The chances of producing solar power as a more commercially viable source of alternative energy seem brighter now with the positive research results pioneered by University of Illinois professors. The Department of Energy and National Science Foundation-funded team led by Professors John Rogers, and Xiuling Li, has been exploring ways to find more optimal [...]

Full story posted in: Future Energy, PhotoVoltaics, Solar Power

We MUST face where our addiction to oil has taken us - and this photo (below), which is hard to look at, but is real and brings home the fact that we need to move into energy independence …with CLEAN Renewable Energy!

The disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is heartbreaking—but if an image like this can do anything, it can sear into our minds the fact that we need a real plan to get America off of oil.

Innocent bird drenched with oil!

Photo source: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, Thursday, June 3, 2010.

Share this with your friends, and, regardless of your political affiliation, please sign the petition to Congress and the White House today: please sign this petition for our future! or contact your governmental officials now!  We have alternative ways to supply our energy needs.  We need to use less, seal up our buildings, and open your awareness of your own energy usage.  We need to ALL stand together to make this happen and do it NOW. We can’t wait until tomorrow – we definitely can’t wait until August or Christmas…. or whenever the oil leak is stopped…. if it ever is….   What if the relief wells make it worse?

It shouldn’t have taken this horrific disaster that is killing innocent lives… to open our eyes!  WE HAVE REAL OPTIONS THAT WORK, with SOLAR, WIND, and SMALL HYDRO!   NOW! is the time to make our moves!  What are you going to do?  Read Green Energy Times (all issues available right from the top menu bar under the ‘current and past issues’ tab) to  learn how you can make this happen yourself.  Where there is a ‘WILL”, there IS a way.. to make it happen in YOUR life!!!

* Green Energy Times is a ‘Solar Powered Business’!

• We want to hear from RE powered businesses, that would like to be featured in this issue.  Your example is important to encourage more businesses to do the same. Let our readers know how well it is or isn’t working for you – the pros and cons, the stats and benefits, ways and means….
• Contact us here or give us a call at 802.439.6675.   The format will be similar to our Green Energy Times 5.4 10 Issue. We welcome pics, stats…  Call to discuss details. Deadline is July 22nd.  We look forward to hearing from you!
• Our 2nd feature will again be on ‘Sustainable Gardening’ along with related subjects. Johnny’s Seeds has agreed to write a series of articles for Green Energy Times, including recipes from what you can grow yourself or buy at local farmer’s markets. We welcome questions.
• Watch for our continued column: David Blittersdorf’s ‘View From the Top’ Articles*.
• Also, be sure to send in your Solar and Renewable Energy questions!  SunCatchers’ Howie Michaelson is here to answer your questions and help you make an educated decision as you contemplate your move into Energy Independence.**

We hope that we are addressing what you would like and need to know in Green Energy Times.  Please communicate with us …your thoughts, questions and ideas.  We welcome them all, if they are related in any way to the transition into our energy independent future.

namasté

View from the Top “Too Much Carbon”

As individuals & as members of a modern industrial society, we must face up to a few simple facts.  Energy shortage is driven by population growth, & the demand for fossil & nuclear fuels will shortly exceed the finite supply of those resources. If we don’t acknowledge this, & act on that knowledge, our modern civilization as we know it will fail & collapse. Civilizations collapse when they exceed the carrying capacity of their environments. Jared Diamond’s excellent book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed goes into some detail showing how & when past cultures have fallen into decline. We are now living in the biggest experiment humans have ever conducted. Collapse is a 100% certainty unless we get beyond denial of our energy problems.

About 150 years ago, humanity won the biggest lottery our species had ever imagined: We tapped into fossil fuels, & our energy worries seemed to be over.  First we mined coal, then oil, then natural gas, & the energy provided by these fuels enabled us to build the modern world as we know it. Now, almost 90% of the energy used worldwide comes from fossil fuels. However, we now know that there is a fixed amount of fossil fuels on our little Earth. Coal is the most abundant, but has the highest carbon pollution & is the most destructive to our life support system. Peak oil production worldwide just happened a few years ago. Oil is the #1 fossil fuel (40% of world energy) & it is now in depletion, meaning that from here on out, there will be less & less available each year.

