| 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
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The Worldwide Solar
Taxi road trip continues; as the Solar Taxi crosses
the US and Canada, visiting national landmarks and
cities while increasing awareness about solar energy.
MIT
researchers say a new discovery could
unleash a "solar revolution," as scientists mimic
the essence of plants' energy storage systems, making it
possible to store energy for use when the sun doesn't
shine. Check out the ASES National Solar
Tour online to find out about solar tours going on
around the state. |
Sustainable News
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New tax exemptions
will be offered to those buying low-fuel cars,
aiming to increase more incentives and awareness about
the ongoing issue of pollution and global warming, and
you car's role in it all. Paper not made of
trees? Yes, please! Environmentally minded buyers can
now purchase paper guilt-free, now that GPA's Ultra Green
Paper, made without trees, water or bleach, is
available! Wikipedia goes green with launch
of Wikia
green, now spanning the green lifestyle spectrum of
activism, how-to guides, climate change, eco travel, and
more. 570 Munras Avenue in Monterey has
become the first shopping center in California to be
LEEDS certified. In the new construction, builders
reused and salvaged materials from the old
building. |
Energy
Tip
|
Reduce, Recycle
& Save
Energy
Junk mail uses about 100
million trees each year - trees needed for filtering and
cooling our air. Nativeforest.org &
greendimes.com can stop your junk
mail for you. Recycling cell phones saves precious
metals, plastic, decreases greenhouse gases, and keeps
valuable materials out of landfills. Find out how to recycle your
cell phones to cut down on waste.
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Independent Energy Systems
Equips Sunset's 2008 Monterey Bay Idea House with
Solar Energy
Sunset Magazine's newest
Idea House, located in the Monterra Ranch
neighborhood of Monterey, will showcase the latest
in sustainable construction, incorporating native
landscaping, solar energy, reclaimed lumber, a
tankless hot water system and a 20,000
gallon-capacity water reclamation system into the
overall eco-design.
Independent Energy
Systems was selected to provide solar energy
solutions for this landmark design project. Our
team designed and installed the 12.6 kilowatt
solar electric system using 60 SunPower 210
modules, as well as a solar thermal combi system,
consisting of 15 Schuco panels, designed to heat
the domestic hot water and radiant flooring. Both
systems were sized based on the home's projected
energy usage.
The 2008
Sunset Monterey Bay Idea House will be
open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, and
Sundays, from 9 am to 4 pm starting Friday,
October 3, and will remain open until December, 7,
2008. Tickets are $18 at the door, with discounts
offered for seniors and children (a portion of the
proceeds go to CASA
of Monterey County).
|
Independent Energy Systems
Builds Community at the Santa Cruz County
Fair
 With the goal of
spreading knowledge about the many benefits of
solar and renewable energy to our local community,
the staff of Independent Energy Systems was on
site each day at the Santa Cruz County Fair at the
Fairgrounds in Watsonville this month.
The
IES solar exhibit included our solar powered water
pump and fountain, a solar oven baking and serving
up organic cookies for fairgoers big and small, a
portable solar fan, and lots of informational
literature and handouts about renewable energy,
green building, and solar power. It's always a
rewarding experience to help fairgoers make the
connections about the potential of the sun's
energy and to answer the many questions people
have relating to solar power.
Santa
Cruz County Fair highlights include Amore the
talking robot, the All Alaskan Pig Races, animals
galore, daily tractor parades, frisbee dogs and
more.
We'd like to thank Mike Gardner, who
heads the Fair's Technology Exhibit, for the
opportunity to take part in the fair's Technology
Exhibit once again this year, and invite you to
come visit us at the IES solar exhibit next
year! | |
Alternative Construction
& Energy Expo
When: October
25-26, 2008, from 10 am - 6 pm
Where: SC County
Fairgrounds in
Watsonville
Independent Energy
Systems will join alternative building and energy
professionals at the first annual ACE Expo this
October. We'll have an exhibit and well as our
custom solar trailer which will provide power for
the two days of speaker presentations. IES
co-founder Joel Kauffman will be presenting 'Breakthroughs in
Renewable Energy' on Sunday, the 26th from
10 - 10:45 am in the Floriculture Building.
The ACE
Expo presents information on sustainable and
alternative techniques and materials for
affordable, environment-friendly construction,
energy and landscaping systems through interactive
demonstrations, discussion forums and product
resource booths. The gathering also builds
community and legislative support for energy and
building alternatives while creating a venue for
networking and idea exchanges.
We hope to
see you there!
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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. | |
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