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on December 4th, 2011% ![]()
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on December 4th, 2011% ![]()
During a Nov. 8, 2011, appearance on The Daily show with Jon Stewart, former President Bill Clinton touted the prospects for adopting renewable energy. "Solar energy and wind energy … would already be competitive with coal if you had to pay the extraneous costs of coal — the health care costs and other things. And … wind within two years and solar within five will be competitive in price with coal. They're both cheaper than nuclear right now." a reader asked us to check Clinton’s comment. we won’t rate his claim that wind and solar will be competitive with coal within two and five years respectively, since that’s a prediction. instead, we’ll focus on his claim that solar and wind energy are "both cheaper than nuclear right now." we found a price comparison published in 2011 by the Energy Information Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Energy. it uses "levelized cost" to compare various energy technologies. this measurement, widely used by energy policy analysts, includes the inflation-adjusted price tag for building and operating a plant over its life cycle. Here’s the summary table from this study, with the relevant technologies in bold. (One factor that was not included in this calculation was state or federal incentives, such as tax credits.)
Method Total system levelized cost for plants entering service in 2016, in 2009 dollars per MWh Conventional Coal Advanced Coal Advanced Coal with carbon control and sequestration Natural Gas-fired: Conventional Combined Cycle Natural Gas-fired: Advanced Combined Cycle Natural Gas-fired: Advanced Combined Cycle with carbon control and sequestration Natural Gas-fired: Conventional Combustion Turbine Natural Gas-fired: Advanced Combustion Turbine Advanced Nuclear
113.9
Wind — Onshore
97.0
Wind – Offshore Solar — Photovoltaic
210.7
Solar — Thermal Geothermal Biomass Hydropower
So, according to this study, the least expensive form of wind energy — using onshore turbines — is about 15 percent cheaper than nuclear. but the cheapest form of solar — using photovoltaic panels — is about 85 percent more expensive than nuclear. this means that Clinton’s claim was half-right. (Clinton also could have pointed to three additional forms of renewable energy that are cheaper than nuclear — geothermal, biomass and hydropower.) The experts we contacted generally agreed with this analysis. "It’s common and convenient to couple solar and wind in offhand references, but solar-based electricity remains, for now, appreciably costlier than wind," said Joel Darmstadter, a senior fellow with Resources for the Future, a Washington-based think tank on energy and environmental issues. He cautioned that not including government incentives does add to the uncertainty of these figures, though it potentially cuts both ways. for instance, nuclear plants benefit from the Price-Anderson Act, which limits their accident liability, while solar and wind receive different types of tax credits, he said. Stephen Brown, an economist at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas who specializes in energy policy, agreed that Clinton was right on wind but not on solar. He added that if you include additional factors known as externalities — the kinds of things Clinton was referring to in the first part of his quote, such as the spillover environmental costs of the technology in question — then the cost comparison could change. for instance, if the externalities were found to be sufficiently low for solar and sufficiently high for nuclear, he said, solar might end up being cheaper than nuclear. however, since Clinton wasn’t making that comparison, we won’t factor that possibility into our rating. a final thought from Darmstadter: In the short term, the comparative price options make natural gas, not any of the renewable fuels, the lowest-cost competitor with coal. Several natural gas technologies are cheaper than coal, according to the Energy Department study. Our ruling Clinton was correct about wind energy being "cheaper than nuclear right now," at least the onshore kind. but for now, nuclear beats the cheapest form of solar energy on price. So we rate his statement half true.
on December 3rd, 2011% ![]()
Because of global warming and other environmental issues, tragedies, natural calamities and terrible events are very rampant and are happening in almost any part of the world. This has resulted into other major concerns like food scarcity and increasing price of goods and services. every person’s need for practicality has surfaced in the effort to lessen the daily expenses. for a more practical and environment friendly option, people even opted to use alternative energy resources. To those who are well informed of its benefits still prefer this. Examples of these resources are solar energy, biomass energy, wind energy, hydrogen, hydropower energy, and geothermal energy. Solar energy technologies that are used today have begun almost 40 or 50 years ago. The energy emanated from the sun is absorbed by solar electric panels and then converts it into electricity using Photovoltaic cells or PV cells. Solar energy is the most commonly used among the alternative energy resources available because of its practical use and renew ability.
