(Please click on red links below)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Updates on our Solar-FIT For Sunshine State petition: 167 signatures strong. We need more! Please help us to spread more sunshine by signing this petition and sharing it with others. It is our shared responsibility to move toward the renewable energy age and Sunshine is the cleanest, healthiest, and least war-prone way to go!
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Today, I’ve received an email from Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam, informing me that the Keynote Speaker of 2013 Florida Energy Summit on Oct. 14-15, 2013 will be Michael Levi, the David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment at the Council on Foreigh Relations (CFR), a nonpartisan foreign policy think tank. He is also the Director of the CFR’s Program on Energy Security and Climate Change and an expert on climate change, energy security, arms control and nuclear terrorism.
At the 2013 Florida Energy Summit, Director Levi will discuss recent policy proposals affecting the United States energy industry, what they mean for Florida and how the state can harness new opportunities in energy production. Below, I’d like to share a video summarizing Director Levi’s research that reinforces the need for implementation of more flexible and effective policies on a local level. This is exactly why I am running a petition for Solar-FIT For Sunshine State (and hopefully elsewhere in USA) (above) and promoting the Community Solar Gardens (June 17-23, 26, 2013 posts at www.sunisthefuture.net)throughout our planet. Let’s hear the findings of Director Michael Levi, below:
Let’s try to insure the passing of Solar-FIT For Sunshine State and elect proponents of renewables (solar-wind-water) for upcoming elections at all levels, all states, all provinces, all countries! We need to transition smoothly into the Renewable Future!
~have a bright and sunny day~
gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
any of your comments or suggestions will be welcomed at the comment area below or sunisthefuture@gmail.com (be sure to note if you do not want your email to be shared).
(Please click on red links below)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Updates on our Solar-FIT For Sunshine State petition: 167 signatures strong. We need more! Please help us to spread more sunshine by signing this petition and sharing it with others. It is our shared responsibility to move toward the renewable energy age and Sunshine is the cleanest, healthiest, and least war-prone way to go!
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Futurologist Dr. James Martin (1933-2013), (wikimedia commons: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Welcome)
this post is devoted to remembrance of this humanitarian, philanthropist, bestselling author, and passionate advocate for foresight across disciplines. Dr. Martin was a man of extraordinary intellect, wide range of interests and boundless energy. Oxford‘s statement on the death of Dr. James Martin was: “We have lost a towering intellect, guiding visionary and a wonderful close friend”. Professor Andrew Hamilton, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, said: “James Martin was a true visionary whose exceptional generosity established the Oxford Martin School, allowing researchers from across the disciplines to work together on the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing humanity. His impact will be felt for generations to come, as through the School he has enabled researchers to address the biggest questions of the 21st century.”
(Please click on red links below)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Updates on our Solar-FIT For Sunshine State petition: 167 signatures strong. We need more! Please help us to spread more sunshine by signing this petition and sharing it with others. It is our shared responsibility to move toward the renewable energy age and Sunshine is the cleanest, healthiest, and least war-prone way to go!
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Hi, Folks,
(Please click on red links below)
Yes, I’ve been talking about Community Solar Garden to people in my communities. Are you? Think of all the potential sites that may be used as Community Solar Gardens: rooftops and parking lot of Y, schools, apartment complexes, ground of retention areas of each subdivision, etc. Imagine giving 3 kilowatts capacity of a community solar garden as wedding gift to your college room-mate or selling 3 kilowatts capacity on the craiglist. While I conjure up what may be the possible tomorrow, there are more details that need to be addressed today. To clarify many of these details, I’ve found 2 more videos (red links below) that will help to increase our understanding of what Community Solar Garden/Farm concept is all about. It is about community garden, growing solar energy, enabling any one who wants to participate (regardless if one is a home owner or apartment dweller, with or without a house that is shaded or optimally oriented for sun exposure…). It is a smart way to invest (tax-free, with guaranteed return, with greater certainty than investing in the stock market) and to save our planet from dramatic climate change. It’s a win-win, No Brainer! Here are the videos (red links below):
rooftop solar panel array at the Kuppam-i-community office
rooftop pv panels in Kreuzberg, Berlin
Westmill Solar Park/Garden (creative commons, GNU Free Documentation License)
I hope this series of presentation on Community Solar Garden/Farm from June 17-26, 2013 posts of www.sunisthefuture.net has been helpful to you . For those of you who haven’t viewed the series, below:
(Please click on red links below)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Updates on our Solar-FIT For Sunshine State petition: 165 signatures strong. We need more! Please help us to spread more sunshine by signing this petition and sharing it with others. It is our shared responsibility to move toward the renewable energy age and Sunshine is the cleanest, healthiest, and least war-prone way to go!
