From announcement:
Residents are invited to learn about VA SUN, an energy co-op that organizes group installation of solar panels. An informational meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 16, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at VCU’s School of Engineering West Hall (601 W. Main Street) Room 103.
The Richmond Community Solar Co-op had an info session last night at Henrico County’s Tuckahoe Library.
Here is the basic information:
Want to Go Solar on Your Home or Business in the greater Richmond area? Join the Richmond Community Solar Co-op
Neighbors in Richmond have formed a solar co-op to make going solar easier and cheaper. Co-op members use their group buying power to get a discount and work with the support of the non-profit VA SUN as they go solar. VA SUN brought the first Solarize program to Virginia and has helped hundreds of homeowners go solar in the Commonwealth.
Based on the same principle as buying in bulk, co-op members purchase solar systems together to save money and share knowledge. The group uses a competitive bidding process to select a single company that will install systems on all of the participating homes. Each participant signs his or her own contract with the installer, but everyone gets the bulk discount.
By going solar as a group we can save up to 20% off the cost of a solar system. You’ll also have the support of the group instead of navigating an often-complicated process alone. VA SUN is supporting the group effort.
Contact: Aaron Sutch, VA SUN Program Manager (aaron@vasun.org)
Community Partner: Sekar Veerapan (smvee@hotmail.com)
This past Friday night and late last night, there have been mysterious explosion sounds coming from the west, followed by power outages for certain parts of the neighborhood, including the Overlook condos.
In the morning the grid power has returned, presumably after Dominion Power does repairs. While the outages have been reported and have appeared on Dominion Power’s website, there has been no clear explanation given.
A “solar oven picnic” is scheduled for this Sunday morning and early afternoon in Riverside Park.
From Solar Cookers International:
Most solar cookers work on basic principles: sunlight is converted to heat energy that is retained for cooking. Sunlight is the “fuel.” A solar cooker needs an outdoor spot that is sunny for several hours and protected from strong wind, and where food will be safe.
From FaceBook event page:
Cook and share food using only solar ovens at the top of the grassy slope in Oregon Hill’s Riverside Park. If it rains or it is too overcast the event will be postponed.
Seeing as the forecast is partly cloudy, this may have a 50% chance of happening, but as with the recent neighborhood yard sale, this event is an experiment that will hopefully improve with re-iteration.
Open to the public:
The Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority (VNECA) Board is meeting Thursday, August 20 at 10am at the VCU East Engineering Hall, Room E3218. 401 West Main Street, Richmond, VA.
Additionally, as a reminder the last meeting of the year will be held on Thursday, November 5th at 10am in Richmond. Please mark your calendars if you have not already.
As you may have seen, the Governor announced five appointments to the VNECA board last week. In addition to reappointing David Christian, Mary Alice Hayward and Matthew Mulherin, Dr. William Briscoe of GWU and Mr. Woody Lawman of Flowserve were appointed to the Board.
All five appointments are for four years running until June 30, 2019. Their titles and contact information is listed below.
William J. Briscoe of Charles Town, West Virginia, Chair, Department of Physics, George Washington University and Director, GW Institute of Nuclear Studies, GWINS;
David A. Christian of Toano, CEO, Dominion Generation;
Mary Alice Hayward of McLean, Vice President, Government Affairs & Advocacy, AREVA INC.;
Woody Lawman of Midlothian, Director of Sales for Navy and Nuclear Products, Flowserve-Limitorque;
Matthew J. Mulherin of Yorktown, President, Newport News Shipbuilding;
See proposed minutes from previous meeting by clicking here.
Some additional nuclear news:
“$19 Billion for Dominion’s New Nuclear Reactor? Huge cost involved to expand North Anna plant.”
“Low-dose radiation exposure slightly increases leukemia risk: study”
Big tree branch down on 700 block of China. I am hearing power still out on part of Spring and some of the 500 block of Laurel, and the even side of Holly Street.
And then there is the abandoned urine sample on the odd side of Holly Street…
Received this forwarded email in regard to the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority (VNECA)‘ upcoming meeting, which the public is allowed to attend:
VNECA Board Members:
I hope all is well with you. Just wanted to send a quick reminder about Wednesday’s VNECA Board meeting.
The meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 20th at 10am at the VCU East Engineering Hall, 401 West Main Street, Room E3229 (daVinci classroom on third floor). (Ed. note: I redacted the parking code info) The map is attached, but this is the same lot as previous meetings.
If you haven’t RSVP’d already, please let me know if you will be able to attend.
Attached are the draft minutes from the last meeting, draft agenda for this meeting and map for parking.
Please let me know if you have any questions and I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday.
Thanks.
Randy Marcus
Senior Advisor for Policy
Office of Governor Terry McAuliffe
randy.marcus@governor.virginia.gov
Today, there is a small rally and press conference scheduled for noon at Monroe Park to celebrate and welcome student bicycle riders from the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Resistance Ride.
They are biking from May 9th to 19th along the route of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline, protesting the fossil fuel industry along the way.
Oregon Hill residents are gratified that the City workers recently repainted the historic gazebo that sits as the end of S. Pine Street, near the overlook. With the UCI Road World Championship bicycle races approaching, residents are hoping the gazebo will look enticing for spectators.
But now the City has additional news: As part of longterm restoration plans, the gazebo roof will be fitted with not only roof-flush photovoltaic (PV) solar panels and batteries to power the lighting installations around it, but also a retractable solar thermal array that will provide steam for picnic cooking as well as hot beverages in cooler temperatures.
The design for this array comes from Wolfgang Scheffler, who is well know for designing similar arrays for community kitchens across India. City officials expect to have both the PV array and the thermal array up later this summer, as long as they can get past regulation in the City’s VEPGA.
According to Randy Marcus, Senior Advisor for Policy
Office of Governor Terry McAuliffe, the VNECA (VA Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority) Board has rescheduled their Board meeting for Tuesday, March 24 at 10am.
The meeting will be held close by at the VCU East Engineering Hall, 401 West Main Street, Room E3218 (Collaborative Learning Center on Third Floor). This is the same building and room used for recent meetings.
Nuclear opponents are watching carefully and plan to attend this meeting. However, it is unlikely there will be an outside protest like there was on Tredegar Street earlier this month.