Renewable Fuels

• Soil conservation – some plants used in landscaping can help to prevent soil erosion
• Increased wildlife populations – various species of birds will flock to your garden
• Natural insect control – birds eat insects so naturally the more birds you have the better insect control you will have in your garden
• Educational opportunities – children and adults alike will have the opportunity to view and learn about many different types of birds and plants
• Food production – many of the plants that attract birds also produce foods that humans can eat

• Bird Feeders - Bird feeders are one of the easiest and least expensive elements that you can add to your garden to attract birds. You can use a feeder that hangs from a tree or you could opt for a free standing feeder. By using several different kinds of bird seed you can attract various types of birds. You may attract birds such as sparrows, robins, and doves.
• Bird Friendly Plants - Certain types of plants will attract birds to your garden. Some plants will be a place of shelter for the birds while others will provide a haven for mating and nesting. Plants such as berry trees will be a food source for birds. Plants that are bird friendly include things such as: creeping vines, holly bushes, butterfly bushes, larkspur, and evening primrose. Flowers that are nectar producing and brightly colored attract birds such as hummingbirds.
• Water Features - Water features not only provide a place from which the birds can drink or in which they can bathe, but water features will also provide aesthetic appeal to your garden. Small fountains, bird baths, or a dish of water on the ground will all be sufficient water features.

• eSolar video http://greenenergytv.com/Watch.aspx?v=1333254994  
• BrightSource video http://greenenergytv.com/Watch.aspx?v=1608810738 

• A system to enhance electric vehicle batteries
• A new method to produce a gas used in solar cell production
• Plans for turning food waste into fuel and more!

• Advanced Battery Control: offers a proprietary smart battery management system, which will radically enhance battery utilization in electric vehicles.
• Carbon Perks: a service that motivates people to incorporate energy efficient practices into their lifestyles while helping utilities reduce the costs of providing peak power.
• Enertia: brings to market a multiple patent-pending innovation that will harness ambient kinetic energy and extend the lifetime of wireless electronic devices tenfold, while at the same time replacing toxic electrochemical batteries.
• Food Waste Energy: manufactures and installs anaerobic biodigestors that help restaurants save energy and waste disposal costs by producing natural gas from food waste on site.
• Green Silane: produces silane gas for customers on-site in a manner that is flexible, low-cost, and environmentally benign, revolutionizing the supply chain for this critical input to semiconductor, flat-screen display and photovoltaic panel production.
• Ice Mitigating Systems: developed a two-fold approach to counter the effects of ice on offshore wind turbines. The solution, which addresses the turbine blades and its structural foundation, will be licensed to manufacturers and the company will provide the necessary consulting services to implement these systems.
• ReGenerate: manufactures and leases modular anaerobic digestors to institutional food service operators, transforming food waste discards into on-site renewable energy as well as nutrient-rich fertilizer products that will be cobranded and sold through retail outlets.
• Smart Energy Inc.: providing the bridge between the Smart Grid and consumers, empowering consumers with control over their energy usage and appliances.

• energy efficiency and infrastructure
• renewables
• clean non-renewables
• transportation
• deployment (clean energy services or processes).

If you are reading this, you are interested in the benefits of alternative energy.  But there is one benefit that you may have overlooked...profit!  Why not invest in the companies whose energy innovations we use?  The PickShares betaONE portfolio now includes an alternative energy component in its energy sector holdings. 

Uncertainty dominated the last few months of the year as markets traded in a range amid speculation about interest rates and healthcare reform.  In 2010 I have begun to look into an area with great potential for growth; alternative energy.  This is a difficult sector but there is plenty of upside to be found if you know where to look.  Recently this capital intensive sector has been a victim of the credit crunch. 

     As credit becomes available again investment in alternative energy will return, its comeback being fueled in part by rising oil prices and government funding.  Geothermal and biomass are marginal, the biggest contributions will come from solar, wind and hydroelectric energy which will be the focus of my investment research.

     To enter the alternative energy arena, I have chosen the PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy Portfolio (PBW) as my vehicle.  This fund offers great diversification including 25% international stocks amid a mix of market caps. 

