Egypt To Build 200MW Wind Farm, Production Expected in 2014

Egypt is thinking ahead, moving forward with plans to generate 12% of its electricity by 2020, in approving another 200MW wind farm in the Red Sea region.

The newest wind farm will be located south of Zafarna and about 120km north of Hurghada. Zafarna is a windy part of country with several already operational wind farms. The country just recently announced open bidding for a 250MW wind farm in the same area and has received bids from 26 international companies.

The bidding procedure for the latest wind farm, which should cost around 340 million euros, will hopefully start in December, 2009. The wind farm is not expected to start producing electricity before 2014.

European Investment Bank, the European Commission and German bank KfW are expected to finance 270 million euros of the total cost. KfW confirmed that it will contribute, but said it would not reveal how much until it receives final approval from the German government.

Eco-Friendly Existence for Beginners

Going green, or eco-friendly, couldn’t be easier now more than ever before. No matter how rural our homes, most county landfills now offer the opportunity to recycle. We all use paper, glass, plastic and metal each day. All we have to do is separate them in different containers and put them by the curb, in most cases.

That’s just one simple way to ‘go green’. Another ‘free’ way to conserve energy is by planning your trips around town. If you have to go to the cleaners, take the kids to soccer and ballet classes and pick up a few items at the grocery store, planning is easy. Rather than three separate trips, or even two, try to combine trips. You can even plan it out on mapquest.com, including your stops, using the most economic route.

Another easy green tip: use cloth shopping bags. Cloth bags are reusable and available at most major retail stores. Target and Walmart both have them. Keep your bags in the car, in a convenient spot so you don’t forget. I keep several bags, all inside of a bag, behind the passenger seat. If you have to use plastic, reuse the bags once you bring them home. They come in handy as small trash can liners amongst other uses.

Make my Mark

Growing up, I wondered what I would do when I grew up. How would I leave my mark on the planet? What would I leave for my daughter and grandson. Now that we've learned about the size of our carbon footprints, we know we actually need to leave less of a mark.

I know there are people out there who don't think there is anything they can do. I know because I used to think that. I recycle, I use cloth shopping bags and I try to plan my drives around the city to conserve gasoline. I also know that it's not enough. I want a smaller footprint.

There are so many things available now that we couldn't afford just a few years ago. Solar and wind power, even small turbines made from recycled plastic. We can be eco friendly in our day to day lives. I'll post tips on how to conserve in further posts, so stay tuned.

There are incentives beyond what we want to leave our children, federal and state government, even our utility companies are helping us out. You can check your state incentives here: http://www.dsireusa.org/index.cfm to find out what's available to you. Don't forget to check with your utility company either, they can be invaluable and even help finance improvements. It never hurts to ask!

More later,

Solar Powered Bus Shelters equals Light Plus Wifi

If you find yourself in San Francisco, new solar-powered bus stops might make the wait for a bus more pleasant. Last week they unveiled the first solar-powered shelter which contains photovoltaic cells on its roof that power LEDs for night-time vision. Excess power is sent back to the grid.

To top it off, San Francisco’s new shelters will have free Wi-Fi access. The city expects to install 1,100 new solar-powered bus stops between now and 2013. That means a blanket of free Internet across the city, handy to get email or work done while waiting.

Each shelter costs between $25,000-$30,000, but they are being paid for in full by Clear Channel Communications.

Check out the prototype shelter at the corner of Geary and Arguello in the Richmond.