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Triple threat: Obama orders federal agencies to boost clean energy use threefold

Triple threat: Obama orders federal agencies to boost clean energy use threefold

Nellis Air Force Base

Two bills in the Senate would require the country to get at least 25 percent renewable electricity by 2025, but neither has a chance in hell of making it to Obama’s desk. Thanks, Republicans! So the president is doing what he can without approval from Congress: requiring the federal government to get more of its power from renewable sources.

From NPR

President Obama says the U.S. government “must lead by example” when it comes to safeguarding the environment, so he’s ordering federal agencies to use more clean energy.

Under a presidential memorandum out Thursday, each agency would have until 2020 to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable supplies. …

Agencies are supposed to build their own facilities when they can, or buy clean energy from wind farms and solar facilities. …

The memo also directs federal agencies to increase energy efficiency in its buildings and its power management systems.

The U.S. government currently gets about 7.5 percent of its electricity from renewables, so the new goal would almost triple that percentage.

With today’s memorandum, Obama follows through on a promise he made in his big climate speech in June. We’re looking forward to him keeping the rest of the promises from that speech.


Source
Obama Tells Government To Ramp Up Its Renewable Energy Use, NPR

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Triple threat: Obama orders federal agencies to boost clean energy use threefold

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How one small community is going big on solar

How one small community is going big on solar

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A rural cooperative is about to cook up Iowa’s biggest solar array — in the aptly named community of Frytown.

The local board of supervisors recently rezoned nine acres of land owned by the Farmers Electric Co-op, which is planning to build a 500-kilowatt array at the site. Co-op officials say construction could be finished by March, meeting 15 percent of the power needs of its 600 members in eastern Iowa.

“It keeps our money local,” said Warren McKenna, the co-op’s general manager, according to The Daily Iowan. “We’re not sending our money up to the larger companies. [It] saves everybody money.” Johnson County planning and zoning official RJ Moore said the solar farm would be the only one of its kind in the state.

Pushing the renewables envelope isn’t new for the co-op, as The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports:

Founded in 1916, Farmers Electric Co-op has been investing in solar power since 2008 when the cooperative installed solar arrays at Township Elementary and Iowa Mennonite School for renewable energy and educational opportunities. A third array is planned for Pathway Christian School near Kalona as well.

Next came the solar garden, which allows residents to purchase solar panels — at a reduced cost — in the cooperative’s growing solar array behind the company’s main building. The value of power generated on the panels is then deducted from the customer’s electric bill.

Maria Urice, a consultant who helps coordinate and market the cooperative’s renewable and energy efficiency efforts, said the solar garden was an immediate success.

“We offered 20 (panels) and they were sold out in less than a week,” she said. “We ended up tripling the offer.”

Another initiative allows residents to purchase and install site arrays near their businesses, farms or homes. Again, the power generated replaces electricity used on the property.

This isn’t the only happy energy news in the area. Facebook recently announced that a data center being built in Altoona, Iowa, 100 miles west of Frytown, will be powered entirely with wind energy.


Source
Johnson County’s Field of Beams, Iowa City Press-Citizen
Planned solar farm moves forward with sustainability plans, Daily Iowan

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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How one small community is going big on solar

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How Can You Benefit From Solar Energy In Your Home?

There’s a growing interest in Sacramento, California regarding the use of solar power. Consumers are noticing that this eco-friendly and very efficient source of electricity is really worth the investment. It’s no longer a futuristic dream to have efficient clean power generated by this semi-infinite resource of power; the sun. We have long seen solar technology as something just utilized for small gadgets such as timepieces and solar calculators, but if you look very closely, solar energy is being utilized everywhere. From satellites in space, universities to your local households in Sacramento.

Curious to know how you can make solar power work in your home?

The very first thing you ought to do is have the solar panels mounted in your residence by a specialist. This is not a complex undertaking but if just anybody will do it, some important details might be missed.

