projection of 410 trillion cubic feet, said Philip Budzik, an operations research analyst with the Energy Information Administration. “We consider the USGS to be the experts in this matter,” Budzik said in an ...

Ranking of renewable energy and nuclear energy use varies by sector
U.S. Energy Information Administration

Consumption of primary energy derived from renewables recently exceeded current and historical consumption levels for nuclear energy. In the short term, nuclear outages coincided with the start of the high-water season for hydropower generation in March 2011, pushing renewable energy consumption past that of nuclear. The multi-year upward trend in renewable consumption is driven by increasing consumption of biofuels and wind capacity additions.

It Turns Out Electric Vehicles Are So Fun To Drive, You Won't Want To Go Back

Fast Company

It can seem crazy to think that electric vehicles will replace gasoline engines anytime in the near future: range anxiety, charging times, price, and plain old inertia are all touted as deal-killers. But a new study found that drivers actually ...

Building a Community Wind Project: A Landowner's Perspective

RenewableEnergyWorld.com

Besides farming, we've been in the commercial fertilizing and spraying business for 30 years and have spent many, many hours sitting around waiting for the wind to die down so that we could spray. We've had a long-term interest in wind energy. ...

The Future of Farming in Maryland

2011-08-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

Center for Leadership in
Environmental Education (CLEEn)

The future of farming came to the Eastern Shore of Maryland Monday as a group of farmers accepted the invitation of ATech Energy to see a presentation about small scale wind. The presentation was enlightening, covering everything from how a small wind turbine is built and installed, the footprint it requires on the land, and of course, the combination of state and federal incentives that make this a good financial deal for the farmers.

Of course, sustainability and stewardship of the land are cornerstones of farming so it is no wonder that farmers are interested. The sweetener is that wind power can save them money with an investment that will pay off in a relatively short period of time. Farmers are very financially savvy – they have to be – so they are open to new ideas and new technologies.

ATech is part of the Atlantic Tractor company so farmers are long-time customers anyway and the meeting was replete with easy-going familiarity and common interests.

ATech is in the midst of an installation of a wind turbine at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, just a few miles from where the presentation was given, in Cambridge. The concrete foundation is currently in its month-long curing process and the turbine should be functional by late September, saving the college money on its utility bill and acting as a focal point for the College’s Center for Leadership in Environmental Education (CLEEn).

The turbine will be a stunning addition to the landscape, visible by Eastern Shore locals and thousands on the way to the ocean on busy Route 50.

Endurance E-3120

The College has ambitious plans for its Center: “A wind and solar education facility, CLEEn … will model emerging renewable energy technologies while providing education and training opportunities for students and small businesses. A leader in energy conservation and sustainability initiatives, Chesapeake College continues to demonstrate with this proposed facility its commitment to environmental sustainability as a global and regional responsibility, and to enhancing economic development on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.”

The ATech presentation focused on “small wind” vs. utility-sized turbines. Small wind turbines are typically 37 meters (approx. 121 feet) high, rather than the 110 meters (approx. 362 feet) high turbines typically seen at the top of ridgelines out West. Small wind turbines are referred to as “distributed wind,” that is, producing electricity that is generated and used on-site, “behind the meter,” offsetting the retail cost off electricity. By contrast “big wind,” projects, such as off-shore turbines, produce electricity that must be transmitted, typically by utility lines, for use on the grid elsewhere.

The presentation answered many questions on the mind of anyone new to the concept of wind power.

For example, how much wind is needed and what if it doesn’t blow all the time? ATech Wind Specialist Gary Sorrelle explained that the company uses scientifically produced wind maps along with ground-truth methods to determine where the turbine would be sited. And not that much wind is needed for these units to generate power. At a height of 10 meters, away from trees, buildings and other obstructions that produce turbulence, even wind at 5 and 10 mph can be put to work. Of course, more is better. The math behind it indicates that a doubling of wind speed results in eight times the power produced. So, each little bit of breeze helps.

What about noise? Will there be a thump-thump sound that will bother people and animals? The answer is that even as close as 66 feet from the base, the sound is no louder than a home air conditioner or ambient noise at a crowded restaurant.

What about maintenance? The expected life of a small wind machine is 25 to 30 years if yearly maintenance is done conscientiously. Think of it as you would your car. You have to take care of it to keep it running.

Andrew Gohn, Clean Energy Program Manager of the Maryland Energy Administration discussed net-metering legislation, which is county-by-county in Maryland. That is the legislation that allows private entities such as farms to sell back excess energy produced to the utility. The formulas are too complex and county-specific to go into here, but the presentation showed that money can be made from this process.

State and federal incentives were discussed as well. In Maryland in particular, the incentives are very favorable. Some of the biggest federal incentives, however, are about to expire so farmers would be wise to get projects started before the end of the calendar year to take full advantage of what’s available. The estimated payback period for a typical wind turbine installation, with all available incentives in place today, could be as little at four to six years.

The point of the story is that farmers are seeing that Now is the Time to invest in renewable energy. It just makes sense, from an environmental stewardship point of view and a financial point of view. And frankly, it makes a lot more sense than giving up acres of land to the installation of a Marcellus shale fracking operation. And wind will blow forever… long after the gas in the shale has run out. Plus, a wind turbine will not poison your drinking water. Now, there’s something to think about.

By Elvia Thompson

HEADLINES

Air Force doubles awards earned for energy savings

Air Force Link

by Margaret Breihan 8/23/2011 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Leading the pack, team-driven excellence and noteworthy individual efforts from Air Force people earned recognition by the US Department of Energy through its annual Federal Energy and Water ...

Renewable Energy Bill Clears Japan's Lower House

Wall Street Journal

By Mitsuru Obe Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES TOKYO (Dow Jones)--The end of Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan's term in office moved a step closer Tuesday as a landmark bill to promote renewable energy in the wake of the March 11 disasters passed through the ...

Grants program to improve energy efficiency re-upped

Gazette.Net: Maryland Community News Online

In 2011, the program, which is managed by the Maryland Energy Administration, awarded $2 million. In 2010 and 2009, it awarded $3.2 million and $3.5 million ...

US Department of Energy confirms $134m support for Abengoa ethanol plant

Business Green

By BusinessGreen staff The US Department of Energy has continued its drive to dish out financial support for cutting-edge clean tech projects ahead of swingeing budget cuts expected to take effect from next year, announcing the conditional approval of ...

