Earth4Energy
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A Really Easy System To Save You Lots Of Money!There are a lot of products hyping different techniques for green living, however most end up being scams. This being the case, we are often rather skeptical when we notice an e-book or guide explaining how to make devices that will give you free energy. You get nothing for free right? A short time ago, a new product cropped up on the market – Earth4Energy. Since it’s release Earth4Energy has become very popular, selling thousands of copies, and saving lots of people lots of money. Earth4Energy claims you can make huge savings on your energy bills, for a relatively small investment by building one, or more of their DIY solar panels or DIY wind turbines. Sounds great, but does it deliver? Does Earth4Energy Really Live Up to Its Claims?The guide covers two topics – it teaches you how to build your own wind turbine and how to build your own solar panel, both of which will make electricity for you. It’s not necessary to build both for the system to work.
Naturally, this can vary due to the size of your home. If you live in a mansion, one wind generator clearly can’t supply enough power for the entire house. This is why Earth4Energy is mainly targeting the average sized family home, which will benefit most from their home made wind turbine or home made solar panel. For a typical family, the Earth4Energy wind turbine provides plenty of electricity to cut your home energy costs by a hefty percentage. As soon as the first wind generator shows all of its benefits, people will often build another and sometimes even a third wind generator, so they can reduce their energy bill to zero. Depending on where you live, Earth4Energy solar panels can generate a good amount of electricity for the home, significantly reducing energy costs. professional solar panel installations cost at least $5,000 or more – not likely to be in most families’ budgets. From what we’ve have seen, the Earth4Energy guide really does teach you how to build a solar panel that rivals the professionally made ones. The Earth4Energy solar panels can save energy to a battery – The guide shows you where to find batteries for free, saving you even more money. Evidence shows that when you use the Earth4Energy wind turbine and the Earth4Energy solar panel you can reduce your energy bill by the percentage they claim in their ad. Once these devices prove their potential, and if you build more, you may be able to get rid of your electricity bill entirely!
If you don’t have lots of money, and you’re not highly skilled in creating devices from scratch, this statement might seem too good to be true. We were skeptical of this claim that the Earth4Energy guide was making, but were pleasantly surprised with the results. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to follow directions that are just too complicated, but the instructions are really easy to read and use an easily understood step-by-step approach. Earth4Energy has enabled thousands of people to successfully construct these own home made solar panel or home made wind generator. These people are regular people, just like you, often with little to no experience in construction. You can be confident that you will be able to build these devices. So, just how easy were the instructions to use? Well if you’ve ever put a piece of IKEA furniture together, and have some knowledge of basic tools, then you shouldn’t have any difficulty at all building the wind tubine or the solar panel. What’s more exciting is the total cost to build the wind turbine can be little as $100! This is possible since using regular household items that are just lying around can be recycled and used for parts. We thought that was spectacular – for less than $100 you can create a renewable energy source that starts lowering energy costs immediately! And if you build more than one wind generator, or solar panel you can end up with no electricity bill. Pretty cool. So what will the windmill look like?
This is what the home made wind generator from the Earth4Energy kit looks like. As we’ve said before this wind generator (wind turbine) is built mostly using easy to find recycled materials. From the battery to the blades to the electric cords, everything is there and is quite easy to construct. Despite being built really cheaply these wind turbines look very professional, and are extremely durable. A lot of the other guides will teach you how to build a wind turbine, but they don’t show you any pictures. We find that when a construction guide doesn’t have pictures, building any device can become more difficult, it’s good to confirm each step, before starting the next. Earth4Energy provides you with really clear step-by-step pictures to make your very own professional looking wind turbine or solar panel. The guide is so easy to follow, compared to the others, that building the wind turbine, or solar panel, is quite painless and actually a pleasurable experience. We did think that solar panel was a bit more complex to build than the wind turbine, but still well within the scope of the average person. We were really impressed with Earth4Energy’s guide, since it does a great job teaching you how build a sturdy solar panel in a non technical way.
