The concept of the “smart home” is all the rage in architectural circles but the smartest homeowners are already deploying power systems to save money and eliminate 90% of their utility bills. Solar panel systems are the most widely known method, but geothermal is an option all homeowners should consider as well.
We know from an electrician in Minnesota (who happens to be my Uncle) that geothermal heat pump exchange systems are highly efficient and save those who install them fistfulls of dollars. They use the constancy of the sub frost level ground temperature to heat & cool the home and generate free hot water in warm seasons.
We found the best explanation of how solar heat exchange pumps work in the home at SolarAME.com today.
We are copying this outstanding alternative energy system article here:
Costs will be lowered even as it improves the year-round comfort of your home.
This not science fiction, home geothermal heat pump systems are already installed and saving homeowners thousands of dollars a year. In fact, such units, called geoexchange systems, offer such a lengthy list of benefits that at first glance they do seem too good to be true. Their benefits, though, flow directly from the clever application of sound technology—what you can think of as good science. Once you understand how geothermal systems work, you will understand how they can bring such an attractive list of benefits to your home.
I have run accross several articles about sustainable cities. I know that I have put them in the blog somewhere, but I cannot find them. I therefore wanted to create a separate catagory for sustainable cities. It is very ironic that oil money would build what hopes to be the first sustainable City.
Desert state channels oil wealth into world’s first sustainable city.
In an expanse of grey rock and dust in one of the harshest environments on earth, the United Arab Emirates is about to build what is being described as the world’s first sustainable city, designed by British architect Lord Foster.
The site is far from promising. Miles from a polluted sea, a fierce sun raises temperatures to 50C (120F) in the summer, and there is no fresh water, no soil and no animals. But tens of billions of petro-dollars will be poured into these seven square kilometres of desert on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi.
Called Masdar – “the source” in Arabic – the walled city is intended to house 50,000 people and 1,500 businesses. It will have no cars and be self-sufficient in renewable energy, the majority of which will be solar energy.
The formal unveiling of the desert eco-city will be made today at a summit on future energy sources in Abu Dhabi, attended by the UK business secretary, John Hutton, and Prince Andrew.
“It’s extremely ambitious,” said Gerard Evenden, senior partner in Lord Foster’s architecture practice in London, which has had a team working on the design for nine months. “We were invited to design a zero-carbon city. In this harsh place we needed to look back at history and see how ancient settlements had adapted to their environments.” The buildings will huddle together as in a casbah, and will be cooled by wind towers which will collect the desert’s breezes and flush out hot air. No building will be more than five storeys high; the city is to be oriented north-east to south-west to give the optimum balance of sunlight and shade.
It will feel closer to many cities built in the age of the cart and horse. Most roads will only be 3 metres (10ft) wide and just 70 metres long to develop a micro-climate and keep the air moving; roofs will allow in air and keep the sun out in the summer. No one will be more than 200 metres from public transport, and streets will give on to colonnaded squares and fountains.
“We are definitely not imposing a standard international architecture in Masdar. We are aiming to find a balance of light and heat,” said Evenden. “It’s only really hot for three months of the year, but at other times it’s humid.”
It is every architect’s dream to build a new city and Foster’s team say they started from scratch. The idea has been to reduce the amount of energy needed to build it and to live there, and then to let solar energy take over.
“We will start with a large solar power station which will provide the energy to construct the city. Some 80% of all the roof space will be used to generate solar power, and because we expect technology to improve as we are building it, we hope we will later be able to remove the power plant. We could ‘borrow’ energy from outside, but we are trying to prove it can all be generated in the confines of the site,” said Evenden.
The architects are also planning some hi-tech gadgetry. The 50,000 inhabitants, and everyone who works there, will move around on one of three levels. A light railway will whizz people to and from Masdar to Abu Dhabi’s forest of glass and steel towers; a second level is reserved for pedestrians; and a third for “personalised rapid transport pods,” described by Evenden as “little vehicles like driverless personal taxis which run on tracks or magnetic discs in the road. It’s a tried technology. They are in production in Holland, and used to move containers around in Rotterdam port,” he said.
