Martha’s Vineyard Gets 10 Percent of Power from Renewable Energy

I managed a multi-article video, photo and blog project to celebrate Earth Month 2017.

Earth Day 2017 is almost here. This year we’re celebrating by telling the story of how Martha’s Vineyard, a historic American island, is leading the way toward a clean energy future. By embracing renewables such as solar and wind, the island’s residents are creating a sustainable living community

South Mountain Company, a local employee-owned company, has been instrumental in the adoption of renewable energy on the island and is responsible for approximately half of the more than 500 solar installations on Martha’s Vineyard.

“We’ve been integrating renewables since the 1970s, and it has always been us pushing the technology. We can tell we’re making progress because now people are pushing us,” said John Abrams, founder, CEO and president of South Mountain Company.

A small portion of Martha’s Vineyard’s renewables mix comes from onshore wind. The community is planning to develop a large offshore wind installation in the next four to eight years, which along with ongoing solar developments, will significantly grow the island’s total renewables portfolio.

Watch this video to see how South Mountain seamlessly designs solar installations that complement the island's beauty.

How Martha’s Vineyard Gets its Electricity

The island is connected to the mainland’s conventional energy grid by four separate underwater cables totaling 62 megawatts of electric capacity. For roughly a decade, island businesses and homeowners, as well as several of the six island towns, have incorporated approximately eight megawatts of locally produced renewable energy into their lives.

“Having local renewable energy generation exceed 10 percent of the mainland supply feels good, and the impact is actually much greater than that especially given that nationally renewables make up less than 1 percent of the mix,” said Rob Meyers, Energy Services Manager at South Mountain Company.

Generating and delivering electricity in the region is about 30 percent efficient, meaning that roughly 70 percent of the electricity is lost in the process.

“Each kilowatt we produce on the island offsets three kilowatt hours of fossil-fuel generated electricity from the mainland that’s transmitted via the underwater cables,” Meyers said.

Because locally produced electricity doesn't have to be transmitted long distances, it's a much more efficient energy source.

Solar dominates the renewable energy mix on Martha’s Vineyard, and SMC uses SunPower® solar almost exclusively for its residential, commercial, and institutional projects.

 “We’re fans of SunPower technology because we know when we put a panel on a project it’s the highest performing panel in the industry,” Meyers said.

How to Build a Sustainable Living Community

Formed in 2009, Vineyard Power is the island’s renewable energy cooperative, and SMC has collaborated with the co-op since its inception. Their collaboration has led to several innovative community solar installations, including repurposing two of the island’s capped landfills, maximizing space at a century-old, family-owned supermarket and empowering the local Boys and Girls Club with an annual solar energy offset of nearly 100 percent.

The path to a renewable energy future is challenging and having the support of the local community is essential to success.

“We need to enable planning boards and municipal government to help clean energy, not hinder it. The folks doing that important work in a small community are largely volunteering. It is important to make ourselves available to them as a resource. The local citizens’ clean energy co-op has been a very strong force in that process,” Abrams said.

With its pristine beaches and mild summer weather, Martha’s Vineyard is a global vacation destination. Each year tourists flock to the island to take in the sights, the sea and the culture.

 “People from all over the world see what’s happening, and they take that exposure and inspiration back to their communities,” Abrams said. “So it feels like our work here is pollinating this movement around the world.”

Earth Day is April 22. Celebrate this year by drawing inspiration from the Martha’s Vineyard story in this three-part blog and video series. Next week we’ll take a look inside the integrated architecture, engineering and building approach of South Mountain Company. We’ll learn how SMC leverages SunPower technology to craft powerful solar installations that blend with both historic architecture and modern design.

In the third post, we’ll explore SMC’s commercial and municipal projects, including a net zero affordable housing neighborhood and a plan to potentially use renewables to power the local transportation system.

Related posts

• Five Facts About Sustainable Solar Energy

• Beautiful Green Homes Designed With Solar

• Crafting a Clean Energy Future on Martha’s Vineyard

Solar Impulse 2 Lands in Hawaii, Setting Solo and Solar Flight Records

Fans of Solar Impulse 2, the SunPower®  solar cell powered airplane, are celebrating the plane’s safe landing in Hawaii today following the most dangerous leg of its around-the-world journey: more than 5,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean without a drop of fuel.

The trip from Japan to Hawaii broke world records for longest solo and solar flight when pilot André Borschberg landed at Kaleoloa Airport on O’hau after flying five days nonstop.

“Congrats to the Solar Impulse pioneers,” said SunPower CEO Tom Werner. “SunPower is proud that our solar cells helped power this flight on its unprecedented journey, making aviation history.”

How fitting that the plane, a project born in Switzerland to Borschberg and his partner Bertrand Piccard, landed on American soil on the eve of our Independence Day.

Borschberg, Piccard and their support team have been unwavering in demonstrating the kind of adventurous spirit that characterizes our country and its founders and that typifies the groundbreaking innovation that 30-year-old SunPower was founded upon.

As Piccard Tweeted recently, “Energy efficiency, solar power and modern technology can achieve the impossible.”

At moments completing this perilous flight seemed impossible. The Hawaii flight had originated in China but was unexpectedly grounded for three weeks in Japan due to poor weather. All eyes were on the Solar Impulse team, wondering if the journey, which originated in Monaco in March, would have to be put on hold indefinitely.

One attempt to take off from Japan, watched live online by the world, was aborted at the last minute, and the stress and disappointment faced by all was palpable.

Their caution was understandable as the dangers to the pilot and aircraft were all too real. If the plane hit bad weather over the vast Pacific, Borschberg would have nowhere to land. He might of had to ditch the plane and escape via parachute into a life raft.

