Weird Cow Friday – It’s true it is the Illinois State Fair time again

I was really disappointed in the Illinois State Fair this year. Last year there was so much energy conservation going on, both in the public and the private sector.  This year there was nothing but Conservation World. DO NOT get me wrong, as I said to the guy on the trolley as we drove by, “When I was young Conservation World was 2 guys under a tent. One guy from Ag. and one guy from DNR.” Now it takes up an entire corner of the Fair Grounds, has its own lake and the huge and energy efficient Department of Natural Resources building. It’s just that there wasn’t much going on around the rest of the fairgrounds. Yes, there were corn dogs and all the other exciting things that make the fair so cool, but I guess I got spoiled.

Anyway I go to the fair for the world famous Butter Cow. It starts out as this:

cesblog1.jpg

Then they strip it down to this:

 cesblog2.jpg

That is a telephone by the way in its head. Then they build it back to this:

cesblog3.jpg

The skunks are new!

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The Wilderness Society’s Andrew Peters Guest Post – Drill not Drill nowhere

Andrew Peters sent me this email and at first I thought I would post it as one big comment. BUT just as I was getting ready to hit submit, I thought, “heck this would make a great Post”. So with out any intro, Community Energy Systems first guest blogger:

http://www.wilderness.org/

Actually Andy is an overachieving intern:

From:

Add sender to Contacts

To:

info@censys.org

Hi Doug,

I’ve been reading the Energy Tough Love Blog and appreciated your focus green solutions, so I thought you might be interested in further information on the energy crunch. (You can also find a compilation of expert opinions here). Congress may have just left town but that doesn’t mean finding a solution to high gas prices has become any less pressing. The oil and gas industry has peddled misinformation and downright deceit in order to push the idea we need to drill more to lower prices.

I’d urge you to dig deeper and post the truth about this issue. Drilling everywhere will not provide relief from high oil prices. Not here. Not now.

The price of oil depends on a host of world economic factors, all of which have nothing to do with how much drilling is or is not taking place on our public lands. As a nation, we consume nearly a quarter of the world’s oil output and yet we hold less than 3 percent of its proven oil reserves. No increase in American drilling can meaningfully affect the price at the pump. Already, our country has more drill rigs (1,900) in operation than do all the other countries in the world (1,300).

Destroying some of our wildest places and scarring our beaches might pad big oil’s already overflowing bank accounts but it won’t help Americans.

We have reached the end of cheap and easy-to-extract oil. Supply barely outstrips demand and, as developing countries grow ever more oil-hungry, neither America nor the world will be able to produce enough to sate them. Some in Congress have suggested turning to unconventional sources like oil shale but no viable technology yet exists which can squeeze oil from rock.

Instead, we should recognize that the future lies in investing in renewable energy technology, increased fuel efficiency and more efficient energy technology. With these resources, we can place our nation on firm footing for the future while preserving the country’s wildest places for our children.

Best wishes,

Andy

If you couldn’t access the links above, I’ve posted them below in the order they appeared.

http://www.wilderness.org/gasprices/

http://wilderness.org/Library/Documents/upload/ExpertsOnOilPrices.pdf

http://www.wilderness.org/OurIssues/Energy/DrillingWilderness.cfm

http://www.eia.doe.gov/basics/quickoil.html

http://www.dollarsandsense.org/blog/2008/08/economists-letter-on-offshore-drilling.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSL119632920080731?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews

http://www.gulland.ca/depletion/endofcheapoil.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/28/opinion/28mon2.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Gas%20Price%20Follies%20&st=cse&oref=slogin

Andrew Peters

Communications

The Wilderness Society

Phone: 202.429.2639

Fax: 202.429.3945

The Wilderness Society’s mission is to protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places.

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T. Boone Pickens Is Wrong – It’s not the oil we import it’s what we use it for

Can you imagine all the dumb things we do with oil? We use it to make fertilizers most of which evaporate or run off. We use it to make plastic bags for God’s sake and then throw most of them in the dump. If we just cut our stupid usages and limited our oil consumption to the necessities like pharmceuticals we could easily cut our oil imports in half.

http://www.reusablebags.com/

Eco-friendly reusable bags, plus facts & news on plastic bag issue

Billions of plastic bags are choking our planet. All of these “free” bags ultimately cost both consumers and the environment plenty:

Each year billions of bags end up as ugly litter.