One really cool benefit to the wind generator and solar panel system is that if you generate more electricity than you use, it is automatically pushed on to your electric company’s grid. Most utility companies allow you to sell the excess energy back to them – meaning you can actually get paid by your electricity company! Using the instructions provided, and with the low costs involved, you can easily cut at least 30% to 80% off your home energy bills. Right now the creator of Earth4Energy, Michael Harvey, is having a sale on the Earth4Energy guide, for a limited time so don’t miss out! When you purchase the guide you also get full lifetime support. After buying the Earth4Energy guide and implementing these devices, you will definitely get your investment back within a short period. Energy prices are always rising, but you can have security in the fact that you will be able to fuel your own home. Numerous scientists and politicians are researching ways to use alternative fuels to help reduce greenhouse gases. What better way to do your part in helping our environment than by harnessing the earth’s natural energy? And if helping the environment isn’t your objective, you can still save massive amounts on energy bills. Earth4Energy’s wind turbines and solar panels will last a long time, if you follow the instructions given. The Earth4Energy guide shows you how to build a wind tubine or a solar panel that will last for years. Other guides we’ve researched teach you to make a piece of junk that barely generates any power. If you follow the Earth4Energy instructions exactly, you are guaranteed to create exceptional devices.
To summarize:Of all the Diy energy guides we have reviewed Earth4Energy is our top pick by far. It is very easy to understand and the wind turbine and solar panel are not difficult to construct – definitely worth the investment. That being said, you obviuosly need to put in some effort to build these devices. They won’t take long time construct, and in the end you’ll be glad you did it. For all you skeptics out there, Earth4Energy have an 8-week guarantee – if your’e not satisfied with the Earth4energy guide you get your money back, no questions – You can’t beat that!
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Earth4Energy claim You will see a drastic reduction in your energy bill; stating that your savings can often be up to 50% – 80%, and sometimes even 100% by building a wind turbine (wind generator) or solar panel.
Earth4Energy claim that even a complete novice can build these devices, and do it within a limited budget of only $200.
Making the solar panel is a little more costly than the wind turbine, but you only have to spend about $150. Once you build and install your solar panel system, it takes the sun’s energy and converts it into electricity. Then the solar panel(s) can be hooked up to your home’s electricity grid and can send power to your appliances.
Efficient Planet
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Can Efficient Planet really teach you How To Get Your Power Provider To Pay You?This is one of those claims that really seems way too good to be true. Can you actually get to the point where you are paid by the electric company, instead of receiving a hefty bill? We decided to review the Efficient Planet guide to help people before buying into a scam. When you buy Efficient Planet’s DIY kit you’ll receive 3 different e-books. The first manual is "Convert Your Home to Solar Power", which gives you a simple, step-by-step approach to constructing your own solar panels and generator. It also shows you how to set up your system, so you’ll be producing energy immediately. We really liked this manual since there are tons of colored illustrations and diagrams along with the text. The guide is so well written that it is really easy for anyone to follow. The end result is quite amazing – you’ll have a sturdy solar panel built for under $200. The second manual is "Wind Power Energy For Homes", which describes how to build your own windmill for less than $100. The cost may seem low to produce your own wind turbine, but the finished result is a professional looking device you’ll be proud to have in your yard. The manual also explains the background behind wind power, the right conditions for maximizing the power generated, and the best location for your wind turbine. The third guide is "Everyday Living Efficiency Bible", which is really a bonus, since it shows you over 50 ways your can reduce your energy consumption on a daily basis. Using these techniques alone can cut down your energy bill by up to 30%. So, getting back to our original question…"how do I get paid by the power company?" We’ve found that when you build multiple solar panels and/or windmills, along with implementing the routine of being energy efficient daily, it is quite easy to produce more energy than your home uses. When you generate an excess of electricity, you’ll automatically push it onto your power company’s grid. Meaning that you meter actually spins backwards. Most power companies will allow you to sell back this energy to them, and then you’ll either receive a credit or a check. It may seem like a lot to go through just to lower your energy bills, but you won’t just be saving (or making) money, you’ll be producing naturally clean, renewable energy. This is definitely the wave of the future, since our environment needs all the help it can get. Making some minor lifestyle changes ultimately seems like a small price to pay for all the benefits you’ll receive. Another handy bonus is receiving the lifetime updates to the kit for free. So, there’s really no risk involved in giving it a try, since Efficient Planet offers a 60 Day Satisfaction Full Refund Guarantee. |