These can be classified into four different types. Polycrystalline SE Panel is the most common type; it is composed of chunks of silicon that has many tiny crystals. Although this is less efficient when compared to single crystal, the watts per square foot power it releases may match the single type if they are assembled closely together in a frame. Amorphous Solar Electric Panel is identified as ‘thin film’, since it uses large plates similar to stainless steels where the silicon is stretched out to gather solar power. Vaporware Solar Electric Panel is said to lessen power expenses. Some claimed this to be the future of solar energy (no major production yet) and it works by spraying plastic over the solar cells. Monocrystalline SE Panel is also called ‘single crystal’, as this is taken from a large brick of crystal. This is a better choice in terms of its efficiency, but is considered the most costly type. In choosing the type of solar electric panels that you need, you must consider where it will be placed, the amount of space you got and the amount of power you need. no matter what type it may be, they have the same purpose, and that is to convert solar power into electricity.
Today’s technology is more directed into optimizing the use of solar electric panel to maximize the benefits of using solar energy. Nowadays, it is used for heating and cooling water and air, and provides electricity for home and business use. Some inventions that use solar energy include calculator, cars, chargers, flashlights and many others. it is believed and expected to provide more uses and become a major breakthrough in the future.
on November 29th, 2011% ![]() CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Side Elementary third-grader Oriana Hale said when she grows up, she wants to be a doctor, a veterinarian and a teacher.
Yes, all three.
"I learned about each job and that I have to finish college and get good grades," Hale said on Tuesday. "My favorite part has been seeing all the different jobs."
Hale was one of about 70 West Side Elementary third-grade students who participated in the Charleston Area Alliance's Vision 2030 launch event on Tuesday.
Vision 2030 is a 20-year economic development roadmap for the Kanawha Valley, said Cullen Naumoff, project manager with the Alliance.
A plan for creating jobs and strengthening the economy of the Kanawha Valley, Vision 2030 exposes students to jobs they might find in the valley within 20 years.
"We want to build upon strengths and opportunities that the valley is poised with . . . and [capitalize] on those opportunities," Naumoff said. "Kids are our future vision. in 20 years, they'll be entering the work force. We want them to be excited about the future."
The purpose of the launch and Vision 2030 is to let children know that they can do and be anything that they want, said Delegate Meshea Poore, D-Kanawha, a Vision 2030 steering committee member and Tuesday's emcee. a student's dream job doesn't have to be a traditional one — like a lawyer or teacher — Poore said, but it could be a farmer or taxicab driver.
"I am very happy for you guys today," Poore said to the group of third graders. "I know your potential."
Tuesday's event featured a "job fair of the future." in groups of 10, third-graders stopped at one of seven tables set up in the school's main lobby. each table represented seven economic drivers, according to the Alliance.
Adult volunteers stood at tables to teach the children about their specific professions, which included work in the chemical industry, energy industry and downtown revitalization.
Other focus areas were education, innovation, leadership and health.
Brenda Isaac, Kanawha County School's head nurse, was excited that the Alliance included a health portion in its Vision 2030 plan. Everyone needs access to adequate health care, she said.
"Businesses can't be productive if their employees are constantly off work because of health issues," Isaac said. "It's excellent that the Alliance is so futuristic and that they're looking ahead."
Mitch Mitchell, owner of Mitchell Building Services, and Pat Bond, chairman of the Alliance, talked to students who visited the energy industry table about the future of solar energy. the pair used a solar panel to show how materials used to make the panels — like aluminum, glass and silica — are made here in the Mountain State.
"We have it all here. We have the best workers," Mitchell said. "Future jobs are coming up [in solar energy]. There's a big positive future for solar energy."
When professionals at the chemical industry table warned students that mixing Alka-Seltzer and soda would cause a chemical reaction, every third-grader backed away from the table. One student thought the reaction would get hot.
"It's actually making a gas," said Julie Serafin, an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Charleston. "do you know what a gas is?"
As each student chimed in with his or her response, Bevin Osborne, RN health promotions coordinator for Thomas Health system, asked who among the third-graders at the health table wanted to be a nurse.
"Is a veterinarian like that?" one curious girl asked.
Osborne told the students how it takes hard work to be a doctor, but that didn't scare Maliah Pinkett, who wants to be a physician when she grows up.
