Have you wondered why areas with hot climates haven’t utilized solar energy more? I have, and am happy to say that there is a man who wants to make the sun and integral part of the way we live.

Syd Kitson, Chairman & CEO of Kitson & Partners has partnered with the state of Florida and formed an alliance of unlikely bed-partners. Government leaders, environmentalists, utilities and private business partners are coming together in a manner not seen before. They plan to create the first ALL solar and carbon neutral city!

Once a cattle ranch and nature preserve, is now the largest preservation land acquisition in the history of Florida. …read more of All Solar All The Time here

There is a huge transition to “going green” across the planet lately. Corporations looking to get on the green band wagon to; save money, get buyers loyalty, and get tax incentives have all lined up and started to do their part.

In this series I will focus on individual companies and projects that we as “green people” would like to know about and support. After all, if you had a choice between a green company and a “I don’t care about the environment” company, all else being equal, what would you pick?

I for one would rather support the company that has a “sustainability policy,” or a local small business apposed to a huge monopoly just because these are the players that cement our lives, add value to our communities and care about the consequences of their decisions and ultimately, they have to live here too! …read more of Going Green: Who’s In, Who’s Out here

Apartment dwellers and other renters may wish to take advantage of such renewable energy sources as solar and wind to power their homes, but feel unable to do so since they can’t make permanent changes to their homes.

What they may not know is that many utility companies across the country allow subscribers to purchase renewable power through their existing electric service.

These programs allow household customers to purchase alternative energy for an extra fee added to their monthly utility bill. Businesses may also purchase renewable energy for an additional monthly fee.

These fees are not at all prohibitive and can be purchased in increments of 25%, 50%, or 100% of energy coming from renewable sources with fees starting as low as $3 per month.

This monthly contribution covers the added expense of harvesting renewable energy. And of course you won’t have to buy any special equipment or make any lifestyle changes by enrolling in one of these programs.

And is this extra cost tax deductible as it currently is for homeowners to solarize their homes? Sadly, no. This contribution is considered a more expensive product and service and not an actual donation.

While you won’t be able to say that your home runs entirely on renewable energy, enrolling in one these programs creates demand for renewable energy and this is definitely a benefit. We’re using more renewable resources and creating more jobs in the renewable energy sector.

When you enroll in a renewable energy program, utilities use your contribution and estimate how much power is used by the community, how many of these households contribute to the renewable energy sources, and then they add more power from the wind and solar sources to the pool of electricity they use depending on how many users have contributed to the program.

If more people subscribe to the renewable energy programs, the utilities will purchase more of the power they use from renewable energy sources.

Eventually renewable energy won’t be a more expensive option. It will be cleaner and cheaper to access than it does to make and use conventional energy sources. And it will always be available for use.

So check your local energy companies for alternative energy programs and enroll in one for Earth Day!

Click here to learn more about the Cap and Trade system.

As spring has fully sprung, we are blessed with longer days and more sun, which brings to mind an image of a house humming with the power of solar panels.

With all that sun, we’ve got to do something with it, right?  The good news is solar panels are becoming more popular and more affordable.

Solar panels, or cells, are photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight into electricity.  The photovoltaic cells are made of a semi-conductor material, such as silicon. When the sunlight strikes, the energy is partially absorbed into …read more of Here Comes the Sun: Solar Panels for the Home here