Sep 25 2009

The Green Seen

Posted by: Leonard Anderson

Several items relating to the business and technology of clean energy and the environment caught our attention this week:

A solar installer company and the Dutch bank Rabobank are jointly building battery charging stations on Highway 101 between San Francisco and Los Angeles for Tesla Motors' electric roadsters. The $109,000 sports car has a range of 250 miles. Five charging stations set up by SolarCity will be at Rabobank branches in Salinas, Atascadero, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria and Goleta. The bank will pick up the tab for the electricity, about $4 for a full charge.

Update on the bag wars: The San Jose City Council votes to outlaw most plastic and paper shopping bags and calls on other cities in Silicon Valley to support the ban. The ordinance, which would take effect in 2011, would prohibit stores from giving out free plastic bags but would allow paper bags with at least 40 percent recycled materials, but only for a fee. Meanwhile, Ireland, the first nation to tax plastic bags, plans to double the charge to 44 euro cents (59 U.S. cents) per bag to reinforce the deterrent.

The California Energy Commission proposes the nation's first energy efficiency standards for televisions, effective in 2011 with tougher standards to follow in 2013. The rules would save about $8.1 billion on Californians' electricity bills over 10 years, or $30 a year per household. The CEC is concerned about the growing demand for electricity-guzzling, big-screen sets. TVs account for 10 percent of the state's residential power use.

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