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CRES
Clips is sponsored by
SolSource
Thank you
Bella
Energy
for sponsoring CRES in 2008.
CRES Clips
As a 501(c)3
nonprofit organization, CRES depends on your support.
CRES is
successful because of the energy and commitment of members,
volunteers and donors. The scope and outreach of CRES will be
enhanced and expanded by further use of technology and the expansion
of paid staff to guide and coordinate the CRES pool of dedicated
volunteers.
Please
consider investing in renewable energy in Colorado! Participate in
the CRES 2008 membership and donation drive
HERE, or mail your donation to 245 Eliot St. Denver, CO 80211.
CRES CLIPS
CRES Meeting on "The Obama Energy Plan"
with The Honorable Gary
Hart, former U.S. Senator - Thursday, February 26
Please join us for the next public meeting of the Colorado Renewable
Energy Society. Our featured speaker will be former U.S. Senator
Gary Hart, who will discuss "The Obama Energy Plan."
Sen. Hart represented Colorado in the U.S. Senate from 1974 until
1986. In addition to his numerous committee assignments, he played a
leadership role in major environmental and conservation legislation.
Among his post-Senate endeavors, Mr. Hart served as President of
Global Green (the U.S. affiliate of Green Cross International,
Mikhail Gorbachev's environmental foundation). He is currently Wirth
Chair Professor at the University of Colorado at Denver, and is a
Distinguished Fellow at the New America Foundation.
This meeting will start at 7:00 PM Thursday, February 26, at the
Jefferson Unitarian Church, 14350 W. 32nd Avenue (about a mile west
of I-70) in Golden. CARPOOLING AND ARRIVING EARLY ARE STRONGLY
RECOMMENDED! If the JUC parking lot is full, there is a small
overflow lot just west of the JUC. The meeting will be followed by a
reception with refreshments and networking.
Those outside the West Metro Denver Area are encouraged to join us
online via Live Webcast. There are a few connections left to host a
viewing of the webcast, and we give priority to groups of at least 3
CRES members.
Complete information about this event - including instructions for
viewing the live webcast - are available on the CRES Website.
http://www.cres-energy.org/events/#nextmtg
Those who cannot join us can view a recording of this webcast, which
will be posted to the CRES Event Archives by the end of Friday,
February 27.
http://www.cres-energy.org/events/archives/2009 >
February 26
This event is co-sponsored by
- Jefferson Unitarian Church -
http://www.jeffersonunitarian.org,
- Environment Colorado -
http://www.environmentcolorado.org, and
- The Rocky Mountain
Chapter of the Sierra Club -
http://www.rmc.sierraclub.org.
President Obama Signs Stimulus Bill at Green-Themed Event in Denver!
On February 17, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science - with a
rooftop solar power system installed by CRES Business Member Namaste
Solar - was the scene for one of the most significant moments in
American Renewable Energy History. Both President Obama and Vice
President Biden were there to sign the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act into law. Denver was chosen for its leadership in
the New Energy Economy, and Namaste President Blake Jones was chosen
to not only introduce President Obama, but to also give him and the
Vice President a tour of the rooftop solar array.
In a CRES Exclusive, Blake Jones wrote the latest entry for the CRES
Blog:
"My Day with President Obama"
http://www.cres-energy.org/blogs/blog_Jones09feb.html
The day was also memorable for Ascent Solar's VP of Business
Development (and CRES Life Member) Joe McCabe. Not only did the
Secret Service allow Joe to bring in a sample of Ascent's thin-film
PV panels, he actually got that sample into President Obama's hands
at the rope line! Joe has sent us a video of this as proof.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AYslgUy29A
CRES
Sends "Energy Wish List" Letter to President Obama
CRES President Steve Sargent and the CRES Policy Committee (chaired
by CRES Life Member Tom Konrad) sent a letter to President Obama in
late January with the following recommendations for U.S. Energy
Policy:
1. Transform the concept and model of electric utilities;
2.
Make significant investment in utility transmission and distribution
systems;
3. Coordinate efforts and align incentives to create
smart grids;
4. Make equally significant investments in
energy efficiency;
5. Invest in forward-looking and well
planned upgrades to the transportation infrastructure;
6.
Invest in the R&D required to produce the next generation of
home-grown fuels; and
7. Above all, realign incentives to
encourage desired behaviors and
facilitate market entry for 21st
century technologies in America’s energy marketplace.
You can read this entire letter on the CRES Blog:
http://www.cres-energy.org/news_blog.html
News from the CRES
Policy Committee
The CRES Policy Committee – chaired by Tom Konrad – has been hard at
work over the past several months evaluating various pending state
and federal bills to determine if CRES should support them. Here are
highlights of the committee’s efforts, in February:
New Policy Committee Actions:
CRES Co-sponsored CoSEIA’s Rally for America, a march to the State
Capitol in support of green Jobs on Feb 2.
