Student Saturday: Off-The-Grid

My wife were desperate to get out of the city.  It was 2007, we were having an extremely stressful year with work.  I owned a small construction company that was just about to give me a heart attack.  She had a job she hated so much she would cry on the way to work sometimes.  On top of all that, we lived in a duplex with noisy neighbors.  And don’t even get me started on the constant, traffic, sirens, and aircraft noise of living in the city.  More...

Huge Potential for Green Jobs

The huge potential for growth in green jobs is being mandated and funded. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 require large utilities to obtain 15 percent of their electricity from new renewable resources such as solar and wind by 2020. On May 18th, 2009, Secretary of the Department of Energy Chu announced the first 16 of the 100 standards that much be addressed by September in order to clear the way for the expenditure of Stimulus Package funds towards expanding the Smart Grid.

More on Green Jobs.

"It's clear that conservation and renewable energy development are not mutually exclusive goals."
Diane Feinstein, California Senator

BrightSource Drops Mojave Plans

by Deb Powers

BrightSource Energy, Inc. has announced that they are abandoning plans for a solar power generation plant in the Eastern Mojave Desert. That plant had been opposed by environmentalists because it was located in the center of a proposed national park area, and because of the effect it would have on the wildlife that lives there.
Read more: Solar energy firm drops Mojave plans

More renewable energy news...

• Houston Chronicle: More gov't subsidies to oil
  
• Business Journal: Green energy group kicks off
  
• Asia One: Green energy for Singapore
  
• Environmental Expert: Enerfish saves energy
  
• Miller McCune: Tax code favors oil over green
  

Around the Green Blogs...

• Times of India: US appoints Indian Green Czar
  
• openPR: Canada static in luring green investors
  
• Renewbl: Germany plans offshore wind parks
  

"China has a sense of urgency about transforming to a more sustainable energy structure."
Michael Ahearn, First Solar

Home Depot Debuts Eco Label

by Deb Powers

Home Depot, the US-based chain of home improvement stores, has launched a new labeling initiative throughout their stores. The Eco Options label identifies 3,700 products throughout the store that have "less impact on the environment than competitors".
Read more: Learn more about Home Depot Eco Options

More renewable energy news...

• Khaleej Times: Tokyo wants 2016 Green Games
  
• Chronicle UK: Green jobs coming to Newcastle
  
• WSJ: UK Big 6 won't commit to price cuts
  
• Biofuels Int'l: Sweden launches BioDME fuels
  
• Sustainable Business: Green Investments
  

Around the Green Blogs...

• National Journal: China's Great Leap Forward
• Energy Collective: Why enviros can't sleep
  
• UK Telegraph: Is China serious about RE?
  

"We're about to destroy the environment in the name of saving it."
Lamar Alexander, (R) Tennesee Senator

Energy "Sprawl" - A Valid Concern?

by Deb Powers

In the Wall Street Journal opinion pages, Lamar Alexander tries to make the case for nuclear energy as the greenest form of energy. While he overreaches hugely in making his argument based on the amount of land required to produce energy, he does make some cogent points about the possible effects of large-scale solar and wind farms. Are we in danger of destroying the planet in the name of saving it?
Read more: Energy sprawl and the green economy

More renewable energy news...

• Reuters: ASX to launch futures for green energy
  
• Bizjournals: NYPA pushes toward 45 by '15
  
• Mother Nature Network: HI leads in green energy
  
• The Financial: Italy: 200M Euros for green energy
  
• People&Planet: Greenpeace report on oil sands out
  

Around the Green Blogs...

• Green Inc: Protectionism and Green Energy
  
• Energy Refuge: New green energy report
  
• Renewable Energy: Wind energy myths