MG&E adds wind power, expands Green Power Tomorrow program

From a media release issued by MG&E:

Madison, Wis., Oct. 31, 2008—Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) increased wind power capacity by more than 12 times in 2008 as four new wind farms in Wisconsin and Iowa began production. The most recent addition to MGE's renewable energy portfolio is a 10-year agreement with Osceola Wind Power II, LLC, a subsidiary of FPL Energy, to purchase 50 megawatts of wind energy.

"With strong customer support, MGE increased wind capacity from 11 to 137 megawatts this year alone," said Gary J. Wolter, MGE chairman, president and CEO. "This exceeds the goal in our Energy 2015 plan, which set out to increase renewable energy up to ten fold."

The latest green power comes from FPL Energy's Endeavor II Wind Energy Center in northwest Iowa (Osceola and Dickinson counties), an area with some of the most robust wind resources in the Midwest. The new facility started operation this week.

Renewable energy is expected to account for more than 12% of MGE's total energy supply in 2009, up from 1.6% in 2007. The additional wind energy allows continued expansion of MGE's Green Power Tomorrow program. About 10% of MGE's residential customers participate in the program, the highest rate of all investor-owned utilities in the United States.

Proposed wind projects in Wisconsin

Click on either image to enlarge.

Wisconsin Energy 3Q profit falls on lower demand

From an Associated Press article posted on INO.com News:

(AP:MILWAUKEE) Electric and natural gas utility Wisconsin Energy Corp. said Wednesday its third-quarter profit fell 7 percent as cool summer weather lowered demand for air conditioning.

For the quarter ended Sept. 30, Wisconsin Energy earned $77.5 million, or 65 cents per share, compared with $82.9 million, or 70 cents per share, for the same quarter in 2007.

Earnings from continuing operations _ which excludes results from businesses that have been, or are in the process of being sold _ totaled $77 million, or 65 cents per share, compared with $83.1 million, or 71 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.

Revenue declined 3 percent to $852.5 million from $881.5 million in the 2007 period.

On average, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a more modest profit of 55 cents per share, on $892.8 million in revenue.

Wisconsin Energy said residential use of electricity fell 5 percent in the quarter from a year ago. Among small commercial and industrial customers, consumption was off by 1.4 percent, while use among large commercial and industrial customers was down 3.5 percent versus a year ago.

MGE's Green Power Tomorrow

From Madison Gas and Electric:

Your choice to participate in MGE's Green Power Tomorrow program makes a difference every day. And we now have a new way to show you how! We're launching a renewable energy Web channel called Green View. We'll share video stories about people making a difference, answer your questions, and give you a chance to talk back.

Take a look.

Leave a comment and tell us what you think and what you'd like to see in the future. Your ideas are important to us. We'll send e-mail alerts to let you know about new stories. The fact that you received this launch alert means you're already subscribed to this free channel. Of course, you can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link below. Thanks for doing your part to make our world a little better!

The MGE Green Power Tomorrow Team

We Energies plans Columbia County wind farm

From a description of the project on the We Energies Web site:

The proposed Glacier Hills Wind Park is located in the towns of Randolph and Scott in Columbia County.

Project Size
The wind project is being designed to accommodate up to 90 wind turbines and is expected to generate between 100 and 200 megawatts (MW) of electricity. The final size and capacity of the project will depend on permit requirements, the turbine model installed and the configuration of the turbines. The project is anticipated to produce enough energy to power between 30,000 and 45,000 homes annually.

The Need
We are pursuing additional wind energy to meet customer demand and the state of Wisconsin’s Renewable Portfolio Standard. Our customers are demanding more renewable energy through our Energy for Tomorrow program, which allows customers – residential, commercial and industrial – to purchase all or a portion of their energy from renewable sources.

Additionally, the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard requires Wisconsin utilities to generate 10 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2015. Currently, We Energies’ supply portfolio includes approximately 3 percent from renewable energy.

Approvals and Timeline
As a regulated utility, We Energies is required to obtain authorization from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to construct the project. We expect to file the necessary applications for regulatory permits later this year.

