Portland's solar energy generates top 20 label

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Portland was propelled into the top 20 solar-powered U.S. cities this week by generating solar energy through programs including Solarize Portland, Environment Oregon and Solar Forward.

At number 15, Portland is contributing to solar growth in the U.S., which today has 200 times more solar power installed than in 2002.

The top 20 cities, leading with Los Angeles, have more solar power than the entire U.S. had five years ago. Though they hold only 0.1 percent of the nation’s land mass, these cities generate 7 percent of the nation’s solar power.

“As a pollution-free energy source with no fuel costs, solar energy is an important part of the city’s overall strategy to protect the climate and reduce carbon emissions,” says Portland Mayor Charlie Hales. “The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability has helped demonstrate what’s possible at the local level with great programs like Solarize Portland and Solar Forward, but there’s much more to be done.”

On April 10, Solar Forward, a Portland-based government program, named Hacienda Community Development Corporation (CDC) in Cully as the next site for solar installation. Environment Oregon, a statewide nonprofit, partnered with them to add solar panels to the Ortiz Community Center’s futsal court. The 10-kilowatt solar array on the roof of the court will power the court’s lights as well as the community center.

“Hacienda has long believed that environmental amenities should be available to Portlanders of all income levels,” says Victor Merced, executive director of Hacienda CDC. “We are excited for the opportunity to build on our commitment to green building in Cully with the addition of this partnership with Solar Forward.”

It’s not only nonprofits growing and supporting solar power in Oregon. Apple opened a new data center in Prineville and plans to power it entirely with renewable energy. Facilities like this use more electricity than a small city, but Apple is looking into wind, hydroelectric and solar sources, which it is already operating at a 20-megawatt facility in South Carolina.

Apple plans to buy 200 acres to install solar panels near its 338,000-square-foot facility, which is estimated to exceed 37 megawatts, or as much power as 27,000 homes.

Solar energy has no fuel costs, smoggy pollution or contribution to climate change. The cost of fossil fuels is rising, but using solar power instead also saves the water that would be used to cool fossil fuel facilities.

Solar energy is estimated to bring 2,900 jobs to Oregon for maintenance, installation and manufacturing. Portland’s solar capacity has grown from about 4 to 15 megawatts in the past five years.

“The sky’s the limit on solar energy. Portland is a shining example of solar leadership,” says Charlie Fisher, field organizer with Environment Oregon. “By committing to bold goals and expanding on the good policies we’ve adopted, we can take solar to the next level.”

To view Portland’s solar energy map, visit: www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/446449

Julia Rogers can be reached at 503-546-5137 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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Portland"s solar energy generates top 20 label

Energy Crossroads: A burning need to change course, Academic Edition & Public Performance

This academic version has an extra hour of bonus materials that includes a 25 minutes documentary produced in 1974 soon after the 1973 oil embargo, extended interviews, lesson plans, an Eco-facts sheet, a jpeg file from the poster (11X17) and the 2 mini documentaries from the standard version (Cuba’s Peak Oil and Steve Andrews “Green Home”).
Synopsis: As our global population and its appetite for energy rise drastically, resource depletion and global climate change have become the most pressing issues facing humanity today.
This Award Winning documentary exposes the problems associated with our energy consumption. It also offers concrete solutions for those that want to educate themselves and be part of the solutions in this decisive era.
“Energy Crossroads” is a graphic tour de force that will compel you to share the experience.

Note: By buying this DVD, it gives you and your organization the right to show the film publicly in a non-theatrical setting as many time as you want, as long as no admission is charged. These gatherings are normally found in locations such as schools, libraries, and civic institutions.

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Energy Crossroads: A burning need to change course, Academic Edition & Public Performance

Cheaper alternative to expensive purifiers

The worsening air quality in Chinese cities has long been a hot topic among people. This has meant that residents need to go in for expensive air filtration equipment for their homes. But now, a creative idea from a group of foreigners in Shanghai means air filters don’t need to be expensive anymore.