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Energy2Green
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Can a novice really use the Energy 2 Green guide to Cut Your Bills Up To 80% and More?Energy 2 Green boasts that even a novice can build the windmill or solar panel from their guide. We decided to review this guide to see if this was in fact true. Energy 2 Green was developed at a university as an engineering project, and then finally put to the test using high school students. The results were amazing – high school students without the aid of a teacher were able to build the windmills and solar panels using only simple tools. And they were able to build each device for under $200! The Energy 2 Green e-book includes schematics and diagrams that show you how to accurately construct a solar panel that runs up to 200 watts, and a windmill that runs up to 1,000 watts. In addition to the diagrams, you have step-by-step instructions on how to build and install the devices, as well as a schedule for maintenance and a checklist of the materials you’ll need to buy. You could go with a professionally installed solar panel or windmill, but the cost is so great that it’s practically unfeasible and it would take a long time to see a return on your investment. The great thing about Energy 2 Green is that with a minor investment you’ll make back your money in a short time. Once you implement your device you will not only be saving money instantly, but you’ll be helping to save our environment. If you buy this guide you could start saving in as little as one weekend’s worth of work. Depending on your geographic location, you can save up to 80% or more, if you implement the windmill and/or the solar panel. Utilizing more than one device can even lead you to the point where you are actually paid by your electric company! When you generate more energy than your home uses the excess automatically gets pushed on your electric company’s power grid. Most electric companies will then send you a check each month instead of a bill, so you can essentially make money by using your windmill(s) and/or solar panel(s). Plus the energy you generate is completely clean and renewable, so there are no environmental impacts. An added bonus to buying the Energy 2 Green guide, are the 2 additional e-books you’ll receive. The first bonus is "Planning and Installing Bioenergy Systems", which teaches you how to transform your home into an eco-friendly mini power station. The second bonus is "Renewable Energy Technology", which further teaches you about this energy revolution that can help save the planet for future generations. Plus, if you aren’t saving money within 60 days of buying the guide they offer an Iron-Clad, 100% Money Back Satisfaction Guarantee. |
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Home Made Energy
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Can Home Made Energy really be the Easiest, Cheapest Way To Generate Renewable Energy?Home Made Energy is one of the many e-books available that teaches you how to generate your own electricity using renewable resources. The reader learns how to construct an inexpensive, yet quality, windmill and solar panel. The guide also discusses which device would be best to build based on your geographic location. After reviewing Home Made Energy’s e-book, we’ve decided that this is one of the best guides on the market. It is easy to follow, since the instructions are very straight-forward and include helpful pictures. Home Made Energy writes its guide in a simple format so anyone can understand. It has clear-cut step-by-step checklists, but do not leave out the vital technical details. Home Made Energy claims that you can build a windmill or solar panel for under $200. Based on the materials required, we’ve found this is possible. You’ll be able to make back your investment in a short time, since your electricity bill will be reduced up to 80%. This is a huge savings compared to having a professional solar panel installed. Professional systems can cost from $5000 – $20,000, meaning you won’t get your investment back for at least 8 years. Another bonus is if you build more windmills and/or solar panels, your electric company could even pay you! If you generate more energy than your home uses most electric companies allow you to sell back any excess energy that you push onto their grid. Building your own windmill or solar panel may seem daunting, but Home Made Energy makes this task fairly simple. You will need to use some elbow grease to complete the project, but you can rest assure that if you get stuck on something you can e-mail the customer support for help. And if you aren’t completely satisfied with your results, Home Made Energy offers a 60 Day, Iron-Clad, 100% Money Back Satisfaction Guarantee. |
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Algae Farm Aims to Turn Carbon Dioxide Into Fuel
June 29, 2009 by yola
Filed under Environmental News
NY Times
Matthew L. Wald
Monday, June 29, 2009
Dow Chemical and Algenol Biofuels, a start-up company, are set to announce Monday that they will build a demonstration plant that, if successful, would use algae to turn carbon dioxide into ethanol as a vehicle fuel or an ingredient in plastics.
