Renewable Energy News Update

This is just a quick round-up of Renewable Energy news items for this past week that are going on in America.

SunPower and Iberdrola To Build 30-MW Solar Plant

Colorado, United States -- SunPower said this week that it's going to design, build and supply panels for a 30-MW PV project in Colorado. The project, called the San Luis Valley Solar Ranch, will begin construction this year. If all goes as planned, the plant will be fully operational by 2011. – Renewable Energy World.Com

Calico Solar Project a GO

San Bernardino, California - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger applauded the California Energy Commission (CEC) decision today to approve the Calico Solar Project, the seventh solar thermal power plant licensed by the state in the past two months, totaling 3,493 megawatts (MW) of renewable solar power.

The Calico Project will generate 664 MW of clean, renewable energy and create nearly 900 jobs in San Bernardino County. – Imperial Valley News

Wood Pellet Manufacturer’s List

If you have a wood pellet stove in your home or business then this handy list of manufacturer’s of wood pellets might be of use to you. Give them a call to find the nearest retail or distributor for their wood pellet products for your home heating needs.

WoodAndCoal.com


And if you are curious how the mechanics of a wood pellet stove works then check out Outdoorwoodstoves.com

Wood Pellet stoves have become more and more popular as an alternative to fossil fuels for home heating because of their renewable source. Installation is fairly simple where the exhaust from the stove can be vented straight out the wall. Unlike tradition wood stoves where you have to constantly feed the fire, you simply fill the hopper with wood pellets, set the desired heat level, and enjoy the heat for hours on end.


Wind Power Offshore Mega Watt News

Wind turbine MW output is going up and up and that is always a good thing for the planet. With the massive potential to feed the energy needs of America located just off of our coasts it’s awesome to see one industry pair up with another to solve the many technical problems associated with offshore wind power.

Turbine OEM and shipbuilder launch offshore agreement

A wind energy OEM and a shipbuilding operating in Newport News, Virg., have agreed to cooperate on offshore wind technology. The agreement calls for the companies to cooperate on the U.S. launch of Gamesa’s first G11X-5.0 MW offshore prototype using Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding’s expertise in heavy load logistics, systems performance, and reliability and the applications of such technologies offshore. To erect the first G11X-5.0 MW offshore prototype in the U.S., Gamesa and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding are setting up an initial team of as many as 40 engineers in the Hampton Roads, Virginia over the next month. – Wind Power Engineering

Check back soon for more updates and breakthroughs.

Papamoka

President Obama on The Daily Show

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Barack Obama Pt. 1
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

White House Blogger Chat

One of my blogging friends, friend over at Crooks and Liars, John Amato, was at the White House today to chat with President Obama. John was invited by the President to attend the session with four other progressive bloggers. I can't wait to see what he finally has to report about that little event at the White House.

All I know is that my friend Mike Finnigan who does Mike's Blog Round Up must be pretty damn jealous. John is the guy in the middle of this picture that was stolen from Crooks and Liars. I'm an honest thief.

Papamoka

Rally To Restore Sanity

Mark your calendar for 10/30/2010 and join Jon Stewart of the Daily Show on the national mall in Washington D.C.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Moment of Zen - Rally to Restore Sanity and That Other Announcement
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Tides Foundation Battles Fox News

What is the difference between what Glenn Beck does and what Osama Bin Laden does? They both incite extremist followers to cause harm and potentially kill those that they believe to be infidels.

This week the founder of Tides, a progressive philanthropic organization, has called on the Chairman of the Board of Fox News advertisers to stop supporting Glenn Beck based on the thwarted assassination attempt by Byron Williams in July. Williams was arrested on interstate 580 in California in a shootout with highway patrol where two police officers were wounded. Prior to his arrest, Williams was on his way to kill Drummond Pike and other employees of Tides Foundation and the ACLU, armed with numerous weapons and armor.

Glenn Beck recently coined the term “Progressive Hunter” to which Williams declared himself to be one.

Tides itself is calling on advertisers to drop their business with Fox News because of what it charges has been “hate speech leading to violence.”

“While we may agree to disagree about the role our citizens and our government should play in promoting social justice and the common good, there should be no disagreement about what constitutes integrity and professionalism and responsibility in discourse – even when allowing for and encouraging contending diverse opinions intelligently argued,” Tides founder and CEO Drummond Pike wrote. “This is not a partisan issue. It's an American issue. No one, left, right or center, wants to see another Oklahoma City.” – Christian Science Monitor

Read the entire letter here

Glenn Beck Advertisers courtesy of Huffington Post

JP Morgan Chase, GEICO, Zurich Financial, Chrysler, Direct Holdings Americas, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Lilly Corporate Center, BP, and The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.

Political hyperbole is out of control in this nation and extremism and fanaticism has found a very comfortable place to rest its head on the political right. It is up to the good people of the right to clean up their political party and stop letting it be hijacked by nut jobs and terrorists like Byron Williams and Glenn Beck.

Papamoka

Bancroft School Solar Power

Changing the world and how power is used or understood starts with education of the next generation. In Worcester, MA the Bancroft School is taking the lead in New England by going mega solar powered. Installing and powering up enough solar panels to provide 25% of the schools electric energy needs.

You have to give proper respect to the community for grabbing the energy usage bull by the horns and showing the kids how their school can make a difference in the way energy is produced for a common good. Locally, and globally.

On October 8, 2010 at 1 p.m. the Bancroft School community, with local and state officials on hand, will converge at the McDonough Center to celebrate the installation of 462 high-efficiency solar panels at a special dedication ceremony.

The solar electric system will be the largest private installation within the City of Worcester, producing more than 117,000-kilowatt hours of electricity annually or approximately 25% of the building’s energy needs over an entire year.

“Bancroft leads by example in providing our students with the tools and knowledge to be conscientious citizens of the globe,” said Scott R. Reisinger, Head of Bancroft School. “We have a strong record of sustainability and I am proud to see our School join with the greater Worcester community in further expanding our clean energy reach.”

Worcester has already been named by the Commonwealth as one of the first green communities in Massachusetts. The solar electric system capacity is rated at 106.2 kW and will add to the City’s reputation as a stronghold of alternative energy-conscious organizations. - Bancroft School

Bancroft School joins Holy Name High with its wind turbine that can be seen for miles from many of the highways that pass through Worcester as the foundation for going green with energy generation. In both cases it is a huge push toward moving our entire society away from energy sources that burden progress in a world that has to find new and clean ways to feed its energy needs.

The real bonus here and now is the green jobs thanks to the people that helped make it all possible for the school to stand proud.

Future Solar Systems, LLC, of Millbury, MA which designed the solar electric system, coordinated the installation, secured investors, and provided a comprehensive curriculum for solar, wind and energy efficiency for faculty to incorporate into the science and math programs. The solar panels are made by Canadian Solar, with inverters made by Solectria Renewables of Lawrence, MA. The system was financed by a combination of Millbury Credit Union and private investment.

Bancroft School rocks in the green energy school directory. So do the folks working in the new green energy field.

Papamoka