Visit www.pickshares.com  to learn more about the alternative energy ETFs and other funds that are heating up in 2010. - Scott Frye, Guest Blogger for Green Energy TV
 

• Promotes renewable energy such as solar and wind
• Energy efficiency
• Grid modernization
• High-speed rail, vehicles with advanced fuel technologies
• Green jobs training

1. Renewable Fuels - For seven years, they have used clean, renewable fuels such as Biodiesel in their snowcats.

3. ISO certified as a "Green" company

“Global warming is an absolute fairy tale.”

“Global warming is the most important issue facing humanity today.”

You have almost certainly heard these exact statements, or words to that effect, spewing out of the mouths of any number of sources: scientists and politicians, commentators and business leaders, mailmen and grocery store clerks. Many of these sources are highly respected in their field. Or completely full of crap, depending on whom you believe. To exacerbate the problem, these factions spend as much time trying to prove their own credibility, while damaging that of the opposition, as they do trying prove the validity of their own argument. Glenn Beck told me that it is my right as an American to drive any vehicle I want. Alec Baldwin told me that Glen Beck is an idiot and that every time I start up my SUV, a baby polar bear dies. The volume and frequency is so great that it has almost become like white noise. White noise that should be ignored at our own peril…or just ignored. 

Let’s imagine for the moment that we all agree on the existence of global warming. Ahhh. Doesn’t that feel good? There is plenty of evidence from very reputable sources that would seem to prove its reality. This is actually the easiest part of the whole conundrum on which to reach an accord. Now that we are all holding hands and singing “Kumbaya” in three part harmony, I really hate to break up our virtual drum circle with the fact that there is another issue that must be addressed. This one is much more complex than the first: If global warming does in fact exist, what is the cause? Is it all part of an eons long cycle of global cooling and warming? Is it because Americans are the most prolific consumers of natural resources in the world? Is it because I forgot to turn out the lights in my living room when I left the house this morning?

On one hand, the ridiculously oversized charts in “An Inconvenient Truth” clearly demonstrate the correlation between carbon dioxide and temperature increase. On the other, MIT climate researchers have demonstrated that carbon dioxide levels increase following temperature increases, not preceding them. One argument states that the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have risen since the Industrial Revolution. Others say that nothing puts more carbon dioxide into the air than volcanic explosions and that the global temperature has decreased following most major volcanic events. My liberal friend Ivan, who wears only free-range, fair trade, locally produced, organic hemp clothing, says that this is a black and white issue and that you are either with us or against us. My conservative friend Chip, who drives a monster truck powered by an engine that runs solely on the tears of the downtrodden, says that this is a leftist plot to help create a one world government. Seriously??? I feel like Vizinni from “The Princess Bride” trying to figure out which goblet contains the iocaine powder.

Allow me to present you with a third option that will simultaneously blow your minds, expand your horizons and free your souls. Global warming is irrelevant. Forget about it. It does not matter. There, I said it. Now before you string me up from the nearest wind turbine, hear me out. It does not really matter whether or not global warming exists because you do not need to believe in global warming to believe in being environmentally responsible. Our environment is a nonrenewable resource. It is the only one that we have and I am pretty sure that it is the only one that will be available to our grandchildren. Being environmentally conscious is good for all of us regardless of our beliefs or political affiliations. We all benefit from clean air and clean water. No one gains when a species becomes extinct. The long term harm caused by clear cutting an old growth forest certainly outweighs the short term profits. And, believe it or not, we can benefit financially from sound environmental practice as well.

When asked by an interviewer how he would make his first billion if he were once again a young man in his 20’s, Ted Turner replied without hesitation that he would invest in renewable energy. T. Boone Pickens and Warren Buffett have made similar statements. Renewable energy is one of the fastest growing market segments in the world and there is no reason why we as Americans cannot and should not reap the rewards of leading the world in a renewable energy revolution. There are billions to be made in R&D and manufacturing. Renewable energy can be the new US Steel or GM. And don’t think for a minute that if we don’t assume the mantle of leadership that other countries won’t. China would love to control that market as would India. Environmental responsibility is the economic future. Also, there is absolutely nothing wrong with turning a profit, but it should not be done at the expense of the natural environment.

Environmental stewardship should not be the fierce partisan political issue that it has become, but a jointly pursued goal that produces quantifiable economic results and corresponding increases in the quality of life. Responsible environmental stewardship is not dependent upon whether or not I carry a card from the ACLU or the NRA. It is not Right. It is not Left. It is not Communism. It is not an Autocracy. It is American and it is good for all of us. And that is something that we should all agree on.

