Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/category/energy/page/24/)
These stories are about traditional and alternative energy sources and challenges.
(MN) Minneapolis Star Tribune – Two green transit projects in Minnesota are among 43 nationwide receiving $100 million in funding from the Economic Recovery Act, the Obama administration announced Monday. About $1.1 million is going to the Metropolitan Council to replace diesel buses with gas hybrid electric buses in the Twin Cities area. More
(MI) Detroit Free Press – Car sharing lets drivers save cash while helping the environment.
Ten years ago, Jan Culbertson, an architect living in Ann Arbor, would have been the customer that BMW, Mercedes-Benz or Lexus took for granted. But she might not be in the future. Today she is a senior principal with A3C Collaborative Architecture and one of 1,400 Zipcar members in Ann Arbor. More
(OH) The Toledo Blade – Why don’t more people dry their clothes on a clothesline? Al drew my attention to the Lucas Soil & Water Conservation District’s 2009 newsletter. The article states that your dryer accounts for about 15 percent of your electric bill. It said the United States relies on dryers more than other countries. In Italy, fewer than 5 percent of households have a dryer. On one hand, this comes as no surprise.
(IN) The Indianapolis Star – In mid-August, President Barack Obama visited Northern Indiana to announce $2.4 billion in stimulus funds to benefit the green vehicle industry. The money will go to companies and institutions to develop advanced batteries and other components used to increase the number of hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles. Our share, Obama announced, will include $416 million in grants to Hoosier companies and universities. Indiana is the second-largest recipient of funding for advanced vehicles; Michigan is the first. More
(MI) The Mudpuppy – A new Evergreen Solar facility in Midland is hiring, again.The company has posted openings for five jobs so far this month. The openings are for three process technicians and two production shift supervisors. The plant will make a patented product called String Ribbon for use in photovoltaic panels. More
(MI) Detroit Free Press – City officials have applied for a $1.2-million federal grant to buy hybrid vehicles and cut energy costs. The funding, from the Department of Energy and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, could be approved this fall. More
(MI) Jackson Citizen Patriot – Eaton Corp. is hosting the 30th annual Society of Automotive Engineers Supermileage competition today in Marshall, where college teams from around the world will race for the best fuel economy. About 40 teams, including Central Michigan University and Michigan Tech, are charged with building a one-person, fuel-efficient vehicle, and the highest miles per gallon wins. More
(MI) Detroit Free Press – If you live at the tip of the Thumb or along three stretches of Lake Michigan shoreline, hang on to your hat. Michigan has determined that the winds in those areas are the breeziest in the state. The Wind Energy Resource Zone Board, created by the Legislature in an energy package passed last year, has identified the four that would be best for wind farm development. More
(NY) The New York Times – The idea was to nudge innovative retailers into putting enough clean-fuel pit stops in place to create the nation’s longest alternative energy road. On this highway, you could drive from British Columbia to Baja — the entire length — in a car powered by woodchips or algae, ethanol or electricity. West Coast governors, backed by federal officials, imagined a series of stations that would allow drivers to swap out a fresh battery in minutes for electric vehicles, which can go about 100 miles on a charge. And every 60 miles or so would be a station with biofuel of some sort. Much of this, they said over the last two years, could be in place now.
(MI) Booth Newspapers – A Toyota executive overseeing research said Thursday a battery breakthrough is needed for electric vehicles to become mainstream, and hybrids will remain the best “green” car choice for some time. His comments came just hours after the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Toyota’s Prius hybrid was the No. 1 selling vehicle in Japan for May, clinching the top spot for the first time-even though the latest model had been on sale for only half the month. More