  • Eventually they break down into tiny toxic bits polluting our soil, river, lakes and oceans
  • Production requires vast amounts of oil.
  • Countless animals needlessly die each year. (more)

Since 2003 ReusableBags.com has been a major force providing facts and news on the global push to reduce plastic and paper bag consumption. Plus, simple actions you can take to help the cause.

As part of the solution our store features a wide range of reusable shopping bags and other innovative, practical products all designed to help people consume less, preserve natural resources and save money too. 

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I can’t reproduce this site because it’s a flash player but it is cool>

http://www.mybagcares.com/

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Even the grocery stores are getting into the act:

 http://www.sustainableisgood.com/blog/2008/05/mystery-surroun.html

 Mystery Surrounds New Whole Foods Reusable Bag

Mystery Surrounds New Whole Foods Reusable Bag

Wholefoods_betterbag

Whole Foods A Better Bag (photo: www.made-in-china.com)

When I started this story last month, I never expected a standard interview request with a designer to turn into a bureaucratic two-step that took us to China and back.

Austin-based Whole Foods Market officially phased out the use of plastic shopping bags on Earth Day last week. 

In December Whole Foods announced their intention to eliminate plastic bags and unveiled their new reusable bag called “A Better Bag.”  Following that announcement we reached out to the bag’s designer to learn more about the design and concept behind this colorful new bag. 

The response we received may be an indication of just how important reusable bags are becoming for Whole Foods. 

The colorful bags are quickly becoming the primary reusable bag the company sells, and their customers are embracing them thanks to their bright fun design, durability, low price and unique look and feel.

Perhaps an indicator of their popularity is the fact they are even selling on eBay.

A Better Bag was designed internally by Whole Foods staff who work on the company’s branded products.  The bag’s graphic design depicts blues and greens and a fresh cut apple.  Sustainable is Good attempted to obtain information on the bag’s artwork for this story.  However the bag’s designer was unable to answer any questions, citing a strict non-disclosure policy Whole Foods maintains with its employees.

 Sustainable is Good contacted the Whole Foods corporate office in March for information on the bag for our story.  Initially we were turned down, being told the company doesn’t speak to “trade publications.”  After some follow up we were then informed a “rare exception” was made at the approval of the director of PR for Whole Foods – the company would participate in our story.

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For more see:

 www.earthwisebags.com

 www.bravenewleaf.com/environment/2008/04/wal-mart-giving.html

www.shesabetty.typepad.com/shes_a_betty_single_girl_/2007/04/guide_to_reusab.html

www.reusablebags.wordpress.com

 www.reusablebags.com/store/shopping-sets-c-1.html

www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/5806

www.treehugger.com/files/2007/10/wal_marts_new_reusable_bag.php

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Help The Environment – Join The Sierra Club Today

Sierra Club Insider

April 15, 2008: Earth Day: Save Money and Solve Global Warming Green Your World Victory for the Grand Canyon “Green” Nobel Prize Winner Introducing Green Works

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Earth Day: Save Money and Solve Global Warming
This Earth Day (April 22), we know money is tight, and that energy prices are part of the squeeze so many of us are feeling. And also this Earth Day the challenge of reversing climate change looms large. The good news: We can make progress on both fronts by being more energy efficient and investing in renewables. Even better, shifting from oil and coal to wind and solar and energy efficient technologies will help us build a clean-energy economy, create and keep jobs, end the control the oil companies and other countries have over us and ease global warming. We can do it — and you can help.Step one is to check out our energy-efficiency quiz and chart to see how much money you can save. Then watch our how-to videos and learn to install a low-flow showerhead or wrap a water heater. Do even more by installing solar equipment (for less than $1,000! ) or buying wind and solar power.Time to roll up your sleeves!

| Discuss |



Now How About the Rest of Your World?
You can have an even bigger impact when you help your office, local hospital, schools, or place of worship make better use of efficiency and renewables. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel!We’ve got inspirational success stories and guides (like the “Guide for Congregations “) to get you started. If you’d rather get your city greener, join our Cool Cities campaign where you’ll find great materials and a community of folks who are doing the same thing. Or buy some popcorn and host an Energy Film Festival in your community. And on Earth Day itself, why not volunteer with the Sierra Club in your town?

