Ballotpedia.org has information on California ballot measures 7 and 10

Ballotpedia.org has information regarding propositions 7 and 10 that will be on the November ballot.  According to the site:

California Proposition 7, would, if approved, require California utilities to procure half of their power from renewable resources by 2025. In order to make that goal, levels of production of solar, wind and other renewable energy resources will more than quadruple from their current output of 10.9%. ^[1] It will also require California utilities to increase their purchase of electricity generated from renewable resources by 2% annually to meet Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) ^[2] requirements of 40% in 2020 and 50% in 2025. Current law AB32 requires an RPS of 20% by 2010.

California Proposition 10, also known as the California Alternative Fuels Initiative, is an initiated state statute that will appear on the November 2008 ballot in California.

Proposition 10 is one of two ballot initiatives focusing on alternative fuels that will appear on the November 4 ballot in California. The other measure, Proposition 7, is sometimes referred to as Big Solar while Prop. 10 is sometimes referred to as Big Wind.

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Solar thieves in Bolinas

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The Marin IJ is running a story about solar panels that were stolen from Star Route Farms in Bolinas.  The loss totals more than $20,000. (I believe the panels are visible immediately to the right of the placemark in the map above.)

Star Route Farms owner Warren Weber thought he was doing the right thing a few years ago when he invested more than $50,000 in a solar energy system.Never did Weber imagine thieves would walk off with 26 of the 33-pound panels.

But that’s exactly what happened between Aug. 16-18 on the Bolinas organic farm when bandits hauled off about $20,000 in solar panels mounted behind the Bolinas-Stinson Elementary School.

“It was an investment, an asset, something we knew would pay for itself in about seven years,” Weber said. “We wanted to cut our energy costs and our footprint as well.” He installed the panels in October 2005.

Star Route Farms produce can be found at the Marin County Farmers’ Market on Sundays and Thursdays at the Marin Civic Center in San Rafael and at many local restaurants.

Straus Family Creamery turns manure into power

Straus Family Creamery is running their meters in reverse with their high efficiency methane digester.  From their site:

Twice a day, the barn is cleaned by flushing with recycled water. Manure is scraped with a tractor toward a holding pond.  The pond is where the processes of decomposition and methane digestion begin.

1. Manure goes through a separator, which separates solids from liquids.
   
2. The liquids are piped into a second, covered pond that uses anaerobic (without oxygen) digestion, a process in which bacteria break down the manure.
   

The byproduct of anaerobic digestion is methane gas.There is sixty percent methane, along with carbon dioxide and a small amount of hydrogen sulfide that is produced.  The tarp that covers the pond captures the gases and they flow to a combustion engine. The methane fuels the engine of the generator. The generator then produces electricity.  Heat created by the combustion engine is also used to heat water for the dairy. This 180-degree water is used for cleaning barns.

The Straus Family Creamery is located in Marshall, CA:

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Slow Food Rocks 2008

If you are in town (SF/Bay Area) this weekend be sure to check out the Slow Food Rocks Festival on The Great Meadow at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco.  This event coincides with the Slow Food Nation Convention taking place around the city.  One of the groups performing is the John Butler Trio:

I heard about the event this morning on KQED’s Forum radio show hosted by Michael Krasny.  Check the site for the audio clip of Slow Food Nation.