The Greensboro, NC City Council, on January 4, 2011, will vote on a plan drafted by the Community Sustainability Council. The plan is directed at reducing emissions, creating green jobs and cost savings.

From the Greensboro City Council schedule:

“REGULAR MEETING
TUESDAY
JANUARY 4, 2011
5:30 P.M.
COUNCIL CHAMBER
27. Resolution approving City of Greensboro Sustainability Action Plan.
Referenced plan is filed in the City Clerk’s Office for public review.
(Council District: all) (roll call vote) (Attachment #27 to Councilmembers)”

From the Sustainability Action Plan November 18, 2010 Draft.

“November 2010

Dear Council Members,

On behalf of the entire Community Sustainability Council (CSC), we are pleased to present to you the City of Greensboro’s first ever Sustainability Action Plan.

The practice of sustainability seeks to balance the environmental, economic and human needs of our current generation with the need to proactively safeguard our community’s environmental and economic future. This Action Plan recommends a number of policies and strategies the City can adopt to do so.

The Action Plan is the culmination of a two-year process of collecting public input, working with City staff and developing CSC recommendations around a number of key topic areas. It includes several recommended policies and strategies the City and community can support to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improve energy efficiency, provide for economic development opportunities, promote an improved quality of life and save taxpayer money. Among the many anticipated co-benefits of these policies and strategies are reduced energy and fuel costs, more green jobs, improved air quality, improved public health and greater educational opportunities.

This Action Plan has been developed in the context of difficult economic times, significant City budgetary constraints and unpredictable future energy costs. This plan is only a beginning, starting with measures that have little or no cost to implement, yet provide significant benefits to the City and community in terms of increased energy and resource efficiency. In addition to the significant federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funds the City recently received, having a completed Action Plan also positions the City well to pursue similar future funding opportunities.

Essential to our overall recommended strategies is the establishment of a Cash Flow Sustainability Account, which would divert 50 percent of operating cost savings from City energy efficiency and conservation projects to fund additional such projects, with the remaining 50 percent allocated to the City’s general budget. Such an account will provide funding for the next round of measures that may require more upfront money, but will be crucial to making meaningful reductions in GHG emissions and safeguarding our economy.

We believe the time to act is now. While the strategies in the Action Plan only begin to stabilize the City’s GHG emissions, they provide critical momentum to move the City in the right direction and become more energy and resource efficient while saving money. And, with additional support for outreach and education efforts, it sets the stage for the City’s long-term progress and benefits, both environmentally and economically.

We thank you for your consideration and look forward to discussing the Action Plan’s many benefits with you in more detail.”

http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/53D958B8-FDA1-4228-9119-038BC2488C2B/0/110104ag.pdf

On Saturday, January 1, 2011, we will be notified by the Pepsi Refreah Project team if our project application has been approved for voting. If approved, a link will be provided on this site as well as on our social media accounts such as Twitter and Facebook.

We have been very active in passive solar and wind energy research and development using our own limited finances and resources. The Pepsi Refresh Project grant money, if received, will jump start our efforts, especially our planned design for solar augmented wind energy. Our advanced wind energy design should open new markets in lower wind speed areas.

We have already been in discussions and tests with two local established small businesses and will use them in our projects. We will immediately inject cash into the local economy with the intent of putting more people to work locally and nationally with labor intensive installations of passive solar and wind energy.

We will be utiliziing some active solar as well as passive solar. What we are particularly attracted to is more effectively using wind energy. Let’s face it. Using active or passive solar alone with a best case scenario of about 8 hours a day on average is not a good cost vs benefit solution.
Our December 1, 2010 announcement of our project review.

“Here is the email response from the Pepsi Refresh Project:

“We’ve received your idea, “Help us jump start simple, affordable green solar, wind energy, jobs.” We are reviewing it now.

Mark your calendar. On the first day of next month, we’ll let you know if your idea is approved. After that you can begin promoting your idea for a chance at a grant worth $50,000.”

We would like to add the following information. Our projects are very much ready to proceed and if we get the grant we will immediately spend money on parts and labor. We have been in negotiations with two small local companies.

