Yes, there are those who still curiously regard fossil fuels as the only realistic energy sources for our world. It is a dead-end if there ever was one; an idea largely propagated by the fossil fuel biz and their political front men and women. Thankfully, for those who understand the inescapable necessity of renewable clean energy, the options just keep growing.

Meet the solar tower, a solar-based energy source that is an intriguing mix of solar and wind energy. A company named "Enviromission" has its sights on Arizona to build this massive tower. It's essentially an enormous greenhouse that traps air heated by the sun's rays. Hot air naturally rises, and as the air does so it is funneled through a central point (the tower), the base of which sports an array of fans that are turned by the current just like a windmill.

A detailed description of the tower can be found here including its numerous advantages. For starters, it is low maintenance, continues to work at night, has zero GHG emissions, makes use of essentially useless desert, and the list still goes on. This earlier, smaller version in Spain recently achieved the huge milestone of generating twenty-four hours of uninterrupted supply, proving solar energy can provide power well into the night!

This is just one of many options that are currently available and make the reality of renewable energy all the more imminent. Add some wind energy, solar thermal and solar PV, some geothermal for good measure, and we're well on our way to a cleaner, sustainable future.

Last week, the federal government released its draft Environmental Assessment for the areas it has proposed for wind power development off the coasts of Virginia, Maryland and other mid-Atlantic states.

150 Virginia citizens, 5 strategic ways to take action, one purpose: moving Virginia toward a future of clean power and good jobs from offshore wind energy. That was the Energize Virginia summit that CCAN proudly hosted this past Saturday in Richmond!

If you were among the many activists that joined us on Saturday, thank you! We hope you had as much fun and felt as inspired as we did! If you couldn't be there, hopefully these pictures can begin to capture the day's palpable excitement!

Energize Virginia was foremost about Virginians coming to the state capitol from as far as Alexandria and Virginia Beach, from the Valley and from the Southside and everywhere in between, to learn and to take action to bring affordable, carbon-free energy online in Virginia. But we did even more than that.

We took a stand demanding that the leaders in our state act faster and more decisively to begin changing where Virginia gets its energy. With help from experts like business leader Terry McAuliffe, Joe Bouchard, Oceana's Jackie Savitz, and Sierra Club Beyond Coal's Vanessa Pierce, we made the case for large investment in Virginia's best renewable, efficient energy source and how our state can become a leader in our region. It's crucial that we keep it going full blast this year and continue to creatively and clearly demonstrate the need for installing wind power off our coast.

Feeling energized? Share it with the world! You can join our Virginia offshore wind power photo petition right from your home. Saturday produced dozens of great images to help put a face on this issue, like the one on the right, and you can Do-It-Yourself right now!

Check out our photo petition here, then download our signs or write a personal message or draw a picture about why you want an offshore wind farm for Virginia, and add your smiling face to our petition! Please email these pictures directly to us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can find out how to do more by contacting your local CCAN organizer for upcoming summer volunteer opportunities!

In case you missed it, Annapolis

On the heels of Secretary Salazar's offshore wind energy announcement yesterday in Norfolk, both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly passed the Voluntary Solar Resource Fund Bill (HB 2191 and SB 975), which aims to set up a revolving loan fund for residential solar energy projects. The loan program will promote economic development and the production of clean, renewable energy at no cost to the state.

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This bill is a win-win-win for all major parties involved: the citizens of Virginia who will receive the loans, the commonwealth's solar energy industry, and utilities with an interest in distributed solar power.

"Renewable energy has had two major boosts today: first the announcement that Virginia could begin leasing offshore wind sites by the end of this year, and also from the passing of the Voluntary Solar Resource Fund bill in the Virginia General Assembly," said Chelsea Harnish, Virginia Policy Coordinator for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

Years from now when historians look back for a turning point in America's efforts to address the global climate crisis, they could very well point to 2011 as the year when it happened. This might seem counterintuitive after an election which saw a wave of climate-change deniers sweep into Congress, but that's only if you're looking for the leadership to come from Washington. If you consider the plans that are afoot right here in Maryland, it's a different story altogether.

Without a doubt, a climate-denier controlled Congress likely closes the door on a federal climate bill for the next two years, but it certainly does not close the door on state legislation that could spur national-level action. A lack of federal leadership on climate change is hardly something new

Hey, Governor McDonnell, are you serious about renewable energy sources like wind and solar, or are you just pulling our leg? I mean, you won't even commit just $400 to power the Governor's Mansion with renewable energy in 2011. What's the deal??



Yes, you read that right. We asked the Governor to buy renewable energy credits as a symbolic gesture that he was leading the Commonwealth towards a future that includes an increased emphasis on clean energy, but he won't do it.

While politicians are busy arguing over the exact degree to which humans have impacted climate change, innovative designers are diving into clever new energy technologies and green designs.

The Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) competition, sponsored by the United Arab Emirates' "clean technology zone" Masdar City, generated one theoretical wind power generation design that draws its inspiration and its visual appeal directly from field of grass.

Coal is having a rough year.

Wind power. It lauded as this futuristic form of energy. A possible solution at some point in the future but not commercial ready now.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Wind has been around well forever. It's the source of all our electricity, if not for the ability to harness the power of wind with a kite, Ben Franklin may have never discovered electricity in the first place!

But obviously it takes more than lightning and a kite to power a society. But Wind power is not a myth, just this week the New York Times ran a story on an ancient italian town generating a surplus of energy off of wind and making a profit!

It might seem like a stretch to link an ancient town in Italy to a thriving modern metropolis like Virginia but this dream is more of a reality than you think! Oceana released a report just this week that stated:

Offshore wind power could exceed Virginia's current electricity demand and create up to 26,660 in-state jobs, according to a report issued Tuesday.

Written by Oceana, an ocean-oriented environmental group, the report examines the East Coast. It found that wind farms could supply nearly half the region's current electricity generation and provide up to 212,000 jobs.

The report looked at water that averages at least 12.5 mph winds, is three to 24 miles off the coast, and is no deeper than 100 feet. It excluded 67 percent of these areas due to potential military, environmental and shipping conflicts

Wind has blowing since the time of the dinosaurs and it's not stopping any time soon. It's time we start tapping into this infinite resource.