“My guess Susan is that solar energy provided less than .0001% of the energy in the storm region during this storm.”
I am glad that J had brought this up and my response to J is: But J, we’re talking about after the storm…these regions will be out of power for days to weeks because they are not on distributed solar power. And they’re much more likely to be able to have power if they were on distributed solar power….not to mention the fact that if there were greater dependence on solar power and less dependence on fossil fuels, Hurricane Sandy would probably have been of much lower intensity level. At this point, I’d like to reiterate item 10. and item 17. of our Oct. 30 post:
10.This afternoon, the climate activist group 350.org said it had asked its nationwide network of supporters to not only donate to the Red Cross in the aftermath of this week’s devastating storm, but also to “urge the fossil fuel industry to divert the millions of dollars they are spending to influence the election towards vital recovery efforts.” The group posted a petition on its website and claimed that “thousands” had already signed it. Scientists say pollution arising from the burning of fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal significantly contributes to global warming, which in turn can increase the intensity of storms like Hurricane Sandy. If you are interested in supporting 350.org members in 189 countries, please go to 350.org
17. Former VP Al Gore’s blog post warned today, “the storm that ravaged the East Coast Monday is “a disturbing sign of things to come. We must heed this warning and act quickly to solve the climate crisis. Dirty energy makes dirty weather.”
I would also like to invite you to see this clip below, on “Hurricane Sandy Aftermath: Widespread Power Outages Expected”, with forecast of potentially 10 millions without electricity (whereas Irene left 7 millions without electricity) for a week or more:
Here, at Sun Is The Future, we are calling for more Solar Power, we are calling for more Large-Scale and Distributed Solar Power! We need more Solar Power everywhere ! Not only is Solar Power the cleanest power that would help to reduce the dumping of global warming pollution into the atmosphere every day, reduce the climate crisis, it is also more likely to allow us to have distributed power that would enable us to respond during crisis, enabling us to still have power individually rather than massively be without power. Write to your state (current and future) legislators and show your concern and support for policies that would encourage installations of Solar and Renewable Energy! Time to Act! At this point, I would like to invite you to visit several sites below, to help further your understanding and appreciation of some of the initiatives that have taken place. Right now more than 16 states are in the process of working on State Initiatives for Solar. Please visit votesolar.org . Nebraska state has a group working on this also, even though they may not be currently listed under the State Initiatives at votesolar.org and the same is true for Florida and others. So keep checking back for other states that will be added in the future. To find out your state candidates’ past voting record, please go to votesmart.org . For more information on how you may be able to take part in helping to make the transition into our Renewable/ Solar Energy Age, please visit these sites below:
Please also keep in mind to check on the voting record of your respective state candidates and choose to support those who will support Effective/Sound Renewable/Solar Energy bills ! If you have any questions/comments/suggestions/concerns, please feel free to email sunisthefuture@gmail.com and I will try to answer/respond/try to set your mind at ease or redirect you to better source. Please let us know if you’ve had some experience (in working toward/making the transition toward the solar/renewable energy age) that you’d like to share with others/us.
gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much.
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Dear Friends & Readers,
To answer some of your questions regarding OLPC (One Laptop Per Child): why give a laptop/education to a child who may have no electricity or even running water?
The answer is: you don’t stop education until all other challenges are solved. It is important to educate while trying to solve all the problems because education is the foundation of all the solutions. That is why XO is designed to withstand rugged conditions, at low cost, low power (and can be charged with solar power), connected (so kids can access internet, share files with others, collaborate on projects). The XO has a screen that would allow users to read in direct sunlight (because many children using XO may be attending schools outdoors), built-in webcam for pictures and video clips, many education focused software, and many other features. Ultimately, the XO’s lead to engaged and inspired young students who want to learn, go to schools, to draw/write/do new things/solve new problems. One day, these young students may even help us to solve our problems/challenges. So, that is why those of us who believe in OLPC also believe in Give A Laptop Per Child = Change the World.
One Laptop Per Child at Kagugu Primary School at Kigali, Rwanda, Sep., 2009 (prior to XO 3.0) seen in Jan. 28, 2012 post of http://sunisthefuture.net
I would like to share this video clip below (there are actually 2 parts to it):
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any comments and suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
If you are in favor of renewable/CLEAN energy, please sign the petition page showing support for FIT/CLEAN Program at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065 Thank you.
