| Welcome |
| Our
intention is to
keep the e-newsletter short, interesting, and locally
based. If you have suggestions on how to improve, please
let us know. |
Solar News
Highlights
|
San Francisco Mayor Gavin
Newsom's Challenge: install enough solar panels to
generate at least 5 megawatts of solar electricity
- and double the city's current capacity for sun power.
Mayor Newsom's challenge will help light the way for
others cities considering a major ramp up of solar
installations. Sharp launches the US 'Sharp Solar
Academy' with the goal of helping empower the youth
of today with the knowledge to change and improve their
environment into the
future. |
Sustainable News
|
California tops the efficiency list on the 2008 State
Energy Efficiency Scorecard, followed by Oregon,
Connecticut, Vermont, New York, Washington, and so on.
California received the highest overall score, yet each
separate category, from transportation to utility &
public benefits, has it's own winners and
losers. Reusable Carbon
Dioxide? Start-Ups and researchers are finding new
ways to capture and re-use C02, turning this harmful
greenhouse gas into renewable products such as plastic,
paper, vinyl siding and even fuel. The US Interior Dept.
votes to designate protected Arctic areas considered
critical habitat for polar bears, and in turn creates
safe zones federally protected from oil
development. |
Energy
Tip
|
Put it to
Sleep
It is a common misconception
that using screen savers on your computer will reduce
energy use, when in actuality, it will not. For an
energy-saving strategy that works: enable the automatic
sleep mode or turn off monitors by hand when not in use.
Every little bit
helps!
|
|
Going Solar Just Got Easier -
Congress Passes Improved Federal Tax
Credits!
Combine NEW Federal Tax
Credits & the California State Rebate to pay
up to 50% of your solar
system.
On October 3,
Congress was finally able to pass the Federal
Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for renewable energy
projects after it was patched onto the revamped
'financial bailout bill of 2008.' Before being
added onto the 451 page bailout bill, the
stand-alone  ITC bill was
unable
to win the Senate majority vote the eight
times it was previously voted on.
Passage of the bill is being widely
celebrated in the solar world, as it increases the
federal tax credit for solar to 30% of system
cost. The bill extends the tax credit for both
residential and commercial solar installations for
eight years through 2016, and removes the current
$2,000 tax credit cap for residential solar
installations.
The bill also lifts the ban
on utilities benefiting from the tax credit,
allows for Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) filers to
receive the tax credit too (businesses and
residents alike), and includes an extension of the
PTC credit for wind energy for one more
year.
Request a
quote or give
us a call to schedule your free site visit @
831.477.0943
Read more
on the ITC..
|
Going Solar in the Redwood
Forest
Visitors
come from around the world to visit Henry
Cowell Redwoods
State Park in Felton to view some of the
largest, last remaining, old-growth redwoods in
all of Northern California. The most ancient trees
in the park have been standing from 1,400 to 1,800
years, reach 285 feet high, and are over 16 feet
in diameter!
 The solar installers at
Independent Energy Systems just helped the park
headquarters go solar with a 7.7 kilowatt solar
system that will generate approximately 9,990
kilowatt hours of energy each year. Their new
solar system will offset approximately 14,985
pounds of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere
each year, further promoting the park's
sustainable focus. In addition, the system's
environmental impact is the equivalent of not
driving a vehicle 25,474 miles a year, and
planting about 5 acres of trees a year.
|
Vote 'NO' on
Proposition 7!
A growing number of
renewable energy associations and advocacy groups
feel the legal language of Proposition 7 is so
flawed it could seriously hurt the state's
renewable energy market, and is so poorly drafted
that it will not succeed in achieving its outlined
goals.
The No on
Proposition 7 Campaign states Proposition 7
will:
- Force small wind and solar companies out of
the market
- Allow energy prices to be continually locked
in at 10% above market rates
- Cost consumers and taxpayers hundreds of
millions
- Slam the brakes on renewable energy
development
Proposition 7 is
opposed by The Sierra Club, California Solar
Energy Industries Association, Environmental
Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council,
California Wind Energy Association, the Union of
Concerned Scientists, and more.
| |
Get Involved in Going
Green
When: Thursday,
October 30th, 5:30-8:00 pm
Where: The Greenspace store in Santa
Cruz
Ecology Action Presents: Cool
Ideas, Green Drinks -
Community Progress
Report on the Climate Action Compact
In 2007, The City of Santa Cruz, The
County of Santa Cruz and UC Santa Cruz signed The
Climate Action Compact. The agreement aligns Santa
Cruz with other communities taking the lead on
climate change solutions. A progress report on
their efforts to reduce the community's carbon
footprint and create the conditions for a
localized, green economy will be presented at this
free Greenspace event.
|
News from Real Goods
Solar
 Real Goods Solar
recently completed a unique 'first of its kind'
for solar at San Francisco's multi-unit building
in the Cow Hollow neighborhood, 2828
Greenwhich. On average, the 2 kilowatt solar
system per unit will offset much of the resident's
electrical usage, and for the overall building,
the solar energy generation is expected to be
about 19 kilowatts or more. Solar energy will
power the building's common areas, such as
electrical outlets in each parking space for
plug-in vehicles, as well as the hot water system.
The systems were designed to allow
room for future expansion, making it possible for
residents to potentially offset 100% of their
electricity needs for both house and vehicle in
the coming years. What makes this solar project
even better? The city of San Francisco's newly
established $3,000 - 6,000 residential solar
incentive.
Find out
more about Real Goods
Solar...
|
Join the Growing Solar Community™
In order to "grow
our local solar community," we invite our friends
to make
a referral to other community members about
the benefits of going solar. For each referral
that results in a new solar installation, we will
contribute $250 into the Growing Solar Fund™. This
Fund will be used for charitable projects that the
Growing Solar Community™ chooses to
support. | |
|
| |