BMW to Develop Two New Electric Cars

Haute Living

BMW's high-efficiency i range will be adding two new cars to its ranks: the i4 and i5. Earlier this month, the German automobile giant unveiled the i3, an electric car tailored for urban travel, and the i8, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle – both of ...

To make green a reality visit http://www.thesolarandwindexpo.com/

New Jersey SREC Market Faces Possible Crash

2011-08-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

Since New Jersey first began to put together a Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard in 1999 the state’s solar industry has been growing. Growth expanded into full-on boom as the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities successively increased the size of the solar carve-out over the past decade. This past month New Jersey reached 10,000 solar installations statewide. The only other state with more solar is California.

However, there is an important market factor to consider in the New Jersey solar bonanza. As solar became successful, New Jersey SREC prices soared to over $600 per REC. With the boom in solar installation the amount of renewable energy being generated by solar panels is now exceeding the Renewable Portfolio Standard’s requirement. This means that there is an excess of RECs and consequently the once high prices have steeply declined and there is substantial volatility in the market.

This is to be expected to a degree, as it conforms to the universal economic law of supply and demand. Most experts believe that following the correction, the market will stabilize over the next couple of years. On the other hand, there are steps state governments can take to ease the financial burden of homeowners who are counting on SRECs to help pay for their solar systems. Some legislators in New Jersey are now pushing for measures similar to those in Massachusetts that create a “floor” for SREC prices. However it is unclear how successful these efforts will be.

Pennsylvania's Tom Corbett, which
way will he go.

While he is not as overtly hostile to renewable energy as his shale-rich counterpart in Pennsylvania, Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey has taken some steps that alarm those in the renewable energy industry. As part of his “common sense” government solutions, Christie has unilaterally decided to withdraw the state from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, claiming that New Jersey has already done its part. In a 2010 Executive Order, Governor Christie also created a “Department of Environmental Protection Waiver Program”. This allows the state’s Department of Environmental Protection to disregard environmental regulations that it deems “overly burdensome” to the business community. This has been criticized by some as the “ultimate pay-to-play loophole”.

So while the SREC market will likely stabilize in the future, New Jersey’s highly admirable position as a renewable energy powerhouse is precarious at best right now. Hopefully the Governor and legislature will see the benefits of keeping their state as a beachhead of renewable energy on the East Coast and a center of green jobs. Only time will tell.

by Richard Harrod

California Hits a Renewable Energy Home Run

Motley Fool

By Travis Hoium
More Articles The California Public Utility Commission may be redefining the way we view subsidies for renewable energy. Instead of a government defined feed-in tariff, which is often slow to react and leads to wild swings in demand, ...

Where Will We Plug In?

Wired News

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn boldly predicts battery electric vehicles will comprise 10 percent of the global market by 2020. This is not an insignificant question, but neither is it the major hurdle some suggest. We'll plug in mostly at home, often at work ...

Ford, Toyota Plan Collaboration for Hybrids

Bloomberg

Ford is joining forces with the Toyota City, Japan-based automaker, maker of the best-selling Prius gasoline-electric car, as the US automaker plans to triple North American output of electric vehicles and hybrids to more than 100000 by 2013. ...

The value of being greener

Boston Globe

“We rely on electricity to run everything: pumps to circulate water, oil to run the boilers,'' said the plainspoken cheese maker, chatting on the porch of his country store. “We are heating a lot of milk and need hot water for sanitation. ...

Suntech sees margins, shipments improving sequentially

Reuters

Suntech expects photovoltaic shipments to rise 15 percent this quarter from the previous three months, but improved demand for solar panels will come at a cost. Solar subsidy cuts in Germany and Italy earlier this year triggered a global glut of solar ...

Mondays Headlines

2011-08-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

Pennsylvania Clean Energy Industry Endangered

EarthTechling

Programs created by previous administrations have been eliminated while key agencies such Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Energy and Technology Deployment and the Office of Energy Management have had their directors reassigned and ...

Trains That Run Like, and on, the Wind

New York Times

By ERIK KIRSCHBAUM
REUTERS BERLIN — It will not be easy to run a national railroad on renewable energy like wind, hydro and solar power, but that is what Deutsche Bahn of Germany aims to do, for one simple reason: It is what consumers want. ...

DOE advisory board releases shale gas recommendations

American City & County

A subcommittee of an advisory board for the US Department of Energy (DOE) is recommending several new regulations for the natural gas industry, including requiring full disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. ...

VW to unveil single-seat electric car

Financial Times

VW wants to capture a lead in electric cars and other new technologies as it aims to become the industry's largest carmaker by 2018. On Friday the company said it delivered 4.75m vehicles in January to July, bringing it closer to its goal of overtaking ...

Greenacres couple pay almost nothing for electricity

Palm Beach Post

By Julie Patel That's Willever's payoff for spending more than $60000 — after tax credits and expected rebates — to install a solar water heater, 51 solar panels and foam attic insulation in his three-bedroom Greenacres home. Until they made the ...

SoloPower Gets Its DOE Loan Guarantee

EarthTechling

by Pete Danko, August 19th, 2011 With time running out on a key federal loan guarantee program intended to boost renewable energy production and technologies, the US Department of Energy (DOE) today finalized another loan deal, backing $197 million for ...

EVERGREEN SOLAR AND THE FUTURE OF SOLAR IN THE U.S.

2011-08-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

By Richard Harrod

In recent days many pundits and right-leaning economists have seized upon the bankruptcy of Massachusetts-based Evergreen Solar as an indication that solar is not viable without government subsidies. Some have gone the extra step and written off solar power entirely as a gimmick. Online business forums are abuzz with discussion of “Who’s next?” among the American PV panel manufactures to go out of business. While this is to be expected it has placed the solar industry on the defensive and some are saying that subsidies for renewable energy ought to be abandoned altogether.

It is understandable to be upset when a bad investment is made and it’s even more frustrating when it is done using public funding, but to say that this is proof that solar is worthless is untrue. All new industries have growing pains. When the petroleum industry was first beginning to take off in the second half of the 19th century there was an explosion in oil prospecting, particularly in western Pennsylvania. Prices soared and suddenly people were travelling from miles around to get involved in oil. Whole towns devoted to drilling sprung up overnight.

