Despite rainy weather, talk of solar power energized over 130 workshop participants throughout the Southeast last month.  N.C. Solar Center senior policy analysts Justin Barnes, Amy Heinemann, and Brian Lips worked closely with our partners of the Sunshot Solar Outreach Partnership (SolarOPs)to pull off successful half-day “Solar Powering Your Community” workshops in Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C.; Atlanta, G.A.; and Columbia, S.C.  All of the workshops provided participants with an overview of policies and regulations that impact solar adoption (for better or worse), and an overview of options for financing public- and private-sector solar projects.

To accelerate development of a statewide biofuels industry, the Biofuels Center of North Carolina funds projects and activities supporting its legislatively mandated mission of implementing North Carolina’s Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership. The Center works to implement the state’s biofuels goal: by 2017, 10 percent of North Carolina’s liquid transportation fuels will be grown and produced across the state every year.

In the 2012-2013 grants program, entitled Strengthening Feedstocks, Production, and Products in Western North Carolina, the Center will award $1,140,000 for competitive, peer-reviewed proposals. The program is largely funded through North Carolina’s share of the TVA smokestacks lawsuit settlement.

Gorges State Park born just more than 10 years ago is now finally on its way to becoming one of the premiere parks in the North Carolina system.

The most recent addition — a 7,100-square-foot, eco-built visitor center opening this week — stands as a testament to the potential for the only state park west of Asheville.

Story by Lance Cpl. Nikki Phongsisattanak
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Living in military housing areas will be receiving a mock electricity bill to help them gauge and see the amount of electricity used each month. The mock billing period is from Oct. 2 through Dec. 31.

The Residential Energy Conservation Program is an effort implemented by Headquarters Marine Corps, and is also part of the Department of Defense’s goal of reducing energy consumption in the United States by 20 percent. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is the last Marine Corps Installation to implement this program.

“Lincoln Military Housing recognizes the importance of energy conservation to our country’s future and to our national security, and is proud to support the (RECP) initiative,” said Jarl Bliss, the president of LMH.

The finalists were selected from eight major categories: Coal, Gas, Nuclear, Solar, Wind, Bioenergy, Hydro and Geothermal.

The Best Coal Project finalists are the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center owned by Dominion Virginia Power in Virginia and the Dry Fork Station in Wyoming, owned by Basin Electric Power Co-Op.

The 2012 Best Gas Project finalists are Korea Southern Power Co. Ltd.'s Shinincheon Capacity Upgrade and Tennessee Valley Authority's John Sevier Combined-Cycle Project.

The winner for the Best Nuclear Project is Entergy's Nuclear Fleet Welding Program Standardization.

The Best Solar Project finalists are the Solarpark Meuro project in Germany and the Alamosa Solar Project in Colorado, owned by Cogentrix.

Chris Baysden

Web Editor- Triangle Business Journal

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ABB said Wednesday that it will give $1 million to Marbles Kids Museum to develop "Kid Grid," an interactive exhibit featuring playful activities in a pretend power grid. ABB gave $100,000 to the Raleigh museum yesterday; the rest of the pledge will be donated over seven years.

ABB has a substantial presence in North Carolina, employing more than 2,000 people in eight locations.

ABB's North American corporate headquarters is based in Cary, and ABB's Power Products/Power Systems divisional headquarters is located on the Centennial Campus of N.C. State University.

A North Carolina company has broken ground on a new $40 million solar farm project in Bath in Beaufort County.

SunEnergy1 out of Mooresville in Iredell County has several projects across the state, and recently purchased 85 acres of land in Bath for the solar farm. The 60 thousand solar panels being installed can produce enough energy to power half of the city of Washington for 30 years. Washington City Manager, Josh Kay says Duke Energy is expected to buy power from the farm, but the solar farm will not affect energy costs for residents. He says it will provide renewable energy for both the city and county and help the local economy.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following news release:

The Harris nuclear power plant faces increased oversight from the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission due to violations linked to the ventilation systems for facilities at the plant that would be staffed during emergencies. The Harris plant, which is operated by Duke Energy, is located near New Hill, N.C., about 20 miles southwest of Raleigh.

One violation involves the company's failure to maintain the Emergency Operations Facility, or EOF, ventilation system, which was out of service for extended periods over two years. There was not an immediate safety concern because no emergencies requiring use of the facility occurred during that time.

The company was also cited for not notifying the NRC during the times that the ventilation system was degraded or out of service.

Presidential candidates Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama aren’t talking enough about clean energy, according to a group representing business owners across the country.

Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy represents 240 local chambers of commerce in 47 states. The group wrote a letter to the candidates before their first debate earlier this week asking that both parties focus more attention on solar energy, wind and other clean energy alternatives as economic drivers.

“Chambers around the country believe in developing the clean energy economy,” said Diane Doucette, executive director of Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy. “They have seen the benefits and they want to make sure the candidates recognize it as an economic engine.”

Two documents recently posted on the N.C. Solar Center’s Clean Transportation web pages : the  Hybrid Electric Vehicle Impact Summary  and Propane Vehicles Success Story  highlight two of the alternative fuel/advanced vehicle technologies expanded through the Clean Fuel Advanced Technology (CFAT) project- a six year project of the Center that spanned 2006-2012. An overall summary of the CFAT project, which focused on education, outreach, recognition of exemplary efforts and sub-award funding assistance for technologies that reduce transportation related emissions in eligible North Carolina counties, is captured here.