SolarTexans.com

Dear Friend,

Recently, President Bush delivered what was billed as a major
speech on global warming.

What a disaster! Rather than staking out a set of ambitious
goals for America to strive for, the President argued that the
United States should do nothing about global warming until 2025.

That’s completely irresponsible — and President Bush needs to
hear it.

Senator Barbara Boxer is going to deliver a petition to the
White House, demanding that President Bush stand up and join the
fight to stop global warming. I hope you’ll join me and add your
name to the petition by clicking on the link below:

http://ga6.org/campaign/bush_gw?rk=v7d3sw1qb7kRW

and feel free to use strong language

-Tim Padden
House of Solar

Round Rock-based Dell announced Wednesday it will use green energy to power its entire Austin headquarters.

Also Online

Project Green

The computer company said it gets 40 percent of its power from Waste Management’s Austin Community Landfill gas-to-energy plant. The rest comes from wind farms.

The company declined to say how much it will pay for the renewable power.

The contract is for 80 million kilowatt hours a year. Typically renewable power credits cost around half a cent per kilowatt hour, meaning Dell could pay about $400,000 extra to run on renewable power rather than fossil fuel or nuclear power.

More than 10,000 employees work at the 2.1 million square-foot Dell headquarters.

“It’s time for our industry to take a lead role in creating a clean energy future,” said Paul Bell, president of Dell Americas in a media release.

A facility in Twin Falls, Idaho is also completely green-powered.

Dell also said it will increase green power from eight to 17 percent at the Austin Parmer Campus. Previously, 8 percent of the campus’ power came from renewable sources.

The company said it is the latest step in meeting a 2008 carbon neutral commitment made last year.

Dell expects the renewable power to become cheaper than fossil fuel electricity during the next three years, saving the company almost $2 million per year and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by almost 12,000 tons.

—-

The Dallas Morning News contributed to this report

Friday, October 19, 2007

Not surprisingly, Austin Energy – the US’s greenest utility – had a significant hand in the development of this admirable program.

Austin Energy is also leading Plug-In Partners, the national grass-roots movement to enlist support from cities, states, utilities and organizations for the development of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles by obtaining pledges for fleet purchases, endorsements, rebate and incentive programs and citizen petition drives.

Mayor Wynn, his Council and his Task Force also deserve plaudits for setting standards the rest of the US would do itself proud to meet.

Austin leads way in energy efficiency; By 2015, code changes will reduce energy use by 65 percent in new homes
Kate Alexander, October 17, 2007 (Austin American-Statesman)

WHO
Austin, Texas, City Council (Mayor Will Wynn)

Austin, Texas: A little city big in New Energy.

WHAT
Austin’s leaders adopted efficiency standards for new homes as strict as any in the US.

WHEN
- The Council approved 4 rounds of building code changes by 2015, the 1st effective January 1, 2008.
- 1st round of improvements cost $1200 and return cost in 5 years.
- All improvement costs returned in 10 years.

Austin Energy Green Building Program 5 Star Rating residence

WHERE
Austin is Texas’ capital city. It is at the edge of the state’s southwest “hill country.” <More…>

by Jessica Kelmon
Oct 10, 2007

WASHINGTON– It’s a hot, sunny afternoon when Pat Green’s song “I love Texas” erupts on the National Mall, signaling success for a bunch of University of Texas at Austin students wearing Stetson-shaped hardhats who are building a full-sized, competition-ready house.  The team is celebrating power – their solar energy is up and running.

Their project – “The Bloom House” – is intended as a solution for people who want to be environmentally friendly but not at the expense of living the good life.

David Bowers, 26, of UT said his team’s goal is to make a party house that happens to be powered by the sun, which explains why there’s an ultra-mod hot tub with attached wok grill on the deck.  A flat-screen TV still sits on the porch because none of the interior décor was done when the power came on.  But it will be.  And if there’s time, they plan to put a see-saw out back.

The team is on deadline – buildings one of 20 solar-powered houses between the Capitol and the Washington Monument for public exhibition Oct. 12 – 20 in what’s being billed as the Solar Decathlon. Despite the competition, the UT team isn’t stressed. <More…>

Turner turned on by solar energy

Mogul has invested millions in DT Solar, a New Jersey company that has its southwestern headquarters in Austin.

By Bob Keefe
WEST COAST BUREAU
Wednesday, September 26, 2007

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Ted Turner, one of the world’s best-known tycoons, said Tuesday that the biggest opportunity he has ever known is his newest one: the solar business.

“I really believe … this is the greatest business opportunity in the history of humanity,” Turner said in a characteristically salty speech to an industry conference in Long Beach. “The entire world is going to have to redo its energy regime, and solar’s going to be a very big part of it.”

Last year, Turner invested several million dollars in DT Solar, a New Jersey company that has its southwestern headquarters in Austin. He also created a holding company, Turner Renewable Energy, and said Tuesday that he’s looking to expand his holdings.

In addition to increasing his investments in solar, Turner said he plans to start lobbying lawmakers in Washington to do more to promote solar power and otherwise address global warming.