In addition, we work with the local communities and numerous other agencies including: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Federal Aviation adinistration, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Federation, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Wisconsin State Historical Society and National Heritage Inventory.

Construction
Construction is anticipated to be completed within one year from the start of activities. Approximately six months will be needed for site preparation and the installation of turbine foundations and cabling. An additional six months is needed for turbine erection. If permitting moves along as expected, construction is anticipated to begin in late 2009 or 2010 with operation in 2011.

Milwaukee mayor will accept $400,000 grant at solar conference

From a media release issued by Milwaukee Shines:

On Thursday, October 23rd, Milwaukee will host the fourth annual Solar Decade Conference at the Midwest Airlines Center, expected to draw 400 people. Sponsored by We Energies, Focus on Energy and the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance, the conference will focus on reducing the informational, economic and procedural barriers to solar energy proliferation in the region.

“The benefits of solar energy are great,” said Mayor Tom Barrett, “Not only does solar energy provide power from a secure domestic source, promote sustainable urban development, and support greenhouse gas reduction targets, but advancing solar technology creates new economic opportunities for our residents and businesses.”

Also during the conference, Mayor Tom Barrett will accept a grant of $200,000 from Tom Kimbis, Director of Market Transformation for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Program. Earlier this year, the City of Milwaukee was named one of America’s 25 Solar Cities by the Department of Energy because of its commitment to solar technology adoption. This grant was awarded at that time.

Roman Draba, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs & Policy at We Energies will present a matching grant also in the amount of $200,000.

The awards are intended to accelerate solar adoption in cities by supporting their innovative efforts with financial and technical assistance. Selected cities are those prepared to make a comprehensive, city-wide approach to solar technology that facilitates its mainstream adoption.

The Solar Decade Conference, open to the public, will feature "renowned industry experts as they discuss the benefits of solar energy for your home, business and career!"

The Cost of Lost Opportunities: The Bailout, the War, and Renewable Energy

From an article by Paul Gipe:

While the renewable energy industry in the U.S. celebrates a rare victory -- winning an eight-year extension of its federal tax subsidies -- no one should forget what we've lost.

Forget for a moment the recurring costs of an inflated defense budget. Chalmers Johnson has tallied those. Let's look at the two biggest items, the ones that stand out so strikingly: the war in Iraq and the recent financial bailout.

Much has been written about the lost opportunities from the enormous expense of the Iraq war. But few yet have tallied what we're missing when combining the cost of both the war and the recent bailout. At last count, the direct costs of the war in Iraq passed $550 billion. The bank bailout is budgeted at $700 billion. We're on the hook for nearly $1.3 trillion!

Alliant files "closing arguments" in Cassville proceeding

From a media release issued by Alliant:

MADISON, WI – October 17, 2008 – A decision on the future of the Nelson Dewey Generating Station is just weeks away. The final phase of the regulatory process kicked off today, as Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL), a subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corporation (NYSE: LNT), filed its . . . brief in the case.

The brief highlights that no generating facility in Wisconsin history has ever provided the varied benefits that Nelson Dewey 3 will bring. These benefits include helping to jump start the biofuels economy in Wisconsin and establishing an estimated $50 million dollars annually in economic development from that market, creating much-needed jobs for southwest Wisconsin during the construction and operation of the plant, and increasing the transmission import capability into the state by as much as 600 megawatts.

Also addressed in the brief is the importance of strong ratemaking principles to the project. Ratemaking principles define how construction costs will be recovered in utility rates throughout the life of the generating facility. “These are clearly challenging economic times for all of us,” said William D. Harvey, Chairman, President, and CEO – Alliant Energy. “We are thankful that, in Wisconsin, our regulators have the ability to fix the financial parameters for the lifetime of the project. That certainty can help provide our customers and our company with stability, which, now more than ever, is critical.”

The proposed 300 megawatt plant will have the ability to burn not only coal, but also switchgrass (native prairie grass), corn stalks and waste wood from area fields and forests. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) is considering WPL’s proposal, with final briefs in the docket due at the end of this month. The PSCW is expected to issue an oral decision about the future of the project in mid-November, with a written order due in mid-December.