When a reliable installer will do the task, he could assure the system’s good performance and prolonged life span. Ideally, you may put the solar energy panels on top of your house. Setting them up in open grounds and yards may also be an alternative when you have the necessary area.

With a solar panel, you have got a device that makes available electric power which is converted from the energy of sunlight. This ensues either instantly employing photovoltaics (PV), which convert light to an electric current employing the photoelectric effect.

A solar cell, also known as photovoltaic cell (PV), is a gadget, as we described that changes light into an electric current. It was Charles Fritts who made the very first solar cell in 1880 and since then much has changed in terms of its productivity.

The direct current (DC) power that solar cells produce is not the same each time but depends on the intensity of the heat of the sun. Therefore, inverters are needed to routinely alter to get the required voltages or alternating current (AC).

Solar cells are connected in series within what’s known as modules. Then these units are connected together to create arrays, after which hooked to an inverter, which collects the energy at the desired voltage, and for the alternating current, the desired frequency/phase.

One query which plenty of people ask in Sacramento, California is how about during the night? Could i also employ solar power during the night?

This is rather simple; grid energy storage likewise known as large-scale energy storage, stores during periods when the production exceeds usage and then can use that extra energy when usage is greater than production.

This not just assures the consumer that he is going to have enough energy during night time or cloudy weather, but it preserves a regular amount of electrical current.

Connecting your property to the utility grid will allow you to simply buy power when you require it. Additionally, even better is, you can sell and generate income from the energy that you’re not utilizing. Therefore, by means of this system, you are certain that no power is ever lost. Total dependence on power from solar panels which have been set up accurately, therefore, is achievable.

Government policies vary depending on location and are typically subject to modification. The payback price is dependent upon the company providing the grid stores. With the grid store, you may conserve your excess energy for use later on or it can be sold back to the company.

Installing solar power is now an essential part of living in Sacramento, CA, the location is ideal for this kind of energy, and it appears to be productive due to the consistent sunlight in the region.

As for solar energy panels, which technology has been pushing to develop, will only make a great investment in your house, and will add, without a doubt, extra value to your property.

Getting solar power panels put in on your home is a great purchase that a lot of people still do not comprehend. Follow the link for more details so you can inform yourself about this great technological innovation.

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Compromise in Arizona Defers a Solar Power Fight

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Codex: Eldar – Games Workshop

Codex: Eldar is your comprehensive guide to wielding the deadly warhosts of the Craftworld Eldar upon the battlefields of the 41 st Millennium. This volume details the craftworlds of the Eldar, and the different types of army they field. The Eldar embody excellence in the arts of war, from their psychic might to their deadly aircraft, and their ranks co […]

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Codex: Inquisition – Games Workshop

The Inquisition is the most powerful organisation within the Imperium. Bound by no Imperial law or authority, its agents – Inquisitors – operate in a highly secretive manner and answer only to themselves. Inquisitors use whatever means are necessary in order to safeguard the Imperium from heretics, mutants and aliens. It is not without good reason that Inqui […]

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Codex: Inquisition (eBook Edition) – Games Workshop

The Inquisition is the most powerful organisation within the Imperium. Bound by no Imperial law or authority, its agents – Inquisitors – operate in a highly secretive manner and answer only to themselves. Inquisitors use whatever means are necessary in order to safeguard the Imperium from heretics, mutants and aliens. It is not without good reason that Inqui […]

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Codex: Space Marines (Enhanced Edition) – Games Workshop

The Space Marines are the chosen warriors of the Emperor, and the greatest fighting force of the Imperium. Each Space Marine is a genetically enhanced super soldier, easily a match for a dozen lesser men, armed with some of the deadliest weapons in the galaxy and encased in formidable power armour. This codex explores the formations and Chapters of the Space […]

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Duct Tape Your Heart Out! – Leisure Arts & Patti Wallenfang

With today’s colorful duct tape and the fun projects in this book, you can craft to your heart’s content! Dress up school stuff and rain gear, make hip headphones and a purse or wallet, give new life to old shoes, bend covered coax cable into wall art words, and create unique jewelry to share with friends. These ideas are irresistible! Step-by-step photos an […]