As a result of this glut, a crash was inevitable. Prices collapsed and thousands lost money and jobs. Many declared oil a dead industry. Around this time an enterprising businessman decided to get into petroleum. By the time he died he was the wealthiest American to ever live and his company controlled over 80% of the market. That man’s name was John D. Rockefeller.

Each day the sun comes up and makes its passage across the sky it creates enough energy to power all the needs of the entirety of humanity for one year. At this point photovoltaic panels can capture only a small portion of this energy, but that will change. In spite of what the naysayers and paid stooges from the oil and natural gas companies will tell you, solar is making leaps and bounds in technology every year. To simply give up, walk away, bury our heads in the sand and put blind faith in dirty energy to miss out on the power of the future. We cannot afford to not invest in renewable energy. To those who say that photovoltaic is a nonviable, “dead” industry I say this: Somewhere out there is the John Rockefeller of Solar.

HEADLINES

Cadillac confirms luxury electric vehicle

The Independent

General Motors has confirmed that an electric vehicle under the Cadillac brand is to enter series production. The Cadillac ELR will be a luxury sibling for the Chevrolet Volt, an extended-range electric vehicle which General Motors launched last ...

US PV Installations Forecast to Rise 166% in 2011

Solar Novus Today

While a downturn is expected for Europe in 2011, growth in the US will be healthy due to loan guarantees from the US Department of Energy (DOE). Among US states, California will be the leader in solar power by a wide margin this year, accounting for ...

Kentucky to receive more than a half million dollars in rural energy grants

The Lane Report

(August 17, 2011) – Governor Steve Beshear today announced that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $500000 in grants to 43 Kentucky farm families and rural small businesses to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency measures ...

Interior secretary sees Maine wind energy center

Boston Globe

A one-third scale turbine is scheduled for deployment next July off Monhegan Island, and full-size turbines -- about the size of the Washington Monument -- would gradually be built. Salazar last year promised to spur offshore wind projects in the ...

Canton firm lobbies for federal support of wind energy

Hometownlife.com

Bill Bresler

staff photographer By Matt Jachman A Canton Township company making inroads in the wind energy industry has enlisted help from the dean of the US House of Representatives. Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, who has been in the House since ...

Solar power plant switches to PV from thermal

CNET

Another solar project developer has decided to scrap plans to use concentrating solar thermal technology for photovoltaic panels, such as these. Developers of the giant Blythe Solar Power Project in California have switched from solar thermal ...

O'Malley fills vacancies on Public Service Commission

Baltimore Sun

Speakes-Backman, the clean energy director at the Maryland Energy Administration, will finish the term of Therese Goldsmith, who left to become the state's Insurance Commissioner. Speakes-Backman has worked in the areas of sustainability and renewable ...

German 'guzzler' sets new record for electric cars

Deutsche Welle

The previous record for electric car travel on a single charge, on a circuit track, was 1003 kilometers, set by the Japan Electric Vehicle Club in May last year. The Schluckspecht record was made at the German industrial company Bosch's circuit track ...

Why electric vehicles are so important to the United States

Mass High Tech

Let's not miss Round 2 – the electric vehicle. Electric vehicles are creating too big of an economic opportunity for our country to miss. Think of the Chevy Volt. This vehicle — released in 2011 — is already ranked as car of the year by Motor Trend ...

Thursday Headlines

2011-08-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

NRG to buy Energy Plus for $190 million

BusinessWeek

... Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Illinois. The company also sells electricity in Texas and natural gas in New York and New Jersey. The deal requires regulatory approvals from the Justice Department and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ...

Pa. shale gas production increasing

UPI.com

HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Natural gas production from the Marcellus shale gas play in Pennsylvania increased substantially during the first six months of 2011, the government said. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection ...

Sungevity launches renewable energy tax equity fund, expands headquarters

solarserver.com

On August 15th, 2011, Sungevity Inc. (Oakland, California, US) and Citigroup Inc. (Citi, New York, New York, US) introduced a new renewable energy tax equity fund to support over USD 50 million in new residential solar lease projects. ...

Koch Brothers Fund Bogus Study Bashing Offshore Wind in New Jersey

Think Progress

This report isn't BHI's first foray into the admittedly complex world of offshore wind. A 2003 report from BHI on Cape Wind's proposal to build America's first offshore wind farm used similarly deceptive tactics, suggesting the project could cost the ...

Rooftop Solar Is Experiencing a Boom in California

Care2.com (blog)

Rooftop solar panels do more than just eliminate the need for traditional power sources. They help keep a building cooler, according to a report released by the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering in America. Researchers used thermal imaging to ...

Solar Geothermal Hybrid Gets Go-Ahead in Nevada

Reuters

By SustainableBusiness.com at SustainableBusiness.com Enel Green Power North America is combining solar and geothermal at its Stillwater Geothermal plant in Churchill, County, Nevada. This is the first renewable energy project in the US that combines ...

Energy Savings From Below

AOL Energy

Part of the series of "101" introductions to energy from the US Department of Energy, this video, like its predecessors, has something to teach even the energy expert for whom geothermal may not be a focus. For those interested in the basics of solar, ...

DOE gets an earful on uranium mine leasing program near Telluride, Montrose

The Colorado Independent

Depends where you were last week when the US Department of Energy (DOE) took feedback on its uranium mine leasing program in southwest Colorado. In some places like Telluride, according to media reports, ...

O'Malley appoints 2 to state's Public Service Commission

The Republic

She most recently worked as the clean energy director at the Maryland Energy Administration. She also has worked in the private sector for 20 years. The PSC, which had two vacancies on the five-member commission, regulates gas, electric, telephone, ...

Aspen Hill school soaks up solar energy

Gazette.Net: Maryland Community News Online

The solar panels will not only provide green energy for the building, but also will give students a unique opportunity to soak up scientific knowledge, she said. The initial cost of the system will be paid for by a $50000 Maryland Energy Administration ...

A WOLF IN FOX CLOTHING

2011-08-17T05:52:00.000-07:00

Rupert Murdoch claimed that he did not know what was going on in his British tabloid and that the folks that were under him ran amuck. Well Rupert you may want to look at FOX television and .COM because it’s not much better here.

This story came out yesterday in fownews.com “Energy in America: Dead Birds Unintended Consequence of Wind Power Development”. Really Rupert? Really? If there was a line of turbines that stretched from Canada to Mexico with no gaps in between, then maybe we could say we have a problem. But with these types of stories, we may never have enough turbines in the country to make the evils of gas and oil go away. Oh, wait maybe thats just fine by some.

