theCLog

Did the cost-savings carrot we call a tax-free weekend lure you into stores? No, me either.

Just because a discount is offered — brace yourself shop-a-holics — you don’t need to take advantage of it. In my house, we’d rather fix something than replace it.

Remember: Reduce, reuse, renew, recycle, rethink.

Retailers were expecting a boost in appliance sales this weekend as North Carolina’s second tax-free holiday for energy-efficient electronics lured in customers ready to purchase the big ticket items.

Most washers, dryers and refrigerators which carry the Energy Star seal are among the purchases which qualify for tax-free sales.

“The newer models use up to 50-percent less energy,” said Mike Wilson, a manager at the Lowe’s Home Improvement store on Iverson Way.

Lowe’s was among several stores that offered discounts on energy efficient appliances during the sales tax holiday.

Read more from MSNBC and NewsChannel 36.

So what happens to all of those old appliances? Good question.

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The energy industry is getting a makeover. The U.S. needs to lead the way to remain competitive in the global market, and Charlotte’s ready to lead the charge.

The $787 billion stimulus package the Obama administration put together this year includes about $70 billion in grants and tax breaks for the energy industry — almost all of it directed at clean-energy companies. The Charlotte region, hungry for growth in the sector, has already received significant grants from the clean-energy programs in the bill.

The largest was the $42.9 million awarded to Celgard, a local subsidiary of Charlotte-based Polypore International Inc. That will help Celgard beef up production of membranes used in lithium batteries to power electric vehicles.

That effort will create 200 jobs. Celgard has payroll of 300 at its plant on Carowinds Boulevard. But it’s not clear whether all the new jobs will be in the region. The company intends to use the stimulus funding to help build a second plant, but Mitch Pulwer, general manager, says Celgard has not decided on a site.

Chemetall Foote Corp. in Kings Mountain, a division of Germany-based Chemetall, will also be working on batteries for electric vehicles, using a $28.4 million grant.

The funds will be part of a $56 million investment in expanding Chemetall’s lithium-production facilities.

Tim McKenna, spokesman, says about 60% of the total will be spent in Kings Mountain.

Both companies are already major players in the lithium-battery market. Chemetall produces about a third of the lithium for batteries worldwide. And Celgard is a major supplier for membranes used in batteries for cell phones, laptops, digital cameras and other common products.

But both see the nascent electric-vehicle business as a major new market. That could mean more growth in Kings Mountain and Charlotte down the line.

Read the entire Charlotte Business Journal article here.

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Great news: North Carolina’s Biomass Trader is at your service whether you’ve got trash or need some trashy materials. The site will even connect you to the 411 on composting, organic products and more. Check it out :

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The anger isn’t just about the rate hike, though. It’s also aimed at the new Cliffside plant, which is being erected a few dozen miles from Charlotte.

Charlottean Betty Robinson, 87, has: “I’m mad as hell,” she told the commission.

The rate increases would increase her costs by $100 a year, she said, despite her efforts to use energy efficiently. “Just let me tell you something loud and clear: We don’t want that power plant to be built at all,” she said.

Critics say dropping demand, and growing attention to energy efficiency, make new coal-fired and nuclear power plants unnecessary. Duke’s Carolinas electricity sales dropped nearly 2 percent from 2007 to 2008, and company forecasts predict slowing growth in retail sales over the next 20 years.

…

“We recognize this is a challenging time to ask customers to pay more,” Tim Gause, Duke’s regional director of government relations, told the commission. “Duke Energy is certainly not immune either. In fact, we are in a pretty tough spot.”

Read the entire article at Charlotte.com.

Ms. Robinson isn’t the only one who’s mad as hell. From this April’s Uptown protest:

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Builders and companies love to shout about their LEED status, but is it bunkus?

LEED, by the way, actually stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Here’s more on the topic from The New York Times:

The Federal Building in downtown Youngstown, Ohio, features an extensive use of natural light to illuminate offices and a white roof to reflect heat.

It has LEED certification, the country’s most recognized seal of approval for green buildings.