Because algae does not require any farmland or much space, many energy companies are trying to use it to make commercial quantities of hydrocarbons for fuel and chemicals. But harvesting the hydrocarbons has proved difficult so far.
The ethanol would be sold as fuel, the companies said, but Dow’s long-term interest is in using it as an ingredient for plastics, replacing natural gas. The process also produces oxygen, which could be used to burn coal in a power plant cleanly, said Paul Woods, chief executive of Algenol, which is based in Bonita Springs, Fla. The exhaust from such a plant would be mostly carbon dioxide, which could be reused to make more algae.
“We give them the oxygen, we get very pure carbon dioxide, and the output is very cheap ethanol,” said Mr. Woods, who said the target price was $1 a gallon.
Algenol grows algae in “bioreactors,” troughs covered with flexible plastic and filled with saltwater. The water is saturated with carbon dioxide, to encourage growth of the algae. “It looks like a long hot dog balloon,” Mr. Woods said.
Dow, a maker of specialty plastics, will provide the “balloon” material.
The algae, through photosynthesis, convert the carbon dioxide and water into ethanol, which is a hydrocarbon, oxygen and fresh water.
The company has 40 bioreactors in Florida, and as part of the demonstration project plans 3,100 of them on a 24-acre site at Dow’s Freeport, Tex., site. Among the steps still being improved is the separation of the oxygen and water from the ethanol. The Georgia Institute of Technology will work on that process, as will Membrane Technology and Research, a company in Menlo Park, Calif. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, an Energy Department lab, will study carbon dioxide sources and their impact on the algae samples.
Algenol and its partners are planning a demonstration plant that could produce 100,000 gallons a year. The company and its partners were spending more than $50 million, said Mr. Woods, but not all of that was going into the pilot plant. The company had applied to the Energy Department for financing under the stimulus bill, but would build a pilot plant with or without a grant, he said.
With a stimulus grant, he said, the division of spending would be slightly more than 50 percent from the private sector, although the normal level was 20 percent. The project would create 300 jobs, he said, adding that Algenol and Dow were “incredibly hopeful” of getting the grant, partly because they had a combination of an innovative start-up company, a major company with extensive experience in industrial processes, a university and a national laboratory.
At Dow, Peter A. Molinaro, a spokesman, said that the ethanol was “intriguing to us as a feedstock, because the chemistry is simple.” Dow is already working on using ethanol from Brazilian sugar cane as a replacement for natural gas as an ingredient in plastics.
When Congress created a tax subsidy for ethanol, it raised the price for nonfuel users like Dow, he said. “We’re looking at options, and this is one,” he said.
Wind farms could supply planet’s power
June 23, 2009 by yola
Filed under Environmental News
TelegraphTuesday, June 23, 2009
Even operating at just a fifth of their full capacity, a global network of 2.5 megawatt wind turbines sited away from urban centres would easily meet global electricity demands, a study suggests.
Currently only a fraction of energy is supplied by wind power, even in the UK which is considered the windiest country in Europe.
In 2007 wind energy overtook hydropower to become Britain’s largest renewable generation source. However, it still only contributed 2.2 per cent of the UK’s electricity supply.
The Government has set a target of meeting 15 per cent of all the UK’s energy demands from renewables by 2020, which means between 35 per cent to 45 per cent of electricity will have to come from green sources. Most of this is expected to be generated by wind farms.
For the new study, a team of international scientists led by Professor Michael McElroy at Harvard University in the US, divided the world into areas of around 3,300 square kilometres.
They then identified regions that would be suitable for wind farms.
The scientists worked out the potential for wind power electricity generation based on wind speed, air density, the spacing of turbines, and the size of turbine blades.
The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers concluded: “The analysis suggests that a network of land-based 2.5 megawatt turbines operating at as little as 20 per cent of rated capacity, confined to non-forested, ice-free regions would be more than sufficient to account for total current and anticipated future global demand for electricity.
“The potential for the contiguous US could amount to more than 16 times current consumption. Important additional sources of electricity could be obtained by deploying wind farms in near-shore shallow water environments.”
Nick Rau, of Friends of the Earth, said: “This is further evidence of the huge role that wind power can play in cutting climate-changing emissions and meeting our energy requirements.
