SoL Energy Shines Light in Carbondale

The Aspen Times reports about SoL Energy installing a solar array on a town's rec center on the western slope of Colorado. What's interesting about this is that the town didn't spend a dime on the array. You want to find out how? Read more about it.

MIT's Burgeoning Role in the Green Movement

Some sage advice from the President of MIT. She says we need another "Apollo project" to light a fire under this country's collective arse to help us to quickly discover the new technologies needed to be energy independent. I've only read about the "race to the moon", which seemed to really excite the imagination of children and even adults back in the 1960s. I wonder if we could do the same thing with respect to energy. I do believe that it will take a visionary leader to excite the public once again. Here's to hoping that this year's presidential election provides us with that leader.

Democratic Convention Sparks Solar-power Opportunities

The Democratic National Convention is going to be exciting this year in Denver. Lots of renewable energy technologies to be used to offset some of the power consumption at some of the venues. Read more about it here.

Envisioning the House of the Future

Great article on Tufts University's task to create a house of the future for the 2009 Solar Decathlon. This decathlon is a competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Lab. Tufts University is not only working on a "green" home for the decathlon, but also has tasked themselves with making it affordable. To give you some perspective, for the 2007 Solar Decathlon a German university spent over $1.2 million on an 800 sq. ft. "green" home. Who can afford that? Some of the design techniques that they are going to utilize are biomimicry, cradle to cradle, and passive solar. All of the "green" homes created will be displayed on the Washington Mall in 2009.

Oil Firms No Longer Need Tax Breaks, but Renewable Energy Does

An editorial from the Orlando Sentinel states the obvious: renewable energy, a budding industry, now needs tax breaks to jump start it. The oil industry, an established industry and which brings home gigantic profits for their shareholders, do not need tax breaks any longer. Therefore, take some of the tax breaks away from the oil industry to help the renewable energy industry get off the ground. It really is that simple. I'll let some of the editorial highlight some of the nitty gritty:

"But with oil company profits and the price of crude at all-time highs, a strong case also can be made to rescind tax breaks for the industry to finance the extension on breaks for renewable energy. That's what the House did in February, voting to take back $18 billion in tax breaks over a decade, or $1.8 billion a year, from the five largest publicly traded oil companies. The annual figure is less than 2 percent of the $123 billion in profits that those companies banked last year."

Wow.

Senators Propose Extending Renewable Energy Tax Credit

This is good news, even though the tax credit for consumers is only extended for another year. The big hurdle will be defining how these tax credits are going to be paid for. Will the Senators gain a spine and take away just a little bit of oil industry tax breaks? Or will they cave and put the U.S. clean energy industry even more behind the eight-ball?

Minnesota Now No. 3 in Wind Energy Production

Go Minnesota! They just beat out Iowa for more wind energy production. Now I know this isn't a competition, the more energy created by a windmill is a good thing. But where is Colorado! Well I checked the American Wind Energy Association's web site Colorado is number six in the country for wind energy production. Beware Minnesota, we may just catch up to you by the end of 2008!

Just a Thought on Biofuels

I haven't posted much about biofuels lately. Reason being is that the articles I've come across are about 75% negative on biofuels. Perhaps the consensus is growing that biofuels aren't all they're cracked up to be - the magic bullet to wean us off the black gold, Texas tea. I too have commented before that I am not a fan of creating fuel from human food sources or using fertile land to grow non-food for fuel. But I do believe that this biofuel discord is a healthy thing and that we will find a way to make it work.

It's Time to Get Serious About Solar Energy

At least that's what Bill Boyne says in his opinion piece in the Post-Bulletin, and I tend to agree with him. He also mentions that we could stand to use more solar thermal plants in the southwest.

Clear Skies Solar Opens Golden, Colorado Office

Add yet another renewable energy business to Colorado. The press release says that Clear Skies Solar will need about four people to staff their new office in Golden. Read the press release here.