Every so often we like to post interesting tid bits from the world of renewable energy to our twitter page. Here are a few of the more interesting stories of the past few months in case you missed them. Enjoy!

• Solar Vehicles: Innovative Transportation Designs Powered By The Sun (PHOTOS) http://huff.to/a20nQg
• Bella Energy Customer Working on 3D Movie About Mass Extinction : TreeHugger http://bit.ly/aMoBLG
• Green Business Forecast Shows Strong Growth Ahead | Business | GreenBiz.com http://bit.ly/dzBOUo
• Today on Planet 100: Ocean Acidification 101 (Video) : TreeHugger http://bit.ly/9LQ5xq
• Melting Steel With Only the Sun #Video : TreeHugger http://bit.ly/bf2JE1

Louisville, CO, July 6 2010 – Colorado State University’s recently completed solar energy system provides clean energy for the campus and shade for students, faculty and visitors parking at the Lake Street Parking Garage. The 132.5 Kilowatt solar electric system is the fourth project between Colorado State University and local solar energy provider, Bella Energy.

“Colorado State University has been committed to energy conservation on campus for many, many years,” said Carol Dollard, energy engineer for Colorado State University. “This solar project is one of the many tools in our toolbox and it’s an important piece of the joint efforts with the City and Colorado State to make the downtown area – including the main CSU campus – a net zero-energy district.”

“Bella Energy is extremely proud of our work with Colorado State University,” said Jim Welch, CEO of Bella Energy. “The company was founded in Fort Collins so it is always nice to do work in our hometown. Projects like these are a critical element of our ongoing growth as a company. This year Bella Energy slated to install over two Megawatts of solar energy systems, which is twice the business we did last year.”

Accompanied by lawmakers, business owners and clean-energy pioneers, Gov. Ritter praised the strong partnerships and innovative projects that are making Colorado a hub for the New Energy Economy. He thanked lawmakers for helping to push through 16 ambitious bills during this legislative session that are taking Colorado’s energy work to new frontiers.

“Since taking office in 2007, we have charged forward with a bold and ambitious agenda to make Colorado a national leader in the New Energy Economy,” Gov. Ritter said. “In less than four years, we have passed nearly 60 New Energy Economy bills that are sowing the seeds for a vibrant and sustainable future. We are creating jobs, attracting companies, reducing energy consumption and advancing high-tech projects that will continue to bear fruit for decades to come.

“This year, we passed the landmark, first-in-the-country Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act, which will reduce climate-warming emissions from coal and create a greater role for cleaner, home-grown natural gas. We increased the renewable energy requirement to 30 percent by 2020, and we passed a host of measures that will help clean-tech businesses thrive.

“Today, Colorado is at the leading edge of a clean-energy revolution.”

State Sen. Gail Schwartz has been a leading supporter of the New Energy Economy and sponsored several of the bills signed into law today by Gov. Ritter.

“Thanks to our commitment to Colorado’s New Energy Economy, this state is the best place for renewable energy in the country,” Sen. Schwartz said. “Thousands of green jobs have already been created, and demand for skilled workers is building. We are working to ensure these growing industries have the workforce needed. I’m proud of all the work that we have done since I first took office four years ago. There is still a lot to accomplish, but these bills bring us closer to our goals and help position Colorado for a strong recovery with tools of the future.”

The New Energy Economy bills signed today are:

• House Bill 1333 (Vigil/Schwartz & Newell) provides grants to community colleges, vocational schools and other training providers to develop clean energy job training programs.

“By creating this partnership for green job training, we can help people who might have lost their jobs and need to be trained in new skills,” Rep. Ed Vigil said. “We can help put folks back to work in growing sectors of our economy. Importantly, we are responding to the needs and requests of the renewable energy industry. That’s good for people who need work today and good for the green businesses that want to hire trained Coloradans tomorrow.”

“The renewable energy industry provides good-paying jobs for workers in Colorado,” Sen. Linda Newell said. “This bill will help people acquire skills for those jobs and strengthen our state’s workforce to keep us competitive. I’m proud to be a part of it.”

• House Bill 1328 (Miklosi/Schwartz) creates a statewide New Energy Improvement District to promote and finance Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs, thereby providing scalability that cannot be easily achieved with a county-by-county approach. A county must opt-into the district before its residents can participate in the program.

