What is the COVID19 Message on 50th Anniversary of EARTHDAY?

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The health crisis brought home the message that human life is precious is the Country took extra ordinary measure to protect our lives at a huge cost to our economy. Trillions of Dollars spent and lot more to come in future. All of the Weapons to protect our nations proved worthless against this invisible enemy.

Warning by scientists were ignored for just 4 weeks and we all experienced the outcomes that no one imagined to cover many countries. Ignoring science was DEADLY.

I am reminded of the saying- Do not fool with mother nature! Is it possible that we did it  by ignoring all the Climate change warnings for last 10 years and the impact of environmental changes resulted in creation of new species or modifications of viruses as their fight for survival?

Once the current crisis is controlled then we will have some choices to make not to repeat this outcome. With this Crisis comes an Opportunity as the Chinese saying goes and they are now proving it by becoming the supplier of systems to fight the problem that originated at China. They are setting a smart example for seeking Prosperity.

What could Climate Smart Communities do on this  50th anniversary of Earth Day? Resolve to become Independent.

Let us think hard about all of the Infrastructure needs and select those items that generate long term savings by implementing efficiency and shifting to clean renewable energy sources. Recycle and reuse rainwater and food waste and plant as many trees as we can to convert the atmospheric CO2 to biomass for GHG reduction.

The independence concept can move us to growing locally and seek distributed generation to keep the money circulated locally to be resilient from economic losses when critical materials from imported sources are not able to reach us like we experienced recently.

It is time to use this Earth Day to celebrate 50th year with new resolve to seek economic independence and be resilient to fight future problems. Prosperity from Opportunity created by Crisis is the Key message. Do you agree?

Good News! Climate Change Awareness has achieved control of CO2 emmissions

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Thank you to all the scientists that have been warning about Climate change and global warning while the world ignored it for many decades. Inconvenient truth movie brought this issue to the forefront and for last 10 years debates started in USA.

Rest of the world noticed the risks resulting from this problem and cost of repairing natural disaster events. Technology solutions were developed as the world found new sources of clean energy to serve our need.

Solar power technology using the PV cells witnessed huge reduction of 90% over a decade which made it possible to make power for much lower costs. One watt of PV cell went from $8.00 per watt to now 40 cents cost. So one can imagine why we can now make power for lower cost then power purchased from the Utility, with some incentives from Federal or State.

This is probably the biggest reason why solar power growth has been at a scale of over 30,000% over a decade. Politics may sway some Leaders to say that global warming or Climate change is not reality. International Energy Agency just released a report that C)2 emissions are now flat and no longer going up. This is victory for mankind and assures us that as more people adopt clean solar power and switch their cars to Electric Vehicles the world would experience a reduction in atmospheric C)2 levels. It no longer matters what our elected Leaders say, the marketplace is irreversible and will lead us to more Green power and reductions in Green House Gasses.

The truth about affordable solar energy is known to all and with lower cost solar programs, some Climate smart communities have taken the lead and become energy independent.

In New York State any Municipality can now fix the cost of power with solar power installation and make it possible to achieve less than 6 cents per kwh power after the system capital is recovered in about 10 years. The power cost today is about 10 cents per Kwh so imagine paying 6 cents per Kwh after 10 years and keeping it at that level for another 20 years. These could be the Years of prosperity when money saved in enerrgy cost will help local economy.

Let us take advantage of this reality and achieve triple bottom line- Save money, save the environment and help build our communities.

Solar Power is the Future ! Arabian Countries are now installing massive Solar Power Farms.

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What is happening in 2016 is incredible and beyond imagination. Energy Independence is here now and within our reach to help create sustainable green communities.

It is not too far in future when energy consumers all around the world would have access to green energy and not need the fixed power transmission network. Examples in India, China, Africa and United Arab Emirates(UAE) are great example of current activities. UN development with renewable energy

Nature's free gift to the world via Solar energy  has combined with human innovation to make it possible to make Clean and Green power and help existing Utility infrastructure. It should be noted that maximum power is produced in summer months when the energy demand is high and cost of power at peak hours is the highest. This make solar power made in the distribution system a valuable asset.

In New York State the incentives for solar power and now Community Distributed Generation can make a significant jump in green power production over next 5 years. Smart communities will take the opportunity and create 2 to 5 MW size CDG  systems where power produced is shared by the members of this group.

This is very strong long term strategy for economic development. We are lucky to be in New York State when it comes to support for renewable energy.

Memorial day reminds us about the sacrifices made by veterans in defending our freedom. When we defend other oil producing nations we were trying to secure nonrenewable energy supply. Now we can switch to natural green energy and not ever need to send our soldiers to fight for oil. Let us create new Green power advocates who will make us energy independent and reduce the environmental damage caused by burning oil,coal and natural gas. It is time to fight the Climate Change war with Green Weapons that create Good and not destruction.

