Elliot City Home Supports Solar Energy

        Starting in 2007, Dan and Margo Duesterhaus had 32 solar panels installed on their Elliot City home 12 years ago, in which it was placed on three sections of the roof, two additional panels for their solar water heater and another smaller panel for a solar attic fan. They added solar daylight tubes at three locations on the main floor of their rancher, two small heat pumps and large windows with extensive insulation.
        Over 5 years, the Duersterhauses transformed their 1950s-era home into a model of energy-efficiency. "It was a long-term desire," said Margo Duesterhaus, an IT consultant for the Baltimore-Washington firm Triple TeQ. "We were interested in the long-term cost savings, and obviously we had a concern for the environment."
        This weekend, the Duesterhaus home is one of the stops on the Metropolitian Washington Tour of Solar and Green Homes, which features 50 solar-powered homes in Maryland, the District of Colombia and Virginia. The Duesterhauses expect to greet at least 25 visitors when they opened their house Saturday; other houses in the area will be open Sunday as well.

Margo Duesterhaus' house is on a tour of solar homes. South facing windows were added to the kitchen area, which are double-paned with argon in between. EIFS, exterior insulation and finishing system is on the walls on the back of the house.

There are three sections of solar panels on the roof that provide 90-95% of the home's electricity.

Washington Gas Solar-Powering California University

       Washington Gas Energy Systems, Inc. will own and operate a solar array at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. Financial terms were not disclosed. However, "the facility will be opened and operated by Washington Gas Energy Systems, Inc. under a 20-year power purchase agreement," Washington Gas said. Green Energy Group LLC developed the project, which will be completed next month. 

       The roof-mounted system includes 2,688 solar panels on three campus buildings and will produce more than 1,100 megawatt hours of solar energy a year. Washington Gas Energy Systems, Inc., is actually a subsidiary of Washington Gas parent WGL Holdings, which owns commercial-scale projects in 10 states, including the largest solar photovoltaic panel system in the District, at Catholic University at America. 

Reinstallment of Solar Panels on White House

          In 1979, former President Jimmy Carter had 32 solar panels installed on the White House but in the year 1989, President Reagan had them removed. Carter's panels have eventually found a place for them on a cafeteria at the Unity College in Maine, which one was also donated to the Jimmy Carter Museum.

Former President Jimmy Carter shown with the solar panels

 
           In 2008, shortly after President Obama's inauguration, a writer had written to President Obama that he should reinstall solar panels as a symbol for his commitment to encouraging the use of renewable energy. In September 2010, Bill McKibben and 350.org drove to Washington, D.C., with Jimmy Carter's original solar panels in an attempt to pressure President Obama to reinstall them. After initially denying the free solar panels, in October of 2010, the White House had announced they would install solar panels by Spring 2011. By that time, there was no sign of any solar activities until three years later whereas the White House is upholding their promise to do so.

Juliet Eilpern has reported in the Washington Post that "the White House official, who asked not to be identified because the installation is in process, wrote in an e-mail the project is 'a part of an energy retroit that will improve the overall energy efficiency of the building."

For more details, click here.

LivingSocial's Glow-in-the-Dark Dance Party - Profit Donated to Solar Lanterns in Somalia

     

         Hosted in a various number of places in the U.S., LivingSocial is hosting a glow-in-the-dark party to communities for a cause. Such places include Chicago, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; New York City; Denver, Colorado; Washington, D.C., San Francisco, California; Seattle; San Diego, California; Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Not only are you qualified for the glow-in-the-dark party but you would also be allowed admission for an after-party. If this doesn't interest you, maybe this will: portions of the profit would be donations for solar lanterns to children in Somalia. So, enjoy this special event for if you're having fun, you'll be helping another country in taking another step towards solar energy! 

For more details, click LivingSocial 5K Dance Party.

North Shore YMCAs in Washington undergo energy efficiency changes!

      After many years of studying and researching, the North Shore YMCA gymnasium of Washington has launched energy efficiency programs to improve standards of the organization's social responsibilities, to save money and, most importantly, to save energy. These programs are featured in a project, which is known as "Greening our Y," and the project is to be commenced in the following YMCA locations: Haverhill, Ipswich, Beverly, Salem, Marblehead, and Swampscott. The locations have actually been undergoing many changes in their buildings such as obtaining new pool covers, new solar panels, new efficient boilers, computerized lighting and heating control.
      YMCA CEO Jack Meany commented, "We think that in doing something like this it can be replicable for not only YMCA but other organizations as well. And we think that it's pretty innovative."
       A recent announcement has claimed that this project was devised three years ago, where YMCA had submitted a work proposal to 20 Energy Savings Corporations (ESCO) that work with organizations (such as YMCA) to help develop and create plans to make their buildings more energy efficient while they are guaranteed a payback in savings over a lengthy period of time. In the first ten years of the payback period, 85% of the savings will be accumulated towards the debt service owed to ESCO to developing the program and 15% of the savings will be towards the organization itself.