"I'm excited about being a doctor because I see all the cool tools you can use and the clothes you can wear," Pinkett said as she adjusted the plastic stethoscope around her neck.
Along with the stethoscopes, students at the health table received a bag full of scrubs, gloves and other doctor "tools."
Students received free goodies at the downtown revitalization booth, as well, including a large historic Charleston coloring book. Professionals at the table placed a huge sheet on the ground and used tape to outline roads and small cereal boxes to symbolize schools and government offices.
Students were encouraged to place the "offices" where they think they would go in the city, said Bev Davis, development director for the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation. the idea was to give them a better understanding of what it takes for a city to function.
West Side Elementary student Tracie Long said she wants to be a leader in the community by opening her own hair salon when she grows up. the third-grader said she enjoys braiding other people's hair and wants to name her salon "Tracie's Hair Salon."
"I learned [on Tuesday] to go to college and make good grades," Long said.
Although Levi Daniels enjoyed Vision 2030's launch and said he had fun, he isn't sure how much the Alliance's plan can help with his future career.
"I'm going to be a ninja," Daniels said. "I already know a lot of skills."
Earlier this year, the Alliance assembled a blue-ribbon panel of business and community leaders to head up the 20-year plan.
"the Alliance understands the future is too important to be left to chance," Alliance President and CEO Matt Ballard said in a news release. "Successful businesses make strategic decisions based upon long-term planning and research. If our region is to thrive, it is critical that we work together toward a shared, informed vision of creating opportunities for the people of the Kanawha Valley."
The community's involvement is crucial to Vision 2030's success, Naumoff said.
Community forums will be held in December and January. the first forum will be Dec. 1 from 5-6 p.m. at the Alliance office at 1116 Smith St.
"the only way a 20-year plan can be successful is through community feedback," she said.
For more information about Vision 2030 or the Charleston Area Alliance, call communications manager Matthew Thompson, at 304-340-4253, or visit charlestonareaalliance.org
Reach Megan Workman at megan.work…@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5113.
on November 28th, 2011% ![]()
Solar panels utilise the free, natural, renewable resource – solar energy and installing solar panels will reduce your energy bill, your carbon footprint and your dependency on fossil fuels and utility companies.
In this article we will discuss the various types of solar panel systems that you can install on your property. The systems in this article include water heating systems, evacuated solar tubes and PV electric solar panels.
Water Heating Solar Panels
These solar systems work all year round and heat your domestic hot water. A hot water tank or a conventional boiler is used to heat the water even further if required or if there is low solar energy. It is recommended to install a super efficient hot water tank to fully receive the benefits of solar water heating systems and if you have a combination boiler without a hot water tank then solar water heating may not be compatible.
With water heating solar systems it is possible to save over half a ton of CO2 emissions, dependant on the fuel you will be replacing e.g. gas and up to 100 on you water heating bill. Water heating solar systems generally provide higher annual outputs than evacuated tubes.
Evacuated Solar Tubes
These systems are also for heating your water, but use a different technology than the solar panels described above. these use glass solar tubes, rather than the flat glass, and because they are tubes they have the ability to absorb 360 degrees of solar energy, which gives a more even output of power throughout the day.
PV Solar Panels
These systems generate electricity from daylight through a process called photovoltaic’s. The photo refers to light and voltaic refers to electricity. Although these solar panels generate their electricity from light they can still work on cloudy days as the photons penetrate through the clouds. If you want to fully benefit from solar energy then PV solar panels are what you need. Using these panels you can get a Feed-in Tariff where you get paid for every unit of electricity you generate even the ones you use. because of the feed-in tariff your energy bills will be reduced by up to 100 percent.