Operating in a World of Carbon Constraints: What Utilities Should Know

A brown-bag seminar from the Association of Energy Service Providers, 1:00 p.m. (Eastern), November 6:

The goal of this Brown Bag presentation is to address key U.S. greenhouse gas policy and market issues that are of increasing concern to electric utilities. The World Resources Institute* will address existing and anticipated U.S. Federal and state carbon constraint policies. Point Carbon will discuss the current and projected state of the carbon markets in the U.S. and address the issues that utilities need to be aware of in order to successfully operate in a carbon constrained environment. Participants will have a chance to obtain answers from carbon policy and market experts.

*The World Resources Institute is an environmental think tank that goes beyond research to find practical ways to protect the earth and improve people’s lives.

*Point Carbon is a world-leading provider of independent news, analysis and consulting services for global power, gas and carbon markets.

Speakers:
Lisa Zelljadt, Carbon Analyst, Point Carbon
Olga Chistyakova, Carbon Analyst, Point Carbon
Nicholas Bianco, Associate, World Resources Institute
John Larsen, Associate, World Resources Institute

Register for the online seminar here.

Feasibility of Alliant Energy's biomass plans questioned

From a media release issued by Clean Wisconsin:

Madison, Wis – After publicly stating its Marshalltown, Iowa coal plant could burn 10 percent biomass, staff for Alliant Energy now question the feasibility of burning the renewable fuel in the recently approved plant according to testimony submitted in front of the Iowa Utilities Board earlier this month. This development raises questions about the company's commitment to burn 20 percent biomass in its proposed Cassville, Wisconsin coal plant.

"The similarities between Alliant's promotion of the Marshalltown proposal and its Cassville proposal are striking," said Peter Taglia, staff scientist at Clean Wisconsin, the state's largest environmental advocacy organization. "Just like its commitment to burn 10 percent biomass in the Marshalltown plant, Alliant representatives have repeatedly stated that the Cassville plant could burn 20 percent biomass should it get approved by the Public Service Commission."

Although Alliant publicly committed to burning 10 percent biomass in the Marshalltown plant, Alliant Energy project manager Jeffery Beer admits in sworn testimony submitted this month that "while [Alliant Energy] did indicate that the plant is capable of burning 10% biomass, this was a design criterion, such that the plant, for short periods, could burn that amount, not that a 10% continuous burn plan was desirable from a commercial point of view."

"Many independent experts as well as Public Service Commission staff doubt the feasibility of burning 20 percent biomass in Alliant's proposed Cassville coal plant," said Taglia. "Alliant's recent backpedaling in Iowa underscores the uncertainty of Alliant's Cassville plan."

RENEW Wisconsin also raised the feasability of finding enough biomass in testimony during the hearings on construction of the Cassville plant.

National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency

From the Web site of the U.S. EPA:

The National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency is a private-public initiative begun in the fall of 2005 to create a sustainable, aggressive national commitment to energy efficiency through the collaborative efforts of gas and electric utilities, utility regulators, and other partner organizations. Such a commitment can take advantage of large opportunities in U.S. homes, buildings, and schools to reduce energy use, save billions on customer energy bills, and reduce the need for new power supplies. National Action Plan Leadership Group members are identifying key barriers limiting greater U.S. investment in energy efficiency, and developing and documenting sound business practices for removing these barriers. The Leadership Group members and Observers have been joined by numerous other key stakeholders in making commitments under the National Action Plan to work within their own organizations and across their spheres of influence to increase attention to, remove barriers to, and increase investment in cost-effective energy efficiency.

The site includes a link to the Year Three Action Plan Work Plan (PDF).

State moves into top 10 in energy efficiency

From a guest column by Stephen Heins, Orion Energy Systems, in The Capital Times:

In an October report by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, the state of Wisconsin moved into the top 10 on the "2008 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard."

In addition, Wisconsin should further improve its ranking now that the Citizens Utility Board and Wisconsin Public Service Corp., a natural gas and electric utility serving northeastern and central Wisconsin, have reached a milestone Stipulated Agreement. The pact, which begins in 2009 and ends in 2012, creates a pilot program that includes decoupling of sales and profits and also major increases in energy efficiency spending.

