ISSUE 51 • August - OCTOBER 2018 – CLEANING UP THE WATER! – FALL HARVEST – FREE! SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR VT, NH, MA, NY, ME and Beyond R S! EA Y 8

Energy Independence, Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Living and MORE! www.greenenergytimes.org | 802.439.6675 COURT RULES Cover Crops Help Farmers Stand Up Jessie Haas IN FAVOR This spring I watched for Clean Water a beautiful cover crop of winter rye grow in a field I OF YOUTH often pass. Later, corn was seeded into the rye. For PLAINTIFFS several weeks the crops grew together in two-toned George Harvey harmony, the rye sheltering In 2015, a group of youthful plaintiffs the young corn. Now, the rye aged eight to nineteen filed a lawsuit is smothered in the dense against the United States claiming that corn planting, but it’s done the federal government was “delib- its job, adding nutrients and erately allow[ing] atmospheric CO2 structure to the soil, and concentrations to escalate to levels retaining moisture. unprecedented in human history.” They Cover crops are a power- further claimed that by doing this, the ful tool for that. They also government was violating their rights to have a major role to play in the life, liberty, and property they would keeping sediment, nitro- have in the future. gen, and phosphorus out of waterways. According to Sustainable Agriculture Resource and Education, a division of USDA, cover crops Farm along the Connecticut River. Runoff from chemicals like Round-Up®, with known carcinogens, run off into the river wreaking can reduce sediment losses havoc on the environment and are threats to human and wildlife health as well as to the health of our waterways. Image: Flickr. 31% to 100%. They also lead to a 48% reduction in nitro- gen losses and between 15% and 92% of Unfortunately, cover cropping as cur- soaring-pesticide-use). phosphorus losses. Remember, every- rently practiced in Vermont has led to a There are other ways besides herbicides thing a farm field loses, a nearby water vast increase in the use of pesticides. It to knock down a cover crop, including body ‘gains’, usually to its detriment. has become standard practice on large mowing, discing, crimping with a heavy For that reason, cover crops are man- farms to knock down cover crops with roller, grazing, or simply choosing plants Youth plaintiffs make history. Image from Robin dated for annual crops near lakes and glyphosate (Round Up) or other pesticides, that will be killed by hard frosts. These Loznak, Our Childrens Trust. streams under Vermont’s new Required including atrazine and 2,4-D, the active methods cost less and leave more crop Agricultural Practices. Given the many ingredient in Agent Orange. According residue on the surface. So why are many environmental benefits of cover cropping to figures put together by Michael Colby farmers wedded to chemicals? On July 30, 2018, the Supreme Court such as water protection, increased rain- of Regeneration Vermont from Vermont For decades farmers have been ruled on applications from the Trump fall infiltration (6-fold in some systems), Agency of Agriculture reports, glyphosate educated to believe that getting bigger, administration to stop or delay the case erosion prevention, drought mitigation, use doubled between 2014 and 2016. 2,4- moving cows indoors, using agricultural in various ways. Simply put, the Su- and carbon sequestration--environmen- D applications increased from 418 pounds chemicals, computerizing, will finally be preme Court of the United States ruled talists should be cheering, right? in 2014 to 5,361 pounds in 2016. (https:// the key to making dairy that the youths have a right to sue, and Cont’d on p.20 the case will go forward as scheduled. Juliana v. United States is an extraordi- nary lawsuit with implications that may give it an important place in history. It IN THIS ISSUE: goes beyond the question of whether RISING SEAS: Florida is About Nat’l Drive Electric Week pp.4-5 the federal government and its agencies are doing damage exacerbating climate Solar ‘On Golden Pond’ p.11 change. It takes the issue of challenging to be Wiped Off the Map climate policy into the court and even SimpliPhi Lithium Batteries pp.12-13 creates questions about whether and Casey Coates Danson Levi Jeans Sustainability p.18 when the courts can direct the govern- Sea level rises are not some ment’s policies. This is a real issue of the distant threat; for many Americans Worth the Ride to the Wayside p.18 doctrine of separation of powers. they are very real. In an extract The plaintiffs have had a fair amount from her chilling new book, Rising, Fidelity Investments p.19 of help in this case. Earth Guardians, an Elizabeth Rush details how the U.S. VT Soapworks Solar p.19 environmental organization, and Dr. coastline will be radically trans- James Hansen, who brought the issue of formed in the coming years. Passive House Ventilation p.28 climate change to the attention of many In 1890, just over six thousand Americans, are giving their support. The people lived in the damp lowlands Recycling News p.39 legal fees are being paid by donors, or of south Florida. Since then, the the work is being done pro bono. Sup- wetlands that covered half the port is coming from many quarters, and state have been largely drained, Many of our cities, such as Miami, are at the water’s edge. the issue is being brought to the atten- strip malls have replaced Semi- Image: Wikimedia Commons. Please recycle or tion of authorities in other countries. nole camps, and the population share this publication The case went through a typical set has increased a thousand-fold. Over the U.S. also increased a thousand-fold, as of legal stages, slowly roughly the same amount of time, the did the speed at which we when finished grinding its way through number of black college degree holders in fly, the combined carbon Cont’d on p.32 Cont’d on p.25 A SolAr Powered G.E.T. IT! ComPAny Many thanks to our Bringing Save the Date! sponsors for this edition G.E.T. Nov. 30 NYSES to NY: ‘Bridge to Action!’ EEN ENERGY T MES of Green Energy Times: nyses.org GR... be energy independent! ™ GREEN ENERGY TIMES (G.E.T.) TABLE OF CONTENTS 1749 Wright’s Mountain Road • Bradford, VT 05033 Explore the power of the past! NEWS AND HAPPENINGS ...... 3 t/f: 802.439.6675 • [email protected] Take a guided tour of an historic AMERICA FALLING FAR BEHIND ...... 3 G.E.T.’s COMMUNICATIONS TEAM: Publisher/Editor/Production ...... Nancy Rae Mallery water- and steam-powered sawmill, VT’S GHG EMISSIONS RISE ...... 3 General Factotum ...... George Harvey gristmill and woodworking shop FREE TESLA POWERWALLS ...... 3 Coordinating Director...... Michelle Harrison TRANSPORTATION ...... 4-7 Copy Editor ...... Ray Brewster in the Catskills. DRIVE ELECTRIC WEEK ...... 4 -5 Recreational Editor ...... Roger Lohr NH DRIVE ELECTRIC WEEK ...... 5 A huge special thank you to all of our contributing writers! Open Wednesdays-Sundays, 10am-5pm Sally Bellew, Dr. Alan K. Betts, Raeann Bilow, Randy Bryan, Casey through October 14th $5,000 OFF A 2018 NISSAN LEAF!...... 5 Coates Danson (Global Possibilities), Mark Curran, EarthTalk® CHARGING YOUR EV FROM HOME ...... 6 (Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss), David Fried, Christopher Gil- • 9/8 Antique Engine Jamboree & Powerfest lespie, Jessie Haas, John Hassell, Mike Hamlin, Cassandra Hem- AUTONOMOUS CARS VS. MASS TRANSIT ...... 7 enway, Ian Hitchcock, Eric Junga, Evan Lawrence, Roger Lohr, • 10/13 Woodsmen’s Festival FUEL EFFICIENT PICLUP TRUCKS ...... 7 Dylan Martello (SWA), Thomas Moore (SWA), Bob O’Connor, Larry Plesent, David Roberts, Margaret Skinner, Jim VanValken- Hanford Mills Museum RENEWABLE ENERGY ...... 8-15 burgh (Froling), Barbara & Greg Whitchurch, Frosty Woodridge. SAFFRON AND SOLAR FARMS ...... 8 Ad Design/Layout ...... Nancy Rae Mallery, P.J. Fischer 51 County Hwy 12, East Meredith, NY GEOTHERMAL MOVES FORWARD IN NYS ...... 9 Printing...... Valley News Lebanon, NH Using 100% Recycled News- print & Smudge-Free Environmentally Safe Inks* hanfordmills.org • 607/278-5744 SOLAR “ON GOLDEN POND” ...... 11 Advertising Team: NH SOLAR SHARES RECEIVE GRANT...... 11 ...... Nancy Rae Mallery, Bradford, VT 802.439.6675 SIMPLIPHI LI BATTERIES IN OUR REGION .....13 [email protected] ...... Michelle Harrison, Londonderry, NH 603.437.0167 MA ENERGY STORAGE PROGRAM ...... 14 [email protected] UK EMISSIONS ARE DOWN ...... 14 ...... Erin Shimp, Rutland, VT 802.345.3913 Tunbridge World’s Fair is partnering with CVSWMD to [email protected] DUCTLESS HEAT PUMPS ...... 15 ...... Don Smallwood, So. Hero, VT 802.373.3309 reduce waste at the TESLA BATTERIES AND SOLAR ...... 15 [email protected] INCENTIVES ...... 16-17 Distribution: Sally Bellew, Larry Chase, Johnny Hinrichs, Hippo Distribution, Manchester, NH, Daniel Hoviss, George Lawton, fairgrounds! BUSINESS & FINANCIAL ...... 18-19 Rosalyn Moore, our New York Team: Joanne Coons, Steve Ells- worth, Wyldon Fishman, Bob Freeston, Peter Hudiburg, David September 13-16 “INCENTIVIZE” SUSTAINABLE EMPLOYEES ...18 Kupras, Joan Rech; Russ Lanoie, Ray Nuttle, Jodi Ovens, Alan WAYSIDE RESTAURANT 100 YEARS OLD...... 18 Phenix, Marty Philbrick, Larry Plesant, George Plumb, Sustain- able Hanover, Jeff Skelskie & Wenda Luff, Don Smallwood, Eric Be a Waste Warrior volunteer and: BLUE JEANS FOR THE BLUE PLANET...... 18 Stevens, David Van Houten, Jim VanValkenburg, Barb & Greg FIDELITY INVESTMENTS MAKES HISTORY.....19 Whitchurch... Hopefully we have not forgotten to mention any- • Learn about recycling and composting one. It is your help that paves the way to a sustainable future. GOING SOLAR: VT SOAPWORKS ...... 19 Please support our advertisers. They make G.E.T. happen! • Help event attendees sort their waste FEATURE: CLEAN WATER IN THE NE ...... 20-21 correctly ABOUT G.E.T. VT NEEDS A CLEAN WATER COMMITMENT.....20 Green Energy Times is produced by 100% solar power, off-grid • Foster behavior changes through positive, MICROPLASTICS ARE IN OUR FISH...... 21 with a 3.8 kW PV system. We live and know that Energy Inde- friendly interactions pendence is indeed possible – with clean, sustainable renew- HEATING & COOLING ...... 22-23 able energy along with reducing your needs. We walk the talk! WOOD CHIP BOILER HEATS COMPLEX ...... 22 Our mission is to create Energy Awareness, Understanding training & Sign up & get more info online: and Independence – Socially Responsible Living. a day pass cvswmd.org/waste-warriors NATIONAL BIOENERGY DAY...... 23 Solar Power works! … anywhere under the sun! to the fair CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS...... 24-25 G.E.T. is published bi-monthly, mid-Feb., Apr., Jun., Aug., Oct. provided for all & Dec., by NRM Advertising Company. It is free and available volunteers! DR. BETTS: WHAT KIND OF AMERICA? ...... 24 throughout 90% of VT & 80% of NH: the Upper Valley-St J. down SECOND DEADLIEST BIRTHRATE IN INDIA ....24 to Brattleboro, Windsor-Ludlow, Barre-Montpelier-Burlington, Central Vermont Solid Waste Stowe, Mooretown-Waitsfield, Morrisville, Hardwick, Danville, Management District BUILDING & ENERGY EFFICIENCY...... 26-32 NEK, Grand Isle, Woodstock-Rutland-Bennington; NH: Woods- SEON’S HOME TOUR...... 26 ville-Hanover-W. Leb.-Plainfield, Enfield-Claremont, Keene- cvswmd.org • 229-9383 Concord-Plymouth-Laconia, Littleton, & towns in between, BUILT ENVIRONMENT HEALS THE PLANET ...27 Greenfield Center, MA... and throughout NY in the Hudson Val- ley from NYC to L. George, the I-88 corridor ... MULTIFAMILY PH VENTILATION DESIGN . 28-29 If you would like to have G.E.T. available somewhere you have BORAL TRU-EXTERIOR® SIDING...... 30 not seen it, let us know! RH IRVING BUILDERS N-Z HOME AWARD...... 31 G.E.T. is also online at www.greenenergytimes.org. We encourage you to patronize our advertisers. We strive to COOL LED”S HELP SEE THE PATH...... 31 selectively include trustworthy services & products. G.E.T. can- Mascoma Valley Energy and Sustainability Expo not be held responsible for advertising claims. SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION...... 32-33 Please support our advertisers. Keep it Local! Sept 29, 2018, 10am - 3pm MA SCHOOLS CLEAN ENERGY PROGRAMS.....32 To advertise in G.E.T. contact Account Executives listed above. FREEPORT, ME PASSIVE HIGH SCHOOL...... 33 By advertising in Green Energy Times or sponsoring us, you not Beginner to advanced classes, NH ButtonUP, and Food! only help to create energy awareness, understanding and inde- Three educational tracks with classes on Solar 101, Weatherization, Energy RESOURCES...... 34 pendence for a sustainable future, but also help to support our GREEN LIFE...... 35-39 efforts to make it all happen! Please call one our Advertising Efficient homes, Heating options, Solar plus batteries, Heat pumps, Smart Representatives today! Grid, Living off Grid and much more! INGREDIENT OF MONTH: MOLECULES ...... 35 Editorial Policy: Green Energy Times works with a variety of ELMORE ROOTS: UP IN THE TREETOPS ...... 36 writers and also publishes community submissions on vari- More information: MascomaEnergyExpo.org ous topics. We aim to publish content that is independently YOUR BRAIN ON NATURE...... 36 researched, unbiased and relevant to our audience. Submissions Mascoma Valley Regional High School, 27 Royal Rd, Canaan, NH are subject to our guidelines. Publication is subject to our edito- THE SOLAR-POWERED CIRCLE OF LIFE...... 37 rial judgment & schedule. VT COFFEE CO. - 100% RENEWABLE ...... 38 Subscriptions: $30/yr. See form on page 34 or contact us. COMM. ELECTRIC MOWER INCENTIVE...... 38 Green Energy Times would like to thank everyone who has submitted articles or helped in any way to make this all a real- RECYCLING KNOW-HOW...... 39 ity. We want to also thank our advertisers & ask that you sup- port them. Say that you saw them in Green Energy Times. Now let’s all G.E.T. moving ahead towards a dean, renewable future – one where our children & grandchildren will be able to breathe & grow, live & love on this beautiful planet where we live. JOIN OUR G.E.T. TEAM Thank you for reading G.E.T. Please send your comments & sug- A DECADE OF TRANSFORMING NH'S ENERGY LANDSCAPE We have numerous positions open to help gestions to: [email protected] Green Energy Times g.e.t. our message out. Disclaimer: G.E.T. allows space to, but does not endorse, con- tributed content from professionals or vendors. We have positions available for: *G.E.T.’s Carbon Footprint Disclosure: Green Energy Times is printed locally on recycled paper. The printing process uses eco- • Distribution • Ad Sales • Writing friendly water-based inks. There are not any totally green print- ers in the area that we are aware of, so it would mean trucking Experienced ad sales people needed immediately. them MUCH farther to have G.E.T. published in a totally green GRAPPONE CENTER Distribution and writing is perfect for a retired manner, thus increasing carbon emissions, as a consequence. 10TH ANNIVERSARY person looking for something to do, part-time or We chose to move from printing that used soy based inks CONCORD, NH because the soy is only used for the colors - not black, which is NOVEMBER 16, 2018 as much time as you can give. the most prominent color.... G.E.T:s distribution emissions are WWW.NHSEA.ORG If you have some free time and a desire to help to also kept to a minimum, as well. With the wonderful help that we g.e.t. within many communities, it keeps our carbon foot- make a difference, please let us know. print a lower. Hopefully our footprint is offset because we are Help our mission to create a sustainable future for 100% solar powered! Because all of our employees work from home, our carbon footprint is kept to a minimum. We grow the planet. Serious inquires only. Reply to info@ most of our food organically and live as sustainably as possible. greenenergytimes.org or call 802.439.6675. We DO walk our talk! Peace! Important News and Awesome Events WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 August 2018 3 As Vermont’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Continue to Rise, ACTION ON CLIMATE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER Ian Hitchcock Things are heating up in Vermont and around the world. This summer, Burlington experienced both the three hottest consecutive days on record, as well as the warmest night ever recorded, with temperatures More energy from the sun strikes never dropping below 80 degrees. the Earth in an hour than all of hu- While Vermont may be commit- manity uses in a year. When it comes ted to addressing climate change to energy, solar might be the closest on paper, at our current trajectory, thing to free money out there. we won’t meet either our Compre- hensive Energy Plan goal of 90% total renewable energy by 2050 or informed about where candidates stand our state’s statutory greenhouse gas on environmental, energy and climate (GHG) reduction targets. The recently priorities. Visit the nonpartisan Vermont- released GHG emissions inventory ConservationVoters.org and check out by the Vermont Agency of Natural their legislative scorecard and candi- Resources shows that, despite these date endorsements. You can also check strong goals, our emissions have out the recommendations laid forth by risen dramatically. Over the course Governor Phil Scott’s Vermont Climate of just two years, 2014 and 2015, Action Commission. The Commission Vermont’s emissions rose 10%. recently released its report on strategies It is the exact opposite direction of that the state should pursue to meet its where we need to go. It is not just an greenhouse gas reduction goals. Check environmental issue, it is an eco- out the Commission’s final report and nomic one. Vermont imports all of share your thoughts on what needs to the fossil fuels we rely on so heavily Vermont joined a politically bipartisan coalition of states committed to adhering to the Paris Accord goals of reducing be done by submitting your comments to heat our buildings and power greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) 26-28% by 20205. In addition, Vermont has its own statutory goal that aims for further on the report’s conclusions by the end of our transportation network, which reductions. Progress means bending the curve to reverse recent trends that show an increase in GHG emissions (MMTCO2e - September. Find all of the info by search- million metric tons of CO2 equivalent). means strategies that keep more ing online for “Vermont Climate Action of those energy dollars in state can Commission.” save Vermonters significantly. Thankfully, Vermont has a job-creating, money- there are solutions we can embrace as in- how you and your community might par- leaders who are helping their municipali- saving leadership role to play in tackling dividuals, as communities, and as a state. ticipate, at www.ButtonUpVermont.org. ties retrofit municipal buildings, getting climate change. And there are solutions We can take action as individuals to On the community level, Vermont is solar installed at schools, partnering with at every level – individual, community, reduce our energy use, often in ways that fortunate to be home to a network of businesses on transportation solutions and at the state – that can be advanced end up saving us money and increasing over 100 town energy committees. These and more. Connecting with your town’s and, cumulatively, start to move our state our comfort in our own homes. One op- all-volunteer groups are helping to make energy committee, joining one or starting in the right direction. portunity to take action is the upcoming their communities more energy- inde- one yourself – with VECAN’s help – can For help in starting an energy committee Button Up Vermont campaign, aimed at pendent, affordable and livable. For the be another powerful way to advance – or advancing energy project’s and priori- elevating the money-saving, comfort-cre- past year, I’ve had the privilege of helping much-needed solutions. For the full list of ties in your town – contact the Vermont ating benefits of tightening up our homes to support these boots-on-the-ground energy committees or info about how you Energy and Climate Action Network – or and buildings. Ensuring that buildings are groups as an AmeriCorps member serving can get involved, visit www.vecan.net. reach out to Ian Hitchcock, an AmeriCorps properly air sealed and weatherized can with the Vermont Energy and Climate Finally, supportive state policies and Member serving with VECAN. Reach Ian by keep money from literally leaking out the Action Network (VECAN). I have been in- leadership are also essential. Ensure emailing [email protected] or calling door. Learn more about this effort, and spired by the commitment of these local that you go to the polls this November 802-223-2328 ext. 118.