Not only will feed-in tariffs benefit you from your PV solar panel installation, the systems can also increase the value of your property. furthermore the average household uses 3000 kWh per year, so if you install a small 1kW system you will save 25% of your electricity over the year because a PV system generally would generate 750 kWh/year per kW installed.
on November 26th, 2011% By EVE NEWMAN / lbedit6@laramieboomerang.com • Saturday, November 19, 2011  Laramie High School is seen. File photo
A new high school could open in Laramie on the Turner Tract as soon as the 2014-15 school year, if all goes according to plan.Laramie High School moved up to 13th on the most recent needs assessment by the Wyoming School Facilities Department, which funds the construction of school facilities in the state.In its draft proposal for the 2013-14 funding cycle, the department has budgeted $3.5 million for design and $40 million for construction of a high school in Laramie.The Albany County School District has received approval from the department to proceed with the planning process, Superintendent Brian Recht said.The current LHS site is about 10 acres too small, according to the state’s guidelines, so the district has been looking for a new location. The current building is also more than 50 years old and its classrooms are too small, its science facilities outdated and its design not suited for current educational practices.a couple years ago, the district met with representatives from Laramie businesses, city government and higher education as well as teachers, parents and administrators to envision a new high school.The resulting vision statement speaks of the need for a facility that allows for active, collaborative learning, that is sustainable and flexible, that allows for community use and that adapts to changing technology.Recht said the new facility would anchor the Laramie community for the next 50 years.“a high school is really a new opportunity for us.“Our families and community deserve a new public learning space that is inviting, clean, safe, well lit, aesthetically pleasing, sustainable and welcoming,” he said.possible locations north, south, east and west of Laramie were considered before the district settled on the Turner Tract.The new school will sit on 35-50 acres south of the Laramie Recreation Center.Andy Hunt, community development director for the city of Laramie, said the next step is to appraise the site so the state can purchase the land from the city.The entire area is zoned for business, so it’s ready for construction of a school.The school site will also need to go through the subdivision process, he said. “Ultimately, if all goes well, we’ll get a nice, shiny new school there, which is great,” Hunt said.The district has about 3,700 students right now, with 771 at LHS.The state has budgeted $40 million for a building for 1,000 students from grades 9-12. Recht said growth projections show that building for 1,200-1,300 students might be more realistic, especially looking ahead. “where we have our capacity issues is at our elementary school (level),” he said.no decision has been made about the current LHS facility once the new building is completed, though it could be used as a community facility or as a location for Slade Elementary School or Laramie Junior High School, Recht said.
on November 26th, 2011% ![]()
One of my favorite quotes is Wimpy’s: I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.
It’s an insightful commentary by the writers of the Popeye cartoon that reminds me of today’s rampant energy consumption. that hot greasy crude burger, sweet Saudi fixins, a side of bite-sized anthracite and bubbly fracked soda. nothing better. Good solid American meal. Comfort food.
J. Wellington Wimpy, however, has had enough. the rather rotund, balding sidekick of this analogy needs to go on a diet.
Fat and happy public
Wimpy serves as a stand-in for the American public. For too long this nation has put off dealing with the inevitable. U.S. energy policy relies heavily on the fossil fuel spectrum that until recently made us all fat and happy.
However, the oil of the future is more expensive to recover physically and environmentally. and, we’ve put off paying the price on emissions. Those are coming due. we simply need to stop the influx of carbon, ozone and other noxious emissions from burned fuel.
Failing to adopt more sustainable energy sources means continuing to pass the bill down to our kids and grandkids. I’d rather give future generations something besides the massive economic burden of cleaning up our swirling cesspool of an atmosphere and costly options for energy.
Inaction could cost big
If we do nothing, the hardworking American population is going to be paying more to turn on lights, air conditioning, and their cars — potentially much more than if those clean energy projects are built, says Joshua Freed, vice president of the Clean Energy Initiative at Third way, on Huffington Post.
Freed says China, India and other emerging powers want to secure all the oil, coal, and natural gas they can because that’s where the economic growth is.
Competition for limited resources means price increases. Big ones.
So sure, solar and wind are somewhat costly. But they’re getting cheaper and they don’t foul the nest. There’s got to be huge future value in that.
No help from D.C.
Political solutions are not likely.
Brian Keane, president of nonprofit Smart Power, paints a bleak picture of the clean energy future from a policy standpoint. Republicans and Democrats can agree on little, especially anything identified by the word green.
Keane says in a piece in Huffington Post that this divide is enhanced by Republicans’ efforts to oppose anything related to solar, wind or hydrogen, especially in light of the Solyndra failiure.
Media coverage of that divide isn’t helping, Keane contends. the media’s focus on the politicization of clean energy in America is cutting this growing industry off at the pass, he says.
Clean energy: hot investment
However, on a grassroots level, clean energy’s stock couldn’t be better. the Average Joe, regardless of political affiliation, appears interested in making the world a better place.
