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A Balanced Look at Technologies with the Potential to Power America

By Congressman Jerry McNerney Ph.D. and Martin Cheek,

Authors of Clean Energy Nation: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels
Which sustainable energy sources hold the most promise to free America from the tyranny of fossil fuels? In their new book, CLEAN ENERGY NATION Congressman Jerry McNerney, a renewable energy expert, and technology writer Martin Cheek assess the positive and negative aspects of various alternatives. Here’s an overview:

SUN POWER
The sunshine striking the surface of our planet annually provides more than 10,000 times the amount of energy that all of humanity can use in a year. Harvesting only a fraction of the sun’s power would easily end our dependence on fossil fuels. Currently, solar-produced electricity makes up less than 1 percent of the world’s production of power.

Exciting innovations: * A thermal technology that collects sunshine, through the strategic arrangement of hundred of flat mirrors, and re-directs it to a central receiver linked to a large solar power plant. * Commonplace applications of a technology originally developed for space exploration satellites: photovoltaic cells that absorb direct sunlight to generate electricity.

Drawbacks: The power of the sun depends on the seasonal climate and weather of a location. There’s also the obvious fact that sun power can be produced only during daylight hours. Although sunshine is free, solar energy is not yet cost competitive with fossil-fuel energy.

Outlook: To maximize the potential of sun power, scientists must develop more efficient and cost-effective energy storage systems and ways to transport power in a specific region.

WIND POWER
About 2 percent of the sun’s energy received by our planet is converted into air motion. Today, the U.S. gets a little over 1 percent of its electric power supplied by wind energy.

Exciting innovations: * State-of-the-art windmills, featuring aerodynamic turbine blades inspired by modern airplane design.

Drawbacks: Aside from the inconsistent delivery of wind, ideal wind farm sites are often far from urban areas where demand is greater, thus requiring substantial money to construct transmission lines and substations to bring the wind-generated electricity to customers. Power harvested from the wind must also overcome common misperceptions: wind turbines are noisy (not modern models) and wind turbines massacre birds that get caught in the path of the spinning blades (more birds are killed by farming pesticides and free-roaming house cats).

Outlook: As turbine technology improves and mass production reaches a critical cost-effective level, wind as an energy resource will continue to see major growth opportunities.

WATER POWER
Nearly three-quarters of our globe is covered by this versatile liquid substance. About 24 percent of the world’s electric power is currently produced by hydropower, the force of water. In America, hydropower makes up 12 percent of the generated electricity.

Drawbacks: The massive dam structures necessary to hold back water are expensive and time-consuming to build. They also require continuous maintenance to make sure they are safe from a calamitous failure that could kill people living downstream. What’s more, dams have a severe impact on the environment, often disrupting the local plant and animal ecology.

Exciting innovations: *An invention for an ocean-powered energy source applying the gravitational energy from the rise and fall of the tides. * A novel technology called ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), working on the principle that the sea collects most of the sun’s energy that shines on it.

Outlook: Innovative approaches to harvesting ocean energy are still in their pioneering stages. With enough research and development, however, they might provide an important energy resource during the coming decades.

LIFE POWER
Consider a battery that collects energy from the sun and stores it in a system that creates no pollution, costs zero dollars to build, and recharges itself. This “battery” is green vegetation, the source of all biofuels, which power human beings. Americans are increasingly looking at the biofuels ethanol (an alcohol made from crops such as sugarcane and corn) and biodiesel (a vegetable oil made from crops including canola and soybeans) to power vehicles.

Exciting innovations: * Finding energy gold in America’s garbage: landfill sites featuring a buried web of perforated pipes that collect the methane released from decomposed vegetable matter and carry it to a power station, where it is burned to generate electricity.

Drawbacks: Many farmers are not yet using cost-effective techniques to grow biofuel crops. Money for water, fertilizer, and diesel fuel for harvesting equipment adds to the price of production and makes biofuels — especially corn-based ethanol — less competitive than fossil fuels. Also, critics warn that using fertile land to grow biofuel crops will lead to food shortages and raise prices at the supermarket.

Outlook: Overall, much more research and development needs to be done to implement the large-scale production of biofuels for our nation’s transportation needs. Yet, in the next few decades, life power will almost certainly help America gain its energy independence from fossil fuels while strengthening our nation’s agricultural economy.

NUCLEAR POWER
Uranium, the element at the foundation of nuclear power, can be found extensively throughout the planet. It is 500 times more plentiful than gold. A modern nuclear plant produces about 1,000 megawatts of power to supply electricity to 400,000 homes. The U.S. has 104 operating reactors, more than any other country, and they produce about 20 percent of our nation’s electricity.

Drawbacks: Nuclear energy is expensive to produce commercially. Nuclear reactors typically cost between $2.5 and $3 billion to construct. Then, there’s the public worry over radiation leaks and the dilemma of how to dispose of radioactive waste without hazard to public safety or the environment. Another problem has to do with the threats to national security we face in the post-9/11 world. A nuclear power plant could be an attractive target for a terrorist strike.

Exciting innovations: * A special type of nuclear energy plant called a fusion reactor, which would generate power by fusing the nuclei of hydrogen atoms. If researchers can find a way to do this, safely and economically, we would have access to massive reservoirs of energy.

Future outlook: Although it holds tremendous promise for humankind, fusion power appears to be decades away. In the meantime, policymakers will continue to weigh the benefits of nuclear power against the costs and the dangers.

