Lake Michigan Gets Look from Wind Researchers

From an article in the Journal Sentinel, read the whole article here.Study seeks data on mid-water windsThe notion is intoxicating: Capture the wind that has buffeted boaters on the Great Lakes for centuries and convert it into clean, renewable energy. But one important piece of data has been missing: We don't know exactly how windy it is out there.Soon, we will.A floating research platform launched to collect data on wind speeds high above the water in the middle of Lake Michigan has begun feeding the information to researchers involved in a $3 million project."We're capturing some of the very first data," said Arnold "Arn" Boezaart, director of the Michigan Alternative & Renewable Energy Center at Grand Valley State University in Muskegon, which is leading the research....

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Good report from Clean Technica

We've reported a lot on EV's, we are very big proponents of moving to domestically produced energy for our cars, and we'd like to follow that today with this excellent story from  Clean Technica which drives home the overall savings you can enjoy by driving an EV.   There's a link for the whole story, but we've reproduced part of it:EV Low Operating Costs Make EVs Cheaper Over Time, Especially Useful for Fleet OperatorsSticker shock gets even the best of us, but a report from Pike Research says the low cost of electric vehicle charging, compared to traditional fuel, brings the total cost of ownership of electric vehicles below that of internal combustion engine vehicles!Senior research analyst Lisa Jerram said electric battery...

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Let's push to get this passed soon

This week, another good report from the Better World Club.  This article brings light to legislation, good legislation, held up in Congress as they fight over spending.  You'd hate to a positive change like this sidelined by a lack of cohesiveness on spending.Our greatest return on investment, as a homeowner, consumer and business owner is money put into efficiency--reducing our energy and waste production.  We need a national policy and standard on efficiency.  Let's get vocal in asking our Senators to pass this into law:BETTER WORLD CLUB NEWSLack of Agreement on Federal Spending Stalls Energy Efficiency BillEven Though It Would Create 80,000 Jobs and Reduce Emissions by Millions of TonsIt's Like That Time You Couldn't...

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Everyone should take a bow and feel good

We share the enthusiasm expressed below by Environment RI, and there's plenty of praise for the 12 other states who led the charge to the new clean-air standards we have today.  Enjoy and breath deep.  We are headed for a healthier world:"If you haven’t heard the news, today is a very big day.Decades from now, the clean car standards finalized today by the Obama administration will be highlighted as a monumental turning point in America’s quest to get off oil and tackle global warming.That’s how big a deal these clean car standards really are.  By doubling the fuel efficiency of the cars on the road today by 2025, the standards will cut as much global warming pollution in Rhode Island alone in 2030 as is emitted by 132,000 of today’s vehicles.  And nationally they’ll cut...

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Good report from Better World Club

On Goodyear Tire's quest to build better performing and improved earth-friendly tires.  Here's the story:Goodyear Tire and Rubber is working on a new technology that can help make its tires less expensive to produce and last longer and it involves something that the U.S. has plenty of – soybeans.Goodyear researchers have found that using soybean oil in the manufacturing process can extend the tread life of tires and significantly reduce the amount of petroleum required, "up to seven million gallons each year" for the company as a whole. Adding soy to rubber compounds in tire production, the company says, has proven to improve the mixing process, and creates a better rubber compound. The soy helps the rubber blend easier with the silica,...

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Solar cell facts

A solar cell is an electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. A solar cell is also called photovoltaic cell or photoelectric cell.Photoelectric effect was first observed 1839 by Edmond Becquerel, a physicist from France. In year 1876 Adams and Day observed the photovoltaic effect in solid selenium.  Modern solar cell was discove...

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Our most recent radio show on WARL 1320 and Blog Talk Radio

We recorded this show, as we broadcast live, this Weds.  Show is terrific.  Our thanks to our excellent guests, as described on this post on Blog Talk (where you can listen to the show, and all shows, 24/7:On this program of ReNewable Now, we’ll be exploring the locally grown food market. Join us as we interview Dan Horan, President and CEO, of Five Acre Farms. We’ll also hear about what’s going on at Hope & Main pertaining to this topic. Don’t forget to tune in! ReNewable Now…educating you on the business side of green Here's the link to this show:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/renewable-now/2012/08/22/the-locally-grown-food-marketEnj...

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Enjoy the show and tour 21012

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From ABC News

Alpha coal project gets green lightNot very promising news:http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-23/the-giant-alpha-coal-project-gets-the-green-light/4218856?section=business...

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Great radio show today on WARL 1320 and Blog Talk Radio

Thanks to our guests, Dan from 5-Acre Farm and Lisa from Hope and Main in Warren.  Both great stories and we look forward to following them in the future.This show will be posted to our Blog Talk network by tomorrow, but in the meantime, feel free to use this link to listen to previous shows:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/renewable-nowAfter you listen to some of the shows, or watch on renewablenow.tv.com, let us know which ones you liked best and why.We are, of course, the business side of green.  Stay tun...

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Great post from Seth Handy

On seeing terrific growth in MA of clean energy jobs.  This is a very promising beginning to a new and diverse economy.  The balance of economic growth with environmental protection is our sweet spot.  We love seeing progress like what is being experienced in MA.The story: Massachusetts Sees Big Growth In Clean Energy Jobs n News Departments > FYIby NAW Staff on Thursday 16 August 2012  Massachusetts' clean energy economy grew by 11.2% from July 2011 to July 2012 and now employs 71,523 people at 4,995 clean energy firms across the commonwealth, finds a new report released by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC).According to the report, which was prepared by...