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How to Raise the Perfect Dog – Cesar Millan & Melissa Jo Peltier

From the bestselling author and star of National Geographic Channel’s Dog Whisperer , the only resource you’ll need for raising a happy, healthy dog. For the millions of people every year who consider bringing a puppy into their lives–as well as those who have already brought a dog home–Cesar Millan, the preeminent dog behavior expert, says, “Yes, […]

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Codex: Adepta Sororitas – Games Workshop

The Adepta Sororitas, also known as the Sisters of Battle, are an elite sisterhood of warriors raised from infancy to adore the Emperor of Mankind. Their fanatical devotion and unwavering purity is a bulwark against corruption, heresy and alien attack, and once battle has been joined they will stop at nothing until their enemies are utterly crushed In this b […]

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Paracord Fusion Ties – Volume 2 – J.D. Lenzen

Paracord Fusion Ties – Volume 2 (PFT-V2) is the second installment in the paracord fusion ties book series and another stunning achievement by author J.D. Lenzen. Like Paracord Fusion Ties – Volume 1, PFT-V2 reveals innovative and stylish ways of storing paracord for later use. So once again you’ll find crisp, clear, full-color photographs (over 1,000 i […]

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The Art of Raising a Puppy (Revised Edition) – Monks of New Skete

For more than thirty years the Monks of New Skete have been among America’s most trusted authorities on dog training, canine behavior, and the animal/human bond. In their two now-classic bestsellers, How to be Your Dog’s Best Friend and The Art of Raising a Puppy, the Monks draw on their experience as long-time breeders of German shepherds and as t […]

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Warhammer 40,000: The Rules – Games Workshop

There is no time for peace. No respite. No forgiveness. There is only WAR. In the nightmare future of the 41st Millennium, Mankind teeters upon the brink of destruction. The galaxy-spanning Imperium of Man is beset on all sides by ravening aliens and threatened from within by Warp-spawned entities and heretical plots. Only the strength of the immortal […]

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Compromise in Arizona Defers a Solar Power Fight

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Your Solar Panels Might Work Better if They Were Listening to Lady Gaga

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Your Solar Panels Might Work Better if They Were Listening to Lady Gaga

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Windows That Generate Electricity?

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Windows That Generate Electricity?

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We could detect wildfires faster by using satellites

We could detect wildfires faster by using satellites

Lou Angeli Digital

The Rim Fire, one of the biggest blazes in California’s history, came to officials’ attention only after somebody noticed a column of smoke.

At a time when satellite technology is so powerful and pervasive that you can check your gutters for leaf litter using Google Earth, why are we still relying on human eyes to detect wildfires?

That’s what a team of researchers from California and Wisconsin would like to know. Writing in the journal Remote Sensing, they describe a satellite-based system they say could detect budding wildfires.

“The most serious conditions for California are the autumnal Santa Ana winds, which are persistent, clear, and very dry,” the researchers write in their paper. “Under these conditions our proposed satellite detection and warning system might soon pay for itself in savings of lives, property, and fire-fighting costs.”

The scientists think a satellite system keeping a watchful eye for fires erupting over the Western U.S. would cost a few hundred million dollars to deploy. That might sound like a lot, but compare that to the $1 billion to $2 billion the federal government spends [PDF] fighting fires every year.

With satellites trained to detect fires smaller than 150 square feet, the scientists say firefighters could reach and snuff out fires faster, helping to save lives and reduce property damage and firefighting expenses. From a University of California at Berkeley press release:

The idea of a fire detection satellite has been floated before, but until recently, detectors have been prohibitively expensive, and the difficulty of discriminating a small burning area from other bright hotspots, such as sunlight glinting off a mirror or windshield, made the likelihood of false alarms high. Today, computers are faster, detectors cheaper and more sensitive, and analysis software far more advanced, making false alarms much less likely, according to researchers.

