It's Easy Being Green

A $31 Million package of incentives and tax credits for alternative and green energy sources has passed the U.S. Senate’s Finance Committee.  The package is expected to be ready for President Obama to sign by mid-February.

The packages would give homeowners tax credits for investing in alternative energy sources like wind or solar and for making their homes more energy efficient.  Alternative energy companies can also carry their current tax credits for an additional five years.

I think this is fantastic and a good way to encourage people to start making the move to alternative energy and maximum efficiency.  Unfortunately I feel like unless these packages were to be extended for several years, it’s not going to do much right now.  The economy is in such poor shape that who, aside from the wealthy (once again), have the money to invest in solar panels and wind turbines right now?

I don’t think the answer will reveal very many people willing to make the investment in these rocky times even with as much as it will pay off in the long run.  I hope our government realizes that this is a vital move to keep alive for several years and not just one tax season.  Do green tax breaks like this one do enough to encourage you to make the move to alternative energy sources?  Share your thoughts and opinions by posting a comment below!

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Last week, Arizona’s newest renewable energy project went online and started generating enough electricity to supply about 9,000 homes.  Renegy’s Biomass Power Plant is located near Snowflake, AZ.  The plant takes forest waste generated from thinning projects, chips it up, dries it and then burns it in a boiler more than 10 stories tall.  Renegy claims that the process is 98% cleaner burning then if forest crews just burned the slash piles like they normally do.  Plus, we’re getting electrcity out of it.  Some of the first fuel that came to the plant is actually being cleaned out of the devastating Rodeo-Chediski burn area in Arizona’s eastern White Mountain region.  The plant has about a 2 year supply of wood chips already spread across 120 acres of land and expects there will be plenty more fuel coming from forest waste over the years.

The plant actually sits next to the old Abitibi pulp paper mill.  The plant takes all of the recycled paper from the Phoenix area and turns it into new paper.  Some of the recycled paper pulp can’t be reused again so that is normally sorted out and dumped into a landfill in the area.  But now, that waste paper that can’t be used again is dried into chips and burned along with the wood chips.  It creates another steady fuel supply that would normally just go to waste.  Both APS and SRP are purchasing power from the Snowflake Biomass Power Plant which I think is a great demonstration of renewable energy ideas we need to pursue full speed right now.

To read more about Renegy or their new plant in Snowflake, AZ head to their website.

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Here are the last four easy green tips as we celebrate Earth Day:

17. If you’re replacing windows, use energy saving models.

18. Plant trees next to your home and paint your house a light color if you live in a warm climate. If you live in a cold climate, make sure the trees are deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves in the winter so the sun can shine on your home to warm up. Also make sure to paint your house a dark color, attracting more heat absorption.

19. Be an energy activist. Setup recycling programs at your school or office.

20. Stay informed about environmental issues. Write your local congressman or woman and keep track of their voting record. When you know they’ll be voting about an important issue regarding the environment, make sure you let them know how you feel.

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