“I’m going to do everything I can to bring us closer to the solution to these problems,” Turner said, predicting that the use of fossil fuels would be the end of humankind.

“We know what needs to be done, and by damn it, we’d better do it.”

Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association, said he hopes Turner can help persuade Congress to pass an energy bill that has stalled. The bill would extend tax credits for solar investments, among other things.

Turner, 68, has long supported environmental causes. His newfound interest in the solar industry, however, is perhaps his most significant blending of environmentalism with capitalism.

Clearly, he’s driven in part by altruism. He said that in Atlanta alone, where he still has his business headquarters, incidents of asthma have doubled in the past 20 years, mainly because of fossil fuels.

He’s quick to blame politicians he says haven’t done more to address global warming and support solar energy. He slammed President Bush, saying, “Maybe we’ll have somebody a little smarter next time.”

But Turner makes it clear his solar interests are also driven by the almighty dollar.

According the Solar Energy Industries Association, the photovoltaic industry grew by nearly 80 percent last year, and the solar water heating business more than doubled.

At DT Solar, “we’re making money right now — big money,” he said in a brief interview. “And a lot of these (solar) companies are making big money.”

Dear MoveOn member,

This Saturday, 7/7/07, two billion people around the world will rally for a solution to the climate crisis. They’ll gather at concerts on seven continents and at over 6,000 parties from Alabama to Zimbabwe. And there’s a party right near you in Georgetown.

You don’t want to miss it! Al Gore put the entire night together, and he’ll be front and center. You’ll be barbequeing and pot-lucking with progressive friends and neighbors, and all eight Democratic presidential candidates will join us to share their visions for a climate-crisis-free, clean-energy world.

It’s going to be one amazing night. Can you join the world’s biggest party this Saturday in Georgetown?

Host: Don G.—fellow MoveOn member
Where: 18th and S. Main (in Georgetown—sign up for the full address)
When: Saturday, Jul 7 2007, 6:00 PM

Click here to sign up:

http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=39072&id=10692-3623938-.9PfPQ&t=2

You’ve gotta come—there’s never been an event quite like this one.

The night will kick off with a backyard barbeque or potluck. Then, we’ll watch the highlights of the first presidential candidate forum dedicated to the climate crisis—with questions posed on video by MoveOn members. (This part of the program is just for MoveOn members and friends at over 1300 parties coast-to-coast.)

Finally, we’ll tune into the 7/7/07 Live Earth concerts with millions of other people around the world. The Police are playing at the New York show, Madonna’s in London, Macy Gray’s in Brazil, Joss Stone’s in South Africa—but you get them all at your party!

But Saturday’s just the beginning. That night, we’ll discuss how we can all work together on next steps for a clean energy future. We’re holding this event with our friends at Campaign for America’s Future, the League of Conservation Voters, and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in order to bring you all the best information and ideas about solutions.

And, we’ll start to make change the next day with our online vote on the presidential candidate with the best climate plan. Tens of thousands of MoveOn members will speak at once about what our country needs to deal with the climate crisis!

Al Gore sounded a great rally cry with his OpEd in yesterday’s New York Times :

WE—the human species—have arrived at a moment of decision. It is unprecedented and even laughable for us to imagine that we could actually make a conscious choice as a species, but that is nevertheless the challenge that is before us.¹

Don’t miss this opportunity. Join a Party for the Planet and MoveOn Virtual Town Hall Meeting on Climate Saturday evening, July 7th at 7 p.m. Click here to sign up:

http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=39072&id=10692-3623938-.9PfPQ&t=3

7/7/07 is about coming together, working on solutions to one of the biggest issues of our time, and being a part of history. We hope you’ll join us.

Thank you for all you do.

–Ilyse, Daniel, Jennifer, Anna, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Monday, July 2nd, 2007

P.S. Can’t make this event? Here are a few other parties near you:

Party for the Planet
6408 Cerro Cove, austin in NW Hills, Austin at 7:00 PM—RSVP

Party for the Planet
Near Highland Mall, Austin at 7:00 PM— RSVP

For more info and to find more parties, click here.

4115 Avenue H in Hyde Park The Texas Solar Energy Society held its 11th annual Cool House Tour on Sunday. Eight area homes, from affordable cottages to custom luxury homes, opened their doors to the public.

Each home had installed solar panels and/or water heating systems, green building materials, rainwater collection systems and/or landscaping with native plants. The city of Austin’s Green Garden has tons of information on eco-friendly landscaping.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, was at one Hyde Park home to talk about a new solar energy tax credit he hopes will be signed into law this year. It would offset 30 percent of the cost of any installation for solar panels as an incentive to switch to renewable energy.

“Whether it’s plug-in hybrids, wind power or today, the focus on solar power, there’s so much that we can do in conservation, in renewable energy sources, to reduce our dependence on energy from lands that are troubled,” he said.

Austin Energy offers solar rebates to its electric customers to install solar panels or water heater at homes or businesses. Last week, the Department of Energy named Austin as one of the 13 Solar America Cities in the country, recognizing the city’s commitment to adopting solar technology.