| Discuss |   


Hey Mr. Green


A Grand Canyon Victory
On April 4, a federal judge issued a restraining order against a mining company and the Kaibab National Forest, halting uranium exploration on public lands within a few miles of Grand Canyon National Park. “We’re pleased that the judge recognized the importance of protecting the Canyon and the possible significant impacts this exploration could have,” said Sandy Bahr, director of the Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter.In December, the Kaibab National Forest had approved exploratory uranium drilling at up to 39 locations just south of the canyon. The Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Grand Canyon Trust took the Forest Service to court in early March for violating the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and failing to conduct a rigorous analysis of the cumulative impacts of drilling so close to a national treasure.Read more about the victory here.

| Discuss |  

 



Winning the Gold(man) in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican grandmother and homemaker Rosa Hilda Ramos has been awarded this year’s prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize, often called “the green Nobel.” In the shadow of polluting factories in Catano, a city across the bay from San Juan, Ramos led her community to successfully defeat a major polluter in court.She then helped direct the funds from the pollution fine to the permanent protection of Las Cucharillas Marsh, one of the last open spaces in the area and one of the largest wetlands ecosystems in the region. Ramos was nominated by the Sierra Club. Read more about her.

| Discuss |


Powerful Cleaning, Done Naturally
The Sierra Club would like to introduce Green Works, a breakthrough line of natural cleaning products that work as well as traditional cleaners without the harsh chemical fumes or residue. Made from plant- and mineral-based ingredients, Green Works products are a practical way for consumers to live a greener lifestyle without compromising performance.Learn more about Green Works and download a coupon for a discount on any Green Works product.

| Discuss |



Know someone who might be interested in the Sierra Club Insider? Help spread the word by using our online form to tell your friends, family, and co-workers about the Insider or simply forward this Insider on. (Some email clients strip the links out of emails when forwarded. If your email does this, you can also direct friends, family, and co-workers to our online version.)

EXPLORE

Get your Green Karma Here
Earth Day is next Tuesday — What have YOU done for Mother Nature lately? Score some major brownie points (or should we say “greenie” points?) with a week of building trails, restoring wildlife habitats, or digging in the dirt for archaeological remains on a Sierra Club Outings volunteer trip.

Not sure it’s for you? Read what Sunset magazine had to say about us.

Browse volunteer trips.


ENJOY

Calling Sierra Club Radio
Got some extra phone minutes? Dial (509) 895-2537 and you can listen to the latest episode of Sierra Club Radio wherever you are.

This week’s show features Australian pop star Missy Higgins talking about cutting back on carbon.


PROTECT

Spend to Save: Take the Pledge
This Earth Day, why not commit to spending some or all of your economic stimulus check on energy efficiency or renewables like solar and wind energy?By purchasing energy-efficient products, you can cut your energy use — and your energy bills. You’ll also reduce your carbon footprint and help fight global warming.

Take the pledge and join a discussion with others who have made that commitment.


Update My Profile | Manage My Email Preferences | Update My Interests

Sierra Club
85 Second St.
San Francisco, CA 94109
insider@sierraclub.org
http://www.sierraclub.org/

So What Do The Children Have To Say About The Environmental Rapists?

That’s right according to several studies there is at least 10% of the USA that could be described as Mean No Greens or environmental grumps. They are usually white middle aged guys. I call them enviro rapists. They are stealing their grandchildrens futures. So what do the kids think?

 http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/

Some climate strategies are sexy, and energy efficiency is certainly not one of them. Despite this, I am thoroughly convinced that a concentrated push for global energy efficiency is the most productive direction for the climate movement. The opportunities are truly massive: energy efficiency measures could halve US projected energy consumption in 2030. Globally, energy efficiency improvements could profitably reduce 2020 energy consumption by 1/4. And because increased energy efficiency is primarily blocked by political, not technical, barriers, activists could achieve huge results if they unified around this goal.

new_ee_logo.gif

 For now I just want to sketch out some of the potential of energy efficiency, and suggest policy directions to be explored. Further analysis should explore how the low cost of energy efficiency measures could be used to counter republican calls for nuclear and drill,drill,drilling.

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It’s clear they are not happy:

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 http://www.unep.org/tunza/youth/

It is inspiring when young people from around the world use their knowledge, sense of motivation and energy to bring about action for the environment. Young people bring a fresh outlook to environmental activism. TUNZA is about empowering You to act. This section “Youth Action Around the World” draws upon the experiences of other young environmentalists to find solutions and inspire action. It also publishes the good work of youth in areas related to environmental development.