FREE Tesla Powerwalls AMERICA FALLING FAR BEHIND for 100 GMP Low- • In China, an entire • Norway produces 98% of its power province the size of Texas needs through renewable energy. income Families with was powered on 100% • Holland’s entire train system now runs Health Problems renewable energy last on wind power. Green Mountain Power is offering year. We can learn from these initiatives and Tesla Powerwall 2.0 batteries to 100 • New Zealand recently join their commitment to reach 100% eligible customers, free of charge. A released a plan to transi- renewable energy. $150,000 grant from the Vermont Low tion to 100% renewable See video at http://bit.ly/Sanders-USA- Income Trust for Electricity (VLITE) will energy by 2035. renewables. pay for the cutting-edge technology • Iceland is running on Our leaders must have the courage to and installation in the homes of low 100% renewable energy admit that if we can learn from the suc- income customers with significant mostly through geother- cessful energy policies of other countries, need for backup power reliability due mal plants. we could become a world leader in clean, to health and mobility issues. The VLITE sustainable energy grant will provide for 100 batteries and production. Norway’s Solar capacity is thriving: Image ifpnews.com cover the cost, free, for customers in need. Thanks for Tesla Powerwall batteries provide Our leaders like to talk about “American staying engaged, backup power like a standard genera- exceptionalism,” but America is not so – The Sanders tor, but Powerwalls turn on seamlessly exceptional when it comes to renewable Institute and are clean. They can be charged energy. In fact, we are falling far behind. from power off the grid, or with a cus- Countries all around the world are tomer’s own home solar array and offer demonstrating that a transition away The world’s largest eight to twelve hours of energy. from fossil fuels is not only possible, but floating solar farm is Those who are interested in the pro- is a plausible, clean, and affordable path built in China on a lake gram should contact Kristin Kelly GMP’s forward. Here’s a quick look at what other that used to be a coal Director of Communications, at (802) mine. countries around the developed world are 318-0872. achieving: Image: futurism.com. 4 August 2018 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 Transportation Solutions National Drive Electric Week 2018 and Proposed Federal Fuel Many thanks Economy Roll-backs to our David Roberts transportation sponsor: Are you curious about electric cars? If so, visiting an electric car demonstration event is a great way to learn more about them. There is no better time to do this than Na- tional Drive Electric Week (NDEW). Last year there were 270 electric car events across the country during NDEW, with several in New England and New York State. This year NDEW runs from September 8-16th and, with around 300 events planned, the odds are good there is one not too far away from you. NDEW events usually include opportuni- ties to speak with local electric car owners 2017 Drive Electric Week event in White River Junc- about their experience, including what it’s tion, Vermont. Courtesy Drive Electric VT. like to drive one in northeast winter condi- tions, maintenance issues, where and how automakers to sell increasing numbers of to charge and more. Many car dealers also electric cars over the next ten years. Nine attend these events and offer test drives of other states have joined California’s lead electric cars, so you can try one for yourself on the ZEV program, (see sidebar on p.7) away from the pressure of a showroom. and it continues to be a critical factor in Electric bicycles are also commonly avail- getting more electric cars on the road at able for rides. If you haven’t been on one prices consumers can afford. Without the they are a blast! ZEV program, we will likely have fewer Saving energy Trying out an electric car and possibly electrified models available at local auto driving one yourself is especially important dealers, even as many other countries these days. On August 2, 2018, the Trump ramp up their clean transportation re- administration announced a proposed roll- while you save time. quirements on automakers. back in vehicle fuel economy standards. The Many elected officials are actively op- existing standards require vehicle efficiency posing this proposed change to vehicle of about 37 miles per gallon in real-world efficiency and emission regulations. driving by 2025, but with the roll-back, new Massachusetts Attorney General Healey vehicles would only need to average about is leading a coalition with 19 other states 30 miles per gallon in real-world driving and the District of Columbia which an- from 2020 over the next six years. nounced they intend to sue the federal The federal roll-back also proposes to government to prevent the proposed prohibit the State of California’s ability to roll-back, which would: develop more stringent emission control Increase the country’s oil consumption measures, such as the zero emission vehicle by 5 to 12 million gallons per day in 2025; (ZEV) program. The ZEV program requires Result in 16 to 37 million metric tons We Deliver. more carbon pollution in 2025; and, Cost Americans roughly $193 billion to $236 billion more at the pump through National Drive Electric Week 2035. It is too early to know how the pro- Sept. 8-16, 2018. posed shifts in federal policy will impact electric car availability Find an event near in the northeast, but checking out a NDEW you at driveelectric- event and commit- www.grappone.com/expressway week.org ting to make your next car electric will send a Cont’d on p.7 800.528.8993 Transportation Solutions WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 August 2018 5 N ati ona l D ri ve E l ectri c W e ek in NH Randy Bryan, Drive Electric NH organization oversee- Get ready! On Saturday, ing this project, with September 8th, the Sierra full cooperation from NISSAN Club of NH will host the various state and eighth annual National non-government Drive Electric Week (NDEW) organizations. event, along with the The NH Senate TAKE CONTROL OF THE Granite State Clean Cities is convening a Coalition, New Hampshire commission to make Automobile Dealers recommendations NEXT AUTOMOTIVE REVOLUTION Association, and Drive regarding the use VISIT PORT CITY NISSAN TO TEST DRIVE THE 2018 NISSAN LEAF TODAY! Electric NH. The event of the Volkswagen will be at Capitol Plaza on funds and regarding Main Street in downtown the development of Concord from 8:30 AM electric transporta- until 1 PM. tion options. Again, Since 2011, the event various critical has gotten bigger and stakeholders are better, hosting a variety of involved in this com- electric cars and technol- mission, including ogy gathered together on Hilltop Chevrolet’s Chevy Volt in front of the Drive Electric NH. the sidewalk in front of Concord, NH State House during Drive Electric Drive Electric NH the State House, adjacent Week in September 2017. Photo courtesy Cath- has also helped to the Concord Farmers erine Corkery, NH Sierra Club. several organiza- Market. Dealerships will tions stage five display their latest electric vehicles, and other EV events around NH this summer. DOUBLE UP electric vehicle owners will be there to This brings the total number of 2018 events share their experiences as well. It’s a terrific organizing in NH to 12-13, so far, versus THE SAVINGS! opportunity to learn about electric cars, four last year. The number of interested and TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE “NISSAN LEAF GREEN bikes, motorcycles, and trucks, as well as cooperating groups continues to expand. ENERGY” REBATE & WE WILL DOUBLE YOUR SAVINGS BY vehicle charging systems, in a fun and We invite all who are interested to host informational setting. You might even get their own event to contact us for ideas, $ OFF to drive one! assistance and outreach. We also invite all , MSRP Also, Drive Electric NH is helping to owners of EVs and related technologies to COUPON CANNOT3 BE COMBINED000 WITH ANY OTHER OFFERS. EXAMPLE coordinate six or seven other NDEW events contact us to display at our events. 2018 NISSAN LEAF VIN: 1N4AZ1CP3JC306706 OFFER ENDS JULY 31, 2018. around the state, up from four events last Randy Bryan is one of the co-founders of year! Drive Electric NH. Randy has been an advocate Check out DriveElectricNH.org and 120 SPAULDING TURNPIKE, PORTSMOUTH, NH 03801 for electric cars for eight-plus years. His DriveElectricWeek.org websites to keep company, ConVerdant Vehicles, has converted up-to-date on events, dates, times, and 877.659.7701 • PortCityNissan.com vehicles to plug-in hybrids, including his locations. This is your opportunity to go to own Prius in 2008, and developed and sold an NDEW event near you, ask questions, inverters that turn a Prius into an emergency kick the tires, and go for a drive in an generator. electric car. We think you’ll like the ride! $5,000 Off an All-Electric 2018 Nissan Leaf! In other news, Thanks to a partnership between the New electric vehicle section of Eversource.com. A New Hampshire National Drive Electric Week Events NH has continued Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) and Nissan, recent Eversource electric bill is also necessary to to progress on the Date Time City Location NHEC members can take $5,000 off the price of participate in this exclusive promotion. electric-vehicles front. a new, all-electric 2018 Nissan LEAF, or qualified Join NHEC on September 13h for Drive EV Sat. 9/8 8:30 am-1 pm Concord Capital Plaza, Downtown Governor Sununu has buyers can choose 0% APR for 72 months. Event elected to allocate the Sun. 9/9 12-4 pm Portsmouth City Hall, lower park lot The $5,000 rebate is taken off the Manufacturer’s Are you considering going electric? Come talk full 15% of the Volk- Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) and comes on to owners who have successfully done so. Join us Sun. 9/9 12-4 pm New London New London Historical Society swagen Settlement top of a $1,000 rebate from NHEC, plus a $7,500 on September 13, 2018 at the Common Man Inn Appendix D funds to federal tax credit. Add up the incentives and you & Spa (3-7 p.m.) in Plymouth to celebrate National Thurs. 9/13 3-7 pm Plymouth Common Man Inn charging infrastruc- can be driving the world’s best-selling electric Drive Electric Week. We’ll have free test drives, ture deployments. Sat. 9/15 12-4 pm Keene Keene Ice vehicle for as low as $16,490! Visit www.nhec.com/ raffle prizes and other goodies. The Office of Strategic drive-electric. Are you an EV owner? Bring your ride to Sat. 9/16 1-3pm Exeter City Hall park lot and bandstand Initiatives is the lead Eversource customers are offered the same display! The first 25 EV owners who register to rebate through September 30th. For more bring their cars will receive a $25 Common Man information about the Nissan LEAF and the offer gift certificate. for Eversource customers, and to download the For more information or to register your EV for flyer to take to a local Nissan dealership, visit the display, please visit http://bit.ly/register-EV. P: URBAN ARROW 6 August 2018 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 Transportation Solutions Charging Your EV From Home SMART COMMUTING IN NH & VT Greg Whitchurch warnings appear, we plug into our wall Transportation emissions are among the worst offenders that add to the rising CO2 The reviews, the government agency socket by 6:00pm and are fully charged levels in our atmosphere. In recent months we have learned that our efforts have begun reports, and the science are in: electric cars again before noon the next day. (Wish I’d to reduce the detrimental air quality counts (NHDES), but as you may have learned from are faster, more powerful, quieter, more had that much warning on my ICE cars over numerous other reports such as the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), http:// comfortable, cleaner, less polluting, safer to the year, but those are stories for another climatechange2013.org/, global warming is still advancing faster than expected. ride in (http://bit. do/ev-safety) and cheaper time. ) The second voice warning offers to How do we get our emissions down now? By making new commuting choices! than Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) find the nearest available charger, map it Lots of choices. Smart Commuting is all about knowing your options and planning cars. So why do people still avoid buying a out on the dashboard display, and then guide us there by ahead. There are many choices to get around in New Hampshire and Vermont, The first new or used electric vehicle (EV)? When voice, but we’ve place to start in Vermont is “Go Vermont” for statewide choices to travel more efficiently. asked, most say they never done that. Whether getting around town, commuting to work or school, or planning a day trip, worry about the range Not that we keep share the driving or ride with someone else to help save our planet and to save approx. of a full charge and it fully charged, $2,000 annually. The statewide VT site also lists services for commuters, tourist, and shop- about the availability though. Fifty pers. of charging. To address percent charge is In New Hampshire you’ll find a similar site at “NH Rideshare” where you can find car- these two concerns, let more than we use pools, transit routes and schedules, bike and walk trails and links to statewide transporta- me share our family’s most days of driving, tion information. experiences, because which requires eight When carpooling, remember to use the local Park n Ride lots to meet your connec- they might be typical or nine hours of tions. Start your trip planning at connectingcommuters.org or nh.gov/dot/programs/ experiences of most charging. So, unless rideshare/ for statewide choices. EV owners. we’re planning to In 2015, my wife, Barbara, and I decided use it all, we keep the battery at about 60% IN NEW HAMPSHIRE to go greener, so we bought a 2008 Prius to 80%, and plug it in when we need to. The (for more than three times what I usually Prius is our “second car” now, and we didn’t UPPER VALLEY RIDESHARE (UVRS) - Carpool matching, benefits and support for com- use it at all from the first week in May until muters in/out of Upper Valley. 802-295-1824 x208. uppervalleyrideshare.com. pay for a car, $6600!); we loved both the car and the feeling of being more responsible. the last day of July. ADVANCE TRANSIT (AT) – Free weekday bus for Lebanon, Hanover, Enfield, Canaan, NH, Going beyond that, in 2016 we bought a Other people and I have seen people and Norwich and Hartford, VT. Dartmouth and DHMC Shuttles. ADA & Travel Training 2015 Nissan LEAF ($12,000 OMG!) Now, the plug their trickle chargers into an outdoor Services. 802-295-1824. advancetransit.com LEAF is just about the shortest-range, low- socket or extension cord at their offices, the CARROLL COUNTY TRANSIT - Services and connections to Belknap County. budget EV around, but what a difference Red Cross, universities, friends’ or relatives’ 888-997-2020 tccap.org/nct.htm over our ICE cars! Power to spare, much homes, at a park ‘n ride lot pick up 10 to CITY EXPRESS - Serves Keene. 603-352-8494 hcsservices.org/services/transportation/cityExpress.php better traction and balance in snow and 80 miles, depending on time, of “free” fuel mud, no appreciable maintenance costs or while the car sits parked. SCS TRANSPORTATION - Services for Sullivan County.. 603-542-9609. SCSHELPS.ORG schedules. (With four cameras for surround- So, if you buy an EV, don’t feel panicked CONCORD AREA TRANSIT (CAT) - Serves Concord 603-225-1989 concordareatransit.org ing views of parking lines, curbs, cars, and by a perceived need to install a Level 2 CONTOOCOOK VALLEY TRANSPORTATION (CVTC) - Monadnock Rideshare for the pedestrians; bluetooth voice-activated charger in your garage or to be able to southwest region 877-428-2882 cvtc-nh.org phone calling; maps and directions to find them sprinkled all over the landscape COOPERATIVE ALLIANCE FOR REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION (CART) - Serving shopping, eating, touring, charging spots; like gas station/markets are nowadays. the Chester, Derry, Hampstead, Londonderry, Salem and Windham, limited service to super-quick DC charging; Bose® sound; LED As demonstrated by even Tesla owners Plaistow. 603-434-3569 cart-rides.org headlights; etc. , it was more features than (who have much larger batteries), you can get by for as long as you wish with DARTMOUTH COACH - Services to Boston, Logan Airport and NYC 800-637-0123 dart- we’d select for a new car, but nice to have mouthcoach.com anyway. ) just the trickle charger that comes with Just as predicted, we worried ourselves your car and any nearby 15 amp, 120 MANCHESTER TRANSIT AUTHORITY (MTA) - Manchester, with links to Nashua and volt AC socket. On the internet, there Concord. 603-623-8801 mtabus.org/services/local-buses to distraction regarding the range issue. But those feelings have slowly evaporated are lots of intermediate, cheap solutions MID-STATE REGIONAL RIDE RESOURCE DIRECTORY - Services elknap-Merrimack (without any unfortunate instances) and for speeding up your charging times, if Counties, excluding Hooksett and the towns of Deering, Hillsborough and Windsor of now it’s “no worries” for us. We discovered you wish. But take some tips from these Hillsborough County. 603.225.3295 x1201. midstatercc.org that being able to just plug in when we got guys: http://bit. do/110evcharging, http:// NASHUA TRANSIT SYSTEM (NTS) - Buses and trolleys with bike racks. 603-888-0100 home meant we were always ready to go by bit. do/110evcharging2 and http://bit. RideBigBlue.com the next morning -- no more looking at gas do/110evcharging3. NH RIDESHARE – Your Source for Transportation Alternatives. nh.gov/dot/programs/ride- station price signs or hanging around gas Warning: Beware of internet information. share/ pumps in the weather while filling up. I had a hard time finding folks with actual For the first year and a half we used a wall socket charging experience. But I IN VERMONT regular 120VAC 15A outlet in our garage found LOTS of threads where folks say UPPER VALLEY TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (Vital Communi- almost exclusively to charge our car; “seems like…of course. . . I think you’ll find ties) - Works with UV employers and communities to promote and improve commuting we used public charging perhaps three . . . it only makes sense to. . . probably…it’s options. 802-291-9100 vitalcommunities.org/transport/index.htm times. In the past year, we’ve started using not possible…” If you’re not careful, you’ll discover that the Earth couldn’t possibly be VERMONT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC TRANSIT - Lists transit, ferries and more the public chargers (sometimes free!) at aot.state.vt.us/PublicTransit/providers.htm around central and northern Vermont. round; no one ever landed on the moon; The ChargePoint app shows us chargers climate change is a conspiracy to garner AMTRAK - Long distance train service. Discounts for AAA members and student advan- everywhere and which ones near us are more funding for research; and Santa tage card. (800) 872-7245 amtrak.com available, and we’ve gotten very comfort- doesn’t (or does) exist. able using those, but still we seldom charge CHITTENDEN COUNTY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY - Burlington bus service with Greg and Barb (his wife) Whitchurch links to Montpelier, Middlebury and commuter route to Milton. cctaride.org away from home. are owners of a Nissan LEAF, a Prius and a The pre-2018 LEAFs have unusually small net-zero passive house with solar PV and hot CONNECTICUT RIVER TRANSIT - Services in Bellows Falls and Springfield. crtransit.org batteries, allowing a range of perhaps 75 water in Middlesex, Vermont. miles in the dead of winter, GO VERMONT - Offers carpool matching and commuter connections in VT 800-685- maybe 95 or so in the 7433 connectingcommuters.org summer. (Just like ICE cars, GREEN MOUNTAIN RAILROAD - Day trips from White River, Champlain Valley, Bellows your mileage may vary. EVs Falls and Rutland. rails-vt.com don’t suffer as much as ICEs from jack-rabbit starts, but GREEN MOUNTAIN TRANSIT AGENCY - Local service in Barre, Montpelier, Grand Isle, the high-speed stuff costs Stowe and Lamoille. 802-223-7287 gmtaride.org extra energy, whether gas GREY HOUND/VERMONT TRANSIT - Long distance bus services. 1-800-231-2222 grey- or electric. ) However, again, hound.com/ plugging in when parked at home is the exchange for LAKE CHAMPLAIN FERRIES - Transport between New York and Vermont via Lake Cham- trips to the gas station. One plain. 802-864-9804 ferries.com can certainly always plug MARBLE VALLEY REGIONAL TRANSIT- For Rutland, Killington, rural Manchester, Poult- in while at home to avoid ney and Rutland to Bellows Falls. City routes Free on Saturday. 802-773-3244 thebus.com/ keeping track of the “tank. ” In the extremely rare case RURAL COMMUNITY TRANSPORTATION (RCT) - Buses, vans, and volunteer drivers. where we run our relatively Routes via The Jay-Lyn, The Highlander (Newport - Derby Line); The US RT2 Commuter (St. J. to Montpelier) and Free routes to rural areas. 802-748-8170 riderct.org small LEAF battery down past the second voice warning STAGE COACH - Commuter buses from Randolph and Fairlee to Dartmouth, Local village and then further down to Remi relaxes in her mobile dog house, an all-electric Nissan LEAF. Credit: buses. 800-427-3553 stagecoach-rides.org the level where flashing Greg Whitchurch. Transportation Solutions -- Energy News WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 August 2018 7

Many Autonomous Cars vs. Mass Transit, Who Will Win? thanks Randy Bryan, Drive Electric NH to our I have been thinking about this question sponsor for some time now. Like a picture puzzle, lots of little pieces (facts and opinions on parking is required. But, for mass transit autonomous vehicles), but I had no sense to succeed, travelers will want convenient of the image. That changed last night, in my local travel at their destination. Fortunately, sleep, when I usually do my best thinking, as automated Uber-like shared transport the image started to reveal itself. I hope my (serial or parallel sharing) means affordable conclusions aren’t old hat to the reader, as individualized transport will be available they seem quite new to me. in most urban and suburban destinations. Guiding my thoughts was an inextricable So, a city no longer needs a comprehensive grounding in what I would want to do. bus system like greater New York or London There are lots of aspects to this issue: for commuters to feel free to leave their car autonomous cars, autonomous buses, behind. trains, city use, suburban use, rural use, and, Will buses or trains win out for mass oh yeah, human nature. Let’s go through transit? Buses of all sizes will certainly lower some questions. their operating cost when they go electric Some pundits have said that autonomous (much lower fuel and maintenance costs) vehicles will take over all driving (no steer- and driver costs are eliminated. Smaller bus ing wheel). As autonomous vehicles prove sizes will gain the most. But, as the roads safer, insurance for vehicles with steering Autonomous Waymo Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan undergoing testing in Los Altos, California. Image: Wikime- dia Commons, Author Dllu fill up, buses will slow down too, unless wheels may eventually go much higher than high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes are for those without. And who wants to drive available. This is again where city planners in traffic jams and city streets? On the other Some pundits have said autonomous cars cars will kill bus and train transit. Yesterday, can affect their own city’s destiny. HOV lanes hand, who doesn’t want to drive on a moun- will kill taxis and local bus transit. I believe I would have agreed. But, according to my versus rail tracks? I am not an expert on this. tain road on a clear day or take the family on this will be mostly true for local travel. The revelation last night, this is not so assured. There are strong advocates on both sides. vacation in your own car? My conclusion is prospect of having my car drive me to any Yes, people will prefer their own car on For me, it is sufficient to know that mass most driving will go automated, especially destination is enticing (I can read, watch and any roads available up to some painful transit can be favored (constrained parking) the closer to cities. text to my heart’s content). Shared autono- congestion point (learned from many and available (ongoing investment) as Freight transport is another area ripe for mous driving (Uber-like service) offers even years traveling on Long Island). That pain needs and solutions change. City planners automated driving. Trucks can “platoon” lower cost options; individual pickup and point will be easier to tolerate when we have the tools to shape their world. (bunch up to decrease wind resistance and drop-off is a winning combination. Those don’t drive and can entertain ourselves. fuel use) with the lead truck making the who can’t drive will be newly empowered. The real constraint here is destination Randy Bryan is one of the co-founders of Drive route decisions. If a truck farther back in the The hold ups will be timeliness of pickups, parking (availability and cost). Why take Electric NH. Randy has been an advocate for chain wants to leave, it will slide out to an cleanliness of the cars, and whether you pay your automated car if the destination’s electric cars for eight-plus years. His company, empty space and the platoon will re-join. not to share the ride with others and their parking is problematic and expensive? This ConVerdant Vehicles, has converted vehicles to Lower fuel cost, no driver, same start and destinations. Expensive taxis and fixed local is where cities can control their own destiny. plug-in hybrids, including his own Prius in 2008, destinations. This is a no-brainer. Most long bus routes will suffer. Constrained parking means more people and developed and sold inverters that turn a route trucking will go automated. Some pundits have said autonomous will favor mass or shared transit where no Prius into an emergency generator.

Nat’l Drive Electric Week 2018 Cont’d from p.4 Pickups Gearing Up for Huge Fuel Economy Improvements Eric Junga Learn more at: http://bit.ly/ACEEE-Hybrid- Pickups, where links are available. ZEV PROGRAM Eric Junga is Senior Research Analyst, Industry and Transportation, for ACEEE (The American Council for an Zero Emission Energy-Efficient Economy). ACEEE acts as a catalyst to advance energy efficiency policies, programs, technolo- Vehicle States gies, investments, and behaviors. For information about • California ACEEE and its programs, publications, and confer- • Connecticut ences, visit aceee.org. • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • New Jersey Automakers are rolling out an impres- embracing cutting-edge technologies, the • New York sive suite of fuel-saving technologies just automaker’s RAM pickup line looks poised as the U.S. Department of Transportation to become an efficiency trailblazer. • Oregon (DOT) and U.S. Environmental Protection RAM is the first domestic automaker to Agency (EPA) seek to roll back vehicle • Rhode Island offer a 48-volt mild hybrid system, making efficiency and emissions standards. Many it a standard feature on the entry-level • Vermont of these technologies will be applied to V6 engine and an option on its V8. Mild full-size pickups, the perennial poster child hybrids use a relatively small battery and for going easy on domestic manufacturers belt-driven motor-generator, making when it comes to setting future fuel the system simpler and cheaper than a positive message to automakers who may economy (CAFE) and greenhouse gas traditional hybrid. Mild hybrids boost fuel be re-evaluating their electric car plans. If emission (GHG) standards. Let’s take a look economy (more than two MPG on the you don’t make it to a NDEW event, you at how the Detroit Three’s pickups might V8) while providing additional torque, can always visit a local dealership or keep fare in relation to the standards already on a characteristic most pickup buyers an eye out for other events in your area to the books, starting with an unexpected are bound to appreciate. Because mild experience one for yourself. rising star. hybrids avoid the cost and complexity of You can learn more about Drive Electric RAM’s big fuel economy play a traditional hybrid, these systems could Week events near you at http://DriveElec- RAM’s parent company, Fiat Chrysler become standard equipment in many tricWeek.org.. Automobiles N.V. (FCA), is a persistent more vehicles down the road. The 2019 David Roberts is the Drive Electric Vermont fuel economy laggard. According to DOT RAM includes other notable technology coordinator. He has driven an all-electric fuel economy projections, FCA’s model such as active aerodynamics that further Nissan LEAF for the past five years and says, “If year 2018 overall average fuel economy improve fuel economy. Aerodynamics you have to drive, drive electric.” http://www. is projected to fall short of its standard by alone will contribute to a fuel economy driveelectricvt.com a full 3.4 miles per gallon (MPG). But by improvement of one MPG. 8 August 2018 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 Solar Photovoltaics - Vermont Saffron and Solar Farms A Win-Win for the Environment and Agriculture Margaret Skinner • INSTALLATIONS • SALES • SERVICE • DESIGN • Roof Mounts, Ground Mounts Trackers Raised beds established at the Peck Electric Solar Farm in New Haven, VT to test the potential of grid-tie, off-grid, grid-tie growing saffron in front, beneath or behind the battery backup solutions solar arrays. Corms will be planted in the beds in New lithium storage/battery September, and the saffron will be harvested in 802.522.2381 October. Photo: A. Ghalehgolabbehbahani. options for your grid-tie system Above: Crocus flower; • • red threads are the 30% Federal Tax Credits stigmas, which when www.omearasolar.com • [email protected] dried become saffron, worth $20 per gram. Serving Orange County, VT, Grafton County NH, & the surrounding areas The yellow stamens and purple petals are used for dye and other purposes. Photo: I.T. Jansen-Lonnquist EASTMAN ELECTRIC, LLC - Residential - Commercial - The University of Vermont researchers Peck Solar, a South Burlington, VT based who demonstrated that saffron could be company, has been a family-owned electri- profitably grown in Vermont have teamed cal contractor for over 45 years. In 2008, up with Peck Solar to investigate the they entered the solar power arena and EASTMAN ELECTRIC, LLC potential of growing saffron within one have worked on both commercial and resi- Full Service Electrical Contractor of their solar fields in New Haven, VT. At a dential projects. To date they have installed Residential & Commercial retail price of $5,000 per pound, saffron is over 120 megawatts of solar power genera- the world’s most expensive spice, and the tion capacity in Vermont, which contributes Serving Homeowners & Contractors Since 1996 U.S. imports 46 tons annually. The UVM re- significantly towards meeting Vermont’s SCOTT EASTMAN, Master Electrician searchers, Margaret Skinner, Bruce L. Parker goal for 90% of the state’s energy needs to Insured & Licensed in VT & NH and Arash Ghalehgolabbehbahani have be met with renewable energy resources Scott Eastman, Master Electrician been conducting research on saffron for by 2050. Peck Solar has been working with Call to schedule your project: the past four years and found that it can be farmers around Vermont to help them • Insured & Licensed in VT & NH • A SolAr grown in the field, despite Vermont’s cold capitalize on the value of their land through 603-989-5941 - 603-989-5941 - winter temperatures. To help keep their construction of solar arrays. Steve Yates, [email protected] Powered farms financially viable, farmers have been Peck Solar’s Project Director, hopes that [email protected] 446787 ComPAny building ground- mounted solar arrays growing high value crops like saffron within on portions of their land instead of selling the solar fields will help keep agricultural to real estate developers. This has led to land in the hands of farmers and allow vocal opposition from some groups. Their them to create revenue by growing crops concern is that farmers will take advantage while generating clean energy. This is the of the lower-risk, higher reward opportuni- first year of a 2-year project, and the coop- ties of energy generation, and discontinue erators are hoping for a fruitful harvest this farming, which can be high risk as weather October, with even more in future years. conditions become more extreme and More information on UVM’s saffron re- unpredictable. search is at https://www.uvm.edu/~saffron/ Over 24 million acres of agricultural land or contact Margaret Skinner, Tel: 802-656- have been lost to development since 1982. 5440 email: [email protected]. A 4.3% drop in the number of farms in the Green Energy Times will follow the U.S. was observed from 2007 to 2012, and progress of this project in our mid-October this decline is continuing. Saffron produc- edition, as the first harvest hopefully proves tion could reverse that trend. to be successful. Stay tuned! Free Fuel Delivered Daily.

Call today for a free site assessment & estimate. 802-728-3600

Local Team. Off-grid and grid-tied systems for: Camps • Homes • Farms Unrivaled Experience. Communities • Businesses Vermont Values.

Based in Randolph and serving all of VT Endorsed by the Sun Vermont’s Employee-Owned Solar Company [email protected] Solar Photovoltaics - Vermont WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 August 2018 9

GeorgeGeothermal Harvey Moves Forward in New York State and organizations have been setting up systems. While that is worth considering, One of the spectacular successes of programs that make geothermal systems another thing that anyone heating with oil clean energy is that it is proving to be both affordable. Their success is so great that the or propane should think about is that their least expensive and most comfortable. This question is rapidly changing from whether heating systems will need to be replaced at is happening with increasing frequency homeowners can afford geothermal heat some point, and the investment needed for across a number of technologies. One place and cooling to whether they can afford not that might pay the bill to keep a geother- where it is true is with heating and cooling. to invest in geothermal. mal system running for years. We have known for some time that the One of these organizations is GroundUp: According to GroundUp, the New York lowest monthly bills for heating and cool- Geothermal Alliance of Western New York. State Energy Research and Development ing have come from geothermal systems. GroundUp was formed with the hope of Authority has up to $15 million available And in a well-insulated home, geothermal bringing geothermal heating and cool- through June 2019 for the installation of systems provide a good level of comfort. ing to every possible home in Western ground source heat pump systems for The problem for most New York. It has a new residences, businesses and institutions. people has been that option that allows GroundUp is just one program that takes they were expensive to homeowners to switch advantage of this. FPO install. Geothermal sys- to geothermal with no The GroundUp web site is www. tems typically extract down payment and a groundupgeo.org. heat from the Earth and regular charge of $128 pump it into a home. per month, in addition Most underground heat to the cost of electricity exchangers have been required to run it. Many ALBERT DUCHARME costly, as they usually well-insulated homes of snow dragon snow dragon mountain require drilling wells or less than 4,000 square SOLAR BUILDERS digging up large areas feet can be converted of lawns for a heating under the program. loop. A heat exchanger GroundUp says that GREEN BUILDING • ECO-DESIGN can be put into water, if owners of homes heat- there is a large enough ed with oil or propane pond or river, but such can save as much as is not usually the case. GroundUpgeo.org 80% on heating bills by Recently, companies installing geothermal

INVEST IN FUTURE GENERATIONS

OFF-GRID BATTERY BACK-UP • HYBRID GRID-TIED • DESIGN & INSTALLATION Simple solar installs AND complete building packages

Your Local Renewable Energy Provider Since 1975 Specializing in Net Zero Homes Albert Ducharme Contact us to learn about our package options PV Installation Professional Photovoltaic Solar - Cold Climate Heat Pumps #PV-041616-013792 SNOW DRAGON SOLAR, LLC Geothermal - SHW - Heat Pump Hot Water Heaters Albert Ducharme, NABCEP Certified 802.257.7493 www.isasolar.com snowdragonsolar.com | (603) 630-3003 | Upper Valley & Central NH

“Let us do the cleanin’ and the mowin’…” Commercial & Residential Visit us @ cleansolarnewengland.com

Specialized Water Filtration to schedule your service today.

Our philosophy is to help protect Vermont your Investment Berkshires through general New Hampshire maintenance and Eastern New York usage monitoring.

FIND OUT MORE: ON THE ROAD AGAIN…. 1010 August JUNE 15,2018 2014 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 802.439.6675 Solar Photovoltaics (PV) - New Hampshire

Your Renewable Energy Solar Electric and Hot Water Combination Resource Center Design, Installation and Service

30% federal tax credit - ask us about rebates Visit our zero energy resource showroom Solar Hot Water • Solar Electric • Solar Heating

603-632-1263 www.energyemp.com Solar Electric Ground Array

Download the Sun - Clean, Reliable Solar Energy

Reduce Your Carbon Emissions Choose the company with over 15 years of solar experience and over 80 years of roofing experience.

Commercial & Residential Solar Specialists the Melanson co, inc. www.SolarSourceNE.com ~ 603-352-4232

A smarter way to heat and cool POWERED BY SOLAR

Use solar to heat and cool your home! ProduceProduce all, or all, a portion or a portion of your of your REVISIONENERGY.COM // 866.700.6065 ElectricityElectricity with with a a Solar PhotovoltaicSolar Photovoltaic System System at your home or business! at your home or business!

Cont’d on p.15 Solar Photovoltaics (PV) - New Hampshire WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 August 2018 11

Solar ‘On Golden Pond’ change through lower emissions and by educating others about the benefits of solar energy produce renewable energy one building The Plymouth Area Renewable Energy SOLAR ENERGY HELPS SLA PROVIDE MORE at a time,”said Sandra Jones, PAREI direc- Initiative (PAREI) was formed by a group tor and co-founder. “Assisting SLA with CONSERVATION ON SQUAM LAKE of area residents concerned about the powering their buildings with solar energy overuse of fossil fuels, the troubling helps both of our organizations fulfill our fact that oil is a finite resource and the missions. We really hope SLA and PAREI’s negative impact this energy use has on members will come out and support this the environment. PAREI’s mission is to project.” encourage energy conservation, energy “We are thankful to the New Hampshire efficiency practices and promote the Charitable Foundation for providing us use of renewable energy in buildings with a challenge grant for the solar instal- in the Plymouth region through educa- lation,” says Pam tion, community outreach, partnerships, Smith, SLA Director volunteerism and providing access to of Development, resources, grants, incentives and profes- “and we look The solar presentation at Squam Lake Association, NH on July 26, 2018 where sional services. forward to working the proposed solar for SLA was presented. Photos: Squam Lakes Association. To learn how to support the SLA solar with our support- project, please contact the SLA office at ers and the com- [email protected] or call (603) 968- The Squam Lakes Association (SLA) the south-facing munity to meet the 7336. in Holderness, NH will be covering most roof faces Route fundraising match.” of the south-facing roof of their head- 3 and, therefore, quarters building with a 33kW solar PV has high-visibility system. The solar energy produced on allowing SLA to site will provide 100% of the annual show all passers- electricity used in the offices, workshop, by that this is a gift shop and meeting rooms. solar-powered NECSS is a “We have been looking at doing this campus. “While the solar modules will still New Hampshire for a long time and have been inspired be visible, the black modules will be aes- company pro- by the Lakes Region Conservation thetically pleasing as they will be installed viding low-cost Trust’s project”, said EB James, Executive on SLA’s new black metal roof,” says Brett solar construction Director at SLA, “and we are thrilled that Durham, SLA Director of Operations. and financing we can now expand our conservation Ted Vansant of New England Commer- services to com- footprint by generating our own clean cial Solar Services (NECSS) and Sandra mercial, municipal, electricity. We really want to model using Jones of the Plymouth Area Renewable non-profit and clean energy as essential to the contin- Energy Initiative (PAREI), both Holderness educational clients ued health of Squam Lake, its watershed, residents, have combined their solar ex- throughout New and our environment. Solar energy pertise to help the SLA find grant and state England. Ted is free to collect, abundant and is the solar rebate funding, design the system believes that every cleanest and most deployable source of to meet the needs of SLA and procure the solar panel that energy available today.” equipment and install the system. is installed helps The beauty of the orientation and “Our mission here at PAREI is to help address climate location of the SLA headquarters is that our community reduce energy use and Photo: Peter Wiggin, coutesy of Squam Lakes Association. NH Solar Shares Receives Grant REVISION ENERGY WILL BUILD THE INAUGURAL PV ARRAY effort”, said Sandra Jones, Manager of NH Solar Shares and Director of the Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Ini- tiative. “We will break ground in September and complete this – our inaugural Solar Shares’ project by the end of October, 2018.” NH Solar Shares has contracted with Revision Energy of Brentwood, NH to install and maintain the solar equipment. “Revision is excited to be working with Sandra with NH Solar Shares and the New Hampshire The artistic rendering of the NH Solar Shares solar picnic area includes Electric Cooperative on New the future Frosty Scoops seasonal ice cream stand that is currently in the Hampshire’s first solar proj- planning process. ect to directly benefit our low income neighbors. We NH Solar Shares just announced that see this as a great start to a trend we hope the NH Public Utilities Commission select- will continue throughout the state to make ed their proposal to fund - in part – the more clean, renewable energy accessible to installation of a 28.8kW solar PV system to everyone.” said Craig Cadieux, Employee- be located adjacent to the Frosty Scoops Owner, ReVision Energy Solar Designer. Ice Cream Stand in Plymouth on spaced The solar energy produced will provide donated by the Common Man Family 10 income eligible households in NH of Restaurants. On Wednesday, June Electric Cooperative service territory with 20th, the NH Executive Council voted a monthly solar share credit on their bill. unanimously to support NH Solar Share’s These shareholders will be in the program project in Plymouth. The grant award to for two years with the added goal of be- NH Solar Shares will be in the amount of coming an energy champion – one how is $86,721 and funded with monies from willing to learn and share information about NH’s Renewable Energy Fund. solar energy, energy conservation and how “This is a huge boost to our fundraising clean energy helps our environment. Shareholder Cont’d on p.35 12 August 2018 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 Renewable Energy – Battery Storage Many thanks to our Simpliphi Lithium Batteries in Our Region sponsor: John Hassell the Simpliphi batteries. Simpliphi lithium ferrous phosphate Dartmouth College has a large tract of (LFP) batteries are making their way land near the town of Errol, NH, referred into residential and small business to as Wentworth Location. A new facil- renewable energy applications in the ity was constructed to allow students North Country. Let’s take a look at a few and faculty to conduct instruction and residential systems in our area. research. It consists of a large town hall

Dartmouth College Wentworth, NH location.

at 50% discharge). The battery bank was replaced by three Simpliphi 24V batter- ies. The usable capacity of the Simpliphi battery is about 400 ampere-hours (at Fabrizio’s home at Windy Ridge Orchards near 90% discharge). The system has been in North Haverhill, New Hampshire. operation for about two years. Simpliphi batteries were chosen for all of these applications due to their supe- Many people are familiar with the rior performance, when Windy Ridge Orchard outside North evaluated against other Haverhill, NH. Great café, pick-your- technologies. Looking Parameter Simpliphi LFP Lead-Acid L16 own everything, craft store and lots of at the comparison chart, apples. The owner of the café, Sheila the lithium advantage is System Voltage 24 24 Fabrizio, has her home on the grounds apparent. of the orchard and uses solar power, The Simpliphi lithium Required Capacity 200 AH 200 AH with Simpliphi batteries for energy building and a smaller building that ferrous phosphate storage. provides storage and houses the power (LFP) battery gives Rated Capacity 132 AH 420 AH The entire house is supported by a room and the incinerating toilet, called the user and installer six-panel solar array and one Simpliphi the Destroylet, by the students. advantages over some Usable Capacity 118 AH (90%) 210 AH (50%) 24V lithium ferrous phosphate (LFP) The power system uses a six-panel solar battery chemistries. The battery. array, an inverter and two Simpliphi 24V name “Simpliphi” is not Battery Voltage 24 6 The system has been in operation for batteries. The system is designed to use just a brand name, it about two years and fulfills all of the DC lighting, ceiling fans and refrigerator; represents a philosophy: No. Batteries Required 2 4 power needs for the house. A small 6kW the inverter is used only when AC power Using the Simpliphi bat- Generac generator is also in the system, is needed. tery makes the system Total Usable Capacity 236 (90%) 210 (50%) should it be needed due to long peri- The site has an Internet connection. The simpler to install and ods of inclement weather. power system is set up for on-line access maintain. Life (Cycles) 10,000 3,000 for evaluation Residential renewable of battery energy systems are usu- Absorb Time Required 0 Hours 1-3 Hours and system ally based on 12-volt, performance. 24-volt or 48-volt battery The batteries assemblies. Simpliphi are housed in batteries are supplied an insulated in a 12, 24 or 48-volt box, which package. One Simpliphi uses a small battery supplies the full heater, in system voltage. There the winter. is no need to buy 2, 4, The system 6 or 12-volt batteries has been in and connect them in operation series to get the required for about system voltage. three years. A With Simpliphi, if you Susie Batchelder’s 6kW Generac need to add capacity to home near Groveton, generator is your battery system, you New Hampshire. also part of simply add another bat- the system, tery (or batteries). Each battery provides the On the full system voltage. All road between batteries are connected Lancaster and in parallel. Groveton, NH, Each battery has its you’ll see Perras Ace Hardware. The own, internal battery owner, Susie Batchelder, lives north of management system Groveton and uses solar power for her (BMS), which manages house, supported by ten, Simpliphi 48V charge and discharge. batteries. The original lead-acid battery Each battery has its own bank consisted of twelve four-volt bat- 80-amp circuit breaker; teries connected in series to achieve yes, you can actually This solar-powered system for another home in Massachussett was con- 48V. The new battery array supplies the turn each battery on verted from the Trojan T-105 flooded lead-acid batteries to Simpliph Lith- same usable capacity but in a much and off. The batteries ium batteries. Note the smaller area needed to house them. smaller and cleaner package. do not need ventilation, The original flooded lead-acid batter- produce no odors or gases and can be in- addition to providing renewable energy ies consumed considerable floor space should it be needed. stalled in any position. For more informa- systems to users in NH, MA, VT, NY, ME and required an exhaust fan for odors Another solar powered system was tion go to: www.simpliphipower.com and PQ, he works with NGOs, principally and hydrogen gas. The new Simpliphi converted from flooded lead-acid bat- John Hassell is the owner and president in Haiti, to provide electrical power to battery array is much smaller, lighter teries to Simpliphi. The original battery of Be Green Solar, LLC in Benton, NH. He is remote villages and medical clinics. He and odorless. No ventilation is needed. bank consisted of 16, Trojan T105 batter- a retired engineer who became a bit bored can be reached at john.solarguy@gmail. The system has been working for about ies, which have a rated capacity of 900 in retirement and started Be Green Solar. In com or by phone at 603.787.2317. ten years, but only the last year with ampere-hours (450 usable Ampere-hours, Renewable Energy – Battery Storage WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 August 2018 13

EMBRACE THE POWER OF SUN GHT Maximize the potential of renewable energy with a battery as eco-friendly as you are.

Your Trusted Solar Partner

UMA Solar is a leading distributor of solar thermal, solar electric, and SimpliPhi Power energy When you use RELiON Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries as part of your solar energy storage systems. system, you know you’re making the absolute most of it. That’s because RELiON batteries are the ultimate clean energy, delivering highly-efficient power, Call us today to learn more about ultra-long life and 100% useable capacity that you RELIONBATTERY.COM can depend on in even the most extreme (844) 385-9840 our energy saving solutions! environments.en

© 2018 RELiON Battery, LLC. All rights reserved. RELiON Battery is not liable for damages that may result from any information provided in or omitted from this publication, under any circumstances. RELiON Battery reserves the right to make adjustments to this publication at any time, without notice or obligation 14 August 2018 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 RENEWABLE ENERGY The UK’s Carbon Emissions Have Dropped to 19th Century Levels George Harvey The decline the monarch, Nellie Bly made her epic Fossil fuels started to take on a special of the U.K. coal trip around the world in 72 days, and significance in the United Kingdom industry was Wyoming became the 44th state, setting as far back as the Late Middle Ages, reflected by a a new standard as the first state to allow when the newly introduced invention decline in carbon women to vote. of the chimney made it possible to emissions. To a The drop in U.K. emissions has been heat individual rooms in the homes of large degree, inspiring, but it has not been without wealthy families. Before that, the hearth however, coal has its problems. The English government was often in the middle of a big room been replaced by has been very much against onshore with a hole in the roof to let the smoke oil and natural wind power. Perplexingly, it has done out. After that time, whole forests were gas, so emission this while it has pushed fracking, even cut down to burn in the newly-invented reductions have in some very beautiful areas of the fireplaces, until wood shortages forced been slower than country. most people to switch to the more the decline in Another problem has been that the expensive coal. the use of coal. U.K. has adopted biomass plants to Coal became increasingly impor- But that may be replace coal plants. Half of the largest tant. In time, coal powered the steam changing. coal-burning plant in the country has engines of the industrial revolution, and Jack-up crane ship and wind turbine in the North Sea. Wikimedia Commons. There have been converted to burn wood, and to they propelled the ships that main- been very im- keep it running, forests are being clear- tained British commercial and military portant changes cut in the U.S. state of Georgia. might. The engines also supplied power lem of smoke grew worse. in power generation over the last several The English attitude has been to the mills, factories, and, eventually, The Great Smog of 1952 killed about years, which have put downward pressure somewhat offset by that of the Scottish electric generators. 4,000 people in the London area in a few on the use of all fossil fuels. The growth of government, which has been working In time, oil began to take coal’s place days and contributed to about 8,000 other offshore wind farms has been spectacu- on energy independence based entirely as an economic force. It powered small deaths. Clearly, the U.K. had reasons to lar in the North Sea. While this is espe- on renewable energy. Scotland set a vehicles, and it began to displace coal deal with pollution before climate change cially true for Scotland, there have been goal several years ago of getting 100% for rail transportation, but coal contin- was widely understood. significant installations off the coasts of of its electric power from renewable ued to be very important for quite a Coal use peaked in the U.K. in 1956, England. There have been installations in sources, primarily wind power, by 2020. while. when 221 million tons (Mt) were burned. the Irish Sea, as well. The result is that Scotland increasingly During nearly all this time, pollution It has been in overall decline since that The effect of the increase of wind power exports electricity to England. was recognized as a serious problem. time. The decline has been steep since and the decrease in the use of coal has The carbon emissions that remain for The earliest date we know of when 2012, when 64 Mt were burned, and it was been a large decrease in emissions. The the U.K. to deal with are significant. Elec- pollution controls were attempted was down to 15 Mt in 2017. Now what little amount of carbon dioxide released into tricity still is being generated from gas. when King Edward I banned use of a coal is used is devoted almost exclusively the atmosphere in the U.K. has declined Gas and oil are both used for transporta- type of low-grade coal because of its to generating electricity, and the last coal to the point that it is about what it was tion and heat. But the path forward ap- smoke. That was in 1272, but the prob- plant is scheduled to close by 2025. in 1890. In that year, Queen Victoria was pears to be toward lower emissions yet. Massachusetts’ Energy Storage Program Wins Clean Energy States Alliance State Leadership Award Green Energy Times Staff wealth Energy Storage (ACES) Program range of geographic areas. House Minority Leader Bradley H. Every other year, the Clean Energy in Massachusetts. CESA honored the Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) said, “Under State Alliance (CESA) gives out six State Commonwealth for “demonstrating spoke about the SLICE award that had the Baker-Polito Administration, Mas- Leadership in Clean Energy (SLICE) effective energy storage use cases and been given for the ACES Program. After sachusetts has positioned itself as a awards. CESA is a nonprofit coalition of business models, the ACES program will making note of the history of innovation national leader in the development of public agencies working to promote have impacts far beyond Massachusetts.” and leadership in the commonwealth, he clean and renewable energy sources. clean technology, and the SLICE awards The ACES program was funded by the said, “Through the strategic development The SLICE award is a recognition of highlight model programs and projects Department of Energy Resources through of ways to modernize the electric grid, this administration’s ongoing efforts that accelerate clean energy tech- alternative compliance payments and is Massachusetts will continue to pursue a to expand the state’s energy storage nologies and strengthen clean energy administered by the Massachusetts Clean diverse energy portfolio that will reduce capacity so ratepayers can have access markets. Energy Center. It has provided $20 million costs for ratepayers and help create a to more reliable and affordable energy The SLICE awards are given to pro- in grants to 26 projects to develop an clean and resilient energy future.” options.” grams of state and municipal govern- energy storage market in the common- ments. The entries are submitted by wealth. It has also drawn $32 million in CESA member organizations across matching funds. the country. They are judged based Energy storage is seen as beneficial to on public benefits and results, cost ef- almost the whole economy, with special Follow the Sun fectiveness, leadership, innovation, and effects in the communities where the in- replicability. frastructure is installed. The ACES awards into the Future One of the six 2018 SLICE awards were given for projects that were not only was given to the Advancing Common- innovative but applicable through a wide

Quality and reliability you can count on. AllEarth Trackers are engineered and made in VT. 2 Fiske Avenue A system that’s effective and efficient every day. Greenfield, MA Not effected by tariffs. 413.772.3122 Artist: Christine Pellerin solarstoreofgreenfield.com RENEWABLE ENERGY WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 August 2018 15 Past and Future of Ductless Heat Pumps Looking Back Four Years, and Now in 2018, the Record Speaks for Itself By Mike Hamlin year we reached over 1,000 Mitsubishi instal- could never be comfortable in the New Hamp- In 2014, I wrote a couple articles regard- lations. I am getting three to five requests a shire summer months. We had accepted that ing ductless heat pumps for Green Energy day for Mitsubishi, have sold and overseen the when we bought it, because we love the house Times. I was recently pleasantly surprised to installation of many, many systems without so much. But now we are over the moon. The learn of and get to read responses from over ever leaving the office. Our Mitsubishi sales surprise: the under sold benefits are amazing. the years from as far away as the mid-west are primarily all based on referrals, and I am The representative’s presentation was casual, and even from New Zealand. In the latter so thankful I no longer need to explain ‘who is no hard sell, no over-hype, just honestly want- case, that person based an investment deci- Mitsubishi?’ What is a heat pump? How does it ing to meet our needs. Well you hit it out of sion in solar photovoltaic from the article work? How much can it save? If you’re a con- the park. and has never regretted it. That particular sumer and thinking about buying, I wouldn’t We never expected 1. The sound level to be article focused on the benefits of the new hesitate a moment to invest in these marvel- less than whisper quiet. We just can’t hear it; 2. generation ductless heat pumps and how ous machines. Super Inverter heat pumps are The air temperature to be so constantly com- they could triple the benefits of photovol- here to stay for a long, long time. They will fortable; 3. The low humidity that improves taic solar panels when coupled and used as save you money and are very affordable even the comfort of the whole house, even rooms the primary source of heating and cooling before rebates. They are relatively simple, very, where there is no unit. in energy efficient homes. The benefits very reliable and need only cleaned filters Bottom line, with just these 4 units (we were demonstrated with an elaborate math to be happy. Please know that many leading chose the floor models which totally blend in display using then heat pump performance brands are all good heat pumps. Choosing a to our classic wood paneling) our 4000 sq. ft. factors, kW to btu conversions, annual solar trustworthy and experienced installer you feel home has been changed forever. photovoltaic outputs, heat loss/gain reports comfortable with is essential. Most distributors - John and Rhonda Davidson and current energy costs. It was based on can tell you who they are. Mitsubishi heat pump performance factors, I would like to conclude only because it was and still is the brand by sharing with you a we’ve represented for many years. Person- well-known TV show ally, I’ve studied and recorded years of host, personality, actor, heating and cooling performance data and singer, writer and theatre savings on my own system as well as others performer and last but not To see a video of the house and the in order that I could provide meaningful pre- least, another wonderfully Davidsons’ move to New Hampshire, see sentations for both NH Electric Co-op and satisfied Mitsubishi owner. WMUR’s NH Chronicle July 23, 2018. Introducing Mr. John EverSource Power Workshops in addition Mike Hamlin is an expert in the area of to speaking at energy fairs for the towns of Davidson. Here in his own words, is his experience; “state of the art” heat pump design and Meredith and Wolfeboro, NH. application in New Ten years ago, we installed our first and, Dear Folks, Hampshire’s Lakes at the time, the newest model Mitsubishi I hope I can adequate- Region. He has more Super-hyper H2i unit. Having been in this ly express my enthusiasm than 50 years working industry 50 years now, I knew this had for our new installation in various capacities for a great future ahead of it, but I grossly of Mitsubishi Hyper Heat a leading world HVAC H2i Heat Pumps!! Please The Davidsons are very happy under-estimated how great it would be. with their Mitsubishi Hyper Heat Manufacturer, Leading You see, I had experienced the disastrous understand that I am sin- HVAC Distributors, cere, because you might H2i Heat Pumps installations. heat pump fad of the 70s and 80s, and it left The heat pump can be seen in Consulting and as an me traumatized and very skeptical of heat not believe me when you the backdrop while John plays HVAC equipment and pumps for the next 25 years. During those see how much we are rav- croquet. The Davidsons chose system design specialist years geothermal has come, and sort of ing about our new AC. the floor model, seen in the back for a leading local HVAC gone. We haven’t even had a request for one You see, ours is an right corner of their piano room. contractor: mrham- in more than two years, and we’ve designed older converted farm Image: WMUR NH Chronicle. [email protected]. and installed hundreds prior. However, last house that we thought

GeorgeTesla Harvey Batteries and Solar Arrays Save Money for Homeowners Green Mountain Power (GMP), which retail price. So- Active Solar Net Metering within GMP Territory their bills. The lower the heaviest load of the provides electric utility services for roughly lar PVs produce year is the less everyone pays for electricity, three-quarters of the people of Vermont, power when all the time. has reported significant savings from the the sun shines, The 2000 Tesla batteries that GMP growth of net-metered solar power and and since most installed at customer homes have a com- installations of Tesla Powerwall batteries, people are bined capacity of 27 megawatts. This is an which it subsidized. In fact, during a heat- active during important resource during hours of peak wave in August it saved $600,000 because those times, demand. It reduces both the amount GMP of the combination net-metered solar pho- demand for pays for power and the transmission costs. tovoltaic (PV) systems and batteries. electricity is of- The net-metered solar installations have