No clues have been given about the city’s cost, how it will be socially organised and who will live there, but money is clearly no object. Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates, is vying with neighbour Dubai to be the most dazzling Gulf city and the environment is seen as the new card in the deck.
With at least $1trillion (£500bn) invested abroad and sitting on nearly 100bn barrels of oil, Abu Dhabi is the richest city in the world. Its 420,000 inhabitants are theoretically worth about $17m each, and they are responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions per capita than any other population in the world.
This week Abu Dhabi is expected to announce a $500m deal to manufacture thin-film solar panels to make Masdar a centre of the global solar energy manufacturing industry.
“This will be the global capital of the renewable energy revolution. It’s the first oil producing nation to have taken such a significant step towards sustainable living,” said Jean-Paul Jeanrenaud, director of WWF’s One Planet Living initiative, which aims to develop sustainable communities. But critics said Masdar is a fig leaf for the rest of the Gulf, heartland of the world’s fossil fuel extraction.
“The numbers must be put into perspective. They are spending welcome billions of dollars on renewables but trillions are still going into climate-changing oil economies. The future is the sun and renewables but there is no time to wait for this revolution,” said Tony Juniper, director of Friends of the Earth.
How will it work?
Zero carbon 100% of energy supplied by renewables – photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, wind, waste-to-energy and other technologies
Zero waste 99% diversion of waste from landfill, reuse of waste, composting
Sustainable transport Zero emissions from transport in the city
Building As much as possible using recycled or certified materials
Water Per capita consumption to be 50% less than average. All waste water to be reused. Drinking water to be desalinated with solar energy
Equity and fair trade Fair wages for all workers who are employed to build the city
San Diego, California
January 19th 2008
Source: Citizenre Website
Executive Sales Manager and Solarjoules team member Reggie Rasmussen, an independant ecoprenuer, has joined the elite top 5 of Citizenre. Our last report on November 9 had Rasmussen at number 12.
The numbers were released on Jan 3 and now Rasmussen has obtained Forward Rental Agreements (FRA’s) from 226 solar panel rental applicants for the RenU system. The solarjoules team has a total of 353 FRA’S.
The latest numbers also moved Rasmussen up the ranks from senior sales manager to executive sales manager.
Citizenre Top 20 Customer Gatherers List (as of Jan 3, 2008)*
1 ANTHONY CECALA VERIFIED 382
2 KEITH KRATZERT VERIFIED 306
3 MICHAEL THOMAS VERIFIED 291
4 LANNY LADNER VERIFIED 249
5 REGGIE RASMUSSEN VERIFIED 226
6 MIKE REILLY VERIFIED 223
7 FRANK KNIGHT VERIFIED 215
8 SEAN MAZELI VERIFIED 214
9 ANDREW PERRY VERIFIED 211
10 SCOTT PELHAM VERIFIED 209
11 MICHAEL BANIGAN VERIFIED 205
12 DAN BRODER VERIFIED 200
13 WAYNE GREGORY VERIFIED 186
14 SCOTT BURTON VERIFIED 183
15 JAMESRYAN TOLLEY VERIFIED 173
16 ENID GOODALE VERIFIED 158
17 ALLEN PRIEST VERIFIED 156
18 JOHN ELLIS VERIFIED 155
19 MARC PLANTE VERIFIED 153
20 CATHERINE KEDDIE VERIFIED 139
* list is just based on personal sales, not total group sales.
A company is only as good as the people who run the company. We have written many articles about Citizenre and the rent solar program that they are building. As potential new Ecopreneurs look into Citizenre and to join the Solarjoules team, I am often asked who is running the program and what is the level of intregrity of these people. I did write one piece on October 19, 2007 titled, “Citizenre sets goals to help more than the environment” that attempted to shed some light on the direction of company.
The president is Rob Styler. I found an autobiography column in a blog called, “life balanced”. I have heard Rob’s background story on several different occasions, but I thought that this column was an excellent summary. I believe this column sheds light on his personal intregrity and the intregrity of the company that he is helping to build.
