Each cleanup action is one huge step towards clean planet

We are not fooling ourselves – some more big steps need to be made to get us there.

No group, organisation or country who is able to clean Earth alone

We have arrived to a doorstep where we need to come together to pass through.

We need ecologically intelligent consumption

Each one of us can make a big difference just by becoming more aware about our choices as a consumer – to buy less, to favor products that have been produced without harming the environment and always using any chance to give new life to already used products.

We need sustainable design and production

The choices that we have are born not in the store, but in the heads of the designers and producers.

People must: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Respect yourself, enjoy and appreciate what you already have and you will discover that you don’t need that much stuff to begin with. Sometimes your old is someone else’s new and vice versa

Monday, July 27, 2009

Home Business Latest News China To Become Global Energy Lab

Home Business Latest News China To Become Global Energy Lab
By Wei Tian and Chen Jia in Chengdu ( Porcelain Term paper)

Porcelain command function the world's energy laboratory for decades to work out, as the country continuesto create a greener economy, experts understood at the Chengdu Percentage Widespread Alliance on Friday.

"The transition from fossil fuels to untried energy command rest decades, but we can start withsomething such as natural gas," understood Sun Simin, chairman of the Asia Smarten Vitality InnovationInitiative.

He understood that Porcelain and the United States run formerly launched authentication projects tofacilitate such a goal. For moment, every forceful Condition enterprises are importing liquefiednatural gas from the US to benefit from the low energy prices caused by the shale gasrevolution in the country.

Matt Fox, doling out vice-president of study and production at ConocoPhillips, understood that hiscompany is extremely control accept LNG from Australia to Porcelain, in authentication with Porcelain NationalPetroleum Corp.

The imports are to accept getting higher energy requirements along with the continually expanding economy,which is steady to bordering on double along with now and 2020.

Porcelain accounts for 20.7 percent of complete energy rule, and China's energy wear and tear isgrowing four mature quicker than the put of the world, according to a denigration compiled by Dupont.

"China's intensify in energy wear and tear command totally redraft the complete energy retail inward animation, by boosting energy prices and brilliant scientific early payment with a leg on each side of the energy separation, from fossil fuels to renewable energy," the denigration understood.

But in the process, Porcelain command self-possessed be boringly district on fossil fuels in the inevitable difficult.

Porcelain depends on coal for round about 80 percent of its electricity generation. Such dependencecarries forceful olive costs: Natural loss of face, pollution, and associatedhealth problems storm an theoretical 11 percent of China's annual report GDP, according to a denigration bythe Lawrence Livermore Glory Lab.

"The government is really furthest conscious of the lawsuit and is rob the people's discord onboard in setting difficult policies," understood Felix Zhang, doling out organizer of Glimpse Vitality Ltd.

He understood the dispersed power generation system introduced by the Glory Recuperation andReform Glasses case was a good example and is a additional walk back and forth towards in excess of energy smallness.

"We're extremely presentation with the company on every test programs, and the government is stilltrying to locate out the greatest well-run way to instrument them," he understood.

"Primitive Chinese energy companies such as Shenhua, Huaneng and Documentation Annoy run hand-me-down theirState shore up and own resources to become infected with biofuels, shale gas and trial grids," the Dupontreport understood.

Ling Wen, CEO of Porcelain Shenhua Vitality Co, understood that SOEs have got to wear in excess of socialresponsibilities, and energy giants such as Shenhua are be next to to go clean energy to thepeople.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Opinion Cameron And Salmond It Time To Wave Goodbye To Uk North Sea Oil And Gas Reserves

"

BP oil rig in the North Sea visited by David Cameron during his Scotland trip. Photo credit: The Prime Ministers Office - via flickr.

By Anders Lorenzen"


Scotland's independence debate this week turned it's attention to the UK's oil and gas reserves in the North Sea - reserves that for years have been dwindling.

Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, is basing the economics in these fossil fuels as the economic cornerstone of Scottish independence, while UK Prime Minister David Cameron is arguing that Scotland will need to stay in the UK for these resources best to be managed.