Yet the team members persevered, working day and night to find a safe weather window for the plane to fly.

Their determination was admirable and brings to mind many explorers from before, especially Amelia Earhart, the first woman aviator to cross the Atlantic solo. It’s bittersweet to note that the July 2, 1937 anniversary of Earhart’s disappearance over the South Pacific occurred on one of the most difficult days of Borschberg’s flight, as he faced exhaustion and turbulence while trying to find a safe spot to cross a cold front. We hope Borschberg’s success honors her memory.

The theme of freedom rings true. Freedom to do what no one has done before: Fly alone for days in a cold cramped unpressurized cockpit to tell the world that the free power of the sun means what the hashtag on the plane's fuselage clearly states: #TheFutureisClean.

What a Drought Can Do to Your Health

By KARI HULAC (Patch Staff)January 19, 2014 

Is your skin feeling drier than usual? Is this dry cold air parching your throat, your sinuses? Do you have a chronic cough?

Well, you could blame it all on the drought.

Droughts can have some physical side effects, some of them life threatening in severe situations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC says:

"During droughts, dry soils — and often wildfires — increase the amount of airborne particles, such as pollen and smoke. These particles can irritate the airways and worsen chronic respiratory illnesses such as  asthma. Poor air quality can also increase the risk of respiratory infections, such as bacterial pneumonia and  valley fever, a fungal infection and common cause of pneumonia in many areas of the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central and South America."

Symptoms of valley fever include fever, chest pain, coughing, rash and muscle aches. Some people are at increased risk for developing disseminated infection, including those who have weakened immune systems, are in their third trimester of pregnancy, or who are of African-American, Asian, Hispanic, or Filipino descent.

According to the EPA, particulates in the air can cause:

• premature death in people with heart or lung disease;

• nonfatal heart attacks;

• irregular heartbeat;

• aggravated asthma;

• decreased lung function; and

• increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty breathing.

Because the water supplies are not being refreshed, water quality can become compromised, making animals sick and contaminating the food supply from start to finish.

Even playing in the water can be more dangerous, so watch your dogs and kids, who can become ill by being exposed to cyanobacteria, single-celled organisms that live in fresh, brackish, and marine water, and use sunlight to make their own food. In warm, nutrient-rich environments, microscopic cyanobacteria can grow quickly, creating blooms that spread across the water’s surface and may become visible. 

Some cyanobacteria that can form produce toxins that are among the most powerful natural poisons known. These toxins have no known antidotes. CyanoHABs can make people, their pets, and other animals sick. Often, the first sign that an HAB exists is a sick dog that has been swimming in an algae-filled pond. 

And if that's not enough, droughts can increase the likelihood of diseases transmitted by mosquitos and pests, including West Nile virus, encephalitis, Lyme disease and Hanta virus.

Some tips for protecting yourself

Pay close attention to heart attack symptoms of chest pain, palpitations, fatigue and shortness of breath.

If you have asthma, follow your asthma management plan closely.

Watch your activity level when outdoors. Walk instead of jog, don't exercise near busy roads or plan to be outside when air quality is better.

And pray for rain.

You’ve Lost Your Job – Expert Tips on What to Do Next

(This post received 220 shares on Linked in)

Posted by Kari Hulac on Jul 1, 2014 11:30:32 AM

Suddenly becoming unemployed, whether you were fired or laid off, is one of the most challenging moments in any professional’s career.

You might feel shocked, embarrassed, angry or depressed, and you may feel completely confused about your next steps.

If you act too quickly and let your emotions drive you it could lead to a costly career mistake. But if you go the opposite route and lounge around for months, that could have negative repercussions as well.

Since Robert Half is dedicated to helping professionals find work,  I asked three Robert Half Finance & Accounting division directors, Kevin Green, Chattanooga, Tenn; Noel Tiell, Orlando Fla.; and Kimberly Shark, Alpharetta, Ga., for their advice.

1. What should someone do within the first week of losing a job?

Our experts agreed it’s important to update LinkedIn and note that you’re currently looking for a new opportunity. Make sure that you have a flattering, professional photo posted and be specific about which types of jobs you’re seeking.

Kimberly Shark suggested reaching out to former supervisors to let them know your situation. See if they can serve as a resource and ask them to keep an eye out for job prospects. She said it’s a good idea to talk to your most recent employer about how they plan to respond to requests for references.

Noel Tiell said the first order of business is the resume.

“Update your resume and have it armed to go out to appropriate parties,” he said.

Kevin Green said practice those interview skills, too.

“Learn how to articulate accomplishments not tasks,” he pointed out.

2.  What are some common mistakes you’ve seen candidates make?

Now is NOT the time to “go into hiding,” Green said.

“React with a sense of urgency,” said Shark. “Sometimes a long gap in employment can be detrimental.”

She said hit the ground running with an updated resume, a professional-sounding email address and proper interview attire.

Tiell said be proactive.

“Getting a job is a full-time job,” he said.

Green said it’s important to be truthful about the circumstances around your unemployment and to not let embarrassment get the best of you.

“It happens to lots of us in the course of our careers,” he said. “The only shame we feel is that which we allow ourselves to.”

3. What advice would you give to help a job candidate avoid getting discouraged? 

Tiell said avoid discouragement by being open to the types of jobs you’re willing to accept.

“Waiting for the perfect job that offers everything you may have had before is most likely not going to present itself,” he said.

Green said it’s helpful to find a mentor or coach who can be a sounding board during the job search.

Shark reminds candidates to network as much as possible, including with people in your neighborhood or church. And, she said, don’t forget to be active, exercise and stay involved in hobbies.