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by BRITTANY PENLAND
News Reporter
Energy and climate concerns are on the agenda for international meetings organized by the Obama administration beginning in April.
The White House has called on representatives from 16 major economies, as well as the Secretary General of the United Nations, to take part in a preparatory session to be held April 27 and 28 in Washington, D.C, according to a White House press release.
Following this meeting, leaders will be hosted by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and will convene in La Maddalena, Italy, in July.
“Bringing the
countries of the world together to discuss [energy and climate] is
critical,” Ged Moody, faculty advisor for Appalachian’s Renewable
Energy Initiative and member of the Appalachian Institute for Renewable
Energy, said.
The
purpose of the Major Economies Meetings on Energy Security and Climate
Change conferences is to resolve past issues that have blocked the
creation of an international climate treaty, according to The New York
Times.
“I would
like to see these world meetings come out with some financing
alternatives to allow individual countries, large and small, to make
aggressive investments in new technology,” Moody said.
As
nations gather to discuss how to better the environment, Appalachian
State University and Boone are continuing to make advancements in
carbon dioxide reduction and are trying to become more energy efficient.
AIRE
will establish the first community-owned solar project, which will be
installed by the Department of Appropriate Technology on the roof of
local downtown business, The Greenhouse.
The
Greenhouse solar energy project will be a 2.5-kilowatt photovoltaic
solar electric system consisting of multiple panels, which will produce
300 kilowatts of energy per month, Moody said.
Steve Owen, executive director of AIRE, first conceived the idea of a community-owned solar energy system.
“The
idea Steve Owen has pioneered is the idea of a community renewable
energy project,” appropriate technology professor Dennis M. Scanlin
said. “It takes [people] like Owen to get the ball rolling and spread
the technology.”
The
system should last for 30 years and during that time an estimated
355,000 pounds of carbon dioxide will be saved from the atmosphere,
Scanlin said.
In the United States, 7 percent of the nation’s energy is generated from renewable energy sources, Scanlin said.
“Communities
can and should own their electric infrastructure,” Moody said. “It’s
not a natural situation where everybody in the state buys their power
from basically Progress and Duke energy.”
A
kickoff event for the solar energy system will be held Friday from 5
p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Greenhouse, and the public is encouraged to
attend to learn more about renewable energy.
The event and food are free and participants can enjoy live music by solar-powered band Southern Exposure.
Attendees will be given the opportunity to invest into the community solar energy project.
“Communities
can take control of their energy future and that’s what this is about,”
Moody said. “We want to see communities controlling their own energy
destiny.”
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