Climate Change Solutions NOW.. Pope Says to the World during Visit to America

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Sustainability when linked to Climate Change is now on top of the World's agenda for action. The Pope visiting America this week is the blessing for humanity for the protection of our planet. Environmental justice for million of poor suffering people requires action by leading developed countries.They live in wrong places led by Greedy dictators, Crazy Terrorists armed by Soviet and American made weapons, or in low lying lands where change is rising of ocean levels will cause mass migration.

Unfortunately there are many smart and educated people who have given their Political ideology more value and ignoring the truth. There is no Global Warming and no Climate change caused by man is what they are trying to tell us therefore no need to act.It is time to face the Truth and think about what is Good for People and not their Party. This is People issue and not any one political party.

Are we ready to deal with it? Pope's message is right on the mark. As religious leader he is living the role when he says serving the poor and needy is the practice of true religion. The community leaders of today in rural America have as much responsibility and opportunity to act as the President of USA or Congress.

So how do we create sustainable green communities in our own Villages and Towns? Transform these areas into resilient energy independent neighborhoods that demonstrates conservation of water and creating healthy life style consuming locally grown food products.

In New York we can start with building community shared solar neighborhoods where members with low economic level can get cheap power and join other small businesses and institutions for common ownership of large solar PV farms built on low value land near suitable power lines. Grant funding is available from NYSERDA to create such facilities to serve apartments, City residents, small businesses, commercial units etc. We- the consumers are now empowered to make our own power for 20% lower than what Power company charges us today. In future, 20 years from now the power cost is expected to double.Therefore, why not fix the cost now and be independent from power company cost of energy. As the grants and tax credits reduce in future, we should act now and promote community distributed generation in all small Towns and Villages.

Why Wait? Listen to the Pope's message and act now. You will save Money, help our Economy and the Environment.

For Power Consumers - We have the choice to Achieve Energy Freedom!

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Can 2015 be the beginning of new consumer movement that allows them to be free from the Utility? In New York State the Policies under review will take us closer to realizing this dream. Elon Musk and his vision to provide and promote lower cost energy storage was announced on April 30th. Combined with Solar power and smart controls this enables the customer to buy power at night and use it in the day powered by storage system in the garage.

The old paradigm is that we need the power company to sell us power at whatever cost and we have no choice. It worked when other options were beyond consumers reach. Now it is time to have distributed generation with storage and let them be paid for the service, connectivity and backup power.

With Solar PV system now at below $2.00 per watt and storage around $400 per KW, we are closer to Energy Freedom. This message would soon reach more people and the time to take bold action could happen starting in 2015.

After 45 years of celebrating Earth Day, the time has come when one can imagine the dream coming true.What makes this timely is the fact that Climate change is getting the national attention and people realize that resiliency of power is important when the power grid goes down. The peace of mid that it does not matter when power goes down because now you have your own power plant and storage system that can be activated automatically with smart control and keep you home or business running. This is safety, comfort and economic issue.

Smart consumer living ins sustainable Green communities will realize this and take advantage of financial incentives, long term low interest financing and become secure and seek their Energy Freedom.

What are we waiting for?  Energy Independence is around the corner.

Go for it!

January 1 2015- A day to seek Energy Independence for all Consumers supporting Sustainability

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Last year 2014 was filled with progress with new energy generation initiatives and Environmental protection commitments made by Global Leaders. China and America led by setting goals and the rest of the world was made very aware by real Climate tragedies that denying climate change is now taken as a mark of Ignorance.
How can we and why should we waste time and energy on this debate?
Smart people will move forward with smart solutions and let the naysayers stand on the side lines.
Renewable energy is now the best Instrument of Peace to gain energy independence, which can now be seen as more installations of such systems are completed.
In New York State Wayne County based Town of Williamson took the lead by building 1.5 Mega Watts solar PV system on their closed landfill. Larsen Engineers assisted them in creating the long term sustainability plan and installing the large scale solar PV system to make 100% of their energy use at Municipal facilities.
So this Year the Town of Williamson, NY can celebrate the Energy Independence and motivate others to do the same. The ultimate economic benefit for the community is to fix the cost of power for next 40 years with savings of over 1 Million Dollars.
As the oil and gasoline prices go down below $2.00 they clearly prove the power of reducing consumption by the energy consumers. The seller of dirty fuels can not stop the consumers if they decide NOT to use oil based products. This is the time to resolve and ramp up the energy conservation and green power generation to further put pressure and keep the oil and gas price low.
Someday Oil will become irrelevant as we embrace Solar, Wind and Biomass power to replace the conventional dirty fuels. It can be done in 20 years if we all resolve today to take such actions.

