ETM Goes to Anaheim California: Solar Power International '09 Conference

Yes, thats right! This week, October 27-29, 2009, ETM is one of thousands of solar panel companies and affiliated organizations participating in the nation's largest solar event. Solar Power International is being held at the Anaheim Convention Center in southern California and features lectures by prominent members of the media and solar industry. The Convention has taken place every year since 2004, when the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) and the Solar Energy Industries Asssocation (SEIA) decided that with the economic and environmental benefits of solar growing drastically, it was time for investors, policy makers, business leaders, manufacturers and installers to come together.

We are very excited for this event and will keep you updated as the week goes on!

American Homes Eating up Energy

In 2008, 21.64 Quadrillion BTUs (British Thermal Units) of energy were used by houses in the United States. Residential use makes up nearly a quarter of all energy used in this country, making the case for solar and insulation retrofits ever more striking.

The Energy Information Administration published a complicated looking diagram illustrating how energy is used in the United States. It is supposed to represent an arrow; the segments on the left hand side show the type, and the four segments on the right side represent how its ultimately used.
For example, out of all the fuel for electricity, transportation, etc., only 7. 3 Quadrillion BTUs are from RENEWABLE SOURCES. This includes hydroelectric, biomass, geothermal, solar/photovoltaic, and wind.

For a more detailed view of the crazy-looking yet comprehensive diagram, you can download it here.

What needs to happen: a larger slice of the pie from renewable energy on the left side, and a smaller slice of the residential pie on the right side.

The Church: Religion, God, and....Energy Star?

Ever since interning for ETM, those day to day mundane experiences of driving or walking around town have become a LOT more interesting. My mind is now wired to detect every single south facing rooftop-with minimal shade- on the face of the planet, and there is no end to this is sight. Epic visions of all solar-eligible American homes and buildings covered with photovoltaics occupy my mind, day and night. When other people share my enthusiasm for renewable energy going mainstream, I get even more intoxicated with happiness, like when my sister told me excitedly the other day that, "if only 6% of American households had solar panels on their roofs, we could supply 100% of the nation's electricity demand!" Yes, Yes, now we just more people to realize this!

I've been quite doubtful of many "conservatives" jumping on to the environmental bandwagon any time soon. However, out of all the eco-friendly tree-hugging mumbo jumbo out there, energy efficiency/conservation is the first that makes sense to social and economic conservatives. This is because integrating energy efficiency measures into your home saves money in the long-run.

When the EPA announced this week the debut of its new Energy Star Toolkit for Church Congregations, I felt one of those waves of enthusiastic intoxication. This is quite an accomplishment for the environmental movement, because it shows how times are changing: the church-going demographic is traditionally more conservative and therefore a bit less likely to be overtly concerned about the environment, yet we've reached a point in our society where "going green" is no longer just a fad among the liberals, but a mainstream practice that can save everyone money and energy.

Its funny: I've always thought that out of any institution, The Christian Church (Protestant and Catholic) had an obligation to promote the environmental integrity of this planet. Yes, the first book of the Bible, Genesis, tells us to have dominion over all living things. But when you look at the big picture, Christian religions are based on the teachings of Jesus, who preached compassion for all things, simplicity, an aversion to materialism, and being stewards of the land.

Recently there has been a movement stirring within Christian congregations in this country, which promotes the idea of an environmental ethic within Christianity. They have been active in many grassroots rallying days to spread the word about global warming. John Hougton, an active Christian and avid defender of the planet, is also one of the chairs of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The Regeneration Project and Interfaith Power and Light are leading the ministry devoted to educating people about the connections between religious faith and the principles of ecology and conservation. Faith-based environmentalism is truly becoming more widespread, if the recent EPA decision to cater to congregations is any indication.

Not only do faith and the environment work well together, but so do church rooftops and photovoltaics. Compared to other types of buildings, churches usually have high, incredibly spacious roofs, with little shading issues. Wendy and I have looked at many a church rooftop with awe and envy on our way to site surveys. Now its all finally starting to come together, and our dreams for installing panels on church rooftops will no longer be a distant wish.

The most promising aspect of the religion and environment initiatives is that it isn't just about saving money: people are switching to renewable energy because they know its the right thing to do. There is something great, something fundamental, at play here. This is our only planet-- lets take care of it.

-Andrea, ETM intern.

Hydropower: Clean Energy?

"Renewable energy" is an umbrella that covers non-polluting and sustainable forms of power generation, like hydro, wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuel. Of course, by now, we're all aware that coal and oil are being rapidly depleted and causing some serious pollution issues, namely greenhouse gas emissions. But are all renewables completely benign?