This is an opportune time to discuss the implications of this major change in energy policy in Wisconsin.

The Stipulated Agreement includes two of the most important recommendations of the Governor's Task Force on Global Warming: It ends the inherent disincentives for publicly traded utilities to help their customers save energy; and it increases WPSC's spending for energy efficiency above the amount being spent from 1.2 percent to 2.0 percent next year and then rising to 3.5 percent over the next four years.

CUB director Charlie Higley stated that the group would like to see similar deals with WE Energies and other state utilities.

Power player: WPPI provides electricity for 50 municipally operated utilities

From a story by Judy Newman in the Wisconsin State Journal:

It's not just the company's two snappy, little hybrid electric cars that are drawing attention to Wisconsin Public Power Inc.

The nonprofit regional power company:

• Is doubling the size of its Sun Prairie headquarters to nearly 50,000 square feet and outfitting the offices for the highest level of energy efficiency.

• Signed its 50th municipal electric company, in Preston, Iowa, as a member last month.

• Will reach state goals for renewable energy use — 10 percent by 2015 — six years ahead of time.

So maybe those hybrid vehicles — painted sky blue, with the face of a young boy blowing dandelion seeds into the wind and the slogan, "Why just wish for a clean energy future?" — symbolize what WPPI is all about.

In an industry increasingly dominated by big, powerful, publicly traded utility companies, WPPI, founded nearly 30 years ago, has carved a niche of its own.

"They are a national model, in terms of communities working together on energy issues," said David Benforado, executive director of Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin.

PSC approves We Energies efficiency programs

From a media release issued by the Public Service Commission:

MADISON – Today, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) approved We Energies proposal to implement voluntary electric energy efficiency and demand response programs beginning January 1, 2009.

The initiatives, ten in total, include the continuation of five existing programs and implementation of five new programs at a total estimated savings of 26,900 Megawatt hours of energy and 24.8 Megawatts of capacity during the first year. The projected energy savings are enough to power 3,000 Wisconsin homes. . . .

Among the approved We Energies programs are:

􀂃 Information Displays Program – provides customers with an in-home display with such information as the current price of electricity, cost of the electricity used to date in the month, and variance relative to a customer’s energy budget;

􀂃 Benchmarking Program – will develop peer groups for residential and small commercial customers and then identify how the customer’s electric usage compares to that of its peer group;

􀂃 Small C&I Program – provides technical and financial assistance to We Energies Cg1 and Cg2 rate class customers to help them identify and install energy efficiency equipment;

􀂃 Critical Peak Pricing – will be an optional tariff for residential customers that adds a high priced “critical peak” period to We Energies’ existing three part time-of-use tariff; and

􀂃 Peak Time Rebate – will provide residential and small commercial customers a rebate or bill credit for reducing load below a customer-specific baseline during peak hours.

Palin's Folly

by Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin
October 7, 2008
What three things do Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria and Venezuela have in common? The first commonality is that they are among the top 10 leading exporters of petroleum worldwide, which is another way of saying that they are the biggest accumulators of foreign cash on the planet.

Commonality No. 2: Gasoline prices in those nations are lower than they are in the United States. The swollen river of revenues that flows into their national treasuries enables these governments to subsidize the price of motor fuel sold to their citizens. In Iran, the portion of federal revenues spent on maintaining price caps on gasoline approaches an astonishing 40%. . . .

Considering the finite nature of their chief exports, these nations would do well to reinvest their windfalls into domestically developable sources of wind and solar energy, to name two energy sources that do not have decline curves associated with them. However, that brings up Commonality No. 3, which is their shared aversion to all energy sources that have the capacity to displace oil and natural gas in some capacity. Renewable energy sources like wind and solar certainly figure prominently in that category.

It is nothing short of amazing to watch these nations squander their colossal fortunes on ephemeral social control measures that only hasten the drawdown of their most economically valuable resource. Subsidizing gasoline is simply a wealth distribution scheme that discounts the future for the present. Its legacy will be to leave billions of people without the capital to invest in building up a sustainable energy future.