EARTH ENERGY
Natural hot springs, geysers, and erupting volcanoes give evidence to the tremendous energy supply kept deep within the Earth. Today, the world annually produces about 8,000 megawatts of electrical power from geothermal energy, out of which the U.S. taps 2,800 megawatts.

Exciting innovations: * Geothermal power stations. Usually small, these plants produce low cost steam energy without any toll on the natural world.

Drawbacks: Power plants can be built only in specific regions of our planet where molten rock is near enough to the surface to heat water. What’s more, these stations might trigger seismic activity along earthquake fault lines.

Outlook: With technological advances in geothermal systems, Americans might one day soon safely and economically tap into the energy of the tremendous heat in the heart of our planet.

HYDROGEN
The most abundant element, hydrogen makes up about 75 percent of the universe’s elemental mass. In a gaseous state, hydrogen can be combusted to run turbines to generate electricity.

Exciting innovations: * Technologies using the simplest life forms — algae and anaerobic bacteria — to split water molecules, thus releasing the hydrogen atoms from the oxygen, and to release the hydrogen contained in carbohydrates in the waste at food-manufacturing plants.

Drawbacks: A great deal of money will be needed to construct hydrogen-production plants and also to equip the world’s vehicles with fuel cells or hydrogen-burning engines. Another challenge is public concern about hydrogen’s potential volatility — fueled by horrific newsreel images of the hydrogen-filled passenger airship Hindenburg bursting into a fireball. However, hydrogen is significantly less flammable than either gasoline or natural gas.

Outlook: Despite its many benefits as natural, plentiful, nonpolluting energy medium, hydrogen has to overcome daunting financial hurdles in order to compete with fossil fuels.

Adapted with permission from CLEAN ENERGY NATION: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels by Congressman Jerry McNerney, Ph.D., and Martin Cheek (AMACOM; August 2011; $27.95; ISBN: 978-0-8144-1372-2).

Author Bios
Congressman Jerry McNerney, Ph.D., co-author of Clean Energy Nation: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels, was elected to California’s 11th congressional district in November 2006. Reelected in 2008 and 2010, he is a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology; the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment; and the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight. Prior to his time in Congress, he served as an energy consultant for Pacific Gas and Electric, FlowWind, and the Electric Power Research Institute. He lives in Pleasanton, California.

Martin Cheek, co-author of Clean Energy Nation: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels, has been a journalist for more than two decades specializing articles on the latest developments in science and the high-tech industry. He lives in Morgan Hill, California.

For more information please visit http://cleanenergynationbook.com/

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UC Berkeley scientist has built an online tool to help you calculate your personal carbon footprint. “Our choices lead to emissions of greenhouse gases.” says Chris Jones, a researcher with UC Berkeley’s Renewable and Appropriate Energy Lab. He’s co-developed a calculator that measures your carbon footprint and how you stack up against your neighbors, and then offers recommendations on how you can change your behavior to reduce your footprint.

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Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida Lead List of “Toxic 20” States with Most Toxic Air Pollution from Power Plants

Worst States: OH, PA, FL, KY, MD, IN, MI, WV, GA, NC, SC, AL, TX, VA, TN, MO, IL, WI, NH, IA

Washington, DC (July 20, 2011) – Residents of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida live in states with the most toxic air pollution from coal- and oil-fired power plants, according to an analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The study used publicly-available data in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). The analysis, entitled “Toxic Power: How Power Plants Contaminate Our Air and States” was jointly released today by NRDC and Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR).

Among the key findings:

* Nearly half of all the toxic air pollution reported from industrial sources in the United States comes from coal- and oil-fired power plants.

* Power plants are the single largest industrial source of toxic air pollution in 28 states and the District of Columbia.

“Power plants are the biggest industrial toxic air polluters in our country, putting children and families at risk by dumping deadly and dangerous poisons into the air we breathe,” said Dan Lashof, Climate Center Director at NRDC. “Tougher standards are long overdue. Members of Congress who consider blocking toxic pollution safeguards should understand that this literally will cost American children and families their health and lives.”

Despite the health benefits of reducing toxic pollution from power plants, some polluters and members of Congress are seeking to block EPA’s efforts to update public health protections. Last week, two House Committees voted for amendments by Ed Whitfield (R-KY)/Mike Ross (D-AR) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) to block for at least a year the EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics standard. These amendments could move to the House floor as early as this week.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, Fred Upton (R-MI) has vowed to block EPA’s clean air safeguards. One of the nation’s biggest polluters, American Electric Power (AEP) based in Columbus, Ohio has drafted legislation to block the EPA and has argued against EPA’s current efforts.

The states on the “Toxic 20’’ list (from worst to best) are:
1. Ohio.
2. Pennsylvania.
3. Florida.
4. Kentucky.
5. Maryland.
6. Indiana.
7. Michigan.
8. West Virginia.
9. Georgia.
10. North Carolina.
11. South Carolina.
12. Alabama.
13. Texas.
14. Virginia.
15. Tennessee.
16. Missouri.
17. Illinois.
18. Wisconsin.
19. New Hampshire.
20. Iowa.

The EPA estimates that the reductions of toxic pollution required by the pending “Mercury and Air Toxics” standard would save as many as 17,000 lives every year by 2015 and prevent up to 120,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms. The safeguards also would avoid more than 12,000 emergency room and hospital visits and prevent 850,000 lost work days every year. These standards are expected to be finalized in November; the agency is taking public comments on its proposal until Aug. 4, 2011.