It’s is unbelievable to me that someone would be so gullible that this story would make them choose oil or gas over turbines. From the story: "The cumulative impacts are huge," said Shawn Smallwood, one of the few recognized experts studying the impact of wind farms on migratory birds. "It is not inconceivable to me that we could reduce golden eagle populations by a great deal, if not wipe them out."

I guess we should not be surprised, it is the same argument that environmentalist have used against oil and gas. But there is a big difference. Such as the amount of evidence available to proof that oil and gas production has killed humans, birds, mammals and has destroyed drinking water supply and laid land to waste.

If anyone creates a situation that is dangerous to any one species then they should answer to the general public and the law. But to say that wind should be stopped because of more test results are needed is ridiculous to say the least. Okay then let’s stop Marcellus Shale drilling right away and all energy development until the results are in. Hey I’m okay with that. I’ll just use solar power until the results are in.

Here is what the oil industry has done to birds

Sustainable Energy Master's Degree Offered
Reuters
By EarthTechling at EarthTechling by Kristy Hessman Students of Santa Clara University School of Engineering can now earn a master's degreein sustainable energy. The newly created program focuses on training students in the renewable energy and science ...

Latest Pennsylvania BusinessWJTV
(AP) The Corbett administration is defending its policies on renewable energy and conservation, and says it's not putting aside those efforts in favor of Pennsylvania's booming natural gas industry. Gov. Tom Corbett's energy executive Patrick Henderson ...

Briefly... CITY/REGION | Philadelphia Daily News | 2011-08-16
Philadelphia Daily News
Corbett's energy czar, said that the Office of Energy and Technology Deployment in the state Department of Environmental Protection was renamed, not disbanded, and that the Guaranteed Energy Savings Act program, which helps school districts and local ...

'The Last Mountain' Brings a Kennedy and the Appalacian Mountains to Chilmark
Patch.com
However, those attending the Martha's Vineyard Film Festival's (MVFF) screening of "The Last Mountain," a documentary by Bill Haney, may find the Island's debate for and against Cape Wind comes full circle. "The Last Mountain" focuses on the ...

Turbine maker moving to Delaware
The News Journal
A maker of small wind turbines plans to move its operations from Arizona to Delaware, aided by a $1.2 million state grant, Delaware economic development officials say. It's the latest in Delaware's push to attract jobs to the state with generous ...

Geothermal Industry Continues To Struggle for Acceptance

RenewableEnergyWorld.com
By Marc Favreau, Contributor Stamford, Conn., USA -- Last March, Renewable Energy World covered the 2011 version of the Annual US Geothermal Power Production and Development Report that was released by the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA). ...

Tuesdays Headlines

2011-08-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

Record Hill Wind snags $102M wind power loan guarantee

VentureBeat

Wind power providers typically face “not-in-my-backyard” complaints from residents in rural areas. Residents argue sounds from the wind turbines are disruptive, and that the turbines make for flickering lights because they block out the sun. ...

Recharge Your Electric Car With Your Own Personal Wind Turbine

Fast Company

Now your EV can have its very own dedicated wind turbine--designed by Yves Behar, no less--to combat NIMBYs everywhere. Want to stay ahead of the Jones' who drove home a new electric Ford Focus with its own solar unit last weekend? ...

Ikea Buys Scottish Wind Farm, Solar Installations

SustainableBusiness.com

The array of seven wind turbines is expected to produce the equivalent of 30% of Ikea's electricity usage in the UK, and a company spokesperson said additional wind power purchases could be in the works. The remaining 70% will be partially produced by ...

How Will U.S. Army Energy Initiatives Affect Expansion of Solar Energy?

ThomasNet Industrial News Room

The US Army this month established an Energy Initiatives Office (EIO) Task Force, which could have a significant effect on the growth of the solar energy industry. I first studied solar energy in junior high school in the mid-1960s (the Bell Labs “From ...

Sungevity socks away cash for solar leasing

CNET

Part of Sungevity's marketing efforts in the east coast--an ice cream truck decked with solar panels. Sungevity has secured $50 million worth of solar leases and expects to have the financing to continue expanding into other states. ...

Achieving net zero with geothermal systems

Consulting-Specifying Engineer

Geothermal systems are one option to achieving this net zero goal. The Dept. of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) has established aggressive energy goals for new schools, including several “net zero” facilities in 2011. According to the Dept. of ...

Geothermal system will heat and cool new Science Center

Connecticut College

Engineers installed a 500-foot test well in the northeast corner of Tempel Green to confirm that a geothermal system was an option for the new Science Center. Tempel Green, with its stunning view of Long Island Sound, has always been one of Connecticut ...

New Army Task Force Will Push for Renewable Energy

CleanTechnica

In the latest stage of the historic battle between renewable energy and fossil fuels, the US Army has taken the gloves off: Army Secretary John McHugh announced the launch of the Army's new Energy Initiatives Office Task Force at the GovEnergy ...

Testing underway to explore energy from ocean currents

Boston Herald

State officials and UMass Dartmouth scientists also plan on Monday to outline plans for a first-in-the-nation marine renewable energy test site in Muskeget Channel, located in federal waters between Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. ...

Green Car People: Who Buys Electric And Plug-In Vehicles?

Green Car Reports

More Once upon a time, people who bought (or built) electric vehicles were often science-minded, forward-thinking, eco-conscious drivers who sometimes had a hippie past. Today, there are several motivations for buying a car that plugs into the electric ...

Mondays Headlines

2011-08-15T07:13:00.000-07:00

International Power nears construction of 99MW wind farm in Canada

Energy Business Review

International Power Canada said it is preparing for construction of the 99MW Cape Scott wind farm located 25 miles west of Port Hardy on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The company plans to begin civil construction ...

The Party's Over for Big Wind (I do not agree with the premise of this article but I posted it any way, it's just more reasons to fight harder)

Huffington Post

The US has about 170 anti-wind groups. AWEA doesn't want you to know that a number of towns in New York state have prohibited the construction of industrial wind turbines. In April, the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts enacted a year-long moratorium on ...

