Charlotte Clean and Green

Charlotte Clean and Green

April 17–18, 2009

Thanks to the power of 100 volunteers, last year's first Charlotte Clean and Green was a great success, attracting nearly 3,000 attendees from across the Charlotte area. Consider becoming a part of making a difference in this growing region by taking steps to actively protect our environment right here in our community! Volunteer for Charlotte Clean and Green: An Earth Day Celebration!

This year's green educational festival takes place April 17–18, 2009 on the campus of Central Piedmont Community College, located in the heart of Charlotte! Volunteers are needed for festival set-up in a 3 hour shift on Friday afternoon and a 3 hour shift on Saturday morning. During the event on Saturday, we will have two 4 1/2 hour shifts for volunteers. Volunteer duties vary and include traffic/parking directors, exhibit helpers, welcome table hosts, assistance in the kids' area, food tent, entertainment, classes, clean-up and load-out.

Our volunteer needs may change during the event and we appreciate your flexibility! To volunteer, send an email to Vanessa Gorr at charlottecleanandgreen@gmail.com. Include your preferred time slots and consider volunteering for more than one shift! In your e-mail, please indicate if there are any special circumstances we should consider. You will be contacted by the volunteer coordinator with further details about volunteering.

There will be Volunteer Training Meetings (participate via phone or in person) to familiarize you with the event and volunteer requirements. Dates for that will be determined closer to the event. Learn more here: http://www.charlottecleanandgreen.com/too!

NC State launching a green workforce

NC State's College of Engineering will launch a renewable energy curriculum in the fall of 09: a master's degree in renewable energy management.

Graduate engineers will learn how to build and maintain a (new) national energy infrastructure. Students will learn how to integrate new and emerging technologies - wind and solar, for example - into the current energy grid (which if you're a regular reader, you know isn't easy to do in this state; re: net metering).

Net Metering in North Carolina

The NC Utilities Commission is holding a public hearing tonight in Charlotte (Courtroom 6350, Mecklenburg County Courthouse, 832 E. 4th Street, Charlotte). They held one last Tuesday in Raleigh. I had the pleasure of hearing over a half dozen citizens express their need for solar power in their homes and businesses. It was encouraging to see so many people speak so passionately about a renewable resource. Unfortunately, they all expressed distaste for the current laws that make it not cost efficient for groups to supply their own energy. The basic request was “Please give me a reasonable return in my capital investment—if I am going to pay to install solar panels, don’t make me pay for putting energy into your grid.”

Improving the net metering standard is one of the most important steps North Carolina can take to open the door for individuals and small companies to participate in a clean energy economy. Net metering can:
Provide hedge against rising energy prices and increase energy security
Help grow businesses and create “green” jobs--- 1 Megawatt of installed solar PV supports 3-4 “green” jobs
Supply customers with clean energy
Increase the reliability for the electric grid during times when consumption is high
Improve our air and water quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions

The Utility Commission will be making changes to the current policy on net metering over the next week. If you can’t go to Charlotte tonight, email, call or write the commission today and ask for change!

Duke Energy buys solar field output

Yesterday, Duke Energy announced it purchased the output (16 megawatts) of what will be the largest solar field in the US - to be built, owned, and operated by SunEdison just north of Charlotte in Davidson County. By law, Duke is required to produce 12.5% of its energy from renewable sources by 2018.

You can find coverage on CNN, the N & O, the Charlotte Observer.

North Carolina will see a large upswing in greencollar jobs due to the solar field, which will employ only three permanent positions but is expected to require many contractors.

From the Charlotte Observer:

Wednesday's agreement is part of Duke's expansion into renewable energy."It shows (the state law) is working, and it's a highly visible step toward a renewable-energy economy," said Molly Diggins, state director of the Sierra Club. The deal also proves, Diggins said, that the sun and wind are viable energy competitors in a South of cheap coal.