“Coal pollution is killing Americans,” said Lynn Ringenberg, MD, of Physicians for Social Responsibility. “It is America’s biggest source of toxic air pollution. Air toxics from coal-fired power plants cause cancer, birth defects, and respiratory illness. Just one of those air toxics, mercury, damages the developing brains of fetuses, infants, and small children. It robs our children of healthy neurological development and native intelligence.

“Poisonous power threatens the health of our kids and families. As a pediatrician for over thirty years, I urge us absolutely to support the EPA’s efforts to reduce the health threat from coal.”

The 28 states in which power plants are the leading source of toxic air pollution reported to the TRI are: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

ABOUT THE DATA

The EPA’s Toxic Release inventory, known as the TRI, is a national database of toxic emissions self-reported by industrial sources. This analysis compared TRI emissions from the electric utilities sector to those from other sectors and ranked sources by total emissions by sector. Releases are calculated and self-reported by covered entities. Emissions of key power plant pollutants are reported to the TRI, including mercury, hydrochloric acid, and other hazardous metals.

Top emitting power plants were identified based on toxic emissions reported to TRI. Power plant ownership information was drawn from “Benchmarking Air Emissions of the 100 Largest Electric Power Producers in the United States (2010).” Data on pollution control systems at specific plants was obtained from EPA’s National Electric Energy Data System Database v.4.10 (2010).

For the full methodology, see the analysis “Toxic Power: How Power Plants Contaminate Our Air and States,”

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Learn more at Consumer Car Reviews.com

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Now here is a new one. A Solar enabled bikini that wiull charge your iPhone! Imagine that. I just had to post this today. If for no other reason than it is summer and the weather is not very warm here so no bikinis out and about….

Swimwear has come a long way since its mere itty bitty bikini days — new styles often have enough Lycra and slimming technology to give the wearer a whole new body. Even so, current fashion designers are about to encounter a totally different kind of competition: Andrew Schneider, a multimedia designer, is bringing the art of swimwear into a new era.

His bathing suit combines design with electronic engineering: thanks to 40 thin and flexible photovoltaic strips connected by conductive thread, his bikini can generate enough energy to charge your iPod or iPhone in the same amount of time your laptop could. The bikini, which also contains a USB port for easy plugging in, can still be used for swimming (though not while charging, and it must be completely dry before using as a charger).

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Thanks To American Vision Solar’s New ‘Solar as Service’ Program

One of the biggest hurdles that keep homeowners from taking the solar power plunge is the large amount of cash needed for the initial solar panel purchase. This is why American Vision Solar™ is now offering its customers a unique opportunity under its new Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), to install solar panels onto their home with little to no money down, allowing them to immediately reap the incredible cost savings.

“American Vision Solar is dedicated to enhancing home energy efficiency, and we’re thrilled to be able to offer our customers such a unique PPA,” said Bill Herren, President and CEO for American Vision Solar. “We pride ourselves on providing impressive customer service, which is why it was our priority to create an agreement that would truly benefit the homeowner.”

Just imagine, what if you didn’t have to purchase your power from Southern California Edison (SCE)? What if you could choose to pay less? The new ‘Solar as Service’ program from American Vision Solar puts this ‘power’ in the palm of your hands — providing qualifying homeowners with a choice to pay less for clean energy generated through solar panels — too good to be true? Here’s how it works. American Vision Solar works with Solar PPA companies who literally purchase the solar panels for you, and in turn act as your ‘local energy company’ – collecting your monthly utility bill (PPA Payment), as well as any applicable state/local incentives.

Benefits to the homeowner are overflowing — no initial investment by simply letting someone else pay for the system, handle all the paperwork involved, plus the PPA Company will pro-actively monitor the system and be responsible for any repairs and maintenance over the 20 year term. Production guarantee, inverter replacement and full-system insurance are also included. And the biggest benefit of all, your PPA payment is guaranteed to be LESS than your local Southern California Edison (SCE) bill without solar. Over a period of 20 years, the solar panels will provide a huge rate of return on investment!

So why not ‘go green’ if it doesn’t cost you any ‘green’ ($)? Utilizing the clean energy brilliantly generated from the sun’s rays makes you a friend to the environment. In fact, there’s enough free and pure sunlight shining on America every hour of every day to power the world for a year. So the right question is, why not ‘go green’ if it actually saves you ‘green’? The answer: there’s no reason not to, it’s time to go solar!

Husband and wife team Bill and Kathleen Herren began providing homeowners with energy-efficient solutions with their window sales and installation company, American Vision Windows™. Now, more than ten years and 30,000 satisfied customers later, the company has expanded its unmatched service to its other brands that will help revolutionize the home improvement industry: American Vision Solar and American Vision Garages™.

To learn more about American Vision Solar, and to find a showroom near you, visit the company online.

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Guest posting today from one of our friends in alternative energy. This is kind of fun out of the box stuff today. So we had humor on Friday and Monday we have fresh look at some other ideas. Maybe a trend? Give me a shout if you want more of this type of thing on Mondays.

We have known, for quite some time, that the fossil fuels we use today are a finite source of energy; we only seem to disagree on when those sources will run dry. Alternative sources have been around for quite some time, including electric power and solar power, but none has yet supplanted dead dinosaurs. Presented here are some other fuels,some strange, some downright weird.

1. Trick-or-Treat – University students in England tested a Formula racing car that ran on fuel made in part from waste chocolate from a Cadbury plant. No word on whether-or-not the car was eaten after testing was completed.