Deadlines loom for Crisfield grants

Delmarva Now

The proposed wind turbines are expected to take a huge financial burden off the city, which currently pays about $20000 per month on electricity at the sewer plant. Crisfield officials have already met with representatives of companies hoping to get a ...

How LinkedIn's social media guru became a solar panel evangelist

ITworld.com

Crane's suitor was Sungevity, a solar-panel leasing company based in Oakland, Calif. Before agreeing to sign on, however, Crane decided to check out the company in a more fundamental way -- as a customer. As SolveClimate News's Maria Gallucci writes: ...

UMass Lowell, MassArt Students to Compete in Solar Decathlon

UMass Lowell (press release)

The 4D Home features photovoltaic panels to generate electricity, a solar-thermal water heater to provide hot water, thick walls to allow for more efficient insulation, a heat pump and exchanger for cooling/heating the house in summer and winter, ...

Public hearing set on solar facility

Tasley Eastern Shore News

The solar photovoltaic farm if approved will consist of 20 one-megawatt blocks, each containing about 4750 solar panels, along with a 200 by 200 foot substation. The land where the solar farm is proposed to be built is zoned agricultural. ...

Corbett quietly turning off the lights on renewable energy

Pittsburgh Post Gazette

... of Environmental Protection's Office of Energy and Technology Deployment ... "In the past 12 years, Pennsylvania has gone from having virtually no clean ...

US Army Plans To Invest $7.1 Billion In Renewable Energy

GreenAnswers

By Kristen Metz on Sun, 08/14/2011 - 9:15am In an effort to combat rising fuel prices, the US Army has announced plans to invest a substantial amount of money in renewable energy sources. The creation of the new Energy Initiatives Office Task Force ...

Christie's energy plan a step backward, opponents say

Power Engineering Magazine

"All of these things combined will lead us to a future here in New Jersey where we have lower-cost energy but also are leading the way on renewable energy," Christie said when he presented the plan in June. Richard Colby, a professor of natural ...

Natural gas drilling leaving East Tenn. for Northeast

Knoxville News Sentinel

(J. MILES CARY/NEWS SENTINEL ) The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection reported 76 wells dug into Marcellus Shale areas by the end of 2007. In 2010, the department reported 1440 such wells were drilled during the year. ...

RENEWABLE ENERGY, IT’S TIME TO TAKE THE GLOVES OFF!

2011-08-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, so all’s fair in love and war. The latest advertising incarnation for the oil companies is a pleasant, almost jolly and good looking (Ladies, correct me if I’m wrong.) mid-50s man talking about how science does some extraordinary research that leads to finding energy underground. With a smile he professes that this great work creates jobs and runs clean vehicles and babies are born and the sky parts and we all live happily ever after (of course i'm partly kidding). Hallelujah!

In my opinion this is a bunch of $#!+. The sad part about this form of advertising is that it is effective. Just the same way we continue to elect worthless individuals during elections, this message will be drilled into the mainstream mind and perfectly sane individuals will have arguments over what’s better, clean energy or filthy disgusting polluting energy. It’s crazy to think that this stuff will work, but it will.

Until the renewable energy industry gets its act together and spends money to counter the message being served by the non-renewable energy industry we will not see considerable gains on the renewable energy side. From the beginning of time communication has been twisted to serve one cause or another.

The renewable energy industry is not without resources or organizations to represent it. I don’t mean to pick on any one group, but it comes to mind that the American Council on Renewable Energy, United States Green Building Council, and Interstate Renewable Energy Council, to name a few, have a mission to grow renewable energy. But I see no national campaigns to counter the oil companies. Yes, the oil companies have huge amounts of cash and will counter any campaign with even more ads. But, man, this is competition and you have to make your case in the minds of the people.

My message is that we should stop making apologies, take the gloves off and start using television to get the renewable energy message out. That is, if you want to stand for what you believe in. As a matter of fact, let me take the first to place an ad on behalf of renewable energy. The following demonstrates the jobs that are being created by clean renewable energy and by dirty un-renewable oil and gas (Enjoy!):

Renewable Jobs

Non-renewable jobs

Renewable jobs

Non-Renewable clean up Jobs

Renewable Jobs

Non-Renwable Jobs

Renewable Jobs

No caption needed

These are just a few examples of what can be used to combat the PR campaign that big oil is bringing. When the renewable energy industry organizes and fights back, the sky will be the limit.

By George Lopez

Headlines

Department of Energy Pushes for Baseline Water Testing

StateImpact Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania may be the only state that has no regulations regarding private drinking water wells. That means well location, construction, testing and treatment are all up to the individual landowner. So the Department of Energy's Shale Gas Production ...

Pennsylvania Groups Respond to Department of Energy Fracking Report

StateImpact Pennsylvania

By Scott Detrow As expected, the Department of Energy's fracking report is dominating today's drilling news. Here's some Pennsylvania-based reaction to the document. PennFuture's John Quigley calls it a “must-read.” Air quality, methane emissions, ...

Pennsylvania Wants Beacon Power's Flywheel Energy Storage

CleanTechnica

In addition to the $5-million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program state grant, the $53-million Hazle Township plant was also awarded a $24-million Smart Grid stimulus grant from the US Department of Energy...

Japan parties reach agreement on renewable energy bill

Reuters

TOKYO Aug 11 (Reuters) - Japan's ruling Democratic Party reached an agreement with the main opposition parties on Thursday to pass a bill designed to promote renewable energy, an opposition lawmaker said, setting the stage for unpopular Prime Minister ...

Billionaire Donald Trump's anger at Scottish wind farm decision

Environmental Data Interactive

The host of the US original version of the Apprentice, who is almost as famous for his hair as he is for his business ventures, issued a statement criticising plans for 11 wind turbines. A consortium consisting of Vattenfall, Technip and the Aberdeen ...

Wind energy now generates 20 percent of Iowa's electricity

REVE

Terry Branstad (R-Iowa) and other state officials will join the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) in sharing wind's powerful message this week in Ames: wind farm works for Iowa, which has become a national leader since adopting the first ...

Ford Offers Solar Charging For its EVs and Hybrids

Hybrid Cars News

SunPower, which is based in San Jose, Calif., says the photovoltaic cells in its SunPower® E18 Series solar panels are highly efficient, and take up less space than some other systems. The Ford program calls for 11 panels totaling about 147 square feet ...