If you are concerned about energy security and independence, clean environment, and climate change…are in favor of renewable/solar energy, job creations, and economic prosperity for state of Florida and USA…then check out http://sunisthefuture.net for information, by typing in various topics in the search box at right side of the web site, on: Feed-In-Tariff, Solar Incentive, Solar Cars, Solar Plane, Solar High Speed Trains, Solar Shingles, Solar Hot Water Heater, BIPV, Solar Cells, etc. Please pay special attention to Feed-In-Tariff/CLEAN Programs for there is a series of 16+ episodes of discussions on Feed-In-Tariff, an incentive program that allows individual home owners, small businesses, organizations to sell the power they produce to the power company .
Talk to your friends, family, neighbors, and legislators about Feed-In-Tariff/CLEAN programs and help us to make the transition into renewable/solar energy age in the coming century. I was talking to a lady from Denmark at the Y the other day and she commented that she was surprised how little solar activities there are in Florida rooftops compared to Denmark. For those of you who aren’t sure where Denmark is exactly, it is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe, definitely with a lot less sunshine and insolation than what we have here in Florida. Then the natural thing is to ask, why is this happening? INCENTIVE, or lack thereof ! We need incentive for individual home owners, small businesses, organizations such as schools, Y’s, hospitals, etc. with rooftops and surface areas, that would provide us with sufficient economic incentive to move into the renewable age. Here is an example (in the next video, with data provided by World Future Council) of another country, Germany, with far less sunshine and insolation than we have here in Florida, but with the help of Feed-In-Tariff (key features listed below):
Gives RE (renewable energy) priority access to the grid
Obliges grid operators to purchase electricity from RES
Sets the price for RE electricity for fixed periods
Sets no limit to amount of RE feeding into the grid4
Feed-In-Tariffs have been so successful in Germany and many other countries because of the long term planning security it provides by having 12-20 year contracts ( this is crucial to investors);it gives technology-specific incentives (this is crucial for driving new technologies into the market);it adapts to technological development (this fosters innovation).
Germany was able to create more than a quarter million jobs in renewable energy sector in less than five years, economic impact of new industry development with total turnover from renewable energy sources of approximately 25 billion Euros in 2007, and saved about 150 tons of CO2 emissions…all due to the help of Feed-In-Tariff. Most importantly, Feed-In-Tariffs have made Germany the world leader in solar power. Another important lesson to take away from the presentation of World Future Council video clip is the fact that majority (more than 80% in Germany & or 90% in Florida) of the market share is from residential rather than the utility scaled facility (about 10%). That means we, the individuals, will have far more combined impact on the industry and would benefit from the industry of renewable energy via Feed-In-Tariff. Please allow me to show you this clip right now:
My fellow Floridians and residents of USA, I know that Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) may not be easy to understand, so I implore you to carefully view all discussions on this topic (Feed-In-Tariff) at http://sunisthefuture.netby typing Feed-In-Tariff in the search box and listen to those people from different parts of the world who have implemented or benefited from this policy. Our neighbors in Gainesville, FL, can attest to the economic prosperity FIT had brought them. Why shouldn’t we all benefit from our generous sunshine?! Then talk and write to your friends, family, neighbors, and your state legislators about introducing this policy so your local communities may prosper. We need and want more jobs and more small businesses to thrive and pave our way into the renewable energy age. It is time…we cannot afford to sit idly by and be left behind. Individually, we may not have millions of dollars to spend on lobbying for this policy, but I believe that our combined strength will enable us to achieve what is necessary to push this through. After all, we here in USA, historically have a track record of doing what had been impossible. In response to Rachel and other readers of Sun Is The Future who want me to write more: if I put up a petition page, will you all be willing to sign the petition in showing your support for Feed-In-Tariff ? Please keep checking back for future petition page(s). In the meantime, Facebook, Tweet, or chirp your friends/relatives/family/neighbors/state legislators about Feed-In-Tariff. I would also like to introduce you all to several organizations and web sites , listed below:
