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SUMMER 2009 - In this issue: _________________________________________________________________________ Join us this weekend for some great events!
Music on the Mountaintop is a one of a kind, ecologically driven large-scale music festival, offering first class entertainment as well as educational awareness on current environmental issues. The second annual Music on the Mountaintop will be broadcasting green vibes from the Old Fairgrounds in Boone, North Carolina on August 29th. Music on the Mountaintop will also feature the Green Village, a group of non-profits including NC Green Power, Habitat for Humanity, the ASU Energy Center as well as several others. The organizations will be passing out literature and showing examples of green living. _________________________________________________________________________ Featured Sponsor – City of Gastonia, 100% offset of the electricity usage of City Hall The City of Gastonia is excited to be a municipal Partner-level sponsor of the NC GreenPower program. For years, Gastonia has been a regional leader in conservation and stewardship. In 2008, Gastonia adopted the NC GreenPower program to allow its utility customers to contribute to renewable energy. That step alone though was not enough for this municipal leader. The City of Gastonia also decided to offset 100% of the energy use in City Hall with renewable energy, becoming the top municipal supporter of the NC GreenPower program. As a member of ElectriCities, Gastonia is a proud public power community and has been actively working with utility customers to promote energy efficiency and provide education on renewable energy. _________________________________________________________________________ GREEN news of the month - Solar panels create Cumberland’s first net zero home (Fayetteville, NC)
By Michael Futch, Staff writer for the Fayetteville Observer Self-reliance ranks high on the list for Randy and Anke Darling. The couple lives on a small homestead in the country near Eastover, where the two of them make their own compost in a bin, can food from the garden, and maintain a menagerie of chickens, ducks, geese and rabbits. "That's part of who we are," Randy Darling said. "Back to nature, definitely. I think the world goes too fast. If something should happen, we have food and vegetables." Recently, the Darlings raised the bar on self-sufficiency, when their home became the first solar interconnected residence in Cumberland County. Their solar grid-tied system makes this the county's first "net zero" home, too. "That means it's providing more power than using," said Jim Wood of Alternative Energy Concepts of Fayetteville. "Actually, it's providing significantly more power than it's using." A solar hot water system also has been installed at the home. The two solar thermal collectors are fastened to the roof of their two-story, cedar-siding home. Alternative Energy Concepts of Fayetteville did the work, including the installation of the south-facing solar array in the yard. That 6.2-kilowatt ground-mount system is made up of 32 200-watt photovoltaic modules, or panels, placed over four rows by a pond. The way Randy Darling looks at it, he and his wife are reaping the financial rewards from land they weren't using. Their grid-tied photovoltaic system is big, and larger than what most people would be interested in investing in, according to Wood. The system, Wood said, should average about $220 a month in energy. In a year's time, the solar array will produce an estimated 8,500 kilowatt hours of electricity, Darling said, with 100 percent of that to be sold to South River. That's their electric company. The Darlings will be making an additional 15 cents per kilowatt hour by participating with NC GreenPower. That independent, nonprofit organization was established to supplement the state's existing power supply with more green energy. Altogether, the Darlings' anticipated payback will be about 20 cents per kilowatt hour. "That's where it becomes feasible," O'Dell said. "Those two (paybacks) and the tax credits." Through their partnership with NC GreenPower, the Darlings will be selling electricity for twice what they pay for it from South River EMC. That's 9.8 cents per kilowatt hour on their monthly electric bill compared with the 19.8 cents per kilowatt hour they earn from their new system. Read the full article online by clicking here. _________________________________________________________________________ Featured green business -
One small step… that’s all it takes to be the change. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” – Ancient Chinese Proverb Living a more earth friendly life can be easy. Let Be Green, Be The Change be your guide. Why? We all want to improve our health, that of our families and our planet. But how? Where do we start? We know, we’ve been there and we continue our journey too. Take that one small step now and Join Us. We will help you be the change by providing you with:
Recent Speakers Bureau activities -
_________________________________________________________________________ JOIN US! – Become an NC GreenPower Speakers Bureau volunteer NC GreenPower would like to take the opportunity to give special thanks to volunteers who helped with recent events across the state. The Speakers Bureau would not be possible without your valued support and dedication to North Carolina’s environmental future! Click here for a list of upcoming NC GreenPower events.
NC GreenPower would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to all the event planners who contributed to our renewable energy and carbon offset programs to minimize their impact on the environment from their festivities. Find out more about how you can green-up your next event through our Event Offset program here. _________________________________________________________________________ WE ARE NOW ON THESE SOCIAL MEDIA SITES!
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