For many people, this did not come as a ten high at just Installed (kW) Capacity the same effect, though at slightly different surprise. GMP has been a pioneer among the time the times of day. utilities for the use of both technologies. PVs are making People who have net-metered solar Over the years, it has developed a thorough electricity. As a systems are paid for the electricity they understanding of the values of both the sun result, net-me- put onto the power grid. People who have and storage, so it is not surprising that they tered electric- batteries that are available to the utility to should pay off. ity, which is at draw from get security from power outages GMP introduced net-metering in above-retail price, can replace peak-demand cost another $1,500. GMP would provide bat- at a low cost. But the benefits these people Vermont as a way to save money for all electricity, which has even higher prices. teries to the first 2,000 customers who signed get in GMP territory reduce the costs for all customers. Counterintuitively, even though The one problem with this is that the sun up at the amazingly low price of $1,500, or GMP customers. GMP paid more for net-metered electricity sets a couple of hours before demand drops. it would lease the battery for a no-money- In August, GMP announced that they had than it charged retail customers, net-me- That makes electric-power storage important. down price of $15 per month on a ten-year seen a rapid rise of solar energy capacity tering saved money for everyone. There are GMP has consistently looked to the most lease. The one noteworthy catch was that in Vermont from less than 10,000 kilowatts a number of factors behind this, but one advanced technologies to improve service GMP would have to be able to draw power (kW) installed in 2010 to more than 150,000 easily understood key is a simple matter of and reduce costs. When Elon Musk an- from the battery when it needed to do so. kW installed through July 2018, enough to supply and demand. nounced the Tesla Powerwall battery, he And, that power was to be replaced at no cost power about 30,000 homes. The amount of As a regulated utility, GMP is required to mentioned that one electric utility had al- to the customer. growth in 2018 has far exceeded expecta- supply power to many customers at a fixed ready expressed interest. That utility was GMP. It is important to understand batteries and tions for solar development. The numbers retail price, regardless of when they buy Last year, GMP announced that it would transmission costs. The charge GMP pays for reflect active net-metering projects in GMP it. But GMP buys power at the going rate, provide Tesla batteries at reduced prices to its transmission is calculated based on the heavi- territory and represent about 65% of all which is high during peak demand times customers in Vermont. Normally, the battery est load of the year. The transmission costs the solar development in GMP’s coverage and can sell at figures much above the fixed cost over $5,000, and the installation might are spread across the customers as a part of area. 16 August 2018 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 UP-TO-DATE INCENTIVE INFO: WWW.DSIREUSA.ORG INCENTIVES full time paid staff or equiv. installations of pellet heating systems. Con- solar electric facilities (Step 1 application • have an annual budget up to $100,000 tact EVT for details: (888) 921-5990. received on or after March 19, 2018); and FEDERAL • EVT also has a flat-rate incentive of • Expansions to existing solar systems are not • “Seed” grants of $250-$1,000 and “Grow” $3,000 for pellet boilers. This can be eligible. FEDERAL INVESTMENT grants of $1,000-$3,500 combined with CEDF’s $3,000 incentive for • Incentive levels for solar thermal systems are TAX CREDIT • Go to www.grassrootsfund.org/grants/ a total of $6,000. as follows: or call 802-223-4622 for more info. For residents of Windham and Rutland • $0.12/rated or modeled kBtu/year for new The federal investment tax credit (ITC) for solar thermal facilities fifteen collectors in size most technologies, including solar, wind, counties there are specific pellet stove programs designed for low to moderate or fewer; heat pumps, and fuel cells, is 30% of • $0.07/rated or modeled kBtu/year for new expenditures. For commercial geothermal VERMONT income residents to change-out old cord wood stoves for new pellet stoves or to solar thermal facilities greater than fifteen generating systems, microturbines, and collectors in size; and combined heat and power the ITC is 10% CLEAN ENERGY install pellet stoves even if they don’t have an old wood stove. • Expansions to existing solar systems are not of expenditures. DEVELOPMENT FUND eligible. • In Windham County contact the Wind- • Residential Renewable Energy Tax The Small Scale RE Incentive Program, Contact [email protected] or at (603) ham and Windsor Housing Trust: Tara Brown Credit: http://bit.ly/energy-gov-R-E-tax- administered by Renewable Energy 271-2431. at 802-246-2119 or go to their web page: credit Resource Center (RERC), provides funds to For C&I solar program details, go to: http:// www.w-wht.org/rehab-loan-program. • Electric Vehicles - Tax credit for qualified help defray the costs of new solar thermal www.puc.nh.gov/Sustainable%20Energy/ plug-in electric drive vehicles including and advanced wood pellet heating systems. • In Rutland County (and towns in RenewableEnergyRebates-CI.html neighboring counties that boarder Rutland passenger vehicles and light trucks. For PACE vehicles acquired after December 31, 2009, Advanced Wood Heating Co.) contact Melanie Paskevichmpaskev- • Advanced wood pellet heating systems [email protected] at NeighborWorks of The state also has passed PACE (property- the credit starts at $2,500 and goes up to assessed clean energy) enabling legisla- $7,500 based on the battery specs. -- $3000 per boiler/furnace. Pellet boilers/ Western Vermont, (802) 797-8610). furnaces as a $6,000 rebate, paid for by the • Members of Washington Electric Co-op tion which will allow towns to use the PACE USDA RURAL CEDF and EVT. Details at https://www. (WEC) can get a $1,000 rebate on approved mechanism to finance clean energy proj- DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM efficiencyvermont.com/rebates-wood. pellet boilers/furnaces. This can be added to ects through property taxes. • Starting July 1st retails sales of the CEDF and EVT incentives for a total of Visit http://cpace-nh.com/index.html for USDA Rural Development Program - Rural more information. Energy for America (REAP) “Advanced Wood Boilers” are exempt from $7,000. Call WEC for details: 802-223-5245. Vermont’s 6% sales tax. http://tax.vt.gov/ • Members of the Vermont Electric Co-op • Finance the purchase of renewable Residential Solar and Wind Rebate exemptions, can get a $150 credit on the purchase of an energy systems, and make energy Program approved pellet stove: www.vec/energy- improvements; energy audits. Funding is • Details at www.RERC-vt.org - Waitlist only until funding available; no awarded on a competitive basis; grant or call (877)888-7372 programs. new applications being added to waitlist funding cannot exceed 25% of eligible Windham County Residential New Construction Check for updates at http://bit.ly/NHResi- project costs and combined loan guaran- • For residential low- and moderate- • Enroll to receive a home energy rating, dentalRebate tees and grants cannot exceed 75% of income residents there is a pellet stove expert technical assistance, and incentives Residential Solar Water Heating eligible project costs. program. Contact the Windham and – Efficiency Vermont Certified™ projects Rebate Program • Applicants include Feasibility studies/ Windsor Housing Trust for more informa- receive up to $3,000 cash back regular REAPs: agricultural producers and tion: Tara Brown at 802-246-2119 • $1500 - $1900 per system based on • Washington Electric Coop and Vermont annual system output rural small businesses. Energy audits and • For wood heating (pellet or chip boilers/ Gas Systems customers may also receive renewable energy development assis- furnaces) in municipal buildings, schools, additional incentives Commercial Bulk Fuel-Fed Wood tance: local governments, tribes, land grant and non-profits contact the Windham C&I Pellet Central Heating Systems colleges, rural electric coops, public power Regional Commission: Marion Major at Other Opportunities To Save – waitlist and closed to new applicants. entities. Grant must be used for Construc- 802-257-4547 ext. 109 or windhamre- • Advanced Power Strips – special pricing tion or improvements, purchase and gional.org/energy/wwh starting at $6.95* • 40% of the heating appliance(s) and installation cost, up to a maximum of installation of equipment, energy audits, In Rutland County (and towns in neigh- • Pool Pumps – up to $600 rebate on permit fees, professional service fees, select ENERGY STAR models $65,000. An additional 30% up to a maxi- boring counties that boarder Rutland Co.) mum $5,000 is available for thermal storage. business plans, and/or feasibility studies. contact Melanie Paskevich mpaskevich@ • Commercial Refrigeration Evaporator Find more at www.rurdev.usda.gov/ nwwvt.org at NeighborWorks of Western Fan Motors - $60-$100 each w/ point of Systems must be 2.5 million BTU or less NH-VTHome.html or call 802-828-6080 in Vermont, (802) 797-8610. purchase discount VT or 603-223-6035 in NH Residential Wood Pellet Boiler/Furnace VT TAX CREDITS • Heat Saver Loan – low-interest loans of - waitlist and closed to new applicants. BIOREFINERY ASSISTANCE up to $35,000 for home weatherization • 40% of installed system up to $10k • Vermont offers an investment tax credit and heating improvements • Must meet thermal efficiency and PROGRAM for installations of renewable energy equip- USDA Rural Development offers oppor- • For commercial refrigeration, lighting, or particulate emissions standards ment on business properties. The credit is HVAC rebates, apply online for a 20% www.puc.nh.gov – Sustainable Energy or tunities to producers to develop biofuels equal to 24% of the “Vermont property por- through the Biorefinery Assistance Program. bonus at rebates.efficiencyvermont.com tel. 603-271-2431 for more information and tion” of the federal business energy tax 1. *all rebates/incentives subject to availability, lim- current program status The program provides loan guarantees for credit from 2011 to 2016. For solar, small its and may change – for complete incentives and the development, construction, and retrofit- wind, and fuel cells this constitutes a 7.2% requirements, and for participating retailers/contrac- ting of commercial-scale biorefineries. LOCAL INCENTIVES state-level credit for systems and for geo- tors, visit efficiencyvermont.com or call 888-921-5990 Some towns provide property tax exemp- The Biorefinery Assistance Program was thermal electric, microturbines, and com- tions for renewables – visit www.bit.ly/ established to assist in the development bined heat and power systems, this NHtownRenewablesTaxBreaks of new and emerging technologies for the constitutes a 2.4% state-level tax credit. NEW HAMPSHIRE • These are offered on a town-by-town basis. development of advanced biofuels and • The state also has passed PACE (property- aims to accomplish the following: Tier III programs • Additional incentive offers may be avail- Renewable Energy Incentives assessed clean energy) enabling legislation • Increase the energy independence of able through your local utility provider, con- Offered Through the NH Public which will allow towns to use the PACE the United States tact your utility for more information. Utilities Commission mechanism to finance clean energy projects • Promote resource conservation, public NH PUC: Get up-to-date information at through property taxes health, and the environment EFFICIENCY VERMONT http://bit.ly/puc-nh-RE-rebates • Visit https://www.nh.gov/osi/energy for more information. • Diversify markets for agricultural and Lighting (must be ENERGY STAR®) Commercial Solar Rebate Program forestry products and agricultural waste – waitlist; closed to new applicants materials • Special pricing on LEDs at Vermont NH Electric Cooperative Incentives retailers for as low as $.95. This Program has been modified by Com- • Create jobs and enhance economic for Electric Vehicles and Electric Car mission Order to consolidate the two eli- Charging Stations development in rural America Home Efficiency Improvements gible project categories: • Improvements: air sealing, insulation • NHEC offers a $1,000 incentive on a • For more information go to Category 1 was previously for solar electric and www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_Biorefinery and heating system upgrades - up to Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), $600 on a $2,500 in incentives by using a participat- thermal systems rated less than or equal to 100 Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV), and ing* contractor kW (AC) or thermal equivalent and Category 2 $300 on Electric Motorcycles. was previously for solar electric systems greater REGIONAL Appliances (must be ENERGY STAR) than 100 kW (AC) but less than or equal to 500 NHEC offers incentives for Level 2 • Dehumidifiers $25 - $40 mail-in rebate NEW ENGLAND GRASSROOTS kW (AC). Incentives are limited to 25% of the Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. • Clothes Washers - $40 - $75 rebate total project cost or $50,000 if less than the AC • For Commercial and Municipal Members ENVIRONMENTAL FUND • Refrigerators - $40 - $75 rebate incentive payment otherwise calculated, up to $2,500 MODEST GRANTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR • Clothes Dryers - $50 to $400 rebate whichever is less. The Program is available to • For Residential Members up to $300 COMMUNITY-BASED ENVIRONMENTAL Heating/Cooling non-residential structures with a commercial using Time-of-Use (Off Peak) rates WORK IN CT,MA,RI,NH,VT,ME electric meter located in New Hampshire. • Pre-approval is required. Efficiency VT (EVT) has a new custom Incentive levels for PV systems are as follows: • Must be volunteer driven or have up to 2 • Visit: https://www.nhec.com/ incentive for commercial/institutional • $0.40/watt (lower of AC and DC) for new While we at Green Energy Times try to keep things up to date, incentives are always changing. Be sure to check with the appropriate sources for the latest information. INCENTIVES UP-TO-DATE INCENTIVE INFO: WWW.DSIREUSA.ORG WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 August 2018 17 NH Home Performance with Business Programs to power more than 100,000 homes. ENERGY STAR Includes programs for: small and large busi- • Mass Solar Loan will continue to grow this NEW YORK Sponsored by all NH electric and natural ness, new equipment and construction, sector, while allowing more homeowners the gas utilities in partnership by the U.S. Dept. seminars, lighting incentives, and catalog, ability to achieve the cost savings and RENEWABLE ENERGY INCENTIVES of Energy. Fuel-blind eligibility using the and low and no interest financing programs. environmental benefits of this clean, renew- OFFERED THROUGH NYSERDA Home Heating Index (BTUs of heating fuel • Visit www.NHSaves.com/ for informa- able energy source. www.masssolarloan.com. The most updated loan principal buy down Welcome to the 2017 New York solar incentive / conditioned square feet / heating degree tion about NH business incentives for and rebate information: 169 programs and days). Must provide at least 12 months of electricity efficiency. rate based on household income can be found at http://www.masssolarloan.com/. incentives at: http://dsireusa.org (enter your heating fuel history. Once qualified, eligi- NH Weatherization Assistance zipcode) Programs and Services from NYSERDA: ble homes get a $450 value comprensive Income-Eligible Programs DEPT OF ENERGY RESOURCES https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs. energy audit for $100 (rebated if improve- Home Energy Assistance and NH commu- • The Massachusetts DOER is in the EV Incentive from National Grid ments installed), and 50% instant rebate nity action Weatherization Assistance Pro- process of designing a new solar incentive for eligible weatherization improvements program. The latest information can be National Grid, in partnership with BMW, is gram. Financial assistance paying fuel bills, bringing eligible customers an incentive on a up to a $4,000. and free weatherization improvements found at http://bit.ly/SMART-Solar-Incen- • Visit www.NHSaves.com/HPWES for tives-Program. BMW i3 or BMW i3s EV. Form is at https:// for qualified applicants. Funding from U.S. www.NG-BMWi3. more information and an online Home Dept. of Energy, NH utilities. • Solar renewable-energy credits (SRECs) Heating Index calculator associated with system generation belong • Energy Rebates: https://NG-energy- Visit www.nh.gov/oep/programs weath- rebates NH ENERGY STAR Homes erization/index.htm for application criteria, to the system owner and may be sold via • Incentives for new homes which meet FAQs and local program contacts the Department of Energy Resources Home Energy Waste ENERGY STAR guidelines. Incentives include (DOER) SREC 2 program. Systems sized Getting a home energy assessment • HERS rating fees paid by the utility, rebates under 10kW single phase or 25kW three can help you take control of your energy for ENERGY STAR lighting, appliances –up to phase have an extension until the new costs. It can identify where your house $4,000 based on the HERS score. MASSACHUSETTS incentive program starts in 2017. Note: is using the most energy and which • Visit www.NHSaves.com/newhome for Commonwealth Solar Hot Water appropriate, approved Data Acquisition improvements would have the biggest more details. System monitoring must be utilized for PV impact on your bottom line. Heating and (SHW) Programs systems >10kW in order to qualify to sell cooling costs frequently account for 50% NHSaves Residential ENERGY STAR ® • Applicants must be served by National SRECs. of residential energy bills. Identifying your Grid, Unitil (Fitchburg Gas and Electric), certified Products Program • Next solar incentive information can be energy waste can lead to big savings. Eversource or a participating Municipal • Mail-in/online rebates are available found at http://www.mass.gov/eea/ Light Plant community Visit: http://bit.ly/ny-nrg-waste. toward the purchase of the following energy-utilities-clean-tech/renewable- • Homeowners are eligible for a base ENERGY STAR® certified products: Clothes energy/rps-aps/development-of-the-next- RENEWABLE ENERGY INCENTIVES rebate amount of the lesser of $4,500 or Washers, Clothes Dryers, Room Air Condition- solar-incentive.html 40% of the installed cost. The system may OFFERED THROUGH NY-SUN ers, Room Air Purifiers, Refrigerators, • MA State Income tax credit for residen- http://ny-sun.ny.gov/ Dehumidifiers, and Pool Pumps. For current also be eligible to receive additional tial solar hot water or PV systems are NY-Sun is structured around customized rebate information and forms go to www. funding (“adders”) which increase the eligible for a one-time 15% off system cost, Megawatt (MW) Blocks targeted to specific NHSaves.com/appliances. amount of the rebate. Adders are detailed in the program manual at http://files. capped at $1000 max tax credit. regions of the state. To learn more, see the • Refrigerator/freezer recycling is available masscec.com/get-clean-energy/residential/ • No sales tax on residential solar hot Megawatt Block Incentive Structure. – unit must be in working condition (10 – 30 commonwealth-solar-hot-water/SHW_Pro- water or PV system. cubic feet in size), program includes free The Megawatt (MW) Block Dashboard gram_Manual_Small_Scale.pdf • There is no increase in property tax provides real time information on the status pickup and $30 rebate. For program • Visit http://www.masscec.com/programs/ assessment for residential solar hot water of block and current incentive levels by sector requirements and scheduling information go commonwealth-solar-hot-water or PV systems for 20 yrs. and region. Block status is updated as applica- to www.NHSaves.com/recycle. tions are submitted, so click the refresh button • Instant rebates available on certain MassSave Heat Loan SHW MA SREC II Policy Through this loan program, customers may Massachusetts’ Solar Renewable Energy to see the current status. ENERGY STAR® certified LED light bulbs borrow at 0% interest the costs of a Solar • https://www.powerclerk.com/nysunini- purchased through participating NH retailers, Credits Program, SREC II prioritizes sites, by Domestic Hot Water and/or Thermal Heat- using an SREC factor based on the type of tiative/dashboard.aspx and instant or mail-in rebates available on ing system. Apply through receiving the ENERGY STAR® certified light fixtures (varies installation. Residential and Small Business MassSave Energy Audit. You can borrow up • The credits provided for energy produced http://ny-sun.ny.gov/Get-Solar/Resi- by retailer, see store associate or rebate form to $25,000 at 0% interest for a 7-yr term. for details). For more information please visit by a system are calculated b multiplying the dents-And-Small-Business www.NHSaves.com/lighting. Energy Efficiency factor times a full credit value. Commercial and Industrial • Rebates are available only to residential • After conducting a free residential Energy • Full credit is given for residential, parking • http://ny-sun.ny.gov/Get-Solar/Com- electric customers of the four NHSaves Audit, residential customers are eligible for canopy, emergency power, or community- mercial-and-Industrial utilities.s up to $25,000, commercial loan up to $100k based systems, or any other system of less than 25 kW. Community Solar at 0% interest heat loan with terms up to 7 • http://ny-sun.ny.gov/Get-Solar/Com- NHSAVES Online Store • Larger systems get a factor of 0.9, if they • Our extensive online store offers years to cover the following energy munity-Solar efficiency improvements: atticwall-base- are building-mounted or at least 67% of the discounted pricing for residential electric power produced is used at the site. If a Commercial/Industrial PV Installer customers of the four NHSaves utilities on a ment insulation, high efficiency heating systems, high efficiency domestic hot water larger system meets neither of these • http://ny-sun.ny.gov/For-Local-Govern- large variety of LED light bulbs and fixtures, criteria, but is built on a landfill or brown- ment/Local-Government as well as offering additional products to systems, solar hot water systems, 7-day digital programmable thermostats, Energy field site, or if it is less than 650 kW, then it Residential/Small Commercial make your home more efficient, such as gets a factor of 0.8. Systems that qualify for lighting controls, advanced power strips, Star replacement windows Solar PV Installer • Available only to utility customers of W. none of the foregoing get a factor of 0.7. • http://ny-sun.ny.gov/Get-Solar/Find-A- thermostats, water saving devices, and - Expect changes in spring 2018. various weatherization products. Orders Mass Electric, National Grid, Berkshire Gas, Solar-Electric-Installer • http://bit.ly/Mass_SREC_II. and product fulfillment are handled by our Nstar, Unitil and Cape Light Compact Financing Options vendor, EFI. • Visit www.masssave.com/residential/ • MA State Incentives can be found at: • http://ny-sun.ny.gov/Get-Solar/NY- heating-and-cooling/offers/heat-loan-pro- • Visit www.NHSaves.com/lighting-catalog. www.masscec.com/get-clean-energy Sun-Financing gram Please call 866-527-7283 to schedule Heating Programs a free home energy assessment. Clean Power Estimator PAREI • The Commonwealth Woodstove • To explore the possibility of a solar Mass. Solar loan Program • http://ny-sun.ny.gov/Get-Solar/Clean- installation. Plymouth Area Renewable Change-Out program, a partnership Power-Estimator Mass Solar Loan focuses on connecting Energy Initiative. www.plymouthenergy.org between MassCEC, the Massachusetts homeowners who install solar PV systems Department of Environmental Protection Geothermal • www.nhsaves.com • rebate of $1500 per ton of installed ca- with low-interest loans to help finance the and the Department of Energy Resources, pacity for residential/small-scale systems, Energy Star® Residential Heating, projects. offers rebates to assist Massachusetts $1,200 per ton for commercial/large-scale Cooling, & Water Heating • The $30 million program, a partnership residents in replacing non-EPA-certified systems up to $5000 Equipment Rebate between the Massachusetts Department of wood stoves with cleaner, more efficient Energy Resources (DOER) and MassCEC, will Electric car • Rebates of up to $500/ton on Air Source EPA-certified wood or pellet stoves. work with local banks and credit unions to • buyers in New York State can now get and Geothermal Heat Pumps. Rebates of • Woodstove Program Info: http://bit.ly/ provide financing to homeowners inter- a rebate of up to $2,000 on qualifying $500 - $600 on Heat Pump Water Heaters. mass-cec-woodstoves ested in solar electricity. DOER’s program EV models from participating dealers. Rebates of $100 on WiFi Thermostats works with banks and credit unions to • Heat Loan info: http://bit.ly/mass-save-heat- See https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All- • Program details and application at www. expand borrowing options through lower loan Programs/Programs/Drive-Clean-Rebate/ NHSaves.com/heating cooling interest rate loans and encourage loans for • Insulation Incentives: http://bit.ly/mass- How-it-Works. Other NH Electric Utility Programs homeowners with lower income or lower saves-home-insulation Utility sponsored incentives & tips: See also individual utilities for additional credit scores. Electric Vehicles http://bit.ly/utility_sponsored_incentives programs and variations. NH electric util- • Since 2008, the solar electric industry in • MOR-EV provides rebates of up to $2,500 for ities may offer low or no interest on-bill Massachusetts has grown into a robust the purchase or lease of zero-emission and UP-TO-DATE INCENTIVE INFO financing for energy efficiency projects. economic sector with over 1,400 businesses plug-in hybrid light-duty vehicles. Visit: https:// CAN BE FOUND AT: • Visit www.NHSaves.com/resource/ for and 12,000 workers, with enough solar mor-ev.org/ individual utility contact information. electricity installed in the Commonwealth WWW.DSIREUSA.ORG 18 August 2018 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL evi s lue eans for the lue lanet It’s Worth the Ride to The Wayside — LJessie Haas’ – B J B P Celebrating 100 years with Anniversary Levi’s is cutting carbon lar. These practices emissions, with a goal of have recently beome Ale, Yankee Cooking, and Ice Cream using 100% renewable widespread in the A commemorative book by Brian and Karen Zecchinelli, Southwestern energy in its own facili- denim industry, with Publishing Group, Inc., 64 pages, $14.95 ties by 2025. They plan the processes being to cut emissions in those made available in an Book Review by N.R.Mallery facilities by 90%, com- open source library. Green Energy Times (G.E.T.) pared to 2016 figures, All this means a first learned of the Wayside and to cut emissions in pair of jeans you can Restaurant when I received a their supply chain by wear with a clear call from the owners, Brian and 40%. conscience, espe- Karen Zecchinelli, requesting Though a smaller cially if you do your copies of G.E.T. for their custom- percentage, the supply part. Wear them for ers, and that they only wanted chain improvements a week or so before publications that matched their could have the biggest washing. You don’t support of green and eco-con- impact. Levi’s-owned have to wait until scious beliefs. facilities comprise only they’re dirty enough This request shortly led to a to stand up on their 1% of the company’s Image:Wikimedia.org story in the December 15, 2011 carbon footprint. Sewing own but go for some edition of G.E.T. called Wayside accounts for 9%, growing owner-customized, Restaurant Earns Vermont Green Restaurant They are toasting this milestone event cotton 10%, making fabric 31%. do-it-yourself wear patterns. Wash them Designation. In part it said: all year long with champagne, local ale Levi’s believes their goal is achievable. cold, dry them on a clothes line, and get “The Wayside Restaurant has been reno- produced by Long Trail Brewing Company, In a pilot project with the Partnership back to Levi’s roots, and your own. vating and upgrading its operation for the and Vermont spirits. Every one of their for Cleaner Textiles, Levi’s worked with The Levi’s story is part of something past 10 years, to become compliant with top shelf liquors, except for scotch, is now five Asian plants in 2016. Focusing on much larger. Four hundred forty-eight the high standards required to become a distilled in Vermont! “low-hanging fruit,” the plants reduced global corporations are working with the Green Restaurant. This year, they reaped For those that want to try some of the emissions by an average of 20%, and col- Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI), a their rewards by being awarded a designa- Wayside’s Yankee cooking at home, they lectively saved $1.1 million. nonprofit-led project helping companies tion that only five restaurants in the state have produced a 64-page history book Farmers are not included in the supply comply with the Paris Climate Accord. have received. Karen and Brian Zecchinelli, titled, It’s Worth the Ride to the Wayside— chain program, but Levi’s is working with Among the corporations that have signed proprietors of the well-known Wayside Celebrating 100 Years with Anniversary Ale, the Better Cotton Initiative, which helps on are many familiar names: Anthem, Ben Restaurant in Berlin are proud of this des- Yankee Cooking, and Ice Cream, complete farmers use less chemical fertilizer and and Jerry’s, Colgate Palmolive, Honda, ignation and have plans to do more. (Stay with 18 comfort food recipes. It has been switch to methods like cover cropping. IKEA, McDonald’s, Pfizer, Philip Morris, tuned).” Read the full story at (http://www. noted that a few of the recipes are so rich Cotton is a notoriously heavy feeder. It de- Stanley Black and Decker, Target, Toyota, GET-wayside-green-restaurant). that they should file a tax return! “Sure pleted the soils of the south and led to the Unilever, Walmart, and Xerox. (Visit SBTI’s The plans to do more were answered you can always substitute 2% milk for the westward expansion in the 19th century. website for a complete list, with many when we again heard from Brian and heavy cream, but why?” says owner Brian Better cotton is a win for the planet. corporations’ targets listed in detail.) learned that they would be adding solar Zecchinelli. The consumer is also part of the These are corporations with global reach, to help reduce the high costs for their In conjunction with Vermont’s legaliza- equation. Actions taken by consumers and they are now working on a global high level of hot water consumption. The tion of “recreational” marijuana use, the comprise one third of Levi’s total carbon initiative to reduce their carbon footprints. system was installed on the roof of the Wayside sold “pot brownies” on Sunday, footprint. The company now prints on It’s safe to say that not every company on restaurant. Monday and Tuesday nights during July! In clothing labels, “wash less, wash cold, the list is currently seen as a climate hero, From waste reduction, to compost- reality, their popular chocolate brownies line dry, donate when no longer needed.” but each has publicly demonstrated a ing, water and energy conservation and were simply baked in pots and garnished Additionally, tailors in retail stores offer commitment to change. an environmental action plan to further with a Vermont flag, classic counter humor repairs, to make garments last longer. The list deserves to be better known; reduce the environmental impact of its from an old-fashioned restaurant, that’s That faded look that contributes to along with washing our jeans less business, the restaurant is not only green worth the ride to check out! Levi’s chic? It was once supplied by work, fequently, we could vote with our dollars but is now one of the country’s longest The book is an easy, fun read. The wear, and dirt. Of late, textile workers to support SBTI companies. The list should operating restaurants. The iconic Wayside Wayside is iconic in the region. The book used toxic chemicals to fade the jeans. also grow. Take a look at the list. Who’s not Restaurant on the Montpelier-Berlin line in reflects on why they have survived for 100 The process took many hours and resulted on there that should be? Petition drive, Vermont officially turned one hundred in years and are still going strong. Happy An- in toxic dyes and chemicals flushed into anyone? July, making it one of a very small handful niversary, to all the great folks who make It the waterways. New laser technology Jessie Haas has written 40 books, of century-old eateries in Vermont. Worth the Ride to The Wayside. allows Levi’s to design ‘wear patterns’ mainly for children, and has lived in an Even if the Wayside isn’t in your immedi- For more information, visit WaysideRes- and essentially shave them off the outer off-grid cabin in Westminster West, VT ate area, you might want to make the trip taurant.com. surface of the fabric. The new process since 1984, www.jessiehaas.com. Links to help them celebrate this historic year. takes 90 seconds, allowing manufacturers available with the posting of this article As the title of their commemorative book to practice just-in-time delivery, and avoid on the GET website. states, It’s Worth the Ride to the Wayside. producing styles that do not prove popu- Businesses “Incentivize” Employees Towards Sustainability Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss (EarthTalk®) by encouraging them to live close enough Many companies “talk the talk” when to work so they can walk or bike. Facebook it comes to going green and do the mini- compensates employees who buy or rent a mum possible so as not to look bad (e.g. home within 10 miles of its Menlo Park, Cali- install recycling bins), but fewer “walk the fornia campus up to $15,000 to discourage talk” by actively investing in sustainability long fossil-fuel-spewing commutes. Energy initiatives, let alone empower staffers to bar manufacturer Clif Bar offers employees take action on behalf of the planet. But as $500 toward the purchase of a “commuter employees start to demand more of their bike” as an eco-friendly alternative to driv- employers, some companies have begun ing to work. Baltimore’s Live Near Your Work to “leverage” corporate resources to help program matches employer grants to help their people cut carbon footprints, both At WeWork’s co-working office facilities, you will find employees purchase homes close enough at home and at work, in various ways. foosball and pool tables, but you won’t find any red to their jobs so they can walk or bike to To wit, WeWork, a startup that runs meat, pork or poultry as the company tries to reduce its work. And Make Collective, an advertis- some 200 “co-working” shared workspace environmental impact. Credit: Yusuke Kawasaki, FlickrCC. ing agency in Christchurch, New Zealand, facilities around the world with 200,000 recently started paying its employees who customers, announced recently that it 16.7 billion gallons of water, 445.1 million use their bikes to commute a $5/day bonus. would no longer allow any of its 6,000 pounds of CO2 emissions and over 15 mil- And for the workers who keep up the bi- employees to be reimbursed for meat lion animals by 2023 by eliminating meat cycle commuting for more than six months, meals (red meat, poultry and pork) on at our events,” says WeWork co-founder the benefit doubles to $10 per day, paid out their expense reports—and will no longer Miguel McKelvey. at the end of the year as a bonus. serve any meat at company events. “As a Another way companies can cut their Helping employees go company, WeWork can save an estimated employees’ collective carbon footprint is green on the home front is Cont’d on p.34 BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 August 2018 19 Going Solar for Vermont Soapworks Made Total $ense Larry Plesent However, doing so lowers we expect another 5-10 years of lower Most everybody the price the utility will production numbers as the panels and wants be to be green; credit us for the energy inverters age and become less efficient. even if we are not always we produce, otherwise Since we own the panels, we get sure what it will mean. called the “Vermont solar the tax incentives. The 30% federal tax With U.S. commer- adder.” Bizarre but true. I incentive is worth $127,000. Plus, we take cial operations using still don’t understand the the interest and depreciation schedule. nearly 40% of domestic reasoning behind this Adding it all up we are looking at $1M in electrical consumption, limitation, but there it is. income on a roughly $500,000 investment controlling business The first bid came in (with estimated interest charges) over overhead with onsite at $550,000. This seemed 20 years. That’s an estimated $25,000 in energy production is high, and it was. Ques- yearly income and tax savings over 20 financially a win-win for tioning the economics years for a no money-down investment. many businesses as well of the investment at that Not too shabby! as for the planet. Those price we continued the Every deal is a little different and incen- solar panels on the roof process. The next bid tives and Public Service Board guidelines or site are a billboard came in at $275,000. This can change year to year. But if you are a announcing to the world seemed crazy low. Further business looking to go solar, get going that a company under- investigation showed now or lose the 30% tax credit which is to stands the importance Vermont Soapwork’s new 150kW solar array on the roof of their Middlebury, VT factory. Image: VT Drone. us why. This company be phased out at year’s end. of economic and eco- wanted to use inverters This is the Soapman reminding you logic sustainability. If it that had a likely eight that your next bar of organic Vermont is a small or retail business, consider that not an issue in our case. year useful life at the amperage we would Soap might be made with solar power. a portion of your customers will love you There are many different financing generate, rather than 25 years or more from Thanks for reading. all the more because you care! In the daily schemes available to “go solar.” The simplest a better quality bank of inverters. (Inverters To learn more, contact Vermont Soap- business battle for hearts and minds, it is way is buy into an existing or proposed turn DC solar panel power into more useful works at vermontsoap.com or call them at always better to be perceived as the good system. By buying or leasing panels (a per- AC power). The panels were super cheap (802) 388-4302. guy who is in it for the long haul rather centage of output) on a large commercial and we are pretty sure that they were Larry Plesent is a writer, philosopher than the pirate ripping out short term installation, a company can garner a 10% returns from a massive recall of potentially and soap maker living and working in the gains and damning the consequences. to 20% savings on their electric bills. This defective panels. Green Mountains of Vermont. Learn more at All well and good. But how do the solar scheme works very well with hydropower The middle bid came in at $475,000. Bet- www.vermontsoap.com. numbers work out in the real world? or wind, too. ter, but not what we had hoped for. By ne- Cash flow is the blood and air of the Putting up your own panels can save you gotiating down the maintenance contract body of the company. Constrict it too even more over 20 to 25 years. Plus, and this we settled on a figure closer to $425,000. KEY BANK much and the whole thing begins to is a big plus; if you have a permit in hand in These are the contractors that got our wilt. (Pardon the analogy, it IS gardening 2018, you can save 30% of the total cost of business. We got a quality system installed Key Bank provides customized season). Loosen cash flow up, and the the system through a federal tax rebate. by quality people that should outlast the company flourishes. Eighteen months ago, Vermont Soap- 25-year stated life of the unit. Shout out to equipment financing solutions to meet Current Vermont rules encourage works set out to solarize its 30,000 s.f. roof Suncommon for their help and patience the unique needs of your business. roof-mounted systems, a response to in an effort to mitigate its somewhat daunt- and professional staff! 603-557-6661 direct 603-232-8282 office the proliferation of large ground-mount ing electrical bills. It started by obtaining Key Bank offered us 100% financing One Canal Plaza, Portland, ME 04101 systems as are prominently visible from three bids for a flat roof mounted 150kW on the system. Basically, they get the first our scenic highways. We also had to agree system. This is the size that the Public Ser- ten years of power the system produces. Tim Stickney, VP Key Equipment Finance [email protected] to use at least 50% of what we produce vice Board rules encourage. Our roof is large After that we own it and whatever power www.keyequipmentfinance.com in the building that hosts the installation; enough to install 225kW of solar panels. it makes for the next 15 years. After that,

