Clean Vehicles

SUSTAINABLE HIGH RISE POWERED BY SOLAR CELLS NEWARK, Delaware, June 8, 2001 (ENS) - AstroPower, Inc. has been chosen to provide a building integrated solar electric power system for a residential high rise building in New York City's Battery Park. The 30 kilowatt system will consist of AstroPower's advanced solar cells and modules, and is expected to produce up to five percent of the building's electricity. The systems will also incorporate AstroPower's custom made Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) modules. A 10 kilowatt facade on the 27 story, 280 unit building will generate clean, renewable onsite electricity for its residents. When integrated into the facade, these BIPV modules will serve as a core component of the luxury building. "In addition to generating electricity, the BIPV modules actually replace conventional building materials," said Jorn Jurgens, AstroPower's BIPV product manager. "In this case, the modules will become the facade of the building. This illustrates how AstroPower is able to adapt our technologies to meet the needs of award winning architects and developers." The Battery Park high rise will also feature a roof mounted 20 kilowatt array, and a custom made canopy of translucent glass on glass modules at the building's entrance. "We are proud to participate in such an innovative project," said Dr. Allen Barnett, AstroPower's president and CEO. "As the nation's first environmentally sustainable residential high rise, the building serves as a benchmark for developers, builders and entire communities." Located along the Hudson River, this sustainable building project meets the residential environmental guidelines of the Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority. "Among these guidelines is a requirement to provide onsite, non-polluting, renewable energy technologies to reduce the environmental impacts associated with energy generation and consumption," said Timothy Carey, president and CEO at the Battery Park City Authority. Carey added that the goal of the program is to generate 100 percent of the electricity onsite.

A Report on the Summer Solstice Voluntary Worldwide Rolling Blackout

Including the Candlelight Gathering in Carpinteria

Sustainable Energy Information

How does buying locally grown organic produce SAVE ENERGY?

American farms have changed drastically in the last three generations, from family-based small businesses dependent on human energy to large-scale factory farms highly dependent on fossil fuels. Modern farming uses more petroleum than any other single industry, consuming 12 percent of the country's total energy supply. More energy is now used to produce synthetic fertilizers than to till, cultivate, and harvest all the crops in the United States. Organic farming is still mainly based on labor-intensive practices such as weeding by hand and using green manures and crop covers rather than synthetic fertilizers to build up soil. Organic produce also tends to travel fewer miles from field to table.

GOO!,Inc. (goo!), Get Oil Out!, Inc.

A Santa Barbara based public group dedicated to the protection of the Santa Barbara Channel and coastline from the deleterious environmental, economic, and esthetic impact of oil development.

For more "Reasons to Buy Organic"

(click here)

What is BIODIESEL?

Biodiesel is the name for a variety of ester-based oxygenated fuels made from soybean oil or other vegetable oils or animal fats. The concept of using vegetable oil as a fuel dates back to 1895 when Dr. Rudolf Diesel developed the first diesel engine to run on vegetable oil. Diesel demonstrated his engine at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900 using peanut oil as fuel.

Properties of Biodiesel: TodayÕs diesel engines require a clean-burning, stable fuel that performs well under a variety of operating conditions. Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel that can be used directly in any existing, unmodified diesel engine. Because it has similar properties to petroleum diesel fuel, biodiesel can be blended in any ratio with petroleum diesel fuel. Many federal and state fleet vehicles are already using biodiesel blends in their existing diesel engines.

The low emissions of biodiesel make it an ideal fuel for use in marine areas, national parks and forests, and heavily polluted cities. Biodiesel has many advantages as a transport fuel. For example, biodiesel can be produced from domestically grown oilseed plants such as soybeans. Producing biodiesel from soybeans and other domestic crops reduces the United States' dependence on foreign petroleum, increases agricultural revenue, and creates jobs.

Comments & Description as reported by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein : "My main concern is that the Bush plan focuses on the long term energy situation and provides no immediate relief to California. This lengthy document will not provide one more kilowatt to California this summer, prevent one less minute of blackouts, or keep one less dollar from being transferred from California into the hands of the energy producers intentionally withholding supplies of power from the market.

In sum, the Bush Energy Plan is largely a bible for long-term energy production and not even a pamphlet for the urgent short-term actions needed to help us get out of the current Energy Crisis. And while the Bush Energy Plan is focused primarily on increasing the supply of oil, gas, coal, and nuclear power, it appears only belatedly to have considered the value of energy efficiency, renewable fuels, and conservation. In fact, President Bush's budget proposes to cut renewable energy programs, such as solar, wind, and geothermal energy by 36 percent and energy efficient research and development by 28 percent. Increasing energy efficiency would reduce blackouts, save consumers money, and reduce pollution. In fact, at a time of rising gasoline prices, increasing fuel efficiency is the single most effective action we can take to limit our reliance on foreign oil, save consumers at the pump, and reduce global warming." U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein