9/15 – Poll: Who Is Willing to Pay for Renewable Energy?

Monday September 15th, 2014

From The Atlantic’s Citylab:

lead_largeIt’s easy for people to say they support renewable energy. But if their eagerness to be green meant spending more money, would they really?

More than 1,600 Americans were asked just that in the Atlantic Media/Siemens State of the City Poll—as well as a few other questions about energy use—and their responses show that there’s a significant divide when it comes to a willingness to pay higher costs for a more sustainable power supply. It turns out the most die-hard fans of kicking fossil fuels can be found, perhaps in no great surprise, among the youngest Americans, the most educated, and those who identify as Democrats.

Read more at The Atlantic.

9/6 – 9MW Coatesville Solar Initiative Approved

Saturday, September 6th 2014

CSI_logo-web-225We are thrilled to share the news that the Coatesville Solar Initiative has received final approval from the Coatesville School District, meaning our friends at Keare’s Electrical Contracting will begin construction on this 9.1MW solar PV project soon!

From the Daily Local News:

“Years of negotiations and anxious anticipation for a final decision, Coatesville Area School Board members approved the remaining agreements with Coatesville Solar Initiative, Inc. for the development of a solar field.

“I can’t express how happy I am to come to this point,” school board president Neil Campbell said before the board approved three items related to the solar project. “It is my hope that in the next few months you are going to see a major construction project that will run through this main campus to that build, which will benefit this community.”

School board members unanimously approved a 25-year power purchase agreement at a fixed rate of about $.0765 per kilowatt hour for the first three years of the agreement. The remaining 22 years, the school district would pay “a discounted market price subject to specified floor and ceiling prices thereafter,” according to the school board agenda.

The school district will never pay more than the ceiling price and if those rates fall between the floor and ceiling, the school district will receive a 10 percent discount on energy.

Projected costs over the next 25 years show in 2039 the school district could pay about 3 cents less per kilowatt hours using solar verses “grid” energy – projected to reach $.16 per kilowatt hour.

The CSI solar project is a 9.1 megawatt solar farm that will be installed on 46 acres of property just south of Dogwood Lane and Scott Drive and north of Coatesville Area High School in Caln Township. The school district was expected to purchase about 6 megawatts of power for the high school.

The board also approved granting CSI an easement through the high school campus to gain access to the construction site and an agreement for CSI to provide the school district with “added benefits” – installing outdoor lighting, providing the school district with an electric car and three charging stations for district use, solar education kiosks and an education center – at no cost to the school district.

CASD is receiving a onetime payment of $125,000 as a part of the easement agreement.

School district’s special legal counsel from Rhoads & Sinon, said the installation of lighting at the high school and Friendship Elementary must be done within 6 months of the “commercial operation date of the solar facility.” The education center, charging kiosks and electric vehicle must be provided to the school district in 36 months of the operation date.

According to Coatesville Solar Initiative (CSI) representatives working on the project, $15 million will be spent locally, and a local jobs program was developed to hire two or three residents who live in the nearby Carver Court development.

CSI representatives said not much has changed from the original agreement presented last year. They said the per kilowatt hour price and the additional benefits for the school district remain the same.”

Read more on the Coatesville Solar Initiative website.

8/5 – 2014-2015 Annual Needs Assessment Available

Tuesday, August 5th 2014

Capture

Click here to complete!

It is that time of year again when we ask for your input in creating an informative profile of the region’s smart energy industry. Our five-minute needs assessment will help us prioritize our 2014-2015 efforts and initiatives.

Please take a few minutes to tell us how we may help your organization grow and prosper.

Thanks in advance! We look forward to working with you in the upcoming year.

If you have any questions, please contact Will Williams.

4/21 – Pennsylvania SREC Market Update

Monday, April 21st 2014

New PictureThe fine folks at SRECTrade Inc. just posted a short webinar update on Pennsylvania’s SREC market, along with some information about Ohio which is necessary to understand PA’s unique market.

Despite still being severely over-supplied, PA SREC prices have jumped significantly in the past six months. This was caused by an increase in demand as buyers sought to take advantage of historically low prices.

Check out SRECTrade Inc. for more info and a link to the short webinar.

2/23 – 2014 Energy Briefing Recap and Slides

Monday, February 24th 2014

IMG_3456The Smart Energy Initiative and the Chester County Economic Development Council hosted the 2014 Energy Briefing on Thursday, February 20th. Thanks to our sponsors PECO, ICF International, and the Coatesville Solar Initiative, as well as the speakers:

  • PWI Engineering – Mark Fischer
  • PECO Energy – Mike O’Leary
  • Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of Sustainability – Alex Dews
  • Community Energy – Tom Tuffey

Click here to download slides from the event.

Thanks to our sponsors:

Sponsor                 CSI_logo-web-225

 

10/18 – SEI Training Grant Application Released

Friday October 18th, 2013

We are pleased to announce that the Smart Energy Initiative’s application for funding for ongoing incumbent worker training has been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry!