One Man’s Journey Towards Living a “Thrive-able” Life
January 12th, 2008
THRIVE-ABLE
I came up with this term because, to me, “sustainable” has no juice. Who wants to “sustain.” We want to grow and thrive. Too often simplicity and ecological practices have been seen as a sacrifice – but most of us sacrifice our peace of mind everyday.
When I graduated from college I spent two years in Guatemala with the Peace Corps. Having no radio or TV, I often found myself in silence. It is amazing how creative we become if we avoid mindless distraction. Don’t worry, I am not going to preach about the evils of TV. I have one and I enjoy the mindless distraction.
My point is that simplicity creates freedom. Thoreau said it best:
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.”
When I returned to the U.S., I lost perspective. My Guatemalan bride required surgery to remove her gallbladder and then she began to suffer from endometriosis. The doctor suggested pregnancy as a cure to relieve the pain.
Suddenly, we were over $20,000 in debt with a child on the way. Money went from being a convenience to becoming a necessity. I joined a small company promoting an environmental mission. This little company, Equinox, ended up becoming the fastest growing privately held corporation in America, according to Inc. magazine. We went from one office to over 400 and made over $200 million in sales our fourth year.
We sold water filters and all sorts of eco-friendly products. Many of the products were great, but the “cult”-ure that was created became fear-based.
I was making tons of money, had all the “stuff,” but I was so busy chasing the dream that I had no time to live it. I was also becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the ethics behind the company.
I had spent seven years building a dream and leading tens of thousand of people down a path I now questioned.
I had a choice. I could ignore my feelings and keep living the “good life” or I could walk away from a steady residual income stream into an unknown future.
One complication was that I had no money in the bank. One of the mantras of Equinox was to buy everything on credit because you were only going to make more money next month. They actually had a term for it, ”Fake-it-till-you-make-it.” I was one of the success stories, but I was still fakin’ it. I was making $20,000 a month and paying last month’s bills with this month’s income. It was crazy.
Just to cover my basic expenses for mortgage, car, food, child support, etc. was $8,000/month. I had never had a “normal job” in my life and I had no idea what I was going to do. I imagined the job interview: “Yes, I have no experience. But I need to make at least $10,000 a month.”
I went to Chile for a six-week spiritual workshop to get some perspective, and on top of this mountain (see above) I decided to leave Equinox forever. I had no idea what I was going to do for money so I picked up a little book by Stuart Wilde called, “The Trick to Money is Having Some.” Made sense to me.
The book said you had to ask the Universe for what you want. At this stage I would have hung from my toe nails if I thought it would pay my bills, so I wrote a note to the Universe saying, “I have done some good things in my life and I would like a refund in cash over the next year. I need to get emotionally grounded and clear, and I need some time. Please make sure all my needs are taken care of for one year.”
I know this will sound crazy, but I did not work and all my expenses were covered for 12 months. I got a refund from the bank for $9,000 for a mistake they made earlier, I found a diamond that I sold for $15,000, a friend sent me money for an idea I gave him – money seemed to come from everywhere. It was amazing and wonderful and I have no idea why I did not ask for more than a year.
Twelve months to the day, the money spigot from the Universe stopped. I sold my house right before they took it. My car was repossessed. I was actually killing and eating rattlesnakes so I could have some protein in my diet.
My friends still tease me about a potluck we had. I was excited to eat some real food, but I needed to bring something so I brought “Fried Rattlesnake with Wild Sage.” The guys loved it. The ladies said that next time I could just come and not bring anything. The whole visual of a six-foot, skinned snake coiled at the bottom of the pan did not do it for them.
About a month into my “year” I started to write. I wanted to gain perspective. I had kept everything bottled up for so long. The company had a saying, “Don’t piss in the stream. If you feel something negative, keep it to yourself. You have no right to let your fears limit the dreams of others.”
Silence can bring peace, but if you silence your truth, it can tear you apart.
As soon as I started writing, I could not stop. A month later I had 200 pages and I decided to turn it into a book. I actually got a publisher, but Equinox got wind of it and threatened to sue the publisher, claiming that my book was slander and lies. The publisher backed out.