Inexpensive catalyst that makes hydrogen gas 10 times faster than natural enzyme

PhysOrg.com

"This nickel-based catalyst is really very fast," said coauthor Morris Bullock of the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. "It's about a hundred times faster than the previous catalyst record holder. And from nature, we knew it ...

Geothermal system may provide heating, cooling for 750 condos

Niagara Advance

That was the beginning of a seed that was planted that he hopes will come to fruition—the use of relatively inexpensive geothermal energy to heat and cool the entire project. Racioppo explains that in discussion with Suzanne Wiltshire, an ...

Metro Vancouver is in hot water - and happy about it

Vancouver Sun

The regional district installed glass tubes on the roof of the 20-storey building in Burnaby in December 2009 to collect solar heat to augment the building's hot water system and gauge the effectiveness of reducing GHGs in commercial highrises. ...

To make green a reality http://www.thesolarandwindexpo.com/

Headlines

2011-08-11T06:09:00.000-07:00

Ford EVs to come with household solar-panel option

CNET

Buyers of Ford's electric vehicles will have an option to have SunPower's rooftop solar panels installed for about $10000 after a federal tax rebate. The companies estimate that the 2.5-kilowatt array will generate enough juice, ...

India Plans to Relax Solar Rules

Wall Street Journal

He said the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is planning to increase the size of the projects that will be awarded and also extend the timeline for arranging finances by one month to seven months. "If the size goes up, more time is needed to tie-up ...

Renewable Energy Consumption Passes Nuclear

EarthTechling

Renewable energy consumption in the United States recently exceeded current and historical consumption levels for nuclear energy, a government study reports. According to the US Energy Information Administration, during the first quarter of this year a ...

A Fifty Million Dollar Tipping Point?

InvestorIdeas.com (press release)

August 10, 2011 (Investorideas.com renewable energy/green newswire) At a press conference on July 21, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he was contributing $50 million to the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign. ...

MEA Lawton Loan Recipient Receives High Performance Building Awa

Citybizlist (press release)

BPG financed the energy efficiency improvements with a low-interest loan from the Maryland Energy Administration's Jane E. Lawton Conservation Loan Program and a rebate from Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE). "Energy efficiency is a smart investment ...

Detroit's Big Three win Energy Department grants

The Detroit News

Washington -- The Energy Department said Wednesday it is awarding more than $175 million over the next five years to 40 projects for advanced technology vehicles. The projects were selected out of 400 applicants are in 15 states and include about $40 ...

Scientists slam US DOE fracking panel make-up on eve of release of report

Platts

The scientists said that the experts EPA chose for its study were vetted to ensure those scientists had no ties to industry, "we would like to see similar standards for the Energy Department's Natural Gas Subcommittee." They called for Deutch, ...

Dow Corning Sponsoring U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 To Help ...

MarketWatch (press release)

MIDLAND, Mich., Aug 10, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- To spur growth of the solar industry and support education, Dow Corning has announced that it is a sustaining sponsor of the US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011, which will be held Sept. ...

Examining Solar Renewable Energy Credits

2011-08-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

As the interest and commitment to renewable energy continues to grow across the country, many states are creating Renewable Portfolio Standards or RPS. These standards mandate that a certain portion of the electricity produced by utility companies must come from renewable sources. This has created the “solar carve out” in many states which has given birth to the SREC market.

SRECs or Solar Renewable Energy Credits are a quantitative unit that can be bought, sold and traded by owners of solar systems. This is one of the ways in which Solar is made affordable since selling SRECs allows the home or business owners to recoup some of their initial cost incurred installing a solar PV system. SRECs have no set price. They “float” like any traded stock or commodity and are subject to market forces – much like the Dow, Nasdaq or S&P 500. Currently seven jurisdictions have developed SREC markets (Massachusetts, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the District of Columbia). Many more are in the process of developing Renewable Portfolio Standards or some form of Renewable Energy Credit. As interest in renewable technology expands, so will the markets.

Of the states with extant SREC markets, Massachusetts is unique. The state has set up a controlled marketplace that allows SREC prices to fluctuate between $300 and $600 per SREC. The state maintains this “floor” price by holding an auction at the end of the year to sell off unwanted SRECs. If the state cannot sell the remaining SRECS it will adjust the capacity requirement for the coming year and also extend the life of the SRECs. This managed approach prevents a glut and gives the Massachusetts SREC market a stability that is unseen in other states.

In the end, all SREC markets will fluctuate and no market is recession proof. However, the return on investment that solar provides can never be taken away. Regardless of SRECs, solar systems inevitably provide clean, efficient and free electricity from the sun. Their benefit to the environment by reducing our use of fossil fuels is also well established. Inevitably oil and natural gas are going to run out. We should not wait until that happens to make our decision on whether we want to live with our planet or against it.

By Richard Harrod

Researching Safer Nuclear Energy or show lack of vision?

New York Times (blog)

On Tuesday, the Energy Department, handing out research grants in all kinds of energy fields that are low in carbon dioxide emissions, is announcing that it will give $39 million to university programs around the country to try to solve various nuclear ...

Verizon will be proving ground for energy efficiency, green power

ZDNet (blog)

By Heather Clancy
August 9, 2011, 9:50am PDT Summary: Along with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the giant telco plans to publish a series of blueprints for energy efficiency across buildings, data centers and the smart grid. ...

Wind News: Major investments Underway in US and Abroad

SustainableBusiness.com

According to a new manufacturer survey of the German wind energy institute DEWI, a total of 356 wind turbines with an overall capacity of 793 MW have been installed in Germany in the first half of 2011. This is a 20% increase compared to last year's ...

US invests more cash into solar power

UPI.com

"The Agua Caliente Solar project will bring hundreds of jobs to Arizona, while helping increase the reliability of renewable solar power," Chu said in a statement. The Energy Department said the United States had a dominant position in the solar energy ...

Clean Energy Stocks Fall as Solar Sector Hit by 'Triple Whammy'

Bloomberg

Renesola Ltd. (SOL), a Chinese maker of solar panels, led declines in solar stocks, closing down 18 percent at $2.76, after the US credit rating downgrade caused investors to retreat from riskier assets. Yingli Green Energy Holding Co., a China-based ...

Home turbines might churn soon in Brandon

Sioux Falls Argus Leader

He already has a 4200-watt photovoltaic solar system on his roof and a geothermal pump in the basement, and he's begun using natural gas to power his energy-sucking appliances. He wants to install a 200-watt, 48-volt wind turbine that weighs 13 pounds ...