Retroactive to October 1st, these funds will be used to reimburse energy companies who train their existing workforce in the fields of energy efficiency, geothermal, solar PV, and compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles.

The first step is completing a training application by clicking here.

Contact Will Williams with questions, and stay tuned for more info!

 

9/27 – Sponsor needed for November’s Manufacturers Energy Forum

Friday, September 27th 2013

SEI and the Manufacturing Alliance of Chester and Delaware Counties have partnered to provide a program to answer manufacturer’s energy questions. We are looking for sponsors to help underwrite the cost of developing this event. Opportunities begin at $250! Read more about sponsorship by clicking here.Contact Jim Lauckner if you’re interested.

 

The event’s agenda includes:

Benchmarking
Developing an energy plan
Calculating ROI
On-site renewable energy
Backup generation
Procurement
Financing
SEI Advisory Services

Speakers include:
Paul Spiegel
Mark Fischer
A Case Study in Sustainability:
Eagle Design Group – Chester County

9/4 – Another Solar Career Moves Cohorts Completes Training

Wednesday, September 4th 2013

scm-blogStudents from the Philadelphia Solar Career Move program completed their three week intensive training session last month and are now prepared to make waves in the energy industry. This is an exciting opportunity for local employers to get highly skilled, pre-trained workers to help them meet their hiring goals in 2013 and beyond.

The Solar Career Move is a project funded by the Green Jobs Innovation Fund grant from the U.S. Department of Labor and is a part of the Jobs for the Future Greenways Initiative. It consists of a partnership between the Smart Energy Initiative, Infinite Solar, the Federation of Neighborhood Centers (FNC), the Job Opportunity Investment Network, and Philadelphia Works. The team members carefully screened over one hundred applicants to identify those individuals who best exemplified the qualities that lead to success in the skilled trades: ambition, math & reading proficiency, leadership experience in construction projects, reliability, and an entrepreneurial spirit.

The Federation was able to identify the 12 applicants that best demonstrated these qualities through a rigorous testing and interview process. They then put them through two full weeks of training in which they honed their math, electrical, mechanical, and professional development skills. Following this session, students participated in Infinite Solar’s week long, industry acclaimed Solar PV Hands-On Design and Installation Workshop. Now the students are preparing to take the NABCEP Entry Level Exam in a few weeks.

Read more about the Solar Career Move here or contact us to discuss hiring program graduates!

6/7 – Job Alert: Social Media, Web Design and Marketing Intern at Hometown Green

Friday, June 7th 2013

SEI is pleased to post job openings from member companies, as a means of effectively reaching qualified, local candidates in the smart energy industry. Additionally, SEI staff can review applications on you company’s behalf. Send job descriptions and application instructions to Will Williams.

Hometown-GreenHometown Green, LLC located in Chester, PA is looking a Social Media, Web Design and Marketing Intern !

The goal of our work is to reduce non-renewable energy use, carbon footprint, and utility bills in homes. We make homes more comfortable, livable, planet friendly, and energy efficient, through insulating, air-sealing, ducting, ventilating, & exterior drainage work.  Crews install insulation, windows, doors, solar attic fans, hatch units, solar heating, solar hot water, solar PV, solar pool heating.

This is an extremely unique opportunity to learn the inner workings of a successful energy auditing and efficiency contracting firm, Hometown Green, LLC, that performs high-quality residential work in an equal opportunity environment.

You will be working within a Sustainable Business which performs energy audits, and does whole house performance work. “Whole house” work includes scientifically sealing a home to levels prescribed by an energy auditor and testing the home with instrumentation to insure compliance with prescriptions.

We are looking for someone with a highly valuable sense on how to approach people and use their knowledge of social media to capture a client. Must be able to rearrange website data, critique, edit and pass along suggestions to the owner for review. This person would have the capability to prioritize projects, be able to adapt to sudden changes and have the ability to take instructions while working independently.

Duties include:

  • Conceptualize, design, and implement additional marketing techniques/campaigns
  • Track the success of our various marketing campaigns via data using excel or other similar software
  • Assist in the design, creation, and marketing of our new website
  • Maintain and expand our social media presence
  • Strategize future growth

Candidates should be familiar with:

  • Extensive Multitasking capabilities
  • Passion for design, marketing and generating leads.
  • Adobe Photoshop, Word Press, Jumba, Illustrator and Dreamweaver helpful
  • Experience editing HTML, CSS, PHP & Javascript
  • Mail Chimp, Constant Contact or Sales Force
  • Creativity
  • Organizational skills
  • Ambition
  • Computer literacy
  • Excellent problem solving skills a must

Business hours are M-F, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

We will work with you to accommodate your schedule.

Hourly rate is $14.00 per hour

Please email resumes to jobs@hometowngreen.net

Phone calls and walk-ins are not accepted!

TOBACCO FREE/ SMOKE FREE/ DRUG FREE individuals will be given preference.

Experience helpful, but not required: EMA, Marketing, SEO, SEM, Web Design, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterst, Instagram, Blog, Blogging, Social Media, Android Apps, iPhone Apps, Apps.