Fidelity Investments Makes History with New Sustainable-Minded Investment Offering, and on Track to Bring Solar Farm to New Hampshire Campus NEW HAMPSHIRE

Chris Gillespie match this scope, it will provide 12% of “We know from speaking with clients, SMALL BUSINESS? Fidelity Investments is investing in the power supply at Fidelity’s facility at 2 advisors and employers that interest in renewable energy in the Granite State Contra Way. ESG investing continues to grow,” said Want to control energy costs and beyond. Having been approved by the planning Colby Penzone, senior vice president board, Devonshire’s proposition now re- for Fidelity’s Investment Product Group. with renewables? quires an alteration of terrain permit from “With our latest ESG index fund offerings, the state Department of Environmental which now span the major asset classes, Services. Since there is an existing wet- we’re providing more opportunities for WE CAN HELP! land and vernal pool in the middle of the investors to advance specific causes and proposed construction site, Devonshire align their personal principles with their must propose, and receive approval for, a investment objectives.” The planning board of the town of storm water management plan. The market for ESG investment oppor- Merrimack, New Hampshire voted on Although a 12-acre solar farm is a big tunities, such as the Fidelity Sustainability June 19, 2018 to grant conditional final deal, it is only a small component of the Bond Index Fund, is expected to continue approval to Fidelity Investments, one sustainability-related news coming from to grow in the near future, as 86% of of the largest employers in the state, to Fidelity in recent weeks. millennials are interested in sustainable build a 12-acre solar field at their 554- In a press release from June 26, 2018, investing, and 90% are interested in FREE technical assistance acre Merrimack campus. Fidelity announced that it expanded its pursuing sustainable investments as an According to plans on file at Merri- suite of sustainability-focused index funds option in their 401k plans, according to an for qualified businesses mack Town Hall, Devonshire Energy LLC, with a new fixed income offering: the Fi- August 2017 report from Morgan Stanley. a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fidelity, delity Sustainability Bond Index Fund. The In the same year that Fidelity launched initially proposed the construction of Fidelity Sustainability Bond Index Fund, in FENSX and FNIYX, Fidelity also became a www.lrcc.edu/nhrr the solar array field. In the application, conjunction with the Fidelity U.S. Sustain- signatory of the United Nations-support- Devonshire Energy suggested build- ability Index Fund (FENSX) and Fidelity ed Principles for Responsible Investment, to get started ing the solar farm using roughly 346 International Sustainability Index Fund which is a voluntary set of rules that ground-mounted solar array racks (FNIYX), makes Fidelity the first and only encourages investors to use responsible containing 8,640 360-watt modules. investment firm to offer environmental, investment practices to enhance returns progress to be made in moving away Similarly, Devonshire also suggested social and governance (ESG) index mutual and better manage risks all while working from fossil fuels, we must take action on building an overhead 34.5kV line with funds in every major asset class. towards the long-term betterment of the the big, international level, as well as in utility poles to connect the solar- The new sustainability bond index fund environment and society. our own backyards. generated electricity with the existing is available directly to individual investors, By taking small and large-scale steps, Chris Gillespie is a contributing writer for electrical grid. as well as through third-party financial ad- Fidelity Investments reinforces and exem- Green Energy Times. He can be reached at If the solar farm is completed to visors and workplace retirement plans. plifies the fact that, in order for societal [email protected]. 20 August 2018 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG Feature: Clean Water in the Northeast Vermont Needs A Clean Water Commitment Mark Curran claimed bottle deposits away from bev- Vermont faces numerous environ- erage companies and into the state’s mental challenges, but there are two Clean Water Fund. These are both that need our immediate attention. important steps forward and should be Greenhouse emissions and resulting celebrated. climate changes are things all Vermont Elected officials will return to Mont- businesses need to address. Unfortu- pelier next January with a looming nately, Vermont cannot go it alone, and deadline to determine how to continue it requires an international effort to financing projects that clean up our slow global warming. lakes and rivers – and stop pollution Clean water should be our next prior- before it gets there. This is a debate ity. With the help of our New York, New that has occurred before, and the Hampshire and Canadian neighbors, Legislature and Governor Scott have we can make near-term improvements numerous studies, including a recent to Lake Champlain and the Connecti- one by State Treasurer Beth Pearce, that cut River. Our numerous interior lakes detail the pros and cons of the options are our sole responsibility to keep in on the table. pristine condition. This is not a debate about how much Many people think of Vermont as we can afford. It’s a debate over how synonymous with a healthy environ- much we value Vermont’s way of life and green economy. We should insist ment, and that image is important Lake Champlain hosts blue-green-algae blooms that close beaches every summer. Image:www.vermontbiz.com to our tourist industry and the many that everyone – politicians, municipali- products we ship out of state. Lake ties, industries and agriculture leaders Champlain contributes $300 million an- Unhealthy water is a real threat to the ever need to question the water they use make the commitment that our lakes, nually in tourism dollars to the Vermont Vermont economy and our way of life. for drinking, bathing or recreation. rivers and streams are something we economy and river-related tourism, Each time a beach closes in the summer The Federal government has appropri- can all enjoy and be proud of. such as the popular activities along the due to blue-green algae, our state gam- ated $8.4 million for the Lake Champlain Mark Curran is the co-founder of Black Connecticut River which generate an bles away our reputation as a beautiful Basin Program, which is a helpful start. River Produce in Springfield, VT and a additional $109 million in economic place to visit, recreate, and do business. And this year, the Vermont Legislature member of the Board of Directors at Vermont activity. More important, no Vermonter should passed a bill redirecting funds from un- Businesses for Social Responsibility.

Cover Crops Help Clean Water Cont’d from p.1 profitable. They have made substantial with transition needs. Education investments in systems to do just that. of the public and farmers, and Meanwhile, milk prices have tanked, adding grass-fed product lines and many more farms have gone out to major brands, could also help. of business. The farmers who remain The state could also simply add have found ways to make the current language minimizing herbicides methods work for them, though maybe to its RAPS (Required Agricultural just marginally. There is little appetite Practices) but, ideally, change for taking a risk, and a widespread should happen in a way that gets perception that farmers are bearing buy-in from farmers. a disproportionate share of the clean Make no mistake, though. This water burden—especially as new water is a tough nut to crack at the leg- treatment permits are allowed that islative level. It will probably take would actually increase the amount of farmer-to-farmer leadership and phosphorus municipalities discharge word of mouth to create a clean into Lake Champlain. cover crops movement. Let’s take States serious about cleaning up a stand to help assure clean water waterways can’t afford to simply switch where we live, work and play. from one pollutant type, nutrients, to Jessie Haas has written 40 books, another, pesticides. They also can’t af- mainly for children, and has lived ford to lose their farmers. To meet clean in an off-grid cabin in Westminster water goals and keep our remaining West, VT since 1984, www. farms profitable, Vermont needs to jessiehaas.com. help farmers transition to cleaner cover cropping. One option might be to tax Links are available with the posting of this article on the Green Top: Farmer spreading pesticides on cover crops. Image: Flickr. pesticides with all income from the tax Below: Farmer spreading pesticides on a field. Wikimedia Commons going to support individual farmers Energy Times website. Feature: Clean Water in the Northeast WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG August 2018 21

Microplastics Are in Our Fish House Approves George Harvey As they accumulate Welch Amendment BAIT FISH in your body, so do We have seen a number of articles the poisons they about microplastics, or microbeads, in to Increase Funding hold. Green Energy Times before. Two examples Microplastics come for Lake Champlain are Larry Plesent’s article, “Microbeads from many different are in the News!” which appeared in sources. Toothpaste Water Quality December 15, 2015 (bit.ly/GET-micro- is one example that beads), and “Garbage Patches in our is well known. It is Oceans,” which appeared in August 15, used in toothpaste as 2015. (bit.ly/GET-ocean-trash) a mild abrasive. They Recently, a reader brought more infor- are found in cosmet- mation to our attention. It is specific to ics also. But they are microplastics pollution in Lake Cham- created as larger plain, and it may help readers can get a invertebrate species and at three spe- pieces of plastic break down with expo- better understanding of the problem. cies of waterfowl. Samples were treated sure to nature, so major sources include Microbeads, or microplastics, are chemically and put through sieves to find clothing and rope. And since we create plastic particles five millimeters or less in the amount of plastic in the flesh of the and distribute millions of tons of them size. The smallest of these particles are animals. The only species of those they each year, they have become a nuisance. too small to see easily. They are so small examined that were found to be free of Clearly, plastics can have serious prob- and light that Brownian motion, the microplastics were terrestrial isopods, lems for just about anything that is alive. The U.S. House of Representatives physical phenomenon that accounts for such as woodlice. A poster showing the There have been proposals that ocean approved VT Representative Peter muddy water staying muddy over time, results of their work is at bit.ly/microplas- gyres full of them could be cleaned up, Welch’s bipartisan amendment to prevents many of them from settling out tics-poster. if we dedicated hundreds of ships to the increase funding for the Lake Cham- of the water. That means that they will The microplastics bioaccumulate, work. But that will not help with micro- plain Basin Program from $4.4 mil- not go away until they degrade. so larger carnivorous and omnivorous plastics, which are difficult to remove from lion to 8.4 million. The program sup- Many species of small animals identify animals are likely to have greater amounts the environment and are found almost ports water quality improvements microplastics as food. The result is that of them than smaller ones. This is true of everywhere. It appears that one important around the lake and the surround- many of the tiniest animals will get full many of the lake fish people eat. It is also way to deal with microplastics is to elimi- ing watershed. “Lake Champlain is of them, become unable to digest food, true of waterfowl. And since waterfowl nate use of non-biodegradable plastics as the environmental crown jewel of and starve. Those that do not starve and other animals leave excreta on land, much as possible. our region,” Welch explained. “It is are eaten by larger animals in the food the pollution of plastics is building there, central to our cultural heritage and chain, so microplastics accumulate in as well. natural history, and an invaluable larger species, until the largest fish, such We may think of plastics as inert, and recreational and economic resource. as salmon, can have a fair amount of they nearly are in some ways. The micro- It is essential that this great lake be them in their bodies. plastics represent a serious problem of protected and preserved for genera- A study conducted by students at contamination, however, because they tions to come.” the State University of New York at absorb a number of kinds of pollutants, Read more at https://8.4-mil-L. Plattsburgh last year looked at the pres- which they can give up to any animal, in- Champlain. ence of microbeads in at least fourteen cluding human beings, who ingest them. species of fish, along with a number of Microplastic on a finger: www.theepochtimes.com 22 August 2018 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 HEATING & COOLING Dry Wood Chip Boiler Heats 104-Unit Housing Complex Jim Van Valkenburgh modeling software and working neering, Froling Energy and others. Fund- Applegate Apartments in Bennington, with Froling Energy, we right sized ing for the project came from a variety of Vermont is among the largest affordable the biomass boiler from the original sources including Housing Vermont, Effi- housing developments in the state. Heat design at 3.2 million BTU/hour ciency Vermont, the Vermont Clean Energy and hot water have always been provided peak output (MMBTU) to 1.8 million Development Fund, Vermont Housing and in each unit as part of the rent, which is BTU/hour. This one change saved Conservation Board, HUD and the Vermont a nice benefit for tenants. But in recent $200,000 in construction costs. This Community Development Program. years, annual fuel costs had risen to over was a very safe change because our Froling Energy, based in Peterborough, $175,000 per year. Housing Vermont, modeling showed that even when New Hampshire, specializes in installation Shires Housing and Applegate Housing outdoor temperatures were at -10°F, of commercial biomass boiler systems Inc. put their heads together to make the downsized system was still only in New England. Its recently completed Applegate more sustainable, financially running at 75% of maximum capac- projects include wood chip boiler systems and environmentally. ity.” A new propane boiler was also installed at the Merrimack County Jail In 2017, the 104 units at Applegate installed for back-up and to cover complex in Boscawen, NH, at Whelen Apartments got new windows, insulation, peak load situations. Engineering’s manufacturing campus in roofing, siding and a new central biomass- Housing Vermont continues Charlestown, NH and at Plymouth (NH) fired district heating system which to- to keep track of the new boiler Regional High School. gether reduced the 19-year-old complex’s system’s performance at Applegate. Jim Van Valkenburgh is VP Sales & Marketing annual heating costs by over 50%. The new 1.84 million BTU/hr Viessmann Vitoflex 300-RF biomass Schmitt commented, “Our soft- for Froling Energy. He can be reached at 603- boiler. Courtesy photos: Froling Energy. Newly buried insulated pipes carry- ware gives us real time insight into 924-1001 ing biomass-heated hot water now run the current operation of the new x2. For more throughout the complex, connecting all mann Vitoflex 300-RF dry wood chip boiler system with data about the operation and information 23 buildings to a new central boiler house. and storage silo that is at the center of the output of the biomass boiler and details like on Froling This change eliminated 23 separate oil new system. Froling also supplies the 25% whether the propane back-up boiler is run- Energy go boilers which were burning over 50,000 moisture content screened wood chips into ning when the biomass should be. So far, we to www. gallons of oil each year for heat and hot the silo with their blower truck which pushes confirm that all boilers have been running FrolingEn- water. the chips into the 25-foot-tall silo through effectively.” ergy.com. Eric Schmitt of Housing Vermont a five-inch diameter pipe. Their dry chips The Applegate Energy Rehab project has described the project. “Comparing the and the blower truck delivery method are been a big win for everyone involved: Shires The 42-ton dry new system’s first year energy costs to the innovations that greatly reduced the typical Housing who manages the property, Naylor wood chip silo previous two years (2013-2015), when the initial cost of a wood chip boiler system. & Breen Construction the project general at Applegate complex had 23 individual oil boilers, the With semi-dry wood chips, the Viessmann contractor, Goldstone Architecture, WV Engi- Housing. complex saw energy costs drop from an boiler meets all Vermont emissions require- average of $169,000 to a first-year cost ments without expensive scrubbers or ESPs for dry wood chip fuel and propane of (electrostatic precipitators). Future mainte- $49,668. This incredible reduction can be nance costs will also be less than they paid attributed to a combination of the fuel for maintaining the many old oil boilers each switch to dry wood chips and the many year. energy saving upgrades that were made to Schmitt went on to tell about “value HEAT CLEAN, HEAT LOCAL every building in the complex.” engineering” that helped to contain costs of Froling Energy installed the new Viess- the biomass boiler system. “Using our energy Now you can have the same auto-delivery, hands-off convenience of oil with Wood Pellet Central Heating.

Streamline HVAC and Building Controls

Biomass Heat for Biomass Heat for Business & Schools Business & SchoolsWOOD PELLET BOILERS, FURNACES, AND AUTOMATED SYSTEMS Find pricing and more at pellergy.com

Reduce Cost Remove traditional system design and control engineering costs. Expandable up to 960 I/O. Minimize workload for routine maintenance. Stevens High School, Claremont, NH Stevens High School, Claremont, NH Save Time High Efficiency Dry Chip Perform maintenance and systemHigh Efficiency Dry Chip tuning remotely. Solve problems & Wood Pellet Boiler Systems without going on-site. Built-in& Wood system Pellet Boiler Systems and energy monitoring. Best Quality Boilers Best Quality Boilers Happy Homes & Offices Top Workmanship Top Workmanship Control your comfort from your phone. HEAT LOCAL! Receive alerts if equipment breaks. HEAT LOCAL! Serving NH, VT & MA Prevent downtime with earlier Serving NH, VT & MA response. Whelen Engineering, Charlestown, NH Remove The Hurdles Whelen Engineering, Charlestown, NH Design Configurable controls that make Design complex design simple. Works in every Install building and use: Install - Geothermal / Cold Climate HPs - Forced Air / Hydronics Service - Renewables Service Fuel Fuel HEATING & COOLING WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG August 2018 23 National Bioenergy Day Green Energy Times Staff Clearly, there are a lot of bioenergy tech- them up online at www.bioenergyday. The Sixth Annual Bioenergy Day is nologies, and many of them have the po- com. The participants who are putting on October 24, 2018. It is a day for the tential to become much more important. on events for the day can be found in industry to let everyone know what Most of us know bioenergy for its use at the “2018 Participants” link at the top bioenergy is all about. home and in buildings of all sorts. Anyone of the web page. Many events are not Bioenergy is not just logs and wood with a wood stove is using a bioenergy yet posted, so we suggest looking after chips. The industry includes processing for heat. mid-September. We do notice that Froling and using waste products from indus- On Bioenergy Day, there will be events Energy of Peterborough, New Hampshire, tries relating to forest products, includ- all over the country. Readers can look is listed as a participant. ing paper and woodworking waste. But it also includes processing all sorts of organic products from agriculture, food waste, and municipal waste. Also, bio- TM energy does not necessarily imply direct combustion of products. Putting the Power in Your Hands Wood pellets and chips can be burned directly for electricity or heat. They can also be used in a gasifica- Control your total energy costs and add comfort to your home, install tion process, in which they give off gas air source heat pumps today! that can be run into a gas turbine. The gasification process can be very clean, Air source heat pumps require electricity; however minimizing fossil fuel costs with almost no particulate emissions. and lowering annual system maintenance provides an economic benefit to the It can also be extremely efficient. GE homeowner. subsidiary, Jenbacher, claims that for cogeneration, its engines can be about Key Benefits: 90% efficient, and they can use gas from • Reduce your annual fuel expenses a gasification process for fuel. Another process that delivers bio- • Lower your home’s carbon emissions energy is anaerobic digestion (AD). • Heat and cool your home more efficiently It processes by-products that would • Easy to install, contact your HVAC contractor otherwise require treatment, such as • Qualify for incentives through NHEC food waste, manure, or sewage. Old- fashioned ways of dealing with these materials were expensive and envi- Call NHEC Energy Solutions today to learn more of the benefits of heat pump ronmentally problematical. Using AD technology. renders them into energy and compost, turning a problem potentially into a profitable process. Get started today! Organic waste materials can also be 1.800.698.2007 used to make liquid fuels, and these can be substitutes for petroleum fuels.

High-efficiency Air Conditioners ACEEE Program administrators can stay ahead of the curve with high-efficiency air conditioners 2424 August JUNE 201815, 2014 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 802.439.6675 CLIMATE NEWS What Kind of America Do We Want? Dr. Alan K. Betts As I write in stake. depend on; but since late July, wildfires Fortunately, this it has no money, it are burning new American fas- can be ignored, even across the cism is not well- though the down- Eurasian Arctic disciplined like earlier stream costs for life on as temperatures versions in Europe Earth have become soar. These in the last century. too vast to contem- climate extremes Unfortunately, its plate. remind us every financial resources But the day of month of the are large, because it reckoning will come. urgency of the global renewable energy has the backing of Our national debt and transition. Unfortunately, the global rise many corporations our future debt to the of nationalism is undermining the need lured by reduced planet are unpayable. to work together to solve these planetary- corporate taxes and Internally the presi- scale environmental issues. reduced government dent is attempting to Protection of the environment was once regulation. If the discredit the federal a national interest, one of the responsi- gullible electorate government, and bully bilities of government to take care of the can be bought this the free press in his public interest and welfare. For decades, November, Ameri- quest for power. Exter- both of the major political parties in the can democracy is in nally, he has oscillated U.S. supported this policy. This was the peril. I should say in between bullying the bargain with capitalist America that left our disclosure that I was rest of the world, and corporations free to focus on maximizing a child born into the Arctic tundra burning. Image: Western Arctic National Parklands. cozying up to dicta- profit and productivity; while the govern- wreckage of south- tors. All this has led ment took responsibility for the broader eastern England in to the collapse of U.S. Nixon in 1970, is also threatened. Its recent long-term interests of society and local and September 1945, so I have a bleak perspec- authority in the world. corrupt administrator may have been fired, global environmental issues. Now we have tive on fascism. None of this can be papered over by but the mission of the EPA is shifting from moved into a new political era, where this The president, who yearns to be an more transparent lies. Sadly, it is hard to protecting human health and the environ- pact has disintegrated, and business and absolute ruler, has aligned his interests with confront corruption in our government. It ment to protecting polluting industries. far-right wing groups have combined in an the so-called “alt-right,” a diverse collection is hard to deal with the conflict between We are undermining the protections of the effort to dismantle this essential protective of neo-fascists and white supremacists, the mythology of our great democracy, Clean Air and Clean Water Acts to margin- role of government. along with the evangelical fundamentalists, with government by the people and for the ally increase corporate profits. The Repub- For the business world, this is at least who believe we should return to a white people; and the callous whims of a presi- lican Party is content with this rejection of comprehensible, because only benefit America with theirs the state religion. Our dent who thinks the U.S. Constitution and its long-held commitments, provided it gets corporations are committed to making a democracy is threatened because the Re- the rule of law are dispensable. in return re-election payments from these positive impact on society, their workers, publican Party in Congress has abandoned But confront we must. The clock is businesses. Access by government scien- the community and the environment in most of its values and principles; and allied ticking. Our communities and businesses tists to the press has been curtailed to hide addition to making a profit. But the other itself with this new American fascism that should get together this summer, and ask the dangers ahead from this policy shift. strand, the rise to power of an American strongly supports the president. Lies, scape- what kind of America we want. Long-term issues like climate change version of fascism is new. But it is one goats and brutality are everywhere. Dr. Alan Betts of Atmospheric Research and the need to shift to renewable energy we must face, because so much that we The Environmental Protection Agency, in Pittsford, Vermont is a leading climate are being buried in today’s EPA. The Earth treasure both in America and on Earth is at signed into law by Republican President scientist. Browse alanbetts.com. may have almost infinite resources that we

Second Deadliest Birthrate in India Affects All of Humanity Frosty Wooldridge India expects its population to jump from overpowered reasoned thinking. 1.252 billion to 1.55 billion within 33 years. If you look at the beauty of the Taj Mahal, It adds 16 million, net gain, annually. Their one of the most famous landmarks of India, human misery index explodes off the charts. a short trip to the river next to it shows mil- In 1960, India reached 500,000,000 lions of pieces of plastic clogging its waters. people. Today, driven by religions that pro- And, the water features endless chemical hibit birth control, India suffers every kind poisons leaving it unfit for human or animal of social and environmental consequence use. known to humanity with its 1.252 billion In the cities, air pollution poisons the people. Even more catastrophic, it adds 16 lungs of everyone breathing that toxic million more people, net gain, annually. air 24/7. You see everyone tapping into India’s major river, the Ganges, which I electrical wires illegally; trash and stench once rafted, flows into the ocean with the everywhere; the traffic is a free-for-all that most polluted, toxic and contaminated confounds and confuses the Western mind; waters known to humankind. It features and The National Nutritional Monitoring trillions of gallons of untreated sewage, Bureau estimates that only 15% of Indians industrial waste, hundreds of chemicals and receive adequate nourishment daily. millions of pieces of plastic that flow into As can be imagined, because of adding the ocean 24/7. That watery, chemical-ized that 16 million more people annually, India’s conveyer belt creates a 20,000 square mile wilderness suffers encroachment via roads, housing, mining, lumbering and other de- dead zone at the mouth of the river. Once it Sustainability issues exist among the filth in the Ganges River in India. Image: Wikispaces.com. hits the Indian Ocean, those contaminated velopment. Animal extinction rates soar. The waters spread all over the planet – poison- Bengal tiger and the snow leopard will not ing marine life, avian life, reefs, the ocean nationally. (Source: www.populationmedia.org). survive in the wild within several decades. floor and all that causes deadly acidification Within India, hundreds of millions of Yet, as India’s population accelerates by Elephants face an uncertain future. Birds of throughout the planet. people lack a toilet. Therefore, they defecate 16 million net gain annually, they grow so all kinds face extinction from loss of habitat. Of note, the U.S.A., China and India dump and urinate on the land daily. In fact, the fast, they cannot solve any of their prob- Fish and plants vanish. the most plastics into the world’s oceans. Indian Express said, “Best experts tell us that lems. Disease and squalor top the “human With all the realities facing the people of Latest estimates show 5.25 trillion pieces of 60.4% of Indians lack a toilet.” The stench misery index” beyond the concepts of the India, no one raises a finger to address their plastic float on and flow under the surface in the cities, the filth in the streets and the American people. population predicament. Even in the face of around the world killing millions of marine total contamination of soils and rivers by You can only imagine that India cannot so much human misery, their leaders live in creatures annually. As per investigations by that many people injecting their waste support jobs, classrooms and housing for “cognitive dissonance” also known as “intel- marine biologist, Julia Whitty, published in upon the lands and waters 24/7 cannot be that many people added annually. Yet, there lectual denial of reality.” OnEarth magazine, 46,000 pieces of plastic comprehended. is not one word about population stabiliza- Please realize that this country’s dilemma trash float on every square mile of Earth’s Thus, every day of the year, 1,000 Indian tion from India’s leaders. At one point, Indira is the tip of the iceberg. At any time, we may oceans. We’ve known this for 20 years, but children under the age of 12 die of dysen- Gandhi attempted to bring birth control to witness horrific outbreaks of cholera and there is no action to stop it by creating tery, diarrhea, other waterborne diseases, India when I visited in 1984, but she failed other diseases that will incentive-driven deposit-return laws inter- and from drinking contaminated water because of religious-cultural norms that kill millions in Asia. Cont’d on p.25 Florida Wiped Off the Map RISING SEAS

