Posts Tagged ‘energy efficiency’
LONG ISLAND LOCAL TO PEDAL FROM NYC TO WASHINGTON, DC ON BRITA CLIMATE RIDE
EmPower Solar is proud to sponsor Ashley Hunt-Martorano, Program Director at Renewable Energy Long Island (reLi), who will be participating in the annual Brita Climate Ride. Hunt-Martorano is riding to support the work of 1Sky whose immediate priority is to counteract the coal and oil industries’ impact on decision makers, and create a movement so powerful that our elected officials’ political future rests upon enacting climate solutions.
EmPower has worked closely with Ashley and reLi on numerous projects focused on educating the public about the benefits of renewable energy and energy efficiency. We wish her the best of luck in reaching her goals for this worthy cause.
If you would like to support Ashley Hunt-Martorano’s fundraising efforts you can visit her donation page and make a tax-deductible donation.
Long Island Homes Featured on National Solar Tour on Oct. 2, 2010
Every fall, the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) hosts a National Solar Tour, a grassroots event offering an opportunity for the general public to learn about solar energy. Renewable Energy Long Island (reLI) is hosting the 7th Long Island tour on Saturday, October 2 from 10am-4pm. More than 160,000 participants will visit some 5,500 buildings across the United States, over 25 of which are located on Long Island. EmPower is proud to showcase two of our installations on this tour; one in Hicksville and one in Island Park.
We invite you to see for yourself what solar is all about by speaking with homeowners, watching their electric meters run backwards, and seeing the actual savings on utility bills. Tours provide helpful, real-world examples of costs and how to save money with federal, state, and local incentives. Ultimately the tour inspires people across the nation to make sustainable energy choices that help lower costs, support energy independence, protect against power outages, and reduce carbon emissions.
The tour is self-guided and free of charge, but visitors need to obtain a free Visitors Pass from reLI. Every visitor will receive a free copy of the LI GreenGuide, a 64-page publication with articles on green jobs, energy audits, solar and wind energy, green technology, local farming, and “The Green Yellow Pages,” a directory of over 350 LI green businesses and organization. To obtain a Visitors Pass and learn about sites near you, please visit www.RenewableEnergyLongIsland.org or call (631) 329-8888.
Below is a press release by reLI which contains more details about the benefits of the tour.
LONG ISLAND HOMES FEATURED on NATIONAL SOLAR TOUR on October 2, 2010
September, 25, 2010
Gordian Raacke, 631-329-8888
Over 25 solar, wind and geothermal-powered green homes will be open to the public for free visits on Saturday, October 2nd from 10 AM to 4 PM as part of the National Solar Tour & Green Buildings Open House on Long Island. Tour visitors can learn about solar and other forms of clean energy and energy efficiency directly from the people in their community, watch electric meters run backwards, and see the actual savings on utility bills.
These island-wide open houses feature solar energy or have other green building features. The National Solar Tour & Green Buildings Open House is organized on Long Island by the non-profit Renewable Energy Long Island (reLI) with support from LIPA and by the American Solar Energy Society at the national level. Last year’s tour attracted 150,000 visitors nationwide and has been billed as the largest public renewable energy education event in the world.
“Whether you want to lower your electric or heating bills, make your home more comfortable, or just do the right thing and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, the best way to find out what you can do is to talk directly to home owners who have already done it”, said Gordian Raacke, Executive Director of Renewable Energy Long Island (reLI). “It’s your once-a-year chance to see dozens of green building features in action and get straight answers directly from fellow homeowners – that’s what our self-guided tour is all about.”
One home available to tour, the Dalglish residence in East Patchogue, was custom built and features a 1.8 kW solar electric system, a geothermal heat pump, passive solar heating, air radiant floors and structurally insulated panels (SIPs), which together have cut the owners’ energy bills considerably.
“We made up seven challenges when building our home, and we stuck to them,” said Campbell Dalglish of East Patchogue. “Our challenges were for the home to be energy efficient, environmentally friendly, sustainable, small but spacious, have a healthy home interior, be of mass appeal and be affordable. The design that came out of these challenges has changed our way of living and thinking and we love it.”
Another site that visitors can tour is the DeCarlo residence in West Islip. This home features a 10kW photovoltaic system, EnergyStar appliances, and high efficiency central A/C units.
