Here is a clean PDF version of the article, which is much easier to read.
Now is the time to focus on the "deep" part of deep decarbonization-the technologies that don't exist yet, at least not in commercially viable form.
Now Comes The Hard Part: Three Decarbonization Challenges That Can't Wait
For Free Details on Solarize The Triangle Tier 8 Group Pricing Sign Up OnLine By September 30, 2023
The regionwide group-buying program Solarize the Triangle has entered another tier of lower prices based on additional property owners in the Triangle purchasing new renewable energy systems.
Last week, the community-based campaign entered Tier 8 of the progressively lower-priced tier levels. The program enables residents and businesses to save on the ordinary cost of solar energy and battery power through combined buying with others within 12 communities in the Triangle. The more residents and business owners who contract for solar installations through the program, the more savings accrue for all participants.
Interested property owners can visit solarizethetriangle.com to find out more about the program. The deadline to sign up at no cost is September 30, 2023. All residential solar and battery contracts must be completed by December 31, 2023. A separate deadline for commercial/non-profit contract completions is February 28, 2024.Federal income tax credits of 30 percent make this form of clean energy even more affordable. Residents can enroll free of charge and without obligation prior to September 30th to ensure access to the lowest-price tier is achieved. Rebates provide participants with the same final price regardless of when a contract is completed before the final deadline later this year.
Once these installations are activated, over 670,000 lbs. of CO2 in the Triangle region will be avoided annually. That is the equivalent of 670,133 miles driven in a year by an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle.
Solarize the Triangle is a campaign developed via the Central Pines Regional Council. Communities involved include: Chatham County, City of Raleigh, Durham County, City of Durham, Town of Cary, Town of Chapel Hill, Town of Hillsborough, Town of Carrboro, Town of Apex, Town of Morrisville, Orange County and the Town of Holly Springs. Lowering the cost of solar-energy and battery-storage installations through the power of bulk purchasing, reducing contractor acquisition costs, and transferring those savings to residential and commercial residents is the objective of the 2023 campaign, which resumed this spring.
Helping to facilitate the program on behalf of the members is the Central Pines Regional Council and Solar CrowdSource. For the program’s second year, the installer selected through a rigorous vetting process remains Yes Solar Solutions, a Cary-based, fully-licensed NC general contractor with more than 1,600 projects installed.
Green Scene September 13th 2023 Meeting Reminder & Agenda
Green Scene September 13th 2023 Meeting Reminder & Agenda
Large Room at The Gathering Place, 11:00 AM till Noon
Email Questions, Replies, and/or Comments to: janemcw@aol.com
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER
Following our summer “vacation,” we look to kick off our autumnal return to “business as usual” with a special guest speaker for our September meeting.
At 11 am on Wednesday, September 13, in the large room at The Gathering Place, we will welcome the return of Shannon Culpepper. As many of you may know, Shannon is the recycling & education specialist at the Chatham County Environmental Quality Department. She will share her up-to-date knowledge of “What IS, and ISN’T, Recyclable” in our community.
Looking ahead to October, mark your calendar for our FHA/Green Scene Fall Event featuring free paper shredding, excess pharmaceutical collection, and fire-prevention information. This popular event takes place on Saturday, October 21, in The Gathering Place parking lot from 9 am until noon. More details to follow in the October issue of The Belted Gazette and here on this blog.
Mark your calendars, and bring a friend !
Jason Welsch, Moderator
Fearrington Green Scene
914-806-4852 ( Cell Phone )
Email Questions, Replies, and/or Comments to: janemcw@aol.com
Keep Up To Date By Visiting This Regional Green Scene Blog Often
Solarize the Triangle Virtual Information Session on June 27, 2023
Building on the impact and success of its 2022 Solarize campaign, the Triangle Sustainability Partnership, a local government coalition, is offering an opportunity for local residents and businesses to purchase solar energy at discounted group rates in 2023.
Solarize the Triangle is a community-based group-purchasing program for solar energy, battery storage and other clean-energy technologies. Through this unique campaign, residents and businesses can save on the ordinary cost of a system through combined purchasing with others in the Triangle plus the availability of a federal tax credit.Join a virtual information session on Tuesday, June 27 6:30-8:00 p.m. to learn more. The presentation will cover the group purchase discount program, how to take advantage of the incentives, benefits of the program, and how to enroll. Individuals may register for the information session on Zoom or visit the Facebook event.
Solarize campaigns are driven by the net effect of buying together during a single, defined period. Based on a tiered “bulk” purchasing concept, the more who contract for their solar installations through the program, the more savings accrue to all participating property owners.
Through the 2022 campaign, more than 180 home and business owners ultimately signed contracts to purchase renewable energy systems for their properties, yielding 2.4 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of annual energy production, more than $300,000 in annual utility bill savings, and nearly $6 million in new clean energy development locally.
