Clean energy Western Massachusetts
By Mary C. Serreze
February 2018
Read the original article Here
It’s been a busy year for clean energy in the state and region, and the months ahead promise yet more challenges and opportunities.
A new solar incentive program will go into effect in 2018, providing tariff-based payments instead of production credits. Utilities will firm up contracts to procure massive amounts of clean energy from offshore wind, Canadian hydro and other sources. Greater commitments to reducing emissions from the transportation sector are expected, and innovative pilot programs are helping homes and businesses transform their energy profiles.
In 2017, Massachusetts saw major solar gains, with more than 10,000 projects installed, representing around 480 megawatts of new capacity. The clean energy sector contributed $11.4 billion to the state’s economy, providing jobs for more than 109,000 people at 6,900 establishments, according to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. Statewide job growth in the clean energy sector has jumped 80 percent since 2010.
The 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act requires that all sectors of the Massachusetts economy reduce emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. In 2016, the state lost a landmark lawsuit filed by climate activists, and the state’s highest court ordered the Department of Environmental Protection to implement the law.
New Videos on the SGE Website!
Want a quick intro to solar panels and how solar energy works? Check out our updated video page for a breakdown on this booming source of renewable energy!
By Danica Bergmann
Happy Fourth of July From SGE Solar!
Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday 🙂
By Danica Bergmann
Summer Movie Night: “Catching The Sun”, a Solar Power Documentary
“Before the Flood” brought all kinds of attention and opinions out of hiding regarding climate change, and spurred an interest and an appetite in the public for environmental filmography; but this Netflix film which premiered in April of 2016 focuses much more specifically on the solar power industry.
Directed and produced by Shalini Kantayya in her film making debut, the film covers a lot of ground in explaining, outlining, and debunking solar energy; it includes a brief history of solar tech in America, as well as a look into solar practices in China, and follows everyone from laborers to politicians to show their respective connections to solar and how it impacts their lives. Best of all, it examines the ideologies behind solar energy- how people assume it will impact the economy, how industries such as oil might continue without solar, how jobs can be created and structured for this upcoming energy field.
In-depth examinations into the solar power industry such as this are a wonderful resource for the general population, to not only help dispel rumors and assumptions but to give a more rounded perspective of how the technology works, how it applies to our economic market, and how it’s influencing the present and the future as well. If you have questions but prefer a more presentation-based format of answers, or just want to inform yourself on this quickly growing industry in the comfort of your home, then this documentary is just about tailor-made for your viewing.
If you liked the overview of “Before the Flood”, but are interested specifically in solar energy and how it has progressed in the United States, I would highly recommend this glimpse into the industry, offering insight and explanation of one of our most plentiful natural resources applied to power the nation.
By Danica Bergmann
Sun Tech: Solar Powered Gadgets For Summer (or any time of year!)
We’re all about solar panels- but you can power far more than your house using energy from the sun! Check out these nifty tools and toys to help you out around the house, the beach, the pool, or wherever your summer takes you!
Solar Speakers – keeps the pool party going without having to trip over cables or change batteries!
Solar Phone Chargers – Incredible affordable and incredibly useful for maintaining your emergency calling ability on off-the-grid adventures!
Solar Headphones – Another convenient way to skip both tangling connection chords AND constantly replacing batteries!
Solar Fans – The one linked here is an attic exhaust fan (keep your upper levels cool and circulating), but porch and even desktop versions exist as well!
Solar Flashlights – Perfect for camping and backpacking, where weight and storage space are key and ditching even small batteries goes a long way! (Plus, you never have to find your way to your tent in the dark!)
Solar Decorations – A way to transform your yard or porch that won’t be heavy on the electric bill, and will stand out to your neighbors and friends!
Solar Keyboard – Even through your office window enough sun can sneak in to power your typing!
Solar Walkway Lamps – I had these along the walkway to my front door growing up, and when relatives come over or when there’s snow and ice everywhere, and especially when little trick-or-treaters come to your door, it’s so nice to be able to light their path!
And just to add in a couple honorable mentions:
–Solar Cookers, discussed in an earlier blog post, use reflection to concentrate heat from the sun on your food and make snacks, no wires or electricity necessary!
-Using the sun’s energy the good old-fashioned way: Gardening! It’s are always a great way to teach kids about plants, give them a project in responsibility (that’s not as expensive or intense as a pet), and for children and adults alike, to grow colorful flowers, tasty herbs, and even fruits and veggies to freshen up the dinner table!
Know of any other useful gadgets or toys that run on sun? Let us know: @SecondGenEnergy on Twitter or on our Facebook page, we’d love to hear from you!
By Danica Bergmann
Summer Movie Night: WALL-E is an adorable way to teach kids (and adults) about environmentalism!
Animation. Cutesy romantic plot line. Futuristic setting. Feel-good ending- this movie is set up as something entertaining for the kids to watch, but ends up being just as engaging for every age. Then again, as a movie produced by Disney & Pixar, that’s about par. Yet the message is rather unique for their style of movies; instead of focusing on anthropomorphic animals and friendly human companions, or kids off on an adventure, or the major plot point centering around love and family, this film focuses on something else entirely.
There’s not much dialogue in WALL-E, and it was originally planned to have next to none. This makes sense when you consider that the movie centers around non-speaking robots who communicate largely on noises, movement, expressions, and perhaps a few “words” that rely on intonation instead of conversation or sentence pattern. But it’s the human subplot that really stops to make you think. Humanity as a whole are the villains at the movie’s start, as they’ve littered so much on Earth that there’s no space or resources left to live on, and now subside in a spaceship where they no longer need to walk thanks to technology and have all become obese and trapped behind screens due to their lifestyles. Now i’m not dissing technology (I can only write and publish this article thanks to modern miracles such as wifi), but to become so dependent upon it as to physically atrophy and to no longer even walk by oneself is quite the situation. And the humans in this movie use technology as an escape- deserting Earth without really knowing if or when it will be inhabitable again, and living in ignorant bliss- sound familiar at all?
