USDA also announced nearly
$264 million in loans to partially finance wood-burning plants in Colorado,
Hawaii, and Texas that are expected to generate 69 megawatts (MW) of
electricity. Additionally, $14,565,000 was announced to finance the
construction of a 5.5 MW solar-powered generating facility in Maryland.
In California, Kirkwood Meadows Public Utility District received $50,000,000 to build or improve 40 miles of lines for distribution and transmission, and to make other improvements to their aging system.
Alright, it's no secret around the SJVCEO offices that I love me some Carl and Eddy. I always insist on Carl and Eddy posters for our community events, I've included C&E in a quarterly report to my board, and I may have tweeted about these guys once or twice.
Really--I think they're great! What, you don't believe me? How about now?
What if I told you I make the rest of team SJVCEO live over in Carl? (what can I say, I like my space)
Carl and Eddy were a stroke of genius; somewhere, someone very smart said, "I bet people would listen more if the message came from talking houses." Well, perhaps it wasn't quite like that, but Carl and Eddy get the job done. Market research on these two showed that their fans had an 85% recall rate on the information in the videos. They're so effective that SCE received a Buildy Award for "Customer-Focused Innovation" for the series. It turns out that I'm not the only one who's fallen hard for these two talking houses.
So, what is my favorite rap session with these guys? Oh, I'm partial to "I got the power"
Of course, that shows a bit of nostalgia on my part because "I got the power" was my first Carl and Eddy video way back in 2010. At the time I thought, "well guys, that's nice, but you're still living south of the Grapevine. Call me when you get to the Valley". Good news: they're here!
I learned this when a news release from SCE crossed my desk last week announcing that SmartConnnect is coming to the San Joaquin Valley. Here are the highlights, just in case you don't want to click through:
Communities set for installation include: Armona, California Hot Springs, Camp Nelsone, Delano, Ducor, Earlimart, Goshen, Hanford, Ivanhoe, Lemon Cove, Lindsay, McFarland, Pixley, Porterville, Springville, Strathmore, Terra Bella, Three Rivers, Tipton, Tulare, Tule River Indian Reservation and Woodlake.
In a statement, Ken Devore, director of SCE's Edison SmartConnect program said, "Smart meters will empower our customers to become better managers of their electricity usage through new tools, programs and services that will help them save energy and money, and help protect the environment." Whoa, whoa, whoa--hold the phone, Mr. Devore! Customers managing their electricity? That is what we at the SJVCEO love to hear! In fact, we live and breath by the adage, "you can't manage what you can't measure." Intelligent metering, by design, will allow the average homeowner to acurately, and in real time see the measure of their energy use and with that information make informed choices about how they want to use their energy. Whether by savings for that extra day of AC when it hits 106 degrees, or deploying no-cost conservation tricks around the house to make sure the energy bill stays within budget. Smart metering allows all of us to make smart choices, and it puts the power in our hands.
My good friend Eddy says he's got the power, but I hate to break to you Eddy--with SmartConnect, we all have the power!
This year's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which runs Jan. 6-9, has a definite green tint.
Electric vehicles get their own space - about 3,500 square feet - and major car makers will be showcasing their latest EV products.
Eco friendly and energy-efficiency/storage innovations also will have a strong presence among the 2,500 companies attending, according to the show's Web site. In fact, this is a particularly smart show - as in Smart Grid, Smart appliances and Smart phones.
Here's a Green guide to the program from Earth2Tech, and a flip through the conference program finds workshops on everything from Smart Grid homes to Smart phones and laptops that remotely control thermostats and other systems in your house. Such programs allow homeowners to better control their energy use while away.
Of course, many of the cool gadgets on display at the show consume more electricity. Thus, this year's event will feature a workshop on green technology that helps measure and control power use.
The green advancements don't stop with the exhibits and workshops. The organizers of the annual event are taking steps to become more environmentally friendly. Among them:
Last year, 68% of the total solid waste generated by show attendees was recycled;
Diverts all light bulbs used by the show from landfills, as well as batteries and other electronics products;
New this year, all TechZone pods, hardwall and turnkey booth packages will include recyclable carpet and recyclable backwall and counter panels;
Printed all attendee flyers and literature on recycled paper using soy ink;
Last year at the 2010 International show, the California Electronics Association donated $50,000 to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department to purchase seven Vetrix electric motorcycles which are on the streets of the tourist corridor every day helping to keeping Las Vegas both safe and green.
