JaniesLuckTonight on WCCO TV, Don Shelby interviewed the Governor (full video at wcco.com) on renewable energy. He also had clips of his interview with the President and CEO of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. In both interviews, the positions remained the same that we need better "objectives" for renewable energy, not "mandates". But the tone is changed, and both conservatives are tripping over themselves to be more pro-renewable than the democrats.In politics, whenever you hear someone say "here's the deal", its probably not the deal. But here's the deal: the governor and the Chamber will eventually accept Senator Ellen Anderson's position that a minimum of 25% of our electricity (by law) will come from renewable sources by 202o, if there are reasonable exit ramps for unforseen consequences like rate shocks, wind turbine unavailability, and things outside utilities' control. Seems reasonable enough. Let's git 'er done, and move on to the main menu for 2007: global warming pollution limits in MN, massive increasing in energy savings by utilities, and biofuel from new crops, beyond corn. If you have time on Tuesday next at 4 PM watch the unprecedented joint meeting of 8 legislative committees to hear about global warming on Channel 17, and then call the governor for action to limit global warming pollution in Minnesota. The governor says he supports that in his 'CCO interview, but it is not yet reflected in any legislation that he's backing.

Hi all,I'd like to invite the bloggers among you to an exclusive online event to get a sneak-peek of the 5th edition of the EA SimCity Societies game, before its release on Thursday, Nov. 15.  This game is particularly unique because it focuses on environmental choices in city-building and planning which mimic the real world.The preview will include a guided tour by the game's producer, Rachel Bernstein, as well as insights from the person at BP who made this partnership possible. As you may well know, this is the first time that EA has partnered with a company for knowledge exchange to inform their game - in this case low carbon power options.This event is exclusive to bloggers, and will walk through designing a fantasy city that is an environmental utopia or one that chokes with pollution that sets off a wave of climate change that wreaks havoc on its citizens. It's a powerful education tool on environmental consequences based on real-world information. Hope you can make it!When: Wednesday, November 14th at 1pm EST/10am PST Where: Your desktop How:  E-mail or call me at 212-593-6435 and I'll send you the details to log on and dial-in.Thanks!DariusDarius RazgaitisRuder Finnrazgaitisd@ruderfinn.com

I am not sure how to use this site, but I am a strong advocate of geothermal heat pumps, which maybe should have a category of its own.  There are numerous misconceptions about geothermal heat pumps.  The first is that they require alot of space.  This is true for horizontal loop fields.  For vertical loop fields, the boreholes need to be 10 to 15 feet apart.  I have a fairly standard house that required four bore holes, that is a square 10 feet on a side.  Not a huge area.  A second concern is the expense.  They are expensive, but for some reason, many contractors in this area size them too large, as was done with my house.  I have a four ton, 54000 btu/hr system.  If I were doing it again, I would not put in a system any large than three ton, and maybe two ton.  The following website from the Canadian government bears out my observations.http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/publications/infosource/pub/home/Heating_and_Cooling_with_a_Heat_Pump_Section4.cfmI also buy all of my electricity from Xcel's WindSource program.  I like to claim I heat my house and put nothing into the atmosphere, though I know that is not entirely accurate.  I also calculate the operating expense of my system to be equivalent to using a 95% efficient natural gas furnace with gas at $4.60 per MMBtu. Since natural gas is over $10 per MMBtu, my heating bills are half that of a homeowner with a similar home and a 95% efficienct natural gas furnace.  Anyone with specific questions can contact me at vbstenswick@hotmail.com . VBStenswick