2. Gobble Gobble – For turkey-lovers (Ben Franklin suggested, tongue-only-partly-in-cheek, that the turkey would make a more noble national bird than the eagle), the idea of putting a Tom into the gas tank might seem anathema, but viable fuel can be made from virtually all parts of the bird.

3. Starbucks In the Tank – Coffee grounds, which contain a lot of oils, make a bio-fuel that is relatively cheap and clean to produce, comes from an abundant source, and, of course, makes the morning commute a much more aromatic experience.

4. Paper or Plastic? – Both paper and plastic can be made into fuel, and each comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages, though the future may show us many new ways to recycle waste products in a green manner.

5. Blow Me Down – Wind turbines have been mounted on vehicles, and they have been used to charge batteries that then power the vehicle. This system works best for those who live in tunnel-free expanses of windy salt-flats.

6. Mulch for the Minivan – Not as strange as it sounds, wood chips and sawdust are prime ingredients of what are called “bio-mass” fuels, which are foreseen by some as the most likely replacements for petroleum-based fuels.

7. Styrofoam – With as many styrofoam cups as we see littering our highways, it would be a nice thing to see if economically feasible methods of converting those cups into useful fuels can be developed.

8. Dung Beetles? – Methane gas, available in all your friendly neighborhood cow-patties, can be rendered into fuels that can run an automobile.

9. Beans, Beans, They’re Good for Your Car – Beans, soybeans in particular, are used to make bio-fuels, and are among the few sources that show real universal promise.

10. Lend Me Your Ears – Ears of corn, that is; ethanol is a fuel already in wide use around the globe, and can be made from crops such as corn, potatoes,sugar cane and the ever-popular manioc (known more commonly as “cassava”, one of the most-eaten sources of carbohydrates on the planet). Henry Ford was using ethanol in his Model T’s as early as 1908.

You won’t be able to run your car on tap water any time soon, but hydrogen (the “H” in H2O) is seen as a leading candidate to replace world dependency on fossil fuels. Stay tuned.

Do you have any other thoughts or ideas that would compliment this list? Comment below if you do!

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We love a good laugh here at Alternative Energy HQ. In fact we intend to find you more of these each week so stay tuned. Today we feature Stephen Colbert riffing on fracking. I love how that sounds don’t you? Anti-fracking Attacks.

Comment below with your ideas for other funny items we can share with our readers.

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GE wind turbines are among the top selling alternative energy items currently available. GE is among the few companies in the world which invest seriously within alternative, renewable energy dependent products. The organization produces high quality turbines that may transform blowing wind power in to electrical power with out emitting large amounts of greenhouse gasoline.

GE produces 1.5 MW series, 2.5 MW series, as well as offshore series wind generators that are capable of producing 1.5, 2.5, as well as 4.0 megawatts associated with power respectively. The 3 types of turbines are rated highly for their effectiveness and sturdiness. GE wind turbines, normally, avoid 18.3 million tons of greenhouse gasoline from getting emitted into the environment yearly.

One of the first well-known manufacturers to campaign for Eco-friendly, alternative energy, GE is usually lauded as one of the innovators in the field of renewable alternative energy. The company, aside from producing big turbines suitable for commercial purposes, is also interested in products for residential reasons. In 2009, it invested in South west Wind power, the actual world’s leading manufacturer of residential wind turbines.

GE has told you that the investment is actually dedicated to the continued improvement of Sky stream, 2.4 KW wind turbine that can be used for residential purposes. The generator, with a distinctive plug-and-play style, can be attached to the electrical grid directly. It may produce power to meet anywhere from 40% to 90% of the home’s electricity requirements.

GE and several other like minded corporations have joined hands to deal with the problems associated with climate change, environmental pollution, and also the unsustainable consumption of non-renewable fuels. The message from all these entities – environmentalists, researchers, as well as well-meaning corporations – is extremely clear. It is about time we considered switching to alternative energy by utilizing residential wind turbines, solar panels, as well as hydroelectric power systems.

Wind power is considered among the best solutions to meet the growing power requirements associated with today’s globe. The price of producing wind power is very low. It is inexhaustible. It may be renewed again and again. You can use it for each residential and commercial applications. Above all, it doesn’t contribute to climate change, pollution, acid rain, smog, and other such ecological problems that are associated with standard non-renewable fuels.

One of the reasons why GE wind turbines are preferred by many is the number of customer care services offered by the company. GE takes care of installation as well as commissioning, operation as well as maintenance, remote checking, information management, and several additional services based on your requirements.

Find the best reviews, tips & guide on residential wind turbines from the best resources at: http://www.residential-windturbines.net.

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Got this interesting blog item from Real Energy Writers, a talented group of energy writers who I have been following for a year. They have good access to research and updates in this growing market. Energy efficiency of course is the other big nut in the energy equation. Sure we can go find new sources of energy and try to make they as efficient as possible, but in the end we can do way more good in the short and long term with the development of better energy efficiency across our society.

Sixty percent of those responding to a recent survey by the Association of Energy Services Professionals cited a lack of talented workers in energy efficiency.

“Energy efficiency is a rapidly growing segment of the overall energy industry and we believe there is a clear lack of talent that is necessary to fill the positions that are open,” said Meg Matt, the AESP president and CEO.

So where do you find these jobs?

Another recent report, this one by the Brookings Institution and Battelle’s Technology Partnership, sheds some light. Look to major metropolitan areas and young businesses for jobs not only in energy efficiency, but also in other segments of the clean economy, according to Sizing the Clean Economy: A National and Regional Green Jobs Assessment.

