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Sustainable North

Solar incentives may light up US homeowners’ pocketbooks

March 18th, 2009 · No Comments

From the New York Times on Wednesday, March 18, 2009:
Solar cells adorn the roofs of many homes and warehouses across Germany, while the bright white blades of wind turbines are a frequent sight against the sky in Spain.
If one day these machines become as common on the plains and rooftops of the United States as [...]

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Category: Energy, Information · Energy, Renewable · Legislation and Policy · Sustainable Living
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Line drying clothes can save up to 10% of home energy costs

February 10th, 2009 · No Comments

From the Los Angeles Times on Friday, January 6, 2009:
When clothes dryers account for at least 6% of the electricity used by U.S. households, is it any wonder that line-drying is coming back? In places where the practice is banned as an unsightly nuisance to neighbors, right-to-dry activists and blogging eco-moms are forming an alliance. [...]

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Category: Energy, Information · Energy, Renewable · Recycling · Sustainable Living
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Obama energy and environment plan

November 20th, 2008 · No Comments

From www.change.gov, retrieved on Thursday, November 20, 2008:
The energy challenges our country faces are severe and have gone unaddressed for far too long. Our addiction to foreign oil doesn’t just undermine our national security and wreak havoc on our environment — it cripples our economy and strains the budgets of working families all across America. [...]

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Category: Energy, Information · Energy, Renewable · Legislation and Policy · Recycling · Sustainable Living
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Passive Solar Design Is Low-Tech Energy Saver

November 6th, 2008 · 1 Comment

BY Adam Wasch, Energy Outreach Consultant at CCHRC
Energy Focus: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner November 6th, 2008, Section A3
This is the second of a series of columns exploring how solar energy can be used at home to reduce your energy costs.
Even in winter, enough sunlight peeks over the horizon to make a difference in your home’s comfort [...]

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Category: Energy Focus Articles
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Solar power may become more affordable, due to economic downturn

November 4th, 2008 · No Comments

From reuters.com, on Tuesday, November 4, 2008:
“In our view, too much solar capacity has been added relative to demand, and will lead to oversupply,” Goldman Sachs analysts wrote, adding that the consequences would drive module prices down by about 15 percent next year.
Oversupply and an easing of demand as economies slow will help the cost [...]

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Category: Energy, Information · Energy, Renewable · Legislation and Policy · Sustainable Living
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The high cost of a green home

November 3rd, 2008 · No Comments

From the New York Times, on Friday, October 31, 2008:
Building a green home, with features like solar panels and top-of-the-line insulation, involves significant up-front costs.
Added onto that is the cost of certifying your home — a stamp of approval that the home meets green standards.
Some architects and builders voice concerns that LEED for Homes — a relatively [...]

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Category: Building Structure · Energy, Information · Energy, Renewable · Legislation and Policy · Sustainable Living
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Home solar systems sales heating up

October 27th, 2008 · No Comments

From the Chicago Tribune on Sunday, October 26, 2008:

With all eyes on the money crisis, homeowners and builders may find it hard to believe the words of Little Orphan Annie—the sun will come out tomorrow.
But one segment of the housing industry that continues to grow by banking on that idea is the residential solar-energy business.
Even [...]

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Category: Energy, Information · Energy, Renewable · Sustainable Living
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New solar photovoltaic system could collect more energy

September 30th, 2008 · No Comments

From nytimes.com, posted on Monday, September 29, 2008:
One of the limitations of solar photovoltaic systems is that, at the current state of the technology, no more than a quarter of the energy from the sun is converted to electric current. Most of the rest of the energy is lost as waste heat.
But Vinod Khosla, the founder [...]

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Category: Energy, Information · Energy, Renewable · Sustainable Living
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Database of state incentives for renewable and energy efficiency

September 29th, 2008 · No Comments

Established in 1995, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency is an ongoing project of the North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
To find out what incentives your state utilities and/or government offers businesses and individuals who use renewable power or increase [...]

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Category: Energy, Information · Recycling · Sustainable Living
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A greener home

September 19th, 2008 · No Comments

The first of a two-part series, “A Greener Future”, from the LA Times, September 14, 2008:
Innovations in designing green chemicals are emerging in nearly every U.S. industry, from plastics and pesticides to toys and nail polish. Some manufacturers of cosmetics, household cleaners and other consumer products are leading the charge, while others are lagging behind.
For [...]

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Category: Energy, Information · Energy, Renewable · Legislation and Policy · Recycling · Sustainable Living
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