A simple, cheap and effective way to make an air cleaner. A group of American expats living in Shanghai have come up with a simple, yet cost-effective way to make air purifiers out of commonly available household items. All that people need to make this DIY air filter is a cheap electric fan, a standard High Efficiency Particulate Air filter and a strap. And the result, an air purifier that costs just 200 yuan or about $32.

“This is like a bicycle, and an IQ Air or a Blueair is like a BMW. And until now, in the air purifier market, people didn’t know that bicycles existed. They thought that if you want to get from here to here, you had to buy a BMW. So what we’re saying is not that this is as good as an IQ Air, but that this works, and it works very well, and it’s much, much cheaper.” Smart air filters collaborator Gus Tate said.

PhD student Thomas Talhelm came up with the idea when studying in China. Late last year, the team started selling their DIY packages. Tate placed an air quality monitor in front of the filter, and showed how a measure of particulate matter dropped from 600 to 0 in a matter of seconds.

“It produces comparable results when you talk about particulates. So it doesn’t get some of the other things that other purifiers get like smells or some other chemicals. This doesn’t do anything for that. So we are only talking about particulates. But given enough time, in a closed room, yes, pretty much the same results.” Smart air filters collaborator Gus Tate said.

Liang Zhuoyao, who has put up with worsening air quality in Shanghai during his 10 years there, is convinced.

“They’re very creative. They have found an easy way that people can accept. I think the price is the key point. It’s so cheap. It attracts normal people like me to come and listen, and then buy it.” Liang said.

The toxic air pollution that regularly plagues China’s big cities has led many to invest in expensive air purifiers. Most cost upwards of around 2,000 yuan, equalling around $300, putting them out of reach of those on a budget. Luckily, it won’t be a problem now.

Cheaper alternative to expensive purifiers

Western NY town checked out by wind farm company

Associated Press

SOMERSET, N.Y. — Town officials in a western New York community on the shore of Lake Ontario say a Virginia company is talking to landowners about leasing land for a large wind farm.

Somerset Supervisor Daniel Engert tells the Buffalo News (http://bit.ly/Q4FgGA ) that Apex Clean Energy of Charlottesville, Va., is in the early stages of researching a large-scale wind energy development in the town.

Dan Fitzgerald, New York project manager for Apex, tells the newspaper the company is considering several sites for its first foray into New York.

The town of Somerset, 35 miles northeast of Buffalo, has an ordinance in place that’s open to wind development.

—Copyright 2014 Associated Press

Western NY town checked out by wind farm company

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The Sunforce 260-Watt Crystalline Solar Kit comes complete with two 130-Watt solar panels, 30 A digital charger controller, 200W inverter, wiring, brackets, screws, and a voltage tester. The solar panels have aluminum frames for extended outdoor use. The bypass diode minimizes the power drop caused by shade. This kit is ideal for RVs, homes, boats, back-up and remote power use, 12 volt battery charging, and solar power stations, pumps, and lighting equipment. The solar panels have high-efficiency Crystalline solar cells. This kit is easy to install and completely maintenance-free. The solar panels are completely weatherproof, and come with a 25-year limited warranty. Connect multiple panels for more power.

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New Report: San Jose Ranks 4th Among Major US Cities for Installed Solar

“Solar power is booming across the country and cities are at the forefront,” said Mac Farrell, global warming organizer at Environment California. “As one of the top ranking cities, San Jose is leading the way.”

With the cost of solar coming down, there’s growing awareness of solar power as a mainstream energy solution with widespread benefits for our health, our economy and the environment.

“Going solar isn’t just good for the planet, it’s also an excellent investment,” said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, who has solar panels installed on his own home. “San Jose is pleased to be recognized for its solar efforts. Since adopting our Green Vision in 2007, San Jose has become a national leader in solar installations, including putting solar on city buildings to save taxpayer dollars and energy.”