In the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, the clean economy expanded by 8.3 percent, says the report. Efficiency, renewable energy, biofuels and other clean industries accounted for 2.7 million US jobs in 2010. To put that number in perspective, that’s more jobs than you’ll find in fossil fuels or biosciences, but still less than information technology.

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So what do you think about this growing market space of energy efficiency? Lots of growth of course but what will sustain it? Comment below with your thoughts.

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Five Major Parks In or Near Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin Highlighted; Significant and Growing Impact on Beaches, Wildlife, Tourism Revenue and Jobs Detailed.

CHICAGO, IL.///July 13, 2011///Five major Great Lakes national parks are already feeling the impact of climate change in the forms of rising temperatures, decreased winter ice, eroding shorelines, spreading disease, and a crowding out of key wildlife and plant life, according to a major new report issued today by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization (RMCO) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Available online at http://www.rockymountainclimate.org/programs_13.htm, the new RMCO/NRDC report focuses on the five largest parks on the Great Lakes: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (NL) in Indiana (near Chicago); Sleeping Bear Dunes NL, Pictured Rocks NL, and Isle Royale National Park (NP) in Michigan (just offshore from Minnesota); and Apostle Islands NL in Wisconsin.

As “Great Lakes National Parks in Peril: The Threats of Climate Disruption” notes, the threats of climate disruption to the national parks in the Great Lakes are also threats to the Great Lakes regional economy. “The five parks featured in this report together drew more than four million visitors in 2010. Visitor spending in 2009 totaled more than $200 million and supported nearly 3,000 jobs. These economic benefits are at risk as a changing climate threatens the special resources that draw vacationing families and others to these parks.”

The report documents the following major impacts:

* Higher temperatures. Summers in Indiana Dunes could become as hot by late in this century (2070- 2099) as summers in Gainesville, Florida, have been in recent history (1971-2000). Summers in Sleeping Bear Dunes could become as hot as those in Lexington, Kentucky, recently have been.

* Less winter ice. Higher air and water temperatures already are reducing winter ice cover on the Great Lakes, a trend expected to accelerate. Lake Michigan may have some winters with no ice cover in as soon as 10 years, and Lake Superior may typically be ice-free in about three decades.

* Major erosion of shoreline and related features. With less ice and more open waters, the lakes will have more waves in winter than before, especially during strong storms, increasing erosion threats to park shorelines and structures. The park staff at Sleeping Bear Dunes has expressed concern that the park’s signature perched dunes, atop towering bluffs above the shorelines, could be vulnerable to accelerated loss from increased erosion, resulting from a loss of winter ice and snow cover that keeps the dunes’s sand from blowing away and from more waves undercutting the bluffs on which the dunes perch.

* Loss of wildlife. In Isle Royale, the moose population has declined, as have the numbers of the wolves that depend on them as prey. Other park mammals at risk as the climate changes include lynx and martens. Birds at risk of being eliminated from the parks include common loons and ruffed grouse, iconic birds of the Great Lakes and the North Woods.

Stephen Saunders, president, Rocky Mountain Climate Organization (RMCO) and former deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior overseeing the National Park Service, said: “Human disruption of the climate is the greatest threat ever to America’s national parks. This report details the particular threats that a changed climate poses to our Great Lakes national parks — those within the lakes or on their shores.”

Dale Engquist, former superintendent, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and president, Chicago Wilderness Trust, said: “Change in nature is natural. But the changes we face with the accelerated rate of global climate change that our human activities have caused don’t allow millennia or even centuries for adaption; the changes now will take place in only decades without time for nature to adapt.”

Thom Cmar, staff attorney, Chicago Office, Natural Resources Defense Council, said: “We need to head off climate change quickly to protect our Great Lakes parks, the iconic landscapes and wildlife that live in them, and our own communities. Climate action is economic action in the Great Lakes. To protect the jobs and massive revenue that come out of these parks, Congress needs to either act on climate or get out of the way and let the EPA do its job to limit carbon pollution.”

Larry J. MacDonald, mayor, Bayfield, Wisconsin, said: “The City of Bayfield, as the gateway community to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, faces the financial reality that climate change will bring tremendous economic challenges to our National Lakeshore-based local tourism economy. We need to continue to respect and protect Lake Superior. When the Lake is healthy, our community and the Apostle Islands will continue to prosper.”

The new RMCO/NRDC report also concludes:

* The amount of rain falling in heavy storms in the Midwest increased by 31 percent over the past century. This is well above the national average of 22 percent.

* Winds over the Great Lakes already are stronger than they used to be. Lake Superior wind speeds have increased by 12 percent since 1985.

* The waters in the Great Lakes are hotter, with their temperatures having increased more in recent decades than air temperatures have. Lake Superior’s summer water temperatures rose about 4.5 degrees from 1979 to 2006, roughly double the rate at which summer air temperatures have gone up over the surrounding land.

* In Isle Royale NP, the moose population is down to about 515, half the park’s long-term average. Temperatures higher than moose can tolerate could be responsible—as in nearby northwest Minnesota, where the moose population has crashed in the past two decades from 4,000 to fewer than 100 animals, coinciding with higher temperatures. Also, warmer winters in Isle Royale enable enough ticks to overwinter and cause such a large loss of blood among the moose that they are more vulnerable to the park’s wolves.

* Isle Royale’s wolf population has fallen, too. The park’s moose make up 90 percent of the wolves’s prey, and declines in the moose population threaten the wolves. The park now has only 16 wolves in two packs, compared to 24 wolves in four packs a few years ago.

