Green Florida

Yes, yes, we have all read about the $2.4 billion Florida Power and Light (the FPL Group) is investing in major solar energy projects. Announced at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City, the gigantic utility company will be investing in solar thermal, a smart network to monitor energy management and to launch a new consumer education program, along with products that consumers can buy with their own money to reduce energy usage. FPL is working with a California startup called Ausra Inc. , to build a 300 megawatt generating solar thermal facility. It will begin as only a 10 megawatt project and ... Read Full Story

In a previous post , I mentioned some technologies that had been listed in the Top 10 for 2007, by the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH). These technologies were rated based upon their durability, efficiency, affordability and environmental performance in residential homes. As we may have guessed, solar water heating was listed. What I didn't expect was the statement that said solar water heaters have been commercially available since the 1800's! Is this correct? A little amateur research lead me to learn that first commercial solar water heater, named Climax, was introduced by Clarence Kemp in the 1890's! According to " A ... Read Full Story

Several months ago, the Unitarian Universalist Church on North Meridian Road unveiled its solar panels. A part of its Green Sanctuary program, the UU church is the first in Tallahassee to go solar. Read Full Story

Our family tradition when traveling east and we cross the Suwannee requires each passenger in the car, related by blood or not, to sing the beginning lyrics of "Way Down Upon the Suwannee River" (while still the official state song, it was replaced this year by a more appropriate Official State Anthem, "Florida: Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky" ). Traveling south requires a stop on US 19 at the Suwannee River State Park to acknowledge the venerable river and to comment on how high/low the river is this trip. This year, the Suwannee River Keepers and the Environmental Alliance for North Florida folks ... Read Full Story

In Sarasota County on what used to be a landfill, Florida Solar Power and Light switched on its newest and Florida's largest array of solar panels. According to the FP & L press release, this solar array is the second-largest in the southeast with 1,200 solar photovoltaic panels covering more than 28,000 square feet (about half the size of a football field. The solar panels will produce 250 kilowatts of clean energy, enough to power 55 homes, reducing carbon emissions by 654,000 pounds per year. Sarasota County and New College are also organizing "Get EmPowered 2008" on February 22nd at New College to discuss ... Read Full Story