Small Communities need solar power to come out of economic difficulties and become energy independent

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Who need to reduce cost of government operations most? These are small communities at their debt limit and are not in a position or permitted by State laws to borrow capital dollars to build solar PV systems.

They have the opportunity to make their own power and pay off the debt from energy savings.
Their challenge is to raise the construction loan to build the system and long term low interest financing to pay ti back. The State and Federal Govt. has significant amount of pension funds that could be used to create a green funding mechanism to help such communities.

The federal USDA rural utility program may be able to help. Only time will tell as we watch the policies for Green project support.  Private capital looks for higher rate of return and larger dollar value projects which does not match with small community needs.

If this can be achieved then these communities can control their energy future and make solar power for the same price as they pay now. After 20 years the systems could be all paid and only O&M costs will remain for next 20 years when the power cost would be less that 6 cents per kWh as compared to Utility cost of over 20 cents /kWh. Energy independence by making same amount of power as they consume they will not be affected by future cost of energy. Fortunately this is possible as Government policy empowers the consumer to become solar power producer.

Financing is key to Sustainable Green CommunityDevelopment

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As the new year 2014 starts, we must review what occurred in 2013 and plan strategies that can avoid the hurdles to faster implementation of Green energy programs in New York and other States in America. While we wait for a National investment plan, each State can do what is appropriate for them.

New York has many innovative funding  initiatives but the rate of implementation is still slow because of lack of affordable capital funding to start the projects. Many of these initiatives are justified based on future savings to payback the investment made on the project and ability to achieve energy independence. Unfortunately the traditional financing institutions are reluctant to take risks on new green technologies and private investments are seeking much higher interest rate which raises the costs to the community. So what can be done to help and make better progress?

The publicly funded  Green Bonds offer a great ray of hope to encourage the implementation of Green energy technologies. Funds can be loaned with 5-10 year term at low interest rate and the risk covered by the borrower who has the expertise in new technologies and willing to use these funds to build the systems and payback the loans from the revenues generated by the savings or generation of green energy.

Fortunately, New York has initiated a $ 1 Billion Green Bank to help meet this funding need for Green projects. This initiative results from the Green Vision promoted by our Governor.
We hope it succeeds in making New York lead this transformation to green and clean technology.
Happy New Year!

Is the Solar PV system a passport to Energy Independence for sustainable communities?

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The  Electrical power consumer now has the financial incentives available in most States in America to reduce the energy use and produce Solar Green power on their property. If they install a system that makes the same amount of power as they consume in one year then they are Energy independent from Electrical power point of view. This concept of distributed generation has the potential to set us FREE from dependence on Utilities grid system where the cost of power keeps going up.

Is it really possible to become Energy Independent with current incentives by installing Solar PV system?
Yes it is not only possible but in New York State, some small Municipalities have planned such projects and expect to do so by next July 4th 2013.

If you wanted to never worry about what the cost of power would be in future then you should look into the incentives available in your State and take action. In New York State, a large electrical energy consumers can partner with private company and obtain benefits of grants and financial incentives under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Under this approach we have been able to achieve long term agreements that will allow communities an average cost of power in 6-8 cents range over the 20 year term of the agreement. Considering the life of Solar PV system to be over 30 years, the average cost of power over this life cycle comes down to 4-5 cents per kWh. This represents a great economic benefit when you consider that the same community may be paying 25 cents per kWh or more after 20 years.

We believe this is an opportunity every community should not miss and plan to implement a large scale solar PV system to save money and bring economic development to their community.

Climate Smart Communities Planning for Sustainability in New York

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New York State has an ambitious plan to direct their investments in economic growth of communities while achieving Green energy goals to reduce our carbon foot print.

Under third round of consolidated funding application program in 2013, $750 Million Dollars are available for projects in many categories. This funding program also includes planning funds for communities that wish to plan and implement Green Energy Options to help deal with climate change and reduce dependence on nonrenewable energy sources.

New York's solar rising funding program and remote net metering offers a unique combination  of opportunity to communities that wish to control their energy costs and help create an environment for economic development.

The online grant applications for NY State projects are due starting on June 17th with a deadline of August 12, 2013. Municipalities that join the climate smart program of NYSDEC and adopt the policy of installing Sustainable green technologies are expected to have a better chance of getting the funding approved.

This is the time for forwarding thinking leaders to undertake the strategic plans to review their existing costs and find ways to reduce operating costs and invest in renewable energy generation and conservation projects.

Better future awaits New York with such programs and we hope that it can lead with economic growth and become an example for other states to follow.
It is time for renewal of the Empire States with such innovative programs.

Energy Independence is the pathway to Economic Growth

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This is a follow up report on the Sustainable Planning workshop held at Town of Williamson, N.Y.

It was my pleasure to be a part of this group session and the group interacted exceptionally well. The experience was very encouraging and many folks left inspired by the possibility of change in the community.