Is This Audi's All-Electric City E-Tron? We Think So (Video)

All Cars Electric

But spy-shots, and a few interesting YouTube videos tell us all we need to know: Audi is working on an all-electric pod car which certainly offers more protection from the elements than Renault's crazy Twizy urban electric vehicle. It looks better too, ...

Campaign launched to protect clean energy jobs in Pennsylvania

BrighterEnergy.org

Clean energy campaigners in Pennsylvania have warned that programs supporting ... (DEP) Office of Energy and Technology Deployment is set to be disbanded, ...

Maryland Govenor Martin O'Malley attended the launch of Maryland’s first solar tracking electric vehicle charger

2011-08-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley,
Rob Lundahl, V.P. of Energy Systems
of ATR Corp and other dignitaries
at yesterday's dedication

ATR continued it's tradition in innovative engineering yesterday when it launched Maryland's first tracking solar car charging station in Bethesda. The Solar Car Charger incorporates a 1,410 watt sun tracking array to supplement electric vehicle charging requirements. Standard Level II Car Chargers are mounted to the base of the tracking pole and conveniently situated to service two vehicles at once.

The new charging station
with a Nissan Leaf and
a Chevy Volt waiting
for charging.

Sun Tracking provides up to 30% more power which is converted to AC and fed into the utility grid for generation credit. Car chargers are similarly connected to the local power grid and maintain 100% availability.

The solar power production and power suppied to EV's is monitored for a complete energy system accounting and analysis and it is available to the owner over the internet.

Tuesday's Headlines

Why are the big banks getting off scot-free?
Salon.com by Yves Smith

For most citizens, one of the mysteries of life after the crisis is why such a massive act of looting has gone unpunished. We've had hearings, investigations, and numerous journalistic and academic post mortems. We've also had promises to put people in jail by prosecutors like Iowa's attorney general Tom Miller walked back virtually as soon as they were made.

Yet there is undeniable evidence of institutionalized fraud, such as widespread document fabrication in foreclosures...

Duke Energy to Sell Renewable Power from New Texas Wind Farm to CPS Energy

PR Newswire (press release)

Duke Energy Renewables, a commercial business unit of Duke Energy, will build, own and operate the 200-megawatt (MW) Los Vientos I Windpower Project in Willacy County, approximately 120 miles south of Corpus Christi and 20 miles inland from the Gulf of ...

Underwater 'windmills' may feed power grid

Boston Globe

The equipment looks like a jet engine, but uses technology similar to what's in windmill-powered electric generators, such as those proposed for Cape Wind, the energy project planned for Nantucket Sound. Free Flow has also applied for more than 150 ...

Yosemite Installs Largest National Park Solar Array

EcoGeek

The whole system is made up of 2800 solar PV panels. The $4.5 million installation will save the park $50000 a year on energy costs and the park also expects to receive $700000 in energy rebates from PG&E over the next five years. ...

Headlines

2011-08-08T06:41:00.000-07:00

Samsung deal, wind turbines becoming hot election issues
The Beacon Herald

And everywhere from Huron and Perth counties to Sudbury and Wolfe Island and the shores of Lake Erie green power, more accurately wind power, is a hot topic. It reared its head around here this week as news of a wind turbine farm within sight of ...

Blackstone to invest €2.5bn in German wind farms
Siliconrepublic.com

WindMW GmbH, a company majority owned by funds managed by Blackstone, has completed the financing for "Meerwind, which will be the first German wind farm to be fully financed by private investors. The 288-megawatt 80-turbine wind farm will be situated ...

US wind up in Q2 but could stall if tax credit expires
EcoSeed (blog)

By Oliver M. Bayani Wind energy manufacturing and construction jobs that have been a bright spot through the recession, said AWEA. However, analysts from the American Wind Energy Association warned that the market's recovery could stall if the ...

U.S. Debt Deal Kills Off Prospects of Renewable-Power Support
Bloomberg

The department said in May it stopped work on a loan guarantee for Cape Wind off of Massachusetts because there wasn't enough money for all applicants. The first US offshore wind farm is projected to cost $2.6 billion. Funding for the loan guarantee ...

International utility hones local focus
Boston Globe

Because Massachusetts has some of the highest energy costs in the nation, National Grid has taken heat on its decision to purchase expensive power from Cape Wind. Can you explain the company's thinking? I continue to fully admit that the cost of this ...

Cape Wind saga gets big-screen treatment
The News Journal

This October 2008 photo released by Rebirth Productions shows filmmakers Daniel Coffin (left) and Robbie Gemmel on location in Woods Hole, Mass., recording a scene for "Cape Spin." The feature-length documentary is about the battle over the Cape Wind ...

In Pennsylvania, produce buyers question safety of drilling near farm market ...
The Republic

Industry officials and the state Department of Environmental Protection secretary criticized that research, noting the authors have supported gas industry competitors and limited their study to an area known for contaminated water wells. Pennsylvania ...

Nissan Provides City of Lincoln, UK with Pair of Charging Stations
EV World

Drivers of electric cars may be pleased to hear that the city of Lincoln is set to benefit from two new car charging points provided by Nissan. The Japanese manufacturer was prompted by last Sunday's (July 31st's) episode of Top Gear, which showed ...

Electric vehicles to swamp Indian & Chinese markets
Financial Express

New Delhi: With Reva already having made an entry in the Indian electric-car market and GM and Renault having it in their pipeline, electric vehicles (EVs) may become major market players in emerging markets of India and China. ...

Commercial Solar Hot Water Arrives in the Midwest
RenewableEnergyWorld

If you live in the Midwest, and if you are a solar energy aficionado, you have had great reason to be jealous of most, if not all, of the rest of the country. The great states of Florida, California, Arizona, Texas, Oregon, New Jersey, Massachusetts...

CONSTELLATION ENER : Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Encourages Customers ...
4-traders (press release)

4, 2011 – Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) today announced that the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) has made available more than $850000 in additional funds intended to encourage customers to take advantage of BGE's Home Performance with ...

IN THE NEWS

2011-08-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

Maryland adds $850000 for home performance rebate program; nearly 1000 have ...

Washington Post

By AP, ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Maryland Energy Administration is adding $850000 to the state's home performance rebate program. Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown made the announcement on Thursday. The program offers a 35 percent rebate on certain home energy ...