I'm afraid none of them are right. It's seems like desperate measures; like squeezing a lemon that is almost completely dry of juice, or a family clinging on to a terminally ill person before he/she has departed. Some energy experts are cynical about the growth potential of the North Sea reserves - and rightly so. Even though there would be a slight increase in production, it would not last many years and the revenue it would generate would be offset by the cost of several ageing oil and gas rigs, that would need to be decommissioned in the years to come. In other words, basing a growth economy around the North Sea reserves are a false economy.

Mr Salmond also championed the Norwegian oil model as a model he would like to copy if Scotland were to gain independence. Norway are one of the per capita most wealthy countries in the world, much of that due to revenues from the oil and gas sector. The Norwegian government have used those revenues to create an oil fund that contributes to Norway's social spending, international aid and combating international deforestation. Because of that the Scandinavian country are among those countries that give most to vulnerable countries and are internationally recognised for that.

Scottish oil fund impossibleLet's just say that UK's oil and gas reserves weren't dwindling, but increasing. Even then it would be difficult to copy the Norwegian model. At the heart of the Norwegian model is the multinational oil and gas company Statoil, but the crucial factor here is that Statoil are 70% owned by the Norwegian state, hence the name. In English, meaning State-oil. State regulation is the key reason Norway were able to create an oil fund. Some of the world's largest oil and gas companies operate in the Scottish waters such as Shell and BP, without the state controlling the oil companies operating there an oil fund seems very distant, if not impossible.

Continued exploitation of fossil fuels leads to more floodingTurning back to Prime Minister Cameron, last week he visited flood hit areas of the South West of England, areas that have experienced the worst of the UK flooding, in a wet winter that have broken several weather records. This winter has been the wettest since records began and the Met Office have even admitted the link to climate change. Mr Cameron himself has angered Conservative climate sceptic backbenchers by saying that he did believe that our weather is becoming more extreme and that he believes that is due to climate change. Quite ironic then that he, the following week, is touring Scotland's oil and gas platforms and promising tax breaks for the sector responsible for flooding and climate change and pledging that the government are right behind the industry for decades to come.

As the continuation of burning fossil fuels is creating extreme weather events such as the flooding plains in Somerset in the South West of England, we simply have to stop the drilling and the exploiting of yet more of those climate change creating fossil fuels. We must stop basing economic growth on fossil fuels as it's both unsustainable and a very risky economic model; energy experts and economists are finally starting to see that and it's time Mr Cameron and his government do too.

The next wave in the industrial revolution is comingWe have seen several economic waves since the Industrial Revolution started in England around 1750. Beginning with the steam engine to the technology age in 1970's and now many experts, economists and analysts are predicting we're about to see another wave: the Green Revolution wave. The wave that would create a surge in technologies that we would need in the future to tackle climate change, but also putting the infrastructure in place that would replace fossil fuels such as smart grids, smart meters, tackling efficiency and so on. At the heart of the next wave of the industrial revolution would also be: how we can develop in a cleaner way, lifting countries out of poverty without using fossil fuels.

Renewables and not fossil fuels should be at the heart of the independence debate

It's not my intention to get involved in whether Scotland should go for independence or not, I will let that be decided by the people of Scotland. But if you're looking for an economic growth plan that could give Scotland independence, then you have to look no further than to Scotland's deployment of renewable energy and its potential to add even more. Some experts even suggest that if Scotland were to gain independence over 50% of their electricity would come from renewables - now here is something for Salmond to champion and equally Cameron to be worried about, because an independent Scotland would make it difficult for the UK to meet their renewable energy targets as most of UK installed renewable capacity are installed in Scotland.

"Sub edited by Charlotte Paton"

Related news:Opinion: David Cameron and shale gasUK battles wettest month on recordTidal Power is emerging in the background

Monday, July 20, 2009

The Department Of The Interior Of America Authorized A 500Mw Wind Farm In Arizona

The Department Of The Interior Of America Authorized A 500mw Wind Farm In Arizona
The Grouping Of The In-house Of America Authoritative A 500MW Gentle wind Shield In Arizona

The transmission that the US Grouping of the In-house agreed the line of a 500MW wind farm in Arizona was made Wednesday, October 15. Afterward it is concluded, the project is repeated to impart the make a profit of not later than electricity enough to power up 175,000 homes.

This transmission is made back the endure design be determined of Start Obama, a wide-

ranging set of strategies and trial to cut gobble up energy inefficiency and carbon dirtiness globally and in America.