CLIMATE NEWS WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG August 2018 25 “FLORIDA IS ABOUT TO BE WIPED OFF THE MAP” graphic scientist behind me puts down tip of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Then the RISING SEAS: his handful of M&M’s. If Hal Wanless is Southeast Financial Center goes, display- Cont’d from p.1 right, every single object I have seen over ing its cool blue underbelly. It is a coltish emissions of the the past 72 hours – the periodic table of thing, smooth and oddly muscular. The Middle East, and elements hanging above his left shoulder, ground between the two turns to arctic the entire popu- the buffet currently loaded with refresh- ice dust and the ocean roils up. Next, lation of Thailand. ments, the smoothie stand at my seaside chunks of ice the size of the Marquis Resi- About 60 of hotel, the beach umbrellas and oxygen dences crash away; then the Wells Fargo the region’s bars, the Johnny Rockets and seashell Center falls, and with it goes 900 Biscayne more than six shop, the lecture hall with its hundreds Bay. Suddenly everything between the million residents of mostly empty teal swivel chairs – will Brickell neighborhood and Park West is have gathered all be underwater in the not-so-distant gone. in the Cox Sci- future. The clip begins again, and I watch ence Building at One of the few stories I remember from in awe as a section of the Jakobshavn the University the Bible vividly depicts the natural and Glacier half the size of all Miami falls into of Miami on a social world in crisis. It is the apocalyptic the sea. sunny Saturday narrative par excellence, Noah’s flood. “Greenland is currently calving chunks morning in 2016 When I look it up again, however, I am of ice so massive they produce earth- to hear Harold ‘Take the six million people who live in south Florida today and divide them into two surprised to find that it does not start with quakes up to six and seven on the Richter Wanless, or Hal, groups, those who live less than six and a half feet above the current high tide line, and a rainstorm or an ark, but earlier, with scale,” Hal says as the city of ice breaks chair of the geol- everybody else.’ Photo: Milkweed Editions. unprecedented population growth and apart. “There was not much noticeable ogy department, God’s scorn. It begins, “When human be- ice melt before the nineties. But now speak about ings began to increase in number on the it accelerates every year, exceeding all sea level rise. “Only 7% of the heat being warming ocean is working its way in, earth.” I read this line and think about the predictions. It will likely cause a pulse of trapped by greenhouse gases is stored deep under the ice sheets, causing the ice 6,000 inhabitants of south Florida turning meltwater into the oceans.” in the atmosphere,” Hal begins. “Do you to collapse faster than anyone predicted, into 6 million in 120 short years. “The Lord In medicine, a pulse is something regu- know where the other 93% lives?” which in turn will cause sea levels to rise saw how great the wickedness of the hu- lar, a predictable throb of blood through A teenager, wrists lined in aquamarine faster than anyone predicted.” man race had become.” I think about the veins, produced by a beating heart. It beaded bracelets, rubs sleep from her Dig into geologic history and you exponential increase in M&M’s, Chobani is so reliable, so steady, so definite that eyes. She returns her head to its resting discover this: when sea levels have risen yogurt cups and grande lattes consumed lack of a pulse is sometimes considered position in her palm. The man seated be- in the past, they have usually not done so over that same span of time. The dizzying synonymous with death. A healthy adult hind me roots around in his briefcase for gradually, but rather in rapid surges. supply chains, cheap labor and indestruc- will have a resting heart rate of 60 to 100 a breakfast bar. No one raises a hand. According to Marco Rubio, the junior tible plastic. “So God said to Noah, ‘I am beats per minute, every day, until they “In the ocean,” Hal continues. “That senator from Florida, rising sea levels are going to put an end to all people, for the don’t. But a meltwater pulse is the oppo- heat is expanding the ocean, which is uncertain, their connection to human earth is filled with violence because of site. It is an anomaly. The exception to the contributing to sea level rise, and it is also, activity tenuous. And yet the Intergovern- them.’” And then the rain began. 15,000-year rule. more importantly, creating the setting for mental Panel on Climate Change expects I do not believe in a vengeful God, From 1900 to 2000, the glacier on the something we really don’t want to have roughly two feet of rise by century’s end. if God exists at all, so I do not think of screen retreated inward eight miles. From happen: rapid melt of ice.” The United Nations predicts three feet. the flood as punishment for human sin. 2001 to 2010 it pulled back nine more; A woman wearing a sequined teal top And the National Oceanic and Atmo- What interests me most is what happens over a single decade the Jakobshavn opens her Five Star notebook and starts spheric Administration estimates an up- to the story when I remove it from its glacier lost more ice than it had during writing things down. The guy behind her per limit of six and a half feet. religious framework. Noah’s flood is one the previous century. And then there is shovels spoonfuls of passionfruit–fla- Take the 6 million people who live in of the most fully developed accounts of this film clip, recorded over 70 minutes, vored Chobani yogurt into his mouth. south Florida today and divide them into environmental change in ancient history. in which the glacier retreats a full mile Hal’s three sons are perched in the next two groups, those who live less than six It tries to make sense of a cataclysmic across a calving face three miles wide. row back. One has a ponytail, one is in a and a half feet above the current high tide earthbound event that happened long “This is why I believe we are witnessing suit, and the third crosses and uncrosses line, and everybody else. The numbers ago, before written language, before the the beginning of the largest meltwater his gray street sneakers. The one with slice nearly evenly. Heads or tails, call it domestication of horses, before the first pulse in modern human history,” Hal says. the ponytail brought a water bottle; the in the air. If you live here, all you can do is Egyptian mummies and the rise of civiliza- As the ice sheets above Hal’s head fall other two sip Starbucks. And behind the hope that when you put down roots your tion in Crete. An event for which the teller away and the snacks on the buffet disap- rows and rows of sparsely occupied seats, choice was somehow prophetic. clearly held humans responsible. pear, topography is transformed from a at the very back of the amphitheater, an But Hal says it doesn’t matter whether Dig into geologic history and you backwater physical science into the single older woman with a gold brocade bear you live six feet above sea level or sixty- discover this: when sea levels have risen most important factor determining the on her top paces back and forth. five, because he, like James Hansen, in the past, they have usually not done longevity of the Sunshine State. The man A real estate developer interrupts Hal believes that all of these predictions are, so gradually, but rather in rapid surges, seated next to me leans over. “If what to ask, “Is someone recording this?” to put it mildly, very, very low. “The rate of jumping as much as 50 feet over a short he says is even half true,” he whispers, “Yes,” the cameraman coughs. “Besides,” sea level rise is currently doubling every three centuries. Scientists call these “Florida is about to be wiped off the map.” Hal adds, “I say the same damn thing at seven years, and if it were to continue events “meltwater pulses,” because the Reprinted from Global Possibilities: http:// least five times a week.” Hal, who is in his in this manner, Ponzi scheme style, we near-biblical rise in the height of the bit.ly/GET-rising-seas early seventies and has been studying would have 205 feet of sea level rise by ocean is directly correlated to the melting sea level rise for over 40 years, pulls at 2095,” he said. “And while I don’t think we of ice and the process of deglaciation, the Casey Coates Danson is the founder of his Burt Reynolds moustache, readjusts are going to get that much water by the very events featured in the documentary Global Possibilities. She received her BFA in his taupe corduroy suit, and continues. end of the century, I do think we have footage Hal has got running on a screen Environmental Design from Parsons School On the screen above his head clips from to take seriously the possibility that we above his head. of Design, graduating with honors during a documentary on climate change show could have something like 15 feet by He shows us a clip of the largest glacial the Carter years when solar tax incentives glacial tongues of ice the size of Manhat- then.” calving event ever recorded. It starts with were first in place and architectural design tan tumbling into the sea. “The big story It’s a little after nine o’clock. Hal’s sons a chunk of ice the size of Miami’s tallest emphasis was on sustainability. She is a in Greenland and Antarctica is that the stop sipping their lattes and the oceano- building tumbling, head over tail, off the published writer in her fields of interest.

<< Cont’d from p.24 By 2050, 33 years trouble. arrive at catastrophe by failing to meet the from now, India ex- No amount of immigration solves any- situation, by failing to act when we should pects to out-populate thing for Indians. No amount of interna- have acted. The opportunity passes us by China with 1.55 billion tional aid will help them. Why? The answer and the next disaster is always more difficult people. As it stands, is it’s because they keep growing human and compounded than the last one.” they lack the ‘arable numbers beyond any solutions. Frosty Wooldridge lives in Golden, CO. He land’ to grow enough If you’re in your 30s or 40s, you and your speaks at colleges, civic clubs, high schools food. They clearly lack children will see this international debacle and conferences. As a six continent world clean water as they on a stage unseen in human history. That’s bicycle traveler, his books include How to Live dry up their ground why America, Australia, Europe and Canada a Life of Adventure: The Art of Exploring the water supplies. must create an international discussion World (HowToLiveALifeOfAdventure.com). In When India starts on human population stabilization before the summer 2017, he facing hunger crises Mother Nature does it for us, rather brutally rode his bike 4,100 via lack of arable land, and without mercy. miles from Oregon lack of rainfall, and Eleanor Roosevelt said it 50 years ago, to Bar Harbor, growing ‘catastrophic “We must prevent human tragedy rather Maine. Learn more climate destabilization’ than run around trying to save ourselves The Ganges flows into the Indian ocean with the most polluted, toxic and con- at: frostywooldridge. with its 1.252 billion after an event has already occurred. Un- com. taminated waters known to humankind. Image: Wikimedia people—we’re all in fortunately, history clearly shows that we 2626 August 15,2018 2014 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 802.439.6675 Building & Energy Efficiency

efficient and comfortable as possible. The project was done under the guidance of SEON’s HOME TOUR the owners, with a 15-kilowatt solar system George Harvey installed by Integrated Solar Applications The Sustainable and insulation by Vermont Foam. The home Energy Outreach Net- has heat pumps for both hot water and work (SEON) is deeply general heating. involved in the build- The number 5 house on the tour, the ing trade and related Brennan Residence in Westminster West, areas of work in the Vermont, is an extensive retrofit of a home built environment. built in 1848. The work on this house Some of the mem- was done by Mindel & Morse Builders, of bers are architects, Brattleboro, Vermont. The upgrade was some are contrac- completed ten years ago, and so the home tors, some provide illustrates the durability possible in high- SEON has an informative web page services, some supply quality sustainable systems. Along with covering all the homes in the tour, com- products for homes, other upgrades, it was furnished with a plete with descriptions of their energy and and at least one, Duffy/Lundgren residence, Londonderry, VT; rt: Paggi/Nadeau residence, Marlboro, VT. Stiebel Eltron SOL 25 Plus collection system Courtesy Images. efficiency systems, names of the companies BuildingGreen, is a for a solar water heating system. This was and people who did the work, and photo- publisher. The mem- described in GET in 2012. (http://bit.ly/ graphs. bers are mainly local to southern Vermont, Tour on September 29, 2018. Six houses in Stiebel-Eltron-SOL-25) SEON’s website is www.seon.info. southern New Hampshire, and western southwestern Vermont are open for regis- Massachusetts, but a few come from much tered tour visitors. The self-guided tour is farther away; one has its headquarters in from 10 am to 4 pm. Tickets will be available Oshkosh. on the SEON Home Tour website, beginning SEON provides a lot of informational September 1. (www.seon.info/hometour). services to its members. This is especially The homes on display show off work and important in the building professions, products of SEON’s members. Each tour because they are undergoing very rapid house provides examples of a number of evolution. Resilient and sustainable systems technologies that interested people might that are needed to reduce our energy needs wish to see. and provide durable structures were hard Readers of Green Energy Times may to imagine only a few decades ago. Also, recognize the names of SEON’s members the need to live sustainable lifestyles is whose work is on display. For example, becoming ever greater. home number 4 on the tour is the Duffy/ The services SEON offers are not limited Lundgren residence in Londonderry, Ver- to its members, however. As part of its mont. It is was built in 1796 and has been outreach, it is having its third Annual Home upgraded with a view to make it as energy

Renewable energy choices for low cost hot water — and a low carbon footprint

Accelera® Heat Pump Water Heaters › We’ve been engineering heat pump water heaters since the 1970s. Our philosophy has always been to make it right. Then make it better. We’ve been the largest seller in Europe for over 35 years.

Representing the finest in New! high performance fenestration products. Accelera® 220 E (58 gal) Accelera® 300 E (80 gal)

Sales and installation available from:

Jim Renaud Revision Energy Arctic Refrigeration Portland, Maine Greenfield, Mass. 207.221.6342 413.774.2283 Gary MacArthur Spartan Giordano Marlboro, Vt. Spartan Solar 802.257.7026 Greenfield, Mass. 413.768.0095 Stuart Besnoff Alpine Solar Stiebel Eltron Solar Hot Water Windsor, Mass. 413.684.3950 › Superior German engineering & 40 years of experience with solar thermal drives us to manufacture and supply only the best.

52 Bridge Street, White River Jct., VT 05001 Simply the Best 800.505.1892 • 802.295.6555 • [email protected] 800.582.8423 www.StiebelEltron.us 17 West St. | West Hatfield, MA 01088 WE SPEAK TRIPLE GLAZING

78963 Loewen VT_NH Flavin Zen Pool 4.8125 x 4.8125.indd 1 2016-01-07 11:27 AM Building & Energy Efficiency WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 August 2018 27 climate instead of adding to the crises. There are many examples of incorporat- Can the Built Environment Heal the Planet? ing locally-sourced materials that help to phase out carbon emissions in build- THE NEW CARBON ARCHITECTURE: BUILDING TO COOL THE CLIMATE ing materials. by Bruce King, New Society of quite in the same way steel still has applications that were ad- Buildings can become a big part of Publishers, 2017, 159 pages, $29.99 it is presented. Irving said dressed in the book. So does Portland Ce- the climate solution. The key compo- nents are innovation and imagination, Book review by N.R. Mallery he was assuming that any ment, although the book speaks to new additional carbon in con- cement alternatives that help us rethink along with exploration and learning Let’s face it, CO2 in our atmo- struction methods would the embodied carbon of concrete. Many how to use materials, such as advanced sphere is the biggest problem be offset by long term other building materials are discussed as wood products and even plastic from humans have ever had to face. carbon savings realized well, that make a valuable difference to cleaning up the oceans that can be Recent news says scientists by our net-zero buildings. help to create buildings that will cool the used for making building Cont’d on p.34 have measured a slowdown of the The point is that increasing Gulf Stream. It is happening now, the levels of carbon in the much faster than they might have atmosphere is not some- imagined, at a level not expected thing we might need to TIMELESS CRAFTSMANSHIP. to occur for another 100 years. worry about in 30 to 50 years. The crisis is In the past, we thought the solution right now, and therefore we need to think was to just reduce our carbon emissions. about the carbon we use right now. THE LATEST IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY. Now it has become clear that is just not Irving thinks we should look at the car- enough. We need to remove carbon bon crises more seriously, and that many from the atmosphere and sequester it. people don’t think about carbon a lot, PASSIVE HOUSE DESIGN/BUILD. CUSTOM CABINETRY & TILE. Buildings are not only a huge part of including himself. He said, “It’s a very com- the historical problem but can also be a plex subject and one really should know great solution for the future. the embodied carbon of all materials we The New Carbon Architecture makes use.” Many people might say something it clear that we need to pursue new like “that’s way too complex, so let’s ig- building methods beyond efficiency. nore the whole thing.” And this is what the We should use every resource avail- book is about: what building techniques able to us to draw carbon out of the and materials we are currently using that atmosphere. Buildings give us a great only add to the carbon crises instead of opportunity to sequester carbon. addressing many alternative solutions. As I was reading this book, I dis- What do the studies show, and what are covered that Robert Irving, a net-zero the options? This is explored from many builder from Salisbury, NH was also angles by a network of ecologically-mind- reading it. His first takeaway was that ed professionals. Some of the information this was something he hadn’t thought seemed a bit confusing, and it is perhaps not always in agreement. But the information pre- sented is always thought- provoking and valuable. A good start for heal- ing the planet could be by sourcing materials closer to point of use, and the book is great at showing how to accomplish this. Beyond that, there are many choices for the most MONTPELIER CONSTRUCTION carbon-friendly structural materials to use. Wood se- BUILDERS AND FINE WOODWORKERS questers carbon. Advanced wood technology gives it characteristics that we MONTPELIERCONSTRUCTION.COM The Strawbale LILAC (Low Impact Living Affordable Community) in have never seen it have be- Leeds in the UK is an example of the built environment that is a carbon fore, allowing it to be used 802-229-6575 sink. The development alone captured and stores 1,080 metric tons of in new applications such as atmospheric equivalent CO2. Credit: ModCell skyscrapers. Nevertheless, 28 August 2018 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 Building & Energy Efficiency Multifamily Passive House Ventilation Design Summer Condition – ERV or An ERV operating in the summer (hot-humid exterior air and cool-dry interior air) HRV ERV? reduces the amount of moisture in the outside air that is delivered to the interior. Heat Thomas Moore and Dylan Martello, Steven Winter Associates, Inc. and moisture are transferred to the exhaust air stream, reducing both the cooling and This article was reprinted from the March 14, 2018 blog at www.swinter.com. dehumidification loads associated with ventilation. *PRO* In climates with significant heating or cooling seasons, Passive House projects must have a balanced heat or energy-recovery ventilation system. These systems use a heat exchanger to transfer heat and moisture between the outgoing return and incoming ERV Summer Operation outdoor airstreams. The operation of recovery ventilators reduces the energy required to heat and cool decreasing the building’s carbon footprint. Project teams can select either: ”” Heat recovery ventilators (HRV) that transfer heat from the return air stream to the outside air stream; or, ”” Energy recovery ventilators (ERV) that transfer heat and moisture from the return air stream to the outside air stream. Deciding between a HRV and an ERV gets more complex when the Passive House con- cept is scaled from a single-family home to a multifamily program. What the industry has learned from the development of airtight buildings and programs such as Passive House and R2000 is that indoor relative humidity must be controlled through continuous ven- tilation. The extremely airtight building envelope required of a Passive House, combined with high internal moisture gains from an occupant-dense multifamily program (com- ing from occupants, kitchens and bathrooms), forces additional moisture management considerations during mechanical ventilation design. Maintaining acceptable interior relative humidity in both the heating and cooling season is paramount for building dura- bility and occupants’ comfort. It is appropriate that Passive House professionals claim this simple motto “Build tight, ventilate right!” Winter Condition – ERV In New York City where the multifamily Passive House market is rapidly growing, there An ERV operating in the winter (cold-dry exterior air and warm-moist interior air) trans- is a significant heating season and a demanding cooling season with high humidity (Cli- fers both heat and humidity to the supply air at the recovery core. As a result, controlling mate Zone 4A). With this seasonal variation, there are four primary operating scenarios interior moisture levels can be more challenging with winter operation of an ERV. *CON* for a HRV or ERV that need to be considered during design: Summer Condition – HRV ERV Winter Operation A HRV operating in the summer (hot-humid exterior air and cool-dry interior air) introduces additional moisture to the building through ventilation. Heat is transferred from the incoming outside airstream to the return airstream leaving the building which cools supply air, but exterior moisture is not removed from the incoming air. The build- ing’s dehumidification load increases as a consequence of additional moisture from the outdoor air. *CON* HRV Summer Operation

There are pros and cons of these primary operating conditions. Project teams should evaluate these situations identifying the highest risk scenario in relation to their climate and building program. The overarching Passive House design intent is to reduce heating and cooling demand, decrease equipment size, and minimize annual energy consump- tion, all while maintaining occupant comfort and building durability. Being mindful of the Passive House design intent will help guide this presentation. Let’s consider the primary operating conditions, starting with summer operation. Good Passive House design should result in decreased cooling loads and thus require smaller cooling equipment capacity. A HRV introduces additional moist air to the con- ditioned building in the summer. This may be problematic if there is a need for dehu- Winter Condition – HRV midification, but there is no need for sensible cooling because the temperature in the space is already low. Since dehumidification will only happen when the cooling system is A HRV operating in the winter (cold-dry exterior air and warm-moist interior air) running (unless supplemental dehumidifiers are installed), the occupants might experi- exhausts the moisture generated by building occupants. Heat is transferred between ence prolonged periods of high humidity and discomfort. Generally speaking, residential the two airstreams at the recovery core, but moisture in the return air is not transferred occupants are comfortable in higher summer set-point temperatures only if the indoor to the supply. As a result, controlling interior relative humidity in the winter can be less relative humidity is kept between 40% and 60%. If the latent load cannot be met and challenging with a HRV. *PRO* the relative humidity increases beyond 60%, the majority of occupants will no longer be comfortable. As such, ERV operation in the summer may be desirable when you consider that an ERV will aid in removing moisture from the incoming air and help maintain a lower dehumidification load. This aligns with the Passive House design intent to maintain HRV Winter Operation occupant comfort and reduce annual energy consumption. Now, let’s consider the winter operation. When evaluating the risk to building durabil- ity, winter building operation poses the highest condensation potential. During cold periods, heat is conducted through the building envelope. This can result in cold interior surfaces ideal for condensation, especially at the least efficient components, such as win- dows and doors. Condensation risk is increased by moisture generated from an occu- pant-dense multifamily building; the higher the interior relative humidity, the higher the surface temperature where condensation can form. Even with high performance window components, the risk of condensation on windows and doors may be present when the interior relative humidity is high and surface temperatures are near the dew point. Mitigating the risk of interior condensation must be considered during the selection of a HRV or ERV. Example: As a worst case, let’s assume an internal setpoint temperature of 68°F and window frame U-value of 0.275 Btu/hr·ft2·F (1.56 W/M2.K); • with an exterior ambient temperature of 14°F (-10°C), frame surface condensation would occur at 60% indoor relative humidity; Cont’d on p.29 >> Building & Energy Efficiency WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 August 2018 29 << Cont’d from p.28 bypass or by controlling the speed of • with an exterior ambient temperature the enthalpy wheel. This acts to reduce of 4°F (-15°C), frame surface condensation the latent moisture transfer efficiency would occur at 50% indoor relative from return to outdoor airstreams. As a humidity. consequence, the sensible heat transfer Buildings While these relative humidity levels efficiency is also reduced temporarily. Our may seem high, they can be easily realized analyses show supply air relative humidity + Beyond in a new building with a dense popula- can be reduced 10 – 15% with moisture tion. It is not uncommon in our multifam- recovery control. This additional function- ily projects to have up to six people living ality makes central ERVs a viable option in under 1000 ft2. The amount of moisture when applied to a multifamily Passive generated by occupant perspiration, House in the winter. cooking and showers, in addition to con- Example: The data shown in the graph struction moisture in materials of a new represent a multifamily Passive House building, can easily drive interior relative building operating a central ERV in a New humidity to these levels. York City winter. The analysis assumes Even intermittent window condensa- an equal mix of low, medium, and high tion can be problematic from the perspec- humidity generation scenarios, demon- tive of mold growth and building durabil- strating possible apartment types in a ity. Condensation should be avoided in multifamily building. The interior relative all buildings but should never occur in a humidity peaks in the morning and eve- Passive House where the design intent ning at 55%. With the addition of mois- is focused on durability. These images of Condensation as a result of high indoor relative ture recovery control and a decreased condensation all came from new con- humidity and low ambient temperatures. enthalpy wheel speed, the peak relative struction projects in the last five years and Available now on iTunes, Google Play, or humidity is decreased 10 to 15%, resulting your favorite podcast platform. were caused by all of the factors men- in an interior relative humidity of 45%. www.swinter.com/podcast tioned in the picture to the right: will be mixed with a much greater volume There is no prescriptive path for HRV Remember that an ERV operating of air headed back to the ERV. This is in or ERV selection. However, centralized Presented by Steven Winter Associates, Inc. during the winter transfers some of the contrast to unitized ERVs, where the ma- ERVs can be operated to control supply air moisture generated inside the building jority of the internal moisture gains would moisture content in both winter and sum- back to the incoming supply air. A HRV be returned back to the supply air of each mer. This makes ERVs an attractive option The authors work for Steven Winter operating under the same winter con- apartment. If we assume that all apart- for multifamily Passive House buildings Associates, Inc. Thomas Moore is a Building ditions exhausts internally generated ments are not experiencing high humid- in New York City. Learn more at www. Systems Analyst. Dylan Martello is a Senior moisture, helping to control indoor rela- ity levels at all times, the shear mixing of swinter.com. Building Systems Consultant. tive humidity and condensation risk. This these streams will reduce the amount of seems like a cut-and-dry argument for the moisture that can be returned to any one exclusive use of HRVs, right? It is not that apartment. simple. The amount of moisture that is During periods when most apartments recirculated by an ERV can be decreased are likely to see increased humidity, Fossil Fuel Free with a centralized system through various such as the early morning and evening, Fossil Fuel Free control strategies and through the shear moisture transfer of a central ERV can High Performance fact that the moist air from one apartment be controlled with partial recovery core High Performance Homes HomesZero Energy Modulars or Site Built Zero Energy Modulars or Site-Built Deep Energy Retrofits HighDeep Performance Energy Upgrades for Retrofits existingHigh homes Performance Upgrades

BOB IRVING Owner/Builder • Servingfor Central existing New Hampshire homes www.rhirvinghomebuilders.com • 603.648.2635 1st Place Winner of the 2017 [email protected] •Owner/Builder Salisbury, New Hampshire ‘Drive To Net-Zero’ BOB IRVING Competition [email protected] (603) 648-2635 www.rhirvinghomebuilders.com Salisbury, NH VENTILATION SOLUTIONS FOR EVERY SEASON Serving New Hampshire and Eastern Vermont Winter building operation showing decreased supply air relative humidity resulting from central ERV enthalpy RENEWAIRE wheel speed reduction. THE COLD WEATHER ERV FROST-FREE OPERATION ∙ NO DRAIN PANS ENERGY EFFICIENT ∙ TEMPERS INDOOR AIR Just like your house. Only more affordable. • More comfortable than Passive Solar • Uses 60-90% less energy than code homes • More sustainable than LEED • Greener than Energy Star • For new buildings and remodels • Easy to Net Zero • Supported by Efficiency VT • US and Internationally certified

www.phausvt.org 802-223-2416 [email protected] *A non-profit organization RSTThermal.com Come to a meeting. Speak with architects and builders. Get references and information. 781.320.9910 30 August August 15, 2018 2014 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 802.439.6675 Building & Energy Efficiency Boral Tru-Exterior® Siding A Recycled, Green Option from a Green Manufacturer Evan Lawrence The siding comes in 16-foot lengths in have natural Builders looking for an exterior finish seven styles. It accepts most fasteners and decay resistance,” material with the appearance of wood doesn’t need adhesives or sealants. It car- Oakes said. but which stands up better to weather ries a 20-year limited warranty. Tru-Exterior and insects have a new choice, Boral Tru- The product “is especially good for siding “costs Exterior siding and trim. homeowners,” Sims said. “It doesn’t rot or less than cedar “It looks like wood and feels like wood, decay.” Wood can swell, shrink, warp, or and some other but it doesn’t act like it,” said Boral prod- crack in response to changing tempera- products, and uct manager Aaron Sims. ture and moisture. In contrast, Tru-Exterior more than vinyl Six years in development, Tru-Exterior siding “is very stable, and insects don’t eat siding,” Oakes said. siding consists of a proprietary polymer it. Animals may try it, but they usually give However, vinyl blend encapsulating highly refined fly up. It has incredible termite resistance.” It’s most commonly comes in light and This modern-style earth-sheltered home features TruExterior Siding Nickel Gap and ash, a by-product of coal combustion also fire-resistant, with an ASTM E84 score Channel profiles. Courtesy images: Boral Tru-Exterior®. that would otherwise go to a landfill. Fly of below 35. “That’s very low,” Sims said. pastel colors and ash is endorsed by the U.S. Green Build- Unlike vinyl and some composites, the to paint it gener- ing Council and the U.S. Environmental material can be painted any color with ally requires paints formulated specifically tool steel. The gritty fly ash “chews tool Protection Administration for use in exterior latex paint. “We’re mostly focused for plastics. “This siding can accept dark steel right up,” he said. construction materials. The siding has on the residential market,” Sims said. “The colors,” he said. “It really looks like wood Evan Lawrence is a free-lance writer in siding products when it’s finished. I used it on my own Cambridge, NY, specializing in sustainabil- are high-end house.” ity, environmental, and health topics. premium. We sell Oakes had one warning: Builders to a lot of historic should use carbide tools and not regular districts on the East Coast.” Boral manufac- tures Tru-Exterior products in a LEED silver-certified factory in East Spencer, N.C. The company pur- chases renewable energy credits, powers its facilities with alternative energy sources, and has its own Both of the homes pictured are in Massachusetts and each features two different waste water kinds of TruExterior Siding. The white house features TruExterior Siding Channel management sys- Bevel profile and Shiplap profile in a vertical orientation. tems. It belongs to the U.S. Green a minimum of 70% recycled content, as Building Council and was a founder of the certified by SCS Global Services and is Climate Registry. Cradle to Cradle certified. Locally, Boral products are available at “Through the burning process, the Oakes Bros., Inc. in Bradford, Vt. One local ash becomes very spherical,” Sims said. project that is using the product is for a “It has unique properties.” Although fly vacation home on Lake Sunapee in New ash contains some toxins found naturally Hampshire. in coal, the polymer keeps them from “The house is on the lake and had some leaching, Sims said. To ensure the safety pretty extreme decay,” said Dale Oakes, a of its employees and customers, Boral manager at the store. “The owner wanted tested the siding for toxins and found something that would stand up better.” that they were below detectable levels. They are also using cedar shingles, “which

Now is the time to start planning those Fall & Winter projects Give us a call to get the ball rolling!