“I am confident that this will help the state create jobs and empower homeowners to participate in our fastest growing economic sector — the New Energy Economy,” Rep. Joe Miklosi said.
Senate Bill 180 (Williams/A. Kerr) creates an 11-member task force to gather information and report to the legislature and Colorado Public Utilities Commission on issues related to the implementation of a smart energy grid in Colorado.

• House Bill 1098 (Levy/Hodge) provides for more transparency in rural electric cooperative association governance and fairness in elections at these organizations.

“Members of rural electric associations deserve to have a real voice in decisions made by their utility. Too often, members who advocate for more renewable energy and energy efficiency programs have been shut out by old guard board members who are resistant to change. House Bill 1098 will open up the election process for the board of directors, and will allow REA members to provide input to board members as they make important decisions about their energy sources,” Rep. Claire Levy said.

• House Bill 1267 (A. Kerr/Romer) allows third-party independently-owned residential solar facilities to be exempt from property tax, putting them on an even playing field with homeowner-owned systems with regard to property tax exemption.

Photo Credit: Colorado Governor's Office

New Energy Economy legislation will require nearly one-third of electricity come from
clean energy sources and will create thousands of good-paying jobs

Denver – Gov. Bill Ritter and lawmakers today announced legislation to significantly increase Colorado’s Renewable Energy Standard, which will give Colorado the best clean-energy requirement in the Rocky Mountain West, create thousands of new jobs and lead to 100,000 solar rooftops over the next decade.

“Colorado has proven that clean energy works,” said Pam Kiely, program director for Environment Colorado. “We’ve gone from zero to 60, all fueled by clean energy, to strengthen our economy, stabilize energy prices and put Coloradans to work on solar rooftops and wind farms. Our air is cleaner, our water healthier, and we’ve cut global warming pollution. Today, it’s time to take the next big step forward.”

House Bill 10-1001 will raise the state’s renewable energy requirement for large utility companies from 20 percent by 2020 to 30 percent by 2020. The legislation is co-sponsored by Reps. Max Tyler and Jack Pommer and Sens. Gail Schwartz and Bruce Whitehead. A 30 percent Renewable Energy Standard would be the highest in the Rocky Mountain West and among the highest nationally.

“Colorado’s New Energy Economy is leading America’s clean-energy revolution,” Gov. Ritter said. “We are well ahead of the current goal of 20 percent renewables by 2020 goal. By requiring utility companies to generate nearly one-third of their electricity from renewable sources, we will continue to improve our energy, environmental and economic security. We will create thousands of new jobs and help bring clean, affordable and reliable clean energy into homes and businesses throughout Colorado.”

Colorado became the first state with a voter-approved Renewable Energy Standard in 2004 with the passage of Amendment 37, which set a 10 percent by 2015 goal. Gov. Ritter and lawmakers doubled the RES to 20 percent by 2020 in 2007.

“Renewable energy is Colorado’s fastest growing economic sector,” Rep. Tyler said. “We want to keep it growing and glowing brightly. That’s why we’re proud to present our number one bill. House Bill 1001 will increase the Renewable Energy Standard by 50 percent and will spur development of small, local power projects from a wide array of sources.”

“You can’t ignore the numbers,” Sen. Schwartz said. “By increasing Colorado’s Renewable Energy Standard, 100,000 more homes statewide will have renewable energy and lower energy bills, 30 percent of our electricity will come from clean-energy sources, and thousands more Coloradans will have an opportunity to obtain good-paying jobs in the New Energy Economy.”

Colorado currently has 17,000 jobs in renewable energy and energy research, the fourth-highest concentration in the nation, and 230 solar companies. With more than 300 sunny days a year in Colorado and some of the best wind resources in the country, HB 1001 will recharge the economy by incentivizing more residential, commercial and community solar projects.

“Jobs, jobs, jobs. That is our primary focus for this session and this bill,” Sen. Whitehead said. “The Renewable Energy Standard will cement our position as the premier location for New Energy Economy companies to come and create new jobs.”

“HB 1001 has been a strong collaborative effort and it makes great strides in making sure that jobs in the New Energy Economy are good jobs with training, standards, better wages and benefits for Colorado’s workers. We support this bill and look forward to it becoming law,” said Mike Cerbo, executive director, Colorado AFL-CIO.