Results: Calendar of Events
November 13, 2009
REAP Executive Director Chris Rose is among the featured speakers at a free “TEDx” forum Nov. 14 from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. at the Anchorage Performing Arts Center. Chris will speak about clean energy in Alaska. Also on the list are Mead Treadwell, Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, Nils Andreassen, Institute of the North Managing Director, and storyteller Jack Dalton. Bill Clinton and Bill Gates will also appear via video. The forum is free, but you need to register here. Spread the word!
TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share their passions. TEDx is based on the TED Concept (Technology, Entertainment, Design–elements that are shaping the future). Attendees have called it “the ultimate brain spa.”
November 13, 2009
A few snippets from an interesting Scientific American article:
BRIGHTON, Colo. – The low-carbon economy has already arrived on the windy prairie north of this fast-growing Denver ‘burb. It’s here that Danish wind-turbine giant Vestas converted 298 acres of hayfield into the West’s largest turbine factory – and turned Brighton into a magnet for “green” energy companies. It’s part of a $1 billion investment by the company in the United States, what Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter touts as a “new energy economy.” Some say these efforts – not the upcoming Copenhagen climate treaty talks – provide the most promising route to energy independence, climate change mitigation and job creation.
China intends to invest $1 million an hour for the next decade – $88 billion in all – in green technologies. The Energy Department expects solar and wind to balloon into a $3.5 trillion market. President Obama last month offered up $3.4 billion in matching grants to hasten development of a “smart grid” in the United States. “What’s truly amazing is the amount of investment flowing into green technology in the absence of any price signal,” said Kristen Sheeran, director of the Economics for Equity and the Environment Network. “It’s clear we’ll continue to see these kinds of investments flowing into green technology, if for no other reason that the Chinese are doing it … and U.S. producers are realizing this is where the future is going to be made.” Read more
November 12, 2009
From Margaret Bauman at Alaska Journal of Commerce: A statewide weatherization program with the potential of reducing energy costs in thousands of Alaskan residences will improve some 1,740 homes in 2009 alone, and Alaska Housing Finance Corp. expects to more than quadruple that number by 2011. The goal is to weatherize 4,000 homes in 2010 and 7,500 homes in 2011, said Bryan Butcher, public affairs director for the state agency, whose mission is to provide Alaskans with quality affordable housing.Read more
November 12, 2009
We had to pass this on from Inhabitat: a light switch that gets “angry” when you leave it on too long.
When it comes to teaching kids to conserve energy, positive reinforcement is the name of the game. Combine that with a cute and fun toy, and you really can’t go wrong. Case in point: Tio, an educational ghost pal and light-switch system for your tot that teaches them how cool turning off lights when we don’t need them can be. When lights are left on for only a short time, Tio smiles and is green. The longer kids leave the lights on, the madder Tio gets! Did we mention that you can use all the money you save on the electricity bill towards your little conservationist’s college education?
November 11, 2009
From KTUU: Exploring the possibilities on the outer continental shelf, Tuesday the focus was on renewable energy offshore. The federal Minerals Management Service held a public workshop in Anchorage Tuesday. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 broadened the spectrum of activities for the outer continental shelf, and now the federal government wants to coordinate all levels of government and stakeholders to explore offshore opportunities. The more than 2,000 renewable projects in the works worldwide include wind, waves and ocean current– key elements in Alaska. Read more
Also more information at these sites:
http://westcoastoceans.gov/
http://www.mms.gov/offshore/RenewableEnergy/index.htm
November 11, 2009
From APRN: A clean energy consultant believes a groundbreaking heating system in Seward using seawater may have applications in Sitka and other coastal communities. Anchorage-based engineer Andy Baker has been assisting the Seward Sea Life Center to design and install the seawater system, which uses a heat exchanger in conjunction with a fairly conventional heat pump system to extract BTU’s from the chilly waters of Resurrection Bay. To hear the full story, click here
November 11, 2009
From the Associated Press: ANGOON — The city of Angoon has been granted a preliminary permit for the Ruth Lake hydropower project. The 20 megawatt hydropower project is designed to produce low cost electricity for Angoon and to eventually provide hydropower to other Southeast communities. Read more
November 20, 2009
5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
After five years, it’s time!
Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP) is celebrating five years of working to energize our state with clean sustainable power. Come join us from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m, Nov. 20th at the Snow City Cafe for a night of music, hors d’oeuvres, drinks, prizes and more at our 5th anniversary party and fundraiser. For more information, or to RSVP: call REAP 929-7770 or email info@REalaska.org.
Even if you can’t make it, you can show your support for renewable energy by becoming a member today or by making a donation. Thanks for supporting REAP and thank you for showing your support for a sustainable, secure energy future for our state.
November 9, 2009
Well this was timely! REAP is hosting a forum Nov. 11 where Bruce Carr, of the AK Railroad, will give an update on the status of commuter rail. Meanwhile, the Frontiersman writes today about work in Wasilla to put in a new train station that could serve riders of commuter rail.
WASILLA — With the help of a few hefty grants, the city will begin work on a new train station officials here hope will become the transportation hub of Wasilla’s future. The proposed new station would be north of the Wasilla airport. The idea, he said, is to make a more convenient stop for passengers and drivers. “Where it stops now, at Knik-Goose Bay and the Parks Highway, it blocks the road,” Giddings said. “We’re trying to plan ahead.”
What he is referring to is the possibility of a commuter train between Anchorage and the Valley. The new location will allow for the parking needed for the daily travelers and the train will not lock up Knik-Goose Bay Road. But even if commuter rail service is still in the conceptual stage, the new station will serve as a Share-A-Ride location and possibly a MASCOT bus stop in the meantime, Giddings said. Read more
November 9, 2009
From USA Today: OAKLAND — While many see restaurant leftovers as trash, a San Francisco-area utility sees them as a source of energy. The East Bay Municipal Utility District, which provides water and wastewater treatment in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area, is turning food scraps from 2,300 Bay Area restaurants and grocery stores into electricity to help it power its wastewater facility.
The San Francisco-area utility district powers its wastewater plant, which serves about 650,000 Bay Area homes, by capturing methane gas by processing many kinds of waste, starting with wastewater. To take up excess capacity, the utility started collecting other waste in 2001, including that from wineries, dairies and chicken processors, says David Williams, director of wastewater for the utility.
Food scraps from restaurants and hotels were added in 2004. The plant now processes 100 to 200 tons of food scraps a week. The goal is to do 100 to 200 tons a day – enough to power the equivalent of 1,300 to 2,600 homes – and rapid expansion is now expected. By the end of next year, the district expects to create so much power from non-traditional waste that it’ll be able to sell excess power to Pacific Gas & Electric, a local electricity supplier, Williams says. Read more