* Botulism outbreaks linked to high water temperatures and low lake levels now kill hundreds to thousands of birds a year in Sleeping Bear Dunes NL. There are so many dead birds cover the park’s beaches that the National Park Service patrols from June through November to clean up the bird carcasses.

* In 2010, a tick of the type that carries Lyme disease was confirmed at Isle Royale for the first time — a fact apparently being reported publicly for the first time in this report. Cold temperatures previously prevented the ticks that carry Lyme disease from reaching so far north, but their spread into the region had been projected as the climate gets hotter. The Lyme disease ticks also apparently have spread to nearby Grand Portage National Monument for the first time.

Learn more at http://www.rockymountainclimate.org.

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Company Extends Solar PV Systems Warranty to 30 Years

Marysville, WA – July 11, 2011 – Silicon Energy, a manufacturer of world-class solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for the North American market, announced today that it has extended its Silicon Energy Cascade PV System Power Warranties by five years. Based on over two years of field performance data and extensive third-party testing by NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), Silicon Energy’s decision to extend its product warranty makes it one of the strongest warranties in the industry.

“We are committed to making solar a mainstream energy source with products that are safe, durable, maximize energy production, increase energy harvest, are aesthetically appealing, and support our local economy and environment with smart manufacturing practices,” said Gary Shaver, president, Silicon Energy. “Customers who choose Silicon Energy for their PV systems are choosing best-in-class products, now backed by one of the industry’s top warranties. Our product lifespan, application flexibility and optimized energy harvesting capability make our product a great investment.”

For Silicon Energy’s growing network of partners and contractors who sell and install the company’s PV systems, the extended warranty provides an added incentive for customers who want a long-term system that boasts a 40+ year usable life and innovative design that provides completely sealed wiring to make it extremely safe, a theft-resistant mounting system, the highest industry fire rating, and frameless design that allows water, dirt, snow and ice to easily flow off for optimal light access and energy creation even in extreme weather conditions. The Silicon Energy glass-on-glass construction also enables installations such as awnings, carports, patio covers, and bus shelters. For those design-conscious customers, the company also provides custom color mounting hardware for visual continuity.

Silicon Energy’s extended warranty is available starting July 1st for its Cascade PV System.

· Limited Product Warranty Materials & Workmanship: 5 years

· Limited Power Warranty:

Power Output Table

1-15 years (up from 10 years)

? 90% PMAX

16-30 years (up from 25 years)

? 80% PMAX

In addition to presenting its extended warranty, Silicon Energy recently has been able to reduce its pricing as a result of manufacturing improvements and strengthened vendor relationships.

“When choosing Silicon Energy PV systems, our customers are making a sound investment in solar, their local economy, their environment, and clean energy creation for many, many years to come,” closed Shaver.

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An effective way to reduce your current co2 impact and also enhance the look and feel of your house at nighttime is using solar dock lights. They are simply great for seating in pathways, and they look fantastic.

Green home improvement simply means making changes to your home that are energy efficient and environmentally responsible. This is cost effective for your energy expense but it does cost more to start these activities. Listed below are clear thoughts to help you create a more green home as you improve it.

When trying to be green a very good area to take a look at is your home furnishings. You can be green and save yourself some cash by simply restoring furniture instead of buying new pieces.

Looking out for some quality used bits of furniture is a good option if buying really is a must. Antique auctions are a good place to start at when looking for some good bits of furniture as they are held pretty much everywhere. You can pick up some good furniture that has plenty of character at a good price at auctions, so long as you’re not buying a high end antique. The conservancy of water is a big one if you want to have a more environmentally friendly home. Efficient use of water can also help you save money. To save gallons of water each day you just need to install a light flush toilet. Two other ways of saving water include attaching aerators to your faucets and you can install a low flow head onto your shower. Additionally you should examine your hot water heater. Instead of your water heater supplying hot water continually, an energy efficient one will just provide you with water when it’s needed. This is a good way of reducing your costs. You can limit your water usage by simply collecting rain water in water barrels. The water collected can be used for watering your grass.

There are some ways of heating your home up efficiently, and this will greatly impact your energy bill. The traditional fireplace certainly looks very good and it’s a good old method of keeping your room warm, however it is in fact one of the most inefficient ways of heating up your house. It would be a good idea to look into something called a fireplace insert as they can be more efficient. Pellet stoves burn wood or little corn pellets and are another option for keeping warm. Due to the cost of oil rising rapidly, getting one of these is usually cheaper. Your home’s insulation is the big decider when it boils down to how energy efficient your home is. As you can see in this article, making your home greener isn’t too difficult. You just have to think in a green way so that you can make changes to your home that are efficient and eco friendly. Don’t forget you needn’t do everything all in one go; you can do it little bits at a time.

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You’ll find a large collection of solar panels for sale nowadays. So, selecting 1 for your house can be a slightly difficult task. Given below is a listing of ten ideas that will help you choose the right solar cell for your house as well as do the installation properly. 1. The first thing you have to evaluate before choosing home solar power systems may be the quantity of energy you have to power all of the equipment that you use at home. Once you know just how much electrical power is required, you can look for an appropriate cell.

2. The size of your solar power product is usually dependent on two factors – your typical energy consumption numbers and also the quantity of sunshine your house receives. 3. You can find two typical kinds of Solar panels for sale – panels made from crystalline silicon as well as panels made from amorphous silicon alloy. The latter are a good option as they are thinner, lighter in weight, stronger, and more efficient. 4. The cost of the solar cell mostly depends on the quantity of wattage it offers. So, you should always go ahead and take dollars/watt ratio into consideration while looking with regard to solar energy systems. The ratio of $4.30 per watt is generally regarded as efficient by numerous.