“Simply put, we believe we have shown that this kind of rapid, sensitive fire detection of areas bigger than 10 feet on a side is probably feasible from space, and we have evidence that the false alarm rate will not be crazy,” said [physicist Carl] Pennypacker, who has designed sensitive satellite-borne detectors for 40 years. “Our work requires further testing, which we are eager to do.”

With climate change leaving landscapes from Nevada to Australia more parched and fire-prone than ever before, now would be a good time to invest in better monitoring systems.


Source
FUEGO — Fire Urgency Estimator in Geosynchronous Orbit — A Proposed Early-Warning Fire Detection System, Remote Sensing
Time is ripe for fire detection satellite, say Berkeley scientists, UC-Berkeley

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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We could detect wildfires faster by using satellites

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Do Solar Panels Work When It’s Not Sunny?

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Do Solar Panels Work When It’s Not Sunny?

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Utility trying to bury solar in Arizona

Utility trying to bury solar in Arizona

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A battle between the solar-panel industry and a major utility in Arizona is heating up.

The fight is over net-metering rules, which require utilities to purchase excess electricity produced by solar panel–owning customers. Hearings to consider proposed rule changes are scheduled for next month.

A lot of money is at stake — for Arizona Public Service Co., the utility pushing the proposed rule changes, and also for solar installers and solar-panel owners.

APS wants to slash its payments to each solar-panel owner by between $50 and $100 a month. It says the payments are a burden on customers who don’t own solar panels. The solar industry, meanwhile, is saying the proposed changes would cripple its growth.

The Arizona Republic paints a picture of a utility desperate to sully solar’s reputation as it seeks to build support for its proposal:

As part of its strategy, Arizona Public Service Co. sent cash to two non-profit groups that support the utility’s goal to make solar customers pay higher bills. …

APS’ marketing campaign includes its own television ads explaining its commitment to solar. The cash sent to the two non-profits is helping to pay for ads and websites that use a more negative tone toward the solar industry. …

APS recently acknowledged to The Arizona Republic that it provided money to a Washington, D.C.-based conservative organization called 60 Plus, which focuses on seniors’ issues such as taxes, Social Security and Medicare.

It also gave money to another non-profit called Prosper, which was launched this year by Republican Kirk Adams, a former Arizona House speaker. …

60 Plus began criticizing SolarCity and Sunrun, comparing them with Solyndra, the California solar company that took more than $500 million in federal assistance and then filed for bankruptcy.

Soon after, Prosper joined the debate on the side of APS. Prosper has been running television commercials calling for changes to net metering.

The solar industry is responding with its own campaign, which claims the utility’s proposal would “tax the sun.” The industry founded TUSK, or “Tell Utilities Solar won’t be Killed,” which has been criticizing APS and its proposal to change net-metering rules.

How far will APS go to get its way? A clue comes to us from another story in The Arizona Republic, which reveals that a plan was developed four years ago to engineer false controversies to wreck the reputations of members of the Arizona Corporation Commission, which regulates the utility:

The plan proposed that APS fund a $4.3 million campaign using out-of-state non-profit groups to generate “fake controversies” regarding the Arizona Corporation Commission. Those controversies could sway voters and lead them to elect new regulators, the plan suggested, or could influence legislators to add additional seats on the commission.

The plan, titled “The Institute for Energy Policy,” was drafted by Lincoln Strategy Group, a Tempe-based political-consulting firm. It was presented to the utility’s chief executive soon after a contentious APS rate-increase case was settled by the commission, which regulates rates for most of the state’s utilities.

APS officials said the utility did not solicit the 20-page plan, which was obtained recently by The Arizona Republic. A company official called it “absurd.” Don Brandt, company chief executive, said he “immediately dismissed” the proposal in 2009.

After the report was presented, however, APS hired one of the two Lincoln Strategy employees who pitched the report to Brandt. She now serves as the utility’s top lobbyist. The other executive who pitched the report also left Lincoln Strategy and is being paid by APS as an outside consultant.

