Contrary to what you may have heard, Seattle is not the rainiest city in the US – but it is clouded over around 225 days a year. So it may come as a surprise to learn that a local house utilizing solar-plus-battery was designed to obtain about 96% of its energy from the sun.
Continue reading A Leading Supplier for Off Grid Solar & Hybrid Systems: OutBack PowerBy Roy L Hales
The 2009 “Green Highways bill” (HB 1481) opened the door for Washington state’s EV infrastructure. With the help of funding through the Federal Recovery Act, Governor Chris Gregoire announced construction of “the nation’s first true electrified highway” in June 2010. It was to stretch out along the 276 miles of the I-5, which connects to Oregon and Canada. None of this would have come into being if it were not for an active EV community. Yet in 2013 – the year there were more Teslas sold in Washington than any other state in America – things started stalling. The good news is that Washington’s EV development is ready to move forward. Will the state legislators make this possible?
By Roy L Hales
Brad Gibson was so disturbed by the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” that he decided to never buy another gas burning car for commuting. He and his wife Mariko would share their 2005 Subaru Outback XT until they found an alternative. As they were both working, that meant Gibson could only use it part of the week. He pedaled the 40 miles to and from work twice a week, which was not always pleasant in rainy Washington State, and caught buses. At one point, his father offered to give them a second car, Gibson said no. Though not in the top 1% of America’s wage earners, he was in the top 10%. If people like him were not prepared to make changes, how could they expect anyone else to?