Under more enlightened regimes, these nations would be plowing their retained earnings into technologies that harvest locally available self-replenishing energy sources to serve future citizens. They would make it a point of emulating Germany, a nation bereft of native oil and gas reserves but certainly not lacking in foresight and political will. Cloudy skies and weak winds notwithstanding, Germany is deploying considerable amounts of social and financial capital to retool its energy infrastructure so that it can take full advantage of its modest solar ration.

In contrast to Germany, there is not a single commercial wind turbine operating in Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Venezuela and Russia. While Mexico and Iran look like go-getters by comparison, their efforts to date amount to less than one-half of Wisconsin’s current wind generating capacity. Moreover, even at this late date, oil-exporting nations have invested only a piddling amount of their capital investments in solar energy.

To demonstrate the aversion that oil-exporting jurisdictions have towards renewable energy, consider the example of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. According to Michael T. Klare, who covers defense and foreign policy for The Nation, Alaska is a “classic petrostate,” featuring a political system that is “geared toward the maximization of oil ‘rents’--royalties and other income derived from energy firms--to the neglect of other economic activities.”

Among the economic activities neglected is renewable energy development. Like Russia, with which Alaska shares a “narrow maritime border,” Alaska does not have a single utility-scale wind turbine in operation, a rather remarkable statistic given its sprawling size and a wind resource that in certain locations can be accurately described as “screaming.” But as long oil revenues are sufficient to allow Alaska to dispense with a state income tax, renewable energy development will remain in a deep freeze.

In a recent article, Klare recounts a talk Palin gave at a February 2008 meeting of the National Governors Association, where she said that “the conventional resources we have can fill the gap between now and when new technologies become economically competitive and don’t require subsidies.”

When asked to elaborate on that point, Palin’s antipathy towards renewable energy was revealed. “I just don’t want things to get out of hand with incentives for renewables, particularly since they imply subsidies, while ignoring the fuels we already have on hand,” Palin said.

Had those words been uttered by the Secretary General of OPEC, they would have been forgotten in a matter of seconds. Coming from someone who could become the next vice president, however, is cause for consternation, in that she is clearly recommending a course of action that would invariably lead to greater dependency on oil.

Certainly, the Palin prescription would reverse the decline in oil revenues propping up Alaska’s state government. But the amount of petroleum that could be extracted in 2020 from Alaska and the Outer Continental Shelf is trifling compared with current U.S. imports of Mexican crude. Even if a mini-surge of petroleum materialized as a result of a McCain-Palin energy policy that put Alaska’s wishes above the best interests of the other 49 states, it wouldn’t even compensate for the declining yields from such aging oilfields as Cantarell or Prudhoe Bay, let alone achieve the chimerical goal of energy independence.

Like the other petrostates of the world, Alaska has no Plan B to fall back on when its endowment of fossil fuels is no longer sufficient to support a state government in the style to which it is accustomed. Let us hope and pray that the voters of the other 49 states see the “drill, baby, drill” mantra for the folly it is, and reject it out of hand in favor of an energy policy that stresses energy security through conservation and renewable energy development.

Sources and complete article here.

Tax credit extension ends ban on utility ownership of solar

From a media release issued by the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA):

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The passage of H.R. 1424, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, provides critical news for the solar industry at large, but also for regulated electric utilities looking to diversify their energy mix with solar electric generation. In addition to extending the federal solar investment tax credit (ITC) for 8 years, the legislation includes the removal of a prohibition that previously prevented electric utilities from taking advantage of the credit.

Based on announcements and discussions with utility executives this year, the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) predicts that utilities will quickly become the largest and one of the most important customers for the solar industry, expanding solar markets beyond analysts’ expectations. Access to the federal tax credit will expedite the timeframe and scale to which this happens.

“U.S. electric utilities’ engagement with grid-connected solar electricity has increased significantly in 2008, with major photovoltaic and concentrating solar thermal project announcements totaling more than 5,000 megawatts,” said Julia Hamm, SEPA executive director. “Without the ability to take direct advantage of the ITC, the only viable financial option was to have these plants be owned and operated by independent power producers who then in turn sell the electricity to the utility. The change to the tax credit facilitates utility ownership as another option, which will result in additional projects and innovations.”

