Posts Tagged ‘clean energy’
New Vision
By Matt Grimley The sun is beating down on a mid-July afternoon in Philippi, W.Va., but that doesn’t stop Ruston Seaman and the youth mentoring group from playing ultimate frisbee. Their shouts — “Take your time!” and “Go left! Go left!” — echo throughout the community. When they finish, Seaman jumps into his old red…
Read MoreDemocratizing the Grid
The Opportunities and Obstacles of Community-owned Renewable Energy By Brian Sewell When energy experts talk about distributed generation, they describe it as both a threat that will disrupt markets and erode utility profits and an opportunity that is changing the way electricity is generated, transmitted and delivered. Or as the chairman of the Federal Energy…
Read MoreReaping Renewable Rewards
Governments and utilities offer a variety of incentives to assist residents and businesses in the transition to renewable energy. Below is a sampling of federal, utility and state policies. Find more clean energy and energy savings incentives at dsireusa.org. Federal Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit Technologies Eligible: Various solar systems, wind, geothermal heat pumps, fuel…
Read MoreBeyond Renewable: The Cutting Edge in Energy
By Chelsey Fisher The use of clean energy has increased in the nation since 2005, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. While renewable energy is mostly used in more traditional ways, such as powering homes or businesses, in recent years U.S. researchers have dug up new ways — from wave energy to micro-cell technology…
Read MoreAlmost Always Sunny in Appalachia
Whether through a power plant or from the home, solar energy’s future is bright By Matt Grimley In a meeting earlier this year with U.S. Department of Energy employees, the secretary of energy was blunt about solar power. “I would argue that the scale and time frame of the impact of solar technology is underestimated,”…
Read MoreSolar Leasing: Crediting Electric Bills with the Sun
By Davis Wax Energy distribution for the people, by the people. That was the founding principle of electric cooperatives and municipal utilities as they sprang up in the United States throughout the twentieth century. Today, any profits made by these member- or city-owned utilities go back into infrastructure, operation, or payments towards their member-investors. Seldom…
Read MoreForward on Climate!
By Matt Abele Multimedia Communications intern, Fall 2012/Spring 2013 This past weekend’s Forward on Climate rally in Washington, D.C., made it more evident than ever that America is ready for a clean energy future. I arrived on a bus from Asheville, N.C., to join close to 50,000 people from across the country and world. As…
Read MoreClean Air, Water Standards Important to Undecided Voters
By Matt Abele Multimedia Communications intern, Fall 2012/Spring 2013 In light of the upcoming national elections, the National Resource Defense Council’s Action Fund investigated how undecided voters view some of today’s key environmental concerns. Public Policy Polling polled over 22,000 likely voters in eight battleground states, including Ohio and Virginia. These polls came back overwhelmingly…
Read MoreRaleigh Legislature Hosts Citizens’ Lobby Day for Renewable Energy
There’s just something fitting about North Carolina renewable energy advocates getting up ahead of the sun – and this is exactly what they did on Tuesday June 12th as they rolled out of bed for the 7:00 AM convening of the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Society’s Citizen Lobby Day. Why such an early start? Renewable…
Read MoreOrganizational Roundup
Coal Ash Debate Spills Into Transportation Bill Appalachian Voices’ Red, White and Water campaign is working to oppose an amendment on the federal Transportation Bill that would essentially halt the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s rule-making process on toxic coal ash storage and disposal. The bill passed the House in April, and is now undergoing review…
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