Please do not email me with scientific data proving or disproving global warming; or things like, “Internal combustion engines can’t actually run on human misery.” If you do feel the need to send out such correspondence, you have missed the entire point of my article. Please delay sending any pending hate mail until you have had a chance to carefully reread the article. Then the next time someone asks where you stand on global warming, simply turn to them with a small, patient smile and proudly say, “It doesn’t matter.” Guest Blogger, Scot Loveland, Renewable Energy Manager with TCT Renewable Energy www.tctre.com

We hear a lot of news about Solar Energy, Wind Power and alternative fuels program, etc. but not too often do we hear about waste being used as energy.

A video was uploaded to our main site Green Energy TV showing how Waste Management takes landfill waste and converts it into energy.

The energy converted from waste can power 650,000 homes EVERY day.  How do they do it? They use technology called Wheelabrator.
 
Wheelabrator -  is a waste-to-energy technology that converts solid waste into clean, renewable electric power. Since the 1970s, Wheelabrator facilities have turned over 145 million tons of municipal solid waste into 75 billion kilowatt-hours of energy.

Here's link to the video airing on our main site: greenenergytv.com/Watch.aspx

• Go on a Green Diet - In the New Year, many people go on a diet. This means, you can start eating certified organic foods that do not contain the food toxins or chemical toxins that are in most of our foods. You can also start to buy more of your food locally as well and get food that is fresh and support the local economy and help create more green jobs as a direct result of your purchases.
• Do the Green Diet Exercise - One of our Guest Bloggers wrote about how he lost over 70 pounds by pedaling his bike to power his TV. Here's a link to that blog post if you are looking to power your TV while you watch it and save electricity and lose a lot of weight in the process blog.greenenergytv.com/blog/wind-power-technology/0/0/new-green-diet-pedal-and-watch
   
• Say good-bye to Household Toxins - You can have an environment friendly home by eliminating the chemical toxins. Most of the store bought cleaners contain very harmful chemical toxins, however, you can switch to safer cleaners from companies such as Shaklee or Seventh Generation. There are many new green and safer cleaning products out there right now that do a great job without exposing your family to chemical toxins in your home.
• Green your Lawn - Most of the chemicals in fertilizers used on the lawns in the US are banned in Europe because of the dangerous chemical toxins they contain and they seep back into our drinking water and affect fish and other wildlife as well. There are more options for this year with chemical free lawn care and organic lawn care. You can use bone meal and other organic lawn care products that prevent weeds and still give you a green lawn without the chemicals. Check out your local nursery and read the labels!
• Get Green Jobs & Get Certified- There is an increase in green jobs, whether you decide to become a solar installer, energy rater, get involved in Sustainability Programs, etc. We have green jobs posted on our main site, and there are many other major outlets advertising green jobs on Indeed.com and Monster.com
• Get a Green Degree - There are more schools and independent organizations offering classes on Sustainability Programs, certifications for LEED, Energy Raters, Solar and Wind Installers and more. Many of the top green universities are also offering green educational classes and degrees now and this can help you land  green jobs and prepare you for the future blog.greenenergytv.com/blog/green-jobs
• Start a Green Business - There are many areas in green that are fast growing and opportunities increasing daily. We did a post a while back that talked about the growth areas of green and here's a link to some of the hottest and upcoming areas that deal with organic natural foods, eco friendly products, solar installation to geothermal energy, energy efficiency and green building.

We hear a lot of bad news lately when it comes to the economy, but there's still a lot of positive stories about companies going green, new green inventions, energy innovation, and the Best Green Companies.

Meet these student entrepreneurs who recently launched a business out of their Dorm Room, and will be moving into a new 4,000 square feet office space.

History: Bob and Rich, friends and founders of YouRenew.com, launched this green business out of their dorm room at Yale University.

What do they do? According to their site YouRenew.com is here to make sure that you get paid for being good to the environment. They pay you to recycle. On their site they say "No seriously — we actually will pay you to recycle your old electronic devices. If the device doesn't have any value, we’ll pay for you to ship it to us for recycling. For every device we take in, we contribute to environmental causes."

