Happy Holidays from the Solar and Wind Expo

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?

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

 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 HOUSING CRISIS IS KEEPING RENEWABLE ENERGY DOWN

How is this possible, you say.

The housing bubble and ensuing burst created much carnage in our society. Governments borrowed and grew without check. Homeowners leveraged against their ever-growing equity like drunken sailors. Now the entire country is nursing a hangover.

The worse part of this equation is that the bill is due and no one seems to be able to pick up the check. The recent debt crisis’ events (that I will not go into detail in this blog) have the entire world looking at the United States as an example of what can happen without good leadership. The country borrows too much on things that are not essential and the citizens follow suit.

And the only thing we have to show for it is a high number of foreclosures; which in my opinion is the biggest hindrance to our recovery. Go into any city with boarded up houses and you can bet that not much economic activity is going on there. This problem is now prevalent and growing.

The collapse of the U.S. Housing Bubble had a direct impact not only on home valuations, but the nation's mortgage markets, home builders, real estate, home supply retail outlets, Wall Street hedge funds held by large institutional investors, and foreign banks, increasing the risk of a nationwide recession. Concerns about the impact of the collapsing housing and credit markets on the larger U.S. economy caused President George W. Bush and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, to announce a limited bailout of the U.S. housing market for homeowners who were unable to pay their mortgage debts.

In 2008 alone, the United States government allocated over $900 billion to special loans and rescues related to the U.S. housing bubble, with over half going to the quasi-government agencies Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Housing Administration. On December 24, 2009, the Treasury Department made an unprecedented announcement that it would be providing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac unlimited financial support for the next three years despite acknowledging losses in excess of $400 billion so far.

There are many sides to the argument of why the housing market has not recovered. Banks say they are trying to help homeowners in trouble, but there is plenty of evidence to the contrary. The political right wants the banks to be left alone without regulation although there is plenty of evidence to suggest that is what got us here. The left says they are for the working man, but there is plenty of evidence that that is just not quite 100% true. If it were, wouldn’t we be celebrating the appointment of Elizabeth Warren to the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? The President could appoint this highly qualified financial crime fighter, but he chose not to.

One thing is certain, when a person or family buys a house they automatically want to take care of it and the neighborhood around it, they invest in their home; which in turn helps create a healthy economy where everyone thrives. If this segment of our economy were in better shape and homeownership were up, solar panels, wind turbines and all other types of renewable energy would finally begin to thrive the way it should.

We all need to do as the President said about the debt crisis (I know I said I would not mention it in this blog, sorry): call your Member of Congress, Senators and all your local politicians and tell them that the next thing that should be fixed is the housing market in a way that is truly just and fair to all involved regardless of who got us here. If we all do this, homeownership for all could again be an attainable American dream.

By George Lopez

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

Bullish on Renewables

Imaging a world dominated by renewable energy and clean transportation. It surely seems to be coming a reality. More and more our world is being dominated by clean energy.

Sunday when I visited PV America and discovered that even with the cancellation of last year’s event, the show had grown. I ran into so many of the folks that were there in 2009 and met some new ones. It was awesome to see how upbeat everyone is on renewable and all the different strategies being discussed.

Wednesday evening I visited a Greendrinks location in Philly and met with Mike Ditizio who runs the Standard Tap group, a great local eatery and bar that had no televisions, conversation was the only entertainment, and the place was lively with discussions about politics, the environment and just about everything. Mike introduced me to William Toffey a Sustainability Strategist from Effluential Synergies, Alex Fuller-Young the Outreach Coordinator for Center E3 an advocacy group in Pennsylvania. I met with Nic Darling of Post Green a green contractor in Philly. I first read about Nic on a train trip, Arrive magazine had a large article about a young company that builds green sustainable homes for about 100,000 dollars. They want to take affordability out of the equation.

Check out the following stories that were in the news this past week.

Solar Costs May Already Rival Coal, Spurring Boom in Panel Installations as reported by Bloomberg

Solar panel installations may surge in the next two years as the cost of generating electricity from the sun rivals coal-fueled plants, industry executives and analysts said. Read the rest of the story

BP Wind Energy begins construction of 150MW Texas wind farm as reported in New energy World Network

BP Wind Energy has begun construction of the Sherbino 2 Wind Farm in the US state of Texas, which will have a generating capacity of 150MW. Read the rest of the story.

GE sees the new U.S. solar plant running by 2013

General Electric Co aims to have its new U.S. solar-panel plant up and running by 2013, the head of the largest U.S. conglomerate's renewable energy unit said in an interview. The plant would be the largest in America. Read the rest of the story.