■The first is a small local electrical company. The owner was impacted heavily by the economy and housing market. He has been upgrading his green energy and weatherization skills. He has already provided some volunteer labor for two of our projects.
■The second small company owner has been involved with us in the area of aesthetics, making passive solar projects more pleasing to the eye and consequently boost demand and jobs.”

http://greenenergyon-line.com/2010/12/01/pepsi-refresh-project-grant-december-1-2010-application-received-being-reviewed-additional-information/

How to vote for a project.

“Voting for a Pepsi Refresh Project grant proposal is simple.

First

Login in first with your email address and password

or

Use your Facebook account information.

Who can vote?

Legal residents of the US states or District of Columbia, age 13 and older.

How to vote

10 votes per day are allowed. Each vote must be for a different project. Voting starts on the first of the month and continues through the last day of every month. Unused Votes do not roll over.”
http://greenenergyon-line.com/2010/12/06/pepsi-refresh-project-voting-how-to-vote-vote-for-geo-green-energy-on-line/

From Herald Net December 28, 2010.

“Energy Ball wind turbines are planned for the Future of Flight museum”

“A building at Paine Field is powered partly by a “whirligig.”

That’s one employee’s word for the mini-windmill atop the Washington Aerospace Training and Research Center at the airport.

The wind turbine, called an Energy Ball, is made by Home Energy Americas of McKinney, Texas, and distributed by Northwest Windpower of Seattle.

Unlike conventional wind turbines, the Energy Ball has six rotary blades on a horizontal axis within a 6.5-foot-diameter spherical frame. The design generates more power for its size than regular windmills, according to the company’s website.

It’s also silent and swivels to capture the wind — “it’s omnidirectional,” said Ted Thomas, managing director for Northwest Windpower.

The largest of the two Energy Balls available, the V200, generates 60 kilowatts a day in wind speeds of 22 to 25 mph — more than double what the average home would use in a day, Thomas said.

For an organization occupying a large building, such as the Washington Aerospace Training and Research Center, one V200 produces only a supplemental amount of power, Thomas said. Since July, when a meter for the turbine at the training center was installed, it’s produced about 380 kilowatts of power, he said.”

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20101228/NEWS01/712289929/1122

From Home Energy Americas.

“This spherical and virtually silent wind turbine is characterized by the curved rotor blades, which are attached to the rotor hub at both ends. When the Energy Ball^® rotor turns it resembles an elongated sphere. This unique feature causes the wind to move parallel to the rotor hub through the rotor. This wind flow pattern forms a key contrast with classic sphere shaped Darrieus turbines, whereby the wind hits the blades perpendicular to the rotor shaft or rotor hub.

Due to the unusual and exceptional aerodynamic characteristics of the Energy Ball^®, it creates a wind flow pattern that converges first and is then accelerated through the rotor, resembling the rapids in a river (the so-called Venturi effect). This translates into a higher aerodynamic efficiency compared to conventional wind turbine designs.

The Energy Ball^® begins operating at very low wind speeds (2 m/s) and produces electricity at 3 m/s, which results in a very low standstill time.  The lightweight design of the Energy Ball^® allows for multiple residential configurations. The fact that the noise level is not detectable above the background noise is a very favorable feature for residential and commercial areas.”

http://www.homeenergyamericas.com/energy-ball

From the US Department of Energy December 16, 2010.

“Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced the Department’s intent to fund up to $50 million to test and demonstrate innovative technologies that will lead to cost-competitive solar energy technologies. The demonstration program will be a critical link between the Department of Energy’s advanced technology development programs and full-scale commercialization efforts. The Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) will serve as a proving ground for cutting-edge solar technologies, such as concentrating solar thermal power and concentrating photovoltaic energy, which can be used for utility applications in the Southwestern United States where there is an abundance of solar energy.
“This funding will allow the Department to further test advanced and innovative solar energy technologies in real-world conditions, providing critical data for companies and communities looking to invest in large-scale solar projects,” said Secretary Chu. “The Solar Demonstration Zone in Nevada is part of an integrated effort to expand the solar energy industry, helping to put America on a path to a sustainable energy future and create the jobs of the 21st century economy.”
The Department expects to announce the Funding Opportunity Announcement early next year. Potential technology applications include Concentrated Solar Power systems that use mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight on a heat absorbing fluid, convert it to steam, and ultimately generate electricity, as well as Concentrated Photovoltaic Power that uses lenses to concentrate sunlight to improve the efficiency of conventional photovoltaics. The demonstration projects as part of the Solar Demonstration Zone will be deployed at a large enough scale to provide useful operating and economic data for the eventual deployment of solar energy projects at utility-scale, which are typically grid-connected projects larger than 20 megawatts.
The Solar Demonstration Zone at the Nevada National Security Site will complement the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management’s 24 Solar Energy Study Areas (SESAs) on public lands across the Southwest United States by providing essential data about the commercial viability of the most advanced solar technologies.
As part of DOE and the Department of Interior’s continuing collaboration, the Departments are working together to implement this project, including conducting environmental reviews and coordinating necessary infrastructure planning for the site. Department of Energy funding for the project is dependent upon congressional appropriations. The full Notice of Intent is available on FedConnect.net by searching under Reference Number DE-FOA-0000233.
For more information on the Solar Energy Technologies Program and solar funding opportunities, please visit the Solar Program’s website.
Lean more information on the BLM’s renewable energy program.
Media contact(s):
(202) 586-4940″

http://energy.gov/news/9912.htm

From The Solar Energy Technologies Program.

“The Solar Energy Technologies Program focuses on developing cost-effective solar energy technologies that have the greatest potential to benefit the nation and the world. A growing solar industry also stimulates our economy by creating jobs in solar manufacturing and installation.”

“SOLAR SUBPROGRAMS
Photovoltaics
The Photovoltaics subprogram aggressively funds new devices, prototype designs, and systems development and manufacturing that can help PV solar electricity become more cost-competitive.

Concentrating Solar Power
The Concentrating Solar Power subprogram is making CSP competitive in the intermediate power market and developing advanced technologies that will reduce system and storage costs through partnerships with solar companies and universities and national laboratories.

Systems Integration
The Systems Integration subprogram addresses the technical barriers to wide-scale deployment of solar technologies on the grid by funding solar companies to develop smarter technologies, supporting testing and demonstration at national laboratories and in the field, developing new codes and standards, and removing economic barriers.

Market Transformation
The Market Transformation subprogram works with communities, states, utilities, and other partners to address barriers to the widespread adoption of solar technologies and reduce the non-hardware costs associated with installation.”

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/

From Cincinatti.com December 16, 2010.

“Mount Washington United Methodist Church expects to cut its energy use by more than 25 percent after completing a $40,000 energy efficiency program, the first nonprofit to complete the new program offered by the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance.

The nonprofit alliance, which has support from seven local governments in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, has embarked on a wide-ranging effort to increase the energy efficiency of homes and businesses across the region and create several hundred jobs in the process. Earlier this year the alliance received a $17 million grant, one of just 25 nationally by the Department of Energy’s Retrofit Ramp-up program to encourage community-based energy retrofits.

With a $21,200 grant from the Energy Alliance, the church on Corbly Road was able to complete the $40,200 project that including replacing 125 light fixtures with more efficient fluorescent light, replace a twelve year old boiler with a 96 percent efficient one, and exchanging outdated air conditioner equipment. The work was done by Monroe Mechanical.”

Read more;

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20101216/BIZ01/12170315/Energy-Alliance-helps-church-cut-costs

From Daily Finance December 10, 2010.

“Bob Vila, who inspired countless Baby Boomers to restore their old houses, is ready to help Echo Boomers with their do-it-yourself projects, too. Vila has completely remodeled his website, BobVila.com, which now offers digitized TV episodes and new home-related content that is easy to navigate, view and use.

“I have three kids who are part of the Millennial Generation, and like others in their 20s and 30s, they have moved into their first homes and started their own lives,” said Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement. “Some young people are in fixer-uppers, some are juggling household and day-care expenses, and many are getting their first set of tools. They are budget conscious, environmentally aware and tech savvy – and so is the new BobVila.com.”