Now I definitely was publishing this book. My parents loaned me the money and we self-published, “Spellbound, My Journey Through a Tangled Web of Success.”
I sold a few thousand copies, but the most interesting order was from the Federal Trade Commission that wanted a case of my books. The book ended up inspiring a federal investigation into Equinox and I became the lead witness against my old company. It was a big trial with 30 states filing suit against Equinox. I was on the witness stand for hours as their lawyers tried to trip me up.
Equinox sued me personally for $2 million in an attempt to keep me quiet, but the end result was that Equinox was shut down for consumer fraud. The owner had to agree never to be involved with network marketing in the U.S., and he was fined $50 million.
I learned many lessons during my seven years with Equinox, but I had no idea what I was in for next.
I worked with a real-estate investment firm in San Diego and then ran a sales organization in Orance County, but deep down I wanted to simplify my life. I wanted to live like I did in Guatemala, but I wanted to do that in Orange County, California - the OC. My son was going to high school in Irvine and I wanted to be close by. Believing completely in the Law of Attraction, I started telling everyone that I was going to simplify my life. I wanted an eco-friendly simple home on two acres in the middle of nature. I wrote this down. I repeated it with passion. I saw it happening.
Friends politely nodded their approval, but they were skeptical. Even if something like this did exist in Orange County, it would be millions of dollars. I confidently went on Craigslist, clicked on the real estate section and typed “environmentally friendly” into the search bar. Only one result came back:
“Cabin on two acres with a trout stream in Orange County. Solar powered. Your water comes from a natural spring. The simple life in So. Cal.”
I wondered if one of my friends was playing a joke as I quickly dialed the number. I asked about the ad and the person on the other line sounded a little confused.
“How did you find this ad?”
Now I was the one confused – “It was on Craigslist.”
“But I just hit ‘Post’ about 30 seconds ago.”
“Then I guess your cabin is supposed to be mine.”
I went up there the next morning. He had mentioned that it was a dirt road, but he could have been more descriptive. It was pouring rain and the river crosses the road three times and it was about three feet deep. My little Prius would have been swept away, so I parked and ran the five miles to the cabin. I loved the cabin. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was mine.
I spent about a year living in my little solar cabin, going on long walks, getting clear about what I wanted to with my life – and then I started to feel restless. All this simplicity was making it clear that I wanted to do more with my life. I had all this energy and I wanted to find a mission worthy of my best. I got clear on what the perfect mission for me would be:
It had to help support a green world and solve some major challenges.
It had to inspire people toward solutions and cooperation.
It had to be something big enough that it would require my best.
I had simplified my life to a point where I did not have to work. I had some residual income and my needs were so simple that I had all the time I needed to focus on manifesting this mission.
A few weeks later, a friend introduced me to a man who had a concept on how to bring solar power to the masses. I was so excited after that meeting that I called my mom and said, “I would scrub toilets just to be a part of this mission.” They ended up asking me to be president of the sales division.
My cabin has high-speed Internet access and an antenna for a mobile phone, so I am able to run a huge business from my little off-the-grid cabin. We have been able to sign up over 26,000 customers who want our solar solution and we are going to change the way energy is produced and distributed across the world.
My point in sharing all of this is to document that we can create any life we want if we get clear on what we want. By simplifying our lives, we quiet the noise to a point that we can finally hear that small, still voice of wisdom and our lives become “thriveable!”
We thought you all might find this interesting. Mr. Hagman has the largest solar array in the country at his Ojei ranch and so we consider him an alternative and solar energy expert.
Dec. 05, 2007 from BidForGreen.com “The Importance of Solar”
Hello, Larry Hagman here. Welcome to my first foray into the world of blogging. This is an exciting time for me, at the tender age of 76, having the opportunity to delve into a new medium of communication and education. It’s just fantastic.
Over the last fifty or so years mankind has seen amazing changes. Those changes have occurred because the human race has found new and exciting new ways to harness energy, and then to use that energy to advance technology to bring ourselves truly marvelous things. Unfortunately, that great quest for energy and new gizmos has come at a high price.