“I have had my system since March 2004,” said Joseph DeCarlo of West Islip. “In my case the solar electric system paid for itself in just over 4 years. The best part is that there is virtually zero maintenance on the system. How many products can you buy that have that kind of track record? “
“LIPA is proud to be working in partnership with reLI and the generous homeowners who make this solar tour possible every year for our customers,” said LIPA’s VP of environmental affairs Michael J. Deering. ” LIPA’s nationally–recognized Solar Pioneer and Entrepreneur program continues to help our customers reduce energy consumption and lower electric bills, diversify Long Island’s energy portfolio and strengthen the local economy with the creation of high quality clean energy jobs.
“Solar energy technology has made great strides over the years as evidenced by the number on installations on Long Island, around New York State and countrywide,” said New York Power Authority President and CEO Richard M. Kessel. “Through concerted efforts among, utilities, the solar industry and the public, today’s solar systems are truly accepted as a sure way to save energy and money while helping to improve our environment. I’m very pleased that NYPA continues to lead the way in securing even greater utilization of PV technology through individual projects and our 100 Megawatt statewide solar initiative.”
“Action Long Island’s Energy and Environment Task Force is delighted to be a part of this extraordinary event which is vital in promoting clean and renewable energy on LI. In today’s economic climate, brochures and websites simply aren’t enough. Nothing is more awe inspiring than seeing yourself in one of these innovative homes and talking one-on-one with the leaders of Long Island’s green movement.”
The self-guided tour is free of charge but visitors will need to obtain a free Visitors Pass from reLI. Every visitor will receive a free copy of the LI GreenGuide, a 64-page publication with articles on green jobs, energy audits, solar and wind energy, green technology, local farming and “The Green Yellow Pages,” a directory of over 350 Long Island green businesses and organizations.
The Visitors Pass and more information on the tour and clean energy technologies & incentives are available at RenewableEnergyLongIsland.org or by calling (631)329-8888.
Energy Stimulus Money Slow to Spend, But Making Strides for Solar on Long Island and New York State
Of the $3.2 billion that the economic stimulus package of 2009 allocated towards energy efficiency and conservation, only 8.4% had been spent as of the beginning of this month. An Audit Report was released by the Department of Energy last week examining the status of funds granted to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program under the Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The DOE disbursed most of the available funds for projects that would increase energy efficiency and reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions. However, after a year only $269.7 million had been spent, producing or saving just 2,265 jobs.
http://www.ig.energy.gov/documents/OAS-RA-10-16.pdf
Why the delays in spending? Low levels of spending and job creation were clearly not the desired outcome of this program. But the one-year analysis found impediments to implementation including administrative and regulatory issues at the federal, state, and local levels. A shortage of Department staff and abundance of federal controls have made it difficult for local governments to spend money as planned. More details on these issues can be found in the status report.
The Department of Energy had the chance to respond to this audit and argued that the program was more successful than made to appear by this report; much of the money has actually been committed to projects so there is promise of spending in the near future.
What does this mean for solar? Although most stimulus grants for renewable energy technologies are given through other areas, like the State Energy Program leg of the Recovery Act, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block includes solar power on government buildings. According to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Governor Paterson back in March 2010, $24 million of this block funding was awarded for clean energy projects in small municipalities across New York state. Plans for this money included both solar photovoltaic and thermal systems on various facilities including fire stations, libraries, and town halls. Here is the breakdown of funds for Long Island:
http://www.nyserda.org/economicrecovery/documents/rfp10_awardees.pdf
It’s great to see that New York municipalities are on board and in many cases leading the mission of spreading solar energy and efficiency!
NY Solar gets boost with ARRA funding
On Monday, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced the awardees of an ARRA funding opportunity (RFP 1613) for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean fleet projects. These projects will help to make New York a leader in clean technology, foster the development of new jobs, and improve the environmental quality of NY communities. The funding will help to launch the installation of commercial size solar installations throughout the state. Numerous fantastic projects will be completed as a result of this funding. On Long Island and in New York City alone, more than $3 million was awarded to install nearly ½ MW of solar.
For this opportunity, applicants were limited to municipal governments, public K-12 schools, public universities or colleges, public or private hospitals, and 501(c)(3) non-profits. Recipients submitted for the funding in November 2009 by completing applications that included cost-benefit and environmental impact analyses of their proposed projects. Funding was allocated to 7 different regions within the State, so applicants only competed against those within their regions.
Funding was exhausted for most regions, but $6.8 million remains for NYC and $1.6 million remains for Western New York. Applications for this remaining funding are due April 7, 2010.
Congratulations to all the awardees!
