The California Senate has passed legislation that would require private and public utilities to obtain 33% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020. S.B.2X would raise the renewable target from the current 20%, while providing the flexibility necessary to meet the higher standard. The measure, which was authored by State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, passed on a vote of 26-11.
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This is a picture from a California gas station one week ago. Diesel fuel has already jumped to $4.15 this week, and with turmoil in the Middle East pushing these prices higher, it could not be clearer that we need to push forward with what Richard Nixon requested in 1970 (4 decades ago) and reduce our dependence on foreign oil!
That said, Solar Feeds asks a pertinent question – can solar have an impact on fossil fuel use, and dependence on foreign oil. 
Their conclusion is “no” because solar largely replaces coal or hydro (favored utility power sources).
NOT SO FAST, SOLAR FEEDS: what about the use of Mobile Solar Power Systems as replacement for portable diesel generators? As our readers have found for years on this site, the “Price” of oil is not the real problem, but the COST is significant:
Read the SolarFeed here, and join the conversation!
“A bill introduced in California’s state Senate last week holds enormous potential to give sustainable business a push by making it — well, legal.
Under current law in California and most other states, companies can be sued by their shareholders or investors for taking environmental or social measures that negatively affect shareholders’ financial returns. The proposed bill would enable a new form of for-profit corporation, encouraging and expressly permitting companies to pursue other things besides simply making money.”
A triple bottom line company such as Pure Power Distribution stands to benefit from this decision, as we continue to grow, and design and deploy new Mobile Solar Power Systems, Mobile Solar Microgrids, and new models and versions implementing new battery technologies, new PV technologies, and many other innovations we have on the drawing board. Our mission has always been to provide opportunities for investors and partners to create three legs of benefit – Financial, Social, and Environmental. We call it “Financing Community Sustainability”
Following Evergreen’s solar factory closing and President Obama’s State of the Union, the solar industry is buzzing with stories about how manufacturing firms cannot survive in the U.S. given the cheaper labor and government subsidies in China.
Read the whole article here
Pure Power, with our Mobile Solar Power Systems, and Military-Grade Mobile Solar Microgrids, as well as other solar applications across the US, and around the world, will benefit from these higher efficiencies, and look forward to mass market release of higher efficiency panels.
The British military is now exploring the use of solar and other renewables to power forward military bases in battle areas such as Afghanistan. Much like US military strategies, aimed at protecting troops by reducing the amount of diesel fuel needed at bases (over 1,000 American troops have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan protecting supply lines). Read the whole story here
As we ha
ve written in this space numerous times, one clear and present solution is Pure Power’s Military-Grade Mobile Solar Microgrid.
Shown here is a Military-Grade R10 Microgrid recently delivered to the US Army. With enhanced battery storage, inverter capacity and larger solar panels, the military-grade R10 is but one solution that is already being utilized.
With 6 rugged models in production, including biodiesel and propane hybrid Systems, that produce from 4,000 to 72,000 watts (AC, single phase), Pure Power has the experience and technological knowledge to produce these Systems rapidly.
Exciting news from an unexpected solar market: the Cincinnati Zoo is now installing the largest solar array in the US that is accessible to the public. This canopy-style installation is being built over a parking area, and will provide visitors an immediate and powerful environmental message upon entering the zoo.
Also, the zoo will reduce its energy costs by 20% by using this huge solar array. Looked at another way, this means that 20% of the cost of its energy load is completely controlled and predictable into the future – something for California Schools and other large landowners to consider.
One might think that having an ice rink in Santa Monica is not energy efficient – but one might be surprised at how many innovations are occurring in our fair city, where we like to lead by example:
From the Santa Monica Ice Rink website:
To power everything from the rink to the computers, ICE uses a combination of eco-friendly lights, solar power and renewable energy credits. It uses LED and compact fluorescent bulbs throughout the rink area. These use between 20-30% less energy and last 8 to 15 times longer than regular incandescent bulbs! In addition, replacing one single LED or fluorescent bulb for an incandescent one keeps a half-ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over its lifetime! (View Reference) Using a Mobile Solar Power System, we are making everything but the rink run on the sun. The City of Santa Monica purchases renewable energy credits for all of its operations, and that includes the rink.
“Encouraging the rapid and responsible development of renewable energy on United States public lands is a significant part of President Barack Obama’s energy policy.”
Read more about how the Obama Administration is making in building a renewable energy economy
We spend an inordinate amount of time reading GOOD Magazine and are huge fans of its incredible infographics. GOOD has clearly taken Wired’s spot in this realm. Here’s one that shines a bright (fossil-fuel powered) light on the amount of subsidy the US Government spends on big oil, versus solar.
Big news from the Sunshine State this week: the legislature approved the first state-scale cap-and-trade program in US History. Pure Power offers loud kudos to the Schwarzennegger Administration for this achievement, along with all of the accomplishments in its visionary environmental program.
Cap-and-Trade is a triple bottom line initiative, providing Financial, Social and Environmental benefits in California, while encouraging the use of renewables such as Mobile Solar Power Systems in fields such as Entertainment, Construction, Telecommunications, Agriculture, and any business that uses off-grid power in our state.
Here’s how it works (according to an article in Fast Company:
“At first, California won’t restrict emissions, instead giving companies so-called “allowances” to cover their carbon input. Over time, the state will reduce allowances, forcing companies to slash emissions. If companies want to emit more than their allowance, they can either trade for carbon credits with other companies or support select sustainable projects (such as preserving woodlands in a sensitive area).
A floor price for allowances–$10 per metric ton of carbon dioxide–will also be added to the carbon market. By 2020, the estimated 2.7 billion allowances on the market will go for $15 to $60 per metric ton of CO2 by 2020, according to the New York Times
As for jobs:
“The economic impact on the state will be minimal, according to a study from Next 10, a nonpartisan organization that funds research for complex California quality-of-life issues. Next 10 explains:
115,000 jobs by the year 2020 result from the 100 percent auction scenario in which revenues are returned to Californians through dividends, while 109,000 jobs are produced by 2020 in the 100 percent auction scenario in which resulting revenues are returned to Californians through reductions in personal tax rates”
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