Over the last several decades we have found ways to vastly increase our agricultural outputs, through what was termed the green revolution, adding chemical fertilizers and pesticides to our crop lands. Through those advances we have made great strides in feeding the hungry all over the world. We also learned that some of those advances fouled our air and water and caused many of the people exposed to the chemicals many health problems.
We have harnessed the incredible energy of coal and natural gas to help build a world filled with wonders based on electricity. With that energy, the western worldhas built an amazing economy that has helped bring many nations standards of living well beyond what their grandparents could even dream about. The cost for that? Acid rain, more fouled water, and air that is literally toxic in some areas.
I myself am a recipient of a life-saving liver transplant. Medical technology, literally, saved my life and I have no words that can ever thank the doctors, nurses, medical specialists and above all the wonderful person who chose to donate their organs so that othersmight live. I know of no greater thing any of us can do than to sign up as an organ donor. I also know that health care costs have skyrocketed and getting good, affordable health care is difficult for many, and impossible for some.
We must learn from the bad as well as the good, and one particular instance has shown me this. A few years ago the Northeastern US lost power due to a failure of our electrical grid system. It was a simple human error in Ohio, but it had wide-ranging implications for hundreds of miles, causing millions of people to lose power. Living on top of a mountain in California and knowing from all of California’s problems how precarious our own energy situation could be I began looking for alternatives. I was able to set up my well system to run off solar power. This was a vital first step, not only for me being sure I could get water to my home in case of a power outage. It was also important to our local fire department, since my wells feed the primary fire hydrant for our area.
As we started down the solar road, I was approached by some folks who said they could use the same type of technology (photo voltaic solar panels) to power my home and office. The first group we worked with didn’t make it happen, but we kept with it, and now the sun provides power to my house, my office, and others on the grid as well.The incentives California gives for solar power make it absolutely crazy not to do. I went from $2,800.00 to $13.00 on my electric bill. With what I have done in my own home I expect to see the entire system paid off in about five years and the rest of my life my home will have virtually no power bill.
Now, not everyone can put in the gonzo array I did; however, we can all learn from the mistakes of the past and make positive differences right now and for the future. Compact florescent light bulbs in our homes and businesses make a tremendous difference in the amount of energy we all use. Less energy used equals less pollution generated. Learning more about the foods we eat and the fuels we use to power our economy will lead to better health, economically and physically. You’ll love that feeling you get from driving an electric car. We have the power to make changes every day. The only things any of us truly have in this world are the decisions we make. Take some advice from me live a life you love and love the life you live. Become knowledgeable about what changes you can make in your daily lives. Our time is short to make these changes, but I’m heartened by the increased interest these last few years have brought. We may just make it yet.”
“Replacing Fossil Fuels with Photovoltaic Solar Power
Solar panels, or photovoltaic panels, produce electricity when exposed to the sun. This electricity is used to charge batteries, which can power DC loads, or panels can be connected to inverters to produce AC power. Silicon, the primary material in quartz sand, is refined, purified (by an expensive process), sliced into thin wafers and “doped” with the addition of chemicals. This process alters the wafer so that, when exposed to light photons, one side produces a surplus of electrons and the other side has a deficit. A voltage difference between the two sides of just under 1/2 volt is created. Acting like an “electron pump,” solar cells create electrical current, the quantity determined by the size and efficiency of the cell and the amount of light. Solar modules are created by connecting cells in parallel to increase amperage and in series to increase voltage. Typical solar modules have 30 or 36 cells (generating between 14 and 18V DC).
Types of panels most commonly used in boating applications contain either multicrystalline or amorphous silicon cells. Multicrystalline (c-Si) panels are the most powerful. When sized correctly and matched to appropriate batteries, these are the panels to use for running large DC loads such as lights, a TV, radio or VCR. Amorphous silicon (a-Si) panels are only about 50% as efficient as multicrystalline panels. However they are more efficient in low or diffused light conditions and are less subject to voltage drops when they heat up. These are the panels most often used for low amperage charging and battery maintenance. They don’t generally have enough output for serious energy replenishment, but can be used to “float” or trickle charge a battery.