Read on…be inspired!To share your story with us, click here.

Global
Global International Youth Summit Go 4 BioDiv Declaration.
This declaration was signed by 50 young adults from 18 countries in the International Wilderness Camp and National Park Bavarian Forest. It was presented at the United Nations Conference of the Parties, Convention on Biological Diversity.
Australia
Australia Aussie Kids Turning The Tide.
A group of young people in Gladstone, Queensland, Australia who get together to plan environmental activities and how to get others involved.
Africa
Uganda Environmental Sustainability
Indigenous NGO sensitizes the community on ways to protect the environment
Egypt Make Use Of Waste!
Young people launch the ‘Culture, Clean and Development Campaign’ to encourage recycling of waste
Kenya Clean Up the World Report from Mathare Youth Sports Association
Kenyan youth participate in Clean Up the World activities by sensitizing the communities living along the Mathare River on the effects of dumping waste in the river.
Kenya Youth Helping Youth
Young people seek to save forests.

Nigeria Fighting Water Pollution
Young people establish a project to reduce water contamination.

Nigeria Young People Advocate For Sustainable Environments
Youth Action Initiative request for a voice in policy and decision making
Asia & the Pacific
China Environmental Song
Shiqing Cui, Chairman of the Association of Volunteers for Environmental Protection, wrote a song entitled “The Dangers of Tomorrow”. The text has been translated into both English and Chinese
India Saving The Environment
Student pledges to save the environment
India Preventing Pollution: Protecting The Environment
Two students from Vivekanandha Higher Secondary School, Pondicherry, India, take action to save the environment
India Catalysts for Change
Students setup a clean-up & environmental monitoring campaign.
Vietnam Water… A Human Right
Vu Thuy Ahn campaigns for water-rights

Europe
Turkey The Fatma zcan Swallow Project  
Youth develop environmental action plan to save swallows.
Sweden Protecting Mountain Forests   
European activists join hands against the destruction of Mountain Forests.  
Britain – Pioneering Sustainble Living
A British student develops a Zero-Energy house.
Britain – Sustainable Transport Book Project
Peace Child International is working on a book that will be written and edited entirely by children and young people.

Latin America & the Caribbean
Peru- Demanding Sulphur-Free Fuel
A Youth Campaign pioneered by Comité Ambiental Juvenil
Guyana- Celebrating Guyana’s Rich Biodiversity
North Rupunini Youth Support Wildlife Management Projects
North America
Canada  Enhancing Biodiversity in an Urban Wetland
Students adopt a marsh as a research and conservation area
USA– Green Teens Clean Up the World
Jessie Mehrhoff, a previous Junior Board Member from Connecticut, and other Green Teens participate in Clean Up the World weekend.
USA– Against all Odds: Action for Climate Change
Despite the US Government’s decision not to sign the Kyoto Protocol,students take action for clean energy
USA – Sundance Festival
Kids and grown ups celebrate the glory of the sun and of nature

USA – Lighting Up New York
The first environmental resolution in the history of the New York City Youth Congress

USA – Roots & Shoots
Smitha Ramakrishnaeen has been working for the Project SOAR, University of Arizona extension center as a mentor for kids from an inner city school in Chandler. She is being trained on Project Wet activities and is mentoring kids. Some of the activities she is doing was adapted from what she learned in Mexico City at the forum. I hope things are going good for you folks.


West Asia
LebanonMaking the Difference
A devastating fire destroys a forest , prompting young people to take organized action to fight deforestation nation-wide.  

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Apparently there are a lot of them too.

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Nuclear Future – Probably Not – Or as W says Nuclr

Oh yah, they were gona go gangbusters on this ultra new design. Ah would that be untested?

http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2008/07/revelations-of-nuclear-reactor-design.asp

FACING SOUTH

A New Voice for a Changing South

 iss_logo.gif

 PO Box 531  •  Durham,NC 27702  •  Telephone: (919) 419-8311  •  Fax: (919) 419-8315

July 28, 2008 

Revelations of nuclear reactor

design flaws spur

legal action over

Duke cost estimates

In states across the South, utility companies are pushing ahead with plans to construct a new kind of nuclear reactor. Designed by Westinghouse Electric Co., the AP1000 is to date but an idea on paper, having never been tested with a demonstration model in the real world.
And now it appears there are serious problems with the reactor design, which is delaying the regulatory approval process. Those problems, in turn, have sparked legal actions by public-interest groups calling on utilities commissions in the Carolinas to revoke $230 million in approved pre-construction costs for two new reactors planned by Duke Energy of Charlotte, N.C.