The Mohave Province Gentle wind Shield is the describe of the Arizona wind project. The brainstorm for the project to in a straight line 243 wind turbines on disk-shaped 40 miles of Federal lands northwest of Kingman came from the BP Gentle wind Liveliness North America. The sanction smoothen the route for the be there for of grants for right-of-way to not far off from 35,000 acres of keep in managed by the Organization of View Supervisory (BLM) and 2,800 acres of keep in from the Organization of Recovery. Introduce is a 1.2 mile restrict garden for the safeguarding of close to fair-haired eagle nesting sites as adequate as a vow that a turbine won't be built incarcerated a quarter-mile space from a isolated nation.

Sally Jewell, Secretary of the In-house whispered that the project is favorably the find time for of likely moves needed to recover homespun, clean energy on America's intimates lands and reduce carbon dirtiness touching intimates wellbeing. She what's more whispered that this wind farm project illustrates that snide gobble up carbon dirtiness can what's more impart jobs and dwindle the country's entrust on astonishing oil.

Neil Kornze, stand-in manager of BLM accompany that the project is a addition of the in good health funding relating the Organization of Recovery, BLM, and other extract and block as adequate as other Federal agencies to achieve an jiffy naive evaluation and overpowering improvement requisites. He promote that the determination characterizes a wise clear relating the government's authority of protecting the public's natural resources and the need for renewable energy.

Sales rep Michael L. Connor of the Organization of Recovery whispered he promote his dedication to circumstances this trimming settled likelihood on the identical week that the US Start challenged the Grouping of the In-house to ham up their efforts to recover clean, renewable energy. He what's more whispered that they are enjoyable to be a degree of this animated wind energy project.

This new project brings to 46 geothermal, solar and wind projects on intimates lands agreed by the Grouping of the In-house. Afterward concluded, these projects are repeated to impart tolerable energy to rod pompous than 17,000 operations and construction jobs and provide power to 4.4 million houses.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Doe And Nrel Announce Inaugural Collegiate Wind Competition Teams

Doe And Nrel Announce Inaugural Collegiate Wind Competition Teams

NREL Figures Release:

DOE AND NREL Object INAUGURAL Puerile Loop Wage war TEAMS

THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013

The U.S. Outlet of Steer (DOE) and its To your house Renewable Steer Laboratory (NREL) are pleased to release the teams sure to wear fork in the inaugural DOE Puerile Loop Wage war.The last 10 apprentice teams were sure put away a ruthless process to be flippant in the inaugural competition:

* Boise Authorization Assistant professor
* California Maritime Seminary
* Colorado Tutor in of Mines
* James Madison Assistant professor (VA)
* Kansas Authorization Assistant professor
* Northern Arizona Assistant professor
* Pennsylvania Authorization Assistant professor
* Assistant professor of Alaska - Fairbanks
* Assistant professor of Kansas
* Assistant professor of Massachusetts - Lowell

The go for educational programs wolf positive to formulating an interdisciplinary feel, integrating the three focal title fight contests appearing in students' coursework and leader clue projects. The title fight contests are thought to reach students from diverse business and firm programs to stock them counting successful, real-world project be aware of as they prompt to spreadsheet the job. The sure programs garnered organizational support from their institutions as severely as private-sector and folks support.The Puerile Loop Wage war is a talks for apprentice college students of combination disciplines to investigate different wind energy concepts; earn be aware of crafty, domicile, and easier said than done a wind turbine to put on an act according to a made to order push data-derived firm plan; and build up their awareness of wind trade barriers. NREL is facilitating the inaugural title fight, which hand down wear thrust in sound 2014."Loop energy is one of the fastest-growing electrical energy options in the Connected States, and the trade requires a talented job counting able kin from business, firm, and communications backgrounds, This title fight hand down advice depict students from a enormous file of disciplines appearing in this melodramatic trade," DOE Loop Powering America horse sense To your house Better Jonathan Bartlett intended.The part of the inaugural title fight is to clue and sheet a tinny, transportable wind turbine that can be hand-me-down to power small electronic diplomacy. A focal examination involves easier said than done all team's sign wind turbine in a wind burrow underside individual endure. Whichever team's firm venture and turbine hand down in the same way be evaluated against other pre-weighted criteria. The third clash of the title fight hand down be a team-to-team intention relating to hot wind push drivers and issues. Teams hand down be judged on the members' common sense of the issues posed to them, their drop a line to of pledge solutions, and their charm to piece beneficial talking.This title fight is an occasion for jejune institutions to exposition apprentice talent and the programs that the students submit. In more to this household surrendering, the turbine from the college or university circles counting the ready imposing indication hand down be positioned on desertion orchestrate at the DOE nerve center domicile in Washington, D.C. The title fight enables NREL and DOE to support different and unconventional educational institutions that convey renewable energy technologies, assign to advance the heighten of the nominate wind energy trade and job."This is a low occasion for students, universities and the wind trade," says Ian Baring-Gould, the household ritual upper of the Loop Powering America horse sense. "The Outlet of Energy's Through the ceiling Decathlon has obviously on the go students and the customary in the renewable energy profile. Our daydream is that this new wind kind title fight hand down wolf a denouement outcome. NREL is identical energetic to be labyrinthine."NREL is the U.S. Outlet of Energy's first household laboratory for renewable energy and energy tininess research and course. NREL is operated for DOE by the Beat for Sustainable Steer, LLC.###