The ideas developed at this meeting will help to implement new renewable energy based initiatives to encourage economic development.

This is an example of sustainable green planning helping us go toward Energy Independence and economic development. Hopefully this EPA funded study will be a good example for others so more communities can do the same. This is an excellent program to bring local community leaders to come together and create a sustainable green vision for their hometown.

EPA supports Sustainable Green Communities Smart & Growth at Town of Williamson, N.Y.

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Last night I took part in a workshop for Town of Williamson in Wayne County NY. EPA had given a grant to this community to hold a workshop and review the potential tools to help in economic development and prepare a strategy to achieve their goals.
Today there is going to be a whole day session with community leaders to review their options and develop their plan to become a sustainable community. I hope to share some ideas with the group and offer to help them to achieve this dream over time.
With large scale solar system planned to make them a net-zero community Town of Williamson has already taken a bold step toward energy independence. Many other communities should follow the Town of Williamson example and do the same.

What are we willing to pay for Energy Independence?

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Climate change and Global warming are getting more accepted by people and there is willingness to take action to prevent future problems. There are now incentives available in New York State to help generate Green power with Solar PV and  farm waste digestion. These measures are good for the environment but sometime financially challenging to justify the investment.

Review of past movements related to freedom and independence clearly indicate the suffering and hardship by the people who supported it. It was the common good that prevailed and inspired the action.

Energy Independence should be the same for better long term results. If the cost is marginally higher today but cheaper in future then we should be willing to make this sacrifice or investment for the better future for next generation.
However, in reality people are willing to do it if it saves money TODAY.

It will take leadership and better communication of the dangers of inaction to increase greater participation. NY State is giving a positive push to this effort by including Green funding in the Development plan starting in 2013.
This will allow us to take a lead in this area as compared to rest of USA.

The Governor of  New York State should be congratulated for taking some bold action on promoting Green under the New York Rising program.

U.S. Energy Independence before 2020, is Possible!

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What a difference 5 years and technology makes! We could not project that America could become Energy Independent from Oil imports before Year 2020.During last 3 years we are seeing the impact of technology on natural Gas supply and historical lower prices. The drilling rigs, horizontal drilling and fracking technology is being utilized for shale derived energy development in several states within America.It is conceivable that oil price would also drop in 1-2 years and allow us to stop sending our money to other producing countries.

When we can say that America is now an energy exporting country, that will be the first true Independence Day. Could this day be July 2015, 2016? Only time will tell. It is no longer a question that will it happen... but when will it happen?

We know that Environmental damages are real risks at the point of energy extraction,therefore the well financed Developers must seriously make necessary investments to prevent such outcomes.Oil and Gas are the old nonrenewable energy sources that we can use now and invest the saved money into non renewable technology such as solar systems and biomass energy.

Climate change and Global warming are realities but also generate controversy within political parties.The common factor with no disagreement are Energy Independence, saving money and creating local economic development.

This is no time to waste our efforts in discussions and debates about environmental consequences.Let us take a pragmatic approach and develop alternative energy with the help of our own oil and gas resources and invest in energy conservation projects.

Energy Independence in 10 years?

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The Hot extreme weather is in the news.Increased power demand resulting from hot weather and water shortages was reported to caused600 million people in India losing power just last week. What next?
Candidates running for President in America are talking about the goal of energy independence. I am anxiously waiting to learn more about how they plan to achieve it.
How do we seriously look at all of the options to be set free as consumers of power? What if we could make our own power where we live?
It is time to educate the public and encourage conservation with tax incentives and long term loan financing of conservation and power generation measures.
Solar energy is available to most of us and fortunately the cost per watt of solar PV panels is projected to be less than $1.00 by 2015. It was $6.00 just 5 years ago. WOW!
Is it possible that in few years each one of homeowner could reduce their demand by 35% via energy efficiency and then make their own power from solar source?
That will be a great day to Hope for? This is the real war we need to fight to deal with the natural consequences of global warming.
Let us divest from the weapons of destruction as we invest in weapons of constructive actions to develop our economy.
Please share your ideas on how we gain energy independence?
Ram

Communities seek Economic Development Now. How?

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Energy costs continue to rise and debts faced by communities are at all time high. How to stimulate the economy? Create jobs?
What we need is a long term strategy to deal with this issue. Energy Independence by conserving and generating energy offers a solution.
In past, America has invested Trillions on defending oil in middle east and other countries. As the soldiers come home, they can be trained to work on new Green economy to produce new products. The money spent on arms and funding the wars can now be invested in new innovative green products.
It is time we produce the next generation solar, wind and other conservation products in America and reduce our energy demand. The money saved from not importing foreign oil can be invested in local economy and help us develop our own infrastructure. It is time we invest in America and put our soldiers and resident fight the Energy War and become free.