Last week, Friends of the Earth in Columbia, S.C. and the Durham-based N.C. Waste Awareness and Reduction Network filed legal motions seeking the cost revocation. They argue that the design problems threaten Duke’s chances of ever completing two new AP1000 reactors it wants to build at the proposed Lee Nuclear Station on the Broad River in Cherokee County, S.C.. They also say the delays mean Duke can’t provide a reliable cost estimate for the station by year’s end, a commitment the company made to both commissions during hearings on pre-construction costs.

“Duke Energy’s customers should not be stuck holding the bag if the company keeps pouring millions into that risky project,” said Friends of the Earth’s Tom Clements. “The state regulatory agencies must now reverse their earlier decisions to approve Duke’s reactor project and require that the company not come back for reconsideration until the reactor design is finalized.”

In a June 27 letter to Westinghouse, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the company’s recent withdrawal of technical documents due to design problems had delayed the agency’s review of key components and systems. Earlier this year, as part of the application process for building new plants, Duke Energy and other companies filed some 6,500 pages of technical documents from Westinghouse.

The NRC wants to review and certify plant designs separately from the plant applications. Because the agency expects more design modifications as its review continues, it’s likely that all the projects involving the AP1000 will be delayed.

The same type of reactors are being proposed by Progress Energy for its Shearon Harris plant in Wake County, N.C. as well as the company’s planned facility in Levy County, Fla.; SCE&G for the Summer Nuclear Plant in Fairfield County, S.C.; Georgia Power’s Vogtle plant in Burke County, Ga.; FP&L’s Turkey Point nuclear plant in Miami-Dade County; and Tennessee Valley Authority’s Bellefonte Nuclear Generating Station in Jackson County, Ala.

A public hearing about the Bellefonte plant is scheduled for this Wednesday, July 30 at 9 a.m. at the Scottsboro Goosepond Civic Center in Scottsboro, Ala. The AP1000 design problems are expected to be part of the discussion.

Concerns about the reactor design were also raised during the July 17 public meeting in Waynesboro, Ga. about the two new reactors proposed for the Vogtle plant. Though the NRC does not expect to certify the reactor’s final design until 2012, the NRC said they expected to issue a license for Vogtle in 2011, leading nuclear opponents to level charges of “rubber stamping.”

The AP1000 reactors are being built by a consortium, 80 percent of which is owned by Westinghouse Electric (which in turn is owned by Japan’s Toshiba Corp.) and the rest by Louisiana-based The Shaw Group’s nuclear division. In December 2006, the AP1000 Consortium won a contract with China’s State Nuclear Power Technology Co. to build four new nuclear power plants in that country.

leenuclearplans.jpg

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Solar Power Goes Main Stream – I mean Main Street

Amanda Beals has been trying to get me to post some of Main Streets “Environmental Coverage” for a while now. Here one is but Solar Jackets by Designer People? Whoa 

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http://mainstreet.com/5-solar-solutions

5 Solar Solutions

By Sean Leviashvili (07/28/08)

The Greatest Green Gadgets Ever

Some companies are struggling to go green, but rumor has it Toyota (TM) is going greener.

Japanese business paper the Nikkei reported earlier this month that the company plans to install solar panels on the redesigned Prius in 2009. The solar panels will provide two to five kilowatts of electricity to power utilities like air conditioners and radios.

Sales for the Prius are booming, especially in light of rising gas prices and the growing go-green trend. But if you aren’t ready to give up your gas guzzler, or simply can’t afford a $25,000 car, there are other ways you can get in on the solar craze.

Take a Look!

It’s in the Bag:


Chargers:
With an internal rechargeable battery, the Solio Classic charger acts as a hybrid giving you the option to connect to a home outlet or accept energy from the sun. The Solio can charge multiple gadgets including an iPod (AAPL), cell phone or digital camera. Check out the range of models ($79.95-169.95) at solio.com. Depending on the amount of sunlight, the Solio charger is capable of charging your gadget in under two hours.

