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CL&P Explores Charging More For Electricity In Peak Periods – Courant.com Posted using ShareThis The utility Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) has asked state regulators to change its pricing structure beginning in 2012 to institute a tiered system with a ratio of 10 to one between peak and off-peak hours.  The shift would be a radical change from flat-rate pricing, which provides no incentives for reducing power consumption when demand is greatest.  The proposal is one of three new pricing options under the utility’s Plan-it Wise Energy program. Last Summer approximately

If you have not found a reason to use green friendly cleaners then this should push you in the right direction. Household Cleaners Taken To Court in New York Posted using ShareThis Public health and environmental advocates faced off against household cleaning giants Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL), Church and Dwight (NYSE: CHD) and Reckitt-Benckiser (RKBKF.PK) in a Manhattan court Thursday in a fight for transparency about the chemicals in cleaning products. The manufacturing giants are refusing to follow a New York state law requiring them to disclose the chemical

Recycling Tip Recycle your office paper.  Every 2000 pounds of recycled paper saves 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of electricity and over 7000 gallons of water. This represents a 64 percent energy savings, a 58 percent water savings and over 60 pounds less of air pollution! The 17 trees saved can absorb a total of 250 pounds of Carbon Dioxide from the air each year. Burning that same ton of paper would create 1500 pounds of Carbon Dioxide. The amount of wood and paper that is thrown away each year is enough to heat 50,000,000 homes for 20 years

Recycle glass. Every month, we throw out enough glass bottles and jars to fill up a giant skyscraper. All of these jars are recyclable! The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle can run a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. It also causes 20 percent less air pollution and 50 percent less water pollution than when a new bottle is made from raw materials. A modern glass bottle would take 4000 years or more to decompose — and even longer if it’s in the landfill. Mining and transporting...

Recycle aluminum cans. Did you know that Americans consume over 80,000,000,000 aluminum soda cans every year. There is no limit to the amount of times aluminum can be recycled. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours — or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline. Used aluminum beverage cans are the most recycled item in the U.S., but other types of aluminum, such as siding, gutters, car components, storm window frames, and lawn furniture can also be...

http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/56281 Date: 11-Jan-10 Country: CHINA Author: Ajay Kamalakaran A worker cleans solar panels at a solar energy plant in Jinzhou, Liaoning province December 12, 2009. Photo: Sheng Li Chinese photovoltaic cell maker Solarfun Power Holdings Co Ltd said on Friday it would increase its production capacity this year, anticipating higher demand. The company said it would increase its photovoltaic (PV) module production capacity to 700 megawatts (MW) from 550 MW...

planetark.org/wen/56279 Date: 11-Jan-10 Country: UK Author: Michael Szabo A resident rides a motor bike past the Helanshan Wind Power Plant in Wuzhong, Ningxia province, September 23, 2009. Photo: Reuters LONDON – Investment bank Citi and French emissions exchange BlueNext sold at auction 400,000 Kyoto Protocol carbon offsets for 11.21 euros ($16.05) each, auction hosts BlueNext said late on Friday. Under Kyoto’s Joint Implementation scheme, companies can invest in clean energy projects in...

SustainableBusiness.com News The government of the United Kingdom today announced the successful bidders for an offshore wind development program estimated to be worth £75 billion. The following companies will develop nine different sites for a combined total of at least 25 gigawatts (GW) of capacity by 2020 in an effort to help the nation reach its 15% renewable energy goal. * Moray Offshore Renewable * SeaGreen Wind Energy * Forewind Consortium equally owned by each of SSE Renewables, RWE Npower Renewables, Statoil and Statkraft * Siemens Project Ventures and Mainstream Renewable

SustainableBusiness.com News The overwhelming majority of Americans support action to limit carbon pollution and move the U.S. toward a clean energy future, according to a new poll (PDF) released before the holidays by National Wildlife Federation. American voters demonstrate a strong desire for the U.S. to transition toward a low-carbon economy, with strong support among Independents: * Strikingly, 82% voters and 80% of Independents support the U.S. government increasing investment in clean energy sources. * 67% of voters and 67% of Independents support the U.S. government limiting carbon

1 percent, 4.5 percent, 20 percent, zero. Those numbers stuck in my mind after a boat tour of an offshore wind farm near Copenhagen. One percent is, roughly, is the share of global electricity generated by wind. 4.5 percent is the share of electricity in the EU that comes from wind. 20 percent is the share in Denmark, the world capital of the wind industry. And zero? That’s the number of offshore wind farms that state and federal regulators have approved for construction in the United States....

Microsolar Shows Promise Posted using ShareThis Sandia National Laboratories scientists have developed tiny glitter-sized photovoltaic cells they say could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used. The tiny cells could turn a person into a walking solar battery charger if they were fastened to flexible substrates molded around unusual shapes, such as clothing. The solar particles, fabricated of crystalline silicon, hold the potential for a variety of new applications. They are expected eventually to be less expensive and have greater efficiencies than current photovoltaic collectors

http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/19472 China on Saturday adopted a law requiring the purchase of all renewable energy generated in the country, according to numerous reports. The new law amends a 2006 renewable energy law. State-owned electric companies now must purchase all electricity made available by projects like wind farms and solar power plants, regardless of the costs involved. Failure to do so will result in fines up to twice the amount of the loss sustained by the renewable energy operators. Coal currently accounts for 70% of China’s total energy

Senate Bill aims to Spur Renewables Development Posted using ShareThis U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) last week introduced a measure to spur the development of renewable energy employment and construction, such as wind and solar farms and solar panel factories. The bill would primarily extend and expand a popular Treasury Department grant program that was established in Section 1603 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in order to help diminish the impact of the economic crisis on the renewable energy sector. The Treasury grant program helps

Solar Industry Presents 15% Plan by 2020; Solar Bill of Rights at Copenhagen SustainableBusiness.com News <img src=”http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-03EuZ32vOQaCE.gif” mce_src=”http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-03EuZ32vOQaCE.gif” style=”display: none” mce_style=”display: none” border=”0″ height=”1″ width=”1″ alt=”Quantcast”/> Leaders representing the U.S. solar energy industry at the Copenhagen climate conference said that solar power has the potential to meet 15

SustainableBusiness.com News US President Barack Obama spoke to world leaders at the Copenhagen climate change conference Friday morning, offering no concrete changes in the US negotiating stance. As a result, hopes for a quantifiable agreement by the end of the day have been deflated. Obama reiterated the statements made yesterday by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton–the US would join in “fast-start” funding of up to $10 billion a year for mitigation and adaptation for the years 2010-2012, as well as $100 billion a year in midterm funding through 2020. He also reemphasized