Serving Southern Vermont and surrounding areas since 1984 31 Station Rd. • Mt. Holly, VT 05758 • (802) 259-2094 |Quality Residential | Commercial | Historical Preservation| Covered Bridges | www.WrightConstruction.com 603.359.1912 // geobarns.com New Record Levels of Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Building & Energy Efficiency WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 August 2018 31

much lower ratings. A home using net-zero RH Irving Wins 2017 Net-zero Home of Year Award energy, so the amount of energy it uses George Harvey They custom build highly-efficient build- over the course of a year is equal to the Bob Irving, of R.H. ing modules. Readers should understand amount it produces, has a rating of 0. Irving HomeBuilders in that building modules in a factory has a The Cornish House has a HERS rating of Salisbury, New Hamp- number of advantages over -16. That means that the home’s utility bill shire, has been building construction from scratch might well be negative, even offsetting high performance homes at the building site. Custom the cost of connect fees. If batteries are for over thirty years. His building modules can also installed, the house could go off the grid goal for that whole time mean that the design is without much difficulty. has been to build homes unique to the building. R.H. Irving’s award does not tell the that are exceptionally Interestingly, one of the full story, however, so there are a few efficient and sustainable, important contributors things left to add. Cornish House is pretty while being comfortable to building the Cornish enough that Bob Irving says it is one of his and affordable. House was the owner. He favorites. The owners have said they are If you believe that took a hands-on approach delighted. And we at Green Energy Times makes R.H. Irving one in a number of building are impressed. of the most knowledge- systems, including the R.H. Irving’s web page is rhirvinghome- NHSaves Drive to Net Zero Home Competition winners. Bob Irving is builders.com. able experts of passive shown in the back row (red shirt and beard) holding his first place award. insulation and installation or net-zero energy Courtesy photo. of solar panels. homes in New England, The problem of getting all the activi- your opinion has been ties of all parties coordinated is a job that confirmed. NHSaves gave R.H. Irving the house was an effort undertaken by a num- requires a good manager and is not always first place award for its 2017 Drive to ber of people and organizations. Kaplan easy. In this case Bob Irving undertook to Net Zero Home Competition, for work Thompson Architects of Portland Maine, see the job was done right and brought it completed on a home in Cornish, New a firm specializing in beautiful, net-zero to completion. In this job, his award speaks Hampshire. NHSaves was created by the energy buildings, provided the original de- to his success. utilities to provide the information, sup- sign. Green Energy Times has run articles The award from NHSaves was based port, and incentives so customers could about their work, most recently in the “The largely on its score under the Home Energy save energy, reduce costs, and protect ‘Greenest Building’ in Portland, Maine,” Rating System, commonly called the HERS the environment. The awards it gives are which appeared in August, 2017 (bit.ly/ rating. The HERS rating is based on evalua- intended to help further those goals. This greenest-in-portland). tion of the house for energy use against a is the first time this particular award has Preferred Building Systems, of Clare- reference home with a HERS rating of 100. been given. mont, New Hampshire, produced the Older buildings tend to have much higher As with most buildings, the Cornish modules for the building in their factory. ratings, and modern, efficient houses have

Cool Ways LEDs Are Helping the Planet See the Path Green Energy Times Staff It seems like every time we turn around, we get another impressive update from LEDdynamics. It was just last April that we pub- lished our latest article on one of their products, “LEDdynamics™ Gro-Lights” (bit.ly/leddynamics-grow-lights). Now, we have some- thing exciting to share. Some time ago, LEDdynamics acquired another company, Prolume, which had started as a company making signs with LEDs but has been specializing in architectural lighting of late. The Prolume Division’s website, www.prolumeled.com has a stunningly beautiful gallery of its work, which includes lighting for the U.S. Mint, White House Visitors Center, museums around the country, bridges, and more. Here is a collage of a few examples of what you will find at the Prolume website. There is lots more where these came from. Enjoy.

All photos courtesy of Prolume.

Miniature millinery shop dollhouse, Shelburne Museum, VT. Series LIA fixtures illuminate doll house miniatures and cases in the toy and variety unit. Lighting design: Richard L Kerschner.

North Bank Bridge Boston and Cambridge, MA. Series LIA fixtures were used in the handrails to illuminate the pathway along this bicycle-pedestrian bridge connecting Cambridge and Charlestown. Photo: Mark Flannery.

911 memorial at Boston Logan International Airport, Boston, MA. Series RIA fixtures mounted within the memorial’s framing uplight the glass panels at Boston’s Logan International Airport. Photography: Jay Lehrhaupt. 32 August 2018 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 Sustainable Education MA Schools Awarded Funds for Clean Energy Educational Programs as well as academic training Agricultural High School: Students will with a curriculum focused on take part in a new academic course dur- clean energy during the school ing the 2018-2019 school year entitled, year. MassCEC anticipates at “LEED Prep Green Building”. Students least 60 students will partici- will build clean energy educational mo- pate in the 2018 Learn and Earn bile carts and concentrate on systems program, including 40 students employing battery storage. from Gateway Cities. MassCEC also awarded $120,000 to MassCEC awarded $160,000 Commonwealth Corporation to provide to each of the following institu- technical assistance along with its Signal tions: Success Curriculum to each school. The Essex North Shore Agricultur- curriculum includes hands-on work al and Technical High School: readiness training designed to help stu- Students will spend the year dents develop essential skills for future retrofitting a vacant building success. Greater Lawrence Technical School. Courtesy photos. on campus and will use clean According to MassCEC’s 2017 Clean energy technologies to create Energy Industry Report, employ- The Baker-Polito Administration an- will reinforce the Commonwealth’s posi- a more energy efficient space by installing ers would benefit from educational nounced $480,000 in funding to three tion as a national leader of innovation.” LED lighting, automatic flush toilets and development in clean energy and STEM high schools for hands-on learning “Designing curriculum that exposes auto on/off faucets, a heat pump electric topics. Nearly three quarters of employ- and academic training programs that high school students to STEM-related hot water heater and a heat pump/AC ers reported hiring difficulty over the prepare students to pursue clean energy fields will help develop the next genera- split system. last year, with 47% of employers citing in science, technology, engineering, and tion of Massachusetts workers,” Lieutenant Greater Lawrence Technical School: insufficient qualified candidates as the mathematics (STEM) programs in higher Governor Karyn Polito said. “By creating Students will research, develop and most significant barrier to hiring. education and careers. The funding was these new, innovative opportunities for implement clean announced at at MassCEC’s New Bedford hands-on learning, our administration is energy fuel Marine Commerce Terminal, where a helping students to gain the necessary sources through group of students currently participat- skills to compete in the Commonwealth’s the design and ing in the Learn and Earn program were innovation economy.” planting of green given a tour of the facility as well as a The Learn and Earn program provides roofs along with presentation from offshore wind devel- grants to schools for programs to prepare growing algae oper Vineyard Wind. high school students for higher learning for transporta- “Massachusetts is home to a thriving opportunities and careers in clean energy tion (biofuel). clean energy sector, and this invest- and STEM fields. Selected applicants will Students will learn ment in our students will help build a design and deliver a training program to the importance workforce that will sustain the Common- high school students that provides career of design and wealth’s vibrant innovation economy exploration, work readiness training, paid technology as it for generations to come,” said Governor work-based learning that focuses on clean relates to solving Charlie Baker. “Providing new opportuni- energy and dual enrollment that provides energy, social and ties for STEM education for our students credit from a high education institution. community issues. “Building the pipeline Norfolk County Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical High School. of students interested in studying and work- ing in STEM is critical for the Commonwealth,” said Education Secretary James Peyser. MassCEC CEO Stephen Pike echoed this thought, making clear that a highly-skilled workforce is critical to the continued success of the state’s clean energy industry. Since the Learn and Earn program launched in 2014, 283 high school students have partici- Visit an Ecovillage Norfolk County Agricultural High School. pated, receiving employ- ment during the summer Wednesday-Saturday 9 am-2pm 85 Angels RD. COURT RULES FOR YOUTH Colebrook, NH 03576 Cont’d from p. 1 603-331-1669 the courts under the last administra- made so far may be difficult for a layman tion. The arrival of the current admin- (such as myself) to understand. But a istration brought a change in gov- few very simple observations might be Internships 2019 available ernment tactics. The attacks on the worth making. case have been extraordinary, with One is that as this case has gone constant attempts to block progress. through the court systems, the decisions The courts have been mostly were very often unanimously against Harvest Festival unsympathetic to those attacks. the federal government. In the case of Saturday September While one of them did delay the case the latest decision, the Trump adminis- somewhat, setting the court date for tration asked the Supreme Court to slow 22, 2018 arguments back from February to Oc- or delay the case, and the decision that tober of this year, it looks like the time the youth plaintiffs have a right to sue 5 pm- 10 pm for making those delays is over. The over the quality of the environment they RSVP 603-331-1669 Supreme Court denied a Trump ad- will live in in the future was unanimous. ministration application for a stay and Justices appointed by conservative maintained the court date of October Republican presidents sided with the 29, 2018, as set by the District Court. youths against the Trump administra- This case has levels of complexity tion. that are daunting. The implications It will be interesting to see where this www.citeecologiquenh.org of the court decisions that have been goes in October. Sustainable Education WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 August 2018 33

“The new high school location in Freeport really strengthens our overall Freeport, Maine Passive High School school,” Admissions Director, Lynn Baird, The First Passive House-Certified, Net-Zero High School in the U.S. said in a news release. “Not only are we more accessible, but we now have Barbara Whitchurch endless opportunities for connection, On March 30, 2018, interaction and collaboration among Efficiency Maine (ef- teachers and students across grades ficiencymaine.com) K through 12.” These opportunities designated the Maine include tutoring, “big brother/sister” Coast Waldorf School programs, and all-school games days. (mainecoastwaldorf. The building project also included an org) as a certified Maine expansion of the school’s Community Advanced Building. Hall for new faculty offices, a commercial Designed by the archi- kitchen/café, and an additional music/ tectural firm Briburn performing arts space. To create these of Portland, Maine, the sustainably designed additions, Maine building far exceeds Coast Waldorf School partnered with many of this certifica- Kaplan Thompson Architects of Portland. tion’s requirements. Passive House buildings are also In addition, the school known for their comfort. The tempera- recently received certifi- ture is uniform throughout; fresh air is cation from the Passive continuously circulated; the southern House Institute of the Maine Coast High School: Inspiring spaces and a permanent home. Above: front exterior view; rt: multipurpose room are shown. Cour- exposure affords great light. So, it is with United States (phius. tesy photos: Kevin Morris Photography the Maine Coast Waldorf High School. org), the highest volun- Windows afford beautiful views and tary energy efficiency over the entrance section yields an R-value much electricity as the building is projected plenty of light, enhancing the feeling of standard in the world, making it the first of 70. There is also 4” of insulation around to use. The solar system is operated under a being connected to nature -- and hope- Passive House-certified high school in and under the slab. Power Purchasing Agreement (PPA), in fully encouraging a feeling of steward- the United States. • Sophisticated building membranes and which Maine Solar Solutions owns the array ship for the land. An article by Katy Kelleher (”Designing tapes from Siga (https://www.siga.com/) and has a long-term contract with the Passive House design/construction is for Change,” July, 2018, Maine Home + and Huber Zip System (http://www. school to purchase the electricity it pro- supported by certified builders, design- Design Magazine) quotes Christopher huberwood.com/) control the ingress of duces for a low-cost, fixed rate. ers, consultants and raters, each with Briley and Harry Hepburn, Briburn’s moisture from the outside and prevent Warren Construction Group was the a respective designation: CPHB, CPHD, founding principals, “ ‘We’re super jazzed interior moisture from migrating into general contractor/installer for the project. CPHC, and CPHR. More information is about how the school came out,’ Briley exterior walls in the winter. According to Peter Warren, “(We were) available from Efficiency Maine, Vermont says. ‘It’s the best feeling ever, to walk • Intus (https://www.intuswindows.com/) proud to be part of a committed team Passive House (vtph.org), and Efficiency into that school and see kids and teach- triple-glazed windows and Reynaer (https:// brought together to plan and create one Vermont (efficiencyvermont.com). ers using it. It’s their everyday building.’ www.reynaers.us/) exterior doors, from of the most Rather than the standard rectangular Lithuania and Belgium, respectively, yield environmentally brick building, these high school stu- high R-values and excellent air sealing as conscious schools dents get to learn beside airy windows well. built in recent his- and under solar panels. According to • Southern orientation of the building tory. The school Hepburn, who was the lead architect allows for maximum solar gain. now has the ben- and LEED AP Professional, ‘They didn’t • Window openings are strategically efit of tight, effi- want something that would feel insti- located to capitalize on solar heat gain in cient, high-quality tutional. It was a lot of fun to play with the winter; deep southern overhangs help space that is really shape, color, and material, while making prevent overheating during warmer fantastic to be sure it was up to our standards.’” months. in. The Waldorf The Specifications • Interior LED lighting is tied to occupancy community will be well served for The two-story, 10,600-square-foot sensors. years to come.” building accommodates 70 students and • Mitsubishi (https://www.mitsubishicom- incorporates the following features that fort.com/) ductless mini-split heat pumps A Bit of History led to the certifications: provide efficient heating and cooling. The school • The walls are highly insulated with Internal heat gains from people, lighting, was founded in dense-packed cellulose. The east, west and equipment provide significant heating 1984 as Merri- and south walls are 8” thick, overlaid with in the winter; heat pumps make up the coneag Waldorf 4” of rigid foil-faced polyiso foam board, difference -- if needed). School, serving students in early childhood Barbara Whitchurch is a freelance writer yielding an R-value of 51.6. The north wall • Three RenewAire Energy Recovery through eighth grade. In 2007, Waldorf and a board member of Vermont Passive is 8” thick, overlaid with a 9” Larsen truss Ventilators (ERVs) use exhausting air to opened a high school in New Gloucester, House. system, both filled with dense-packed precondition incoming fresh air to minimize but the board and faculty have always held cellulose yielding an R-value of 61.4. energy loss. a vision of a beautiful, energy-efficient • The main roof is constructed of 16” • A 33kW roof-mounted solar electric building on the adjoining property. As the Many TGIs, yielding an R-value of 55; the roof system, designed and installed by Maine high school enrollment climbed toward a thanks over the Great Room has 24” TGIs, Solar Solutions (https://mainesolarsolutions. record 70 students, the time was at hand to to our yielding an R-value of 82; and the flat roof com/), is modeled to produce at least as make a move. Sponsor:

Beautiful. Sustainable. Attainable.

kaplanthompson.com

Solar Electric & Battery Back-up for Maine Homes and Businesses [email protected] mainesolarsolutions.com (207) 272-2455 34 August 2018 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 Businesses “Incentivize” Employees Cont’d from p. 18 GUIDE TO ADVERTISERS RESOURCES another way some companies are stepping Apex Solar 4,5 350-Vermont: General group that coordinates a variety of statewide actions. up in terms of promoting sustainability. ARC Mechanical 23 To join this group go to: http://350vermont.org Bank of America offers employees $500 AWEB Supply 23 off the installation of solar panels on their Catamount Solar 8 American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy: Consumer guide to home energy savings - home rooftops, as well as a $3,000 reim- aceee.org/consumer bursement incentive for those staffers who Cedar Circle Farm 35 American Solar Energy Society (ASES): www.ases.org buy a hybrid, compressed natural gas-pow- Central Vermont Solid Waste Manage- Backwoods Solar: Specialty: solar, off-grid - www.backwoodssolar.com ered, or “highway-capable” electric vehicle. ment District 2 Reinsurance giant Swiss Re’s COyou2 Cite Ecologique of New Hampshire 32 Buildings Energy Data Book: buildingsdatabook.eren.doe.gov initiative grants employees up to half of Clean Solar New England 9 Carbon Tax: carbontax.org the costs associated with shrinking their Connexus Controls, LLC 22 Clean Power Estimator: www.consumerenergycenter.org/renewables/estimator personal carbon footprints. The company Dan & Whit’s General Store 39 CO2.Earth: See emissions harms, scientific advice, and pathways to follow. www.co2.earth makes upwards of 2,000 employee grants a year accordingly to help staffers replace Eastman Electric, LLC 8 Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, Heating, Appliances, Refrigerator Guide, Building aging appliances with newer energy- Elmore Roots 36 Envelope, Driving: http://aceee.org/consumer efficient models, beef up the insulation in Energy Emporium 10 Dept. Public Svc. (CEDF): publicservice.VT.gov/energy/ee_cleanenergyfund.html their homes and switch over to hybrid and Exclusively Vermont Wood Products 31 electric cars. Dsireusa.com: www.dsireusa.com Renewables & Efficiency. Find state, local, utility, & federal incen- Flying Goose Restaurant 37 Similarly, staffers at the Vermont Energy Frase Electric 10 tives for renewable energy & energy efficiency. Investment Corporation (VEIC) can access Friends of the Sun 22 Efficiency VT: This is a must-go-to site for immeasurable amounts of info. www.efficiencyVT.com company funds to help defray costs associ- Froling Energy 22 Energy Efficiency & R/E Clearinghouse (EREC): eetd.lbl.gov/newsletter/CBS_NL/nl6/Sources.html ated with the purchase of energy-efficient appliances, hybrid or electric cars, home Geobarns 30 Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Clearinghouse (EREC): eetd.lbl.gov energy assessments, CSA (Community Sup- Granite State Solar 10 Energy Guide: Unbiased advice about today’s energy choices. Find ways to save, lower your bills & help ported Agriculture) memberships, com- Grappone Auto Group 4 the earth’s environment - www.energyguide.com posting supplies or anything else that will Green Earth Health Food Market 36 serve to cut their own household environ- Green-E-Mowers 39 Energy Star Federal Tax Credits: www.energystar.gov/tax credits. mental impacts. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC): www.ferc.gov Greenbuild International Conference 40 Contacts: “Avoiding meat and dairy is Hanford Mills 2 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission(FERC): www.ferc.gov ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact High Peak Solar 9 Find Solar: www.findsolar.com on Earth,” goo.gl/8eScEF; Baltimore’s Integrated Solar Associates 9 Fossil Fuel Freedom: Group working to make Vermont’s energy plan 100% free of fossil fuels: Live Near Your Work, livebaltimore.com/ live-near-your-work; Swiss Re COyou2, Kaplan Thompson Architects 33 To join this group go to: groups.google.com/group/fossil-fuel-freedom- www.swissre.com/corporate_responsibility/ Key Bank 19 Greywater Info: www.oasisdesign.net/greywater coyou2_programme.html; VEIC Sustainability LEDdynamics 31 Home Energy Saver: Interactive site to help you identify & calculate energy savings opportunities in Benefits, www.veic.org/company/brands/ Local Energy Solutions 2 your home. A lot of great information! - hes.lbl.gov sustainability-benefits. Loewen Window Center 26 Home Power Magazine: www.homepower.com EarthTalk® is produced by Roddy Scheer Maine Solar Solutions 33 & Doug Moss for the 501(c)3 nonprofit Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op 36 IREC/ Interstate Renewable Energy Council: RE educational info. www.irecusa.org EarthTalk. Read more at earthtalk.org or send Mindel & Morse Builders 26 NABCEP/ North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners: This organization that tests & questions to [email protected]. Monadnock Food Co-op 36 certifies PV system installers. Individuals are Certified, companies are not. www.nabcep.org Montpelier Construction 27 NESEA/ Northeast Sustainable Energy Assoc.: www.nesea.org THE NEW CARBON ARCHITECTURE New England Commercial Solar Ser- National Association of Energy Service Co. (NAESCO): www.naesco.org vices 11 Cont’d from p. 27 National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): www.nrel.gov NH Electric Co-op (NHEC) 4, 23 blocks. As we discussed in the last issue of National Solar Institute: www.nationalsolarinstitute.com Green Energy Times (Issue #50, p. 27), you NH Rural Renewables 19 NeighborWorks® Alliance of Vermont: Low-cost energy loans - www.vthomeownership.org can even grow your insulation and bricks! North American Passive House Confer- New Hampshire Sustainable Energy Assoc. NHSEA Focused on N.E. US, for consumers & industry- RE The book reveals great value and benefits ence 27 & clean building info, events. www.nhsea.org that we can get by not ignoring the car- Northeast Battery 13 bon crises we now face. Irving concluded, New York Solar Energy Industries Association/NYSEIA www.nyseia.org Northeast Biogas 39 “It’s not the end-all, be-all book about car- Norwich Solar Technologies 21 New York Solar Energy Society (NYSES): www. nyses.org bon, but it’s hugely important especially NY Solar Energy Society 1 NFRC independent rating & labeling system for the windows, doors, skylights www.nfrc.org/ to folks like us who actually care about the subject. It’s gotten a lot of people O’meara Solar 8 NH Office of Energy and Planning: www.nh.gov/oep/programs/energy/RenewableEnergyIn- to think, including me, about things we Oakes Bros. Lumber 30 centives.htm need to learn and how to do better. It Old Spokes Home 5 Renewable Energy World: www.renewableenergyworld.com provides some ideas and thoughts for Peck Solar 8 Renewable Energy Vermont: www.revermont.org some of these better ways. So, I think it’s a Pellergy 22 valuable book at this time.” Port City Nissan 5 SEIA/ Solar Energy Industries Association: The SEIA Tax Manual to answer your solar related tax ques- Thanks to Bruce King for these solutions tions. www.seia.org and to Bob Irving for his comments. R.H. Irving Homebuilders 29 RAE Batteries 14 SmartPower: www.smartpower.org N.R. Mallery is the publisher of Green RELiON Batteries 13 Solar Components: www.solar-components.com Energy Times. Renewable Energy Vermont 3 Solar Jobs: Listed by city, state, and district, SolarStates.org RenewAire 29 Solar Living Source Book: realgoods.com/solar-living-sourcebook ReVision Energy 10 Solar Power Rocks: Impressive data and info ,including per state. www.solarpowerrocks.com/ SUBSCRIPTION FORM Rock Art Brewery 37 Solar Store of Greenfield, MA Stock & install a wide variety of solar & environmentally friendly tech- R1 YR…$30 R2 YRS…$50 R3 YRS…$65 Saxtons River Solar 15

nologies. SolarStoreofGreenfield.com name______SEON Home Tour 26 Tax Incentives Assistance Project (TIAP): www.energytaxincentives.org Snowdragon Solar 9 The Energy Grid: www.pvwatts.org address______Solar Source 10 Solar Store of Greenfield 14 The Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE): develops & deploys efficient & clean city.state.zip______Solartech 7 energy technologies that meet our nation’s energy needs - www.eere.energy.gov phone______Steven Winter Associates 29 Track the Stimulus Money: www.recovery.gov/Pages/home.aspx Stiebel Eltron 26 email______Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network (VECAN): works to start and support town energy TARM Biomass 40 committees as a powerful, people-powered response to realizing a clean energy future. www.vecan.net. website______UMA Solar 13

Vermont Tar Sands Action: Group working to stop the XL Pipeline and any other developments stemming Offer good in U.S. only. Canada: $US 34.00. Foreign: $US 40.00 Upper Valley Co-op 36 from the Alberta Tar Sands. To join this group go to: groups.google.com/group/vt-tar-sands-action Gift subscriptions available! One year = 6 Issues! VBSR 20 please send check to 1749 Wright’s Mountain Road Vermont Coffee Company 38 VPIRG: understand the clean energy resources available to VT - www.vpirg.org/cleanenergyguide Bradford, Vermont 05033 Vermont Passive House 29 VT Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC): nonprofit organization that issues home energy ratings for 802.439.6675 Vermont Soap Organics 38 new & existing homes. 800-639-6069 - www.veic.org [email protected] Wayside Restaurant 18 Weatherization, Energy Star & Refrigerator Guide: www.waptac.org www.greenenergytimes.org Energy Awareness, Understanding & Independence! White River Growpro 20 www.susdesign.com Online info for solar benefit with house design: overhangs, sun angle & path… Wright Construction Co., Inc. 30 It’sGREEN a Green LIFE Life HOME… After & All HEALTH WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORGWWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 802.439.6675 JUNE August 15, 2014 2018 35 35

Molecules Just Do Not Stay Put Larry Plesent PUMPKIN FESTIVAL! SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2018 • 10am–3pm Molecules just don’t goals. Those darn mol- like to stay put. They’re ecules! If only they would FARMSTAND: Mon-Sat 10–6, Sun 10–5 • HELLO CAFÉ: Daily 8–5 • CEDARCIRCLEFARM.ORG likely to run off and hook stay where they belong up with the first available instead of drifting into oxygen or hydrogen they the water supply, raining first visualize the future we begin to cre- NH Solar Shares find sitting on the nearest down on the children, ate for ourselves now. Cont’d from p.11 barstool. Having essentially being breathed into the How we as a society define success no weight, they are off like lungs and onto the skin defines how we spend our time each day. outreach and recruitment will begin soon. a prom dress at the drop of of every animal or human Is success having more than can be used In 2017, NH Solar Shares was awarded a hat and blown about on that happens by their up in your lifetime? Or is it the size of your a $75,000 CDFA Business Tax Credit Grant the fickle breezes of fate. orbit. trusted and loyal circle of true friends? which allows businesses to target a por- Molecules, the tiny building Once inside herbicides What do people think about during tion of their NH BET and payroll taxes to blocks of matter; dissemi- and pesticides damage their last days on Earth? Hint: It is almost support the Solar Shares’ effort. “We owe a nate ceaselessly through tissues, organs, growing never “I wish I had more toys”. I have big thanks to all of our business sponsors space and over time. children, babies and pets. observed that people tend to focus on including Northway Bank, Common Man, And that goes double for Delayed symptoms of 20 the people they love and regret the times Dunkin Donuts, EVP Marketing and Media, all sorts of molecules we to 30 years lull farmers they turned away from love. Memorial Mauchly Electric, M.E. Latulippe Construc- use to make our lives easier, and their neighbors into services inevitably focus on the acts of tion Inc., Pemi Tree Works and Revision such as pesticides and her- a false sense of security; generosity performed by the deceased, Energy. We hope more local businesses will bicides for instance. They only to be devastated not on the size of their 401k. take part in NH Solar Shares, with a dona- just don’t stay put. later (physically and finan- This is the Soapman asking all of us tion of any size” said Jones. There is still All life is related geneti- cially) by medical issues to think just a little bit on what is truly room for more businesses to pledge their cally. We share base DNA and the side effects of the important to us; and to what in retrospect support via the tax credit program by Sep- with the green plants and still relatively primitive may seem little more than a long hobby. tember 30, 2018. Please visit: www.nhcdfa. with the squirrels. All across state of current medical And get some swimming-hole time in! org/taxcredits/current-projects/ this hugely small planet living things are knowledge. The days are already getting shorter as Interested donors, volunteers, and fami- much more alike than they are different. We live in the Age of Unintended our big (and not so big) blue ball makes lies wishing to participate should contact This is why the things that we use to kill Consequences. Over the short term, its way around the sun.. Sandra Jones, NH Solar Shares, 603-536- 5030 or [email protected]. For other species can also make us sick or die. short sighted policies have brought vast Larry Plesent is a writer, philosopher and So, I cannot help but to be saddened temporary wealth and security to billions. more information, visit www.nhsolarshares. soap maker living and working in the Green org. NH Solar Shares LLC is a wholly owned by the continued contamination of our But at a price our grandchildren may be Mountains of Vermont. Learn more at www. molecule recycling ecosystem by factory loath to pay. subsidiary of the Plymouth Area Renewable vermontsoap.com www.reactivebody.org Energy Initiative - a 501-C 3 Not for Profit farming governed by short-term financial Change always begins in the mind. We and www.cancereraser.org. Tax Exempt Charitable Organization.