Green Energy TV has given YouRenew.com the Two Green Thumbs Up Award for being one of the Best Green Companies.

They are also launching a site for Companies. Its called CorporateRenew.com. The site, which functions similarly to YouRenew, aims to make it easier for companies to unload and recycle unwanted devices.

Keep up the Great Work! Are you doing something to be Green? Show your green self and Upload your video to Green Energy TV. http://greenenergytv.com/Login/?next=/Upload.aspx

I think Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Hydro Power, Geothermal Energy, and various types of green energy and renewable energy is great, but not the immediate solution.

I am not saying to stop the solar installations or erecting Wind Turbines, I am just saying to look at saving energy before you look to put solar panels on your roof.

According to Projections by the International Energy Agency, they show that using energy more efficiently has a greater potential to curb carbon dioxide emissions over the next 20 years than all the other options put together. Wow, that's an eye opener.

So why out of $112 billion invested in clean energy around the world in 2008, just $1.8 billion was spent on improving energy efficiency? This fact comes from a study by the U.N. Environment Programme and New Energy Finance.

There are many energy efficient saving devices besides the compact Fluorescent bulb. There are many new green inventions, eco friendly products and solutions to cut energy costs in home and offices.

Let us know what you are doing in your home or office to use less energy, save money and if there are tax incentives for going green as a result of your efforts. -Ted Malloy, Guest Blogger for GreenEnergyTV.com

1. Sell Carbon Credits - You can do this from your dorm room, or wherever. Selling carbon credits to large companies that produce a large volume of pollution can be a lucrative way for students and small businesses to earn revenue. Businesses that are involved in reducing carbon emissions or who produce low emissions in general can sell carbon credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) For more info: www.ieta.org/ieta/www/pages/index.php
2. Sell Eco Friendly Products - You can start an online store that sells eco friendly products.
3. Green Inventions - There are a lot of people coming up with green inventions and energy innovation, but do not know how to market them. You can help expose the green inventions and energy innovation that people are creating in their basement or garage and help get the word out there for them.
4. Sell Organic & Heirloom Seeds- Over the last few years, there has been a huge increase in people having backyard gardens. Many people are looking for seeds that are Non Genetically Modified and there are some companies out there selling Organic and Heirloom seeds and doing quite well at it.
5. Start a Green Jobs site - This could be a site for college interns as well as others so they can see what is out there for them or in their area. There are some jobs sites now, but not too many that are specific to green jobs and green internships.
6. Green Grant Writer - Many companies and individuals may want to go green and since there is a lot of stimulus money and tax incentives for going green out there, most people don't know how to go after it. If you write green grants, companies and individuals can hire you to write these on their behalf.
7. Become an Energy Rater - Help people to save money in their homes and business and the environment. Info on how to become a Certified Energy Rater www.natresnet.org/rater/certified/default.htm

1. University of New Hampshire - They get 85% of their energy from  from a local landfill via a partnership with Waste Management. They are the first to do it, so I recommend seeing if there is a landfill near your school. more info on this: blog.greenenergytv.com/blog/craig-focus-from-the-greenenergytv-team/0/0/university-of-new-hampshire-85-of-energy-from-landfill-gas-to-energy-
2. Student Entrepreneur, Age 14 - Preventing E waste from leaking chemical toxins into landfills and our water - video: http://greenenergytv.com/Watch.aspx?v=1640650340
3. Green Mobile, College Start-up to repair cell phones http://blog.greenenergytv.com/blog/greenenergytv/0/0/green-mobile---college-start-up
4. Free Bike Lending Library - http://greenenergytv.com/Watch.aspx?v=23d913219dcca374
5. Sophomore at UC Berkeley - Founded STEAM, a Sustainability Internship Program video: http://greenenergytv.com/Watch.aspx?v=1640650339 
6. Cal Poly Students get 1,900 Miles Per Gallon Video: http://greenenergytv.com/Watch.aspx?v=1119169199
7. Poop Power, Organic Farming on site and more from Green Mountain College (additional info) http://blog.greenenergytv.com/blog/greenenergytv/0/0/green-mountain-college-top-green-colleges
8. Major in Sustainability http://blog.greenenergytv.com/blog/greenenergytv/0/0/top-green-colleges-arizona-state-university-at-tempe
9. Recycling Campaign Awareness video http://greenenergytv.com/Watch.aspx?v=e4baacbf83431e98 
10.   University of Minnesota Solar Home - build a solar or green home on your campus or enter the Solar Decathlon video: http://greenenergytv.com/Watch.aspx?v=90a36cd9dd0d5470

Let me take you back to a time long, long ago.  A new governor had just set up shop in Columbus.  Renewable Energy projects were misunderstood and virtually unknown in the Mahoning Valley.  And the Cleveland Browns were picked to win their division. Seriously.