Bags:

To charge on the go, invest in a solar backpack or messenger bag. According to Krissie Nagy, a sales and marketing representative from Voltaic Systems, an hour of direct sunlight will yield 1.5 hours of full cell phone use, or 3 hours of iPod play. Voltaic bags come with eleven different adaptors, including the latest Samsung charger, along with a car charger socket that covers adaptors not included.

Different bags have different charging potentials, and the devices you plan on charging should influence your purchasing decision. Charging a laptop, for example, is only possible in bags yielding at least 17 watts of electricity, such as the Voltaic Generator, available at voltaicsystems.com for $599.

Solar Jackets:
The Ermenegildo Zegna designed solar powered jacket charges devices right in your pocket. But this luxury doesn’t come cheap. The price: $995. According to the company’s official website, www.zegna.com, the jacket uses solar cells on the detachable neoprene collar, and powers devices at 5 or 6 volts, so it can charge your cell phone or iPod, but nothing larger.

AT HOME

Solar Water Heating:
Installing a solar water heating system costs between $5,000 and $8,000, says Gary Trainer, professional engineer for Solarplex in San Antonio, Texas. The installation process requires solar panels and a separate water tank, which works with anti-freeze and your home’s original water tank to produce hot water. The system, Trainer says, can cover 60 to 80% of your total water heating needs. And, while the initial purchase is costly, the long-term payoff is substantial. “After about eight years, you’ll really see the value in the system,” Trainer says. “At that point, the system will basically pay for itself.”

Solar Pool Heating:
With solar pool heating, you can extend your swim season by months. Depending on the size of your pool, buying and installing a solar pool-heating system costs anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000. According to the eere.gov, a branch of the Department of Energy’s website that focuses on energy efficiency and renewable energy, the cost of heating your pool with solar power runs from $7 to $12 per square foot.

Solar pool heating can save hundreds of dollars each year, and according to Trainer, this system has the greatest payoff of all solar heating systems. “The most expensive installment is the conventional grid type stuff, where you use solar power to reduce the energy your in-house utilities use,” Trainer admits. “But it’s not difficult to install a [solar] heating system for your pool for three or five thousand dollars, and the payout is great, it’s about two to four years.”

Solar heating systems all require solar panels (amount will vary based on the system), and a prior consultation to decide if solar power is right for you.

“There are certain conditions where it is just impractical,” Trainer says. “Trees are usually the number one reason, along with space limitation, and limited access to the sun.”

For more information on how to incorporate solar energy into your life, log on to The Department of Energy’s official website.



 

Oil Falls to 121$$ A Barrel – We are all going to die, but it will take awhile and be mildly uncomfortable

This is the last time I am going to post about nasty icky oil (that we should stop burning anyway) until it falls below 100$$ a barrel. We need the stuff for pharmecuticals, and parts for our satellites/space craft. Stuff that only oil can be used to make. Transportation ain’t one of them and we need to quit using it for that. Oil will be below 100$$ a barrel by the end of August. All of the oil people should be freaking out because we used some 800,000 fewer barrels in May the USA and those kind of changes usually are permanent.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080729/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_prices;_ylt=AshIG6iZs_taqFegOtxj5tOs0NUE

Oil hits 7-week low on demand worries, dollar gain 

By4 STEVENSON JACOBS, AP Business Writer 

NEW YORK – Oil prices tumbled to their lowest level in seven weeks Tuesday as a stronger dollar and beliefs that record prices are eroding the world’s thirst for energy sparked another dramatic sell-off

The drop — as much as $4 a barrel during the day — was a throwback to oil’s nosedive over the past two weeks and outweighed supply concerns touched off by a militant attack Monday on two Nigerian crude pipelines. It was oil’s seventh decline in the last 10 sessions.

Light, sweet crude for September delivery fell $1.89, or 1.52 percent, to $122.84 a barrel in early afternoon trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, prices fell to $120.42, the lowest level for a front-month contract since June 10; they have now fallen more than $25 from their trading high of $147.27, reached July 11.

More concerns that crude’s run-up over the past year has pushed prices to unsustainable levels fed Monday’s decline. The U.S. Transportation Department said Monday that U.S. drivers logged 9.6 billion fewer vehicle miles in May — or 3.7 percent — compared to the same period last year, the biggest drop ever for the historically busy summer driving month.