The Littleton Food Co-op: Energy Efficiency in Action Bob O’Connor has been cooled by pure, cold mountain air! Saving energy is During these cold months, instead of running not only good for large compressors, cold air from the outside is the planet but also circulated through many of the large coolers. good business. When the compressors are in use, the waste heat Since its recent produced is used to pre-heat incoming water to 11,500 square foot the hot water system. expansion, the Motion detectors in many areas make sure Littleton Food Co- that lights are on only when there is activity in op in New Hamp- these places. While not decreasing energy use, shire has reduced the display cases in the produce section were its per-square-foot made by Gallen Career and Technology Center heating costs by students to the exact specifications the co-op a whopping 44%! desired. This goes along with the co-op’s guid- It also reduced ing principle to make use of locally produced its electricity bill products. The electrical vehicle charging stations by 39%! Some located in the parking lot are used at a much of these fuel higher level than expected. With many auto- savings resulted 105 solar panels located on the roof of the store and open bins help to reduce the amount makers coming out with from some pretty of electrical energy the store must obtain from the grid. Photos courtesy Bob O’Connor. new electric vehicles and standard processes the fluctuating prices of such as deep gasoline, this benefit will no insulation in walls and roof along with triple and solved this problem. Certain display doubt be expanded in the glazed windows installed by Trumbull- cases, such as fresh produce, have remained coming years. Nelson Construction. Converting lighting open because of popular demand (the very The next time you visit to LEDs (light emitting diodes) reduced the nature of co-ops make them sensitive to the the Littleton Food Co-op, electric bill but efforts to reduce energy wishes of their members). To reduce energy look around and see a very costs did not stop there. costs in these open coolers, the cooled practical example of how CFW Electric installed 105 solar panels air flow is carefully directed to reduce the those in the North Country located on the roof to reduce the amount of amount of cold air flowing into the aisles. must adapt to the rising electrical energy the store must obtain from At the end of each business day, the lights cost of fossil fuels and the the grid. Making use of a law of physics, low- in these cases are shut off and curtains are effects of climatic changes. ering all of the light fixtures suspended from drawn to further prevent cold air mov- Bob O’Connor is a the ceiling allowed lower powered light ing into the aisles. Rodney Mitton, one of member of the Littleton, sources to produce the same illumination in the managers of the co-op, said these last NH Energy Conservation the store. Have you ever felt when shopping techniques have resulted in a much warmer Committee. Bob is a retired in some stores that you needed a jacket store at the beginning of each winter day. science teacher and spent in the aisles surrounded by open coolers? The Littleton Food Co-op is one of the few 15 years managing a local Above: Rodney Mitton pointing to duct supplying external air to cooler. ; Installing doors on older coolers and having places in New Hampshire where the beer cable access TV station. Lowered light fixtures suspended from the ceiling allow lower-powered light doors on all of the new ones saved energy you take home during the winter months sources to produce the same illumination as prior to the energy retrofit. 36 August 2018 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 IT’S A GREEN LIFE - AFTER ALL… FARM AND GARDENS

Elmore Roots’ Permaculture Know-How Elmore Roots Nursery ones that have turned all brown and get Organic fruit trees for the coldest hillsides in Vermont Up in the Treetops, It’s Plum Good Pickin’ them away from your plum trees. Their David Fried spores circulate from the ground or from ripe on the hill. each other and back up and into the ones Why is it that we next to them. can get so many I can’t really believe how many plums plums and others there are. I quickly fill a bag, and then have a hard time? another and another. When a plum is It could be that we perfectly ripe, it will separate from its twig have a lot of plums and sit right in that little plum shaped growing here near cup in the natural palm of my hand. No each other. Next pulling or plucking or effort at all. What I to the “black ice” is have found growing plums over the years a row of “waneta” is that all I really have to do is smile. And plums and next to share them. them, a row of “su- The best plum cultivars for our area perior” plums. In na- in northern Vermont are Waneta, Toka, Superior, Alderman, La Crescent, Kahinta, ture, wild American elmoreroots.com 802.888.3305 plums grow in thick- Pembina, Golden apricot and Mt. Royal. ets, where a lot of They often begin to bear fruit early in shoots sprout from life (about two to five years) and do not their roots and make usually grow very tall (about eight to ten An up close view of the plum orchard, from on top of the ladder, at Elmore a self-contained feet). Plum trees have quite the flower Roots Nursery. Painting by Gabriel Tempesta. island of plums. You show in spring and often have beauti- can’t even get in ful fall foliage. Many of the plums we There is magic in the treetops. For there! This is good for the plums as they have today were developed by professor once, I have the birds’ eye view. There get the pollination and wind protection Hansen in South Dakota in the early 1900s are hundreds of them. Red plums are they need. We can mimic this observed by crossing very hardy wild American turning purple in the late afternoon trait by planting a plum grove made up plums with very tasty Japanese varieties sunlight. I lean against my ladder and of at least four to six different plums culti- that were not so hardy before his work reach my arm to get that one right vars rather closely, about eight to 10 feet with them. These plums are so good and there. I see its color changing to that apart. They will grow and touch and be a so exotic tasting. Many visitors who I hand deep purple. I’ve got it! This one is in lot closer than trees in an apple orchard, a plum to cannot believe that something the bag. but they seem to like this. In any case, it is with almost the flavor of mangoes can be About six years ago we planted three good for fruiting. grown right here! rows of plum trees in a new field we call I climb up my ladder noticing which Moving the ladder now into the ha- “big daddy.” Today, I was working the ones are purple, which ones red, which zelberts. Must harvest a bunch of them, 193 North Main St row of a plum developed recently in ones two- tone, and which ones with a even when they are not all nice and tan White River Jct, VT

Wisconsin called “black ice.” It is an early spot of brown. These are still good if you yet inside their fragrant husks. They will (802) 295 5804

plum, and rather tart while sunset or- can pick them now, while that spot is one continue to turn coffee -brown and ripen uppervalleyfood.coop indoors in a paper bag, far from the chip- ange or red. Then, without much warn- half an inch or so. You can cook with them OPEN 8 AM TO 8 PM EVERYDAY ing, but a hot day or two, it becomes now or freeze them whole for cooking munks, squirrels and blue jays. We like purple and almost blue black and is another time. If the spot gets any larger, them, but they live for them! ready to pick. Ah, the delicious pleasure it will not taste very good. American and From the treetops I see a lot of plum of giving in to a bite of this plum. Bright Japanese plums get this brown rot spot trees being planted. A lot of smiles. A lot red inside and juicy. Each of my shirts in certain years. The key is to pick them of people going to change their shirts. gets ruined, one by one, during the before it spreads in the plum. It is also a David Fried is a writer, nurseryman and Shop Co-ops weeks of summer when the plums are good idea to rake up the drops, and the fruit grower in northern Vermont. Co-operatives are businesses that are member- owned collectively managed by paid staff and a member-elected board of directors. Values include democracy, self-help and a concern for Your Brain on Nature families and the community. THE NATURE FIX by Florence Williams, W.W. Norton & Company, 2017, 304 pages Book review by Roger Lohr The Nature Fix by Florence Williams • Go on monthly weekend excursions to provides the most compelling argu- natural areas to bolster immune systems. ment to date for people to spend more The top of the pyramid includes annual time outdoors in nature based on or biyearly, multi-day wilderness trips. an increasing amount of biological, More significantly, such wilderness experi- Cont’d from p.9 Cont’d from p.9 psychological and medicinal scientific ences are invaluable for adolescents or evidence. following grief or trauma. Over the years, efforts have been Williams traveled the world over to made to quantify nature’s impact on investigate and experience research on mood, well-being, cognitive functions nature’s impact on humans. In Japan, she (remember, plan, create) and sociabil- saw “forest bathing” on a sensory walk in ity. The biophilic hypothesis involves the woods on one of the 48 forest therapy lowering human stress, boosting mental trails in the country. In Scotland, they call health, restoring attention, empathy, it “eco therapy.” She met with a Korean pro- and cognitive clarity. Nature also affects fessor of “social forestry” who introduced a social component, like the feeling that her to the world’s only college degree for Open 7 Days 8am-7pm Open 7 Days 8am-7pm is shared among people who spend forest healing. In South Korea from 2010 9 Washington St 388-7276 middlebury.coop time together outdoors, or people who to 2013, visits to the forest increased from 9 Washington St 388-7276 middlebury.coop perform exceeding acts of kindness in 9.4 million to 12.7 million, while in the the aftermath of a severe environmental U.S.A. there was a decline of 25% during event such as a tornado, earthquake, the same time period. firestorm, and such. The evidence (there are 20 pages of Mascoma Lake from along the bike trail near Enfield, The recommended prescription for cited notes and credits) about nature’s New Hampshire. Photo courtesy of Roger Lohr. getting outdoors in a “nature pyramid” impact involves details with cortisol levels, includes quick doses and longer spells sympathetic nerve activity, heart rate in wild places. Specifically, people decline, and hemoglobin in the brain’s tweets in the early morning, the leaves should: prefrontal cortex. The book is replete with moving in the wind, and so on. But the • Get out in nature nearby on a daily that type of information, but most people U.S. Park Service claims that 83% of land basis for some minutes to distress, find may not be familiar with such neurological in the lower 48 states sits within 3,500 feet five years strong focus and lighten mental fatigue, details. of a road, and that within 20 years, 90% of • Spend weekly outings at parks or One of nature’s benefits are delivered the population will be close waterways for an hour or so, and through sound – a bubbling brook, bird enough to hear at least one Cont’d on p.37 good.local.food. go co-op! IT’S A GREEN LIFE - AFTER ALL … FARM AND GARDENS WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG August 2018 37

The Solar-Powered Circle of Life gives us a way to understand how we in- Jessie Haas fluence the clouds. Soil is something we can build and improve, on a scale from “Plants manage wa- back there through vast rangelands to small back yards. ter, and in managing changes in farm Wherever soil organic matter increases, water, they manage practices. If we also the soil carbon sponge becomes more heat,“ according to reduce emissions, healthy and begins to improve the Australian agricultural we can change hydrologic cycle. Knowing this, we can pioneer Peter Andrews. the equation and begin to dance with the rain, the plants, This has been born stabilize climate. and the soil microbes to increase the out in a recent study The other view beauty and hospitable nature of our showing that wide- sees the carbon earthly home. spread use of cover and hydrological Jessie Haas has written 40 books, crops in the Midwest cycles as linked, mainly for children, and has lived in an has affected the local part of what Dono- off-grid cabin in Westminster West, VT climate, producing van called “the since 1984, www.jessiehaas.com. Links cooler temperatures solar-powered cir- available with the posting of this article and more abundant cle of life.” Carbon on the Green Energy Times website. spring rains. removed from the Previously, farmers atmosphere and practiced summer stored in the soil fallow, leaving fields disproportionately Come Visit Our bare through an affects the earth’s entire year between heat balance at wheat crops. This was the surface level Tasting Room thought to benefit soil – where we live. moisture and interrupt Carbon built into & VT Gift Shop pest life cycles. In fact, soil structure holds what it did was burn Illustration of the benefits of the Soil Carbon Sponge versus the negative feedback loops of bare com- water, and moist Open Mon.-Sat. up soil carbon, damage pacted soil. Image courtesy Peter Donovan of the Soil Carbon Coalition. soils are cooler. The 10 a.m.-6 p.m. the moisture-holding moisture supports capacity of the land, and increase local plant life; plants shade the soil, cooling heat the same way a parking lot does. and porous, with air-holes and channels it further. Plants also transpire moisture, Fine dust particles rose into the sky, that can also store tremendous amounts cooling the air around them. Trees are big forming a haze that held heat in but of water. In The Drought Resilient Farm, air conditioners. So are grasslands and did not nucleate rain. Soil expert Peter Kansas farmer Dale Strickler wrote of fields planted to cover crop. The transpired Donovan wrote in Recognizing the Soil driving past his own farm after a tornado. moisture carries bacteria to the upper Carbon Sponge that landscapes of this The ditches around other farms were full atmosphere; raindrops nucleate around kind “multiply heat and aridity.” of brown water. His were empty. His land, the bacteria and fall, cooling us again, Cover crops, in contrast, shade the after years of soil-building, had retained all and bringing more moisture, in a virtuous soil. The plants transpire water, which that water and was ready to put it to work. cycle. forms high convective clouds, and then How do we understand carbon and its This cooling, moistening, and increased rain. Local temperatures are cooled by relation to climate change? Donovan said plant productivity happen right down at the rainfall. As the clouds dissipate, long- that there are two different views. “They ground level where we can feel it, making wave heat rays escape into the upper do not contradict each other, and it is not life pleasant as we do the work we must atmosphere. about right or wrong here, but these two do, to reverse the carbon imbalance. It is all part of how the the soil carbon embody different possibilities or out- The hydrologic cycle has a powerful sponge functions. Soil is one of the comes.” effect on climate change, one that has major sinks for carbon, and as such is One view sees this essentially as a math drawn less attention than the carbon an increasing focus for climate change problem. There is too much carbon in cycle. This may be in part because it feels activists. When plants store carbon in the atmosphere. Much of that excess was more difficult for humans to influence. But the soil, it gains structure, becoming rich oxidized out of the soil and can be put thinking about the soil carbon sponge

632 LaPorte Rd., Morrisville, VT 802.888.9400 Your Brain on Nature rockartbrewery.com Cont’d from p.36

of the projected 30,000 airplane flights per day. NH’s First solar-Powered Brewery! In Finland, 95% of the population Cont’d from p.9 spends time recreating outdoors and 50% ride bicycles. It is easy to access forests because 74% of the country is covered by trees and there are 2 million summer cottages for a population of 5 million Finns, who claim the focus on nature correlates to reduced health care costs and mental and physical fitness. Williams visited Singapore, where 70% of the population lives within 400 THE FLYING GOOSE meters of green space. The govern- ment in Singapore allocates 0.6% of the BREW PUB & GRILLE national budget to develop scenery and A family-friendly greenery. sustainable restaurant There are successful nature programs ~ Serving Lunch/Dinner Daily ~ to help people who suffer with PTSD The lupine field scenery from Sugar Hill, New Hamp- (post-traumatic stress disorder) and shire. Photo courtesy of Roger Lohr. ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity 20 Handcrafted Brews on Tap disorder). Outward Bound did a study on a therapeutic adventure program doctors, teachers, and parents prescribe showing nine to 19% of participating getting outdoors more often? veterans who had PTSD improved. Wil- Roger Lohr of Lebanon, NH, who owns and liams includes a discussion about ADHD edits XCSkiResorts.com, has published articles 603-526-6899 programs where 6.4 million kids are and promotional topics on snow sports, sus- 40 Andover Rd, New London, NH diagnosed and half of them are taking tainability, and trails in regional and national (1 mile east off exit 11, I-89) medication for the malady. media. He is also the new Recreational Editor Isn’t it about time that more therapists, for Green Energy Times. www.flyinggoose.com 38 August 2018 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 IT’S A GREEN LIFE - AFTER ALL Vermont Coffee Company Goes 100% Renewable By Green Energy Times Staff By combin- The Vermont ing renewable Coffee Company natural gas (VCC), known for sourced from its organic coffee, a landfill with has big news. farm-produced All the energy it electricity, VCC uses to roast its can honestly coffee now comes claim to be from renewable selling coffee resources. that is roasted Paul Ralston The move to re- with 100% newable energy is renewable en- Coffee quality control. no accident. Founder & CEO Paul Ralston ergy. According has been working for years on ways to to its website, it is the first coffee com- roast with renewable energy. He said, pany in the U.S. to be powered entirely however, “The renewable energy piece by renewable biogas. has been a long frustrating road. Early on we tried a coffee roaster that burned wood, but it didn’t roast coffee very well.” GMP Commercial Electric As of April 2018, both the electricity Mower Incentive and thermal energy (gas) used to roast Green Mountain Power is providing incen- its coffee comes from methane. Even tives for commercial electric lawn mowers though it’s a powerful greenhouse gas, Vermont Coffee Company has invested in energy-efficient roasting equipment making it possible to roast coffee with significantly less energy. Courtesy photos. that replace older gas-powered units. To when recovered via anaerobic digestion qualify, the mowers must be owned by GMP (AD) methane can be converted into customers and charged in GMP territory. electricity or renewable natural gas. electricity which is then fed onto the pow- injected into the pipeline, and we take it There are other limitations that apply to the There are many reasons to encourage er grid, just like other renewable resources out the other end, here in Middlebury.” offer. Also, because the incentives are being the use of AD for energy generation. In such as wind, solar and hydro. Electricity Renewable biogas is available through given under a pilot program, only twenty Vermont there are more than a dozen produced this way is branded and sold by Vermont Gas Systems’ Renewable Natural mowers will get the incentives. A number of digesters located on dairy farms gener- Green Mountain Power as “Cow Power” Gas program, and like Cow Power, partici- models of mowers may get incentives, in- ating electricity from biogas, along with and is available to commercial and resi- pants pay a premium for it. cluding at least four by Mean Green Products. other byproducts such as rich compost, dential customers for a small premium. Ralston believes energy efficiency is Those interested fertilizer and animal bedding. AD also is For VCC’s thermal energy, methane is really the first step towards using 100% re- should contact GMP an effective way to reduce the amount captured at a Quebec-based engineered newables. In order to offset the premiums at 888-835-4672 or of agricultural pollutants, such as the landfill and converted into renewable it pays for renewable energy, over the last Eco-Equipment Sup- phosphorus that contributes to Ver- natural gas. Ralston pointed to the advan- several years VCC invested in new roasting ply at 802-363-3930. mont’s water quality issues. tages of this system, saying, “The landfill technology that is much more energy ef- Sourcing renewable electricity was the was designed to capture the methane that ficiency. In fact, the new roasters use 70% Many easy part for VCC. Through the process would normally off-gas into the environ- less gas to roast a pound of coffee than thanks of AD, cow manure is transformed into ment. The biogas is scrubbed, cleaned and the older equipment. to our sponsors:

SOAP FOR THE PEOPLE

New! Ctified Organic Fmulas! Creamy FOAMING SOAP, Sthing BODY WASH, Effective DEODORANT MADE WITH ALL ORGANIC INGREDIENTS & FORMULATED FOR SENSITIVE SKIN. THESE PRODUCTS ARE SAFE FOR YOU & SAFE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT! ...always the gd stuff!

We suppt ORGANIC AGRICULTURE as it is better for the soil, water, air and people. It’s not just about the food that goes in your body, or products on your skin. Organic is about a healthy environment for all! With RESPONSIBLY SOURCED, high quality ingredients, we create authentic products made with integrity!

Ce visit r tlet! 616 EXCHANGE ST. MIDDLEBURY, VT 05753 WWW.VERMONTSOAP.COM IT’S A GREEN LIFE - AFTER ALL WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 August 2018 39 f oothpaste ubes ld uitcases BACKRaeann Bilow TO BASICS: WHAT IS RECYCLABLE? O T T & O S Being a perfect paper, junk mail, shipping Central Vermont Leads the Way in Recycling ‘Weird Stuff’ recycler is tough. boxes, and cereal boxes. Sally Bellew and Cassandra Hemenway Recycling poses size Cleanliness is impor- to give it a try. In 2012, using a model tant to the companies Do you find yourself cringing each time requirements, excep- you put something into the trash, because from EcoCycle in Boulder, CO, their ARCC tions to some common that buy recycling. The opened in a corner of their warehouse. containers you bring you believe it can’t be recycled? Well, cringe rules, and different no more. The Central Vermont Solid Waste It was called Free Fridays and folks could places to bring differ- should always be empty bring in about a dozen odd and sundry at a minimum and rinsed Management District (CVSWMD) offers a ent recyclables. And home to more than three dozen hard-to- materials normally kept out of the usual even once you feel like clean whenever possible. recycle bin. Since that first start, the pro- Dirty materials, once recycle materials that, otherwise, would end you’ve mastered recy- up in the landfill. gram took off and started accruing costs in cling in your own local mixed in with the rest of the form of staff time and transportation, materials at the recycling The CVSWMD operates an Ad- area, you find there are ditional Recyclables Collection and eventually grew over 25% per changes from state to facility, can contaminate year, requiring a full time entire loads. Paper and Center (ARCC) providing an out- state, and county to let for dozens of hard to recycle staff person, plus several county, and by locality. cardboard should not part timers and a crew of have food stuck on them and should be dry. materials (but NOT a regular re- If you focus on all of those differences, cycling or trash depot). They describe volunteers. Because it con- it can feel so overwhelming that some Special recycling the ARCC as a “recyclables lab” where they tinues to cost the district to can be turned off from the whole process Containers and paper go in your recycling experiment with finding viable markets for operate, they had to come up altogether. However, by going back to the bin – You get it. So, what about the many recyclable materials that often end up in the with a fee schedule to at least partially everyday items that make up the majority other items that are recyclable – but don’t landfill. This is not new for CVSWMD. cover the cost of providing the popular of recyclable materials, you’ll be able to belong in your recycling bin? Thirteen years ago, before anyone else service. breathe easy knowing that you’re recycling There are collection facilities that accept was collecting food scraps on a large scale, Now the ARCC is open three days a what you should be – and not recycling many other items for special recycling. Plastic the CVSWMD partnered with local compost week, plus every 3rd Saturday of the the wrong things. bags are accepted at most grocery and hard- facilities and began knocking on doors at month and has a volume-based fee that Blue bin recycling ware stores. Batteries are accepted at many local restaurants and grocery stores. Quickly, ranges between $2 and $20 per load de- Let’s go back to basics. Your blue bin retailers and local drop-off centers. Municipal they accrued a handful of businesses willing pending on how much material is brought or cart is for a specific set of common and private solid waste facilities commonly to pay a little extra to have their food scraps in. (Most people bring between $2 and items: Containers and paper. If you don’t collect a variety of items, including scrap hauled to a compost facility instead of the $5 worth). The ARCC accepts plastic and get them picked up curbside, they can be metal (from wire hangers to lawn mowers), landfill. Quickly, the Business Organics Pro- metal bottle caps, drink pouches, textiles, taken to any nearby drop-off center. fluorescent bulbs, electronics, propane tanks, gram grew to over 100 businesses diverting shoes, pellet bags, granola bar wrappers, Containers and paper are the standard appliances, and more. food scraps out of the trash, and by 2016, DVD’s, CD’s, ink and toner cartridges, skis, items that belong in your blue bin. These If you’re not sure about something, don’t the private sector was ready to try it out. At snowboards, books, propane tanks, elec- two categories make up the lion’s share throw it in the recycling bin. Either reach out that time, the district transitioned its for- tronics, and much more. of the stuff that your local sorting center to your local district or throw it in the trash. ward thinking food scrap hauling program Markets for some of this “weird stuff” was designed for. Containers include cans, Here in Chittenden County, VT, you can call and focused more on the ARCC. have been found out of state. Many of the bottles, jars, tubs, and packaging. Think the Chittenden Solid Waste District hotline at “Everyone thought we were crazy,” said materials are processed through Terra- soda cans and bottles, yogurt tubs, the (802) 872-8111, or check out disposal options Cassandra Hemenway, CVSWMD Outreach cycle, a company that works with corpora- rigid packaging that electronics come in, for the hundreds of items posted on our A-Z Manager, “but gradually it caught on and tions to collect hard to recycle materials. whipped cream aerosol cans, and sham- list at www.cswd.net/a-to-z. other organizations started doing the same The ARCC is rightfully proud of having poo bottles. Paper includes items made of Raeann Bilow is a Marketing Specialist at thing. Eventually, parts of the Vermont uni- kept thousands of tons of material out of uncoated fibers. Think office paper,news - Chittenden Solid Waste District. versal recycling law were modeled after our the landfill, collecting hard to recycle ma- programming.” terials that don’t belong So, if it worked with in your regular blue bin food scraps, might the recycling but do have same “collect-it-first-and- a way to get remanu- they-will-come-for-it” factured. Learn more at model be applied to other cvswmd.org. materials like batteries, Sally Bellew is an electronics, books, potato environmental enthusiast chip bags and toothpaste who lives in Wilder, VT. tubes? CVSWMD decided

Recommended by Green Energy Times! It Mows, YOU Don’t! Don’t • NO EMISSIONS you have • NO GAS, OIL, Belts something better to do? • Reliable, Quiet, Efficient

Green E-Mowers — 802.439.6675 Videos and more info at: usa.robomow.com Serving Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Mass & Maine See it in action. Call or email: [email protected] 40 August 2018 WWW.GREENENERGYTIMES.ORG 802.439.6675 -Unsurpassed Efficiency TAR A New Experience inWoodA New Experience Heating Innovative Leaders in Sustainable Heating Solutions -Whole House Controlled Comfort -with Effecta-with and Fröling Boilers Wood -Easy to Use 1 800STAY WARM M

19 Archertown Road, Orford, NH 603-795-9100 |woodboilers.com B I O M OWNED ANDPRODUCEDBY INFORMA EXHIBITIONS,U.S. PRESENTEDBY THEU.S. GREENBUILDINGCOUNCIL Human A SS the intersection ofhumanityand ® the builtenvironment Warming ourCustomers Sustainably Since

Fröling S3 Wood Boiler Nature TAR FACTORY SERVICE AND INSTALLATION Effecta SmartEffecta Boiler Wood M AUTHORIZED

B I O 1994 M

A SS ®

Wood• Wood Pellets• Wood Chips