Solar-Powered Schools in Florida's Future

Solar-Powered Schools in Florida's Future

By UCF Staff
Feb. 18, 2010

The Florida Solar Energy Center at the University of Central Florida's Cocoa campus will administer a $10 million state program to install solar energy systems on 90 public schools.
The SunSmart Schools E-Shelters (Emergency Shelters) program, unveiled this week by Gov. Charlie Crist, is expected to boost Florida’s clean energy sector by providing job opportunities to local installers and vendors. The grant money will come from federal economic stimulus funds.
The solar electric systems, also known as photovoltaic (PV) systems, will provide power during outages, offset electricity costs to the school during normal operations and reduce greenhouse gases.

“Not only will these systems provide a vital energy resource to an emergency shelter,” said Bill Young, the SunSmart technical manager at FSEC, “they will also provide noise-free power with no air pollution or fuel supply issues.”

Nearly 800 schools in Florida are designated as Enhanced Hurricane Protection Area (EHPA) shelters. The selection process will be highly competitive. Schools will be selected based on demographics, emergency shelter needs, partnerships and existing renewable energy education and outreach plans.

“The SunSmart School and E-Shelters program will help protect our environment for future generations,” Crist said. “Educating Floridians and utilizing energy efficient technologies will strengthen our economy by increasing Florida's energy independence and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.” Teachers and students alike will benefit from the systems. Energy curriculum workshops for teachers will be provided, and students -- as well as the public -- will be able to analyze the performance data that will be uploaded to http://www.energywhiz.com/. The program will also provide operation and maintenance workshops for facility managers.

Each participating school will receive a 10-kilowatt solar energy system with a battery back-up -- complete with installation. The system will provide enough power for critical energy needs such as lighting, communications and essential medical equipment.

“Our goal is to have PV systems spread throughout the state, ideally at least one SunSmart E-Shelter in every county,” said Susan Schleith, SunSmart program manager.
Those interested in participating in the program should visit www.fsec.ucf.edu/go/sunsmart for more information.

Department Partners With Waitrose Stores To Promote Florida Pink Grapefruit In England

Shoppers in England will have the opportunity to “taste the warmth of Florida sunshine” during January and February when Florida pink grapefruit are featured in 220 Waitrose stores in and around London. The promotion builds upon a multiyear marketing relationship between Waitrose and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

“We are very happy to again partner with Waitrose so that shoppers can enjoy Florida’s world-famous pink grapefruit,” Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson said. “In addition to helping brighten the winter for many Londoners, the increased sales generated by this retail marketing campaign will be good news for Florida’s growers.”

As part of the Waitrose promotion, the upscale chain will feature in-store product signs produced by the department touting the theme “Taste the Warmth of Florida Sunshine.” Recipe cards for Florida pink grapefruit will also be available to Waitrose shoppers. In addition, the Florida pink grapefruit promotion will be featured in a half-page ad in “Waitrose Magazine.”
The promotion was originally planned for the month of January, with FDACS providing marketing and advertising dollars. However, Waitrose marketing executives decided to extend the promotion through February, absorbing all costs for the second month, to help maximize the exposure of the Florida pink grapefruit marketing initiative.

EPA offers Fla. water pollution limits

EPA offers Fla. water pollution limits

Standards set in effort to prevent algae blooms, ‘dead zones’

updated 8:49 p.m. ET, Fri., Jan. 15, 2010

MIAMI - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday proposed the first numeric limits in the nation for farm and urban runoff polluting Florida's waterways, limits supporters say could set precedent and lead to similar federal standards in other states.
The agency released its proposed rules after reaching a settlement last year with environmentalists who sued EPA in 2008. They claimed the agency was failing to force Florida to meet requirements under the Clean Water Act, and sought the numeric standards for runoff such as fertilizers and animal waste that are causing toxic algae blooms and poisoning ecosystems.
Friday's proposed rules mark the first time the EPA plans to force numeric limits of so-called nutrient runoff on any state. A handful of other states, at the urging of the agency, have already acted to set their own standards. The remainder have vague limits on waste and fertilizer pollution, while some are in the process of developing their own numeric limits.

"It's actually pretty good," said David Guest, an attorney for Earthjustice, which represented environmental groups in the lawsuit, including the Sierra Club, Florida Wildlife Federation and others.
'Huge leap forward'While noting the standards "aren't as stringent as we'd like," Guest called it "a huge leap forward in getting effective controls on sewage, fertilizer and animal manure."
"This is the beginning of a very serious effort nationwide, and Florida is going to be a model," he said.
The new water standards "will help protect and restore inland waters that are a critical part of Florida's history, culture and economic prosperity," Peter S. Silva, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Water, said in a statement.
Silva also noted that the state "has led the way with rigorous scientific analysis and data collection needed to address nutrient pollution."
The Don't Tax Florida coalition, a group of state associations and businesses, including the Florida Agriculture Coalition and the state Chamber of Commerce, called the proposed rules "a de facto water tax from Washington." The group said they "will impose major economic hardship on Florida's battered economy with questionable benefits," and will lead to significantly higher water and sewer bills.
"It simply makes no sense to force Florida to spend billions of scarce dollars in excess of what is necessary to meet an arbitrary federal regulation," said Mark Wilson, president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
The state Department of Environmental Protection said Friday it was still reviewing the proposal.
Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, who along with state Attorney General Bill McCollum previously objected to federal rules being imposed only on Florida, also was still reviewing the proposal.
Agriculture Department spokesman Terence McElroy said Bronson wasn't opposed to "reasonable efforts" to clean Florida's waterways.
Florida waterways suffering"He wants a science-based approach, which he was concerned that this may not be, and he was also concerned that the numbers ... not be exceedingly expensive and ultimately unattainable," McElroy said.
In a 2008 report, the state DEP concluded that half of the state's rivers and more than half of its lakes had poor water quality.
The numeric standards proposed Friday set pollution limits for Florida's lakes and rivers, as mandated in the settlement. The rules are now open for public comment, and a final rule is due before Oct. 15, 2010. The agency plans to propose nutrient limits for estuaries and coastal waterways by Jan. 14, 2011, with those final rules due by Oct. 15, 2011.
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The EPA acknowledged more than 10 years ago that Florida needed to promptly develop runoff standards to meet the requirements of the federal Clean Water Act, enacted in 1972 "to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation's waters."
The agency notes that nutrient pollution is among the leading causes of impairment in lakes and coastal waterways nationwide, and has been linked to so-called "dead zones" deprived of oxygen and life in the Gulf of Mexico.