“The report also highlights the UK’s huge wind power potential, one of largest in the world, and suggests it could easily supply our electricity needs many times over.
“The Government must reap the economic and environmental rewards from developing green energy by urgently tackling the barriers that prevent wind energy from taking off, and make this country a world leader in developing a clean and prosperous low-carbon economy.”
Denmark to power electric cars by wind in vehicle-to-grid experiment
June 19, 2009 by yola
Filed under Environmental News
UK Guardian
Duncan Graham-Rowe
Friday, June 19, 2009
Cars could be the solution to the intermittent nature of wind power if a multimillion European project beginning on a Danish island proves successful.
The project on the holiday island of Bornholm will use the batteries of parked electric cars to store excess energy when the wind blows hard, and then feed electricity back into the grid when the weather is calm.
The concept, known as vehicle-to-grid (V2G) is widely cited among greens as a key step towards a low-carbon future, but has never been demonstrated. Now, the 40,000 inhabitants of Bornholm are being recruited into the experiment. Denmark is already a world leader in wind energy and has schemes to replace 10% of all its vehicles with electric cars, but the goal on the island is to replace all petrol cars.
Currently 20% of the island’s electricity comes from wind, even though it has enough turbines installed to meet 40% of its needs. The reason it cannot use the entire capacity is the intermittency of the wind: many turbines are needed to harness sufficient power in breezes, but when gales blow the grid would overload, so some turbines are disconnected.
So the aim of the awkwardly named Electric Vehicles in a Distributed and Integrated Market using Sustainable Energy and Open Networks Project – Edison for short – is to use V2G to allow more turbines to be built and provide up to 50% of the island’s supply without making the grid crash.
Each electric vehicle will have battery capacity reserved to store wind power for the island rather than for travelling. This means it acts like a buffer, says Dieter Gantenbein, a researcher at IBM’s Zurich Research Laboratory. IBM is developing the software needed for the island’s smart grid, and will showcase its work next week. When the cars are plugged in and charging their batteries, they will absorb any additional load the grid cannot cope with and then feed it back to power homes when needed, he says.
“It’s never been tried at this scale,” says Hermione Crease of Cambridge-based Sentec, which develops smart grid software. There are plenty of smart grid trials already under way, usually involving the use of software to monitor and manage supply and demand, for example, by temporarily switching off industrial cooling units during periods of peak load, she says. But unlike these so-called “negawatt” approaches, proving that cars can be used as part of the grid has yet to attempted.
Andrew Howe of RLTec in London, another smart grid technology firm, says many important questions need answers. It is not clear, for example, how the cost and lifetime of batteries will influence the economics of such a system.
These are the kinds of issue the project seeks to shed light on, says the project manager Jørgen Christensen of the Danish Energy Association, which with technology companies Siemens and Dong and the government are running the scheme.
Open-source hydrogen car takes to the road
June 16, 2009 by yola
Filed under Environmental News
UK Guardian
Adam Vaughan
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Designs for the Riversimple urban car, capable of a 50mph top speed and a 240 mile range, will be freely available online in a bid to help grow the hydrogen market.
A new hydrogen-powered car, whose designs will be “open source” and posted for free use on the web, was unveiled today in London. The company behind the Riversimple urban car claim the new model proves hydrogen automotive technology is ready for roll-out now rather than in 10 years’ time.
The open-source approach means entrepreneurs around the world could download the designs and manufacture the two-seater prototype locally for free.
The car, which drove in to the launch event, is capable of a 50mph top speed, 0-30mph acceleration in 5.5 seconds, and has a 240 mile range. The car’s backers say it has greenhouse gas emissions of 30g/km CO2, less than a third of the latest hybrid petrol cars such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight.
The lightweight Smart car-size vehicle uses hydrogen in a modest 6kW fuel cell, and – in the case of this prototype – uses hydrogen converted from natural gas. Hydrogen can also be created from water using electrolysis and potentially even from biofuels.
The open-source decision was made to speed the car’s commercialisation, with the company hoping entrepreneurs globally will adapt it to local conditions. Hugo Spowers, a motorsport engineer and the founder of Riversimple, said: “We want competitors, even if they’re in the UK. We believe that open source is commercially the best thing for us to do, as it will help grow the market for hydrogen technology, from parts to repairs and the refuelling infrastructure.”
