We are getting Solar !!!

My wife and I decided to go Solar. About two months ago we started talking to a series of companies in the South Bay Area in and around San Jose, CA, where we live. We have selected one company to work with and we will soon sign the contract and if all goes well, about 2 months from now we will use the sun to produce energy and as a nice benefit, hopefully eliminate our electricity bill completely.
We opted for a 2.6kW system (AC) which will use an inverter rated for up to 3.0kW (DC). That means we can later add a few panels easily once we get more money and/or the system's capacity is not sufficient for us.
The system price before any rebates or tax incentives is approx. $21,000. Rebates will take the biggest edge off at roughly $5,400. On top of that there is a tax credit of $2,000 which we can claim with our tax return at the end of the year. Doing the math we roughly have to pay $13,400 for the entire system. I have heard through one of the companies that gave us a quote that there is the possibility for legislation to be passed which will increase the tax credit. But for now we assume a $2,000 credit and go with that. Can't wait for the system to be up. Will post pictures once the work has started.

Biodiesel and fuel filter changes

The other day I went to a gas station (Valley Oil in Mountain View, CA) that sells pure Biodiesel, well B99, so virtually pure Biodiesel. Anyway, a little more expensive than the B20 from Rotten Robbie but it's environmentally even better. Now, when you switch to Biodiesel fuel filter clogging after a few tanks of Biodiesel is pretty common. So I went ahead and changed. Thanks to the Cincinnati TDI Club it was super simple. They posted a video online on how to change the fuel filter. Took a mere 15 minutes and everything was done. Car runs great and I am still doing something good for the environment. So far I have gone roughly a 1000 miles on B20 and B99 and there is no noticeable difference in performance. Gas mileage has improved slightly, about a mile per gallon to close 43mpg on average.

What can you do to be greener?

There is a lot of things one can do to become greener and be less wasteful, less polluting and become a conservationist. No, I am not talking about living without electricity or walking and biking everywhere but the first and foremost thing everyone can do is to learn a little more about conservation. Need any ideas what you can do immediately? Read Al Gore's Live Earth pledge, sign it if you can get on board with at least a few of the things and try and do some of the things.

There is a ton of stuff out there on the Web that can help you find out more. Here is a short list to get you started:

1. To learn about Biodiesel, go to http://www.biodiesel.org
2. If you think a hybrid is a better choice, go to http://www.hybridcars.com/
3. If you you want to find out how you can save electricity, go to PGE's web site and use the SmartEnergy Analyzer which will tell you how you can save money in and around your house?
4. Interested in Solar technology? Check out the Wikipedia page about Solar Power.
   

Yeah, I know, some of these things require a fair amount of money to begin with. But there is lots of other things you can do. And you can find it all on the Web. For example, you can plant a tree to shade the wall of your house if you live in an area with lots of sunlight. Helps keep the temperature down and subsequently requires less air conditioning in case you have an AC. And you are doing another good thing by planting a tree. Anyway, everyone can do something, let's just do it.

The Inaugural Post about Going Green

The world needs more blogs, well, maybe not but I think the world does need more places where people can learn about doing good for the environment. Going green is important. Why am I doing this? Well, I have been and will continue to blog about other stuff on my at main blog. Go check it out, I hope it's entertaining. I did occasionally blog about environmental issues, like how I converted to using Biodiesel. My wife and I have two young children and we strongly believe that it is important to do more to protect the environment. That doesn't mean we are freaks or environmental activists/terrorists. We just like to do our part and this blog is an attempt to tell people that maybe they can do the same. So stay tuned more to come.