__________________________________________________________________________________________
On this historical day, President Obama declares that United States will lead the way, during this Clean Energy Era, to cut carbon pollution and to protect our nation from impact of climate change by 1. not approving the controversial Keystone Pipeline (pipeline that would’ve carried oil from tar sand of Alberta, Canada, to Gulf of Mexico) if it would increase greenhouse gas emission.2.by directing U.S EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to issue rules to cut carbon emissions from power plants and set new standards. 3.by leading global effort in working with growing economy such as China or India in encouraging use in natural gas, nuclear power, and renewables such as solar and wind power.4. by wasting less energy. 5. by coordinating with U.S. regional governments to prepare for impacts of climate change. The goal is using less dirty energy, transitioning into clean energy, and wasting less energy. The federal government is also setting the goal of having 20% of its electricity use from renewables by the next seven years. Below, is President Obama’s speech:
President Obama mentioned our historical understanding, as far back into the 1800’s, of greenhouse gas effect from CO2 emission trapping heat. Burning fossil fuel would release the CO2 into the atmosphere. But in late 1950’s the National Weather Services would measure the level of CO2 in our atmosphere, with worry that the rising CO2 might one day disrupt the fragile balance of our planet’s hospitable environment. After decades of accumulations and reviews, the scientists have discovered that the level of increase of CO2 in our earthly environment has such dramatic increase that it would impact much of life for human kind. The twelve warmest years in the recorded history have all occurred within the past fifteen years. President Obama also brought us to the attention that about 40% of our carbon pollution comes from our power plants, and yet there is no federal regulation or limit as to how much power plants can dump carbon into the air (keep in mind that there are limits for mercury, sulfur, arsenic, or various other toxic chemicals). This needs to stop.
President Obama also reminded us, for the past four years, we’ve doubled the electricity generation from solar and wind power. Of course, that also means generation of jobs. Countries such as Germany and China have been in the race for clean energy, and USA needs to be in the race in order to win. In President Obama’s proposal, it will double our energy from sun and wind. He asked Congress to help to extend the tax credit to manufacturers and producers of clean energy (solar and wind) in order to increase jobs and enable USA to participate and win the race. He has asked the U.S. Department of Interior to green light enough private renewable energy capacity on public lands to power more than six million homes by 2020. Department of Defense, the biggest energy consumer in USA, will install 3 GW (gigawatt) of renewable power on its bases (equivalent to generating 3 million tons of coal each year). He is calling to end the tax breaks and subsidies for fossil fuel/oil and invest in the clean energy that will better fuel our future.
Those of us who are Solar Enthusiasts, let’s help President Obama to complete the specifics of his plan before June of 2015 by promoting and signing the petition for Solar-FIT For Sunshine State above, coordinating and collaborating on the introduction of Feed-In-Tariff For Renewables throughout USA, and developing Community Solar Gardens/Farms locally. Let’s see and seize this as an opportunity for local economy and businesses. Let’s help to educate those around us and speak up for the fact so to eliminate mis-information. Push our communities to adopt smarter practices, to invest in clean energy and divest from fossil fuel. Let’s make sure that any/all future political candidates, in order to receive support from us, will stand for protection of our future against the ravage of climate change. Let’s step up to the plate and face the challenge together!