CRES has endorsed a proposal from the South Metro Denver Chamber of
Commerce’s Renewable Energy Task Force calling for federal tax
credit for companies which change their employee 401(k) retirement
plans. To find out how you can help, or encourage your company to
add a Renewable Energy Mutual Fund to your 401(k) plan, visit their
website at http://www.RETaskForce.biz
The Colorado PUC seeks Comments on the possibility of overseeing
Tri-State’s and other “generation and distribution” electric co-ops’
Resource Planning processes. The PUC currently oversees the
development of Energy Resource Plans (ERPs) for investor-owned
utilities (the largest of which is Xcel Energy). Rural electric
co-ops, which serve Coloradans throughout the state, currently are
exempt from this fundamental planning requirement. The governing
Boards of at least two co-ops – Intermountain Rural Electric
Association (IREA) and Holy Cross – have purchased coal generation
facilities on behalf of their members. Some of their members argue
that these investments would not have been made had the co-ops been
held to the same or similar planning standards as investor-owned
utilities. Written comments must be submitted to the PUC by March
16th. CRES believes that many of the Co-ops and their members could
benefit from PUC oversight, and intends to file comment. Comments do
not need to be limited to Tri-State but may regard affected co-ops.
They may be filed on-line at
http://www.dora.state.co.us/puc/consumer/ConsumerComment.htm
CRES at the
Colorado Legislature
CRES has taken a position on the following bills:
HB 1126 – Tax breaks for solar thermal. CRES
supports this bill, and CRES Policy Chair Tom Konrad testified in
committee hearings on CRES’s behalf for HB 1126. This bill has been
forwarded to Appropriations.
HB 1098 - Fast track “Clean Coal” pilot projects through
environmental review. Tom Konrad testified against this
bill in committee hearings on CRES’s behalf. The House
Transportation & Energy committee voted to postpone this bill
indefinitely.
HB 1105 – Innovation investment tax credit. This
provides an investment tax credit for angel and venture investors in
Colorado clean-tech start-ups. CRES supports this bill, which has
been referred to appropriations.
HB 1149 - Solar Home Prewire and Consultation.
Requires Solar PV and Solar PV pre-wiring as an option on all new
homes. CRES supports this bill, which passed the House on February
18th.
HB 1268 – Decrease Fossil Fuel. This bill is a menu of alternative
energy proposals, some of which CRES would support on their own.
However, key provisions would redirect support for renewable energy
to the nuclear industry. Other provisions, such as tax breaks for
efficient vehicles, are flawed as well. For example, after-market
plug-in electric vehicles would not qualify. CRES opposes this bill.
The Transportation and Energy committee was scheduled to hold
hearings soon after press time.
CRES
Supports Renewable Energy for FasTracks!
The CRES Policy Committee approved a letter to RTD General Manager
Cal Marsella and Board Chair Lee Kemp, encouraging a renewable
energy option for FasTracks. The letter expresses CRES’ belief that
over the multi-decade term of any agreement, renewable energy offers
many advantages. This form of energy offers fuel cost stability to
the concessionaire, RTD, and the commuting public. The environmental
advantages are well known: less green house gas production, possible
reductions in imported energy, promotion of investment in rural
Colorado. Such a program would promote Colorado as a leader in the
national “New Energy Economy.”
CRES encourages you to contact your RTD Director. To find out who
represents you on the RTD Board of Directors, look on your voter
registration card or go to go the RTD home page:
http://www.rtd-denver.com, then click on “Board of Directors” in the
left-hand column. This webpage lists the contact information for all
Directors.
For more information on this effort, contact CRES member Bob Wilson
at REWilson_PE@comcast.net.
CRES thanks the Policy Committee for all of this hard work. Look for
a more established web presence for the Policy Committee in the near
future!
Chuck Kutscher Wins "Governor's Excellence in Renewable Energy"
Award!
On January 28, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter honored NREL's (and
CRES Life Member) Chuck Kutscher with the Governor's Excellence in
Renewable Energy Award. Kutscher has worked at NREL for 30 years, is
a tireless advocate of renewable energy as a climate change
solution, and is a writer, a teacher and a leader in the solar
industry.
http://www.nrel.gov/features/20090213_kutscher.html
Before joining NREL, Chuck was Executive Director of the American
Solar Energy Society (CRES's parent organization). He was also
Chairman of ASES's SOLAR 2006 National Conference in Denver, and
editor of the ground-breaking 2006 ASES report, "Tackling Climate
Change in the U.S."