Sometimes these are bizarre. I stumbled across are we Doomed? by yert.com. It’s a movie about a road trip in which three people try to find others intent on saving the planet.
Mark Dixon and Ben and Julie Evans dig into things like replicas of Native American mud huts in Nebraska. In doing so, they unfold a tale of many people on many levels fighting a pitched battle to bring back a little of what’s been lost.
Spinach or hamburgers?
Doubtless Wimpy would be one of them. He’s the creation of newspaper cartoonist E.C. Segar and began as a more three-dimensional character than the one I grew up with in the 1960s. Wikipedia defines him as soft-spoken, very intelligent, and well educated, but also cowardly, very lazy, overly parsimonious and utterly gluttonous.
In some ways, he’s just like the United States. We’re a smart country that walks softly but, decidedly unlike Wimpy, carries a big stick. we have a huge appetite and we’ve gotten a bit lazy.
That could change. there are any number of viable concepts that taken separately or together could offer a world of options for an oil-dependent economy. we don’t even need to completely lay off the burgers (oil), just pop a can of spinach.
on November 26th, 2011% ![]()
When you look up at the sky in the morning – what do you see? The sun The sun is a star that is full of gases that burn all the time. it gives off heat when it burns. The amount of gas that burns for the sun is very large indeed These burning gases make the sun very, very hot. The gas that burns also causes the sun’s glow. And this is how we get light and heat from the sun, in the form of the sun’s rays.
Solar energy is a form of energy from the sun. Like electricity, solar energy can also be used as power. Solar energy is found wherever you find sunshine. So what is energy? Energy is a force or power whose help we use to do things. we need physical energy when we need to move something like a heavy box. a jar of sweets contains lots of potential energy as there are many sweets in there or fire crackers that you use have chemical energy in them. a bulb glows because of electric energy.
The sun’s rays travel and hit the surface of the earth and they have a lot of heat and light in them and that is why we call it solar – sun – energy. without sunlight there would be no life on earth. Plants depend on it to live and animals depend on plants for food. Sunlight and the atmosphere make sure that our earth has temperatures that we can survive and live in. Solar energy can be used to cook food, power cars and other vehicles, power homes, and is 100% free Unlike other types of energy, the sun won’t ever run out.
Solar energy is energy taken from the sun that changed into electrical energy. This electric energy is also known as thermal energy. The sun has been producing energy for billions of years. The sun is the richest energy source. Solar energy is clean and can be made into other energy forms. with the human help it can power inventions to provide pollution-free energy. it can used as electric energy in homes, theatres, hospitals, movie houses, schools, night soccer games, greenhouses, businesses and in so many other ways. it can also heat water in your home and swimming pool too it can make electricity. There are homes that get all their electric energy from solar energy.
Because the sun sets and it’s not always sunny outside, solar batteries help store the energy from the sun. At night or on cloudy days these batteries can use the energy they have stored from the sun and in that way we benefit from solar energy too.
Solar energy can save money and make a huge difference in pollution. So if we all start to use solar energy we will have a much cleaner planet to live in. we will actually be taking very good care of our planet
Solar panels can power just about anything from calculators to large homes or business. How does it work? Solar cells can directly turn sunshine into electricity. When light hits the solar cells on the solar panels, the collision (crashing) knocks electrons loose. The cells electric field forces the electrons to flow in a current. Metal contacts on the top and bottom of each cell create a circuit that draws of the current. To care for solar panels dust and wash the regularly and remove dirt and things such as bird droppings. To work, panels have to be pointed to the sun, at an angle of about 30. some panels are put flat against the roof but they do not do the job quite as well then.
So if we are responsible citizens of Planet Earth we should start to think about how we can use solar energy in our everyday lives so that we can make a difference to the well being of our planet.
Compiled by Teri Ferreira
on November 25th, 2011% ![]()
The sun shines on the beachfront mansions of Malibu and La Jolla, just as it does on Compton and Barrio Logan in San Diego.
It beams down on the most upscale part of Clovis and its golf course development of Brighton Crest, and on the gritty flats of south and west Fresno.
But based on how California policymakers dole out valuable subsidies for solar panels placed on the residential roofs, the poorest parts of our sunny state might as well be on the dark side of the moon.