Just like lottery winners who end up bankrupt, we are using fossil fuels like a lottery winner spends cash: “Easy come, easy go.” By 2050, most of the easily mined fossil fuel resources will be used up. In the question of energy consumption, we must wean ourselves from a diet of too much carbon – & transition to living on our weekly paychecks instead of the lottery winnings. This is a much smaller amount than we are used to. We need to reduce energy consumption 80% by 2050. Massive conservation, efficiency & a huge shift to renewable energy are required to help us do this. (Coincidentally, CO2 needs to be reduced by 80% by the same deadline to reduce global warming, & fossil fuels produce all that carbon, so reducing energy consumption is also key for the environment.) Fossil fuel use must & will be reduced to 20% of present usage. Both large & small scale renewable energy resources like wind & solar are key ingredients in this equation. If we embrace this change, we will survive & be better off in a less energy intensive & more renewable-powered world. This is a requirement to survive – not an option.

Look under the ‘Current & Past Issues tab in the top Menu Bar‘ or Click Here, to download our current 1 Year Anniversary Issue: May 4th, 2010!

We think you will really  appreciate the new information we are bringing to you in this issue.  Enjoy!  Learn! Make Changes! Lessen YOUR carbon footprint and let’s all move into Energy Independence NOW!!

Let us know your thoughts, send us your questions here!

Thank you for all you do!

REV will host three Photovoltaic Design & Installation Training sessions this spring…

… to licensed electricians, electricians’ apprentices, and experienced solar contractors, presented by Renewable Energy Vermont and the Vermont Dept. of Labor’s Workforce Education Training Program.

This 16-hour course covers the fundamentals of siting, designing, and installing solar photovoltaic systems.

The course is free for registered electrical apprentices and $75 for all other licensed electricians and solar industry professionals.

2010 Spring Dates

Colchester: May 7 & 14
Green Mountain Power
163 Acorn Lane
Colchester, VT 05446
9:00am – 5:00pm

Brattleboro: May 7 & 14
Holiday Inn Express
100 Chickering Drive
Brattleboro, VT 05301
9:00am – 5:00pm

Lyndonville: May 21 & 27
Lyndon State College
1001 College Road
Lyndonville, VT 05851
9:00am – 5:00pm

Click Here to Register

For more information, contact the Training Coordinator:
Scott Merriam
802-229-0099
scott@revermont.org

This has been a year of progress. Your tremendous acceptance and response to our publication tells us that we are moving in the right direction. We hopes that the info is helpful to lead YOU to  make some choices and steps towards an energy efficient lifestyle, with serious realization of how well renewable energy works and how attainable renewable energy is…  Where there is a will, there IS a WAY!!!

If we are not covering issues you would like to see, let us know…

We want to know what you think and if you have a ‘story’ or info to share or would like to advertise your business in our August 5th Issue, let us know!  The deadline for the next issue is July 22nd. If you could let us know your intentions ahead of time, it would be appreciated.

Call 802.439.6675  or email us here

You can either email them to us: nancy@greenenergytimes.org or add a comment with your info, on our ‘Events’ Page.

We welcome these and want to help to get the word out for everything that will help to reduce our carbon emissions down below 350ppm and to pre-industrial levels. It is our future!

Boston and New England Buildings Receive Energy Star Recognition

(Boston, Mass. – March 24, 2010) – Boston and New England businesses are again being recognized by EPA’s Energy Star program for their commitment to save energy and money through energy efficiency.

Continuing the impressive growth of the past several years, in 2009 nearly 3,900 commercial buildings nationwide earned the Energy Star label, representing annual savings of more than $900 million in utility bills and more than 4.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. Even in the face of the difficulties of the current economic state, these organizations remain dedicated to investing in energy efficiency solutions, reducing energy use and greenhouse gases.

This year, Boston ranked 13th in the list of top 25 U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest number of energy efficient buildings that have earned EPA’s Energy Star designation. Across New England, 136 buildings earned the Energy Star label in 2009, with 74 of them located in the Boston metropolitan areas. These award-winning buildings in Boston alone represent over 28 million square feet, and will save an estimated $40.3 million annually in lower energy bills, and will avoid greenhouse gas emissions equal to the energy use in 1600 homes.

In addition, five New England companies, out of 50 organizations nationally, are being recognized for their sustained excellence and long-term commitment to protecting our environment through superior energy efficiency. These winners are The Raytheon Company, National Grid, Osram Sylvania Inc., The Joint Management Committee representing Massachusetts New Homes with Energy Star, and Sponsors of Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP), all of Massachusetts.

