Lights

Turn your lights off or keep your lights on, it’s a decision we all have to make and it’s a decision that has far-reaching implications on an environmental, societal and economical level. But it’s also one of the many contentious issues that constantly come up in the debate over how we might reduce out carbon emissions.

As a matter of fact, every damn thing about carbon emissions and greenhouse gases seems to be contentious. It’s getting to the point where you can’t try to better the world we live in without some know-all ignoramus pulling a half-baked scientific “fact” from their arse and claiming that it is gospel. Idiots cite "hundreds of scientists" out of the hundreds of thousands of scientists in the world who reject global warming as proff it's not happening.

“The world’s temperatures aren’t rising.” “It’s all part of an ebbing and flowing climate that has nothing to do with the horrendous amounts of pollution we pump into the air every day.” “Reducing carbon emissions is just a plan for governments to take more money off us.”

There have been dumbass nay-sayers for as long as there have been enlightened visionaries willing to take bold action or make brave predictions. With today’s communications systems being what they are these sorts of people are just so much more noticeable. Heck, look at some of the halfwits who make comments on sites like Renewable Energy World and the like.

Believers who are truly committed to making a difference will always win out against the lazy criticizing weaklings who prefer to hide at home and pour scorn on others.

SDG&E Adds 40 Megawatts of Geothermal Energy

San Diego Gas & Electric has signed a power-purchase agreement with Esmeralda Truckhaven to supply 40 megawatts (MW) of geothermal energy to the region's electric system. The agreement will boost SDG&E's total geothermal energy supply to 60 MW produced from Esmeralda facilities located in Imperial County, California.

Just to get an idea about how much electricty we're talking abot, a megawatt is the equivalent energy needed to power 650 homes.

A quote to celebrate the deal: "The Imperial County is a renewable mecca for our region's future energy supply," said Debra L. Reed, president and chief executive officer of SDG&E. "As we continue to aggressively seek out renewable sources of energy to meet the state's 20-percent-by-2010 mandate, we will look to renewable developers such as Esmeralda to help us expand our renewable energy footprint throughout the county."

In addition to the Esmeralda contract, SDG&E also received approval of its Envirepel agreement from the California Public Utilities Commission. The Envirepel agreement is for 1.5 MW of biomass energy to be produced at a facility being developed in Vista, California.

Around five percent of SDG&E's energy-resource mix comes from renewable resources such as wind, solar, biomass and geothermal. SDG&E has continuously pursued renewable energy with market solicitations every year since 2002. In the most recent solicitation, developers bid more than 5,000 MW of renewable energy for a majority of projects that would be built in the Imperial Valley.