With the policy change, utilities that have a tax appetite and an interest in owning solar generation projects now have an added incentive to diversify and clean their energy supply with the addition of solar power.

“This is a very positive development for the utility industry as it will go a long way to putting solar power within reach of many more Americans,” said Jim Rogers, chairman, president and CEO of Duke Energy, a SEPA member. “It is exactly what we need as we explore investing $100 million to install, operate, maintain and dispatch solar panels on our customers' rooftops in North Carolina as a viable option to build a bridge to a low-carbon future.”

Outreach at the Williamson Street Fair

Michael Vickerman (left) and Jeff Riggert (middle) staffed
tables in mid-September at the Willy Street Fair in
Madison to educate people about the "Permanent Global
Peak Oil Crisis" and renewable energy. Riggert, president
of the Wisconsin chapter of the AESP, built the stand to
display the sign and peak oil poster.

Congress extends tax credits for solar and wind projects

From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The $700 billion package designed to help the financial industry will result in more Wisconsin homeowners installing solar panels on the roofs of their houses in the years to come, energy industry observers said Friday.

A package of energy tax credits, adopted as part of the bailout deal, will extend for eight years the tax credit for homeowners considering adding solar.

Energy tax credits had been set to expire at the end of the year until they were included in the Wall Street bailout package.

What's significant about the solar credit, industry observers said, is the decision to remove a $2,000 cap on a federal tax credit for installing solar panels.

That means that a typical solar-electric system that costs about $16,000 is now eligible for a 30% tax credit, or $4,800, said Michael Vickerman, executive director of Renew Wisconsin, a Madison group that advocates for renewable energy.

Word that the bill had passed in the House came as visitors toured homes and businesses with solar panels across the state Friday, as part of the annual Solar Tour sponsored by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association. The tours continue today.

In Milwaukee, Ann Beier, head of the Milwaukee Office of Sustainability, heard about the congressional vote during a solar tour stop at Hot Water Products Inc., a distributor of solar-hot water systems.

"It raised the mood quite a bit, because there had been such fits and starts on reinstating these tax credits," said Beier, whose office will kick off the Milwaukee Shines solar-education program this month.

The incentive should boost interest by homeowners in installing solar panels, said Don Wichert, who runs renewable energy initiatives for the state Focus on Energy program.

"With all the stuff that is going on right now with the economy, this is a happening market," he said. "There will not be layoffs in the solar and renewable market for a long time."

Other energy pieces included in the Wall Street bailout package include an extension of wind-energy tax credits for one year.

Forward Wind Center open for public tours,Oct. 22

Join Invenergy, the project developer for the Forward Energy Center, invites the public to an Open House of the Center:

When: October 22, 2008
Open House: 1-6 PM
Tours start on the half hour from 1:00 to 5:30 PM
Brownsville Community Club
871 Main St., Brownsville (on Hwy 49)

Come learn more about the Forward Energy Center and how wind power benefits Wisconsin.

Forward began operations in February 2008, becoming one of the first large-scale wind energy projects in Wisconsin. Forward is owned and operated by Chicago-based Invenergy, which is implementing one of the largest programs of wind development in the United States, Canada and Europe, and is committed to building strong relationships with landowners, communities and utility customers.

Please wear appropriate shoes for walking on uneven surfaces. Reservations are not required.

For more information, contact Susan Dennison at sdennnison@invenergyllc.com

Businesses and residences open for solar tour, Oct. 3-4

Many solar-powered and energy-efficient businesses and homes around Wisconsin, including Jeff Riggert's residence (above), will be open to the public during the Wisconsin Solar Tour on October 3 and 4.

The tour demonstrates that renewable energy is practical, reliable and a realistic choice for home and business owners. Tour sites are owned, lived in, and worked in by ordinary people. They are helping others open the door to renewable energy.

Although it is officially called the Wisconsin Solar Tour, sites include all sorts of renewable energy technologies and other innovative features. On the Wisconsin Solar Tour you can see:

Wind and solar (PV) electric systems
Solar thermal and solar water heating systems
Green building construction and passive solar design
Energy efficient heating technologies
Energy efficient appliances
Environmentally friendly landscaping
And more!