O'Malley appoints electric vehicle council

Annapolis Capital (blog)

Malvin Nolen Duncan Jr., sales manager for Holt Electrical Contractors. Frederick Hilton Hoover Jr., an attorney and former director of the Maryland Energy Administration. Marisa Shockley, president of the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association. ...

Philips Wins Prestigious Department of Energy L Prize

CleanTechnica

Unfortunately, this light source uses 10% of its energy output for light and wastes the other 90% as heat. The the US Department of Energy (DOE) recognized that energy efficient alternatives needed to be made readily available and become the new ...

Road Test: 2012 Chevrolet Volt

National Post

That said, the Volt competes in a segment — extended-range electric vehicles — that it alone occupies. It earns this unique (for now) designation by being powered by a 111-kilowatt (149-horsepower) primary electric motor fed, alternately, ...

Solar Power for Electric Vehicles

REVE

Solar energy powered electric car chargers are bound to appease critics who say that electric cars with lithium ion batteries are as clean as the energy that feeds them. SolarCity has teamed up with ClipperCreek to provide electric car chargers ...

SCORE ONE FOR WIND IN MARYLAND

2011-08-04T11:55:00.000-07:00

Location staked

We’d like to share a success story with you regarding wind power in Maryland. Our friends and continuing sponsors at ATech Energy have been awarded a contract to install an Endurance Wind Power turbine at Chesapeake College on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Atlantic Tractor/ATech Energy partnered and financially participated with Chesapeake College in order to make the College’s vision a reality. The tower will be on a 120 ft. tower for an overall system height of 150 ft.

Crews removing the tower from the semi

The turbine will be the centerpiece of the College’s development and construction of its wind and solar education facility, the Center for Leadership in Environmental Education (CLEEn), at its Wye Mills campus. The center will model emerging renewable energy technologies while providing education and training opportunities for students and small businesses. The college is a leader in energy conservation and sustainability initiatives, and this project demonstrates its commitment to environmental sustainability. The college sees this commitment as a global and regional responsibility, and as a way to enhance economic development on the Eastern Shore.

For more about the CLEEn project, follow this link: http://www.chesapeake.edu/about/cleen.asp

Precise packaging allows for two
sections to be carried inside a
bigger one

The turbine is being installed now with the classrooms to follow at a later date. ATech will install an Endurance Wind Power model E-3120 50kw turbine on a 120ft tower for an overall system height of 150ft. Atlantic Tractor/Atech Energy partnered and financially participated with Chesapeake College in order to make the College’s vision a reality.

The 120ft tower arrived on site last week and construction has begun on the foundation for the tower. The tower will be erected in about 30 days, allowing time for the concrete to cure. The turbine will arrive in about 30 days and be installed on the tower around the first of September.

Tower sections awaiting installation

Foundation with
heavy rebar

Workers prep first section of tower

Score a point for wind power in Maryland!

Other News:

“A Tale of Two Shale States” Response

American Rivers (blog)

For example, recently the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection fined Chesapeake Energy nearly $1.09 million for contaminating the drinking water of 16 families with natural gas, and, separately, for an explosion at a condensate storage ...

DOE announces that Philips has won the 60W-replacement-lamp L Prize

LEDs Magazine

After an 18-month evaluation process including field and lab testing, the DOE has announced that Philips Lighting North America has won the 60W-replacement-lamp category in the L Prize competition that's focused on the development of energy-efficient ...

$50 Million To Aid US Solar Manufacturing

RenewableEnergyWorld.com

By Renewable Energy World Editors New Hampshire, USA -- The US Department of Energy is boosting domestic solar PV manufacturing with a $50 million investment over two years. The infusion of money comes as part of the department's SUNPATH program, ...

Fracking Radiation Targeted By DOE, GE

Forbes (blog)

By JEFF MCMAHON The Department of Energy and General Electric will spend $2 million over the next two years to remove naturally occurring radioactive materials from the fracking fluids produced by America's booming shale-gas industry. ...

Ford Focus Electric Gets Ready To Make Some Noise

Online PR News (press release)

Ford is using Facebook to get feedback from its fans on its Ford Electric Vehicles page, allowing them to vote on four sound clips ranging from something reminiscent of the Jetsons' spaceship to a muffled jet engine. There is also a clip using engine ...

To make green a reality visit http://www.thesolarandwindexpo.com/

Latest News

2011-08-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

Gas Drilling Bringing Jobs to Pennsylvania, but How Many?

Wall Street Journal

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry says industries related to natural-gas extraction directly and indirectly created just over 13000 jobs in the state in 2010. "It's still a relatively small part of the state's overall economy, ...

Germany Shows How Renewable Energy Should Be Done

DailyFinance

By Travis Hoium, The Motley Fool Posted 7:06PM 08/01/11 Investing Germany is doubling its efforts to be a renewable-energy power over the next 50 years, and it's expanding beyond just solar power. After the country put the kibosh on exploding solar ...

Worcester pursues solar project grant

Delmarva Now

The county in March 2010 was awarded a $299692 grant by the Maryland Energy Administration to fund an energy-efficient project, according to county spokeswoman Kim Moses. They have since developed an alternate project that would construct a bank of ...

Where Your Power is Going in Your Home

KBTX

With the calls for energy conservation, we wanted to know a breakdown of just how the average home uses power. According to the Department of Energy, water heating accounts for between 14 and 25 percent of power use. Appliances and electronics account ...

BMW Teases Us With Two Electric Concepts

Wired News

The i3 and i8 join the Mini E and Active E electric 1-Series — in BMW's e-lineup, and they are the first BMWs designed from the ground up for e-drive. They're also the first projects from the BMW i brand, which in addition to electric vehicles will ...

It's AAA to the electric vehicle rescue

ZDNet (blog)

AAA will soon be able to aid electric vehicle drivers who stray beyond the range of their vehicles. Heather Clancy is an award-winning business journalist with a passion for green technology and corporate sustainability issues. ...

GE to produce 228 wind turbines for 2 projects

BusinessWeek

General Electric Co. and Wind Capital Group said Monday that they reached a deal for 228 wind turbines along with operations and maintenance services for a pair of projects in Oklahoma and Kansas. Under the agreement, GE will supply 94 of its 1.6-100 ...