And demand for oil in the U.S. — the world’s thirstiest consumer — continues to fall, dropping by 891,000 barrels per day in May compared the same month a year ago, the Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration said Monday.

“We’re seeing both statistical and anecdotal evidence of very rapidly weakening demand picture,” said Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consultancy Ritterbusch and Associates in Galena, Ill.

The declines accelerated after oil briefly dipped below $122, a key resistance level that triggered technical selling by computers programed to dump oil contracts once prices fall below a certain threshold. The next technical level traders are watching is $117.

“I think we could see $117 a barrel in a one-week time frame, and this market could eventually get to $100,” Ritterbusch said.

Also weighing on prices was a sharply stronger dollar compared to the euro, which made commodities less attractive to investors who have bought oil futures as a hedge against inflation and weakness in the U.S. currency.

The euro bought $1.5557 compared with $1.5752 late Monday in New York.

“It looks like oil is selling off today with the very, very strong dollar and nothing to drive it higher. Quiet seems to be bearish these days,” said Tom Kloza, publisher and chief oil analyst at Oil Price Information Service in Wall, N.J.

In a further sign high prices are curbing Americans’ consumption for fuel, retail gas prices fell further below the $4-a-gallon mark. The average price of a regular gas fell 1.7 cents to $3.941, according to auto club AAA, the Oil Prices Information Service and Wright Express.

Monday’s attack in Nigeria targeted two pipelines believed to be owned by a unit of Royal Dutch Shell PLC and was the latest in a two-year campaign of attacks on the country’s oil industry. Shell said a pipeline had been damaged in attacks and that some crude production had been shut down to prevent the oil from spilling into the environment.

The oil company said Tuesday it may not be able to fulfill some oil-export contracts because of the damage. Shell didn’t specify how much oil production was cut by the attack or how long repairs would take.
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 http://in.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idINIndia-34728620080729

‘Abnormal’ oil prices could fall to$80-OPEC pres

 By Muklis Ali

JAKARTA (Reuters) – OPEC should not consider cutting production after oil’s steep two-week decline as markets are now balanced, OPEC President Chakib Khelil said on Tuesday, adding that prices could yet fall another $50 a barrel.

Khelil, who is also Algeria’s oil minister, said oil prices could fall to $70 to $80 in the long-term, if the U.S. dollar continued to strengthen and geopolitical anxieties eased.

“The price today is abnormal at $123 a barrel,” said Khelil, speaking to reporters on a visit to Jakarta to meet Indonesia’s energy minister.

He did not elaborate, but OPEC ministers have said repeatedly that they believe the surge in oil prices is not being driven by a shortage of supply.

Asked if OPEC members should cut supply if oil prices continue to decline, he said: “No, I don’t think so, why should they cut production? They always want to make sure there is good supply and demand and to satisfy the demand.”

U.S. oil prices have fallen by $22 from a record high above $147 a barrel earlier this month amid growing concerns that high prices and slowing economic growth are causing a decline in demand, but prices are still up 30 percent on the year.

“We are not worried about any price, because we don’t decide the price. We just meet the demand,” he said.

Khelil said he did not see any signs of demand destruction from high prices. 
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Solar Power – Then there are the people working to get us off oil and coal

Too many people and too little time. But they are trying.

http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/Newspage.asp

July 28, 2008

Pueblo, CO, USA: Colorado State University-Pueblo to Install 1 Megawatt PV System

Colorado State University-Pueblo soon will be the home of a solar electric system in excess of one megawatt, one of the largest such systems for an education facility in the United States. Under this innovative arrangement with Black Hills Energy (formerly Aquila) and BP Solar, the system is estimated to contribute more than 10 percent of the University’s electricity needs. Installation of the ground-based solar array will begin in July with full operation scheduled for late this fall.

The University will purchase the electricity generated by the solar array from BP Solar, who will install and operate the system. Black Hills Energy will purchase the solar on-site renewable energy credits generated from the system from BP Solar. The system will be constructed on the east side of campus between the physical plant complex and the softball fields on a strip of land that could not easily serve any other purpose.

“We view this as an extension of the commitment the University and the CSU System have made to renewable and sustainable energy,” said CSU-Pueblo President Joseph Garcia. “Because this solar array will be visible from new facilities being constructed to support our new athletic programs and the planned development on our eastern campus border, it will serve as a strong statement about the University’s commitment to supporting sustainable energy resources.”

