Monthly Archives: November 2012

Calvert Cliffs nuke terminated

Yesterday on Nuclear Information and Resource Service’s website:

Update, November 1, 2012: UniStar is seeking review of decision by NRC Commissioners, Nuclear Energy Institute filed motion in support. NIRS and NRC staff support the ASLB decision. We will post the Commissioners’ decision when filed. However, today the ASLB officially issued an order terminating the Calvert Cliffs-3 licensing proceeding.

That continues what happened after EDF pulled out and neither Southern Company (SO) nor Duke would step in. Another one down, SO: watch out for your three-legged nuclear regulatory-capture stool at Plant Vogtle on the Savannah River!

-jsq

PS: Owed to Star Priscilla.

 

The power of going solar —John S. Quarterman

Solar panels on farm workshop --John S. Quarterman My op-ed in the VDT today. Remember to vote today or Tuesday. -jsq

This spring, the University at Buffalo turned on 750 kilowatts of solar electricity. Rutgers U., in New Jersey, installed 1.4 megawatts in 2009 and started on 8 MW this summer. Down here with a lot more sun, how about solar panels on VSU parking lots?

There’s plenty of private solar financing available. Also in New Jersey, a company installed 6 MW of solar on high school land and leased the power to the school supplying most of its needs win-win. You can go see a solar farm already working fine here, 200 kilowatts at Mud Creek Wastewater Plant. Why not do the same


View Larger Map

at Lowndes High School, where all the world on I-75 could see, attracting business to our community?

Why not?

Continue reading →

New solar in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Florida: where’s Georgia?

What are these new solar projects? Here are a few FERC lists, in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Florida, and there are more in Texas. Not so many in Georgia.

  • Zongyi Solar America’s 20 MW Tinton Falls Solar in Monmouth County, New Jersey, is online. Tinton Falls Solar is the largest photovoltaic project in New Jersey.
  • Southern Sky Renewable Energy LLC’s 5.6 MW Canton Landfill Solar Project in Canton County, Massachusetts is online. This photovoltaic project is built on the closed and capped Canton Landfill. It is the largest solar facility in New England. The electricity generated is sold to the Town of Canton under a long-term agreement.

New Jersey again! 20 Megawatts is even larger than the 6.1 MW at Lawrenceville School. And Massachusetts, even farther north. Let’s also look just south of us:

  • SunEdison’s 3.6 MW Phase 2 Lakeland Regional Airport Solar Project expansion in Polk County, Florida is online. The Lakeland Regional Airport Solar has a total capacity of 6.3 MW. It is the largest photovoltaic project in Florida. The electricity generated is sold under long-term contract to Lakeland Department of Electric Water Utilities.

Ah, but that’s illegal in Georgia! Here you can sell electricity only to your one and only monopoly utility, predetermined for you by the 1973 Territorial Electric Service Act. Maybe we should change that?

The Lakeland Chamber of Commerce helped promote that solar project. Maybe better PR than feuding with the newspaper?

Also only slightly farther south of us, Continue reading →

21,173 Voted in Lowndes County Georgia thru 1 Nov 2012

1,541 people voted Thursday, for a total of 21,173 voting in Lowndes County Georgia thru 1 November 2012:

Daily and 21,173 Total voting in Lowndes County Georgia thru 1 November 2012

DateDailyTotal
Monday October 15 1,636 1,636
Tuesday October 16 1,225 2,861
Wednesday October 17 956 3,817
Thursday October 18 643 4,460
Friday October 19 1,433 5,893
Monday October 22 1,289 7,724
Tuesday October 23 1,449 9,173
Wednesday October 24 1,363 10,536
Thursday October 25 1,408 11,944
Friday October 26 1,783 13,727
Saturday October 27 1,279 15,003
Monday October 29 1,707 16,713
Tuesday October 30 1,533 18,246
Wednesday October 31 1,386 19,632
Thursday November 1 1,541 21,173
Data courtesy of Lowndes County Board of Elections.

You can still vote 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at the Board of Elections, Vote! 2808 N Oak St., Valdosta, or on that great election day, November 6th, at your precinct. Several recent elections here have been decided by less than 100 votes. Your vote counts!

-jsq

Library Architect RFP and “Bible” (part 2)

Here is the Request for Proposals and the “Bible” of related documents that served as background for the architect selection process for the new library at Five Points. These were received on a CD as part of the library architect selection documents in the very organized open records response from the South Georgia Regional Library; see the previous post for related agendas and minutes.

Included in the RFP (which was issued by the County, not by the Library Board), is a list of fourteen numbered submittal instructions that looks like it might have been the basis for the list of 90 items on the Library Scoring Worksheet.

The RFP also includes this interesting section:

RESERVATIONS

Lowndes County Board of Commissioners reserves the following rights:

Rejection of any and all submittals
Negotiate changes in the Scope of Work
Negotiate services to be provided
Negotiate fee proposal
Waive any and all technicalities

That last line basically seems like it could be interpreted to mean they could select whatever appealed to them no matter what the fit (or not) with what was asked for in the RFP.

The “Bible” includes a cover sheet that says:

Continue reading →

19,632 Voted in Lowndes County Georgia thru 31 Oct 2012

19,632 voted in Lowndes County Georgia thru 31 October 2012, including 1,386 Wednesday.

Daily and 19,632 Total voting in Lowndes County Georgia thru 31 October 2012

DateDailyTotal
Monday October 15 1,636 1,636
Tuesday October 16 1,225 2,861
Wednesday October 17 956 3,817
Thursday October 18 643 4,460
Friday October 19 1,433 5,893
Monday October 22 1,289 7,724
Tuesday October 23 1,449 9,173
Wednesday October 24 1,363 10,536
Thursday October 25 1,408 11,944
Friday October 26 1,783 13,727
Saturday October 27 1,279 15,003
Monday October 29 1,707 16,713
Tuesday October 30 1,533 18,246
Tuesday October 31 1,386 19,632
Data courtesy of Lowndes County Board of Elections.

You can still vote 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and Friday at the Board of Elections, Vote! 2808 N Oak St., Valdosta, or on that great election day, November 6th, at your precinct. Several recent elections here have been decided by less than 100 votes. Your vote counts!

-jsq

Wind and solar were all the new U.S. electric generation in September 2012

Wind and sun provided all the new electric power generation deployed in September 2012. As Moore’s Law continues to decrease solar prices, solar power gets deployed still more rapidly, and wind also gets installed on time and on budget. Meanwhile, nuclear takes a three-legged nuclear regulatory-capture stool and hardly any new reactors get finished anyway.

Stephen Lacey wrote for TP Climate Progress 24 October 2012, Wind And Solar Make Up 100% Of New U.S. Electricity Capacity In September,

September was tied for the hottest of any September on record globally. It was also a very hot month for renewable energy in the U.S. According to figures from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, wind and solar accounted for all new electricity capacity added to America’s grid in September.

New wind is up 25% Jan-Sep 2012 over the same period last year, and new solar is up 78%. For comparison, new coal is Continue reading →

Gretchen canvassing 2012-10-30

Gretchen Quarterman, running for Lowndes County Chairman, will come to your house to remind you that early voting is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. this week at the Board of Elections, 2808 N Oak St., Valdosta.

Down a street To a house

He already voted for her, so she’s on to the next house. After early voting, Election Day is Tuesday November 6th at your precinct.

Talking to a constituent Here she comes

Here’s a video playlist:

Pictures and videos by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Lowndes County, Georgia, 30 October 2012.

-jsq