The year was 2007.

Three organizations met to discuss the possibility of creating a wind turbine project: A forward thinking school district; Western Reserve Local.  An environmentally progressive architectural firm; Olsavsky-Jaminet.  And a well-established local company willing to adapt to a new business reality; Tri-County Tower Service.

Fast forward to 2009.  After 2 years of planning and effort, and the collaboration of 13 businesses in the state of Ohio, these wind turbines have become a reality. 

When Tri-County Tower Service (now operating under the name of their renewable energy division, TCT Renewable Energy) was approached by Superintendent Chuck Swindler of Western Reserve in Berlin Center, Ohio, it was immediately determined that a wind study should be initiated on site.  As time passed and it became evident that there was enough of a resource available to support a wind project, system parameters were developed.  The school decided that they would like to utilize a single turbine in the 100kW range to produce 10% of their current electricity needs.  However, it soon became clear that the marginal wind speed onsite would not support a unit in that kW range.  Please bear in mind that “marginal” is a relative term. Wind maps, production charts and return on investment spreadsheets showed that they had enough wind to make a small scale project feasible, but not enough to support a larger turbine. 

With that in mind, TCT helped them to choose the three Proven 15kW turbines that are now in place.  Proven is the world’s largest manufacturer of small wind turbines.  Despite their longevity, they had yet to see a project that was quite like this one.  In order to adequately harvest the full potential of the wind, it was decided to place the three turbines atop 150ft. tall self-supporting lattice towers.  This decision made the project the tallest Proven installation in the world!  With the turbines in place, hub height would be at 160ft. Overall project height is 175ft. once the 15ft. long blades are considered.  These units will produce around 85,000kWh annually for the school.

To date the school has received almost $165,000 in grant money, mostly from the Advanced Energy Fund administered by the Ohio Department of Development.  Additional funds are being sought from the Green Team, the Department of Education and the Appalachian Regional Commission.  Integrated curriculum is being developed that will allow the project to be used not just as a power source, but as a learning tool.  Furthermore, the three turbines will help Western Reserve to be LEED Gold Certified on their new grade-inclusive facility scheduled for completion in 2011.  The wind turbines, coupled with the district’s new 216 well geothermal system, will produce the lion’s share of the power for the new structure.

However, these are much more than wind turbines.  They are a tangible symbol of the progressive thinking that can propel our region into a leadership position in the state’s renewable energy supply chain.  Renewable energy should not be a partisan political issue, but a jointly pursued goal that produces environmentally conscious and economically quantifiable results.

The leadership of Western Reserve Local Schools should be applauded for installing a wind project that allows them to be fiscally responsible, climatically aware and educationally adaptive.- Scot Loveland, Guest Blogger for GreenEnergyTV.com and Renewable Energy Manager for TCT Renewable Energy www.tctre.com

 

Maybe we should start exploring the planets looking for aliens to help us solve our issues on Climate Change and Energy.

Well, since I do not have a contact on my LinkedIn or Facebook profile with aliens from other planets, maybe we should take a close look at Japan for now. Their equivalent of our NASA, is called Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
 
JAXA is moving forward with plans to harvest solar energy from space to covert to electricity for earthly use. The power from the Space Solar Power System (SSPS) will cost Japanese consumers a sixth of what they pay for power now and it will provide energy 24 hours a day. A 2008 CNN article stated that NASA technologists estimate the cost of space solar power infrastructure at $1 trillion, but that sounds like money well spent in comparison to the US $1 trillion bailout.

Interesting comment: Charles Miller of the Space Frontier Foundation told CNN, "The country that takes the lead on space solar power will be the energy-exporting country for the entire planet for the next few hundred years," and right now Japan is winning the race.
- Evan Guest Blogger for GreenEnergyTV.com

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Photo: AFP