“We are proud to be able to bring large-scale solar energy to Pueblo,” said Mary Shields, vice president of global sales and marketing for BP Solar. “The CSU-Pueblo campus is the perfect place to demonstrate the clean, efficient power that solar can provide to communities throughout Colorado and other parts of the U.S.”

Garcia added that the new system supports Governor Ritter’s New Energy Economy to make Colorado a hub for solar energy and supports Black Hills Energy’s effort to bring more solar energy to Colorado. As part of its Solar Rebate Program, Black Hills Energy will provide a $200,000 upfront rebate incentive for the installation of the solar system. The program helps Black Hills Energy meet Colorado’s Renewable Energy Standard, which requires that five percent of Black Hills Energy’s electricity sales be generated from renewable sources.

“Black Hills Energy is excited to be a part of this project and about the solar energy contribution this system will provide CSU-Pueblo,” said Gary Stone, Black Hills Energy vice president for Colorado electric operations. “Combined with the Black Hills Energy Solar Rebate Program, biomass and wind resources already in use, the CSU-Pueblo solar system builds on Black Hills Energy’s commitment to renewable energy for the communities we serve in Colorado.” With new facilities being brought on-line during the next six months, including a new $11.2 million student recreation center, CSU-Pueblo estimates the completed project will generate savings in utility costs and help absorb the cost of increased demand. Garcia said the project is a winning venture for all three partners.

“In short, this project will help control the University’s utility costs as prices and usage increase, promote the use of sustainable resources, help satisfy Black Hills Energy’s state mandates, and allow BP Solar to bring a major solar project to Southern Colorado,” Garcia said.

Smart Growth Advocates (SGA), a local non-profit, connected the partners last year. “Assembling the combined talents of a team of this caliber ensured results which exceeded expectations. Our goal was to highlight the effectiveness of public-private partnerships to deliver concrete sustainable solutions, and we are elated with the result,” said Vickie Massam, SGA President.


Further details about: BP Solar
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July 24, 2008Tempe, AZ, USA: First Solar to Build 10 MW Solar PV Power Plant for Sempra Generation

First Solar will build a 10 megawatt photovoltaic power plant for Sempra Generation near Boulder City, Nevada. First Solar will design, engineer and construct the turnkey PV power plant and will provide monitoring and maintenance services for the plant over its lifetime. Sempra Generation will be the developer for the project, and will own and operate the PV power plant once completed.

Construction began in July, and the 10 MW PV power plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2008. The solar modules to be deployed in this ground-mount project will be produced at First Solar’s manufacturing facility in Perrysburg, Ohio.

“Sempra Generation has a proven track record for successful energy resource development and we are pleased to work with them to bring additional renewable electric generation to the region,” said Mike Ahearn, chief executive officer of First Solar.

The 10 MW PV power plant will be adjacent to Sempra Generation’s existing El Dorado combined cycle natural gas plant. By co-locating this new PV power plant with existing infrastructure and the associated interconnection and transmission facilities, Sempra Generation will maximize their land and transmission. As a result, the impact to the immediate environment is minimal and the project completion timeline will be shorter. The PV power plant will serve customers in California and the Western United States.

“This new solar project is another step in Sempra Generation’s long-range plan to emerge as a leading renewable-energy developer,” said Michael W. Allman, president and chief executive officer of Sempra Generation. “The combination of Sempra Generation’s experience in developing power-generation projects in the region with First Solar’s expertise in advanced, thin-film photovoltaic solutions is a natural fit. ”

First Solar explains that it is a cost leader in the solar PV industry, driven by an advanced thin film semiconductor manufacturing process. At the end of 2007, over 300 MW of First Solar PV modules had been installed worldwide and First Solar expects to ship 420 to 460 MW of PV modules in 2008. Together with its project partners, First Solar modules have been deployed in several of the largest ground and rooftop PV power plants in the world.


Further details about: First Solar

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Oil Is 125$$ A Barrel – We are all going to die!

Oh sorry, as oil gentily falls to 70 or 80$$ per barrel. Americans will have to come to grips with the fact that the super wealthy just soaked the world for 350 billion $$. The Saudies have to be trembling. Americans travel 40 billion miles less this year. Bummer guys.