Finally, EPA recognized 40 organizations as Partner of the Year for their comprehensive management of their energy use and for promotion of Energy Star products and practices to their consumers and within their communities. The New England winner of this award was HEI Hotels and Resorts of Norwalk, Conn. They have established a performance-based competition between their company hotels and promote energy efficiency to their 5,000 employees with gift cards and Energy Star qualified flat-screen televisions awarded to all staff at the top three most energy-improved hotels.

“Energy efficiency remains one of the most effective methods to reduce green house gas emissions and lower the impact of climate change. We applaud the sound energy management and innovation shown by these companies in New England in their efforts to reduce their operating costs and in turn reduce energy demand in New England,” said Curt Spalding, EPA New England regional administrator.

More Information:

List of the Top 25 Cities in 2009 with Energy Star labeled buildings (www.energystar.gov/ia/business/downloads/2009_Top_25_cities_chart.pdf)

Complete list of the Partner of the Year winners (www.energystar.gov/awards)

Access EPA’s real-time registry of all Energy Star labeled buildings 1999-present (energystar.gov/buildinglist)

Learn more about earning the Energy Star for commercial buildings (energystar.gov/labeledbuildings)

Contractors and Consumers: New Protections from Lead-based Paint Take Effect April 22

Public Info Session held in Portland, Maine on Friday, March 26

The new EPA rule, announced in 2008 and in development for years before that, sets in place more protective work practices to limit children’s potential exposure to lead dust due to painting, repair or renovation work in older houses and buildings. Anyone receiving compensation for renovating, repairing and painting work in residences built before 1978 that disturbs painted surfaces is subject to the new Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP). Also affected by the RRP are those performing similar work on facilities occupied by children less than six years of age, such as schools and day-care centers built prior to 1978.

EPA, along with federal and state partners, is holding a public information session on the new RRP rule on Friday, March 26, 2010 in Portland, Maine, between 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. The session is free and open to the public. However, space is limited so registration is required to ensure your spot. Registration can be done on-line or in person the day of the session. The meeting will be held at Holiday Inn by the Bay, (http://innbythebay.com/) 88 Spring Street, Portland, Maine 04101 (207) 775 -2311, in the Cumberland and the Kennebec Rooms. Register online (at www.epa.gov/region1/topics/pollutants/lead.html .)

Beginning April 22, 2010, no paid job can disturb painted surfaces in pre-1978 homes or child care facilities unless (1) the firm is certified by the EPA or a state and (2) the renovator has completed training and is a certified renovator. The requirements under the rule apply to maintenance, renovation or repair activities where six square feet (about the size of a poster) or more of a painted surface is disturbed inside, or where 20 square feet or more of painted surface (about the size of a door) is disturbed on the exterior. Window replacement is also covered by the rule. The only exceptions are where paint is proven lead free or the job is smaller than six square feet.

Lead hazards created by renovation and painting projects cause one in three known lead poisoning cases in Maine. Using safe work practices before, during, and after such work prevents the spread of dangerous lead dust and paint chips. These practices include posting a warning sign, spreading plastic to pick up debris, refraining from sanders or other machines without a filter to prevent the spread of dust, thorough clean-up, and checking the work area. A day of training is enough to prepare a renovator, painter, property manager, plumber, electrician, or handyman to use these practices, and federal law now requires it. Landlords who perform the work described above are also affected by the rule and bound by the same requirements.

“Because we have so much older housing stock here in New England, protecting kids from exposure to lead-based paint is one of the most important things we can do. Lead exposure is entirely preventable, and can cause permanent, serious, life-long problems,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator for EPA’s New England region.

Lead, a toxic metal that was used for many years in products such as lead-based paint, may cause a range of health effects from behavioral problems and learning disabilities, to seizures and death. Children six years old and under are most at risk. In 1978 the sale and use of lead-based paint was banned for residential use.

Until the new rule takes effect, contractors should follow these three simple procedures: contain the work area; minimize dust; and cleanup thoroughly.

More information:

Register for the Portland ME informational meeting (March 26, 2010): (www.epa.gov/region1/topics/pollutants/lead.html)

Renovator & Trainers Lead-safe Tool Box: (www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/toolkits.htm)

Find a certified firm near you: (http://cfpub.epa.gov/flpp/searchrrp_firm.htm)

General info on lead: (www.epa.gov/lead)

National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (1-800-424-5323)

Renovation, Repair and Painting rule: (www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm)

Follow EPA New England on Twitter: http://twitter.com/epanewengland

Note: If a link above doesn’t work, please copy and paste the URL into a browser.