We are happy to once again have a source for flexible solar panels with two new Sunsei Flex panels from ICP. These multicrystalline panels are constructed from copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CuInGaSe2), a new semiconductor material. Unlike silicon panels, these thin film panels feature multiple layers deposited on a metal surface (with more of the p-n junctions—in a “heterojunction” system—than c-Si panels). Thin film panels, either the amorphous silicon type used in the rigid Sunsei battery trickle chargers, or the CIGS flexible panels represented by the Sunsei Flex panels, offer lower manufacturing costs than c-Si panels like the bigger Sunsei panels (45% of their cost comes from making the raw silicon crystal structure).
Fastest growing energy source
Solar generating capacity grew by 39% worldwide in 2005, with huge increases in Germany, the world’s leading solar economy—a solar market eight times as large as the US. Global solar production (totaling 1,460 Megawatts) breaks down as follows; with Germany possessing 57% of PV capacity, Japan 20%, the US 7%, the rest of Europe 6%, and 10% for the rest of the world. Some big solar projects are in the planning or building stages. Last fall, internet search engine firm Google announced a 1.6 Megawatt project, with 9,212 solar panels (enough to light 1,200 homes) to be installed this year on roofs and carports at Googles Mountain View, CA. headquarters. This gargantuan array is projected to pay for itself in five to ten years. West Marine has embraced photovoltaic technology, with our own sizable 57,600KW array on the roof of our Santa Cruz, CA, store (with 480 panels of 120W each, connected to 24 inverters, rated at 2,100W each, producing enough electricity to meet 70% of the store’s electrical needs). During the first 20 days of operation in May 2004, this system saved the equivalent of 10 barrels of crude oil, and reduced C02 greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5 tons. More information about this project can be found at www.westmarinesolar.com.
Solar power is clean, silent, safe energy, but is not always the perfect solution. Many boat owners are disappointed when they learn the real-life energy economics; the size of the panels needed, the effect of partial shading, temperature, and the hours of available sunlight. What is the real world performance you can expect? A look at some of the limits of photovoltaic systems is helpful for getting a clearer picture.First, the amount of time a panel spends in full sun averages 4 or 5 hours per day in most of the continental U.S. Full sun means enough light so you see fairly sharp-edged shadows, and most locations get no more than 80 to 85% of full sun (defined as 1000 watts of energy per square meter). Shadows covering even a tiny fraction of the panel have a dramatic impact on power output. All the individual cells are arrayed in series, and shaded cells show a large voltage drop which acts as a barrier to useful power production. Shading a single cell on a panel can cut its output by 20% or more. Shading two or more cells effectively turns off the panel until the shadow is removed. This defect is corrected somewhat by the use of bypass diodes across each cell, which allow the module to produce power even when partially shaded.Temperature also changes the efficiency of a solar panel. The colder the temperature at the panel surface, the higher the output. Performance on a clear, cold winter morning can be 30 to 40% over rated specs.
As a general rule panels that produce less than 1.5% of a battery’s rated capacity in amp hours do not require regulation. This means that a 1.5 amp panel is the largest you should use without a regulator on a 100-amp-hour battery. Regulators should generally be used any time you have two or more large panels connected to your batteries. One caveat to the general rule applies to cruising boats that run an “energy deficit”. That is, when your boat removes more energy from the batteries than the panels replace. In this case, regulation might not be required. If you think you might fall into this category, it would be helpful to develop an “electrical budget” for your boat. You will find a helpful guide to this in the Advisor section at westmarine.com. Frequent checks of your system voltage can alert you to possible over-voltage situations. Remember, a simple On/Off switch can remedy this problem by taking the panels off-line.