But the building is hardly a model of energy efficiency. According to an environmental assessment last year, it did not score high enough to qualify for the Energy Star label granted by the Environmental Protection Agency, which ranks buildings after looking at a year’s worth of utility bills.

The building’s cooling system, a major gas guzzler, was one culprit. Another was its design: to get its LEED label, it racked up points for things like native landscaping rather than structural energy-saving features, according to a study by the General Services Administration, which owns the building.

Read the rest of this article here.

Want to know more about LEED ratings?

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Mark Jacobson, Stanford University professor of civil and environmental engineering, lists the top energy sources, from best to worst:

The top electrical generating energy sources are:

1. Wind
2. Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)
3. Geothermal power
4. Tidal power
5. Solar photovoltaics (PV)
6. Wave power
7. Hydroelectric power
8. Nuclear power
9. Coal (even with Carbon Capture and Sequestration, CCS)

Nuclear and coal actually tied for last place.

Read more from the Energy and Environmental Science Journal. For the non-academic, less-geeky version, Grist.org has a good summary.

Here’s Jacobson discussing carbon dioxide:

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This round of letters was falsely attributed to senior citizen groups. As with the other letters, they oppose climate legislation and are actually from lobbying groups that publicly swear this isn’t the type of thing they condone.

More fake letters opposing climate legislation have come to light, with this latest batch being falsely attributed to senior-citizen organizations.

As we’ve reported previously, forged letters were sent to three U.S. representatives from Bonner and Associates, a Washington, D.C.-based group that specializes in astroturfing. Bonner was subcontracted by the PR firm Hawthorn Group to do work on behalf of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a coal-industry group that wanted to stop passage of the Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill in the House.

Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on Tuesday released copies of five letters that hadn’t been seen publicly before, including one we hadn’t heard about previously, upping the total number of confirmed fakes to 13. Markey chairs the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Climate Change, which is leading an investigation into the scandal.

More from Grist.org.

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Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, H.R. 3183.

The bill funds energy and water development for the next fiscal year, which runs October 2009 through September 2010. There were 320 yeas, 97 nays and 16 non-voting representatives.

Keeping with her determination to vote against measures her majority-Democratic district would want her to vote ‘yes’ on, former Charlotte mayor Rep. Sue Myrick (R) — your Congresswoman and mine — voted ‘no.’

Here, she talks with Generation Engage about the need to, um, develop and conserve energy in the U.S.:

How does she keep getting re-elected? Seriously, folks. Sixty-two percent of those who voted decided to send her back to Washington for her 8th term in Congress.

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Today, The Charlotte Business Journal reports that Duke Energy and Lowe’s — both headquartered in the Q.C. — are working together to offer their customers a big discount on compact florescent bulbs (CFLs).

The link in the article takes you to a site with a generous amount of information on CFLs, including the facts about CFLs and mercury as well as information on recycling CFLs once they’ve served their purpose.

Unfortunately, the link to the actual coupon is elusive. So, let me help you out: HERE’S THE LINK TO THE COUPON.

Duke Energy Carolinas has partnered with Lowe’s Cos. Inc. to provide the utility’s customers with compact fluorescent bulbs at a 40 percent discount.

It is the first such program Duke has offered in the Carolinas.

The 40 percent-off coupons are available to the utility’s customers at www.duke-energy.com/CFL. Customers can print four of the coupons after entering their account numbers and other information. The coupons can be used for purchases of compact fluorescent bulbs at Lowe’s stores in the utility’s service area through Aug. 11.

Why use CFLs?

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The technology is donated and the cost-savings are nice, but what the center is really looking forward to is teaching others about solar energy.

The U.S. National Whitewater Center is aiming to harness the sun.

The center will generate some of its operating power from a solar rooftop system donated by Cyclone Roofing.

…

“While the energy savings that we will realize are appealing, I am especially excited about the educational impact we can make with live demonstrations of this new technology,” says Jeff Wise, the center’s executive director.

Read the rest of this Charlotte Business Journal article here.

A Myers Park man discusses his family’s decision to install solar panels on their home and how it’s saved them money on their utility bills:

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