Trending in community solar: Community solar continuing to boom

According to GTM Research, more than 400 MW of community solar projects will be installed in the United States in 2017. That’s double the amount installed in 2016. Nearly 3 GW of community solar is in development now. The best selling portable solar panel for camping is RENOGY 200 WATT

Community solar is defined by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory as a solar-electric system that, through a voluntary program, provides power and/or financial benefit to, or is owned by, multiple community members. It’s a good option for those who can’t install solar panels because they don’t own their homes, don’t have the good credit needed to finance an installation or lack sufficient roof space where the sun shines consistently, according to NREL. A 2016 NREL study on rooftop solar potential found 83% of small buildings have a suitable location for PV installation, but only 26% of those buildings’ total rooftop area is suitable for development. Community solar can be another option for those with low rooftop solar potential.

Utilities have a large part to play in community solar growth. Investor-owned utilities back about 20% of the country’s community solar programs in 32 states and represent 70% of the potential output, according to Dan Chwastyk of the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), a group providing information to utilities about shifting into clean-energy technologies. There are now 150 voluntary utility community solar programs in place or in development.

North Carolina-based Duke Energy, the largest electricity company in the United States, plans to start a community solar program in South Carolina this year. It’s also seeking regulatory permission to start programs in North Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana.

In Minnesota, Xcel Energy added 32 MW of community solar to the state, part of a larger project that will equal 96 MW. And Maryland approved a three-year community solar pilot program this year with a target of 200 MW.

In a press release, Coalition for Community Solar Access executive director Jeff Cramer said, “Community solar is on the rise across the country. We’re excited to see so much enthusiasm for community solar from so many leading companies and organizations, and encouraged by the growing support for effective policies that will support its adoption nationwide.”

Legislation to create new community solar programs is being considered in at least seven states, including Nevada and Maine. Votes are expected by this summer.

Guest Post: Designing a New Baby Quilt

Ready, set, go... It is not a race when I set out to design a new baby quilt.

Before I decide how I want my next baby quilt to look, I pull out the quilt books on my shelves, the magazines that I have sitting just waiting for me to leaf through their pages, and check out some of my patterns that I have saved either in boxes or on the computer files.

Through the years, I have learned to carry my camera or a sketch pad to quilt shows, or even in a quilt shop if I see a design that intrigues me. Filing that information away and waiting for a time when I just may use pieces or bits of those designs to get an inspiration for a quilt of my own.

Here are some of the starting points that I deem necessary to consider when designing a new quilt:

Decide on the style of baby quilt you would like to make. Is the baby quilt going to be a traditional patchwork, or more contemporary? Do you want to piece the quilt top or appliqué? Maybe a combination of the two?

Ask yourself what is going be the purpose of the new a quilts, will be baby quilts for sale or you will keep them for your own use. How much wear and tear will it receive and will the quilt be subject to repeated laundering? A baby's quilt more often soiled, dragged on the floor may need to have a quick and easy design, as compared to a wall hanging or a bed quilt, that is well cared for.

Decide how much time you have available to denote to the baby quilt project. If you need to complete the quilt in a short period of time, select a pattern or design for your quilt that requires limited hours of your time to quilt. Yet, if you have the time to put into hand sewing or appliquéing a special baby quilt, choose an intricate design and put more effort into the quilting.

Fabric is always an important decision. If you choose a busy print this will hide the quilting design, use a cross-hatch grid or quilt in the ditch method. Place intricate and detailed quilting motifs on solid-color fabrics or tone-on-tone prints.

Remember that you also need to consider you own level of expertise. If you are just a beginning quilter, choose patterns and designs that are simple and require straight lines or grids. If you have the expertise to handle more advanced techniques, challenge yourself with the more intricate patterns, such as feather designs or if you machine quilt, meander or stipple quilting.

Once you are ready to bind your baby quilt, consider again your skill level, time constraints, how much use the baby quilt will receive, or whether the baby quilt has edges that are straight, irregular or curved.

I have one more important and vital part to the process that many quilters tend to skip. Photograph your quilt both from far away and close up shots. Keep these either in an album of all your treasured works of art that your print out at your local photo shop or store digitally, both on your computer and also on a back-up copy (CD or jump drive), just in case the technology fails.

A baby quilt is an heirloom and records should be kept.

Come and choose one our handmade children's quilts, a lasting keepsake, a unique birthday gift, or Christening gift, for that special "little one."

Trump, ‘Alternative Facts,’ and Abuse

Trump’s inauguration in 2017 and Obama’s inauguration in 2009. 

Trump, ‘Alternative Facts,’ and Abuse

Let’s discuss Kellyanne Conway’s comments about White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Spicer openly lied about Trump’s inaugural crowd in Washington, DC being “the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.” Here is a time-lapse video from PBS that shows that the inauguration viewing area was never full at any time that day, even at the height of the festivities.

The Science Behind Why Your Facebook Friends Ignore Facts

The Science Behind Why Your Facebook Friends Ignore Facts

I’ve long believed that humans are rational beings. That is to say, that people use logic and evidence to make decisions and determine what’s true. As it turns out, a wealth of cognitive research proves I was decidedly wrong.

We live in a world where more information is flooding our brains than ever before. Advertisers have long battled for our attention. But now, software developers battle for it too, and then sell it back to the advertisers. The more effectively Google and Twitter and Medium can capture our attention, the more money they make.

26 Crazy Facts You Didn’t Know About Google

26 Crazy Facts You Didn’t Know About Google

Google has long been cloaked in mystery, between its legendary Google X labs (home of the notorious driverless car project) and top-secret search algorithms.

A position at Google is still a dream job for tech and engineering grads around the globe. In fact, the company has a reputation of almost mythic proportions for ingenuity, innovation, and amazing work-life benefits for staff. Once you’ve seen the swim-in-place pools and on-campus hair stylists, it’s easy to see why so many people dream of working for Google.

What’s it really like at Google, though?