Solar NV eNewsletter

eNewsletter - February 2007

Meeting Announcement - Grease Cars and Green Money!
Wednesday, February 21, 6 PM
The title of our February meeting should sound intriguing. It will certainly be interesting and informative. Rusty Blevins is a new member of Solar NV and he will be sharing information about two areas of personal expertise: Vegetable Fueled Cars and Energy Efficient Mortgages. Rusty is an accomplished musician and very passionate about the environment. He and his wife Mihoko both walk their talk, or rather drive it, with converted vehicles that run on pure vegetable oil. Talk about alternative energy!
Mihoko & "Edamame" Rusty & "BioMerc" Photos courtesy of Rusty Blevins	Rusty is also in the mortgage industry and a specialist in Energy Efficient Mortgages (also called EEMs or green mortgages). He will explain how these tools can help finance the installation of an efficiency upgrade or renewable energy system for your home. We will have time for interactive discussion after the presentation. Solar NV's monthly meetings take place on the third Wednesday of each month, starting at 6 PM, at Nevada Power on West Sahara. Our meeting is at Nevada Power in the Wengert Room. This is located at the rear of the building, inside the curved block wall. See you there!

New ASES Report: Tackling Climate Change in the U.S.
Potential Carbon Emissions Reductions from Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by 2030
	Tackling Climate Change in the U.S.: Potential Carbon Emissions Reductions from Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by 2030 is a landmark report released by the American Solar Energy Society in January, 2007. Download the full report here.
Excerpt from press conference remarks by Dr. Chuck Kutscher, January 31, 2007: It seems like you can’t pick up a newspaper or magazine today without seeing more alarming news about global warming. Global warming isn’t just something that’s going to happen. It’s something that already is happening. While it’s too late to prevent all environmental damage, it’s not too late to avoid the worst consequences if we begin to act now. The question is, “What exactly can we do about it?” We know that carbon dioxide emitted by the burning of fossil fuels is the main cause of global warming and that we need to drastically reduce those emissions. Of the technologies that can accomplish this, energy efficiency and renewable energy are the most benign and sustainable. They can also be implemented the fastest. But can they do the job? more...
Please read this important report and pass the link on to others. This information is vital to policy makers, government officials and anyone looking for real solutions to the issue of climate change.


California may ban conventional lightbulbs by 2012
Ever wonder why the folks at Nevada Power actually give away compact fluorescent ligthbulbs at events like Earthfaire and the Southern Nevada Solar Home Tour? It's because they want everyone to know about the benefits of CFLs, which not only save energy but reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save homeowners money. Now it looks like California may take it a step further..... By Bernie Woodall ET LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California lawmaker wants to make his state the first to ban incandescent lightbulbs as part of California's groundbreaking initiatives to reduce energy use and greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. The "How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb Act" would ban incandescent lightbulbs by 2012 in favor of energy-saving compact fluorescent lightbulbs. "Incandescent lightbulbs were first developed almost 125 years ago, and since that time they have undergone no major modifications," California Assemblyman Lloyd Levine said on Tuesday. more...

Break Out the PV, I'm Going to Sea!
Swiss boat claims first solar-powered Atlantic crossing
GENEVA (AFP) - A Swiss-made catamaran has become the first solar-powered boat to cross the Atlantic after reaching the French Caribbean island of Martinique, the boat's owners said. Sun21 reached Martinique's Le Marin harbour at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Friday, 63 days after leaving the Spanish port of Chipiona near Cadiz, the Transatlantic21 partnership said on its website. more...

Solar NV Committees
All Solar NV members are invited to participate on our committees. In fact, we urge you to join a committee and make a difference. You will make friends, learn new things and help Nevada move toward energy independence! Here's a list of our committees and respective chair persons: Communications Committee - Les Lazareck, chair Education Committee - Gary Wood, chair Membership Committee - Frank Tepper, chair Programs Committee - Allison Gray, chair Solar Home Tour Committee - Deidre Radford, chair You can send an email to any chair person if you would like more information. Keep in mind that you do not have to be an expert in solar energy or have any particular skills. If you are passionate and want to help create positive change, then you have all the qualifications!
Solar Today - Renewable Energy: Linking R&D to Broad Deployment
Costs have plummeted, but to go mainstream, we also need effective policies and marketing.
When SOLAR TODAY published its first issue in January 1987, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), then known as the Solar Energy Research Institute, was celebrating its 10th anniversary as the nation’s premier center for renewable energy R&D. Twenty years later, the challenges of creating a truly diverse, secure and affordable energy supply are much greater — there is a new urgency about energy. Globally, by 2050, an additional 20 terawatts (TW) of energy will be required to meet the demands of the billions of people moving from “low-impact” to “high-impact” lifestyles. To grasp this demand, consider that producing just 1 TW (1 million megawatts) would require 1,000 large electric power plants, each generating 1,000 MW of electricity. more...	Researchers at the Golden, Colo.-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory and throughout the industry have made impressive progress in advancing renewable energy — but the challenges are greater than ever. Photo courtesy of NREL.

Upcoming Events


EVENT	LOCATION	DATE	TIME
Solar NV Monthly Meeting	Nevada Power	Wed, February 21	6 PM
Power-Gen - Renewables	Mandalay Bay	March 6 - 8
Solar NV Monthly Meeting	Nevada Power	Wed, March 21	6 PM
Solar NV Monthly Meeting	Nevada Power	Wed, April 18	6 PM
Windpower 2007	Los Angeles, CA	June 3 - 6
Solar 2007 (ASES conference)	Cleveland, OH	July 7 - 12
Greenbuild 2007	Chicago, IL	November 7-9

Please visit our Events Calendar for the latest information.

Rustle the Leaf comic

Solar NV Mission Statement

Our Mission is to educate the public regarding the benefits of renewable energy; to promote the use of renewable energy and sustainable energy technologies; and to function as a clearinghouse and local resource for renewable energy information.

Some Things to Think About

Please don't just skip over this, or read it and think, "Oh yeah, somebody else will do this." We REALLY want your involvement! Keep in mind that what we do is a group effort. Empower yourself! Remember, WE are the ones we've been waiting for. Let's not let us down!

We welcome ideas and submissions for articles for the newsletter and the Solar NV web site. If you would like to contribute something of interest (articles, links, photos or ideas), and we hope you will, please email it to us at info@solarnv.org.

If you appreciate the Solar NV eNewsletter, we encourage you to become a member. Please visit our membership page and sign up today. We are a pending 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Board of Directors
President:	Steve Rypka
Vice President:	Chris Brooks
Secretary:	Deidre Radford
Treasurer:	Gary Wood
Directors:	Tim Biedinger, Robert Buntjer, Allison Gray, Les Lazareck, Deidre Radford, Guy Snow and Frank Tepper

This eNewsletter is published by Solar NV, the Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Solar Energy Society.

www.solarnv.org

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To make a comment or suggestion, contact Steve Rypka at steve@solarnv.org.

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