By Roy L Hales
Yolo is the only grid positive county government in the United States. They do not have an electric bill. Pacific Gas and Electric will have to pay Yolo around $500,000 a year for the surplus electricity it feeds the grid! Now Terry Vernon, deputy director of Yolo County General Services, wants to improve on that. He would like to add another renewable energy project that would boost the county’s revenues by another $5 million a year.
Forget all the hassle in the United States, the BYD Electric Transit Bus has just earned Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) Certification. The company “that can” has been placed on Transport Canada’s Vehicle Manufacturers Registry. According to their news release, this is supposed to include “several standards” that are “beyond the U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.” Canada approves BYD.
Continue reading Canada Approves BYDI have finally seen proof that wind energy works – and of course it would be in Denmark!
Continue reading Wind energy works in DenmarkBy Roy L Hales
Last year Robert Lundahl and I co-wrote an article about a California PV solar factory that is not disposing of their solar panels once their lifespan expires. We could not name the company, as our source still works there, but they use a known carcinogenic called gallium arsenide. This is not believed to be a problem as long as the panels are intact. However if they end up in a landfill the panels will be broken and the toxins can leech into the soil. Environment California recently directed me to a study that puts the toxic Issue of solar panels in context and suggests areas where the industry can improve.
Amy Galland’s “Clean and Green” was inspired by companies that are not complying with environmental health and safety codes, but she found some PV manufacturers actually do more than what is required.
By Roy L Hales
According to the City of Burnaby’s lawyer, Greg McDade, there will not be a real hearing on Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Pipeline project. Despite the many public statements by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Premier Christy Clark and Kinder Morgan, people opposing the project will not get an opportunity to properly present their case or to cross examine Kinder Morgan. They will submit written statements to the National Energy Board, with no assurance the panel will even read them.
McDade says that Burnaby has preparing for a public hearing since December, when Kinder Morgan filed it 55,000 page application.