5. If you have the needed knowledge as well as encounter, you can buy all of the supplies needed for the solar panel as well as do the installation your self. Should you, on the other hand, are not in to Do-it-yourself projects, you can buy the solar panel on the internet or from the shop that offers installation services. 6. GE, BP Solar, AEE Solar, Mitsubishi Electric, Sharp, Sanyo, as well as Evergreen Solar are the most widely used brands which produce home solar power systems.

7. If you are on a small spending budget, you can buy utilized solar panels, that cost considerably lesser compared to new panels. You need to, nevertheless, ensure that they’re of good high quality and are prone to be very durable. Or else, you may wind up wasting your cash on poor panels that are not well worth the package they are available in.

8. You can find solar panels for sale in a number of stores. The web, nevertheless, is the best spot to buy solar energy systems due to the number of options available online. Should you study good enough, you can find some great deals on home solar power systems as well as conserve lots of money.

9. Whether you purchase on the internet or offline, make sure you take phone options accessible, evaluate the offers, and judge the best deal. The client support plan, restore as well as maintenance plan, as well as warranty vary significantly from manufacturer to manufacturer. So, spend some time on the internet, do your homework, and ensure you purchase something that gives great value for your money.

10. A south-facing roof with clear room or perhaps an east-west roof with great exposure to the sun is often the best region to set up home solar power systems. The ground-mounted system is additionally a good idea provided you have enough space available. Factors to consider the region is not shaded by trees and shrubs or any artificial structures, as it is known to affect the effectiveness of the solar panel.

Get the best tips, guide and reviews of home solar power systems from the best resources at: http://www.home-solarpowersystems.net.

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You’ll find a big collection of solar panels for sale nowadays. Therefore, choosing 1 for your house can be a slightly difficult task. Provided below is really a listing of ten ideas that will help you select the best solar cell for your house and do the installation properly. 1. The first thing you need to evaluate before choosing home solar power systems is the quantity of power you need to power all of the equipment that you use in your own home. Once you know just how much electrical power is required, you are able to search for an appropriate solar panel.

2. The size of your own solar power product is generally dependent on two factors – your own typical power consumption figures and the quantity of sunshine your home gets. 3. You will find two common types of Solar panels for sale – panels made from crystalline silicon and panels made from amorphous silicon alloy. The second are a good option as they are thinner, lighter, more durable, and much more effective. 4. The price of the solar cell mostly depends upon the quantity of wattage it provides. Therefore, you should always go ahead and take dollars/watt percentage into account acquire the best with regard to solar power systems. A percentage of $4.30 for each watt is generally regarded as effective by many.

5. If you will find the needed expertise and experience, you can purchase all of the supplies needed for the panel and do the installation yourself. Should you, on the other hand, are not into Do-it-yourself projects, you can purchase the panel online or from the store that provides installation services. 6. GE, BP Photo voltaic, AEE Photo voltaic, Mitsubishi Electric, Sharp, Sanyo, and Evergreen Photo voltaic are some of the most popular manufacturers which create home solar power systems.

7. If you are on a small spending budget, you can purchase utilized solar panels, that cost substantially lesser than brand new panels. You have to, nevertheless, ensure that they are of good quality and therefore are likely to last a long time. Otherwise, you may wind up wasting your cash on poor panels that aren’t well worth the package they come in.

8. You will find solar panels for sale in numerous stores. The internet, nevertheless, is the best spot to buy solar power systems due to the wide range of options available online. Should you study well enough, you’ll find some good offers upon home solar power systems and save a lot of money.

9. Whether you buy online or traditional, make sure you take phone options available, evaluate the provides, and judge the best deal. The customer support policy, restore and upkeep policy, and guarantee differ greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer. Therefore, spend time online, do your homework, and make sure you buy something that provides excellent bang for your buck.

10. A south-facing roofing with clear space or an east-west roofing with good sun damage is usually the best area to install home solar power systems. A ground-mounted system is also a wise decision provided you have enough area available. Factors to consider that the area is not shaded by trees and shrubs or any synthetic buildings, as it is termed to affect the effectiveness of the panel.

Get the best tips, guide and reviews of home solar power systems from the best resources at: http://www.home-solarpowersystems.net.

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Progressive green colleges

Many people who are considering attending a college or university include the institution’s dedication to the environment in their research. They ask questions about what the campus is doing to make its community a greener, more sustainable place.

Students who want to continue their education at “green” universities look at how well the buildings conserve energy or how efficiently the parking lots are laid out. These criteria are important, but a person truly dedicated to minimizing his impact on the environment should be aware that the best way to do that is through online learning.

Virtual institutions not only offer outstanding, widely-accepted online degrees but also give the considerate student a way join a revolutionary new educational movement that is saving the Earth one campus at a time. At a virtual school:

No bulldozer is going to touch ground in order to build classrooms, dormitories or parking lots for online learning.
No stones are quarried nor trees cut down to build brick and mortar buildings.
No energy is required to heat or cool buildings that do not exist.
Teachers and support staff often work from home saving transportation energy.
Students do not inhabit dormitories nor do they commute to school.
Much less paper is used since many of the books, tests, and papers are online.

Students, of course, have two important questions about an online education:

1. Is an online education as good as one I can get at a brick and mortar school?
2. Will I be able to get a job if I attend a virtual university?

