Weather for Brattleboro, VT:
Overcast, light rain44.6 °F
By Tad Montgomery | Sat, March 02 2013
(this event was postponed from Feb. 11th due to weather.)
In 2000 Germany set a goal of achieving 20% renewable electricity production by 2020. At that time they were at 3%. Now, just 12 years later, they are already at 25%. How is Germany transitioning to a renewable energy economy so quickly? Long-time renewable energy advocate Bob Walker and Vermont State Representative Margaret Cheney will report on what they learned from their recent renewable energy tour of Germany as guests of the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
The trip was designed for policymakers and advocates who are advancing renewable energy in the U.S.A. The group traveled throughout Germany meeting with members of Parliament, government officials, cooperative organizers, technical consultants, and farmers, all of whom are helping to rapidly make Germany the world's leader in renewable energy development. Bob and Margaret will share photos, stories, and lessons from their trip and discuss how government policies, financing mechanisms, and local involvement can stimulate the growth of renewable energy, create business opportunities, and strengthen the regional economy.
Date: Monday, March 11th, 2013
When: from 5:30 to 7:30 PM
Where: Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon Street (Route 142), downtown Brattleboro
Cost: free
For more information: Tad Montgomery, 802.251.0502 or email:
Tad@HomeEnergyAdvocates.com. For last minute information visit the website
http://HomeEnergyAdvocates.com
RSVP is requested so that we have an estimate of numbers and can plan the space accordingly.
Sponsors of this event include: Home Energy Advocates of Brattleboro, Sustainable Energy Outreach Network (SEON), Marlboro College Graduate Center, Foard Panel, Windham Regional Commission Energy Committee, Sustainable Energy Resource Group, Soveren Solar, the Resilient Design Institute, Integrated Solar Applications, the Whetstone Station Restaurant, Commonwealth Dairy, the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation, Sustainable Valley Group, the Vermont Country Deli and the Elliot Street Cafe.
Comments | 1
Germany plans to abandon nuclear energy within 11 years
Wiki:
On 30 May 2011, Germany formally announced plans to abandon nuclear energy completely within 11 years. The plan included the immediate permanent closure of six nuclear power plants that had been temporarily shut down for testing in March 2011, and two more that have been offline a few years with technical problems. The remaining nine plants will be shut down between now and 2022. The announcement was first made by Norbert Röttgen, head of the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, after late-night talks.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said the phase-out of plants, previously scheduled to go offline as late as 2036, would give Germany a competitive advantage in the renewable energy era, stating, "As the first big industrialized nation, we can achieve such a transformation toward efficient and renewable energies, with all the opportunities that brings for exports, developing new technologies and jobs". Merkel also pointed to Japan's "helplessness" – despite being an industrialized, technologically advanced nation – in the face of its nuclear disaster.