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Great news from AP and Bloomberg

This is a terrific trend if we can keep it going.  Here's the headline: AP IMPACT: CO2 emissions in US drop to 20-year low Chart shows carbon dioxide emissions from burning coal. Graphic is fixed. Unit for chart is changed from "trillion" to "billion" What follows is even more interesting:   "In a surprising turnaround, the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere in the U.S. has fallen dramatically to its lowest level in 20 years, and government officials say the biggest reason is that cheap and plentiful natural gas has led many power plant operators to switch from dirtier-burning coal.Many of the world's leading climate scientists didn't see the drop coming, in large part because it happened as a result...

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Disturbing news from the Gazette-Journal in VA

Here's the headlines from this story which looks positive:  More businesses sought for Gloucester green initiativeThat, on the surface, looks fine.  Yet, read the story below:  "BILL NACHMAN | POSTED ON AUG 15, 2012 - 11:18 AM PRINTER FRIENDLY VIEWThrough the Gloucester Green Office Challenge, county businesses learn how to put simple environmental strategies into action to reduce avoidable waste and pollution, while saving energy and costs, says Clean Community coordinator Bill Bell.However, few businesses have expressed an interest in the program since it received a major push early this year, Bell said. The "challenge" assists participating businesses in implementing environmentally-friendly initiatives that will help...

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Continuing our post from yesterday from Wall ST Report

Helping to create new, green jobs is a big part of our mission.  To help make this happen, our show seeded a clean energy fund (and efficiency fund) in New England which is in the process of raising 14m of debt and equity to launch, by year 3, 25m a year in solar, wind, hydro and fuel cell projects.We also just invested money into RI's best know accelerator as they give birth to new, innovative, companies here and throughout the region.  We also applied to National Grid for permission to build a 3meg solar site close to the solar system we installed on our rooftop (175kw system).All of which stirs clean, economic development.  We hope, even on a very small scale, you are doing the same.Let's finish this story and post: ...24/7 Wall St. examined the BLS report to identify the...

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Natural Gas: Wrestling With Reality

August 10, 2012A commentary by Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin, Director, Policy and Programs:After skidding below $2.00/MMBtu this winter, wholesale natural gas prices are now creeping toward the $3.00 mark. This upward movement is the result of below-normal volumes of natural gas going into storage for the winter heating season. The latest report, released August 16th, marks the 16th straight week where injection volumes lagged significantly behind the five-year average. Notwithstanding this mild rebound, everyone in the energy industry, including the traders themselves, knows that $3.00/MMBtu is well below the cost of producing natural gas, and cannot deliver a return that can support future drilling efforts. This is particularly true with shale gas, the so-called “game-changer” that...

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Good article from Wall ST Report

On states where green job are booming.  Is yours one?We will finish this tomorrow.By Charles B. Stockdale, 24/7 Wall St."The green economy often is cited as a key driver of the national economic recovery. At the very least, it is creating jobs. The total number of jobs related to green products and services in 2010 was 3.13 million, according to the first-ever green jobs report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, to put things in perspective, these jobs accounted for only 2.4 percent of the country’s total employment that year.In many states, jobs associated with the production of green goods and services represented a slightly larger share of employment. In 11 states, green jobs accounted for 3 percent or more...

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From Inspire Green Newsletter

Great story on what the London Olympics just accomplished over the last 2 weeks.  We applaud their efforts, and look forward to an even better performance in Brazil:"London Olympics 2012: Going Green is the new Gold With 10,500 Olympic athletes and 4200 Paralympic athletes competing, and estimated 11million visitors, 21,000 journalists and around 200,000 staff members, there will be a lot of mouths to feed at the games, which in turn, means tons of packaging will be required. With the eyes of the world set on London, the London Organizing committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) made a bold move:  Zero WasteInstead of accepting almost certainty of PET bottles filling up trash cans and Styrofoam containers littering the land, London 2012 became the first...

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India's Blackout Lesson: Coal Failed, Small Solar = Big Results

From a story by Justin Guay, Sierra Club International Program:Of course they still have to face the problems they have inherited from trying to copy/paste a centralized grid from the West. So what can they do to solve peak problems with the grid they already have in place? Deploy lots and lots of distributed solar and efficiency. That's because, unlike coal, solar for the most part is available when you need it - during peak hours. Which is why it's great to see States like Gujarat taking the lead in roof top solar programs with the support of the IFC. And efficiency makes the peaks smaller so you need less power in the first place. The irony here of course is that distributed generation has always been ignored as trivial compared to the real need for a large scale 'modern grid.' That’s because...

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Enjoy the show and tour

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Town of Sherman wind farm good for community

A letter to the editor of the Sheboygan Press written by Maureen Faller, a member of the board of directors of RENEW and co-owner of Kettle View Renewable Energy:It is not surprising that the proposed Windy Acres Wind Farm project in the Town of Sherman has become a highly emotional debate. However, as a citizen, tax payer and small business owner in the Town of Sherman, I am concerned about the vast amount of misleading information that is being circulated throughout our community. We’ve been barraged with flyers of burning wind turbines, yet the likelihood of this occurring is less than .001% based on 165,000 wind turbines installed worldwide. By comparison, our local fire department was dispatched to two car fires this month alone. We’ve heard about the wind turbines affecting our property...

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Sorry for the change yesterday on the radio side

We had a great live show set up for yesterday on WARL 1320AM and Blog Talk, but our major guests cancelled late and we had no choice but to run the audio from a recent TV show.  We apologize for that.  We'll be back live promoting Green Fest in Boston next week.In the meantime, here's some good reading on success stories within the green economy from the UN:ou are: www.unep.org > Green Economy > Success StoriesWhat is Green Economy?Discover more ...Green Economy in actionDiscover more ...View latest briefing papersRead reportsHomeResearch ProductsGreen Economy ReportAdvisory ServicesWebinarsPartnershipsInformation MaterialsAbout GEIContactsGEI HighlightsSuccess StoriesFeedbackSuccess StoriesCollection...

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