US Army Solar Array at Fort Irwin, California

 The US Army is getting greener.  They are beginning " ... development of a 500-megawatt solar power plant at Fort Irwin, Calif."

" ... allow ... commercial developers to use land at Fort Irwin to construct a solar power plant there between 2013 and 2022. ... will provide power to both the civilian power grid in California, and to Fort Irwin, home of the Army's National Training Center."

" ... the Army will provide to the developers, for as many as 50 years, up to 14,000 acres of land. .. Army receives rent for the land through cash or in-kind services."

" ... facility with both concentrated solar thermal and photovoltaic technology. ... will be built in phases, with a project end date expected around 2022. But Phase 1A of the project, with a completion of around 2014, is expected to provide enough power to sustain Fort Irwin."

Via:  US Army LINK

Danish Island of Samsø : First "Town" to be Completely Energy Self-Sufficient ?

Danish Island of Samsø: First "Town" to be Completely Energy Self-Sufficient ??

It is one thing to be energy independent; it carries a little more weight if you are both energy independent and industrialized.


" ... Danish island of Samsø ... 30 miles long and 15 miles wide ... began its push toward sustainability in 1997. In just over a decade ... erected 21 electricity-producing wind turbines and a heating system fueled by wood chip- and straw-burning furnaces accompanied by several small solar panels."

"Eleven ... turbines are onshore and ten are offshore; all generate one megawatt each ... onshore turbines produce more electricity than the island consumes — enough to offset 690,000 gallons of oil — ... offshore turbines produce enough power to handle the island’s transportation energy budget ...invests excess power in new energy projects."

" ... inadvertently transformed the island’s workforce into green collar workers. Plumbers and carpenters regularly perform energy-efficient home conversions, and their expertise has allowed them to work on green projects elsewhere, including mainland Europe."

This video tells it all ....







Via: SmartPlanet LINK