Residential and commercial solar panel installer
Solar City (based in Foster City,CA) has built a charging station in Santa Maria, CA for
Tesla
electric vehicles (and any other cars that are compatible) with plans
to build 3 more stations between San Francisco and Los Angeles allowing
drivers to cover the distance more easily. Also,
Lotus Engineering has built a
prototype 1.2 liter gas engine designed just for series plug-in hybrid cars. The engine would only recharge on-board batteries.
When considering your next employer, you may want to ask if they offer a free bicycle as part of their benefits package.
Standing Stone Brewery (based in Ashland, OR) has given a free bicycle to any employee that will use it for at least 45 commutes a year. By using the
Business Energy Tax Credit
provided by the state of Oregon, Standing Stone was able to lower the
price of the new bicycles to about $300 each. Reduced carbon
emissions, improved employee productivity, increased customer
satisfaction, greater public relations and reduced health premiums are
just some of the benefits of this program. Cheers!
To reduce the problems from cascading electrical power failures,
microgrids are being created as one solution. As the name implies, microgrids are electrical grids within the total grid.
Microgrids
can have their own renewable electrical generation and distribution
system area that the total grid may see as just one customer. They can
also purchase power from the larger grid at optimal times if needed and
store their own energy when they have abundance. Look for
military bases, university campuses, business parks and
municipalities to be the early adopters.