The summer movie season has officially opened and once again superheroes are on seemingly impossible missions to save the world from cataclysmic disaster.  But this year’s most important blockbuster is different: it happens to be real.

On June 1, a standing room only crowd packed the Landmark E Street Cinema in Washington, D.C. to watch a special screening of “An Inconvenient Truth,” the new global warming documentary starring former Vice President Al Gore.  The event was sponsored by numerous organizations that are actively promoting clean energy and climate change initiatives including SmartPower, Solar Nation, ACORE, Co-op America and Campus Progress.

After the film, viewers were treated to a lively panel discussion moderated by Ken Locklin of Solar Nation and featuring representatives of the event sponsors including SmartPower’s Brian F. Keane.  "Sometimes we hit a moment when everything changes...the release of ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ marks an event like that.  A decade from now, we will look back on its release as, in Churchill's words, 'the end of the beginning', and the dawn of the post carbon age," said Locklin afterwards.   

As graphically demonstrated by Mr. Gore in the film, the growth of clean, renewable energy technologies can play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.  Indeed, much of the panel discussion focused on actions that citizens can take to become part of the solution including signing up for clean energy through their local utility (visit www.gocleanenergy.com!) or installing a solar photovoltaic system in their home or business. 

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The website includes background information on the film and the science of global warming.  Furthermore, it contains a checklist of action steps that individuals can take at home or on the move to reduce his or her carbon footprint.  Visitors to the site can also find a theater at a nearby location or watch a trailer of the movie.

A hit at the Sundance Film Festival, the movie has wowed critics and audiences throughout the country since its release this month.  Roger Ebert, the legendary film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, had this to say:  “In 39 years I have never written these words in a movie review, but here they are: You owe it to yourself to see this film.  If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to.” 

In collaboration with the  PA Sustainable Development Fund (SDF),  the Philadelphia Electric Company (PECO), Community Energy, Inc., Native Energy, the Clean Air Council and other Pennsylvania-based organizations, SmartPower recently unveiled the Pennsylvania Clean Energy Communities Campaign.

As a result of the remarkable achievement of the ‘CT Clean Energy Communities’ program developed in partnership with the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, SmartPower is taking this model and bringing it to Pennsylvania with the anticipation that it will similarly increase the demand for clean energy among residential consumers and municipalities in the Keystone state.

Designed to show that clean energy is real, here and working, the PA Clean Energy Communities Campaign will educate both local communities and their residents about their options for supporting and purchasing clean energy.  The program will provide 10 qualified townships, boroughs or cities located in PECO service territory in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties with a free 1kW solar photovoltaic system. 

While there are many similarities between the Clean Energy Communities program in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, there are also many differences that make the Pennsylvania campaign uniquely its own.  The key to both programs however, is ensuring that a community’s participation is as easy as 1-2-3! 

Thus, for a Pennsylvania community to qualify for the free 1kw solar system, they just need to complete the following three steps:

1.	The community government must commit to purchase 20% of its electricity from clean energy by 2010.
2.	Residents and business of the community must sign up to purchase clean energy in one of the two following amounts:
	(a) 7% of the combined household and business population within the community must sign up for clean energy.
	--OR--
	(b) New household and business purchases of clean energy within the community must be equivalent to 40,000 kWhs per year.
3.	The community government must actually make a purchase of clean energy prior to receiving the 1kW solar photovoltaic system.

SmartPower is excited to embark on this new collaboration and believes that the Pennsylvania Clean Energy Communities Campaign will significantly increase clean energy purchases in the state.  As we like to say, “Let’s make more!

Faced with skyrocketing electric prices and energy reliability questions, the Connecticut General Assembly convened two days of “Energy Summit” hearings in Hartford recently. 

The first session, held on May 17, was presided over by Speaker James Amann (D-Milford) and included leaders of the Energy & Technology Committee.  Among the invited speakers were representatives of the state agencies, regulators, electric utilities and power generating companies.

Photo: David Lubarsky

A second session, held on June 5, focused on themes of energy conservation and expansion of renewable alternatives.  Lise Dondy, President of the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, presented an overview that highlighted the impressive accomplishments of the Fund.  Project 100, which is currently in the second phase of solicitations, is on an accelerated pace to develop larger scale renewable generation facilities in Connecticut.  The electricity produced at these facilities must be purchased by the electric distribution companies pursuant to statute. 

Ms. Dondy also spoke about the highly successful Connecticut Clean Energy Communities program which provides incentives to municipalities that join the SmartPower 20% by 2010TM Campaign and achieve certain thresholds of signups to the CTCleanEnergyOptionsSM program.  As a direct result of these innovative programs, 25 Connecticut towns and approximately 8,500 households are now supporting clean energy.  Furthermore, many commercial, institutional and residential customers are availing themselves of the attractive incentives offered by the Fund to buy down the cost of solar PV and other on-site renewable systems.  As Dondy summarized, “Clean energy is real, it’s here and it’s working in Connecticut.”

For four years the effort to  build the first offshore wind farm in the United States, the Cape Wind project proposed for Nantucket Sound, has played out in the State and Federal permitting process.

It is understandable why a developer would choose to site a wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound.   The site has the strong, consistent and predictable wind that is normally found only much farther offshore yet it is relatively shallow.  This combination would allow for the use of commercial technology already employed in Europe and would offer protection from the most devastating of storms and waves by the presence of the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.   Furthermore, it is also one of the few sites on the East Coast where ocean strength winds and shallow waters are found in reasonable proximity to a densely populated area with fully developed electricity transmission and infrastructure.  Indeed, the Cape Wind project would be poised to supply 75 percent of the substantial annual electric needs of Cape Cod and the Islands.

The site does, however, come with some significant challenges.  First, it is an area that attracts considerable bird populations during migration seasons. This issue and other legitimate environmental concerns  are being addressed through an extensive environmental review process that is well underway.

Another major challenge is that some seasonal and year round residents are concerned that their view shed will be affected by the placement of a wind farm in the sound.  Unfortunately there is no comparable review process to balance these concerns against the competing benefits.

Opponents have also objected to the lack of mechanism for formally leasing the undersea federal lands to the Cape Wind project, allowing the government to collect rent from the project.  That issue was disposed of by the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 which set up a structure for leasing ocean lands to wind developers and mandating the paying of rent and requiring future projects to compete for sites, while allowing projects like Cape Wind that were already “in the pipeline” to proceed.

Things took a dramatic turn in the complex life of this project when key players in Washington added an amendment to the Coast Guard Reauthorization Bill – without a hearing or any opportunity for open debate – that would, in effect, have killed the initiative. 

Fortunately, a broad swath of environmental, labor, public health and consumer groups have rallied to oppose this legislation that has the potential to not only kill one project, but also to undermine all investment in clean and renewable energy in the future.

As a result of these efforts, it appears as though Congress is poised to eliminate this amendment and allow the Cape Wind process to continue.  Time will tell.

To be sure however, this fight is far from over.  To learn more about the Cape Wind Project follow the link visit the Conservation Law Foundation website at http://www.clf.org/ and get involved!