California is in the midst of by far the nation’s most ambitious program to convert to solar energy, one that began in 2006 when then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared that during the next decade, the state would place solar panels on a million rooftops.
To pay for it, the California Public Utilities Commission earmarked $3.3 billion, spread over 10 years, taken in small slices from utility customers’ monthly bills.
It was high concept, bold and visionary, and not the least bit efficient. There is no more costly solar power than that which is placed on residential roofs.
“Socially, it is a complete money loser,” said professor Severin Borenstein of the UC Energy Institute at UC Berkeley.
The Public Utilities Commission reported earlier this year that California Solar Initiative subsidies have amounted to $885 million so far. They’ve created 924 megawatts of power spread across 94,900 locations owned by large and small commercial users, and residential customers.
The piece of program reserved for lowest income customers is not quite so robust. The PUC reports solar has been installed on the homes of 862 low-income Californians.
It’s not as if lawmakers weren’t warned.
Then-Assemblyman Hector de la Torre, a Los Angeles-area Democrat recently named by Brown to the California Air Resources Board, recalled his argument in 2005 and 2006 when Schwarzenegger was pushing his plan: If his constituents in South Gate had a few thousand dollars, they’d spend it on a new roof, not on solar roof panels.
“It wasn’t rocket science,” de la Torre said.
The numbers make de la Torre’s point.
The California Public Utilities Commission reports that one residence in the Sonoma County wine town of Glen Ellen received a $372,000 subsidy on a $2.2 million solar installation. A Newcastle residence received a $319,000 subsidy on a $1.45 million installation.
In all, 22 residential solar projects received subsidies in excess of $100,000 each, and 71 others received subsidies of $50,000 or more.
Sliced a different way, the Public Utilities Commission reports that the ZIP code covering the eastern end of Clovis, one of the most tony areas of the Fresno region, received $3.5 million in solar roof subsidies. down in the flatlands of Fresno, in the southern and western ends of the city, subsidies totaled $40,000.
“People with low income can’t afford any piece of it, rebate or no rebate,” said Assemblyman Henry T. Perea, a Democrat who lives in the flatlands.
In three ZIP codes for Malibu, rebates for residential solar installations have amounted to more than $1.5 million. About 13,000 people live there. in three ZIP codes in Compton, home to almost 140,000 people, there was one solar subsidy for $2,269.
The same is true in Granite Bay, where there have been $1.3 million in subsidies, and El Dorado Hills, where there have been $1.5 million in subsidies.
Haves get electrons from the sun. People who have less rely on mundane natural gas, hydro and nukes.
In April, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation requiring that utilities get a third of their electricity from renewable sources, in an event at a new solar panel factory in Milpitas, owned by SunPower, the largest manufacturer of solar panels used in the California Solar Initiative.
Julie Blunden, a SunPower executive, called the initiative “wildly successful.” Installation prices have dropped significantly. The initiative helped spawn an industry that employs several thousand people. The clean energy generated by the panels displaces other types of electricity generated by fossil fuel.
But the rooftop solar business wouldn’t exist, at least not in its current form, without various subsidies, including the state rebates and 30 percent federal tax credit.
San Diego Gas & Electric is raising issues related to rooftop solar in filings with the PUC. The utility is seeking to charge solar customers an average of $22 a month to cover transmission, distribution and other overhead costs.
Sempra also is seeking approval of midsize solar arrays that could be installed at power substations, on the roofs of large warehouses, on land that is too polluted for other uses. The company would sell the electrons to apartment dwellers and customers who couldn’t afford rooftop solar. it would be far more efficient than placing panels on individual roofs.
“At some point, the Legislature will have to address the rate structure,” said J.C. Thomas, government and regulatory affairs manager for SDG&E’s parent, Sempra Energy.
A year ago, Texas oil companies campaigned for an initiative to unravel AB 32, the California law requiring reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Voters rejected that measure overwhelmingly, rightly so.
But California’s energy policy remains convoluted. Too much money is spent extravagantly, and not enough is spent on simple steps, like weatherizing, which actually could help large numbers of people who could use the assistance.
Of course, the beautiful people of Malibu and La Jolla should be able install solar panels on their tile roofs, if that’s what they want. but the people of Compton and Barrio Logan shouldn’t be expected to subsidize them.