Sebastian PiĂ«ch, the finanical backer for Riversimple, added: “Now that we have the basic vehicle in place with practical technology, the challenge is to begin the development of a fuelling infrastructure to accompany it.”
The car, which cost nearly ÂŁ500,000 to develop in partnership with Oxford University and Cranfield University, is expected to cost ÂŁ200 a month to lease when it is launched as a production vehicle. The date for UK availability is yet to be announced, but Riversimple is in talks with UK cities including Oxford and Worcester for pilots.
Hydrogen cars have so far enjoyed little real-world success, due in part to a lack of charging infrastructure, cost and – more recently – a political swing towards electric cars.
Gordon Brown has publicly backed electric cars as a way to reduce UK carbon emissions, and in April the government announced plans to offer ÂŁ5,000 grants towards anyone buying an electric car in 2011.
In the US, the Obama administration recently cut research budgets for hydrogen vehicles. Steven Chu, the US energy secretary, last month said: “We asked ourselves: ‘Is it likely in the next 10 or 15, 20 years that we will convert to a hydrogen car economy?’ The answer, we felt, was ‘no’.”
Spowers disputed the notion that widespread hydrogen technology was a long way off. “I agree the passion is swinging away from hydrogen, but the reason is people are sceptical of the near-term possibilities of hydrogen vehicles – people are still clear that hydrogen is the end-game.”
The Riversimple urban car, he said, proved the technology was available now.
Flexible Solar Power Shingles Transform Roofs From Wasted Space To Energy Source
June 8, 2009 by yola
Filed under Environmental News
ScienceDailyMonday, June 8, 2009
A transparent thin film barrier used to protect flat panel TVs from moisture could become the basis for flexible solar panels that would be installed on roofs like shingles.
The flexible rooftop solar panels – called building-integrated photovoltaics, or BIPVs – could replace today’s boxy solar panels that are made with rigid glass or silicon and mounted on thick metal frames. The flexible solar shingles would be less expensive to install than current panels and made to last 25 years.
“There’s a lot of wasted space on rooftops that could actually be used to generate power,” said Mark Gross, a senior scientist at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. “Flexible solar panels could easily become integrated into the architecture of commercial buildings and homes. Solar panels have had limited success because they’ve been difficult and expensive to install.”
Researchers at PNNL will create these flexible panels by adapting a film encapsulation process currently used to coat flat panel displays that use organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs. The work is made possible by a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement recently penned between Vitex Systems and Battelle, which operates PNNL for the federal government.
PNNL researchers developed the thin film technology in the 1990s. At the time, the lab’s team investigated 15 possible applications, including solar power. Vitex licensed the technology from Battelle in 2000 and focused its initial efforts on developing the ultra-barrier films for flat-panel displays. Now PNNL and Vitex are taking a hard second look at solar power.
The encapsulation process and the ultra-barrier film – called Barix™ Encapsulation and Barix™ Barrier Film, respectively – are already proven and effective moisture barriers. But researchers need to find a way to apply the technology to solar panels that are made with copper indium gallium selenide, called CIGS, or cadmium telluride, called CdTe.
Under the agreement, researchers will create low-cost flexible barrier films and evaluate substrate materials for solar panels, which are also called photovoltaics, or PVs. Both the film and substrate must be able to survive harsh ultraviolet rays and natural elements like rain and hail for 25 years.
The agreement also calls for researchers to develop a manufacturing process for the flexible panels that can be readily adapted to large-scale production. If successful, this process will reduce solar panel manufacturing costs to less than $1 per watt of power, which would be competitive with the 10 cents per kilowatt-hour that a utility would charge.
“Vitex is proud to continue its long, successful relationship with PNNL,” said Martin Rosenblum, Vitex’s vice president of operations and engineering. “Vitex is excited to further its Barix™ technology’s proven barrier performance for photovoltaics toward mass manufacturing. Together, we look forward to creating a product that will help alleviate America’s dependence on foreign oil and increase America’s access to an abundant renewable energy source – the sun.”