A clear and understandable standard
Until recently, almost all solar panels were rated in watts of output, while battery banks, chargers and alternators are rated using amps of current. Unless you are familiar with Ohm’s Law (Watts = Volts x Amps) and can use this formula backward and forward, watts are not a useful method of determining power output. Therefore, our selection of solar panels are rated by their amperage. The model numbers of the Sunsei panels indicate their output (in milli-amps), so the SE-400, for example, is a 400mA charger. It is much easier to estimate what to do with 400mA than with a 6-watt panel.
Our Technical Sales staff at 1-800-BOATING are often asked to help size a solar system, and they find that boaters usually underestimate their electrical needs. Make a list of the appliances on your boat, get the amperage (Amps = Watts ÷ Voltage) and estimate the operating hours to get weekly amp hours for each device. You can then create an estimate of your “electrical budget” and size your system correctly.Beware of cheap panels and inflated numbers Not all solar panels give the output that they advertise. Humboldt University in Berlin compared ICP Solar panels side by side with amorphous-silicon modules made by a Chinese manufacturer and marketed under various brands in North America. Humboldt’s results, released in 2006, showed that ICP’s panels delivered over twice the output of the competitive modules at stable power despite having similar ratings. After months of testing, ICP Solar’s modules delivered stable ratings of 14.2 watts vs. label of 14 watts. Modules manufactured by the Chinese competitor delivered just over 6 watts despite carrying a “15 watt” label. These results confirm findings of other earlier studies carried out in England.
Conclusion
The rapid increase in oil prices has made photovoltaic solar energy an increasingly realistic alternative for producing electrical power. Replacing a gas or diesel generator with a clean and properly sized solar module, which has no moving parts and requires no fuel or maintenance, is a great investment in making boating both cleaner and more affordable.”
We have stumbled across a great political blog with news and opinions off the beaten path of traditional news outlets.
Antiwar.com is a site with the libertarian slant on why the United States should not be stationing troops in 737 different military bases outside of its borders.
SolarJoules.com is not a particularly political entity, however our message is relevant to their conversation in this regard:
If only the USA and other industrialized and industrializing nations would reduce the use of fossil fuels significantly we would have no need for most of those 737 military bases around the world.
Pretty simple. If we use existing solar technology and stop burning natural gas and coal, continue to develop battery storage capacity in order to power and build vehicles that no longer require the burning of gasoline and oil, we then are no longer dependent upon politically unstable governments surrounding the oil spout in the Red Sea.
Religious radicals may topple a government but the world economy will not be in danger of collapse. We might then still have moral obligations to prevent genocide or uphold treaty obligations to engage militarily in conflicts, but our intentions could not be questioned.
Alternative energy supplies like wind and solar power are now more cost effective then ever, have always been and will always be clean and renewable, and will not require one soldier to protect it.
Sedona, AZ – Environmentalist Matthew Turner doesn’t think small. According to his campaign platform he wants nothing less than to make Sedona a world model for the environment, spirituality, the arts, and sustainability. Like the famous line in the movie Field of Dreams, Mr. Turner seems certain that “if you build it [the tourists] will come,” and Sedona’s environment and residents will be healthier for it.
And with Washington to Wall Street focused on renewable energies like solar, wind, and ethanol; and supporters like Olympic skier Suzy “Chapstick” Chaffee in his corner (Ms. Chaffee is running for the Sedona City Council), it’s hard to doubt him. That’s why he’s running for Mayor of Sedona.
But big thinking doesn’t seem to paralyze Mr. Turner’s ability to get things done. He seems to know that the secret to success is to proceed in small increments.
As founder of the environmental group Green Sedona, Mr. Turner successfully petitioned the City of Sedona to use alternative herbicides instead of regular herbicides; not only to protect the environment but our health. Wisely, he didn’t ask the Council to create a blanket City ordinance banning the use of regular herbicides, which some might have done. Instead, he suggested that the City do a test for six months: manual weeding, alternative herbicides like C-Cide (Vitamin C based), and investigate longer term solutions like rubber concrete or netting. At the same time, he rallied residents and the media around his cause and succeeded.
More recently, he did the same thing when he convinced the Sedona City Council to support the use of natural cleaning products at City Hall. Not everywhere in Sedona, just City Hall.