~have a bright and sunny day~
For better understanding of our climate change, please refer to our June 20, 2013 post.
any of your comments and suggestion will be welcomed publicly in comment area below or privately via sunisthefuture@gmail.com (be sure to note in your email if you do not want your email to be shared)
(Please click on red links below)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Updates on our Solar-FIT For Sunshine State petition: 165 signatures strong. We need more! Please help us to spread more sunshine by signing this petition and sharing it with others. It is our shared responsibility to move toward the renewable energy age and Sunshine is the cleanest, healthiest, and least war-prone way to go!
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Be sure that you will allot your Tuesday, June 25, 2013, 1:35 P.M (EDT). for President Obama’s talk in Georgetown University, on the growing threat of climate change. He will lay out his vision of where we need to go and what we can to address and prepare for the serious implications of a changing climate. Tune in at www.whitehouse.gov/live on Tuesday, June 25, 2013, 1:35 P.M.
~have a bright and sunny day~
any comments or suggestions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
(Please click on red links below)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Updates on our Solar-FIT For Sunshine State petition: 165 signatures strong. We need more! Please help us to spread more sunshine by signing this petition and sharing it with others. It is our shared responsibility to move toward the renewable energy age and Sunshine is the cleanest, healthiest, and least war-prone way to go!
__________________________________________________________________________________________
After having learned more about what other communities in various states of USA have done with Community Solar Garden/Farm programs, I could not contain myself and went for a walk in my neighborhood to share these information, hoping there will be people in my community who are also concerned about our environment and are interested in making smart investment. I found out there are several issues that needed clarification regarding Community Solar Garden/Farm:
It is a separate issue from Feed-In-Tariff (FIT). Although it may work in conjunction with FIT, it is not necessary to involve or require FIT.
Participation in Community Solar Garden or Farm is a form of investment, with certainty in rate of return. Think of investing with greater certainty than investing in the stock market.
Participation in Community Solar Garden or Farm does not require some one to live in the community forever. As a matter of fact, this is one of the appealing aspects of CSF (Community Solar Farm) program. The solar farm/panels will be maintained by a company. Those who participate in CSF simply function as investors.
Participation in CSF does not mean that one is unhappy with the government. It simply means one is interested in having a clean, healthy, and secure environment for our future generations while making smart investment decision.
Participation in CSF does not mean that one is unhappy with the power/utility company. It actually is necessary for the CSF group to work or negotiate with the power company for a contract that would be mutually beneficial, before the project may even began. This may all be handled by an experienced company.
This form of participation in solar is actually helpful for the power companies to remain in the game, in the long run. Allow me to explain: cost of solar has already dropped so much that in many areas it’s already reached grid parity (it is economical to go solar). Within five to ten years, we will be seeing storage/battery technology advance to the point that it will allow sufficient amount of power stored for night time use. Right now, at this critical juncture, power companies still have the time to come in to negotiate with consumers to provide incentive for consumers to remain connected to the grid. If power/utility companies do not take advantage of this precious time to cooperate with consumers, good portion of power companies’ best clients will be going off the grid within the decade. Then, it will not be good for the power companies nor for those remaining clients.
Yes, it is necessary to negotiate with both HOA (Home Owner Association, if there is one is one’s community) and power company of one’s particular community before the Community Solar Garden may begin. But keep in mind that it will be beneficial for both the HOA and power company that this form of participation is encouraged. Negotiation process may be taken care of by experienced people/company.
Yes, it is necessary that there is potential sites in one’s community for the garden/farm to take place. It may surprise many that a solar farm/garden does not have to take much space. Look around in your community and see if there are spaces not fully utilized at the moment. In my community, I can see multiple areas that may be considered, below:
Potential Community Solar Garden site (credit: Sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker,Creative Commons, GNU free documentation license)
Hope you will be successful in starting your community solar garden. This form of participation in solar is good for the environment, our future generations, and our pocket book. It’s a No Brainer. For more information on community solar garden/farm program, please feel free to visit these posts below for reports, and videos for further explanations:
(Please click on red links below)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Updates on our Solar-FIT For Sunshine State petition: 165 signatures strong. We need more! Please help us to spread more sunshine by signing this petition and sharing it with others. It is our shared responsibility to move toward the renewable energy age and Sunshine is the cleanest, healthiest, and least war-prone way to go!
