Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy
Pioneering community-owned renewable energy
My home town, Boone, NC, is contemplating some zoning changes that will adversely affect rooftop solar. The proposed changes also reveal a mental model about the town’s priorities. There’s a new wave of political activity forming that will tilt closer to or farther away from sustainability and the town appears to be between a rock
Blue Ridge Public Radio’s Cass Herrington, interviewed Burton Street’s DeWayne Barton for a piece aired on June 30th. Always quotable, the following excerpt from the interview illustrates why Barton is such an inspiring leader and visionary, and why nearly 300 unique individuals came together to crowdfund the solar project that will be installed in the
If you’re curious about the community driven solar opportunity’s that exists for a renewable energy minded citizen or are wondering how different community developed solar models compare, have a look at the new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), Community Solar Power: Obstacles and Opportunities. Here’s a brief summary of the report from
The cost of nuclear generated electricityvs. solar generated electricity Check out the rest of the post on FacingSouth’s Blog HERE. Below is a teaser to tide you over until the FacingSouth Blog loads: The report points out that both new solar and new nuclear power sources will cost more than present electricity generation. However, power
The Folks at GREENandSAVE have compiled an 11 page guide to renewable energy/energy efficiency Federal tax credits…money that can be used to pay for your Green dreams. Click the below link to thumb through this very fine resource: The Complete 11 Page Guide to Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Federal Tax Credits
Read it online now! Check out the coverage of AIRE in the latest issue of the Appalachian Voice, pages 11 and 14. You can find it “on the newsstand” or online at: //appvoices.org/pdfs/voice_2009_06_decjan.pdf (PDf)
This from NOW on PBS…Home to a worldwide summit on climate change in early December, Denmark is setting a global example in creating clean power, storing it, and using it responsibly. Their reliance on wind power to produce electricity without contributing to global warming is well known, but now they’re looking to drive the point
Don’t forget that the 9th annual Southern Energy & Environment Expo (SEE Expo) in Asheville this weekend. Many great presentations and exhibitors. Runs August 21-23.
It’s been a while but AIRE’s community solar demonstration is finally producing electricity and reducing Boone’s carbon footprint. Here’s a brief update and look ahead to some next steps. Keep in mind the purpose of our first project was to illuminate the barriers to community-based renewable energy, and then create solutions to those barriers. Here’s