“We view ourselves as a target-rich environment for doing a better job with taxpayer dollars and being good stewards of the environment,” said John McHugh, secretary of the Army during a call with the media today. “To meet our longer-term objectives…we have to do better.”

Courtesy Green Tech CNET News

 Did you know that you can call 877-549-2774 and get a free programmable thermostat? (Remember, the cleanest energy is the energy that is not used!)  We are so fortunate to have a forward thinking, innovative utility like Austin Energy.  Austin Energy is a progressive model for utilities all across the nation.  That’s so like Austin!

Visit www.CoolAustin.org to learn more about reducing your carbon footprint.

At www.AustinEnergy.com to learn about the Green Choice program and the many rebates available.

Next, check out www.WaterWiseAustin.org for tips on water conservation.

Produced by AllEarth Renewables, the 382 AllSun Trackers were manufactured just four miles from the site of the solar farm, and make up the 2.2 MW farm in South Burlington.

The pole-mounted trackers use innovative GPS and wireless technology to actively follow the sun throughout the day, producing more than 40 percent more energy than fixed solar.

Using inverters on each tracker to boost energy performance, this project is the largest solar installation in North America to use such a configuration .

This info courtesy of Solar Energy News.  Read more here:

http://www.brighterenergy.org/25251/news/solar/iphone-puts-finishing-touch-to-vermonts-largest-solar-farm/

In the first quarter of 2011, renewable energy production in the United States surpassed nuclear production in overall quantity and percentage. Also, the percentage of natural gas is growing slowly, while coal is declining.

Entrenched energy industries like to say that renewable energy can never provide a significant amount of U.S. energy needs. And while it’s true that some technologies still face barriers to widespread implementation and others, while technically renewable, might not be very green, renewables as a percentage of U.S. energy generation are creeping up steadily — and not just in California, with its target of 33 percent renewables by 2020.

In the first three months of 2011, renewable energy — hydroelectric, geothermal, solar/PV, wind, and biomass — made up 11.7 percent of the U.S. energy production mix, surpassing nuclear at 11.1 percent. The same period last year, nuclear was 11.6 percent, and renewables 10.6, according to a June report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (Table 1.2).

“The rise in conventional hydroelectric generation was by far the largest absolute “fuel-specific” increase as it was up 10,759 thousand megawatthours, or 52.2 percent,” according to Electric Power Monthly. This was largely due to heavy spring rains in Washington, Oregon, and California, which accounted for 71.5 percent of the national rise.

However, environmentalists find objectionable the two biggest technologies that make up the renewables sector: hydroelectric power at 35 percent and biomass at 48 percent.

While large hydroelectric power doesn’t emit emissions (at least not after accounting for the materials and energy expended in building it), it has harmful impacts on river ecosystems and has therefore fallen out of favor as a power source in the developed world.

As for biomass, there are many types of feedstocks, and each much be evaluated individually for its emissions profile, it’s water footprint, and other considerations, such as whether farm fields or forests need that material to decompose in place to retain soil or ecosystem function.

Wind was next highest at 13 percent of renewables, or 1.5 percent of total U.S. energy production, up from 1.1 percent the same time last year.

This represents a 20.4 percent increase from March 2010, and the third-largest fuel-specific increase, according to the report. “Wyoming, California, and Illinois had the largest gains, but the increase was widespread,” it said.

The top ten are California, Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, Colorado, New York, Vermont, Texas, Massachusetts and New Mexico.

Site Selection Managing Editor Adam Bruns says “Top-ranking areas for sustainability don’t just pass restrictive laws or put token solar panels on every edifice. They nurture an ecosystem of business, institutions, government and individual citizens all striving to place a proper value on their locality’s limited resources, and sometimes to make or save money in the process.”

So, Go Texas and Go Austin Metro!  Bring on the leadership to move us to number one!

 Their program is offered all over Central Texas, and they have homes priced from the $170s to $350s.  The plans include many high performance green features that can save homeowners as much as 50% on their energy bills, depending, of course on your lifestyle, number of occupants, and the size of the home.  These green, energy saving features are becoming more in demand in the marketplace, which means they add value when it comes time to sell (we Realtors are always looking ahead to resale value!).  If you want to find out more about “Build on Your Lot” options, and who is doing what locally, shoot us an email or call.

Nearly one quarter of all venture capital in the U.S. right now goes into clean tech ventures, compared with less than 1% in 2000.  With that kind of investment, we can expect to see this market segment take off.  Now that’s progress! 

The solar photovoltaics market grew an average of 40% every year over the past decade, from 2.5 billion in 200o to $71.2 billion in 2010.  The average cost of installing solar has dropped by almost half.  The wind industry grew similarly, with an average of 30% growth per year from $4.5 billion to $60.5 billion last year. 

More than 1.4 million hybrid cars are on U.S. roads now, compared to less than 10,000 only ten years ago, and companies involved in green construction and the smart grid are proliferating, according to the report.  Thank you, Clean Edge, for the reminder that we are indeed making progress in this arena– and the head’s up that the momentum is building! 

Read more in the excellent LA Times article here:  http://tinyurl.com/4rb5t7p

Our well respected builder friend, Wayne Jeansonne of Solluna Builders, who helped build the house, said it is the first house in Round Rock to qualify for any kind of AEGB rating, let alone receive five stars.

Jeansonne said homes must meet 18 indicators in order to even receive a rating and must rack up 125 points to earn five stars—the highest possible rating. The Cripes’ home received 180 points.

Read the full article, with details about their energy saving, sustainable building choices at :

http://tinyurl.com/4neewje