Hydropower: You dam a river and integrate turbines into the structure that rotate as water flows over them, thereby creating electricity. The United States has dammed almost every conceivable river in the nation since the early 20th century, not only for power generation but also to re-allocate H2O to water-thirsty communities. No greenhouse gases are emitted: it must be eco-friendly, right? The truth is that the environmental and social impacts of dams can be astounding.

From an economic standpoint, dams cost millions of public dollars to build and can quickly become obsolete, as sediment build-up behind the dam wall is incredibly costly to remove.

Let's talk more about sediment: the flow of soil and nutrients downstream is crucil for the success of ecosystems, particularly agricultural terrain. The ancient Egyptians relied on annual floods to spread nutrients over their farmland. The damming of rivers in modern times has altered this natural pattern and deprived downstream ecosystems of vital nutrients.

Blocking a river creates an enormous pool of water behind the dam--the inundation of miles and miles of land alters once-pristine habitats. Keystone species often found along rivers can be wiped out once their habitat is submerged in water. Aquatic species like salmon that rely on travel to specific locations along the river are particularly effected.

Watch Out For Community-Wide Solar

Marin County in Northern California has one of the most successful neighborhood-wide solar purchashing programs in the nation. With collective bargaining, residents come together for lower prices, thereby making clean energy options more affordable for everyone. Marin's program, called GoSolarMarin, leverages an average 25% lower price for its community members.

SolarCity is a solar equipment provider that arranges lease agreements for Marin and similar neighborhood projects, including 30 other community solar programs throughout California, Arizona and Oregon.

In Colorado, an organization called Neighborhood Solar organizes homeowners into collective purchasing groups in the Denver area.

One location that has taken sharing to a whole new level is the neighborhood of Drake's Landing in Alberta, Canada. Over 50 households pool together their energy generation from the sun, where it is stored and distributed evenly to all residents. Pretty cool. Since 2007 when the program was launched, each home gets 90% of its energy from the sun.

Who knows, maybe the Southern Tier, NY, is next?

Interactive Tour of (some) of our installations. Check it out!

View ETM Installations: An interactive tour in a larger map

Green Event at Visions FCU: Recap

Last Wednesday, July 29th, the ETM Sales and Marketing Team attended the Green Business Event at the Visions FCU Headquarters in Endwell, NY. We were one of 15 different vendors promoting their sustainable enterprises. Community members such as NYSEG, ANC Heating, and a couple green roofing companies were there, to name a few. It was a colorful event with a great turnout, delicious food catered by Wegmans, and many people curious about how they could do their part to improve the environment.

ETM's table featured informational brochures on solar energy, mini solar-powered fans, and a bright yellow ETM sweatshirt raffle. We were impressed by the number of people considering renewable energy for their homes and the overall commitment to a clean energy economy. Wendy, Kate and I met so many interesting people! It was a fun night indeed.

Oil companies are thinking about alternative energy. Or are they?

For the past few years oil companies like BP and Shell have put out multi-million dollar ad campaigns to tout their supposed "greening."  Obviously its the clear decision since oil reserves are few and far between and the burning of petroleum contributes to climate change.  And a great PR opportunity at that.  Greenwashing or not, there was a shift in these companies to at least consider helping to power the world through alternative energy like solar and wind, and to stop being so steadfast in their oil solution.  However, BP (British Petroleum) just announced that it would be significantly cutting back its Alternative Energy Division.  

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106437880

This is quite unfortunate and short-sighted of such a pioneering company.  Down-sizing is happening in this weak economy, but truly the road to economic growth is paved with solar panels and wind turbines, not oil.  When both the environmental and economic potential is blinking in your face, do the logical thing.  

We just have to fight harder now to make the big guys come to their senses and think about the integrity of the planet. 

Rural Electrification: Solar Power in Developing Regions

Think about it: poverty, lack of infrastructure, unequal distribution of wealth. Developing nations are plagued with what seems like bad luck and little hope for sustainable development, especially as survival is the main concern from day to day. The few resources that the nation may possess are controlled by the wealthy and the powers that be. However, there is one resource that is undoubtedly available to all: solar energy. More than ever before, underprivileged people in remote regions of the world have the opportunity to get connected and provide power to their communties. Organizations from Engineers Without Borders to The Solar Electric Light Fund to the World Bank are providing money and equipment for off-the-grid solar arrays in these regions. Currently more than 2 billion people on this planet lack electricity.

What is Silicon?

Silicon is actually one of the most abundant element's in the earth's crust, next to oxygen. Atomic number 14, Si, occurs in clay, feldspar, granite and quartz. This material is used in very thin layesr in solar cells because of its high ability to absorb photons at the right wavelength from the sun. The excited electrons are then passed through a layer of aluminum or other similar metal, then through wires, making electricity! Its as simple as that.