http://www.ases.org/climatechange
Chuck will also be the featured speaker at CRES's April public
meeting, where he will discuss "The Important Role of Concentrating
Solar Power in Tackling Climate Change":
http://www.cres-energy.org/events > April 23
CRES at the Sustainable Opportunities Summit, March 17-19 in Denver
CRES will be an exhibitor at the Sustainable Opportunities Summit,
March 17-19, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Featured
speakers will include Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Colorado
Governor Bill Ritter, and experts from around the world. They will
discuss the global sustainability challenge, and will explain how
smart companies are finding clean-energy solutions and creating new
financial and economic opportunity. About seventy plenary speakers
and panel discussion participants will be senior executives from a
wide variety of corporations, government agencies, and other
organizations from around the world.
http://www.sosummit.org
CRES will exhibit at this event. We need volunteers to staff this
booth throughout the Summit, so please contact CRES if you are
available to help: 303-806-5317 /
info@cres-energy.org
CRES Fundraiser: Wine Tasting and "Walden" Play, April 3-5 in Arvada
Noble Heart Theater is excited to announce our debut production -
"Walden: The Ballad of Thoreau,” by Michael Jonathon. It depicts the
final two days that Henry David Thoreau spent in his cabin before
leaving Walden Pond. Join friends of CRES to sample a variety of
Colorado wines and an evening of inspiring theater. Proceeds from
these events will help fund CRES's continuing mission to promote
awareness of the benefits of energy efficient and renewable energy
technologies.
http://www.home.comcast.net/~noblehearttheater
CRES is also working on several other fund-raising opportunities,
especially around Earth Day. Please check the CRES Events page to
find out how YOU can support CRES while shopping:
http://www.cres-energy.org/events > April ...
Seeking Donations for Silent Auction at the CRES Annual
Meeting
The CRES Annual Meeting, Dinner, and Silent Auction will be on the
evening of Saturday, May 2, at the Historic Fort Restaurant in
Morrison. Please join CRES and leaders of Colorado's New Energy
Economy on a beautiful spring evening at one of the West's most
historic (and newly green!) restaurants. We'll acknowledge our
achievements in 2008, and look forward to 2009 & beyond.
Online Registration is now available for this event. Space is
limited, so register soon!
http://www.cres-energy.org/joinorder.html#Annual_Meeting
We still need donations for the Silent Auction to be held at this
event. Do you have a solar panel, for example (Thanks to CRES
Business Member SolSource for their generous donation of a solar
thermal system!), or consultation services, or a weekend in the
mountains, or some other product, artifact, artwork, or service
you'd like to donate? Do you know of somebody that does? - Please
contact Shirley Beverly: 303-751-7217 /
shirleyandpete@estreet.com.
Win
a Registration to SOLAR 2009, May 13-16 in Buffalo
SOLAR 2009 – The National Conference of the American Solar Energy
Society (CRES’s parent organization) will be held May 13-16 in
Buffalo, NY. Since the Silent Auction is less than two weeks before
the start of the conference, we’ve opened the bidding on a
registration for it NOW. Bidding starts at $300 for a “Full
Conference – ASES Member” registration (a $650 value). Bidding ends
March 31. You can submit bids directly to CRES: 303-806-5317 /
info@cres-energy.org.
SOLAR 2009 is America’s leading conference on the emerging trends,
technology, and opportunities shaping the new energy economy. Now in
its 38th year, this cutting-edge conference series introduces you to
the leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs moving the industry
forward.
http://www.solar2009.org
Nominees Needed for CRES 2009 Renewable Energy in Buildings Awards
RES seeks nominations for its annual "Renewable Energy in Buildings
Awards." These awards recognize building owners, builders, and
construction companies for innovative use of renewable energy.
Categories include Institutional, Commercial, General Residential,
and Off-Grid Residential.
To nominate a new (built in 2008) building for one of these awards,
please visit the CRES website:
http://www.cres-energy.org/about_awards.html
#The_Colorado_Renewable_Energy_in_Buildings_Awards_
Call for Papers, 2009 Colorado Renewable Energy Conference
The 2009 Colorado Renewable Energy Conference will be held at the
Colorado School of Mines in Golden on the weekend of August 28-30.
This year's theme is "Clean Energy: Pathways to a Low-Carbon
Footprint."
The Conference Committee will issue a call for papers soon, so
please start thinking of topics and presentations. We will be
looking for papers regarding low-carbon strategies in buildings; the
transportation sector; the generation, delivery and use of
electricity; and policy/regulatory tools to facilitate pathways to
low-carbon footprints. Keep an eye on the CRES website for
additional information.
http://www.cres-energy.org/conference
Apply On-Line to be Part of the 2009 Denver Tour of Solar Homes
The 2009 Denver Tour of Solar Homes will be on Saturday, October 3.
Planning for the Tour is a year-round effort. If you'd like to have
your home or building considered for the 2009 Tour, we have a new
web-based form for you to fill out.
http://www.cres-energy.org/events/tour/questionnaire.html
Thank you to Bella Energy for supporting CRES in 2008.
http://www.bellaenergy.com/
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CRES-Members mailing list
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