“On its face it appears to be a very difficult goal to completely eliminate the (Arizona Corporation Commission), and a more long-term approach is suggested,” the plan stated. “We would propose using calendar years 2009 through 2011 to … begin to sway public opinion against the (commission) and use 2012 to implement the electoral strategy.” …

Some strategies described in the 2009 plan from Lincoln Strategy appear similar to those in APS’ current media campaign over solar.

As the Arizona Corporation Commission still hasn’t been eliminated, it plans to hold hearings on APS’s net-metering proposal in November. We’ll let you know what happens.

See also: Solar panels could destroy U.S. utilities, according to U.S. utilities — and more in our series on utilities and clean power


Source
APS lobbyist pitched plan to alter energy panel, Arizona Republic
APS, solar companies clash over credits to customers, Arizona Republic

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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Utility trying to bury solar in Arizona

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Power Company Comes Clean: We Bankrolled Arizona’s Anti-Solar Blitz

Mother Jones

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd”>

In recent months, sunny Arizona has been the scene of a shady dark money-fueled battle pitting Arizona’s largest electricity utility against the burgeoning solar power industry. Over the weekend, the fight took an interesting turn: The utility, the Arizona Public Service Company (APS), outed itself as a funder of two secretive nonprofits fueling the anti-solar fight—and revealed that it had funneled its anti-solar money through a political operative associated with the Koch brothers and their donor network.

Follow that? Some backstory might help.

The fight between APS and the solar industry concerns an issue called net metering. The way net metering works, private consumers who use solar panels can transfer extra energy they generate back to the power grid; the credits they receive for that excess energy, proponents argue, make solar an economical and smart choice for energy generation. APS wants changes to the net metering program that would, in effect, add $50 to $100 a month to power bills of solar users. That additional money, solar companies argue, would make solar power look uneconomical and do serious damage to the industry’s business.

Earlier this year, a coalition of solar companies, including SolarCity and Sunrun, launched TUSK (short for “Tell Utilities Solar won’t be Killed”) and hired Barry Goldwater Jr., the son of the onetime presidential candidate, to fight the net metering changes. TUSK accused APS of being anti-solar and trying to kill the burgeoning solar energy industry. In response, a pair of secretly funded nonprofit groups began running ads on TV, radio, and online calling net metering credits “corporate welfare” and comparing SolarCity and Sunrun to Solyndra, the solar panel company that accepted $500 million in government loans and then went bankrupt.

Here’s one of those anti-net-metering ads by the 60 Plus Association:

The 60 Plus Association, a Virginia-based nonprofit, has received money from the Koch brothers’ donor network. The other nonprofit fighting net metering is Prosper, which was started by former Arizona State House Speaker Kirk Adams. Although the ads run by 60 Plus and Prosper championed the cause of APS, the utility denied that it was funding the groups’ anti-solar ads, saying it was a coincidence the groups had joined the net metering fight.

Now, APS has changed its tune. The utility told the Arizona Republic that it had in fact donated to both groups. What’s more, APS told the Republic that it had given that money through Sean Noble, a political consultant described in a recent Huffington Post story as “the wizard behind the screen” for the Koch donor network’s activities in 2012. “We needed to respond to these ridiculous assertions that we do not support solar,” John Hatfield, an APS spokesman, told the Republic. (Noble no longer appears to be in the good graces of Kochworld: The Huffington Post story reported that he had fallen out of favor with Charles and David Koch and their donor network. “Noble has had his wings clipped,” one Republican operative is quoted as saying.)

The Arizona Corporation Commission could vote within weeks on whether to accept or reject the net metering changes backed by APS, or to side with the solar industry. What the commission decides could have major ramifications for the renewable energy industry in the southwest. Expect to see plenty more dark money flying around in the run-up to that vote.

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Power Company Comes Clean: We Bankrolled Arizona’s Anti-Solar Blitz

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