“Building Green” is a major theme of the updated and expanded BobVila.com, which includes three, never-before-aired videos in which Bob Vila visits a large Habitat for Humanity project in New York City; the home of Mary Richardson Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.; and the house that renowned architect Allan Shope built into a hillside.

“Each of these three green-building projects has its own, unique variables,” said Vila. “Viewers will watch Habitat for Humanity build a 50-unit apartment complex in the Bronx using as many environmentally safe products as possible. They’ll see if the Kennedys’ once-flooded home can be cleaned of mold and made healthy again. They’ll also tour the amazing home the Kennedys built using salvaged materials and state-of-the-art green technologies. And, they’ll meet Allan Shope, an architect who designed his triangular, earth-bermed home to be carbon-neutral, maximizing its heating and cooling efficiency, and minimizing its impact on the planet.”"

Read more:

Sunforce 123 Watt Solar Panel Kit, $8,550.00

Model # 39107     Internet # 100677615

From the Home Depot website:

“This kit is an ideal solution for off-grid backup power and rural electrification. This kit includes ten 123 Watt solar panels, one 2500 Watt Pure Sine Wave inverter, and two 50 Amp charge controllers. The solar panels are easy for anyone to install, maintenance free, and completely weatherproof. The panels contain high efficiency polycrystalline solar cells. The Pro Series inverter has a continuous output of 2500 Watts, with a surge power of 5000 Watts. The inverter has the following protections; soft start system, low battery shut down, DC input overload voltage, output overload, overload temperature, short circuit shut down, high speed cooling fan. The inverter comes with a wireless remote control key chain. The 50 Amp Pro Series Charge Controller features include; temperature compensation, reverse polarity protection, PWM Boost charging for more efficient solar power systems.

 http://www.homedepot.com

How to Install a 60 Watt Solar Power Backup Kit

“Photovoltaic solar panels are an environmentally friendly, economical way to capture electricity from the sun. Using solar power, you can save money on your electric bill while reducing your impact on the environment.
 
  
 A 60-watt solar power backup kit is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in off-grid or grid-supplementing solar power. This kit, which uses four solar panels to convert solar energy for storage in a battery, is a cost-effective option for powering necessities in areas without grid power, such as a remotely located hunting cabin, electric fence or RV.

In addition, the kit can function as a backup generator to run your essential appliances in case of a grid-power outage. This project guide will show you how to install a 60-watt solar power backup kit ensuring your appliances can continue to function even when power is out.

Some electronics are not compatible with modified sine wave inverters. For information on this and to learn more about the appliances a 60-watt kit will power, be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions that come with your kit before you start.”

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentView?pn=KH_PG_EL_Installing_a_Solar_Panel&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Extend Energy of Greensboro, NC has installed a solar farm on the Mosca Farm located in the Browns Summit community. The active solar panels, that use silicon cells to convert solar energy to DC electricity, are expected to produce 52,000 kilowatts per year. Elrod Electric and Pike Electric were also involved in the project. Federal, state and utility grants were used to lower the $ 200,000 cost of the project.

Extend Energy contact information:

Extend Energy
1118 Grecade Street
Greensboro, NC 27404
E-Mail:
info@extendenergy.com

http://www.extendenergy.com

From the Asheville Citizen Times December 1, 2010.

“In a new report released today by the National Wildlife Federation, North Carolina is identified as a prime location for potential offshore wind farms, with warm temperatures and large areas of shallow water that may mitigate the downside of slightly slower wind speeds. The report finds a total 55 GW of wind potential, more than 20 percent of the total offshore wind potential along the Atlantic coast.  According to the data, development of wind projects off the coast of the Tar Heel state could create between 10,000 and 20,000 new manufacturing jobs.

The report, Offshore Wind in the Atlantic: Growing Momentum for Jobs, Energy Independence, Clean Air and Wildlife Protection, makes the following key findings.

Every state with significant offshore wind resources from Maine to Georgia has some taken some steps forward on offshore wind. Northern states (Maine to Maryland) have the most advanced projects while Southern states (Virginia to Georgia) are quickly mobilizing on a series of projects. See detailed chart and state profiles.

