Looking to get away from it all… including the dependence on foreign oil? Well, a cozy little hotel on Virginia’s Eastern Shore might just be the ticket for you. This story from The Chief Engineer says Thomas “Spess” Neblett, the owner and creator of The Neptune Vacation Suite Apartments in the quiet little town of Onley, Va. (population 450), says …
First Solar Reaches for the Sky
An Arizona-based maker solar panels has really taken off, as it has signed a long-term agreement to provide solar panels and its profits have doubled. This story from Forbes says First Solar Inc. has seen its stocks surge as its solar business takes off: First Solar also said Wednesday it is entering the U.S. residential market through a five-year contract …
Cal Clean Air Plan Good for Biodiesel, Solar
A plan to reduce California’s greenhouse gas emissions is expected to be a boon for biodiesel and solar in the state. This story from Biodiesel Magazine says the California Air Resources Board has recently unveiled its Proposed Scoping Plan to reduce those emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and is set to approve the final version in December: The principle …
Biodiesel, Solar Could Gain in Volatile Market
The stock market has been on a roller coaster ride lately… down hundreds of points one day, up hundreds the next. But in this article from Reuters, Jeffrey Sohl, the director of the Center for Venture Research at the University of New Hampshire and a professor of entrepreneurship at the university’s Whittemore School of Business and Economics, says some alternative …
Alternatives Fuel Michigan Senate Race
With high gas prices cutting into motorists’ pocketbooks and Michigan’s auto industry, it’s no wonder that biodiesel, ethanol, wind and solar are figuring into the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democrat Carl Levin and Republican Jack Hoogendyk. This story from MLive.com says the two have very different approaches on how to fix the energy crisis that has crippled the state: …
Solving Global Warming Gets Debaters Going
Just when I thought we would not get much on renewable energy in tonight’s presidential debate from Belmont University in Nashville, a question from the crowd has started the conversation in earnest. A lady asked if the candidates would take the same quick call-to-action approach to solve the looming global warming crisis as we saw in the recent financial crisis. …
Report: Biodiesel, Ethanol & Renewables to Create 4.2 Million US Jobs
A new report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors says 4.2 million Americans will have green industry jobs by 2038… a dramatic increase from the current 750,000 green jobs in the country now. “This report proves that being green is not optional, it is necessary for a healthy and robust economy,” said U.S. Conference of Mayors President Miami Mayor Manny …
Wall Street Bailout Bails Out Stalled Biodiesel, Solar & Wind Credits
The U.S. House of Representatives has reversed direction from just a week ago and approved 263-171 the Senate’s version of the $700 billion bill to fix the nation’s financial crisis. And this story from Reuters says incentives for biodiesel, wind and solar are also the big benefactors from the vote: Legislation to extend the renewable energy tax credits, which were …
Debate Thin On Renewable Energy Talk
The first presidential debate between Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama just wrapped up, and I have to say I was a little disappointed in how little renewable energy was part of the conversation. I know that it was a debate on foreign policy, but what could be bigger on our foreign policy than reducing our dependence …
U.S. Renewable Energy Grows By 5%
Renewable energy made up just more than 10 percent of all the domestically-produced energy in the U.S. in the first half of this year and about 7 percent of that energy used in the country. This story from the Greentech Media web site says the information comes from a U.S. Energy Information Administration report released this week: According to the …