__________________________________________________________________________________________
I was tickled pink upon seeing this video from the U.S. Department of Energy site. I trust that you will agree that there is hope for our future generations once you’ve seen this video, shared below (italicized text taken from U.S. Department of Energy site):
A group of fourth graders in Durham, North Carolina, are showing America the way to a clean energy future.
After learning all about solar and other energy sources, Aaron Sebens — a teacher at Central Park School for Children — and his fourth grade class came up with a bold idea: make their classroom solar-powered.
The video above documents the students’ journey from idea to reality — leading up to a celebratory party where Aaron and his students officially “flip-the-switch” on their solar-powered classroom. To fund the project, Aaron’s class launched a crowd-funding campaign that garnered support across America and around the world. The students originally hoped to raise $800 but significantly beat expectations — raising more than $5,000.
The promise of solar energy extends far beyond one classroom in Durham. Every day, as the director of the Energy Department’s Solar Program, I get to witness the impact this industry is having across America. As the students’ project shows, solar is taking off as a clean and affordable source of energy. Because of the investments we’ve made as a nation, the solar industry is now one of the fastest growing job markets in the country. The sector continues to grow at an unprecedented pace — accounting for nearly half of all new U.S. electricity capacity during the first three months of 2013.
It’s clear we’re making progress in advancing America’s clean energy future, but the students in the video remind us that we have to do more. At the Energy Department, we’re committed to driving innovations that make America’s abundant solar energy resources more affordable and accessible for Americans. Let’s continue working together to create opportunities for more businesses, communities and classrooms across the country to tap into this clean, renewable and inexhaustible energy source.
Interested in installing a small solar energy system on your home? Visit our Energy Saver page for tips and guidance. Stay up to date on the Energy Department’s efforts to make solar power cost-competitive with other forms of electricity by the end of the decade by visiting our solar page on Energy.gov.
~have a bright and sunny day~
Be sure to share these links with others so we can all take the step to transition into solar energy future!
gathered and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
any of your comments or suggestions will be welcomed publicly in the comment area below or privately at sunisthefuture@gmail.com (be sure to note in your email if you don’t want the email to be shared)
(Please click on red links below)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Updates on our Solar-FIT For Sunshine State petition: 165 signatures strong. We need more! Please help us to spread more sunshine by signing this petition and sharing it with others. It is our shared responsibility to move toward the renewable energy age and Sunshine is the cleanest, healthiest, and least war-prone way to go!
__________________________________________________________________________________________
The focus of Solar Impulse is more than just about Solar Plane (despite how attention getting this innovative technology is). Let’s take a look at some other important aspects Solar Impulse is helping with our future generations, below:
To demonstrate your support for Solar Impulse’s next project in flying around the world in HB-SIB, please visit JOIN THE CHALLENGE and DONATE .
Solar Impulse has demonstrated to us that a dream can become a reality! The 100% Renewables is on the horizon…. For an exciting series of talks on “Pathway To 100% Renewables Is Not A Pipedream”, please click on the links below:
It is truly an exciting time to be alive in human history! For we will be realizing not only the dream of going 100% renewable and solar energy, but also touching the possibility of visiting other galaxies (starting from other stars, of course)…interplanetary network…breaking free from the historic boundary conditions to reach infinity! Fellow Earthlings, we need to shed the pointless and wasteful international conflicts or national/tribal boundaries and focus our attentions in pulling our earthly resources in heading toward the infinity!
~may we all have a bright and sunny day~
sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
any of your comments or suggestions will be welcomed publicly in _comment box below or privately via sunisthefuture@gmail.com (be sure to note if you do not want your email to be shared).
(Please click on red links below)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Updates on our Solar-FIT For Sunshine State petition: 165 signatures strong. We need more! Please help us to spread more sunshine by signing this petition and sharing it with others. It is our shared responsibility to move toward the renewable energy age and Sunshine is the cleanest, healthiest, and least war-prone way to go!