Battelle, which is the majority shareholder of Vitex, is optimistic that this research agreement will contribute to a new way of generating solar power. Battelle recently increased its investment in Vitex for new state-of-the-art thin film encapsulation equipment and expanded its intellectual property portfolio.
“We’re confident that Vitex will be uniquely positioned to help meet the demand for flexible solar panels, OLED displays and lighting that should rise along with the economy,” said Martin Inglis, Battelle’s chief financial officer.
PNNL’s research efforts will be paid for with up to $350,000 from the DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Technology Commercialization Fund. Last year, DOE announced that up to $1.5 million from the fund would be available to PNNL for projects that help commercialize technologies that reduce energy use or tap renewable energy sources. Because the fund requires commercial partners to match funding, Vitex will provide up to $350,900 of in-kind labor, equipment and materials for this project.
“Revelry by the River” Honors Some, Inspires All
June 5, 2009 by yola
Filed under Environmental News
ENN.com
M Molendyke
Friday, June 5, 2009
On a balmy summer night this week, the kind perfect for reflecting on the beauty and vitality of nature, supporters of Solar One gathered to champion just such a vision at the Revelry by the River event.
Solar One stands as a center for environmental conservation and learning, and since 2004 has been reaching out to students in the city to promote green learning and living. “Solar One is a leading environmental organization that addresses issues of sustainabiliy in the urban environment through the many programs we offer. These include our K-12 enrichment courses that focus on renewables, sustainable design, water ecology and horticulture; our green collar job training programs in building performance, PV (solar) installation, deconstruction, horticulture and youth green entrepreneurship; our solar advocacy program; and our solar powered arts festival” said director Christopher Collins in a statement made to ENN.
The fundraising efforts held on Tuesday June 2, 2009 were in support of the Solar Two project, Solar One’s big brother. Solar Two will be New York’s “Green Energy, Arts, and Education Center”, the city’s first carbon- neutral, net- zero energy use building. “Solar 2 will showcase state-of-the-art green building design and technology while operating as a thriving center for diverse environmental activities” outlined executive director Christopher J. Collins in a Director’s Letter given to attendees. In the same address, Collins also noted that “Solar 2 will embody our organization’s mission to provide people of all ages with the vision, knowledge and resources to achieve an environmentally
sustainable future.”
Chaired by H. Hartley du Pont and Jane Steiner Hoffman, the event brought together leaders from the conservation community as well as the most environmentally committed of the New York glitterati. Among the attendees were Governor George Pataki, actresses Lake Bell and Brooke Shields, and Real Housewives of NYC’s Alex McCord. “Revelry By The River” took time to hand out three honors to outstanding contributors to Solar Two and other environmental causes.
First, bank HSBC was honored for its $100 million contribution to a variety of environmental causes as well as its commitment to being carbon neutral (it reached this goal in 2005). Accepting the Sustainability Achievement Award, Vice President of Human Resources Suzanne Brienza thanked Solar One for introducing HSBC as a “corporate leader in doing the right thing”.
Actor Matthew Modine accepted the Environmental Stewardship Award in recognition of his founding of the Bicycle For A Day initiative, a foundation committed to promoting increased bicycle use for the dual benefit of reducing auto emissions and promoting human health and fitness. Said Modine in his acceptance speech, “there should not be a building in the US that does not incorporate the technology and knowledge that we have today” in order to promote green living.
Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy, granddaughter of Robert Kennedy, charmed the supportive crowd with her lighthearted acceptance of the Young Environmentalist Award for her work with the Waterkeeper Alliance and her recent appearance in the film Grand Canyon Adventure. Opening with a joke to illustrate that “solar power is no laughing matter”, Kick thanked her family and the audience for their support in her environmental efforts. ENN spoke to Kick before the ceremony, where she expressed her ardent support of public officials who encourage environmental conservancy in legislation and noted that “there should be more stringent laws” to prevent air and water pollution.
As the sun set over the New York City skyline, guests departed with the themes of the night in their minds: Education, conservancy, and the inspiration to do the right thing. The event was a “huge success, both financially and in terms of our overall mission of education on the issues of sustainability in the built environment” remarked Chris Collins.