GM Says Electric Car Goes 1,000 Miles Between Fill-ups as reported in Bloomberg

General Motors Co. (GM), the biggest U.S. automaker, said drivers of its Volt electric cars were traveling 1,000 miles (1,610 kilometers) before they need to fill up, enough to make the vehicles more practical for daily use. Read the rest of the story here.

Things continue to get more and more exciting. Let's help make it happen.

Visit http://www.thesolarandwindexpo.com/

High oil prices present an oportunity!

Here we go again. Oil prices are threatening to derail our already weak economy. What is most distressing about the whole thing is that the oil producing countries are not the only problem. Transportation companies, speculators and greedy refiners all share in the volatility of this commodity -- and I didn’t even mention our own government.

But we have a weapon don’t we? Renewable clean energy is available 24/7. And we also have the power of knowledge because these volatile times increase our awareness. It’s like free advertizing. Every time the talking heads say that the price of gas is going to be much higher this summer and fall, I can hear somebody saying, “Honey, let’s look at a Chevy Volt or a Nissan Leaf. Or how about a model from Think, Tesla or a Coda.”

These times are made for change. All over the world people want change and the freedom it brings. We need to disconnect political volatility abroad from energy pricing here. I am an optimist, so I believe that the market power of free countries in the world is critical in bringing stability to the energy markets. The result is that wealth will be distributed and not concentrated in a wealthy few.

Let’s raise our voices to push renewable, push renewable, push renewable. The fact is that politicians need your vote to stay in power, no matter what the lobbyists say. If the oil companies want to throw their weight around by using lobbyists, so be it. Contact your politicians. Tell them they will not get your vote unless they take steps to change the effect of energy volatility in this country. That, my friends, is grass roots lobbying!

The politicians seem to be lost in these difficult times. But we can guide them through our calls, emails and constant reminders that they work for us.

Make it happen!

George Lopez
Executive Director
The Solar and Wind Expo

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

Following is a brief overview of our strategy and highlights of the Solar & Wind Expo 2010

Many of us are planning marketing investments for 2010, which is especially challenging in the current uncertain economic environment. We understand the importance of maximizing our partners’ outreach investments in The Solar and Wind Expo. As such, we have invested substantial resources that, when coupled with our powerful mission and the regional market’s demand for goods and services to reduce carbon emissions, ensure that the Solar & Wind Expo will be the most successful event of its kind.

We have put together a highly talented team of professionals with decades of experience in developing professional trade events; the construction and building industry; strategic marketing, advertising and public relations; and business development.

In partnership with a nationally recognized strategic marketing firm handling all media and public relations, we have developed sponsorships with the largest and most respected in media outlets in the region, including WBAL TV and Baltimore Magazine. We have also developed a comprehensive marketing and media plan, including outdoor investments strategically located at major transportation arteries and WYPR radio, which will be supplemented by an aggressive public relations effort.

The Solar & Wind Expo will take place in the heart of one of the “greenest” states, as well as being one of the most affluent, providing exhibitors access to a market that is both willing and has the means to make green a reality. The proximity to the nation’s capital and the participation of individuals and organizations from around the globe provide participants an opportunity to strengthen their profile and position in this exciting new market, which is poised for explosive growth.

We have developed a programming strategy that will resonate with and engage all of the Solar & Wind Expo’s target audiences:

• Product information and displays
• Education -
  Two seminar rooms, one with a programming scheme to appeal to the consumer, and one for the industry professional (i.e. Architect, installer, supplier, etc.). The current programming scheme includes exciting seminars covering all three days.
• Bob Dixson, an internationally recognized green building advocate, will deliver a key note address outlining the “how to” in building communities that are environmentally friendly and energy efficient, as he has been successful in doing in his hometown of Greensburg, Kansas.
• The Maryland Department of Energy will deliver a seminar to share the latest information regarding state sponsored green building incentives and detailing future initiatives in line with Maryland’s strong commitment to leading the nation in renewable energy.
• Exhibitors will provide product demonstrations and be available for consultation in the exhibition arena.
• Electric cars will be on display to allow attendees to interact with the most exciting new technologies being produced, and demonstrations are scheduled.

To accommodate attendees with children, the Solar & Wind Expo will provide a children’s play area designed to give kids a place to learn about these important new technologies in a fun way.

The event will take place over Mother’s Day weekend, which will facilitate memory recall in prospective attendees. Attendance will be further incentivized through a special promotion providing free admission for mothers on Sunday (Mother's day).