Interested residents and businesses should sign up for a free evaluation at solarizethetriangle.com. The deadline to enroll is September 30, 2023. All residential solar and battery contracts must be completed by December 31, 2023. A separate deadline for commercial/non-profit contract completions is February 28, 2024.
In addition to Chatham County, other participating Triangle communities include: City of Raleigh, Durham County, City of Durham, Town of Cary, Town of Chapel Hill, Town of Hillsborough, Town of Carrboro, Town of Apex, Town of Morrisville, Orange County, and the Town of Holly Springs.
The Triangle J Council of Governments and Solar Crowdsource are facilitating the launch of Solarize the Triangle with this array of partnering local governments and selected installer, Yes Solar Solutions.
Recovering Valuable Materials From Water
To boost supply chains, scientists are looking at ways to recover valuable materials from water
For many materials critical to supply chains that will help enable America's decarbonization transition, resources are limited. Traditional mining is fraught with challenges, so advancing clean energy depends on finding new ways to reliably access critical materials. Promoting national security and economic competitiveness will require America's researchers to find new ways to obtain the materials that we need for many technologies.
The Great American Lawn: How the Dream Was Manufactured
Video: The Great American Lawn: How the Dream Was Manufactured
America's lawns represent the pride of homeownership and community. But maintaining them risks contributing to climate change. So why do we even have lawns in the first place? We traced their history.
Haw River Trail Becomes a State Trail
Haw River Trail Becomes a State Trail - Land for Tomorrow
The local favorite joins 12 other distinguished trails across the state. The Haw River Trail is now an authorized state trail thanks to the perseverance of local advocates, nonprofit organizations, and North Carolina legislators Representative Stephen M. Ross, Senator Amy S. Galey, and Representative Dennis Riddell sponsoring this bill.
[Comment -- Note that Senator Natalie Murdock also sponsored this bill.]
NOAA Releases Summer Weather Predistions for All 50 States -- HOT
Summer Heat
This summer is likely to be hot in the U.S., and not just because it is typically the season of swelter. Ocean temperatures, soil moisture, forecast models and long-term trends are all contributing factors in predicting a warmer-than-normal summer this year.
After Action Report FHA / GREEN SCENE SPRING EVENT, Saturday, May 20, 2023
We had 272 vehicles come through - a "record turnout" for the approximately ten years that I have been involved with this event. Those residents dropped off:
- 6,060 pounds of paper which was shredded and will later be bundled and sent to be recycled at a Georgia Pacific Company toilet tissue factory in Savannah, Georgia.
- Recycled paper is proven to save trees and other resources: using less tree fiber, less fresh water, less energy, and producing less waste than traditional virgin fiber paper. One ton of magazine paper made from virgin fiber requires fifteen trees. Those trees can remain in the ground if we widely and effectively increase our use of recycled paper.
- 6,060 pounds of recycled paper can save approximately 51 trees, 1,140 gallons of oil, six cubic yards of landfill space, 12,000 kilowatts of energy, and 21,000 gallons of water. This represents a 192% energy savings, a 174% water savings, and 180 pounds less air pollution!
- 41.5 pounds of medications, which is a lot of chemical stuff that won’t be flushed down the toilet and end up in wastewater discharge, lakes, and rivers where it could be dangerous for fish, birds, and other wildlife.
The North Chatham Volunteer Fire Department provided important fire safety information for residents. For those who brought their rechargeable extinguishers, they checked the pressure gauge on top to assure it was in the green safe zone, and loosened any content that had settled on the bottom by using a hard rubber mallet to pound on the bottom of the extinguisher, and explained how to use the extinguisher to put out a fire.
The department is not equipped to recharge, refill, and tag any extinguishers and explained that as long as the gauge is in the green zone and the content is loosened, no recharging of a private home's extinguisher is required by NC fire code. Annual recharging is required only for buildings where there is group assembly, group educational, group institutional, residential care and long term care facilities, and hotels/motels.
I suspect that the blast email alert that our FHA Communications Director sent out to the entire community earlier that week played a very positive role in the impressive turnout numbers.
Some might also credit the increased participation to the friendly, welcoming demeanor of the parking lot "Greeters" Jon Darling, Marilyn Racine, Wendy Snodgrass. And we thank Amy Ghiloni, ReMax United Realty, who donated the seed packets that were given out to each attendee.
Obviously, the success of this event depended primarily on the dedicated efforts of the volunteers who put in the HOURS of effort to make it happen. The other volunteers included: Gene Rogers, Maggie Tunstall, Maarten Simon Thomas, Mike Petruska, Cheri Derosia, Phil Ghiloni. THANK YOU, once again, for your time and talents ! And CONGRATULATIONS on a job well done !
Planning ahead, consider circling the third Saturday in October 2023 (October 21, 2023) on your calendar, which is when we will have the opportunity to replicate or surpass our recent efforts.
Sincerely,
Jason Welsch, Moderator
Fearrington Green Scene
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)