The Atlantic’s shallow water characteristics combined with excellent wind speed make it an ideal location for offshore wind farms. 93 percent of offshore wind projects worldwide are in shallow waters (zero to 30 meters deep). Close to half of the United States’ shallow water offshore wind is along the Atlantic coast.”

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20101201/NEWS/312010078

From The Triangle Business Journal December 10, 2010.

“San Jose, Calif.-based SunPower Corp. is scouting out investors to finance construction of what could become one of the largest solar energy facilities in the state.

SunPower’s proposal to build a 5 megawatt project on a 42-acre swath of land in Murfreesboro, Hertford County, in northeastern North Carolina has received approvals from state utilities regulators. Kurt Johnson, business development manager for SunPower, says the company is now in talks with potential investors, but he wouldn’t reveal how much the company is trying to raise.”

http://bizjournals.com/triangle/print-edition/2010/12/10/california-company-has-state-ok-for.html#ixzz17qEpSEsn

From Sunpower Corp.
“Early Successes Drive Global Demand

SunPower’s first major customers were anything but typical. In 1993, Honda Motor Company called with the news that they planned to compete in the annual Darwin to Adelaide solar car race across Australia. Honda wanted the most efficient solar cells on the planet to power their vehicle. Accordingly, SunPower’s engineers went to work crafting high-efficiency solar concentrator cells – and Honda won the race. Not by a minute or by an hour, but by an entire day. NASA took note, choosing SunPower’s cells for the world’s first solar-powered aircraft, the High-Altitude, Long Endurance (HALE) UAV Project. Soaring at 96,863 feet, the flight broke all prior altitude records.

Meanwhile, PowerLight was becoming a “name” in the solar industry. The company completed the first commercial PV installation in North America, a 200 kilowatt (kW) solar-powered system at the Mauna Lani Resort in Hawaii. Next up: America’s biggest rooftop solar system (comprised of 14,000 panels), at a Long Island, New York corporation. And in 2004, the company notched its biggest success: the completion of the Bavaria Solarpark power plant in Germany. With nearly 60,000 of SunPower’s panels generating 10.1 megawatts (MW) of power, at the time it was the world’s largest PV installation.

By the late 1990s, the PowerLight team set a goal to add new technologies that would enable solar panels to be used for ground-mounted solar projects. PowerLight Trackers went on to transform the worldwide market for ground-mounted solar trackers, which increase efficiency by following the sun throughout the day.

As the New Millennium dawned, both SunPower and PowerLight were industry leaders. The summer of 2003 brought the dedication of SunPower’s solar cell fabrication facility in the Philippines; the first “fab” constructed outside of Japan, Europe or the U.S. The company also made significant inroads into the international solar marketplace. In November of 2005, the wide-scale industry acceptance of SunPower’s products led to the company’s initial public offering.

A short year later, SunPower announced its intention to acquire PowerLight – and on January 10, 2007, SunPower and PowerLight became one entity. To this day, our legacy of technological innovation and solar expertise ensures that our customers continue to enjoy substantial environmental and financial benefits.

Technology We Believe In

Today, Dr. Swanson’s original vision – that solar energy generated from massive installations in the desert might power the electrical grid – is about to become reality. In 2008, SunPower signed an agreement with PG&E to build the world’s largest – 250 MW – photovoltaic (PV) power plant, set to begin energy delivery in 2010. Florida Power & Light Co. also contracted with us to provide 25 MW of electricity in 2009, and another 10 MW by the end of 2010.

We continue to provide high-energy solar systems for the world’s business and technology leaders, governmental agencies, retailers and other entities, along with the highest-efficiency solar panels for our international residential customers. And, in addition to our U.S. bases of operation, SunPower maintains offices in Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland as well as Singapore, Korea, and Australia.

What’s next? At SunPower we’re always striving to improve our technologies and drive solar power innovation, all with the goal of changing the way the world is powered. After all, there’s always something new under the sun.”

http://us.sunpowercorp.com/about/history.php