Alachua County, Florida – Alachua County’s Energy Conservation Strategies Commission will soon recommend a loan program to help county residents make their homes more energy-efficient. Under the program the county would make low-interest loans to home-owners who make energy-related repairs and improvements. It’s modeled after a program in Berkeley, California. The committee is still a few months away from making the recommendation official, according to an article in the Gainesville Sun.

Local initiatives are essential to the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Washington DC just can’t move fast enough.

 Tom Heany

PV on schools is such a no-brainer. Most K-12 schools are in use during daylight hours only. What perfect timing! Schools also act as emergency shelters. An energy system independent from utility power and vulnerable electric lines can keep emergency operations functioning. Middleton High School gets an A plus for their 10.5 KW installation with battery backup. Read more…

-Sam Kendall

State rebates and IRS credits have convinced builder David Schroeders that solar PV is now cost effective in Florida. Embracing the “zero energy concept” (efficiency from the ground up) lowers electricity consumption enough in his houses so that PV can offset it. Four of his homes should be ready in September. Read More…

-Sam Kendall

Another environmental issue related to production of ethanol and biodiesel is how much water will be needed: water for growing the agrofuel crops and water for processing them. This issue is reduced to nearly no effect when jatropha seeds are the raw material for biodiesel. Jatropha trees can evidently be grown on marginal soils and with very limited water requirements. The seeds have a high energy content. Lee County, Florida may soon start harvesting jatropha seeds. Click here…

Sam Kendall

There is much legitimate concern about the use of corn to produce ethanol: diversion of food sources, higher corn prices, continued use of water damaging fertilizers, energy-in versus energy-out. A professor at UF has developed and patented a technology to produce ethanol from yard trimmings, sugar cane waste and orange pulp. The governor and legislature have set in motion a revolutionary technology. Read More…

- Sam Kendall

2.1 KW PV systems will be available to customers at a new development north of Naples.  Battery backup is included.  Read more… 

 - Sam Kendall

In a recent report published by the Prometheus Institute and Worldwatch Institute, a projected 40% decline in photovoltaic cell production costs should be realized as early as 2010. A surge in new manufacturing facilities, led mostly by China, was cited as a major contributing factor. To read more on this story, click here.

- Craig Williams

Work continues toward the harnessing of ocean power in Florida with turbines being designed for the Gulf Stream. You can read more about it in this article from the Orlando Sentinel.

- Craig Williams

We’re hearing some very welcome words from Governor Crist these days. He announced in his State of the State Address this month that Florida needs to be a leader in the fight against global warming. He went as far recently to say he wanted to see Florida become another California in terms of renewable energy policies. You can read more about it here. Perhaps now we have the renewable energy champion we’ve been needing for so long.

-Craig Williams

This conference includes Frank Leslie’s session on March 7th on Renewable (Sustainable) Energy from 2:00 p.m. until 4:20 p.m.

News Release
MELBOURNE, FLA.—Florida Tech will address smart growth and environmental sustainability at its fourth international, interdisciplinary forum, “Sustainable Pathways: New Research and Practices,” on March 6-7 on campus. The forum is a collaborative effort of the Florida Tech College of Business and

College of
Science, and Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME). The public is invited to attend. And additional sponsors are being sought.“The forum will focus on practical solutions to emerging sustainability issues from business, science and socio-political viewpoints,” said Gordon L. Nelson, dean of Florida Tech’s

College of
Science. “It is designed to appeal to a varied audience and will offer the latest academic research and perspectives for practitioners and public policy makers.”Speakers complementing Florida Tech and BME speakers will include Ken Lindeman, Environmental Defense Fund; Isabella Bunn, Oxford University;  Keith Winsten, Brevard Zoo; Laurilee Thompson, Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival; Duane E. De Freese, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute; Terry Gibson, Florida Sportsman Magazine; Mark Chatelain, Johnson Controls; William Broussard, Forever Florida; Bob Martinez, former Governor of Florida; Suzanna Hecht, UCLA and Princeton University; Frank Jackalone, Sierra Club, Florida; and Steven Seibert, executive director of the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida, to name a few.Sponsors include: Environmental Defense Fund, FP&L, Waste Management and Florida Institute of Technology.Online registration is available at http://research.fit.edu/sustainability/register.phpA conference registration fee of $85 entitles registrants to attend all daily sessions as well as luncheons. The fee is $25 for students. A separate fee of $45 covers a keynote dinner on the evening of March 6. For more information, and to register, contact Linda Ward at (321) 674-7573 or at lward@fit.edu.