More to the point, policymakers need to stop making feel-good policy by press release, and focus on the unfairness of the green energy subsidy game. If they don’t, the public, which repeatedly has shown that it truly does want a clean environment, will turn, rightly so.
© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.
on November 25th, 2011% ![]()
CEDAR RAPIDS – The Iowa Power Fund is gone, but communities in Eastern Iowa continue to carry out the projects with its final funding to find smarter ways to use energy.
In Cedar Rapids, a sustainability alliance has businesses gathering to reduce landfill waste and energy consumption, with the Quaker plant showing the way.
Meanwhile, high school students in Decorah are learning to monitor energy savings while learning to garden and make biodiesel fuel.
The state set its sights on energy in 2007 when former Gov. Chet Culver signed into law the $100 million Iowa Power Fund to invest in research of renewable energy such as wind and ethanol.
Iowa’s Office of Energy Independence administered the fund and in 2008 started giving 4 percent of its yearly allotment to community projects to improve energy efficiency on a grass-roots level.
The last of the fund was assigned to projects earlier this year. The applicants for community grants narrowly escaped the chopping block as Gov. Terry Branstad canceled the Iowa Power Fund, dissolved the energy office and considered cutting the sought-after remains of the fund.
Kitty Edwards is the head of the Regional Sustainable Business Alliance funded by the Power Fund community grant program.
Edwards, purchasing manager at the Cedar Rapids Quaker plant, with the largest cereal mill in the world, is a self-proclaimed “trash queen.”
When PepsiCo, Quaker’s owner, set a corporate goal of reducing its landfill waste beginning in 2006, Edwards took on the challenge, assembling an eight-person green team within the plant.
One by one, she found ways to recycle the company’s waste. Edwards struck a deal with the manufacturers of wood pallets used in milling machinery, who now take back broken pallets and use them to make mulch.
Quaker reported earning more than $300,000 in 2010 for products otherwise destined for the landfill. Edwards said the plant reduced landfill waste by 10 percent in 2010, and by 35 percent in 2011, exceeding corporate goals. next year, Edwards aims to achieve zero landfill waste.
Sheila Samuelson, founder of an Iowa City sustainable business consultancy, bright Green Strategies, attended the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce’s first Sustainable Business Alliance meeting in April.
“Shortly after the first meeting, I heard about the grant from the Energy Office,” said Samuelson. “It seemed like a perfect fit for our new group.”
Samuelson applied on behalf of the chamber, which was awarded a community grant of $28,460 to support the sustainability alliance’s efforts.
Since then, more than 50 area businesses, non-profits and schools have joined the alliance. they have held green facility tours, done case studies, heard expert speakers and are working on a website complete with tools for businesses to achieve sustainability goals.
Edwards said they are putting tools in place that will support the alliance long after the grant funding is gone.
“The grant is that first tank of gas,” said Edwards. “It gets the team going.”
That first tank of gas has gone a long way for Decorah High School, which was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education this year. Principal Kim Sheppard attributed the award to sustainability programs that she said have heightened student achievement.
Sheppard said the school’s interest in the environment began when a group of teachers gathered in 2008 to discuss ways to rejuvenate the ninth grade curriculum. “That was what sparked this whole initiative,” said Sheppard.
They designed a program that encourages students to explore their relationship with the environment. Students have chosen topics such as wind energy, recycling, mining and agriculture and present their findings to the class.
Sheppard said students continuously take part in hands-on activities, harvesting vegetables from the school garden, and cleaning local trails and rivers.
Decorah High School received its first community grant from the energy office in 2010, which helped pay for solar panels that students monitor and maintain through the Sun4Schools program.
This year, the office awarded the school $50,000 for an energy research lab, where students learn energy saving methods and track results. So far they have purchased supplies to create a biodiesel plant to fuel school tractors, a blast chiller to preserve produce from the school garden for use in the cafeteria, and a composting unit for fertilizer.
“This lab focuses on energy and how we can teach kids to take good care of the environment,” said Sheppard.
For those with ideas of how to cut waste in their community but with little means to do it, the end of the Iowa Power Fund and the community grant program came as unwelcome news.
But those who received the program’s final grants hope to have created projects with lasting effects.
“Our lab will create learning activities year after year,” said Sheppard.
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