Upcoming SEI workshops

SEI has teamed up with CAETE at the University of Colorado at Boulder to offer an Introduction to Solar Electricity Course that can be taken on site or via the internet. The 3 day course is part of the Sustainable Practices Series and provides 2.1 continuing education units.

Introduction to Solar Electricity - Oct. 28 - 30, Boulder, CO.

• Renewable Energy for the Developing World
  Nicaragua - Nov. 13 - 18
  Costa Rica - Jan. 22 - 27
• Solar Electricity for the Developing World
  Costa Rica - Feb. 2 - 10
• Appropriate Technology for the Developing World
  Chiapas, Mexico - April 23 - 28

Change a Light, Change the World

In celebration of Energy Awareness Month, DOE and the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) kicked off the annual "Change a Light, Change the World" campaign at the beginning of the month. The campaign encourages U.S. residents to replace a conventional bulb or fixture in their home or workplace with one that has earned the government's Energy Star label for energy efficiency. If every U.S. household changed a single light bulb to an Energy Star bulb, it would save enough power to light more than 2.5 million homes. See the DOE press releases on the campaign kick-off by clicking here.

Computer Industry Going Green

Google announced Monday at Solar Power 2006 that it plans to install solar photovoltaic panels on its Mountain View, Calif., office complex. The installation of 9,212 solar panels on the Googleplex will be the largest solar installation on any corporate campus in the United States. The PV panels will generate 1.6 megawatts of electricity.

This comes on the heels of Microsoft’s installation of 2,288 solar panels on the rooftops of its Mountain View, Calif., campus on Earth Day in April 2006. Microsoft’s panels generate 480 kilowatts of electricity.

Google is hiring EI Solutions to install Sharp Electronics solar panels. Google plans to use that electricity to power several of its Mountain View offices, offsetting approximately 30 percent of its peak electricity consumption at those buildings.

Environment Colorado Pushes for a Clean Energy Future

This fall, Environment Colorado is launching Go Solar!, a campaign to realize Colorado’s solar energy potential. According to Environment Colorado, Colorado could equip a quarter-million roofs with solar energy collectors, reducing global warming pollution and increasing Colorado’s energy independence.

With 300 days of sunshine every year, Colorado has the fifth best solar potential in the country. “We are essentially sitting on an energy goldmine,” said Energy Advocate Emily Francis. “With such potential, it makes no sense to continue increasing our use of dirty energy like coal and oil.” Click here to check out what Environment Colorado is doing to move Colorado towards a clean energy future.

New World Trade Center to be LEED Certified

Last month marked the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the United States, and efforts are finally beginning in earnest to rebuild the shattered World Trade Center Complex in New York City. NY Governor George Pataki has announced that the Freedom Tower and other buildings in the complex will be designed to achieve LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The LEED certification assures that the new complex will be a model of green building and will stand as a symbol of the city's commitment to a healthy and sustainable future.

The Freedom Tower; the World Trade Center Memorial and Memorial Museum; and World Trade Center Office Towers 2, 3, and 4 will all be designed to achieve LEED Gold certification and to be 20 percent more energy efficient than required by New York energy codes. The Freedom Tower and World Trade Center Office Towers will draw on four fuel cell systems for 4.8 megawatts of power, while the New York Power Authority and Silverstein Properties will buy a total of 184 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy credits to offset the remaining power needs for the complex. World Trade Center 7, completed early this year, achieved LEED Gold certification in March. For more info click here.

Your Generosity Ensures our Success!

SEI would like to welcome new members! As a membership-based non-profit, SEI's members are the heart of our organization and allow us to continue our educational programs. SEI Staff are passionate about the work that we do and membership dues help sustain our renewable energy endeavors.

Please join us! Membership benefits include (depending on membership level) a one year subscription to either Home Power magazine or E magazine, the Renewable Energy Handbook for Homeowners, an organic cotton/hemp SEI t-shirt, a SEI bumpersticker, and more!

Click here for details on how to become an SEI member.

To all SEI members . . . SEI sends thanks!