Amongst robot antics, the movie ends on a happy note, with humanity reconnecting with nature and with each other sans technology and sand disregard for their home; but on a realistic scale, the happy end wouldn’t hasten to arrive. It may not be our future, or even our kids’ future, but we are headed down a path not dissimilar to that portrayed for humanity in the movie. The sooner we take action, the less of an inevitability this path becomes and the better of a chance we have to preserve what little nature we have left, instead of losing it all entirely. But that’s more my musings than the movie; Pixar keeps things colorful and optimistic, and I love this film for the sense of hope it instills even in the face of such a self-made future.
Check out Vox’s piece along the same lines for more thoughts on the movie’s message!
By Danica Bergmann
Simple Sun Fun: Sunscreen tips and tricks
As much as this solar energy company loves the sun, we can’t ignore that you can have too much of a good thing! Keep sun protection in mind this summer, and keep yourself and your family free from sunburn with these tips for keeping things shaded and safe:
-The FDA recommends about a golfball-sized amount of sunscreen per adult body per application (a little less for small kids), which means ~1/3 of a teaspoon’s worth on the face ; but given that facial skin tends to be more delicate, I would err on the side of more rather than less.
-Also in regards to that space on your face, skincare and makeup brands like Neutrogena make facial sunscreens that are lightweight and less oily so you won’t get clogged pores from being protected; some companies even make foundation, BB creams, and powders with a small amount of SPF in them.
-Why bother with sun protection in your everyday makeup? Because even if the only time you spend outdoors is walking from car to building, that can still affect the skin and accelerate signs of aging such as wrinkles. Also, UV rays can penetrate many types of windows- so that sunlit desk or long commute home at sunset could be doing damage as well.
-Sun Protection Factor, or SPF for short, is a measurement of protection against the sun’s UVA rays. (It also blocks UVB, but this is not measured on a scale and is often blocked ~1/3 the degree of UVB). SPF isn’t a linear scale; SPF 15 blocks 93% of UVB rays and SPF 30 blocks 98%, and anything above that is really negligible. Save your spare change and stick with SPF 30, and just be sure to reapply as religiously as you can.
-Going swimming, or gonna be sweating? Get a sport sunscreen that advertises water resistance, and be sure to reapply every time you exit the pool.
-If you’re going to be outside for long, continuous periods of time, stay out of direct sunlight when you can. Cover your skin with coverups and wraps and your face with wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses for walking around the beach. Bring an umbrella on excursions for static activities like reading, picnicking, and napping.
-Sun around the eyes can cause crows feet and even cataracts, so be sure to save your vision! Always wear sunglasses outdoors. The bigger the better, and go for polarized lenses when possible for driving and filtering out glare.
-Coming inside after a long hot day? Cleanse your skin of sweat and oils, then moisurize to keep things supple. And if you did get burned, aloe helps to cool the heat and keep the skin from peeling. Try to use a brand that doesn’t contain any alcohol – or best of all, grow an aloe plant in your kitchen and break off the leaves to apply the juice as needed.
Stay sunny (and healthy!)
By Danica Bergmann
Sources: FDA, BadgerBalm, Wikipedia
Simple Sun Fun: Solar Cooker
A fun activity for kids over the summer, as well as a handy tool when going camping or getting involved in other outdoor activities, building a solar cooker is a cheap and easy way to spark a child’s interest in renewable energy technology. (It’s also a great way to keep them occupied outside instead of wreaking havoc around the house while they’re out of school!) I made this style of cooker myself in my middle school Tech Ed class, and fondly remember that day- if mostly because we got to eat treats the whole day through! A simple solar cooker like this one can be used for warming up leftovers, melting chocolate for fondue, or best of all, making s’mores with just the right level of ooey-gooey deliciousness- and of course it sure helps keep the microwave clean!
You will need:
- Aluminum Foil
- Cardboard or poster paper
- Scissors/Glue/Tape
- Foods to warm up and enjoy!
First, design and plan what your solar cooker will look like. There’s no single correct way to make it; it functions by the aluminum foil reflecting and concentrating the sun’s rays on a focal point, so feel free to play around with angles- this is a great learning opportunity with mathematical and scientific applications that you can sneak in without the kids knowing that they’re learning outside of the classroom!
Next, assembly. Cut the cardboard out into panels or portions of your design, and cover one side of each piece with aluminum foil- the less wrinkled the better – and secure it with a little glue on the inside and a little tape on the edges. Make sure to have a flat bottom section in the middle, also covered in aluminum, on which you can place the food! Attach everything together with tape, only applying it to the non-aluminum outside to keep the reflective inside, well, reflective (or for larger designs and older, more craft-interested children, attach everything with methods such as staples, glue guns, or hinges).
Finally: Food! Place the cooker in a sunny spot and put your snack of choice inside, and let your meal warm while you play!
Some examples of solar cookers:
The Space Station:
The Big Shiny Bowl:
The Travel Unit:
Have kids experiment with different design ideas to spark creativity (and help them gain a practical understanding of angles and reflection)- or even compete for which child’s cooker is the most efficient!
Bon Appetit!
By Danica Bergmann
Photo Cred (and more info on solar cookers): Nifty Homestead