Today, environmental issues are a top agenda for the Sedona City Council.
As you would expect Mr. Turner also supports Sedona becoming a National Scenic Area to preserve its open spaces, solar lighting on 89A instead of 76 light poles to protect Sedona’s dark skies, bike lanes and hybrid cars, and he wants Sedona to be the first solar city in America to reduce greenhouse gasses and end its dependence on non-renewable oil. To fund the latter, he is proposing to utilize renewable energy incentives (i.e. production tax credits, investment rebates, and renewable energy certificates) available through CitizenRe Corporation. For a $500 upfront deposit (that you get back with interest), the Citizenrē Corporation pays for, installs, owns and operates solar panel installation for your home. Your contract is for 1, 5 or 25 years and the energy savings from the solar panels will offset your regular utility bill.
But is Mr. Turner a one-message candidate? Does he have the experience and breadth of knowledge to lead the City of Sedona? Checking through his platform issues suggests that the environment isn’t the only thing on his mind.
According to Mr. Turner, “the budget is the most important issue facing the City, we can’t do anything without revenue. The City of Sedona is facing major infrastructure projects such as roads (89A), sewer, storm drainage and the like; not to mention the funds already raised to pay for enhancements along SR179. How will the City pay for these projects that are so important to its citizens?
Increasing the Bed Tax would be a good way of increasing revenue. There are other cities in Arizona that have higher Bed Taxes than we do.
I would also support the issuance of a General Obligation bond. The proceeds of the bond could be used to help fund these projects while spreading out the repayment obligation over time so that the City can repay it in a reasonable manner out of its regular revenue. This should help the City avoid raising taxes that impact its citizens.
I also think the City needs to take a hard look as its expenses. Take the Roadrunner trolley, for instance. This is costing taxpayers $365,000 per year. Very few use this for transportation. The City should have waited until the SR179 construction was finished because there will be sidewalks and a pedestrian bridge. These may be sufficient to help tourists circulate through Sedona’s shopping districts.
I also believe that as Sedona becomes a model city when I am Mayor, that we will attract world-wide media attention that will increase visitors and revenue. I don’t think we will need to rely on other sources of revenue when the City becomes a model city and draws more tourist dollars. Going green will actually save the City money. For example we saved the city $22,000 a year by switching to green cleaning and natural pesticides.”
I feel like moving to Sedona right now just so that I can vote for this guy! If you would like more information on the Citizenre rent solar program, just click on the video link under catagories. Several of the videos explain the program. Solarjoules can get Sedona residents on the Citizenre rent solar waiting list now. If this idea takes of for Sedona the wait could be a very long time. Simply click on solar interest list located near the top on any page. If you are not in Sedona you can still be added to the waiting list.
New Jersey, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and California all received an “A” for the policies that govern net metering from the Network for New Energy Choices (NNEC). Of the 38 states graded, New Jersey and Colorado had the best score with a 17.5 while Wisconsin had the worse with a score of -.5. Oregon and Delaware also had a very strong showing. For an explaination on net metering see our Oct 25 entry in this bolg.
Catagories that were used in the scoring model included but were not limited to, system and program capacity, how excess energy is credited, the availablity of renewable energy credits (rec’s), and possible associated charges.
The study also graded the ability to connect to the grid. While no state received an “A” in this scoring model, New Jersey again toped the list while Missouri was found at the bottom.
Already having the highest rated net metering marks, both New Jersey and Colorado are trying to do even more. Solarjoules has found both of these stories today.
Citizenre will most likely be installing solar panels on the houses of the homeowners signed up to rent solar panel systems in the following cities (regions):
# New York, NY
# Hartford, CT
# Los Angeles, CA
# Anaheim, CA
# Tucson, AZ
# Portland, OR
# Denver, CO
# Honolulu, HI
# Austin, TX
# Boston, MA
# Syracuse, NY
# San Francisco, CA
# San Diego, CA
# Phoenix, AZ
# San Antonio, TX
# Salt Lake, UT
# Wilmington, DE
# Sacramento, CA
# Colorado Springs, CO
# Ashland, OR