__________________________________________________________________________________________
I’ve been asked by quite a few people, since starting Sun Is The Future, why I would bother spending so much time working on this project. My response: there are many of us on this planet, who are concerned about the impact of climate change issue, who are worried about the stability and safety of our future generations. Case in point, I would like to bring you an interview of a nature photographer, James Balog, on a long-term project, documenting the visual impact of climate change even more effectively than scientists’ data or graphs. This amazing body of work is also known as the “Chasing Ice” that I highly recommend
“Chasing Ice” (some call it The Inconvenient Truth) (directed by Jeff Orlowski, photographed by James Balog), capturing melting glaciers
. Below is the interview with the photographer James Balog and Jeff Orlowski (Chasingice.com) and multiple links that will help to demonstrate the impact of global warming and why we need to GO RENWABLES and GO SOLAR QUICKLY:
We need to realize that this is not a partisan issue and needs to be addressed quickly before more coastal cities would disappear or extreme climate conditions appear.
Due to my applied math and engineering background, my natural inclination is always to look for solutions when a problem arises. As indicated in several previous posts where talks were given by Professor Mark Jacobson (you can find it by typing his name in the search box in upper right hand), the need to transition into renewable (Solar-Wind-Water) quickly is the solution. This is the purpose of existence for Sun Is The Future, for it brings not only the sharing of information on solar energy at www.sunisthefuture.net, interviews and visual information at sunisthefuture Youtube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture , assistance for entrepreneurs throughout the planet to establish and maintain small businesses in solar energy/renewable energy/energy efficiency/recycling via micro-finance at www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture , a petition for Solar-FIT For Sunshine State at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=7424 to help encourage more solar installations in state of Florida. And most recently, because some of the meetup groups would not permit me to talk/spread the idea of solar energy use unless I am selling a product, I’ve started online Sunisthefuture stores (aka Sunshine Online Store & Sunisthefuture Logosportswear).
The exciting thing about being alive now is the fact that existence of all the projects at Sun Is The Future would not have been possible few decades ago. Through collaborations of various internet organizations and social networks, readers/visitors/viewers have come from more than 160 countries. That is why, despite the rate at which our global warming has increased, I am still hopeful that we can reach out to every corner of the planet earth to speed up the transition into renewable/solar energy. But we do need to hurry, for we have been warned by the IEA (International Energy Agency), that our world is headed for irreversible climate change in five years, the world will lose forever the chance to avoid dangerous climate change. What does that mean? Explained below in italicized 2 paragraphs taken from Nov. 2011 post of Guardian :
Anything built from now on that produces carbon will do so for decades, and this “lock-in” effect will be the single factor most likely to produce irreversible climate change, the world’s foremost authority on energy economics has found. If this is not rapidly changed within the next five years, the results are likely to be disastrous.
“The door is closing,” Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency, said. “I am very worried – if we don’t change direction now on how we use energy, we will end up beyond what scientists tell us is the minimum [for safety]. The door will be closed forever.”
Let’s all try to do what we can to transition into the renewable and solar energy age!
~may we all try to reach for the bright and sunny day~
any of your comments or suggestions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
(Please click on red links below)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Updates on our Solar-FIT For Sunshine State petition: 165 signatures strong. We need more! Please help us to spread more sunshine by signing this petition and sharing it with others. It is our shared responsibility to move toward the renewable energy age and Sunshine is the cleanest, healthiest, and least war-prone way to go!
__________________________________________________________________________________________
For the spirit of community, I’d like to share some information and resources making it possible for communities to come together to plant solar garden/farm/ program. Below you will find information on federal, state legislation, and tax-related resources.
DC SUN (DC Solar United Neighborhoods) has been working hard to make solar affordable and accessible to every resident of DC. A summary and full text of the bill is available online here.
Let’s take a look at a community solar program in Arizona in the video, below :
Be sure to also check out previous 2 posts (June 18, & 17, 2013) of www.sunisthefuture.net, also on community solar garden/farm/institute.
~have a bright and sunny day~
gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
any questions or suggestions will be welcomed publicly below in the comment box or privately via sunisthefuture@gmail.com (be sure to note if you do not want the email to be shared).