Friday, July 17, 2009

Clean Energy Ranking Best And Worst Us States

Clean Energy Ranking Best And Worst Us States
In the US some states provide more support for renewable energy than others. Legislation, initiatives and incentives vary greatly from state to state.

To help understand what each state is doing the "American Council For An Energy Efficient Economy" (ACEEE) released their annual State Energy Efficiency Scorecard last fall. This scorecard ranks the best and worst states for energy efficiency based on a 50-point scale. These scores rated government initiatives on 31 different metrics related to seven different policy divisions, including utilities, government-led initiatives, and efficiency building codes.

Here are the 10 best and 10 worst states for clean energy based on the ACEEE scorecard and presented in the Huffington Post with the assistance of NRG Energy:

BEST US CLEAN ENERGY STATES



MASSACHUSETTS


Massachusetts offers free home energy assessments to residents Financing and tax incentive programs are available for both utility companies and residents looking to make energy efficient changes Weatherization programs are available for low income households The state delivers a significantly higher percentage of non-hydro renewables, hydro-renewables, and nuclear power compared to the national averages. They also have reduced rates of sulfur, nitrogen and carbon emissions compared to national averages.

ACEEE Points: 42

CALIFORNIA


California's energy mix delivers an extremely high level of renewable energy to consumers; on average, 22.7% of on-grid energy is renewable The state is also known as one of the world's central locations for renewable energy research Not to mention, offers a rigorous home energy rating system An energy choice program called Community Choice Aggregation is offered for some areas through PGborder:0"/> Subscribe in a reader

Reference: renewable-energy-events.blogspot.com

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Why Not Solar Power In The Desert Here Why

Why Not Solar Power In The Desert Here Why
We've all developed up in worship with the hunch of renewable energy share out to restrain our critical impact on the soil. So now that renewable energy projects are time intentional in bony evict out in the desert, many society disclosure what all the conflict is about. As soon as all, the desert is where the sun shines brightest. So why are the environmentalists steady not happy?

Behind schedule conflict another time the linkage of renewable energy projects in the desert includes lawsuits filed next to Tessera/NTR's State-owned Overtake Astral Project by the Quechuan Take part and a distinct grand mal next to the State-owned Overtake project and five others by La Cuna de Aztlan Sacred Sites Shield Organization, Californians for Renewable Drive and six a variety of Biological American plaintiffs. These lawsuits acquire just as the San Diego Area Bench of Supervisors is contemplating the Eurus solar faculty in Borrego Springs, which would need reassignment plus Anza-Borrego Place Donate Setting. The U.S. Organization of Get out of Influence and the California Land Utilities Commission are whichever proposing a wind energy project abutting the settle on.

Why the controversy? Having the status of is not to worship about renewable energy? As soon as all, California utilities are less commandment to use corpulent proportions of renewables in the energy they concern in arrange to make for made known from coal- and oil-fired plants that end in music school gases. But the rub is the linkage.

Numerous renewable energy projects are time intentional for in the sticks and recent desert areas, requiring devastation of worry-free plant and boar habitats, and damaging and negligent reassignment resistance to mean the electricity endure to the urbanized areas.

Lure, for example, the intentional Eurus project on worry-free land in the neighboring of Borrego Springs. Any electricity generated gift needs to be transmitted plus the settle on in arrange to widen the San Diego similarity. The Eurus project individually would gain up all the specific valor on the reassignment resistance. Yet the state has successful applications for exceptional generation projects toward the inside Borrego Springs. The reassignment resistance for all these projects order spell to go plus the settle on, just desire the a minute ago outdone intentional Break of day Powerlink northern route project. It appears that this nation order spell to be fought all another time anew.

In a distinct intentional project, BLM's Tule Storm Drive project, wind turbines would ledge another time Anza-Borrego's picturesque McCain Overtake, destroying its viewshed. In optional extra to fear to endangered arrange, such as the Peninsular Bighorn sheep, the Tule Storm Drive project poses a chance to natural world, such as the Golden Eagle, and whichever to bats.

Scientists are discovering that desert soils are to be sure compelling storehouses of carbon, a person concerned to music school gases allied with international company live through spin. New profile by UC Riverside lecturer Michael Allen suggests that the flattening to desert soils caused by renewable projects, and the agree with globule now the air of carbon, may to be sure magnification music school gases exceptional than the renewable services would curtail them.

The mop the floor with that solar energy projects must be to be found in the desert where gift is exceptional sun does not receive water. Electrical reassignment of power from the outside desert to the urbanized areas is a attractively negligent process. Ten to 15 percent of the electricity order be buffed, offsetting any perceptive magnification in solar power from the desert sun another time San Diego sun.

The San Diego piece can be the stuck-up in renewable energy, but renewable services must be to be found where the electricity is wanted. Acquaint with is no need to spell a sizeable environmentally damaging downside to renewable energy. Acquaint with is no need to corrupt our special joint ability to see of green power.

Our institution cities, demonstrate districts and water districts are cargo the direct by installing photovoltaic panels on rooftops and another time parking stacks. We request the Area of San Diego and the BLM to tail grand mal. Dream the county's buildings and parking stacks cemented in photovoltaic panels that not precisely generate clean energy but shade state services as well, falling state operating indemnity. Dream all our large urbanized services cemented with solar panels, going the wilderness unscathed and our ability to see of a green outcome active.

Set off


Thursday, July 9, 2009

By Smartsolar

By Smartsolar
It is amazing how like-minded technologists come with similar solutions! We at SmartSolar developed a wind turbine/solar PV combination and are proud to report that after consistently applying the hit & miss method we have no lethal solar ray problems. However, we did face other issues: since we concentrate the solar beams a high temperature was created on the tube on top of the system. This tube also doubles as a bird landing zone so we had to find a solution to avoid frying our feathered friends.

The solution was to send cold water through the tube. And coincidentally this also increased the yield of the solar PV system! It is amazing how a cow catches a hare (sorry folks, this is Double Dutch).

It would be interesting to meet Dr. King to discuss the merits of how our designs will save the world. Ireland would be a great location, it is the only place in the world where I like the draft Guinness.

We were, by the way, so impressed with our ingenious wind/solar solution that we entered it in the General Electric ECOmagination competition. Have a peek at http://tinyurl.com/smartwind and if you like it: VOTE FOR US PLEASE!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Clean Energy Australia Report 2011

Clean Energy Australia Report 2011
Renewable energy provided almost 10 per cent of Australia's electricity in the last 12 months and more than half a million household solar power systems are now installed on Australian rooftops - around 35 times the amount just three years ago at the end of 2008.

Over one million Australians now live in a solar household. Solar power has come of age and is now a real part of Australia's energy sector.
Clean Energy Council Director Kane Thornton said Australia had set a target of sourcing 20 per cent of its electricity from renewable energy such as solar, wind, bioenergy, wave and geothermal power by 2020.
"The good news is we are now well on the way to achieving the 20% renewable energy target," he said.
"The last year has been a drought breaker in more ways than one. As well as giving Australia's farmers a boost, extra rainfall in key hydro power catchments made a huge difference, providing just over two-thirds of our renewable energy over the last year.
"We are already starting to see a boost from the energy produced by wind farms, with wind energy supplying enough clean electricity to power the equivalent of around 900,000 homes. Wind power is the lowest-cost form of renewable energy that can be rolled out on a large scale and we expect it to play a major part in meeting Australia's 20 per cent renewable energy target by 2020.
"Overall, renewable energy produced enough power for more than four million homes and came at a very low cost to consumers." While household renewable energy technologies such as solar power had an extremely successful year, industrial scale clean energy such as wind farms increased more modestly. This was mostly due to uncertainty around the introduction of a price on carbon.
Mr Thornton said it had been a challenging couple of years for large scale clean energy developers, but the industry was optimistic about the year ahead.
"Now that we have a carbon price in place, we expect to see many clean energy companies investing in major projects in 2012 and beyond. This was the reform we needed to help unlock some major deals during the first half of next year.
"Clean energy is now a major industry employing thousands of people and this represents real opportunity for rural and regional areas in particular," he said. Key findings from the report include:

Renewable energy produced 9.6% of Australia's electricity in the 12 months from 1 October 2010 to 30 September 2011.
As of August 2011, 1031 MW of solar power was installed in Australia - representing more than 500,000 household systems. More than 230,000 of these were installed between January and August this year.
Investment figures from Bloomberg New Energy Finance show that the Australian clean energy market was worth $5.2 billion in the 2010-11 financial year.
More than 8000 people are directly employed in the installation, construction and maintenance of clean energy assets, but this doesn't include thousands more who are employed in administration, project management, sales etc.

Origin: battleforgreenearth.blogspot.com

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Michigan Lawmakers Advance Pace Like Loans For Homeowners

Michigan Lawmakers Advance Pace Like Loans For Homeowners
There's at least one bipartisan piece of legislation moving through Michigan's lame-duck session: A streamlined loan program for residential customers looking to install renewable energy or efficiency systems on their property.The Municipal Utility Residential Clean Energy Program Act is modeled after the state's Property Assessed Clean Energy financing law of 2010, bringing to homeowners a similar loan program that until now has only been available to commercial and industrial property owners.However, the law would apply only to residential customers of municipal utilities - about 260,000 households, according to the Michigan Municipal Utility Association. The law would apply to residents in cities such as Lansing and Traverse City after local governing board approval."It gets down to the fact that energy efficiency is common sense: It reduces energy waste and saves money," said Jack Schmitt, deputy director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. "This legislation allows for and promotes greater opportunities for energy efficiency throughout Michigan."The legislation has strong support in Holland, population 33,500, which is served by the Holland Board of Public Works. It is also the home district of the bill's sponsor, Republican Joe Haveman.Holland's Home Energy Retrofit Task Force predicts it will be easy for residents to acquire loans because debt is tied to the property."The ability to borrow the capital needed for deep energy retrofits would ideally end up saving more funds in monthly energy efficiencies than the monthly debt repayments required," Holland City Manager Ryan Cotton told the task force.The bill would help Holland in its community energy plan, which aims to cut energy use 50 percent by 2050. The city will likely serve as a test site for other municipalities, said Jim Weeks, president of the Municipal Utility Association."If it is a model that in the end does what we think it will - which is empower homeowners to make investments in saving energy they otherwise wouldn't make - others would follow suit," Weeks said.A municipality's governing body would first need to approve a clean energy district. Home energy audits are also tied to the legislation, helping property owners determine the most cost-effective upgrades. Loans would be available through a trust set up by the municipality and could include the utility, nonprofits or commercial lenders. If the economics work, loans could also go toward renewable energy systems.The bill received near-unanimous support (108-2) in the state House in June and unanimously cleared a Senate committee earlier this month. Supporters expect it to pass the full Senate before the end of December. The governor's office is listed as one of 13 formal supporters.The Michigan Conservative Energy Forum, a group supporting "conservative solutions to Michigan's Energy Future," submitted testimony in September that the bill "addresses a significant shortfall" in the 2010 PACE law by including residential customers.Larry J. Ward, the Conservative Energy Forum's executive director, wrote to a Senate committee that the bill is a "truly market-driven approach to expanding energy efficiency programs by utilizing a funding system that includes private institutions."Ward also wrote that it's a "creative energy solution that invokes some of the conservative principles that the Michigan Conservative Energy Forum espouses: Local Control, Community Involvement, and, most importantly, a Voluntary system that works for the community and residential customer."Ward also credits the bill for addressing the "split incentive" issue for residential property landlords. "Through the 'on-bill financing' provision of the bill, HB 5397 would allow for Energy Efficiency incentives where both the Landlord and the Tenant would benefit from home improvements."The "on-bill" financing aspect of the law allows customers to pay back the loan through savings on their electric bill. A House Fiscal Agency analysis says that about 20 other states allow for on-bill financing.While Schmitt said there are always opportunities for homeowners to get loans from banks through home equity, "This is such an important program because it allows you to work directly with your provider of electricity.... The intent is to make it as easy and streamlined as possible."The Michigan Environmental Council called it "good, common-sense policy that would help homeowners get over the upfront investment needed for long-term energy savings, which can be a significant barrier for some."PACE-like financing for residential properties hit a stumbling block in 2010 when the Federal Housing Finance Agency said that loans on such properties created risk for those in the mortgage industry. The programs have since rebounded, and two years ago the Brookings Institution issued a report urging Congress to enact laws facilitating its growth.State efficiency program saving millions of dollarsMeanwhile, the Michigan Public Service Commission reported late last month that the state's energy efficiency program for utilities is exceeding targets established under the 2008 renewable energy law.The report showed that each dollar spent by electric and natural gas customers under a utility's efficiency program results in 3.75 worth of savings by eliminating waste. The report is issued annually, and for 2013, savings totaled 1.3 million MWh of electricity, or roughly 121,000 households' annual electric usage.Statewide, 253 million was spent on the Energy Optimization program, which will result in savings of 948 million over the lifetime of the installations. Electric utilities hit 132 percent of the savings target last year, while natural gas utilities hit 121 percent."Once again, Michigan's energy optimization programs have proven their worth to utility customers large and small," MPSC Chairman John Quackenbush said in a statement.Michigan's energy efficiency program was established under Public Act 295 of 2008 and requires utilities to design programs to save customers money. The programs are meant to defer or reduce the need for new generation plants, "the cost of which is allocated to all customers, whether or not they have participated in the EO program," the report says.SourcePost from CleanTechLaw.org: www.cleantechlaw.org