“I’m so proud of San Jose for being one of the national leaders in clean, renewable energy,” said Assemblymember Paul Fong (D-San Jose). “Solar power helps Californians meet its conservation goals. I’m looking forward to continue working with our community to reduce our carbon footprint.”

The report highlighted the benefits of solar energy, including:

Solar energy avoids pollution—Pollution-free energy from the sun reduces air pollution that contributes to urban smog and global warming. It also helps save the massive amount of water that’s normally consumed during the cooling of fossil-fuel-burning power plants.

Solar energy protects consumers—Since solar has no fuel costs, it can protect us from the rising cost of fossil fuels.

Solar energy helps the economy—California has over 47,000 solar jobs, accounting for approximately one-third of all solar jobs in the country.

The top 20 solar cities in this report have more solar power within their city limits than was installed in the entire U.S. just six years ago.

“Of course Silicon Valley has embraced solar power. High-tech embraces high-tech. California’s goal is to make rooftop solar power as commonplace as the PC, and forward-thinking cities like San Jose, along with strong public policies, are making that vision a reality,” says Kelsea Jones, Deputy Director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA).

The report pointed to policies that encourage investment in solar PV installations, which have been adopted by local leaders in solar cities:

* City leaders can set ambitious and achievable goals and citizens and businesses can work with local governments to meet them. Cities can lead by example by putting solar on public buildings.
* Cities can adopt policies to advance solar power in their communities, including tax incentives, low-interest loan programs and solar-friendly zoning and building codes. Cities can also run “Solarize” programs that use bulk purchasing and educational campaigns to help neighbors “go solar” together.
* City leaders can work with state governments to ensure that they have strong programs to expand solar, including renewable energy standards, solar carve-outs or feed-in tariffs, net metering and community solar programs.
* City leaders can also demand a strong partnership with the federal government to ensure that federal incentives such as tax credits are continued. And, that federal programs, such as the Solar America’s Cities and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant programs continue to provide support and technical assistance to cities seeking to expand solar.

“We are pleased that a significant number of San Jose home and business owners have adopted solar to generate clean energy, reduce their carbon footprint and lower their electricity bills,” said SunPower President and CEO Tom Werner. “As a San Jose-based solar company, and founded almost 30 years ago, we continue to support the City’s environmental goals and congratulate its leaders on this achievement.”

In 2008, SunPower installed a 185-kilowatt solar system atop the roof of the San Jose Tech Museum, the first commercial solar system on a downtown San Jose building.

“The partnership between The Tech, the city of San Jose, and SunPower is a great example of how communities can pave the way for clean, renewable energy,” said The Tech President Tim Ritchie. “The Tech is proud to be part of San Jose’s recognition and exhibit the benefits of solar power.”

“Clean Solar is the second largest residential installer in San Jose, where it was born, nurtured, and is now thriving,” added Randy Zechman, CEO of Clean Solar. “San Jose’s leadership in green building and infrastructure has been a key part of our success and happiness in this market. We are not surprised to see San Jose thriving as one of America’s top solar cities.”

“The sky’s the limit on solar energy. San Jose is a shining example of solar leadership,” said Farrell. “But, we’ve barely scratched the surface of the potential to capture this pollution-free energy source. By committing to bold goals and expanding on the good policies we’ve adopted, we can take solar to the next level.”

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Environment California Research & Policy Center is a statewide nonprofit environmental advocacy organization working to protect California’s air, water and open spaces. More information, including copies of today’s report, can be found at http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/center.

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/news/cae/new-report-san-jose-ranks-4th-among-major-us-cities-installed-solar

New Report: San Jose Ranks 4th Among Major US Cities for Installed Solar

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Benjamin Nusz has worked as an installer, site assessor, designer, and consultant for solar thermal systems. He currently trains renewable thermal technicians at Mid-State Technical College in Wisconsin.

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Solar Water Heating--Revised & Expanded Edition: A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Water and Space Heating Systems (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)