The answer to the first question is a resounding, “Yes!” Many virtual universities are noted for their high academic standards. Instructors at such universities must meet the same rigorous requirements as any at a traditional school and because of the way the classes are arranged they are more available for one on one interaction with their students. Many online universities also offer access 24/7 to their support staff and counselors.

It is more difficult to give an unqualified answer to the second question. Even a traditional school cannot guarantee the student a job after graduation. But online degrees are as well respected as any from a traditional school.

In fact, so many people are now attending virtual universities that employers would not be able to meet their personnel needs if they did not hire applicants with degrees obtained online. It is entirely possible that the employer himself is an online university graduate and knows the value of such an education. He might even appreciate the fact that saving the environment was one of the reasons that the applicant chose a virtual education.

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Marianne Lavelle
For National Geographic News
Published June 22, 2011

This story is part of a special series that explores energy issues. For more, visit The Great Energy Challenge.

One of Indonesia’s most ardent rain forest protection activists is in what may seem an unlikely position: Spearheading a project to produce biofuel from trees.

But tropical forest scientist Willie Smits, ­­after 30 years studying fragile ecosystems in these Southeast Asian islands, wants to draw world attention to a powerhouse of a tree—the Arenga sugar palm. Smits says it can be tapped for energy and safeguard the environment while enhancing local food security.

Smits says that the deep-rooted feather palm Arenga pinnata could serve as the core of a waste-free system that produces a premium organic sugar as well as the fuel alcohol, ethanol, providing food products and jobs to villagers while it helps preserve the existing native rain forest. And scientists who have studied the unique harvesting and production process developed by Smits and his company, Tapergie, agree the system would protect the atmosphere rather than add to the Earth’s growing carbon dioxide burden.

“The palm juice chiefly consists of water and sugar—made from rain, sunshine, carbon dioxide and nothing else,” says Smits. “You are basically only harvesting sunshine.”

The project, being funded in part by a 73,160 euro grant (U.S. $105,000) from National Geographic’s Great Energy Challenge initiative, has potential to disrupt a cycle of poverty and environmental devastation that has gripped one of the most vulnerable and remote areas of the planet, while providing a new source of sustainable fuel.

The Fuel Threat to Forests

Tapergie’s sugar palm production facility that opened last year in Tomohon (map), in the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, and the microscale facilities called Village Hubs that Smits aims to launch on nearby islands, are a far cry from the oil palm biofuel operations that have devastated the rain forest.

Demand for oil made from the pulp and seeds of oil palm trees in Southeast Asia soared when European countries sought to displace petroleum fuels with biofuel in the past decade. It was a move that governments hoped would reduce carbon emissions, but the impact was the reverse. Tracts of rain forest were cleared, and peat land was drained and burned on a massive scale to make way for oil palm monoculture. Because of the carbon emissions caused by rainforest destruction, Indonesia leapt to the top tier of world greenhouse gas emitters, just behind giant energy consumers China and the United States.

Smits, who had been knighted in his native Netherlands, was among the forest advocates who sounded the warning around the world about the impact of large-scale biofuel production from oil palm in his adopted home of Indonesia.

Smits already had gained recognition as one of the world’s most prominent protectors of Asia’s great apes and their habitat, as founder of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. He laid out the biofuel problem, and the rain forest restoration efforts he had spearheaded, in talks around the world, including in the popular online series sponsored by the nonprofit TED.

But Smits felt he could take those restoration efforts much further, and the secret was a tree with a value that was first impressed upon him 31 years ago, when he was courting a native Indonesian woman of a mountain tribe of Sulawesi who would become his wife. (She was later elected a female tribal leader for her good deeds.)

By custom, before the marriage, he was required to pay his dowry in the form of six sugar palms. It seemed a meager offering, until Smits realized each tree’s potential yield.

The fruit can be harvested and sold as a delicacy. A starch, sago, can be extracted from the stems. The wood is stronger than oak. Most important of all, the tree has a distinctive sap, which can be tapped the way a sugar maple is tapped for maple syrup, but year-round and in vast quantities. The high-carbohydrate juice can be used to make a palm sugar that is a healthier substitute for white cane sugar. Smits estimated that there are at least 60 different products that can come from the Arenga sugar palm, making it a wholly appropriate marriage gift.

“This was enough to support a young family,” he said. “That got me interested in studying the sugar palm in more detail.”

“The Most Amazing Tree”

He found that the Arenga sugar palm had numerous qualities that made it a virtual sentry of the forest. Its deep roots mean it can be grown on steep, almost vertical, slopes—offering protection against erosion. It needs little water and is drought- and fire-resistant, important on volcanic islands. It is resistant to pests and needs no fertilizer; its presence in a forest actually enhances the soil.

Because of these qualities, Smits found that the Arenga sugar palm could be a key species in his efforts to restore Indonesian rain forests that had been brutally logged and burned for decades.

“It’s the anti-particle of oil palm . . . the most amazing tree I’ve ever run into,” says energy expert Amory Lovins, chairman and chief scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute in Snowmass, Colorado, and member of National Geographic’s Great Energy Challenge advisory board. Lovins recommended Smits’ project as the first grantee in the society’s three-year energy initiative when he learned of his idea for furthering his rainforest restoration and protection efforts by tapping the sugar palm for fuel.

Smits knew the sugary juice tapped from sugar palms typically was fermented to produce a traditional alcoholic beverage. That meant it also could be used to produce the alcohol fuel, ethanol.

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