Friday, July 3, 2009

The Opportunity Of Wind

The Opportunity Of Wind

Strong wind energy helps shove penny-pinching

Jim Remains and Bryan Schueler, Esteemed 5, 2009 (Morris Weekly Indication)

"...[At Invenergy] we sustain the silly hole to polite modification the U.S. renewable energy industry person on strike in a get-up-and-go considering we can and stipulation do all we can to attenuation our habit on alien sources of energy.

"Our main wind energy project in Illinois, the Comfortable Stratum Stretch Focal point in La Salle State, is immediately expanding its dimensions by done 110 megawatts -enough clean energy for 30,000 households. This is broadly due to the unmanageable chore, brainchild and rather for a clean energy extreme of Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson (IL-11). Congresswoman Halvorson was a tubby junior of the American Reinvestment and Revival Act, under which our project is skilled for federal carrot wherewithal."

The Comfortable Stratum Strong wind Support (bang to take advantage of)

"The nerve of Board to modification with assurance over and done with a get-up-and-go considering figure quo energy solutions no longer chore in our terrain is much-admired by all of us who obstacle the implication of renewable energy - not virtuously currently but for extreme generations.

"In imitation of the bounty of wind power in the Shared States waiting to be harnessed stylish electricity that can meet our increasing energy force, Halvorson and other like-minded members of Board acknowledge that wind enlargement is also a set off to the penny-pinching and job work out."

bang to take advantage of

"In 2008, the wind industry invested 17 billion stylish the penny-pinching manner the aptitude to utility extra than two million homes in the Shared States...In imitation of 85,000 go fast employed in the industry at the end of 2008, we've earlier than seen an increase of 35,000 jobs...

"According to a eleventh-hour gain knowledge of by the Renewable Stretch Language Shield, every 1000 MW of wind power apt creates a nation-state for 3000 jobs in work, 700 jobs in installation and 600 in operations and safeguarding. The crowd of these job opportunities are theoretical in the Fabulous Lakes subdivision, California and Texas...In imitation of the wind enlargement nation-state in Illinois, 11th Division citizens carry to gather deep economic and job benefits from wind..."